Alistair stopped mid-step.

  He wasn’t sure why at first. No voice. No pop-up. Just… stillness. A pressure behind his teeth. A pulse in his jaw.

  He waited.

  Usually, when the itch hit that hard, it came with a message. The start of a [Bloodfrenzy], a countdown, a warning, something.

  But nothing came.

  “…That’s weird,” he muttered.

  Kael turned, narrowing his eyes. “What is?”

  “Huh?” Alistair blinked. “Nothing. Just...” He waved it off. “Let’s go.”

  They took two more steps before Alistair stopped again.

  Kael raised an eyebrow. “You alright?”

  Alistair looked ahead, jaw clenched. His gums still ached. The sensation was crawling deeper now, behind his throat, down his spine.

  “I need a favor,” he said.

  Kael paused. “Anything.”

  ***

  The cave came into view.

  It wasn’t much, just a hollow cleft in a moss-covered ridge, but there was firelight inside, and that meant safety. Or something close.

  Brimma looked up first.

  “Well, well,” she rasped, voice sharp as her elbow bones. “You didn’t die. Shame. I had ten gold on definitely dead.”

  Alistair smiled faintly. “Then I’m worth more alive. I’ll send you an invoice.”

  Brimma snorted but didn’t turn away. Her posture was tense. She clutched her staff a little too tightly.

  Thessaly stood near the fire, arms crossed. She uncrossed them the moment she saw him and stepped forward.

  She didn’t speak. Just looked at him with her head tilted, like she was checking for injuries.

  Niva was the only one who stayed seated.

  She leaned against the cave wall, sharpening a dagger in lazy strokes. The steel rasped in rhythm. She didn’t lift her eyes, but he felt them anyway.

  Alistair moved to the fire and lowered himself onto a flat stone.

  Thessaly knelt beside him, inspecting his shoulder. “You look like death.”

  “True,” Brimma said from behind her. “But I’ve seen worse. Once pulled a gnome out of a wyvern’s asshole. Even he looked fresher than you.”

  Alistair smiled faintly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Kael sat down next to him and Brimma asked, “So, how was the trial?”

  He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “Loud. Bloody. The usual. They gave me a platform and a crowd and asked me to dance.”

  Brimma raised an eyebrow. “And you danced?”

  Alistair nodded. “Oh, I danced. Got a new spell out of it. An ability evolution. Some divine nonsense. They even gave me wine.”

  “Wine,” Brimma said flatly. “Truly, the gods are generous.”

  “I’ll save you a sip,” he said.

  That’s when it hit.

  [Warning: Bloodfrenzy Imminent]

  Effect: If no blood is consumed within this timeframe, [Bloodfrenzy] will trigger automatically.

  Duration: 24 hours

  Requirements: Blood must be drawn from a live source. Potions and preserved blood will not suffice.

  [Note: Due to your recent transformation, your body requires heightened blood intake to compensate for internal restructuring.]

  [Time Remaining: 02:18]

  His fangs punched out of his mouth with a sharp click.

  His stomach clenched hard, like something inside had twisted violently.

  His throat? Gone. Dry as ash. Like swallowing gravel.

  Alistair stumbled forward on his hands, breath ragged.

  “Alistair?” Thessaly reached for him.

  “I have to go,” he said quickly. Too quickly.

  Kael was already on his feet. “What’s going on? Where are you...”

  Brimma stood slowly, staff in hand, eyes locked on his.

  “You’re not leaving,” she said. Her tone was cold, but her eyes weren’t. “You’re trying to outrun your own body.”

  Alistair swallowed, throat raw.

  “I need blood.”

  Kael took a single step back. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t panic. But the movement was enough.

  Brimma didn’t flinch. “Do you have time to go hunting? Find a lone champion willing to donate a pint?”

  Alistair’s lips curled, more frustration than threat. “I didn’t ask for this.”

  “No one ever does,” Brimma said. She stepped closer, staff gripped tight. “But you think running is going to fix it?”

  “I’m not going to drain one of you.”

  “We can defend ourselves,” she snapped. “I’m not worried about that. But you...”

  She hesitated. Her voice dropped half a note. “You won’t be you when it hits.”

  Alistair didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Every breath burned now. Every heartbeat was a spike through his gut.

  Then, a single voice filled the cave. “I’ll do it.”

  Everyone turned.

  Thessaly stepped forward. Her voice hadn’t been loud, but it had been final.

  She walked until she was just in front of him.

  “I’ll do it,” she repeated.

  Silence.

  Even Niva looked up.

  Kael’s mouth opened, but no words came.

  Alistair stared at her. “Thess...”

  “I’m healthy. Strong. I know you won’t take more than you need.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were burning.

  “You sure?” he asked. “Because once this starts...”

  “I know.”

  Brimma muttered something under her breath, but didn’t move.

  Kael looked away, fists clenched.

  Alistair’s fangs ached. His hands shook.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Thessaly took one more step and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck.

  “You gave me a choice once,” she said quietly. “I’m giving you one back.”

  They left the others behind without a word.

  The cave narrowed deeper in, walls pressing close, the firelight fading until it was just soft shadow and stone. Water dripped somewhere in the distance. The air was colder here. Damp.

  Thessaly walked ahead of him, steady, unflinching. She didn’t look back.

  Alistair followed in silence, fists clenched, fangs aching. His breath came shallow, each inhale burning down his throat. Hunger crawled up his spine, rooting behind his eyes like a second heartbeat.

  They stopped near a rock shelf tucked into the far wall.

  “This far enough?”

  He nodded. His tongue felt thick in his mouth.

  Still, he managed, “Unless you want Kael to walk in and get weird about it.”

  Thessaly raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure he’s already weird about it.”

  Alistair gave a pained smile. “Fair.”

  She tilted her head, exposing the side of her neck. “Go on.”

  He didn’t move right away. His fingers twitched at his sides. His jaw ached like it had been wired shut and someone was tugging the cords loose.

  “This isn’t going to be pretty,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “No candlelight. No mood music. I probably look like hell...”

  “Alistair,” she said. Calm. Direct. “Shut up and bite me.”

  That startled a laugh out of him. Dry. Sharp. Almost a cough.

  “Gods, that’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  He stepped closer.

  Hands shaking, he placed one on her shoulder. Her skin was warm. Human. Solid. The contrast nearly undid him.

  He leaned in.

  “I’m sorry in advance.”

  Then his fangs sank in.

  [Skill Activated – Blood Drain]

  Status Effect: Adrenal Surge

  Strength +2

  Speed +2

  [+52 HP recovered]

  Warmth flooded his mouth. Rich. Vibrant. It wasn’t just physical, he could feel her essence. Her fear, yes, but also calm. A trust that held steady even as his instincts screamed to take more.

  His hands gripped her arms, hard.

  [Warning: Blood Demand Increasing]

  Your transformed body requires additional blood to stabilize.

  Remaining Deficit: 45%

  His jaw clenched.

  The taste was unbearable. Too much. Too good.

  More.

  Just a little more.

  His vision blurred, hunger roaring again. His heart beat faster. No, her heart. He was too deep. Too far.

  Stop.

  He forced his fangs to retract.

  Pulled away with a gasp and stumbled back, lips stained red.

  Thessaly swayed once, but stayed upright. Her breathing was steady, her eyes clear.

  The cave spun.

  Heat pulsed through him like wildfire cooling to embers. His bones ached. His skin buzzed. His mind unraveled.

  Thessaly caught herself against the wall. Breathing hard, but upright. Her neck was bleeding, but not badly. She looked at him like he was a puzzle with a fuse.

  “You done?”

  He slid down the rock wall and dropped to the ground like a marionette with cut strings.

  “Gods,” he muttered. “I hope so. Because if not, you’re out of neck.”

  Then everything dimmed.

  [Condition Met: Metabolic Recovery Engaged]

  Due to blood intake under transformative stress, your body has entered forced stasis to complete restructuring.

  Duration: Unknown

  External threats may interrupt recovery.

  His body went limp.

  Just before darkness took him, he mumbled, “If I die, you’re not allowed to sell my gear without at least pretending to cry.”

  Thessaly knelt beside him.

  “…Idiot,” she said softly. Then after a pause: “But a disciplined idiot.”

  She sat beside him.

  And waited.

  Alistair woke to silence.

  No alert. No sound. Just that low, sinking feeling in his gut. The kind of cold that started at the spine and told you, something’s off.

  The cave was quiet. The fire had burned down to embers, casting long shadows along the rough stone walls. No movement. No voices.

  Beside him, Thessaly slept with her head resting just inches from his arm. One hand was tucked near her chest. Her breath was steady.

  Nothing was wrong.

  Except it was.

  He blinked, forcing himself to sit up slowly.

  He wasn’t hungry anymore. Not like before. No bloodfrenzy. No system alert. Just exhaustion hanging off his shoulders like wet cloth.

  Then he felt it.

  Not in his body, his soul.

  A thread of tension. Pulled tight.

  The soulbond.

  Alistair froze.

  It wasn’t Brimma’s. Hers always felt like biting glass. Sharp and sparking with disapproval.

  This was Kael.

  A steady, low flare of focus. Not fear. Not pain.

  Alert.

  Alistair turned his head slightly, trying to follow the bond.

  Kael was nearby. Close. Watching.

  And he wasn’t moving.

  A thread of ice ran down Alistair’s neck.

  He tried to scan the cave without making it obvious. Thessaly. Still asleep.

  Brimma. Further off, snoring like a dying hedgehog.

  Then movement.

  Just a whisper of it.

  And suddenly...

  A shape loomed.

  A figure crouched low, face set in shadow, hand already moving.

  Alistair didn’t react fast enough.

  The blade pressed against his throat before he even registered who it was.

  Niva.

  Her eyes were empty.

  Cold.

  Not rage. Not madness.

  Just… decision.

  The dagger glinted softly. She was calm. Controlled.

  She’d done this before.

  Alistair didn’t breathe.

  He didn’t need to.

  He knew exactly what was happening.

  She wasn’t afraid of the bloodfrenzy.

  She didn’t care about fairness or survival.

  She was eliminating variables. Cleaning up threats.

  Contenders.

  He’d seen it the moment he met her, the way she measured everyone. Watched how they moved. Calculated openings and angles.

  He didn’t know how he knew. Maybe it was his [Soul Insight]. Maybe it was just instinct. Years of reading liars. Navigating daggers behind smiles.

  But he’d known.

  From the start.

  She was going to kill them.

  And then...

  Thunk.

  A sharp crack, sudden and final.

  The weight above him shifted.

  Her body jerked. Her grip faltered.

  The dagger clattered to the floor.

  And then she collapsed beside him, hard.

  An arrow stuck from her upper spine. Clean shot. No hesitation.

  She didn’t scream.

  Didn’t even gasp.

  She died the way she’d moved, quiet.

  Alistair stared at the corpse. Then at the cave wall behind her.

  Kael stood there, bow still raised, his face stone.

  [Enemy Champion Eliminated – Level 15 Niva the Echo-Touched]

  The sound of Niva hitting the ground echoed too loud.

  Brimma stirred. Then sat up.

  Thessaly blinked beside him, confused, her body tense.

  “What, what happened?”

  Alistair didn’t answer.

  Kael stepped forward, lowering his bow at last.

  Brimma stood, eyes darting to the corpse, the blood, the cooling edge of the moment. She clocked Kael, then Alistair, who was still half-risen, fangs barely retracted, dried blood dark against his mouth.

  Her voice was a blade.

  “What the hell is this?”

  Alistair lifted both hands halfway, mock-surrender. “I swear I didn’t bite her.”

  Brimma’s staff slammed into the ground. “What did you do?”

  He pointed at Kael. “Wasn’t me this time. He gets full credit.”

  Kael didn’t flinch. “She had a blade to his throat.”

  That finally made Brimma pause, but only for half a breath. She turned sharply to Kael. “Are you sure?”

  Alistair’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, Kael, are you sure? Maybe she was just shaving me. With a poisoned dagger. In the dark.”

  Brimma snapped back toward him. “Shut it, bloodboy. I’m trying to understand if you just murdered a teammate or not.”

  Alistair stood fully now, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I didn’t murder anyone. And she wasn’t a teammate.”

  Brimma glared. “You don’t know that. She could’ve been on patrol. Maybe she heard something. Maybe she thought you were turning again.”

  Thessaly pushed herself upright, eyes still glazed with sleep. Her gaze flicked from Alistair to the corpse. Her jaw clenched, but she said nothing.

  Alistair finally rose to his feet. His hands were shaking slightly, but he kept his voice steady.

  Alistair met her glare. “I asked Kael to watch her.”

  That made Brimma pause.

  Brimma’s grip on her staff tightened, knuckles pale. “What?”

  “After the trial,” Alistair said. “When I felt the hunger starting... I had a bad feeling. She didn’t trust me. I didn’t blame her. But I didn’t trust her either.”

  Brimma snorted. “You don't trust any of us.”

  “No,” he said, “but I knew how to read her. The way she looked at us… it wasn’t suspicion. It wasn’t fear. It was analysis. Like she was weighing odds.”

  Kael added, “She scouted everyone. Watched where we kept our weapons. Who was isolated. She wasn’t curious. She was planning.”

  Alistair nodded. “She wasn’t here for allies. She was waiting. Watching. Looking for the moment to thin the herd.”

  Brimma looked between them, her face unreadable.

  Then down at the arrow lodged in Niva’s back.

  She let out a slow breath.

  “Gods below,” she muttered. “You’re serious.”

  Thessaly stood quietly, arms wrapped around herself. She stared at the corpse but didn’t move.

  “I didn’t know her,” she said finally. “We just… escaped the same ambush. Stuck together. Only ones left.”

  She paused. “I don’t think she cared about me. Or anyone.”

  Alistair said nothing.

  Brimma knelt beside the body, staring at the blood as it slowly pooled.

  Kael glanced at Alistair. “You alright?”

  Alistair gave a dry smile. “I’ve had worse wake-up calls.”

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