"Sister, are you hidden yet? Hehehehe!"
The voice was childlike and sweet, but beneath it lurked a sinister undertone—a sound like metal grinding against bone. It sliced through the stillness of the room, waking Lilith with a jolt. Her crimson eyes fluttered open, unfocused for a moment, before taking in her surroundings.
She was curled tightly beneath a grand, canopied bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Her thin silk nightgown clung to her trembling body, offering little protection against the icy stone floor beneath her.
Her breath caught in her throat as her mind scrambled for answers. "Did… I just transmigrate?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Then it hit her—a torrent of memories that didn't belong to her, crashing into her mind like a flood breaking through a dam.
She was Lilith. A being neither fully human nor vampire.
Her ethereal beauty was undeniable: skin as pale as moonlight, cascading silver hair, and ruby-red eyes that gleamed like gemstones. Yet behind the captivating façade lay a vulnerable truth—she was human. Completely, utterly human.
The memories told her everything. Her mother, a human, had passed away when Lilith was just a child. From the age of twelve, she had lived in her father's vampire castle. Despite her lineage as the castle master's daughter, her lack of vampiric traits marked her as prey.
Here, humans were food, and Lilith had survived only under her father's watchful protection. But his influence was limited, and she knew all too well that the castle's other inhabitants saw her as a delicacy. To stay alive, she had lived a life of seclusion, avoiding unnecessary risks. Years of isolation had eroded her confidence, leaving her timid and fragile.
Yet even in her carefully constructed bubble, danger had found her.
Earlier that evening, her vampire stepmother had pushed a young girl into her room—a gift to improve Lilith's "mental health." That girl was supposed to be a playmate, someone to chase away the loneliness.
Instead, the "gift" had turned into a nightmare.
"Sister, are you hidden yet?"
The voice pulled Lilith back to the present, cutting through her frantic thoughts.
"Alright then, I'm coming to find you! Hehehehe!"
Lilith held her breath, peering cautiously from her hiding spot. A pair of red leather shoes danced into view, paired with white lace stockings and the hem of a gothic dress in black and crimson plaid.
At first glance, the girl seemed adorable. Her small frame, delicate hands, and playful gait would melt anyone's heart.
But Lilith knew better.
Her predecessor's final memories screamed at her. That's no child. That's a monster. A Rift-Mouth Doll.
Her predecessor's last moments had been seared into this body's consciousness. The image of the doll's cracked smile and rows of jagged teeth loomed large in Lilith's mind.
If Nini finds you again, she'll gobble you up. Hehehehe!
Lilith's body froze.
What should I do? What can I do?
Am I really going to be eaten alive the moment I transmigrate?
She watched as the red shoes skipped gleefully to the corner of the room and opened a closet door.
"Not here! Hehehe!"
The shoes bounced to the window, pulling back the heavy velvet curtains.
"Not here either! Hahaha!"
Lilith bit her lip, despair creeping in. This was an unwinnable game. As long as she remained in the room, Nini would inevitably find her. And then…
Suddenly, her gaze caught something etched into the underside of the bedframe above her. Faint words carved into the wood.
Her predecessor's handwriting.
Lilith immediately pieced it together—this body's former owner must have spent countless hours hiding here, carving out her desperate survival strategies.
"The Survival Rules of the Dark World."
1.In the vampire castle, you are absolutely safe. If you ever feel unsafe, ask yourself: have you forgotten your nobility and grace?
2.Never, ever look in a mirror.
3.Avoid monsters with tentacles at all costs.
4.Do not speak to anyone from the Chaos alignment, even if they seem kind. If they speak to you first, always respond.
5.Always maintain your "normalcy."
6.Any being under level 100 is considered ordinary.
Lilith clenched her fists. These rules—crafted by her predecessor's harrowing experiences—were her lifeline now.
Just then, a soft thump interrupted her thoughts.
A small, brown teddy bear had fallen to the ground. But its beady black eyes seemed to shift unnaturally, locking onto her hiding spot.
Lilith's heart pounded as she clamped her hands over her mouth.
"What? What?!"
Nini's voice rang out, tinged with manic delight. "Tibbers, did you see her? Hehehe! Tell me, tell me!"
"Sister…"
Lilith's chest tightened.
Then, a head dangled upside-down in front of her. Nini's face twisted into a horrific grin, her mouth splitting grotesquely to the back of her ears, exposing rows of jagged teeth clacking together.
Lilith's pupils shrank. Her sanity teetered.
"Found you!"
"Found you!"
"Found you!"
"Now…" Nini dropped from the bed, her voice giddy and dripping with malice. "Now, I can eat you up, Sister!"
Lilith swallowed hard. Her crimson eyes glimmered faintly as she forced a smile, soft yet… unsettling.
"Alright."
She extended her pale hand toward Nini's monstrous maw, as if offering herself willingly. Her delicate wrist was inches from being crushed by those razor-sharp teeth.
"Hehehe! Then I'll eat you up!"
Nini snapped her jaws shut—
But instead of biting, she simply pretended to chew. Her horrifying teeth grazed harmlessly against Lilith's wrist like a child playing make-believe.
Clapping her hands with joy, Nini giggled.
"I ate Sister! That was so fun! So fun!"
Lilith exhaled sharply. So, it really was just a game.
Rule #1: In the vampire castle, you are absolutely safe. If you ever feel unsafe, ask yourself: have you forgotten your nobility and grace?
Nobility and grace—those were the hallmarks of a vampire princess.
No way would the proud, elegant Lilith meet her end at the hands of a Rift-Mouth Doll. Unless… she forgot who she was.
Climbing gracefully out from under the bed, Lilith crouched to Nini's level, her fingers gently brushing through the girl's crimson locks.
"You know," Lilith said, her smile soft and serene, "you're actually kind of cute."
Nini blinked, her twisted grin fading into a bashful pout.
"Let's play again! Please, Sister, one more round!"
Before Lilith could respond, the castle's clocktower struck midnight.
DONG… DONG… DONG…
A mechanical voice echoed in her mind:
[Ding! The Host has officially turned 18! You have reached the age to ascend as a Queen. Binding Queen System…]
Lilith froze, her lips trembling. Tears welled in her eyes.
Of course. Of course she'd get a system. Isn't that every transmigrator's destiny?
[Queen System successfully bound! This system will assist the Host in becoming a harbinger of calamity, conquering worlds, and ascending to the throne!]
A Queen System?
Sounds… excessive.
Yet, knowing the memories she now carried, all Lilith wished for was to survive in this twisted world.
[As a gift, the system has unlocked your first skill: Cognition of the World.]
[Cognition of the World: A proper Queen must possess intimate knowledge of her domain. This skill allows you to monitor lifeforms' stats and attributes. Activate it to view yours—or others'.]
Lilith's gaze flickered toward the little girl bouncing excitedly before her.
"Let's test this out."
With a thought, a stat panel appeared before her eyes.
[Name]: Nini
[Race]: Blood Doll
[Age]: 101 years
[Level]: 98
[Alignment]: Lawful Evil
[Possessions]: Terrifying Teddy Bear, Tibbers (Level: ??)
[Weakness]: Soft, light, and easy to manipulate.
[Description]: A nightmare incarnate formed from children's terrors. She feeds on blood and flesh, trapping her victims' souls in dolls to stave off her loneliness. While she craves companionship, she grows violent if her games aren't fun enough. Her voice carries mental corruption, making refusal nearly impossible.
No wonder my predecessor died…
Then, Lilith decided to take a look at her own status panel.
[Name]: Lilith
[Race]: Human
[Age]: 18 years
[Level]: 1
[Alignment]: True Neutral
[Possessions]: Mom's Hairclip
[Weakness]: Considered a "walking snack" by most lifeforms, irresistible to anyone with a predatory instinct.
[Description]: The human princess of a vampire castle, a delicacy among dark creatures. On the day she turned 18, beneath her harmless beauty and pure demeanor, a faintly decayed heart began to beat. She has an unusual fondness for Rift-Mouth doll and might even… want to do something to them.
"What the hell is this broken system…"
Just then, Nini tugged on Lilith's nightgown, her crimson eyes shimmering.
"Sister! Let's play hide-and-seek again! Please? Pretty please?"
Lilith hesitated.
[Mission Alert: Play hide-and-seek with the Blood Doll until she is satisfied.]
[A true Queen fosters devotion from all subjects. Fulfill your role through personal engagement. Mission success rewards: Queen's Aura. Failure condition: Sanity reaches zero—you are no longer "normal."]
Lilith's pupils narrowed.
This game wasn't optional.
But if she lost herself in terror, if her sanity crumbled, she'd lose her "normalcy" and her supposed safety in the castle.
Then again, playing until Nini was "satisfied"? Who knew how long that might take?
Lilith's crimson eyes gleamed with cunning. Her lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"Alright, Nini," she said. "But let's play something bigger. If I win, you'll become my blood thrall."
Nini tilted her head, her neck twisting in an unnatural circle.
[Your Sanity -10]
"How do we play?" she asked innocently.
"You hide, and I'll find you," Lilith replied, her tone smooth as silk.
Nini's grin stretched unnervingly wide. "And if you lose?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll be your thrall."
Nini giggled. "I don't want such a weak thrall. I want…" She pointed at Lilith's hair. "Your pretty hairclip!"
Lilith's fingers brushed the blood-moon clip nestled in her silver locks. Her predecessor's final memento from her mother.
Still, she smiled.
"Deal."
Nini cackled with delight. "No take-backs, Sister!"
After Lilith had lain on the bed with her eyes closed and counted ten, she got up and looked back. Sure enough, there was no longer any trace of the bloody doll in the room.
She had only one minute to find her.
So Lilith decisively walked over to her dressing table and slowly looked up into the mirror.
Rule number two of survival in the dark world: never look in the mirror.
At this moment, Lilith moved her lips towards the mirror. Although she didn't make a sound, her lips read: Tell me, where is she hiding?
And just as Lilith's lips stopped moving, she noticed that her reflection in the mirror suddenly gave a strange smile.
And she was sure that she hadn't smiled at all.
Although she had long been prepared, she still couldn't help but tremble all over.
[Your San value -10]
Am I really that fragile? These damned creeps!
Then she saw her own distorted and hideous smile in the mirror. Gradually, large, blood-red characters appeared on the mirror.
—In the teapot.
Lilith turned her head away, got up and walked towards her desk, then lightly ran her fingertips over the exquisite ceramic teapot on the desk.
"Nini, where are you hiding?"
"It's in..."
Lilith quickly opened the lid of the teapot, and with a sinister smile, quickly brought one of her bloodshot pupils to the mouth of the teapot!
"Is it here!"
[Nini's San value -10]