Victor has never had any luck. From birth he was haunted by failures. He was born the fifth son of a major aristocrat in his country. His father was a marquis, third in the pyramid of power, preceded only by the king and several dukes. The Geyr family was extremely rich and influential, and its members were the flower of the state.
However, Victor always understood that, being the youngest of five brothers, he would inherit nothing after his father's death. In addition, he could not count on the unfortunate death of the previous heirs, because there were too many of them. And above all, the boy was weak and frail from birth, and could not, following the example of George, the fourth son, make a name for himself in military affairs, living a simple carefree life.
All this forced the boy from childhood to look for options that no one else would consider. Coupled with the excellent education that was due to him as a member of the marquis’s family, so that he would not disgrace the family, Victor became a very cunning and perspicacious man. By his fifteenth birthday, the young man had achieved outstanding results. He showed a lively mind and adaptability to any situation. Many predicted a wonderful fate for him as a government official. A low but respectable position, almost the maximum a man of his position could aspire to.
And perhaps this would have been the case if his father had not developed a serious illness. A strange rash appeared on the man’s face, severely affecting his health. It became obvious to everyone around that the old Marquis would not last long. And Victor realized that the time had come to act and use his natural intelligence and acquired knowledge.
Soon, a new grief visited the Geyr family: the third eldest son also fell ill from an unknown illness. And at twenty-three he went to the grave before his father. The guy did not live even three days without waiting for the doctor to arrive. Later, when a doctor came to determine the cause of death, the family learned that it was the same disease as their father’s. Some tried to argue, because the young son of the Marquis did not have the same rash on his face. However, these were the words of the doctor, and the others did not have knowledge about illnesses to blame the doctor for anything. Although, Victor coincidentally possessed such knowledge. And the doctor called left the marquis’s house with a noticeably heavier wallet.
The second son died a more tragic death: while hunting, it turned out that someone had cut the fastenings of his saddle, and during a gallop the guy turned over, ending up near the horse’s belly. The lathered animal did not even slow down at incredible speed when it crushed the bones of its owner. The mutilated corpse caused Victor's mother to faint from shock. The father was sure that some kind of curse had fallen on his family, and hired paladins of all the gods, but no one could ward off troubles from the marquis’s family.
Almost two years have passed. The head of the family was fading every day, and had hardly gotten out of bed for several months. The entire estate turned into a pale shadow of itself, and even the servants walked on tiptoes, afraid to disturb the deathly silence of the building. Victor even liked this peace and quiet. Only the two elder brothers still disturbed the peace with their loud words and deeds, livening up everyone around them.
The fourth son, George von Geyr, despite the situation, called guests, gave balls, went hunting, and behaved, as usual, incredibly loudly. Now he was second in line of succession, and could afford such luxury. However, he did not celebrate the deaths of his relatives, he was simply too narrow-minded to feel the general atmosphere. Plus, he took an example from his idol, his older brother.
The first-born and heir, the future, even almost the current Marquis von Geyr, a thirty-year-old man in the prime of his life, was the same active and loud person. And with his permission and assistance, all these meetings were organized. Gregory, as he was called, behaved defiantly and boastfully, like a warrior returning from a victorious war. He was a very easy target. At least that's what it seemed like from the outside.
And Victor almost bought it. However, in time he managed to identify the same snake hiding in the bushes as himself. Despite the apparent narrow-mindedness and straightforwardness of the miner, Grigory was an incredibly calculating and cold person. Even when he laughed the loudest at balls, indulging in wild dancing and libations, the cold spark of a skilled manipulator always hid in the depths of his eyes. Unlike Victor, Gregory was always first in line of succession. And they treated him accordingly. The best teachers, as well as his father's personal wisdom and experience, were always at his fingertips. And above all, the future marquis was always taught one thing: you can’t trust anyone. Absolutely no one. Anyone can start a conspiracy.
And Gregory especially vividly remembered all this advice at this time, when two of his brothers had already gone to the next world, and their father was about to join them. Putting himself in the foreground, appearing everywhere almost without security, the man caught potential assassins “with live bait”, preparing to slam the trap as soon as they entered it. This was an extremely worthy opponent, which angered Victor. What was important to him was not the process of struggle and overcoming difficulties, but their result.
And he had to give up. Victor admitted that he was no match for his brother in matters of cloak and dagger. Therefore, if the roundabout route failed, I had to go straight. The young man hired a large group of bandits, providing them with passage to the Marquis’s estate, to Gregory’s chambers.
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When an armed crowd burst into his bedroom in the middle of the night, the man was not even surprised. As soon as he took out the rapier, skillfully hidden by the bed, the marquis’s personal guards emerged from the shadows, engaging in battle with the bandits. The five elite fighters were a formidable force. However, it is not big enough to cope with the incessant wave of people. Over time, they were simply overwhelmed by numbers, and Grigory was killed in his own bedroom.
The head of the family was heartbroken. His beloved eldest son ended his life... just like that. One after another, the children of the old marquis passed away, and in this case the bandits even found Gregory’s wife and children in Gregory’s secret hideout, killing them too, ending Gregory’s family. It was extremely difficult for Victor to find out his location. Still, the older brother was incredibly skillful and careful.
The future vampire always remembered that day vividly. The day his only remaining brother found and brutally took revenge on these bandits responsible for Gregory's death. In a worthy fair battle, he shone like a knight on a white horse, noble and beautiful. And none of the criminals could escape alive, Victor took care of that. I already had experience.
The dying father cried for a long time and spoke many kind words to his two remaining sons. He asked them over and over again to take care of each other, as the last future of the House of Gair. And Victor smiled. He'll take care of his stupid older brother George.
And he took care. A few days later the old man finally passed away and George became a full marquess with his loving younger brother as his right-hand man. And Victor really cared about his brother. He did not intend to kill him, and did everything to ensure that George lived long enough. Over the years, the aristocrat realized that a place in the sun was not for him. His fate is to be in the shadows, quietly directing the course of things in a way that suits his interests. In this case, both brothers shared the glory and honors for success, and only George, who was at the helm, bore the anger and responsibility for mistakes.
Years passed and Victor transformed the entire Geyr estate. It blossomed and rose stronger and richer than ever. No one remembered past troubles; now everything that was connected with the marquis’s family was now associated with wealth and nobility. Victor's knowledge and intelligence were fully revealed when he received the resources due to him. So much so that he attracted the attention of the king.
Everyone in the kingdom was shocked when the monarch himself personally asked the young marquis to become a royal advisor. While everyone saw this as a miracle and incredible luck, Victor saw this as an opportunity. The opportunity to become the eminence grise not of a small estate, but of the entire kingdom. Ruled by the king himself. Just the thought of this intoxicated the young manipulator. Especially now that he showed his magical gift at the school of illusions, and gradually mastered it under the supervision of the best teachers that he could now afford.
And Victor began to greedily implement his plan, reveling in his newfound power. The influence on the whole kingdom turned the man's head so much that he did not notice the lurking dragon in the guise of the king. He was like Gregory. Only he succeeded. Pretending to be an obedient fool, blindly following the advice of his adviser, the king, by cunning, was able to send him on a long journey abroad on state affairs. However, as soon as Victor’s motorcade had time to hide in the forest, he was kidnapped by the king’s men, throwing him into a hidden dungeon.
Like many others, King Charles III was obsessed with the idea of immortality. And he had many secret laboratories and personal alchemists and magicians, trying day and night to create an elixir of immortality. Victor knew about them. But he could not imagine that he himself would become their test subject. But fate took its turn, and all the potions began to be tested on Victor, as well as on many other prominent people. One day the advisor managed to ask his king why them? And he answered:
- I'm going to become an immortal ruler. However, it is impossible to rule alone. I need subordinates, immortals like me. But I don't want to rule in a country of fools. Therefore, my associates must be wise and professional. And, of course, noble blood. Smerds are too different from us aristocrats, even at the genetic level, they will not be able to undergo the changes that those who drink the elixir will have to go through. Consider it a great honor!
Victor couldn't find any flaw in his logic. Everything this man said made sense. And the king’s adviser... resigned himself. And he became a pitiful experimental subject, helping his tormentors conduct experiments on themselves. Unlike others, he was friendly and actively made contact, honestly telling the scientists everything they wanted to know. He even became friends with them, helping them with their scientific activities with advice and ideas.
And at thirty-five years old, Victor took not a small dose, but a full experimental elixir. And having done this, the man died, turning into a vampire. He stopped aging and gained new magical powers. It was a complete success. With the exception of a critical flaw: almost instant death from the rays of the sun, as well as deathly coldness and pallor. It was too early for the king to drink this. But this meant that Victor had plenty of time to explore his new powers, and rejoice in his good fortune. Especially in comparison with other test subjects who died on the spot, or turned into mindless monsters.
Finally, fifteen years later, Victor, who had become a friend to the entire staff, persuaded one of the alchemists especially close to him to open the cell door. He obeyed, releasing the vampire to freedom. And he started a bloodbath. Victor killed everyone who was in any way related to this enterprise. Killed alchemists, magicians, cleaners, security guards. He did not spare other experimental subjects, his involuntary comrades. He sent each of them to Hell. No one was supposed to compete with the vampire. And, of course, he killed his tormentor and benefactor. How delicious royal blood was...
And after three centuries of honing his skills, Victor found someone worth following. Great Lord Unnamable. Bringing the whole world to its knees, destroying several countries single-handedly. This was definitely a creature worth following. However, this time the vampire decided not to be an eminence grise. After seeing firsthand what one man could do, Victor vowed that he would achieve the same success. And this time he will shine on stage himself.
And looking at the people around him, the dungeon master said to himself again:
- Yes... I've been through too much to die here. I can't finish my journey like this.