Protagonist Hunter

'An, protect the entrance let no one into this place!' Hearing Temorsth's command in her head, Antanasia disappeared from the depths of the cave that was their resting and sleeping place.

She could have just sat still and it would have been just as guarded with her incredible sense, it's just that Antanasia didn't want Lily to see her face, she feared Lily would recognize her since she worked for her family before.

Temorsth walked into the cave, his steps echoing softly against the rough stone walls, while Lily followed closely behind, her presence like a gentle breeze in the dimly lit cavern.

The air carried a hint of earthy musk, mingling with the chilliness that enveloped them both. As they ventured deeper into the cave, their path led them to a new stone door at the back end.

"Hm?" Lily's brows furrowed in surprise. Though she had frequented this cave before, the sudden appearance of the door puzzled her.

"My protector created a new stone room just for today." While the stone door was pushed open with a light touch, Temorsth revealed.

"I know you see something over my head." As Temorsth went into the room he continued, his gaze fixed on Lily. A shaft of pale light filtered through a narrow crevice in the cave ceiling, casting a gentle glow upon his features.

"Uh!?" Lily's eyes widened, astonishment flickering in their depths.

'How...?' She marveled at how he could perceive the invisible, the intangible that lay beyond the realm of ordinary senses, something that not a single being ever before could see.

"I just want to ask what it shows." Temorsth pressed, his voice filled with curiosity.

"...?" Lily's confusion deepened, her mind spinning with questions. How did he know? How could he decipher the system? Yet, in the face of such mysteries, she chose to trust the currents of fate, not the one that forced her to be a main character but rather the one that had brought them together.

"It says..." Her voice faltered for a moment, a fleeting hesitation.

Then, she found her resolve, her words resolute and unwavering. "[Favorability: -5% (Indifference)]"

"Hmh..." A flicker of contemplation crossed Temorsth's face, the depths of his eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions.

"It is in the minus... So it knows... Then let me ask you this." He ventured, his voice tinged with something like vulnerability.

"Uh..." Lily's heartbeat was loud in her head, as the glow of the cave's light accentuated the contours of Temorsth's features, casting gentle shadows upon his expression.

"When I say I like you, do you think I'm lying?" Temorsth's question hung in the air as if the entire world held its breath for her response.

"No," Lily replied, her voice steady and assured.

"Um, and why do you think I'm not?" Temorsth's curiosity was palpable, his desire to understand the complex workings of trust which he couldn't understand apparent in his gaze.

"You don't like lies," Lily answered, her voice soft yet resolute, a testament to the depths of her perception.

This time, it was Temorsth who was taken aback, his features frozen in a mix of surprise and introspection. In that fleeting moment, the truth of his own feelings lingered unspoken.

In fact, he himself did not know the correct answer to the question.

"..." After a thought, he continued.

"In all the life I've known, there have only been six people I've loved and love more than you."

"Ugh..." Even though it was only six, it was still a number that was a bit painful to hear.

Seeing Lily's face turn slightly uncomfortable, he continued.

"If you take out family members, there's only one I loved more than you, but...she's dead."

"...!" Hearing this Lily was both happy and sad, a duality of emotions that was hard to explain.

"And now is your last chance to turn around and run away."

"...?"

"If you stay now, you become mine, mine alone until the end of time!"

"..."

"Decide with the knowledge that you are without the chance to turn back after this point."

"I..." Hearing his voice, first, she stuttered a bit but then her gaze turned determined.

"I don't have to decide. I already know what I want!"

[Notice: The preordained plot of the "Vampire Queen's Ascension" Story has been significantly altered.]

[Congratulations: The Host has become the expected only male lead in the "Vampire Queen's Ascension" Story.]

[Potential increased!]

[Luck has increased!]

"Hmh..." A slight smile appeared on Temorsth's face, but it disappeared the moment he heard the system continue.

[Notice: The Host has conquered one of the chosen of fate and destiny!]

'Hm... what is...?'

[Congratulations: The Host has successfully become a Protagonist Hunter!]

'...'

[Notice: System update required!]

[...]

[Authorization received!]

[Updating...]

'You again...' As Temorsth listened to the system, he went and sat down in a lotus position in the middle of the stone room.

[Update finished!]

[Destiny Stealing system integrated!]

'Uh?' As Temorsth took out some sealing bottles to take out the beast cores from them, a new panel appeared before him.

[Protagonists

Conquered: 1

Befriended: 0

Killed: 0]

'Ugh, I don't have time for you now.' As Temrosth put the empty bottles back into his ring, he made the panel before his face disappear.

"Alright." And finally, as everything settled into a semblance of tranquility, Temorsth retrieved his gleaming spear, a weapon infused with the power of a god.

The room was bathed in a soft glow as he poised himself to absorb both the energy of dark and light from the cores.

With a calculated rhythm, he embarked on a delicate dance, absorbing the energies in measured intervals, alternating between the dark and light forces.

Veins bulged on his neck, a testament to the strain he endured, his teeth clenched in determination, betraying the pain that coursed through his body.

'My body... it feels like it is about to split in two again!' Temorsth's inner turmoil echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of the perilous path he had chosen to tread.

The dark energy surged within him, a torrent threatening to overwhelm his very being. The system, sensing the diversion of dark energy away from his Mana Core, stirred with inquiry.

[Notice: The Host already has a Mana Core, does the Host want to exchange it for a new core?]

"NO!" His resolute response reverberated in the chamber, but with it came a surge of intensified agony, gripping his body with an unyielding grip.

*AHG* A guttural cry escaped his lips as he fought against the mounting pressure within.

The new core, a nascent entity forming adjacent to his Mana Core, pushed against his lungs and heart, its presence demanding attention.

Fire coursed through his veins, and blood vessels burst open, turning the whites of his eyes a fiery shade of red. Every breath became a battle, a delicate balance between agony and survival.

His muscles burned with an intensity that seared his very being, tormenting his every movement. The pain, in its paradoxical nature, heightened both when he breathed and when he refrained from it.

Amid this torment, Lily, sensing his anguish, made a decisive move. She swiftly cut her wrist, crimson droplets welling forth pressed to Temorsth's lips.

"Uhm...?" As Temrosth opened his mouth and began to drink, their gazes locked in an unspoken understanding while savoring each sip of her life-giving essence.

*Gulp*Gulp* The taste of her blood, a symphony of both sweetness and vitality, cascaded down his throat.

Though only a few sips passed between them, it proved enough to fuel the transformation that was underway. Temorsth felt the newly forming core expand. Its presence grew with each passing moment, as a subtle reddish hue permeated its ethereal form.

[Notice: The Host is creating a Vampire Core, the Host already has a Mana Core, does the Host want to replace it?]

"NO!" His vehement refusal echoed through the room, a testament to his unwavering resolve. Lily, taking a few steps back, braced herself as the metamorphosis surged forth, engulfing Temorsth in a maelstrom of sensations.

*Ahh...* Temorsth's body convulsed, a sensation akin to a heart attack coursing through him. His grip on his chest tightened, his entire being on the verge of collapse.

Each beat of his heart slowed, the rhythmic pulsations fading into a tranquil cadence. His body cooled, a chilling pallor washing over his skin.

Finally, after a few agonizing seconds, the majority of his pain subsided, leaving him in a state of serene stillness. Temorsth, his eyes closed, savored this newfound respite, his consciousness merging with the profound transformation unfolding within him.

When he finally opened his eyes, Lily took an involuntary step back, startled by the intensity radiating from his gaze.

His irises, once a bright blue window to his soul, were now completely consumed by a mesmerizing shade of red, their incandescent glow casting an otherworldly aura around him.

[Notice: The Host has successfully created the Vampire Core!]

[Notice: Based on ancestry, the Host's bloodline became a True Immortal Rank 'Royal Vampire'!]

[Potential increased!]

[The Host's luck has increased!]

[Notice: The Host's classification has changed from Humanoid Creature to Humanoid Monster!]

"Is everything alright?" Lily's voice pierced through the silence, her gaze searching for reassurance. Yet, to her dismay, the words eluded him, Temorsth looked lost in a realm beyond her reach.

"..." Temorsth couldn't hear the system or Lily.

Temorsth... he had never known what "hunger" felt like in his entire life. He knew when his body told him to eat or drink, but he never really knew what "hunger" or "thirst" was.

In his entire life, he had never had anything that he desired or carved, but that changed now. Right now, Temorsth could only see Lily's blood slowly flowing through her veins.

His lips and throat dried out as if he hadn't had a drink for hours or days. A voice screamed inside him.

'Drink it! Consume her!' And without a moment of hesitation, Temorsth disappeared and reappeared in front of Lily.

"Uh? Tem?" Lily couldn't even react to Temorsth who used Shadow Step. Without a second to waste Temorsth clutched Lily in his arms and bit down on her neck.

"Aug...Te..." Temorsth's senses were overwhelmed as he tasted the crimson nectar flowing from Lily's delicate neck.

It was an experience beyond anything he had ever imagined, a ravenous hunger awakened within him, driving him to consume her essence with a fervor he had never known.

With each swallow, a surge of unparalleled ecstasy coursed through his veins, intertwining pleasure and pain in a dance of forbidden desires. Lily, in a haze of mixed emotions, surrendered herself to the intoxication of Temorsth's bite.

The sting of his fangs piercing her skin sent shivers down her spine, yet a strange euphoria washed over her, blending pleasure and a profound connection.

It was a bittersweet union, a moment of vulnerability and acceptance, as she willingly offered herself to the one she cherished, finding solace in being desired so intensely.

As their intertwined destinies entwined, Lily could feel the depth of Temorsth's longing, his hunger for her transcending mere physical sustenance.

She experienced his yearning as her own, a merging of souls and desires in a dance of primal attraction.

The pain of his insatiable feeding tempered by the undeniable pleasure of being the object of such intense desire, felt like an affirmation of her own worth and significance.

The world around them faded into insignificance as their connection deepened, an unspoken bond forged in blood.

Temorsth's thirst seemed insatiable, his thirst for Lily's essence unyielding, and yet she offered no resistance, captivated by the consuming passion that bound them.

At that moment, their desires aligned, and the boundaries of pleasure and pain blurred, lost in the raw intensity of their union.

...

All this euphoria, this primal hunger, lasted but a fleeting moment. As Temorsth drank as much as he could, Lily's strength waned, her legs buckling beneath her.

"Aug..." She descended to the ground, her voice reduced to feeble moans that barely escaped her lips. Yet, Temorsth remained oblivious to her weakened state, his body driven solely by the insatiable craving for more.

After a few more seconds, Aidana started to call out to him her desperate calls echoed through his mind, desperately urging him to cease his relentless assault.

[Host...]

"..."

[Host!]

"..."

[If you don't stop this instant she will die!]

[Hey!!] Aidana's screams were all for naught.

"Tem... please..." And even Lily's feeble voice, drowned by her weakening state, failed to reach Temorsth's consciousness. No matter her pleas, Temrosth had succumbed to the relentless urges that surged through him, compelling him to drink deeper.

As Lily's feeble hand slipped from Temrosth's grasp, and the sensation of her touch dissipated, another voice emerged, a voice both commanding and laden with foreboding.

'Boy!' The voice reverberated with a deep resonance, a stark contrast to Aidana's gentle tone. It boomed so loudly that it seemed to reverberate throughout the world, unhidden and undeniable.

'Uh...' Recognition flickered within Temorsth, memories resurfacing, as he remembered the source of this imposing voice, the only one he would willingly accept as superior to himself.

'Boy, have you forgotten what I have said?' The words echoed with a weight that pierced through Temorsth's conscience. They carried a dire warning, a reminder of the consequences that awaited if he succumbed to the darkness within.

'Uh...' As the voice faded, rationality returned to Temrosth's eyes, and his inner turmoil momentarily quelled.

"Um?" Amidst the chaos, Temorsth became aware of the pain inflicted upon him. Lily, in her desperate struggle, had clawed at his clothes and skin, leaving marks upon his flesh.

"Come closer..." Yet, rather than recoiling from her actions, he offered her solace.

*Gulp*Gulp* Lily had already sunk her teeth into his neck, drinking from him with a fervor that mirrored his own.

Temorsth, undeterred by the exchange of blood, stroked Lily's hair, his touch soothing her tumultuous emotions. At that moment, he allowed her to drink freely, a testament to their interconnected desires.

'I stopped... So don't you dare come here...' A slight hesitation tinged his thoughts.

[No...]

'Um?'

[The Host didn't stop!]

'What do you mean?'

[She was killed by the Host...]

'What do you mean? She's fine don't you see?'

[Only because of her luck, or should I say her plot protected her. Normal people would have died by now.]

'Um, she's not dead, and that's what matters.'

As Lily continued to draw sustenance from him, Temorsth's gaze bore into her with unwavering resolve. His eyes reflected no trace of remorse, consumed instead by a twisted sense of purpose.

[...]

And so, the passing days witnessed their continuous companionship, their lives intertwined inextricably. But as time unfurled its relentless march, the moment of Temorsth's seventh birthday arrived.

"I have to go home."

"When will we meet again?"

"Perhaps when we are grown."

"No, that's too long..."

Observing Lily's pouting face, Temorsth drew nearer, his hand gently patting her head.

"Fear not, my dear. We will reunite when the time is right. I promise you, I shall never forget you, no matter the circumstances!" With a final goodbye, Temorsth vanished from her sight, leaving Lily clutching her chest, a sense of unease enveloping her.

"No... don't..."

It was as though this parting marked a farewell that would span ages. And... indeed, it was the last time they beheld each other for a time that for most could already be called history.