EnCoffin Me Chapter 1
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 1
He woke up.
The ice crystal on his tongue began to melt, releasing the saint's blood that had been sealed within. The blood brought him strength, and so Alexio awoke from his long slumber.
All around him was a silence deeper than even the darkest night. Slowly, he began to feel his body again. A faint, damp softness touched his fingertips. That initial sensation gradually awakened his other senses. Slowly, he caught the delicate fragrance of flowers, and heard, very close by, the rhythmic beating of a heart.
The heartbeat was certainly not his. He had been lying in this coffin for so many years that the human physiological functions he had simulated through mental power had long ceased. All that remained was this hollow, desolate shell that was his true form.
No warmth, no heartbeat, immortal, like a curse.
He was a vampire.
The name of this ancient race made his eyelids tremble. In the utter silence, Alexio opened his eyes. They were a deep rose hue, a color praised among his kind. His short black hair, dark as midnight, fell loosely at his temples.
And beneath him, fresh starmoon roses lay scattered, their petals dewy and vibrant as if just plucked.
He stared into the darkness, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, he blinked, then blinked again, and then……
He sneezed.
Who the f*ck stuffed this coffin with flowers?
Alexio wasn't allergic to roses, but a vampire's overly sensitive sense of smell made the heavy floral scent unbearable in such a confined space. He tried to open the coffin and escape. After fumbling around for a while, he finally found a latch. Just as he was about to feel a flicker of relief, a question arose before him.
Did this coffin have a flip-top lid or a sliding lid?
“……”
Because he loathed using a coffin as a bed, Alexio hadn't slept in one for years. It was no surprise he couldn't remember how to open it. Most of his movements were still driven by instinct from just waking up. After another sneeze, his memories slowly began to return.
As for why he'd been sleeping in this coffin in the first place…
Alexio's hand groped to the side and touched a slightly warm body. His fingertips could feel the cool, smooth texture of the Holy Temple's specially crafted fabric, as well as the opulent patterns woven with enchanted silk threads. When his hand touched the cheek of the sleeping figure, his hand jerked back reflexively.
“Thunk!”
He recoiled so fast his head smacked against the coffin wall.
Alexio lay in the darkness, rubbing the spot where he'd hit his head, his expression complicated. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out again and touched the saint's cheek.
Warm and breathing. He'd already heard the heartbeat earlier. The lunatic was still alive.
He still remembered how this lunatic had used his domain to restrain him, forced him into this coffin, and then delivered the apocalyptic prophecy while blood seeped from his every orifice. Even at the peak of their conflict, the man had remained composed and cold. Yet in his final moments, he had smiled.
【Sleep, my destined one, for whom I was born.】
【All will perish in the firestorm, but you and I will board the ark and sail toward a golden new era.】
Alexio sneezed again. He couldn't keep reminiscing. He needed to get out.
He gripped the latch tightly, thinking he would just try both directions, whether it was a sliding or flip-top coffin!
Pulled down, nothing.
Pushed up, nothing.
Alexio was utterly baffled. What kind of coffin was this? Or had it been so long since he slept in one that that he'd been out of touch with the current coffin trends? Since when were coffins this high-tech? Were they voice-activated now?
Frustrated, he yanked it to the left. The coffin gave a loud click, then a faint beam of daylight slipped in.
Alexio raised his arm to shield his eyes. When his vision cleared, the first thing he did was check how this bizarre coffin opened—
What kind of damn coffin had a twist-off lid?!
Watching the coffin lid twist out at a right angle to the main body, Alexio fell into a long silence.
This design……
Wasted far too much space!
Mentally giving the coffin's design a failing grade, Alexio suddenly became aware of being watched. Not just by one or two, but he had that strange, unmistakable feeling of being the center of attention. The last time he'd felt this way was either at one of the vampires' grand, extravagant banquets… or when the Holy Temple deployed the Silver Crusaders to hunt him down.
He looked up, expecting to see people, but instead saw a swarm of metallic devices floating in mid-air. Their translucent crystal lenses projected real-time images while sleek wings kept them effortlessly aloft. One of them, almost like a curious child, slowly drifted closer—
“Crack!”
The device shattered in mid-air, destroyed purely by mental power channeled through Alexio's gaze. He studied the wreckage on the ground. While his understanding of alchemy wasn't particularly extensive, he could still tell that this device wasn't equipped with any offensive mechanisms. Moreover, its overall structure was rather peculiar. At the very least, Alexio couldn't find the usual gleaming magic crystals that typically served as an energy source.
His gaze shifted slowly toward the other floating devices. But as he looked past them, something else caught his attention.
“…Hmm?”
A red and gold banner fluttered in the wind, below which stood massive, radiant floral archways. Even a red carpet had been laid out, stretching all the way to this coffin. All these elements combined to create an exceptionally jubilant, even wildly celebratory atmosphere.
On the banner, written in what Alexio recognized as a much-simplified version of the common tongue, were the words—
【Warm congratulations on the resurrection of Prince Alexio! Long live the glorious vampire race!】
Alexio: ???
Had the vampires conquered the world while he was asleep?
Meanwhile, today was the day ‘Pupil’ was scheduled to broadcast live.
Revered by all people of the Federation and a guaranteed first-place winner in every Person of the Century selection, ‘Pupil’ was, in fact, not a person. Hovering in the central zone of the Darklife Conservation Center, it had accompanied various races in their development since the dawn of the new era. Its importance was often compared to ‘the sun upon the earth.’
From the start of the new era, it had shared knowledge and skills with the increasingly integrated races, helping them advance. Now, in an age of total digital connectivity, it managed an endless stream of data. Yet its communication with the outside world had grown scarce. In recent years, it had even stopped responding to technical staff entirely.
But three days ago, for the first time, ‘Pupil’ created its own social media account and shared its first post.
【I saw that you are about to awake.】
The entire Federation exploded with speculation. Why had ‘Pupil’ suddenly registered an account? Why was it willing to communicate with the outside world now? And who exactly was the person it mentioned?
Questions and theories flooded every corner of the net, but ‘Pupil’ offered no response. After a brief silence, it posted its first video.
The video was an extremely chaotic montage, with numerous fragmented imagery and scenes flashing by like a carousel. At times, it showed a mountain, then a tree, then a pair of birds feeding their young, or someone drawing a bow.
After this seemingly disordered sequence, ‘Pupil’ posted three words with a flaming visual effect.
【Before the Firestorm.】
This time, the entire Federation was shaken. Their era had begun after the Great Firestorm, a cataclysm that wiped out nearly all traces of past civilizations, leaving only remnants behind. And now, ‘Pupil’ had posted a video related to the the distant, nearly forgotten previous era.
Putting the two messages together, people began to wonder. Could ‘Pupil’ mean that… someone from the previous era was about to resurrect?!
What explosive news!
The Federation erupted again. Both officials and civilians began dissecting the video frame by frame. The hint from ‘Pupil’ was clear enough. Before long, someone noted that a certain segment of the video felt subtly different. Then, a tech geek was the first to point out the logic.
This tech geek, going by the nickname ‘I Underwent Plasmolysis,’ revealed that while most of the video was played at 72 frames per second, one particular figure appeared at 144 fps. This, without a doubt, was the hidden message!
(T/N: I Underwent Plasmolysis - originally a biomedical term, it gained popularity online as an extension of the trending phrase ‘jealousy makes me unrecognizable (due to contorted face).’ netizens created memes such as ‘jealousy makes me undergo plasmolysis.’)
‘I Underwent Plasmolysis’ even helpfully clipped the relevant segment. In the clip, a pale, gloomy young man with ashen flax-colored hair sat quietly in a chair. The lighting around him was dim. He picked up a cup of black tea, took a sip, and nothing more.
Fueled by curiosity, the Federation's citizens went full microscope mode again. They zoomed in, catching the glimpse of fangs as the young man slightly parted his lips. Combined with his unnaturally pale complexion, they concluded that he must be from the extinct vampire race. Although only sparsely mentioned in historical records, this race had somehow inspired countless fan-made contents, even before the ‘Pupil’ incident.
In a world where the light index was absurdly high, who wouldn't love vampires with their little fangs, sunlight allergy, and their blood-based diet?
They hated those blinding lights too, you know!
And so, after a meticulous investigation, the enthusiasm only grew. With full hearts and eager anticipation, they looked forward to the arrival of this little cutie. ‘Pupil’ was also very considerate and readily announced the other party's identity.
【Prince Alexio.】
Got it! We'll hang a banner for the little cutie!
That deep flax-colored hair was beautiful, and those emerald eyes were also charming. While the combination wasn't particularly dazzling, the citizens of the Federation were more than satisfied just to see a living vampire.
Everyone wanted to be the first to witness the resurrection of this little cutie. So when the authorities announced that the excavation had already begun based on the information provided by ‘Pupil,’ and that the entire resurrection process would be livestreamed by ‘Pupil,’ the channel flooded with viewers even before the broadcast started.
The onlookers, brimming with excitement, cheerfully exchanged theories, counted down the days, and commented freely on the official arrangements. At last, the day of the livestream arrived.
When the coffin lid twisted open, all the viewers held their breath.
The black-haired, red-eyed vampire sat up, moon-colored rose petals sliding off his body. He looked somewhat bewildered, but that didn't make him any less alert. He immediately blasted the drone that tried to approach him. Strangely, instead of scolding the intrusive camera, the audience sat in stunned silence.
The rooster always crows after the silence—
【Aaaaah I'm losing it! I'm totally losing it! Black hair and red eyes, I'm dying on the spot!!!】
【That's not the flax-haired guy from the video aaaaah! But why am I so excited anyway?! Aaaaah!!!】
【Please! Slam me against the wall—】
【Bite me aaaaaaah!!!】
***
T/N: conservation center — this can also be called ‘childcare center’. From this name alone, it should be obvious that dark creatures are cared for with the same attention and protection as children. But why are they treated this way? The answer will come in chapter 2.
T/N: Pupil — as in pupil of the eye