Grog tried to transform back into his first form to search for N and Uzi and find them quickly before they disappeared, but he couldn't because of the injury N had inflicted on him minutes before. "Damn that wretched bastard," Grog said angrily. "I can't transform because of him." Grog began to move in his second form, thinking to himself, "This is bad... this is very bad. I've underestimated my enemy again. If my master finds out, he'll... no, he'll never find out." Fear began to show on his face, and he continued thinking, "All I have to do is find the girl and N, and then I'll extract the answer from them while I tear their bodies to pieces."
Grog stopped running and said, "Wait a minute..." He began using his nose to follow the scent and continued, "The scent is still receding from me, little by little. No matter how far I run, I never get close to those two. Why?... Don't tell me!" Grog deduced that someone else was helping them and said angrily, "That wretched witch! She's helping them! Is she trying to die? If she gets involved, it means she's declaring herself an enemy of my lord, and the problem is, that will only complicate matters further." Grog paused for a moment and said to himself, "No... I don't think so... If she joins the fight, she'll be writing her own death. Instead, she's trying to interfere indirectly, by giving those two enough time to escape. If that's what she's after, she's a fool." Grog bent down, gathered strength in his legs, and leaped high, landing a considerable distance from his previous position. He laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha! What do you think of that, old woman?" "Old hag, tell me what you're going to do. After all, your power is limited to the swamp floor, not the air. That way, I'll reach them quickly, hahaha!"
" At that moment, Uzi was supporting N on her shoulder to help him walk as far away from Grog as possible. But she stopped when she saw a red flower and said, "This isn't good. We have to hurry." She put N down and helped him sit by a nearby tree. She looked at her hands, stained with his blood, and then glanced anxiously at N, clearly seeing the damage Grog had inflicted. Her conscience began to prick her, and she thought to herself, "How did he survive that monster? I mean, look at the scars on his face, his torn coat and shirt, his severed hands, and his ribcage half-exposed." Uzi focused more on his chest, especially around his heart, and continued, "He managed to protect his heart. That's good, but... will he survive if I do that?"
About ten minutes earlier:
Uzi said, crossing her arms, "Let me guess. Your plan is to escape, right? Because if that's the case, I'm never going to do it."
She said Julia: "Not at all. I have another plan that might work, but its success or failure depends on you, young lady. That is, if you're truly willing to risk your life for that vampire?"
Uzi tensed for a moment and asked, "What's your plan?"
Julia: "First, I'll distract Grog by using my power to alter the swamp's paths. That way, I'll give you enough time to carry out the second part of the plan."
Uzi asked, "And what is that part?"
Julia replied, "You'll take your friend and move away a sufficient distance, then you'll help him regain his strength."
Uzi asked in surprise, "Regain his strength? How?" Then she remembered what vampires use to feed and regain their strength and exclaimed, "Don't tell me!"
Julia: "Yes, of course."
Uzi objected to this and said fearfully, "Are you kidding me? What if he turns me into a vampire like him? I mean, I..."
Julia said, "Don't worry about it. I don't think he has the ability to turn others."
Uzi asked, "How do you know that?"
Julia replied, "Because, as far as I know, this ability is only for high-ranking vampires. Not every vampire has the power to turn others into vampires like him, so don't worry."
Uzi wasn't sure if she was relieved by what she'd heard. Even if she didn't turn, the idea of a vampire biting her neck and drinking her blood seemed strange. She'd fought N the first time she met him to stop him from drinking her blood, and now she was practically surrendering herself to him without a fight. Uzi sighed and said, "Fine, I'll do it, but what then?"
Julia said, "Once your friend regains his strength, it will give you a chance to fight Grog." She pointed to Uzi's weapon and added, "Or you can use that strange weapon of yours."
Uzi asked, "But there's one thing that puzzles me. You said you wouldn't interfere, but now you're going to help. Wouldn't it be better if you fought him with us?"
Julia replied, "I told you a moment ago that I don't want any trouble with that monster's master, Grog. As for my involvement, it will be indirect. I won't fight him; instead, I'll alter the swamp's terrain to give you enough time to do your part of the plan. And another thing: if Grog gets close to you, I'll sprout a red rose as a sign of his approach."
Uzi put a hand to her forehead to wipe away the sweat that had begun to trickle from her anxiety and said, "Okay..." Then she took a deep breath, knowing where she was going and who she was going to face, and said, "Let's go."
Julia said, "One more thing, I'll grow a red flower in your path. If you see it, it means the Grug is approaching."
Present Time:
Uzi said, "N, listen, I need you at your full strength to face that thing, so—" She revealed the left side of her neck and continued, "you must drink my blood now." Uzi couldn't believe what she'd just said, but she had no other choice. The situation was dire, and they didn't have much time. The monster was approaching at high speed and would arrive soon.
N was taken aback by this request. It was the first time in his life he'd heard a human ask him to drink their blood willingly, without resistance. But he hadn't expected this request to come from Uzi, the same girl who had blown his head off when he tried to do the same. "Uzi... I... you... what are you doing? I can't..." N said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. Uzi interrupted him, saying, "Listen, we don't have time for this." She grabbed N's hair and pulled his head close to her neck, trying to make him drink her blood. But N resisted and pulled his head away, which surprised Uzi. "What exactly is your problem?" she demanded angrily.
Uzi asked him again. N said, "My problem? What's your problem?" Uzi was taken aback by this response, but before she could say anything, N preempted her, saying, "It's clear you're forcing yourself into this, and you don't want to in the first place." N wasn't lying or making up an answer; the signs of tension and anxiety were evident on Uzi's face, which was dripping with sweat. Her violet eyes, their sparkle gone from her eyes with fear, were his first clue, as were her trembling hands, which he felt when she grasped his head. But the most obvious sign was the smell of fear emanating from her, the same smell he had detected on so many of his victims.
N thought that if he drank Uzi's blood, that smell would come from her, the stench of fear. He wouldn't allow Uzi to suffer because of this, or to experience what those who died at his hands, or at the hands of V and J, had endured. After all, they were very similar. After getting to know the girl before him a little, he realized she was simply a lost soul in this world, trying to find her place. There was no place or thing for her to do to feel valued by those around her. Like him, N tried to lean against the tree trunk to get back on his feet and said wearily, trying to make it seem as though he didn't need to drink her blood, "I... I won't... I can..." N began to pant, a clear sign that he was about to collapse. "I can... fight... so don't force yourself to... do something you don't want to do."
Uzi opened her eyes in shock at what she heard. The vampire in front of her, the creature that feeds on blood, didn't want to drink her blood. The reason was that he sensed her fear and anxiety and refused out of consideration for her feelings. And the truth was, he wasn't lying; deep down, she still disagreed with the idea. The thought of a vampire sinking its sharp fangs into her neck and sucking her blood was terrifying. Uzi grabbed N's torn clothes and said shyly, looking down at the ground, "Fool... you're a fool... do you think that..." We have another option, we have no other solution, and I... I..." Uzi didn't know what to say. Her feelings were a jumble of fear that N would drink her blood, and surprise at his rejection of the idea. But something new, a new feeling, overwhelmed the others: relief. What N had said had strangely brought a sense of comfort and a touch of joy to her heart. She sighed and continued, "I'm not forcing myself to do anything because..." Then she looked at him and said angrily, with a hint of embarrassment, "Because this is my blood, and I'm free to give it to whomever I want. So stop being a fool and drink it now."
This time, surprise was etched on N's face at what he'd heard. He tried to say something but stopped when he noticed the sparkle in Uzi's eyes, which she had been looking at him with. He'd never noticed it before, but now he did. The sparkle in her violet eyes was captivating, so beautiful was it. N sat down willingly on the ground, unable to say or do anything, and said... "Well... if you... agree." As he said those words, he felt a slight heat rise in his face, and a hint of embarrassment crossed his features.
N bared his fangs and approached Uzi's left neck, inserting the sharp, pointed fangs into her throat. At first, Uzi felt a sharp pain, causing her to clutch N's torn clothing tightly. N noticed this and tried to stop, but Uzi grabbed his head, preventing him. "Don't... worry," she said, pushing his head further into her neck so he could continue sucking her blood. The first minute passed, and the pain gradually subsided.
The pain we experience when something pierces our skin is a warning signal. When a sharp object penetrates the skin, the damaged cells and pain receptors (nociceptors) send an electrical signal via the nerves to the spinal cord and then to the brain at high speed. The brain interprets this signal as a sharp sensation of pain, alerting you to move away from the source of danger. Afterward, the pain gradually subsides and becomes less intense, often due to the onset of inflammation as immune cells begin to repair the damage.
In Uzi's case, she began to feel the pain gradually disappear, leaving only a slight ache, even though N's fangs remained embedded in her neck. This was due to her nerves gradually adapting, resulting in less intense pain signals being sent to the brain by her pain receptors. As the pain gradually subsided, Uzi began to experience a new sensation: blood rushing through her neck to N. The mild pain brought her some relief, or perhaps even pleasure. This phenomenon is known as "pain relief."
After the pain gradually disappears or diminishes, the brain recognizes that it has vanished and releases powerful pain-relieving substances known as endorphins and dopamine. Endorphins alleviate the pain, creating a feeling of comfort and relaxation. Dopamine then produces feelings of pleasure and euphoria. This is the brain's reward for overcoming the danger, encouraging relaxation and recovery instead of remaining tense. Dopamine acts as a reward system.
The painkillers worked perfectly, especially the dopamine, giving Uzi a feeling of pleasure she'd never experienced before. This made her think for a moment, "What is this... there was pain at first... but now... it's... my body is trembling, but not from pain... it's something else." Sweat began to trickle down her forehead as she continued to think, "Oh my God... this feels good."
N felt his strength gradually returning, so he used the energy he had gained to reattach his hands and repair the rest of his body. When he finished, he tried to remove his fangs from Uzi's neck, but Uzi sensed this and grabbed his hair, pulling his head to her neck. "No... no, not yet," she said.
N pushed N away from Uzi's neck and said, facing her, "But Uzi, I've recovered my body parts, and I can fight now..."
Uzi said, "Fool, you need to eat better. I know you didn't want to hurt me, so you only drank the blood you needed, but you should take more than you usually buy."
N said, "But Uzi, I..."
Uzi interrupted him, saying, "Fool... I said drink, so drink... Why do you always think of others before yourself? Don't you have a brain to think with?" Uzi realized what she'd said without thinking and said, "Sorry... I didn't mean it like that... But you put yourself in danger for me, so this is the least I can do... So let's finish this before that stupid monster comes."
Those words filled N with joy. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. All he'd ever heard were J's insults and hurtful words, and V's insults calling him a useless fool if she didn't ignore him, as she usually did. "Well, if that's what you want," N said. He said these words, but he still felt a little uneasy. He'd never drunk more blood than his usual amount, so he wasn't sure. But Uzi's logical explanation completely convinced him. They had to defeat that thing, and for that, he was ready to do it.
"Now, let's finish this," Uzi said. "I think I have a plan to destroy that thing, but I need some details from you. But before that..." Uzi exposed her neck slightly, feeling embarrassed. "Finish this first," she said, gesturing to her neck so he could continue drinking her blood. It seemed the dopamine-induced sensation of pleasure he was giving her was pleasing her, though she didn't realize it. N said, "Well, and... thank you. No one has ever said those words to me before."
Uzi blushed even more and said, "Yes... yes, Bite me or whatever." Uzi's mind seemed to shut down, and she blurted out whatever came to mind. The mix of embarrassment, pain, and pleasure had apparently switched her brain off for a while. "Oh God," she thought to herself, "I hope I don't get used to this."