Chapter 4: Fallen Angel

"How can a demon drink the angel's blood just like that?"

"Hmm?" Nero filled the glass and emptied the jug, then took one sip.

"Blood is my food."

"What do you mean? You are a demon, right? Earlier, those demons died because of my blood."

"There weren't real demons, but yeah," He sipped again and nodded, "Demons do die by the angel's blood."

"Then why are you—"

"As I said," He sipped twice before saying, "Blood is my food."

Emilia remembered the dream she just had. 'That woman… and the boy. His name was also Zeus.' Emilia looked at Nero; who was busy enjoying his drink.

Her gaze then fell on the bracelet on Nero's left hand. 'It's the same.'

'But why did I have that dream?' Emilia glanced at Nero, only to see him smirking and staring back at her.

"Are you… a vampire?"

Nero's smirk disappeared, and he asked with a serious voice, "How do you know that?"

"Only vampires can drink the blood."

Nero grinned and threw the glass at the wall that shattered when it hit the wall.

"You are half correct."

Nero inserted his finger in his mouth and pulled his lips, then showed his sharp fangs, "I am a half demon- half vampire."

'It's the same as my dream. What's going on?' Emilia wondered.

"Are you a Dhampir?" Emilia asked.

"What? No…" He turned around and walked to the large glass window. "Dhampir is a hybrid of a human and a vampire."

"Then what are a hybrid of a demon and a vampire called?"

"I don't know," He shrugged and stood before the window.

Emilia followed him to ask more questions, but she was charmed by the scenery outside the window.

There was a stairway that circled around the waterfall. The stairs were made of glass, and they were going up— there was no end to them.

It was snowing. The snowflakes were all around the place, but instead of white, their color was golden. And instead of falling down, the snow was moving upwards.

"So beautiful," Emilia admired as she touched the glass.

Nero tapped on the glass a couple of times to distract Emilia from the scenery.

"Do you like this scenery?" Nero asked.

Emilia didn't say anything and kept looking at the scenery. Nero sighed and tapped on the glass one again, but this time, the glass window shattered.

"What was that for?!" Emilia jumped back and glared at Nero.

"Don't admire the fake."

"Huh?"

Nero pointed his gaze at the broken window. Emilia looked at the window only to see there was a wall behind the glass.

"What's going on?"

"It was an illusion; what else?"

Emilia looked at the broken glass and picked up a piece of glass from the floor.

"This… is not glass," she muttered.

"It's not."

Nero snatched the piece from Emilia's hand and said, "This material… this is made by an angel's blood."

Emilia's eyes winded as she looked at the rest of the pieces and asked with a curious expression on her face, "Then how did you break it by tapping?"

Nero tapped the same way he was tapping before, but it didn't break.

"Do you know how to use magic?" Nero asked.

"Yeah?"

"You are an angel, so you won't have any limitation for using magic, but for any mortal beings, the usage of magic is limited."

Nero walked to the coffin in the middle of the chamber.

"They store their magic in their body, unlike other races. Other races have their own spirit realm, and they have abundance magic."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing," He looked into the coffin and then smashed it to the wall.

"There was this technique I taught to humans. If you focus the magic around your body, without leaking anything, and then focus the gathered magic at a single point, it would increase their physical strength."

"Using magic to buff?"

"Not exactly. Anyone can do that. This technique had much more. I also found a way for humans to increase and store the magic in something else and use it wherever they want."

'Is he talking about cultivation?' Emilia wondered.

Suddenly, Emilia felt dizzy and almost tripped.

"You shouldn't move much. Go sit on the bed."

Emilia didn't want to do as he said, but she had to. She walked to the bed, and as she was about to sit there, she stopped and looked at Nero.

"What's wrong?"

Emilia pointed her finger at the bloodstain on the bed, "You spilled some blood there."

"Oh! That's your blood."

"I know it's my blood, but you spilled— did it spill there when I smashed the glass?"

"No." Nero pointed his finger at the bloodstain, "That blood is…" Then pointed his gaze between Emilia's legs, "Came from there."

Emilia's face flushed as she turned around and moved her hand down. She then trembled and turned back at Nero with a murderous glare in her eyes.

"What's with that look?" Nero asked.

"How dare you!"

"Wait… I think you are misunderstanding something."

"There is nothing to misunderstand here. You took advantage of my body while I was unconscious!"

"It was you! You are the one who initiated it."

"Don't lie!"

"Then try to remember. I am innocent."

Emilia gritted her teeth and continued to glare at Nero as she tried to remember something.

All she could remember were tiny bits of fragments and the feeling of her body getting the pleasure.

Nero had figured something like this would happen, so he was prepared to answer any question.

"How did you heal me?" Emilia asked.

"I used my blood to attach your hands and heal your wounds."

"Had I died?"

"Your body was dead, but your soul was alive, though I barely saved you."

"I still can't remember anything. Tell me, what exactly did you do to me?"

Nero swiped his thumb on his finger, and a cut appeared. Soon, the blood came out and stopped after forming a drop.

Nero moved his finger towards Emilia and uttered, "I can see anyone's memories by drinking their blood, and I can show anyone my memories by making them drink my blood."

"So I have to drink your blood to know what exactly happened?"

Nero shrugged his shoulders and said, "You don't have to if you don't want to. I can narrate everything in detail, but I know you won't believe me."

Emilia grabbed Nero's hand and brought her face closer to his finger.

"Before you drink my blood, I have something I want to tell you."

Emilia looked into Nero's eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"You will know it after you drink my blood, but let me tell you beforehand, in case you start yelling at me again."

"What is it?" Emilia was still thirsty. She wanted to drink something. She would have even drunk her own blood if she was offered to drink it again, but Nero had drank all of it.

Seeing Nero's blood, Emilia's thirst grew intense.

Nero took a deep breath and said with a solemn voice, "You are no longer an angel."

"Hu...h?"

"You are a fallen angel now."