Cain suddenly moved.

He left the noise behind him without saying a single word, his footsteps slow against the shattered ground as the celebration of the vampire race continued farther away. No one stopped him. No one questioned him either. Most of the vampires were too occupied speaking with the Moonshade family elders, while others remained focused on discussing the terrifying bloodline ability they had just witnessed.

And Cain preferred it that way.

Quietly, he approached the three cocoons.

The closer he came, the stronger the strange resonance inside his body became. His blood mana stirred more intensely than before, reacting to the energy flowing from the cocoons like rivers connecting toward the same source.

"...Again..."

Cain frowned slightly. Trying to think of a way why it had become like this. Like he was feeling something strange.

Because the sensation was becoming harder to ignore.

His body felt lighter near them.

Warmer.

Stronger.

As if merely standing close to the cocoons nourished him continuously.

His eyes moved across the three.

Ivira’s cocoon pulsed steadily with a pale crimson glow.

Cornelia’s cocoon released denser waves of blood mana, thicker and heavier than the others.

And Faith—

Faith’s cocoon felt different.

Calmer.

Softer.

Yet somehow deeper.

Cain stopped in front of it.

For a moment, he simply stared. Thinking of what is happening to her now? He can sense her mana was slowly getting condensed and they are getting stronger and stronger than before.

Suddenly, he touched the surface of it.

The cocoon itself was smooth like crystalized blood, layers of translucent crimson flowing slowly across its surface. Through those flowing layers, he could barely make out the silhouette inside.

Faith.

Curled quietly within the cocoon, her long black hair drifting around her body gently as though floating underwater. Her expression was peaceful, completely different from the fiery possessiveness she displayed earlier.

Cain hesitated for a brief moment.

Then—

He reached out.

His hand touched the cocoon.

The instant his fingers made contact—

The world changed.

His vision blurred.

The surroundings vanished.

The voices disappeared.

And suddenly—

He was somewhere else.

"...What..."

Cain’s eyes widened slightly.

Because before him—

Were memories.

Faith’s memories.

Not fragmented.

Not unclear.

But vivid.

Perfectly vivid.

The first thing he saw—

Was himself.

A younger version.

Standing beside Faith.

Laughing softly while fixing the ribbon in her hair as she stared at him with shining eyes.

"...What..."

The scene changed immediately.

Another memory.

Faith stumbling while carrying books.

Cain appearing beside her instantly, helping her before she could fall.

Another.

Faith crying alone.

Cain sitting beside her silently until she calmed down.

Another.

Faith standing behind Ivira and Cornelia nervously while Cain argued with the two sisters for her sake.

Another.

Cain shielding Faith from punishment.

Another.

Cain secretly bringing her food.

Another.

Cain smiling at her gently while the others were not looking.

Another.

Another.

Another.

The memories poured endlessly.

And every single one—

Centered around Faith.

Centered around him.

Centered around how much he supposedly cared for her.

"...Wait..."

Cain stared blankly.

Because some of these things—

Were true.

Yes.

He remembered some of them.

He remembered helping her.

He remembered speaking for her occasionally.

He remembered protecting her a few times because the other sisters were too harsh toward her.

But—

"...To this extent?"

His expression became increasingly strange.

Because the memories kept escalating.

The next scenes became even more ridiculous.

Cain standing in the rain for hours just because Faith once casually mentioned she liked rainy scenery.

Cain confronting nobles because they insulted Faith.

Cain secretly learning songs because Faith enjoyed hearing him sing.

Cain staying awake all night watching over her while she was sick.

Cain arguing fiercely with Ivira and Cornelia repeatedly because of Faith.

Cain carrying her after she fell asleep.

Cain gently brushing her hair while smiling warmly.

Cain staring at her like she was the center of his entire existence.

"...Bullshit."

The word echoed inside his head instantly.

Because this—

Was absurd.

Absolutely absurd.

"...What the hell are these added scenes?"

His face twitched slightly.

Some parts were clearly built from reality.

But others—

Others were exaggerated beyond reason.

No.

Not exaggerated.

Romanticized.

Everything he had ever done for Faith, no matter how small, had somehow become transformed into overwhelming proof of devotion.

And the worst part—

The memories themselves felt genuine.

Not fake.

Not fabricated carelessly.

They carried emotion.

Depth.

Feeling.

The way Faith remembered them made every small action appear impossibly meaningful.

Cain watched another memory.

Faith sitting quietly alone while Cain simply handed her a blanket.

That was it.

That was literally it.

And yet inside the memory, the atmosphere felt unbearably emotional, like he had saved her entire world with a single gesture.

"...What the hell..."

Cain could not help but feel guilty.

Because technically—

Some of this really happened.

Just not like this.

Not with this level of meaning.

"...I was just being normal..."

Another memory surfaced.

Faith staring at him while he absentmindedly patted her head once after she cried.

And somehow—

The memory made it feel like he had sworn eternal love to her.

Cain almost choked internally.

"...This is insane."

Yet the memories continued.

And the deeper he looked—

The more absurd it became.

Faith’s perspective transformed every interaction into proof that Cain loved her deeply beyond reason.

Every glance.

Every word.

Every act.

Everything revolved around him.

Everything painted him as an impossibly devoted lover willing to do anything for her.

"...No wonder she acts like this..."

Cain finally understood.

At least partially.

Because if Faith genuinely remembered him like this—

Then her obsession actually made sense.

To her—

Cain truly was someone who loved her more than anything.

"...Damn it..."

Cain rubbed his forehead mentally.

Because now even he felt confused.

Some memories were definitely real.

But others—

"...Just what are these added bullshits..."

And then—

An idea appeared.

Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Wait..."

If these memories were influencing her feelings this much—

Then maybe—

Maybe he could alter them slightly.

Not erase.

Just adjust.

Reduce the intensity.

Make things more reasonable.

"...That should work..."

Inside the memory space, Cain carefully reached toward one of the scenes.

A memory where he was supposedly staring at Faith all night while silently swearing he would protect her forever.

"...I absolutely never did this."

He touched the memory.

The scene rippled slightly.

Cain carefully altered it.

Reducing the atmosphere.

Reducing the emotional intensity.

Making it more casual.

More normal.

"...There."

He almost laughed internally.

"...Much better."

Then—

Something happened.

The altered memory—

Ignited.

Not literally.

But emotionally.

The scene suddenly exploded with even more feeling than before.

The atmosphere deepened violently.

The softer version Cain created somehow transformed itself into something even worse.

The casual blanket scene became heartbreakingly tender.

The simple gestures became overwhelmingly intimate.

The emotional weight doubled.

No—

Tripled.

Cain froze.

"...What?"

Another altered memory reacted the same way.

He reduced the emotional intensity—

And somehow it returned stronger.

Like the memory itself rejected moderation.

Like the bond between Faith and him twisted every interaction into devotion no matter what he did.

"...No..."

Cain immediately tried another.

Same result.

The more he toned it down—

The more emotional it became afterward.

One memory he altered suddenly transformed into Faith crying while hugging him tightly as he comforted her gently under moonlight.

"...I never even hugged her there!"

Cain stared in disbelief.

Yet the memory stabilized itself naturally, becoming even more convincing than before.

Not fake.

Not broken. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But alive.

Like the memories themselves were evolving.

Strengthening.

Reinforcing the emotional connection endlessly.

"...This..."

Cain’s internal laughter slowly disappeared.

Because now—

He sensed something.

Something deeper beneath the memories.

Something connected to the blood pact itself.

The bond was reacting.

Correcting.

Protecting itself.

And worse—

Enhancing itself.

The memories were not simply recollections anymore.

They had become part of the connection between him and Faith.

And the blood pact—

Was feeding them.

Strengthening them.

Turning affection into devotion.

Turning care into obsession.

Turning ordinary moments into eternal emotional anchors.

"...No..."

For the first time in a while—

Cain genuinely felt disturbed.

Because this was no longer just emotional attachment.

This was something deeper.

Something far more dangerous.

The memories continued glowing around him, every scene of Faith loving him burning brighter and brighter no matter how much he tried to lessen it.

And suddenly—

Cain realized something horrifying.

The blood pact was not merely affecting his thoughts.

It was affecting memories too.

Interpretation.

Emotion.

Meaning itself.

"...This thing..."

His eyes widened slightly.

"...It’s rewriting everything..."

The realization struck hard.

Not fully rewriting.

But amplifying.

Endlessly amplifying.

Anything connected to affection became stronger.

Anything connected to emotional attachment deepened continuously.

And Faith—

Had been drowning in that influence the entire time.

Cain suddenly felt cold.

Not physically.

But mentally.

Because if Faith’s memories had become like this—

Then what about Ivira?

Cornelia?

And worse—

What about himself eventually?

The thought made his chest tighten slightly.

And before he realized it—

Cain took a step back.