CHAPTER 206: INTERLUDE - NEW HOPE (3)

“Haa, haa.”Her hot breath was thick with excitement.

The damp, sensual panting tickled Kwon Oh-Jin’s neck.

“Then... I’ll begin.” Isabella gulped and lightly caressed Kwon Oh-Jin’s smooth, muscular neck.

His sharply defined neck, like a male leopard’s, made her heart pound and sent a shiver running down her spine. As she leaned closer, the scent of his skin teased the tip of her nose.

“Haaa.”

A different desire from bloodlust rose inside her. The tingling sensation fluttered between her legs.

She licked his neck with her long tongue.

Slurp.

Kwon Oh-Jin flinched.

“Ah!” He cleared his throat and looked back at Isabella as she licked his neck like a puppy. “Let’s just go with the forearm like before.”

Isabella shook her head with a firm expression.

“The neck is more efficient than the forearm.”

Honestly, there wasn’t much difference between feeding from the forearm or the neck. She just wanted to get closer to Kwon Oh-Jin and used efficiency as an excuse.

“But you sucked blood from my forearm last time.”

“T-That was because things were so hectic then.”

“You seem like you’re in better condition now than back then... Is it really necessary to go for the neck?”

“Geez.”

As he tried to pull away, she grabbed his shoulders with both hands and a red gleam flashed in her eyes.

“Stay still.”

Kwon Oh-Jin froze in place, unable to resist.

“This is...” He stiffened like a statue.

Is this my soul being bound to hers like she mentioned before?

The moment he heard Isabella’s command, it felt like a switch had turned off and all his strength vanished.

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes and tried to force himself to move. A dark energy was released from his left chest, and his fingers twitched slightly.

Huh? What the hell?

He thought it would be unbreakable with all the dramatic talk of his soul being subordinate to hers. At this rate, he felt like he could resist her command with enough time.

Is it because of the Black Heaven?

As he cocked his head while slightly moving his fingers, Isabella resumed licking his neck.

“I’m sorry for using a command, Mr. Oh-Jin, but... this is your fault.” Her excited breaths tickled his neck.

Too focused on licking him, Isabella didn’t even notice his slightly moving fingers.

“It’s cruel of you to deny me something that looks this delicious.”

Panting roughly, Isabella continued to lick his neck and opened her mouth wide. Her two sharp fangs elongated.

“Hmm.” Her fangs pierced into his neck.

This time as well, he didn’t feel any pain. Only a dizzying wave of pleasure washed over him.

“Ahh.”

“Hngh... you taste wonderful, Mr. Oh-Jin.”

She embraced him like she was holding something precious and drank his blood as he flinched.

Gulp, gulp.

With every swallow, an unworldly ecstasy ran through her.

Ahh...

Trembling slightly, Isabella savored the blood flooding her mouth. She had only drunk his blood for the second time, but already felt so addicted that she couldn’t imagine a life without him.

J-Just three sips.

Any more and she wouldn’t be able to suppress the urge to go further.

“Haa, haa... Mr. Oh-Jin.” Her whisper melted with intoxication as she drank.

Then, a certain part of his body caught her attention. With a sparkle in her gaze, she licked his neck once more.

“Does it feel good?”

Kwon Oh-Jin could only remain silent.

“Then... you don’t have to hold back, Mr. Oh-Jin,” she whispered seductively and lightly stroked his chest.

Her hand trailed down, brushing over his torso and gradually moving lower.

“Stop.” Kwon Oh-Jin gently pushed her away and pressed his hand to the puncture wound on his neck.

Isabella softly sighed in disappointment. “Is it because of Miss Ha-Eun?”

Kwon Oh-Jin looked away with his lips tightly sealed.

Isabella nodded with a bitter smile. “Well, I mean... you two are lovers, after all.”

“You knew?”

“Wouldn’t it be weirder not to know?”

He had tried his best to keep it hidden, but it seemed like she had known for quite some time now.

Isabella pulled out a potion from between her chest and carefully poured it over his neck.

“I don’t mind being second,” she said.

“What?” Kwon Oh-Jin looked flustered at the completely unexpected remark.

“Haha, I’m just kidding.”

Was it really just a joke?

Smiling sweetly, Isabella wiped away the blood and saliva from his neck.

It seemed to be a high-quality potion. The puncture marks on his neck vanished instantly.

“Thank you.” Isabella faintly smiled as the bloodlust disappeared.

Not only that, but she also felt the mana flowing through her become more concentrated.

“Giving up a few sips of blood isn’t that big of a deal,” he said.

“It’s not just that... I mean everything.”

Isabella rested her forehead gently against his back. She felt a comforting warmth transfer over to her. A happiness she thought she would never feel again now filled her heart.

You’re my new hope.

She had received so much that she didn’t even know how to begin repaying him.

I’m so jealous of Miss Ha-Eun.

Just thinking about Song Ha-Eun made her fluttering heart ache. If only she could monopolize Kwon Oh-Jin’s love the way Song Ha-Eun did. How wonderful that would be?

But that would be too greedy of me.

It was clear how deep and unbreakable their bond was by just looking at the two of them. She would never be able to cut through such a thick, solid threaded relationship.

I won’t give up.

She didn’t intend to break that bond. She only hoped she could weave herself to it. If she could just do that...

“Isabella?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Isabella brushed away the storm of thoughts and warmly smiled.

“You don’t need any more blood, right?”

“Yes, I should be good for a while.”

“Since things have settled down a bit, there’s something I want to ask you,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Ask me anything.” Isabella sat down on the luxury carpet in her room.

“I want to know everything you know about the Black Star Society.”

“Hmm.” As if she had expected that question, Isabella nodded without a hint of surprise. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Let’s start from when you first received the Stigma of Leech.”

“That wasn’t much different from a regular Awakener. I was wandering in search of my sister when I heard the voice of a Celestial and received their Stigma.”

So Black Star Celestials don’t approach their Awakeners any differently, huh.

“Where were you searching for your sister?”

“Iceland. That’s where she was abandoned after being exiled from the family.”

“Iceland?”

“Yes, it’s not far from where the first rift appeared.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes narrowed.

The first gate that opened to the world of monsters, known as the Demonic District, had appeared in Greenland. Iceland wasn’t too far from there.

Could the Black Stars be connected to the Demonic District?

Come to think of it, he recalled Jang Seok-Ho once mentioning that the Black Star Society had hidden themselves within the Demonic District to avoid being discovered.

“Have you been inside the Demonic District, Isabella?”

“No, I’ve never been there myself.”

It seemed that not all the Black Star Society factions had hidden inside the Demonic District.

“Anyway, you received your Stigma in Iceland. Then what?”

“I wandered for a few years in Iceland, constantly tormented by the thirst for blood. I kept searching for my sister during that time... but I never found her.”

Kwon Oh-Jin swallowed heavily. If she had been searching alone for years in Iceland, especially near the first rift, it was hard to imagine that her sister was still alive.

“Then you returned to Italy?”

“That’s right.”

“How did you end up joining the Black Star Society?”

“I received a revelation from the Celestial.”

A revelation, huh.

“That’s when I met Roberto and began secretly gathering other Awakeners with the Stigma of Leech.”

“Did you meet with any other factions?”

“I did. I even fought with the Owl faction over some common interests.”

Oh. That must be why the Owl faction reacted so violently and called Isabella a witch.

“So what’s the current structure of the Black Star Society factions?”

“Hmm. I’ll write them in order of their rank.”

Isabella pulled out a small note and began writing down each faction.

1. Serpens faction.

2. Musca faction.

3. Leech faction.

4. Felis faction.

5. Bufo faction.

6. Owl faction.

7. Seahorse faction.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh factions had already been wiped out.

“So that leaves the Serpens, Musca, and Felis faction.”

“The only one I’ve managed to make any contact with is the Felis faction. As for the Musca faction, I only know that they’ve settled somewhere in South America.”

“What about the Serpens faction?”

“All I know is that they’re fanatics who worship the Heavenly Demon.”

At the mention of the Heavenly Demon, a sharp gleam flickered in Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes.

“Have you ever met the Heavenly Demon?” he asked.

“No, I’ve only heard rumors about him. I’ve never seen him myself.”

Even Isabella has never seen the Heavenly Demon.

“Do you know anything else about the Heavenly Demon?”

“Well, I did hear once that he’s the one who created the Black Stars.”

“What?”

He created the Black Stars?

“Wait. By Black Stars, we’re referring to Celestials, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Apparently, the Heavenly Demon gave power to the so-called false star Celestials and transformed them into the Black Stars.”

The Heavenly Demon created the Black Star Celestials?

Is that even possible?

How could a human create a Celestial? The idea seemed completely absurd.

“Ah,” Kwon Oh-Jin faintly gasped.

A single answer unraveled all the tangled questions in his mind. It didn’t make sense for a human to possess the power to create transcendent beings like Celestials. In that case, the answer was simple.

“The Heavenly Demon... that title wasn’t meant for a human, was it?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked in a low voice.

Isabella nodded. “That’s right. The Heavenly Demon isn’t human.”