The water’s surface shimmered with a golden hue, eventually stretching out into a surging river. The boundless expanse of water reflected the slanting rays of the setting sun, scattering like crushed gold across the river’s surface, twinkling with an enchanting radiance.
Su Ling leaned into Tii’s embrace, feeling the spring breeze blowing against her face.
Everything that had happened today felt so surreal.
The bloodstains on the red-haired girl’s neck and hands had already been washed clean, yet the faint, lingering scent of blood could still be smelled on her clothes.
Slaughter had long since become a daily routine for Tii. Despite being such a dangerous girl, she was now the only one Su Ling could rely on.
Tii liked Su Ling, but Su Ling didn’t know what kind of feelings she harbored for Tii. Was it friendship? Love? Or perhaps both?
In any case, within that cold city, Tii had always been the one who cared for her most. She, in turn, was always thinking about Tii. Unknowingly, they had already become the most important people in each other’s lives.
Going to live in the human kingdom like this wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
But if Hilotta found out she had left… what would she think?
The silhouette of the Blood Princess flashed through Su Ling’s mind.
Gradually, the sails of other merchant ships began to appear one after another on the river.
Beyond those ships lay a piece of land: the Lunlier Peninsula, governed by the royal family. Many ships came and went through these waters every day. The island was home to docks, waiting rooms, and all sorts of shops and taverns.
“Little Su Ling, we’ll change to a larger ship in a bit, then head all the way south until we reach Valivadan,” Tii said, patting her cheek.
Tii’s intuition told her that their path of escape would not be so smooth, but she didn’t say much to Su Ling. She simply held her hand tightly, offering her warmth.
“Wait, something’s wrong.”
The boatman suddenly stopped his movements and spoke to Tii with a solemn expression.
“Look over there.”
Tii immediately grew alert. Looking out across the calm surface of the river, two suspicious-looking ships had appeared.
They were single-masted light sailboats. They weren’t large, but their huge white triangular sails bulged in the wind, rapidly closing in from the windward direction. These were not ordinary merchant ships; they were the vessels of pursuers.
“They’re trying to encircle us!”
As the boatman spoke, he began to adjust the rudder, a hint of grimness appearing on his weather-beaten face.
“We have to leave here quickly. We’ll take the other waterway!”
The opponents were using triangular-sailed ships meant for maneuvering; they could maintain high speeds even when sailing against the wind. Meanwhile, their side was using a traditional small rowing boat. In terms of speed, they were destined to lose.
“How fast!”
A string tightened in Tii’s heart. She turned her head and, as expected, several identical sailboats had appeared behind them at some unknown point.
They moved as swiftly as ghosts, their white sails fluttering under the crimson glow of the dusk.
Swish!
Suddenly, a sharp arrow pierced the air, grazing the hull of their boat. Tii abruptly pushed Su Ling’s head down to protect her.
Then, more arrows brushed past them, falling into the water accompanied by the shrill whistling of the wind.
Hitting a target in the river wind was no easy task, but this rain-like volley of arrows successfully disrupted their boat’s course. The old helmsman groaned, crouching low while staring fixedly at the approaching ships.
Thud—
He suddenly let out a sharp cry. A feathered arrow had accurately pierced the old boatman’s thigh. Blood instantly stained the surrounding water red.
The old man tried to prop himself up, but his balance faltered, and he tumbled into the water with a loud splash.
With that, the small boat lost its helmsman.
Su Ling’s heart tightened violently. She looked up only to see that several enemy vessels had already silently closed in, gradually surrounding them.
There was no more escape.
As the distance closed, soldiers on the sailboats stood up, swinging grappling hooks to snag the gunwale, attempting to pull them over.
“Su Ling, take this.”
While Su Ling was in a daze, Tii suddenly pressed a cold bracelet into her hand, giving her one last firm look.
“I’ll go deal with them. If you can escape this place, take this with you. We will definitely meet again.”
At the critical moment when the two ships were about to collide, Tii’s figure flashed. Like an arrow leaving a bow, she took the lead and leapt onto the menacing warship.
The soldier who had thrown the grappling hook barely had time to recover from his shock before Tii nimbly drew a shimmering short dagger from her waist, aimed at his vitals with lightning speed.
Following that, she rolled gracefully, knocking down another soldier clad in light leather armor before he could react.
However, in that brief moment of chaos, a short man hiding in the shadows suddenly struck. A bag of lime powder was thrown toward Tii without warning.
Bang—
Amidst the dust, Tii’s eyes were instantly struck by an intense, stinging pain. She clutched her face in agony as she retreated, tears and sweat intermingling.
Seeing the opportunity, the short man lunged forward, intending to push Tii into the surging river. Unexpectedly, his foot slipped. He stumbled, lost his balance, and fell heavily onto the deck with a muffled thud.
Splash— Splash—
The series of violent struggles caused the water to churn into rough waves. Under the fierce tugging of the enemy’s grappling hooks, the small rowing boat suddenly lost its equilibrium.
It struggled for a few moments, but ultimately could not resist that powerful force, finally capsizing from the side.
In an instant, Su Ling was pulled into the bone-chillingly cold water without any defense.
“Glub…”
She instinctively let out a muffled cry. Immediately, the darkness felt like a massive, invisible hand, rapidly enveloping her body.
The water’s surface, which had been shimmering with golden light and ripples just moments ago, now felt as if it belonged to a different world, growing more and more distant.
Her limbs gradually began to stiffen, and her consciousness became increasingly blurred. Su Ling felt as if she were a sinking stone, descending further and further toward the bottomless depths.
Everything around her became increasingly hazy and silent. There was only the bone-piercing cold current flushing against her body.
The entire world seemed to turn into an endless abyss, swallowing everything she was. It reminded her of the legendary, vast purple river where the vampires were born.
In the midst of the darkness, a woman dressed entirely in black walked upon those marshlands, approaching her step by step. She couldn’t see the woman’s face clearly, but she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Is that… the Deep Sea Goddess?
She reached out a trembling hand, trying to grab onto something, but her body felt as if it were being dragged by an invisible force, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. It was as if she had fallen into an eternal nightmare.
***
She wasn’t dead.
When Su Ling opened her eyes again, the afterglow of the setting sun had already vanished. In the deep blue sky, only a faint, blurry line of light remained.
The sound of the river in her ears had grown distant. There was a cold dampness on her face. Su Ling gently touched it, only then realizing that a fine rain was falling from the sky.
She sat up with difficulty and realized she was on a sandy bank by the river. The sailboats and the chasing soldiers were nowhere to be seen.
Where was Tii? Was Tii okay?
Su Ling looked around anxiously, trying to find her friend’s figure. After a long while, she spotted a red-haired girl standing quietly in the distance.
“Great… Tii is still here…”
A relieved smile appeared on her face. She scrambled to her feet and walked toward the red-haired girl.
“Tii… Tii…”
She called out her friend’s name.
However, the girl did not turn her head to give her even a sliver of attention. She simply stared coldly into the distance, her face devoid of any expression, like a puppet that had lost its soul.
An inexplicable sense of unease rose in Su Ling’s heart. In her memory, even in the most critical moments, Tii had never shown such a truly cold expression.
Could it be that what happened earlier had traumatized her too much?
Su Ling didn’t have time to think deeply. Seeing that Tii was safe and sound, the heavy weight in her heart dropped. A wave of relief washed over her, and her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.
“Ah… Tii, it’s so good that you’re okay.”
Supporting her exhausted body, she stumbled forward and tightly hugged the red-haired girl, trying to dispel the chill on her with her own warm embrace.
However, the red-haired girl slowly lowered her head. The spring breeze blew wildly through her hair. In Su Ling’s blurred vision, a cold light that did not belong to Tii shimmered, sharp as a blade’s edge.
Su Ling’s heart instantly plunged into an icy valley.
“You clearly said you would always stay on my side… Liar!”
The girl grit her teeth, squeezing those few words out from between them.
Suddenly, that brilliant red hair seemed to be swallowed by the night, transforming in an instant into black hair that poured down like a waterfall. The girl’s skin also became abnormally pale, and blood-red eyes stared coldly at Su Ling.
Su Ling abruptly released her embrace and stumbled back two steps, her eyes wide as she collapsed to the ground in disbelief.
She finally realized that this was the art of “Nightmare,” which manipulated the human heart. The “Tii” before her was merely an illusion created by a power.
The woman standing before her was none other than the person she was all too familiar with—
“Hi… lo… tta.”
Staring at Hilotta’s dark, gloomy face, Su Ling felt a chill run down her spine.