Hello, readers.
As promised, here's the chapter that provides some much-needed clarifications about the Vlad bloodline and the curse.
I hope it helps deepen your understanding of the story and answers any questions.
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1. Dragavei, born in 858 A.D, was not the first vampire to ever exist but was the first vampire in history to be born, rather than turned. He was the purest form of vampire, with powers far beyond ordinary vampires, including the ability to walk in the sun.
2. After turning his brother, Radu, they both agreed to limit the number of vampires they created and not turn others recklessly.
Because of how cruelly he was treated as a child, Dragavei reigned terror over the humans for a century.
3. After his reign ended, Lysandra, a powerful shaman, and her son suffered at the hands of the bloodsuckers Dragavei sired— day walkers like him.
She was held captive and repeatedly abused, in front of her young son, a four-year-old.
One night, they turned on the boy, feeding on him until he died, while she watched.
They left her alive to suffer with the trauma and grief, unaware of her true potential.
4. Seeking vengeance, she then strikes a deal with the humans, placing a curse on Dragavei to weaken him enough to be killed. Due to her powers, Lysandra knew that Dragavei had a child who wasn't in the area at the time, but she chose not to inform Sylas and the hunters.
Because the child was still young, she believed her curse on Dragavei's bloodline would punish him sufficiently, without needing to kill the boy immediately.
5. When Dragavei and Radu were eventually killed, their sirelings were nearby, drawn to them by the bond. The sire bond is a supernatural connection that gives sirelings a sense of loyalty and submission to their sire but also creates a deep need to remain physically close to them. Because of this, Dragavei and Radu's sirelings were in the same town when the hunters came for them, and they were hunted down and killed as well.
This wiped out all remaining day-walking vampires except for Airu, Dragavei's long-lost son, who was far away at the time.
6. Airu, Dragavei's son, was the first half/mixed breed of his bloodline, born of a human mother and a vampire father (Dragavei)
While he inherited some of Dragavei's vampiric strength, he was not as powerful or special as his father.
He had some abilities, like day-walking, but they were weaker compared to Dragavei's. Due to Lysandra's curse, Airu could only have one male heir, continuing the line.
7. The curse was designed to ensure that the bloodline could not sire more powerful vampires like Dragavei. Though they could procreate, they could not pass on the ability to create day-walking vampires through siring, limiting their impact.
However, while the bloodline couldn't sire others, they could still birth a male heir in each generation who carried the same traits, continuing the cursed cycle.
8. The vampires who escaped the Great Cleansing—those who later formed the Dark Order, created the 'Golden Law,' forbidding any union between vampires and humans. Though they knew the truth that Dragavei was betrayed by their own kind, not by humans, they were angry over the massacre of their kind.
To justify their rage, they spread the lie that a mortal woman (Alina) was responsible for Dragavei's downfall.
At the time of his death, the members of the Dark Order were still young, but as they grew older, turned new vampires, and came across others, they maintained the lie that Alina was the one behind the massacre.
This deception made sure that their hatred for humanity was passed down through generations, even though they knew the true betrayal came from within their own kind.
There was no one to confirm the truth because they were the only survivors.
9. Due to the Golden Law, as Airu grew, he later married a vampire, and they had a male vampire child. The cursed cycle continued through the generations until Andrei Nicolae Vlad's time. However, something rare and unexpected occurred. A recessive half-breed trait emerged within the bloodline.
This trait, which carried the human gene from Airu's lineage, resulted in Azrael being born fully human, with his vampire gene dormant.
He was an anomaly—an unexpected deviation from his powerful vampire heritage.
But, when Darcia turned him on his 16th birthday, it didn't simply make him an ordinary night-walker. Instead, the bite acted as a catalyst, awakening his dormant vampire gene. This activation now allowed Azrael to regain his unique abilities, such as day-walking and enhanced strength, in line with his lineage. Hence, the turning process kick-started his hidden gifts, restoring his full powers as a descendant of Dragavei.
But he too was unable to sire others like himself, as the curse prevented it.
10. Because Andrei couldn't turn his son, Azrael, due to the curse's affliction (Not being able to sire others like them) Darcia, his wife, who had inherited the unique gifts after marrying Andrei, was the one to turn Azrael into a full vampire.
11. Five years after Azrael's birth, Dragos was miraculously born. Unlike the others in his bloodline who had limitations withstanding the sun due to Airu (remember he was a half breed so he didn't have Dragavei's full abilities. His descendants could walk in the sun, but there were limitations. They had a time limit, though not short), Dragos was a fully pure vampire, like Dragavei.
He possessed all the same powerful abilities: day-walking without limitation, heightened strength, and, most importantly, the ability to sire others like himself.
He carried the full strength of Dragavei's bloodline.
Final things to note:
1. Airu didn't know his father was Dragavei, which is why he took his mother's last name, Vlad, instead of Dimitru.
2. The Vlads are unique in that they alone carry the 'seed,' allowing them to give birth to vampires directly, rather than simply turning humans. So, even as they've been marrying vampire women, they can still procreate.
3. Darcia, though not originally of Andrei's bloodline, was able to sire vampires because she did not share in the curse that strictly affects the Vlad family.
While she gained some of Andrei's gifts after their union, the curse only bound itself to his bloodline.
When men in the Vlad bloodline marry, they share their gifts, like day-walking and enhanced strength, with their vampire wives. However, this power is "borrowed" and cannot be passed on because they are not directly tied to the bloodline, so they don't hold the full power of it.
They can only create ordinary night-walkers, not day-walkers like themselves. This limitation ensures that the curse remains effective by preventing the bloodline's unique abilities from spreading and ensuring that only one male heir per generation carries the full potency of Dragavei's blood.
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Thank you for making it this far. I hope this chapter has helped clarify any questions or doubts you may have had about the Vlad bloodline curse.
Your continued support means the world to me, and I can't wait to share what comes next. Stay tuned for more twists and turns as the story unfolds.
*Bows dramatically*