Lilith’s Pov

After that, we followed the kid in awkward silence. Slowly the streets became smaller and rougher. Misshapen wooden builds to our left and right. The people around were no better. Ragged clothes with dirty faces and somewhat lifeless expressions. The more we walked the worse it got until we reached the end of an ally. A wooden hut with more holes than walls or roof stood there.

My heartbeat rose as my eyes landed on the decrepit place. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way but something or someone was calling to me from in there. My instincts were rushing me to hurry and get there right now but I understood that would be an inappropriate action.

The seconds went by like hours as we walked. Every single one of us feeling nervous to no end. The kid perhaps thought I wouldn’t keep my word as he held his fists tight enough for his knuckles to go white. I was trying my best to contain my instincts and the urge to go find what was calling for me. Finally, my ever-loving family could feel my impatience and nervousness through our bond and so they too became impatient and nervous.

“Please wait here. As I said my sister is sick so I will speak to her first”

We had finally reached the door of the hut. After hearing those words I didn’t want to wait any longer. The call I felt in my very soul was deafening to the point making simple thoughts became a struggle. Even so, I held it all in and nodded as speaking had become too much of a task for my current state of mind. Once again the seconds felt like hours, an unbearable eternity so close to what my soul desires.

“Okay, it's fine you may come in”

Finally, the kid opened the door once again. I had to spend every single ounce of energy I held in my body to hold myself back. The room was small and dimly lit by the little sunlight that could go past the nearby buildings. In a small somewhat broken bed a small girl slept. Her face drained from its colour as her features looked almost skeletal from poor nutrition.

I felt anger and sorrow well inside my heart. I didn’t know who this was but somehow I wished for her well being with everything I had. Looking once again I could see atop her head a pair of canine wolf-like ears. Her hair a nice black lustrous color, she would be quite beautiful if not for her current predicament.

“Here. A promise is a promise”

I extended my hand with the pouch of mana grass to the boy who looked at us with worried eyes.

“Yes! I will be right back please look after her!”

With those words he ran outside to gods knows where. Maybe he is looking for a pharmacist to concoct the medicine? I hope it goes well. Once again I looked at the weak girl sleeping with a pained expression. Maybe, if I were to turn her into a member of my family everything would be alright. That thought flashed through my mind.

My instincts screamed in my mind with different meanings. A strong desire to help her overwhelmed me at the same time a feeling of dread and danger assaulted my senses. I was inches away from her neck, my mouth open to reveal my fangs. The mixed messages made my mind become a mess and trying to think was akin to walking inside a swamp.

I made my mind and bit her neck. Warmblood flowed from the wound with the sweetest taste I had ever drunk. It was intoxicating and made my mind’s turmoil to grow even further. An immense joy filled my very soul as I swallowed the liquid. However, it’s said that the most lethal of poisons tend to be the sweetest.

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The next moment I felt my mouth burn and well as my throat and stomach. Instinctively I stopped drinking and fell to the floor puking the blood I had drunk alongside my own in a black mess. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. Even so, my mind instantly fled elsewhere. Looking back at the sick girl her pained expression only grew as her breathing grew distorted. Sweat drops forming on her forehead as a mad fever assaulted her body.

Mia reacted of course. She instantly held me in her arms while menacingly looking at the sick girl. As of now, I couldn’t speak, my vocal cords useless due to the burns. Even so, I commanded all of my family to stay put. I wished no harm to come to this girl and instead all I felt was fear. Fear that my actions might extinguish her life.

“Mia, look into her. Please tell me what is wrong”

My voice sounded horrendous, like a nail scraping against glass. My wound has already started healing but the speed was extremely low compared to usual. However, I didn’t care. My priority right now is to save this girl no matter what.

“As you wish”

With those words, Mia let go of me. She understood that I wasn’t requesting her to do so. No, this was an order. She began to do what she could and used her limited magic to peek at the girl’s condition. Luckily for me, she managed to find out what was wrong and my fears became a reality.

“Master. Her body is rejecting master’s gift and is fighting it. Not only that. Her original condition seems to be tied to the same thing that is fighting master’s gift. If left unattended she will die in no less than two days”

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. This was my fault! If I had been patient and waited for her brother to come back with the medicine everything would have been alright!

“That is not the case master. Even if you hadn’t done what you did the medicine wouldn’t have worked. I am no expert but with whatever is happening to her I can tell it wouldn’t work. At most, it would have treated the symptoms for some time”

Looks like Mia figured out what I was thinking from my distress. But this solves nothing! I need to find a way to save her. I need to find a way to fix this. I need her! I don’t understand why but something deep inside me is telling me that. I truly need her!

“Mia. Is there a way to save her? I don’t care if it’s improbable, I don’t care if it’s just a hypothesis, anything will do!”

“Yes, as you know I am, or rather was an elf. We have vast knowledge of herbs. I think an extract of moon-bloom and sun-bloom might do the trick”

“Good, let’s get going then. Tell me the rest of the information on the go”

With that said Mia cleaned the blood I had puked and we left in a hurry. On the way towards the gate, Mia told me the details of the two herbs and the reason why she believed they might work. Since we couldn’t use our superhuman speed to get out without being noticed. We had to run at normal human speed. This gave more than enough time for her explanation.

Moon-bloom is a herb that absorbs the essence of the moon. It has calming characteristics while providing a healing effect. It is a rare herb that is hard to find as the flower only blooms during full moon nights, either moon will do. It is also believed that it has hidden characteristics but that is not important now.

Sun-bloom, on the other hand, could be said to be the opposite of moon-bloom. When consumed it will stimulate the nervous system and cause an increase in energy. Just like moon-bloom, it is a rare herb with special blooming conditions. It only blooms for a minute each day as the sun reaches its peak in the sky.

Fortunately. There is no need to pick them up while blooming for them to exhibit their characteristics. The downside is that they look like any other herb while not in full bloom. Mia did her best to explain the minute characteristics so we could discern them even when they weren’t blooming and so we finally exited the town.

As we stepped into the forest I spoke. My mind was still in turmoil but I had to make a decision and that is what I did.

“As of now, I lift the restriction on superhuman movement and abilities. Do anything you need to do to find these herbs before the two-day mark. I don’t care if you have to kill some unlucky adventurer or whatever. Just get me the damned herbs. We will meet her again in two hours”

With that said we went our separate ways while searching. Now I was alone running through the forest at an insane speed. While looking around. With each second that went by my impatience grew and at some point, I started smashing trees and boulders out of frustration. Time continued to flow and due to the ruckus I was causing monsters began to approach me. They died gruesome deaths.

An hour passed by with no results. Each herb I thought might be the one was just a dud and so the terrain became scared from my anger. Fatigue was a foreign word to me. Due to this vampiric constitution of mine, I could push myself to the limit and get reinvigorated by drinking the blood of whatever poor creature dared step on my path.

Another hour went by with no success. Like I bullet I rushed back to our meeting point with the hope that any of the others would have had luck.

“Did any of you find anything?!”

“I am sorry master, no luck on my side”

whimper, whimper, whimper.

“Then again! Two hours we meet her, move out!”

Like that each went on their way to look once more. I would keep this up until we find it or until, no I won’t allow it. We will find those damned herbs even if it’s the death of me.