The clearing was soaked in blood. Fresh corpses lay sprawled on the grassy roadside, their uniforms torn and stained with crimson. A silence had fallen over the scene, broken only by the raspy, uneven breaths of Dray Ballack as he knelt beside his childhood friend.
Tyro Venn's pulse was fading.
Blood poured from the gaping wound in his chest, his uniform drenched, his skin paling. Tears welled in Dray's eyes as he looked into the dying gaze of the boy who had been by his side since Unit 47-C. "You can't die, Tyro... not like this..."
With trembling hands, Dray pulled up his own sleeve, bit his own wrist, and forced his bleeding wrist into Tyro's mouth.
"Drink it! Please, just drink it!" he begged.
Tyro's lips moved weakly, blood mixing with blood, as Dray clenched his teeth and fed him more. He could feel the cold fingers of death tightening around Tyro's soul, but he wouldn't let go. Not yet.
Thirty minutes passed.
Tyro's body began to twitch.
Suddenly, a chime from the system echoed in Dray's mind.
DING!
Congratulations on your second creation. You have created a Draugr.
+200 EXP earned.
All stats +5.
Dray's heart skipped. "A draugr? What... what's that?"
System Response:Draugr - A type of vampiric undead. They are not true vampires but twisted creations born of incomplete or corrupted vampiric transfers. They feed on flesh, not blood. Mindless in early stages, they gradually evolve and regain intelligence through consumption and time.
Before Dray could absorb the full explanation, a sudden growl sliced through the quiet.
He spun around.
Tyro was no longer still. He had risen to a crouch, his limbs trembling, his eyes hollow and glowing faintly red. His mouth was wide open, baring newly grown jagged teeth. Skin clung tightly to bone like dried leather, and his once broad, muscular frame now resembled a starved corpse.
Dray stepped back.
DING!
Warning: Feed the draugr flesh within the next five minutes or it will enter berserk mode.
"WHAT?!" Dray yelled.
Warning: Immediate action required.
Panic shot through him. Dray scanned the battlefield and without further hesitation, dragged one of the nearby corpses toward Tyro.
As if triggered by instinct, Tyro pounced. The sickening sound of flesh being ripped and devoured filled the air. The remaining recruits gasped in horror.
Dray turned his eyes away.
Tyro consumed the body like an animal starved for days, ripping through flesh and bone with a hunger that was terrifying to witness. When the first body was done, Dray dragged another. And another.
Each feeding caused Tyro's appearance to slowly improve. His skin thickened slightly, his limbs strengthened, and his eyes gleamed with feral life.
"System," Dray asked quietly, still watching, "will he stay like this forever?"
System Response:Draugrs evolve as they feed. More flesh consumed means higher stages of growth and intelligence. He is currently Stage One. Loyalty is absolute to his creator.
Dray sighed, shoulders sagging. "So basically, I now have a walking corpse as a companion."
System:Correct. But loyal, strong, and protective when needed.
Kessa approached him quietly, her eyes fixed on the disturbing sight. "Dray... what about the others?"
Dray looked toward the surviving soldiers. They stood trembling, having witnessed not only an ambush but also the horrifying resurrection of one of their own.
Dray knew panic was one breath away.
"System," he muttered. "Any suggestions? I don't want to hurt them. But I can't let them report what they saw."
System Response:Crimson Eyes skill available in shop. Price: 100 points.
"Purchase it."
DING!
Skill Acquired: Crimson Eyes (Hypnotic Influence – Rank I)
An intense heat pulsed through Dray's head as the knowledge of the skill implanted itself. His pupils dilated, then glowed crimson.
He walked toward the recruits slowly. They began to shuffle back.
"Please... don't..." one stammered.
"Listen," Dray said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. But you must forget what you saw."
His eyes locked onto theirs, one by one. As the glow intensified, the soldiers' eyes also turned a faint shade of red.
"You were attacked by terrorists. Some of your friends died. That's the official story. Understand?"
They all nodded blankly.
"Good. Get in the bus. Go to the Sector 5 barracks. Say nothing about this. Nothing about Tyro, or Kessa, or me."
With zombie-like obedience, the soldiers returned to the bus.
Dray turned to Tyro, who had finished his feeding, his face now partially restored but still monstrous. Dray reached into the system shop again.
"System, I need a cloak. One that covers Tyro head to toe."
Response:Dark Cloak of Concealment available. Price: 50 points.
"Purchase."
A thick, shadow-black cloak materialized. Dray draped it over Tyro, whose form disappeared beneath the folds.
Kessa approached him. "Where now?"
Dray looked around. The bus was already rumbling to life and driving away. Trees surrounded them. There was no path.
He took a deep breath and turned to the dense forest ahead.
"We disappear. Into the shadows. For now."
Tyro followed without a word, his cloak swaying.
Kessa fell into step beside them, her seductive aura slightly dimmed in the weight of the moment.
As they vanished into the forest, Dray glanced at the system panel.
System Interface
Name: Dray Ballack
Bloodline: Vampiric
Race: Nightwalker
Level: 12
Class: Vampire
Strength: 24--->29
Agility: 26--->31
Endurance: 21--->26
Vitality: 23--->28
Skills:
• Night Adaptation (Passive - 30%)
• Blood Sense (Passive – Incomplete)
• Blood Echo (Tier I - 20%)
• Phantom Reaper (Intermediate Assassination Skill – 15%) Fully Owned
• Crimson Eyes (Rank I - New)
Inventory:
• Rusted Circuit Knife
• Obsidian Data Chip
• Unknown Crystal (Bound)
• Healing Potion
• Hair Potion
• Dark Cloak of Concealment
System Shop: [Access Granted]
Next Level: 500 EXP
Status: Hidden
Creations:
• Name: Kessa Holt
• Race: Noctilux Seductress
• Bloodline: Vampiric
• Evolution: Stage 1 (50%)
• Name: Tyro Venn
• Race: Draugr (Undead-Class)
• Bloodline: Vampiric
• Evolution: Stage 1 (15%)
Tittle: Nightwalker Creator
Main Quest: 55% Completed
Dray exhaled slowly.
This was the beginning of something new.
No longer soldiers.
No longer just survivors.
They were something else now.
Outcasts. Shadows.
And perhaps... the start of a hidden war.