Adrian remained on the floor, resting his back against the wall, as blood covered his shirt and he pressed one hand against his abdomen. Every breath sent another wave of pain through his body.The vampire's corpse lay motionless a few feet away as Adrian stared at it for a moment, still trying to accept the fact that he had just lost his only real lead to the vampire that killed his wife.“That damn vampire,” Adrian murmured despite the pain in his abdomen.The black tattoo on the vampire's hand was still fresh in his mind, as it was something he would never forget in his life.But before he could think any further, a familiar red screen appeared in front of him.(SYSTEM WARNING)Emergency Healing Protocol Initiated.Emergency Healing In Progress…Emergency Healing Complete.Adrian gritted his teeth as the pain suddenly intensified.“Didn't the system say it was healing me? Why is the pain suddenly increasing?” Adrian asked himself as he winced in pain.His entire body trembled as a

It was a bright morning at Aegis Academy, and Adrian sat behind his desk inside his office, his eyes focused on the computer screen in front of him.He was dressed in his usual official clothes, with a black buttoned shirt underneath his formal jacket.His glasses rested comfortably on his face as he typed on the keyboard, going through some of the schoolwork he had been abandoning but had finally decided to do.For once, everything felt normal.No vampires, no missions, no blood. It was just Adrian and his schoolwork.The office door suddenly opened, and Adrian saw two figures walk in."Good morning, Adrian."Adrian looked up from his computer and saw Kellan walking inside with his usual lazy expression."Morning," Adrian replied.Emily entered behind him, carrying a few files in her hands as she looked at both of them."Good morning, boys.""Morning, Emily."Kellan walked toward his desk and dropped himself into the chair, putting his legs on the table."Man, I swear this school get

A few seconds had passed since he realized that he was alone, yet none of his teammates had contacted him. Adrian slowly reached for the communication device attached to his ear and tapped it twice. “Rika,” he called, but he got no response. “Marcus… Dante,” he called out again, tapping the communication device in his ear, but it was the same result. “Shit,” Adrian muttered as he lowered his hand. “So communications are blocked too,” he said as his eyes moved across the dark hallway. The facility stretched in several directions, with identical concrete walls and metal doors leading into different sections. The lights hanging from the ceiling flickered every few seconds, making the already confusing environment even harder to navigate. Adrian looked behind him, and the hallway he had come from looked exactly like the one in front of him. For a moment, he simply stood there, studying his surroundings. He then thought back, trying to see if he could find any clues, and remembere

"Shit," Adrian cursed as he felt the vampire's fangs press deep into his neck.He tried to struggle, but he was pinned down as the female vampire kept sucking his blood.He seriously thought he was going to die for the second time when the vampire suddenly let go of him, jumped backward, and started vomiting. She was vomiting blood—his own blood.Adrian could see black veins showing on her back and some on her face as she raised her red eyes to look at him in anger."What are you?" she screamed at him as she was in obvious pain."I know you aren't human, so what in the world are you?" she screamed again, making Adrian confused.He was definitely sure he was human, but after he died and the System brought him back, things had definitely changed.Was the System now changing him from being human to something else?Did the System activate some kind of last-line defense to keep her from sucking his blood?Adrian asked himself as he brushed his hand over the neck she had just sucked from."

The taxi finally came to a stop in front of Adrian's house.He blinked after spending most of the ride staring silently out the window.He reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash before handing it to the driver."You can keep the change," Adrian said as the driver glanced at the money before looking back at him with a smile on his face."Thanks, man."Adrian opened the door and stepped out of the taxi. He stood there for a moment after the vehicle drove away, staring at his house.He had barely gotten any rest after the mission, and his body was beginning to feel heavier with every passing second."Let's just get inside," he muttered to himself as he walked toward the front door and unlocked it.The moment he opened it, a familiar figure immediately came running toward him.Ash.The massive wolfdog rushed toward Adrian, wagging her tail before jumping against him."Whoa, whoa..." Adrian said, barely managing to keep his balance as Ash pushed against him."Easy, girl."Ash con