The First Blood continued.
"You see..."
"When you first absorbed her..."
"...you must have thought you had simply absorbed her memories."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Like watching someone's entire existence."
"From the moment they were born..."
"...even memories they themselves could no longer remember."
"Like watching a movie."
Draven remained silent.
"But you couldn't have been more wrong."
The First Blood's smile widened.
"What you absorbed wasn't merely memories."
"It was a part of her existence."
"Her habits."
"Her feelings."
"Her knowledge."
"Her instincts."
"Everything."
Draven's eyes remained fixed on him.
The First Blood suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha..."
"You might not have noticed it the first time."
"But after you did it again..."
"...and again..."
"...you must have started noticing something obvious."
His smile slowly faded.
"And that..."
"...was only the beginning."
"Everything you've absorbed will gradually begin to surface."
"One thing at a time."
"Habits."
"Emotions."
"Ways of thinking."
"They'll influence you."
"Little by little."
"And eventually..."
"...there won't be any stopping it."
Draven's expression remained cold.
The First Blood continued.
"Slowly..."
"...but certainly..."
"...you'll begin losing your sense of self."
"You won't even know who you are."
"You won't know what you want."
"Or what you don't want."
"You'll simply become a mixture of everything you've absorbed."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"And the funniest part?"
"It has already begun."
Silence stretched between them.
The First Blood tilted his head.
"Let me ask you something."
"Who are you?"
Draven stared at him.
"Are you Elira?"
He smiled.
"...No."
"Maybe Slade?"
"Or Zrynn?"
"Ignis?"
The First Blood tilted his head again.
"Perhaps Pyrel?"
He paused.
Then his smile widened.
"Or..."
"...wait."
"Are you Daniel?"
Silence stretched endlessly between them.
Draven didn't move.
The First Blood stared directly into his eyes.
His smile slowly disappeared.
Then—
"Well?"
His voice became quieter.
"Who are you?"
Draven stared at him.
For several moments—
he said nothing.
Then—
his gaze slowly lowered toward his own body.
His hands.
His chest.
His blood-covered clothes.
He looked at himself as though he were seeing his own existence from the outside for the first time.
"...Who am I?"
The question echoed through the endless darkness.
Draven remained silent for another moment.
Then—
his crimson eyes lifted.
"I'm the son of the Night Elf, Elliana Nyxia..."
"...and the King of Vampires, Kaelen Vladimir."
His expression remained completely calm.
"I'm Draven Vladimir."
He tilted his head slightly.
"...Isn't that obvious?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Or are you blind enough to ask such a damn stupid question?"
Silence.
The First Blood stared at him.
Then—
his shoulders began shaking.
A faint laugh escaped his mouth.
"Hah..."
His smile widened.
"Hahaha..."
He suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter echoed throughout the endless darkness.
"You're something else, aren't you?"
Draven simply stared at him.
The First Blood wiped the corner of his eye.
"To think..."
"...you'd actually answer like that."
He shook his head, still grinning.
"It seems you haven't lost yourself after all."
His gaze became slightly sharper.
"Even before becoming a demon..."
"...you were already a devil wearing human skin."
Draven's expression didn't change.
"I've seen it."
The First Blood tapped the side of his head.
"As I told you..."
"...your memories are like an open book to me."
"I've seen everything."
His smile became crooked.
"And from what I've seen..."
"...you're a pretty messed-up guy, aren't you?"
Draven remained silent.
The First Blood gave a small hum.
"But..."
His expression slowly became serious again.
"...that doesn't change what I said."
"You're not the same person anymore."
"The devil I saw in those memories..."
"...that person no longer exists."
"Not after your rebirth."
"You've already lost yourself."
Draven stared at him for several seconds.
Then—
"...Yeah."
The First Blood blinked.
Draven sighed.
"Yeah, yeah."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"I get it already."
His expression became irritated.
"So why don't you shut the fuck up?"
The First Blood's eyebrow twitched.
"If that's all you've got to say..."
"...then stop repeating the same damn thing."
Draven turned away.
"It's a pain in the ass listening to you."
He paused.
"...I can't even kill you. How annoying."
His expression darkened.
"Fucking bastard."
The First Blood stared at him.
Draven continued.
"I'm done."
"I still have something to do."
"I don't have time to stand here listening to your nonsense."
He turned his back completely.
The endless darkness stretched before him.
Draven glanced around.
"...Now."
His eyes narrowed.
"Where the hell am I supposed to go?"
Behind him—
the First Blood remained silent.
A faint smile slowly returned to his face.
The First Blood watched as Draven looked around the endless darkness.
"If you want to get out..."
His gaze followed Draven's movements.
"...looking around isn't going to help."
Draven glanced over his shoulder.
"...So how do I get out?"
The First Blood raised an eyebrow.
"You certainly don't sound very proud when you're asking for help."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But why do you think I'll tell you?"
Draven stared at him.
"...Well?"
Silence.
Draven waited.
The First Blood simply smiled.