EnCoffin Me Chapter 55
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 55
Theo's fingertips still trembled slightly after the initial shock, but he clenched his fist tight, forcing them still. First, he smiled, then he laughed heartily. He laughed out loud, unsure which god had favored him, allowing this dead man to return to the living world.
He looked at the woman stepping over a pool of blood on the floor, still gazing at him with worry. He hadn't regained his full memory and didn't know who she was, so he simply smiled gently.
He wasn't in a hurry.
His hand tightened around the rose pressed against his chest.
Soon, he would go to see his child.
Another week passed, and the hype around the blockbuster reached its peak. On the day of the premiere, Alexio finished his shift at the conservation center. In the evening, the center arranged a special bus to take him, some other dark creatures, and staff involved in the premiere to the venue. Since it was a film about dark creatures, the center generously reserved many seats to reward the hardworking staff serving them.
Alexio glanced at his electronic ticket. Sure enough, his seat was right next to the lunatic's.
They entered the premiere hall, a venue renowned for hosting the debuts of countless celebrated films. Its entire architecture was meticulously designed for cinematic immersion. According to the intel released by Pupil, this film, titled Helgodon, was a fully immersive holographic movie. Audiences could indulge in multisensory stimulation, with even olfactory dimensions perfected in this grand theater, far surpassing ordinary home entertainment systems.
Lucius lowered his head to read the viewing instructions, then picked up a sensor that needed to be worn on the head. After he finished examining it, he nudged Alexio, who was busy with his lightbrain next to him.
Alexio was looking at a post analyzing the trailer, so he responded absentmindedly with “…Hmm?”
“Put it on. I checked it, no problems.”
Alexio still didn't lift his eyes. He was reading the post, marveling at how impressive netizens were these days.
“They're even guessing the vampire hierarchy now. I saw they figured out the elders' council and stuff.”
“…Tilt your head a little to the left.”
“Look at this, look at this!”
“All set.” Lucius let go, and Alexio immediately felt his head clear. He shook it curiously. The sensor wasn't fully activated yet, only providing a calming and focusing effect to help the audience fully concentrate on the movie later.
Lucius glanced at the post on Alexio's lightbrain. He had read it last night. It was indeed written by someone skilled, especially considering how little information they had.
Alexio stared at him expectantly. When Lucius finished reading, he asked right away, “Not bad, right? Pretty solid analysis.”
Lucius then noticed the camera panning to film the audience in the venue and reminded him, “Not bad. The camera's still on. Watch your image.”
Oh.
Alexio sat up straight. He touched the sensor on his head, making sure it was secure. Then he turned to look at the lunatic, who was trying to put on his own sensor with some difficulty. Alexio reached out a hand.
“I'll help you put it on. You can't see anyway.”
【Xixi! It's Xixi! Great-grandma, come see! Your favorite vampire!】
【Xixi is sitting right next to History Book. Wait, is he… putting the sensor on History Book?】
【Isn't Xixi a little… clumsy at this?】
Alexio finally finished securing Lucius' sensor and looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. Lucius watched him silently, a few stray hairs dislodged and resting on his shoulders. Alexio looked slightly embarrassed, but before he could say anything, a faint ripple touched his mind. At the front of the hall, the massive screen lit up, a planet-sized eye floating on the display.
Pupil gazed gently at everyone. Then countless beams of light radiated from it, spinning and expanding beyond the screen, spreading throughout the entire hall. The holographic viewing experience was truly novel. Alexio reached out to touch a colorful light ribbon drifting near him, and surprisingly, it felt solid, cool, and smooth like a real object.
The ribbons floated and shimmered. Names of people involved in post-production and collaboration drifted slowly. Finally, the ribbons carried special names — names belonging to this film, to the previous era, to ten thousand years ago. Alexio watched familiar and unfamiliar names pass by, and at the end, he saw the final names.
【Alexio.】
【Lucius.】
The moment those names passed, Alexio felt the venue disappear.
A faint morning light flickered before his eyes, accompanied by a few bird calls. But soon, uniformly dressed servants hurriedly drew the thick velvet curtains, instantly blocking out all the light. The long corridor darkened as crystal lamps were lit.
Sharp, bold female laughter mixed with faint murmurs echoed from the end of the dark hallway. The servants immediately bowed their heads even lower, careful not to offend the owner of the laughter with any misstep.
The perspective suddenly shifted into a room, just like in the trailer. Before a roaring fireplace stood the vampire prince receiving orders from his father. He rose and decisively prepared to depart immediately. Leaving the room, he walked into the corridor where he encountered a group of vampire men and women.
The female vampire leading them held a silver lace folding fan. Upon seeing the prince, a flicker of jealous resentment appeared in her eyes before she quickly closed the fan. The vampire hierarchy was strict. She had no choice but to step aside with the others, lifting her skirt slightly in a curtsy.
“Prince Alexio.”
The prince passed her without pause, his black cloak billowing as he strode to the far end of the corridor.
His figure disappeared from sight before the female vampire slowly straightened up, fangs flashing beyond her lips.
“I don't understand why Mr. Theo would turn him into his child.”
The vampires behind her joined in with mocking whispers.
“Without looking at his own qualifications, he presumes to meddle with the Blood Rose Society?”
“What's so great about being immune to sunlight anyway?”
That hit a nerve with the female vampire. She glared angrily at the one who spoke, who immediately knelt in panic. Only then did she turn back toward where Alexio had disappeared, her words grinding out like they were forced through clenched teeth.
“What's so great about it… It'd be better if he were dead…”
A faint breeze suddenly swept across her skirt. Her expression froze, as a pair of red eyes had appeared extremely close to her. The owner of those eyes showed no expression, but a cold chill radiated from their deep rose gaze.
“It's rare to hear such candid thoughts. Do you want… to kill me?”
He yanked down the curtain, and the vampires in the corridor howled in agony, scrambling desperately toward the darkness. The woman who had spat venomous words was trampled beneath him, unable to move. The fierce sunlight burned her, causing her to scream in unbearable pain.
“Please spare me…” she screamed. “I was wrong! I was wrong!”
The young prince lowered his eyes and loosened his foot. The vampire woman crawled into the shadows, dragging a long trail of blood behind her. The other vampires fell silent, afraid to challenge his authority again.
The sound of footsteps faded once more, and the camera began to pull back, as if carried by a soaring bird. The austere castle nestled halfway up the mountain came into every viewer's sight. The castle lowered its gates, and a carriage quickly passed through, carrying the young prince through the dense forest. The vampire prince dismounted, and the perspective rose higher to reveal a map of the continent. A bat-shaped emblem flew from Blood Moon Castle towards that perpetually white land on the map.
The snowfield.
The title appeared slowly, as if soaked in the biting cold air.
【Helgodon.】
Since the film chronicled Alexio's experiences before and after the snowfield, Pupil had specifically consulted him during production. For Alexio, the past was the past, with nothing worth hiding. Besides, he intended to showcase to the public the former glory that dark creatures once possessed ten thousands years ago.
Although the world had changed in ten thousand years, and the dark creatures growing up in a peaceful era were not as fierce as before, they still shared nearly identical physiques and innate abilities. They were meant to live independently and contribute to the present world.
The film's soundtrack was vast and sweeping. From the vampire receiving a keepsake from a lich, to the selfless aid of border villagers, and finally, to the confrontation between the vampire and the werewolf king and queen under the silver moon. This particular scene was later hailed as a classic by countless viewers.
This was a battle of epic proportions. The werewolves encircled the fray, howling in succession to cheer their king and queen. In the end, they even began running alongside the fierce combat, their silver fur rippling in waves, with occasional glimpses of the wolf king's sharp claws and the vampire's black scythe. Snow swirled thickly around them, while a distant avalanche sent clouds of snow billowing. Through the shifting scene, the silver moon seemed to dance wildly!
But in the end, what subdued the werewolf king was not the vampire's power, but the black scythe poised above the queen's head.
The vampire noticed the queen was pregnant.
Because of this noble principle, he earned the respect of the werewolves. The following sequence was later masterfully edited into a short film titled ‘Dancing with the Wolves,’ revealing to the world the full image of this tenacious and spirited race from ten thousand years ago.
The werewolves lived together in tribes, watching over one another, solely devoted to their king and queen. They claimed to be children of gods and wolves. At the center of their territory stood a massive statue of a breathtakingly beautiful goddess embracing a silver wolf. The vampire gazed up at the statue as the ancient stories seemed to flow into his ears.
The story unfolded like a great river, stretching endlessly, with occasional pauses. The vampire looked down, only to find round wolf cubs bumping against his legs—
Like a cluster of furry punctuation marks.
However, this ancient, flowing river was eventually cut off by the Holy Temple. The vampire had intended to help his friends, but his vampire father sent three urgent orders, recalling him. The same female vampire who had spoken ill before twisted facts before his father, forcing Alexio to return. After explaining the risks and benefits of aiding the werewolves, he hurried back to the snowfield, only to find ruins.
He lifted a dead wolf cub beneath a rock, closing its wide, innocent eyes. When he looked up again, his gaze burned with the fire of revenge.
The invincible main legions of the Silver Crusaders crumbled at his onslaught, but victory could not bring back his two friends. Ultimately, the vampire, carrying the last bloodline of the werewolf king and queen, stumbled onto the long journey home.
He encountered a hunter, but the man did not kill him. Wrapped in the hunter's cloak, the vampire returned to his territory, where some werewolves still survived. Meanwhile, the traitor supported by the Holy Temple was preparing to claim the throne.
He killed the so-called ‘new king’ and slaughtered the forces loyal to him. Amid the bloodshed, the remaining werewolves knelt. From his arms, he lifted a wolf cub. The cub's ears bore the black markings of royalty, and it had inherited the icy blue eyes of its father, letting out a strong, piercing howl.
“The new king is right here.”
He picked up the crown that belonged to the wolf king but instead of placing it on the cub, he put it on his own head.
“Until he grows, I will mercifully take charge of everything.”
The vampire, crowned with the wolf king's crown, declared.
The kneeling werewolves bowed even deeper, but their fists gradually clenched tight against the frozen earth.
The vampire remained cold and indifferent, only softening his gaze slightly when alone with the wolf cub.
“Hatred makes one grow quickly.”
He lowered his lashes.
“The Holy Temple will kill you, so for now, don't direct your hatred at such a giant.
“Hate me first… the evil vampire who took your throne and enslaved your kind.”
He raised the cub and rubbed his forehead against it. The cub whimpered excitedly, enjoying the game. The vampire smiled. Outside the tent, the boundless, vast snowfield lay bathed in silver moonlight.
“Isn't that right, Helgodon?”