Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Levi stared at the blank ceiling above him, the steady rhythm of the clock filling the silence. He'd already injected the venom the twins had given him. According to them, he needed to wait a few hours for it to take effect before he could drink their blood.
As far as he knew, this wasn't how vampiric transformation worked. Normally, a vampire bit the human, venom seeped into the bloodstream, reached the heart, and only then would the vampire feed to complete the turning.
Human blood was used in the process, not vampire blood.
He had never heard of this method before, but he didn't waste energy worrying about it failing.
His heartbeat began to slow. A heavy, foreign sensation crept through his veins. Pain, pressure, maybe both, but Levi didn't flinch. If anything, he felt a kind of thrill.
He was used to emptiness, that hollow space inside him rarely stirred. So when something did move within, even when it came with pain, he welcomed it.
Minutes dragged on. Then, deep inside his chest, something kicked like an animal clawing to get out.
His heart thundered once. Twice. Louder each time.
Levi closed his eyes, listening to the sound.
Each beat was agony, but it was alive.
And he couldn't wait for the moment it finally stopped.
Vampires still had blood in their bodies, but their hearts were forever still—cold, silent stones that never beat again.
The pain intensified, spreading like fire. Levi's body trembled, but his lips curved faintly. He welcomed it. Every jolt, every sting, it was proof that something was finally happening inside him.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the twins stood by the window. Their assistant was nowhere to be seen.
"It must be painful for him," Aly murmured, watching the night sky through the window. "Should we give him something to ease it?"
Kai's voice was calm, detached. "It's Mom's venom. Of course it hurts. But I don't think Dad's the type to scream. He probably enjoys it."
Aly tilted her head, thinking. "Mmm. He's a tough one. And he looks good too. No wonder Mommy fell for him and made us."
Kai picked up a glass and a small dagger.
"Let's get our blood ready. His heart's almost filled with venom."
The twins sliced their palms, crimson trickling freely. They took turns filling the glass until it brimmed with thick, glimmering red liquid.
Within moments, their wounds closed without a trace, leaving smooth, perfect skin where the cuts had been.
***
Hours later, a loud bang echoed from Levi's room.
When the door swung open, Levi staggered out with pale face, trembling, eyes shadowed and hollow. Dark rings rimmed his eyes, and every breath came shallow.
His heartbeat was slow, erratic, like a dying drumbeat struggling to finish its last rhythm.
The twins hurried to him, holding out the glass of blood.
"Drink this, Daddy," Aly said softly, smiling. "You'll be a vampire soon."
Levi took the glass without a word and drained it in one go. The metallic taste coated his tongue, thick and cold.
A moment later, searing pain ripped through him. His ears rang. His vision flashed white.
He collapsed, body twitching against the floorboards.
The twins looked down at their father, silent for a long moment, before exchanging a knowing glance.
"Alright," Kai said finally.
Aly nodded cheerfully. "Let's tuck Daddy to bed."
***
In the blinding darkness, a voice pierced through Levi's mind.
"Why? Why did you kill it?"
It was his mother's voice, strained, trembling.
"The bird was your brother's pet, Levi!"
Then came another voice which was his own. Smaller and detached.
"Our teacher discussed the anatomy of a frog today. I was wondering if their insides were similar, so I dissected it."
"Are you not guilty of what you've done? The bird is a living creature! It can feel pain too!"
"I made sure it didn't feel any pain, Mom," the boy replied. "I broke its neck in one snap so it wouldn't suffer while I dissected it."
Silence. Then a whisper soaked in disbelief. "You are… horrible."
His mother spoke again, voice cracking. "Don't you feel bad for your brother? He's so sad that his pet died! I couldn't even tell him it was you who killed the bird. It would break him!"
"If you think it would make him sadder, then don't tell him. He doesn't need to know. The action cannot be undone."
"You don't understand, child… You don't understand. How can you be so different? The heavens must have cursed me—"
Levi's eyes snapped open.
The pain was gone. But something else had taken its place.
He lay still for a moment, then sat up. The movement felt too smooth, too controlled, like his body had shed its limits.
His vision sharpened instantly, the dim light no longer obscured the corners of the room. His nose picked up every scent—metal, dust, wood. And his ears… there were too many sounds. Pipes humming in the walls, faint heartbeats echoing somewhere far away.
He focused. One by one, the noises faded.
His hand went to his chest.
Silence.
He waited. No heartbeat. No rhythm. He was only met with stillness.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He wasn't human anymore!
He turned to the clock on his bedside table and realized it was past midnight. Just like the twins had said, the transition had taken twenty-four hours.
Then, something shimmered in front of his eyes. Letters forming in the air, glowing faintly red.
[Congratulations on successfully becoming a Turned vampire, Mr. Levi Sartori!]
[You have been granted access to the Blood Corruption System, the system that binds all living vampires.]
[Are you ready to spread corruption across humanity and absorb Sin Essence?]
His lips moved slightly. "Of course."
He'd been waiting for this his entire life.
At his thought, new text unfolded before him.
---
Name: Levi Sartori
Class: Turned
Rank: E
Active Core Gate(s): — All 7 gates sealed
Sin Essence Level (SEL): 0 – [Measures your stored Sin Essence per gate. Scale: 0–100. Low levels reduce Sin Art's potency and affect overall state of the body.]
Sin Resonance (SR): 0% – [Indicates stability between your core and sin essence. Low levels result in failure to use Sin Essence properly.]
Blood Saturation: 3% – [Represents how recently you have fed. Low levels reduce SEL and SR]
Sin Art: —
---
[A newborn vampire must open at least one Core Gate to absorb Sin Essence. Without Sin Essence, your body will deteriorate in 48 hours.]
[Feed upon sin and spread corruption!]