(Silver's Pov)
I opened my eyes.
"Where am I? What happened? Did I make it out of the forest? Are Emily and Professor Muland safe?" I asked in a state of panic.
"I am fine, Savior," a soft and elegant voice replied.
It was Emily. She was sitting on the bed across from me, her whole body covered in bandages.
"Emily... I see. Does that mean Professor Muland is here too?" I asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
"First, I would like to thank you for saving me," she said, bowing her head.
"No, that's fine. I couldn't just watch someone in front of me get killed," I replied with an awkward look on my face.
"Thank you... As for the professor, he still hasn't been found," she said, raising her head.
I felt a bit of sadness upon hearing this, though for some reason, I still believed he was alive.
"Savior, may I know your name?" Emily asked, staring at me.
I felt a little embarrassed by the way she addressed me.
"My name is Silver, Silver Lustra," I said before pulling off the bed covers and sitting up.
Emily got out of bed and approached me.
"Emily, what are you doing? You can't move with your body in that condition," I said with concern.
"My name is Emily Bloodsworth. Please accept me as your loyal subject, my King, Silver Lustra," she said, kneeling on one knee and grabbing my hand.
This was the etiquette for forming a Blood Pact.
A Blood Pact is a ritual used by Vampires to pledge their entire existence to someone they wish to serve. That person becomes their King, and they, the subject. If the King dies, the subject also dies. In return, the subject gains a percentage of the King's magion.
Thus, Vampires always choose to serve those they believe to be the strongest. But why did Emily choose me?
"Emily, get up. We're not alone here, what if a servant comes in." I said, glancing around nervously.
"Please accept me, my King," she insisted, refusing to rise. Her grip on my hand tightened.
I was shocked. The Emily I knew would never do something like this.
"Emily, why are you doing this?" I asked.
"If you hadn't saved me, I would be dead now," she said, staring straight into my eyes.
I noticed something strange: her eyes had changed. They were green before, but now they were red, and her pupils had sharpened. It was the mark of a true Vampire.
My eyes were likely the same. Once again, I was reminded that I, too, was a vampire. If I became stronger, more people like Emily would want to serve me.
I decided to take her as my first subject.
"Emily, are you sure about this?" I asked.
She nodded firmly.
I began the Blood Pact.
First, I bite her neck and drink a small amount of her blood—just enough to avoid becoming a Fallen. The first step was successful.
Next, she bites my finger and drinks a small amount of my blood. This step was also successful.
Her eyes began to glow, and a black, flower-like mark with a single petal appeared where I had bitten her. The same mark appeared on my finger.
After the pact was completed, I immediately felt our magion connect.
"Emily, your injuries..."
"Yes, they've completely healed," she said, standing up.
"Now, Emily, be honest. Was the Fallen who attacked us after you?" I asked seriously.
"Y-Yes," she admitted, clenching her fists.
"Why?"
"First, I have to tell you about myself. I was one of the Seven Nobles. My father was Grem Vladrest," she said with a sad expression.
"The Vladrest family that fell to ruin five years ago?!" I exclaimed in shock.
The Vladrest family, though the weakest of the Seven Noble families, still held considerable power. But five years ago, it was destroyed in an attack by a Fallen.
"Wait, don't tell me..."
"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. The Fallen who attacked us in the forest is the same one who took everything from me five years ago," Emily said, her voice filled with anger as she clenched her fists until they bled.
"But why attack you now, five years later?" I asked.
"He was working as a servant for my family, the Vladrest family, when I overheard him talking to a man cloaked in black. They mentioned something about 'The Endless Night.'"
The Endless Night. A tragedy that occurred 100 years ago during a ten-year eclipse. It was a time of chaos when the Vampire Lords, the strongest vampires to ever exist, split into two factions. Those who rejected the rules became the Fallen.
The conflict raged for ten years until the Founding Ancestor sacrificed his magion and life force to create the Three Circles—rules that govern all vampires. Breaking even one of these rules turns a vampire into a Fallen.
But if a Fallen is talking about the Endless Night again, does that mean they're planning another one?
"If... I had just kept quiet, my father and everyone else would still be alive," Emily said, her eyes welling with tears.
I could see her trying to hold back her emotions.
"Emily, it's..." I hesitated. There was nothing I could say to comfort her. I understood her pain—I had felt the same when I lost my mother.
I had to become stronger, much stronger, so I could protect those close to me.
In two days, the Academy term would begin.
"Emily... Let's both become stronger so we never have to lose anyone again," I said, my eyes filled with determination.
"Yes," she replied, her tears gone and her face resolute.
---
(Alfred's POV)
"So, Emily is part of the ruined Vladrest family," I said, scanning the notes on my desk.
"Yes, Your Majesty," William replied.
"And Silver?"
"The only thing they know, is that his mother was killed when he was ten years old."
"So... five years ago, just like the Vladrest family," I murmured, resting my chin on my hands.
"And the other matter?"
"It's been handled, Your Majesty."
"Good. Now, let's see the body you've prepared," I said, standing up.
As we walked to the basement, I passed a painting of my twin brother, Albert, on the wall.
We looked identical except for our hair—his was black, mine blonde.
"Brother, why did you become a Fallen?" I muttered, touching the painting.
We were always together.
But one day, that changed when Master—or rather, Mother—announced that I would be the one to become King of Drayula.
Although I was more talented than my brother, he was also considered a genius.
I would have accepted a fight over the throne... but why did he decide to kill Mother?
And why become a Fallen?
Is there some deeper meaning to this?
I'll need to investigate this more seriously. But first, I need a new body.
We arrived at the dungeon where I saw my new body.
"Is this... it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"But... why a woman? And why is she dressed in such frilly clothes?"
"It was the only body available, and the clothes... were Lady Lily's doing," William said, looking uncomfortable.
"Lily... She's still so childish. I can't believe she'll be attending Scarlet Academy," I sighed.