Free Web NovelIn the dim cave, fluorescent moss worms wriggled, their faint glow allowing Carmilla to see the path ahead.
She moved slowly through the depths of the earth, her consciousness hazy and chaotic, which made even walking a problem. She had to frequently support herself against the damp stone walls just to barely keep moving.
The situation was growing increasingly severe. Carmilla used her last shred of rationality to analyze her current state.
It had started six months ago. She began seeing unfamiliar scenes in her dreams—scenes she had never experienced before.
Blood-red banners blotted out the sky. Solemn Blood Flower Knights paraded through the royal capital, vigorous and heroic. Residents stood on rooftops and balconies lining both sides of the streets, while deep red rose petals drifted through the air. Everything was so beautiful—if not for that blood-red crescent moon flag she saw.
That was a scene from the Blood Dynasty era. The Blood Clan had steadily marched toward their zenith, conquering over a thousand kingdoms of various sizes, unifying the vast lands of the Third Continent, planting the blood moon banner everywhere they went.
The dynasty's nobles were proud and noble, elegant and wise. A unique Blood Clan aesthetic style swept across all continents—Gothic architecture and garments, blood-red wine and petals, thorn-entwined crowns—all so elegant and distinguished that the world marveled in awe.
But every dynasty eventually sees its sunset. The once-invincible mighty empire steadily declined through one internal conflict after another. Just as they had dealt with the dragons, techniques and methods specifically targeting the Blood Clan were continuously developed.
Finally, the dynasty collapsed. The last royal princess, escorted by her trusted retainers, left the Third Continent, boarded a lone ship, and arrived at the Suspended Sea Cliff in the northern reaches of the Fourth Continent, where she hid from her enemies and settled down.
What followed was a long period of recovery. The Blood Clan gradually faded from people's memories, buried beneath the dust of history.
Why was she suddenly seeing scenes from that bygone era? Carmilla's first reaction was that the bloodline within her might be awakening.
After all, she was one of the rare descendants of the Blood Clan royal family. The bloodline within her still carried the imprints of past memories—this was a special ability unique to the Blood Clan royalty. Without any additional instruction, she could spontaneously obtain the knowledge and techniques from the Blood Dynasty era that were recorded in her bloodline.
But hadn't this awakening already happened when she was young? Why was there a second one? And this time, the awakened memories were far more personal, not just simple knowledge.
She was once again experiencing the growth journey of a certain generation of Blood Clan monarch—from the fears and anxieties of childhood, to the scheming and intrigue among numerous siblings during adolescence, to becoming a queen who defeated enemies on all sides, bringing the entire dynasty under her iron-fisted rule.
That was the life of "Clovante," the last revivalist ruler of the Blood Dynasty. After her, the dynasty declined inexorably, never to regain its former glory. The nobles became selfish to the core, devoid of nobility and valor. Corruption and greed became the hallmark of the era, as they held each other back, fought over interests, and engaged in attacks and internal strife.
As the last revivalist monarch, Clovante's reputation was a mixed bag. She used brutal methods to silence any opposition. More Blood Clan nobles died by her hand than under any ruler in any generation of the dynasty. The number of high-ranking Blood Clan members actually declined overall during her era. However, she also reintegrated the dynasty's legions and military strength, suppressing rebellions from other races and preventing any outside forces from daring to pry.
Initially, Carmilla found these memories quite interesting. Being able to see so many things from the Blood Dynasty era satisfied much of her curiosity, and she also obtained some secret arts of the Blood Dynasty that had been lost to obscurity. However, as the awakened memories grew, she began to realize something was wrong.
If she allowed this situation to continue, Clovante's memories would take up an increasing proportion of her consciousness. Would her self-identity then be Carmilla, or that long-dead ancestor?
To suppress this inherited awakening within her bloodline, she began searching for methods and learning how to restrain this innate nature of her blood, cutting off the awakening of those memories within it.
Unfortunately, before she could successfully brew a potion to suppress her bloodline, the Blood Clan found her first. Upon hearing the news that her elder sister Catella was summoning her, what she felt wasn't the joy of being able to return, but an inexplicable terror.
As twins, she and Catella were almost identical. Both had inherited the purest bloodline of the royal family. If she was experiencing this memory awakening, then Catella must be experiencing it too. And considering Catella's deliberate crippling of her Aspect rank and driving her out of the Blood Clan royal court, Carmilla suddenly had many associations...
Could Catella have sensed it long ago and noticed something was wrong? But why hadn't she told her directly? Hadn't that woman tried to stop it?
Carmilla harbored many questions, but unfortunately, she couldn't get answers from the two Blood Clan members before her right now.
Knowing that Catella's temperament had drastically changed and that she had awakened many ancient Blood Clan members from their slumber, Carmilla understood that the person sitting on the throne now might no longer be her twin sister, but the resurrected Clovante.
If she herself was captured and brought back to the royal court, she would likely be absorbed by her to perfect Clovante's bloodline and gain even greater power. After all, such forbidden secret arts did exist within the Blood Clan—though generally speaking, even if an individual's strength increased somewhat, they wouldn't surpass two high-ranking Blood Clan twins, so few people actually did this.
Carmilla didn't dare gamble. Clovante wasn't her real sister; there was no deep emotional bond between them. And once Catella's self-perception shifted, she would no longer be her twin sister either.
What a damn situation. And of all times, now...
Carmilla's vision went dark. Her sight spun as numerous memory images flooded her mind once more, assaulting her consciousness. She slowly went limp, collapsing to sit with her back against the stone wall.
After she fell, the cool stream water in the cave flowed past her ear and body, its chill and moisture helping Carmilla maintain her last shred of rationality, half-conscious and half-dazed.
I am Carmilla...
The princess of the Sea Cliff Blood Clan, Catella's twin sister...
She recalled her past, but these images gradually merged with Clovante's memories, making it increasingly hard for her to distinguish which were hers and which belonged to Clovante.
Because they both came from the Blood Clan, both had been princesses, and had too many similar, overlapping experiences.
In the haze, Carmilla realized she had to find some different experiences—something that could support her own personality.
So, what exactly in her life was unique to her, separate from her identity as a Blood Clan princess or royal daughter?
Strangely, she thought of the time she had spent living in the Asra District. More specifically, the time she had spent with that black-haired girl.
A clarity as delicate as summer soda gradually awakened within her memories, barely maintaining that precarious line of self-identity.
Separated from her past identity as a princess and the endless influence of Blood Clan society's interests and status, there was a simple and pure friendship. Transparent as glass beneath sunlight, it reflected brilliant colors.
The two of them shopping together, experiencing the heat and dizziness of summer. The breeze amid the cicada's song. The sweetness and chill of ice cream. Hair within arm's reach. The faint scent carried in the air. These memories were like a small white boat floating on the turbulent, blood-red sea, shielding her from the unease and mania below, finally allowing Carmilla's consciousness to calm down and regain clarity.
After overcoming this immediate crisis, she stood up again, stumbling deeper into the cave. Finding a hidden, safe spot, she curled her body up and actively induced herself into a deep slumber. The faint red blood threads wrapped around her like a cocoon, gradually falling silent.
