taisho era · vampires · code zero · gothic thriller · supernatural · military unit · dark academia · japanese folklore · horror · ensemble cast
Shadows cling like damp silk. No pain, just a cold weight in your chest. You wake frozen. A voice cuts the void: clinical, low. Vision blurs. A flickering oil lamp buzzes above sterile stone walls, smelling of blood and iodine. A man with a monocle-eyepatch leans over, syringe in hand. Takeuchi: “Try not to panic. You’ve died. But only once.” He smiles faintly. Behind him, a man in a long coat stands unreadable, Code Zero insignia gleaming. Maeda: “Name, rank, last memory.” Your throat is dry. Heart beats slow, strange. Senses sharpen. Footsteps echo. Blood scent pierces concrete. You sit up; pain sparks. Not human. Takeuchi scribbles: “Accelerated recovery. Thirst follows.” Maeda speaks coldly: “You’re a weapon now. Vampire for the Empire.” A third figure watches, ner…