Free Web NovelChapter 176: Vampire / 4.3 : The catalyst
Atlas followed the butler and entered the elevator. Once they reached the third floor they came out and he was led to a three-suite room. Atlas entered a huge living room incredibly decorated.
The butler showed him around. He looked at the walk-in closet and saw that it was already filled with clothes and everything he would need. It was all his size. That’s creepy. How did they get his size he knows he hasn’t told them.
The butler gave him a pad and said:
"His majesty said to write everything you’ll need."
Atlas only wrote two things and gave them to the butler. He looked at what he had written and asked:
"Are you sure you don’t want to add more things? No matter the coast it will be taken care of."
Atlas said:
"That’s all I need please bring it in the hour."
The butler nodded, and after bowing he left.
Atlas went to take a relaxing bath in the jacuzzi tub and closed his eyes. He couldn’t stop himself from picturing those blue eyes. He smiled and decided that he’ll play with Yuning first.
After showering he put on clothes from the closet and walked the ridiculously large halls of the palace. How rich is the Song?
He kept walking but he immediately stopped startled when a vampire asked discontentedly:
"What are you doing here?"
Atlas murmured:
"I was just looking around."
The vampire said:
"This is the emperor’s side no one is allowed."
Atlas took a step back and murmured:
"I’m sorry I..."
Before he could finish the imperial office’s door was opened. Yuning looked at Atlas and he looked at him in worry.
"I didn’t know that..."
Before Atlas could finish he felt something push him toward the office. Once he was in the door closed on his own. Yuning sat down behind his desk and resumed writing.
Atlas who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the office felt something push him again until he was sitting on one of the chairs in front of the desk. He looked at Yuning as he wrote.
He looked at his desk and saw that there were only two pictures on it. His mother and Tan. He reached out and looked at Tan’s cute face. He smiled picturing his excited face when he told him he would see him tonight.
He understands how he feels since he was the same at his age. He worked extremely hard and didn’t have time to go out and have fun until he rebelled and his parents stop believing in him.
He looked up when Yuning asked:
"Did you finally google us?"
He looked at Atlas and he nodded uncomfortably after putting down the picture. Yuning smiled, he knew he did when he saw the worry in his eyes in front of his guards.
His butler told him that the only thing he asked for is a cellphone and a computer so it was easy to deduce that he would make some research. He asked:
"Are you scared now?"
Atlas said:
"Why should I be? The only thing I know for sure is that I’ll die in a few weeks."
Yuning asked:
"Why did you volunteer?"
"I didn’t."
Yuning frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Atlas said.
"I didn’t even know there was an imperial vampire family so how would I know about the tradition of the offering? All I knew is that vampires existed but I had never seen one before."
Yuning’s frown deepened. The more he founds out about Atlas the weirder it is. He put his pen down and asked:
"Where did you grow up?"
Atlas said:
"Don’t you already know? I thought Yawen and Xinzhi told you all about me."
"You grew up with them?"
Atlas’s eyes widened in panic and he shook his head and said:
"No, I didn’t."
Atlas stood up and said backing up:
"I’ll let you get back to work."
He walked to the door but before he could open it Yuning had him boxed between his arms. Yuning listened to his heartbeat and knew that he was panicking. He ordered:
"Look at me!"
Atlas looked at him biting his lip. Atlas felt slightly stunned when Yuning’s eyes turned two shades darker. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Er-Ge. He felt his heart clench and looked down frowning.
What the hell is going on? He shouldn’t think about that man, his feelings are supposed to be gone. He closed his eyes and tried to suppress them.
Yuning held his chin and lifted his head. Atas opened his eyes and gazed into his sapphire. Yuning asked:
"Speak nothing will happen to you."
Atlas swallowed and murmured:
"I grew up in an orphanage. When I was four years old the king brought me to the royal castle and gave me to his wife. She was a scientist and was looking for a way to harness the essence of vampires for humans so everyone would be on the same playing field. I lived in her underground laboratory where she performed experiences on me and vampires. When she died I thought that I would finally be free but Xinzhi continued the experience."
When Atlas looked at him in worry Yuning pulled his hand and sat him next to him on the couch.
"Continue."
Atlas said: frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"A week ago Yawen went down to the laboratory and saw that Xinzhi was still trying to finish his mother’s work. He told him to stop for fear that you might turn on humans if you found out that they’d been experimenting on vampires all those years. Yawen said that you would also change your mind about him and might not want to be with him. Once he got rid of everything Yawen told Xinzhi to kill me since no one would miss me but he couldn’t. Yawen said that I should be the last offering since he had convinced you to abolish the tradition. Xinzhi told me that If I did it I would stop a lot of blood from being spilled but now I know that all they wanted was to bury the last evidence of their wrongdoing."
Yuning’s eyes darken. They’ve been more than generous by letting a king govern the humans and all this time they’ve been experimenting on their people.
He looked up when he felt a hand on his. Atlas murmured:
"I’m sorry."
Yuning’s looked into his eyes. Atlas just found out that he’s been used all this time and that now he’s about to die to bury the last evidence but he seems more worried about him.
Atlas pulled back his hand his cheeks slightly flushed and looked away. He asked:
"What is your relationship with Xinzhi?"
Atlas murmured his head down:
"I thought he cared for me but he cares for his brother more. I guess it’s normal. He promised that he would free me and I guess in a way he did."
Yuning looked at Atlas’ melancholic smile. He reached out and caressed his cheek. Atlas looked into Yuning’s eyes. He never felt as confused as he did at that moment.
He doesn’t understand what’s going on. He isn’t supposed to feel anything but he feels this weird connexion with Yuning and he’s pretty sure he does too.
Atlas stood up and said looking away:
"I should go."
Atlas walked fast to the door but he stopped when Yuning asked:
"Will you be there at the feast?"
Atlas stilled and Yuning said:
"Tan is excited to see you."
Atlas turned around and said:
"I’ll be there."
Yuning nodded and he left. He went to his suite and sat on the couch in the living room. He called:
"Eden, can you come?"
Eden appeared and sat next to him. He smiled and asked:
"Hey. Is everything okay?"
"What did you mean when you said that my feelings would come back when I feel a need for them?"
Eden explained:
"Every human being has feelings even those who don’t show it. The reason they don’t is that they spent their whole life without encountering their catalyst. When your feelings are taken away they’ll come back slowly once you found your trigger."
Atlas frowned and asked:
"Can you stop it?"
"You can suppress them but if your need for them is stronger it won’t last. It would be like putting a band-aid on a gushing wound. You need to think logically and it’ll help."
Atlas nodded. That means his catalyst is Er-Ge. He started to feel when Yuning’s blue eyes darken and he thought that they looked similar to how Er-Ge’s. He somehow merged those feelings with Yuning when they are two separate people.
He just needs to think logically as Eden said. Yuning isn’t Er-GE, they are the opposite. How could he feel already when he barely entered this universe? He looked at Eden and smiled.
"Thank you."
Eden smiled.
"Sure. Don’t forget to call whenever you need me."
Atlas nodded and he disappeared.
Eden appeared in Cael’s office and sat on his lap. He asked:
"How did it go?"
"As expected. Even with Yuning being everything that Er-Ge usually isn’t he already found him. He’s starting to feel so he asked me how to make it stop."
Cael smiled.
"You were right."
Eden held his chin and said:
"Gege I’m always right."
Cael smiled. He kissed his baby and Eden wrapped his arms around his neck.
