The Blood That Binds

The Guardian knelt before Viole, its massive form crackling with fading energy. The chamber was still, heavy with something more than just silence. This was a turning point—something fundamental had shifted.

Viole exhaled, feeling the slow, steady pulse of the Hunger inside him. But it wasn't just hunger anymore. It wasn't just a need.

It was something alive.

Something his.

He tightened his grip on his katana, staring at his reflection in the molten lines of the Guardian's dimming body. His own eyes glowed faintly—not red like a vampire's, not golden like Azael's light, but something new.

Something in between.

The Sealed One watched from their perch, their silver gaze unreadable. "You have proven your control. Now, speak its name."

Viole hesitated. He knew what they meant. The Hunger inside him—it was no longer just a curse. No longer a foreign invader clawing at his mind. It was something he had forged.

A name.

A declaration.

He closed his eyes. He could feel it pulsing through his veins, like molten fire and liquid shadow at once. Blood, but more than blood. Strength, but more than strength. It was the embodiment of what he had become—what he had chosen to become.

A name formed in his mind.

"Noctis."

The moment the word left his lips, the chamber reacted.

A ripple of power surged outward from him, distorting the air like heat against stone. The Guardian rumbled low, as if recognizing the shift. The molten lines along its form flared once more before fading into dormancy.

Noctis.

The Hunger was no longer just a force inside him—it was a weapon. A power tied to his very being.

And he was ready to wield it.

---

NOCTIS

Viole lifted his hand, fingers curling slightly. He could feel it there—just beneath the surface. Noctis wasn't just raw strength. It was blood, but refined. A vampire's abilities, stripped of their monstrous nature and reforged into something else.

He focused.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—his blood moved.

A drop welled up from a small cut on his palm, but instead of falling, it rose, hovering in the air like liquid garnet. He could feel it, could command it.

A slow smirk tugged at his lips.

He flicked his wrist. The drop of blood elongated, shaping into a razor-thin blade that hovered over his palm, shifting in response to his thoughts.

Kairos whistled. "Okay. That's new."

Ha-eun's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's vampire magic. Blood manipulation."

Viole nodded. "It's part of Noctis. But it's more than just blood."

He clenched his fist, and the blade of blood dissolved back into his skin. The energy inside him pulsed again, and this time, he felt the extent of it.

Noctis wasn't just about controlling his own blood.

It was about adapting.

Vampires had speed, agility, heightened senses. They could regenerate, could twist their bodies beyond human limitations. Noctis gave him that, but without the thirst, without the loss of control. It was his power now, not some curse inflicted upon him.

Azael stepped forward, their voice calm. "Then the next step is learning how to use it."

Viole turned toward them. "You have a lesson in mind?"

The Sealed One spoke before Azael could answer. "He does not need a teacher. He needs a test."

Viole stiffened slightly. He had just faced the Guardian. What else could they possibly throw at him now?

The answer came sooner than he expected.

---

A NEW CHALLENGE

The chamber trembled again, but this time, it wasn't the Sealed One's doing.

Something was coming.

The Guardian, still kneeling, lifted its head slightly, as if sensing the disturbance as well. The energy in the air changed—thickened.

And then—

A presence.

Cold. Overwhelming.

A figure stepped into the chamber from the darkened corridor beyond. Tall, draped in a cloak of shadows, their red eyes burned like embers in the night.

A vampire.

But not just any vampire.

A Pureblood.

Viole could feel it instantly—the difference between this one and the lesser vampires he had fought before. This wasn't some ravenous creature attacking mindlessly in the streets. This was something else entirely.

Kairos tensed. "Shit. That's not good."

Ha-eun shifted her stance. "I thought Purebloods rarely left their sanctuaries."

Azael's gaze was unreadable. "They do. Unless given reason not to."

The Pureblood stopped just inside the chamber, its gaze sweeping over the scene. Then, it spoke.

"So, this is the one who dares wield our gifts without bearing our curse."

Viole met its gaze evenly. Noctis pulsed inside him, not with fear, but with readiness.

He rolled his shoulders slightly, adjusting his stance.

"Guess we're about to find out if that's a problem for you."

The Pureblood's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Oh, it is."