Triana
Vlador appeared strong and fresh. Thick black hair that was neatly arranged backward with thin strands hanging from his hairline to his cheekbones framed his stern face. He was indeed charming at first glance, but that didn't erase the fact that he was a monster who was about to kill Triana shortly.
"Your blood..."
Vlador's voice made Triana nauseous. Her vision began to blur. Her knees trembled as the vampire took the first step toward her.
"... I can smell it, even from secluded places. It's so fragrant. It's the best blood that has ever flowed down my throat."
"No..." Triana shook her head as she stepped back, only to bump her back against the horse behind her.
"Say your goodbye to this world, for soon your body will dry up like the leaves on autumn ground," Vlador said, dropping the body of a guard from his hand.
In the blink of an eye, Vlador darted towards Triana, appearing as a fleeting shadow that then obscured her vision and made her head spin wildly. When she regained her senses, she found herself sitting on the ground, gazing at the bright full moon framed by branches that were shedding their leaves.
As Triana's blue eyes rolled to the side, she saw a face with a pair of bright, red eyes. Then a grin spread across the man's lips, and his fangs appeared elongated and sharpened.
Triana was speechless. Her tongue was stiff, and tears flowed from her eyes that were fixed on that face. Memories of her life flashed before her eyes as she saw the vampire open his mouth unnaturally wide, with large bulging eyes and blue and green veins protruding beneath his pale skin.
The shrill sound echoing was heard like the prelude to Triana's death ritual because, afterward, the mouth that opened abnormally wide to reveal its dark inner side, just like the darkness of that night, devoured her neck.
The same pain repeated. Those fangs pierced the same spot again, making Triana scream all her soul out.
Within seconds, the pain multiplied as Vlador began to suck her blood again, much more brutally than before.
Triana's skin gradually turned pale. Her lips, which had regained some of their redness, now turned blue. Her vision blurred, and her hands could only rest helplessly on the back of the vampire, who was still busy sucking her blood.
Triana's strength was drained. Her heartbeat slowed down, making each beat feel painful. But as her consciousness was nearly fading away, the sucking stopped.
"What's happening?" Vlador muttered as he released his mouth from Triana's neck and dropped her weak body onto the ground covered with dry leaves, lying on her side.
"Ah! My heart! What's happening?" Vlador growled, clutching his chest.
Suddenly, the wind swirled, lifting dry leaves into the air. The wind stopped a few steps in front of them before a green light emerged from the ground, followed by the appearance of a skinny and hunched figure of a witch in the midst of it.
Vlador's eyes widened. "You! What have you done, filthy hag?!"
Laughter flowed from the witch's black lips. Green light and black smoke surrounded her.
"Earth witch... you damned!" Vlador growled.
"Khe khe khe... Did you think I wouldn't retaliate after you slaughtered all my sisters? In the past, your arrogance was immense, Dracount. If it weren't for those traitorous witches working with humans, I would have killed you with my own hands!"
"What... have you done to me?!" Vlador growled.
"Both of you... I have cursed you two. Haha!" the witch exclaimed, saliva spurting from her mouth.
Faintly, Triana could hear what the witch said. Despite her weakening heartbeat and increasingly blurred vision, she still had enough consciousness to understand that she had been deceived by the witch.
"All this time, I've been starving to kill you, Dracount. But those crazy witches greedily provided protective spells for your castle. But that's not a problem anymore. If I think about it, I don't need to tear out your heart and just watch you breathe your last in a few seconds, do I? Won't it be better if I made you suffer in my way?"
"Besides being a witch, I have a hidden talent for matchmaking. Seeing you two ignites my talent. You both have the same personality and skill in irritating me," the witch explained with intermittent laughter in her sentences.
"I will tear your damned mouth apart, you hag! Your throat will be torn, just like your sisters’'!" Vlador hissed.
A wide grin spread across the witch's lips. Then she raised both of her hands in front of her body and said:
"You both have the same arrogance. Isn't 'eat or be eaten' your life principle? Now, suffer together under my curse!"
Green light mixed with black smoke flowed out from the palms of the witch's hands, then swirled around Triana and Vlador like a whirlwind.
"The potion has bound you two within my curse. Your hearts beat together. Her life is your life, and your life is hers. You both are bound by the same thread of death.
Triana Rexa Galev, your heart depends on Vlador Lev Dracount's blood. And Vlador Lev Dracount, you will forever thirst for Triana Rexa Galev's blood.
Forever, you are bound in this circle of curse. Forever, you will suffer even if you have learned from your mistakes!"
The green light faded like vapor. Meanwhile, Triana's heartbeat slowed down further, as if it were about to stop. She no longer cared about what the witch said. If she had been cursed, it wouldn't matter if she died.
Because her vision was darkening, Triana slowly closed her heavy eyelids. The last thing her ears heard was the strong gust of wind around her. Then she felt her body being lifted, and something warm was flowing down her throat.
***
Triana.
A pounding pain like a hammer hitting her head made Triana's forehead crease. She slowly opened her eyes to find darkness enveloping her.
Her vision was blurry, so Triana tried to shut her eyes tightly and open them again. Now she realized that what was above her was an old ceiling decorated with cobwebs. Cold air blew, causing her to look around to find out where she was.
She found herself lying on a bed in a large room illuminated only by moonlight streaming through a large window with a view of the night sky.
It took a few seconds for Triana to digest what was happening and remember what had happened before.
"You're a disaster."
The heavy voice made Triana turn towards the foot of the bed. Her breath caught, and her heart seemed to stop as she found a man clad in a white tunic perched there like a bat. His bright brown eyes shone in the darkness, staring at her sharply.
TrianaHer body went rigid, as if every inch of her body had rusted and her muscles had frozen. Her heart raced, and her breath came out heavy. She wanted to flee, but even her fingers wouldn't budge as fear chained her soul.Vlador lowered one foot to step onto the bed where Triana lay, followed by both hands. He began to crawl over Triana's body until their faces met."Hh..." Triana whimpered. Her tongue was numb as Vlador brought his pale face close to her throbbing neck, causing her to turn her face to the side with tightly shut eyes.Triana's jaw tightened, and she clenched the bedsheets as she felt Vlador's lips press against the bite mark she believed was still open, sending a pang of ache and sting through her once more. But instead of a bite, Triana heard a long, strong exhale, causing her to peek slightly. Her brow furrowed as she realized Vlador was pulling his face away.Then a large hand with long nails gripped Triana's jaw, forcing her to look forward at the fierce face o
TrianaLocking her gaze on the furious vampire, Triana's heart pounded hard as she could sense the dark aura surrounding Vlador, though she was unable to see it directly with her eyes."Wh-what's the truth? What is happening to us?" Triana asked."That hag used her potion to curse us. I'll die if you die, and vice versa," Vlador explained.Triana's jaw dropped. She covered her mouth with her hand and concluded, "The witch has tied our lives together.""Not just our lives, Gosling. There's another curse that will torment me greatly. To stay alive, you must drink my blood at least every five days. And I will always crave yours," Vlador said, brushing aside the long hair framing Triana's face.Dropping her gaze to the floor, Triana tried to process the nonsensical situation. She had to drink a vampire's blood to stay alive? And the vampire whose blood she had to drink, craved her blood in return. Meanwhile, their lives were linked, so if she died, the vampire would also die. That meant th
Triana.A heavy, warm whisper tickled Triana's ears, sending shivers down her spine. Then she felt Vlador swing their bodies sideways and tumble out, defying the wind with their heads facing downward.They fell. Vlador carried Triana plummeting from the highest peak of the castle towards the hard ground below. The stirred sensation in her stomach, chest, and neck rendered her unable to scream, especially with her head positioned downward, as if her brain were being pulled by gravity towards her stomach.Her hands gripped the shirt that enfolded the vampire's body that was enveloping her. She could only surrender. She didn't understand Vlador's purpose in doing this. Did he want them to die together?Briefly, Triana opened her eyes a little to peek and caught a glimpse of trees with their branches passing her by vertically at high speed.‘I don't want to die. Father, mother... I want to go home,’ Triana cried inwardly.The sensation of falling grew stronger, making it difficult for Tria
Triana.Vlador's arm that encircled Triana's waist loosened, and finally, both of her feet touched the ground.As Vlador released his grip, Triana fell to her knees, her body trembling. Just moments ago, she had so much joy in flying through the sky, but now she was truly grateful to be able to touch the ground again.The heavy footsteps passing by caught Triana's attention. She found Vlador walking towards the witch's hut, located a few meters ahead of them.Triana's eyes widened, her jaw unconsciously dropping. It was the first time she had seen the complete form of a vampire's wings.In her teenage years, she had seen vampire wings at the Rotherez Kingdom palace. It was a pair of vampire wings displayed on the wall of the palace's grand dining room. At that time, King Rotherez proudly said that the vampire wings were severed directly by his grandfather before killing the vampire they had captured in a hunt a hundred and fifty years ago.Triana never expected that the fresh vampire w
Triana."What are you doing?" Triana stammered.The witch who had cursed them both was her only hope of returning to her former life. But now that witch was dead. Vlador had killed her. Why did he kill her?Suddenly, Triana felt a tightness in her throat, followed by a rumble in her stomach. The upheaval rose from her stomach to her throat, making her immediately bolt out of the witch's hut with her body slightly hunched over and her hand covering her mouth.Once outside the door, Triana released her hand from her mouth to allow the contents of her stomach to come out. She coughed while clutching onto a wooden beam attached to the witch's hut wall. The world around her seemed to spin. If she wasn’t holding onto something, she was sure she would be lying on the ground by now.Triana wasn't sure if the nausea came because she witnessed a gruesome murder right before her eyes or because she saw her only hope of breaking this curse die. Both shook her to the core.Wiping her mouth with the
Vlador.Watching the seasons change and the full moon appear and disappear from behind the small window eroded Vlador's soul. The despair made him hope for death several times, just like his family and his people.The war between humans and vampires finally ended after hundreds of years filled with bloodshed. Unfortunately, the war was won by the human race.From generation to generation, humans and vampires continued to wage war. Like any other war, they fought over territory to reproduce, seek sustenance, and build civilization. Vampires always remained the main enemy of humans because humans were their food.Humans always considered themselves descendants of gods, believing that they were the most sacred and perfect creations of God. Besides frequently killing their kind, they also hated vampires because vampires were descendants of demons, which was true.Like other vampires, Vlador also harbored a deep hatred for humans. However, he also despised the vampires around him. When he s
Vlador."I believe checking this won't kill me," Vlador said as he accepted the object Triana showed him.Certainly, among the pile of rubbish that seemed to be witchcraft materials, a small wooden stick wrapped in a piece of cloth and tied with a red string was something suspicious. Without needing to open it, it could be guaranteed that it was a letter or spell.Vlador untied the knot of the red string and unfurled the cloth. The piece of cloth came loose and fell, but Vlador's hand darted downward, catching it just as it landed on the palm of his hand.Triana's eyes widened. "There's writing on it."Unraveling the cloth, Vlador examined its contents for a few seconds, only to click his tongue. "This is witch language.""Oh..." Triana sighed as if her enthusiasm had evaporated along with the breath she exhaled. But it took just a second for her eyes to widen again. Then she reached out her hand to Vlador. "May I take a look? I've studied witch language before.""You have?" Vlador fur
Vlador.The human body differs from that of a vampire. Humans easily feel hungry. They need to eat and drink at least once a day. When their energy is drained but they are still forced to be active, their bodies will weaken, and they may even lose consciousness.Before being imprisoned for a hundred years, Vlador had never socialized with humans. He knew little about them. All he cared about regarding humans was which group had tastier blood and all their character flaws."Hey, wake up! Don't die!" Vlador said with a slightly raised voice while patting Triana's cheeks.But despite his repeated attempts to wake Triana, her eyes remained closed. Vlador had forgotten how weak humans were, and it seemed this girl was one of the weakest. He couldn't understand why Triana would faint just because she lost a little blood and vomited her stomach contents."This is not good. My life is at risk," Vlador muttered as he rose to his feet.Strong winds hit Vlador's body. Trees whizzed by at high spe