The plains of Solvaran stretched endlessly under the night sky — a sea of silver grass shimmering in the moonlight. The stars hung low, ancient and watchful, as if waiting for the first move of a game they had seen a thousand times before.
The wind whispered through the grass — but beneath it, another sound pulsed, faint, rhythmic, alive.
Blood.
Not just mortal blood. Something older. Familiar.
I stood still, listening. The sensation was faint but undeniable — a signature I should never have felt in this world. It wasn't a beast, nor a mortal sorcerer. It was the pulse of my own kind.
A vampire.
Yet not one born of my bloodline.
My eyes narrowed, a faint flicker of curiosity threading through the quiet predatory calm. The System, sensing the shift in my thoughts, spoke first.
"Detection confirmed. Subject classification: Vampiric Entity — Dormant Lineage. Power Level: Estimated Master rank. Status: Unawakened. Location: within Solvaran capital perimeter."
I tilted my head slightly, gaze fixed toward the distant lights of the capital.
"System," I said, voice low, edged with command, "if I am the Progenitor — the origin of the new bloodline — then how does another vampire exist here? Explain."
A pause. Then the System's tone deepened, as though sifting through forbidden data.
"Inquiry: Valid. Response: Partial Disclosure Authorized.Long before your awakening, fragments of the primordial essence that would become your bloodline were scattered across realities. Some embedded within mortals, lying dormant — incomplete echoes of what you are.These fragments manifest rarely… instinctively drawn to you, the True Core."
"Fragments," I murmured, more to myself than to it. "So this one is a reflection of me — incomplete, unawakened, waiting for recognition."
"Correct, Host.They are not true progenitors. But when awakened by your essence, they evolve — becoming part of your eternal lineage.Among them lie those with potential to ascend as Queens."
My crimson eyes gleamed faintly."Queens…"
The word lingered, heavy and enticing. Not mere consorts or tools, but pillars of my empire — equals in power, bonded through will and blood. My fated companions in supremacy.
A slow smile curved my lips."Then she awaits me."
"Caution," the System advised. "Subject may be unstable prior to awakening. Dormant fragments often experience psychological collapse, memory distortion, and blood hunger."
"Then I will find her before the collapse claims her," I said, my cloak stirring in the wind. "If she carries even a spark of my essence, I will not let the world consume her."
The System pulsed faintly — approval, or perhaps curiosity.
"Acknowledged. New Directive Initiated: Locate and Awaken the Scarlet Queen."
The Capital of Solvaran
By morning, the city came into view — colossal walls of pale stone rising from the earth like the ribs of a titan. Banners of crimson and gold rippled in the breeze, each bearing the sigil of Emperor Kael Veynor, the Lion of Solvaran.
Beyond those walls lay a labyrinth of markets, temples, barracks, and noble estates. The air shimmered with mana; this was the heart of human civilization — proud, arrogant, blind.
I concealed my presence fully before crossing the gate. The guards glanced at me, their eyes lingering longer than they should have, but said nothing. My appearance — white hair, crimson eyes, flawless skin — marked me as otherworldly, but not necessarily dangerous. Many mistook me for an elven noble or a foreign mage.
The streets pulsed with life. Merchants shouted from stalls, soldiers clattered in armor, nobles rode in gilded carriages. Yet beneath the din, I felt it — the faint, hungry heartbeat, buried deep within the city.
The dormant vampire.
She was close.
I could feel her essence flickering like a dying ember, lost beneath the layers of mortal noise.
The Whisper Beneath the Church
The trail led me to a quiet district near the edge of the noble quarter — a place where church bells tolled softly, where priests whispered blessings beneath the light of Aurelios, the human god of dawn.
Of course.Where better to imprison what they did not understand than beneath the god of light?
I entered the courtyard silently, the System suppressing every trace of my existence. Even the acolytes passing by felt nothing as I moved among them — a shadow without weight, a thought forgotten before it finished forming.
"Host," the System whispered, "vampiric energy detected below ground level. Containment runes active — divine-based seal. Estimated power rank: high-mastery level. Hostile to your kind."
"They sealed her," I muttered. "A fragment of my essence, trapped beneath their god's temple."
"Affirmative. Recommend infiltration and neutralization of divine seals."
I knelt briefly beside the marble altar, fingers brushing its surface. Holy magic thrummed beneath the stone like a living nerve, powerful but primitive compared to the systems I commanded.
"I see," I murmured, letting a trickle of my essence bleed through my touch. The shadows recoiled from the sanctified glow — then bent around it, consuming light in perfect silence. The rune lines flickered, twisted, then fell dark.
Below, I heard the first sound.
A whisper.
Not words — a breath. Faint, trembling, yet unmistakably alive.
The Scarlet Prisoner
I descended through the hidden stairway beneath the altar, the air growing colder, thicker with magic. Chains of radiant silver lined the walls, humming faintly with divine energy.
At the bottom, a circular chamber awaited — carved from stone and lined with fading sigils. And there, at its center, she knelt.
A woman.Pale skin, marred by glowing runes.Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, streaked faintly with crimson.Her eyes — when they flickered open — glowed faintly red beneath the shadow of exhaustion.
Her aura was fractured, flickering like a candle in a storm. But beneath it, I felt it — the unmistakable resonance of my own blood.
The fragment.The unawakened Queen.
She looked up weakly, confusion and hunger warring within her gaze."You… the light… no… the dark… what are you?"
I stepped forward, my voice low, resonant — ancient.
"Your truth."
Her breath hitched. The divine chains trembled, reacting violently to my presence. Holy symbols flared across the walls — and then shattered one by one as I raised my hand.
"Be still," I commanded, power threading through my tone like silk over steel.
The air darkened. The seals broke with a sound like thunder swallowed by shadow. The chains melted into liquid silver, hissing as they hit the ground.
She gasped, collapsing against the floor, trembling as the curse dissolved. Her aura flared — unstable, raw, desperate. Power rippled outward in jagged bursts, shaking the chamber.
"System," I said calmly, "initiate controlled awakening."
"Confirmed. Channeling Bloodline Resonance: 20% Output.Caution — Subject at threshold instability."
I knelt beside her, placing a hand over her chest. My blood pulsed once, glowing like a dying star. The resonance ignited — red light flooding through her veins, burning away the remnants of the divine seal.
Her scream tore through the chamber — not of pain, but release.The light receded. Her body stilled.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Crimson. Pure. Perfect.
Recognition flashed within them, followed by instinctive submission — not of servitude, but belonging.
Her voice was soft, trembling."My… king?"
I smiled faintly. "Not yet. But soon."
"Awakening complete," the System announced."Subject evolution achieved.New designation: Vampire Queen — Lirae of the Scarlet Veil.Loyalty index: 100%.Bloodline synchronization: stable."
Lirae lowered her gaze, still shaking, yet her presence already pulsed with growing strength. Her beauty was haunting — ethereal, sharpened by centuries of suffering and the echo of my blood.
She was the first.And far from the last.
I looked upward, through layers of stone and sanctified walls, to where the surface world thrived in ignorant peace.
"System," I said softly, "mark this night. The birth of the first Queen."
"Acknowledged, Host.The era of silence ends.The Scarlet Court rises."
Next Chapter: Queen of the Scarlet Veil
Kaelthar begins to shape his first bond — the awakening of loyalty, hunger, and power.But the Solvaran Church does not stay blind for long… and the light always hungers to destroy what it cannot understand.