WebNovels

Chapter 16 - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Marceline Silverstin

Back in Blue Star

"Arrrg...why am I feeling pain all of a sudden?" Marceline can't help but feel annoyed. She is now experiencing pain after they left the gate.

Sir, I am not feeling well, so I'll be taking my leave to go home. She asked Captain Luo.

"You can go, but make sure to report on time after you recover, " Captain Luo said looking at Marceline as his daughter.

After saying goodbye, she took a cab and went home to the Silverstin family estate.

.....

Marceline Silverstin returned to the Silverstin estate, her boots echoing faintly against the polished stone floors as she walked through the arched hallways.

The family manor, built of cold marble and ancient medical style, felt somewhat heavier than usual today.

"What is wrong with me today I don't usually get sick" she can't help but exclaim to herself

Every step made her shoulders tense. She should have felt relieved to be away from the battlefield, yet her body betrayed her with strange sensations.

Her breath was shallow, and her heart pounded erratically, even though she hadn't exerted herself since leaving the camp. Waves of warmth and coolness swept over her skin, as if her blood were rebelling against her. A gnawing sensation of thirst clawed at her throat.

It must be the blood from earlier, she thought, recalling the moment she accidentally wiped her lips while handling the beast's carcass.

" Maybe I swallowed more than I realized. Was it some infection?" She thought her brain gears were spinning fast as she analyzed.

"Nahhh.... it won't have anything to do with the blood"

Not wanting to dwell on it, she dismissed the thought quickly. To the Silverstin family, weakness was seen as shameful. She had learned long ago that complaints only invited ridicule and mockery.

The grand dining hall was lit brightly with golden chandeliers, the light reflecting off tall windows draped in velvet curtains.

Members of the Silverstin household were scattered around the long table, their voices a mixture of idle chatter and sharp commands to the servants. Nobility draped itself over every gesture, yet the undercurrent of arrogance made Marceline feel suffocated.

And then, there he was— that lustful bastard.

Eric Silverstin, the young master of the house, leaned back casually in his chair, a goblet in hand. His handsome features were accentuated by his vanity, and every smile he gave was too polished and rehearsed.

He was well-known in the noble circles of the Zahara Federation—not for his honor or bravery, but for his indulgent lifestyle. He had a reputation for never allowing beauty to escape his grasp. He always conquered them all, and now his next target is Marceline, his dream goddess.

'His eyes found Marceline the instant she entered. I can't help but want to gauge out his eyes '

Marceline thought.

"Well, look who crawled back from the mud," Eric drawled, his lips curling into a smirk. "Our poor little cousin, sent to play soldier. You look pale, Marceline. Did the sight of blood frighten you?"

Marceline met his gaze briefly, then lowered her eyes. "I am not afraid of blood." Her voice was calm but distant.

The remark drew a chuckle from him, a dark, mocking sound. He raised his goblet.

"You may not fear blood, yet your appearance is that of a ghost. We should certainly consider providing you with a more nourishing meal tonight."

She remained silent, knowing that silence cut deeper than words in this household.

Dinner was served: roasted beast meat, seasoned grains, and thick red wine. Marceline ate quietly, pushing food into her mouth more out of duty than hunger. However, something tasted strange. The meat had a faint yet unmistakable bitter aftertaste in her taste buds.

Her hand trembled slightly as she lifted her goblet. Taking a sip. The wine burned down her throat stronger than usual. Within minutes, a heavy drowsiness settled in her limbs.

' I've been drugged', due to an unknown reason, she can tell that she was drugged by this bastard.

Across the table, Eric's smirk widened.

Later that night, Marceline stumbled into her quarters, a simple room in the eastern wing. Her steps faltered, her vision blurred. She barely managed to shut the door before collapsing onto her bed.

Her mind fought to stay awake. Why am I… so tired?

It's not the effects of the drugs, though, but since we left the portal, my body has not been in good condition.. I...mu..st ... Sta..y awake.

"....."

But her body betrayed her. The drug slipped into her blood like a whisper, forcing her into deep unconsciousness.

And that was when the mutation began.

Her dreams were a nightmare

Marceline stood in an endless void where rivers of blood carved crimson paths across black stone. A pale moon hung above, but it dripped liquid scarlet like a bleeding wound. Whispers echoed around her, voices that were not her own, speaking in an ancient tongue she could not understand.

Her veins pulsed with fire. Her heart pounded so violently she thought it would tear free from her chest. Symbols—intricate crimson sigils—flared across her skin, burning patterns into her arms and chest before sinking into her flesh.

ARRRG... SOOMME.ONEEE. HELP.. MEEEE., IT HURTS AHHHHHH... AHHHH

She screamed IN agony wanting to escape this hellish pain that can not be described by words, yet no sound escaped.

There was only silence....

.

The blood rivers surged into her, flowing through her body, filling every bone and sinew with alien vitality. Muscles tightened, bones strengthened, senses sharpened. Her fragile human shell cracked and was reforged into something far beyond.

What had begun with a single drop of Edem's blood now roared within her like a storm.

Meanwhile, in the corridor outside her chamber, Eric lingered around checking if anyone would find out what he was about to do.

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his grin as sharp as a knife. "Sleeping already, dear cousin?" he murmured to himself. His eyes gleamed with twisted delightfulness and lustfulness.

For years, Eric had gotten whatever he wanted. Servants, wealth, respect—none dared oppose him. And Marceline, the orphan brought into the family out of pity, was no exception in his mind.

"She'll be too weak to resist," he whispered, voice dripping with vile satisfaction. "When she wakes, she'll understand her place." tsk ..tsk..

Tsk

He chuckled softly, lost in his fantasy, unaware of the storm brewing inside the very room he stood outside of.

Inside, Marceline's transformation deepened.

Her breathing quickened, each inhale rattling like a storm-wind. Her skin flushed pale, then luminous, faintly glowing under the moonlight filtering through her window. Her lips parted as her teeth lengthened, fangs pressing against her lower lip. Her black eyes flickered crimson, glowing faintly even behind closed lids.

The drug Eric had slipped to her was meant to weaken her body. Instead, it removed resistance, leaving her unconscious while Edem's vampire blood fused completely with her genes.

Her heart slowed, then surged again, stronger than before. The sound echoed in the room like a war drum.

THUMP THUMP

THUMP THUMP

THUMP THUMP

THUMP THUMP

Eric finally pushed the door open. CREEEAK

With a click, the door opens.

The hinges creaked softly, and he stepped inside, careful not to make noise. Moonlight streamed across the room, illuminating Marceline's Motionless figure on the bed. She lay motionless like a dead animal, her hair spread like black silk across the pillow, her breathing shallow.

Eric's grin widened as he approached. "Perfect," he whispered.

But then…

Thump.

The sound was faint at first—the beat of her heart. Then it grew louder, heavier, like thunder rolling through the chamber.

Eric froze. Looking a bit confused. Did the drugs not work, I doesn't matter anyways am going to revage this graceful figure tell my heart's content.

On the bed Marceline's body shifted from left to right, her hands twitching unnaturally, with the cracking and reforming of bones..

KRRRRRAAAAK

CRAAACKK

CRACK

The air in the room grew heavy, charged with an aura he had never felt before. A faint crimson glow seeped from her skin, painting the walls with eerie light.

"W-what is this…what's happening?" Eric muttered, stepping back.

Her eyes snapped open with surprise and fear.

Two glowing crimson irises locked onto him, burning like coals in the darkness.

Eric's breath hitched. For the first time in his life, he felt something unfamiliar—dread and he smelled death in the air.

Marceline rose slowly from the bed, her movements unnatural, fluid yet predatory. Her voice was low, resonant, not entirely her own.

"…Eric."

His name slipped from her lips like a curse.

Eric stumbled backward, his smug composure shattering. The predator he thought he was had just realized he was prey.

To be continued.

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