The Dawn of the New World

With a gust of wind Eres was gone before Princess Ceni even had the chance to respond.

Princess Ceni was left awkwardly standing there with a complete stranger who seemed to be in a world of her own.

Ceni pretended to glance around at the surroundings for a short while but soon realized that no one else was going to come break the ice between them and she would have to step up sooner or later, so she did.

"Hello, my name is Ceni, it's nice to meet you, Sister Cao," she said while lowering her head as a sign of respect.

Cao Jie was a lady in her early twenties. Even sitting down she was very tall. Like all the other women around her, she was exceptionally beautiful. She had shoulder-length hair that covered most of her forehead stopping just above a pair of amber eyes.

She wore a tight, low-cut red dress with a black skirt that didn't leave much to the imagination. She was gently rolling a wineglass in her right hand.

Once Ceni got a little close she instantly realized the smell of the liquid coming from the glass, it was blood.

'A vampire?!' the thought popped in her head, eliciting a response from Cao Jie.

"Yes, very much a vampire."

Ceni took a step back with furrowed brows, 'You read my mind?!'

"I did, but don't worry, I can't find your deepest darkest secrets just from a glance. I'll need something...MORE for that," a sly smile bloomed on her violet-colored lips as she took a sip from the wineglass.

"Sit," she gestured to the other side of the table where the only other chair was. Ceni hesitated for a second, obviously not believing what she was seeing but still sat down opposite to her.

They stared at each other, one of them as vigilant as a hawk and the other brimming with mischievousness.

"I heard your story from Master Eres, it was very....boring, hahaha," she giggled before taking another sip.

Ceni pretended to put up a strong front even though she was quite incensed on the inside. Reading someone's mind was pretty rude and not something you would do to someone that was your ally.

"So...did you do it yet?" Cao Jie asked after examining Ceni up and down, looking for any clues her body might give away.

"Do what?" Ceni inquired cautiously.

"I mean did you screw that Lycan boy? Did you taste his 'forbidden fruit' yet?"

Ceni pupils contracted and a tinge of bloodlust escaped despite her trying to control herself.

"It's none of your business," she commented through gritted teeth.

Cao Jie threw her head back while roaring with laughter, "Oh my god, you actually didn't? Don't tell me you're still a virgin too?!"

And upon seeing the pink hue that was spreading across Ceni's pale face and neck she laughed even louder.

"My oh my, a real-life virgin! Hahaha!"

But seeing Princess Ceni getting angrier by the second Cao Jie held back from saying anything else and relaxed a smidgen. She waved her hand, "It's fine, there is nothing to be ashamed about. We'll get you laid before you completely awaken your bloodline so there won't be a problem."

"W-What do you mean?!" as angry as she was, Ceni didn't actually know what she meant by that so all she could do was reluctantly inquire further into the matter.

Now it was Cao Jie's turn to be surprised.

"You...actually don't know?"

Ceni shook her head.

"Your parents didn't tell you anything about the awakening of your vampire bloodline?"

Ceni shook her head again.

Cao Jie put down the glace, seriously inspecting Ceni's expressions and body language before nodding.

"It looks like master was right, you really don't know anything."

"I don't," Ceni confirmed at once.

Cao Jie tapped her fingers on the table rhythmically for a few seconds trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke up again.

"In that case there is a lot to cover but we'll start from the basics," the conversation swiftly transitioned into an informative lecture which Ceni listened to despite her reservations about this shady older sister.

"When a vampire truly awakens to their bloodline, the appearance and condition of their true physical form is frozen in time. That means you will not age until the moment of your true death. What you look like when the bloodline awakens is what you will look like for as long as you live. This is true for its condition as well."

"Any physical deformities that you might have or other conditions will also stay that way. Meaning, if you are a 'pure' maiden with all her 'seals' intact before awakening, you will stay that way even after."

"And trust me, you don't want that. I know a girl that was like that, she killed herself before her 200th birthday."

***

Authors Notes:

The reference image for Cai Jie is posted in the Official Discord.

Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ