Run...
Just keep your head straight and run...
Don't look back!
Don't stop!
Or they will get you! Just runnnn!
It was the dark of the night the only light guiding her way is the silvery light of the pale full moon. She can barely see anything and she can barely keep her consciousness. Tree branches and rocks scratched her body while tears run profusely from her eyes. Her limbs are weak and trembling, her legs could collapse any moment. Her clothes are ripped here and there while her shoes are barely holding on. Her stomach growled in starvation but she can't mind that now since they're still hot on her trail. She can hear their growling and rapid footfalls following not very far from her. She tripped in panic but quickly collected her bearings. She will not die today, not because of them. She won't sleep and see those nightmares again.
The howling of her pursuers got louder. She tried her hardest to pick up her pace and outrun them but how can you outrun something that can smell you from a mile away? She saw the forest ending in front of her only a few more meters and she's out of the woods.
A sharp branch protruding from the tree wounded her leg causing the blood to flow. She winced suppressing a scream and proceeded to run out of the forest with a limp. Just past the forest is a castle stretching out to the sky. Hope suddenly bubbled inside her chest. Maybe she can find help there.
But it was too late. It won't matter anymore, they're here.
The first wolf pounced on her from behind bringing her to the ground. It tore her cape apart which elicited a loud moan of grief from her. That cloak was given to her by her mother and now that beast had torn it apart. The wolf had lifted her skirt and tore her panties with its sharp teeth exposing her pink genitalia into the cold air before licking it up. Her fear and sadness were replaced by rage as she grabbed a large stone near her head. She turned over on her back just as the wolf was planning on shoving its cock inside her pussy and bashed its head with the stone splitting its skull open.
The wolf whimpered away and went back to its brothers who started emerging from the woods. Ruby panicked and crawled towards the castle gates. She had lost all hope in her body and soul. Her body started giving up, terror had robbed her off all her strength to flee or fight. Her vision started blacking out as her limbs collapse user her body. A loud high pitched ringing invaded her ears as her face connected with the ground. With her failing vision, she was able to see the wolves approximately 10 meters away from her. In thirty seconds they will be able to reach her and she will be at their mercy. If they ever had one. One final thought registered in her mind before blacking out.
Who is that red wearing man standing protectively in front of her with a long sword?
The next thing she knew her surroundings had changed. Instead of an open space with a castle standing proudly in front of her and a pack of wolves wanting to ravage her, she found herself in a dim room with red tapestries and elegant decors. She used her hands to push herself up and a sharp jolt of pain traveled from her wrist. Ruby lifted her hand and saw bandages wrapped around her wrist with a few blotches of blood. She undid the knot to view the injury that she was very sure she didn't receive during the wolf hunt.
What she saw is a long vertical line that stretches five inches along her wrist. It seems very deep and lethal and her pale hand and languidness had verified one thing. Looking at her state without a doubt the injury had killed her due to the loss of blood. She doesn't seem to be suffering from any other injuries therefore a slit wrist is her only affliction. Obviously, she had killed herself in a desperate attempt to push down her depression and fall in the darkness of deathly slumber for a while only to return back to life and to her grief.
She left the bed wanting to explore the Count's castle and clear her head. She pushed her feet to a pair of pretty shoes lying beside the bed and went out of the room. The hallways are a bit dim with the candle chandelier being the only form of light guiding her way as well as the soft light of the moon. She looked outside the window to admire the beauty of the moon as well as the stars that accompanied it. The view of the sky was obscured by the high towers of the castle. Such a shame, she wanted to see the sky. From a remote place such as this, the night sky should be full of stars and a nebula should be visible. The thought of seeing a sight already relieves her heart of its stress and pain so she quickly went for the castle's rooftop garden.
Bright red roses bloom wildly in the garden, wrapping around columns and crawling over arcs. Bougainvilleas also bloom in bushes lining the perimeter of the garden making her heart flutter in admiration of their beauty. Once these flowers also bloomed in the garden of her mother. They used to sip tea in the garden surrounded by the same flowers talking about the most trivial of things and she would lay her head on her lap while her mother caressed her hair. She closed her eyes and made the memory linger. In the darkness, she could still remember her mother's golden hair and intelligent emerald eyes that she had inherited as well as the beautiful fond smile she only reserved for the creature she had brought upon the world. A smile made its way upon her lips.
Maybe if she dies thinking about her mother, she could have that pleasant dream when her life was much more simple and carefree. When her mother was there to make all the bad things go away. Before she met Rel.
Ruby went near the edge of the garden overlooking a very high drop. She held onto the railings and imagined what could have happened if she didn't meet him. Maybe in a dream world, she will find out. Maybe if she sleeps for a while again she will see a different path. Maybe if...
A cold hand suddenly grabbed her uninjured wrist restraining her from moving and distracting her from thinking. She looked up at him with innocent eyes, questioning his motives yet begging him to save her from herself. A fine man looked at her in disapproval and disappointment. He was pale like the cold white snow of winter and his eyes glowed a terrifying scarlet. He is exceptionally well dressed, bespoke crimson and black garments accented by gold linings accentuated his body tailored especially for his build. He is also handsome based on her opinion, not godly or romantic but in a sense that it is pleasing in her eyes. The light of the moon gave him a silvery glow that highlighted his features.
"You are such a troublesome woman. You have killed yourself in my home for the 19th time and I won't allow for there to be a 20th. Tell me, what dream do you want to see this time?" Adrian Vladimir reprimanded like an adult would to a child that misbehaved.
"I want to disappear. There's no point in living when I have lost everything I valued the most and all I have left is all the regret. Maybe Neherra's magic has a limit of deaths." she answered truthfully.
"You are such a pitiful thing." he sighed, pulling her away from the railings.
"You know I admired you for a very long time, or I did with the concept of you. You are the woman who bested Neherra and Thanatos and annihilated a huge portion of the Abyssal Horde. You led your forces well and saved the people of the empire if not the whole world. When I heard about your exploits and victories, I said to myself "This woman is surely an amazing person, radiant and charismatic. If I meet her one day I want to honor her and maybe even make her smile for me. " But alas you never did." Ruby looked down on the ground in shame.
"Sorry for disappointing you. I'm not really a great hero. In fact, I'm a monster. I let the Abyssal forces destroy Macedonia due to vengeance and only stepped in when they threatened me directly. I didn't think about the people. I was only consumed by rage when the empire executed my mom on baseless accusations. So I watched them die safely from a distance and then blasted the horde when they came knocking on my doorstep, "saving the world once and for all". You don't have any obligation to keep in a fraud and a destroyed mannequin. I would've thrown myself away if I were you. Say Adrian, why did you keep me all this time?" Ruby asked, emptiness showing in her dull green eyes.
"You are quite a bit dense, are you?" The vampire sighed looking down at her with unreadable eyes.
"Perhaps. But you're just very confusing. Why do you insist on keeping me when I'm clearly nothing but a burden? I'm not even good enough to be your food or someone to warm your bed. I am only sad and depressed, a useless piec- uhhmp!!" Cold yet soft and loving lips connected with her own interrupting her self berating dialogue. His hand had quickly held her chin and pulled her face in for a nice kiss. His lips danced with her passive ones, unable to move due to surprise and confusion.
Adrian pulled away and looked down at her astounded face, eyes wide with surprise while her soft luscious lips were slightly parted. He placed his large cold hand against her cheek in an affectionate manner and looked her deep in the eyes. Suddenly, his hand feels warmer.
"It's because I love you." Adrian proclaimed sending a jolt of electricity in her body. She looked at him in bewilderment, unable to believe nor comprehend his reason.
"Wh-what?" she managed to say.
"I'm no longer in love with the concept of you but in love with you. During the times when you are not melancholic, you are radiant, like the sun. You light up this whole castle with merely your smile and fill my halls with music when you giggle. Yes, you have lost a bit of your brilliance but your charm has won me not only when you are the sun but even when you are the moon. Your emptiness and grief are somehow wonderful to me. The melancholy that you possess is like the moon that lights my dark heart. I just can't help but fall in love with you."
"But I don't think I can give you my heart. All that's left are pieces. I also don't have a reason to do anything anymore. I hate living." Ruby replied looking away from him.
A smile suddenly stretched across the vampire's lips. "Then let me give you a reason to live." His lips connected with hers once more and this time Ruby kissed him back accepting his love.