Aarav had always been alone.
Not completely—he had two friends, Kabir and Rehan—but beyond them, his world was quiet. Empty in a way he could never explain. No family, no memories of a real childhood… just a life that felt incomplete.
Like something was missing.
Or taken.
---
The clock struck midnight.
For a moment… nothing happened.
Then—
Pain.
Aarav's body jerked violently as a sharp, burning sensation tore through his chest.
"Ahh—!"
He collapsed to his knees, clutching his shirt as his heartbeat spiraled out of control.
What… is this…?
His vision blurred. The room twisted. The air felt heavy, suffocating.
And then—
Images flooded his mind.
Not memories.
Visions.
A crimson sky.
A massive throne.
Countless figures kneeling in darkness.
And someone… sitting above them all.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
> "Finally… you've awakened."
The voice was calm. Deep. Unfamiliar.
Aarav's eyes snapped open.
"Who's there?!"
Silence.
No footsteps. No presence.
Yet the voice lingered.
Inside his head.
---
His breathing grew uneven.
This… isn't real…
But the pain said otherwise.
His veins darkened beneath his skin, spreading like cracks. His senses sharpened unnaturally—every sound louder, every movement clearer.
And then came something worse.
Hunger.
Not normal hunger.
Something deeper.
Something violent.
---
His gaze drifted toward the window.
Moonlight touched his skin.
For a second… it felt normal.
Then—
"AAH!"
He stumbled back as a burning sensation spread across his arm.
Light… burns me?
His chest tightened.
Fear crept in.
---
> "You already know what you are."
The voice returned.
Closer.
Clearer.
Aarav clenched his fists.
"Stop this! Just tell me what's happening!"
A pause.
Then—
> "You are no longer human."
The words echoed.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
---
Aarav froze.
"No… that's not possible…"
But deep inside…
he already knew.
> "You carry royal blood," the voice continued.
"A lineage far beyond this world."
Aarav's throat went dry.
"…Vampire?"
Silence.
But this time—
silence was the answer.
---
Days passed.
Nothing went back to normal.
The hunger grew stronger.
Every heartbeat he heard… every person he saw…
Blood.
The thought came without warning.
Without control.
---
He stopped meeting Kabir.
Avoided Rehan.
Locked himself away.
Because one truth terrified him the most—
What if I lose control…?
---
And the visions…
They didn't stop.
They became clearer.
Stronger.
A throne of darkness.
A crown of blood.
And vampires…
kneeling.
---
> "You are the true king."
The voice spoke again.
Aarav sat in silence, eyes fixed in the dark.
"…No."
His voice was calm this time.
"I don't want that."
> "Your desire is irrelevant."
Aarav's expression hardened.
"I have a choice."
Silence.
Tension filled the air.
---
Minutes passed.
Then—
> "Even if you reject the throne…"
A pause.
> "…your blood will not."
---
Aarav closed his eyes.
Something inside him stirred.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Something older.
Something powerful.
Something that didn't belong to the boy he thought he was.
---
What… am I becoming?
---
No answer came.
Only darkness.
And a truth he could no longer escape—
This was just the beginning.