"...And then, the vampire queen, with a seductive grace, sank her razor-sharp teeth into the tender flesh of the prince's neck. A guttural cry escaped the prince's lips, a symphony of surprise and shock as he beheld his supposed lover, the betrayer named Vanari, feasting on his very life essence. "Vanari! You!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with a mix of disbelief and anguish. But before he could muster any defense against the treachery, he found himself locked in the clutches of death, his life force drained away. The prince's once vibrant countenance crumbled, the pallor of death transforming his youthful features into a grotesque semblance of an old man. At a mere twenty years, he wore the visage of one who had weathered the passage of time. The vampire, a vision of sinister beauty, surveyed her handiwork with cold detachment, her lips adorned with the crimson evidence of her unholy feast. A languid flick of her tongue licked away the blood, leaving a hauntingly sensual image in the dim moonlight. In the blink of an eye, she morphed into a bat, a creature of the night, and vanished into the darkness, leaving only the prince's lifeless body as a chilling testament to the depths of betrayal."
As the night unfolded, a cloak of darkness descended upon Sarvas village, shrouding it in an eerie stillness. The majority of its denizens, unaccustomed to lingering in the nocturnal hours, had sought refuge in the embrace of sleep. The saying whispered through the village echoed in the minds of those who dared to defy the nocturnal slumber: those who lingered awake invited the attention of vampires, creatures hungry for the elixir of life coursing through mortal veins.
While merely a superstition, a whimsical tale spun to deter late-night escapades, the people of Sarvas held the warning close to their hearts. Millis, too, succumbed to the rhythm of the village, surrendering to the beckoning call of the night, where shadows danced with secrets, and the air held a palpable tension.
"...And that concludes our tale," Millis closed the ancient book, its timeworn pages whispering of countless stories. "Good night, Seres," she whispered as she gently snuffed out the candle on the ornate bedside table.
"Eh~! I'm not satisfied! You can't leave the story hanging like that! It's too early for it to end! Continue! The night is still young!" Seres pleaded, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"Hush. Don't raise your voice; the very air might carry it to the ears of the vampires lurking in the shadows," Millis cautioned, her tone laced with a touch of ominous playfulness.
"Yeah, right. Vampires aren't real," Seres retorted with a nonchalant tone.
"You truly are your brother's sibling, aren't you?" Millis mused, a wry smile playing on her lips.
Seres and Leon rejected the existence of myths and superstitions, a stance that held a certain endearing quality.
"What does that mean?"
"Don't worry about it." Millis tousled Seres's hair, a warm smile softening her features. "Now, off you go. The night is unforgiving, and vampires might just find a craving for your blood if you linger."
She gracefully rose from her seat, the creaking floorboards beneath her bearing witness to her movements. As she approached the door, she exerted a slow, deliberate force, revealing the inky darkness that shrouded the house. The house was a fortress against the intrusion of sunlight, rendering every corner in shadow. Even the moon, in its celestial glory, found itself thwarted by the impenetrable barriers.
The hallway, an abyss of inky blackness, swallowed the feeble glow of the moon. It swallowed the surroundings, making visibility a luxury even within arm's reach.
In defiance of the enveloping darkness, she possessed a unique skill, a subtle mastery of navigating the dark. It offered no illumination akin to daylight, but it granted her a spectral awareness of the path before her.
"Yeah, right. I'll hit the hay now so I can be with my brother again when I wake up," Seres declared, cocooning herself under the comforting embrace of her blanket. "Good night, Millis."
Millis turned, casting a soft smile over her shoulder. "Sweet dreams, Seres."
With measured steps, she retraced her path to Leon's room, her chosen sanctuary for the night. Fueled by concern for Seres navigating the nocturnal house alone, Millis resolved to be her nocturnal companion while Leon undertook his nightly duties. Initially met with resistance, Leon eventually succumbed to Millis's insistence, perhaps swayed by the strategic display of assets as she looked up at him with puppy eyes.
Millis sprawled out on Leon's bed, shutting her eyes with the hope of slipping into a serene slumber. Yet, rest remained elusive. Frustration building, she reopened her eyes, shifted onto her stomach, and took a deep, indulgent whiff of the pillow and sheets.
"Smells like Leon..." she purred, savoring another hefty inhale. The aroma of him ignited a familiar desire, coaxing her to entertain the idea of some intimate self-pleasure. Masturbating before sleep usually acted as a soothing lullaby for her restless nights. But just as she was about to slide her hand under her pants, a provocative voice reverberated in her mind.
"I wouldn't do something unholy like that if I were you."
"Bwugh! Wah?!" she let out a startled and unabashedly unladylike shriek, her lack of decorum becoming even more pronounced.
"Don't holler like that. You're gonna disturb the kid in the other room."
"Wha-?! What is this?! Wh-Who are you?!"
"You don't remember me? Your partner? Your go-to for love advice?"
Millis felt a flicker of recognition with the voice but struggled to place it.
"Silly you. Forgetting someone like me? The one you've sought advice on love and seduction? Hmm?" The voice teased.
Millis' memories stirred. "Lady... Aria?"
The voice chuckled, "Bingo! The one and only! Archangel Aria! Who else?"
"I never thought you'd be speaking to me in my mind. And honestly, I never thought you were actually in me. I always assumed you were just a dream."
"Ugh. That kinda hurts, you know. You thought I wasn't real? That I was just a dream or something? Oh well, I guess it's to be expected. Even Jeanne had the same reaction."
Millis flipped onto her back, gazing at the ceiling before deciding to speak. "Uhm, Lady Aria?"
"Yes?"
"Why... Why did you choose me?" Millis questioned, her inquiry laced with a mix of curiosity and insecurity. This burning question had been etched into her mind since the first time Aria appeared in her vivid dreams. "I'm a naughty girl, always diving into things not meant for 'proper' girls. And let's be real, I'm far from pure. I indulge in masturbation regularly, thoughts of my crush dominating me in bed fueling my fantasies. I daydream about him making me gag on his dick and claiming me as his possession. In other words, I'm a kinky pervert."
Millis hesitated, half-expecting a reprimand or some form of reaction from Aria. However, the archangel remained enigmatic, inviting her to delve deeper into her confession.
"I'm no saint, unlike that Jeanne from centuries ago."
A brief silence hung in the air before Aria's voice resonated once more.
"Jeanne wasn't exactly a saint either, you know? She had her naughty side too. Just like you, she was always hot and bothered. No crush in her case, though. It's kinda amusing how, when she was in the mood, she couldn't conjure up a man in her fantasies. She didn't fall in love during those times; she was a horny virgin, in other words."
Millis was taken aback by Aria's explicit language; it wasn't what she expected from an archangel. Apparently, they could.
"But what she did possess was a pure soul," Aria's voice echoed, like a melodious ring in Millis' mind. Millis pictured Aria saying those words with a smile. "A pure heart that lent a helping hand even when she knew it wouldn't change much. A pure heart that gave even when she had nothing left. And a pure heart that, even facing her own demise, held no hatred for those taking her life. That's the shared trait between you and Jeanne."
Millis made a look of utter confusion crossing her face at this. She couldn't wrap her mind around the supposed traits Aria attributed to her. What the hell was the archangel talking about? "Uh, I'm pretty sure I don't have a pure soul. Like I said, I'm not a pure girl. I always touch myself. I daydream about my crush fucking my brains out—"
"Oops. Too much vulgar talk, my dear. An archangel like me is limited to five words. The 'F' word isn't in my vocabulary. It's censored in my mind whenever I hear it."
Millis was left dumbfounded by Aria's peculiar rules. "Uh, okay? My point is, I am not pure, alright? You might've made a mistake, Lady Aria."
Aria snorted, a laugh that sounded more nasal than divine. Millis recognized that sound—it was how she usually laughed. "I'm pretty sure I didn't. You really are the Holy Maiden of this era."
Millis heard a snap of fingers in her mind, and suddenly, a holographic display materialized in front of her.
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Name: Millis
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Title: Holy Maiden (lvl. 3)
Strength: 100
Resistance: 100
Stamina: 100
Agility: 100
Magic: 500
Magic Resistance: 100
Skills:
-Eye of Truth (lvl. 2)
-Language Comprehension (lvl. 2)
-Complex Magic (lvl. 1)
-Light Magic (lvl. 1)
Ultimate Skills:
-Revelation (lvl. 1)
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