Arin knew a lot about Humanity's Strongest Mage, and he had relied on that knowledge to survive and accomplish his goals in this world.
As for his personality, Arin tended to think deeply before acting. He would weigh the pros and cons, how a decision might affect him, and what he stood to gain from it. In short, he always took time to consider every angle before making a move.
But today, he failed to follow his usual approach.
He had relied too heavily on the fact that the novel mentioned a human could consume a Blood Core and undergo a transformation. This small oversight caused him to abandon his usual caution, and he rashly consumed the Blood Core without thinking about the possible consequences.
If he had been thorough, as he always was, he would have asked himself important questions. Are there side effects? If so, can I handle them? But that wasn't all.
Would consuming the Blood Core create unforeseen problems? Could it still be connected to Seraphine? If so, would that draw unwanted attention?
But Arin hadn't considered any of this, and now he was paying the price.
Suddenly, the system's alerts flared up.
[A strange presence has been detected...]
[The soul of Seraphine Bloodrose, the Second Princess of the Vampires, has been detected.]
Arin's eyes widened, disbelief washing over him as he clutched his chest. "Wait... Seraphine?"
[Host, you are losing control of your body.]
[Seraphine Bloodrose is taking over.]
[Seraphine Bloodrose is now in control.]
Arin's body convulsed violently as his eyes began to glow. His muscles tensed, and his veins stood out like twisted cords under his skin. The spasms only lasted for about ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, his body stilled.
Arin stood up, his eyes darting around in confusion. "Wait... Where am I?" he muttered.
This question was bizarre, given that he was in his own room. But this only confirmed something : Seraphine was the one speaking now.
Meanwhile, Arin felt his consciousness slipping away, as if he were falling through a dark void. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. He was slowly losing the feeling of his body, sinking deeper into nothingness.
Just as his last shred of awareness was about to fade, his eyes snapped open—though he wasn't controlling them. He still felt like he was falling, but the space around him was empty and dark.
"Damn..." Arin cursed, realizing that he could now speak again.
A system notification appeared before him.
[Your soul is fading.]
Arin frowned. "No kidding."
He racked his brain, searching for anything from the novel that could help him escape this situation, but no solution came to mind. Sighing, he muttered, "I should've seen this coming..."
But it was too late. He couldn't turn back time.
Suddenly, another notification blinked into existence.
[The blessing of ###### on your soul is resisting Seraphine's soul.]
Arin squinted at the garbled name. "This mysterious person again?"
Whoever—or whatever—it was, he didn't care. If it helped him get out of this, he wasn't about to question it.
[Seraphine's soul stands no chance.]
[You will now regain control.]
The sensation of falling abruptly stopped. "Wait, I've sto—"
Before he could finish the thought, he felt an overwhelming force pulling him upward.
A blinding light surrounded him, forcing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the first thing he saw was his reflection in the mirror.
But that wasn't what caught his attention. Strangely, his right hand was inside his trousers.
Arin's eyes narrowed. "What the hell was she doing while she was in control?"
Suddenly, a voice responded, one that he recognized instantly. "Nothing much, just checking something."
"Seraphine?!" Arin exclaimed, looking around even though he already knew the answer.
Her voice echoed inside his mind, meaning only one thing: she was inside him.
"That's right!" Seraphine's voice was filled with smugness. "You thought you'd killed me for good, huh? Guess who's back! Hahaha!"
Arin's shoulders slumped as he stared at the floor. "How did it come to this?"
What should have been a simple transformation had spiraled into a disaster.
[The Blood Core of Seraphine Bloodrose harbors her soul and cannot be detached.]
Massaging his temples, Arin muttered, "Now I get it..."
There was more to the Blood Core than he had anticipated. He should have seen it coming, especially since the author never provided many details about the Blood Core. Though, this was just a crucial reminder that there were some things that the novel didn't mention about some items, but would be present in this world.
The Blood Core housed the soul of the Vampire who once possessed it... Something the novel never mentioned. Now he was stuck with it.
"This is something I need to remember," Arin murmured to himself. "There will be things with more details than the novel mentioned."
Before he could finish his thoughts, the system appeared once more.
[The Chaos Element has successfully fused with the Blood Energy.]
Now that Arin thought about it, just before Seraphine took over, his Chaos Element had been fighting the Blood Core. But now...
[Changes will occur...]
[The Chaos Element + Blood Energy has fused, generating a new result.]
[Your race will now change...]
[Race changing from Vampire to...]
Suddenly, Arin looked at the mirror and noticed that something was going on. "Whoa... Not again!"
Hey guys!! What do you all think Arin's race is changing to? Let me hear your thoughts as usual.