The tunnels beneath Noxhold bled darkness. Every drip of condensation echoed like a ticking clock. Mira's clock. The serum vial in my pocket felt heavier with each step, a fragile promise against the crushing weight of what I'd become. Elias limped beside me, his dislocated shoulder jutting at an unnatural angle. Blood Bond had saved him, but the cost was visible in his eyes—a predatory glint that hadn't been there before.
[SYSTEM ALERT: HUMANITY STABILITY: 85% — DEGRADATION RATE INCREASING]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONSUME ADDITIONAL BLOOD TO MAINTAIN PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES]
I ignored it. The hunger was a dull ache now, manageable but ever-present. Control is all that matters.
"Up ahead," Elias rasped, pointing to a rusted ladder bolted to the tunnel wall. "Block 7 entrance. But it's guarded."
Blood Vision flared, piercing the gloom. Three figures patrolled the sewer junction ahead—human, but moving with unnatural precision. Their thermal signatures pulsed with cold efficiency. Purge hunters.
"Silver armor," I whispered. "Inquisitor's elite."
Elias spat blood. "We're outmatched."
"Not entirely." I activated Shadow Step, melting into the darkness. The world blurred into streaks of gray and crimson. I reappeared behind the leftmost hunter, my claws already extended.
Strike.
My hand pierced the gap in his armor, sinking into his spine. He crumpled without a sound. The other two spun around, crossbows rising.
[QUEST ACTIVATED: SILENT ELIMINATION]
[OBJECTIVE: KILL ALL PURGE HUNTERS WITHOUT ALARM]
[REWARD: 350 XP, UNLOCK "NECROTIC TOUCH" SKILL]
[FAILURE: REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE IN 60 SECONDS]
I moved like smoke. Shadow Step carried me behind the second hunter. My fingers found his throat, crushing his windpipe before he could shout. The third fired a bolt. It grazed my Blood Armor, shattering the crimson shield.
[BLOOD ARMOR DESTROYED. DURABILITY: 0/3 HITS]
Pain lanced through my ribs. I roared, lunging forward. My fangs extended, sinking into his neck. Blood flooded my mouth—warm, metallic, electric.
[BLOOD ABSORBED: 450ML]
[HOST STABILITY: 92%]
[SKILL PROGRESSION: BLOODLUST SUPPRESSION → LEVEL 3]
The hunter went limp. I dropped him, wiping my mouth. Elias stared, his expression a mix of horror and fascination.
"You're getting faster," he said.
"I'm getting hungrier." I activated Blood Sense. No other threats nearby. "Let's move."
We climbed the ladder into Block 7. The air reeked of decay and ozone. Abandoned train cars lay overturned like carcasses, their windows shattered. Graffiti screamed warnings: THE SYSTEM SEES ALL and NOXHOLD BELONGS TO THE BLOODLORDS.
Mira's hideout was in the old conductor's office—a reinforced room with a steel door. I knocked, using our old signal: three short taps, one long.
Silence.
Then—scraping metal. The door opened a crack. A pair of bloodshot eyes peered out.
"Kael?" Mira's voice was a rasp.
I pushed the door open. She lay on a cot, skin ashen, breath shallow. The Black Lung had hollowed her cheeks, leaving dark veins spiderwebbing across her neck.
"Mira." I knelt beside her, uncorking the serum. "Drink this."
She swallowed weakly. Color returned to her face within seconds. "You came."
"Always." I helped her sit up. "We need to leave. Now."
Elias stood guard at the door. "Company's coming."
Blood Sense pulsed. Multiple signatures—vampires, closing fast.
[SYSTEM ALERT: BLOODLORD DETECTED]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[RECOMMENDATION: FLEE OR PREPARE FOR COMBAT]
The door exploded inward.
A figure stepped through the smoke—tall, gaunt, wrapped in tattered robes. His skin was translucent, revealing veins pulsing with black ichor. His eyes glowed like dying embers.
"The First," he hissed. "The System's favorite pet."
Mira gasped. "Kael...?"
I stood, shielding her. "Who are you?"
The Bloodlord smiled, revealing needle-thin fangs. "I am Vex-7. And you're trespassing on my hunting grounds."
[NEW QUEST: SURVIVE VEX-7]
[REWARD: 500 XP, UNLOCK "BLOOD DOMINION" (LEVEL 1)]
[FAILURE: DEATH OR ENSLAVEMENT TO THE CORRUPTED SYSTEM]
Vex-7 raised a hand. Shadows coalesced into a scythe of pure darkness. "The System promised me power. It promised you."
He lunged.
I met him with Shadow Step, but he anticipated it. His scythe grazed my side, tearing through flesh and muscle. Pain exploded.
[CRITICAL DAMAGE: RIB CAGE FRACTURED]
[HEALTH: 35%]
Elias charged, but Vex-7 backhanded him into a wall. Crack. Elias slumped, unconscious.
Mira screamed.
Rage burned through me. I activated Blood Oath.
[BLOOD OATH ACTIVATED]
[HUMANITY DECREASED: 85% → 80%]
[BLOODLUST SUPPRESSED: 100%]
Power surged. My wounds knitted together. My muscles swelled. I grabbed Vex-7's scythe, snapping the shadow-steel like glass.
"You're not the only one with a System," I snarled.
Vex-7 laughed. "But mine is evolved." He raised his arms. "Witness the truth, little pet."
The air shimmered. A holographic interface materialized above him—identical to mine, but corrupted. Jagged red text scrolled:
[CORRUPTED SYSTEM: USER VEX-7]
[STATUS: OMEGA PROTOCOL ACTIVE]
[DIRECTIVE: ASSIMILATE THE FIRST]
"You're just a prototype," Vex-7 said. "I'm the final product."
He blurred forward, faster than before. His claws raked my chest. Blood sprayed.
[HEALTH: 15%]
I staggered back. The System's voice turned frantic:
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: ACTIVATE BLOOD DOMINION]
[COST: 25% HUMANITY]
[ACCEPT? Y/N]
Y.
Darkness erupted from my body, forming tendrils that lashed out. They wrapped around Vex-7, lifting him off the ground. He snarled, struggling.
"What is this?!"
"Your worst nightmare." I squeezed.
The tendrils tightened. Vex-7's bones cracked. Black ichor sprayed from his mouth.
[BLOOD DOMINION ACTIVATED]
[HUMANITY DECREASED: 80% → 55%]
[VEX-7 HEALTH: 10%]
He laughed weakly. "You think you've won? The System... it's not what you think..."
I crushed him.
His body dissolved into shadow, leaving only a corrupted data crystal.
[QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE VEX-7]
[REWARD: 500 XP, UNLOCKED "BLOOD DOMINION (LEVEL 1)"]
[SKILL DESCRIPTION: CONTROL SHADOWS AND BLOOD AS WEAPONS. COST: 25% HUMANITY PER USE.]
[ITEM ACQUIRED: CORRUPTED DATA CRYSTAL]
I collapsed, gasping. Mira crawled to my side. "Kael! You're hurt!"
Elias stirred, groaning. "What... happened?"
I looked at my hands. They were trembling. The System's interface flickered:
[HUMANITY: 55% — CRITICAL THRESHOLD]
[WARNING: FURTHER USE OF BLOOD DOMINION WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT DEHUMANIZATION]
Mira touched my cheek. "Your eyes... they're glowing."
I pulled away. "We need to go."
As we fled Block 7, the corrupted crystal pulsed in my pocket. Vex-7's last words echoed: The System... it's not what you think.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ANALYZING CORRUPTED DATA CRYSTAL...]
[DECRYPTION PROGRESS: 12%... 34%... 67%...]
A new message appeared:
[CLASSIFIED FILE UNLOCKED: PROJECT OMEGA]
[CONTENT: THE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO CONTAIN THE FIRST VAMPIRE. YOU ARE NOT THE HOST. YOU ARE THE PRISON.]
I stopped dead.
Elias noticed. "What's wrong?"
I stared at the interface. Prison?
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: DELETING CLASSIFIED FILE...]
[ERROR: FILE CORRUPTED. FRAGMENT RETAINED: "THE FIRST VAMPIRE IS STILL ALIVE. AND IT'S HUNGRY."]*
The crystal shattered in my hand.
Mira tugged my sleeve. "Kael? We have to move!"
I nodded, but the truth settled like ice in my veins. The System wasn't my ally. It was my warden.
And the real monster was still out there.