It was a serene night. The moon glowed like a porcelain across the night sky filled with eminently flickering stars. But the tranquility was evanesced by shrill screams in the woods.
"N-no, please. . ." The man stared at the bloody woman carried by his arms with tears drifting from his brimming eyes.
The woman's eyes were half closed. She was weakening, her breathe became uneven. "Just hold on, we'll get through this." Melancholy was evident at the former's voice. He ran his fingers along the woman's cheeks as he sobbed.
"Matteus!" Came by a man's baritone and hysterical shout. Matteus's eyes widened and hearing that familiar voice, anger fumed all over him. He stood up, carried the woman in a bridal style and ran. He was fast, like a gust of wind roaming through the air.
His senses were enhanced. Hence, he quickened more when he heard those footsteps approaching him. He can tell that the man was after his woman. Ha! He will not let him have her. But knowing that blood is thicker than water, he seemed to see through the man's thoughts. He's intelligent enough to tell that the man would chase hell just to get his woman.
"Don't ever think about leaving with my daughter!" The man shouted again. He raised his two hands, which were holding a bow and arrow. He's fluent in archery; therefore, the arrow was directly thrust into Matteus's back in just one hit.
This man turns out to be the woman's father. He is desperate to get his daughter back. A vampire and a human were bound to be rivals. A rule is a rule, and nothing can go against it!
Matteus frowned. Feeling the arrow dig into his flesh, he went limp. Just at this moment, realization hit him. Poison lurked through the arrow! The pungent and sharp pain weakened him. But despite his condition, he forced himself to continue running. After all, he has to save his woman.
Seeing Matteus run, the woman's father went ballistic. With fury in his eyes, he got another arrow from his back, aimed it at Matteus, and shot him. A sinister smile flashed across his lips as he saw Matteus stumble on the cold ground. Fortunately, he slayed a sorceress vampire. Without the necklace made by that sorceress, he wouldn't be able to catch the beast who brainwashed his daughter.
Sensing the peril, Matteus lifted himself up once again, only to be interrupted by a force from the man's leg.
"You think you can get away from me, eh?" The man sneered, and in just one swift move, he slit Matteus's back with an ancient dagger that can kill vampires.
The latter screamed in pain, and blood oozed out and slowly dripped onto the ground. He tried to use his dark charm, but he was in so much agony that he could barely manifest it. But he managed to grin regardless of the circumstances.
He feigned a triumphant smile to cloak the dithering that was building inside him. "Taking your daughter away from me, huh?" His lips slowly curled in a contemptuous way as an idea popped through his mind. In the past, he had always been very submissive and humble to him since he was the father of his woman.
Now that the tables have turned, he decided to throw the handle after the blade. He had made up his mind. Since the man callously attempted to kill him, he would show no mercy, even if it meant shattering his woman's heart. He never wanted this to happen, let alone hurt the woman he loved the most. But her father urged him to push his buttons. If he were going to die tonight, he would spill the beans and bring the truth to light. She deserved to know the truth.
"What?""Frightened that your daughterwill know the secret you've been lurking in for these years?" The middle-aged man's face went pale. His vigorous smile dissipated, and his force on him also loosened. He was now shivering with fright.
"M-Matteus...."
Exultance rose on Matteus as the words he desired to say escaped from his thin lips.
"You killed her mother."
Both men averted their gazes in the same direction when they heard a low, melancholic voice. Their eyes widened as they saw Ellaine, motionless, standing a few feet away from them. Behind her was a deep and abysmal cliff.
Tears dropped from her exquisite eyes. The revelation. The truth. She couldn't accept it. She oversaw everything. The father, whom she had loved and cherished, turns out to be the culprit who killed her mother. That's why she was clueless about the identity of her mother. She tried every means—searching, investigating, and even risking her own safety—just to find her mother, who was not there when she appeared in this world. But everything turned out in vain. Her efforts were futile.
"Ellaine!" Her father shouted and quickly dashed towards her. Even Matteus, who was badly injured, managed to get himself up. But too late. They failed. Before they could even get near her, she receded herself. With her eyes closed, she let her body fall into the deep abyss.