Chapter 21 (1/3): Lesion

“『Αφαίρεση βαρύτητας』!”

***

“Eh? I said it right, didn’t I?”

Bai scratched her head in confusion.

She’d been trying this gravity magic for almost an hour, but nothing had happened.

Her voice was hoarse from yelling, and she’d even changed her casting posture several times, but still, not even the slightest reaction.

“Bai definitely didn’t mispronounce it.”

She mumbled to herself.

The wind magic had worked on the first try, so why was gravity magic so difficult?

Refusing to give up, she extended her palm again, struck what she thought was a pretty cool pose, and shouted, “Αφαίρεση βαρύτητας!”

One second passed.

One minute.

Three minutes.

Still, absolutely nothing.

Bai scratched her head in frustration, messing up her already dull gray hair even further.

“So I really can’t learn magic on my own after all?”

The book explained everything in detail, even marking which syllables to stress or soften.

But no matter how she tried, Bai felt like she was just reading some random sentence instead of a real incantation.

The worst part was, she had no idea what she was doing wrong.

In the end, learning still required a proper teacher.

But the only people in this manor were her and Yare.

Where was she supposed to find someone willing to teach her?

If she went to Yare… she’d probably get drained unconscious again before finishing a sentence.

Maybe trying a different spell would help?

She opened the book and flipped through more pages, finally landing on one that looked a bit easier.

She gave it a try.

“『Βαρυτική κλίση』!”

***

Nothing.

Still nothing.

That couldn’t be right!

Did Bai pronounce it wrong?

If only she still had that book Aiersha once used to teach her blood clan script, Comprehensive Guide to Blood Clan Symbols, that would’ve helped.

Maybe… maybe she should ask Master?

No, no way! Absolutely not!

Bai shook her head hard to drive out the thought.

But thinking it over again… there was really no other solution.

Maybe just asking one question wouldn’t be that bad?

Even if she got drained again, at least she’d be paying the price for gaining knowledge, right?

With that thought, Bai picked up the spellbook and nervously prepared to head toward Yare’s room.

But then she stopped…

If she went asking about magic after taking a spellbook without permission, would Yare think she was trying to escape?

Worried, Bai turned back and grabbed a sheet of paper, writing down the exact spell she wanted to ask about.

She planned to just show that instead.

“This should be okay, right?” she murmured to herself.

But just as she turned around.

Her left foot caught her right, and she fell flat on the floor.

The note slipped from her hands and flew off somewhere.

She looked everywhere but couldn’t find it.

In the end, she had to rewrite it.

What terrible luck!

***

Stepping out of her room, Bai was still filled with anxiety.

After all, getting drained until you passed out was not a pleasant experience.

If Yare decided to take another bite, what should she do?

Maybe… she could prepare a bowl of blood as an offering first?

Still deep in thought, Bai suddenly realized she was already standing at Yare’s door.

She swallowed hard and hesitated, her raised hand pausing mid-air, unsure whether to knock.

After a long moment, she finally gave the door a soft tap.

“Master, it’s Bai… Bai has something she’d like to… ask.”

As usual, the room remained silent.

Bai clutched the book tighter against her chest, waiting nervously, but nothing stirred.

Strange.

Normally the door would’ve opened on its own by now, wouldn’t it?

Did Master not hear?

She knocked again, a little louder this time.

“Master? Are you there?”

***

Still no reply.

Bai took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open, poking her head through like a cautious little cat.

Her eyes darted around, nervous and alert.

“Bai’s coming in.”

But once inside, she found no sign of her master on the usual armchair.

The thick book remained quietly resting there, untouched.

Moonlight spilled in through the window, casting a lonely glow across the room.

Then, the faint sound of breathing drew Bai’s attention.

She turned, and froze at the sight before her.

There she lay on the soft bedding, like a delicately sculpted doll, serene and beautiful.

Her long hair fanned out like silk across the pillow, a few strands brushing against her pale cheek, making her skin look even more translucent, like porcelain under moonlight.

Her lashes cast gentle shadows beneath her closed lids, fluttering slightly like butterflies resting on petals.

The stillness was so complete, so perfect, it stole the breath from Bai’s lungs.

She was so beautiful, it didn’t feel real. It was as if in the very next second, she would open those deep eyes again, returning to her usual arrogance and pride.

But for now, she simply lay there, asleep, cut off from the world.

And what shocked Bai most…

Were the tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.

She had been crying?

That proud Yare… was crying?

Bai could hardly believe it.

She’d rather believe she was dreaming than accept that Yare could ever shed tears.

And she was sleeping so deeply too, it was like watching a baby.

Hmph.

So much for vampires not needing sleep.

Looks like Master’s just been pretending.

She’s out cold right now.

Clearly, now wasn’t the time to ask questions.

There was no way Bai would risk waking her up.

Not unless she had a death wish.

She quietly turned and tiptoed toward the door.

But just as she was about to leave, Yare suddenly murmured in her sleep, a soft, dreamlike voice repeating a single word over and over.

“Lian… don’t leave me… Lian…”

Bai’s steps faltered.

She quickened her pace, trying to get away before…

Thunk

Her foot accidentally knocked over a stack of books, sending the heavy volumes tumbling with a dull thud that echoed through the room.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Bai froze, one foot still lifted, unable to bring it down.

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, and cold sweat gathered on her back.

Slowly, she turned her head.

In the darkness, the faint rise and fall of breath was still visible from the bed.

Bai exhaled in relief, reassuring herself: Okay, okay, we’re good.

Then came the voice.

“Lian… is that you…”

Yare’s voice came from ahead.

Bai turned in terror, at some point, Yare had already appeared by the door.

In the dim light of the room, her silhouette stood silently watching, and her crimson eyes glowed with a sickly gleam.

For some reason, an unexplainable fear surged through Bai.

Something about Yare right now was… very wrong.

“Lian, you’ve come back. I knew you weren’t dead. You’ve always been by my side, haven’t you? You’ll stay with me, right?”

Her voice no longer carried its usual arrogance and disdain.

Instead, it was filled with pleading, longing… and something else, something disturbingly unwell.

“Master… I’m Bai. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

Bai forced a smile, her voice trembling.

She slowly stepped back, trying to put distance between herself and the clearly unstable Yare.

But in the blink of an eye, Yare vanished.

Before Bai could react, Yare’s breath brushed against her ear, her voice soft and low.

“Why are you pulling away from me? Am I that frightening?”

Goosebumps raced across Bai’s skin.

She turned her head, and locked eyes with her.

Those calm blood-red pupils were as beautiful as ever, but now… utterly void of light.

The once vivid color, like a red spider lily, had deepened into a sticky, congealed crimson, like blood that refused to dry.

Reflected in them was Bai’s own trembling, horrified expression.

She could feel it, something sickly, thick, and unhinged was moving inside those eyes.

It flowed and twisted, slowly surrounding the image of her within that gaze.

“Master… you really have the wrong person. I’m not Lian. I’m Bai… the new blood slave. If there’s nothing else, Bai will be leaving now.”

Her voice trembled.

Those eyes, so twisted, so wrong, filled her with overwhelming fear.

But Yare seemed not to hear a single word.

That slow, sticky voice crept back into her ears.

“Did you know, Lian… I missed you so, so much. It’s been over a thousand years since I last saw you. After you left, I never slept again, you know? Every time I close my eyes, I see you. I see you crying in my arms.”

“I see you dying right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. But it’s okay now. Because you’re here. Ah… Lian, I really, really love you. Don’t leave me again, okay? Hehehe…”