The vampire's body was burned until nothing remained. However, mere seconds after her death, a giant pool of blood began to manifest in thin air. Inside the pool, a body began to form, almost like a cocoon. The sight was terrifying; I felt my gut wrench just looking at it.
What kind of monsters exist in this world?
I wasn't alone in this thought. Everyone's face contorted in disgust at the sight. Inside the pool of blood, the vampire's body slowly began to reconstruct itself. Bones and flesh weaved together until she was back to how she was before.
Her face was just as lifeless as ever, though I couldn't deny that she was a beauty like no other I had seen. Her very body was one of perfection, as if she had been carved from the heavens themselves.
Soon, the blood exploded, dyeing the cobblestone road red and flooding the ground below with blood. The vampire collapsed at the same time, her entire body covered in blood. She was as naked as the day she was born, and though she was a monster, some of the men were still drooling over her.
She was beautiful, yes, but that meant nothing to me. From everything I had heard, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were playing a dangerous game with her. Someone as dangerous as she was needed to be put down for good. That was my honest thought on the matter.
After the executions were over, we returned to the palace. Our carriages were drawn by giant birds resembling ostriches from Earth, but these were much larger and under the influence of magic. They were called Dodo. Their feet were like tree trunks, big enough to crush my five-year-old body as if it were nothing.
Their feet hammered against the cobblestone as they ran at top speed toward the palace. Soon, we arrived at the drawbridge that separated the castle from the city by a small body of water.
My mother called me to her room as soon as we entered the palace, saying she wanted to speak to me about something. When I got to her room, she was seated in a chair while a handmaiden combed her hair.
Her face lit up as soon as I entered the room.
"Percival, my sweet child," she exclaimed, opening her arms wide, clearly expecting a hug.
I wasn't one for showing much affection, so it annoyed me a bit, but still, I hugged my mother, to which she promptly lifted me up and placed me in her lap.
"How have you been doing, Perci? Dunken told me you've been reading and drawing lately, though he also said you refused to show him anything you drew."
I had also forbidden him from disclosing anything about what I was up to, but here I was. I would have to have a word with him later.
"I, uh… was drawing pictures for you so you'd feel better," I said, my childlike voice working overtime to cover up my blatant lie.
It seemed she bought it, as her breathing grew erratic and her face turned as red as a Christmas tree. She pulled me in close, almost suffocating me with her large bosom.
"My beautiful boy, I love you so much," she squealed, showering me with kisses. Her skin was soft and a flowery scent wafted from her.
She hugged me so tightly that she practically squeezed all the air out of my lungs.
"I'm so proud of you, Perci, and that's exactly why I brought you here. You're the perfect person for the job."
"What job?" I asked.
My mother cupped my face and lifted me up like a child.
"I have something to show you," she said, already walking off.
She carried me in her arms up we arrived outside a closed room. Her hand waved on the door lock as she hesitated. After taking a deep breath, her expression turned serious as she turned the lock and pushed the door open. The room was dark so she held out the palm of her hand and immediately an incantation the shape of a triangle formed and then flames erupted from it. My mother had an affinity for fire magic.
As we stepped in, I heard the sound of quiet sobs coming from somewhere in the room. I was puzzled. What was this? It sounded like a child was crying. My eyes widened as I caught sight of who it was.
A little girl, around my age, was wearing torn old rags. She was curled up in a ball, crying in a corner of the room. I quickly turned to my mother, who was staring at the little girl with warm eyes.
"Who is she?" I asked.
"I found her on the streets. The poor thing looked like she needed a home, so I brought her back with me."
"What do you mean you found her? This is a small child, not a puppy! Are you mad, woman?!" I couldn't hold back my surprise, causing me to lash out a little.
My mother looked at me as if to say, 'Those aren't the words of a child,' but she quickly brushed it off and continued speaking.
"She's better off with me than on the streets. I'll train her to be my handmaiden. The only problem is that she won't stop crying."
Of course she won't; you kidnapped her!
"Since the two of you are the same age, I thought you could help. Maybe you could get her to open up a little."
"How do you expect me to do that?"
"Just talk to her. I'll go ask the servants to make her something to eat."
Just like that, my mother disappeared from the room, leaving me alone with the crying girl in the corner. I sighed hesitantly and approached her. I was at a complete loss for what to do, as I didn't have much experience interacting with kids.
I kneeled down to get a better look at her, which caused her to nudge herself further back into the corner. Her face was a mess, with tears and snot running from her nose, so I took out a handkerchief to offer her.
She stopped crying for a moment and stared at me with a blank expression as I held out the handkerchief. I soon grew tired of holding out my hand and decided to clean her face myself.
"You're a lady, you shouldn't have snot running all over your face it's unappealing,"
She stopped crying and just stared at me cleaning her face like an attentive older brother. Speaking of siblings, my mother said that my older sister was coming back home. I didn't know her of course but my mother said she had quite the obsession with me.
In one of her letters she accidentally let it slip that I had received a head injury. The first princess, my older sister, Ruby immediately dropped her job as an adventurer and was rushing here to see me. Apparently from where she was it would take a month to travel back here but at the rate she was traveling my mother said she would get here within 3 days time.
It made me wonder what kind of woman my sister is. Maybe I should be fearing for my life.
The girl in front of me was severely malnourished, resembling a skeleton wrapped in human flesh. I doubted she would have lived much longer if my mother hadn't taken her in. Her blonde hair was matted and deteriorated due to a lack of care. Her skin was covered in scars and acne from her rough environment.
She was a bit shorter than me and had several cuts on her body. Judging by her smell, she had been living on the streets for a while. After a while of us just staring at each other blankly, my mother entered the room holding a dish.
The girl looked at my mother warily as she approached to place the bowl in front of her.
"Eat up, okay?" my mother said, smiling kindly.
The girl didn't move an inch; she only quietly stared at the bowl. I could tell how much she wanted it. She was practically drooling but for some reason, she didn't dare touch the bowl, so I decided to feed her.
"Open up."
A look of surprise crossed her face until she finally closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide.