A Heart Set on Jade - Chapter 1

Sharp fangs pierced the skin of my neck, and warm blood poured into the other man’s mouth.

I could hear every greedy swallow beside my ear.

The man lifted his head with a satisfied sigh. “Little human, your blood smells wonderful…”

Moonlight slanted through the window, illuminating the man pinning me beneath him.

He had long silver-white hair and a face of such lush, breathtaking beauty that it blended predatory allure with regal elegance. His eyes were purple shot through with gold, and bloodred shadows stirred faintly at their depths. A smear of scarlet even stained the corner of his mouth.

He looked impossibly seductive.

Because of that face, I didn’t resist. I only stared at him in rapt fascination.

He lowered his head again and licked at the wound on my neck. His fangs sank in, and blood welled anew.

At the same time, we were doing the most intimate thing two people could do.

I wound my arms around his waist and let him have his way with me.

…

……

He settled most of his weight over me. His unique snowbell scent mingled with the sweetness of blood at the tip of my nose.

For certain special reasons, my body healed extraordinarily quickly. But right now, it couldn’t repair itself nearly as fast as he was draining me.

My vision gradually darkened. The dizziness, numb cold, and weakness from severe blood loss tangled with the overwhelming sensations coursing through my body. It felt as though I had been tossed onto a soft, freezing cloud while flames scorched me over and over.

My mind began to drift.

His hand locked tightly with mine, our fingers interlaced. I tipped my head back without meaning to, several trembling moans escaping my throat.

The man stopped drinking and gently ran his tongue over the wound on my neck, though the movements below did not stop.

He kissed my ear tenderly. “Remember this, little human. My name is Vansere Sih.”

…

……

………

When I woke the next day, the bed was empty.

My body felt neither sore nor sticky. Someone had even dressed me in an expensive black silk robe so soft that I almost wondered whether last night had been an erotic dream.

[It wasn’t a dream…] the System said darkly inside my head. [Last night, a pureblood didn’t just bite you. He slept with you too!]

Oh. Not a dream?

I recalled that gorgeous man’s face and licked my lips, still savoring the memory. “Really? I actually slept with someone that beautiful?”

He truly had been stunning…

While I remained lost in bliss, the System fell apart. [More importantly, he didn’t give you his Embrace. You’ve already become a vampire!]

A vampire was a vampire. I didn’t care much. I climbed out of bed—only for my vision to black out, my head to spin, and my legs to buckle. I nearly collapsed.

Just how much blood had that beauty drunk last night? If I had been an ordinary human, I had no doubt he would have sucked me dry.

After taking a moment to recover, I surveyed the room. Rose vines were carved into the solid wood paneling. Heavy purple velvet curtains half covered arched iron windows, black gauze hung from a four-poster bed, and a wine-red carpet covered the floor. Amber candle flames flickered along the walls.

The room was gloomy, opulent, and thoroughly Gothic.

A silver cross necklace lay on the floor. Its long, sharpened end flashed in the dim light.

I shuffled over and picked it up. Apparently, I had found it annoying while sleeping with that beauty, ripped it from my neck, and tossed it aside.

I tried to remember the world background the System had given me. This was a Western fantasy realm teeming with purebloods and lesser vampires, and silver was a vampire’s weakness.

The body’s original owner had been an ordinary human. Wearing a little silver for protection made sense.

The System was still prattling on. [Host, your mission in this world is to survive. You must find the pureblood vampire who bit you and receive his Embrace! Otherwise, you’ll gradually come to hate and fear sunlight. You’ll become cruel and bloodthirsty, constantly crave blood, and end up as a lowly vampire hunted by everyone!]

The next second, it let out a piercing shriek. [Wait—Host, what are you doing?!]

Delighted, I pressed the pure silver cross to my chest and prepared to drive it into my heart. “Didn’t you say I’ve become a vampire? I want to see if piercing my heart will kill me.”

The System: [???]

The System: [!!!]

The sharp point had barely broken the skin when searing pain exploded from that tiny wound.

The flesh around it immediately blackened and flushed red. Agony lashed through my nerves like countless whips.

It did hurt a little.

I didn’t care. Excitement glittered in my eyes, and a sick, delighted smile curled my lips.

Back in my old world, I had slashed my wrists and stabbed myself in the heart more times than I could count, yet I had never managed to die. Maybe this time would finally work.

I pushed harder, but before the cross could reach my heart, my hand abruptly froze.

“?”

The System’s voice cracked in despair. [Host, are you insane?!]

The System had transformed into a blob of slime and glued itself around my fingers and the silver cross. It tugged with all its strength, wrenched the cross from my hand, and flung it through the window.

I stared. “…What was that for?”

It flew frantic circles around me, nearly dying of fury. [Host, what exactly are you trying to do? You’re a vampire now! If silver kills you, you’ll be reduced to ash. Your soul will cease to exist, and you’ll never reincarnate!]

My eyes lit up. “What? I can permanently delete my Earth Online account? I won’t even have to worry about logging in again?”

I immediately looked around.

Where was more silver? Where was it?

I wanted to delete my account. Permanently.

If the game allowed ratings, I would give Earth Online one star out of five, leave a vicious negative review warning everyone away, uninstall it, and never start another character.

The System: […]

What sort of lunatic had it bonded with?

It finally realized I had no desire to survive at all. Last night, I hadn’t struggled even while someone drank my blood and tossed me around in bed. Close to tears, it spun in frantic circles. [Host, being alive is wonderful! Why do you want to die?]

I brushed it off. “Because I ate too many red beans.”