Chapter 36

Chapter 36 is the thirty-sixth chapter of Vampire Sphere.

## Summary

Yue Jian regains her consciousness. She finds herself again in the castle of the Ventrue Clan. She is a sluggish from her bloodloss and compares what happened in the school to the former event, realizing that she shouldn't trust Ge Chen, as they are from different races. In the Sabbat HQ, Fan Le Lao is attempting a break through with a certain spell but he fails. Yi Sai warns him that the Nie Yue Lian Xue Zhen is a spell of infinte destruction power and it is not easy to conquer, and also mentions the last time they clashed with Ge Chen, his power-increase is probably due to Mei Yue Yin, suggesting him to use the same method. Fan Le Lao decides that he will drink Zhao Yan's blood. Later, in her room he seems to be troubled about his decision. He likes Zhao Yan's humanity and if there were any other way he would leave it as it is, but he is on a path with no return. He thinks back of a winter day from his childhood, when he was a beggar and was bullied and almost beaten to death by human children. As he was laying in the snow, bleeding, a man wearing a hooded cloak approached him and they made a deal - the man healed him and showed him the Nie Yue Lian Xue Zhen, but he ended up owing a favour for him which he have to deliver once he has the full power of Set. As he has to do everything for that power he decides that he will play with Zhao Yan before he bites her and turns her into a Vampire. In the Ventrue castle Ge Chen receives the Corpse Hand, and gets a summary of the current situation of the Clans from his father. He intends to begin his trip in the day, and some time later he also tells Lilla and Fraser about their first destination, and summarizies the Sacred Weapons of the Camarilla. Their first goal is the terrority of the Brujah Clan.

## Description

Yue Jian regains consciousness and finds herself in the Ventrue castle again, surprised that she is not dead and not knowing how she ended up there this time. She feels herself tired and drowsy after the bloodloss. Her neck is covered with bitemarks and she recalled whow Ge Chen bit her in anger which was completely different from the former time, when he was cold, collected and compassionate with his actions. And though normally he is friendly, polite and gentle he is a Vampire, a different race from hers and she can't forget that.

In tthe HQ of the Sabbat Fan Le Lao is attempting to master a spell, but it falls apart and he fails. The bakclash of his failure causes him to drop to his knees and coughs up blood. Yi Sai worriedly rushes toward him and helps him up. Fan Le Lao tells him that this was his third failure and this time he almost got completely rejected by the spell. He wonders when will be his strength enough to control it.

Yi Sai reminds him that this spell is a spell of infinite destruction, and not an easy one, so he shouldn't rush it. He brings up the last time they saw Ge Chen, whose power was heightened in a really short time and Yi Sai thinks that it was because he drank the blood of the girl with Mei Yue Yin. Fan Le Lao understands his implication, and asks whether he should use Zhao Yan's blood. Yi Sai is about to say something, but Fan Le Lao cuts in his word, saying that he will arrange it.

Some time later he appears in the sleeping Zhao Yans room, and ponders about his decision. In his opinion only humans have lovely appears while sleeping, and only they have warm and fragrant bodies. He actually doesn't want to turn her into a Vampire, since that way she will become icecold like him, and he hates it that he has to choose between her humanity and the Nie Yue Lian Xue Zhen, the spell he has to master.

He thinks back on a winter day from his childhood. He was a scrawny little boy, shivering from the cold, as he was sitting on the street as a beggar, covered in snow. A few human child starts throwing stones at him, clearly provoking him, and when he ferociously attacks them for not leaving him alone, they call in reinforcement, and beat him bloody.

He lies in the snow, bleeding, when a man wearng black cape comes to him and asks him what would he sacrifice for power. His answer is: everything. The man shows him the spell he formerly tried to master, then heals his wounds. The man claims that one day he will be powerful enough to reign over everything, and will be able to master the spell he shown him, and will be even able to absors the Demon King's power. When the time comes he will need Fan Le Lao for a certain mission. This is the agreement between the two of them.

In the present after thinking through everything, he comes on the conclusion that he will drink her blood, but before he steals her humanity, he will play a game with her.

In the Ventrue Castle, Ge Chen is preparing to depart in the following day. He is given the Corpse Hand by his father, which he hides in his invisible space, and voices his doubts about the cooperation of the other clans. His father's answer is that this is a way to prove himself, than informs him that his childhood friend and rival is now the prince of the Toreador Clan. He also warns Ge Chen that soon he will have to go into sleep.

Later Ge Chen fills in Fraser and Lilla. He goes throw what they are about to face. They already have three Sacred Weapon: the Corpse Hand from the Ventrue Clan, the Poison Bottle from the Gangrel Clan, and Staff from the Tremere Clan. What they have to get are the Torture Axe from the Brujah Clan, the Spirit Ring from the Malkavian Clan, the Illusion Mirror from the Nosferatu Clan, and the Devil Doll from the Toreador Clan.

Ge Chen says that they will leave next day and their first goal is the Brujah Clan.

## Fun facts

* Many fans claim it that the man also broke the seal on his Vampire side which was placed on him by his father, but it is actually unknown. The man heals him and imparts him the spell, that is for certain, but the question of the seal on him is not resolved. Ge Chen claimed that it was lifted by his clansman, and in the pictures nothing implies that it was done by the mysterious man.
* It is normal in VtM to play games and toy with a new potential Lasombra Vampire. This is to test the worthiness of the potential new Childe, to see if they are "worthy" of being among the "true kings of Vampires", as the Lasombra clan believe they rightfully are. Fan LE Lao still presumes she will become a Vampire when he bites her, remaining unaware of the nature of Mei Yue Yin.
* In VtM, no matter what alliance or clan a Vampire is from, they are regarded as villains and monsters. Yue Jian reminds herself of the difference between Vampires and normal humans.
	+ There is a very thin line between the Camarilla and the Sabbat. The Camarilla remember a time the human rose up against the Vampiric princes and the dire consequences and fight to keep all Vampires exist a secret fearing history repeats itself. The Sabbat seek to return things to the way they were in light of Cain's return. They do not necessarily hate the Camarilla, but the alliance often gets in the way. Neither side cares for human and both see them as food and often a aggravation when they get in the way of their political disputes.
* Ge Chen's father speaks about the other clans. The Brujah Clan, Nosferatu Clan and Malkavian Clan. His brief description of the 3 clans is a match for their VtM counterparts. He also mentions the Toreador Clan clan being a rival to Ge Chen. This clan in VtM often are able to rival the Ventrue Clan due to their ability to spurn on sudden spouts of influence over others. The 7 clans in VtM are designed for players to easily be able to get into VtM itself and each clan has a clear difference between them, while other non-Camarilla clans often recycle their themes. A rough description of each clan is as follows within the Camarilla;
	+ The Venture are merchant Kings, head of the Camarilla, considered Kings of all Vampires. Their political influence and resources are rivaled by few other clans.
	+ The Gangrel are nomads and warriors who have wild natures and are cursed with animal features, they rely on frenzy. The clan would eventually leave the Camarilla and become a neutral clan.
	+ The Tremere are sorcerers, a young clan and former magi group from the "Order of Hermes" who love structure and order.
	+ The Brujah are activists, a former philosophical clan who once fought for their beliefs, but since have fallen from grace and been left an uncivilised clan of thugs and rebels.
	+ The Malkavian's are a clan of seers, driven by madness and often utter nonsense that only they know the meaning of.
	+ The Nosferatu are the poorest of the clans, driven to shadows and cursed with ugliness. They are gatherers of great secrets and regarded as valuable but lower class citizens.
	+ The Toreador are artists, poets and performers whose presence can be found in every Camarilla court due to their influence.
* In VtM, elder vampires often enter a phase called "Torpor" a enteral sleep, this is what the "sleep" Ge Chen's father is referring to.
	+ This is a Vampires version of a coma, they can heal themselves over time and maintain their bodies while in this state much quicker then if they were awake. The cost is to their bloodpool, which wanes over time as it has to keep the undead body alive and thus it is possible for a Vampire to experience a second death. No power changes as the vampire is in a stasis-like slumber, though their bodies, being like aging relics, may show their age.
	+ Torpor is often used by Elders to remain hidden for centuries until they are able to re-awaken and regain lost positions of influence, power and wealth, leaving the younger vampires to play their games while they sleep, spread and lay the path for their conquest when awaken.
	+ The most notable Torpor event was after The War of the Princes around the Dark Ages, which was a period wherein elders fought over power, resources and political gain. The war ended when mankind began to rise up against the Vampires, resulting in a devastating blow to the clans. At the end of this warring period, the majority of Vampire Princes who survived entered Torpor. This paved the way for their childe to take their place and only a fraction of the number of Vampires in Europe remained awake that once were before.
* For the most part, none of the Sacred Weapon exist in VtM, though a few have counterparts, they are most akin to the fetishes of the magi and werewolves.
	+ there is a similar artifact to corpse hand called "Hand of Conrad" which shares a number of properties. However, Corpse hand is made from the left hand, the Hand of Conrad is the right hand. Their abilities are also very different, as the Hand of Conrad focuses on enhancing one's fighting skills, while Corpse Hand can be used for knowledge purposes only. In addition, the Hand of Conrad requires you cut off one of your own hands and replace it with this artifact while Corpse Hand does not.
	+ Spirit Ring is perhaps a nod to Martinelli's Ring of Clear Thought.