Valley of the Dead Visit (3)

On the left side of the screen was a blue-hairy creature's live picture. It was a Blood Fiend leader, actually, more precisely. Compared to young men of teenage stage, Max was an odd one. He was not excited to see something like that appearing on his Vampire System's screen. Contrarily, he subconsciously compared Antaf and Hemth.

Both details of his first shift and his current shift were still fresh in him; both difference in the Blood Fiends' appearance, and highly maybe not the way they sounded, were somewhat the same; both had a slightly dog resembling snout with red lighted dog shaped eyes; both had a slightly zigzag shaped lips releasing dark-red faint glow mixed with slightly red magical mist emission; both had their ears looking short compared to the ears of a regular wolf.

On the right side screen of the Vampire System, a red notification slowly danced up:

[ You will shift into the Blood Fiend 'Antaf' ]

Not startled by the calm red smoke instantly sipping through his hair pores, and embracing him from head to toe like his soul, and making him to look like he was originally formed from some deoxygenated smoke-like blood, Max's attention was, calmly, drawn to the screen's left side by the Blood Fiend's bold sounding voice.

[ Antaf: "After ages, I have gained access to a Vampire again! ]

Unlike Hemth, Antaf had a very bold sounding voice. The voice was just a confident one that sounded capable of challenging anything and anywhere. It sounded like saying: "I am the Blood Fiend leader Antaf!". The slight smirk on his zigzag wolfy lips told Max that this strange creature had the personality of a daring being.

Raising an eyebrow, 'Oooh. You too can speak.' Max wondered unceremoniously before he minimized the view of the live picture until it turned into a small icon. He wasn't yet interested to speak to any of the Blood Fiends although — highly maybe — they had explanations for everything he needed to learn about them.

Still engulfed in the red mist, turning his head to the new figure, Max smiled the moment the red smoke diffused from him and into the air. Soaring up and dispersing about with time, the numb red smoke gradually became invisibly eaten by the brightly green air.

[ The shift was a success! ]

Checking over himself to see what selecting [ Dualbloom ] did to him, apart from bringing Antaf's live picture which he has diminished for the time being, right now, there were two identical Maximus. One was standing by the right with surprise and the other one by his left with a confused frown.

As he looked at the other him, 'Umm... nice. Isn't the shifting process very smooth and unusual to the traditions of fiction? No pain as I divided into two, no dizzy feeling nor a sense of becoming two at a time? But this isn't fiction, it is actually happening...' randomly thought Max.

Then, realization of what just transpired dawned on him: 'Wha-hahaha... What is this?' he clutched his now-dark recoiling hair in his hands, then he brushed it backwards.

Both of the Max took steps away from one another while examining each other from head to toe. It seemed to him like his reflection from the mirror world was summoned to living.

"Ah don't know if am actually two now... am two?" The moody left one answered what the right one was thinking. With a delighted expression, he put his hands in his trouser pockets.

Apart from hearing what the both of him — them? — were/was independently thinking, Max had a dual vision processed and easily understood by his single mind.

He was two but it felt normal;

He had shifted but it felt in place;

Shifting into Dualbloom was not like cloning. It was like, it was like, like having both of the two bodies controlled by a single mind which was neither centrally located in either of them! Clones should have independent minds, but these ones were easily controlled by a single mind!

Thank goodness. Max was not someone who could be easily shifted to exhilaration, not even by fractioning into two separate individuals, and if not he could have shouted out due to shock by now. His current style of celebration was to merely smile like someone who attained the status of being the world's richest man. His composure was not only useful, but also an endearing attribute, then.

"I think this is a good treasure." The smiling Max murmured. "So Max, what do you think the remaining unlocked Blood Fiends can do?"

'Nice to speak to myself. Very nice and nice. I now have an incredible power at my disposal: The Blood Fiends. Whatever the drawbacks of having them can be, I think it'll be worth it. The kiss is a blessing!'

"Wait. Ya heard that? Ya can produce the word properly!" The frowning Max almost screamed his whispers. This fact alone was much more shocking than his ability to become two individuals with the same kind of thoughts running through their/his mind;

He clutched his hair in a turmoil of emotions;

He thought that his tainted speaking nature could only revert back to normal if he was to become a human once again.

But no, it seemed not to be the case anymore.

The reason for Max's abnormal ascent was initiated after he drank his mother's blood. Right now, his eyes became wet with her thoughts.

Every Vampire Slave who drinks the blood of their family after their transformation into Lucas' slaves would have their accent modified. Nevertheless, sometimes, the words might come out correctly in very rare occasions.

So presently even with that fact, Max could voluntarily utter the word "You" instead of "Ya" or "I" instead of "Ah" and other more without his accent being tainted!

"You? You. I can say you!" Now, smiling Max was indeed visibly excited and happy.

"Calm down, calm down. The four shouldn't hear ya." The frowning one cautioned in a delighted tone, then he focused on his Vampire System.

[ Dualbloom Form Info. ]

[ Slaved Blood: 10 drops remaining ]

[ Blood Sensations: 1 ]

[ Dualbloom Sensations: 1 ]

[ Revival Treasures: None ]

[ Shift Time Out In: 00:18:59 ]

'The shift has a time out. Is it the same with the Werewolves?'

Choosing Antaf's icon, Max asked him: "What does Dualbloom Sensations means?"

[ Antaf: "Why did you remove me from your view! And now you are arrogantly asking me something you need to know?" ]

Max looked back at the Blood Fiend with an obvious boredom. Thinking of minimizing Antaf once again...

[ Antaf: "Wait wait! I'm going to tell you because I am naturally also-and-also the curious type. Dualbloom Sensations means Dualbloom arsenal. I think the Sensations are magical attacks or arms in some words... ]

'You think? So alright, what do you have to do with Dualbloom? As I can clearly read it, that your name is Antaf, whatever that should mean, it doesn't sound anything like Dualbloom. What is Dualbloom?'

[ Antaf: I don't know and I don't care to know. After a very long time, I am awake and guess what? I am stuck in something called System, something not existing during my era, in the body of a grumpy behaving Vampire! But then... uh... Dualbloom is everything associated with my powers... ]

'Just shut up. I think I know the rest.' Max interrupted and minimized Antaf's live image to an icon once again. The Blood Fiend was clearly clueless.

"You know what, if the two of us can work together, maybe we can now do something regarding Evelyn and Lucas. Not on any other day but today. Tonight." The smiling Max told the frowning one, his eyes as determined as when he first came to Royalty Pack.