Su Yue’s plan sounded perfect—her body, however, begged to differ.

The next day, a strange hunger struck her, unlike any ordinary craving. At first, she dismissed it, finished the leftover scallion pancakes, and moved on. But the longer it lasted, the more unsettling the sensation grew.

The hunger didn’t fade—it intensified. She devoured the fruits saved for daily snacks, yet remained ravenously empty. Her stomach seemed to have forgotten what fullness felt like. Though three apples had stretched her belly tight, dizziness from hunger still clawed at her.

“What’s happening?” Su Yue pressed a hand to her bloated, aching stomach, trapped in this bizarre clash of fullness and nausea.

So hungry. So hungry. So hungry. So hungry.

She grabbed another pear and bit down. The crisp, refreshing fruit left no taste—just the sensation of chewing damp, flavorless sawdust.

“Have I lost my sense of taste?” Panicked, she ran her tongue over the pale flesh. Nothing. Refusing to believe it, she brought the pear to her nose and sniffed.

No sweet pear fragrance. Instead, an unfamiliar, intoxicating scent tickled her senses. Her brain screamed: *crave this*. Saliva flooded her mouth.

She set the pear down, followed the scent to the alley entrance, wrapped her black coat tight, pulled up the hood, and peeked out cautiously.

The aroma surged. Su Yue’s eyes lit up. She twitched her nose, scanning the source. Daylight bathed the street. Her side stood empty—but across the pedestrian walkway, children laughed and played.

And the scent? It came from them. Precisely: the fresh blood pulsing through their tiny veins.

Her gaze locked onto their delicate necks. She saw the pulse throb, heard the rhythmic rush of blood, felt every heartbeat like a drum.

*Swallow.* Her instincts roared: *Grab one. Sink your fangs. Drink deep.*

“Mmph!” She bit her tongue hard. Pain sharpened her mind. She ducked back into the alley and slapped her cheeks.

“No, Su Yue! Attacking kids in broad daylight? You’d be caught!” she hissed, clutching her head.

“What about night? … No. I’m the Immortal Sovereign. How could I drink human blood?” She clenched her fists. “Don’t lose now—my soul has endured a thousand years!”

She retreated to the alley’s deepest corner and sat cross-legged. Blood from her bitten tongue trickled onto her lips. She tasted it—bland, unsatisfying. The hunger only roared louder.

“If vampires could drink their own blood, we’d be perpetual motion machines,” she muttered with a wry smile, abandoning the thought.

She closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

Thankfully, the children were far enough. With the scent faint, she could endure.

Then—rush hour hit. Crowds flooded the streets. Nestled between residential zones, the alley became a corridor of temptation. Blood-scented air poured in, taunting her relentlessly.

Su Yue dove into a crate, covered it with her coat, buried her face in her arms, and inhaled her own scent—a weird, warmed-trash-like mix. Oddly, it helped.

“So vampires have body heat too,” she mused hazily. (Truth was, vampire bodies ran only slightly cooler than humans’, with a faint heartbeat—not icy corpses.)

After an agonizing wait, moonlight finally washed the empty streets. Su Yue pushed aside the coat and crawled out.

No blood scent lingered—but hunger remained. She bit the pear again. Tasted like wax. She forced it down anyway.

No matter how much she ate, the void stayed. Slumping to the ground, dread coiled deep inside.

“If this hunger never fades… I’ll lose control. Drink blood. Then the police—or the Paranormal Investigation Bureau—will catch me. Exile me. Crucify me. Sink me to the ocean floor.”

What could she do? She knew nothing of the Bloodkin body. How did others survive among humans? If only she could ask a fellow Bloodkin…

Then she remembered: the friendly Bloodkin girl from the pedestrian street. She’d even smiled at her.

“Maybe… I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

Now, wrapped in her black coat, Su Yue watched the bustling Saturday street from the alley shadows.

*Miscalculation. It’s Saturday.* Holiday crowds swarmed the walkway. Blending in? Impossible. One whiff of blood would shatter her control.

“Don’t people work Saturdays here? What a lack of drive!” she grumbled.

Just then—a familiar figure drifted lazily out of the crowd.

Su Yue’s eyes lit up. *The Bloodkin girl!*

She slipped out, smoothed her hair, and waved.

The girl spotted her instantly, floated over, and landed gently. Slightly taller, jet-black hair swaying, she smiled curiously. “Hello! Do you live nearby? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I just moved here recently,” Su Yue replied. (True—she’d settled beside the alley dumpster two days ago.)

“I’m Lucifer. Fellow Bloodkin are rare around here,” the girl said with a playful head tilt.

“I’m Su Yue.”

“Um… actually,” Su Yue stammered, scratching her nose, “when we get hungry—*craving blood*—what do we do?”

“Hungry? Then drink blood,” Lucifer said, puzzled.

“I know… but *whose* blood?”

“Huh? Little Su Yue, can you even stomach anyone’s blood besides your master’s?”

“Master? Again with ‘master’?” Su Yue recalled the Moonlit Duo calling her a “masterless wandering vampire.”

“So… does every Bloodkin have a master?”

“Huh? This world is human-dominated. Any supernatural being in human territory *must* have a master. No master?” Lucifer mimed a throat slash, then blinked. “Wait… you *don’t* have one, little Su Yue?”

“M-me? Of course I do!” Su Yue scratched her nose awkwardly. *Terrifying. No master = death.*

“Well, little Su Yue is a strange Bloodkin—clueless as a newborn,” Lucifer said, utterly un suspicious.

“Oh! Time to go home. Let’s play again soon!” She checked her phone, then floated upward. “Your magic feels low. Ask your master to feed you more blood. Chronic malnutrition… can be fatal.”

“Bye-bye!” She waved and drifted away.

“Bye…” Su Yue waved limply, heart heavy with worry.