Chapter 104: Awakening in the White Night

The Vampire Prince stood silently for a long time before his wife’s tombstone, sharing the experiences of his passing years with her. Beside him lay the soul fragments of his daughter and the ashes remaining from her cremated body.

Not long after, the Prince sat at the dining table, where a meal he had prepared himself was laid out. There were three sets of cutlery on the table.

"Finally, we can sit down and eat together again. Litis, it brings back so many memories," the Vampire Prince said to the empty seat beside him, his voice filled with warmth. "From now on, our family will stay here forever, and we will never be separated again. Whether it concerns the vampires or the humans, it no longer has anything to do with us." His tone was one of profound relief.

"Brooks, is this truly for the best?" A gentle voice drifted from the empty chair, and a faint, ethereal silhouette began to manifest upon it.

"Litis, what could be wrong with it? I have long since grown weary of the schemes and infighting within the vampire race, and Lilith has suffered enough in the human realm. Isn't leaving it all behind the best choice?" The Prince looked at the sudden apparition without a hint of surprise, speaking with calm conviction.

"But Brooks, will Lilith truly find happiness this way?" The phantom’s voice was filled with sorrow. A female figure slowly took shape—long golden hair and a gentle smile. The apparition was none other than Lilith’s late mother, the Prince’s beloved, Litis.

"Litis, you know as well as I that there is only endless agony between vampires and humans. Are we not the best example of that? Even though I forced your soul to remain, I could only seal it within the depths of Lilith’s soul to sustain your life, forcing you to endure eternal loneliness. We must not let Lilith repeat our mistakes and suffer through this all over again. It would be too cruel to her." The Prince’s voice was heavy with pain and self-reproach; he blamed himself for failing to protect her.

"But Brooks, I have never felt regret. Knowing you was the greatest happiness of my life. Though my life has ended, is Lilith not the continuation of it? To have her take my place by your side is enough for me," Litis replied, her voice filled with tenderness.

"But, Litis..." The Prince looked at his wife’s smile, his face etched with helplessness.

"Say no more, Brooks. Let Lilith make her own choices, won't you? This is her happiness, so let her decide for herself. We have no right to dictate her path, do we?" Litis pleaded.

"But Lilith has already died once because of that human boy! Must I watch her suffer for him again? I cannot do it," the Prince’s voice burned with fury.

"I know, but if you force her to separate from him, she will never know happiness in this life. Is that really what you want? If she is not allowed to see it through to the end, she will never let go. You might even end up being hated by her," Litis said, her voice filled with heartache.

"Litis, I will never consent to Lilith being with that human boy. That I have not killed him already is the greatest mercy I can offer. For a lowly human to dare covet my daughter—I will not permit it. Even if Lilith hates me for it, I will not allow it." The Prince’s voice turned icy.

"Brooks, do not be like this. Lilith has grown up. It is time for you to let go." Seeing his reaction, Litis merely smiled. "Sometimes, doting on one's daughter too much only brings her harm."

"What do you mean? When have I ever refused to let go?" the Prince asked, indignant.

"Haha, yes, I know, I know. But for now, let us resurrect Lilith. Do not leave her trapped in the darkness for too long. I know all too well what kind of coldness and loneliness resides there," Litis said softly.

"But if I resurrect her now, you will be sealed away again. Can we not wait a little longer? We have only just reunited." The Prince hesitated.

"Brooks." At his words, Litis’s voice turned noticeably cold.

"Yes, I understand." Meeting her gaze, the Prince surrendered. "I just wanted to spend more time with you. It has been three hundred years; I have missed you so much, Litis." His voice was full of longing.

"I have missed you too, Brooks." Litis’s phantom stood up, walked over to him, and gently caressed his face. "It is alright. Is Lilith not here to take my place by your side? To have had such a loving husband and such a lovely daughter in this life, I have no regrets. So, you must protect our daughter in my stead and help her find her own happiness. Do not let what happened to us repeat for her; let this be how we make amends for our own past." She smiled gently. "Besides, hasn't that human boy become a vampire? If that is the case, perhaps they can find happiness—at least, they might be happier than we were."

"Very well, I understand, Litis. I will protect our daughter. After all that has passed, she has grown up. Perhaps she no longer even needs my protection," the Prince said, a bitter smile touching his lips. "As a father, I truly have been ignored by my daughter."

"Haha, Brooks, when a daughter grows up, she must leave her parents' embrace to find her own path. Do not act like a child, pouting for her attention. Now, we must simply stand silently behind her and watch her pursue her own happiness," Litis said with a smile. "Binding one's daughter too tightly is not what a good father should do."

"I see. I will let go and watch her choose her own way. I have done well this time, have I not? I held back until the very end. Litis, we will meet again, won't we?" The Prince reached out to touch his wife’s face, though his fingers passed through her phantom form, touching nothing.

"Of course. I will not disappear forever. One day, our family will truly be reunited. Goodbye, my love. I will wait for that day to come." As she spoke, her ethereal form faded, eventually vanishing completely.

"Litis, believe me, that day will come. I will become the Emperor of the Vampires and resurrect you for real." Watching her disappear, the Prince spoke with firm resolve. Then, looking at the soul fragments of his daughter he cherished in his arms, he said gently, "Lilith, my daughter, I will resurrect you now. May you find your own happiness hereafter and not repeat the path of your mother and me." He murmured, then carefully tucked the fragments away.

"Before that, there are some small matters to attend to," the Prince muttered. "That lowly vampire who dared to harm my daughter... truly unforgivable. I will teach him a small lesson, though I will not kill him. This is a matter you should settle yourself, my daughter." With that, his figure shimmered and vanished.

Meanwhile, in the human realm, in a desolate, rarely visited wilderness on the outskirts of a small town, a pale, ghastly hand emerged from the soil under the dim moonlight. Soon, an entire body crawled out. It was Bai Ye, who had chosen to sleep beneath the earth after absorbing Lilith’s blood. After a long slumber, he had finally finished absorbing the bloodline and completed his transformation.

"Is this what it feels like to be filled with power? It is truly magnificent." Bai Ye clenched his fists, feeling the magic surging within him. It was the power of a Prince-level vampire—not the kind reached by the Vampire King through the accumulation of ages and endless blood, but a true Prince-level that transcended the limits of the bloodline. It was the power to control everything. He wanted to roar to vent the exhilaration in his heart.

But a moment later, his joy was replaced by sorrow. "But Liliana, where are you now? Why is the person I most wanted to witness this moment not by my side? Liliana, do I disgust you that much?" His voice was filled with resentment.

"I know you must be lonely on your own, but it is alright. Liliana, I will not let you feel lonely anymore. I will send them to you, so you will no longer be all by yourself." Bai Ye looked up at the full moon and muttered. He unfurled his bat wings, the massive dark-gold appendages wrapping around his body. "Liliana, wait just a little longer. I will find that trash and send him to see you. Since he is what you loved most, I will do my utmost to fulfill your wish and let you be together forever." His voice was cold and ruthless. With a flap of his wings, he shot into the night sky and disappeared.

At that moment, Xing Yu and Lilir, along with the others, were still anxiously searching for Bai Ye and Lilith, unaware that they had already become the targets of Bai Ye’s hunt.