Chapter 2: Dawn and Dusk

Han Qi was trapped in a nightmare.

Countless pairs of eerie, blood-red eyes stared at him. Vampires with razor-sharp fangs kept closing in, their claws piercing through his body. His warm flesh was torn apart, blood flooding the ground.

Suddenly, Han Qi awoke with a start, his face ashen.

The cruel and bloody scenes from his nightmare flashed vividly through his mind, so real it was as if they had once happened.

A stabbing pain throbbed at his temples. He pressed his hand to them, trying to soothe the ache.

Around him, everything was silent. The faint fragrance of flowers drifted on the air.

He slowly sat up from the wooden sofa and noticed Li Ye standing by the window, gazing out at the distant night sky.

Li Ye turned around at a measured pace and offered Han Qi a gentle smile. “Feeling any better?”

Han Qi rubbed his temples. “What happened to me just now?”

“You were hypnotized by that guy Mu Chuan, that’s all.”

Han Qi looked at him, puzzled. “How do you know him?”

“Because we’re both vampires.”

Han Qi’s brow furrowed deeply. He drew in a sharp breath, beginning to suspect that everything happening before him was a hallucination.

But Li Ye continued, “And so are you.”

This had to be a dream!

Han Qi squeezed his eyes shut and pinched himself hard. Yet when he opened them again, Li Ye was still there! The other man even walked right up to him and drew a small cut across the back of Han Qi’s hand with his fingernail.

A faint scent of blood immediately filled the air—not overwhelming, but sharp and heady.

Han Qi saw that the blood welling from his hand was a deep, dark red—clearly different from human blood.

The tang of blood grew stronger, as if seeping into every pore of Han Qi’s body. He felt the tattoo on his neck begin to burn, and the heat rapidly spread through him.

Rising with the heat was the instinctive bloodlust of his kind.

Suddenly, Han Qi’s throat felt parched, and his voice came out hoarse. “What… what’s happening to me?”

Li Ye’s cool fingertips brushed over Han Qi’s hand, and the small wound healed in an instant.

“The human you once were is dead. What you are now is a vampire.”

Images of blood-red eyes and sharp fangs flashed through Han Qi’s mind, sending a chill through him. “I was human. Why… how could I become a vampire?”

Li Ye smiled bitterly. “You were always a vampire. I merely restored you to what you are.”

Han Qi shook his head violently. “Impossible…”

His face was etched with terror and dread. The thought of those dreadful eyes and fangs made him tremble uncontrollably.

He had lived as a perfectly ordinary person for over twenty years in the sunlight—how could he suddenly become a fearsome vampire?

Seeing Han Qi’s blatant revulsion toward his kind, Li Ye sighed softly. “Han Qi, you were originally a noble Crimsonblood aristocrat. It’s just… certain things happened, and you were forced to become human…”

He patted Han Qi’s shoulder gently, sending healing energy through his touch.

Under the calming influence of that power, Han Qi gradually quieted, his panic receding.

The room, which had held muffled sounds, now fell utterly silent.

Li Ye had nothing more to say; he simply stood quietly by Han Qi’s side.

After a long while, Han Qi abruptly stood up and walked toward the door without a word.

Watching his retreating figure, Li Ye called out, “Han Qi, I know it’s hard to accept being a vampire all at once, after living so many years as a human. But compared to our lifespans, those years are hardly anything at all…”

Han Qi stopped, his back rigid. After a moment, he pushed open the door and walked out.

Li Ye caught up with him and shoved a glass vial into his hand—inside were black pellets shaped like marbles.

“This is ‘Sunbane.’ Remember to take it when you get home—then you won’t have to fear the sun.”

Han Qi’s face went even paler, but in the end, he nodded and accepted the vial.

Sunbane was a spiritual medicine developed by the military, capable of devouring sunlight. Whenever a vampire left their territory and entered the human world, they would take it to protect themselves from the sun’s torment.

Walking down the street, Han Qi gripped the vial tighter and tighter. At the corner, he hurled it forcefully at a trash bin. With a crash, the stopper burst off, and the Sunbane pellets scattered, rolling into the unseen shadows.

At last, he returned to his apartment. He didn’t turn on the lights. In the darkness, he stumbled into his bedroom, threw himself onto the bed, and wrapped himself tightly in the covers as if to hide from the world.

Whether it was fear or anger, or the change in his very nature, Han Qi felt a chill radiate through his body. He curled up as tightly as he could, yet still couldn’t stop trembling.

Vampires were a race cursed by God, doomed forever to dwell in the night.

Cold, savage, bloody. How could Han Qi possibly be such a creature?

Again and again, those crimson eyes and vicious fangs flickered through his mind. In the end, he saw himself transformed into that very monster.

He wished with all his heart that this was just a dream. That he’d never visited that shop, never met Li Ye, never become a vampire. That when he opened his eyes the next day, he’d still be human, living in the sunlight.

Han Qi tossed and turned for ages. Exhaustion finally overwhelmed him, and sleep claimed him at last.

Just before he drifted off, a faint glimmer of dark gold flashed before his eyes. He felt as though he glimpsed a shadowy figure.

Only after Han Qi’s breathing deepened into calm did the shadow’s outline slowly sharpen, revealing a tall and upright form.

A black-and-gold military uniform, immaculate and resplendent; the dark gold epaulets signified the vampire military command.

Suye stood quietly by Han Qi’s bedside, gazing at him, then pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Leaving Han Qi’s apartment, Suye saw Li Ye standing not far away.

Li Ye slowly bent one knee and knelt. “Marshal.”

“This isn’t the headquarters. That’s not necessary.”

Li Ye nodded and stood up. “Night, the Blood Key has been recovered. The plan is truly set in motion now. Soon, we’ll be able to breed a multitude of purebloods.”

Suye inclined his head slightly.

Li Ye hesitated, then finally spoke. “Night, don’t worry. I’ll protect Han Qi and won’t let any other vampire touch him…”

At those words, the noble marshal looked up. His gaze was calm, yet there was a faint, chilling edge of royal authority.

Li Ye halted, then laughed softly. “With you here, I suppose there’s no need for me to interfere…”

He continued, “Night, will you stay in the human world or return to headquarters?”

“Here.”

“That’s perfect. I’ll leave this difficult child Han Qi in your hands.”

Faced with the military doctor’s blunt teasing, Suye chose not to respond. He turned and strode into the darkness.

Li Ye shrugged and quickly followed, asking, “Are you in such a hurry? You didn’t even change out of your uniform. That’s hardly appropriate.”

Suye gave no reply, and Li Ye seized the rare chance to tease him. Back at the headquarters, as a military doctor, he’d been at the mercy of those with higher rank for centuries, forced to serve the marshal. Now, in the human world, he could finally get his own back.

Li Ye kept chuckling. “You’re really worried about Han Qi, rushing here straight from headquarters…”

Suye replied coolly, “The Commander found your trail. That’s why we came.”

Li Ye stopped in his tracks. “The Commander? Which one?”

“Your fiancé.”

That single phrase silenced Li Ye. He stood motionless, watching Suye’s figure disappear into the shadows. He did not follow, but instead turned back toward the “Floral Banquet.”