Quinn jolted awake, gasping for air.
His heart hammered against his ribs as fragmented images flashed through his mind—memories that shouldn't exist. Fighting Dalki. Drinking blood. Vorden's betrayal. Peter's transformation. The war. His death. His ascension to Vampire Lord. Everything.
"What... what the hell?" Quinn whispered, sitting up in his bed. His hands trembled as he looked around his cramped apartment. Everything was exactly as he remembered from years ago, but something felt different.
He reached for his broken glasses on the nightstand—the tape-covered frames that had been his constant companion. But when he looked across the room, he could see the numbers on his wall clock perfectly clearly. His vision was... normal? No, that wasn't right. His vision had been terrible his entire life.
Quinn's gaze snapped to the wall-mounted TV. The date displayed in the corner made his breath catch.
May 30th.
Four months. He was four months before military school started. Four months before that terrible first day when he'd activated the vampire system by accident, desperate and unprepared.
"This is impossible," Quinn muttered, but even as he said it, more memories flooded back. Not memories of this timeline—memories of a future that had already happened. Or would happen. His head spun trying to make sense of it.
He remembered activating the book. He remembered the system. He remembered years of struggling, fighting, barely surviving because he'd never understood what he had until it was too late.
Quinn's eyes locked onto his desk drawer.
"The book," he breathed.
He practically lunged across the small room and yanked the drawer open. There it was—the thick black book with the strange ring symbol in the center. His parents' only legacy. The book he'd spent over a hundred attempts trying to open in his previous timeline, not knowing the secret until pure accident revealed it.
But Quinn knew the secret now.
Blood. It needed his blood.
His hand hovered over the book, trembling. If he activated it now, he would become a vampire again. But this time, he'd have four months to learn the system, to grow stronger, to prepare for what was coming. Four months instead of scrambling from day one.
"Do it," Quinn told himself. "You know what's coming. You know what you need to do."
But he forced himself to pause. Think. Plan. That was the whole point of this second chance—to be smarter.
Quinn pulled out a notebook and began writing everything he could remember:
What I Know:
The book activates with blood (my blood specifically)System grants quests for expLevel 10 unlocks shopDaily quest: drink 2 liters of water (5 exp)Blood quest appears within 24 hours of activationBlood types: A=Strength, B=Agility, AB=Stamina, O=Free statsAnimal blood works for daily sustenance (minimal stats)Human blood gives real stat growthAbility user blood is bestSunlight debuff = 50% stat reduction during dayStarting stats: HP 10, Str/Agi/Sta all at 10
Timeline:
4 months until military school (September 30th)Need to reach level 10 to unlock shopNeed sunlight resistance items from shopNeed to prepare sustainable blood source
Critical People at Military School:
Vorden (multiple abilities - dangerous but useful)Peter (will become vampire - must guide him better)Layla (earth ability - good ally)Logan (inventor - very important)Fex (vampire prince - can teach me)Brandon Mills (bully - deserves what's coming)
Quinn set down his pen and stared at the book. Four months was a lot of time, but it would go fast. He needed to activate the system now to maximize his growth period.
He grabbed a small knife from his desk—one he kept for self-defense—and made a small cut on his thumb. Blood welled up immediately.
"No more accidents this time," Quinn said firmly. "This is a choice."
He let three drops of blood fall onto the ring symbol in the center of the book.
The reaction was immediate. The ring began to glow with an eerie crimson light, and the book lifted itself from the desk. Quinn watched with a mixture of awe and determination as the pages began flipping rapidly, the strange symbols flowing past his eyes.
The language was incomprehensible to him now, but he knew that once the system activated, he'd be able to understand it. Ancient vampire script, passed down through bloodlines for centuries.
When the book reached its final page, it began to dissolve into particles of light that flowed directly into Quinn's chest. The sensation was strange—not painful, but intense. Power entering his body, changing him at a fundamental level.
The translucent blue screen appeared in his vision, and Quinn couldn't help but smile. He'd seen this screen thousands of times in his previous life, but never appreciated it properly until it was too late.
Quinn immediately felt the changes. His senses sharpened—he could hear the neighbors moving around in adjacent apartments, could smell the faint scent of food from the building's ventilation. His body felt different, stronger, even though his stats hadn't changed yet.
<0/100 exp>
Quinn navigated through the tabs, checking everything systematically.
<0 skill points available>
Everything was exactly as he remembered. But then a new notification appeared, and Quinn's smile faded.
"Right on schedule," Quinn muttered. He'd been expecting this, but it still complicated things.
Twenty-four hours to find and consume human blood. In his previous timeline, he'd panicked and made terrible decisions. This time, he needed to be smart about it.
Quinn went to his mini-fridge and started pulling out water bottles. He had to complete the daily quest first—every 5 exp counted, especially this early. He began drinking, forcing himself to consume bottle after bottle despite his stomach's protests.
As he drank, his mind raced through possible solutions for the blood quest. He couldn't just attack someone randomly—that would draw attention and potentially get him arrested before he even made it to military school. But he also couldn't let the timer run out, or he'd lose control and attack someone anyway, probably in broad daylight where he'd definitely get caught.
After his eighth bottle of water, the notification appeared:
Quinn set down the empty bottle and checked the clock. 2:47 AM. He had roughly 24 hours to figure out the blood situation.
He pulled out his notebook and started planning:
Blood Quest Options:
Target a criminal (research needed)Wait for opportunity (risky - might lose control)Find someone who deserves it (morally acceptable)Visit hospital/blood bank (too traceable)
Quinn tapped his pen against the paper. In his previous timeline, he'd eventually learned that the quality of blood mattered. Ability users gave better stat bonuses. And the blood of terrible people somehow felt less... corrupting.
There was one name that kept coming to his mind: Marcus Rent.
Marcus was a level 4 ability user who lived three blocks away. Quinn knew about him because in his previous timeline, Marcus had been arrested two months from now for attacking multiple women. The man was a predator who used his strength ability to intimidate and hurt people weaker than him.
In Quinn's previous life, Marcus had gotten away with his crimes for months before finally being caught. Several people had been hurt in that time.
But if Quinn acted now...
"No," Quinn said aloud, stopping that train of thought. "I need to be smart about this. Attacking someone, even someone like Marcus, leaves evidence. DNA. Witnesses. Security cameras."
He needed a better plan. Something cleaner. Something that wouldn't come back to haunt him.
Quinn checked his status screen again, noting the timer: 23:42:18 remaining.
He had time. Not a lot, but enough to plan properly. This was his second chance, and he refused to waste it by making impulsive decisions.
"Four months," Quinn reminded himself. "Four months to become strong enough that military school won't break me. Four months to prepare for what's coming."
He looked out his apartment window at the city below. Somewhere out there was his first target. Someone whose blood would feed the system and start his journey properly.
But this time, Quinn Talen would be smart about it. This time, he'd do it right.