I could feel every beat of my heart, its rhythm as loud as a drum, steady as a march. My whole being pulsed with it, as if I'd just escaped a life-and-death simulation… or perhaps I truly had.

Leaning against the rough bark of a tree, I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling it rise and fall. I was alive. It had to have been a dream. Yet the system window flickering before my eyes told a different story. It was the answer I sought, and the one I feared.

"What the hell happened to me?" I muttered under my breath, the familiar weight of the world slowly easing the tension in my body. I looked around, but nothing had changed. The same forest surrounded me, the same open plains stretched ahead, untouched and still.

"Whatever that system place is, I'll have to go back if I want my weapons," I muttered, biting at my thumbnail. "But how the hell am I supposed to beat that clone?"

The reality of it settled in, heavy but undeniable. I turned on my heel, ready to head back to where Elira and Beelzebub were waiting, when another thought crept into my mind. No matter what happened, I still had to take care of Elira. She needed food, real food, or her body would give out before long.

I paused and listened. The soft rustle of leaves whispered through the forest, the wind brushing gently against my skin. Vampires had one small advantage over humans: we could hear things others couldn't. So I waited, patient and still, until the faint snap of a twig reached my ears.

There you are. My eyes landed on a small creature, a grey rabbit, chewing at the tree bark. It had its back to me. I froze so it would not see me. I flapped my wings as quietly as I could, moving with the slow patience of a hunter. The little thing kept glancing over its shoulder, tense and ready.

I tracked its every breath and waited until it relaxed. Then I slipped from the tree's shadow and drove my scalpel through its neck, quick and clean. It was over before the rabbit understood what had happened. The meat would taste better this way, at least for her.

After skinning it with care, don't ask how I learned that; long story, I finally made my way back. The two sleepyheads were still deep in dreamland, the kind of sleepers you could bury and they would not notice. Talk about heavy sleepers, am I right?

I found some dry branches nearby and figured a small fire would be fine since we were well away from the city. Even if someone noticed the smoke, I could take Elira and run. I stacked the wood into a neat pile and then realized the obvious problem: I needed fire. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I wished I knew elemental magic, but I would have to make do without it if I didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty.

I sat down, trying to think of something that could work. Then it hit me. I still had some glass vials stored in my system inventory. Ever since I started treating people back in Ashvale, I had bought a few with the currency I earned. If I used one to direct sunlight through the glass, it could focus enough heat, and if the conditions were right, I might be able to light the dry branches and leaves.

I pulled one from my system inventory, feeling its smooth surface against my fingertips. This will do. I held it up to the sun, tilting the glass until the light gathered into a single bright spot on the dry leaves. Heat began to build slowly, brushing against my skin like a warning. I just had to angle it right, and everything would work.

Somehow, I failed to notice how excited I felt while preparing food for Elira. Even if it was only a rabbit, I had never done anything like this for anyone before. My life had always been about survival, about looking after myself first. So why now? Why did I want to do this for her? Because she had saved me more than once? Because I had tasted her blood? Or was it something else, something I didn't want to admit?

I shook my head, forcing those thoughts away. My mind was clearly not in the right place right now.

I angled the vial carefully, letting the morning light bend through the glass. The rays gathered into one thin point, glowing against the dry bark. For a while, nothing happened, and I almost gave up, but then a thin trail of smoke began to rise. I leaned closer, steady and patient, blowing softly until the first spark caught. The flame spread in slow circles, devouring the small pile of leaves until it came alive with quiet crackles.

The warmth licked at my skin, strange and almost nostalgic. I had not touched real fire in so long. It burned differently than magic, more alive somehow. I placed the small pan I'd taken from the inventory over the fire and laid the rabbit meat across it. The smell reached me slowly, soft at first, then stronger, rich and wild. My hands moved without thought, cutting and turning each piece with the same precision I once used in surgery. Every slice, every movement had purpose.

Fat began to sizzle, the sound sharp but comforting. I sprinkled a few herbs I found nearby, remembering vague fragments of recipes from a life I no longer had. I wasn't sure if it would taste good, but Elira deserved something that would keep her strength up. When the color deepened to a perfect brown, I pulled the pan away from the flame and exhaled.

For the first time since I woke up, I felt calm. The small fire danced before me, and the scent of cooked meat filled the air. It was almost enough to make me forget the taste of blood. Almost.

"Beatrice? What's that delicious smell?"

Finally, someone began to stir. Those perfect eyes blinked open and landed on me. She looked almost too adorable, still clutching the half-asleep Beelzebub against her chest.

"Good morning, Elira," I said, smiling despite myself. A strange warmth rose in my chest, something unfamiliar that I couldn't quite name.

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