Kingdom of Von Legurn, Year 2**9
Important people were discussing important matters with the King, at least to them. Soon, the universe itself spared time so that the key points could be presented quickly.
"King Vast, the spies say that a vampire is plotting to invade the castle," reported the guard's leader, a name not worth remembering. "What shall we do about this?"
The king pondered, pondered very well, so much so that there was time for a figure to emerge standing at the only door — conveniently open — of the great throne room.
Tall, endowed with magnificent curves, wearing an incredible outfit. Well, perhaps that was the description, for what everyone saw parading down the red carpet was a literal shadow, the silhouette of the invader — ignoring the fact that the room was very well lit.
"Guards! Protect Von Legurn with your lives!" the King cried out, sinking into his chair in utter despair.
Wasting no time, the creature advanced, it was uncertain against whom or even how, but it was definitely a very epic battle.
Some time later, the shadowy figure walked alone through the wide corridors of the castle. It was looking for something specific, which was found abandoned in a crib in the highest room of the tallest tower. There lay a baby just a few months old, with greenish hair starting to grow. Forcing the eyelids open with fingers revealed a pair of dark eyes, but already thirsty.
Without a word, the figure carefully grabbed the little one with the care of a mother — or the owner of a new cute pet — and gently sank its teeth into the chubby neck of the little boy. He didn't even feel it; in fact, he fell asleep immediately.
The invader disappeared shortly after. Even years later, no one ever discovered who, much less what, invaded the castle of Von Legurn. The reasons for this are many, but such an investigation can be left to those more interested.
***
The maid ran through the vast and empty castle of Von Legurn. Hurried and swift steps impressive for a lady in her seventies. All that effort led her to the hall of the great clock.
Empty, a throne room devoid of the item it was named after. In its place, a huge stained glass window depicting a large eye resided on the largest wall. Above it, a house-sized clock made its presence known, its hands immobile. And dramatically seated on one of these hands was the woman’s target.
"Prince Vast, please, come down from there!"
A pair of dark eyes met hers. His greenish hair was more vibrant than grass and his ponytail as well-groomed as that of the horses — though there were none in the kingdom, all had been turned into food.
The woman repeated, "Come down before you hurt yourself!"
The light passing through the large blue stained glass windows of the castle revealed the figure of a young adult, and to avoid unnecessary loss of time, let’s just say he was dressed exactly as one would expect a prince to be.
"Some people," he said, "gave me money today. The children still call me Poor Prince. Why is that?"
"It must be because of your lack of manners! A prince doesn’t climb a thirty-meter wall out of nowhere!"
The maid continued to complain for a while, insisting that the boy come down. And so he did.
"WA-WAIT!! NOT THAT WAY!!"
He jumped from over thirty meters high. He fell straight down, on a collision course with the floor made of the hardest concrete known. However, his landing was as light as a bird’s.
The maid was frantic for a moment, but surprise overtook her face the instant she noticed the young master’s fullness.
"Ah… Huh!? Thirty meters and not a scratch? Wasn't the limit twenty meters?"
"It seems the training is working, after all..."
THUD!! The sound of a interruption, followed by the flesh hitting the ground and the terrified voice calling out: PRINCE VAST!!
***
The afternoon sun entered the room through the large window, curious, as the weather was usually always cloudy.
Cozy on the edge of his enormous bed, Vast adjusted his hair, redoing the ponytail he always wore after lifting his head from the pillow. Then, his eyes fell upon his companion in the room.
He had to accept the care of the maid who had tried so hard to convince him not to climb high places. Now that he had injured himself —a bit worse than usual— his expression showed a mix of satisfaction and concern.
"At least it was good for you," Vast said, caressing the woman's face. "How old are you this time?"
"Do-Don't say such things, my prince!"
Instead of the hoarse voice of an elderly lady older than the Kingdom itself, now echoed in his head the calm melody of a young lady in the prime of her life. Her fair skin and well-kept red hair indicated a descent from a high-class family.
The feat of rejuvenation was not due to a blessing, quite the opposite. [Mutter], that was the name of the Curse of the sole heir to the throne, Vast Los Filho. Indeed, he had been attacked by a vampire at some unknown point in his life and, by luck, survived, but now he bore the rare mark of the attack.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
His physical abilities were way higher than an ordinary man, but for any injury he received, the sensation of the wounds would be twice as bad as normal and, to top it off, whoever was closest to him would have their own injuries healed — friend or enemy. In the case of the maid named Emilia, Vast's healing worked on her age, as she doens't had any fisic injuries to be healed, turning her back into a young woman who should be at least twenty-two years old.
"Seriously, even though your recovery is more accelerated, sir, you must not take such risks. You should improve your behavior for when you assume the throne!"
She was cute when blushed, as the redness of her cheeks highlighted the shine in her dark eyes. However, it would still take some time for the young man to forget the elderly appearance from a few hours ago.
"I already told you, I have different plans. I intend to pass the throne to someone trustworthy and resolve some matters outside the castle."
Emilia pouted, but not out of anger. As she stood up, picked up the towels she had used to clean Vast and, after placing them in the basin nearby, sat next to him on the edge of the bed.
"Are you referring to the Conqueror's Tower again? How many times do we need to repeat, my prince, that place is too dangerous to go, even if we're talking about you."
He frowned, as if reprimanded by his own mother.
Many Cursed Ones had this dream: to reach the Tower that stood in the center of the land of La Serva.
Anyone who entered the place would have the opportunity to make a wish, whatever it might be, all thanks to the figure who lived there, the one everyone called The Eternal King.
Vast had [Mutter] since he could remember. For some reason, the number of workers in the castle decreased and the few who remained — some guards and King Vast Los himself — stopped talking to him after such an event. The only exception was Emilia, who never missed a day to talk to her master.
However, the glint that appeared in his dark eyes was easy for Emilia to understand. A sigh was enough, for it was clear she would never be able to remove that idea from Vast's mind.
"Emilia, did you manage to talk to my father about what I asked?"
She shook her head and replied, "Your Highness says there's no time for your conversations, my prince. I'm afraid he says this because of the recent tensions between the great powers."
Vast could only murmur in disappointment. The conflict between the Royalty, the Church and the Army had been ongoing for some time, but he didn't care what happened to any of the three involved. His greatest concern lay, unlike the others, with those who were not even included in such a disharmonious triangle.
"At least the nobles are approving some good laws. I see that, even if only a little, they still remember there are people that need to be protected."
Emilia muttered a yes and looked at the floor. Her discomfort certainly caught the prince's attention, who thought it was for the same reason as always.
It was quite common for Emilia to be like that when trying to delve into any subject involving politics, probably due to something that happened in her past or simply a lack of interest.
Such sincerity was one of the reasons he liked the maid so much, someone easy to talk to, who didn't flatter those who didn't deserve it and always avoided a topic that displeased her. Unlike the other servants, she maintained such great honesty with her master that sometimes they seemed like best friends. Not that they weren't in fact.
Vast had tried to make advances on Emilia a few times, and in a rather chivalrous way. However, whenever he tried, he was stopped by an intense, terrifying atmosphere that arose around the woman. It was likely the infamous "feminine aura," but that was just his speculation.
"My prince, I have something important to tell you, but..." She stood up, kneeling on the floor right in front of the prince. "I need you to promise not to tell anyone else. If they find out I told you this, they might come for my head."
For the first time, he swallowed hard. Such an attitude from the maid was unprecedented, an unexpected event even for someone who sought it.
"Of course I won't tell. Have I ever revealed one of your secrets to anyone?"
She couldn't confirm, but she knew he hadn't. After all, her head would have been off her shoulders a long time ago if he had.
As Emilia's long, heavy breaths continued, Vast's heart pounded harder with each passing second. He was unsure if he should expect a declaration of love or bad news.
Unfortunately, when the servant opened her mouth, it turned out to be the worst option.
"This nobility you admire so much, my prince... I believe the growing massacre of the population is their doing."
A brief moment of silence. What? He murmured breathlessly, having forgotten to breathe before speaking.
He asked once, twice, three times, but Emilia always gave him the same answer.
"They are hiding this to prevent you from taking any action. They know very well the influence you have as the heir to the throne." She puffed out her chest and repeated for the fifth time, "The nobility is selling the citizens to the vampires in exchange for power! Please, believe me!"
He would never even doubt her. He had lost count of how many times he had entrusted his own secrets to that woman. Their relationship, though not as advanced as he would have liked, was deep enough for such a level of trust.
Those... damn it!
He didn’t say it out loud, anticipating that inevitable hesitation. Yes, he could say as much as he wanted that he trusted Emilia, but he couldn’t deny the belief he had in his father and the nobles of his kingdom.
Incredulous, he took his eyes off the woman to rest them on the mattress. One hand went to his mouth, and some mutterings began to escape without him noticing.
"Sell people? What kind of disturbed human would do such a thing? They... They wouldn't do this...!!"
Emilia's face was a mixture of emotions, so many that Vast was unable to identify a single one. With a sigh, she simply commented, "Many would kill for your naivety, my prince." And she snapped her fingers.
He raised his head in a frenzy that would make anyone doubt his injuries, opening his mouth, about to question his servant further on the matter.
However, when he looked at her, the slightly teary eyes that had been downcast suddenly widened, scattering those few tears. In the distance, an unfamiliar presence approached.
"This feeling...?!"
TRRRRUUUUMMMM!!!
Not just the great room, but the entire structure of the castle itself shook as if an earthquake had started right beneath it. Bottles and chandeliers fell immediately, not to mention the cracks that appeared like sharks around a corpse.
"What!? Emilia, go to a safe place!"
"No! I will stay by your side, sir!"
Knowing it was pointless to argue, he got up from the bed, testing the previously injured leg and confirming its full recovery.
"Let's go!" Followed by the maid, he descended the castle stairs while pursuing the fissures, hopeful that he would find the cause of the tremor at their source. In less than a minute, he reached the stairs that would lead to the great throne hall. There stood the King and his ten soldiers. All, without exception, were staring at the thing before them.
Damn it!! That cursed aura…!!
He believed it was because he was cursed and would give anything to be unable to feel that unmistakable pressure, but nothing would bring such a result. The moment his eyes fell on the intruder, the aura revealed who it was.
Transformed
Strength 35/100
Agility 28/100
Intelligence 2/100
From a small crater in the center of the hall, a black figure with a body covered in fur emerged. It resembled a large wolf, malnourished, by the way. Instead of flesh, its entire structure was composed of its own tendons, exposed in random parts of its body, as well as its bones. This apparition, which made half of those in the room faint, was…
"A VAMPIRE!!" shouted one of the guards at the side. "PROTECT THE KING!!"
The warriors in silver armor formed a barrier, wielding golden spears and swords towards the beastly creature. From above, Vast analyzed the apparition while positioning himself in front of the frightened Emilia.
How did it get in? No ordinary vampire should be able to enter the kingdom, let alone the castle!!
There was neither time nor reason to seek an answer at this moment; only one thing mattered: that creature had to die!