Night had fallen completely, covering the city in darkness. The streets, once full of people, were now quiet, except for the distant sounds of shouting and running footsteps. The general moved quickly, his eyes scanning every alley, every hidden corner. He had spent more than an hour searching, but there was no sign of Lady Aria or the young prince.
Frustration grew inside him. He had to find them before it was too late.
As he turned a corner, his eyes landed on a woman standing under the dim glow of a street lantern. She held a small child close to her chest, her body tense as if she was afraid of the general's men moving towards her. The general stepped forwards, lowering his voice so as not to startle her.
"No need get alert we are from the army of the vampire kingdom! Have you seen Lady Aria and Prince Joseph?"
he asked maintaining an appropriate distance from both of them so that they don't get scared more.
The woman's face still paled. She clutched her child tighter and scan the carefully. Her lips trembled, but she said nothing. Just then, her child—no older than five—tugged at her sleeve and spoke up.
"Mommy, I saw them!" the little boy said with innocence, but full of bravery.
"They were running toward the forest when we were playing!"
The general's heart jumped. He crouched down to the child's level; his sharp eyes filled with urgency.
"You're sure? They were My Lady and Prince"
The boy nodded eagerly.
"Yes! I am sure! They went that way!"
He pointed in the direction of the trees.
The mother gasped and quickly pulled her son back, shaking her head.
"Please, we don't know anything else" she whispered, before grabbing the boy's hand and hurrying away back.
General was shocked how much humans are afraid of them; he was not able to process the reason as their relation was good in past days.
The general didn't waste another second, as he shifted his attention back to the search operation.
"Men! We head to the forest. FAST!" he commanded and rushed with his people inside forest.
As the search party rushed toward the trees, the wind began to pick up. a low, eerie howl echoed through the empty streets, carrying the scent of rain and wet earth. Above them, the sky was thick with heavy clouds, swirling like a restless beast.
Then, the storm came. At first, it was just a light drizzle, but within moments, the rain poured down in thick sheets, hitting the ground like thousands of tiny hammers. The dirt roads turned to mud, making it harder to walk. The torches flickered wildly in the wind, their flames barely holding on against the harsh weather.
LIGHTNING FLASHED, splitting the sky open for a brief moment, revealing the tall, twisting branches of the forest ahead. Shadows danced across the trees, making them look like moving creatures in the dark.
The rain blurred their vision, but the general didn't stop. He pushed forward, his heart pounding with only one thought—he had to find them before someone else from mob did.
Not far away, deep in the forest, Lady Aria held her son tightly inside a small cave. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to protect them from the worst of the storm. She was shivering. Her dress was soaked, clinging to her body, the shiny and costly gown was dirty and mud was sticking on the gown lower half. The cold wind blew through the small opening of the cave, making her tremble even more. But none of that mattered.
Her eyes were fixed on Joseph. He lay in her arms, his small body limp and cold. His hair was damp, sticking to his pale forehead. His tiny fingers barely moved. He had lost consciousness, too exhausted from all the running, the fear, and the cold.
"Joseph…" Aria whispered, her voice breaking. She pressed her lips to his forehead. He felt like ice.
She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him as if she could share her own warmth with him. The rain continued to pour outside, and the wind HOWLED through the trees like a wild animal.
Then—
The storm raged on, fierce and unrelenting, as LIGHTNING SPLIT THE SKY in jagged, violent streaks. Each flash illuminated the forest for a fleeting moment, revealing dark figures weaving through the dense trees, their movements sharp and purposeful. They were closing in.
Lady Aria held her son, Joseph, closer to her chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his weak breaths against her trembling arms. The cave around her was damp and suffocating, the stench of wet stone and moss thick in the air. The howling wind outside carried with it the distant shouts of the mob—her pursuers—filled with the venom of blind hatred. She was running out of time.
Aria swallowed hard and pressed her back against the cold rock wall, steadying her breath as the mob's footsteps grew louder.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
The flickering glow of torches seeped into the entrance of the cave, their chaotic movements casting monstrous shadows against the damp walls.
Then, she heard them.
"She must be in here!" one of the men hissed.
The group pushed deeper into the cave, their torches barely penetrating the thick veil of darkness that stretched beyond them. Aria's heart pounded like a war drum in her chest as she reached for a loose stone on the ground, her fingers trembling. She had only one chance.
With all the strength she could muster, she hurled the stone across the cavern. It hit the far wall with a sharp, echoing crack.
"Thuck!"
Instantly, the mob turned their attention toward the sound.
"Over there! The sound came from that side!" one of them barked, pointing toward the shadows.
Like mindless hounds, they followed the noise, their weapons raised as they moved deeper into the cave. It worked. Aria wasted no time. She clutched Joseph tightly and darted toward the cave's entrance, her legs burning with effort.
But fate was cruel.
One of them caught a glimpse of her in the dim torchlight.
"THERE! SHE'S RUNNING!"
Shouts filled the cave as the men spun around, their voices laced with renewed fury. In an instant, they were after her, their hurried steps ECHOING VIOLENTLY against the walls.
Meanwhile, outside the cave, the general and his men moved swiftly through the storm, their boots sinking into the soaked earth with every step. The trail was clear now—fresh footprints in the mud leading straight into the cave.
One of the soldiers came to a sudden halt.
"There's a cave ahead! The tracks lead inside!"
Another soldier muttered a prayer under his breath.
"Gods, please let Lady Aria and the prince be safe…"
The general didn't hesitate.
"We don't have time to pray. Move!"
As they reached the entrance, the general's sharp crimson eyes scanned the wet ground.
More footprints.
Fresh.
Leading back out.
His mind raced.
Did they escape? Or were they dragged out?
There was no time to think.
"We split up," he commanded, his voice cutting through the rain.
"Half of you, follow the tracks leading out. The rest, with me—inside the cave!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers swiftly divided, some rushing deeper into the forest while the others followed their leader into the abyss of the cave.
Inside, the air was thick, humid, and eerily silent except for the faint DRIPPING of water from the stalactites above. The general moved with precision, his senses razor-sharp. He had spent decades in battle, but this wasn't just any fight—this was a hunt.
As they ventured further, the torchlight barely reached the deeper shadows, and for a moment, the cave seemed utterly lifeless. But the general's instincts screamed otherwise.
A shift in the air. A presence.
His body reacted before his mind could process it. A low growl His right arm morphed—his fingers elongating into deadly claws, thick veins bulging as dark fur spread across his forearm.
He moved like a phantom, silent and lethal, closing in on the presence behind a large rock. With a swift motion, he prepared to strike—
But stopped.
His eyes widened as the dim light revealed a small, fragile figure lying unconscious against the rock.
"Prince?"
For a moment, time froze. The shock in his voice was undeniable.
"Why was Joseph alone?"
Then it clicked. His breath came out in a low, heated exhale, mist forming in the frigid air.
"Lady Aria had left him behind!" She had knowingly lured the mob away—risking everything.
The general's crimson eyes burned with fury as his realization solidified. "They were after the royal bloodline."
His jaw clenched, and his voice darkened with raw rage.
"You two, stay here and protect the prince with your lives. The rest of you—follow the tracks and slaughter anyone who stands in our way. We bring Lady Aria back. No exceptions."
His men didn't question his command. "Yes, General!"
In a blur of movement, he was gone, leaving behind only a gust of wind and the lingering tension of an impending massacre.
The storm raged on, fierce and relentless, as Aria ran through the mud-soaked ground, her legs burning with exhaustion. Rain pelted her skin like cold needles, and the howling wind whipped her drenched hair around her face. She clutched a heavy stone in her trembling fingers, her last desperate trick to deceive the bloodthirsty mob trailing behind her.
Lightning illuminated the jagged terrain for a fleeting moment, revealing the sheer drop ahead. A towering cliff, its edges slick with rain, loomed over a raging river below. The water surged violently, crashing against jagged rocks, its deafening roar mixing with the furious shouts behind her.
A DEAD END.
Aria turned, her chest heaving, her pulse hammering in her ears. Torches flickered like eerie fireflies in the storm as the mob of twenty to twenty-five men emerged from the darkness. Their faces were twisted with contempt, their grips tight around weapons—knives, rusted metal rods, thick wooden clubs stained with old blood.
One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a deep scar running across his cheek, sneered as he stepped forward. His voice was laced with malice.
"Where will you run now, traitor?"
The word stung. Traitor.
To them, she was no longer the noble Lady Aria. She was no longer one of them. Not after she had chosen to love a vampire. Not after she had given birth to their so-called abomination.
Aria exhaled shakily and let the stone slip from her grasp. It hit the muddy ground with a dull THUD.
A man in the crowd scoffed.
"She's still trying to fool us!"
His voice dripped with hatred. "Tell us where that dirty blood is hiding!"
Her stomach twisted. How could they? These were the same people she had once lived among, the same village that had once embraced her. Their eyes, now filled with unrecognizable loathing, felt colder than the storm itself.
"Why?" Her voice wavered as she met their hateful gazes.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you hunting me and my son?"
A man stepped forward; his expression twisted with disgust.
"You dare to ask? You brought shame upon us all! You abandoned your own kind and sided with those bloodsucking monsters. And worse—you gave birth to that disgusting hybrid!"
Aria's blood boiled. "Don't you dare speak of my son like that!" she snapped, her voice cutting through the storm.
"You all just need someone to blame! You let your hatred blind you!"
A different man, older, with hollowed-out eyes and deep frown lines, spat on the ground.
"Bold words for a woman protected by that filthy Lord. You've forgotten your place. But now, your protector is nowhere to be seen."
He raised his hand, and four men lunged forward. Aria thrashed, trying to fight them off, but they were stronger.
Two clamped down on her arms, wrenching them behind her back, while the others seized her by the shoulders, forcing her to her knees.
Mud splattered as she struggled. SCRAPE Her nails digging into the slick ground.
The scarred leader crouched down in front of her, his lips curling into a cruel smile.
"I'll ask one last time. Where is that half-breed brat?"
Aria's breathing was ragged. Her body ached. But her spirit was unbroken.
She lifted her head, her eyes blazing with defiance.
And then—CRACK!
With all the strength she had left, she slammed her forehead into his face.
The sickening crunch of bone echoed through the night as the man stumbled back, cursing, blood gushing from his broken nose.
"You bitch—!"
Rage ignited in the mob.
"Beat her until she can't move!"
The men restraining her tightened their grip, preparing to slam her head against the jagged rocks below.
Then—
A gust of wind, sharp as a blade, HOWLED through the trees.
SCHHHT!
Four bodies split apart in a single, clean motion.
BLOOD SPRAYED across the mud as the men who held Aria collapsed—cleaved in half before they could even scream.
A shudder ran through the mob. The torches FLICKERED VIOLENTLY as the storm seemed to momentarily pause—as if the world itself sensed the arrival of something far more terrifying than the night.
A slow, deliberate set of footsteps ECHOED from the darkness beyond the trees.
And then—he stepped forward.
The General.
He emerged from the blackened shadows of the forest, the rain GLISTENING against his sharp, battle-worn armor. His deep crimson eyes burned with a hunger for violence, his fangs bared in a deadly snarl.
Behind him, more glowing red eyes flickered in the darkness—the General's men. Silent. Watching. Waiting.
The air grew thick with something primal—something suffocating.
The General flexed his fingers, his nails elongating into razor-sharp claws still DRIPPING with fresh blood. His voice was a low, guttural growl, venom laced in every syllable. LIGHTNING SPLIT THE SKY.
"FINALLY FOUND YOU MOTHERFCKERS."*
To be Continued…