Second prince of Altria

"She is recovering," The guard said, in a bold voice without turning around to look at Ben.

"I know" Ben replied in the same monotonous tone as him before he started to walk toward the silver hair girl.

"Now that the girl is safe, what are you exactly planning to do next?" The guard asked, standing up from the ground, this time looking towards Ben, observing him closely.

Ben, on the other hand, inspected the girl thoroughly on the ground, he asked " How much time will it take for her to fully recover?"

[ My assumption is host, that she is already recovered. She is just sleeping due to stamina drain from all that incident ]

"Then I should better let her sleep for now." He decided in his mind before he faced the guard again.

"I am planning to stay at the village until I get any connection with my family again," Ben stated, thinking about the most logical answer in this case.

"Talk about a good opportunity." The guard thought he smiled from inside while keeping an emotionless look on his face.

"In that case, I will deliver your message to the village chief. But know that, until I get any response, you will have to stay outside the village." He said, in one line, a little hastily, before he walked towards the silver gate, where the other guard was standing.

"That's fine by me," Ben said, just enough loud so the guard can hear him.

...

...

"That was one good battle, I thought you were screwed for a second" The other guard, lazily said, watching his ally walking back towards him, holding his left hand.

"What happened? Did you guys come to a negotiation or something?" The other guard asked again, seeing that he didn't get any response to his first question.

"Keep an eye on them, until I return" He muttered, passing across the guard at the silver gate, a sharp smile decorated on his face.

"Sigh...Why do I always have to do these works." The other guard sighed while getting back on his duty.

...

"Gruber"

Ben held his stomach tightly, as soon as the guard disappeared from his sight. The pain was so much that he almost fell to the ground. A series of constant notifications popped on his screen, he could barely see what was written on it.

[ Low HP, Hunger is increasing ]

[ Alert. Hunger: SERVE ]

[ Alert: If you don't consume blood soon, your hunger will reach a critical state ]

As Ben gritted his teeth in pain, the veins on his body started to bulge up, clearly visible from the outside of his skin. his eyes were constantly glowing in crimson, as his canine teeth slowly elongated to more sharp and pointy.

The only thing inside Ben's mind right now was a sweet smell. The sweet scent of blood came from the girl before him. All his senses were screaming to him, s if he was looking at fruit juice after walking a long way through the desert.

"I didn't want to do this, but I have no other way," Ben muttered under his breath as if he was somehow fighting against his instincts, controlling himself from killing the prey before him.

Soon, the pain on his face was replaced by a sharp smile as he knelt near his prey and bit on her wrist.

[ Blood Consumed: 10ml]

[ HP: 40/100 ]

[ Half-Elf blood consumed: Exp:+5 Agility:+1 Strength:+1 ]

[ Blood Consumed: 10ml]

[ HP: 50/100 ]

As Ben gulped the warm blood down his throat, a satisfying feeling rushed into his body, the one with utmost pleasure, that can't be described in words.

Just in a matter of minutes, Ben felt an unexpected change in his body, all the injuries on his body were gone as if there was nothing to begin with.

As soon as he removed his fangs from her hands, the bite mark on her hands slowly started to heal, and disappear like nothing. But Ben was in a sensation of his own.

From when he used to be a mosquito, Ben was consuming blood for survival, but this feeling was something he never felt before. It was like, tasting an old wine, sip by sip, unpleasant yet addictive.

"Do I still have my human emotions left in me?" Ben wondered, as soon as he stopped drinking blood. For a moment he thought he might even kill the girl if he didn't hold himself back.

"In any case, this will probably be the last time I am consuming human blood. If I want to find my place in this world, then I need to rely on animal blood most of the time." He decided, his expressions were that of guilty and apologetic while his gaze turned towards the silver gate in far.

...

...

Inside a large shrine-like structure in a village, the guard in the leather armor could be seen walking with hasty steps. As soon as he reached the door, he removed his heel made to reveal his long red hair and golden brown eyes.

From the looks of it, he wasn't much older either. Barely 24-25 years of age, he halted his advance next to the red door which seemed to be closed by a magical seal.

"Tell him...the prince wants to meet the elder." He said looking directly at the door, his eyes fixated to see what lies beyond.

In a matter of minutes, the red door in the shrine opened with a cracking sound, each crackle stating its history long past and the number of times it opened.

Without wasting a single second, the red-haired boy walked inside the black corridor, a tight space, with nothing to see around. As he continued through the abyss, the red door behind him closed shut again, as if it was being controlled by an invisible force.

After a walk of a few minutes, the guard was welcomed by a white blinding light, coming from the other end of the channel.

"Second prince of Altria, tell me what brings you here?"