The chamber was silent, the air thick with the scent of old parchment and burning incense. Mage Light flickered against the stone walls, casting long, twisting shadows—like ghosts bearing witness to what was about to unfold.

Leora stepped forward, her boots clicking softly against the cobblestone floor. Her presence shifted—less maternal, more regal, like a monarch preparing to hand down divine law.

 "If you're to survive in this realm," she began, her voice clear and formal, "you must understand the order of our kind."

"Vampires are not one breed, not one person," she said. "We are a hierarchy built in blood.”

Leora raised her hand with a graceful, deliberate motion, her fingers tracing a pattern in the air as she whispered an incantation. At once, the shadows cast by the flickering light arcana began to shift, no longer content to lie still upon the stone wall behind her. They twisted and surged as if stirred by a phantom wind, coalescing into haunting silhouettes all pulsing with an eerie semblance of life. The room seemed to hold its breath as the figures began to move, enacting ancient roles in a silent performance.

She gestured to the first shadow—a hunched, fanged creature with eyes that gleamed like coals.

"At the base are the Vampire Kindred: the Vampire Spawn, Lesser Vampires, Greater Vampires, High Vampires, and Vampire Elders. Bound by semi-hive minds, they obey their Progenitor without question. They cannot turn others. They exist to serve.”

Jenny, one of the girls, scoffed softly beside Lilya.

“Puppets.”

Leora didn’t look at her, but her voice hardened.

“Loyalty, not puppetry. That bond is why the Kindred never rebel.”

The next figure emerged from the mist—tall and regal, but with eyes filled with something like doubt.

“Then come the True Vampires: Noble Vampires, Purebloods, and Blood Champions. They walk freely, think mostly freely. Still, their maker’s voice always echoes in their soul. They can turn humans—if the human agrees. If not…”

A third form appeared—human-shaped, but twitching, grotesque.

“They become Thralls. Slaves in mind and body. Feared, yes. But more often pitied. Even despised.”

"Those who rely on Thralls," Leora continued, "are seen as weak. Cowards who can't inspire loyalty."

Then came the third tier: figures cloaked in blood-red robes, their eyes burning with unearthly will.

"The Progenitor’s Household: Blood Attendants, Blood Descendants, and Origin Borne. They carry the bloodline in its purest form. They do not answer to their creator—they are kin, not servants. Blood Attendants are rare, chosen. When elevated to True Blood Attendants, they become equal in power to their maker."

Lilya’s eyes darted to Leora; she and Lucius both bore the name Umbera. Suddenly, Cassius’s disrespect made even less sense.

She paused, eyes scanning us as if weighing our understanding.

"And finally—the apex: Origin Vampires. The Vampire Progenitors and their Blood Consorts. They alone are truly immortal. Destroy them, and they return. Only by finding and destroying their true coffin—their soul-forged cradle—can they be killed for good."

The shadows shifted again. A coffin, ornate and ancient, bloomed from the darkness.

Leora turned, folding her hands behind her back. "But blood alone does not define a vampire. Names do."

Lilya blinked. "Names?"

"Yes," she said. "Our names carry weight. Identity. Power. A Progenitor cannot lie about their name. Nor can their Progeny. Our titles mark our rank, our role, and our legacy."

The projections flickered with runes and names etched in silver.

"Progenitors bear the title Von if they are blessed. Van, if they are not. If their Blood Consorts are blessed before being turned, they bear the name Ven; if not, it's Van. Origin Borne receives a first name from their Progenitor and a surname the same as their progenitor, prefixed with Kin. Blood Descendants use Gen instead, and if one of their parents is blessed, the child may carry the title Ven. However, if the clan bears Von, all descendants are blessed.

Blood Attendants usually only have first names. Only those elevated to True Blood Attendant status are given surnames—granting them independence and power equal to the Progenitor, a rare and serious honor.”

It was like unraveling an ancient code.

Leora looked suddenly grim. Lilya wondered what it had cost her to bear that name.

"Now," Leora said, summoning another figure into the light—smaller, childlike, with a flickering red core in its chest. "Let us discuss evolution."

The figure aged rapidly, growing in power and stature with each passing second.

"Vampire Spawn are born from Spawn Mothers—structures that grow in a Progenitor’s domain each year. Their number is tied to the Birth Cities under that Progenitor’s control. The city's tier determines its starting level, strength, and growth rate. Vampire Spawn are mindless and don’t have any sense of self or free will. When they attack, they do so without thinking about what they are doing."

"For example," Leora replied. "A Tier-5 Birth City manifests a Spawn Mother that gives birth to a level 5 Vampire Spawn. There are three ways for a Vampire Spawn to level up. The first is time, in the example from before, the level 5 Vampire Spawn would level up once every year for 5 years and then need to wait a sixth year before it can enter a Chamber of Legacy to receive a Tome of Legacy."

“So what’s a Tome of Legacy?” Lilya asked.

The chamber shifted again, revealing a floating tome bound in bone and silver.

"The Tome of Legacy, a vampire’s achievements, materializes as a book that forms in the Chamber of Legacy and is used for evolution. However, this also brings us to the second method of leveling up. A Vampire Spawn can absorb a Tome of Legacy from the Archive of Legacy. But only tomes glowing with violet light can be used. Others are still cooling, which takes an entire year. High-ranking vampires read them for leisure, but to the young... they are salvation."

Leora paused as she scanned the girls, waiting for any potential questions. When none came, however, she continued.

“The last method of leveling is by killing enemies and absorbing some of their experience. The higher the level of the enemy they kill, the more experience they get. When they get enough experience, they then level up. Now this brings us to the rest of the Vampire Kindred.”

Another figure evolved—stronger, sharper—but slower.

"Vampire Spawn are Vampire Kindred levels 1-10. Each Vampire Kindred level gives 10 power. Once a Vampire Spawn reaches the peak of Level 10 and receives a Tome of Legacy and uses it in a Chamber of Ascension, it evolves into a Lesser Vampire. Lesser Vampires are Vampire Kindred Levels 11-20, and take 20 years to naturally reach the peak of level 20. This can be done in the same way as Vampire Spawn; however, Lesser Vampires need to use Tomes of Legacy that are from Lesser Vampires, rather than Vampire Spawn. Lesser Vampires have a semi-sense of self; they are like animals, and when they fight, if they feel they are in danger, they will be cautious. Next are Greater Vampires, Vampire Kindred levels 21-40, and they take 40 years to naturally reach the peak of level 40. Greater Vampires have a much higher sense of self. They can use weapons and socialize with other Vampire Kindred of the same rank or higher, though they can not yet speak. Then comes High Vampires, Vampire Kindred levels 41-80, taking 80 years to naturally reach the peak. At this point, they can now speak and can even sort of blend in with humans if needed. After that come Elder Vampires, Vampire Kindred levels 81-100, taking 160 years to naturally reach the peak. Elder Vampires can form communities of High and Greater Vampires. They can disguise themselves as humans and blend in fairly well. However, after reaching Vampire Kindred level 100 comes the challenge.”

The figure who evolved each time Leora mentioned the next Vampire Kindred evolution was then seen to appear in pain.

"The Elder Vampire earns a Tome of Legacy by achieving a worthy feat and absorbs it in the Chamber of Ascension and evolves into a True Vampire. Their 100 Vampire Kindred levels compress into 1 True Vampire level, keeping the 1000 power while each level up gives them an additional 100 power, thus becoming a Vampire Baron, True Vampire levels 1-10—the lowest rank of Vampire Nobility, after which the gods name them. That name forms their soul. And with that soul, they form their Peerage of Blood Knights and choose a Blood Mate."

A circle of knights rose behind the Baron, loyal and shining with dim echoes of his power.

"Their Peerage are turned willingly—their strength, a portion of their master’s. The path continues: 320 years to Viscount levels 11-20, 640 years to Count levels 21-40, 1280 years to Marquise levels 41-80, 2560 years to Duke levels 81-100. After 5120 years from evolving to a Duke, they must then earn another feat, another Tome, and are granted blood and name from their Progenitor—they become Pureblood."

The shadows knelt before the final form, regal and terrifying.

"A Pureblood may now have children with their Blood Mate, and can choose a profession."

She paused, letting the final words settle like dust.

“Pureblood Vampires can grow infinitely. The 100 True Vampire Levels are compressed into the first Pureblood Level. At level 1, Pureblood Vampires have a power level of 12000, each level naturally taking 100 years for the same percentage of power as their progenitor.”

Leora grew quiet, then suddenly tilted her head. “You haven’t eaten, have you? Shall I bring food?”

A chorus of agreement followed. She gave a small nod and left the room.

They talked amongst themselves then, digesting both the information and their own uncertainty.

Leora returned shortly with food, placing it on the table without a word, then disappeared again. Throughout the day, she came and went, alternating between short lectures on vampire society and quiet offerings of food.

By nightfall, Lilya was exhausted. As she lay in bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, a single thought drifted through my mind:

Maybe this life would be more interesting than she’d feared.

And with that thought, she let sleep take me.