My Vampire Little Sister

"What is this place?"

Ysabelle's mouth trembled in a mixture of disbelief and fear as she stood aghast at the sight before her eyes. Well, I wasn't in too good of a state either.

After we'd defeated the Outer Demons and the weird Dragon, the ground beneath our feet split in two, opening up a path for us to traverse. The passageway was narrow and dark, and like an enthralling consort inviting us in, the depths of the path beckoned to us.

However, that dark passageway reeked of traps and unknown dangers, making it far too risky for us to explore alone. Fortunately, we had a method of scouting the area. Using my clone, I scouted the insides of the passageway one step at a time, ensuring that everything was safe for our journey down.

And while my clone was performing its reconnaissance work, I displayed everything it saw on a holographic screen of my creation.

Bit by bit, the clone travelled through the long hallway that was decorated with hieroglyphics that neither Ysabelle nor I could understand. However, these weren't drawings carved by some ancient civilisation. The hieroglyphics started to glow with a pale blue colour every time my clone passed through them, giving just enough light for me to see through to darkness.

And that's when my clone finally saw it.

A massive door nearly twenty metres high. It was made with a mysterious metallic alloy that combined the lustrous hue of gold, the richness of jade and the magnificence of onyx. Decorating the huge and heavy door were numerous ornate carvings, each one more intricate than the next.

Once again, there were odd hieroglyphics, similar to those that layered the walls of the corridor. However, this time, there were more human-like carvings. For one, there was an image of a tree with a young maiden tending to its every need. Next, there was a depiction of a bloody battlefield, with thousands of men bleeding from their decapitated necks, creating a river of endless dread and suffering. And finally, at the very top of the heavy gates, laid a sanctified man wearing a golden halo around his head.

This wasn't the work of an Outer Demon…

It was as if…

"A human made this?"

"... I doubt so?"

One could see the resemblance between this carved door and a piece of art from the renaissance era. No, given how it was depicted, perhaps mediaeval times? But how could a piece of work from human civilization reach a place where no man had tread before? Even if there were humans kidnapped from our planet, they wouldn't be able to carve such a brilliant image.

Everything was so realistic, as if it had been laser carved into the door, making it near impossible for a human hand to replicate. And yet…

"Maybe it's just the Outer Demons playing a prank on us? Or maybe the images aren't real, and we are looking at illusions? We can't rule out any possibility just yet."

"R-Right!"

"Let me try and open the gates."

I controlled my clone to push the excessive door open with every bit of strength that it got. However, contrary to my expectations, I didn't need to use force at all. Rather, it absorbed almost all of the magic power within my clone, lighting up all of the hieroglyphics in a brilliant symphony of gold, jade and onyx.

With magic power supplied to them, the gears that controlled the locks on the door rapidly clicked. Dust fell from every bit of the massive gate, shaking the earth as the heavy doors split open like Heaven's Gate welcoming the angels home.

"It's open…"

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the massive gates swung inwards, revealing the shocking contents that lay within. The ground was made out of alabaster white jade, making it look more like a ski rink than regular flooring. No, it seems to be made out of angel feathers and exquisite white linen rather than hard rock.

The ceiling of the chamber was the complete opposite, however. Dyed in an astral black sky, the numerous flickers of the stars imprinted within the ceiling made the room seem like a copy of the starry night that all astrologers would love to study.

The chamber of black and white each created one half of a dichotomy. A Yin-Yang harmony that was rarely seen in modern architecture, no, architecture as a whole in general. There was nothing more magnificent in the world that could compare with the chamber's grandeur.

And the cherry on top of it all…

"That's the core, right?"

Ysabelle's words snapped my mind back into reality as I finally observed the floating object in the middle of the chamber. In complete defiance of gravity, a massive artificial heart floated solemnly in the middle of the two walls.

It was the size of ten elephants combined, with a wild buzzing sound resonating out from its nucleus. And oddly enough, it was shaped just like a human heart and mimicked the beating that we all enjoy within our chests. But unlike the crimson red that a human heart was coloured, it possessed a metallic silver, bearing a striking resemblance to an Iron Heart.

Each time it beats, a pulse is sent out. When it beats in rhythm, it creates a calming symphony, one that people could listen to as they fell soundly asleep. Even just by observing the beating heart using my clone, I could feel my body coming to peace.

"Yes, that's the core… If we destroy it, we will be able to leave this place."

"It's a shame, though… It looks so beautiful."

"Yeah, it sure is."

I concurred with Ysabelle's thoughts. Eyghon was a machine, but the core that made it move was oddly human. If it had been given sentience by its creators, perhaps we would have labelled it as a living organism after all. Alas, that artificial Demon Lord was the one who swallowed Ysabelle and me. I couldn't let it live just because it had a nice-looking heart.

"Let me try!"

I moved my clone into the chambers, hoping to get closer to the heart so that I could destroy it with my magic, but before my clone could even step foot within it…

Bzzztttt…

The feed was cut off.

Suffering a little backlash from the sudden termination, a sharp pain resonated within my head, forcing me to place one palm on my temples.

"Jin! What happened?! Are you alright?!"

Ysabelle hurried to my side, not bothering to hide the worry in her eyes. She held my hand tightly and supported me before I could fall to one knee. That one movement eased the pain within my mind, drawing out a tender smile from my lips.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I shook my head and reassured the concerned woman. "If I'm not wrong… There should be an anti-magic field within the chamber. My clone dissipated the moment it tried to step foot in it."

"A-Ah, so that's what happened!"

"Haha, I was negligent. Eyghon's special ability is magic cancellation. Of course it would protect its core with that as well."

"But that's going to be a problem, no?"

"You're right…"

All of my power came from my high magical capabilities. Perhaps if I hadn't been injured, I would have trained my martial arts to a level where I could at least rival Ysabelle, but that was all mute now. Without my magical power, I was a little more than a meat shield.

"Let me try my hand at it."

"Ysabelle! That's too dangerous! We don't know what the core is capable of doing. You're only putting yourself in danger if you attack it recklessly."

Everything I said was completely logical. We were in a foreign land, and the mysterious chamber was quite possibly the most dangerous part of this place. It did, after all, house the most important piece of Eyghon.

If I lost a clone, I would only have to suffer a ten-second headache. However, if Ysabelle were to roam down and use her physical body to strike...

"... I'm not going to let you suffer anymore."

"Huh?"

"Jin…"

Taking advantage of my confusion, Ysabelle shot me the most broken expression I'd ever seen in my life. Her agate-coloured eyes were shining with the sparkle of a million rubies, and her tender touch stroked my cheek. Leaning closer to my face, I felt her warm breath tickle my lips as my nose became overwhelmed with her summer fragrance.

But before I could close my eyes in expectation of a kiss…

"Goodbye..."

"Huh?"

Ysabelle pushed my body back with all her might, sending me flying a kilometre away straight away. There wasn't any killing intent, so I couldn't see the move coming. Not only that, while the force she generated was enough to fracture my ribs, they weren't injuries that a Vampire couldn't regenerate from.

In just one second, I flew a full kilometre back. My mind was slow to react due to the circumstances, but once I realised my plight, I instantly stopped my body in midair.

I snapped my head back to the pit's opening, only to see Ysabelle's body blur as she disappeared into the dark passage. Even without thinking, I could decipher the woman's master plan.

"YSABELLE!!!"

Using my control over Spacetime, I warped myself back in position, enabling me to see the Amazonian wielding her great claymore as she passed through the mystical doors without a second thought.

With my heart almost exploding out of my mouth, I rapidly followed in her footsteps and warped myself down into the chamber. However, since there was an anti-magic field active, I could only teleport until the very edge of the gates.

But that was enough for me to see Ysabelle rushing at the massive heart with her blade overhead. The valiant battle angel ignored the limits placed on her and placed all of her might on that one soaring attack. With everything she had, the girl swung with a tailwind that could rival most hurricanes, creating an epic slash that could only be described as a calamity.

If Ysabelle were to use that might on a mountain, she would have cleaved it in half. If she were to swing it against an army, the army would collapse the very next second. That was how powerful Ysabelle's sword was at that moment.

But…

Clink!

Like a cat scratching metal, Ysabelle's sword didn't even leave a mark on the massive heart. The recoil of her strike, however, pushed her back dozens of metres, slamming the girl right into the white jade floor.

"Again!"

Undeterred, Ysabelle attempted to land another strike. And another. And another. And another…

Eventually, after a hundred swings of her sword, the Iron Heart remained unscathed. It was as if it was just as immune to physical attacks, as it was magical. Unable to accept that fact, Ysabelle roared once more and attempted to continue her onslaught.

Blood dripped down from her blistered hands as she hardened her grip too much during the attacks. Heavy beads of sweat fell from every pore of her body, and her face was getting paler by the second. Evidently, the physical and mental toll was too much for her to bear at the moment. If nothing was done, she would likely keep swinging her sword until either the Iron Heart or she died.

Therefore…

"Stop it, Ysabelle! You're only going to hurt yourself!"

I slammed my feet down on the ground, pouncing into the anti-magic chamber despite knowing how defenceless I was going to be. But I didn't hesitate for a second. Even if there was a trap, even if this was the most stupid decision I could make…

I won't let Ysabelle hurt herself.

Embracing the woman from the back, I held her in place despite her tearful jerks. She struggled for a moment, and it felt like I was a child attempting to restrain a bear. Ysabelle's physical strength was multiple times my own, after all. If she truly wished to, she could peel my body limb from limb to set herself free.

But the woman didn't do that.

Ysabelle stopped her fruitless attempts and, with a soft yelp, fell to her knees with her sword helplessly falling to the ground.

I was wrong.

I'd thought that the most pressing matter I had to solve was escaping Eyghon as soon as I could. But that was the lowest of my priorities now.

The most important thing that I had to do…

"Ysabelle… What's the matter?"

"Jin… Why did you find me? You could have lived your life peacefully! You could have spent the rest of your days with Irina, Lilith and Rosa happily! But because you came for a jinx like me… Your life is in danger once again!"

"Ysabelle…"

Jinx? Lived my life happily? I shouldn't have found her?

I didn't understand what was going on. But, I wasn't one to let a woman cry all alone. I pulled the girl into my arms, wrapping her toned shoulders between my wrists and chest. With one hand raised to her head and the other caressing her cheeks, I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and whispered:

"It's all okay now… Don't worry about anything."

"Jin… Jin… Uyahhhhh!!!"

In this decrepit wasteland filled with nothingness, all that remained was a girl's mournful wail.