"You could say that, King Alex. It was like the dungeons from your world. In fact, every dungeon was simply an entrance to another world. It's just that some of them opened in dangerous areas, turning them into what you call dungeons."
"Then what about a dungeon break?"
"I don't know the details, but based on the information I got from you, I have a theory. The portals in your world were likely man-made. Someone placed a protective barrier over them, allowing only your species to pass. But when the red aura filled the portal, it meant the protection had either run out or something on the other side had forcefully found a way through. Of course, this is just speculation. There are still gaps in my explanation, but I'm certain at least part of it is true."
Mingyue frowned. "Dungeon? What is that?" She turned to Alex, eyes narrowing slightly. "And you—Alex, right? You mentioned something about an H-game earlier. What did you mean by that?"
Vesa opened its mouth to answer, but before it could utter a word, Alex moved in a blur, clamping a hand over its mouth. Vesa was just the right size to be grabbed and held in his arms, and Alex didn't hesitate to take full advantage of that. He wasn't entirely convinced by Vesa's explanation yet, but he wasn't about to take any chances either. If what it said was true, that meant Mingyue was real—she actually existed. As he held Vesa tightly, he leaned in and whispered, "Don't tell Mingyue what it means."
Vesa blinked up at him, clearly feeling wronged. It hadn't even said anything yet! If it had been in its true form, Mingyue would have definitely heard Alex's whisper, but he seemed oblivious to that fact. All he was doing was delaying the inevitable.
Still, seeing the seriousness in his eyes, Vesa sighed and gave a small nod. Satisfied, Alex released his hold. He then turned to Mingyue. "A dungeon is like a portal that leads to another world. Inside, we can hunt monsters and find treasure. As for the game… it's nothing important. I just didn't expect any of this to be real."
Mingyue studied him for a moment, suspicion flickering in her amber eyes. She could tell he was hiding something, but she let it slide. It was normal—after all, they were still strangers. "So, it's like a secret realm." She shifted her attention back to Vesa. "How can I return to my world? And why did you bring our souls here?"
Vesa exhaled sharply, then shot Alex a brief glare. 'If you weren't the king…' it thought bitterly. But just as quickly, its expression smoothed over, lips curling into an innocent smile. "Don't worry, Queen. Your body has already returned to your world. Once we finish here, I'll send your soul back safely."
"Wait." Alex's brow furrowed. "Both of you keep mentioning souls. Does that mean I'm just a soul here? And why are you calling me a king and her a queen? You also said you're the personality of the Vampire System—what does that mean?"
Vesa glanced between the two of them before letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "Please, don't interrupt me this time. I'll explain everything." It straightened up, its tone turning more solemn. "First of all, congratulations. Both of you have made contact with the Vampire Progenitor's blood and have been chosen to continue the Vampire race. What you see around you… this is our home planet—Edonia. Once, the Vampire race thrived here. However, attacks from other species and betrayal destroyed everything." Vesa's eyes darkened, a shadow passing over its face. "He never wanted to push this burden onto anyone… but the traitor left him no choice, forcing him to set this final plan into motion."
Mingyue frowned, skepticism clear in her expression. "Why should we resurrect your race?" Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Alex, pointing at him with a growing blush. "And you—! You said we were the King and Queen. Are you saying I have to marry him?!"
Vesa let out a chuckle. "My Queen, it is our race, not mine. Since both of you consumed the progenitor's blood, your race has already started to change. Your bond is much deeper than just marriage."
Mingyue stiffened, but Vesa continued before she could argue. "In the past, there was only one progenitor, but now, both of you share the same power. Your lives are linked. You'll understand what that means in time." Then, with a solemn look, it added, "And I'm sorry to say this, but neither of you have a choice. You must become true progenitors within ten years—Or die."
A tense silence followed before Alex crossed his arms. "You still haven't explained what you meant by 'system.'" His voice remained steady, but there was a sharpness to his gaze. "And you do realize there's no way we can restart an entire race with just the two of us, right? Did you expect our kids to marry each other or something?" Even saying it made his skin crawl. Even if the kids were somehow healthy, the idea itself was disgusting.
"K-Kids?!" Mingyue's face burned as she glared at Alex. "Who the hell said I wanted to marry you?!" She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "We barely even know each other! And why are you so… calm about all of this?" That was what confused her the most. From the moment Vesa dropped this absurd information, Alex had barely reacted. Even when it threatened them with death, he remained unshaken.
"What do you expect me to do? Panic?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear what Vesa said? We don't have a choice. Our souls can't even return without its permission. You think we can just reject this?" He sighed. "It's better to focus on understanding our situation, what the system wants, and what we can get out of it."
Mingyue clenched her fists. She hated it, but he wasn't wrong. Still, that didn't mean she could just accept it so easily. Marriage was an important matter to her.
"As expected from our King." Vesa grinned, clearly pleased. "You don't need to worry about that. After becoming progenitors, you'll be able to turn others into our race. Your only task is to find the right candidates." Its voice then turned cold, sharp like a blade. "And we cannot afford another traitor."
"Couldn't we just use a slave contract or bind their souls?" Mingyue asked. In her world, that was common practice for those serving under someone.
Vesa shook its head. "A vampire is different, my Queen. We can do that for the weaker ones, but soul-binding or contracts won't work on pure-blooded vampires."
"Then why do we even need pure-blooded vampires?" Alex frowned. It felt like an unnecessary risk. He didn't like the idea of slavery, but as long as they weren't mistreated, he could accept it. Every world had its own rules, after all.