The night was deep and heavy, with only a few flickering magical lamps casting weak light in the slums’ narrow alleys.
Kyle leaned against an old brick wall, his fiery red hair tips faintly shimmering in the darkness.
He crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on the rickety wooden door of the tavern, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corner of his lips, as if everything was under his control.
“Patience, little ones.”
He lowered his voice, his eyes scanning over Julius and Selina beside him. “Places like this, the more you rush, the easier it is to alert the prey.”
Julius silently nodded but remained tense, his nerves stretched tight.
His eyes never left the tavern door, and his hand never strayed far from the sword hilt at his waist.
Selina stood a little farther back in the shadows, her ash-white long hair gently fluttering in the night breeze, her pale gray pupils gleaming coldly in the dark.
Time ticked by, and the noise inside the tavern gradually died down.
Until midnight, when new sounds finally emerged in the alley.
A pale-faced young man staggered toward the tavern.
His steps were unsteady, eye sockets sunken, lips cracked and twitching as if silently murmuring something.
His fingers twitched nervously, dirt blackening beneath his nails.
“Oh? Here he comes.”
Kyle’s mouth curled up slightly, his voice so low it was barely audible.
The young man stumbled as he pushed open the tavern door, shrill laughter and coarse shouts spilling out from the crack.
But less than five minutes later, the wooden door was violently kicked open.
“Get out! You useless trash!”
The burly shop owner grabbed the young man by his collar with a look of disgust and tossed him out into the alley like garbage.
The young man hit the damp cobblestones hard but seemed not to feel the pain and immediately got back up.
His knees were scraped and oozing dark red blood, but his gaze remained fixed on the tavern entrance, hoarse begging escaping his throat: “Please… just one more drink… just one…”
His voice was rough as if scraped by sandpaper. His fingers clawed spasmodically at his chest, leaving bloody streaks on his thin clothes:
“I… I can pay… I can…”
The shop owner sneered and pulled out a bottle of liquor, shaking it mockingly in front of the young man:
“Want it?”
His tone dripped with disdain. “Clear your debt of two thousand Sori first!”
The young man desperately reached out, trembling fingers trying to grasp the bottle.
But the owner only scoffed and turned back into the tavern, slamming the door shut.
The alley fell silent again, with only the young man’s painful whimpers breaking the quiet.
He curled into a ball, growling low like a wounded beast.
Suddenly, his body stiffened violently, his eyeballs bulging unnaturally, and the corner of his mouth began twitching uncontrollably.
A strained moan came from his throat, pale skin stretched tight over bulging veins that looked especially grotesque under the moonlight.
His fingers dug deep into the gaps of the stone pavement, nails cracking sharply but drowned out by ragged breaths.
Blood seeped from his fingertips, spreading dark red stains over the bluish-gray stones, yet he seemed oblivious.
“Our chance has come.”
Kyle’s red hair flickered faintly in the shadows as he squinted and let out a playful whistle.
Selina’s pale lashes fluttered gently.
She glided forward silently, the shadow of her cloak flowing over the damp ground like water.
In the blink of an eye, she was crouched beside the convulsing young man.
Under the moonlight, her slender fingers lightly brushed over his bulging wrist veins.
Her nails left a nearly invisible silver trace on his skin.
[Sleep Claw]
This was a gift almost etched into the bones of vampires.
When her fingertips swept across his carotid artery, a chill magic slipped along his blood vessels, severing his connection to consciousness with pinpoint precision.
The young man’s pupils suddenly dilated, his violent spasms abruptly ceased.
His body went limp like a marionette with its strings cut, the last thing visible was Selina’s sharp fangs glimpsed through her ash-white hair.
The whole process took no more than three seconds.
The alley returned to silence, save for the rustling of the night wind.
“Let’s go, time to retreat.”
Kyle produced a coarse gray-brown cloak from somewhere. With a flick of his wrist, the cloak spread like a night owl’s wings, perfectly covering the unconscious young man.
The red-haired youth bent down and effortlessly slung the young man over his shoulder like a sack of grain, exchanging a glance with Julius and Selina:
“Tonight’s haul was quite a success~”
***
Early the next morning, Julius blocked Kyle at the courtyard gate as the latter was about to leave for morning training.
The silver buttons on the boy’s black uniform gleamed under the rising sun, highlighting his serious expression.
“How is that young man?”
Julius’s voice was low, his eyes locked onto Kyle’s.
Kyle stopped and shrugged helplessly:
“To avoid alerting others, we temporarily placed him in the Private Dungeon east of the duke’s manor.”
“And his current condition…”
Kyle’s Adam’s apple moved as he answered, “I’ve seen too many cases like this in the Western Diocese.”
“What do you mean?”
Julius frowned.
“After Lin examined him, it’s clear he’s been addicted for quite some time.”
Kyle stepped forward, lowering his voice.
“At this stage, there’s basically no chance of recovery. I’ve personally executed many like him on our side.”
“We probably can’t count on him anymore.”
“Then the lead is cut off again?”
“Yeah.”
Laughter and chatter from nearby maids drifted over as Kyle took a step back and looked into Julius’s face.
“Anyway, that guy is just a walking corpse who can still breathe.”
“…Is there really no hope of cure at all?”
Julius swallowed hard, his eyes and voice filled with unwillingness.
Kyle nodded.
“Of course, if you want to see for yourself, you can visit him in the Private Dungeon.”
A sudden silence fell between them.
“Little brother Julius, I know you can’t accept this.”
After a long moment, Kyle stared into his eyes and spoke as if consoling him:
“But sometimes, the more we force it, the further away we get from our goal.”
With that, Kyle turned and waved a hand at him:
“At least we know that tavern is indeed a problem.”
“So, we still have a chance, don’t we?”
After Kyle’s figure disappeared down the corridor, Julius remained rooted to the spot for a long while.
The morning light stretched his shadow long, casting it against the stone wall like a drawn sword.
Finally, the boy took a deep breath and turned in the opposite direction.
***
The iron gate of the Private Dungeon glinted coldly in the shadows. The guard silently stepped aside when he saw Julius.
The damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of blood hit Julius’s face, causing him to tread lightly.
The young man was chained to a corner of the wall, and he jerked his head up sharply at the sound.
His eyes were bloodshot, pupils dilated until almost invisible.
The chains clanked loudly with his violent struggles, scraping the stone wall with harsh noise.
“Please… I beg you… hahahaha…”
His voice was hoarse and inhuman, and his nails had left deep scratches on the stone floor.
Suddenly, as if recognizing Julius, his veined hand shot out through the iron bars:
“I know you! You’re a Holy Knight!”
Julius instinctively took a half step back.
The young man’s skin was turning unnaturally gray-white, froth gathering at the corners of his mouth. The veins on his neck bulged grotesquely, as if something alive squirmed beneath his skin.
“Save me…”
His voice dropped to a chilling chuckle. “No, kill me… save me!!!”
The chains bit deeply into his flesh with his frantic writhing, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.
“I, I still want… I still want it!!!”
Watching this, the black-haired youth sucked in a cold breath.
This guy… has probably already lost his mind.