Black Solstice-Chapter 4: Solstice Academy [3]

A sharp, electic pain flared from my neck, startling enough to wrench a gasp out of me.

"Ggh—! W–Wait—!"

Her grip tightened against my shoulders as though anchoring herself. I could feel her trembling... no, shuddering, like someone trying desperately to restrain themselves yet failing miserably.

A soft sound escaped her. It was like something between a sigh and a hungry whimper but I couldn’t be certain. I felt a bit lightheaded.

Warmth spread down my neck.

Was that... blood?

My blood?

My survival instincts finally kicked in.

"H-Hey! Stop—! What are you—?!"

But she didn’t.

If anything, she bit harder.

Her breath grew unsteady, almost feverish, as if my blood was doing something unholy to her. This strange girl pressed closer, clinging to me with surprising strength for her size.

Her voice trembled against my skin.

"Just a little... just a little more... you smell too good..."

Too good?!

What was I, a rare steak?!

Panicking, I placed my hands on her shoulders and tried to push her away, but her body refused to budge. It was like trying to move a statue that had decided affection was a full-body lock.

"H-Hey! Stop! Stop! Seriously! Stop biting me! I don’t wanna die on my first day of college!"

She finally paused.

Her lips left my neck slowly — almost reluctantly — as though peeling away from her favorite treat. She lifted her head, with eyes hazy and glowing faintly with an inhuman sheen.

A drop of my blood clung to the corner of her lips.

"...Delicious..."

She said it like a confession.

Then, without warning, she leaned in again as if going for seconds!

"...!"

Her face hovered mere inches from mine. Realization widened her eyes.

"Ah—! W-Wait! That wasn’t—! I didn’t mean to—! I mean—I did—no—I didn’t—!!"

She flailed her hands in panic, her voice rising in pitch as her face flushed bright red. Her ears seemed to be practically steaming as well.

"I–I’m not weird! I swear! I... I was just... compelled! Yes, compelled!"

Compelled? By what?

It didn’t matter. My neck was still bleeding.

And she was still sitting in my lap. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"C-Can you... get off me first?" I whispered weakly.

She blinked once, then screamed upon realizing the situation.

"Oh my dark stars—!!"

And scrambled backward so fast she toppled over, crashing into her own bicycle with a clang.

I groaned, pressing a hand to my throbbing neck.

The metallic scent of blood lingered.

"What the hell? You actually bit me?"

Guilt washed over her face. It wasn’t the polite kind of guilt. Catastrophic, world-ending guilt, like she had just run over a dog, burned a village, and kicked a baby on the way out.

"I— I didn’t mean to bite you! I swear I didn’t! I just— your blood— it—it smelled... really good."

"Huh? That doesn’t make any sense at all! How does blood smell good?! Are you some kind of lunatic who goes around biting people like a bloodsucking vampire?"

"Actually, I am."

"Eh?"

My brain completely stopped.

I thought I had misheard, so I asked again, slower this time.

"W-What do you mean?"

She scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I’m not a lunatic. I’m a vampire, so it’s not that big of a deal."

"Oi! Oi! Don’t joke around like that! What do you mean you’re a vampire? A bloodsucking monster that hates crosses and garlic! Are you into role-play or something?!"

"What’s role-play? And also, yes. I am a vampire. Thank you for the treat, your blood is super tasty!♥"

As she said that last part, she placed both hands on her cheeks and wiggled her body with pure delight, like a child who’d just tasted candy for the first time.

I stared at her, speechless, as dread slowly crawled down my spine.

She was serious.

I had just been bitten by an actual vampire.

The logical, rational part of my mind struggled to reject the truth, grasping for any explanation that wasn’t supernatural. But nothing made sense. I wasn’t anywhere on the map network. This place wasn’t just off-grid, it felt like an entirely separate dimension, one cut off from the human domain and populated by beings that shouldn’t exist.

And this girl writhing with a strange, almost lovesick fervor...

Was she really a creature of the night?

"...No... way..."

Dizziness hit like a wave. My vision wavered, thoughts scattered, and everything began to spin.

† †

Moments later, my mind cleared a little and the bite wound on my neck had vanished entirely, leaving behind no trace of blood.

I wanted to question why that was even possible, but I no longer had the energy to fight it.

Nothing made sense anymore.

This was just a dream. Yes, an exaggerated dream I would wake up from at any moment.

Both the strange girl and I were walking toward the gigantic gate of Solstice Academy. She was holding the handlebars of her bicycle as we moved at a steady gradual pace.

We weren’t in a rush.

...At least, I wasn’t anyway.

The atmosphere between us was strange. Understandable, given that this peculiar girl had just claimed she was a vampire.

Vampires.

According to several stories and myths, they were demonic creatures that fed on the living, stalked the night, and hid from the sun. Beings that dissolved under holy water, shrieked at crosses, and slept in coffins filled with dirt.

That was the version I knew.

But the girl walking beside me didn’t fit any of those descriptions.

She wasn’t terrifying nor ominous in any capacity whatsoever.

Neither was she cloaked in shadows and secrets.

She was just a girl pushing a pink bicycle with a tiny bell.

And she kept sneaking little glances at me like a kid who’d been caught stealing cookies.

Somehow, that made everything even more surreal.

I rubbed the side of my neck, not because it hurt, but because I needed proof it had actually happened. My fingers touched smooth skin but there were no punctures or bruises.

It was like I had never been bitten in the first place.

If my memory served me right, then wasn’t this characteristic sign of a vampire bite? In other words,

’She’s actually a vampire? No, I’m imagining it. After all, I have started to think this is a dream so let’s keep to that format for the time being. But...’

"So... if you’re a vampire, does that mean you’re gonna bite me again?"

Her shoulders jolted.

"No! No no no!" She waved her hands frantically. "That was an accident! I mean—I wasn’t planning to—well—I didn’t mean to! It just happened! Instinct! Instinct took over! Yes, instinct!"

"Your instinct is biting strangers?"

She puffed her cheeks.

"But I apologized already..."

"You didn’t apologize."

"I apologized in my heart!"

How the hell was that supposed to be an apology if the offended party doesn’t hear it?!

...Damnit. It feels like I’m losing brain cells talking to this girl.

She pouted, then lowered her head as if contemplating her next words. Her voice dropped to a mumble.

"Also... it’s not normal. Your scent is... weird. I don’t know how to describe it."

"Weird how?"

"Like..." She lifted a hand, circling it in the air while searching for words. "Like if someone mixed sunlight with forbidden wine and sprinkled it with... sparkles? Something like that?"

That definitely didn’t help.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

She said quickly.

"It’s a compliment! Very much a compliment! Actually, it’s kind of dangerous. For me, I mean."

Then she added in a tiny voice,

"Because now I kinda want to bite you again."

I stumbled in place.

"Please, don’t suck my blood!"

"I won’t!" she said loudly. Then whispered under her breath, "Probably..."

’Make up your mind, damnit!’

A dozen words raced through my mind but I swallowed them down. Instead, I clenched my teeth and kept walking.

It was maddening. Absolutely maddening, really.

The massive gates of Solstice Academy loomed above us, grower closer with every step.

Yet somehow, despite their ominous size, there was a strange warmth emanating from them; a subtle sense that maybe we were meant to be here.

Of course, I was a stranger in this world. That warmth was probably a trick my imagination played on me.

The girl in the crimson sweater slowed her pace beside me, her gaze shifting toward me with a sudden, almost belated realization.

"Come to think of it, we actually haven’t introduced ourselves. Have we?"

I let a small, wary smile pull at my lips.

"You should’ve thought about that before biting the neck of strangers. Some people might misunderstand and think you’re a needy slut, you know."

She puffed out her cheeks, glaring indignantly. "Do I look like a lowly succubus to you? Jerk. Besides, I apologized for that, didn’t I?"

"Eh? Succubi are real too?"

"Of course, they are! All kind of demons exist in this world."

...Demons?

Like actual demons or was she pulling my leg here?

No... I dont think she was joking. upon closer inspection, there was no hint of humor in her eyes.

She was completely serious.

"...!"

My eyes trembed.

At that moment, a bad premonition twisted my guts painfully.

Even though I already suspected the answer, I forced the words out. "Um, sorry if this question sounds weird, but... where are we exactly?"

"Hm?"

The girl tilted her head, confused at my sudden inquiry.

"What a strange question. Isn’t that obvious? We’re in Nifleheim, the World of Mist and Fog. But I assume you already know that, so I’ll clarify: this specific region we’re in right now is the Dark Lands, lying just outside the perimeters of the Capital City."

She paused for a moment, as if savoring my reaction, then added casually,

"I suppose you could call this world the home for demons and the like."