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ArabicArknights: The Scarlet Devil of Terra — Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Farewell
Alina gently stroked the young vampire’s blonde hair, offering a warm, reassuring smile. “Leave it to me. After all, I was the one who asked Flandre to do this.”
Satisfied that the girl was calm, Alina twisted around, peering over her own shoulder with a puzzled frown. “By the way, I have a question.”
“Hmm?”
“Why don’t I have wings?”
Flandre blinked, utterly confused. “Do Elafians grow wings?”
In all her long life, Flandre had never seen a deer with wings. Not even the magical reindeer that pulled Santa Claus’s sleigh in her older sister’s stories had wings.
“But didn’t I become a Blood Fiend… a vampire?” Alina whispered, mindful of the heavy title.
“Vampires aren’t responsible for growing wings,” Flandre said, crossing her arms. “Besides, wings aren’t responsible for flying. What’s the point of having them?”
Flandre scratched her cheek. Sure, she had her own crystalline wings, but as far as she was concerned, their main purpose was to look intimidating and scare people. Hearing this, Alina closed her eyes and sifted through the strange, ancient knowledge now flowing through her veins. Regarding flight, Flandre was right—the innate levitation magic of their bloodline meant she could take to the skies just as easily without physical appendages.
Suddenly, Alina felt a sharp, hard prickling against her skin. She reached under her collar, her fingers brushing against something jagged. Pulling it loose, she stared at the tiny, black crystal resting in her palm. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Is this… Originium?”
“Mhm! While Flandre was drinking your blood earlier, Flandre helped remove those gritty things from inside you,” the girl chirped proudly. “Alina, do you have Originium inside you too? Flandre thought only sick people had those.”
“Everyone in this wasteland has it inside them,” Alina murmured, still staring at the crystal. “It’s just that for some people, it lies dormant, while for others, it becomes a visible, fatal infection.”
She briefly explained the cruel reality of Oripathy to the young vampire. Then, a sudden realization struck her. “Wait. If I don’t have Originium inside my body anymore, what about my Originium Arts?”
“It’s not Originium Arts,” Flandre corrected, wagging a finger. “It’s Bloodline Magic!”
“Huh?” Alina’s expression shifted into deep seriousness as she tapped into the inherited instincts of her new lineage. “A completely new way of casting spells… entirely disconnected from Originium?”
She crouched down, meeting Flandre at eye level, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Listen to me carefully. No matter who asks you in the future, what we use is Originium Arts. Nothing else. It is just Originium Arts. Do you understand?”
Flandre nodded quickly. Alina’s stern expression looked exactly like her older sister’s face right before a severe scolding. Recalling the times she had been too mischievous and ended up grounded, Flandre decided it was best to be obedient.
Seeing the girl’s compliance, Alina sighed in relief. She announced she needed to return to her own room to properly sort through her fractured memories and told Flandre to get some rest.
“Alright. Then Flandre doesn’t need to sneak away early, right?”
“Of course not. I’ll explain everything to Talulah myself tomorrow.”
With a final goodbye, Alina slipped out the door. Left alone, Flandre stretched her arms high above her head and let out a wide yawn.
“Sister always said that growing vampires should sleep more and move less…”
Muttering to herself, she crawled under the heavy blankets and fell asleep with a perfectly clear conscience.
The next morning, Alina stood before her cracked mirror. She stared at her unnaturally pale complexion and the faint, crimson glow in her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.
“It’s fine, Alina. Talulah will understand… probably.”
Pushing her door open, she stepped out into the freezing camp.
The moment the morning breeze hit her, her senses exploded. The people bustling around the camp no longer just smelled like unwashed clothes and campfire smoke; they smelled fragrant. A rich, intoxicating aroma pulsed from their veins, awakening a deep, predatory craving within her. This was the instinctive thirst of a Blood Fiend.
Combined with their biological dependence on blood for sustenance, it was no wonder the Sanguinarch’s Court viewed other races as mere cattle.
But Alina was different. Thanks to the unique spell Pale Touch, she could absorb ambient life force to sustain her energy, completely bypassing the crippling dependence on fresh blood. Since she didn’t need to feed to survive, the ordinary Infected walking past her merely smelled like delicious little pastries—tempting, but easily ignored. Resisting the urge was barely an inconvenience.
“Sister Alina, why are your eyes so red today?”
“Yeah! And your skin looks so smooth, just like ours!”
A group of Infected children had already swarmed her, tugging at her coat.
Alina smiled warmly, crouching down to gently pinch their cheeks. “Does it look pretty?”
“Pretty!” the children chorused.
Just as Alina was laughing with them, heavy footsteps crunched against the snow.
“Alina!”
At the sound of that familiar, commanding voice, Alina stiffened. She slowly turned around.
Talulah stood a few paces away. The Draco’s eyes locked onto Alina’s face, taking in the pale skin and the unmistakable, glowing crimson pupils. Talulah froze, her breath catching in the icy air.
“You…”
Ten minutes later, the atmosphere in Flandre’s room was suffocatingly tense.
Talulah, Frostnova, and Buldrokkas’tee sat on one side of the wooden table, their expressions grave. Alina sat opposite them, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Off to the side, Flandre sat on a stool, happily sucking on a lollipop and looking utterly bewildered by the heavy mood.
“Why couldn’t you discuss such a massive decision with me?” Talulah asked, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and heartbreak.
“Because Talulah definitely wouldn’t have agreed,” Alina whispered, lowering her head.
Talulah took a sharp, ragged breath, trying to rein in her temper. “If you knew I wouldn’t agree, why did you do it anyway?”
“Because I refuse to hold you back anymore!” Alina shot back, her voice firming with resolve. “Besides, I feel perfectly fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me!”
“Really?” Talulah slammed a hand against the table. “From what I know, the consequences of being assimilated by a Blood Fiend are catastrophic. Ordinary people don’t just endure it and walk away fine!”
Talulah’s fears were entirely justified. The dark knowledge she had inherited from Kashchey’s memories painted a horrifying picture of the Sanguinarch’s Bloodkin. Those thralls lost their minds, their memories, and their humanity. They were reduced to mindless monsters, bound by absolute loyalty to their masters and driven mad by an insatiable thirst for blood.
Yet, Buldrokkas’tee remained silent, his glowing red eyes studying Alina with deep surprise. The Wendigo had lived a long time, and Alina’s condition contradicted everything he knew about the vampire courts. Her emotions, her memories, her gentle personality—none of it had been erased. Aside from her crimson eyes, flawless skin, and an obvious supernatural charm, she was exactly the same Elafian she had been yesterday.
If all Bloodkin retained their free will like this, the vampire race would have conquered Terra long ago.
“Are there really no drawbacks?” Frostnova asked, leaning forward, her eyes lingering somewhat enviously on Alina’s perfect, frost-resistant skin.
“Of course there are,” Alina admitted. “After becoming a vampire, ordinary food provides me with zero sustenance.”
“Doesn’t that mean—!” Talulah shot to her feet, her chair scraping violently against the floorboards.
“Could you let me finish first?” Alina scolded gently. “I don’t need to drink blood like Flandre does. When I became Flandre’s blood relative, I awakened a very specific Originium Art.”
Alina reached over and picked up a tender, green branch she had snapped off a tree that morning. Under the intense scrutiny of the camp’s strongest fighters, she wrapped her fingers around the bark.
In less than two seconds, the vibrant green bled away. The wood cracked, turning brittle, gray, and entirely dead, crumbling slightly at the edges.
“This is my new Art,” Alina explained, placing the withered husk on the table. “It actively absorbs the life force of anything I touch. Flandre said it has a nice name: Pale Touch. Because I can absorb life force directly from the environment, I don’t need to eat, and I have absolutely no need to hunt for blood.”
“How long can a single branch sustain you?” Frostnova asked, her tactical mind already working.
“Hmm… about an hour or so,” Alina estimated.
Frostnova nodded slowly. If that was true, this was a massive advantage for the Reunion Movement. Food was their scarcest resource in the frozen tundra. Having a member who could survive on dead twigs and weeds was a blessing., if they hunted wild beasts, Alina could drain their life force to feed herself, leaving the actual meat entirely for the Infected soldiers.
Seeing the practical benefits, Frostnova leaned back, signaling she had no objections. Buldrokkas’tee rumbled softly, stating he would reserve judgment until he observed her condition over a longer period, effectively remaining neutral.
That left only Talulah.
The Draco stepped forward, grasping Alina’s hands. She checked her pulse, her temperature, and stared deeply into her red eyes, searching for any sign of Kashchey’s dreaded mind control. Finding only the gentle warmth of her oldest friend, Talulah finally let out a defeated sigh.
Before leaving, she turned her intense gaze on Flandre, interrogating the little vampire multiple times to ensure Alina wasn’t hiding any fatal side effects. Only when Flandre swore on her lollipop did Talulah finally leave the room.
“Whew… I finally survived that,” Alina muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.
Flandre giggled around her candy. “Sister Alina is actually afraid of Sister Talulah, right?”
Alina pouted, crossing her arms. “What do you mean ‘afraid’? I just don’t like arguing with her.”
With the crisis averted, Flandre hopped off her stool and announced that it was time for her to leave.
“Won’t you stay here a little longer?” Alina asked, her voice tinged with sudden sorrow.
Flandre shook her head, her twin tails bouncing. “Sister Alina, your changes aren’t obvious, but Flandre’s appearance screams ‘Blood Fiend.’ Rhodes Island and the Sanguinarch’s Court have a deep, bloody hatred for each other. Once those pharmaceutical people arrive and see Flandre, it will ruin your relationship with them.”
She adjusted her hat. “Besides, Flandre heard Lungmen is a very prosperous place. Going there might help everyone. And remember, our blood is connected now! No matter how far away Flandre goes, as long as you want to chat, you can reach Flandre.”
Those words washed away much of Alina’s parting grief.
The two walked out into the camp to find Talulah waiting for them. The Draco already knew this moment was coming. With a complicated expression, she pulled two sealed envelopes from her coat.
“I have some past connections with the Chief Executive of Lungmen,” Talulah said quietly, handing the first letter over. “But I don’t know if he will still acknowledge those ties after all these years. If he turns you away, use this second letter. When you arrive in Lungmen, find a woman named Ch’en Hui-chieh. Give this to her. She will help you settle down.”
Flandre took the letters, carefully tucking them into the small, sturdy backpack Alina had prepared for her.
The farewells continued. Frostnova and Buldrokkas’tee arrived bearing gifts. Frostnova handed over a beautiful, hand-drawn picture created by the members of the Yeti Squadron, while the towering Wendigo presented a small wooden doll, carefully carved and blessed with ancient Sarkaz incantations for protection.
Alina had initially wanted to give something grand, but Flandre had reminded her that they could talk telepathically anytime, making dramatic gifts feel too sentimental. Agreeing with the logic, Alina simply gifted Flandre a set of warm, hand-knitted clothes.
Talulah watched the exchange, a helpless look crossing her face. “You all prepared wonderful gifts, and I only gave her two pieces of paper. Doesn’t that make me look terrible?”
The group burst into laughter, the warm sound cutting through the freezing Ursus wind and lightening the heavy sorrow of departure.
Before leaving the camp entirely, Flandre visited the makeshift classroom to say goodbye to her students. When the Infected children realized their strange, powerful friend was leaving, tears welled up in their eyes. They emptied their pockets, pressing their most precious treasures into Flandre’s hands—pieces of hard candy, smooth river stones, and clumsily folded paper cranes.
Even a certain white-haired, awkward boy stepped forward. He didn’t meet her eyes. Instead, he shoved a worn tangram puzzle—his and Sasha’s favorite toy—into Flandre’s hands. Without a single word, the boy turned and hurried away.
Flandre stood in the snow, watching his retreating back. It was impossible to reconcile this shy, innocent child with the twisted, life-disregarding monster named Mephisto from her memories of the game’s future.
She glanced back at Alina, who was watching her with a soft smile.
Yes, Flandre thought. Saving her was definitely the right choice.
Alina nodded, sensing the unspoken thought.
Standing at the edge of the camp, Flandre waved to the assembled crowd. “Sister Alina, no need to see Flandre off! Go back and practice those spells, especially flight and Danmaku magic! Next time we meet, let’s play a Danmaku game together!”
With a brilliant flash of magical energy, Flandre launched herself into the sky, flying straight toward the rising sun.
Late that night, Flandre touched down in a secluded mountain cave to rest. She had barely sat down when a familiar voice echoed directly inside her mind.
[Flandre? Flandre, are you there?]
[Sister Alina! Flandre can hear you!] Flandre replied, projecting her thoughts outward.
[Great! I tried for hours to get this communication spell to work,] Alina’s voice rang with genuine excitement, the emotion transmitting perfectly through their bloodline link.
[Bloodline Communication ignores distance. It’s the most basic spell for vampires to locate and talk to each other, but it’s not easy to master,] Flandre praised. [It took Flandre a whole week to learn it back then. Sister Alina learning it in one day is amazing!]
Naturally, Flandre conveniently omitted the fact that it only took her a week because she had spent six of those days slacking off while her sister chased her around the mansion.
[I reached out to share some good news,] Alina continued, her mental tone shifting to business. [Our scouts at the border just reported in. Rhodes Island’s support convoy has reached the Ursus border. They will arrive at our base in a week at most.]
This was massive news for the Reunion Movement. It meant a stable supply route for Oripathy medication.
[According to our intelligence,] Alina added, [Rhodes Island is being led personally by a doctor named Kal’tsit this time. She intends to meet with our leadership to finalize our cooperation plans.]
Flandre sat up straight, her playful demeanor vanishing. [Listen carefully, Alina. That Doctor Kal’tsit is a very dangerous, very formidable person. Be extremely careful around her. Also, check if there is a little Cautus girl named Amiya in their team. If there is, you must keep her far away from the Old Stubborn. If they ask why, tell Ms. Kal’tsit it involves the Wendigo’s prophecy. She will understand.]
Recalling the tragic lore where Buldrokkas’tee nearly killed Amiya upon sensing the Lord of Fiends, Flandre knew she had to intervene.
[Is it really that serious?] Alina’s mental voice grew tense. [Alright. Talulah was just discussing who should go out to receive them. I will volunteer to lead the welcoming party.]
Sensing the absolute gravity in Flandre’s warning, Alina locked the instructions into her mind, ready to face the approaching storm.