Chapter 82 Blood And Connections

Home. Love. Family.

Words that when evoked tended to play a scenario, a feeling and even a sensation in one's mind. For Lukas, it was something that he hadn't exactly experienced all too well, hardly at all.

But in this place?

It was almost like he could taste it.

Something hot and sweet like hot chocolate, the delicious cocoa that filled one's mug with delight. Sometimes little marshmallows were included. And one couldn't possibly forget the foam.

Dreams did not seem like a good reminder of reality, but as Lukas gazed about the small place–all he could see was a small family all gathered together. Two parents and two children, two little girls.

One with red hair and the other pink.

For some reason, Lukas knew that he could move and act, and yet somehow he felt like he shouldn't be here. He shouldn't have been even allowed to be a bystander and to be privy to someone's innermost memories.

The dwellings they were in were humble–nothing compared to the apartment that Lukas had found himself staying in. Chaerin and Chelsea could have been nothing more but toddlers and the parents young and hopeful.

Lukas sniffed the air and really thought he could smell something like chocolate.

Which was really odd since this was a dream–but then the father of Chaerin stood up and walked right past him. Somewhere in the kitchen maybe, the vision was blurry for Lukas but when the father returned there were really mugs of steaming… blood?

No.

It looked far too dark to be blood.

"Is it actually chocolate?" Lukas murmured, perplexed all of a sudden. The father sat down on the floor and had the two little girls approach him. The young Chaerin sniffed her nose and looked curious, but it was Chelsea who received the cup and drank greedily.

Lukas couldn't help but chuckle and yet wondered if this dream was something he created? Or maybe he just didn't understand Vampire culture that well, but before he could bend down and pat little Chaerin's head, something–or someone came by and hurtled him into the darkness.

Lukas was wrestling with someone, and when he looked up, he saw a figure that clearly didn't belong to the dream whatsoever.

It was a Dream Eater–it had to be.

Their voice seemed to say as much.

"W-what is someone like you doing here?!" the Dream Eater was unlike Rhea's form. Instead of a person who looked like a human being with strange hair–this one's skin was something that resembled the galaxy and stars.

And completely bare.

Luckily, there was no sign of any body parts or whatever, but Lukas couldn't help but choke the Dream Eater.

"Same to you! Streaking naked like this in a girl's dream! Have you no shame!" Lukas said, rather annoyed. This was like a person sneaking in and spying on someone's privacy and that was frustrating.

Lukas felt the need to defend Chaerin's honor. And yet as the two fell down the darkness, they seemed to pass by various other scenarios that Lukas could hardly pay attention to.

If he had been able to, then he would have noticed some moments where Chaerin and Chelsea were shouting at each other. A dark closet where no one seemed to want to go. Of two parents kissing their children's foreheads goodnight–

The appearance of people at their door and bearing dark and gloomy news–the moving to said apartment and such.

All of those things passed by Lukas' vision.

Perhaps if he paid more attention, he would have noticed and seen the signs, but as he wrestled for dominance with the Dream Eater and found himself winning for some reason–perhaps because the Dream Eater was far more skinny and malnourished in a sense–he tried to snap the being.

"Let Chaerin go!" Lukas said.

"No!"

Maybe if Lukas wasn't so concentrated on attacking, he may have chosen the route of talking–but there was not much time and opportunity. Or rather, both sides were unwilling to give way to the other.

Lukas kicked the Dream Eater in the chest and watched the being crash through several layers of dreams–passing through several childhood memories. The idea of physical laws actually working here was strange and Lukas knew for a fact that it wasn't.

"I'm flying."

Lukas found himself levitating in the darkness. He rubbed himself and sighed as he looked helplessly left and right.

"Everything's so obscure but I have to wake up, Chaerin." Lukas said. "Perhaps if I keep shouting her name? Maybe shift some dreams and make her realize that it's me? Maybe something recent should help?"

***

A young girl woke up from her bed–a restless light sleeper that immediately chased after her parents. The two were dressed in their uniforms and were leaving her and Chelsea while they were sleeping.

"Where are you going?" she asked sleepily.

"We have to go to work, dear."

"But you guys promised to stay home!" the young Chaerin complained. "Tomorrow morning, Chelsea and I were gonna watch the movies and–"

"We'll be back as soon as we can."

–It jostled Chaerin awake and in her bed, and yet all she found was herself in a dream. How did she know? The dream occurred countless times for her and yet somehow seemed to be part of a dream within a dream.

She hated these kinds of dreams the most.

Groggily looking around her, she found that she was alone. Nobody was around. She tried to pinch herself awake and yet it didn't work to no avail. Sometimes, the easiest way of waking up was to shock herself awake.

Even now, Chaerin looked at the apartment and saw the glass. When she looked down, it wasn't the usual three-storey rise apartment but was higher almost as if she were in the clouds. If she had leapt up now and crashed, the glass would hit her in the face with shards and…

"Chaerin." a voice spoke.

Chaerin looked behind her and saw the face of a familiar figure. Her heart pounded with uncertainty, but there was Lukas right in front of her.

A dream version, no doubt–but she was happy.

Normally, the two of them often had… enticing dreams, but for once, Lukas simply held out his hand towards her.

"Run with me."

"Where?" she breathed.

"Everywhere."

It didn't make sense to Chaerin. Usually, Lukas had a far more appealing answer and yet wasn't this supposed to be a dream? Couldn't she follow where it led?

***

Lukas walked in the dream world and did not understand it. He knew that he managed to get in here, by luck or–

"No, powers. I got here via another weird Vampire ability, so all I have to do is link up with Chaerin and wake her up before. Ack." Lukas watched the ground beneath him disintegrate.

He hadn't realized it before, but there were parts that were turning black. Almost as if they were fading away. The Dream Eater was nowhere to be seen and Lukas' drumming chest meddled with his mind.

"I… I didn't make things worse did I? The Dream Eater isn't pursuing me so it means that–"

A charge surged through his body. Maybe it was something that occurred to him? He looked right in front of him and the world was becoming smaller, but there was a certain connection that coursed within him.

It flowed within him like blood.

"Blood." Lukas worded. And even in this dream world, he couldn't help but draw it out of his palm–a bead of red appearing and then dripping. "She and I are connected, we've formed a bond…"

It shouldn't be possible since he was in a dream world and yet like something that surpassed everything… the System's notification appeared within his vision. A constant no matter where he had been?

Lukas would have to check in the Sanguise Ancestor's domain, but for now it appeared.

[You Have A Bond With Chaerin Atticus]

[Connection: 68%]

[Improving Cellular Modification and Healing Factor]

"I haven't seen that before, but my blood and hers–" Lukas concentrated and when he had looked up, his blood had started flowing up into a string. Something like a red string?

It was almost something familiar.

"Blood string of fate? Well, connection." Lukas said and immediately started running, and then slowed down. The distance was so far and he had to hurry up.

It was a dream so–

"Form Into A Mist!" Lukas shouted. "Mist Travel–? Er, turn into a bat? Actually, scratch that one–"

He didn't want to turn into a bat, even within a dream. Maybe it was just him being crazy, a dream seemed like a safe spot even with everything vanishing behind him and so he called out.

"Bat Familiar!"

[You Have No Actual Familiars]

[Mist Transformation Ability Locked]

[Bat Transformation Ability Locked]

Lukas' eyes bulged, he had never actually tried any of this before. But surely there was something he could employ. Something passed through his memory. Theodore moving fast within the confines of BloodWorks.

It was just another crazy idea.

But if the blood string had worked…