Chapter 97 Ch. 67
Noah looked down at his shoes, his face pale and sick with worry, because he felt like his head was going to explode with what he had just heard. “I don’t… I don’t even know what to think about any of this. You said she’s a Catalyst. What does that mean exactly?”
Ethan took a long, heavy breath, leaning back against the cool wall behind him, trying to keep his facts straight, which was difficult when everything was complex. The fact that it was even quite complex to vampires would make it too complex for a simple-minded human. “A Catalyst is someone who can make vampire powers bigger and stronger, but without making them go rogue—crazy, if you like, which is what usually happens when witches try to do it, because witches don’t have the same kind of energy.” Ethan paused, watching Noah try to take it all in. “Most vampires turn rogue or just petrify. They freeze up, turning into unmoving stone if they can’t renew their ancient promises or covenants. Oh, and then the Catalyst can also strip them of those abilities and even take away their immortality, too, unlike witches.”
“Oh? Seriously?” Noah asked, his jaw dropping slightly in disbelief.
“Yeah. At first, Catalysts picked one vampire to bond with, and that was centuries ago, back when vampires had all sorts of wild powers that they mostly lost over time,” Ethan explained, wanting Noah to understand how much power Zara truly carried. “You know, from the human books and novels—we can compel humans to do things and we don’t die unless someone uses that one special, specific knife on our chest, and those things are true.”
Noah’s mouth stayed open, and he blinked quickly. “Okay… yeah, I kind of knew that from books, but bonding with a Catalyst made even more impossible?”
“Kind of,” Ethan confirmed, pushing his fingers through his hair in frustration. He wished this was easier to explain. “Vampires used to each have unique gifts other than compulsion and immortality. I mean, that’s the bare minimum. Just like every human, except you’re disabled, can walk… compulsion is like that. But now humans have talent—being extremely smart, being flexible, being a good singer. Well, for vampires, some could fly, some could read minds, some could shoot fire, and some could just do strange, amazing stuff. Most pure-blooded vampires could do that stuff naturally without bonding, but others couldn’t, and if a pure-blooded vampire wanted more power, they would bond with one, and in return, the Catalyst got total protection against the witches and any other dangerous creatures.”
“So why were they actually killed off?” Noah asked, looking utterly confused by the betrayal.
“At first, other supernatural beings hunted them and killed them because they didn’t like how much power they gave to vampires, but then the vampires got greedy,” Ethan explained, the betrayal feeling fresh even though it was ancient history. “They found a way to cheat the bond and they started killing the Catalysts, or kidnapping them to use them up, and the Catalysts decided they were completely done being used like that.” Ethan shook his head, remembering the old prophecy. “Then this prophecy showed up, saying they were supposed to bring balance to the whole supernatural world, so they started stripping the vampires of those extra powers, and they could do it without even needing to bond anymore. Catalysts are the actual reason you don’t see vampires with huge powers anymore; they were supposed to keep things balanced, but a lot of the other supernatural creatures—fairies, witches—didn’t care about balance and thought the Catalysts were wrong for their existence because of their power. Having such powers meant there could never really be a balance.”
Prunella moved closer to Noah, folding her arms across her chest and watching him with wide, sympathetic eyes. “There was this specific group of witches, and they called themselves the Veiled. They wanted to kill every Catalyst, and they pretty much succeeded.”
Ethan nodded. “They did, except for one woman who lived, and she managed to have a child… that child is Zara.”
Noah’s eyes widened, and he looked between all of them, the reality of the situation finally slamming into him. “My best friend is a living target, not a person,” he realized with sickening clarity. “Wait. So… some vampire clans want her to gain powers, and others… they want to kill her out of fear?”
“Exactly,” Ethan said. “Some want her because of the Blood, and if they get her, they’ll be seen as the most powerful clan, but others want to kill her just in case she takes away their immortality. And the Veiled? They want to end her life completely, but there are rumors they have a secret agenda, so nobody really knows what they’re planning, and that is terrifying.”
Noah’s face felt cold and clammy. “So… wait… you’re telling me this world isn’t just humans? There are all these… crazy creatures and powers and… everything?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said.
Noah’s mouth dropped open again, and he rubbed his forehead with a shaky hand. “I… I don’t even know what to say. This is too much information all at once.”
Prunella crossed her arms, looking at him seriously but without any judgment. “You’re lucky we won’t compel you to forget everything, because knowing this is dangerous, and even hearing it makes you a target, Noah. That’s why we have to be so incredibly careful.”
Jace shifted beside Ethan, his hands stuck deep in his pockets as he frowned slightly. “Oh yeah, and that stuff I did today? To take you in the woods? It’s a vampire thing.”
Noah felt a dizzying pressure behind his eyes, his head starting to spin with disbelief. “I just… I don’t even know what to think. My best friend… she’s in the middle of this massive, secret war? People want to hurt her just because of… powers? Because of vampires? That’s truly insane.”
Ethan rubbed his temples. “It is complicated, Noah, but that’s precisely why we need to find her, and we need to find her fast. If anyone gets to her first—the wrong vampires or the Veiled witches—she won’t be safe, and you have to trust us on this, because we are the only ones trying to keep her alive.”
Noah swallowed, his hands trembling slightly. “Yeah… yeah, I understand that part. I just… I truly can’t believe this is the actual world we live in.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Prunella said softly, letting out a small sigh. “In time, anyway.”
“You absolutely cannot tell anyone,” Jace warned, his eyes narrowed in a serious expression. “Not a soul. Right now, our priority is Zara. Actually, I don’t care about her, my priority is Ethan, and she is everything to Ethan—they are two sides of a coin that need to stay together. Anything happens to her, it happens to him.”
“So, um,” Noah asked. “Where do we start looking?”
“We?” Ethan raised a brow.