Machio stood frozen in the grand chamber of Lord Michael L. Lord, the ancient vampire sovereign whose throne, an eerie blend of bone, obsidian, and velvet, loomed high on a dais. The air was thick with the scent of blood, lavender incense, and forbidden power. Candles flickered with blue flame. Shadows twisted like living things across the walls. Everything screamed seduction and danger.
To Machio's right, Tachibana stood tall, her silver hair catching the light like threads of moonlight. She had crossed her arms beneath her generous chest, her crimson eyes narrowed at the rival vampire. Her uniform was slightly disheveled from their earlier scuffle, the hem of her blouse threatening to rise with every breath. Despite her usual haughty pride, she looked shaken.
To his left, Thesa smiled. The black-haired beauty of the Crimson Lotus Clan was a sin incarnate. She wore a revealing short kimono that danced around her thighs with each step, open enough to expose the swell of her chest and the ink-black lotus tattoo blooming across her lower hip. Her red eyes gleamed like rubies dipped in blood. "So this is the boy?" she purred. "The one who awakened without biting. How rare. How… delicious."
Michael Lord's deep voice echoed through the throne room. "He hears like a bat. He leaps like a demon. His speed, uncanny. He is ready for the Pact."
"The Blood Kiss," Thesa said, tilting her head. "He drinks from one of us… and the pact is sealed. He will become our weapon."
"My clan found him first," Tachibana growled. "He's already bound to me."
"Bound? You gave him a taste of blood. That's nothing compared to the full ritual," Thesa whispered, stepping dangerously close to Machio, her breasts pressing ever-so-lightly against his arm. Her voice dropped, husky. "Let me show you how deep a vampire's bond can go, little boy."
Tachibana hissed and shoved Thesa back. "Don't touch him."
Thesa smirked. "Oh, you wish I hadn't."
Machio's brain was short-circuiting. His new abilities, granted by whatever awakening he'd undergone, were making this unbearable. He could hear their hearts beating, smell their perfume mingling with arousal and frustration. The warmth of their bodies, the tension in the air—it all hit him like a tsunami of forbidden temptation.
[DING!]
[NEW QUEST: Choose Your Crimson Pact Partner]
Option A: Drink from Tachibana.
Option B: Drink from Thesa.
Bonus Objective: Touch the one you don't choose inappropriately.
Reward: Hidden Skill – "Dual-Blood Echo"
Machio nearly screamed. "What the hell is this system!?"
Thesa was the first to act.
She let her kimono fall from one shoulder, revealing even more pale skin, delicate and smooth. Her hand slid behind Machio's neck as she leaned closer. Her lips brushed his ear. "Drink from me. I'll give you power. I'll give you pleasure. You'll never need another woman."
Tachibana yanked him away. "Don't you dare! If you bond with her, you'll inherit her clan's curse. I can give you more. My body—my room—I'll share it all."
"Y-You mean…?" Machio blinked.
"I'll let you sleep beside me," she snapped, blushing furiously. "For temperature regulation only! Idiot!"
The heat rising in Machio's head was about to make him collapse.
And then he moved.
He stepped toward Thesa, slowly, eyes intense.
"Yes…" she whispered. "That's it. Come to me, my boy. Touch me. Claim me."
He raised his hand.
And then—
He grabbed her chest. Full-on. Two hands.
"KYAAA!?" Thesa shrieked, her face going pink, knees buckling. "Y-You pervert!!"
[DING!]
[Bonus Acquired: Hidden Skill – Sadistic Control King (Lv.1)]
Effect: Can trigger submissive response in vampire women by targeted physical stimulation.
Tachibana was frozen. "YOU ACTUALLY DID IT!? That's sexual assault, you maniac!"
Machio looked blank. "The system made me do it."
"That's not a legal defense!!"
Michael Lord roared with laughter. "The pact is chosen. Let the world tremble."
Thesa, trembling, hissed. "This isn't over. You'll regret rejecting me." She vanished in a whirl of crimson petals and smoke.
---
Later that night, in Tachibana's dorm…
Machio sat shirtless on the bed, his chest rising and falling as he tested his new senses. He could hear mice in the walls. He could smell a perfume bottle across the hallway. He could feel every heartbeat within fifty meters.
Tachibana stepped out of her bathroom in a scandalously thin camisole and shorts. Her hair was damp. Her skin glowed.
"You're different now," she said, sitting beside him. Her leg touched his.
"I feel faster. Stronger. Hornier."
"Horny's not a power," she muttered, but her blush betrayed her.
They stared at each other.
Then they kissed. Soft. Then harder. She moaned into his mouth.
[DING!]
[NEW QUEST: Survive the Night.]
Warning: Thesa has informed her clan. Hostile vampires may appear.
Optional: Sleep in the same bed as Tachibana (Reward: XP Boost).
Machio whispered, "Can I stay?"
Tachibana nodded slowly. "Just don't do anything weird in your sleep."
He grinned. "No promises."
---
Elsewhere…
Thesa knelt before a massive throne draped in bleeding roses.
"My lady," she said. "The boy awakened the forbidden trait. Sadistic Control. He chose the Ice-Blooded Wench."
From the throne rose a statuesque woman with scarlet eyes and dark silver hair.
"Then it begins," she purred. "We will take him. And he will kneel."
To be continued