Endless winter caused by the Snow Emperor: the whole planet is covered in snow from his loneliness. Suffrage has been dealt by his heart filled with hatred towards the people, and it's his way of telling he had forsaken the world altogether. Not only freezing the whole world, he summoned sacred beasts in his wake: and its inhabitants, remaining resilient, refused to let their churned hearts and resolve be extinguished.
I heard it again from Allison.
Her Highness brimmed with optimism as she asked for my services.
"It has been seven years since the Snow Emperor cursed the lands," Allison showed mirth in the midst of melancholy as she recalled, "I was only a little child back then, unable to sympathize with his lonesomeness. I've always been surrounded by kind people, whose smiles shone brightly like the sun."
"Oh, I know where you're going. You don't have to say it."
They say acting like you can read the room is the road to doomsday. If I misunderstood her claim, then it would be the failure of a vampire assuming human emotions. I can't be wrong, she'd learned the cruelty of humanity, though. Everyone experiences their expectations dropping down to zero ground─and gives up on humanity as a whole. Instead, they'd cherish only the people around them. For a film that has the world at stake versus a literary work crafted for the sake of a singularity, the latter garners more positive reviews. I swear, if not for the people they hold dear, the kingdom wouldn't bother to summon a hero.
At least, that's what I learned from reading books and watching movies.
Free time for a recluse, by the way.
"Everything crumbles for the last time he strikes his sword to the planet," "then be crushed to mere debris floating in space."
Overall, I didn't sleep the night: I ended up engaging in a tedious conversation with the attendant Allison. While she kept her guard duty, I went inside my chamber covered in a comfier wool duvet she bestowed upon my request.
I was in a harsh world, it seems.
A new world where the sun doesn't shine: unhappy does the inhabitants of the planet feel from harshness but for a vampire, it's akin to paradise. However, if the world is being terrorized by a supreme entity called Snow Emperor, then my utopia is dependent to his reign. And the plot twist, I'd be sent to vanquish him.
Light peered from the window, but not the strong essence of sunlight. From the vehemence of the inevitable morning, light broke for the world and yet, the stench of death hasn't come─neither a hair nor hide burned from the light touching the skin. I've been shivering through the night and all I could ask for is little heat. Dire challenge to the force of nature, if you may, but nothing burned. All I felt was the pleasantness akin to the cooling heat of an oven just used for quite a while, or the butt of a bowl of instant ramen being eaten at the convenience store.
Weirdness emanated from a heavenly clause─and I like it.
Complacency nearly achieved?
No, not yet.
The knock on the door alerted my senses: I'm but a skeptical person. I retracted my hand in by reflex, mind to virtually create visual novel choices of opening the door or not. Inevitably, I chose to walk close albeit the perforating hesitancy.
"Good morning to you, Sir Seikishi, did you have a nice sleep?"
Who bowed before me was Her Highness, my summoner, the second princess of the Grandise Kingdom.
Miss Echidna was as serene as last night, face painted in a cheerful canvas. Cheerful, in a sense that's a lot like unbridled happiness, no hidden melancholy in the way Allison from last night made it look and sound. Unlike last night, she wore a more princess-like blue dress and a tiara, reminiscent of stereotypes to be blunt─but I'm no hater of medieval fashion.
She looked cute donning it, if not damningly beautiful.
Allison, Her Highness' knight attendant, then maids from young to veteran all dressed in the classic uniform all gathered aback her. Familiar for someone who previously worked in a themed cafe catering to women. I suppose it has something to do with growing to popular culture.
"Pardon me from last night, Sir Seikishi!" She bowed, bent low as if our statuses were reversed. Her Highness lifted her head before I could feel the embarrassment and took into consideration her failure to address my identity, "We have an intolerable ignorance when it comes to fellows from another world. We have what we call demons. Are you a variant of a demon, perhaps?"
Vampires are always the evil kind in novels, creatures of horror. However, I've been docile through the years and haven't seen humans as livestock.
What defines my vampirism are too few traits: if I am to discover them in the new world, then I won't miss the chance. The only people who says no to an opportunity are idiots, or those who are beloved by luck. I'm neither of them.
I grew my index fingernails to the size of a pocket knife.
Awestruck, each and everyone of them, but such a puny ability shouldn't be enough for recompense.
I directed the blade to my left thumb, and cut it to the root, bone and all meeting their demise. Dread they showed to the reckless soul before them, but all of them were met with relief.
My thumb hasn't even reached the ground when my blood reacted for its devilish properties.
I grew another thumb, good and new, as soon as the severed finger reached the ground─and rotted to oblivion.
"We're a race blessed with immortality," I declared, casting the advantage of a force to be reckoned with.
Hilariously enough, I had a rather rash decision pattern when I showed it to them.
"As expected of a hero!" It was shrugged off in amazement, I could only feel bewildered by their thought pattern. If they didn't accept it in a flash, I wouldn't have known what to do so I was more than relieved.
"So, is there some kind of a ceremony?" I asked her after the freak show.
Her Highness was disillusioned for sure, quite captivated by what she just witnessed. Her eyes had stars in them, more or less, superbly expectant for something like a glorious achievement. I felt no malice in her, nor of all the people around her─and that much has eased my heart a little in venturing into the new world.
"Oh, we will have the ceremony ready for you in a week," she immediately replied after the realization. "For now, Sir Seikishi, we are obliged to teach you about our world."
Perhaps it's from my ignorance or misinterpretation: I've always thought that heroes are introduced right away to the people. However, I have no problems learning about their world─culture and everything. For one, I'm a fan of fantasy novels where this kind of fervor won't cut for the main dish but only the glazed sauce on a side dish that's not even meat.
"In that case, I'd like to go on an adventure," I immediately proposed, curling my lips to a calm smile.
I could be close to shedding my front as the cautious one, but I don't think I would have more problems now when it comes to neutral interaction. What I only need for them to know is how I sustain my life, but what's a glassful of blood a day when it's for their hero?
There are margins of error for that, but I was positive out from vampire sensibilities.
It's hard to explain which makes it quite cumbersome, but you get the gist.
"An adventure, is that right?!" Her Highness brimmed with more excitement, her ears perked at the sound of bliss. "I'm excited to know what magic you can use, Sir Seikishi!"