Yet not all is bright when darkness follows close behind.
A sudden wave of dizziness crashed into me, twisting the world until it blurred into shadows. John and Elira vanished from my sight, swallowed whole. Crimson spread across the ground, seeping outward until the floor itself dissolved, leaving only an endless ocean of blood beneath me.
I tried to move, but no matter which way I turned, there was no end, no escape.
What is happening to me?! I wanted to scream into the void, to call for help, for anything to pull me out of this nightmare. Why… why is this happening now? I was perfect a moment ago… It was a mystery to me, and a terrifying one.
The ocean stirred, rising into colossal pillars of blood, each one surging skyward like spears, reaching higher and higher as though they meant to pierce the heavens themselves.
"Hunger…" A cold whisper echoed from every direction, sliding into my ears, and a shiver raced down my spine.
I clutched my stomach. Every cell in my body screamed the same command: feed. No… control yourself… I tried to talk myself down, but the words held no power. Why? He fed me blood already. My thoughts spun, and the only answer that made sense was that the surgery had drained too much of my energy, leaving me ravenous.
"Feast…" The word licked at me again, and with it came a sweet, intoxicating scent. My legs moved on their own. I felt my canines thrust forward at a startling pace, piercing past my lips.
A vision formed. Something golden shimmered before me, a single radiant dot. It was the source of that irresistible aroma. No matter how I fought, my body ignored me, and my mind… my mind betrayed me, allowing the hunger to take hold. The ocean of blood beneath me surged, its pillars spearing toward the golden light. I leapt with them, swept up in the frenzy.
Mine! Mine! The scream tore through my thoughts, primal and crazed. My fangs lunged for the light, but struck something hard instead.
A shadowed figure materialized, intercepting me. It shoved me back with a force that sent me crashing into the void, the impact rattling my bones. Snarling, I pounced again, feral, unthinking, an animal driven only by hunger.
My muscles coiled tight, straining in blind retaliation. I had lost myself completely, pushing against whatever barred my path without a single thought for the consequences. The rush was intoxicating. Addictive. And that terrified me.
I slashed at the shadow, my fingernails lengthening into jagged blades, weapons born of hunger and rage.
The terrifying strength I hadn't known I possessed managed to overpower the shadow for a fleeting moment. But then something blunt and crushing slammed into my stomach, and the world of crimson and black bled away, fading back into reality.
My insides felt rearranged. I coughed out a gasp of air, choking as the haze lifted. Elira's eyes met mine. There was fear there, yes, but not entirely. Or maybe I was wrong. At least she didn't look that afraid.
John, on the other hand, was the one who had knocked the sense back into me. And from the way he loomed, I had the sickening feeling he wouldn't stop. Another swing was already coming.
But before the blow could land, a pair of slender hands caught his arm, halting it mid-arc.
"Daddy, please. It's not her fault. It's mine." Her voice was soft, steady, and the strange look she gave him felt like a secret language between them, something I wasn't meant to understand.
John's fingers unclenched, releasing me. I collapsed to the floor, my body limp as a ragdoll. The hunger gnawed deeper than ever, though not enough to send me spiraling into hallucinations again.
"She's a vampire. She won't be able to control herself around us. She's a beast. If not for me—" John stopped, his eyes boring into me with pure hatred. That look made something surge inside me, something that screamed to revolt, to bare my fangs. But I knew the reason he looked at me like that; he was only trying to protect her.
"I know, I know… alright? But she saved my life. If I can't repay her in any way, especially when she's suffering…"
Elira pushed herself upright, her voice trembling but firm. A faint glow shimmered from her wrists, and my breath caught. Her skin split open with a delicate tear of blood, and then, impossibly, the crimson stream shot forward, rushing to my lips with a speed the naked eye could never follow.
Who is she?! My heart pounded, but the moment her blood touched my tongue, all thought drowned in ecstasy.
The liquid was warmth incarnate, sweet beyond imagination, so pure it eclipsed any taste I had ever known. It was like dining in the finest place in my old world, a five-star meal turned into liquid bliss. My body shuddered, a tremor of pleasure coursing through me.
"ELIRA! STOP!" John roared, yanking her hand back and sealing the wound. His face was ashen, hers even more so. She collapsed in his arms, unconscious.
Meanwhile, fire bloomed in my chest. A torch lit inside me, burning brighter and brighter, mending my wounds at a speed I could hardly process. Power surged through me stronger this time, more than when I had drunk John's blood.
What the hell is happening to me?! Ecstasy clouded my mind. The heat inside me wasn't just strength... I felt pleasure and immense desire... And I... I wanted more.
[System Notice! User has ingested S-Grade Blood.]
[Your stats have risen sharply! {+10 to all}]
[New trait unlocked: Gourmet's Tongue (Lower-grade blood will no longer satisfy you)]
The crimson screens blazed before my eyes, but none of it shook me more than the truth behind this girl. Elira, this forgotten side character, never once mentioned in the story I had read, possessed pure blood. A hidden gem, buried in the narrative.
And as I licked the last trace of sweetness from my lips, I realized too late the way I was looking at her. My gaze lingered like that of a starving predator, my mouth dripping with hunger, like a lioness ready to claim her prey.