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Susenyos Sagad: The Ancient Vampire Bound to the Adane Bloodline

Overview

Susenyos Sagad is a centuries‑old vampire (dranaic) bound to the Adane bloodline. Introduced as the figure Kidan blames for her twin sister June’s disappearance, he initially appears cruel, charismatic, and cold. As the plot unfolds, Susenyos is revealed to be entangled in a long‑running conspiracy involving the Nefrasi court and the Last Sage’s artifacts. His character moves from antagonist to complex ally, forcing Kidan—and the reader—to question assumptions about evil, trust, and identity.

Plot Role

Susenyos is named the sole heir of Adane House in Aunt Silia’s will, a role Kidan must challenge by attending Uxlay University. Throughout the first half of the book, he acts as both obstacle and enigma: he taunts Kidan, denies kidnapping June, and seems to hold power over the house’s fate. As Kidan investigates, she uncovers his past as Emperor Susenyos III of Gojam and learns of his systematic killing of House Adane’s draniacs during Cossia Day celebrations. Later, after Kidan falsely accuses him of Ramyn’s murder, the two are forced into a fragile alliance. Their bargain leads to shared visions, supernatural binding through the house, and a joint mission to destroy the 13th—the secret society that truly took June. Ultimately, Susenyos loses his immortality when the house law activates as punishment for his intention to help Kidan.

Motivations and Traits

Susenyos is driven by a relentless desire for control and a hidden guilt over his past. As a human emperor, he was attacked by vampires, fled death, and transformed—forcing his entire court to become immortal. This act haunts him: he punishes himself by staying bound to a house that echoes his mind’s torment. He is charismatic, often using playful taunts (“yené Roana”) and literary references to unsettle Kidan. Yet he also displays moments of patience (waiting for Kidan to grieve June) and protectiveness (saving her from drowning in the Bath of Arowa, though he later admits he would have killed her for calling him human). His love for old books, especially The Mad Lovers, reveals a romantic—even tragic—remnant of his humanity.

Chronological Arc

Susenyos’s story unfolds in layers across the novel:

  • Emperor and Transformation: In chapter 53, Kidan glimpses his past: as a young emperor attacked by fanged monsters, he ran, became a vampire, then forced his court to drink vampire blood, turning them all immortal. The vision ends with him leading an army into endless torture.
  • Master of Adane House: He spends decades eliminating rival dranacis within House Adane (noted in chapter 16) and attempts to claim the house for himself. He hides the Sun artifact in Adane House, guarded by Kidan’s parents’ design.
  • Confrontation and Alliance: After Kidan frames him for Ramyn’s murder, he is arrested but freed by her testimony. They strike a bargain using The Mad Lovers code in the Bath of Arowa (chapter 47). He agrees to help her find a life exchange in exchange for clearing his name.
  • Loss of Immortality: In chapter 74, he reveals that the house has stolen his immortality because he endangered the Sun artifact by giving Kidan the clue. He becomes fully human inside the house yet remains determined to acquire the artifacts and defeat Samson.
  • Companionship and Climax: At the companionship ceremony (chapter 73), Kidan chooses him as her companion, binding them further. Despite his human fragility, he stands with her against Samson when June is brought back.

Relationships

  • With Kidan: Begins with deep hatred and suspicion. Kidan suspectes him of taking June, he doubts her motives, and their interactions are laced with threats. Over time, forced proximity and shared house law lead to mutual understanding. He calls her “yené Roana” (my Roana) from The Mad Lovers, and she becomes the only person to see his human past. By the end, they form a tense alliance tempered with romantic tension.
  • With Samson: His brother (wendem) in the Nefrasi court. Samson betrayed him and wants the artifacts. Susenyos treats him with disdain, calling him “always jealous.” Their history is stitched with fierce friendship and betrayal, glimpsed in the companionship vision.
  • With Dean Faris: Respectful but adversarial. Dean Faris knows his power and suspicions, yet uses him as a tool for the house’s inheritance law.
  • With the House Itself: Adane House echoes his mind. When Kidan learns to command it, the house obeys her, but Susenyos’s emotions continue to affect its environment (bulbs exploding during his fury).

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Choosing Immortality: As a human emperor, he decided to become a vampire rather than die. This led him to transform his entire court, creating the Nefrasi and condemning himself to centuries of guilt.
  2. Killing House Adane Dranaics: Over five years, he systematically elimated rivals. This violence ensured his control but also made him a target for the 13th.
  3. Denying June’s Abduction: He repeatedly denies taking June. Kidan later discovers he told the truth—the 13th (led by Samson) orchestrated the kidnapping. His denial allowed Kidan to eventually trust him.
  4. Helping Kidan Find a Life Exchange: He risked his own secrets to help Kidan infiltrate vampire clubs, a decision that culminated in her stealing his golden flask and framing him. Yet he never punishes her for it, acknowledging her pain.
  5. Staying in Adane House When Human: After losing his immortality, he refuses to flee. He stays to collect the artifacts and protect Kidan from Samson, knowing he could die as a mortal.

Theme/Symbol Connections

Susenyos embodies several of the novel’s central themes:

  • Betrayal and Trust – His entire arc is about earning Kidan’s trust despite her justified hatred. He himself was betrayed by Samson, and his past contains betrayals of his own court.
  • Power and Inheritance – He is the obstacle to Kidan’s inheritance, yet also the key to her mastering the house. His loss of immortality mirrors the theme that power is fragile and conditional.
  • Love and Hatred – His relationship with Kidan blurs these lines. The Mad Lovers book he treasures symbolizes a twisted love story between broken souls.
  • Identity and Transformation – From human to vampire to mortal again, Susenyos undergoes radical identity shifts. He asks Kidan to treat him no differently after he loses his strength.
  • Justice and Revenge – Kidan seeks revenge for June; Susenyos seeks justice against the Nefrasi. Their parallel motives ultimately merge.

Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Susenyos deny kidnapping June when Kidan’s evidence points to him?
    He explicitly denies it in chapter 9, claiming he would boast if true. Later, Kidan discovers the 13th used June to frame Susenyos for Ramyn’s murder; the bracelet in his room was planted by the 13th.

  2. What does the golden flask contain, and why is it important?
    Susenyos carries a flask he drinks from whenever angered or touched. Kidan suspects it holds June’s blood, but testing reveals it contains her own blood (which she stole). The flask symbolizes his self‑control and the intimate bond between them.

  3. How does Susenyos lose his immortality, and what causes it?
    Adane House’s hidden law punishes a vampire who endangers the house by stealing something of equal value. Because Susenyos intended to help Kidan (endangering the Sun artifact), the house strips his immortality, making him fully human inside the building.

  4. What is Susenyos’s human identity, and how does it shape his character?
    He was Emperor Susenyos III of Gojam (throne name Malak Sagad IV). The trauma of being attacked by vampires and losing his court led him to abandon his humanity. His regal mannerisms, love of antiquities, and guilt over his court members are rooted in this past.

  5. Why does Kidan eventually trust Susenyos despite her hatred?
    After the Bath of Arowa scene, they share visions of each other’s worst acts. He sees her murdering Mama Anoet; she sees his transformation. Needing to fight the 13th, they form a symbiotic alliance. His consistent truthfulness about June and his sacrifice of immortality for her cause finally earn her trust.

For further exploration, see the book overview, the ending explained, and the questions and answers page.