The morning came with a lingering chill that rolled over the vast courtyard of Fort Echelon Depot. Dozens of military transport buses stood in straight lines like steel giants ready to move. Each bore the emblem of the Unified Earth Forces, polished and gleaming under the early rays of sunlight. The depot buzzed with subdued tension, yet an undertone of finality settled over the place.
Recruits, now officially soldiers, stepped out of their dormitories in crisp green military uniforms. Their boots clacked against the pavement, but it wasn't just the sound of discipline; it was the sound of transformation. Some paused at their doors, glancing back into the rooms that had housed their youth, fear, and transformation. A few sighed deeply, some whispered silent prayers, and others stood stiffly, mentally preparing themselves.
Dray Ballack stepped out in uniform, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. His hair, now restored to black thanks to the hair potion, blended in perfectly. His crimson-tinted eyes glinted as he surveyed the depot, calculating, always alert.
Tyro Venn joined him, walking tall with a wide smile that masked the tension in his shoulders. "Sector 5, New Virelia City," Tyro said, almost in disbelief. "We're really leaving this place, huh?"
Dray nodded silently. Behind them came Kessa Holt, her steps unusually graceful. She wore the same uniform as every other recruit, but somehow, her presence felt like it belonged to a different world—elegant, intoxicating, and powerful. A result of her new identity: a Noctilux Seductress.
The three boarded the same bus along with others assigned to Sector 5. As Dray took a seat near the rear, he noticed how the air inside the vehicle felt heavy with emotion. Silence dominated the bus. Eyes gazed out the windows as if each of them were bidding farewell to something unspoken.
Nearly an hour passed. Finally, the engines roared to life. Bus after bus began rolling out of the depot, peeling away from Fort Echelon like ships leaving a familiar shore for an unknown sea.
As their own bus sped down the stretch of highway leading to New Virelia City, Kessa suddenly stood up. Dray, seated near the back, raised a brow.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
She didn't answer. Instead, she stepped into the aisle, placed one hand on the seat beside her, and the other on her hip. Then, she began to sing—a popular afrobeat song with catchy lyrics. Her voice was sweet and magnetic, and as the chorus kicked in, she started moving her waist rhythmically, gracefully twerking with fluid motion.
A wave of laughter and applause broke through the silence.
"Yo! That's what I'm talking about!"
"Sing it again, Kessa!"
The bus erupted into cheers and whistles. A few of the recruits stood up to join in, some clapping to the rhythm, others trying to mimic her dance. Some just shouted her name repeatedly like she was a celebrity. The atmosphere had shifted—nerves forgotten, anxiety drowned in joy.
Dray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, suppressing a smile.
"She's enjoying the spotlight a bit too much," he muttered to himself. "I really need to discipline that girl."
Kessa danced on, eyes glimmering, completely ignoring Dray's whispered suggestion to sit down. For a moment, everyone forgot they were soldiers heading into a new chapter. They were just young people enjoying a fleeting moment of normalcy.
Then, the bus jolted to a stop.
Silence fell instantly.
The driver tried to peer ahead, but the path was blocked—a large pile of logs and scrap metal lay across the road.
Dray tensed. Something didn't feel right
"Boys, come help me clear this!" the driver called.
The group exited the vehicle.
They approached the obstacle cautiously, placing hands on the edge, preparing to lift, the sound of rapid gunfire shattered the air.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
The driver and several soldiers were gunned down instantly. Screams echoed inside the bus. Blood sprayed across the vehicle's windows.
"Everyone out! Single file! NOW!" a masked gunman yelled from the tree line.
More gunmen emerged from the surrounding forest—at least ten of them, fully armed, faces concealed. Panic spread like wildfire. One by one, the soldiers filed out, hands raised, bodies trembling.
Dray and Kessa stood near the back. Dray's eyes flicked toward Kessa.
"Can you use your ability? Make them blank out?" he whispered.
Kessa nodded subtly, her expression shifting into something sultry.
Once all the soldiers stood in a line facing the gunmen, Kessa stepped forward. She began humming—a soft melody—then broke into a popular afrobeat tune, her hips swaying, her waist winding in hypnotic circles. Her every movement was like liquid temptation.
The gunmen faltered. One of them raised his gun, aiming at her—but then dropped it, dazed by the seductive trance.
Another staggered forward, eyes wide, entranced..
Dray saw the opening. He moved like a shadow. Phantom Reaper: Active. His body blurred. He appeared behind the nearest gunman and slit his throat with his rusted circuit knife.
One by one, he struck, swift and silent. By the time the others realized what was happening, only three of the gunmen were left.
They panicked, grabbed their rifles, and fired wildly.
Four recruits were hit.
Dray dodged the bullets, using his enhanced agility. Kessa moved with eerie grace, grabbing a weapon from one of the fallen and returning fire. Seconds later, all three remaining attackers were dead.
The battlefield fell quiet.
Dray dropped to his knees beside the injured. Three were already dead.
"No... no, no, no..." he murmured.
Then he saw Tyro.
Tyro lay on the ground, blood bubbling from his chest. A bullet had punctured his heart. His eyes were half-lidded, tears streaming down his cheeks. His lips moved, but no words came out.
Dray's heart twisted. He grabbed Tyro's face. "Hold on! You're not dying here!"
He looked up. "System! Tell me what I can do!"
[System Notification: Host may initiate a Vampiric Turn. Survival chance: 10%. Warning: Host has limited control over blood conversion. Proceed?]
"Even if it's just one percent... I have to try," Dray didn't hesitate.
He bit his wrist and held it over Tyro's mouth.
"Drink... Just drink!"
His blood flowed down. Tyro choked. His body convulsed.
Dray pressed harder. "Live, Tyro... please."
Blood trickled into Tyro's mouth.
His body convulsed.
Then everything went still.
The soldiers gathered, watching in confusion, horror, and awe.
Kessa came forward silently and placed a hand on Dray's shoulder. "He's strong. He'll make it."
Dray said nothing, only praying internally. If there was any mercy in the universe, Tyro would live.
System Interface
Name: Dray Ballack
Bloodline: Vampiric
Race: Nightwalker
Level: 12
Class: Vampire
Strength: 24
Agility: 29
Endurance: 20
Vitality: 22
Skills:
Night Adaptation (Passive - 40%)
Blood Sense (Passive – 20)
Blood Echo (Tier I - 30%)
Phantom Reaper (Intermediate Assassination Skill – 25%) Fully Owned
Inventory:
Rusted Circuit Knife
Obsidian Data Chip
Unknown Crystal (Bound)
Healing Potion
Hair Potion
Ring of Umbros
System Shop: [Access Granted]
Next Level: 800 EXP
Status: Scared
Creation:
Name: Kessa Holt
Race: Noctilux Seductress (Vampire Subspecies)
Bloodline: Vampiric
Evolution: Stage 1 (50%)
Title: Nightwalker Creator
Main Quest: 50% Completed
The road to Sector 5 had turned into a road of blood.
And yet, even in loss, something new had begun.
Dray had made his second turning.
The cost? He did not yet know.
But from this moment forward, the war within him—and the world beyond—was far from over.