A red sky. But Eli no longer jumped or played happily on the mountain of corpses. A stake stood high in the middle of the hill, and Eli was chained to it. She gazed at the red moon, now closer than ever, its color deeper, blood red. Eli stared at it intently.

"Greetings, Sana." Eli turned toward me.

"What happened? Why are you chained up there?"

"The price of my wish. Droner Gustav has been found. Vengeance is within my grasp. Once it's fulfilled, my soul will be devoured by the Reaper Comet, as per the contract," Eli said.

"You'll be gone?"

"And my body will be yours to do with as you wish. Please, be happy for my sake." Eli smiled. A wave of sadness washed over me. Eli was a psychopathic maniac, but her fate struck me as tragically unfair.

"Is there any way I can free you?"

"No. This was my decision. I loathed everyone. Nobody loved me. The only ones who ever loved me were my grandfather and mother." She cursed under her breath. "And maybe you... but it's too late. I can't break the contract. And even if I could, it would mean your death."

"I see." I nodded. When I was in the hospital, my mom and dad always talked to me about heaven. They kept saying I was a good girl, and that I'd definitely go to heaven. In heaven, I'd be able to walk, I'd be healthy, and I'd be able to play with others who were as kind as I was.

I didn't dare say that to Eli. She's a villain. She made a pact with demons for her revenge. Even if heaven exists, it won't accept her. But still, she is my friend. Thanks to her pact, I was able to live here. I made friends, I could exercise, and I even became an assassin, like the ones in video games. I couldn't bring myself to curse her.

"I wonder if there's also a place for me there. Could you wait for me?" I muttered absentmindedly. Eli looked at me, bewildered.

[Blessing of the Killing Star has reached maximum level.

Choose your upgrade:

Vampire transformation]

This upgrade finally appeared in the end. Fate seemed to want me to become a vampire. I didn't mind; I was quite bloodthirsty and had killed many people of my own accord.

"You really are pure, aren't you, Sana? Why don't you call me like what they did? Creepy kid. Evil kid. Demongirl…” Eli looked at me, her darkness surfacing as she mocked me.

"People who mock others—they've never suffered. That's why they can look down on others. Because they feel like they'll never be in their shoes."

"Enough talking. I'm not sure how you'll survive this. Good luck. These demons are born with a natural mana aptitude."

"Bye-bye." I hugged her again

"Thank you, Sana. I'll see if I can reserve a spot for you here. Bye-bye."

I woke up with a start. The sun had set a long time ago. I yawned, about to complain, but then I remembered why we were here.

"Enemy attack?" I asked Hellbiter and Hell Archer. The answer came a moment later in the form of an explosion on the stone wall. I leaped to the window, sensing danger.

"Let's fight them!" Hellhound roused himself, teleporting outside and decapitating another demon. We all followed him. Fireballs rained down on us like meteors. The demons didn't hold back, scorching the very earth around us. I tried my best to shield everyone with my dark tentacles, but the intense heat from the barrage overwhelmed us.

"Eli!" Hellhound shouted as we all lay beneath a pile of rubble. Smoke filled the air, and there was nothing in sight. All the buildings had been leveled. The western part of Sand Pearl was in ruins.

*Cough cough

"Are you okay?" Hellhound asked, but I screamed as his words were cut short. The demons came down in droves. Just as one was about to kill him, Hellhound teleported.

"Damn it," he cursed. He was ready to retaliate but froze when another demon grabbed one of his friends.

"Surrender, or your friends will die," the demon said. Hellhound hesitated, but the demon smirked and plunged his sword into his chest the moment Hellhound let his guard down.

"Boss!" Hell Archer screamed. "What the hell are you doing? He surrendered!"

"You will die! This land belongs to Rausha, our king. Perish!" the demons sneered as they slaughtered Hellbiter, Hell Archer, and Hellknight one by one. Using my enhanced strength, I broke free from the demon holding me and slashed his throat with a spare dagger. Their skin was tough, condensed with muscle like rubber. Without enhanced strength, I doubted I could cut through it. Either their blades were duller than my dagger, or I was just too exhausted.

"Die!" the demons screamed. I glanced around and saw over two hundred of them—all bearing signs of being mages. My strength was fading. I needed to escape or... should I use that?

"Ah!" I was knocked back. My vision blurred as my strength drained from me. In the end, I couldn't achieve what I wanted.

I looked at the blue box that appeared before me.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

[Choose your upgrade:

Necromancy Level 2

Vampire Dominance

Improved Speed Level 2]

[Choose your upgrade:

Vampire Transformation]

"Eli… if I fail to kill Droner now, will your soul go to heaven?" I muttered. I could probably escape if I transformed into a vampire. However, when I remembered how Eli was chained on that mountain of corpses, my hand froze. She had looked so lonely. Despite her dismissive and brave front, I knew she must have been afraid. The encroaching red moon was terrifying. Why did I never notice it until now? Eli must have been shielding me from its menace. If my death could prevent that...

"What a silly girl. Let me do that for you. I'm sorry you had to go through this, Sana."

Eli's whisper resounded in my heart—not harsh and full of bloodlust like usual, but gentle, like the flowing water of a spring. It reminded me of my childhood days in kindergarten. Even though I wasn't able to play on the field, I was still allowed to watch them. The warm weather, the sunny sky, the gentle breeze.

My hand clicked on the blue box, selecting Vampire Transformation and Dominance. But afterward, nothing happened. A demon quickly approached and pierced me from behind. I felt the blade slip from my back through to my chest, and then the demon lifted me like a piece of meat hanging on a skewer. Pain rose up from my chest. However, it quickly subsided before I could even groan. Blood flowed from the wound like a river.

"We've suffered some losses. We should fortify our position to welcome reinforcements," one demon said. Then he smirked. "Well, as expected from lowly races. Only a few of them pose a threat to us, the Divine Horned Race. Our magic will crush them."

"Yes!" another demon saluted.

"Capture the remaining humans and kill them. This continent will be ours! The next transport ship will be here in a few months."

"Yes, sir!"

I felt my body growing colder, but my heart burned hotter. The smell of blood was intoxicating, like sweet wine. Anger swelled within me as I realized I had abandoned my humanity. I cried. Even though I was ready to die, Eli wouldn't let me. She would rather sacrifice herself to the Reaper Comet than forget her vengeance.

If that's her wish… I'll comply. I'm her friend, after all. A good friend tries to save their friend from prison. But a best friend? They join them in prison. Eli, please save me a seat there. I'll join you soon.

"ARGH!!" One of the demons screamed as I bit his leg when he walked past me. I jumped to my feet, blood dripping from my mouth.

"She's still alive!"

"How is she still alive? I stabbed her through the chest!" The demons began to panic.

"Kill her!"

"ARGH!!" The demon I had bitten screamed as the curse spread through his body. When his comrades tried to help him, he bit one of them in the neck, causing further confusion. With my transformation, my stamina was no longer limited. I quickly dashed toward another demon. He blocked my dagger with ease, but I had new weapons—my teeth. I bit his hand, and within seconds, the curse seeped into him, turning him into a vampire like the others.

The number of victims rose from three to six, then to ten, then to twenty. The demons hesitated to fight their own kin, knowing that one bite would turn their comrades against them.

"Kill her, and the curse will disappear!" one of the demons shouted. But it was futile. I could command these demons as I wished. They lunged at their former allies, protecting me. Magic was cast by those who had been turned into lesser vampires.

"Fire! Even if we kill our comrades, I declare that you won't be a kinslayer! We must kill her! She's a heretic to our cause! She's desecrated the bodies of our kin! She must be killed, and her body shall be cursed," the captain demon ordered.

I snuck among the ruins as my vampires caused more chaos. Even though they had the same abilities, my vampires felt no pain. They charged at the demons like maniacs, behaving more like zombies from a B-rated movie than vampires. With my mana perception, I could see some demons trying to reach me, but unlike before, they were too disorganized. With my endless stamina, I dispatched them easily.

"Stop! We surrender! Spare—AHH!!!"

"Why should I accept your surrender when you didn't accept ours?" I sighed. It felt anticlimactic. Vampires are known to be weak to sunlight, so I needed to move to the baron's mansion and interrogate Droner Gustav about these demons. That should give Claire some valuable information.

As dawn arrived, all the demons were dead. After interrogating some of the servants in the mansion, I discovered that these demons had come from massive transport ships docked at the port, disguising themselves as merchants.

"You're supposed to help me! Didn't we have an agreement? You let me become governor of Elderan, and I'll let you take the rest!" I returned to the baron's mansion, where a middle-aged man was complaining endlessly to my vampires. His words held no weight; he knew something was wrong with them, but he couldn't do anything. He was a mage, though a low-level one—barely level 3.

"Greetings. You are Droner Gustav, right?"

"Is this your magic? Did you subdue all of them on your own? Great, great! Help me. You must understand, I was forced! If they—AGH!!" I stabbed him in the chest. It was foolish of me to even ask him questions. He couldn't even introduce himself.

I cast necromancy on him. However, my necromancy had improved dramatically. His corpse wasn't sluggish; he stood up and knelt before me. Other zombies I had raised couldn't move with such sharpness.

"Are you Gustav?"

"Yes, Milady." Even his speech had improved.

"Do you remember five years ago, when you killed my grandfather and mother? Why did you do it?"

"Forgive me. It was a ploy to take back Shadowstep's territory. By killing the war hero, we hoped it would make it easier to seize Shadowstep's lands," Gustav replied.

"Eli?" I muttered. Shadowy tentacles emerged from me, forming the shape of a human. I knew who it was.

"So, you killed my Mother and Grandfather just to satisfy your own greed? To take more land? Is there another one to your ploy" the shadow spoke.

"Yes. The plot consists of assassinating nobles in Shadowstep County. Once they are weakened, we plan to invade them. However, when we failed to do so due to the reapers, I was demoted. Then, these horned humans offered me to be their henchmen. In return, I have to provide them with food and maps. Sand Pearl, together with four other cities, was supposed to be their beachhead in their invasion."

"Anyone else in your ploy?"

"Me and the assassinated members of the Monster Taming Guild were the only ones who planned the plot."

"I see." The shadow vanished, and my consciousness was drawn back to the familiar mountain of corpses I often saw in my dreams.

"You're calmer than I expected," I greeted her. Eli looked at me. As I said before, she was calm. I was expecting her to rage and throw stuff after learning about Droner's ploy.

"People kill each other. They rob each other. We were no different. I can't hate him when he's just like us—murderers. This emptiness... Is this the end of my path for vengeance? It brings no satisfaction."

"I told you a long time ago…"

"Yes, you did. Well, this was less climactic than I'd hoped. But our contract is fulfilled. I won't be bothering you again."

"You were never a bother, Eli." I hugged her. We were like twins in this world. Even though we had different souls, we were the same.

As I embraced her, motes of red light began to float away from her. Each light took a piece of her ethereal body until she disintegrated completely. At that moment, I understood—Eli was gone. I could feel that my heart was mine again. The burning vengeance that once fueled me had vanished like the wind. I glanced at my knives. I no longer felt any admiration for them. I sobbed.

Eli was a villain. She was evil. But why does it hurt so much now that she's gone? She was irreplaceable to me.

That evening, an army marched toward Sand Pearl.

Claire, you're late.