Vlad

Vlad Epison is a Notsburg schoolboy whose friendship with Austin draws him into the campaign against the Scavengers and eventually the Howlers. The murder of his father and his fear of remaining powerless lead him to inject an infected Altered solution. He initially loses much of his judgment to the infection, but loyalty to Austin and Vere gives him an emotional anchor until the condition is removed.

Biography

Notsburg, Austin, and the Scavengers

Vlad lives alone while his parents are confined to factory housing and endures daily school violence because fighting back once brought retaliation against his family. He wants to study, find stable work, and lift his family out of the Tier-4 city. Austin catches him after a bully throws him through a window and then defeats the school's strongest delinquent, giving Vlad a rare example of strength used to protect someone weaker. Vlad repays him with information and a place to sleep, follows him into the Phantom Brawl conflict, and repeatedly tries to help despite knowing he cannot match the Altereds around them. (Chapters 693–718)

The Scavengers punish that association by murdering Vlad's father in front of him. When Vlad later sees a stolen Altered syringe, grief and guilt turn his earlier wish for a better life into an immediate need for power. He injects it voluntarily so that he can help Austin and avenge his father, even after noticing that the liquid appears alive. The infected solution transforms him into a violent insect-like Altered who attacks the Scavengers with little regard for bystanders. Austin assumes responsibility for protecting him, while Vere's voice becomes one of the few commands that can interrupt his rage. (Chapters 718, 724–775)

A stable Howler

Vlad remains close to Vere as her bodyguard and fights for the Howlers during the Phoenix invasion, using his tentacles to restrain Raven's Hydra heads. Tom studies the infected serum and partly controls its effects, but the decisive change comes when Gary defeats Harvor: Vlad's mind clears along with the other infected Altereds while his transformation remains available. He later serves among the Howlers' trusted Altereds, fights beside Austin and Vere in the old-pack war, and uses his flight and tentacles to evacuate or carry allies. By Gary's wedding he is alive, mentally stable, and still part of the wider Howlers circle. (Chapters 774–935, 1043–1141, 1334–1488, 1847)

Appearance and personality

Vlad begins as a small, physically weak schoolboy with a badly bruised and swollen face from routine bullying. He keeps his cramped flat clean and fills its desk area with books, reflecting the education-focused future he wants before the gang conflict overtakes him. (Chapters 693–695)

He is generous, excitable, and initially timid. Vlad lets a stranger use his bed, idolizes local vigilantes, and follows stronger friends because he wants strength to mean protection rather than domination. His decision to inject the serum is reckless, but it grows from grief and shame about being unable to protect his father. After the infection clears, his blunt observations and teasing of Austin and Vere show that his original personality survives.

Powers and abilities

Infected Altered form

Vlad gains his Altered physiology by injecting one of the Scavengers' infected solutions. The transformation produces dark horns, two pairs of transparent wings, enlarged arms, a shadow-like mist, and later four thick, furred tentacles from his back. It grants enough strength to smash through walls, restrain a Hydra head, lift allies without crushing them, and strike or grapple several opponents at once. His wings provide true flight, but he explicitly cannot remain airborne as long as specialized bird-type Altereds. (Chapters 738–742, 774–775, 921–922, 1416–1477)

The original infection blackens his eyes, places a voice in his mind, amplifies revenge, and weakens his judgment. He still responds to Austin and Vere, suggesting that established bonds can cut through the compulsion, but this is not full self-control. Tom later suppresses and studies the condition. After Harvor's defeat, the corrupting influence disappears and Vlad can transform with a clear mind; the corpus does not explain why Harvor's fall cures the infection or identify the beast used in the serum. (Chapters 725–742, 774–775, 935, 1043, 1141)

Aerial support and restraint

Vlad uses the form primarily as a protector rather than a duelist. His tentacles can hold a large mouth shut, intercept attackers, wrap around a person gently enough for transport, or attack from several angles while he stays airborne. Piercing ice can injure the tentacles, sustained flight tires him, and opponents strong enough to break the restraint force him to rely on allies. His latest battles show stable control of both flight and transformation rather than a new power stage. (Chapters 921–922, 1416, 1477–1488)

Relationships

Austin

Austin is Vlad's rescuer, guest, and first model of protective strength. Vlad supplies the local knowledge Austin needs in Notsburg, while Austin takes responsibility when that involvement costs Vlad his father and sanity. Their friendship persists after the infection is cured, and Vlad continues backing Austin in later Howlers wars.

Vere

Vere becomes Vlad's most consistent commander and companion during the infected period. He follows her voice when other judgment is compromised, stays close as her bodyguard, and carries her in later combat. Once stable, he is comfortable enough to tease her about her unspoken relationship with Austin.

Items

Vlad has no finalized notable personal item in the supplied inventory. His combat capabilities come from his Altered body rather than configured signature equipment.