"How is he doing?" I ask the nurse tending to Alex's wounds at the Adventurer's Guild clinic. "He's not getting much better; he barely survived. He's been in critical condition since he arrived. Our best doctor magic isn't enough to keep him going for much longer." I thought for a second that the one who told the guild about Martigan would've been Chimaru, but it was Alex all along.

  Gosh, what did that bastard do to them when I wasn't watching? "Can you let me see him? I might be able to help him." The nurse looks at me, a little skeptical for a little bit until she just nods along. "Normally, we wouldn't let you, but he has been uttering your name non-stop, so go for it. Just don't stress him out."

  At the discretion of the nurse, I soon find myself in the same room as a dying Alex, and man, he did not look at all. All his skin appeared to have been burned off. He was covered in horrible 3rd and 4th-degree burns all over his body while resting peacefully on a cloud bed.

  "Oh my god, Alex, what happened to you?" I say to myself, waking Alex up from his peaceful nap and brightening his eyes once he sees me. "A-A. A-nna-bel?" Alex was barely able to say my name with his very raspy voice, which made it even more heartbreaking to see him.

  "Yes, it's me. What did you want to tell me, Alex?" I ask him as he slowly shakes his head and clears his throat. "I am glad to see you're okay. It makes me happy." Alex responded with a clearer tone and calmer voice than the first time he talked, but he still didn't sound much better.

  "It was all thanks to you, pal; you saved me." I try to keep my composure up and not cry before Alex, who, to be honest, grossed me out just by the merit of his one thousand burns. "Yeah, I guess I did," Alex says, all happy now as he extends his hand toward me, which I then grab so he doesn't feel alone.

  "What's on your mind?" I ask Alex as he gasps for air, slowly whispering his request to me so nobody else but me can hear him. As to what he said, it went something like this: "You can turn people into vampires, can't you?" To be fair, I had no idea how to respond to this question as I've never tried it before.

  "I don't know, Alex. It's too risky to use you as a test subject." I respond to Alex, who still doesn't let go of my hand but simply tightens it even harder. "Try it! I beg you, Annabel if you kill me, it will still be a better death than death by failed recovery; I grow weaker by the day."

  "If that's what you want, Alex, I won't deny your request." If that's what Alex truly wanted to try and he was ready to face the consequences, then denying him the possible treatment would be cruel as well. In my defense, however, I've never actually turned anyone a vampire before.

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  "Good, go on, chomp, and feast on my blood; I can handle it." Alex follows up his commitment by removing some bandages around his neck, exposing his neck right before me, quickly turning my glands on as my mouth starts rapidly salivating at the thought of drinking human blood again.

  "Okay, but could you close your eyes? It's hard to do it while you're staring at me the whole time." With me now on my knees facing Alex's neck, I try to prepare myself not to drink him dry. As to how I would know I've infected him enough to turn him into a vampire, I would just have to guess since I have zero outside assistance in that department.

  "Is this better?" Alex sarcastically asks me as he shuts his eyes, causing him to show me his fear since his body finally starts trembling. As for me, I was already halfway to his neck. My teeth and mind quickly anticipate the exquisite flavor of human blood rapidly fulfilled as my bloodsuckers dig deep into Alex's neck.

  The flavor of raw human blood was accelerating a deep, fulfilling flavor like no other before. Nothing could compare to its delicious, rich flavor! My pupils quickly dilate wide open as weird thoughts and memories start replaying inside my mind, memories that aren't mine at all.

  All the memories coming back to me while my teeth sink deeper into Alex's neck are those of the man I am sucking dry. I could see him as a child playing around with a sick pretending that it was his sword, then him growing up dreaming of becoming someone someday.

  I could see all of it while Alex grunted in pain, but I still saw his passion and will to live throughout his entire life. I saw how he always got in and out of adventurer teams until he finally settled with Seras and Nero. Seras looked much younger, as did Nero, with Alex always falling back as the default leader whenever something went wrong.

  I saw it all; all of the man's adventures rushed into my mind for a quick second, rapidly replaying inside my mind. Moments later, I could feel Alex's hand on my cheek, finally waking me up, which made me realize I almost killed him right then and there as his hand looked like a raisin at this point.

  Yet it didn't even feel like that long for me. It usually takes around 30 seconds to suck a deer dry, and I barely drank his blood for like 5 seconds, or at least I thought so. In any case, with my teeth finally out of his neck, I simply follow up by biting my own index finger to drop some of my blood into his mouth.

  I'd never turned anyone a vampire, but if the novels were to be believed, this was part of the process, wasn't it? Whatever the case might be at this point, it was all just hopes and prayers, not going to lie. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing.

  Alex's wounds get worse, however, making me uncomfortable. Nothing seems to be getting better, and all signs just point to me having gone too far as I stop hearing him breathe altogether, causing me to panic. "Nurse! Nurse! Get here! He is dying!" I screamed at the nurses outside the door to come and assist me with Alex, and they quickly showed up.

  "You should go; he is already gone." One of the nurses who let me into the room says as she quickly goes to cover Alex's body with a blanket.