The forest air clung to my skin, thick and humid, carrying the earthy scent of damp leaves and wild moss.
Every breath I took was laced with the metallic tang of fear, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
I could feel the ground trembling beneath my boots as Elandor closed in on me.
His presence was a storm, his armored footsteps crashing through the underbrush like thunder rolling over distant hills.
I stumbled backward, my back hitting the rough bark of an ancient tree. The wood scraped against my spine, a sharp reminder of how exposed I was.
Elandor's face loomed before me, his sharp elven features twisted in determination, silver hair whipping in the wind like threads of moonlight.
He was middle-aged for his kind, but his body moved with the grace of a predator in his prime, muscles rippling under his gleaming plate mail.
"Surrender, boy," He growled, his voice deep and resonant, vibrating through the air and into my bones.
His sword, etched with glowing runes, rose high above his head, the blade catching the faint light filtering through the canopy.
It hummed with holy energy, a promise of pain that made my stomach twist.
I fell back, my legs giving out as panic surged through me. The ground rushed up to meet me, dirt and twigs crunching under my weight.
Time slowed, the world narrowing to that descending blade. But then, something stirred within me—a dark whisper from the shadows that had always been my ally.
The earth beneath me softened, dissolving into a swirling vortex of pitch-black mist.
It was cool against my skin, wrapping around my body like silken sheets, pulling me down into its embrace.
I tumbled into the void, the mist swallowing me whole. The sensation was intoxicating, a rush of darkness that tingled across my flesh, erasing the harsh edges of the world above.
Elandor's sword sliced through empty air, the whoosh of it echoing faintly as I vanished into the shadows.
"Huh..? Where did he go?" a sharp and frustrated curse came out of him.
Up there, I imagined his confusion—his keen eyes scanning the fog that now blanketed the forest floor.
The mist was my creation, born of the dark arts that coursed through my veins, and it lingered, heavy and opaque, veiling everything in secrecy.
"Brother!" Lirael's voice pierced the haze, high and urgent, laced with the melodic lilt of her elven heritage.
He keen eyes scanned like polished emeralds. I could picture her standing at the edge of the mist, her robes billowing softly, hands glowing with preparatory spells.
"The boy—he used dark arts! That mist... it's his doing!"
Elandor paused, his breath coming in heavy bursts. I felt the vibrations of his movements through the ground, even as I lay hidden below.
"This must be him," he said, his tone shifting from anger to grim certainty.
"That wielder of shadows Lady prophecised. We cannot let him escape."
He raised his sword again, not to strike, but to invoke.
"In the name of the Goddess of Eternal Light, reveal the unclean!" His chant rolled out, words ancient and powerful, sending ripples through the mist.
A faint glow emanated from his blade, piercing the darkness like fingers of dawn.
I sensed it probing, seeking me out. Panic flared in my chest, hot and insistent.
The mist parted just enough for me to slip away, rolling to my feet and bolting into the denser woods.
Branches whipped at my face, their leaves brushing my cheeks with feather-light touches that contrasted the burning in my lungs. Elandor's shout followed me.
"There! He's fleeing east! Lirael, with me!"
"I'm right behind you, brother," she replied, her voice steady despite the chase.
"I'll put up a trap—purification web, bind his shadows by the light, Hold him steady."
I ran, my legs pumping furiously against the uneven terrain. The forest fought me at every turn, roots snaking across the path.
My thighs burned, a deep ache that spread like liquid fire through my muscles. Sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling down my neck in warm rivulets, mixing with the cool night air.
The world blurred around me—towering trees with bark textured like aged skin, vines dangling like silken cords, the distant hoot of an owl a soft caress in the gloom.
But exhaustion won. My foot caught on a gnarled root, and I pitched forward, crashing to the forest floor.
Leaves cushioned my fall, their softness a brief mercy against the jolt of pain in my knees.
"Ah...ah...ah..." I gasped, the scent of crushed foliage filling my nostrils, rich and loamy, grounding me for a moment.
Pushing myself up on trembling arms, I glanced at the ethereal timer hovering before my eyes—a system interface only I could see, glowing faintly in the dim light. In a slender bar of velvet-like texture, it displayed:
[Quest: Survive]
[Remaining Time: 5:26]
The numbers ticked down slowly, each second a velvet thread tightening around my throat. Whatever this timer meant, it was a countdown I couldn't afford to ignore.
I had to move. Scrambling to my feet, I took a step—
A searing bolt of light slammed into my left leg, just below the knee. It was like being burnt by fire, the impact blooming into agony that radiated outward.
"AHH!" I cried out, collapsing again as blood welled from the wound, hot and sticky, soaking through my pants and pooling on the ground.
The metallic scent rose sharply, mingling with the forest's earthy perfume, turning my stomach.
A system warning flashed in my vision, red and insistent: Excessive blood loss detected. Vital signs destabilizing. Seek immediate aid.
"Damn it," I muttered through gritted teeth, the pain throbbing in time with my pulse.
"Of all the luck..." My vision swam, the edges blurring as dizziness crept in. I pressed a hand to the gash, feeling the warmth of my own life force seeping between my fingers, slick and vital.
"Nyxiana,Where are you!" I whispered urgently, calling her Hoping to get out of this alive.
"Help me out here. Damn it!" Silence answered, vast and empty, like a lover turning away in the night.
No ethereal voice, no guiding light. Just me, bleeding out in the shadows.
Then, her voice cut through the trees, clear and triumphant.
"Brother! His blood is here! Search!"
Lirael. She was close, too close. I could hear the rustle of her robes, the soft pad of her footsteps on the moss.
My mind raced, shadows coiling around me like protective arms. In a surge of desperation, I melted into the darkness at her feet, becoming one with the umbra that stretched from her very shadow.
She stepped forward, scanning the underbrush, her back to me.
[System- Warning: Excessive Blood lost]
[Host is adviced to drink on potent blood to replenish]
Her neck was exposed, the curve of it pale and pristine under the moonlight, like untouched marble begging to be marked.
I emerged silently behind her, my movements fluid and predatory. Before she could react, I lunged, wrapping my arms around her wrists and pinning them to her sides.
She gasped, her body tensing against mine—soft curves pressing into my chest, warm and yielding despite her struggle.
"What—? Let go!" she cried, twisting in my grip, but I held firm, my fangs—small but sharp—baring instinctively.
I opened my mouth, the hunger rising unbidden, a primal thirst that made my mouth water.
Her skin was flawless, carrying the faint scent of lavender and sacred incense, intoxicating.
I sank my fangs into the tender flesh of her neck, the puncture smooth and deep.
Warmth flooded my mouth as her blood surged forth, rich and potent, tasting of starlight and magic.
It was velvet on my tongue, sliding down my throat in waves that sent shivers of ecstasy through me.
She bucked against me, a muffled scream escaping her lips.
"Elandor! Help—ah!" Her voice broke into a whimper, her struggles weakening as I drank deeper.
The blood was like liquid fire, igniting every nerve, her essence mingling with mine in a sensual dance of power and surrender.
As I fed, her sobs reached my ears. But I decided to ignore it and focus on why I had to bite in the first place.
The system interface flickered to life before my eyes, words scrolling in glowing script:
[Emergency protocol activated.
Skill Purchased: BloodManipulation.
Trigger Condition: Underway]
The numbers followed, climbing like a crescendo:
[Mana: 10%... 57%... 89%... 100%.]
Power surged through me, a euphoric rush that made my skin tingle and my wounds knit. The light bullet's pain faded to a dull throb, my leg stabilizing as crimson tendrils of energy wove through my veins.
Lirael's blood was no ordinary sustenance; it was laced with her purification magic, twisting into something darker within me, amplifying the shadows that now pulsed at my command.
She sagged in my arms, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, her body growing limp against mine.
The warmth of her skin seeped through her robes, her heartbeat fluttering wildly under my lips like a trapped bird.
I pulled back slightly, fangs retracting with a soft pop, a thin trail of blood connecting us for a moment before I licked it away, savoring the salty-sweet aftertaste.
"Hic...Hic...You... monster," she whispered, her voice hoarse, eyes wide with a mix of horror as tears spilled and something else—fear mingled with unwilling fascination. Her neck bore two small punctures, already bruising faintly, a mark of my claim.
"Get away from her you basterd!!!" Elandor appeared, his kich aiming towards my head.
[Remaining Time: 4:01]