The veins bulged grotesquely under the relentless strain of the silver blood coursing through them. The pressure was unbearable, each pulse threatening to tear them apart. With every beat of my heart, I could feel the walls of my veins weakening, small cracks forming with every violent surge. My body was now a network of swollen, red, bulging veins, each one throbbing as though holding back the force of ten rivers. The pressure grew unbearable until finally, the inevitable happened—the first vein burst.

An explosion of agony followed as searing pain ripped through me, veins erupting one after another. Silver blood gushed from the ruptures, coating my white silk gown in shimmering liquid. It dripped down my skin, splattering onto the jade platform beneath me, then continued to cascade down to the pristine marble floor below, staining it a gleaming silver.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Normally, the veins would withstand the pressure, but this blood—my silver blood—wasn't ordinary. It was the blood of ascended beings, those who had already surpassed their mortal forms, yet my body—still in its primal state—couldn't contain it. My veins were too weak, like those of any other vampire post-feeding, and the essence of the moon, imbued in my silver blood, was simply too potent for my unrefined body to handle.

The realization hit me hard, making me groan in frustration. I hadn't even begun the true awakening, and already the flower had shown its thorns. This was a disastrous start. Through the haze of pain, I could see faint fireflies—glowing motes of moonlight—forming around me, drawn by the intense lunar energy. But the excruciating agony made it impossible to focus on them, let alone guide them.

Even if I could concentrate, what good would it do? My veins, the paths that should lead the fireflies to my heart, were destroyed. I still attempted to gather the fireflies, using every ounce of willpower I had, but the pain clawing at me made it almost impossible. When I finally succeeded in pulling them closer, a new burst of pain erupted as yet another vein exploded, scattering silver blood everywhere. The fireflies dispersed instantly, sent scattering by the violent rupture.

They were delicate—too delicate for such chaotic conditions. They needed to be guided with precision, gently flowing along the bloodstream until they reached the heart. But without intact veins, how could I possibly manage that?

I was drowning in frustration. The pain was unbearable, consuming every part of my mind. I couldn't think, I couldn't focus, and the more I tried, the worse it became.

Then, in a moment of clarity amidst the haze, an idea struck me. Nocturnals could heal, even if torn apart, as long as they had essence to sustain them. My body was bleeding profusely, silver blood gushing from every burst vein, every tear in my flesh. I had no time to lose. With grim determination, I peeled off my now-soaked robe, throwing it aside. My entire body was a horror show of ruptured veins, blood leaking from every inch, making me look like a grotesque fountain of silver.

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I raised my hand, watching as my nails elongated into sharp claws. Without hesitation, I brought them to my chest, directly above my heart. The claws sank deep into my flesh, pain shooting through me in waves so intense it made my entire body tremble. But I didn't stop. I clenched my fingers and tore a chunk of flesh from my chest, barely able to keep myself from screaming as fresh agony washed over me.

Flesh dangled from my hand, torn from my body, as I looked down at the gaping wound. My heart was still concealed beneath layers of muscle. I plunged my claws in again, ripping away more and more, piece by piece, until I could finally see my heart. It pulsed frantically beneath the layers of torn flesh, exposed, vulnerable.

The pain was indescribable, far beyond anything I had ever imagined. Coherent thought was now a distant memory, my mind overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it all. But I knew what I had to do. If my veins couldn't guide the fireflies to my heart, I would give them a direct path.

Through blurry vision, I attempted to gather the fireflies again. But the pain was too much. Even the simple act of thinking felt impossible. I could barely control my movements, let alone guide the fireflies. But then something strange happened. The veins connected to my heart, now exposed, began to burst as well, sending out fresh waves of pain. Yet, the sight of it brought a twisted sense of satisfaction. The fireflies, attracted to the source of the silver blood, swarmed towards my heart.

The fireflies entered, one after another, reinforcing the heart's fragile structure. For a moment, hope flickered within me. But then I realized the next cruel twist. My heart, now riddled with tiny holes from the ruptured veins, couldn't retain the essence. The fireflies' reinforcement dispersed as quickly as it gathered, making their efforts futile.

Desperation set in. What could I do now? Every idea seemed useless. My body was failing me in every possible way. Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain wracked my body—worse than anything I'd experienced thus far. My organs began to swell, their desperate need for blood unmet. The veins were gone, leaving no way for the life-giving essence to reach them. The organs, deprived, swelled grotesquely, fighting for survival.

The pain escalated to a level that defied comprehension. It felt as though every fiber of my being was aflame, each organ on the verge of explosion. Memories of my death in the hospital bed, consumed by liver cancer, flashed before me. But this—this was far worse. That pain had been a tickle compared to the inferno raging within me now. The pain now was like my entire being every organ was riddles with cancer one even more intense than the one that killed me in the previous life.

And then, all at once, everything stopped. For a fleeting moment, I felt nothing. No pain, no sensation at all. The silence was almost peaceful.

But it didn't last.

Without warning, the pain returned—this time, it was beyond words. My organs, having swollen to their limits, burst all at once. The sound was like a bomb going off inside me, the impact obliterating every sense I had. My body exploded into pieces, chunks of flesh flying apart, silver blood spraying across the platform, splattering the ground like molten metal.

As my consciousness faded, the last thing I saw was the swarm of fireflies descending on the shattered remnants of my body, around the pulsing chunks of meat scattered across the floor.