"Wait, wait—what do you mean I'll die again?" Dr. Victor asked anxiously, eyes locked on the glowing blue screen where his life countdown had already begun.
No reply came.
Vlad laughed.
"Hahaha! Mortals… they really are funny."
Dr.Victor turned to him, trying to compose himself.
"So, you said earlier that we're inside your body, and this blue screen says if I merge my soul with the remnant of the Vampire Prince, I'll live. Are you the Vampire Prince?"
Vlad smirked, flashing his fangs with pride.
"You guessed right, mortal. Now bow before me if you want to live."
Dr. Victor didn't move. He just sat down and stared into the darkness.
"So... I really died, huh," he muttered, his voice distant.
Silence.
His eyes remained fixed on the floating screen, its light flickering softly in the dark.
Suddenly, Vlad crouched in front of him, face unnervingly close.
When Dr. Victor snapped out of his daze, he flinched hard, nearly scrambling backward.
"Hey! Hey! What are you trying to do?! I… I don't swing that way!"
Vlad stood upright again, unimpressed. He pointed silently at the blue screen:
29:30
29:29
29:28
The countdown ticked on.
Dr. Victor sighed. "Is this some kind of novel or something? Am I supposed to follow whatever ridiculous choices you guys want?"
Vlad raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, mortal?"
Another sigh. This time, deeper. He lay on his back, arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed in the darkness.
"Why don't you just let me stay dead? I don't want to go back to the world again."
Vlad's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Hey, hey, hey—don't say that!" Vlad's tone shifted suddenly as he crouched down beside him.
"Don't you want power? I have power. You'll be powerful—very powerful—and immortal. Don't you want that?" Vlad flashed a grin like a seasoned salesman.
He opened his eyes and looked at Vlad. "Aren't you a Vampire?"
Vlad nodded eagerly, like a bobbing chicken. "Yes, I am."
He replied firmly, "I don't want to lose my humanity."
Vlad scratched his head, caught off guard. He had no answer to that.
With a sigh, Vlad sat down beside him.
He stared into the darkness and spoke with melancholy in his eyes.
"You're really lucky, human. To be mortal… and live even a little life. I lived 300 years before ending up in this darkness. But spending a thousand more years here taught me something—immortality is a curse… if you're living alone."
He replied, "No, you're wrong. The curse isn't immortality—it's loneliness. I've been there, like you. Though I've only spent a little time within empty walls like these, I understand your feeling."
Vlad, still gazing into the darkness, asked, "Then why don't you want to try again?"
He answered in a heavy voice, "What if I fail?"
Vlad responded hesitantly, "That… I can't say much about. I myself have failed my father."
Dr. Victor stared into the void.
I can't truly understand the pain he went through… but maybe, just maybe, I can help free him from it.
Timer Countdown
10:20
10:19
10:18
Dr. Victor stood up and looked at Vlad. Then, he extended his hand toward him.
Vlad's eyes widened. "What is this, mortal?"
He smiled. "It's a handshake."
Vlad cautiously offered his left hand in return.
He replied, "Not the left—use your right hand. You shake hands with your right."
Vlad nodded, stood up, and shook his hand.
Dr. Victor said softly, "I want to save you from this pain. I want to merge with you."
Vlad smiled and nodded.
His body turned into red smoke and entered Dr. Victor's body.
Immediately, an unbearable pain shot through him—as if something was trying to merge with the very core of his existence.
[DING]
[SOUL MERGE INITIATED]
[HOST WILL BE PUT INTO TRANCE TO WITHSTAND THE PROCESS]
His eyes closed, and he floated in darkness.
When he opened them again, he was met with both pain and cold.
The coldness gnawed at him as fiercely as the pain.
What's going on? Why is there… so… much… pain… coming… I want… to… scream… but… it feels like… my mouth and eyes… have been sealed shut…
A blue screen appeared in his mind.
[DING]
[SOUL MERGE COMPLETED]
[ERROR!]
[ERROR!]
[HOST HAS ENCOUNTERED AN UNRESOLVED SITUATION]
"What do you mean 'unresolved situation'? Fffuck—argh!"
"It's not 'unresolved,' it's pain! And now I feel hunger and thirst too—dammit!"
[HOST HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY REBORN IN THE VAMPIRE PRINCE'S BODY]
"You call this a success?! Fffuck—arghhh! I can't see, I can't speak, it's only pain, cold, hunger, and thirst—ffuck—and I want to scream!"
[BEGINNER GIFT HAS BEEN GRANTED DUE TO HOST'S EXTREME SITUATION]
SWOOSH!
A wave of warm energy surged over his body.
The pain started to fade, ebbing slowly until it was gone. The biting cold retreated next.
He opened his eyes.
He was naked, lying on smooth ice. Walls of frozen crystal surrounded him.
Then it hit him.
Hunger.
A growl escaped his throat as he collapsed forward, his body trembling.
Crippling, gnawing hunger.
His stomach twisted and roared with need.
[DING]
[MISSION ALERT]
[HOST MUST DRINK BLOOD OR HE WILL LOSE CONTROL OF HIS SOUL]
His expression twisted.
Golden light flared in his eyes. A smirk crept across his face.
"Well, well... I, Vlad, am finally revived."
Then—
A flicker.
The smirk disappeared. Eyes still glowing, but the presence behind them shifted.
"What the hell? He isn't completely merged with me?" the Doctor's voice spoke, confused.
[VLAD THE VAMPIRE PRINCE IS COMPLETELY MERGED WITH YOU. THE DIVIDE IS ONLY MENTAL. YOUR MEMORIES AND MENTALITY HAVE NOT YET SYNCHRONIZED]
He muttered under his breath, "So that's why..."
[HOST SHOULD RENAME HIMSELF]
He raised an eyebrow at the floating screen.
"Why? Isn't Dr. Victor good enough?"
[YOU'RE STARTING A NEW LIFE. YOU SHOULD START WITH A NEW NAME]
He nodded slowly. "You're right... What should I name myself?"
Silence. Only the sound of his breath fogging in the cold air.
Naked, surrounded by ice and shadows, he thought.
"How about... Dr. V?"
[WELCOME, DR. V]
[DR. V SHOULD CONSIDER ESCAPING THE ICE CAVE AND FEEDING IMMEDIATELY OR RISK LOSING CONTROL]