Silver Cross Dream

Two Souls: Eye for an Eye

The ground was covered in candy wrappers, and I had devoured an entire jar of “White Rabbit” milk candy. Sitting amidst the scattered wrappers, I felt lost and bewildered. The food I cooked yesterday remained untouched, and the candles on the chocolate cake had long since burned out, leaving only a layer of transparent wax melted into the cake.

The light around me was dim, but I could see remarkably well. Suddenly, I remembered I should ask Weisheng Yang for a day off, so I hurried to grab my phone.

“Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service…”

In the receiver, a professional and cold female voice repeated the same phrase. How could the candy shop's number be out of service? Did Weisheng Yang forget to pay the phone bill again?

I forced myself to calm down and looked down at the silver ring on my right index finger, which gleamed a bit too brightly. I needed to find the guy who bit me first to understand what had happened.

As I carefully rotated the silver ring, I suddenly noticed a small letter engraved on it: W.

W?

What could it mean?

In the evening, it started snowing again. I hurried outside and found that as long as there was no sunlight, everything was just like usual.

The sky was overcast, and as I stood on the street, watching the flow of people around me, I suddenly felt an intense hunger. A sharp screech of brakes caught me off guard; before I could react, a blue sports car suddenly sped out of nowhere and knocked me flying.

“Miss, are you okay… are you hurt?” The driver rushed out of the car, anxiously crouching beside me.

My left hand throbbed with pain. I turned my head to look, and saw blood soaking through my sleeve; the wound was deep enough to see bone.

The driver was panicking, hurriedly pulling out his phone to call an ambulance.

But I found myself staring at his neck, lost in thought. With my injury, his neck veins were bulging, and looking at the throbbing blood vessels made me even hungrier.

“Miss?” Seeing me dazed, the driver probably thought I was in shock and reached out to support me, worry etched on his face.

“I’m fine.” I swallowed hard, glancing at the wound, and realized it was healing at an incredible speed.

“But your injury…” He looked slightly dazed, rubbing his eyes, “Your injury?”

“It’s just a scrape.” I stood up, ignoring the shouts behind me, and quickly walked away. I had an overwhelming impulse to… bite him!

Standing at the street corner, I extended my trembling hand and gently touched the two faint bite marks on my neck.

I began to understand what I had encountered. As I tried to recall the white-haired man who had bitten me, I suddenly realized I could no longer remember his face. He must have done something to me, perhaps hypnotizing me?

Holding back the intense hunger, I ran back to my attic, locked the door, and sank to the floor, leaning against it.

I stayed in the attic for a full three days until the hunger became unbearable, and I finally ran out.

It was dark, but the flow of people on the street hadn’t dissipated. The neon lights of A City glowed brightly, illuminating the night like day. I stood alone at a street corner, feeling the biting wind but not sensing any chill.

“Miss, do you need company?” Suddenly, a light and magnetic voice came from behind me, oozing charm.

Someone grabbed my hand.

I slowly opened my mouth but then bit my lip tightly, turning to see who it was.

Standing behind me was an extraordinarily handsome man, with a mixed heritage appearance. His shoulder-length black hair was simply tied back with a ribbon. He had beautiful almond-shaped eyes, a striking blue like the afternoon sky.

I hesitated, contemplating whether to make him my first meal.

Evidently, he mistook my thoughtful gaze for infatuation.

“Don’t be afraid; I’ll let you die in extreme bliss…” His alluring lips slowly formed the most deadly invitation, and his long, cold hand gently brushed against my neck. As he opened his mouth, his sharp fangs gleamed with a chilling light…

He was a vampire!

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

Staring at the man in the black coat, who smiled like a nightclub performer, I blanked for a moment before bursting into laughter. I tilted my head back, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth, revealing my own sharp fangs.

What’s the big deal about fangs? Everyone has them. I couldn’t help but wonder how he would feel if he knew I compared him to a midnight gigolo.

Just as I had been laughing with all my charm, the man suddenly looked dazed, his handsome face displaying a bewildered expression. After a moment, he finally came to his senses and sighed in defeat, “You’re one too…”

I laughed again, giggling until I shivered.

“Wait, did you just come from the underworld? How did I know there were so many bloodsuckers in the human world…” he lamented.

“Delicious?” My brow twitched slightly. I remained silent, thinking about how if he weren’t a vampire, he could have easily been my next meal—former kin now at risk of becoming prey… Being a monster but desperately trying not to act like one.

“Ah, it’s my buddy.” The man smiled again, hesitatingly looking at me. “That’s what they say in the human world, right?”

Seeing him like this made me chuckle again.

“Hi, I’m Lott.” He smiled, bowing gracefully, and lightly kissed my cheek.

“I’m Dongfang Xiao.” I looked at him for a moment, then couldn’t help but add, “Your eyes are really beautiful.”

“Right? My buddy says these eyes are great for attracting love.” Lott smiled, looking quite proud.

“Like the blue sky in the afternoon.” I spoke softly, my voice drifting lightly in the wind.

The afternoon sky, such a bright blue.

I thought, perhaps I could never see it again.

“If you like it, I’d be happy to gaze into your eyes and protect you for a lifetime.” Lott leaned slightly closer, his beautiful blue eyes filled with tender affection.

I shivered, goosebumps rising all over.

Lott laughed and pulled me into his embrace.

As I stumbled a bit, I found myself falling into his arms, unable to muster even a shred of resistance. Lott noticed my strange behavior and asked, “How long have you gone without eating?”

“Three days,” I answered honestly.

“How old are you?” He looked at me oddly for a moment before asking.

“Twenty.”

“I meant, how old were you when you were turned into a bloodsucker…”

“Three days.”

Lott stared at me, then gently caressed my cheek with warmth. “My poor child, has your creator abandoned you?”

I began to grind my teeth.

“Didn’t anyone tell you how to be a bloodsucker?” Lott’s handsome face was filled with pity.

“Bloodsucker?”

“Yeah,” Lott nodded seriously, “You’re still a Childe-level bloodsucker, the lowest tier. You must be personally taught by your creator and can’t leave their side until released.”

“Hmm, and what level are you?” I asked, looking at this striking man with blue eyes.

“Oh, I’m quite impressive,” Lott exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. “I’m an Elder, over six hundred years old, a person of considerable status!”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, slightly skeptical. Could this smiling man truly be so powerful?

In old legends, bloodsuckers were always elegant and lonely. How could a vampire laugh so brightly? And he couldn’t even identify his own kind…

“Without a creator’s protection, you could be ridiculed by other bloodsuckers… or even…” He leaned closer, his beautiful eyes narrowing dangerously, “executed…”

“Oh,” I replied, acknowledging him.

“Hey? Shouldn’t you be scared and then beg me to protect you? I could pretend to be your creator!” Lott said mysteriously.

“I’m already dead, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Don’t say that. Being a bloodsucker is actually fun. You can scare children, find a bunch of women… cough, cough… I mean, being a bloodsucker is a noble race, superior to humans. Never let yourself be bound by the weak thoughts of humanity…”

Lott spoke earnestly, but I found the first part much more credible, while the latter seemed a bit inflated.

“If you let me teach you, you can be my first!” Lott said, full of self-importance, completely ignoring my reaction. “Alright, let’s go find something to eat.”

Perhaps out of sheer hunger, I didn’t protest as he took my hand and led me along obediently.