Chapter 31 - What the hell happened?

Mikazuki Mansion, once a place of eerie elegance, had become a labyrinth of whispers and darkness. Masaru sat in the center of a ritual circle, an octagon inscribed into the cold, polished floor. The blood-red symbols glowed faintly, casting a soft but unsettling light that flickered as if alive. This had become his routine — night after night, he performed this ritual, his blood swirling in the air around him, gathering strength, feeding the undead hunger within. It was an old practice, one that Akane had taught him. According to her, it was essential for low-ranking and mid-ranking vampires to perform such rituals to amplify their blood, their powers, and fortify their bodies. For Masaru, it was a necessity, an unspoken burden he now embraced in the absence of a human life.