Usually when Nick used {Berserk}, he slept for a full eight hours or so afterwards. This time he only lasted an hour before the pain woke him up. It felt like his mana was eating him alive from within, leaving him writhing and groaning on the ground.
It took him a few minutes to remember through the pain, but as he recalled what had just happened, when the Lady’s blood had seeped into his arm, and he sensed what was happening inside him, he got an idea of what was happening. Along with the blood, a large quantity of violent mana had entered his body, and was doing its utmost to devour and replace his normal mana. When he noticed this, nearly three quarters of his mana had converted, and the rest was on its way, so he frantically started doing meditative mana circulation.
The pain almost immediately lessened, and the progress of the foreign mana stalled. However, despite his best efforts, he could not reverse the process. His mana was still being corrupted faster than he could purify it, so his meditation was only delaying the inevitable.
However, he did not give up. After a few minutes, he had gotten accustomed to the pain, and was able to sit up into a lotus position, allowing the mana to circulate more easily, and after an hour, he heard the System ding to let him know that his {Mana Circulation} skill had leveled up. The purification process accelerated just a tiny bit, slowing the corruption further.
Just a bit more, he thought. Just a few more levels, and I’ll be able to fix it.
He lost track of time as he continued focusing inward, trying his best to accelerate his mana circulation to purify his mana. Between the pain and the war going on in his body, he didn’t have any attention to spare for anything beyond him. He just hoped that Jack wouldn’t interrupt him before he could get things under control. Unfortunately, before he could even earn another level in {Mana Circulation}, he heard the door open.
Wait, he thought. Door?
A second after he heard the noise, he realized that it wasn’t the sound of his steel-bar cell door. When it closed again, he heard the low thunk of wood on wood, and the footsteps approaching him echoed through the hollow floor.
Where am I? he wondered.
He wanted to open his eyes and check, but he was worried about what would happen if he let his concentration slip further. He just hoped that whoever had entered would leave him alone. They hadn’t bothered him yet. From the sounds he heard, they had seen him and stopped moving. It couldn’t have been Jack then, because Jack would have kicked him if he saw Nick meditating.
Minutes passed, and soon, Nick nearly forgot there was another person there. He got so absorbed in his meditation again that he almost lost focus entirely when the other person spoke.
“Why are you struggling so much?”
The voice belonged to a woman, and a woman Nick had met, though with his mind preoccupied, it took him a moment to recognize them. It was Rose, the emotionless woman working for the Lady. He gritted his teeth, but didn’t respond.
“You’re only prolonging your pain. It will be over quickly if you let it take over. Once it’s done, it’s not unpleasant.”
Nick still didn’t respond. He tried his best to tune her out, but his words wormed their way into his mind. What did she mean “not unpleasant”? Did she go through the same thing? What would happen if he just let the foreign mana win. Would he become emotionless like Rose? Would he become a monster like the Lady?
Rose did not speak again. After another ten minutes or so, Nick heard the sound of retreating footsteps, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing again. Nick silently thanked her for leaving without disturbing him further, then mentally cursed when the door opened again a few minutes later. He heard footsteps approach again, this time much closer than last time until they were right beside him.
“Will you not give up?” asked Rose, her voice coming from right above him.
Nick once again did not respond, and continued to circulate his mana. After a minute, he heard the rustling of fabric, and felt a brief gust on the side of his face. A moment later, he felt Rose’s hand on his face, trying to push his head back.
What is she doing? he wondered as he stiffened his body to resist her attempt at moving him.
“I brought water,” she said, her voice coming from right next to his ear. “Open your mouth and drink.”
Nick didn’t trust her, so he kept his mouth shut. Her attempts to force his head back and open his mouth grew slightly more forceful. He could tell that she had much more strength than she was using, and that she would likely eventually get her way. He considered giving in, just so she would go away, but he didn’t trust that whatever she was trying to feed him was water. She worked for the Lady.
“It is almost sunrise,” said Rose. “I will not be able to return until night. During the day, no one else will enter. If you wish to continue, you need water. Open your mouth and drink.”
Nick still refused to give in, but his resolve was wavering. She could have just been an accomplished liar, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear to believe she was sincere, but he couldn’t help but wonder. What if it was just water? What if she really did just want him to be hydrated during the day.
“I am not trying to poison you,” she continued. “I do not have much time. If you will not open your mouth on your own, I will have to force it open.”
Nick hesitated a moment longer, then opened his mouth just a bit. He felt the lip of a wooden bottle touch his mouth, and a moment later, cool liquid entered. He was prepared to shut his mouth and spit it out if it was anything strange, but to his surprise, it really was just water. As it ran down his throat, he realized that he was actually quite thirsty, and started drinking more enthusiastically. His concentration was slipping, but if she was also telling the truth about needing to last an entire day on his own, he needed the water more than he needed those extra few seconds of maximum purification speed.
He drank until he was no longer thirsty, and then continued drinking until his stomach felt bloated before she finally pulled the bottle away.
“I will be back,” she said before standing up and walking away.
The door closed again, and Nick went back into deep meditation. As the internal battle of mana continued to rampage in his body, he lost track of time, only vaguely aware of what was happening around him. He gained two more levels in {Mana Circulation}, but it still wasn’t enough. The foreign mana was still inching closer and closer to victory. Even worse, he noticed that while not volatile anymore, the mana he was able to purify was still not quite right. It was inert, and it felt like it belonged to him, but it did not feel like his mana. It was darker, and more sinister, and he didn’t like it at all.
Will I be able to recover? he wondered.
He despaired, but he did not give up. He was not able to earn another level in {Mana Circulation} before nightfall, but he did gain three levels in {Self-Regeneration}, which he was incredibly grateful for. He knew the dangers of over-circulation, and thankfully, with his new class and skill, he didn’t have to worry too much about them. His head was still hurting, since his healing skill didn’t function as well there, but for the moment, it was still bearable.
What wasn’t bearable was his thirst. He didn’t notice at first, but he had been sweating almost non-stop since he started meditating. If Rose hadn’t given him that jug of water before he started, he might have fallen unconscious. His concentration was already starting to wane, and when the door opened again, it broke entirely. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to get back until his thirst was quenched, he opened his eyes to look at his guest. His vision was blurry, and for a moment, he saw double, but when his eyes refocused, Rose was standing in the doorway, carrying a clay jug in either hand.
She doesn’t look like a “Rose” at all, he thought, half-delirious.
The only thing red about her was her dress. Her skin was so pale it was almost white, her hair was bright blonde, and her eyes were as green as emeralds. Nick wondered what her parents had been thinking.
“Have you given up?” she asked, seeing him awake.
“No,” he rasped. “Water. Please.”
He reached toward her with a shaky arm as she walked forward. She set one jug down to the side, and held the other up to his lips. Nick gladly opened his mouth, drinking it in as quickly as he could. He could feel the evil mana still within him, trying to take over, and knew he didn’t have much time to waste. He needed to get back to meditation as soon as possible. Rose helped him hold the jug, as his hands were shaking, and when it was empty, she took it away. Nick started to reach for the second jug, but she brought her hand down to stop him.
“Not that one,” she said.
“I’m still thirsty,” said Nick.
“That is not water. I will get you more. Stay here.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
She left the room again, leaving Nick alone, and for the first time, with the ability to take in his surroundings. He was definitely not back in his dirty cell underground. His new accommodations were not dirt, a cell, nor were they underground. It seemed to be a wooden hut with a window showing the tops of the trees and the night sky above. There was a bed, and a large wooden dresser, and a rug made of some kind of red-ish bear that he didn’t recognize, and there was even a fireplace, though it was thankfully empty. It was much too hot for a fire.
The only dirty part of the room was himself. He was still wearing the red robes from the night before, but they were drenched in sweat, and clinging to him like a second skin. At some point in the day, he had urinated, and between that and his own body odor, he smelled positively foul.
He tried to ignore his own state, looking around once more, but the room was small, and he had taken it all in long before Rose got back, so his attention turned back to the other jug she had left. What had she meant when she said it wasn’t water? Was it alcohol? Why did she bring it?
He could feel the state of his body improving as it processed the water, but he knew he wasn’t ready for meditation again yet, and Rose had yet to return, so after a few seconds of holding in his curiosity, he reached for the jug and dragged it over to himself. Inside was a dark liquid that looked almost black in the moonlight, but when he held his face over it, and got a whiff of the contents, there was no mistaking what it was. Blood.
At that moment, Rose returned, carrying two more jugs. She paused when she saw him with the one full of blood, but soon closed the door behind her, and continued toward him as if nothing was wrong.
“Why is this full of blood?” asked Nick.
“It was for if you had given up,” she said.
“...Is the Lady a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“If I give up, will I become a vampire?”
“Yes.”
Nick was silent. He had vague suspicions of something similar before, but with his mind so preoccupied, he didn’t have time to think about them. Or perhaps, he had intentionally preoccupied his mind more than he needed to so he wouldn’t have to think about it. He could sense the changes in his body. In his blood. He was changing. His mana was already different. His skin was growing pale, though he hoped that was only due to exertion and dehydration. The gnawing in his gut felt like more than just hunger.
“What will happen if I don’t give up?”
“You will become a vampire anyway,” said Rose. “You are only prolonging your suffering.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
“The Lady has not permitted you to die.”
Nick noticed that she did not meet his eyes when she said this.
“What will happen if I do die?” he asked.
“Would you like to die? If you wish, I can at least let you die a human.”
She raised a hand, and Nick could feel dense mana surrounding it.
“I don’t want to die,” he said, leaning back and raising his hands. “And I thought you said that the Lady hasn’t permitted me to die.”
“She hasn’t,” she replied. “But she gave me no instructions not to kill you. If you were to attack me in an attempt to escape, I might have no choice.”
She held her arm up, the dense mana still surrounding it. For a split second, Nick was tempted. He didn’t want to be a vampire, forced to prey on humans to survive. But dying wasn’t an option. He still didn’t know where Bianca and Sophie were. He still didn’t know what exactly had happened to his parents. He knew their odds of survival were slim, but he still needed to go look. And on top of it all, he still needed to kill the Lady.
“I’m going to live,” he said. “And I’m not going to give up, nor will I become a vampire.”
Rose lowered her hand, but continued to stare at him with her usual blank expression.
“Being a vampire is not so bad,” she said. “You will be stronger.”
“And a monster.”
“Yes,” she said. “But it’s not so bad.”
“I’m going to succeed,” said Nick. “I’m not going to be a vampire.”
“It is impossible.”
“I’ll make it possible.”
“Will you?”
“I will,” Nick affirmed.
Rose stared at him for a few seconds longer, then lifted one of the new jugs. “Then you will need to drink.”
He gladly took the jug from her, downing it all in one go, and then he immediately returned to his meditation. The mana was over 95% converted by this point. He knew that the break from meditation had been necessary, but seeing how much damage his mana had taken during that time still made him regret it. Even if he managed to turn the tides, it would be a long time before he had his own mana under control.
He started meditating in earnest again, not bothering to wait for Rose to leave. However, after a few minutes, she still had not moved from her spot crouching on the floor beside him. After about ten minutes, he finally heard her stand up, but rather than walking out the door, she walked around behind him and sat down. A second later, he felt her cold hand on his back, making him flinch.
He was about to break his concentration to tell her to stop touching him when he noticed something about the mana inside him had changed. The violent mana slowed its progress, and gathered slightly toward his back where her hand was. It was not much at all, but it was just barely enough that his circulation was suddenly not only able to keep up with the foreign mana, but to begin to fight back.
“I am sorry,” she said. “This is all I can do. And I will have to leave soon.”
It’s fine, Nick wanted to say. This is enough.
He circulated with renewed fervor, and as if responding to his emotions, he heard a ding from the System as {Mana Circulation} leveled again, letting him speed up further. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but by the time Rose drew her hand away, he had managed to convert enough to put him back to just below 90%. Now, without Rose’s help, the other mana was still corrupting faster than he could purify, but with his latest level-up, it was only by the tiniest margin. He knew that one more level would be enough to turn the tides for good, and thanks to Rose, he was now certain he had the time.
“I have left the other water jug beside you, and I will return at the end of the night with two more.”
The door closed behind her, while Nick continued to meditate as if she had said nothing. He had reached the most crucial point, and if he slipped now, it could be irreversible. The corruption in his mana was still climbing though slower now.
Hours passed, and the corruption continued to worsen. Nick's lifted spirits started to sink again as he once more reached 95% corrupted. Where was his level? Hadn’t he meditated for long enough already? What if it didn’t come?
His worries got to the point where he almost fell out of his meditative state when Rose returned. He barely managed to hold himself together, and then almost broke again when she started pouring water into his mouth. He was grateful, since his mouth had been getting dry, but also half-annoyed.
“I will return after sunset,” she said. “Do not forget to drink if you get thirsty. The Lady has not permitted you to die.”
The door closed for a final time, and though it took him a few moments, Nick re-entered the deep meditation state.
After an hour and a half, the corruption had increased. 96%.
Another hour and a half. 97%.
Another. 98%.
Another. 99%.
I’m sorry, Bi, he thought.
He was on the verge of giving up when he finally heard the sound he had been praying for.
Ding!
The corruption stopped. Then, it started reversing. After another hour passed, he was back to 98%. 97. 96. 95. 94. When nightfall came and Rose returned, he was down to 93%.
“You did not drink,” she said.
Nick responded by opening his eyes and smiling.
“And I didn’t become a vampire either.”
“I can see that. You need to drink.”
Nick reached for the water beside him, but his arm almost refused to respond. {Self-Regeneration} was strong, but the human body wasn’t meant to be stuck in a constant cycle of destruction and repair like his had been for a day and a half now. Rose saw his struggle, and bent down to grab the jug for him, holding it up to his lips. He drained the full jug, then the next one, then immediately returned to meditation. His body was weak, and his mind felt partially fractured, but he was overjoyed with his progress, and didn’t want to stop.
After a few seconds, Rose moved to sit behind him again, and his progress accelerated further. That night, Rose didn’t seem to even have as many responsibilities as the night before. She stayed to help him meditate for a full three hours, and he was able to get his mana’s corruption level down to just above half. He gained another level and brought it down nearly to a third by the time she returned with two more jugs of water for him to drink during the day.
By the end of that day, his mind was in a bad state, but he had never been happier. He could barely think straight, his mind constantly drifting, forcing him to keep it on a tight leash to maintain his meditation, but the corruption was down to less than 5%. 4%. He gained another level in {Mana Circulation} and the purification speed increased yet again. 3%. 2%. 1%. 0%.
Nick opened his eyes, smiling so widely he was sure he would have looked insane. He was about to stand up and leap for joy, but instead, doubled over from a pain inside his stomach. If the rampaging mana had been bad, then the new pain was hell. He couldn’t even scream. It was like he was being melted from the inside out. For a moment, he thought that his new mana that wasn’t quite the same as the old had decided to run rampant, but when he inspected his body, he noticed that it was still inert.
Wait, he thought. That’s not mana. What is-?
Before he had time to finish his thought, his mind went blank, and when he woke up again, he was curled up in a ball and surrounded by a translucent orange membrane.
[Beginning Evolution]
[Evolution Complete!]
I… failed? He thought.
[ You have completed your first humanoid evolution! +50 to all stats ]
[ Your new species is {Pseudo-Dhampir}: Strength +50, Agility +50, Dexterity +50, Fortitude +50, Charisma +50, Intelligence +50, Willpower +50, Mana +50, Mana Control +50 ]
[You have unlocked the skill {Aether Sense}]
[You have unlocked the skill {Absorb Aether}]
[You have unlocked the skill {Vampire-Bane}]
Pseudo-Dhampir? Aether?
Had he really failed? He wasn’t a vampire. But he wasn’t human anymore either. But what was a Pseudo-Dhampir? And what was Aether?
He pushed his way out of the cocoon and inspected his body. He was completely naked, his clothes nowhere to be seen, leaving just raw, pink skin. He looked the same as before. In fact, it looked even better than before. It felt better too. The +100 to every stat was incredible. And most of all, his heart and lungs felt stronger. That shouldn’t have been the case. He knew vampires didn’t have beating hearts, and he had never heard Rose breathing. Looking back, he didn’t remember the Lady breathing either.
He checked the description of his new race, and when he read through it the first time, he was dumbstruck. Then he smiled. As he re-read the description, his smile widened with every word. He almost shouted for joy when he heard a noise from behind him that made him jump.
He turned to look and saw Rose standing up from his bed, her expression as unreadable as ever. He froze for a moment, but then his smile returned.
“I did it!”