Looking at Houonas, she stared at me with unblinking eyes, like she wanted to see my every reaction while reading this. Let's indulge her.

  First, don't be angry. Yes, my study got years and decades, if my clock is right, from the next succession, enough for my grand grandkids to enjoy the pleasures of youth.

  But I know better than any, most of them will die, I wager even by your own hands. Your offspring takes precedence, as always, unless you see one of your grandkids having more potential than any of them.

  Maybe that was my mistake. The poor kid died for my aspirations for a new ruler.

  And that is your mistake, if he didn't die, I wouldn't be here. Good job alerting me of the threat.

  If it wasn't you, just forget it. More importantly, let me tell you how I'm right and not that vile Rowan.

  You, like most in my life, would say common spelltrees are useless, only worth something to the rabble. Why would I learn a spell to construct bricks with energy, to fix an old wooden door with, to vacuum all the dirt in one place?

  My archetype is all about electricity and blood, the greatest Crimson Current Adept to ever exist. What a bunch of horseshit, they say that because they never met other rulers in the Convergence. I'm lucky that I only got called to one in my lifetime.

  Some rulers made me feel like an ant beholding the sun.

  The only piece of wisdom I give you is this: follow Fenrir like you would a tiger, feed his ego only enough for him to not bite you, not to see your weakness. Our alliance with the other vampire rulers is of utmost importance.

  And remember they can't hurt us in the Convergence.

  I knew it, they are fucking vampires. Or maybe Houonas put this tidbit in there to help me. This entire text seems to be easier for my comprehension. The mention of Convergence seems interesting, but wouldn't help me in my situation.

  Let's see.

  Now let's go back to spelltrees. One such archetype that seems useless is the Gemstone Miner, most of our wererats working in the mines in this castle as most of ours around this domain, this planet and in the mining colonies.

  Wait, how could I forget that. Darefei, that bastard traitor, said about these mining colonies as well, out from this planet. Would they be worth a look? Would they mix with the ones in our solar system?

  Better to focus, I have all the time in the world after surviving this.

  Yes, we had some of our scholars study this archetype in detail. But do you know that there is a difference when an Erythocetes starts taking spelltrees from this archetype?

  In particular the wererats using the spelltree Glinting Pick would improve their malleability with gems or crystals in general, or taking one type to focus on, getting even greater malleability with them.

  Some jewelers even seek that spelltree to improve their art even more.

  So what happens if an Erythocetes takes such a spelltree? Simple, they get the same results, with one dismal, but still important difference.

  I'm an old man, waiting for my death, so what is the price of some relic shards to see what I could get from it! Surprise, surprise my kin-killer. We can focus on the hemacite crystals!

  These beautiful rare gems that can make such wondrous equipment and even be used in alchemy! Increasing the efficiency of all that is related to blood!

  Is that really rare? If it is, fuck that wererat consumed a shard that had a hammer made of it! Or maybe it's just ruby, it kind of looked like the coffin of this old ruler. Better continue.

  You can thank your wise father later. Now, yes, having an easier way of manipulating hemacite is good and all, but it doesn't end there, this is just the first step.

  After finishing the spelltree, my archetype changed. My magic realm did. It took years for me to recognize what concepts changed in it, especially which ones would be useful to reach my objective of an elemental blood archetype, as strong as a purely elemental one.

  Taking even more time, I finally discovered which concept and related spelltree would be useful. This one is none other than what I named Hemacite Infusion. Certainly you would ask: Why?

  Simple, the first attributes increase the malleability of hemacite even more, reaching the first spell, you will with the required energy, create forms with the hemacite, that is how I'm planning to make a coffin. I'm between a pyramid or a rectangular prism.

  Scandalously beautiful, right?!

  The master spell of the spelltree is what I hoped for, and where the name comes from, the capability of infusing hemacite as a catalyst for spells! All in all a starting attunement to hemacite and a useful spell to boot!

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The results I got from testing my spells with hemacite on the local wildlife, including stealthily taking and testing on wererats, weren't that impressive—a boost but not enough to diminish the distance of power between blood elemental spells and pure elemental ones.

  Going deeper into the more fundamental concepts of them seems impossible, but even with my meager power and understanding, I can prove my theory on the surface without needing to go into the deeper abyss.

  I needed to go even deeper, my answer wasn't in the magic realm as I thought. Using all the knowledge I have and the vast knowledge in the domain shard, I finally discovered my next spelltree.

  What I found is a tech spelltree focused on catalyst reactions, probably gotten from someone with a chemistry archetype, be it from our domain or brought from others.

  Its name is Chain Reaction. Yes, so many have this name, at least in this case it's proper.

  The spelltree focuses on incorporating a substance, be what it may, in a reaction and increasing its effectiveness. Yes, I'm sure you're thinking the same as me. Could I use the hemacite with it?

  I already have the way of using the crystal through the spell Hemacite Infusion, so theoretically, I can improve it even more with the spelltree Chain Reaction.

  The results are splendid, my elemental spells got even deadlier. My chain lightning being fueled by the Hemacite Infusion, Chain Reaction and the target's blood, just beautiful, the crimson sparks are just marvelous, like the wrath of the tempest becoming manifest.

  Finally, not because my research reached the end, but because I don't have enough shards for the next steps, even if I consumed the shards I left for you to see on your own.

  Maybe if I lived in another domain I would have my chance, but that is useless—if I lived in another domain I would have a chance of extending my life.

  The price of my failures is too high anyway—if I run away to another domain, even for the worsening of my own domain, I would only be another slave for the slaughter.

  Each spelltree that I chose wrongly, each that I tested only to meet with failure. This is the price of being a pioneer, but before and here in this damp cave.

  Enough with my ramblings. Let's go for the last spelltree—this one is the most curious of all, first because I couldn't finish it. Second is its high requirements to reach, even for my extensive elemental electricity spelltree collection, the one that is the base for my archetype—only some of my spelltrees made me qualified for it.

  Take this as a lesson—be discerning about any spelltree that you want to add to your archetype. If I had this spelltree that I will inform you about, it would be easier, not by much though.

  Go on, just say what constellation it is! If this is the resume, I dread to know what the whole text is.

  Remember it! Don't fail where I failed—this is the boon and the curse of the new generation, the gift of knowledge and the pressure to be even better than their ancestors!

  Now for the spelltree—I don't know its name. If I could create one based on what I learned, it would be Elemental Life's Sacrifice.

  Yes, a long name, but you will comprehend soon enough why. Strangely, it's not from a magic realm, but the divine.

  Its spells bind blood, element, and sacrifice. Blood—you don't need to be a genius to know—it's the fuel of most of our kin's spells. Element is obviously based on the elements, the focus of my power. As for the last, it took a long time to understand what sacrifice meant, and if it would be useful.

  Like some spells, using the Glinting Pike as one example, it is not fixed to a distinct sacrifice to empower it even more.

  I'm sure you're thinking the same as me—hemacite—and it works!

  For all my work, I almost finished part of the constellation, and to my surprise I got to the master spell—not enough to get it, but enough to see something wondrous—ANOTHER SPELL JUST AFTER IT!

  I didn't get enough of its concept—still I could see other attributes and spells mixed in it. My gut and wisdom tell me that I could only reach this spell beyond the master spell if I had the required spelltrees of the other elements.

  My Blood Snowflake giving a weak resonance. Yes, I got that stupid spell! That is the danger of kids getting shards—they make dumb choices!

  Nevertheless, this is all I have researched so far. Now this task is on you. I'm sure this discovery will elevate our kin to even greater heights. Maybe one day the Erythocetes won't have to bend to the other rulers of our vampire alliance like a fanged courtesan!

  In my humble workshop you will find enough shards—if no pest broke my security—the tablet manual where I put all my knowledge of the concepts to reach the spelltrees, no wasting time like this old genius.

  Not only that, but I even detailed which of my electricity-based spelltrees are required for the marvelous Elemental Life's Sacrifice.

  That's it—remember to spread the name of Seren Sangecarious, the genius of the elements! Also put a brief story of how Rowan Cruorvayne is bad in comparison—that old fool would detest his legacy to be only a step of mine. Moreover, don't mention that I slept with Rowan's wife—that's a juvenile lie of mine, I regret it even since I saw his wife—she gives me nightmares!

  Now go! Make me and your kin proud!

  Would Seren be mad that I'm actually a human and not of his species? A human that wants to kill his progeny, probably the last ones alive.

  I'm sure he would. That's the price of a legacy—you don't know who will end up using it.