Why is life so cruel?
I was supposed to be one of the Blessed. Yet all I've known is tragedy.
First, my parents were murdered, punished for their success. I barely escaped, forced to live on the streets. But I adapted. I pulled together a group of girls and started a small guide service for tourists and newcomers. We led them to the best shops and eateries in exchange for food and money.
We were so close to buying our own home.
Then the slavers came.
They took all seven of us. We have been in this cage for over a week now, watching others get dragged off. Screaming. Silent. Broken. We wait for our turn. And with each passing day, hope fades a little more.
Until he walked in.
An old man, pale as snow, moved through the market. His eyes were not red, but I had read about high-ranking vampires. They could hide their traits.
So why was one here?
And then it clicked.
I did not think, I acted.
"Sir," I called out. "Will you please buy me?"
He stopped, turned slightly. One brow lifted, and he looked at me with a sly grin.
"And why do you want me to buy you? I'm sure it's very unusual for a slave to be picking their master."
"You are not who you appear to be," I continued. "And there is only one reason your kind would come here. I am gambling on it."
He stared for a beat. Then, a single sharp laugh escaped him.
"Interesting."
He turned to the slaver. "Mr. Jameson. I will take this one."
The cage creaked open. I stepped out, then hesitated.
"Sir…"
I paused, observing his reaction. His black eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight as he turned to look at me.
"The other six. They are mine. Loyal. Trained."
Another pause. Then, a faint smile. He gave a small nod.
"Two hundred for the lot," the slaver said, licking his lips with greed.
The man slipped a hand into his coat and drew out two platinum coins, placing them in the slaver's palm without a word. I stared at him, caught off guard. He had just exchanged two platinum coins for only seven slaves, an act that defied reason. By any measure, the cost should have been no more than fifty gold coins. Yet each platinum piece was worth twice that. The slaver froze, eyes fixed on the coins as if uncertain they were real. He murmured his thanks quickly, almost fearfully, before the buyer could reconsider. Then, with a brisk gesture, he ordered my companions released from the cage.
Running to the cage, I gestured to my friends that it was safe to come out now.
We followed our buyer out of the dungeon where we'd been held, emerging into a sprawling market teeming with life. The air was thick with scents of spices, sweat, and smoke, and the crowd bustled with figures of mixed blood.
In the human capital, non-humans were often shunned or cast to the margins. But here, in this smaller city, they moved freely, even confidently. This place, it seemed, had carved out space for those caught between worlds.
We strolled through the market only stopping once as we were close to the exit. The man who bought us stopped suddenly and turned around.
"What is your name?"
"Lilya," I responded without the slightest delay.
A quiet grunt of acknowledgment.
"How did you know I was one of them?" he asked in a curious tone.
I glanced at him.
"Your skin gave you away. Too pale."
No response, just the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"May I ask why one of your kind would buy slaves instead of taking what he needs for free?"
He said nothing as I continued speaking.
"My guess? You are here to make an impression. You have a plan. That makes you better than most humans I have met."
This time, the man smiled back. A slim, knowing smile, that was as radiant as the moon.
…
After walking for what seemed like forever, we reached a nameless tavern that was illuminated with just a single candle inside the window. Inside the walls were covered in shadows with a pale bartender sitting in the corner with a scowl on his face.
"Found what you were looking for, Lucius?" He grumbled, obviously annoyed with the wait.
"More like, it found me," said the man I now knew was named Lucius.
"The teleportation ritual is ready," said the bartender as he stood up and gestured for the 8 of us to follow.
He led us into a dim chamber lit by cold blue stones. At its center stood a glowing waystone with runes and mystical symbols plastered around. Lucius placed his hand on it and recited a mysterious chant under his breath, just quiet enough that I couldn't make out what he whispered.
Light burst around us.
I stumbled as the world twisted and fell away.
Then darkness.
And from that darkness, a pair of crimson eyes opened and locked onto mine. As I looked into the eyes, a chill ran down my spine.
Then Lucius's voice, quiet and distant:
"Welcome to your new life."
Lucius's voice rang out amidst the silence.
"Follow me, I'll take you to your room."
"We can't see," I stated.
"Oh, silly me, it's been so long since I was human I forgot that humans can't see in the dark." After saying that, a sudden burst of light appeared from his palm.
"Better?"
"Much."
We followed Lucius down what seemed to be a long hallway. I couldn't be too sure since, although Lucius had a light source, the darkness seemed to be almost constricting the light, so we could only see the light around Lucius that we followed.
A few minutes later, Lucius stopped.
"We are here, though I'm sure you can't see, but there is a door to your new room. I will leave 'Light Arcana' cast around the room so you can see, but you must wait inside until someone comes to explain things to you."
He opened the door and led us inside, where he cast a spell that caused the room to be filled with light before he walked out.
After he left the seven of us just stood there in silence. I can't blame them as I am still shocked even though I was the one to initiate this whole thing.
After a few moments, I started to take note of the room we were in. I realized that just like the light in Lucius's hand, the light from the Orbs of light seems to give off the bare minimum of light. It wasn't that it couldn't give off more light, but the darkness seemed to be almost pushing against the light. I realized it probably has something to do with where we are. But there seemed to be a bed on the very edge of one of the light Orbs; therefore, I immediately started to guide the other girls to it. They were surprised at first, but then they realized what I was doing and followed.
Once everyone was seated, one of the girls, Carla, finally asked what I'm sure they were all wondering.
"So, Lilya, care to explain your plan? How did we go from being doomed to a life as a noble's plaything to the situation we are in now?"
"Well, it was a gamble, to be honest, one that I don't know how will play out, but whatever happens, it is much better than what would have happened if I hadn't spoken up." I vaguely explained.
"Then I'll ask you this: What are you hoping will happen?"
"Ok, I'll explain. What year is it?"
One of the girls answered immediately.
"40,016"
"Now what happens every 1,000 years?"
"Umm, something to do with Vampire progenitors?" Another responded.
"That's right, every 1,000 years a Vampire Progenitor manifests in a coffin somewhere in every region." I started to explain.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with us?"
"Well, if you don't know, Vampire Progenitors need to be awakened by someone. Usually, other Vampires locate these unawakened Progenitors and then awaken them. I'm assuming we will be used to awaken a Vampire Progenitor."
"Wait, isn't that a bad thing for us? Are we going to be offered as some sort of sacrifice?"
That's not the case, it's stated that Blood Consorts are originally human women. The book I read also made a vague reference to a rank known as Blood Attendants, humans who are supposedly turned by a Blood Consort. That's why, when I mentioned you, I said, 'The other six. They are mine. Loyal. Trained.' It was my way of suggesting you would make excellent Blood Attendants. He clearly understood the implication behind my words, so he agreed."
"So what happens now?" Carla asks, obviously still worried.
"Well, Lucius stated that someone would come to explain in a bit, so all we can do is wait."
Footsteps slowly begin to rattle throughout the dark hallway. We all stand up and huddle to the farthest wall from the door as we begin to hear the lock rattle as if it's being picked apart. The door slams open, and a small woman who looks as if she has gone through life and is finally ready to retire to the central region and live a peaceful life with grandchildren walks in and looks at us all before gathering her thoughts.
"It's time for you to find out why we brought you here."
She took a step forward.
And then, the door shut itself behind her.