The city never slept. Neon lights sliced through the permanent haze like jagged blades, reflecting off the shattered glass of abandoned skyscrapers. Somewhere deep in this fractured metropolis, Akira Kurohime crouched on the edge of a rooftop, her silver hair whipping violently in the wind. Her eyes glowed faint red—the first hint that tonight would be different.
She could feel it. The pulse of life below her. Weak, trembling, unaware. Perfect.
A scream tore through the alleyway, high-pitched and panicked, drawing her attention. A man, cornered by three gang enforcers armed with techno-blades, barely had time to react. Akira's lips curved into a smirk. She leaped. Gravity seemed to bend around her as if the city itself was making way for her descent.
Her fangs grazed the man's neck; a rush of warm blood poured into her mouth. It was intoxicating, stronger than anything she'd tasted before.
And then… something changed.
A flash of white light, a surge of raw energy, and suddenly the world around her warped. Buildings stretched and twisted, streets folding like paper. Her vision expanded: she could see the city's lifelines, the hidden energy of humans, tech, and magic all intersecting in a chaotic web.
Level Up: Blood Infusion – Rank 1
Akira stumbled back, the man slumping unconscious in her arms. Her heartbeat raced—not from exertion, but from the surge of power coursing through her veins. She felt it: strength, speed, senses… and a memory that wasn't hers.
A voice echoed inside her mind, unfamiliar and commanding. "You hunger. You grow. Do not stop, Akira Kurohime."
She froze. Who… or what… was speaking to her?
Footsteps on the rooftop. She wasn't alone. A shadow moved, coalescing into the form of another vampire. Sleek, dangerous, and utterly alien. Red eyes locked on hers.
"You drank," the stranger said, voice smooth but edged with menace. "And the city whispered. Good. But do you understand what you've awakened?"
Before Akira could respond, the ground beneath them shattered, streets twisting into a canyon-like abyss. Neon signs flickered violently, the city's heartbeat accelerating like a drum of war.
This city… it bends to me? she thought, a thrill running down her spine.
Her eyes met the stranger's, a silent acknowledgment of a war neither of them had yet named. Then, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from below. The next target, the next power… it was calling her.
And Akira Kurohime grinned.
This is just the beginning.
Cliffhanger: Akira's first blood-level up has altered the city—and drawn the attention of someone far more dangerous than she could imagine.