11:23 a.m.
Sun Rock Village, a village ruled under directly by the Holy Empire.
It was currently spring and the harvest was bountiful. Farmers gathered their harvest, while village girls either gathered mountain herbs and berries or cooking in preparation for the "Harvest Festival" held for the night.
"Arana, The Elder requested us to look for newnkon berries!" A village girl asked one of her best friends, Arana.
Arana was currently helping "filtering" the rice grains from today's harvest. Swiping the sweat from her forehead, she then searched for someone who was calling her.
"Nana?"
"Mhh, The Chief wanted us to gather berries for making jams," Nana gave one of the baskets to Arana, as she grabs her heading for the forest.
"Wait!"
...
"Nana, don't you think that the sun has gone down a bit?"
"Oh, Did it? hehe..." Nana feigned ignorance as she started scratching her head.
"Sigh*, Let's head back or father and the others would kill us..." Arana just couldn't believe that this girl manages to drag her into a berry "spot" that even she didn't know despite living in the village for almost 20 years.
"How did you even found out such a spot here in this desolate space."
Nana's face darkened for a while but soon followed up with a smile"Mhh? Yeah right! I'm so lucky...hehe"
"Wait! Don't tell we were lost even before we got there!?"
Nana was terrified as she tried to explain, "No, of co-, Sister Arana pleash stahp pinshing my cheks"
"Don't go being polite with me now."
Arana and Nana walked for a while until the basket full of berries were now gone, as they tried to pleased their rioting stomach.
"Sister Arana, soon the sun will set. How could we ever go back." Nana sulked as she sat beside a tree.
Seeing her like that truly pains her heart, "Don't worry, remember the huge bonfire lit before the festival starts?"
"Ooooh, Yeah we'll probably see it on a high ground, look there it is!" Nana then pointed at the smokes tainting the horizon.
"Mhh?" Arana followed where she was pointing, and indeed a smoke was slowly rising up into the air.
'Isn't it too early?' Arana thought. As she was thinking, Nana already dragged her off as they headed to the thick smoke.
...
6:52 a.m.
After arriving, Neither Arana and Nana managed to saw the "festive" mood nor were they dancing villagers but instead found corpses burnt to crispt as they reached out their hands to the heavens asking for salvation.
Seeing that Arana and Nana separated as they both searched for their family, hoping that no harm has come to them.
"No, this can't be..." On the ground was a scorched corpse so much that you can't even make a face out of it. Behind it was 2 corpses of children appearing to be hugging each other, but neither of the two had a complete body as their bottom half seemed to have been eaten.
"Father...Senna, Adriane? Why?!" Just as Arana was questioning the heaven's for why did they did to deserve this, a scream came from the east side of the village.
"Nana?!"
Arana's home was just on the north side and going to the east side only took a few short seconds. There she saw 2 burly guys restraining the terrified Nana.
Nana shouted Arana's name in terror asking for help.
"Arana, Help me!"
Arana with her pure and innocent heart naturally stepped out without hesitation.
"Let go of her!" Arana screamed as she held a burning wooden plank pointing at the burly men.
But the reality was cruel, instead of seeing Nana struggling to free herself from the two. She didn't even give Arana a glance as she argued with the two men.
"See?! Isn't she more beautiful, I beg of you please take her instead!" Nana begged, but no matter how much she tried to convince the two. They only laughed in mockery, as they mocked the little girl's naiveness.
"Hahahaha, indeed just like you said," One of the burly men said as he looked to the other.
"Yeah, but who wouldn't mind getting extra cash?" Both of them laughed as they called out even more of their "brothers" to help apprehend Arana.
"Hehehehe" Soon a group of men, dressed as bandits led by a "Pig" man proceeded a carriage after tying Arana who gave no such resistance or struggle.
'Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why???' Arana asked herself on despair.
'What did I do to deserve this?' Asked herself in the darkness.
"It is because you had no power, my child..." a woman's voice came from inside the abyss answering her questions.
Obviously, not expecting any answer Arana was shocked and only managed to utter one word:
"Power?"
"Yes, Power! With it, no harm shall ever befall you ever again!" the voice explained.
"Is that true?" Arana asked, as her mind was slowly swallowed by temptation.
"Yes, my child, and I can give you that power!"
"Would you like to know why were you different from your family?" the voice added.
Arana remained silent as ever since young she too always asked her "parents" why was she so different. Silver hair, red pupils, sometimes craving for blood or even raw meat. If there was something she should be thankful for it was her gift on weaving. If it weren't for her hand-made coats which she made for every villager, she would've probably been kicked out long ago.
Seeing Arana with no response the voice was elated as it slowly explained.
"You must already have a few doubts about your lineage, you are no ordinary village girl nor your average human. In fact, you were never a human!"
Hearing a shocking truth which would immediately be been denied and treated as mere heresy by anyone who was told that they weren't human despite living like one in their whole life. But Arana remained indifferent as the facts were already telling themselves, how could a human crave for a being's blood unless one was a vampire which she wasn't based on how many times she drank diluted holy water.
If a vampire got in touch with "holy water" without protection nevermind intaking one, as it could bring endless pain and torture.
"You are my child! I, "The Great Weaver" Arachni"