He forced his eyes open, realizing he wasn't dead. A pristine, white hospital room, brimming with luxury, stretched out before him.
Everything screamed extravagance—high-tech monitors, soft lighting, and furniture that seemed too opulent to belong in a medical facility.
This wasn't a place meant for someone like him. Pete was a nobody, a commoner who couldn't even afford a decent meal most days, let alone a bed like this. He glanced around, soaking in every detail.
A VVIP hospital suite. Fully automated. The kind of room reserved for emperors, or maybe the hospital's owner. Certainly not for a washed-up kid like him.
"How... how did I end up here?" he whispered, the surreal setting doing nothing to convince him this wasn't a dream. But as he shifted slightly, he felt the firmness of the mattress beneath him and knew this was very real.
Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, his attention was drawn to faint, glowing text hovering in front of him. Surprisingly, the text didn't block his vision; he could see through it clearly.
[01%...30%...80%...99%...]
[Ding. Evaluation complete. The host's soul is capable of carrying and using the Eclipsed Blood Divinity.]
[Ding. Unknown shard detected within the soul… System level too low to probe further.]
[WARNING: The host is too weak to survive full activation of the shard. The shard remains dormant.]
****
The words faded briefly, replaced by more information:
[New Stats:]
RANK: 1/5 (Regular)
STR: 07/10 (normal human)
STM: 07/10 (normal human)
DEF: 07/10 (normal human)
AGR: 07/10 (normal human)
CHARM: 98/100 (the host's only redeeming quality)
****
Pete blinked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
This wasn't anything he had ever encountered before. But just as he started to process the information, another warning appeared.
[System Override issued. The host has no control over system activities... Awakening!]
Before he could panic, a searing pain erupted in his chest.
It was as if something sharp was being driven into his heart, burning and tearing at him from the inside out.
"AAAAARRRGHH!" he screamed, clutching at his chest, his nails digging into his skin. The pain wasn't just physical; it felt like his very soul was being ripped apart. His body writhed uncontrollably as heat coursed through him, leaving him gasping and sweating.
His vision blurred, and he collapsed back onto the bed, his chest heaving.
A black, gooey substance oozed from his pores, staining the crisp, white sheets beneath him. It smelled rancid, like rotting meat mixed with burning oil, but Pete was too overwhelmed by the agony to care.
His body broke down, rebuilt itself, and broke down again in a seemingly endless cycle. Every nerve, every muscle, and every bone screamed in protest.
"Make it stop…" he gasped, his voice hoarse and broken.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside. His mind teetered on the edge of unconsciousness as the system delivered one final message:
[The Blood essence of the Ancient Vampires has successfully integrated with the host. You are now a Vampire.]
And then, everything went black.
****
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The steady hum of the hospital monitors broke the silence. The machines around him began to flash red, alerting anyone nearby that something was wrong.
Moments later, the door to the room burst open. A woman in a crisp nurse's uniform rushed in. She was tall, with long blonde hair cascading down her back and sharp, black eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight before her.
Peter lay motionless on the bed, his body dried and shriveled, resembling a corpse more than a living person. The black goo that had leaked from his body reeked so badly that she had to cover her nose with a handkerchief.
"What… what happened here?" she whispered, her voice shaky.
Still, she moved closer, pulling on a pair of gloves.
She pressed her hand to his chest, searching for a heartbeat, but found none. Yet something about the boy told her he wasn't truly gone.
"This… this isn't normal," she muttered, glancing at the goo.
She had seen many awakenings during her career—kids going through painful transformations to unlock their powers. It was messy, sure, but this? This was extreme.
"Could he have awakened a race we've never seen before?" she wondered aloud. Most kids gained a boost in strength or maybe a flashy new ability, but this boy… looked like he'd been drained of everything.
Realizing she couldn't handle this alone, she reached for the communicator on the wall and pressed a button.
"I need a dual-element user, a healer, and a water affinity in VVIP Room 03. Bring as many blood packs as you can—high-grade ones!"
****
The door opened again moments later, and a team of three rushed in: another nurse, a healer, and an assistant. They wheeled in a trolley loaded with blood packs.
Anny, the first nurse, wasted no time giving instructions. "Start with the blood packs. We need to stabilize him before we lose him completely!"
The healer and assistant nodded, quickly unpacking one of the packs. The assistant tilted Pete's head back and pried his mouth open while the healer began pouring the crimson liquid down his throat.
As the blood hit his tongue, Pete's body twitched violently. The shriveled skin around his cheeks began to fill out, and his hollow chest rose slightly.
The nurses exchanged startled glances.
"Is he… absorbing it?" Anny whispered, leaning closer.
****
Peter, unaware of the chaos around him, floated in a void of darkness.
He could feel a "certain energy" surging through his body, igniting something deep within him. His mind screamed for more, and his instincts sharpened into a singular thought: Feed.
A new hunger burned in his core—and all-consuming.
"Pour another pack!" Anny ordered, snapping the others out of their trance. The assistant obeyed, tearing open another bag of blood and pouring it into Pete's mouth.
With every drop, the transformation accelerated. Muscles tightened, his skin gained a faint glow, and his lifeless frame began to look more human—or rather, more alive.
"Keep going," Anny urged, though her voice was laced with unease.