Five hundred years have passed since the first war between demons and vampires occurred. Leviathan, the strongest demon who killed the king of hell, was the reason for the awakening of several other powerful demons from hell. The first war is said to be the most terrifying event in the vampire race. The sky was dark as if it were night even though it was still morning, blood and ashes were scattered everywhere, and hundreds of corpses of other creatures lay decaying.
But the founder king of Aznar (the kingdom of vampires) did not give up; he gathered all the powerful vampires and fought until the end. The founder king defeated Leviathan and sucked him back into hell, but before he disappeared, he left a curse. He cursed that he would return after several hundred years and once again conquer the world. The vampires were terrified of the demon's curse.
After several hundred years, Aznar remained peaceful, and the vampires had forgotten about Leviathan's curse...
Jade closed Countess Rebecca's book, which she read whenever she felt bored inside the palace. She had been living in Aznar for two years, forced to leave her family in the human world and erase their memories of her to protect them in case of future conflicts in the vampire community.
She put away the book, which was about the history of Aznar in ancient times.
"Ugh, it's so boring here," she complained while lying down. "Why is Xylon so busy lately?"
She pouted, remembering her husband. Ever since they got married, Xylon had always been busy. Being the king came with heavy responsibilities; he was always in meetings with the ministers and nobles.
Jade peeked outside her room's door. It was eerily quiet. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. As she turned, she passed the servants cleaning. They stopped and bowed when they saw her.
"Good day, Your Majesty," they greeted in unison.
"Good day to you all," she smiled in return.
During her time in Aznar, she had gotten used to the formal way vampire spoke here.
She went out to the garden and admired the blooming roses. She picked one and smelled it.
"It's delightful how quickly your roses bloom," she remarked.
"They bloom as swiftly as time passes," a voice replied.
Jade turned around. "Oh, it's you, Lord Kan," she said.
Kan smiled and bowed before her. "Good day, Your Majesty," he said.
"Good day to you too. Where is the king? Shouldn't he be with you?" Jade asked.
"The truth is, the meeting at the capitol isn't over yet. I got bored, so I decided to escape," Kan chuckled.
"You're quite something. Xylon will surely notice your absence," Jade said.
"Haha, he probably won't even realize I'm gone. He's used to my disappearing acts," Kan replied.
"Pft. Well then, come inside. Let's have some tea," Jade invited.
Kan nodded and followed her back inside.
.
.
"The portal to the realm of humans has reopened, allowing vampires to visit and come and go again," said a minister.
"That's good then, many vampires are eager to visit the human realm," Xylon replied.
"As for the problem in the third district, Lord Xenon has already found a solution," another minister said.
"Is that so? That's good then," Xylon replied.
"By the way, Your Majesty, we would like to further expand the study of necromancy, so if you permit, we are planning to establish another laboratory in the second district," suggested by another minister.
Xylon considered the proposal thoughtfully before responding, "Very well, as long as you ensure that the research is conducted properly and ethically."
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," they all said.
As the meeting concluded, the ministers respectfully took their leave, allowing Xylon a moment of respite.
As Xylon exited the room, he was immediately greeted by Xenon and the others. They had been appointed as Dukes and Duchesses.
"Yo bro, it took you guys forever," Blake said.
Once the ministers and other nobles were not around, Xylon's friends treated him like they used to, removing the formality as they treated each other like family.
"Yeah, it's so boring out here," Heberlin said.
"Those old folks had so many reports and requests, which made our meeting take so long," Xylon explained.
"Ugh, it's different when dealing with old folks, they have so many suggestions," Blake said, rolling his eyes in jest.
"By the way, Xy, we heard that the portal is reopening. Does that mean we can roam around the human realm again?" Heberlin inquired.
"Yes, but if you want to visit the human realm, Jade and I must accompany you," Xylon replied.
"If we wait for you, we might not get to go to the human realm until next year with the hectic schedules you have," Xenon remarked.
Xylon chuckled. "I'm the King, I can do whatever I want," he grinned.
"Haha, true. Anyway, we're going to the human realm this Saturday," Blake said.
"Alright, do whatever you want, just be safe. I shall take my leave for now," Xylon bid farewell.
They waved goodbye to him.
.
.
From a nearby room, the sound of piano playing drew Cedrick's curiosity. He cautiously approached and peeked inside to see who was playing. He saw Aria sitting in front of the piano with her eyes closed, deeply concentrated as her fingers danced across the keys, producing a melancholic melody.
Suddenly, Aria stopped playing and glanced in his direction. They locked eyes for a moment, but Cedrick eventually averted his gaze and began to walk back to his room.
Two years had passed, yet Cedrick and Aria continued to avoid each other, proof of the lingering wounds and unresolved conflicts haunting them both.
.
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After having tea, Kan excused himself as he had an important errand to attend to. Jade started to tidy up the cups when she felt someone hug her from behind. She smiled and turned around.
"Why did you take so long?" Jade asked.
"Sorry, I had a lot to take care of," Xylon replied.
Jade pouted. "As always," she said.
Xylon scratched his head. "I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you, I promise," he said.
"Hmph," Jade replied, still upset.
"Babe, I'm really sorry," Xylon pleaded.
But Jade remained silent.
"Um... do you want to go to the human realm on Saturday?" Xylon suddenly asked, causing Jade to quickly look at him.
"R-Really? We're going?" she exclaimed.
Xylon nodded with a smile.
Jade hugged him tightly.
Finally, she would see the world she came from once again.