The lady looked straight into my eyes. Her gaze, filled with agony, pierced through me and she stumbled backward in shock as she crumpled, blood pooling around her from the wounds on her abdomen and mouth. A wave of emotions hit me I didn't know her, yet she'd saved my life tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
On my knees beside her, I cried out, "No! Please, no!" My attention swirled between her and the group of men standing nearby. They seemed indifferent to her suffering, callous in their intentions. Rage surged within me as I shouted at them, my voice trembling with pain.
But in my desperation to wake her, their menacing voices pierced through. "What! This bastard can speak!" one of them exclaimed, drawing attention to me. Ignoring their threats, I focused on trying to rouse the woman.
Suddenly, their intentions turned darker. "Come on, let us end this!" a voice rang out, followed by chilling agreement from the others. "Kill him! We must kill him! Come here!" They advanced toward me.
Driven by fear and adrenaline, I stood and pushed back, wielding a stick in my hand, screaming as I tried to keep them at bay.
Their resolve wavered momentarily, but Shane struck me from behind, sending me crashing to the ground.
Struggling to regain my bearings, I glimpsed their looming figures. Fear gripped me as Shane moved closer, aiming to strike again. But just as despair enveloped me, a commanding voice echoed, halting their menacing advance.
"Halt!" The voice, resonant and authoritative, made us all turn. The king, mounted on his majestic horse, led his warriors toward us. A sense of relief washed over me.
Shane, however, remained defiant. "Mind your own business, this is our matter, just go!" he barked at the king. But the king's warriors were unyielding. "Show him your respect! You speak to King Vales!" they commanded, drawing their swords.
The tables turned swiftly. Fear etched on their faces, Shane and his companions dropped their weapons. I watched, a mix of astonishment and relief flooding my senses.
"A group of men is trying to slaughter a child," the King stated, his voice cutting through the tension.
Then, a voice emerged from behind. "He has been cursed by an Imoogi vampire," the Shaman proclaimed, her presence drawing everyone's attention. "It has come down to our village, harming our villagers in search of him."
My eyes widened as the Shaman continued, revealing a harrowing truth. "Even his own father abandoned him out of fear, but we took him in." I felt the weight of their gazes as I crawled towards the king, tears streaming down my face.
"This is our burden to carry; please turn a blind eye," the Shaman pleaded. The king, his gaze fixed on me, watched as I bowed before him, overwhelmed by emotions.
"Killing a boy because of some monster is nonsense to me, and I shall not believe it," the King asserted, his voice unwavering. His words struck a chord of fear within Shane and his men.
"However, I should behead all of you," the King continued, his tone shifting, "but I have seen too much blood on the battlefield today."
His gaze turned towards me once more, curiosity and compassion mingling in his eyes. "What is your name?"
Stammering, I replied, "I don't have a name." Fear and confusion trembled in my voice.
"Is that so?" he mused, before issuing a decree that echoed with significance. "Henceforth, your name shall be Morgan," he announced, his voice carrying weight.
"Morgan?" I echoed, tasting the name on my lips, as the king elucidated its meaning. "It signifies 'Reborn,'" he explained, imprinting the weight of the new identity upon my soul.
Standing tall, I noticed the discontent etched on Shane's and the Shaman's faces, along with others in their company.
As I approached the King, he reached out and clasped my hands it was a foreign sensation, someone firmly holding my hand, a gesture my own father had rejected. An overwhelming sense of joy enveloped me.
"I will take the boy with me," the King announced, guiding me onto his horse. His decisive action marked a turning point in my life, one filled with unexpected hope.
The Shaman's glare dripped with fury, but the King's warriors swiftly aimed their swords at her.
"You will regret this," the Shaman warned the King, the Shaman's voice trembling with conviction. "You will be ensnared in his bad karma. Anyone who stands by his side will suffer, vomiting blood and dirt in their eyes."
Fear gripped Shane and the others as the Shaman continued her ominous prophecy. "Not even you can evade the curse of the Imoogi vampire," she declared.
However, King Vales responded with a confident smile. "Let's go," he commanded his warriors. They forcibly pushed the Shaman aside, and the King urged his horse forward. As we departed, the Shaman's haunting words lingered in my mind that the curse would persist until my death.
Glancing back, I saw the lifeless body of the woman who'd saved me lying on the ground. Her sacrifice weighed heavily on my heart as we rode away from the scene.
Eighteen years have elapsed, and now I'm a grown man. Inside the forest at dawn, King Vales and I, alongside our warriors, ventured forth, hunting down the blood-sucking monster that plagued our kingdom.
Suddenly, a warrior spotted a figure in the distance. "Hey! What is that?" he exclaimed, pointing towards the sobbing silhouette.
One of our warriors hurled his wooden light towards the figure to get a clearer view. As the light hit her, the crying ceased, revealing a stunning lady. Yet, in an instant, her eyes transformed, blackening with bulging veins across her face. A warrior who met her gaze began to suffocate, his eyes mirroring hers.
The light fell as the entranced warrior turned on us, his body under her spell. Confusion and panic erupted among the group as he attacked his comrades, his eyes devoid of recognition. "What are you doing?" the others cried, attempting to restrain him, but it was futile.