TM: Vengeance of the Indomitable and Crazed Shades

Yet even though what Temorsth thought would be just a little girl's fleeting interest.

"Hm... She didn't give up..." Seeing that a week later Lily still crossed the same forest she was saved in, Temorsth paused for a moment.

"Agh... Where is he!?" Lily questioned with frustration ringing in her voice.

"Why is he hiding? I've been coming here for more than a week now and I can't find him no matter what!"

Not far behind her, Temorsth stood on a large tree branch while listening to Aidana.

[The Host can't avoid that little girl forever.]

'I know, she is surprisingly persistent at the least its more reassuring that she won't say anything... I want to learn of her plot armor, but it would be hard to deal with her while not getting couched up in her story.'

[She indeed seems to have told no one that the Host is here, and she always comes alone but she will cause suspicion sooner or later.]

[And you have already become a love interest, you can't run. No matter what, she somehow will always run into you.]

'Ugh, fine. I'll fix it... but not today. I found that beautiful lake, I wanna swim it has been such a long time since I'd swam in natural water.' As Temrosth finished his sentence, he turned around and started into the depths of the forest.

[...] And with a sigh, Aidana already knew where this would end.

...

After a few minutes at a large and crystal clear lake.

Temorsth stood on the shore with the reflection of the glowing and sparkling lake in his eyes.

"This lake looks a little strange, it stands out from these bleak and dark woods."

[There is a kind of concentration of mana in the lake, so it appears clean and beautiful while the forest is full of dark energy. All thing is just a reflection of their core.]

"Umu.." Temorsth, listened to Aidana as he began to undress.

He could store all things in his space ring, but he had to take them off first because it would disturb his body.

He couldn't summon things on his body either, he could only summon them near not even weapons are an exception.

He was about to take off his shirt and show off his 8 pack abs when he noticed something.

'Hmm...' He now looked around 14 years old with a height of 160 cm.

Yes, he had grown so much because, in the past week, his body had almost integrated all the bonus stats that came from the breakthroughs, but still, he was only turning 7 years old.

Temorsth planned to go home when he was 7, and that was more than two months away.

As Temrosth took off his shirt and put it in his ring, he began to speak.

"If you want it, don't just look come here and touch it."

"What are you talking about?" Hearing him, Lily jumped up from a nearby bush.

'She found me, but I don't understand how. I'm sure she was going in the opposite direction when I came here...' Concealing his incomprehension, he began to speak with a slight smile on his face.

"If you're already here, don't just stand there, come here."

"Ah, I was just hiding in case you ran away!" Lily got out and walked towards him as she continued.

"I've been looking for you for five days, so I was sure you were hiding from me!"

"I was hiding so you wouldn't fall for my body, but..."

"It seems I failed." Temorsth turned and stepped in front of Lily, looking slightly down due to his height.

"Hah, my father is a dozen times more muscular!"

"Then you like older guys?"

"What?"

"I'm about to turn 18, what are you talking about?!"

'Eighteen...? Oh right, true vampires age more slowly even when they're younger, which is why she looks 10, wait...'

'She's more than twice my age!' Temorsth stood before Lily, truly at a loss for words.

"Uh..." Looking into Temorsth's blue eyes, Lily blushed and turned away.

"..." After a brief silence.

"Your clothes... it's pretty boyish."

"Uh..."

"It is cute."

"Ah..."

"Hm... is there a swimsuit in your ring?" Temorsth accepted his fate as this little girl's love interest.

"Umu... " Lily answered with a slight nod.

"Do you want to swim?"

"Umu..."

...

Time flew, and as Temorsth no longer avoided Lily, she came every day to be with him.

They fought, ate, and rested together. Days turned into weeks and Temosrth finally advanced into the realm of Body Tempering.

After such a long time, there were occasions when Lily stayed not only for the day but also for the night.

And on one such night, they sat by the campfire and looked up at the stars and the beautiful night sky.

"You asked about my family, didn't you?" Lily sat next to Tem, holding her leg as she watched the fire.

"Um?" When he heard what she said, he turned back from looking at the stars.

"Yes, I was curious."

*Hmmm...* She humed to herself, was there anything interesting in her family?

"My father is Dalce Mihail Nistor, the son of the patriarch of the Dalca family."

"And my mother is Lear Monica Beatrix, a descendant of the Lear family, she is a half-cousin of the current leader."

"I guess you know that the Dalca and Lear families are two of the 11 main families."

"Yes, I know about it..."

"They had an arranged marriage..."

"...?"

"Ah, don't worry, they don't hate each other. It's the exact opposite, they adore and love each other and me too."

"That is good..."

'I thought it would be a typical cliche arranged marriage of constant hate, but it surprisingly isn't.'

"It's not so rare that arranged marriages take place between the main families."

"The decree is that one family should not overpower the others and that the leader of the vampire race should become someone from one of the main families."

"For example, not everyone likes that the current leader is the son of the previous leader... Ah, not me! I like uncle very much!" As Lily thought Temorsth would misunderstand her, she raised her hand and tried to clear herself.

"Hm..." And this action instantly lets Temorsth know her thoughts.

"In truth, it was just a coincidence that he was the most talented and strongest member of his generation. I remember that Dad said The Elders organized a vote to ensure there is no internal conflict."

"And since the vote came in his favor, the Lear family was allowed to rule for another generation."

"Oh, but you know what's really weird?" Remembering something interesting, Lily's voice rose slightly.

"Um, what?"

"They said something similar happened within the elven race."

"Hmm... you don't say?" Tem asked back with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Um?"

"Nothing, please continue."

"Anyway, it was said that the current leaders are mortal enemies who have battled hundreds of times but neither of them has come out on top."

"Um, maybe they fell in love with each other and they don't want to beat the other."

"What? That can't happen the elves and vampires are in a constant and unstoppable war."

"Hmm, maybe you're right…" Temorsth continued after a brief pause.

"My father is Lear Xalier Yi-fan."

[Host! Even if she doesn't tell anyone, they can still read her mind!]

'She's the granddaughter of one of the heads of the 11 main families, I guess they wouldn't force her. I've read that it's extremely painful, and it is dangerous to the soul and mind, so they would only use it as a last resort. And she already knows too...'

[...]

"I knew it."

'You see?'

[Ugh... but still...]

"How?" As Aidana quieted down, Tem asked back with a touch of surprise in his voice.

"You look too much like Uncle Yi."

"Oh, you were talking about dad then…? Does my father have an oriental grandmother?" Even though Temorsth played a little into it, he didn't lie to her since he wasn't sure.

"You did not know?"

"No." Shaking his head, he let her speak to her heart's content.

And just like this, they talked about everything and more. Day after day, they became closer and closer to each other.

...

It was about this time that Temorsths and Elizabeth met in the woods for two months.

Temorsth has finally reached the middle stage of Body Tempering.

It happened right after a hunt. While watching the sunset, Lily and Tem were resting side by side on a huge tree branch.

The scenery was beautiful as the sun was shining just enough to illuminate the autumn leaves that created a reddish-orange landscape in the dark forest.

"You're creating your vampire core tomorrow, right?" Lily broke the silence.

"Yes."

Temorsth told Lily that he couldn't form his vampire core when he was young because he was sick, which is still true now, but his body is finally strong enough to withstand the first transformation.

"Then... Use my blood!" Lily's words were firm.

"What?" She truly startled Temorsth, making him turn to look at her.

'Beautiful...' As the sunset illuminated Lily's right cheek, the spell that shielded her from the sun, brought a slight glow to her petite face and made Temorsth get mesmerized.

"Use my blood to create your core!"

"You..." Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Temorsth was slightly confused.

After a second of silence, Temorsth cupped her cheek. "I know you like me..."

"Ah..." When Lily heard him say it just like that, she was embarrassed and confused. It took a lot of courage to tell him this yet he just blurted her feelings out like it was nothing.

"And I like you too..."

"AH..." Hearing him continue, she became even more confused and her heart started to race.

"But I have to ask you again if you're sure."

"..." Lily was red, unable to speak, only looking into Temorsth's blue eyes as she couldn't turn her face away from Temorsth holding her left cheek.

"If we become connected, you know what will happen right?" Temorsth remembered a conversation he had with Aidana not long ago.

...

[I advise you not to use your own or anyone else's blood.]

'Hm?'

[Use the blood of a wild animal or someone who has already been killed.]

'Um, why?'

[This will be the first taste you will crave when you first transform, it will be extremely satisfying when you drink it.]

[If it is the blood of someone who is still alive, there is a chance that you and that person will get connected.]

'Connected?'

[This connection is a kind of feeling between the two.]

[This will be like finding your perfect love, partner, or soul mate.]

[The Host remembers that there are a lot of arranged marriages in the vampire race, right?]

[It is because of this skill, they make children form their core with the blood of the person they need to marry.]

'What isn't this forced love?'

[No, their true feelings don't change, you can't be forced to love someone's personality if you hate it.]

[Even if they're in a relationship, they can still hate each other, it just helps lighten things up.]

'Lighten things...'

[Yes, it has become a widely accepted form of an advantageous arranged marriage because the people getting married don't want to kill each other.]

'Hm...'

...

Returning from the memory, Temorsth saw Lily's gaze turn determined.

"I... I want this! I want you!"