Leng Wei felt a strange pain shoot through his body - sudden and intense. It came from within, like someone had awakened a dormant volcano. He almost dropped the precious medicine he was holding.
"What was that?" he whispered, leaning against the wall for support. The air seemed heavy and thick, filled with the smell of ozone and something metallic - like blood. The red light that flooded the streets was unnaturally bright and frightening. It painted the faces of people in eerie shades of scarlet, and the screams and car horns filled the air.
Leng Wei ran home, his heart pounding wildly. One thought echoed in his mind: "Mom!" He burst into his bedroom. His mother was lying on the bed, motionless. For a moment, he feared the worst, but then he saw her chest rising and falling. She was still alive, although unconscious and in pain. Even in her sleep, the curse that had befallen her would not let her rest.
Suddenly, every screen - phones, televisions, and street monitors - lit up with the same image. On it, there was a person - or a creature. He was incredibly beautiful, with perfect features and pale skin, with eyes the color of liquid rubies. His gaze was cold and all-seeing.
A voice spoke, calm yet powerful, as if it came from the sky itself. "People, your era is over. From now on, the supreme race on this planet will be us - the Night Tribe. Do not resist. Any disobedience will be met with immediate destruction."
Leng Wei stared at the screen, unable to move. There was a vampire - a real vampire - and their blood flowed through his veins. The thought made him feel sick.
To facilitate integration, all humans who had turned seventeen that year would undergo the Selection Ceremony. This would determine their usefulness to the new order.
Then, the voice shifted, becoming more impersonal and threatening. Anyone who avoided the Selection would be considered a rebel, and their entire family would be executed.
At that moment, a light materialized in front of Leng Wei. It was a scarlet, bloody glow that formed into a scroll filled with incomprehensible symbols. The scroll hovered in the air, emitting a chilling aura. This was the summons.
Leng Wei slowly reached out to touch the scroll. When he touched it, the symbols began to glow, and he felt an intense pain on his wrist. He pulled his hand back and saw a mark on his skin - a crimson symbol in the shape of a stylized drop of blood.
There was no escape from the Selection. If he did not go, his mother would be killed. If he failed, they would both die.
A surge of anger and determination rose within him. That dormant power within him responded to the call, to the fear, and to the desperation. For a brief moment, a golden-red glint flashed in his eyes.
With a resolute expression, Leng Wei unclenched his fist. He knew he had no choice but to face the Selection. "I will return," he said to his mother, kissing her on the forehead. "No matter what, I will come back."
He stepped outside, into the crimson sky and a new, cruel world. On his wrist, the brand of his fate burned, and in his heart, a storm of fear and rage raged.