Emerald pushed through the dense forest, fighting for every inch of ground. As he went deeper, the sunlight thinned, and an ancient ruin appeared. He took his time exploring the settlement, noticing the luxurious, white polished marble, but unable to determine what it was. As the light faded, he climbed a tall tree, reaching the top just as the golden sun set over the mountains. He looked back and was shocked. The castle was a tiny speck in the distance, a testament to how far he had come.
Hesitantly, he continued on, his curiosity overpowering his fear. He moved slowly through the ruins, lost in the scenery. A sharp pain on his arm broke his concentration. He looked down and saw blood. Panic set in. He screamed, unable to understand how he got a cut without knowing. A trail of his blood followed as he looked around, biting his tongue against the pain. He ducked into a collapsed ruin to take cover and calm himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath.
As he calmed down, he felt another cut, this time on his thigh. He got up and started to run. He felt like someone was calling him. He saw a light in a dark spot of the ruins and dashed toward it, falling into a set of stairs. He rolled until he reached a dark room. His leg hurt, but as he reached for the wound, he realized it wasn't from the fall; he had been slashed again, but felt no pain.
"Don't make it hard on us, Emerald," a man with a bloody hand appeared in front of him.
The lamps in the pitch-dark room suddenly lit up on their own. "Who are you? What do you want from me? What's worth killing me for?" Emerald shouted.
"Who? Don't get emotional, kid. We were told to kill a human, and that's what we're doing. We're loyal to our master. It doesn't matter who we are; what matters is how you're going to die," a second man said.
"We are vampires, as you presumed. We ask your forgiveness for what we're about to do. With utmost respect, let us do our job. Now, let's play some games," they said, beginning to torture him. He crawled through the mud, leaving a trail of blood.
Back in town, a festival was in full swing. Eva entered a cafe, where a swarm of girls surrounded her, eager to hear about the human boy.
"He smelled like lavender," Eva said.
"How do you know that?" a girl asked.
"Because he played with me, not knowing I'm human," Eva replied. The girls were enthralled.
In the dark room, Emerald screamed in agony. His left arm hung limp, his left leg was in two pieces, and his guts spilled out as he moved like a snail.
At the cafe, Eva continued, "He was flattered when he found out who I am, but he let me into Genna's room." Everyone was shocked; no one was allowed in Genna's room. "I even have a dinner booked with him tonight, and he gladly accepted. He's a kid for real—honest and innocent." The girls cheered.
Emerald, close to death, dragged himself to a stone. The dust on the stone moved, drawn to his blood. He closed his eyes and left everything to fate.
"Emerald."
"The boy of mankind..." Emerald opened his eyes to a voice. He was on a grassy plain. He looked down and saw that his legs were gone, but he could float. He walked through the dense grass, which slowly turned into a white plain. His wounds were healed. He saw a man standing in the distance. When he got close, the man turned and asked, "Does it hurt to end everything before you could even start?"
"I guess it does," Emerald replied, keeping his head low.
"Well, it doesn't matter. It's a necessity you need to overcome."
"I think I've seen you somewhere, but I can't remember. Where am I?" Emerald asked.
"You're in your heart, or you could say, you're in the past. What matters is, do you want to live, or end it here?"
"I... want... I want to live," Emerald said, looking at his hands.
"Do you see the path?"
"What do you mean?"
"You used to have dreams about the future you're supposed to live. Do you remember?" the man asked calmly.
"I have followed the tales to the ruins, but everything that just happened, I don't really recall."
"You were assassinated by a lord of the kingdom. Your existence is harmful, harmful enough to threaten the very existence of the kingdom. Do you understand?" Emerald nodded, his fury gone.
"Then it's decided. You'll live and face the original family's brat. Make sure to win, or I will need to interfere. When you win, you'll learn who you are." Emerald took a deep breath.
"Place your hand in mine. We are doing a binding vow," the man said.
"I can't. I'm dead, and I already did one," Emerald stated his doubts.
"Just hold my hand," the man insisted. Emerald did so.
"But, how?" Emerald's mind was a mess.
"This time you're existing dates back thousands of years. We are in the past, and it's all about how individuals pass upon the cracks of things. I'm sure I don't need to explain this to a guy who already knows about vampires and magic," the man chuckled. A few seconds later, he asked Emerald to stand up. He had legs again, and his wounds were healed.
"Bow, it's done. From now on, I will be your will and thought, as you are my flesh and blood," the man stated.
"What? Am I going to be taken over?" Emerald asked, worried like a child.
"No, kid. Simply put, you're not alone. I will help you protect what matters most to you, as you will for me." Emerald shook his hand and started to walk away.
As he wandered, with no way out, the man called out again, "You asked me who I am, and I think it's not right for you to leave so soon. I should show you something." Without doing anything, Emerald was at his left side. The scenery changed to a beautiful garden. As they moved, they saw a man and a beautiful lady. The man was sitting under a tree, and the lady was laying her head on his lap. As he patted her head, she asked him, "What if you can make the whole world a better place if you have it?"
The man looked at Emerald and said, "This is where everything started to go wrong." He took a deep breath. "You might have a question about who they are. The guy and his wife are the first emperor Zinan and Lascrea. As for me, I'm the man sitting under the tree."
"Are you the first emperor, Zinan?" Emerald asked in disbelief. The man simply smiled. He looked like an ordinary teenage boy.
(To be continued)