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The four of them stopped in their tracks, their breaths quickening, their chests tightening with fear. The faint blue light emanating from Gorioku's lamp began to waver due to his trembling hands. The wet sound of digestion, the crunching, and the blood dripping from the ceiling in the darkness became closer and clearer.

And suddenly, it appeared from the shadows.

It was tall, unnervingly thin, wearing a long black coat that blended both elegance and terror. Its skin was pale, as though it had never known the sun. Its eyes were red, glowing like two embers in a black night, and its jet-black hair cascaded down to its shoulders. Its face was a mixture of deadly handsomeness and creeping dread. When it spoke, its voice slithered out like an icy whisper—slow, taunting, filled with sarcasm.

"Coats again, children?" it said in a soft, calm voice, tilting its head curiously, as if before a small game. Its eyes glowed brighter. "And I was waiting for my princess." It smiled, revealing sharp, gleaming fangs. "But no matter, I can still have some fun."

Iria, trying to hold her composure, screamed, her voice trembling: "Vampire, stay away, or I'll show you the sun!"

The vampire laughed, its laugh cold and frozen, like the wail of winds on a stormy night. "Oh, the sun... hmm... it seems my moment has come. The sun never appears here..." It stepped forward slowly, its voice dripping with mockery as the children stepped back in fear and tension.

"And since the sun no longer affects vampires, I suppose you could say we're the newer models."

Gorioku, retreating, choked out, "We're not human... So eating us won't make you stronger, and you won't like the taste."

"Human?" the vampire repeated, as if it were a word it had never heard before. It closed its eyes for a moment, then opened them with a twisted grin, speaking in a chilling French accent and placing its hand dramatically on its chest. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen a human that I’ve forgotten their taste. But let me tell you something..."

It lunged at them with terrifying speed, like a shadow piercing through the void. Before anyone could scream, it was behind Iria, running its cold fingers through her hair. "Whether you're human or not, as long as the blood is crimson, it will welcome my mouth."

Iria screamed and tried to run, but it grabbed her coat and yanked her back, lifting her slowly, making her groan as drops of her blood fell to the ground from its claws sinking into her arm.

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"This is what I mean!" the vampire sneered, touching her blood with his finger, then licking it slowly. "Tell me, little one... do you know your blood type? Or would you like me to tell you?"

The vampire said in French, raising her higher, his claws digging deeper into her arm, causing her to whimper in pain, blood droplets splashing onto the stone floor.

Yuna rushed forward, attempting to attack with her gun. "Leave her alone!"

But the vampire bent unnervingly, dodging the attack as if floating in the air. "What's this? A gun? Oh, I’m so terrified now!" It laughed loudly, then lightly pushed Yuna away, causing her to crash into the wall. It then directed its hand towards the gun and, as though mentally controlling objects, it brought it to its hands. It examined it with admiration. "Attacking a vampire with a gun is foolish, especially when it’s empty, little one." Then it threw it back at Yuna, whose back slammed hard into the wall, rendering her motionless. The vampire then advanced toward her, dragging its hand from Iria’s arm to her neck, choking her. It knelt beside her and stared into her frightened brown eyes as she trembled, trying to move but pressed against the wall. She coughed weakly, exhausted from the impact, her sweat dripping down her forehead. Then it spoke coldly, "You remind me of someone I know very well... Someone very close. Could it be—"

It couldn’t finish its words as a magical strike shot toward it. The vampire dodged it with astounding speed and threw Iria aside, making her gasp for air but crash into the wall with such force that it left a large hole.

It was Emma. She gasped for air, her fear palpable as she glared at the vampire. Her hand trembled, but she raised it high. A swirl of bright pink energy appeared, glowing with small sparks. She shouted, "Stay away from them!"

A wave of pink magic surged toward the vampire, who leapt backward with ease, clapping his hands. "Wow, a little girl knows how to use magic? I haven’t seen this in a long time. Impressive." Then, suddenly, he stopped, surrounded by a terrifying aura, his voice growing more dangerous. "But don’t forget... I am stronger."

In an instant, he was in front of her, his cold breath hitting her face. He grabbed her wrist, but despite the fear filling Emma's eyes, she released another burst of magic directly at him.

The energy exploded, but it did nothing to him—it was as if it merely scratched him. He wiped the dust from his shoulder with mockery and advanced so fast that Emma couldn’t even process it. He scratched her arm, causing her to scream and collapse to the ground, clutching her bleeding arm in agony.

Gorioku, witnessing all of this, was lost in thought, his breath quickening, his heart pounding in his chest as if it might explode.

What should I do? What can I do? Should I run?

If I help with my power... will it even matter? His strike barely even scratched him! Will gravity affect him?

These thoughts raced in Gorioku's mind as the vampire closed in on him with deliberate steps, the air thickening, while Iria, Yuna, and Emma had all collapsed from the vampire's scratches!

Gorioku’s breathing grew more erratic as he pressed his back against the wall. He knew there was no escape, and all paths were blocked. Suddenly, a gray swirl of energy appeared in his hands. He directed it toward the vampire in defense, shouting, "Don’t come close! Or… or..."

He swallowed his saliva, dripping sweat from fear. He knew he was doomed.

The vampire continued to approach him, its crimson eyes fixed on him, then it remarked softly with a grin: "Your hair is not common, half white, half black. Who did you inherit this hair from?"

It grabbed a lock of Gorioku's hair, feeling it as Gorioku trembled. But then, unexpectedly, the vampire stepped back without doing anything to him. It turned its gaze back to Yuna, studying her form.

And suddenly, its body began to change. Its breaths turned to a low screeching sound. His body shrank, and his limbs transformed into leathery wings. Within seconds, it turned into a small black bat. It looked at them one last time with its glowing red eyes and said, "Stay alive. I may return. I hope you enjoyed my company, but unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to..."

It flew toward Yuna, who was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw the bat.

"Stay safe, Yuna!" It said slowly, especially emphasizing the last word, leaving Yuna in confusion and surprise.

Then, it flew upward, seemingly emerging from a portal into the green moonlight, leaving the sound of its wings filling the void.

"Are we done?" Iria asked, breathing heavily and collapsing to the ground.

"I think we're—" Gorioku couldn't finish his sentence when suddenly the ground and walls began to shake, cracks forming in the walls and dust spilling out. The walls broke apart, and the four of them fell into an abyss, unsure where it would take them. As they screamed on their way down, they landed on something... children too, two in worse coats and two in yellow.

"What the hell is this?" one of the children said, pushing Emma, who had fallen on top of him, causing her to crash onto the ground. He clutched his head, bleeding from the rocks that had fallen on it, looking at the newcomers.

"It seems we’re not alone anymore..