5000 Km North-East of Center of Ausica
Crimson City, Crimson Palace
…
In a grand crimson palace reminiscent of blood, a man sat upon a blood-red throne with undeniable authority. His presence created a suffocating sensation for all those near him. He sat upon the throne with his eyes closed, almost as if he were sleeping, while supporting his head with his arm. His long, blood-red hair reached his waist, as if blood were falling from it (well, not technically).
In the grand audience hall, so magnificent that nothing seems equal to its grandeur, many officials sat quietly. Despite being in foul moods, no one dared to speak loudly, choosing instead to converse softly, all in an effort to avoid angering the man seated atop the throne.
Despite the bustling activity in the hall, an air of peace prevailed, a testament to the mightiness of the truly strong. However, like everything, this peace shattered suddenly.
The tall and wide door suddenly swung open, and a man with blood-red hair and eyes entered. He walked respectfully, reaching the middle of the hall where he went down on one knee and bowed before the man seated atop the throne.
And just like that, he remained in that position for a straight 1 hour. Not once did he move an inch, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor, as if afraid to even shift his eyes. Yet, in his eyes, beyond fear, there existed a profound sense of respect and fervent fanaticism.
Finally, after five hours of waiting, a majestic voice filled with authority and coldness resonated from the man seated atop the throne: "Rise."
In response to the command of the man on the throne, the kneeling man finally stood up, yet he kept his gaze glued to the floor.
"Speak."
"Greetings, Your Majesty. This humble and loyal servant seeks forgiveness for disturbing your sleep," the man in the middle of the hall spoke with trepidation, yet there was a hint of fervent fanaticism in his tone.
"You are forgiven. Now, speak. Why did you come here?"
"Your Majesty, I came bearing the message from his highness the eighth prince."
"Hmm."
"He said that he found a young girl with Eidetic Memory ability, but there is a problem."
"And that is?"
"It seems as if it is not her own ability; rather, she is borrowing or sharing it with someone else. Not to mention, there is a kind of connection in her soul, but the origin cannot be determined. There is no path leading to the end point of the connection, yet it is guaranteed that the connection is not inside her soul and body, nor on her body."
"Hmm, truly a peculiar case. So, what does he want."
"He wishes to bind her to him via a soul contract, making her his slave with the High-Rank Slave Contract, as her ability, although not her own, can be of immense use. He seeks your opinion on this matter."
"Advise him to tread cautiously. He can make her his slave, as it will give us the upper hand regarding whatever is happening with that girl."
"Yes. There is another matter to report as well."
"Speak."
"Her Highness the Fifth Princess has successfully reached the D Rank. Currently, five individuals are attempting to get closer to her, comprising two boys and three girls. The two girls are twins from the Astaseul Royal Family, and the last girl is from the Astaria Royal Family. Meanwhile, both boys hail from noble families—Veridis and Alacia. Her personality has not shown any noticeable change from how it was before. but the boy from Alacia family is especially close to her."
"Let her be for now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You are dismissed."
The moment the man on the throne spoke, he vanished instantly. With his disappearance, all the vampires started leaving the hall one by one, relieved that the Emperor of the Crimsonsworth Empire, the sole empire of the vampires – Welsh Crimson von Crimsonsworth, was not in a bad mood.
***
18 Crispember 2314
Neu City, Outskirts
In a lavish building gleaming with gold welcoming many men and woman and occasionally some are thrown out by some man in black, a young girl is seen lying on the cold hard floor deep underground.
The young girl, with brown hair and red tips, is seen sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger she and her family are in.
Suddenly, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes, groggily sitting up while massaging her forehead. As she looked around, she gasped in astonishment to find herself in an iron prison cell, seemingly alone. However, the room was not empty; many people were around her, also confined within the same cell.
What is strange is that, except for her and another girl, everyone is in cells, divided into more than one group.
She looked towards the girl in the same situation as her and gasped as she found her new friend, Alice, bound in a chair, appearing lifeless yet still breathing.
"ALICE!!" she screamed, attempting to move toward the edge of the cell, only to abruptly fall due to the restraint on her left leg—a metallic chain bound to the ground.
"W-what is happening?" she exclaimed in disbelief, fear creeping in, and she started panicking upon finding herself in this strange situation.
"LILY." Suddenly, a boy's voice echoed from another part of the room. The source of the voice was a red-haired man, bloodied and appearing as if he had been beaten or tortured.
Lily looked towards the source of the voice only to find her teammates, Bruce and Glenn, in a single cell. Bruce appeared injured, and Glenn seemed lifeless.
"Bruce, what is happening? Where are we?" Lily shouted in fear, small tear drops glistening in her eyes, which soon started to fall.
"Lily, calm down. Panicking won't solve anything. Take a deep breath." Instead of answering her, Bruce first tried to calm her down, only to fail miserably.
"H-how can I b-be calm, Bruce? Just what is happening? And why do Alice and Glenn look like that?"
"…" Upon hearing the question, Bruce, for some reason, fell silent.
He took a deep breath and spoke, "Lily, listen calmly. We've been kidnapped, and Marie betrayed us. Alice was her target because her father recently obtained an artifact that her master, the one she's working for, desires."
"Huh? Betrayed? Marie?" Lily's face morphed into an expression of shock, and she suddenly placed her hand on the back side of her neck.
"Yeah, we were betrayed by Marie. She injected something into us that knocked us unconscious. We woke up the day before yesterday because our rank is higher than yours, and we found ourselves in the same condition you're seeing."
"…" Lily just gazed at Bruce in a daze, as if finding it hard to believe what had happened.
"Iselia is dead after she was raped, Alice was raped, and Glenn's family is destroyed, all because Alice's father refused to hand over the artifact they wanted." And he dropped a bombshell on her.
Upon hearing all this, Lily's eyes widened in shock, her face went deathly pale, and she started shaking. She fainted right after.
"Lily, LILY!!" Bruce kept shouting Lily's name in vain as she passed out, unable to handle the bombshell he had dropped on her.
Lily Adams, a girl hopelessly in love with another girl named Iselia Cromwell, considering Alice her best friend and Marie one of her closest friends, couldn't handle the revelation dropped on her, and her mentality collapsed.
WOOM
Suddenly, a side of the wall opened, revealing a young man with blood-red hair and eyes. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, walking casually into the room and sneering in Bruce's direction.
Bruce looked at the young man, terror coursing through him. His eyes turned bloodshot, moving erratically as he lowered his head in servitude.
"You did a good job, Bruce, and as promised, I won't do anything to you and your family," the young man spoke in a mocking tone toward the bowing Bruce, revealing the treacherous act he had committed.
"Thanks for breaking her mind. Now, you are free."
The moment the young man spoke, a woman walked out from behind him and approached the cell where Bruce was held. She opened his cell, freed him from his shackles, and roughly pushed him outside.
Bruce cautiously raised his head and made a mistake by glancing at the young man's eyes, sealing his fate.
FWOOSH
POP
BANG
With a pop sound, Bruce's head burst like a balloon as the woman behind him fired a wind bullet at his head, ending his life for the crime of gazing into the young man's eyes.
"Sigh~ Freya, you shouldn't have killed him so quickly."
"Sorry Master."
"Well, whatever. Just go and bring his family here and clear any kind of evidence which might point it towards us."
"Yes Master."
"Now." SNAP Suddenly, the young man snapped his fingers, and like a mirage, all the cells became empty, as if everything was just an illusion, except for Lily lying in the cell.
"It's time to create another puppet," he spoke, looking at Lily lying in the cell with a glint in his eyes.