No Longer Your Sacrifice

As the Guardian of the Sylvan Enclave's Sacred Vein, the centennial Fading Period was the one time I was utterly defenseless.

Yet, on this exact day, the four High Lord brothers I had protected for centuries decided to harvest my Vein—all because our adopted human sister whined about wanting to become an elf instantly.

Without the Vein, the Enclave would wither.

In my past life, I desperately fought them off. I begged them to reconsider, promising to manually infuse her with my magic to sustain her life.

Sharing my life force could grant her centuries, but the Vein alone could rewrite her mortal blood into a true Elf.

They backed down, but Cassianne's greed didn't. She sneaked into the Forbidden forest seeking a shortcut to power and was devoured by beasts.

When news of her death hit, my brothers lost their minds.

They smashed my sanctuary and physically tore open my chest.

"If you hadn't been so selfish, hoarding your Vein, she wouldn't have been so desperate! Rot in hell, you monster!"

Blinded by rage, they shattered my limbs and hollowed me out, leaving me to suffocate in my own pooling blood.

Opening my eyes again, I realized I had been reborn.

This time, I decided to give them exactly what they wanted.

......

When High Lord Alaric stepped into my inner sanctum, gripping that vein-severing blade, I knew I had been reborn.

During the Fading Period, my Core—the source of my personal magic—withered for three days.

I couldn't summon a single spark of magic.

Even a mere servant could effortlessly slit my throat.

To ensure my survival, the Twilight Sanctuary's wards were always impenetrable.

Yet, the four men I had once considered my closest family—my brothers—now stood before me with drawn weapons, deliberately breaching the sanctuary.

And all because their beloved adopted human sister whimsically stated she wanted to "become an elf instantly."

That was Cassianne.

In my previous life, they had barged in with the exact same ruthless determination.

I fought desperately to stop them, screaming that while my Core powered my own life, the Vein held the Enclave together without the Vein, the Enclave's mana would dry up.

I promised to sustain Cassianne with my own life force once those three dangerous days passed.

They had agreed. But Cassianne couldn't wait.

She sneaked into the Forbidden Forest seeking a shortcut to become an elf, only to be devoured by demonic beasts.

When news of her death emerged, the four brothers completely lost their minds.

They smashed this sanctuary to pieces and physically tore open my chest.

"You drove her to her death!"

"If you hadn't been so selfish, hiding behind your Guardian title and refusing to share the Vein, why would she have been so desperate?! Rot in these ruins!"

Blinded by rage, my brothers shattered my limbs and hollowed out my chest while I was still breathing, leaving me to suffocate in my own pooling blood.

The phantom cold of my tendons being ripped apart still throbbed in my marrow.

Opening my eyes to the present, I lowered my lashes, ruthlessly snuffing out the last ember of grief and resentment in my heart.

If they were so eager to destroy themselves, I would gladly step aside.

My voice was dead calm. "You intend to carve out my Sacred Vein while I am utterly defenseless?"

My indifference made them freeze mid-step.

Alaric frowned, quickly masking his hesitation. "Don't make it sound so ugly, Seraphina. Cassianne is human. She cannot bear the terror of her fleeting mortality. Fusing with your Vein is her only chance at Elvenhood. For our shared sister, you must step aside this once."

I stared blankly at his self-righteous face. "Forcibly extracting the Vein will likely kill me."

"Who are you trying to fool!" my second brother barked, stepping forward aggressively. "Everyone knows how resilient you are! Even if the Vein is dug out, you'll just be weak for a few years before bouncing back. But Cassianne has no magic! Without the Vein, she won't even live past a century!"

Cassianne cowered behind them, trembling as she tugged Alaric's sleeve. "Brothers, please don't force her... If sister Seraphina truly hates me enough to let me die, then I would rather accept my fate..."

Yet, the gaze she fixed onto my chest through her fingers was ravenous.

I was entirely done playing my part in their sickening theater.

"Fine."

Shock flickered in Alaric's eyes, but it vanished instantly. He stepped forward and plunged the silver blade straight into my chest.

The resistance of flesh and tendon giving way tore through my nerves.

He twisted the hilt, uprooting the dazzling, root-like energy from my body.

Scarlet blood erupted over my gown.

Instantly, fine, pitch-black fissures crept up my neck and face like living tattoos.

"Escort her back to the main palace immediately so she can absorb it in seclusion," Alaric commanded.

He turned on his heel, not sparing a single glance at my bleeding form crumpled on the floor.

My second brother paused. "She's vindictive. Taking a loss this massive... what if she sneaks out and hurts Cassianne during the integration phase?"

Alaric didn't hesitate. He carved a complex binding ward into the air.

He ordered the guards to weld the sanctuary shut and slashed my sensory spirit-vines. "Reinforce the wards. Lock down every exit. She doesn't take a single step out of here without my explicit permission."

The heavy doors slammed shut. I was plunged into a suffocating, deathly darkness.

The cavity in my chest radiated freezing agony. Gritting my teeth, I summoned the very dregs of my willpower to force the wildly hemorrhaging blood to stay within my veins.

Just wait a little longer. The moment they let me out, I would leave for the Twilight Lands to forge a new Vein.

Since they had severed our ties with their own hands—from this moment on, even if the mana backlash melted the flesh from their bones, I wouldn't spare them a single glance.

But instead of a quiet exile, I was met with their furious accusations.