Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 236: Of Laughter and Legacy

Laura loaded her plate with a ton of roasted chicken, shooting Jamie a smug grin as she did so.

"Today, I shall eat you under the table!"

Jamie only raised a brow at her challenge, picking up a forkful of mashed potatoes as he continued.

"Oh, you think so, huh?"

He pointed the fork in her direction as he continued.

"I’ll have you know, Laura, this stomach can handle more than just gravity-defying stunts."

Caitrin laughed, reaching across the table to nudge Kaiser, who had been quietly sipping his tea, a subtle smile on his face.

"Come on, Kaiser, are you just going to let them bicker like this?"

Kaiser’s expression barely changed, though his eyes sparkled with amusement as he responded.

"It’s entertaining. Besides, you know how Laura gets if she doesn’t have someone to argue with."

Hearing his words, Laura shot back with a mock gasp.

"Excuse me! I think you mean someone to win against."

She stuck her tongue out, making a face at Jamie while Robert laughed and chimed in. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Speaking of winning, I seem to remember a certain someone doing the exact opposite on her first deer hunt."

He cast a glance at Laura as he spoke and her cheeks flushed as the memory surfaced.

"That deer had a head start! I would’ve caught it if Jamie hadn’t scared it off with that awful whistling."

She protested, slumping into her seat with an exaggerated huff and Jamie shot back at her with a grin.

"Oh, don’t blame me for your poor reflexes."

The two acted like the ’deer’ they were talking about wasn’t a rare monster born as a Transcendent with an instant acceleration ability and a top speed of 20,000 m/s.

In this rare moment, there was no hint of the immense power they wielded and no trace of the influence they held over the universe.

They were simply a family, trading light-hearted jabs, and laughing over shared memories. Their laughter filled the kitchen, mingling with the savoury scents of the meal as they continued to banter.

"It feels like ages since we’ve all been together like this."

Caitrin sighed contentedly, looking around the table before continuing.

"I tend to lose track of the time difference these days. How long was it outside?"

When she asked this, Laura slammed the table and pointed at Jamie as she shouted.

"Mom! You wouldn’t believe what Jamie did! He just vanished for twelve whole thousand years, despite knowing we can’t come here if he’s not around as well!

You have no idea how much I missed you!"

With that, she threw herself into her mother’s arms and Caitrin just patted her daughter’s back before turning to Jamie.

"Alright young man, explain yourself."

"In my defence, it was unplanned."

"That’s what you said the last time!"

Laura cut in with a shout, before looking to Kaiser for support. However, her twin was busy playing chess with Robert already.

From Caitrin’s earlier words, it was clear that there was a time difference between the inside of this Dimensional Realm and the outside world.

That much was obvious, considering the immense gravity of the supermassive black hole nearby that bent and warped spacetime so that here, time passed at a far slower rate.

As for why Jamie’s parents were living here, it was rather simple.

Unlike their children, Caitrin and Robert were not born as Ancient or Elder Breed Werewolves, which meant their base lifespans were already much shorter by default.

Although they had reached the peak power in the Universe and gained extended lifespans, those lifespans had limits.

By the time they’d decided to step away from the grand intergalactic stage, hundreds of millions of years had already passed since the birth of their three children.

Having once played major roles across the Universe for millions of years, they were now content to withdraw and savour the rewards of a well-earned rest, far from the concerns of intergalactic politics and power struggles.

From their appearances, with slight wrinkles on their faces and hairs turning grey, it was clear that they were quite old, even for beings on their Realm of power.

So, this realm where time moved slower was perfect for them to kick back and enjoy the slow life, whilst extending what remained of their lifespans in a place that felt like it was made just for them.

The Time difference was so steep that upon finally exiting the Dimensional Realm after hours and asking a nearby servant who was waiting for them outside the restricted area how long they had been inside, the reply was one that would shock anyone if they had followed the siblings.

"Approximately 10 seconds, my Lord."

Jamie nodded, before stepping forward and speaking.

"Have the Howl Council convene in 10 minutes, there are matters arising."

He turned to his two siblings, focusing on Laura who was about to leave and continued.

"You two come along as well. It’s a matter of utmost importance."

Kaiser nodded and extended his hand to grab Laura before she could make a getaway, dragging the unwilling werewolf along with him to the Howlstrand Dimensional Realm where the Howl Council’s Headquarters was located.

◇　◇　◇

The meeting with the Howl Council wasn’t that much different from that with the Crimson Court. It even took a shorter amount of time since Jamie got straight to the point.

With immediate effect, the Werewolf Rulers dispersed and scattered across the Galaxy once more, but they didn’t make any moves different to what they usually did.

The reason was that they were being watched by other civilizations and Intergalactic Powers who were curious about what they had convened for.

Acting differently was the same as giving away their intentions.

So, they were to stay put for a while, and slowly begin moving to accomplish the orders that Jamie had given them, with each King or Queen having different roles to accomplish.

While that was happening, Jamie and Miranda were handling something that they should have long since dealt with.

As the sun cast a warm golden glow across the early morning sky on the last day of November, Jamie and Miranda were walking along the shores of the Arnmouth Ocean.

They were in Terranova, the Human Dominated Continent of Estea, and there was pretty much only one reason Jamie was here.

To get his Castle back onto land.

Making his way towards the water’s edge, Jamie activated his water elemental Authority and cosmic energy surged from his body.

The water responded immediately, bending to his Authority over the law which made it exist, and a rumble began echoing, growing in intensity.

Waving his hand, Jamie parted the ocean before them, pulling the water back in towering walls on either side and revealing a path that stretched far out into the ocean’s depths.

"There you are..."

Despite the enormous distance to the ocean floor, Jamie’s vision pierced through space itself and he looked at his castle like it was right before him.

He’d completely ignored this before, but the castle was inside an enormous underwater bubble that Miranda had created, as such, it was bone dry despite being submerged in an ocean.

Jamie extended his hand and more cosmic energy flowed, crossing through space to reach the castle in an instant before expanding and dissipating the bubble.

He lifted it up with his spatial power and then activated his Unique Skill, linking himself to the ’space’ his Castle normally occupied all the way back in Estudiam.

At that moment, Miranda placed a hand on his back and channelled the ambient cosmic energy around them into his body, allowing him to meet up with the amount required for the space jump.

Then, Jamie gave his command.

|The Child of Space Commands you; Be displaced. |

And by his command, the castle was enveloped in a radiant blue light and in a second, it was gone, transported instantly to its original location in the city of Estudiam.

◇　◇　◇

Back in Estudiam, the city’s morning bustle came to an abrupt halt as the sky darkened, and the once-empty city centre was suddenly filled by the towering silhouette of Jamie’s castle.

Vampires throughout the city turned in shock, their eyes wide and mouths agape as they took in the towering, seemingly ancient structure that had appeared as if out of thin air.

The Vampires in charge of governance here exchanged stunned glances, while others scrambled from their doorways, staring up in disbelief as they felt the sudden surge of powerful energy that accompanied the castle’s return.

People began taking photos and videos of the castle that suddenly reappeared after going missing for around 5000 years.

"The rumours were true!"

"So, what we saw in January wasn’t an illusion!"

"I told you he was just trying to find where his castle went!"

"It... it really is him..."

"I heard the stories, but I never thought—"

Some murmured in awe, while others simply fell silent, overwhelmed by the sight.

The word spread quickly, and soon, not just the city, but the entirety of the Vampire Controlled Regions of the Neutral Continent was abuzz with whispers.

The news didn’t stop there—it rippled across oceans, reaching other continents, and stirring the attention of powerful families, leaders, and hidden enclaves.

With every second that passed, the story of the legendary Hybrid’s return gathered even more momentum, inspiring awe and apprehension in equal measure.

Back on the shores of Terranova, Jamie let the ocean water fall back with a loud rumble, and then turned towards Miranda, brushing a strand of hair from her face as he spoke.

"Now then...Shall we go on our date?"

He spoke as though he hadn’t just moved an entire castle across billions of kilometres and Miranda chuckled lightly before nodding in affirmation.