Lucy's POV
Late afternoon sunlight painted the village in shades of gold as the sun slowly began to dip toward the horizon. The villagers were settling in for the evening, and a cool breeze drifted through the quiet streets.
I sat against the wall inside the guest house while Syllia slept curled against my side, her head resting comfortably in my lap.
Absentmindedly, I ran my fingers through her soft blonde hair, studying every detail of her face.
She really was unfairly beautiful.
Her perfectly sculpted figure looked like something crafted by a goddess herself. Her tiny pointed nose, soft lips, delicate ears, and those vibrant emerald eyes that constantly lingered in my thoughts…
Even asleep, she looked breathtaking.
As my fingers drifted through her hair, a dangerous thought suddenly crossed my mind.
…I really want to touch her ears.
Carefully, I stopped stroking her hair and gently brushed the tip of one pointed ear with my fingertips.
Oh gods.
They were unbelievably soft.
"Mmm…"
Syllia let out a quiet little moan.
I froze instantly.
Is she awake?!
My gaze snapped from her ears to her face. Her eyes were still closed, but a rosy blush had begun spreading across her cheeks.
…Wait.
Was touching an elf's ears something intimate?
Slowly, I pulled my hand away and resumed running my fingers through her hair as if nothing had happened.
Maybe I shouldn't have done that…
But she was just too cute to resist.
After another minute, Syllia's eyelids fluttered open. She blinked sleepily up at me, still half-curled against my lap.
"Well, good morning, beautiful," I said with a teasing smile.
The effect was immediate.
She shot upright beside me and quickly turned her face away, trying desperately to hide her reddening cheeks.
"G-Good morning…" she stammered.
Gods, she was adorable.
I could honestly get used to this.
Still, I knew there were probably a lot of questions running through her head right now… and we also needed to check on her mother.
"S-So, Lucy… I have a question," Syllia said softly.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"It's something that's been bothering me for a while now. Don't take this the wrong way, but…" She turned toward me, staring directly into my eyes. "What exactly are you?"
I let out a small laugh.
"Yeah… I figured that question was coming eventually."
Sliding off the bed, I stretched briefly before offering her my hand.
"I promise I'll explain everything. But first, why don't we check on your mother? And, uh… sorry about this, but because of my lack of self-control, we may have spent the last few hours lying here."
"Alright then," she replied with a smile as she took my hand. "But I'm holding you to that."
Helping her to her feet, I released her hand so she could fix her now thoroughly messy hair.
…Which may or may not have been my fault.
After straightening her clothes, she immediately grabbed my hand again.
"Alright! Let's go see how Mom's doing!"
As she pulled me out of the guest house, my entire brain became fixated on one thing.
She's holding my hand again.
Okay, maybe she was just excited because her mother was finally recovering. Yeah. That had to be it.
Definitely.
…Probably.
"Lucy!"
I jumped at the sound of Syllia's voice.
Blinking rapidly, I realized we had already arrived inside her mother's room. Syllia was staring at me curiously while her mother quietly chuckled from the bed.
"You okay, Lucy?" Syllia asked. "You looked completely out of it."
"What? Me? Oh! Yeah, totally fine. Completely fine. Haha…" I answered way too quickly.
My gaze dropped toward our still-intertwined hands, and heat instantly rushed into my face. I quickly pulled my hand back.
"S-So! How are you feeling?" I asked, desperately changing the subject. "Does anything feel strange?"
"I feel wonderful," her mother replied warmly. "Honestly better than I have in months. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me and my daughter. Though… I could definitely eat something."
"Oh! I'm on it!" Syllia exclaimed excitedly. "I'll make something delicious!"
She bolted from the room before either of us could respond.
Watching her leave, her mother smiled softly.
"I'm glad to see she's still just as energetic as ever," she said fondly. "She told me what you did for us. You saved her life and cured my illness. If there's ever anything you need, please ask. It's the least we can do."
"You really don't owe me anything," I replied quietly. "No one deserves to go through what you both endured."
My eyes drifted toward the doorway Syllia disappeared through.
"And besides… she's someone worth protecting."
Her mother's smile immediately turned mischievous.
"Oh my. Do I sense a wedding in the near future?"
My brain stopped functioning.
"W-W-WHAT?! I-I—"
The door burst open before I could finish malfunctioning.
"I brought your favorite stew!" Syllia announced happily as she carried in a steaming bowl.
While she handed it over, I had fully crouched down in the corner with my hands covering my face, muttering incoherently to myself.
"Uh… what's wrong with her?" Syllia asked while pointing at me.
"Oh, nothing," her mother replied with a teasing grin. "She's just being dramatic."
I slowly peeked up at her mother.
…She's absolutely enjoying this.
"She's such a tease…" I muttered under my breath.
After finally composing myself, I stood and straightened my clothes.
"Why don't you two go spend some time together?" Syllia's mother suggested warmly. "I'm going to eat and rest for a bit longer."
"Okay, Mom. I'll come check on you again later," Syllia said before leaning down to hug her gently.
The moment she finished, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward the living room.
"So," she said with an eager smile, "now's a good time to talk, right?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I can answer your questions now… though maybe not here."
"Then let's head back to the guest house."
A short walk later, we were both sitting cross-legged on the bed back at the guest house.
"Alright," Syllia said excitedly, "Mom's okay, we have the whole night to ourselves, and we're alone. Spill it."
"Alright, alright. Calm down," I laughed.
Taking a breath, I began.
"Well… first off, despite how I look, I'm not actually an elf."
Syllia tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm something called a vampire."
"Ooooh…" she murmured.
"I don't survive off normal food or water like most people do. I survive entirely off blood."
Her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh! So every time you use a lot of energy, you need blood to recover?"
"Exactly."
I nodded.
"And vampires have abilities unique only to us. The red magic you saw me use? That's blood magic. No one else can use it. We also possess incredible regenerative abilities. I can heal almost any injury nearly instantly."
Syllia stared at me wide-eyed for several seconds.
"I'm really glad you're such a kind person," she finally said with a nervous laugh. "Because honestly? You'd be terrifying if you were evil."
I smiled faintly before my expression softened.
"The thing is… I'm the only vampire alive."
"…What?"
"There aren't any others. When I first woke up in the forest, I had no memories at all. When I checked my status, the system told me I was the first vampire in existence."
Syllia's expression fell slightly.
"You really don't remember anything?"
I shook my head slowly.
"Nothing."
Silence settled briefly between us.
Then suddenly, Syllia smiled brightly.
"Well, I'm glad we met anyway."
I blinked before smiling back.
"…Yeah. Me too."
A laugh escaped me.
"Though honestly, I felt horrible after biting you the first time. When you passed out, I genuinely thought I killed you."
"Pfft—"
Syllia burst into laughter.
"Oh gods, I wish I could've seen your face!"
"Oh, keep laughing and see what happens," I threatened playfully while baring my fangs at her.
She quickly cleared her throat, trying to regain composure.
"S-Speaking of that…"
"Hm?"
"Why does it… feel like that when you bite me?"
I smirked immediately.
"Oh? You mean the pleasure?"
Her entire face turned scarlet.
"Y-Yes. That."
"Well…" I leaned closer with a grin. "That's because I'm doing it on purpose."
"W-Wait, WHAT?!"
"Yep."
I leaned close to her ear and whispered softly,
"I really like hearing the little noises you make."
Syllia's face and ears turned completely red.
"You're horrible!" she yelled while repeatedly smacking me with a pillow.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!"
Eventually she stopped attacking me, though she still looked thoroughly flustered.
Laughing softly, I shrugged.
"But it's true. My bite can have different effects. If I'm going to drink your blood, I'd rather make it enjoyable for you too."
"…I guess that makes sense," she mumbled while staring down at the pillow in her lap.
After a moment, she looked back up.
"So if there are different effects… what are the others?"
"Well, one causes intense pain instead of pleasure. Another does nothing special at all. It'd just feel like a normal bite."
"And the last one?"
My smile disappeared.
"…That one's awful."
Syllia immediately noticed my expression change.
"It lets me steal someone's free will," I admitted quietly. "If I use it, the person I bite becomes completely obedient to me."
Syllia stared at me in shock.
"That's… terrifying."
"Yeah," I replied softly. "Which is why I'll never use it."
[Actually, there is a fifth ability.]
I froze.
"…Excuse me?!"
Syllia jumped slightly.
"Lucy? Who are you talking to?"
"The system," I replied quickly. "The thing that gives me information."
"And apparently it decided now was a good time to mention a FIFTH ability."
"What is it?!" Syllia asked excitedly.
[You can create more vampires. Vampires cannot reproduce naturally, so instead you may turn others into vampires through your bite.]
My eyes widened.
"Oh my gods."
"Well?! What is it?!" Syllia demanded impatiently.
"I can turn people into vampires," I said excitedly. "If I bite someone with the intent to turn them, I can transform them into a vampire too!"
Syllia blinked several times.
"…That's actually kind of incredible."
Then she tilted her head thoughtfully.
"So… what's it really like being a vampire? Because from what I've seen, you're absurdly strong, ridiculously fast, and capable of magic I've never even heard of…"