Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The first Human Progeny
The night was unusually quiet.
The academy grounds had finally settled after days of tension and investigations. The cold wind drifted between the stone buildings, carrying the scent of dew and freshly trimmed grass across the sleeping campus.
Most students were already asleep, and others were silently preparing for the upcoming tournament that was slowly becoming the center of everyone’s attention.
Inside Room 402, Lina was sleeping soundly after another exhausting day.
Moonlight spilled through the balcony windows, painting silver lines across her pink room.
Qhuin sat quietly on the windowsill, his ruby eyes staring into the distance.
He wasn’t resting, he was thinking that an empire could not be built with a single contractor, Lina was powerful, but she could not be everywhere at once.
She could not gather information, nor could she monitor the nobles, nor could she protect herself from every suspicion that would eventually come her way.
He needed more eyes and ears, more importantly, he needed someone expendable.
His thoughts settled on a familiar face, Marcus’s older cousin, the boy was already broken with fear.
Qhuin still remembered the terror inside his eyes when Crimson Pressure had crushed his spirit. Ever since then, the noble had become a shell of himself.
Fear had already carved cracks inside his mind. He needed to widen those cracks, then he slowly stood up.
Dark shadows gathered beneath his tiny paws and his body sank into the floorboards before disappearing entirely.
A few moments later, he reappeared outside the academy dormitories. Far above him, Marcus’s Wind Eagle was perched silently on a rooftop.
Their eyes met and a mental command echoed between them then the eagle spread its wings immediately.
It flew toward the upperclassmen dormitories, inside one of the rooms, the young noble sat alone on his bed.
His eyes were bloodshot and he had not slept properly in days, every strange sound made him jump.
Every moving shadow made him grip the dagger beneath his pillow and he constantly felt like something was watching him.
Then something landed against his windowsill.
Tap.
His body froze and his breathing became shallow. Slowly, he approached the window.
A single feather rested there and it was stained dark red the moment he saw it, the blood drained from his face.
His hands began to tremble because he recognized it, Marcus’s eagle, and his eyes shot upward.
The eagle was already flying away and without thinking, he grabbed his cloak and ran out of the building.
He followed it through the empty academy grounds, past the training halls, the abandoned gardens, and the old storage buildings.
Eventually, the bird disappeared above an abandoned alchemy yard.
The young noble stepped inside cautiously, the place had long been forgotten.
Broken statues leaned against cracked walls, and old stone pillars were covered in vines.
Moonlight barely reached the ground, he slowly reached for his daggers, then he felt it.
Cold. Something that seemed to seep directly into his bones.
His body refused to move.
Then a shadow detached itself from a nearby pillar and two ruby eyes appeared.
Qhuin stepped forward,Even in his adorable rabbit form, his presence carried a strange heaviness that made the young noble instinctively lower his gaze.
The boy stumbled backward and his legs gave out immediately, falling to his knees.
"N-No..."
His voice cracked. "Please... don’t kill me..."
Qhuin said nothing, he just watched him, the silence itself became oppressive.
Eventually, his voice echoed directly inside the boy’s head.
"You fear death."
The young noble nodded frantically.
"You fear Professor Valerius."
He nodded again.
"You fear disappointing your family."
Then Qhuin’s voice grew colder."But above all... You fear me."
The boy’s entire body shivered, he lowered his forehead to the ground.
"Y-Yes..."
Qhuin slowly approached him, his tiny paws made almost no sound against the stone.
"Good, fear is useful and it keeps weak creatures alive."
The young noble squeezed his eyes shut, Qhuin stopped in front of him.
"Raise your head."
The boy obeyed instantly.
Then Qhuin’s ruby eyes met his, and the world around him seemed to freeze.
The air itself became heavy, his pupils widened and he couldn’t look away.
His heartbeat slowed and all the panic inside him disappeared.
Then Qhuin moved, and he was suddenly behind him the boy didn’t even see him move as a small pair of fangs sank into his neck.
He gasped, as warm energy entered his bloodstream, it wasn’t painful, it felt strange like liquid fire flowing through his veins.
Blue text appeared before Qhuin.
[Skill Activated: Blood Turn (Lv. 2)]
[Human Thrall Established.]
[Current Human Thrall: 1/1]
Qhuin immediately withdrew, the young noble’s body trembled as dark crimson lines briefly flashed beneath his skin before fading away.
A few moments later, he slowly opened his eyes.
His breathing became steady, and the panic he felt disappeared; he looked calmer.
Then he lowered himself onto one knee, Qhuin stared at him for a moment.
Then his voice echoed inside Victor’s head.
"Empires are not built by kings alone, they are built by countless unseen hands, and Tonight... you become my first shadow."
The boy lowered his head even further.
"Yes... Master."
"You are no longer merely a noble, you are the beginning, the first shadow beneath my throne."
"From this day onward... You belong to The Crimson Eclipse."
The wind suddenly blew through the courtyard.
The words seemed to linger in the air itself.
Qhuin continued.
"You will infiltrate the noble circles, gather information, map their alliances, and discover their weakness,"
The boy nodded after every command.
"Yes, Master."
Qhuin looked toward the academy.
"The world believes power sits openly upon golden thrones, they are wrong. The greatest power always hides in the shadows."
Then he turned around.
His tiny body dissolved into darkness.
Before disappearing entirely, his final words echoed through the noble’s mind.
"Remain ordinary."
"That is your greatest weapon."
The noble stayed kneeling long after Qhuin left. The following morning, the academy cafeteria was lively.
Students chatted excitedly about the upcoming tournament. Noble families compared rankings.
Commoners whispered about possible upsets. Everyone was preparing.
Marcus’s cousin quietly walked inside. Nothing about him looked extraordinary.
Yet something felt different, his posture was straighter, and his eyes moved more carefully.
One of his friends frowned.
"You look terrible."
The young noble simply smiled.
"I didn’t sleep much."
Nobody questioned him further, he sat down at the noble table and began listening, blending in with them.
Far away, inside Room 402, Lina sat at her desk eating breakfast.
Qhuin rested comfortably on her shoulder, Suddenly, a blue screen appeared.
[Sub-Vampire Network Detected.]
[Organization Name Registered: The Crimson Eclipse.]
[Core Members: 1]
[Human Proxy: Active]
Qhuin stared at the screen for a moment.
Then he looked out the window, and the academy grounds stretched endlessly before him.
Students laughed and Instructors patrolled,everyone believed they understood the game they were playing.
None of them realized a new force had just been born beneath their feet. A force that did not belong to this world.
A force that would eventually spread through the academy like a shadow.
Qhuin’s ruby eyes gleamed faintly.
The throne was still far away, but for the first time since arriving here, his kingdom had finally taken motion.
