We ran—
Through storms, through beasts, through screams of the dying world around us.
There was no time to rest, no time to think. Only instinct. Only survival.
The forest had long given way to the charred plains of the Dark Continent's heart. The air was thick with iron and ash, and every few steps, something monstrous clawed out of the ground, shrieking as if the land itself wanted us dead.
Lucille's sword howled with silver light, cutting through wraiths like paper.
Lilith's flames danced around her, searing shadows that dared come close.
Eve moved more quietly, her slender frame weaving between monsters and delivering precise, almost surgical strikes with her twin daggers.
I ran ahead of them, tearing apart what my blade couldn't reach with bare hands. Blood followed wherever we stepped—a crimson trail that seemed to feed the land rather than stain it.
"Finally…" I exhaled, stepping onto a black plateau surrounded by swirling clouds. "Here we are."
The three women slowed behind me, their crimson eyes reflecting the void-colored horizon.
"Is this the center?" Lilith asked softly.
"Yeah," I said, walking toward a raised stone pedestal glowing faintly under my steps. "The system said this is where it begins."
A faint pulse rippled through the air.
[System Notice: Blood Dominion—Activation Possible.]
[Choose Sacrifice.]
I tilted my head, half amused. "My blood," I muttered, dragging my thumb across my fang and letting the dark-red stream drip into the stone. "And the blood of everything we've killed and never sacrificed."
[Sacrifice Accepted.]
[Commencing Blood Construction Protocol.]
The earth trembled.
Bloodlines—literal veins of glowing crimson—snaked through the ground in every direction. The soil liquefied into molten scarlet, rising into columns that hardened into obsidian stone. Towers emerged like fangs piercing the heavens, bridges spun out of mist, and a throne of black metal formed at the center—massive, ancient-looking, yet impossibly elegant.
We stood in awe as the Castle of Crimson Dominion came to life around us.
"Master…" Eve whispered, shading her eyes from the light. "It's beautiful…"
"Indeed," Lilith murmured, voice filled with reverence. "It feels… alive."
Lucille smirked faintly, crossing her arms. "So this is the fortress of the vampire lord, huh?"
"Not bad," I replied, my voice calm but my chest thrumming with pride. "Not bad at all."
[System Notice: Choose a Race to Designate as Kin.]
Lilith tilted her head. "A race?"
"It wants me to choose a group," I explained. "Something to link to my bloodline… I've only met humans till now so—"
I stopped, a sudden thought flickering.
Wait. There's something I can do.
"I choose orphans," I said finally. "Any orphan willing to accept me as kin shall be reborn as a vampire and brought here."
[Choice Registered.]
[Initiating Summoning.]
A blinding surge of light swallowed the chamber. One by one, glowing silhouettes began appearing around the courtyard—small figures, trembling, confused, and terrified. Ragged clothes, hollow cheeks, eyes that had seen too much for their age.
Three thousand one hundred and thirty-four children.
They stared at us—the four figures standing under the crimson moon—with a mixture of fear and disbelief.
"Don't worry," I said, stepping forward. My voice echoed through the hall, deep and calm. "I'm not a good person. In fact, I've done enough bad things to fill a dozen lives."
Their eyes widened, some shrinking back.
"But I can help you live," I continued. "Not as beggars, not as slaves, but as kin. As my people."
A murmur ran through the crowd. Some of the older kids clenched their fists, others simply cried silently.
Lilith placed a gentle hand on one child's head, her voice warm. "You're safe now."
Eve knelt beside another, smiling softly. "Don't be afraid. We were once like you."
Lucille said nothing, but the faint, protective aura around her blade made the children relax near her.
When they finally began to nod, I smiled faintly and bit my palm. The metallic scent filled the air.
"Drink," I said simply.
They obeyed.
My blood—along with Lilith's, Eve's, and Lucille's—flowed through them, glowing like starlight before sinking into their veins. The transformation was immediate. Their eyes turned crimson, their wounds sealed, and the air grew heavy with new, awakening power.
They were no longer orphans. They were my kin.
Eve looked at me, her expression mixed with awe and confusion.
"Master," she said softly. "Why do you do this for orphans? Weren't we… bad people?"
I chuckled quietly. "Heh. There's all sorts of bad, Eve. For some, it's the only way to be good."
I walked past them, staring at the towering black spires now humming with energy. "Tell me," I said, "what is God? A manifestation? A story people tell when they're weak?"
They listened silently.
"People pray to gods because they think they're strong. If I become strong enough to protect those who believe in me…" I smiled faintly. "They won't call me a god. They'll call me family."
Lilith's eyes softened. "Then you'll have a family at last."
"Yeah," I said. "And this time, I'll keep it."
We entered the newly formed castle.
The halls were vast and dark, lined with obsidian pillars that shimmered faintly in the crimson glow. Banners formed from liquid shadow hung above the corridors, each bearing a sigil—a red crescent moon with a single drop of blood falling from its tip.
The air thrummed with life. Every brick, every corridor, felt like part of something breathing—a colossal heart that beat in sync with my own.
At the center lay the throne room. A high dais, carved from solid black crystal, with a throne shaped like intertwining wings. I walked toward it slowly, the echoes of my steps filling the silent hall.
I sat down. The throne pulsed faintly under me, recognizing its master.
Lilith, Eve, and Lucille stood before me, heads bowed slightly, their crimson eyes shining with pride and reverence. Behind them, thousands of new vampires waited quietly in the courtyard below.
"Here," I said softly, resting my hand on the throne's armrest, "begins our journey."
[System Notice: Crimson Dominion Established.]
[You are now recognized as the Progenitor Lord of Vampires.]
[New Title Acquired: Sovereign of Blood.]
I smiled, my crimson eyes reflecting the dark light of the hall.
"Let's make this world remember who we are."