Victoria laid in a pile of mess as Magnus walked towards her. Her chest rising and falling in small. His blood boiled with anger and the urge to get out of the ship increased. Behind him, the vampire was broken into a puddle. Taking down the dirty bloodsucker was hard because it fed on Victoria's blood. Now he understood why his mother greatly wanted the Paskunji.
Magnus paused when he stopped hearing her slow breathing heart. Realizing what was happening, he rushed towards her, going on his knees. He raised her up from the dirty floor. Her neck was coated with blood since the vampire who sucked her didn't have the time to lick up the bite to close the wound.
"Victoria?" He called. She immediately turned cold in his arms and instant paleness washed over her. Fear gripped him as he pulled her up and carried her out of the place.
"No. This is not real. You can't be dead," Magnus whispered to himself while staring at the girl with bloodshot eyes.
Victoria felt life slowly drift away from her body. No. She was floating. She frowned in worry but somehow it felt good. When she was done admiring herself, she looked back to the ship's dirty floor and saw a pale girl lying on the floor, lifeless.
She paused and looked at herself again. Now understanding what was happening, Victoria rushed back to the body so she could get inside. She can't die now. Just as she was able to slip in, something shifted and blocked her from the body.
The glowing barriers were filled with different colors of moving smoke just like the one in her legs where her feet were supposed to be. She watched the man who said his name was Magnus take her body inside and she followed immediately.
A searing pain suddenly filled her from inside, spreading from her chest in hot streaks. Her eyes burned, her head felt heavy and light at the same time as if they'll combust. It was as if there was fire in her blood. Her body shook and the next thing she knew, the ship and sea disappeared from her vision. Her surroundings immediately merged into a colorful forest with different colors of leaves.
Victoria stood uncompromisingly in the middle of the forest which was an open space. She took a step towards a tiny part and a dried twig cracked beneath her feet which were now present. A light wind blew and laughter started echoing in the woods. Victoria turned back to flee but the narrow path was gone and there was a thick dark forest which differed greatly from the lively bright forest.
Victoria took more steps backwards and her back touched a cold metal. She sprang on her feet as a cold shudder washed over her.
Standing there was a man who looked glowing orange like a fire. His body resonated with sparks as if he was fire and woods cracking in it. He pulled back and sat on one of the trees which was now carved to form a burning orange throne.
"Selena did give birth to a beauty. Such silver hair." The man said while rubbing his long gray beard on a whim. He placed his scepter beside him in a place on the throne.
Victoria frowned and gathered her long silver hair in her hands. From the looks of it, these men who shine like glowing flames and lightning weren't humans.
Another hand touched her hair and Victoria impulsively leaned into the person. It was as if instinct had taken over her. When the person turned her face, Victoria came face to face with a woman who looked just like her but small wrinkles were present on her face.
"Hello Victoria," she smiled. Five women appeared around them. All having similar aqua blue skin with pearls and shells around their neck. When Victoria looked down at their bodies in admiration, she was shocked to see thick scales coated tails which glitter as the sun showered its beauty on it.
"What and who are you?" Victoria asked while staring at the breathtaking women.
The woman drew back and materialized in their various thrones which were made of sapphire.
The women sat opposite to the men with a large space at the center. There, Victoria stood.
"I'm Selena Lux Aurelia. Your mother and Queen of the Paskunji. I brought you here."
Victoria's eyes almost popped out from its sockets as she stared blankly at the woman who glittered like an Angel. "What?!" She took a clumsy step back and disbelief written all over her face.
"You can't be my mother. My mother and father are there in Tenderhill village with my siblings. I don't know you and you're lying!" Victoria said with certainty.
The woman shook her head and left her throne, floating towards Victoria in glowing elegance. Victoria wanted to move away from the woman but somehow, she wanted to feel that hands on her face again.
"Does your earthly family have this hair?" Selena touched the silver hair which was more sparkly than her when she was human. "They don't. I gave you to them when our tribes were hunted for by greedy men," she replied flatly before looking away.
Victoria saw the sadness in the woman's eyes and her heart turned heavy. Why was she feeling the woman's emotions? She asked herself.
"Long time ago when vampires were created. Handcrafted by the devil himself, God and his angel had a different plan so they made a Phoenix have the ability to shift into human flesh and bear children with mermaids. The Ark Angel Michael thought their plan of destroying the vampires would work by using Paskunji blood as they were later called."
Selena pulled back and exhaled loudly through her lips.
"The Angel caused a blood rain to fall." She looked at Victoria who shook her head in understanding.
"The Angel thought the blood of the Paskunji could destroy the vampires but when they drank the heavenly blood offered willingly to them by an Angel, the Vampires didn't die as expected. Instead, they became extremely powerful. They benefited from it. Heavenly beauty and immortality. The Angel was sad and scared so he returned back to heaven."
Victoria was amazed by the story. "Then what happened to the Paskunjis? What happened to you?" She looked around the men and women, "all of you?"
"Earth was in chaos because some creatures also drank from this blood and got immortality too. Then came the hunt for our kind when they found out about us. The vampires got to us first and their leader slaughtered my kind. I ran away with my baby after her father was brutally killed. I ran to Tenderhill. You can guess the others." Selena added and turned to leave.
"Wait," Victoria clasped the woman's hand in hers. "What about you?"
"Selena was killed by the villagers at Tenderhill. They wanted to kill the child but your earthly parents who were elders forbade it. So they called you the cursed one." Another woman said and took Selena away from Victoria.
Small tears slipped out of her eyes as she stared at the woman who was her mother. The villagers were responsible for her death. "So why am I here?"
"You're here for one purpose," a male guttural voice echoed all over the place and Victoria turned to face him.
"You're our last offspring. Words have got out about a human girl with silver hair Victoria. What you have to do is find the devil's son and kill him."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you don't," the burning flame man paused and squinted his eyes at her. "Then you'll die by the hands of the one who led the massacre a thousand years ago.
"Who's he and how do I find him?" Victoria asked loudly. If staying alive means killing the evil prince, then so be it.
"You can't find him and we don't know who he is. It's a prophecy that has to be fulfilled. The only clue even a sorcerer can find for you is 'the closer you look, the farther he goes."