‘Could it be… Rh-Null blood?’ he thought.
Rh-null blood, often revered as the “Crimson Elixir of the Null,” is unparalleled in its purity, completely devoid of all Rh antigens. This unique quality allows it to consume other bloodlines, making it an unmatched enhancer, capable of magnifying the abilities of humans or any other race.
Particularly, Vampires…
Aether, taken aback by the detailed explanation, blinked. ‘That’s… a lot to take in,’ he thought.
But then his brow furrowed, ‘Energies? What do you mean by that?’ he asked, hoping for clarification.
However, the Log remained silent.
‘I guess I’ll have to figure it out as I go…’ he thought, resigned to the fact that answers wouldn’t come so easily.
Turning his attention back to Lia, he responded to her earlier question.
“…I think your mother might have mentioned it,” he replied casually.
Lia nodded, her mind distracted by the casual tone, ‘Wait! Why would she tell him that…’ she thought, her eyes suddenly widening in shock… Her expression morphed from calm understanding to disbelief in a matter of seconds, “W-Wait a second… Y-You… have that blood?” she stammered, her voice shaky with disbelief.
Aether met her wide-eyed stare and nodded slowly, “It seems like I do, yeah,”
“Oh no… Oh no, no, no!” Lia’s face paled as the gravity of the situation hit her. Panic washed over her features, “We need to hide you! Like, right now!” Her words came out rushed, her voice filled with urgency, but as she spoke, her gaze locked onto the small cut on his cheek.
Her breath hitched, and she swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. She unconsciously licked her lips, her eyes fixated on the faint traces of blood still lingering on his skin.
Aether noticed the subtle change in her demeanour, her sudden silence, and the way her eyes gleamed as they zeroed in on his cut and… her small fang protruding…
The moment he realized what was happening, Aether felt a mix of disbelief and amusement flood him.
‘So she indeed a vampire… ah’ He thought.
He was initially sceptical about it.
A vampire! Lia was actually a vampire!!
He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. Everything he’d imagined about vampires was turned upside down the moment he learned that Lia, the stingy, quirky girl he knew, was a creature of the night.
You have no idea how hard it was for him to accept this truth!
…. Just like her Mother except for that weirdness to be honest!
And then there was Lia… Lia barely fit into that image at all!
Aether sighed inwardly, his thoughts breaking as he snapped his fingers. “Lia?”
Lia snapped out of her trance, her face flushing a deep shade of red as she realized she’d been staring.
She stammered, “W-Well, I-I didn’t expect you to have that kind of blood… I-I mean, it’s so rare!” Her words came out rushed, and she fidgeted nervously. “M-Maybe we should, you know, test it somehow… J-Just to make sure…” Her eyes darted around like a guilty child caught doing something she shouldn’t.
Aether couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. He knew exactly what she wanted. ‘Log? Should I let her taste my blood?’ he asked, though he already had a feeling what the answer would be.
Silence!
Before he could finish, Lia’s face contorted into an expression so pitiful it was as if he’d just snatched a candy from a crying toddler.
“I-It’s not like I’m asking for myself! I just thought we needed to confirm, you know… just to be sure if it’s real or not!… Like it supposed to be?” Her voice wobbled, and her lip quivered, looking every bit the picture of someone unfairly denied something precious.
Aether’s lips twitched as he resisted the urge to laugh. ‘I swear… she’s acting like a baby right now,’ he thought, bemused by her over-the-top antics.
“A-Aether, P-Please…” Lia mumbled, her gaze never leaving the small cut on his cheek. She licked her lips again, almost unconsciously, as she took a hesitant step closer. “I-If you’re worried, I’ll just… lick it. Just a single lick. Pretty please?” Her voice was breathy, and her eyes were wide with hunger, her expression more desperate by the second.
Aether stared at her for a long moment, watching her nervously shifting and practically drooling over the thought of tasting his blood. He sighed, finally giving in. “Alright… fine. But only a single lick, okay? Just one,” he relented, knowing full well what she was truly craving.
It’s not like he wanted to experience what it felt like to have a vampire suck his blood!
Seriously! He really didn’t want to find out how that would feel… Honest!
Believe him!
Licking… licking would suffice for now!
“You… you’re really sure?” Lia asked, her voice trembling as she stepped even closer, her hand almost reaching out but hesitating mid-air.
“I’m sure.”
“You won’t h-hate me for this, right? You promise?”
“Of course not.”
“You’ll keep your promise, right? No matter what h-happens?”
“… I promise?” Aether started to feel slightly worried.
“Are you–”
But before he could finish, Lia moved swiftly, closing the gap between them in an instant, her eyes glinting with hunger and excitement.
Her tongue lightly grazed the small cut on his cheek, barely touching it, but enough to taste the faint trace of his blood.
The moment it hit her tongue, Lia’s eyes widened in shock as a surge of something indescribably powerful coursed through her body.
“Lia?” Aether’s voice snapped her out of the trance.
She blinked, her face quickly flushing a deep red. “J-Just… one more… Pretty please?” she begged, her voice trembling with both need and embarrassment.
Aether let out a soft sigh, giving her a small smile. “Fine… go ahead then,”
Lia hesitated for just a moment before leaning in again, this time licking the cut with more eagerness, savouring the taste as though it was the most exquisite thing she had ever experienced.
Her crimson eyes flared to life, the deep red growing more intense, almost glowing. The energy in his blood seemed to ignite something…. inside her, her hunger growing by the second.
She continued to lick his cheek, her movements growing bolder and more daring with each pass as if the taste of his blood was an irresistible drug.
Aether chuckled lightly, the sensation of her licking his cheek causing a ticklish feeling. “Haha… that tickles… hahaha,” he said, laughing at the oddness of the situation.
But there was something strangely enjoyable about it, ‘I wonder what it feels like being sucked out’ he thought with a curious expression.
However, as he chuckled, he noticed a sudden shift in Lia’s demeanour. Her pupils dilated, and she stared at him with a dreamy, almost dazed look in her eyes.
The breathy quality in her voice sent a shiver down his spine!!
Aether flinched, caught off guard by the sudden shift. He saw her red face, flushed with excitement, and the way her small fangs protruded slightly from her lips. She had a certain regal, haughty look to her now, a look that screamed of power and danger.
For the first time, Lia truly looked like a vampire!
Aether blinked, momentarily speechless at the sudden display of affection. ‘What… in the world…?’ He couldn’t help but smile in amusement. “As much as I enjoy seeing this side of you, Lia, I think… you’re not exactly in your right mind right now,” he told her gently, trying to ease her back to reality.
But his words didn’t seem to register with her. Lia was completely focused on his lips, her gaze locked on them with dangerous intensity.
She remembered… the kiss between Aether and Selene.
It burned in her mind!!
Her eyes widened in realization, and the fog in her mind seemed to lift. She blinked rapidly, staring at Aether’s shocked expression as if it were the first time she’d seen him. Her face turned an alarming shade of red as the weight of her actions hit her.
“I-I… I-I… I didn’t mean to… I-I was… I mean, like… it… it wasn’t…” she stammered, completely flustered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her hands were trembling, her face a vivid shade of crimson.
“I AM SORRRRYYYY!!” Lia screamed at the top of her lungs before bolting away, running like her life depended on it.
“Mommy!?” Lia squeaked, trying to escape her mother’s grip.
“I brought you something, let’s go!” Mary said cheerfully.
But just as she was about to disappear with Lia, she turned her head toward Aether, shooting him a pointed look. She gestured with two fingers to her eyes, then to him, silently mouthing, ‘I’m watching you,’ before vanishing.
“Where are you running away bitch!!” The Principal followed her with furious expression.
Aether blinked, staring at the empty space where they had just been. He let out a long, exasperated sigh, his mind spinning, “What the heck just happened?” he muttered under his breath, still in a daze.
He was completely thrown off by Lia’s sudden actions.
“Maybe… it’s because she drank my blood?… She is like.. sister, right?” he mused, frowning as the thought crossed his mind. But that idea was quickly squashed when,
