Spark Village is a remote, northern village that has earned a place in history as the birthplace of modern human civilization. At the village's central square stands a pair of weathered stone statues, commemorating the figures who changed the course of history.
The history they represent isn't that ancient, but for humans, it's still a bit hazy. It's said that five hundred years ago, Lady Dawn, a human, and Lady Adele Black, a vampire, joined forces to overthrow the vampire council that had ruled the land for countless years, giving humanity a chance to survive.
People respect these two figures, but five hundred years is a long time, and they've become distant historical icons. While Lady Adele Black, being a vampire, might still be alive, it's generally assumed that Lady Dawn, a human, has long since passed.
The statues, worn by time, are kept clean only by the village chief and his wife, who regularly tend to them. One day, as the village chief prepared to clean the statues, he noticed a young maid who had recently moved to the village standing beneath them, gazing up at the figures.
The village chief approached her and said, "Miss Molly, what are you doing here?" The maid named Molly turned to face him, her short black hair framing a delicate face. Although her expression was neutral, the chief had always thought of her as a good person.
After all, Molly and her mistress had driven off some rogue invaders on their very first day in the village. Molly was indeed remarkable—though she appeared to be a delicate woman, she possessed incredible strength.
"Just looking," Molly replied.
The village chief glanced up at the statues and smiled. "You're looking at the statues of Lady Dawn and Lady Adele Black? You're still young, so you might not fully understand, but it's thanks to these two ladies that we humans can live in peace today."
Molly hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent. She turned and walked away, carrying a basket with some freshly baked bread. She returned to the house her mistress had purchased and stepped inside.
Even though it was broad daylight, the house was dark, with nothing visible. Molly switched on the lights and began eating her lunch. She had wanted to tell the village chief that the statues were terribly unflattering, that no one would ever recognize her and Adele from those sculptures. But to maintain her persona, Molly kept quiet.
Later that night, when Adele awoke, Molly took her to see the statues. On their way back, making sure no one was around, Molly grumbled, "The human resistance must've had some ulterior motive. Why else would they preserve the name Lady Dawn and not Molly? They all knew I was just your maid, Molly."
Adele, holding a small parasol, walked beside her, the moonlight reflecting off her silver hair. She wasn't too upset since her name had been well-preserved, and many girls were even named "Adele" in her honor.
"But wasn't this what you wanted, Molly? You were the one who insisted on using the name Lady Dawn to go down in history. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, if those people knew you were so dissatisfied, they wouldn't rest easy, even in heaven."
Molly pursed her lips, unable to argue, because Adele was right. It was her decision to use the alias Lady Dawn; they had faithfully recorded her deeds as she'd wanted.
They had spent the last five hundred years exploring the world, seeing everything it had to offer, from distant shores to volcanic peaks, to the coldest edges of the earth. After all that, they had returned to the Spark Farm. Although it was no longer a farm, it had become a peaceful, quiet village.
They planned to stay here for a while—maybe ten years, maybe thirty—before moving on, long before the villagers could start questioning why they never aged.
Honestly, constantly moving was a hassle, but if they stayed too long, it would raise uncomfortable questions, so it was better to keep relocating.
Over the five centuries, the world had changed drastically. The vampire population had further dwindled, partly due to the human resistance but mostly because of their internal conflicts. Their wars, fought to prove who was the strongest, lasted a century.
After a hundred years of infighting, only a fraction of the vampire population remained. Realizing their mistake, they tried to recover by drinking more blood, only to find that most of the humans had fled to Adele's territory.
At first, they feared Adele and Lady Dawn, but when they realized the pair had left and launched attacks, they discovered that the human resistance now wielded new firearms, against which they had no defense.
Given the vampires' low birthrate and the massive losses from their internal wars, they were close to extinction. Still, a few pragmatic vampires managed to survive and even maintained significant territories, including Miss Gordon and Miss White.
Molly and Adele visited both of them. Miss Gordon seemed to have adapted well to the current state of affairs. Vampires are generally indifferent to their kind; they only show compassion towards children. Since the war had involved only adults, Miss Gordon wasn't particularly affected and even cheerfully remarked, "You two are a couple, aren't you?"
At last, after all these years, Miss Gordon had finally figured it out.
Miss White, however, was more difficult to deal with since her brother had died at Molly's hands. She likely harbored a desire for revenge but lacked the means. She had rejected the suitors her family had arranged and struck out on her own, bringing a maid she had named "White" with her. Together, they bought a small farm and painstakingly grew it into something more.
Whenever Adele and Molly visited, the two pairs of mistress and maid were always at odds, but they occasionally checked in, just in case something happened. Fortunately, both were still alive and well.
As for the Black family, it was now led by the second daughter, who had grown into a distinguished ice queen.
The two continued bickering as they made their way home. They had lived in this village for a long time, enjoying its peaceful atmosphere. But one day, the tranquility was shattered by the sound of an old-fashioned car driving into town. Molly was out buying lunch when she noticed the villagers gathered at the entrance, curious about what was happening.
The village chief explained to Molly, "I heard a big shot from the capital is retiring to the countryside."
Molly teased, "I didn't know this place had produced any big shots."
The chief responded with pride, "Oh, it sure did. Not to boast, but this place has produced quite a few. Like Barbara, one of the founding members of the research institute, and..." He began listing names, and Molly listened until she heard the car sputter to a stop.
Over the past five hundred years, human technology had advanced considerably, and even old-fashioned cars had improved. In Molly's experience, the suspension had notably gotten better, though the cars' appearance hadn't changed much.
The car eventually pulled up at the village entrance. The narrow village roads couldn't accommodate the car, so it had to stop at the gate. The visitor, an elderly woman, had come to pay her respects to the village chief before settling in a nearby house she had built.
The car door opened, and a hunched, elderly figure emerged. The driver stepped out first, helping the old woman out. As she approached the chief, her eyes fell on Molly, and she suddenly seemed to recognize her, pointing at her with trembling hands. The old woman couldn't speak and promptly fainted. Molly was taken into custody until the woman regained consciousness.
Since there was still some time before Adele woke up, Molly decided to play along. The old woman was taken to her home and laid on her bed. After being examined, the doctor declared that she had only fainted from shock and was otherwise fine. With that, the villagers relaxed, and Molly was released.
Still, Molly wanted to wait until the woman woke up to find out if she really recognized her.
Realistically, there weren't many humans left who would know her. Only the descendants of the original resistance members might still have her portrait. Molly guessed that the old woman was one of them.
After about two or three hours, Molly finished her bread, and the old woman finally woke up. Seeing Molly sitting beside her bed, the woman's cloudy eyes filled with tears.
"Are you… Miss Molly?"
"Yes, it's me. Whose descendant are you?"
Upon hearing Molly's confirmation, the woman wiped her tears. "My ancestor was Bella, Miss Adele's maid."
Bella, that stubborn maid from so long ago—her descendants had become prominent figures. Molly could still see traces of Bella in the old woman's face and knew that the woman didn't have much time left. The old woman spoke softly, "Miss Molly, we've been waiting for you. If there's anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
Molly thought for a moment and decided against revealing the truth or asking for money, choosing instead to comfort the old woman. "There's nothing I need. I've heard about your achievements. When you reach heaven, you will have honored your ancestors."
She didn't know what the woman had accomplished, but with Bella's personality, Molly was sure her descendants had done well.
The old woman was momentarily stunned but then smiled.
She spent the rest of the day chatting with Molly. By the time Molly finally returned home and embraced Adele, Adele was understandably confused, but Molly felt content.
If she had to live such a long life alone, it would have been unbearable, but with Adele by her side, her seemingly endless life had become something beautiful and meaningful.