You had tried to keep your consciousness intact as the world around you blurred, your body growing colder with each heartbeat. Every breath you took felt like it might be your last, and in a strange, almost detached way, you welcomed it.

But then… everything stopped. The unbearable pain faded, and a strange stillness settled over you. You thought, perhaps, you had finally slipped away.

Until you felt something. A presence. A sudden shift, a rush of warmth that pierced through the fog of your senses. It was like being cradled—gentle, though it still left you disoriented. The sensation of being held wasn’t the only thing that cut through the haze; a sharp, searing pain suddenly struck the side of your neck.

You wanted to scream, to fight it, but no sound came. The pain was agonizing, and yet it was a kind of hunger—a longing that twisted into something far worse than anything you had known. Your vision darkened, your body frozen as the pain overwhelmed your every thought.

And then, there was something else. A warm pressure against your lips.

You tried to fight it, to turn away, but the moment the blood hit your tongue, something in you shifted. The metallic taste flooded your senses—intoxicating, burning, and yet… vital. You drank before you even realized what you were doing. There was a strange clarity amidst the chaos, a kind of calmness, though you couldn’t help the lingering, gnawing feeling inside you—something primal.

The voice that followed was quiet, soothing, regretful in its tone. “The feeling will pass. Just hold on a little longer…”

Your vision cleared slightly, and you saw him. A man with soft eyes and an unmistakable air of kindness around him, though there was an undeniable sadness in the depths of his gaze.

“Don’t be afraid,” he murmured gently, his hand brushing a strand of hair from your face, the action so unexpectedly kind that it made your chest ache in a way you couldn’t explain. “You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you. You were dying… but I couldn’t let that happen.”