Chapter 26: Ch 26:- Freedom
The air was thick with tension as the demonic vampire stood before the protagonist, its eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "Such a persistent pest," it sneered. "Really makes me wonder with whom did your bitch of a mother slept to give birth to you."
The vampire spoke with all familiarity to him as if he knew him but of course our protagonist Rayne misunderstood its word and thought that it was insulting his own mother and not the body's that he was currently inhabiting.
Those words were all it took for Rayne's rage to boil over he had tolerated all if it's taunt but he wouldn't tolerate this one. He lunged forward, muscles bulging causing his skin look like stretched out he was unconscious using his qi to enhance his body beyond his realm causing all his stats to get a major buff to his overall physique. His fists clenched and feet flying as he unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches at the creature. His taekwondo skills weren't so good, but his enhanceed strength and determination was more than enough to made up for it.
The vampire moved with lightning speed, dodging and blocking his attacks with ease. Its sharp claws glinted in the dim red light as it swiped at him, drawing blood from his cheek. But Rayne didn't falter. He gritted his teeth and pressed forward, his anger fueling his every move. He landed a solid kick to the vampire's ribs, causing it to stumble back with a snarl.
The creature retaliated with a vicious strike, but he managed to dodge just in time, his fists still pumping with energy. He landed another blow to the vampire's face, sending it reeling backward.
The fight continued in a deadly dance, the two combatants locked in a fierce struggle. Rayne's clothes were torn and bloodied, his breath coming in ragged gasps. But he didn't give up. Finally, with one last burst of energy, he delivered a devastating kick to the vampire's head. There was a sickening crack as the creature's neck snapped, and it fell to the ground, dead.
Panting and covered in sweat and blood, Rayne stood victorious over his fallen foe. His rationality slowly returned and with it came unbearable pain which caused him to fall on his knees and vomit a mouthful of blood. His body was ruined, his blood vessel busted open due to the vigorous flow of blood and qi through them and then finally his qi was depleted. During the heat of the battle he had used all his qi along with his life force making his vitality stats to drop to [Vitality: 5].
At that moment he felt an overwhelming thirst in his throat. He tried to ignore it, to push it down, but it was like a relentless itch that he couldn't scratch. He knew, what he now needed was blood it was as if his instincts were telling him he needed it, and with that realization came an almost unbearable thirst. His fangs elongating, his ready ruby eyes glowing red with almost predatory hunger.
He tried to resist, to hold onto his sanity he didn't know what would be the consequences of drinking the blood of another vampire, but it was like trying to hold back the tide. His rationality crumbled, and he gave in to his primal instincts. He fell upon the vampire's body, tearing into its flesh with his teeth and drinking deeply of its blood.
As he sucked the body of all it's blood, he felt alive and powerful, his body thrumming with energy. But as soon as the thirst was sated, his rationality coming back but what greeted his sight was not the lifeless body of the vampire, but it was a mangled up corpse with majority of its flesh missing and what were left were shredded to pieces horror flooded his mind. But the system message was the one that shocked him.
[You have slain a Level 2 Ascended human, King Valdi.]
[Your Blood grows stronger.]
He staggered back, wiping the blood from his mouth, feeling sick and disgusted with himself. The taste of the blood was still in his mouth, and it made him feel even more nauseous. He had been a doctor in his previous life, and the thought of what he had just done filled him with horror. He had taken an oath to do no harm, to heal and help those in need. And now he had not only killed a human but also had devoured its flesh and blood. He felt extremely guilty of his actions, he sank to the ground, feeling the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a physical force. He could see the look of horror and disgust on his mother's face if she had seen him in that moment.
[You're feeling guilty because you ate its flesh, or because you found out it was human?] the system sneered, for the first time it was speaking in a more humane way instead of its usual emotionless voice. [If it's the latter, then congratulations, you're a hypocrite.]
Rayne felt a surge of anger at the words and shouted "What I did was to save myself. If I hadn't acted, I would have succumbed to my injuries and died. It was a matter of survival."
[If that the thing you believe then why are you feeling guilty either way that human had stripped his humanity just to for power, he had succumbed to his own power. In other words he was a demon hiding under his identity as a human.]
Hearing the words made Rayne feel good but it didn't lifted the guilt of cannibalism that he had committed.
[If you want I could ask my creator to remove the memory of what happened. It might be easier for you to move on if you don't have to remember the guilt and shame.]
Rayne shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "Forgetting about today's events will only lead to more instances like this. I need to remember what happened and use it as motivation to change. To get my urges under control and become a better person."
He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "It won't be easy, but I know it's the right thing to do. And I won't give up until I've succeeded."
[I hope you succeed, now let's exit this hellhole the outside world is waiting for us.]
Rayne's heart raced as he ran faster and faster, his legs pumping with all their might. He felt the rush of wind in his face and the pounding of his heart in his chest. Finally, he caught a whiff of something familiar: the scent of a forest. He knew it was real this time, and he pushed himself even harder, determined to exit the dark and grim place.
As he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw a massive boulder ahead of him, blocking his way with a talisman attached to it. He immediately removed the talisman without any hesitation and stored it in his inventory. He charged his fist with soul force and threw a punch with all his might, the energy rippling through his muscles and exploding outwards. The boulder shattered on impact while creating nine echos, Rayne immediately exited the tunnel.
Rayne stood there catching his breath the sight before him was truly beautiful, the forest was vast and beautiful, with tall trees reaching towards the sky and the sun's rays streaming down through the branches. He felt the warmth on his skin, and a smile spread across his face. He had never felt so alive.
For a moment, he forgot about all the things that happened enjoying his freedom.
~To be continued ~
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