Screams and screams.
Heavy stench of blood flooded out but lily strode out without looking back. Natalie minding her own business didn't spoke but her heart trembled with uneasiness.
" hoho...Your aid is frightened."
" She's green in all blood and gore aspect and maybe it's not just her. What your vampire friends did to that village was also not pleasant." She smiled back with gentle gesture.
" That's how vampire party, Not very fun untill humans are dissected brutally and rivers of their blood sooth out thirst." Despite how horrible this bloodbath was, to their eyes it was just yet another party.
" That's what I heard and you, did not disappoint." That was her response, with little giggles and chat they vanished.
***
Eren's eyeslids quivered before he woke up but feeling of inexplicable nausea permeated his internals. Like his stomach caugh fire but with no avail to release this turmoil emotion out with throat choked on his own memories.
His frail body remained laid till he burst out in crying, cluching his chest with pain filled unimaginale grief felt from losing his brother and Sera.
Sera was friendly neighbour, just as poor if not more with no family at all but she was happy, because she never felt lonely having this two boys with her.
The same was for eren and yuta, she wasn't their mother but to them she wasn't any less but in few moments eren lost those people whom he held dearly in his heart.
He didn't second guess the identity of sera, he just didn't had a stomach to digest it but when reality hit him, it shook his beliefs.
" Family.?" A sudden voice across the door sent chill down Eren's spine, he shifted his face towards voice despite not having eyes as his body shook violently like a leaf.
"..."
" Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Enchanting melodious female voice was heard again but From what Eren experienced just now, he couldn't believe in anything much less in voice of stranger.
" Are you a vampire?" Question was valuable as well as meaningless for Eren but his heart couldn't settle until he confirmed his worst fear.
" Nooo, How can you even say that. are you blind?
Oh yeah, You're blind." Her nonchalant attitude heated up with few words, she was angry for mistaken as vampire rather than feeling sympathy for the dead.
" So What are you gonna do, cremate of bury." Same nonchalant attitude without care for any one.
"..."
" Asking because with this two deadbodies here, other villagers are scattered dead too." Eren flinched, like a needle poked his heart.
" What?"
" It'll be easier to burn them and I can help, If you want my help."
" What happned?"
"You already know."
" Vampire." Sense of dread washed over as he confirmed his worst imagination to be true.
" Your choice?" The voice asked again, something Eren's mind was not ready to answer yet he needed to do this.
Searching for his brothers touch one last time, his hand caressed his cold cheeks. The moment where aunt sera's head fell were still vividly played in his mind yet facing his consciousness, he grabbed her hand. Giving one last goodbye before he walked out of room with haggered body and dark vision.
He couldn't see or feel anything, which made it harder to walk and tripped few time before he held stick and somewhat begun to learn walking again.
Now he stood few steps away from hut, trying hard to suppress sweeling emotions.
" Done saying goodbyes?"
" Yes." Answered Eren not knowing where he stood or what he was looking at.
Few hours ago where everything inside village felt lovely and bright now laid dead silent and creepy, with deadbodies painting it red felt both tragic and terrifying.
But such moment only lasted moment under the dark sky before whole village was engulfed into flames, Eren felt heat pricking his dried up face yet no cry or any emotion were visible on face.
Not even doubt how such strong fire lit up suddenly.
" What're you gonna do now?"
"....."
" Planning to take revenge?"
" Know that you'll di-" voice came to abruptly stop, feeling changes that were occuring in Eren.
Owner of the voice remained silent for a moment, as if making somewhat serious decision for the first time in long while.
" What's your name and age boy?" Sudden question out of nowhere startled eren but answered nonetheless.
" I am Eren Salvatore, ten years old."
" Eren, Nice name with cool surname and too young for this.
Now listen Very carefully, your body is changing."Eren's mind run through several thoughts unable to comprehend meaning behind her words.
" What do you mean?"
" Can't explain in depth but let's just say, this is good and bad at the same time." her word rattled eren even more.
" It's do or die situation, what do you choose life or death?"
"I..."
" Oh fuck it, I choose life for you so try to endure it, endure it for your family." Her word fell hard but before he could even fathom what was happening, Eren felt hot lava erupting in his chest.
Owner of the melodious voice that till now remained ghastly white shadow, started to change. That thin vision obstructing fog vanished and emerged ten feet tall horrifying creature.
A deathly white fox with eight tails swaying gently, it's features heavenly with no mistake whatsoever in it's creation but most eye-catching or rather eye piercing features were her Eyes. Scarlet red iris that glowed in dark, would immediately strike fear into anyone but at the same time mesmerisingly beautiful, although most will find it terrorising with vertical black pupil glaring intently.
It placed curved red nail directly to Eren's chest, instant that second, just tiny drop of red extremely volatile and destructive energy pierced Eren in sternum.
Gritting his teeth eren was enduring burning pain when even more violent energy shook his being , breaking every mental fortitude he build to endure the worse pain.
Eren kneeled, clutching his chest forcefully. His nails dug in but he couldn't feel it.
In a moment pain worsened, pain similar to flesh burning which only resided to his sternum now started spreading around, very slowly.
" Aaahhh..." He screamed painfully, his sense of time was broken as he felt eternity of torture in mere seconds.
Just as he felt his life slip away, pain resided. He couldn't smile or express any emotion whatsoever and was suddenly washed with mental and physical exhaustion.
Fox shook her head as she saw eren fell asleep with ragged breathing but she was actually relieved, knowing that he fell asleep gave her some comfort because true horror was just about to begin.
Under the dark night and flames Eren's clear unconscious figure trembled. his bones cracked, muscle ruptured and organ bled and every little detail became clear visible on his skin like giant centepede moving inside him, but he remained unconscious. Completely unaware of this disturbing process.
This continued for few moments before it settle again, but without any injury or bleeding. End results were shocking, afteall nothing seemed out of ordinary.
Eren's body which would burst into bloody pulp with slight touch, now laid perfectly normal.
No broken bones, no ruptured muscles, no bled out organ and not a single drop of blood out of his system. Hell, he even seemed completely cured of his malnutrition. A situation like this would evoke question if what happened was just an illusion?, but fox knew better.
Her all knowing eyes observed his breathing and pulse calming down and with that fox again vanished into pitch black white forest.
******
" Let me go-"
" Let her go you bastard." Man shouted with anger, drawing his sword and charging towards a fat guy.
" I don't want your old mutt blood, I like fresh flowers like this one." Fat man crouched, sniffing the young girl's hair with lustful vigour and lascivious gaze.
This got the man running towards him to rage even further but not heeding his presence at all, fat man continued his assault on helpless girl.
His eyes trembled with malice as he salivated feeling her regular pulse on the neck, fat vampire was conflicted, to satisfy his appetite now or to savour it for long time but simple minded creature like him couldn't overcome his hunger and bore his fangs in her neck without second thought.
Drawing blood as he drowned in ecstacy, his heart pulsed powerfully and his emotion heightened with pleasure.
It was funny how idiotic and simple minded creature it was, the ordinary man's expression changed 180 degree, from horror to power. Like everything till now was just acting.
Man's speed because instantaneous with sword ready to cut vampire's head of, in a second he arrived behind vampire and with one strike, decapitated him.
Girl saw vampire's happy face savoring last blood in his mouth, unable to comprehend that he was now dead and with just like that he died, Now scared woman didn't seem scared or rather she didn't acted scared to lure easy prey like one on the ground.
" You okay Nina?" Man with ordinary appearance, brown eyes and little muscular frame asked with a smile.
" Levy Ohh yess, I'm really fine.. Noo you dumbass, ofcourse I'm not. I almost died there." shouted Nina Anger with clear visible on her face.
She was young and beautiful but didn't care about that as her angered face spouted several curses.
" If you have energy to shout then you must be fine." Levy mocked, as working partner for quite some time he was well aware of her greedy behaviour.
A situation like this where she acted hurt and victimized to hord more money than her actual pay but levy was no fool.
Watching him gleam made Nina even more furious but she knew there was no bargaining with this miser. Unable to refute she gritted her teeth, gave him glare for a moment before starting to dig the valuables inside the dead corpse's pockets.
" Look I found a ruby." Her eyes sparkled with pure joy, just like that all that anger was just distant memory.
" That's a fake." levy crushed it easily, sending all Nina's hope to dumpster in one fell sweep.
" We fought a yellow rank for what, few coppers and fake Ruby dust." she swallowed her own anger, accepting the reality.
" Come on, on to next place and if we're lucky we'll find a bag gold just lying around for us to take." being positive was one thing but imagining such thing was just another kind of stupidity, but Nina appreciated it.
She was still young, she had dreams and if imaginations like this could help her hectic life become easier then why wouldn't she appreciated such visions.
******
" This isn't real."
" It is."
" How is it..ouch..ouch..okay stop." Nina exclaimed, denied and got pinched hard to accept the things they were seeing.
A bag of gold coins, their dream had came true.
" ughh.." With a weak groan the boy lying beside the bag of gold woke up, blind and unfortunate child.
" What's your name kid?" Levy asked, hurriedly storing bag of gold in his pocket without making sound.
Eren sat up, recalling the memory of torture and cause of it. He wanted to get angry yet his heart felt empty and body weak.
" Hey hey answer me."
" Who are you? And where's that lady?" Asked eren.
" what lady?, forget it. Not important anymore afteall everyone's dead here." His gaze landed on burned down village yet his face didn't express much emotion.
" That's rude, Respect the dead?" Nina rebuked angrily.
" And that'll change anything and I've told you this over and over again. To not sympathise with anyone, least with dead and most with living." His brown eyes were pragmatic and experienced.
" I hate you."
" Yet you still follow me, know why? because you want to live and only way that happen, is by trampling over people like him." very logical but heartless man spoke with least emotions.
Nina remained silent, bobbing her lips few before eventually reaching the conclusion of this whole distress.
" Will you come with us?" Nina crouched, focusing on Eren's face as she gently ruffled his hair.
" No, He's useless baggage and we're not taking him."
" he has lost everything and you even took his money, least you can do is help him." her eyes showed that she was not up for negotiation, levy sighed and spoke.
" Fine but you'll be doing his babysitting, not my problem."
" Not that you can do it anyway, only thing you're good is at hunting and scheming." She angrily replied and helped eren get up.
Eren couldn't understand what was happening, what money were they talking about?, but this was opportunity. This was a small ray of light in eternal darkness.
Nina became his guide in dark world.