After Laura left, the silence of the room grew heavy, suffocating. Leo opened the folder. The first page was stamped with a gold seal that seemed to shimmer with a faint, unnatural light:
THE ORIGIN PROTOCOL: LORD ASCENSION SYSTEM.
He scanned the bullet points, his heart hammering against his ribs.
The Selection: All chosen candidates are forcibly transported upon the countdown's end. There is no escape; the spatial tether is absolute.
The Trial: Only those who survive the First Trial may return to the mortal plane. Failure results in immediate soul-erasure.
The Awakening: Dormant abilities manifest fully upon crossing the threshold. Talent grades range from E to SSS.
Territory: Lords compete for 'Territory Stones' to bind land, resources, and artifacts. A Lord without land is merely a wanderer.
Followers: A Lord's strength is measured by the quality and loyalty of their followers. Those bound to a Lord share in his growth and his pain.
A thin chill crawled up Leo's spine. "Followers? Territory? It's not just a survival game," he whispered, the words hanging in the air like a death sentence. It was a conquest.
To ease his fraying nerves, Leo began to push his body. He dropped for pushups, moving with a fluid, tireless grace that should have been impossible. One-handed, then two fingers- his muscles didn't burn; they hummed.
Testing his limits, he grabbed the edge of the folder and deliberately sliced his palm. He watched, mesmerized, as the blood didn't drip. Instead, it surged like living mercury, stitching the skin back together in a heartbeat.
"This vampire shit is real," he muttered, a dark grin tugging at his lips. But the grin vanished as a sudden, violent cramp seized his stomach. It felt like a vacuum was opening inside him, sucking the very life from his marrow.
[WARNING: REVERAL REGENERATION OVERUSED]
Current State: Blood-Starved.
Risk: If hunger reaches 100%, you will enter a (FRENZY) state. Reasoning will be lost; all living things in the vicinity will be designated as prey.
"Dammit," Leo hissed, clutching his stomach. He lunged for the sandwich Laura had left, but the moment the bread touched his tongue, he gagged. It tasted like damp cardboard soaked in rot. He spat it out, his throat constricting.
'Blood. I need blood.'
The thought wasn't his own; it was a command from his DNA. He couldn't go to a blood bank, not without ID, and certainly not without drawing the government's eyes to his anomalies. He pulled up his interface, his fingers trembling in the air, and focused on the Bond tab.
[Bonded: Laura Lockwood]
Status: Dormant (Transitioning)
Loyalty: 70% ( Cannot betray, but not fully loyal to you)
Description: A mortal cannot withstand Primordial Blood. You have claimed her existence.
Note: As a Primordial, your essence is your greatest treasure. Bonding others requires 'Blood Essence.' The higher the target's rank, the greater the cost.
Leo stared at the word Loyalty, feeling the bitter weight of irony settle in his gut. Steven Lockwood wanted to claim Leo's aunt, yet Leo had unintentionally enslaved Steven's stepmom. The irony was poetic, but it was also terrifying.
'If she can't betray then..'
He closed his eyes and activated Crimson Perception. The room dissolved into a grayscale void. Through the floorboards, he saw a pulsing, radiant silhouette made of gold and heat. He could track the rhythmic expansion of Laura's lungs and the frantic, beautiful rush of blood through her carotid artery. Susan was nowhere to be seen.
He focused his intent, a silent, predatory command echoing in the hollow of his mind: "Come to me."
***
In the kitchen, Laura was stirring a pot of soup, her thoughts a chaotic storm.
Since Leo had bitten her, the world felt... sharper. The chronic backache from an old injury was gone. Her vision, which had been blurred without contacts, was now crystal clear.
She wanted to tell Susan about these changes, but every time she opened her mouth, a strange weight settled on her tongue, forcing her to stay silent. It was as if her own body was guarding a secret.
Suddenly, her hand froze. The spoon clattered into the pot.
A cold, irresistible voice rang in the back of her skull. It wasn't a suggestion; it was a physical hook buried in her soul. Her legs moved of their own accord. Panic flared as she watched her own feet carry her toward the stairs, step by mechanical step.
'What is happening? Why can't I stop?'
She reached Leo's door and watched her hand turn the knob. As she stepped inside, the invisible shackles finally fell away, leaving her gasping for air.
"Ha... ha...Leo? What did you do to me?'' Laura clutched her chest, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and confusion.
Leo stood by the window, his silhouette dark against the shut curtains.
His jaw was clenched so tight his muscles stood out in sharp relief. "I'm sorry," he rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "But I need to feed. If I don't, I'll lose control.'
''Feed?'' Laura backed away until her shoulders hit the door.
"I'm giving you a choice, even if the bond says I don't have to," Leo said, his eyes flashing crimson. "I need your blood. I can force you... But I'm asking."
Laura wanted to scream. She wanted to run. But as she looked into Leo's eyes, a traitorous memory surfaced- the heat, the electric spark that had traveled through her veins when he first bit her.
"No matter what I say,'' she whispered, realization dawning, ''part of me will obey you. I can feel the urge in my bones.''
Leo bowed his head, trembling. "So… will you let me?"
''Okay,'' she breathed. It was better to agree than to be a puppet, she told herself, though a dark, hidden part of her craved the contact.
Leo didn't walk; he blurred.
WHOOSH
Before Laura could even gasp, he was there. His hand slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His other hand tilted her head back, exposing the pale line of her throat.
"Ah!" Laura moaned as his fangs pierced the skin.
It wasn't like a needle; it was like a surge of pure fire and honey. The pleasure was so intense her knees buckled, and she had to cling to Leo's broad shoulders to stay upright.
Leo drank deep, the sweetness of her life force filling the hollow void in his chest. He felt her heart fluttering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
She was beautiful, sculptured by the hardships of her life with the Lockwoods, a woman sold into a family that didn't deserve her. And now, she was his.
As the hunger subsided, the system chimed again.
[Blood Saturating...]
[Status: Normal]
Laura's fingers dug weakly into Leo's back. Shame tugged tears into her eyes.
'What am I becoming?'