Chapter 22: Blood Oath

"I assumed we probably wouldn't see each other again."

"Your taste in housing leaves much to be desired."

"It's cheap, I like it here. The neighbors are friendly, there are no salesmen or police patrols, and life is comfortable. So, tell me, what does my oldest friend want with me?"

"The videos from Manhattan today are spreading like wildfire. If I'm not mistaken, that weapon was your creation, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Lynn didn't intend to be evasive. Blade had known his secrets from the start; denying it would be pointless.

"But I thought you came here to talk about vampires. How did we suddenly pivot to discussing my creations?"

Blade’s eyes, hidden behind dark glasses, fixed on Lynn, seemingly observing his expressions, his heartbeat, and his pulse. Lynn’s expression remained natural, his heartbeat steady, showing absolutely no signs of distress.

"Before that, I need to confirm a few things."

"Ah, of course. What would you like to ask?"

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Are you referring to Deacon's little stunt in Manhattan today? Just a display of power, nothing more. Anything else?"

"You know I’m asking about something deeper. Money, fame, power, revenge—everyone has one or two things they pursue, but with you, I can't seem to see any of them."

Lynn finally understood what he was driving at.

"Is that important to you?"

"No one wants to work with a madman because you never know when they might have a sudden whim."

"Honestly, I find that question rather offensive. How about a trade? A question for a question. That way, neither of us loses out. Being open and honest is good for both of us."

Blade didn't speak, but Lynn took his silence as consent; otherwise, he would have left by now.

"Are you still so obsessed with vampires after avenging your family?"

"Because someone needs to do it. As long as I can reduce the number of missing persons in New York each year, why shouldn't I continue? Besides, there’s no room for compromise between us."

Lynn picked up the remote and turned on the television. Obadiah Stane was currently facing a barrage of questions in an interview. Using the interview as background noise, Lynn said, "Indeed, your goal has always been clear."

"That hardly counts as a question."

Just then, Obadiah Stane’s voice on the TV rose in volume. "Tony is simply experiencing some psychological issues due to a series of recent events. This matter still requires study by the Board of Directors."

What followed were irrelevant excuses and evasions, but it was clear that Obadiah did not want to exit the arms industry. Lynn, however, didn't care about Obadiah Stane’s ambitions.

"What do you think that man is pursuing?"

"Much the same as what the vampires are pursuing."

"You don't talk much, but you always manage to hit the nail on the head." Lynn turned to look at Blade and smiled. "If I told you I wanted the same thing, would you believe me?"

"Then you should be living in Deacon’s tower right now, playing hide-and-seek with the kittens. Let's get real, Lynn Sidis."

"Hahaha, you’re certainly blunt. What if I said I wanted to save the world—would you believe that?"

"..."

If this were some light comedy, Blade’s glasses would have tilted, revealing an eye wide with disbelief. But this wasn't a comedy, so Blade just gave his sunglasses a slight push.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"I am joking, naturally. But at this current stage..."

Lynn pulled a pitch-black page from his jacket. It was a page devoid of any embellishment, save for dark red, ominous inscriptions flowing across it, exuding a sinister aura.

"You know what this is, don't you? You've seen this before."

"So, the page Deacon had is in your hands."

"Yes. This is an extremely dangerous item. Deacon has one, and I suspect other vampires have others. I want these pages. Don't worry, my mind is perfectly normal. If you don't believe me, you can take this page and see for yourself."

Lynn handed the page of the Darkhold to Blade.

"Go on, touch it."

The phrasing was odd, but Blade didn't feel anything strange, and the light page in Lynn’s hand didn't seem dangerous. He reached out toward the page.

Suddenly, a bizarre sensation of his blood boiling flooded Blade’s mind, causing his hand to stop abruptly. His subconscious was screaming at him not to touch the Darkhold.

"What's wrong?"

Blade looked up, meeting Lynn's face, which didn't exactly look like that of a "good guy." But he wanted to know what kind of game Lynn was playing, and what kind of treasure Deacon Frost was so desperate to obtain. He reached out and touched the page.

"AAAAHHH!!!"

The moment Blade made contact, a deluge of whispers from the void erupted in his mind. His blood boiled, his brain was assaulted by a violent, massive influx of knowledge, and his pupils began to glow with a faint, crimson light. As a half-vampire, a creation of Deacon's, the Darkhold affected them even more severely than it did ordinary humans. Even with Blade's natural resistance, he was not immune.

"Alright, that's enough."

Lynn’s voice cut through the trance, and with it, the influence of the Darkhold vanished. The whispers, the dark magical knowledge, the bizarre and unbidden thoughts, and the terrifying dark prophecies—they all dissipated like a nightmare. The ambition and swelling desires tainted by the scarlet hue quickly returned under the control of his reason. Blade panted heavily, as if he had just returned from the brink of death.

He slumped over the coffee table in front of Lynn, the faint purple glow on his back fading away. Lynn stood up, patted Blade’s shoulder, and walked toward the kitchen.

"I only have coffee and juice. Want some?"

"Do you have water?"

"Yes, let me boil a pot."

A few minutes later, Blade had finally recovered, and Lynn handed him a glass of cold water while brewing a cup of coffee for himself.

"How are you able to hold that thing safely and carry it around?"

"I’m not sure. Maybe it's due to my own abilities. At the very least, the book's influence on me is limited. Of course, it’s not entirely non-existent—as you can see, it’s hard for me to get a good night's sleep these days."

Though, in truth, Lynn didn't really sleep much anyway.

"Let’s put it this way: my current goal is simply to recover the Darkhold. You’ve seen for yourself how terrifying it is. Deacon has one page, and you’ve seen the madness it brings."

"I'm glad I didn't try to take it back then. That feeling was not pleasant."

"I assume you have a reasonable understanding of the threat it poses now?"

"I thought you were bullshitting when you said you wanted to save the world."

"It was indeed bullshit. For now, I just want the Darkhold and to keep it under control."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely bullshit, especially knowing what would eventually befall this Earth. Lynn didn't know if the Beyonders would come to prune the universe, but a certain purple titan would certainly invade Earth; it was his nature.

Ignoring Lynn’s follow-up, Blade pulled himself together, dragging his consciousness back to reality from the horrific encounter.

"Do you know about the Blood Covenant?"

"I have some knowledge of it."

It seemed Blade didn't intend to continue probing Lynn’s condition. Blade realized he couldn't possibly handle the Darkhold as nonchalantly as Lynn, but now that he had confirmed what the Darkhold looked like, he seemed to have more to say.

"One of the Blood Covenants might have something similar to what you have."

A Darkhold page? Lynn had assumed it would take some time to find the next one, but to get a lead so quickly was almost unbelievable. Perhaps the Darkhold had a way of drawing itself together.

"Tell me more. How do you know?"

According to Blade, after destroying Deacon’s stronghold, he had temporarily lost his objective. However, he had made some friends—ordinary people who had also been persecuted by vampires—and they had formed a loose organization. Those people were quite unprofessional when it came to dealing with vampires; one could say they were very naive. If it had been the old Blade, he likely would have ignored them, but after a series of events, his mindset had shifted slightly. He had started helping them fight vampires, though it hadn't been for long.

Those naive vampire hunters clearly had their own intelligence network; they had been fighting vampires for a long time, and their leader was rumored to be a descendant of Abraham Whistler. In helping them, Blade had dug up deeper truths.

Namely, the Six Blood Covenants: The Sword-Claw, Nosferatu, Atlantis, Mulanksha, Keeper of Secrets, and Scylla.

"When I infiltrated a secret warehouse of the Nosferatu, I saw them transporting something. It was a thick, heavy tome, and it gave me the exact same feeling as the black page you have."

"A book? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I wouldn't mistake that feeling."

"Perhaps one of the Darkhold pages is embedded in that entire tome."

A page of the Darkhold—Lynn was definitely interested.

"So you came to me for help? But if you'll forgive my bluntness, you know the rules between us. This isn't just about exchanging pleasantries. While I am interested in the Darkhold, the vampire Blood Covenants sound like no small matter. I’ve learned from Maria that the Six Blood Covenants are not to be trifled with. Even though they are all in New York, New York is only a fraction of their sphere of influence. I don't want to provoke them at this stage."

Lynn was being realistic, but since Blade had come, he naturally had his bargaining chips—chips that could move Lynn.

"What if I have something you're interested in?"

"Isn't the Darkhold in the hands of the Nosferatu? That doesn't constitute a bargaining chip, my dear friend."

"That's not what I meant."

As he spoke, Blade produced a metal kept in a small vial.

"This is my bargaining chip."

"Hmm?"

Lynn was instantly intrigued. This material was exceptionally rare—or rather, since coming to this version of New York, this was the first time Lynn had seen it. By all accounts, this stuff should be resting silently in Atlantis or Lemuria at the bottom of the ocean.

"I got this after raiding a Sword-Claw stronghold. This is just one piece. I’m not sure how valuable it is, but considering the defensive strength of that stronghold was far from ordinary, we... it took some effort to take them down. There wasn't much worth noting in the entire place, but I found this in a well-hidden secret room. I thought you might be interested."

"I am. Tell me, what do you want?"

"I want to destroy the Nosferatu Blood Covenant in New York. I need some help, both in terms of funding and personnel."

Having said that, Blade left the vial and departed alone. He knew Lynn wouldn't give him an answer on the spot. Lynn didn't try to stop him; instead, he held the reflective metal substance and examined it closely. He hadn't analyzed it yet, but he could roughly guess what it was. He had a vague feeling that even this small amount was a rare material he desperately needed at this stage.

"Blade, that guy, he really knows how to find me work."

Lynn patted his clothes, stood up, and walked toward the door. This time, he didn't start his old car. About ten minutes later, he arrived at Deacon Tower. The building was undergoing a comprehensive renovation, with the first floor seeing the most changes—converted into several storefronts for lease.

Even at night, some of the work was in full swing. After all, many of the workers weren't just working for the money; they were also under the thumb of Maria’s authority, forced to work overtime—though, naturally, they were well-compensated.

Upon reaching the lab, Kara stood behind Lynn, holding a tablet.

"Doctor, any arrangements?"

"No, just speed up the construction. How is Connors’ mental state?"

"He recently visited his daughter, and he’s in good spirits. He also said he hopes the Connors Charitable Hospital opens soon."

"By the way, are we ready to change the name of the tower?"

"When the hospital opens, we will announce the new name."

"Good, let's do that."

Dozens of minutes later, Lynn used the available equipment to confirm what the metal was.

"Vibranium..."

The vampire Blood Covenant actually had Vibranium. Although, according to Blade, the piece he obtained was only the size of a tennis ball, it was enough for Lynn. Maria could barely get her hands on any high-end materials, and Deacon’s funds weren't enough for Lynn to invest in better material science on his own.

Lynn smiled and shook his head. It seemed he had no choice but to agree to Blade’s request, though he didn't know why vampires would have so much Vibranium.

"I don't intend to let the prey slip through my fingers, especially when they have a page of the Darkhold."