"You never forget your first time… dying."
That was the thought running through Kite's mind as he lay there in the cold, his blood mixing with the mud beneath him.
The night sky cracked open with thunder. The wind howled through the shattered ruins of what used to be a peaceful border town. And him? Kite was just some idiot who thought he could play hero against a chimera-class beast.
Spoiler: he couldn't.
His right arm was broken. His ribs felt like splintered glass. And the hole in his side?
Yeah… not looking good.
"Guess this is it," he muttered, coughing up blood. "Died doing something stupid. How poetic."
His vision blurred, but he caught the sound of footsteps—light, slow, deliberate.
A shadow emerged from the storm, her cloak fluttering behind her like midnight silk. She walked toward him without fear. Her white hair shimmered beneath the lightning, her crimson eyes glowing like embers in the dark.
Kite blinked. "Great. A hallucination. Sexy ghost, though…"
The girl crouched beside him. Her hand, cold as ice, pressed against his chest.
"You're not dead yet," she said softly. "But you will be. Unless you choose otherwise."
"Are… you death?" Kite rasped.
A soft chuckle. "Hardly. I'm the one offering you a second chance."
She leaned closer. He caught the faint scent of night-blooming flowers—and blood.
"You've got good instincts. Reckless. But good. That's why I'm giving you this gift."
Kite's thoughts were slipping, his vision dimming. His heart slowed.
Then she whispered something against his ear—words he didn't understand. Old. Powerful.
[Bloodline Resonance Detected] [Primordial Vampire Bloodline: Dormant → Awakening…] [Initializing unique system…]
⸻
Somewhere in the Void
Kite floated in darkness, naked and weightless—not physically, but spiritually.
A voice echoed around him—deep, ancient, and terrifying.
"The blood remembers. The blood awakens. Rise, Heir of Eclipse."
A crimson surge tore through him like fire through paper.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Host: Kite Nocturne
Species: Lesser Vampire (Primordial Bloodline)
Class: Unassigned
Rank: F
Bloodline Status: 0.3% Awakened
Skills Unlocked:
Vampire Physiology Lv.1
Blood Sense Lv.1
Passive: Night Vision
Title: Fledgling of the Crimson Pact
Welcome, Chosen.
Knowledge flooded his mind. Hunger curled in his gut—raw and ancient. His body felt different. Faster. Stronger. Cold.
Alive.
No… undead.
⸻
Back in Reality
Kite's eyes snapped open.
The rain had slowed.
He could hear the drops striking leaves. Hear the heartbeat of a rabbit hiding fifty meters away. See the individual threads in the girl's cloak.
His wounds? Gone.
His heart? Silent.
His instincts? Loud.
He was different now.
"What... happened to me?" he whispered.
"You were reborn," the girl said, standing up with graceful ease. "The old you died. The new you… is mine."
He sat up slowly, touching his face. His skin was pale. His hair had grown a little, dark and wet. And his eyes—he could feel them glowing.
"Mine?" he echoed.
"I gave you the blood. You live because of me."
"Do I at least get a welcome package? A handbook? Maybe a cool cape?"
She smirked. "You'll figure it out."
[Warning: Hunger rising. Feed within 12 hours or risk Blood Frenzy.]
Kite groaned. "Okay, that sounds bad."
"It is."
He stood, wobbling slightly. His body felt weightless and unstable—like he could leap a building but might also faceplant into a tree.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The girl paused, then said, "Lilith. Lilith Noctara."
Kite gave a weak smile. "Cool name. Very vampirey."
"Yours suits you too… Kite Nocturne."
He blinked. "That's… not my last name."
"It is now," she said with a faint smile. "You've been reborn."
Kite looked up at the blood-soaked sky and breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with air he didn't really need.
Alive.
Dead.
Something else entirely.
"Alright, Lilith," he said, cracking his neck. "Let's see what this new life's about."