Blood Core

It was common knowledge in Veloria that when a human was bitten by a Vampire, they would inevitably turn. How quickly that happened depended on the strength of the Vampire. Weaker ones took time; stronger ones made the transformation swift. The citizens of Veloria had learned this the hard way.

During the war against the Vampires, humans had collected the bodies of dead Vampires, storing them for study. When the war ended and the Vampires went into hiding, the experiments continued.

Desperately, humans sought a way to reverse the curse, to return the turned back to their original forms. But no matter how hard they tried, they found no cure.

Yet the search persisted. Even now, there remained a group of people dedicated to studying Vampires, hoping to find the key to undoing the transformation.

But the humans were ignorant of something much larger.

The Vampires hadn't been hiding out of fear. They were biding their time, strengthening their ranks, learning new things. Preparing for the moment the war resumed.

And now, they had developed something that would give them a terrifying advantage…

The Blood Core.

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"I need to retrieve something," Arin said, his voice low but firm as he continued walking. His gaze remained fixed ahead.

Tessa glanced at him, her brows furrowed in curiosity. 'What could he be talking about?' she wondered, but she kept silent, following his lead.

Arin passed by Seraphine's decapitated body, lying lifeless on the forest floor. His steps took him to the base of a nearby tree, where her head rested.

He crouched and picked it up with his right hand, inspecting it closely. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Good... it's still intact," he muttered.

Tessa's confusion deepened as she watched him. 'Why does he need her head?' she thought, her unease growing.

Arin grinned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Seraphine's forehead, his target clearly in sight. With his sword raised, he prepared to strike.

"Chaos…" Tessa whispered, her voice trembling with a hint of horror. "What are you planning to do? Are you… dissecting her?" Her heart raced at the thought, but Arin didn't acknowledge her question.

"Wait…" she whispered, the realization dawning on her. 'Is he some kind of maniac who takes pleasure in cutting people apart?'

Arin, unaware of her thoughts, carefully positioned his sword. He was the only one who knew what lay beneath Seraphine's skin.

Only Vampires of the Royal Family possessed a Blood Core. When the war had raged on, the Royal Family had been the first to retreat, using their lesser kin as pawns.

The King, Queen, and their seven daughters had disappeared from the battlefield. Seraphine, the second Princess, was the weakest among them, but she still carried the Blood Core—something the humans remained oblivious to.

In a swift motion, Arin brought his sword down, the blade slicing into Seraphine's forehead.

*CLANG*

Tessa's eyes widened at the unexpected sound. "What was that?"

Arin's grin grew as the sword hit its mark, though not without resistance. The blade had struck something solid, just as he had anticipated.

"Perfect," Arin murmured, dragging his sword downward, cutting through the flesh and revealing a small, glowing object embedded in the bone.

A blood-red orb, no larger than a marble, pulsed with an eerie glow even in the dim moonlight. It was smooth and round, almost too perfect.

"The Blood Core…" Arin muttered to himself, his eyes locked on the treasure he had just uncovered.

With deliberate precision, he reached in with his fingers, gripping the orb. It was firmly lodged in Seraphine's skull, but Arin pulled with practiced ease, freeing it within seconds. The core gleamed in his hand, its surface catching the moonlight like polished glass.

"What is that?" Tessa asked, her voice betraying a mix of curiosity and unease.

"This…" Arin stood up, holding the Blood Core in his left hand while Seraphine's head remained in his right. "...is a Blood Core."

Before Tessa could take a closer look, both the core and Seraphine's head vanished, disappearing into Arin's inventory with a faint shimmer.

Tessa blinked, startled by the sudden disappearance. "You could've at least let me take a look," she muttered, her curiosity piqued by the strange object.

Arin said nothing as he walked over to Seraphine's lifeless body, crouching next to it. Tessa stood behind him, deep in thought. 'A Blood Core…' she mused. 'I've never heard of anything like that.'

"What does it do?" she asked after a moment, folding her arms as turned to face him. 'Chaos knows so much… he's clearly familiar with this core. He must know what it's for.'

Arin paused briefly, his back still turned to her. The silence between them stretched, making Tessa slightly uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke.

"What do you think it does?" His voice was calm, but carried an edge of challenge.

Tessa frowned, biting her lip. "An experiment, maybe?" She knew her answer was a shot in the dark, but it was all she could think of.

Arin chuckled softly. "You could say that…"

"Could say?" she repeated under her breath, her curiosity deepening. But something in Arin's tone told her not to press further. He wasn't going to explain it any more than he already had.

Arin placed his hand on Seraphine's body, and with a faint shimmer, her corpse vanished, joining her head in the inventory. With a sigh, Arin stood up.

"We're done here," he said, his tone flat, as though the entire ordeal had been routine.

Tessa nodded slowly, taking her sword from him as they began walking back through the forest. The silence between them felt heavy, but Tessa couldn't shake her thoughts.

As they walked, she found herself stealing glances at him, unsure whether to speak her mind or let it go. Her fingers fidgeted with the hilt of her sword as she weighed her options.

Arin, ever observant, noticed her glances but chose to remain quiet. If she wanted to speak, she would. He wasn't one to pry.

Finally, Tessa gave in to her curiosity. "You know," she began cautiously, "back there, with Seraphine… you seemed to know her. Like you'd met before."

Arin slowed his pace slightly but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

Tessa hesitated, twiddling her fingers nervously. "I mean… we're working together, right? You should at least tell me something…"

Arin glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Or," he said, "we could talk about Alex. Our plans for a few days from now."

Tessa's brows furrowed in confusion. "A few days from now? What's happening?"

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[A/N]

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