The Eternal Gambit

"…your orders, lady Elara?" 

Hearing the maid's question, Elara's lips curved ever so slightly. 

"Vanessa, is this the tallest building in the area?" She asked, turning to her beautiful maid with an unreadable smile. Behind her was another skyscraper, even taller than the one they stood on.

"Of course not, Lady Elara, can you not see the building behind you?"

For the first time, Vanessa opened her eyes, revealing a pair of innocent-looking purple orbs that glowed with an ethereal light.

Elara's lips twitched. A rare crack appeared in her composed demeanor. It had already happened once with Alvin's ridiculous words, and now she had to deal with her annoying maid. 

Elara took a deep breath to calm herself, After regaining the quirky reply of her maid but she took a deep breath to calm herself on time. "Then what are we doing here?"

Vanessa tilted her head slightly, feigning confusion. "Are you feeling unwell, miss? …But vampires don't get sick." A moment later, she added, "You asked me to take you somewhere high, but you never specified how high." She even showed a look of concern towards Elara.

A sharp crack echoed through the air as Elara clenched her hands, forming a fist. Even through the noise coming from the bustling city below, the sound of her bones grinding below was unmistakable.

Elara's chest heaved up and down, her annoyance was burnt by the platform beneath them. Elara slammed her feet on the ground before turning to where Alvin laid motionless with a huff. 

The boy should have died long ago, but her blood worked its magic. The bleeding had stopped, and his heart was beating slowly.

The heartbeat appeared to be very weak, but it was there.

From his stable breathing, she could tell his vitals had stabilized. 

He would live if she made him. 

"If only someone knew healing spells, we wouldn't have to turn him in such haste." Tough, she asked as if to herself, Vanessa's steps faltered.

But, ever the perfect maid, she quickly stabilized herself. "Miss, have you forgotten? Healing spells don't work on vampires. They only make the injury worse, not heal them." Then, with an amused glint in her eyes, she added, "But if you wish, I can learn them… just for you~"

'This damned maid and her sharp tongue!' Elara seethed internally, and she wanted to rip something apart to ease her frustration. 'She wants to be a perfect maid, yet her tongue is far from perfect.'

Vanessa's lips curled up slightly when she noticed her mistress's frustration. But she knew better than to press further. Instantly, she returned to her previous calm demeanor. 

Elara turned away, her expression hardening. "Prepare for the ritual." After noticing 

Alvin was showing signs of awakening, which meant they were now on the clock.

Vanessa's playful demeanor also shifted instantly, "Miss, are we going to use 'ingredients' available here?" She asked, there was a hint of solemness to her voice. "You decided to ditch the ritual we should be performing at the last moment."

Elara's gaze darkened, but she shook her head "We'll have to improvise. There is only so much time before the auspicious hour. Just gather the things we have in the locker. We have to start the ritual." Her crimson eyes swept over the city below, watching the oblivious humans with a chilling glint. "The main ingredient will be my blood. As for the feast…" she trailed off in the middle, but Vanessa understood the meaning behind her words. 

Without saying anything, she vanished from the spot.

A moment later, Alvin's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he felt was the heavy wind against his face and open wounds. He blinked in surprise, letting everything he had been through sink In, and then he turned to see Elara standing beside him.

"Where… are we?" His voice was hoarse. He tried to sit up, but the weight of exhaustion kept him down. "Wait… how did we even get here?"

Elara glanced at him before looking away, annoyance flickering in her expression. "Apparently, we are on the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong." She shot a glance at the building behind them, "much to my irritation." 

She looked at the skyscraper-like she wanted to blow it up with her eyes. 

But sadly… she was not powerful enough. 

Alvin frowned, hearing her words, but before he could question her further, he felt a wave of weakness assaulting him. His hand intellectually went to the wooden log embedded in his stomach. 

He could feel that his body was functioning. His wounds were still the same, but somehow he was alive.

"This is the place where I have decided to perform your ritual." Elara turned back to him, no longer paying attention to anything else.

"When did I agree to your proposal?" Alvin asked, raising an eyebrow. 

He did not outright reject her, which made Elara sigh in relief inwardly. 

She had feared that Alvin would resist the proposal. She had learned about what humans who knew about their kind thought of them. Even the Internet was filled with horrific depictions of their kind. 

"I will skip everything else as we don't have enough time. So tell me, are you ready to be a vampire? If you have any questions, I can give you a few minutes as that's all you have left."

Alvin stared at her for a second before finally asking, "Why are you doing this?" 

He had seen her indifference towards those who died with him, and here she was, trying so hard to save him.

"There is no time to dwell in details, but know this," Elara paused, her eyes becoming firm and clear. She finally said, "I have some selfish reasons for saving you. Once the ritual is complete, you will be bound to me."

Alvin's fingers froze against the wooden log.

"Bound to you?" His voice was quiet, wary as he looked at her with narrowed eyes, "does that mean I will become your servant or something?" The mere thought of being someone's slave unsettling for someone who knew the taste of freedom. He could not simply become someone's slave.