Seko lay across one of the medical benches in the infirmary wing, a cold sweat running down his temple. His breathing was shallow—each inhale trembling, as if the weight of his memories still clung to his chest.
Kiyomi sat by his side, gently dabbing a wet cloth on his forehead. Her face was calm but her hands trembled.Izanami leaned against the wall, arms crossed but eyes soft with concern. She said nothing, but her gaze never left Seko.Violet, for once, had no flirtatious grin—he simply adjusted the pillow behind Seko's head and sighed, "...Damn, Vampy. You really held it all in, huh?"
Meanwhile, down the hall in the library-turned-research zone, Akemi sat surrounded by holographic files and ancient scrolls, flipping through both digital records and dusty archives. Her fingers sparked slightly with static electricity every time she moved too fast.
Then, with a slight creak, Atama entered the room. He held a fruit in his mouth, as usual, and two thick folders under one arm.
"Yo, Sparky," he greeted with his casual smirk."You actually working? Or just zapping flies again?"
Akemi rolled her eyes. "Hilarious. Now come help before I fry this database out of frustration."
They both worked in silence, scanning old cases, mission reports, and unsolved files until the room dimmed from nightfall.
After some time, Atama returned to the others with a bundle of files under his arm. Akemi trailed behind, holding a glowing tablet with highlighted data streams.
Atama dropped the files on the table with a dull thud.
"You might wanna sit up, Seko.""Already feeling like death, but sure," Seko mumbled as he forced himself upright.
Akemi tapped the first file.A headline projected mid-air:"Kids Missing – Annual Disappearances Near the Dark Planet."
The document continued:
"Every year, 12 to 16 children vanish in the vicinity of the Dark Planet. The leading theory blames rogue vampire clans using the area as a hunting ground. Despite multiple accusations, no concrete evidence has been recovered. Victims range from ages 5 to 15. All disappearances occur under similar solar alignments."
Kiyomi squinted at the details. "Ritualistic... maybe even sacrificial? These aren't just hunts."
Izanami nodded, expression darkening. "This pattern… it aligns too well with the old Sanguine Calendar. Blood moons and alignments that haven't been followed in centuries. Except by the ancient clans."
Seko gritted his teeth.His voice was barely a whisper:"That's the same time they… took my brother…"
The room fell quiet again.
Atama tossed another file onto the table.
"This one's worse."Akemi turned the page—revealing a map of the Dark Planet, with small red dots clustered around a region labeled:"The Bleeding Grounds."
The Bleeding Grounds—a cursed land on the Dark Planet, stained with centuries of bloodshed. Unlike the rest of the Dark Planet, it wasn't ruled by vampires. It belonged to something else… something older.
As the group analyzed data, Akemi suddenly paused, her eyes flickering with realization.
"I've seen this before..." she murmured, fingers dancing across the holo-console. She dug through archives, encrypted files long erased from public knowledge—until finally, a forgotten record resurfaced.
The Madala Clan.
"The humans... they ruled the Bleeding Grounds," Akemi whispered. "They were once feared… even by vampires."
Kiyomi leaned forward, intrigued. Seko stared, tension rising in his jaw.
"But they were wiped out... right?" Violet asked, unusually serious.
Akemi nodded slowly. "They were eradicated. Vampires ended the clan. All except three survivors."
She listed them off:
Pranav Madala — Now one of the richest and most influential heroes alive. A name built on silence.
His father — Status: Unknown. Possibly dead, possibly worse.
And... Madala Sujay.The name alone made the air grow colder.
Akemi hesitated before speaking again. "Madala Sujay… he wasn't just a victim. He was turned into a vampire through experimental methods—forced into a transformation designed to preserve bloodlust beyond nature's limits."
Seko looked pale.
Akemi continued, voice grim. "They say he heals in the sun—skin boiling and regenerating at once. A failed experiment, maybe… but something far more terrifying was born from it."
Violet narrowed his eyes. "So he's not just evil... he's designed that way."
Seko muttered under his breath, "And yet... it didn't break him. It forged him."