Vampires. They're mythical creatures described only in myths, legends and tall tales. They're supposedly afraid of the sunlight, holy crosses and holy water and are also known to feast on the blood of humans. At least that's what the stories about them would have people to believe were true. But there was much more to these fiends than what humanity had been taught to believe. As far as anyone knew, creatures of the night only existed within people's imaginations and through the literature written about them. But little did humanity know, there was some truth to these fictional adaptations that were written about the existence of these dark beings that called the night their domain. There was no possible way for anyone to anticipate that these beasts could actually be real, until the fateful moment in history when these monsters in human form decided to reveal themselves on the continent of Irona and caused the people living there to become filled with strife and worry about the idea that these demonic, inhuman creatures would devour them all one day.
Irona is a continent comprised of seven different kingdoms. There was Ametrine, Chalcedony, Celestite, Lapis, Spinel, Zircon and Serpentine. Each nation was ruled over by a king and for hundreds of years, there was a struggle for power over the land as each ruler of every domain wanted the total control of Irona. The humans shed blood amongst each other and had heated battles over territories as well as religious beliefs. But that all changed when the humans had no choice but to stop their constant fighting and band together when an eighth nation revealed themselves to exist on Irona. Split across the middle of the continent was a natural barrier that separated the North from the South. There was a thick stretch of forest that reached one coast to the other, and a tall wall of black thorns that acted almost like a wall that cut off the humans from ever being able to enter its dark woods and venture on to the other side.
For the people that dared tried to embark on an expedition past this unnatural phenomenon, they were never heard from again or came back with tales of utter terror. They described the atrocities they discovered and the unholy beasts that craved only for violence and destruction. Most people thought that none of those stories could possibly be true, and that they were just rumors being spread to try and manipulate the kingdoms into thinking they now had a common enemy. But they were not just rumors. A century ago when the kingdoms were still separated, the wall of black thorns returned back to the Earth and gave a clear path to the unventured side of Irona, with most adventurers eager to explore. But these humans weren't the only ones who were excited about being able to venture out into the newfound world, for in the South there was an even stronger superpower. The eighth nation was called Obsidian, and unlike the other seven kingdoms, every person that lived there was a vampire. A demonic creature of the night.
For fifty years, the kingdoms tried their best to defend against these new monsters that invaded their lands. And slowly, humanity was starting to lose and was damn near close to extinction. Until a lone hero broadcasted himself across the entire land using a never before heard of skill, which he called holy magic. This hero claimed that he was chosen by god to help defend humanity, and he was willing to teach his secrets so that humans could better equip themselves to deal with these beasts. On one condition however, he refused to teach anyone the defensive art that could slay the vampires unless the kingdoms agreed to stop their fighting and unite underneath one nation, with him being the crowned emperor. He refused to fight for humanity unless humanity finally learned to fight as one. The seven kings refused until the Lord of Vampires sent his best soldiers to raid Lapis, which rested in the center of the kingdoms. Without any help, the hero was able to hold off their attack and defended the capital all by himself. His act of heroism spread across the continent like wildfire and finally convinced the kingdoms to sign peace treaties and aligned their allegiances underneath him, with him being the Supreme Emperor. And he called his new Empire, Rosen.
His first act as Emperor was creating a new order of warriors who could learn the art of holy magic. He dubbed the name of this order Rosen Black, an organization of specialized trained humans who could be taught in the way of vampire slaying. Not all humans were capable of learning the art, or just refused to fight out of fear. But those who could were humanities greatest assets and helped in curving the war with Obsidian back in their favor. The vampires are still undefeated, but because of these new holy warriors, they withdrew on most of their frontal attacks which allowed the humans to thrive once more, even if the peace still wasn't established completely back within the Empire. Over half a century has gone by, and the hero has died, but left an heir to take his place. The new heiress is named Justinia, the daughter of the great hero Cain. Now, it is currently the twenty-first century, and even though the humans have their holy magic to defend against any future vampire attacks, they don't consider it a victory until the vampires are completely eradicated. And are awaiting for the time when a new hero arises to defend the Empire.
RING! RING! RING! Sounded the alarm clock that was buzzing loudly on the nightstand near sixteen year old Valac's bed. The teenager grumbled as he shoved his pillow over his face and with a lazy arm, reached it out to snooze the alarm so that he could try and go back to sleep. "Big brother Valac! Father Pierce says he needs you in the chapel this morning!" The door to his bedroom swung open abruptly as three small children ran inside to assault him during his sleep as they jumped on top of him, causing him to finally wake up with a jolt. "Okay, okay! I'm up! I told you guys to not wake me up like that, you little troublemakers." He stretched his arms up over his head before he stood up. "Tell the old man I'll be there in a second. He knows I'm not a morning person." He said as he yawned loudly before he started shuffling through his wardrobe for a clean pair of clothes. "Go find Maria while you're at it. See if she wants to play with you guys because I'm going to be busy today." The children started to whine, sad that they wouldn't be able to play with their favorite person.
The children however, listened to him and went off to find the girl named Maria so that he could finally start to get dressed. He entered his bathroom and took a hot shower, afterwards he dried himself with a towel before he started brushing his teeth while looking in the bathroom mirror. Valac had messy looking brown hair that was pointed in some places with cow licks that didn't seem to go down no matter how many times he brushed it. He also had brown eyes and pale looking skin. He wasn't ugly by any means, but some would describe him as not the most manly looking person as he was lanky in stature. After finishing with his hygiene, he dressed himself. This time around, he opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and a black V-neck shirt with a red jacket on top which he left unzipped, and a pair of red sneakers to match his jacket. For being the son of a priest, it was safe to say his style in clothes was more on the gothic side as he always refused to wear any light colors and mostly wore black.
He left the comforts of his bedroom and then traversed the hallways of the monastery and headed for the chapel where his father had told to meet him. Upon entering the chapel, he saw his father wiping down the seats with some of his attendants. "You called for me, old man?" He said kind of snarky as he rubbed the back of his head, still kind of grumpy by his rude awakening. Father Pierce walked over to him with a misleading smile on his face before he pulled his son in a headlock which caused the teenager to start to squirm and gasp for breath. "How many times do I have to tell you to show some more respect, you rotten kid?!" He released his son before smacking him on the top of his head. Valac coughed as he glared at his father and mumbled something underneath his breath. "And didn't I tell you it's unbecoming of a priest to be so violent?" The two had a stand still before they both started laughing. This was a part of their daily routine which they both enjoyed, even though from an outer perspective the son and father duo looked like they hated each other.
"Anyways, I just wanted to congratulate you on your acceptance into Paradiso Academy. I got your acceptance letter in the mail earlier, so good job. I know how hard you've been working to get into that place." Said Father Pierce as he pulled the letter out from underneath his robes and handed it to his son who eagerly grabbed it to read its contents. Paradiso Academy was the military style training school for people like Valac who wanted to join the Rosen Black Order. Vampire Hunters started training at a young age so that when they were old enough to take their vows, they were already prepared to help in the war. "I can't believe it! This is so awesome! I'm going to start packing right now!" Said Valac who turned on his heels so he could go back to his room but was grabbed by the hood of his jacket by his father who stopped him. "Not so fast. I know you're eager to finally leave this monastery but have some common decency. You still have your duties to perform, and don't you think I'm going to just let you leave before you give your proper goodbyes to the people here. Later tonight, I plan to throw a going away party for you. So get your affairs in order before you decide to just hop up and go. Got it?"
Valac sighed, feeling kind of guilty. It's true he's excited about being able to finally explore the outside world past the town of Byron that he grew up in, but it wasn't right to be so eager to leave. Because there would be a lot that he was going to be leaving behind. "Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't even dream about just leaving everyone like that. This is hard on me too you know. But can you blame me for being excited?" Before his father could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of the chapel doors creaking open slowly and an injured girl with flowing black hair wearing torn and bloody rags entered the holy house and fell to her knees. "I-I seek asylum. Please, Help me…" She said before she collapsed with Father Pierce rushing to her side and grabbing ahold of her before she could hit the ground.
"This girl is hurt. From the looks of it, she must have survived a vampire attack. We will continue this conversation later Valac. But for now, please go see if the nuns need your help with anything and visit the orphans. I think it's best if I take care of her alone." He said as he raised the delicate girl into his arms. Father Pierce looked at his attendants who watched on with worried eyes and demanded they get a room ready for her so that he could properly treat her wounds. The attendants then start scrambling about and left to make the accommodations with him following after them. "Damn those vampires. This is exactly the reason why I want to join Rosen Black. I swear, I'm going to get stronger so that I can protect the people I care about and the people who can't protect themselves!" Valac stated out boldly as he pumped an arm over his head. He was going to continue to get stronger no matter what.
Afterwards, he left the chapel and went back to the monastery where the nuns were hard at work preparing breakfast for the day. He asked them if they needed his help at all, but they all told him to not worry about it because they want his final day at the church to be an easy going one. "Are you sure? My father is going to be mad at me if he finds out I let you guys do all the hard work yourselves." He said with a compassionate tone as he went to pick up a knife to help prep the vegetables, but one of the nuns grabbed it out of his hand. "It's fine, really! This is your last day with us so we just want you to relax! Don't worry about it young master. We have everything handled here! So why don't you go play with the orphans? They were asking about you earlier anyways." Said the nun who knelt down to put back the knife she had taken out of his hand. Valac left with a sigh, feeling like he was being sort of a burden. He wasn't used to being treated like this. Ever since he was a kid and his father had adopted him, he was immediately put hard at work. So he wasn't used to be told to 'take it easy'. That was a phrase that didn't exist to him as far as he was concerned. But he wasn't going to push the matter any further.
"Look, it's Valac! I told you guys he wasn't busy! He's such a liar!" Said one of the orphaned children who had helped to wake him up earlier. The little boy jumped on his back like a monkey, making him stumble while the other two children wrapped themselves around his legs. "That wasn't very nice of you Valac. How could you lie to these adorable kids like that?" Said an innocent and sweet sounding voice that resonated from behind him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder while he propped up the boy on his back with his arms and saw his best friend, Maria Anderson. She was a fifteen year old girl with hair the color of gold and piercing blue eyes, in other words, she was a true beauty. They were both raised here at the monastery together since they were eight and nine years old. Maria was now a nun in training and had yet to take her vows, but she was also the lead vocalist for the church's choir. Her voice was so pure and light that she was known around the town as Byron's angel. "I wasn't lying. I really thought I had a lot to do but I keep being told not to worry about my chores. I got my acceptance letter and now no one wants me to help with anything."
After hearing about this news, Maria quickened her pace to catch up with him and shoved her hand in his pocket which caused him to blush and pulled out the letter as she read it with a smile curling on her lips. "Wow, this is amazing! I'm so proud of you Valac! You've worked so hard for this! All that training you did must have really paid off!" Valac grabbed the letter back from her and shoved it back in his pocket with that blush still spread across his cheeks. "Thanks Maria. I was actually having my doubts about them accepting me since I can't use holy magic, but I guess my combat tests were high enough to get me in." The boy on his back started rocking back and forth which made Valac only hold onto him tighter. "Big brother! Think you can show us another demonstration today? We love when you practice! Pretty please???" He said with the biggest puppy dog eyes ever. At first, Valac wanted to say no but when he looked down and saw two more pairs of puppy dog eyes he couldn't help but give in. "Alright, just this once. You know how Father Pierce hates when you guys are too close to me when I'm training, but I guess it won't hurt if he never finds out."
He put the boy down and the three kids cheered in unison, excited to watch their big brother show off his skills. The five of them walked over to the training grounds where Valac had already set up a couple of dummies with targets placed on their foreheads and chests. For safety reasons, he told the children to stand a good ways back while he took his place at his mark. From underneath his jacket around his waist were two holsters on each hip, holding twin revolvers that matched each other perfectly. They were both heavy and bulky as they were made with Argon Steel, which was metal harvested from the mountains near Lapis that harnessed holy power. It was weapons like these that were used to hunt vampires. Maria stood next to him as he held his guns in front of him, waiting on Maria to signal for him to start. "Alright! Three, two… ONE! START!" She said as she waved a little flag in her hands.
Valac took in a deep breath as he focused, his eyes narrowing with concentration. Maria started the timer in her hands before he started firing in rapid succession. Using the gun in his left, he hit every bullseye on the targets that were marked on the dummies chests, and with his right gun he was able to successfully deliver a headshot to all four targets without a moment's hesitation. Maria clicked the timer after he had stopped firing and looked at the time. He had gotten a perfect score in less than ten seconds! "This was faster than your last record Valac! You beat your last time by two seconds!" Said Maria enthusiastically. Valac smirked as he wiped his brow and placed his guns back in their holsters. The children ran from their safe spot to check out the dummies and jumped up and down in excitement. "Wow! How are you so good big brother?! You got the bullseye every time!" Valac didn't really know how he was always able to hit his targets. It was like time slowed down whenever he had his guns in his hand, and the world just seemed more clearer to him.
"Just from a lot of practice I guess. The longer you take practicing something, the better you get at it. I've been training to hold a gun longer than most of you have been alive." Maria then walked up to his side and grabbed him by his hand, which caught him off by surprise as he stared down at the smaller girl next to him. "I really am proud of you Valac. You know, you've changed a lot since when we were kids." She said as she looked away shyly. Valac looked away too, trying to hide his blush. He didn't know if she was aware of his feelings for her, but he'd been in love with her for as long as he could remember. But to him, it seemed like she only saw him as a best friend or a brother. Not like it mattered if she would reciprocate his feelings, since she was training to be a nun. Once she said her final vows, she was to be abstinent for the rest of her life. "I've changed? What do you mean by that?" He said as he looked down at her, her piercing blue eyes smiling up at him. "Well for one, you're so much more mature. I remember when we were kids you had such a big temper. You hated when people would try to tell you what to do. And you didn't exactly have the best patience in the world. But now, you're so kind. You love everyone here and always try your best to help whenever you can."
Hearing her compliment him like that made his heart skip a beat as he held onto her hand tighter. "I think that just comes with age. Everyone changes as they get older. I mean look at you. When you came to this monastery, you couldn't even talk. You were so scared of everything. And who could blame you after all you had been through." When Maria was a child, she lived in a neighboring town close to Byron. It was right on the edge of the dark forest and was prone to many vampire attacks. But instead of just a few coming out to pick a few meals here and there, when Maria was seven years old, the Vampire Lord sent out a battalion to completely burn the town to the ground so that they could expand their territory just a little bit more. And she was one of a few survivors who survived the massacre. If it wasn't for Rosen Black, she surely would have died too. "That's true." She said solemnly as some of her painful memories of the past started to come back to her. "But it was thanks to you that I was able to recover. You were such a good friend to me and you pulled me out of that darkness."
There it was. The word friend. It struck right at his heart like a wooden stake to a vampires chest. With a strained smile, he scratched his cheek as he let go of her hand. He couldn't forget that their relationship was purely platonic so he better not get ahead of himself. "I was just doing what I thought was right. I mean, before you came along I spent a whole year of being alone. You saved me just as much as I saved you." Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the children starting to giggle. "It looks like Big sis and Big bro love each other! Are you guys going to kiss now?" Said the little girl teasingly as she continued to giggle with her friends. Both Valac and Maria blushed profusely as they stepped away from each other. "Cut it out guys! That's inappropriate to even say! We're in the house of god after all!" Said Maria almost disgusted from the thought, which only hurt Valac's pride even more. His expression turned sarcastic as he glared off in the distance with a scowl.
"I couldn't even think about kissing someone who could be even further from my type. A gentleman has distinguished tastes after all and Maria is a little too flat for my liking- OW!" Valac yelled out as he knelt on the ground while clutching his head in pain. Maria had just smacked him in the back of the head with a thick bible that she had been carrying around with her. "I take back what I said Valac. You're still just an insufferable jerk! How dare you comment a woman on her breast size you pervert! Come on children, let's go play somewhere else, away from this pitiful man." She scoffed as she walked over to the group of kids and took their hands, leading them away from Valac who was on his hands and knees and hung his head down in shame. "Why do I even open up my big mouth… Good job pissing her off, me." He said as he stood up with an aggravated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.
For the rest of the day, he kept himself preoccupied by conducting a solo training session with just himself as he played around with his guns until the sun was almost set. Without even realizing it, time had passed so quickly that he had missed both breakfast and lunch. But for some reason, he found himself not hungry. Valac looked up at the sky and noticed that night was almost making its approach in the sky, and he quickly started cleaning up after himself as he started putting the dummies back in their shed and picked up any bullet shells that were still spread across the ground. He remembered what his father had said about his going away party and he needed to hurry if he wanted to make it on time so that he didn't keep everyone waiting. After cleaning up, he made it to the banquet hall, and as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by puffs of confetti that were shot in his face. "CONGRATULATIONS VALAC!" He couldn't help but smile as he was surrounded by all of his loved ones.
His father, who stood at the end of the dining hall, walked up to his son and pulled him into a heartfelt hug to which Valac reciprocated. "We are all going to miss you when you leave son. The church won't be the same without you here." Valac patted his father on his back and then pulled away. "I'm not going to leave until tomorrow night so let's not act like I'll be gone before any of you wake up in the morning." His father just laughed and led his son to the head table so they could sit and chat. "Still, it doesn't change the fact that we're all dreading for the time when you do. Now, let's feast while the night is young everyone! Please take your seats!" Everyone from the attendants to the nuns, the children and even people that were seeking refuge were all gathered in the banquet hall and all cheered happily when the food was brought out to be served. The food was a wide range of all of Valac's favorite foods. But even though his favorite dishes were piled on a plate in front of him, Valac still didn't have an appetite. While his father started eating next to him, he was still picking at his plate. With a worried gaze, Father Pierce placed a hand on his son's forehead to feel if he had a fever.
"What's wrong son? Not hungry?" Being lost in thought, Valac jumped when he felt his father's hand graze his skin causing him to jump as he looked at his father. "Huh? Yeah, I don't know why but I just haven't had an appetite today. It all looks delicious really, but maybe I just have a nervous stomach. I'll eat later though." Valac looked around the room and started counting heads when he noticed that the girl with black hair earlier wasn't amongst them. "Hey dad? How's that girl doing? Was she hurt badly or something?" Father Pierced wiped his mouth on his napkin. "Honestly, she was perfectly fine. She regained consciousness after I brought her to her room and checked over her for wounds, but she was perfectly healthy. I asked her if she wanted to come join us for dinner but she refused saying she didn't like large crowds." Valac spooned some food into his mouth and chewed slowly while he listened to his father speak. With a sly smile, his father placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with mischievous eyes. "You know that girl looked to be around your age. You're the friendliest face here so maybe she'd feel better if you were the one who brought her something to eat. She might be staying here with us for a while so we should try to get her to open up. Use some of that god given charm on her if you know what I mean." He said as he raised an eyebrow to his son, hinting at something less than holy.
With a vein popping out on his forehead, Valac elbowed his father in the stomach who lurched over coughing. "I know what you're thinking, old man. Unlike you, I don't lust for such things. She's a wounded girl who's just scared. But I do think you might be onto something. I'm going to go check on her, I'm sure she's hungry. From how she looked when she walked in, it looked like she has been on the road for some time." Valac then stood up and made a plate for her, and after asking one of the attendants where the girl was being kept, they told him her room was in the west wing, only a couple of doors down from his own bedroom. Maria sat at a table surrounded by the orphans as she watched Valac leave with the tray of food. "Maria, can you come here for a second?" She jerked her head over to the sound of the voice and saw Father Pierce who was gesturing with his hand to have her come over. "Did you need to talk to me about something, Father Pierce?" The priest leaned forward while he rested his head on his hands as he spoke with a serious expression. "It's only been a week since his sixteenth birthday. I'm worried about him. He says he's not hungry and that alone is alarming to me that… his condition might be coming back. You haven't noticed any changes in him have you?"
"No, Father. Valac seems perfectly fine to me. Besides his regular fatigue in the morning he's his normal self. But do you think it's really something to worry about?" Father pierced leaned back in his chair as he closed his eyes while deep in thought. "It shouldn't be, but I can't help but worry. You're the only one who knows about his secret besides me and a handful of the nuns. He doesn't even know the truth himself. I'm just worried that with everything going on right now and the excitement in his life, it might cause his condition to come back. If those certain limits that we've talked about previously were ever to be met, I fear the life I've helped build for him will start to crumble apart." Maria sat next to the priest and placed a reassuring hand on top of his own. "These words might seem hollow Father Pierce, but everything will be alright. You can't keep this secret from him forever, it's bound to come to light sooner or later. All we can do now is pray for him." She said as she smiled at him. The young girls positive energy started to bring up the priests mood as he smiled back at her. "You're right my dear. Thank you for allowing me to confide in you. But I would appreciate it if you continued to keep a close eye on him, just in case."
Valac found his way to the girls room and then knocked on her door. "Hey. You don't know me but I thought I'd come and bring you something to eat. Care if I come in?" He waited for a reply, but it was still dead silent inside. He sighed as he turned to leave, but as he turned his back he heard the door crack open and looked back to see a pair of dark brown eyes staring at him through the crack of the barely opened door. "Yes… you may." Valac smiled softly as he pulled the door opened and let himself in. It was very dark inside, and only lit by candlelight. He saw the scared girl sitting in a ball on her bed, trembling terribly. He sat the food down by her bedside and took a seat next to her but not close enough as to scare her even more. "My name's Valac. Can I know yours?" He said as he looked at her, but she tried to avoid his gaze. "I don't have one…" The teenager tilted his head in confusion by her weird response. "Everyone has a name. You don't need to be shy."
The girl finally looked up at him, with sorrow in her eyes. The pain she felt was being clearly reflected through her irises. "People call me Sparrow." Valac put a finger to his chin as he listened to her speak. Sparrow wasn't exactly a name around their parts, in fact, it was a term classified to people who were sold into slavery. Is that why she looked so dirty? Did she perhaps run away from her master? "Actually, I came here looking for someone named Valac." The aura in the room started to get physically colder, as a shiver went up Valac's spine. All of a sudden, he didn't like the atmosphere anymore. "Oh yeah? Valac isn't really that common of a name, but I doubt I'm the one you're looking for if that's what you're thinking." Sparrow then shook her head. "No, my master told me to look for a person named Valac who lived here in Byron. I think you are the one I've been looking for. And if I'm wrong then I'm wrong. I just have to find out for myself." She said as she started to scoot closer to him. Valac started to blush as she pushed him down onto the bed and she sat on top of his lap.
"H-hey! Hold on a minute! What do you think you're doing?!" He said as he tried to get away, but Sparrow then pinned his arms down to his sides. Upon her skin touching his, Valac felt an unexplainable sensation travel throughout his body. He sensed a darkness inside of the girl, one that he had never felt before in a person. It was almost pitch black, and it was so thick that he could practically see her aura around her after she touched him. Sensing danger, Valac tried to struggle underneath her and was able to slip an arm free so that he could grab one of his guns that was in the holster on his hip. "You're not human, I can tell. Are you a vampire? How the hell did you get past the barrier around the church?!" He said as he pointed a gun to her chest, but even in the face of danger Sparrow was unfazed or even worried that he was going to shoot. "So you can sense my true nature? That's surprising. Master said that if I found the right boy he would be able to tell immediately. Now I know I'm right about you." Valac gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger without a second thought, the sound vibrating loudly throughout the stone halls.
Sparrow's brown eyes were now glowing a fierce red as the blood from her bullet wound started to drip from her body and onto Valac's chest. "It seems I'm going to die soon. But that's okay. I still have you where I want you. Now please, accept my kiss of death." With blood pooling in her mouth, she leaned down and placed a forceful kiss onto his lips. With wide eyes, Valac could feel as she forced his mouth open using her tongue and tilted her head forward to allow her blood to flow from hers into his. After tasting her blood in his mouth, Valac continued to fight back and shot her once more, but still Sparrow didn't move an inch even after her body had already started disintegrating. He had no choice but to swallow her blood unless he wanted to choke on it, and after the deed was done Sparrow pulled away from him as she wiped her mouth and watched a breathless Valac who laid sprawled on the bed.
Sparrow looked at her hands that she saw was already turning into the color of ash as her fingers started breaking apart like sand being blown in the wind. "It's finally over, I can sleep now. I'm sorry for what I had to do Valac, but I have to do what my master tells me to do. My suffering may be over, but yours is just starting." Valac sat up and started coughing as he felt his throat starting to burn hot like fire, the sensation traveling down his throat and into the pits of his stomach. "Why did you do this?! What's your goal?! Who sent you?! Tell me!" He said as he tried to reach out to her, but with a sad smile on her face Sparrow closed her eyes and her body was now completely the color of ash before she broke apart the minute that Valac touched her. After hearing the gunshots, Father Pierce had run as fast as he could from the banquet hall to Sparrow's room. He forced the door open with a sword in his hand. "What's going on here?!"
Valac stood up from the bed, but instantly felt all of his strength leave him before he collapsed on the floor gasping for breath, beads of sweat dripping down his face. His father ran to his side and held him in his arms, and gasped at all the blood that was present around his son's mouth. He turned his head and saw the pile of ash that was on the bed, no doubt the girl that he had helped out earlier. "Valac, tell me what happened?! Did you drink her blood, tell me you didn't! Son!" But Valac couldn't respond as his mind started going blank. He could barely hear his father's voice as is started to sound farther in the distance even though he could feel that he was in his father's arms. His body started to feel like it was put on ice even though his insides were burning like the pits of hell. "Something… Something doesn't feel right dad. I feel sick." Father Pierce clutched his son closer to his chest saddened by the fact that he couldn't do anything for his son now. Everything was already set in motion, the one thing he feared most was now happening.
"What's happening to me dad? She didn't bite me; I didn't let her. So why do I feel like… like I'm already dying? I'm scared." Valac could feel a tear roll down his cheek. Father Pierced gritted his teeth as he held onto him tighter, pulling his son's face into his neck to allow him to cry. "This is all my fault. I should have realized what she was sooner. Everything is going to be just fine son, I promise. Just try to get some rest. When you wake up, I'll be right beside you. Your father won't let you go through this alone." But just what was this? He had so many questions right now but didn't have the strength to say them. He knew it took more than just drinking a vampire's blood to become one, you needed to be bitten by an aristocrat too. So then why was he feeling like his humanity was slipping away from him? He couldn't think anymore, he just wanted to sleep. He could feel his father stroking his hair like how he used to when he was a child, and it brought him enough comfort that he was finally able to allow sleep to take ahold of his mind.