The Crimson Awakening
The scent of blood hung in the air, thick and intoxicating. Beneath the pale glow of a fractured moon, the alley reeked of death and despair. A figure lay sprawled against the jagged bricks, his breath shallow and ragged. Blood soaked his torn shirt, the crimson spreading like ink through parchment.
Lucian blinked through the haze of pain, his body trembling from the cold seeping into his bones. His tattoo—a coiling serpent that curled around his forearm—burned with a searing heat. He wanted to scream, but his throat felt like sandpaper. The pain was more than just physical; it was a transformation tearing him apart from the inside.
The bite on his neck throbbed, a festering wound that pulsed with a malevolent rhythm. Fangs had pierced his flesh, venom laced with ancient hunger injected into his veins. His humanity bled out, replaced by something darker and far more powerful.
"You survived."
The voice was low and smooth, gliding through the shadows like silk. Lucian's eyes flickered upward, struggling to focus. A figure stood at the edge of the alley, cloaked in darkness. The man's crimson eyes gleamed with amusement, his lips curling into a predatory smile.
"I… I didn't ask for this," Lucian rasped, his voice raw.
The vampire tilted his head, his amusement deepening. "No one ever does."
Pain lanced through Lucian's body, sharp and unforgiving. His veins felt like molten iron, his muscles writhing under an unseen force. The serpent tattoo on his arm flared with a brilliant red light, its coils twisting as if alive.
A screen flickered in his vision, translucent and surreal.
[System Initialization Complete]
Welcome, Lucian. You have been granted the Bloodbound System.
Current Status: Fledgling Vampire
Objective: Survive the Night
"What… is this?" Lucian gasped, his voice barely audible.
The vampire's eyes narrowed, the amusement fading into something colder. "You're awakening. Few survive the bite of a pureblood and come out whole." He leaned closer, his breath brushing against Lucian's ear. "But if you live, you'll be more than just a fledgling. You'll be a predator among predators."
Lucian's heartbeat thundered in his ears, each pulse a desperate struggle against the transformation. The system's words burned in his mind: Survive the Night.
A new scent cut through the thick air—sharp, acrid, and unmistakably human. Lucian's gaze snapped toward the alley entrance, where silhouettes emerged from the fog. Witchers. Hunters clad in dark armor, their weapons gleaming under the moonlight.
"Vampire scum," one of them snarled, raising a crossbow loaded with silver-tipped bolts.
Lucian's breath hitched. Fear coiled in his chest, but something else stirred beneath it—a savage hunger, primal and undeniable.
[Quest Activated: First Blood]
Objective: Defeat the Witchers (0/3)
Reward: Bloodbound Awakening
Lucian's vision blurred, the edges tinged with crimson. His limbs no longer felt weak; they thrummed with newfound strength. The serpent tattoo blazed like fire, its light casting eerie shadows across the alley walls.
The vampire beside him chuckled. "Looks like your trial begins now."
Lucian clenched his fists, the pain fading into a distant memory. The hunger was all that remained, and it demanded blood.
The hunters charged.
Lucian smiled—a feral, bloodthirsty grin.
The night had only just begun.