Chapter 42: Another Vampire.

To test my theory, I activated my bloodline abilities and focused on her figure. My eyes widened in disbelief. "You... you are a vampire too." After a moment of contemplative silence, the woman spoke again. "Vampire? I suppose you are correct." The revelation made me pause immediately. I stood before a powerful vampire, but why was she bound in chains like a dangerous prisoner? Before I could voice my confusion, the vampire beat me to it. "You are wondering why I’m chained, aren’t you? It seems like you aren’t part of any clan... and your bloodline purity is so remarkable... What’s your name?" "Adrian," I responded in a calm voice. "I see... Adrian. That’s a pleasant name. It rolls off my tongue quite well." The beautiful vampire smiled warmly. "You must have countless questions, but I will allow you three. Think of them carefully." Three questions? I had nearly a hundred burning questions in my head, yet she was only willing to answer three? I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts. My first question would address the most immediate concern, how I had arrived here. "I was transported here through a red blood gate. What is it exactly, and will I be able to get back?" She stared at me for a moment before letting out a small chuckle that made my heart race involuntarily. "That’s two questions already." Seeing the obvious disappointment on my face, she laughed melodiously before adding, "don’t worry, I was just joking. I’ll count this as a single question just because you are handsome." Her compliment made my cheeks redden. Had it been anyone but this woman before me, I would’ve been able to deflect it easily. But something about her made me...tense. "As for the red gate, it’s a manifestation of this realm’s power. Due to its highly unstable existence, such portals appear across various realms attempting to stabilize the dimensional structure. Think of it as a way to discharge excess magical energy. This leads to your second part, whether you can get back. Well, you can get back by simply using your magical energy, you aren’t part of this world, so using any sort of mana will warp you back to where you came from." Damn...doesn’t that mean..Theortically, nobody outside this realm can help her? unless their power is beyond this realm’s... I processed this information carefully before the obvious follow-up occurred to me. "Why is it unstable?" "Is that your second question?" she asked with raised eyebrows. I immediately shook my head, remembering the strict three-question limit. "No, no." My hasty response made her chuckle again, filling my ears with that melodious voice. "Why were you imprisoned?" The second question escaped my lips, though I wasn’t certain if it was too sensitive a topic. She paused for several seconds, as if carefully weighing her response, before speaking. "Because I was weak." "That’s it?" I asked, hoping for more details. I wanted to know who had imprisoned her, and more specifics about the circumstances, but the knowing smile on her face indicated she was finished answering that particular question. I sighed before asking what might be the most important question of all. "What’s your name?" Her beautiful eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise. "That’s your final question?" I nodded firmly. Knowing her name would allow me to look for clues and have something to go by once I return to my realm. "Well then... my name is Carmilla, the Vampire Queen." The title hit me a punch to the gut. The beauty before me was not just any vampire, but the queen. The implications were staggering, I was speaking with vampire queen who possessed power beyond my comprehension. Yet here she was, chained and imprisoned in this mysterious realm. What kind of force could capture and contain a Vampire Queen? Her voice once again interrupted my thoughts. "Your three questions are now up. May I ask you for a favour?" Carmilla said, staring at me with eyes that glinted slightly in the dim light. "I will help within the limits of my ability," I replied cautiously. Carmilla nodded her head gracefully. "I’m hungry... can you feed me?" "Feed you?" I muttered before my eyes widened in realisation. She wanted my blood. I paused for several seconds, not responding immediately as I thought through the possible implications. I was an Elite-ranked vampire, and while my blood possessed very high purity, it was nowhere near powerful enough to free her from those magical restraints. While Carmilla seemed like a reasonable person so far, I didn’t know her complete background, and accidentally freeing a potentially dangerous prisoner would be incredibly foolish. Especially when she could squash me like a bug. After thinking it through carefully, I decided to proceed. She had answered my questions when she had no obligation to do so, so providing her with sustenance after who knows how long she’d been starved seemed like a fair exchange. I walked toward her slowly before asking, "How are we going to do this?" She smiled warmly before replying, "The good old way." She tilted her head slightly, revealing her slender, pale neck that made me gulp involuntarily. The graceful curve of her throat was mesmerizing, and I found myself momentarily distracted by her otherworldly beauty even in this strange situation. I approached carefully, positioning myself near her restrained form. The chains clinked softly as she adjusted her position to make the feeding more accessible. "Don’t worry," she said softly, noticing my hesitation. "I won’t take more than I need." I extended my wrist toward her, but she shook her head gently. "Your neck would be...better," she explained with that same hypnotic smile. I hesitated for just a moment longer before moving closer. I sat down, bringing myself to eye level with the most beautiful being I’d ever encountered. Up close, she looked even more stunning than before. Every detail of her face was perfect, from her delicate skin to those enchanting violet eyes. I tilted my head and offered her my neck.