Once upon a time, a Vampire was born. How it was born was a mystery; they say it had no mother or father. Then how could it exist? Even if it had evolved from something, wouldn't it have a mother and father?
This is a story every vampire is told from the moment they taste their first drop of blood—the tale of how our kind began. You would think that out of the billions of Vampires that walk this earth, someone would have uncovered the mystery, right?
Vampires had always surpassed humans in intelligence, creating inventions centuries ahead of moral comprehension. And yet, even in the 18th century, when they could craft things beyond human ability, they could not uncover this one truth.
Back in the 13th century, there were rumors of a man who figured out the reason why the first vampire came to be. However, that man no longer exists, and shortly after the oldest Vampire, believed to be immortal—suddenly disappeared without a trace.
All that was left behind was a stone: they called it the Emris. Far stranger than the oldest vampire, it drove whoever came near it to madness. Naturally, the imperial family of our empire, Inra, took precautions and locked it away within a vault in Cadell Palace.
Humans do not know of its existence… they never will.
Why am I telling you all of this? You, my dear reader, care little for the lives behind the story—you came for entertainment. But even entertainment requires context before the real story begins.
What I'm about to tell you is both a love story and the revelation about the true history of our kind.
January 1st 1726.
He sat at the edge of her crystal coffin, gazing at her pale figure. Vampires were expected to hibernate for fifty years every two hundred years. However, this had not been the case for Kiara; she had slept for an additional 50 years.
"Kiara…" Xavier said, placing his hand on the coffin. "When do I get to see you again… why won't you wake up, love?"
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him. Xavier knew who it was; he didn't know how, but somehow he had memorised them. Perhaps they sounded the same way that she once did.
"There you are, son, I should've known that you'd be here." Said Desmond, standing right next to Xavier.
"Your Majesty… did you need something?"
"Ah—yes! Tonight's the black grid tournament. Even though you're not royalty on paper, participation is mandatory. After all, you are to marry my daughter."
"Yes, your majesty. I will make sure to participate."
"I'm looking forward to your participation."
"Thank you, your majesty."
"Son, she'll wake up soon. My daughter is strong."
"Yes, I know that, your majesty, it's just that a hundred years doesn't seem normal."
"The doctors are trying the best they can to figure out what's wrong. Hopefully they'll find something soon."
Xavier's voice softened almost like a whisper, and he plastered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Yeah..". His eyes—full of unspoken words. A faint crease between his brows.
"Anyways, good luck. Make sure to win the tournament." Desmond said with a hollow laugh.
"Yes, your majes-"
The words were swallowed by a thunderous detonation from deep within the castle's bones.
The floor jolted hard enough to stagger them, a deep tremor rolling upward through the stone. The walls shuddered, dust stifling from the ceiling as the sound echoed through the corridors like thunder trapped underground.
"W-what was that?!" Yelled Desmond.
"I'm not sure, your majesty; it seems like it came from underground."
The intruder alarm echoed throughout the castle.
"The Emris!!!!"
Xavier and Desmond rushed to the underground vault, high-ranking Imperial Knights close behind. The sharp scent of dust and smoke lingered in the hallway, and the heavy clang of armoured boots against the floor drowned out the faint, struggling cough echoing from within.
The vault—once breathtakingly constructed to withstand the Emris, layered with advanced soundproofing and materials designed to even block mind control—now stood in ruin. What had been an architectural masterpiece of protection was reduced to shattered stone, twisted metal, and rolling clouds of dark smoke.
It was destroyed.
The Emris was gone.
"Your majesty, what should we do?!" Yelled one of the imperial Knights.
Desmond's knees gave out. "I don't know…"
"How could a powerful stone this protected disappear?" Xavier questioned. "What happened to our cameras?! Someone, go bring the footage!"
"Yes, sir!"
An imperial Knight rushed to the security room in the castle to get the security footage.
"This is a huge problem."
"Don't worry, your majesty… the Emris is unusable; whoever the culprit is, they are bound to go insane. It might just come back to us."
"...I suppose you're right."
Desmond stood up, and Xavier helped him. Right after that, a Knight arrived with the security footage of the vault where the Emris was held. Seeing the footage left Xavier puzzled.
"How is this possible?"
"What happened?! Show it to me at once!"
Xavier shows Desmond the footage. "How can one act so quickly—the footage is cut. There is no footage on who stole it."
"This is a huge problem… we have no choice but to wait it out, as you said, the stone is bound to return."
"Hopefully nothing happens, and we get the stone back safely."
Desmond nodded. "Hopefully…" His voice echoed through the vault's ruins.
But something had happened.
As soon as the sun set, the tournament began. Fight after fight, Xavier won, all to prove himself worthy of standing by Kiara. At last, the final round came.
The ground beneath him was slick with drying blood. Crimson banners draped the elegantly carved walls of the arena, while the audience watched from above, their cheers rising in a thunderous roar.
Xavier stood in front of one of Kiara's cousins—a prince or simply a piece of shit he hated to his bones.
"Hey there, human~."
"Kael… you know I abandoned that identity long ago," Xavier said, wiping the blood dripping from his chin onto his fangs.
"Doesn't change the fact that you were once one of those people."
"Oh come on, it's the 18th century. It's the start of a new era. You're discriminating. I thought royals were supposed to evolve."
"Disgusting."
The cheers from the arena grew louder.
"Come at me, you little shit."
"Your Highness. It's not polite for a mere peasant like me to make the first move. Please do the honours."
"Why, you little shit!" Kael launched into the air, aiming to strike from above.
But halfway through the descent, something felt… wrong.
His body stalled.
Not gracefully, not intentionally.
It was as if the air itself had thickened around him.
Xavier looked up and smiled.
"You're falling a little slow, your highness," he called, voice almost amused. "Is that really how you plan to strike?"
Kael's eyes widened.
He tried to correct himself; he tried to move, but his limbs felt heavy—dragged.
However, he couldn't move. Something dragged him down—like an invisible hand, or rather, it was as if gravity itself were Kael's enemy. He was smashed hard into the floor, covered in blood. For a moment, everything stopped.
Shock flickered on Xavier's face.
Then the screams from the crowd began.
"...prince Kael!!!!" They yelled.
"Your Highness! Prince Kael!" Xavier rushed towards him. Sure, Xavier hated him to his bones, but he would never wish for him to die such an unjust death.
Xavier quickly checked his pulse. It was very faint. "Someone call the royal physicians!!"
Then came the tremors in the sky. The cities and the arena they had built were being violently dragged inwards. It was as though reality itself was pulling apart at the seams. Mirror reflections began moving before their owners. Some Vampires began to hear their own voices talking back to them. It was a very bizarre sight, yet nothing was destroyed… yet.
"We need to get out of here…"
Chaos began. All the vampires in the audience began to run. However, something wouldn't let them escape. Their bodies began to twist, and they emitted gut-wrenching screams. The scent of their own blood sent them into a feral state, and so they began attacking each other.
"What happened…" Kael groaned.
"I don't know… what the hell is going on!!"
"You human! Go and find uncle Desmond and aunt Marliene!" Kael stood up confidently, ordering Xavier around. However, the moment his feet touched the ground, he stumbled, and Xavier caught him in time.
"Your highness doesn't cause trouble. We need to leave together. Who knows, they might try to attack us."
"It doesn't seem like they're after us."
"That's odd- we have to hurry."
Xavier slid his arm beneath Kael's shoulder to support him, and they began walking.
Together they staggered out of the arena: blood from their boots staining the ground. They made their way towards the private chambers of the King and Queen, from where they looked over the tournament, hoping that they would still be there.
The king and queen were in their chambers, overlooking what had unfolded. They stood anxiously near the doorway—murmuring in hushed, worried tones.
The door suddenly opened.
For a moment, panic flashed across their faces.
Then, seeing that it was Xavier and Kael, they both released a sigh of relief and hurried towards them, their robes trailing behind.
"Xavier, son, what happened?!" Exclaimed Desmond.
"...I don't know, sir…"
"Whoa! Look at you, two, thinking of the human before your injured nephew."
"It's not like that, Kael. What happened? Why did you fall so suddenly?" Marliene spoke softly.
"Honestly, Aunt, I have no idea. It was like an immense amount of pressure- like gravity, yeah. Gravity itself pushed me to the ground."
"Oh my!... Xavier, you must be tired. Please set him down on the thrones."
"Yes, your majesty."
Xavier, still supporting Kael, walked up to one of the thrones and set him down.
"What is going on out there? Why are they acting like this?" Said Desmond.
"Who knows, uncle. They didn't attack us… We walked right past them."
"They let you go?!" His face drained of colour.
Marliene gasped. "What's going on with our people?!"
"Your majesty's do you think this might have something to do with the Emris?" Said Xavier.
"What do you mean?" Questioned Kael.
"I mean, the symptoms look the same as described when you go near it."
"That is what worries me," Desmond replied, eyes narrowing. "If the symptoms match perfectly, then it's clear as day, I mean, what other thing can hurt our people…"
"The Emris was stolen?!!!!" Yelled Kael.
"Yes, it was. It was stolen a few hours ago."
"How could it be stolen!! Weren't you supposed to go insane if you went near it?!"
"Yes, Kael! That is what's described in our ancient texts. We have no way to confirm this!" Desmond paused and took a breath. "When it was stolen, we assumed the thief would go insane, and we'd have it back."
"Uncle, how could you take this so lightly! You know it's the unknown if we do not understand its power. With all this technology, it is powerful!"
"I know! But what was I supposed to do to send out knights to retrieve it?! Knowing that it would pose a danger to them!!!"
"Your majesty, your highness. Please calm down; fighting right now won't solve anything. We need to figure out what to do next."
"He's right, we need to act rationally." Said Marliene.
"With all due respect, what can we do in this situation, Aunt! This is the unknown that we're talking about!"
"Not all of them are acting like this! Think about others. Kael, use your brain."
"Pfft-"
Kael shot Xavier a glare.
"Honey, please make an announcement right away. In the current situation, those who are not infected or cursed should stay in their homes."
"Alright."
Above the city, a massive rectangular screen tore open the sky like a wound. It resembled a system window—sharp corners, medieval text scrolling faintly along its borders. And at its center, the king sat in perfect clarity.
Every citizen could see it. Even those indoors found it hovering beyond their ceilings.
"Citizens of the Inra Empire, heed this announcement. Some of you may have witnessed the broadcast from the black grid tournament. Know this: there has been a severe outbreak of vampire hostilities. These are no ordinary conflicts; an unseen force compels these vampires to act in most unnatural ways. You are hereby ordered to remain indoors until this threat has been neutralized. Compliance is mandatory for your safety."