"So…" Victor sighed as he cracked his neck and stood up. "I'm assuming if I open this cage, you're going to attack me, right?"
Even though the boy had sat down to talk with her, he was certain that he wasn't going to open that cage. Even if he could sympathize with her story, Victor wasn't foolish enough to work on his emotions rather than straight logic.
This was clearly a dangerous creature, and he wasn't actually 100% confident in beating her if they fought. So, why would he bother to even put himself at risk in the first place? Of course, he was going to avoid it.
"... I cannot guarantee I won't. As you can see, I'm not doing that good." The girl shook her head and replied honestly. "I haven't consumed anything in days. I will die soon."
Victor stared at her for a few moments with a cold expression before he nodded faintly. "What do you consume? Not very much, I guess it's very obvious." Victor smiled wryly. "It's human blood, isn't it?"
"Human blood is one of the many types of blood I can consume." She replied. "
'A very versatile vampire. I guess they don't even see humans as a main target.' Victor mused as he looked at Nameless with a dry expression. Finally, he sighed and asked. "Ok, one last question before I leave. Do you want to die?"
This has been the only question Victor has been holding off the entire time. Looking at the girl's situation, she didn't have much hope at that moment. She was hungry, thirsty, weak, and caged in a sinking ship in a very violent stretch of ocean. The situation couldn't get any worse, really.
Yet, for some reason, her eyes didn't fade into a hopeless look as he would expect anyone to feel in a similar situation. Instead, they were still brimming with life, refusing to yield to the sweet release of death.
'What purpose does she have for her desire to live to be this strong?' He asked himself. Victor felt extremely curious because this girl was in a sense, the complete opposite of him.
He was one that didn't find any purpose in life and had already chosen death before. He had never seen life as something worth experiencing for a long time. Only now did he truly start searching for that purpose.
Yet, ironically, the first person he met on this journey was someone who represented the other side of the spectrum that he had been yearning for. A girl that was supposed to give up, and yet was still refusing to die.
"... What does it matter if I want to die or not? Do I look like I have a choice?" She asked. Even though her question was clearly filled with sarcasm, Victor could still see that unyielding look in her eyes, as strong as ever. Her eyes contrasted what she was saying.
"It's a simple answer, really. Do you want to live? Yes, or no?" He asked with a cold tone.
Silence took over the entire room and the tension that had vanished for a while came back. The two stared at each other. Nobody knew what either of them was thinking of at that moment which made it almost unbearable to be there in the same place with them. Eventually, one of them finally looked away.
"I do…" Nameless said with a weirdly emotional tone. "I want to live. I have never wished to live more than this moment. I have way too much to lose if I die right now. I haven't fulfilled my goal yet."
The wind whistled loudly as it entered through the cracks in the ship's body. Sea water leaked through the holes, slowly filling the inside of the ship. It was slowly going down as it traveled the sea, passing its last few hours in a very chaotic silence. Everyone on that ship was dead except for two people.
"So, you aren't going to give up, huh?" He muttered. "I guess that was expected."
The girl stared at Victor silently. She would be lying if she said that she didn't want to ask him to open the gates. But, she knew that he wasn't intending to do that. His body language and the way he spoke, he didn't trust her at all.
The disappointment Nameless felt at that moment was big, but she didn't utter a single word. There was no point in begging nor was she going to beg for her life. Her pride as a Bloodborn stopped her from doing that.
She also was already aware that the ship was doomed. Whatever attacked it had certainly killed everyone, leaving her alone on a desolate ship, sailing through a horribly dangerous sea.
She had no food and she could not even leave this cage either. So, her death was basically set in stone. It was some kind of miracle that someone had appeared in front of her out of nowhere. Yet, ironically, her hope of leaving was cut short before it could even thrive.
'It's fine… I have accepted it already. I don't need to feel hope again.' She thought to herself. 'This is just a waste of time.'
Yet, even as she tried to appease her rising pain, her heart was refusing to follow her logic. Nameless didn't realize that her fists were tightened in frustration. She hated to admit, but deep down, she didn't want to die in such a manner.
'After everything, goddammit. I have to die on a sinking ship.' She almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous everything felt. With all her goals and desires, this death not only felt way too early, but it was also very demeaning.
She was a Bloodborn and she was proud of that. She held her head high no matter what she went through. Yet, her death will be in a cage, like an animal… Just like how humans saw her. Everything had gone around and came back, finishing a whole circle of struggle.
"Cough! Cough!!" At that moment, another fit of coughing attacked Nameless and made her fall down on her hands and knees. This one was the strongest by far as she felt unable to breathe.
'I… need… blood…' Her red eyes shone with a weird glint as she struggled to inhale the salty air. Blood and saliva seeped out of her mouth and fell to the ground in front of her.
Meanwhile, Victor watched the girl's struggles silently from outside. He noticed every single detail she showed on her face ad he understood them all. Sympathy wasn't one of Victor's strongest suits, but he certainly felt sympathy for this girl, as much of a stranger as she was to him. That was when another idea popped in his head that made him cringe visibly.
'Am I really thinking about that now? I have already decided not to release her.' He pursed his lips.
Yet, that sympathy seemed to have been far more prominent than he expected. 'She's definitely going to kill me if I open that goddamn cage. I should just leave.'
Shaking those thoughts away before they could really root themselves into his head, Victor turned around to walk away. Sympathy or not, he wasn't a fool to just let his emotions take control.
As he was about to take a step, however, suddenly things shifted completely.
*BOOOOOOOOM*
Out of nowhere, Victor found his vision turned upside down as the whole entire world around him turned upside down.
A//N: If you liked the chapter, support the book on your way!