Xiao Chun Dan has been walking in the darkness for what felt like days to him. He keeps walking, hoping to b.u.mp into something. He is tired of screaming. How is his host doing? Did she die? Is this way he"s here? She can"t die like this. "Host, you can"t die." He shouts at the darkness, "I worked so hard to keep you alive. How can you die now? Get me out of this place. You should be looking for me. Can you hear me? Don"t abandon me in this dark place."
He stops for a moment, trying to listen to any sound in the darkness. The harrowing silence is scaring him. Just where is this place? Wait! Is this the place where the systems go after they die? He holds his dead. Is he dead already? His host must have died too.
No! His elder sister died. If he had been fast enough, he could have saved them. He could have warned her before she lost control. He was too late.
"I am sorry." Xiao Chun Dan bawls his eyes out in the darkness. "I am a useless system. I couldn"t keep my host alive. Because of me, she lost her life… Waaaaaaa!"
"Noisy."
Xiao Chun Dan looks up at the person standing in front of him. Huang Qiuyan is dressed in a white sundress. Her skin is white as snow. Tilting her head to left, she watches at him with vivid green eyes. Her aura is completely different.
"Elder sister?" What happened to her?
She gives him a slow smile. Bending her knees slightly, her white hand raises her hand toward his head. Her nails are dripping blood. Xiao Chun Dan freezes on the spot. He doesn"t want to be touched by her. Instinctively, he moves his head back to avoid her hand.
"You are avoiding me." She chuckles. Her voice is softer than the morning breeze, raising gooseb.u.mps on his spine. "I am hurt, Xiao Chun Dan. Do you not think of me as your elder sister anymore?"
His mouth turns dry. Why can"t he open his mouth and say yes? She is his host, but the way she"s looking at him is similar to a predator a.s.sessing her prey.
"Who are you?" He forces himself to speak. "You are not my host."
His host would never look at him this way. His host is stupid, but she has a kind heart. She is weak. She often curses. She cries easily. But, she would never look at him that way. Even when she hated him, she never looked at him this way.
He closes his mouth when her eyes turn frosty. She straightens her backs and crosses her arms. "How boring!"
Her chilling gaze falls on his arms. Xiao Chun Dan realizes that his body is glowing. She narrows her eyes.
In the next moment, Xiao Chun Dan finds himself in a room. The vampire with curly copper red hair and beige skin is reading on a chair near the bed. He glances in his direction. Xiao Chun Dan is still in shock. What just happened?
Huang Qiuyan is lying on the bed. He looks at her fingers. He lets out a breath. If Huang Qiuyan is here, who was that person? Where was he for all this time?
Kai has seen this little boy following Huang Qiuyan around. Since the King has accepted this boy"s existence, there"s no way that the other vampires will question him. They can guess that he"s related to Huang Qiuyan in some way. Still, Kai is rather surprised to see the boy manifest in the room out of nowhere. But, he doesn"t show it on his face.
"What happened to her?" Xiao Chun Dan touches her forehead. He realizes that he can"t get into her mind. Something is blocking him off. He can"t monitor her vitals. He blinks his eyes. He"s connected to the Inter-D Web again. His host"s stat window opens before his eyes. She"s still his host. Her stats have changed. Her magic is frozen.
"There was a situation." Kai turns his eyes back to the book. "We had to seal her magic for the time being. We are waiting for her to wake up. If she"s still controlled by her darkness, we might have to keep her in prison until the king comes back."
The boy grips her hand. Her skin is icy cold to touch. So lifeless... This happened because of him. He should have reacted faster. But, the magic was advancing at an enigmatic pace. If only he had been faster and better...
"Don"t blame yourself. n.o.body knew that something like this would happen to her. Converts usually have trouble controlling their dark side," Kai mumbles and turns the page of the book. "She"s waking up."
The boy climbs on the bed and peers at his host"s face. Her eyes flutter. She parts her lips to inhale. She opens her eyes slowly. Her voice is weak and pained. "Xiao Chun Dan, is it you?"
"Elder Sister, does it hurt somewhere?" He asks with worry.
"I am…" Huang Qiuyan closes her eyes. Her head is throbbing and there"s a heavyweight in her chest. She opens her eyes again and glances at Xiao Chun Dan. Her eyes are no longer vivid green. "What happened?"
"That… You--" Xiao Chun Dan opens his mouth to speak. Then, he doesn"t know either.
"You lost consciousness in the practice room." Kai closes his book and glimpses at her with a mellow smile. "Lady Huang, how are you feeling now?"
Why is this vampire lying? Xiao Chun Dan knits his brows. Something did happen. Who did he meet in that dark place? Feeling his stare, Kai glances in Xiao Chun Dan"s direction and shakes his head once. The boy purses his lips. Should he hide this from his host?
"My head hurts." She sits up, feeling drowsy. Her throat is parched as if she had been stranded in a desert for days without water or food. "Water."
After placing the book the chair, he walks to the table and picks up the blood packet from the table. He places it in her hands. Huang Qiuyan eyes the blood packet with thirst in her eyes.
"Drink it." He folds his arms, waiting. Xiao Chun Dan rechecks her stats. Except for her magic, there"s nothing wrong with her body. Still, he can"t trust what he"s seeing.
Strange. Huang Qiuyan tears the corner of the packet and sucks the blood. The taste is the same, but unsatisfying. She finishes it within a minute. Kai gives her another one. She finishes it quicker this time. But, she"s still starving. She frowns. What is happening? The agonizing craving in her body is getting worse. She wipes the blood on her lips. She needs something else.
"Are you still thirsty?" He asks her with curiosity in his eyes.
She gives him a nod, feeling ashamed. Even if it"s cloned blood, it"s still blood. "I am sorry…I don"t know why."
"Want another one?" Kai offers another packet of blood.
She shakes her head. Though she"s thirsty, drinking blood is making her more thirsty. But, she wants to drink. At the same time, she doesn"t want it.
"Does it not satisfy you anymore?" His voice is solemn and deep.
How should she answer that question? She touches her throat. It"s burning. She wants something. Is it Fu Sheng"s blood? Thump! Thump! Thump! She can hear the sound of heartbeats coming from Kai"s body. It sounds like a mellifluous piece of music waiting for her to...
"Lady Huang, do you want to drink mine?"