Kaelen squinted as the blindfold was ripped away, his crimson eyes adjusting to the dim light of the grand hall. He was kneeling before the throne of Crelvaris, his wrists bound tightly with magical ropes that burned against his skin, though he made no show of the pain. His lips curved into a mocking smirk as he looked up at the human king, who sat imperiously on his golden throne.
"Well, well," Kaelen drawled, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Back so soon? You must have missed me, Your Majesty."
The king's stern expression hardened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the arms of his throne. "You will not speak so insolently here, vampire," he said coldly. "You are a creature of death, and you are here to answer for the chaos you bring."
Kaelen chuckled, leaning back slightly despite the discomfort of his restraints. "Chaos? Oh, forgive me. I didn't realize existing was such a crime in your perfect little kingdom."
One of the guards stepped forward and struck Kaelen across the face with the hilt of his sword. The vampire's head snapped to the side, but his smirk remained intact as he slowly turned back to face the king. A thin line of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth, but he licked it away with deliberate slowness, his eyes glinting with defiance.
The king leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. "You have no place in this world, vampire. The Council of Aldoria agrees that your kind should remain buried. Yet here you are, walking among the living, tainting their purity."
Kaelen's smirk faltered for a brief moment at the mention of the Council. His chest tightened, not with fear, but with anger. "So, they've decided to sell me out, have they? Typical. I've done nothing but protect one of their own, and this is my reward."
The king raised a hand, silencing the room. "The Council has no authority here. In my lands, you are a threat. A beast. You will be judged accordingly."
Kaelen's laughter echoed through the hall, sharp and mocking. "Judged? By you? Let me guess—your judgment ends with me back in a coffin, conveniently out of sight and out of mind."
"Precisely," the king replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Your existence disrupts the balance. You will return to the church and remain sealed, where you belong."
Kaelen's crimson eyes burned with fury as he struggled against the ropes. "You can't imprison what you don't understand," he spat. "But go ahead—try. You'll only prove how small and cowardly your kingdom truly is."
The king's expression darkened. "Take him to the sanctum. Ensure the preparations for his imprisonment are complete. I want no errors this time."
The guards moved to grab Kaelen, but he didn't resist. Instead, he leaned forward, fixing the king with a chilling stare. "You may think you've won, but this isn't over," he said, his voice a low, venomous growl. "There are those who won't abandon me. And when they come, your precious throne will tremble."
The king let out a cold, derisive laugh as Kaelen was dragged toward the doors. "Save you? A monster?" he called out, his voice echoing through the grand hall. "Why would anyone waste their life on a creature like you? Do you not know the blood you carry? The sins of your ancestors?"
Kaelen froze, his smirk faltering. He turned his head slightly, the guards tightening their grip on him, but he didn't resist. "Enlighten me," he said, his tone sharp and dripping with sarcasm. "I'm dying to hear your twisted version of history."
The king rose from his throne, stepping down the marble steps with an air of self-importance. His voice was laced with venom as he continued, "Your ancestors—those cursed progenitors of yours—were not just monsters. They were greedy, bloodthirsty creatures. They wanted power, magic, something they were never meant to have. And when the elves refused to share it, what did your kind do?"
Kaelen didn't answer, but his jaw clenched.
The king's smile widened, cruel and victorious. "Your ancestors slaughtered them. Entire villages of elves, burned to the ground. Men, women, children—all killed for the sake of stealing magic that your kind couldn't even comprehend. That's why they fell. Not because they were betrayed, not because they were misunderstood, but because their greed and jealousy destroyed them."
Kaelen's crimson eyes burned with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "And what about your kind?" he shot back. "Were the humans just innocent bystanders in all of this? Or were they complicit, profiting from the chaos while pretending to be righteous?"
The king's smile didn't waver. "My ancestors did what was necessary to survive. Unlike your kind, who destroyed themselves in their lust for power. The elves fought back, of course, and your lineage was wiped out. A fitting end for monsters like you."
Kaelen's fists clenched against the burning ropes, the pain almost a welcome distraction from the king's words. "You think that justifies locking me away?" he said through gritted teeth. "You think I'm to blame for sins committed centuries before I was even born?"
The king shrugged, as though Kaelen's anger was of no consequence. "It doesn't matter what you think. The world sees you as a threat, and so do I. If I must use the sins of your ancestors to justify your imprisonment, so be it. The people will sleep easier knowing you're back in the ground."
Kaelen's eyes blazed with defiance, but he held his tongue. He couldn't deny that the king's words cut deep—not because he believed them, but because they cast a shadow over everything he had to protect, including Aelor.
The king leaned back on his throne, his eyes gleaming with a sinister glint as he surveyed Kaelen's stunned expression. "Oh, you didn't know?" he said mockingly. "I suppose it's only fair you learn the truth about your so-called noble captors. History is written by the victors, after all."
Kaelen's crimson eyes narrowed. "What truth? Stop circling around your lies and speak plainly."
The king chuckled darkly. "You think your imprisonment was simply because of fear? No, vampire, it was far more calculated than that. Your existence was... valuable. Unique. The elves paid us humans—paid my ancestors—handsomely to bury you away from the world. You were their prized possession, a creature of immense power they couldn't destroy but hoped to exploit."
Kaelen's breath caught, his mind reeling. "What are you saying? The elves... studied me?"
The king smirked. "Studied you, drained you—of knowledge, power, and perhaps even blood. You weren't a monster to them; you were a tool. A source of magic unlike any they had seen. But they knew if your kind discovered what they were doing, there would be chaos. So they came to us, the humans, and paid us to keep their dirty little secret buried. Quite literally."
Kaelen's hands trembled against the magical restraints. "Why would your kind agree to such a deal?"
The king's expression turned sly. "Because it benefited us. The payment wasn't just in gold, vampire. The elves helped us establish our own kingdoms, lent us their magic to fortify our lands. All they asked in return was silence—and obedience. They didn't want the world knowing they had kept you, a powerful being, alive for their own selfish gains."
Kaelen's chest tightened with a mix of fury and betrayal. "And my birth?" he demanded. "Do you know anything about that?"
The king shrugged, feigning indifference. "Only whispers. Your kind wasn't just feared, Kaelen—they were revered. You, specifically, were said to be born under... unusual circumstances. Perhaps even a prophecy. The elves knew it, too, which is why they kept you. They thought they could harness you, control you."
Kaelen's mind raced, memories and fragments of his forgotten past colliding with the king's revelations. "So, all of this—my imprisonment, the lies—was because of some ancient fear of what I might become?"
The king leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Exactly. Fear makes people desperate, Kaelen. And desperation makes them cruel. But remember this: the elves may have paid us to bury you, but it was your own kind who gave them the reason to fear you in the first place."
Kaelen's fists clenched, the magical ropes biting into his skin. He wanted to deny it, to lash out, but the weight of the king's words settled heavily in his chest. The betrayal he felt was suffocating, but more than that, it was the dawning realization of how deeply entangled his existence was in the dark and twisted web of history.
For the first time in centuries, Kaelen felt truly lost.
Kaelen's jaw tightened as the king's laughter echoed through the grand hall, mocking and hollow. He stared at the man before him, his crimson eyes blazing with fury and curiosity. "So," Kaelen said, his voice cold but steady, "you're saying the foundation of elven magic—their legacy, their pride—was stolen from vampires?"
The king leaned forward, his grin widening. "Oh, you're sharper than I gave you credit for, vampire. Yes, it's true. The magic the elves boast about? It wasn't theirs to begin with. Your kind—vampires—were the true progenitors of magic. It flowed in your veins, in your essence, long before the elves had a taste of it."
Kaelen's fists tightened against the magical restraints. "If that's the truth, why hide it? Why rewrite history?"
The king chuckled, his tone dripping with disdain. "Because power is nothing without the illusion of righteousness. The elves didn't just want magic—they wanted the world to see them as its rightful masters. Admitting they stole it from your kind would shatter the illusion. And so, they erased the truth, buried it along with you and your kin. They used their influence to rewrite the past, and anyone who questioned them... well, let's just say they didn't live to tell the tale."
Kaelen's gaze darkened. "And the staff? The secret library?"
The king smirked. "The staff, that cursed relic, was forged by your kind. A conduit of immense power, capable of shaping reality itself. The elves took it during their war with the vampires, twisted its purpose to suit their needs. As for the secret library... that was their greatest shame. It's here, in human lands, because they couldn't risk keeping it in Aldoria. Too many questions, too many secrets waiting to be unearthed. They didn't want their children—or anyone else, for that matter—learning the truth of their treachery."
Kaelen's thoughts raced, the weight of the revelations crushing him. "So this entire history," he said slowly, "is built on lies. My kind was betrayed, slaughtered, and forgotten, all so the elves could wear a stolen crown of power."
The king leaned back in his throne, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Exactly. And now you see why I find it so amusing that you've thrown your lot in with them. The elves used you, Kaelen. They feared you. And now, they seek to destroy you again to protect their fragile little world."
Kaelen's jaw clenched, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "If what you say is true, why tell me? What do you gain from this?"
The king's smile turned cunning. "Because knowledge is power, my dear vampire. And if you're smart, you'll use it. The elves don't deserve your loyalty. They never did. But you? You could reclaim what was taken from your kind. Imagine it—a world where vampires are no longer hunted, no longer forgotten. A world where the truth is finally known."
Kaelen's eyes burned with a mix of rage and resolve. He turned away from the king, his mind churning with questions and possibilities. The truth had been buried for centuries, but now it was clawing its way to the surface.
And Kaelen would ensure it was no longer silenced.
The king leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "Kaelen, the elves are not the saints they pretend to be. You see, they don't just betray your kind—they betray anyone who stands in their way. My ancestors... they were no different. The elves may have bribed them to bury you, but when their usefulness expired, they were discarded. Slaughtered in cold blood, just as your kin were."
Kaelen's gaze narrowed, his lips curling into a bitter smirk. "And now you're offering me a chance to avenge them? To 'right' the history you so conveniently benefited from?"
The king chuckled darkly. "Oh, I'm no saint myself, vampire. But think about it—together, we could wipe out the entire elven race. Erase their lies, their stolen legacy. The truth would finally be known, and you would reclaim the glory your kind deserves. No longer would vampires lurk in the shadows, feared and despised. You would stand as equals—or better."
Kaelen tilted his head, his crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "And what do you get out of this, King?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "You expect me to believe this is purely an altruistic gesture?"
The king laughed, the sound echoing coldly through the chamber. "Hardly. Let's just say we share a common enemy. The elves think themselves superior to us all. I've seen it firsthand—how they look down on us, how they manipulate and use everyone around them. You'd be doing the world a favor by eradicating their kind. And in the process, I'd solidify my own power without their meddling."