In the dark room, inside the circle of ritual...
Her body lay still—cold, torn, motionless.
Yet deep within that broken vessel, something stirred.
Life.
Despite her limbs being severed and her torso mangled beyond recognition, regeneration had already begun. Faint threads of flesh weaved themselves through gaping wounds. Skinless muscle twitched as if remembering motion. Nerves, shredded moments ago, sparked as they attempted to reconnect.
It was slow. Imperfect.
But it was happening.
She was healing.
Her regeneration wasn't what it used to be in her prime, not like in her previous life, but it was still enough.
Enough to survive.
The force fueling her restoration came from three sources:
The dragon blood.
The Vampire Orb.
And her innate skill.
It was like stacking powers—layer upon layer.
Like doing 1 + 1 + 1 = 111
A synergy born from chaos.
What little of her face remained twisted into a faint smile.
"I won't die," she whispered hoarsely, blood dribbling from her lips.
Her voice barely carried. Even she wasn't sure if she spoke aloud.
Her soul was safe too—protected, sealed within a ritual circle etched in ancient runes, now glowing faintly beneath the rubble.
The ritual itself wasn't a simple one?
It was a Forbidden magic.
One that was created in the future by a Great dark elf mage.
A secret she carried with her—
The privilege of a regressor.
She smiled faintly, barely a twitch on her pale lips.
That alone had kept her soul from dispersing.
Her life was no longer in danger.
Now came the hard part.
Her mind shifted to the rampant mana inside her, the thick and chaotic energy—raw, wild, and deadly.
The chaotic mana was still running rampant. She needed to control it.
Inhaling slowly
And put her all focus on the chaotic mana inside her…
And then she directed it—
All of it—into her heart.
There, a drop of dragon blood pulsed with faint golden light, seething with untapped potential.
Was it the blood calling the mana? Or was it her control?
It didn't matter.
Her heart, though riddled with holes, became the vessel.
The mana surged through her shattered body like a storm through a dying forest. It tore at her muscles, cracked her bones—
As all the chaotic mana.
Went to the heart.
In the process her bone and internal organs were damage.
But it didn't matter.
She was not going to waste her regeneration on them…
It was a gamble, but one only someone like her could make.
Of course it was hurting like hell. she was one just step away from death… all her body completely broken… her bone, organs, limbs were all damaged
Her body lost almost all of her blood.
But she endures it with an expression less face
Regeneration focused on a single point, enhanced by three forces, made it near-instantaneous.
She could endure anything—so long as her heart beat.
That was all she needed.
Her body stabilized as mana run rampant within her heart.
She took deep breaths.
She was tired…
She wanted to sleep.
But she knew.
Her time was short. One hour, maybe less, before the dragon's influence faded and the blood completely merge with her.
And once that moment came, she wouldn't just lose the regeneration granted by the dragon blood—
She would lose everything.
Once the dragon blood's effect wore off, the volatile mana surging through her heart would lose its artificial containment—
And erupt.
Not only that
Her vampire awakening would fully take hold.
Her vampiric nature… would consume her.
Blood lust will consume her
And her innate vampiric skill, would soon trigger—
Granting her fragmented glimpses into the life of the dragon.
If she hadn't formed her Soul Sling by then—
If her soul wasn't anchored and fully stabilized…
Then her fate was sealed.
So she had one hour.
One hour before the dragon's blood stopped burning inside her.
One hour to forge her soul.
One hour to survive.
And time… was slipping through her fingers.