Vampires truly loved blood, much like lust-driven creatures such as succubi/incubi who fed on the vitality of others. For vampires, however, blood was not indulgence alone. It was a necessity, the only sustenance their existence would accept.

Especially the blood drawn from the neck of their prey...

It was never merely about the richness of the blood or its closeness to the heart. Beneath that act lingered something older... An animal’s instinct.

Vampires were not so different from beasts. When a predator found its prey, the first strike always sought the neck... and ended life in a single, decisive moment.

So whenever a vampire’s fangs sank into the neck of their prey, it was not just for the taste of pure, warm blood.

It was the hunt.

The dominance!!

The sensation of an entire life trembling helplessly beneath their grasp.

A thrill!

An excitement!!

Both physical and mental, intertwining into something dangerously intoxicating.

But what if...

What if a non-vampire stepped into that role?

What if someone without fangs, without instinct, dared to bite a vampire’s neck... chasing that same forbidden thrill?

No answer existed for such a question.

No man, no woman had ever possessed the madness to even entertain such a thought against a vampire.

Vampires’ blood carried a passive power, akin to super-fast healing when consumed by a non-vampire... The blood will turn them into ghouls.

Emotionless and Lifeless.

Puppets bound to the will of vampires.

No one would willingly choose such a fate.

No one would ever cross that line...

Basically, suicide at this point.

Until now.

"NNNGGG!!!!"

A broken, trembling cry tore from Lia’s throat.

Her back arched sharply, fingers clutching at the air as Aether’s teeth pierced into her neck. His teeth sank deeper, breaking skin, sliding into warm flesh as dark crimson blood spilled forth in a steady, pulsing stream.

It traced along his lips, glistening under the faint light before trailing down her collarbone.

Aether did not hesitate.

Gulp~

He drank.

’Hmm... it tastes just like blood... salty, with that sharp iron tang,’ Aether thought, his brows knitting slightly. A faint disappointment flickered across his face.

He had expected something more... something intoxicating, something divine, just like how she was experiencing.

It seemed she was so excited.

’Oh well. Of course... I am not a vampire,’ he concluded quietly.

Grrrlll~

A low, almost embarrassed growl escaped his stomach.

Aether paused with a confused expression.

"Y-YOU!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!!"

Lia’s voice snapped through the haze like a blade.

Her eyes, still glazed with lingering ecstasy, sharpened into fury as she shoved him away with force. Her breath came unevenly, chest rising and falling as her hand instinctively flew to her neck, fingers brushing against the fresh wound, still warm and throbbing.

"You... you insane bastard...!" she spat, her voice trembling between rage and disbelief.

"Do you even understand what you’ve just done?!"

Horror flooded her expression.

This was madness.

Was he out of his mind?

She knew the truth... Everyone knew!

If a human or any other creature consumed a vampire’s blood without permission, without control, without ritual... There was only one outcome.

"A ghoul..." she whispered under her breath.

A hollow existence... A puppet without will.

Lia’s fingers curled tightly into her palm, nails digging into her skin.

The last thing she wanted... was to see him reduced to that.

Her gaze lingered on him for a fraction too long—

’Wait...’

Her breathing slowed.

’Isn’t that... good?’

Lia’s eyes darkened slightly.

’Why am I getting worked up over it? Hahah... This bastard just fucked himself! Now he has no choice but to obey my orders like a mindless puppet... With this, he would never cross paths with my daughter. But it’s a pity, once he turns into a ghoul, his blood will be drained. He won’t taste the same anymore.’

A faint, lingering disappointment curled within her chest.

That intoxicating taste... that warmth... gone before she could savour it again.

Just then, as she shoved him away, a wicked grin stretched across her lips.

"Haha... You’ve finally fallen... How pathetic."

Spoke the one whose face burned beet red, whose lips glistened with drool mixed with his blood, trailing faintly down her chin.

Before her, Aether’s body trembled.

A low, feral growl escaped his throat.

His posture twisted, shoulders tightening as if something inside him clawed for control.

His mouth hung slightly open, saliva spilling out in uneven strands, splashing against the bedsheet as he struggled to restrain whatever surged beneath his skin.

His breathing grew ragged.

!~Ding~!

[❗Warning: Foreign Blood Venom detected within the User’s body]

[Response Initiated: Activating Venom Apex Resilience protocol]

!~Ding~!

[Purification Process Initiated: Neutralising Blood Venom... 1%... 2%... 3%...]

!~Ding~!

[❌Error: Purification process has failed to neutralise the detected Blood Venom]

!~Ding~!

[Analysis: The Primordial Blood Venom possesses an inherent power level exceeding current Venom Apex Resilience thresholds; hybrid toxic properties are causing unstable and divergent reactions within the User’s body, rendering purification impossible]

!~Ding~!

[🚨Critical Alert: Without the Blessing of the Vampire, the Primordial Blood Venom will rapidly corrupt the User’s consciousness, resulting in transformation into a mindless ghoul]

Aether clenched his stomach, his body folding slightly as pain tore through him.

’Fuck! I shouldn’t have done it... fuck, it hurts! I forgot she has the same bloodline as that mother bitch... fffffucccckkkk!!!!’

His vision blurred; he was an idiot to do this... It’s just that fucking lust that peaked, and wanting to get back at her caused this chaos!

His eyes turned glassy, tears gathering at the corners as his jaw trembled. Saliva dripped uncontrollably from his lips, each breath scraping against his throat like broken glass.

His veins pulsed violently beneath his skin.

Something foreign spread through him.

’L-Log! I-Is there a cure?’

!~Ding~!

[Affirmative: Obtain the Blessing of the Vampire whose blood was consumed to stabilise the user’s body]

[Alternative Protocol is.... Initiate immediate self-termination to revert Null-Return Point before full venom assimilation is complete]

Aether froze.

Not from fear of death.

That had long stopped mattering.

But from something far worse.

’I haven’t changed the Null-Return Point...’

The realisation struck like a blade driven straight through his chest.

If he died now...

Everything would rewind and go too far.

Those who had already died...

Erased as if they had never existed.

’Fuck!! I... I should have changed it...’

Regret twisted deep inside him.

A careless mistake!!

But who could he blame?

So, left with no choice,

Aether, with bulging eyes, looked at Lia and asked painfully, "L-Lia... help me."

Lia, however, wore an amused expression.

"Oh? Help you? Haha... you are the one who did it. Trying to drink my blood... even an idiot would not do it.

Shouldn’t you bear the consequences of your actions?"

She flicked a strand of her hair aside, watching his body slowly turn pale, matching her own unnatural complexion.

’Hehe... he is losing... he’s soon going to become my puppet.’

Delight flickered within her eyes.

Yet—

Even through the pain, Aether smiled.

A warm, fragile smile that did not belong in this moment.

"Y... Yeah, it’s my fault. I am sorry... grrr!"

A guttural growl tore from his throat, his body jerking as something monstrous clawed beneath his skin. Still, he forced that smile to remain, his voice turning dry, cracked, and almost breaking.

"I always loved you..."

Lia blinked.

Once.

Twice.

She stared at him for a few long seconds, something shifting in her gaze.

Then—

"Tsk... fuck me."

She groaned inwardly, irritation surging for reasons she couldn’t quite grasp.

Those words...

She hated them.

Hated them more than she expected.

Hated them enough that—

She didn’t want him to become her puppet anymore.

Love her?

Bitch, you said you would rather kill yourself than stay with her for eternity... and now you love her?

A laugh threatened to escape her.

But it didn’t.

’Yeah, right! If he turns into a mindless puppet, who is going to take care of those monsters in the future? Yup... that’s the only reason...’

She justified it quickly, almost too quickly.

Without hesitation, her sharp nails slid across her wrist.

Slcck~

Blood welled instantly, thick and rich, spilling down her pale skin in a slow crimson stream.

Her cheeks flushed faintly as she looked at him.

’Even with my blessing, he would still be my blood kin... that means... he is going to be my son?’

A strange thought.

Unsettling... Truly!!

Yet—

’I could still control him. It’s just that he would have his own mindset... well... that’s even more exciting.’

A faint, dangerous glint passed through her eyes.

She lifted her wrist toward his lips, her voice carrying a subtle, commanding arrogance.

"Drink it~"

Aether did not hesitate.

His lips parted.

He latched onto her wrist, drawing in her blood with desperate urgency.

"Hmmm~"

Lia flinched slightly, a soft sound escaping her as a red hue deepened across her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered shut, her body relaxing as if she, too, found herself caught in the sensation.

The blood flooded Aether’s mouth.

He drank as if he had been starving for lifetimes.

!~Ding~!

[❗Warning: Primordial Vampiric Demonic Blood signature detected within the host]

!~Ding~!

[🚨Alert: Primordial Vampiric Demonic Blood has begun active consumption of the User’s physical body]

Aether flinched violently.

His pupils shrank—Turning into pure crimson slits.

Just like... Mary’s.

!~Ding~!

[🚨Alert: Forsaken Blood (Unique Ether Bloodline + Mutated Crimson Elixir of the Null) is exhibiting a reactive response to the presence of Primordial Vampiric Demonic Blood]

[Status: Bloodline interaction detected; unstable resonance and adaptive mutation sequence initiated]

"Arrhhh!"

Aether screamed.

The sound tore through the air.

It mirrored the first time his bloodline had reacted to the Heart Blood he had taken from the Pyra Empire—

But this... This was worse.

Far worse.

Pain did not merely course through him.

It consumed him.

A shearing, merciless agony that ripped through every nerve, every vein, every fragment of his being.

Inside him—

Something monstrous clashed.

As if a colossal, blood-soaked bat lashed wildly against an endless pool of devouring crimson that sought to swallow it whole.

"WFRRRRR!!"

Aether released a deep, dangerous, guttural roar.

The very air trembled.

The walls of the mansion quivered faintly under the force of it.

Lia’s eyes snapped open.

The sensation of her blood being drawn vanished from her awareness as her focus locked onto him.

His body twitched uncontrollably.

Muscles tightened, veins bulging beneath his skin.

His bloodshot eyes trembled violently—

Yet—

There was resistance.

He was fighting it.

!~Ding~!

[🚨Alert: Forsaken Blood has initiated a devouring sequence targeting Primordial Vampiric Demonic Blood]

[Assimilation Progress: 1%... 2%... 3%... Stabilizing...]