Ar (1)
It was a story from a long time ago, so distant that its exact place in time had faded.
No remaining vampires detected.
You have become the True Ancestor.
Everything was strange that day.
"..."
Ar stared blankly into space. Her disbelieving gaze was fixed on the door.
For some reason, Ar had lived in isolation since she was a child.
Her father had told her he locked her away "to protect her."
Her mother, who had already passed away, had said the same.
Thud!
The door rattled violently. The entire room shook as if struck by a massive force.
"H-hnn..."
Ar stared at the door, her face pale with terror. She wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes trembling.
Father?
She looked around frantically. Naturally, there was no one else inside the isolated room.
Just as her pupils began to shake even more violently—
"I'll do it. They blocked it up pretty well."
A cold voice echoed.
Crash!
The door rattled once more. Unable to withstand the impact this time, the door frame shattered, and the door itself flew inward.
A dark silhouette stepped through the swirling dust.
Cold, silver eyes looked down at Ar.
"Ah..."
Ar instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. She curled her body into a ball and turned her head away in a desperate attempt to protect herself.
Though the figure was gone from her sight, the sounds remained crystal clear.
"Threat level: Dangerous. True Ancestor vampire, Ar, located."
As Ar trembled, she heard the sound of people entering through the broken doorway.
Heavy footsteps shook the floor. The sound of weapons being raised and aimed followed.
Ar's face drained of what little color it had. She looked utterly bloodless.
The woman who had broken down the door walked over with slow, deliberate steps.
Blue hair, silver eyes. Ar had seen her before. It was Flan, the President of the Hero Association.
She squatted down to match Ar's eye level, staring with an indifferent gaze. Then, she waved her hand at the people behind her.
"Lower your weapons. She is in a state of complete panic."
"Yes, ma'am."
The rustle of weapons being lowered confirmed her command.
Flan let out a soft hum, appearing to contemplate for a moment. Then, she asked calmly:
"Are you Ar?"
Ar slowly opened her tightly shut eyes. Through a vision blurred by tears, she saw those icy silver eyes.
Even looking at the terror-stricken Ar, Flan's expression remained entirely devoid of emotion.
Is she... human?
Ar felt a brief moment of bewilderment. Flan was simply too calm.
Flan reached into her coat and pulled something out. It was a stack of documents.
She scanned the papers briefly before speaking.
"Ar. Seventeen years old. Female. Child of the vampire Artavil. Is this correct?"
"..."
Flan looked up from the documents, but Ar couldn't muster an answer. She couldn't even move.
Ar just panted, staring back with terrified eyes.
Unbothered, Flan looked back down at the papers and continued.
"The villain Artavil died today. That means you are the one who became the True Ancestor. Correct?"
This time, Flan tilted her head, offering a reassuring smile.
It was hard to believe she was the same person who had worn an expression as cold as ice just moments ago.
Ar finally broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.
"Ar. High threat level. S-class villain... Only the Association can handle this now."
Flan found what she was looking for on the paper and signed it with a pen.
She should have stopped her then.
Because with that single signature,
Ar's life was twisted forever.
After that day, the name Ar vanished from all official records.
Ar was interrogated by the Association.
"Your father, Artavil, was a villain."
"..."
Ar nodded blankly.
Only then did she learn the truth.
Artavil had been a villain. But he fell in love with a human, quit his villainous activities, and went into hiding.
The reason Artavil had never sent Ar to school, and the reason he had kept her locked in that room,
was because they were vampires and villains.
Her father, who had always been so kind, was eventually hunted down and killed by the Association.
Because of his death, his power was transferred to Ar, the last remaining vampire. The lineage of the True Ancestor had to continue.
"It's a waste to kill an S-class or let her rot. That's why they kept her here for now."
"What do you plan to do with her?"
"...Research her regeneration abilities. If we do well, we might catch President Flan's eye."
The researchers dissected Ar.
Ar did not resist.
Her blood was drained, and at one point, her limbs were severed.
Having become the True Ancestor, her regenerative powers were monstrous.
Within minutes, her arms would regrow, and blood would surge to restore her body to its original state.
As time passed...
"Haha! Look at this! If we refine her blood, we can create a powerful recovery potion!"
"We're finally seeing results!"
The researchers created a prototype recovery potion using Ar's blood.
Even amid their cheers, Ar's expression remained blank. It was probably around then
that she began to spend all day wishing for death.
"We need to maximize the blood extraction."
"...Don't you feel sorry for the girl?"
One researcher looked down at her with pity, but—
An older man chuckled and patted his back.
"Potions like this cost a fortune to make. Think of it as a sacrifice for the heroes, for humanity. Only this one girl has to suffer. I'm sure President Flan would say the same!"
Her blood was drained.
Her blood regenerated rapidly, but the extraction rate was faster, pushing her to the brink of death.
"Gah! Ugh...!"
Ar's eyes flew open in agony. She thrashed against her restraints.
The terror of her heart stopping felt distant yet omnipresent, and the icy sensation made her entire body shudder.
At first, the researchers hesitated to proceed when they saw her miserable state, but the news of incoming funding pushed them to continue.
Constant pain numbs everything.
Eventually, even the researchers injected needles and strange reagents without a shred of guilt.
Ar screamed constantly. But at some point, even those screams stopped.
"Haha..."
Ar burst into a hollow, broken laugh.
Death was always looming, yet they refused to let her die.
In the lab, they kept 'Grace'—the very weapon used to kill her father—on standby, ready to execute her at any moment.
Then, one day.
Ar found an opportunity.
A rookie researcher accidentally ingested her unrefined blood.
She used the researcher to rapidly expand her thralls and stage a breakout, but—
"Pant... pant..."
They were all struck down before her eyes by a single, ordinary-looking man.
He was a middle-aged man wearing a shabby hoodie.
The man spoke with Ar briefly, then wore a dazed expression, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation.
He looked at her with confusion until the very end.
The elevator doors closed.
"Just die, all of you."
Ar smiled. A smile born of utter despair.
All hope had been extinguished by Flan.
Time passed.
It was dubbed the 'Blood Queen' incident.
The researchers drained even more of Ar's blood, leaving her without the strength to move.
Deeming her too dangerous even while locked up, they reduced her to a state barely distinguishable from a corpse.
And then, he came.
The elevator descended, and out stepped a man wearing a mask and a suit.
"Since you went to such lengths to hide this place, it would be rude of me not to pay a visit."
That man.
And that led to the present.
He had been a hero, but he threw everything away and put on a mask just to save her.
"Ar."
Even in life-threatening situations, even in the coldest atmospheres, he always put her first.
"Like I said earlier, I had to save you."
"Hold on. I'm going to talk to Merpin for a second. If you're scared, tell me right away. I'll protect you."
Ar opened her eyes. Before her lay a single man, Lee Kangwoo, sleeping soundly.
Exhausted from the day's events, he didn't twitch a muscle, even as Ar stared down at him.
...If you're this defenseless.
You shouldn't be.
Ar gently stroked his cheek, her touch light enough to ensure he wouldn't wake.
Lee Kangwoo flinched slightly at the soft touch, but quickly drifted back into a deep sleep.
A faint trace of ecstasy flickered in her crimson eyes.
"Mmm..."
Ar's lips curved slightly as she watched him. A gaze laced with a hint of desire drifted toward the nape of his neck.
The unhealed puncture wounds from where her fangs had pierced him were still visible.
She lightly licked her lips. Her eyes narrowed.
Ar parted her lips slightly. Exhaling a hot breath,
she leaned in close to his neck.
A drop of saliva fell. As the warm moisture touched his skin, Lee Kangwoo flinched again.
Ar smiled sweetly and whispered.
"I'm... sorry."
Bite.
She sank her fangs into him. Normally, the act of feeding left the victim feeling absolutely nothing.
Lee Kangwoo merely knit his brows slightly at the strange sensation before falling back into a deep slumber.
She savored his blood, sip by sip.
Her heart rate accelerated. Her body trembled with excitement.
Saliva dripped down.
She spent several minutes enjoying the taste.
Finally, Ar pulled away from his neck. She licked the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes flashed with ecstasy in the darkness.
"Ahhh..."
A smile played upon her lips.