Chapter 28: Bound By Blood

Where am I? I can't see anything, just darkness surrounding me.

I try to move my hand but fail. It wasn't just my hand—I couldn't move my entire body. Only my eyes worked the way I wanted them to.

I could faintly hear a voice calling my name, pulling me out of this void.

"Silver!" a voice called.

I lifted my eyelids, seeing a worried Lily gently calling out my name as she stood there, staring at me.

"Silvey, you're finally awake. Do you know how worried I was?"

She wasn't the only one who looked worried. Her sister, Rose, also sat there, her legs crossed.

"Silver, how do you feel?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I replied, because my body felt good—better than I'd ever felt, like something had returned that had been lost for years.

"That's good to hear," she continued with a relieved tone.

Lily gently held my hand. "Yes, I was so worried, Silvey. Your eyes kept bleeding even when you were asleep."

Rose's expression turned serious. "Silver, I know you just woke up, but have you thought about what I suggested?" she asked before a knock could be heard on the door.

"Enter."

The servant from earlier—I think his name was William—came in after opening the door. He carried a crate full of vials filled with red liquid. He placed it on the floor next to Rose, gave a slight bow, and left, closing the door behind him.

My eyes were drawn to what the vials contained, but the vials themselves also intrigued me. They weren't just ordinary vials; they were the kind used in alchemy and research.

But back to the red liquid—I didn't know how I knew, but with one glance, I figured out that it was blood. Yet, I didn't feel repulsed by it like before. In fact, I felt drawn to it. What could have happened to me in that one moment I chose to drink blood?

Aren't I forgetting something?

I quickly checked my hand, lunging forward into a sitting position and instantly looking down at it. I probably looked crazy to Rose and Lily—I could see the faces they made, both shocked and concerned. But I had to check this, no matter what—if the Mark of a Fallen was there.

I put my hand on my chest, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Why haven't I become a Fallen? Is it because I'm already half of one?" I mumbled to myself, my voice barely audible.

I turned back to the crate and then to Rose. "Why did you bring blood in here?" I asked strongly, staring into her eyes.

I had a lot of questions—like how long I'd been asleep or what happened after I drank the blood, as I couldn't remember anything. But I decided to push those thoughts aside to learn more about why that much blood was here, though I already had an idea.

First, Rose stared at Lily, who tilted her head in confusion, then back at me. "It's for you to drink," she calmly said.

I replied with a steady voice, "Why? Did you think just because I've done it once, I'll do it again?"

She looked shocked at my reply before standing up from the chair and picking up a vial out of the box.

She opened it and walked closer, stopping right in front of me. "Here, take it. If you can hold this for ten seconds without drinking it, then I'll never talk about drinking blood in front of you again."

What is she saying? Of course, I'll hold it without—

My body moved on its own, and before I knew it, I had already drunk the blood, licking my lips right after.

I felt it again—that warm and tingling sensation entering my mouth.

I clutched the vial, almost breaking it. I was frustrated. Damn it, why couldn't I stop myself from drinking it? And why did I enjoy the taste?

Now even Lily saw me. I could see her eyes wide, full of shock and disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Now, there was no way to hide the truth about me being a Fallen.

I lowered my head, clenching my jaw, frustration building up inside me until I felt a gentle touch on my head.

I lifted my head and saw Rose gently rubbing it. "It's fine. There's no need to be angry at yourself," she gently spoke, her words calming me down.

I did feel a bit better after, but still, I couldn't accept being a half-Fallen.

"Thank you, Rose. I'm okay now," I said, trying to reassure her.

She went back to take a seat, and Lily went to stand next to her. "First, there's something I need to tell you," she said, looking at me.

"Because you are half-Fallen, you need to consume blood every day if you don't want to end up like you did yesterday," she continued.

My heart skipped a beat. I was both excited and scared.

"Secondly, you need to go to Eclipsys and look for an item. I don't know how it looks, but I think you'll be able to find it."

I glanced at Lily, who stood next to her with a smile on her face, then back at Rose. "An item? Is it something that will help me?"

"I don't know. But if you want to know more about yourself, you'll need to head there. I also heard you'll be going to Magia, so it works out," she said.

Is she lying to me? If I don't know how the item looks, how will I even be able to find it? And how does she know I'm going to Magia? Was it Lily?

I glanced at her—she was still standing there next to Rose with a smile.

"Yes, I'll be leaving next month," I replied, a hint of suspicion in my voice.

"Lastly, I would like to go back to my earlier question. Have you decided yet what you will do?" Rose asked.

"No... not yet. I'm still thinking," I answered with uncertainty.

"That's fine. You can think about that over the next month when you'll be training with Roi," she said nonchalantly.

My eyes widened. "WHAT?!" I exclaimed, my voice sharp.