Chapter 51 - Bloodsense

In a dark, disgusting alley of Neo-Astra's Expanse district, Damian remained crouched down next to the young Alita with a confident, charming, yet somewhat distant smile. 

The usual, ever-present sounds of city life had dulled to distant background noise, and the smell of hot garbage and fresh blood had become barely noticeable as his entire focus was now on her. 

Yet, while clearly beautiful, steadfast, and fierce, she was also a stranger, and he felt very little for her. If she refused his offer, he'd simply walk away and let her die. She wasn't the only option he had, and he had no place for compassion at the moment. 

His right hand was still on her forehead, directing the myst to keep her conscious and alive, while his alluring voice entered Alita's ears as if through a bucket of water. 

At this point, Alita really wasn't sure if this man was physically standing over her, or if her soul had already entered the afterlife and she was listening to some ethereal being. But… she didn't really care. She wanted to live. When she imagined what her big sister would feel when she got the news of her death, she despaired. 

"What— What do you want…?" she gasped, while struggling to fight back against the haze that was filling her mind. Pain radiated throughout her body, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it. 

"Simple," Damian chuckled, before his voice turned into the warm, manipulative tone of a little devil on her shoulder. "From today forward, your life belongs to me. You will serve me, and in return, I will not only save your life but give you power beyond what you've ever had." 

Instantly, Alita scowled. Her mind jumped into defensive mode. She and her sister had fought to remain independent all their lives, and they had succeeded against all odds. Now, the idea of servitude was an instinctive refusal to her. 

"N— No way…!" she muttered, weakly shaking her head, yet unable to take her eyes off Damian. "R— Rather, d— die!" 

Damian, unsurprised by her initial refusal, grinned at her. "Hehe, I appreciate that defiance. But… let's see how strong your will actually is." 

With his free hand, he scooped up a dollop of still-fluid blood from her body, and surprisingly… stuck between his lips. Licking his finger, he savoured the taste as a flash went through his eyes. 

Bloodsense was a special ability belonging to the Bloodkin, which had also carried over to whatever Damian was now. During his last week in Eryndor, he'd spent some time testing some of the abilities Blood- and Moonkin could do to see which, if any, he had access to in this new form. Bloodsense was one of them. 

This ability represented one of the main reasons Bloodkin were born manipulators. With just a single drop of blood, they could find out a whole slew of information about someone and use that knowledge to push just the right buttons on their target. 

In this case, Damian saw snippets of some of her most important memories, realized her current feelings and desires, and also discovered the most prominent type of Eldkin blood she possessed. 

"Oh…? Interesting…" he muttered after a few seconds and turned his gaze back to Alita. Mostly occupied with holding on to her last shreds of life, she'd barely noticed what Damian just did. 

"Are you really prepared to die now…?" Damian asked curiously as if he really just wanted to know, a warm smile on his lips. "With my help, the revenge you and your sister have been craving is just a matter of time, you know?" 

Instantly, he could feel Alita's shock as the struggling young woman's eyes widened. "H— How d— do you—!" 

"Plus," Damian interrupted her with his charming voice as he leaned in a little closer. "With the power I'll give you, you will finally have the ability to protect your sister, instead of the other way around. Don't you want to show her you're not just her helpless little burden?" 

That dealt the young woman a heavy blow, right in the middle of her deepest fears and worries. Her body trembled, now born from feelings of inadequacy and helplessness that she usually pushed deep down below. 

"Wh— Who the he— hell, are y— you?!" she muttered. Utterly confused about how he knew all of this. She was actually becoming a little fearful now. How could he possibly know all that? And why did she begin to feel tempted…? 

Damian ignored her question, however, and finally grabbed her chin with his free hand to exercise a little more control over her. 

"But most important of all, Alita," he continued, his voice becoming increasingly alluring. "I know you've been growing increasingly frustrated lately. You hate how you always have to hide who you really are, don't you…? But I don't care, Alita. I want you to be yourself with me. Accept me as your master, and become freeer than you ever have been before…" 

This time, the shock she felt truly froze Alita's already muddled mind. The things he knew were impossible, but... his words were so seductive and tempting. She knew she wanted it—she wanted it all. But how could she possibly entrust herself to this stranger? Who or whatever he was? 

And yet, the rate at which her resistance to the idea of servitude wavered under the barrage of Damian's promises astounded and scared her, the latter being an emotion she'd only felt a handful of times before. "Y— You truly a— are a d— demon…" she muttered with difficulty. 

"Hehe, maybe I am," Damian answered with a mysterious yet strangely warm smile. "But wouldn't you rather be on the demon's side? Serve one, but stand above all others? You can't hide your feelings from me, Alita…" 

Alita gulped, her unfocused eyes becoming lost in Damian's gaze. Once more, she tried to lift her hands or move her body, but couldn't. She felt death clawing at the edges of her being. 

She wanted to haggle, to negotiate, but couldn't. She knew she didn't have the time. As soon as Damian walked away, that'd be the end of her. She had to make a choice, here and now. Serve, or die. 

"F— Fine! Save me…" she pleaded, seemingly giving in to him, yet with a cunning glance passing through her eyes. "I'll pay your price…!" 

A small smile spread across Damian's lips. For a moment, he seemed pleased by her acceptance… but then, he gripped her chin tighter. His eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Alita. I just told you that you can't hide your feelings from me. I can see your insincerity. You're already plotting to betray me, you little minx." 

Alita's widened eyes revealed panic and fury. "I—" she began, but Damian interrupted her. "But that's alright," he smiled mysteriously, his expression relaxing significantly. I'll still accept your insincere pledge… for an extra price." 

He leaned closer to whisper into her ear. "Once you recover, you and I will share a few passionate moments of pleasure together…"