Aiden threw himself at the leader with blinding rage, his movements made imprecise by the fury that inhabited him. He rained down blows, aiming for the throat, the heart, any vital point he could reach. But his opponent parried each assault with insulting ease, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Is that all you've got, little one?" he taunted, dodging a particularly vicious punch. "I expected better from someone with such rage."
He punctuated his remark with a lightning-fast counterattack, his shadow dagger slashing Aiden's cheek. Pain exploded in the young man's skull, but he ignored it, too focused on his desire for vengeance.
He redoubled his efforts, drawing on his reserves of superhuman speed and strength. His fists sliced through the air like cannonballs, his feet pounded the ground in a deadly dance. But despite his power, he couldn't breach his enemy's guard.
"All this, all this was for nothing. I can't even touch him with my speed. I was supposed to be stronger, faster, but it's not enough. Why ? WHY ?"
The leader swirled around him like an elusive shadow, his daggers tracing hypnotic patterns in the air. Every time Aiden thought he had him, he slipped away, leaving the young man to strike the emptiness with frustration. His experience largely compensated for Aiden's characteristics, which he didn't yet know how to leverage. He simply had to anticipate Aiden's movements.
And always that laugh, that cruel, mocking laugh that rang in Aiden's ears like an obscene provocation. Each burst of laughter was like a stab in his heart, reopening the gaping wound left by Sarah's death.
"Poor little Aiden," the leader whispered, a malevolent glint in his eye. "So weak, so pathetic. No wonder you couldn't save your precious friend. She died because of you, you know. Because you were too slow, too weak to protect her."
Something broke in Aiden at those words. A dam giving way under the accumulated pressure, releasing a torrent of pure, incandescent rage. He could feel the change taking place within him, his dhampir nature taking over under the effect of fury.
His eyes turned blood red, glowing in the night like infernal embers. His canines elongated, piercing his gums in a pain he didn't even feel. His nails turned into sharp claws, ready to rip and tear.
A deep growl rose from his throat, vibrating with contained power, with a bestial edge. This was no longer Aiden. This was Aiden the dhampir, a creature of rage and vengeance, driven by an unquenchable thirst for blood.
He rushed at the leader with lightning speed. His claws lacerated the air, aiming for the face, the throat, seeking to rip, to tear. His mind was in turmoil, all coherent thought drowned under the tidal wave of his fury.
The leader seemed momentarily thrown off by this outburst of violence. His gestures lost their fluidity, their assurance. For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty passed through his gaze, quickly replaced by cold determination.
Shadow blades multiplied around him, forming a deadly whirlwind. They struck Aiden from all sides, slashing his flesh, seeking to weaken him, to bleed him dry. But the dhampir no longer felt pain, carried by a rage that transcended the limits of his body.
Yet, despite his newfound power, Aiden felt his strength rapidly declining. Each movement cost him a little more, each dodge was a little slower. Hunger, true hunger, that of the predator for its prey, began to gnaw at him, cruelly reminding him that he hadn't drunk blood for too long.
But he couldn't falter, not now. Not with the memory of Sarah seared into his memory, not with the leader's laughter still ringing in his ears. He had to win, at any cost.
In a final effort, he threw himself at his opponent, ignoring the blades that lacerated his skin, piercing him, leaving holes in his arms. He was ready for anything, lost in his rage. His claws closed around the leader's throat, squeezing, crushing, until the laughter turned into a strangled gurgle.
He locked eyes with his enemy, reading fear, suffering, and finally, resignation. With a final death rattle, the leader collapsed, life leaving his body as his blood flowed between Aiden's fingers.
For a long moment, Aiden remained motionless, panting, trembling from head to toe. The rage slowly ebbed, leaving him exhausted and strangely empty. He looked at his blood-stained hands, as if seeing them for the first time.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Aiden knelt down, bringing the bloody wrist to his lips. His fangs pierced the flesh, releasing the scarlet flow.
He drank greedily, each gulp bringing him new vigor, chasing away fatigue and pain, his wounds healing rapidly. It was as if he was being reborn, transcended by this vital essence, this forbidden power.
Then, coming back to himself, his gaze fell on the body at his feet, and reality hit him full force. He had killed. Again. But this time, it wasn't a faceless monster, an abstract threat. It was a man, as cruel and despicable as it was possible to exist.
He had killed a human being for the first time. But surprisingly, the blood he had just drunk brought a slight clarity to his mind, as well as a calm and certain serenity.
"Congratulations on defeating the enemy. Congratulations, you have reached level 7. You have gained 5 characteristic points."
"Congratulations, drinking the blood of a higher-level enemy has brought you +1 characteristic point for each statistic."
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Aiden has just killed a human being for the first time. What impact will this have on him?