Episode 04
(Plea)
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In the shadowy embrace of the relentless downpour, Julius winced upon hearing the woman's almost inaudible groan.
"Nngh~"
However, it was only after listening to her groan, a sound faint yet unmistakably pained, for the second time, that Julius snapped out of his trance.
Startled, he pulled back immediately, his face retracting from the woman's neck, his expression filled with confusion, his lips still smeared with the crimson, evidence of his indulgence. Although the deep, sinister red hue of his lips slowly lost their color to the relentless downpour.
"You're alive…"
Julius muttered under his breath, his gaze was transfixed on the woman, cradled in his arms like a fragile, broken doll.
The woman's breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one a struggle against the pain that creased her forehead in a deep furrow. The anguish written across her face spoke of her torment.
To be honest, even if Julius yearned to help her and ignore the smell of the woman's blood lingering around his nose, it was too tempting for him to do so. It was a constant struggle to resist the overwhelming urge to indulge in her blood.
His struggle to resist was clearly visible through his ragged breath and the fiery crimson hue of his eyes.
Huff* Huff*
It was the moment when Julius felt almost impossible to resist any longer; it happened…
Struggling against the weight of the moment, the woman's tightly sealed eyelids parted, revealing her hazy blue eyes, clouded and nearly lifeless. The hazy blue orbs seemed to hold a world of sorrow, as if the tears that gathered within were the only remnants of her shattered soul… Or perhaps they were simply the remnants of rainwater.
Inexplicably, there was something in those vacant eyes that compelled Julius to halt his movements. Julius gazed into the void of her stare, his own eyes fluttering like a moth ensnared by a flame. He stayed frozen, unable to move, his focus locked on her lifeless stare. Time appeared to come to a standstill as Julius forgot to even take a breath. It was as if he had fallen under a bewitching enchantment.
Gradually, the woman's empty gaze shifted towards Julius's face. Her hand, trembling as if bearing the weight of untold sorrows, reached out and gently caressed his cheek, sending an icy shiver cascading down his spine. His eyes widened in a mix of wonder and confusion, but before he could anchor himself in the reality of the moment, tears began to well in her eyes. Silently, she began to weep, not a single sob escaping her lips. Overflowing with emotion, tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes, revealing a hidden anguish. Each tear seemed to echo in the hollow silence, revealing depths of sorrow that words could never capture.
Then suddenly, in a moment of suspense, the woman painstakingly parted her lips, struggling to utter something. It was clear she was struggling to find her voice. After several failed attempts, she finally managed to whisper a plea. While barely audible to most, Julius had no trouble hearing her words.
Nevertheless, the utterances that escaped her quivering lips were truly heart-wrenching…
"Please… … … [][][][] [][]."
The words hung in the air like a dark incantation, and Julius's eyes widened in a mix of shock and morbid fascination. The woman's hand fell limp, her eyes fluttering closed as she succumbed to the darkness once more.
The mysterious woman lay unconscious in his arms, capturing Julius's unwavering attention. However, he quickly concealed his emotions, shielding his face with his hand.
In a fleeting instant, a hush fell over the surroundings, the only sound being the relentless patter of rain. However, the noise was but a distant murmur to Julius, overshadowed by the tumult of his own thoughts.
And then, unexpectedly…
"Hah."
A low, mirthless chuckle escaped Julius's lips. Moments later, he lowered his hand from his face, revealing his intense crimson eyes, tinged with a touch of madness, locked onto hers, even in her unconscious state.. A faint smirk twisted his features momentarily before fading as he tenderly brushed her cheek with his fingers.
"Too bad…"
He whispered nonchalantly, his voice a haunting murmur, as he gently stroked the woman's cheek with a touch that belied the darkness within him. His fingers moved with a deliberate slowness, pushing a stray lock of hair from her face, as if savoring the macabre dance of fate that had brought them together.
With deliberate slowness, Julius withdrew from the woman's neck, his movements orchestrated by some unseen force. He grasped her hand with an unhurried tenderness, his fingers closing around her wrist like a vice, raising it to his lips with a solemn reverence. Then, with a precision that bordered on ritual, he sank his jagged fangs into her delicate flesh. Throughout the ordeal, his gaze remained fixed on the woman's face, searching for a glimmer of response, but her features remained a mask of serenity, untroubled by the pain.
At that, Julius's brow furrowed, his eyes flashing with a hint of frustration. Soon, he sank his fangs deeper into her wrist. In that very instant, a brilliant crimson light, tinged with a mysterious blue hue, radiated from the point of contact, casting otherworldly hues into the dark forest air.
As suddenly as it had appeared, the luminescence vanished, leaving behind an unsettling silence. Julius retracted his fangs, his tongue whispering across the wounds, and the flesh began to heal with an unnatural rapidity, erasing all signs of the violence.
With the woman still cradled in his arms, Julius rose from the ground with an effortless grace. And, strangely enough, he stood there, amidst the whispering trees, his demeanor one of detached curiosity, his penetrating gaze directed toward a distant, unseen point in the dense forest, as if drawn by some hidden force or unseen presence lurking in the dark.