Leah's body was shaking as she struggled to get back to her feet, each movement feeling like it took every ounce of her strength. The snow beneath her was stained with her blood, and she could feel the searing pain coursing through her.

  She barely had time to react as the ogre's massive hand swept across the ground with terrifying speed. Panic surged through her as she activated flight and dragged herself backward through the snow, the ogre’s hand missing her by mere inches. The sheer force of its swipe sent gusts of wind and snow spiraling around her.

  But the ogre wasn’t done. It lunged forward, bringing its hand back across, and Leah barely managed to dodge again. Each swipe was followed by another, with Leah narrowly escaping each one.

  She lifted herself higher into the air with flight, hoping to escape the ogre’s reach, but its arm was already swinging toward her. The blow clipped her, sending her hurtling backwards, her body crashing into the snow once more. Her health dropped again, flashing on the edge of her vision—76/500.

  Lying there, gasping, Leah cursed under her breath. Her earlier confidence felt foolish now. She had grown too comfortable with her growing power, thinking she could handle anything, but this ogre was a terrifying reminder of her limits.

  She had underestimated her opponent, and now, as the ogre’s shadow loomed closer, she feared she might not survive this encounter.

  But then, as the ogre took another step toward her, an idea sparked in her mind. She remembered the first time Ibbi took in her blood, and thought how consuming her blood first increased her favorability with her before it fully converted her.

  She had to get her blood into the ogre. That was the key—if she could just make it happen, then perhaps the ogre would stop and leave her be.

  With the ogre closing in, Leah gritted her teeth, focused, and sprouted a massive blood tendril from her chest. She aimed it straight into the ogre’s eye.

  As the ogre roared in pain, she pumped a vast amount of her blood through the tendril. Her blood mana drained rapidly, but she couldn’t stop now.

  But just as she pushed more blood into the monster, the ogre grabbed the tendril with its massive hand and tore it from its eye, causing blood to splatter all over the snow. Leah barely had time to react before the ogre then raised its hand to squash her.

  The ogre’s massive palm came down with a thunderous crash—but it landed just beside her, sending a violent gust of snow and wind in all directions. Leah’s heart raced as she lay there, breathless, covered in snow.

  The ogre paused, its one remaining eye locked onto her, its fury palpable. For a moment, it seemed to consider her, before, to Leah’s shock, it stood up straight and walk away.

  Its massive form lumbered past her, eventually disappearing into the forest, leaving her there on the ground, gasping for air.

  Her vision blurred as she struggled to lift her head, but the weight of exhaustion and pain took its toll. She felt herself slipping, the world around her dimming. Just before she lost consciousness, a blurry figure appeared above her, standing tall with grey skin, white hair, and long pointed ears. But as the world faded to black, she couldn't make out who—or what—it was.

  ***

  Leah slowly woke up, a dull ache pulsing through her body as she regained consciousness. The night air brushed against her skin, and she groggily tried to lift her head.

  As she did, she realized that her head was resting on something—soft, yet firm. She blinked in confusion, her vision still blurry as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

  The dark silhouette of a figure loomed above her. A woman, her features sharp and elegant, with grey skin and long white hair. Her eyes were closed, and for a brief moment, Leah thought she might still be dreaming.

  Leah shifted her head, trying to sit up. The sudden movement startled the woman, and her eyes flew open, wide with alarm. She looked down at Leah in surprise, and Leah noticed that the woman quickly moved to sit upright, her expression shifting from confusion to something else, something grateful.

  Leah slowly pushed herself up. She glanced around, taking in her new surroundings. They were in the midst of a forest, the faint crackling of a small campfire several meters away filling the silence.

  As she stood, her legs wobbled, and the woman seemed to hesitate for a moment before she murmured something in disbelief.

  "Saviour..." the woman whispered, almost under her breath.

  Leah then turned to look at her. Her eyes narrowed at the grey woman, and slowly she recognized what she was.

  "Are you an elf?" Leah asked.

  The elf blinked, eyes widening in surprise, and nodded slowly. "Yes, a grey elf," she answered, her voice uncertain. "But... why can you speak?"

  Leah raised an eyebrow at the question, but before she could answer, she noticed her surroundings more clearly. The small campfire cast a warm glow on the area, the light flickering over the various trees around them. As her gaze shifted, Leah saw three more figures slowly approaching from the shadows, moving carefully toward her.

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  They were all elves, each wearing garments made of natural materials. The one at the front appeared to be the eldest. He wore a long robe of rich green fabric, trimmed with intricate silver embroidery that reflected the light of the fire. His long white beard was neatly braided, and his ancient eyes studied Leah intently as he stepped forward.

  The elder elf bowed slightly, his voice deep and resonant as he spoke. "I wish to thank you," he said, his eyes filled with respect and gratitude. "For driving away the beast."

  Leah tilted her head, still catching her bearings.

  "My name is Zytherin," the elder continued, "and I am the head of this tribe. We are grateful for your help, blood fairy."

  Leah studied him carefully, her gaze flicking from Zytherin to the others around him. She wasn’t sure what to make of them.

  Her gaze then drifted past the elves, her mind still reeling from everything that had happened. She glanced toward the trees, half-expecting more figures to emerge, but the silence of the night settled heavily around them. Then a realization crept into her thoughts.

  She turned back to Zytherin, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you the only survivors left?"

  The elder elf’s expression darkened, and a deep sorrow flickered across his face. His shoulders sagged as he gave her a slow, solemn nod.

  "Yes," he said, his voice heavy with grief. "The dungeon beast slaughtered our kin. Over a hundred of us... gone."

  The other elves lowered their heads, their grief apparent on their faces.

  Leah exhaled slowly. "I see."

  There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

  Leah’s eyes glowed faintly in the firelight as she broke the silence. "I can bring them back to life."

  Zytherin and the other elves turned to her in shock. Their expressions ranged from disbelief to cautious hope.

  Zytherin’s voice was hesitant. "What… do you mean?"

  Leah met his gaze, unwavering. "I have a special ability. I can revive the dead."

  A tense silence followed. The elves exchanged glances, their faces twisted with skepticism.

  "That’s impossible," one of the younger elves scoffed, his hand tightening around the hilt of a dagger at his side. "Only necromancers can bring back the dead, and even then, they only raise soulless husks. You must be lying."

  Leah’s eyes narrowed at him, a flicker of irritation crossing her face. Before she could speak, Zytherin lifted a hand, silencing his companion. His old, wise eyes studied Leah carefully.

  "Can you truly do this?" His voice was low, uncertain, but there was something else in it—desperation.

  Leah nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

  ***

  As they neared the ruined village, the smell of blood still lingered in the air. Leah moved with purpose, her blood mana replenished after rest and a brief, feeding on Zytherin’s blood. The elf elder had offered it without hesitation, though he winced when her fangs pierced his wrist. Now, she felt rejuvenated, her power ready to be put to use.

  As they stepped into the clearing, one of the elves looked around nervously. "Is the ogre still here?"

  Leah shook her head. "No, it's far away."

  Another elf hesitated before asking, "How do you know that?"

  "Because I injected my blood into it. I can sense where my blood is, no matter how far it goes."

  The elves exchanged uneasy glances, but before they could ask further, Leah spotted the first corpse in the snow. She approached without hesitation.

  "Start dragging the bodies toward the centre." she ordered.

  But the elves only stood there, watching her with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

  With a sigh, Leah extended a blood tendril from her arm, letting it twist through the air before plunging it into the dead elf’s chest with a sickening squelch. The violent motion made Zytherin and the others cry out in alarm, some even reaching for their weapons.

  Ignoring them, Leah focused, pumping her blood into the lifeless body. A moment passed before the elf’s once-grey skin began to shift, darkening into a deep crimson. Then, with a sudden gasp, the corpse’s eyes snapped open.

  The revived elf lurched upright, inhaling sharply as if surfacing from deep waters. He looked at his hands, flexing them with wide, disbelieving eyes.

  Zytherin stepped closer, his voice shaking. "Are you… alive?"

  The elf turned to him, his expression torn between confusion and awe. "I… I remember dying." His voice was hoarse, as if his throat hadn’t been used in hours.

  Zytherin’s eyes welled with tears, and before the revived elf could react, the elder pulled him into a tight embrace.

  The other elves hesitated before stepping in closer, eyes flicking between Leah and the newly resurrected elf. One of them finally spoke. "Why is his skin red?"

  Leah clapped her hands together sharply, making them all jolt.

  "I remember telling you to start bringing bodies over." she said, her tone cool and expectant.

  The elves exchanged another glance, then hurried to follow her orders.

  Bodies were dragged through the snow, one after another, and Leah continued her work without pause. Each corpse she touched was infused with her blood, and with every revival, the crimson-skinned elves quickly joined the search for more fallen kin.

  An hour passed. The clearing was now filled with over a hundred newly revived elves standing silently around Leah and the remaining grey elves. Their glowing red eyes watched her, awaiting her command.

  Leah opened her [Legion] tab, her gaze flicking over the numbers. **109 Blood Elves.** The number brought a faint smile to her lips.

  Before she could say anything, Zytherin let out a relieved laugh, his voice filled with joy. "We can rebuild! We can restore our tribe!"

  Leah’s smile vanished, her eyes turning cold as she looked at him.

  "Everyone, kneel." she commanded.

  Without hesitation, every blood elf in the clearing dropped to one knee. The grey elves gasped, stepping back in shock.

  Zytherin looked around, his face growing pale. "Why… why are they following your orders?"

  Leah met his gaze. "Isn’t it obvious?" Her voice was calm, almost amused. "They are mine now."

  The weight of her words crushed the momentary hope in Zytherin’s eyes, replacing it with sheer horror. He opened his mouth, perhaps to protest, but Leah had already turned her attention to the remaining grey elves.

  She stepped forward. They instinctively backed away.

  Before they could flee, the blood elves rose and moved behind them, blocking any escape.

  Leah didn’t hesitate. She extended her blood tendrils, crimson whips slithering through the air before plunging into the bodies of the remaining grey elves. Their screams echoed through the clearing as her blood flooded their veins, reshaping them from within.

  Then, silence.

  Their heads drooped for a moment, then slowly lifted. Their grey skin darkened, turning deep crimson like the others. Their glowing red eyes locked onto Leah, and without a word, they all dropped to one knee.

  Zytherin swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. "My… my lord."

  Leah stepped forward, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. His body tensed under her touch.

  "It’s time to go." she said simply, before walking past him.

  The blood elves rose and followed in perfect unison, leaving the ruined village behind.

  As they departed, Leah cast one last glance behind into the distance. She could still sense it—the lingering presence of the ogre far beyond the trees. Her fingers curled into a fist. One day, she would return. And when she did, the monster would belong to her.