Draven Noctis was said to be powerful enough to destroy the world in just three days. Even the angels feared his might. For over three centuries, he reigned as the King of Vampires, unmatched and unchallenged—until the angels united and chose a hero strong enough to slay him.
The battle between Draven and the Hero raged for five days and five nights, shaking the heavens and earth alike. It was a clash of titans, a war of power and will. But in the end, the hero emerged victorious, striking Draven down with his divine blade, Victoria.
However, the hero knew the truth—vampires resurrect after just twelve hours. Killing Draven would mean nothing. So, instead of letting him return, the hero sealed him inside a jar, a prison crafted to suppress even Draven's overwhelming power. He then hid the jar away in a secret, forgotten location, ensuring that the world would never again tremble under the might of the strongest vampire.
500 Years Later
Deep within an ancient cave, two children unknowingly stumbled upon the resting place of the legendary vampire.
Their names were Valor and Volta, descendants of the very hero who had once sealed away the dark king. As they explored the hidden cavern, their eyes fell upon an ornate pedestal, and atop it sat a strange, ancient jar.
History had long since forgotten the truth—Draven Noctis had never been slain, only sealed. The siblings, unaware of the true nature of the artifact before them, cautiously approached.
Curiosity got the better of Valor, the younger brother, as he reached out to touch the jar. But just as his fingers neared its surface, a swarm of bats suddenly detached from the ceiling, their presence unnoticed until now.
The cave erupted into chaos as the bats swooped down upon them, their wings beating furiously. Disoriented, Valor and Volta flailed their arms, trying to fend them off.
In the heat of the moment, Valor accidentally knocked over the jar.
The moment it shattered against the stone floor, an overwhelming, suffocating darkness exploded outward. A torrent of raw, ominous energy filled the cavern, sending shockwaves through the very air itself.
As the suffocating aura finally settled, a man emerged from the darkness.
He appeared no older than twenty-four, his jet-black hair darker than the abyss itself. He stood at 6'1, his form imposing yet graceful. But it was his eyes that held the siblings captive—blood-red orbs that glowed with eerie amusement.
An ominous smirk crept across his lips as he surveyed his surroundings.
Draven Noctis had finally returned.
The cave fell silent Valor and Volta stood frozen in place, their hearts pounding as they stared at the man before them. The figure who had just emerged from the very jar they had accidentally broken seemed to radiate an overwhelming presence, something ancient and deadly.
Draven Noctis raised his gaze to meet theirs, his blood-red eyes gleaming with a cold, predatory intelligence. For a long moment, the only sound in the cave was the echoing rush of their breaths.
"Who… who are you?" Valor finally managed to whisper, his voice trembling.
Draven's lips curled into a slight, knowing smile. "A question… so innocent, yet so naive," he spoke, his voice smooth, yet cold. "I am Draven Noctis, the King of Vampires."
Valor's heart skipped a beat. Draven Noctis? The name had been lost to time, buried beneath layers of fear. The legends, if they could be called that, spoke of a vampire so powerful that not even the gods could challenge him. Yet there was something surreal about hearing the name fall from the lips of the man standing before him.
"You're…" Volta stammered, her breath catching in her throat. Her hands trembled, instinctively reaching for the sword at her side, but she hesitated. Something told her that no weapon, no matter how sharp, could touch this man.
Draven chuckled softly, reading their fear but not reacting with cruelty. "I am what your ancestors feared… and what your bloodline foolishly chose to forget," he said, his eyes flickering with a strange mix of bitterness and something else, something older. "You are the descendants of that hero, aren't you he spat?
Valor stiffened. He had known there family was tied to the hero's legacy, but hearing it from Draven made the truth feel heavier, somehow more real. "And what do you want with us?" he asked, his voice shaky.
Draven's gaze lingered on them, calculating, as if weighing his next words carefully. "What I want?" he repeated, as though the answer were simple. "For now, nothing. Not from you." He gave a small, almost apologetic shrug, as if the situation were beyond his control. "But you… you are now part of this twisted fate. Your bloodline set me free, and so you will have a part to play in the world I will remake." His tone held no malice, but it was unmistakably commanding.
Volta raised her sword, her grip firm, but she held herself back. "And what if we refuse to play your part?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Draven's eyes flashed, but there was no anger in his expression. Instead, he gave a slight, almost amused smile. "Refuse? You misunderstand. You have no choice in the matter. Not yet, at least." He took a small step forward, his presence growing heavier in the cave, but his eyes softened as they met hers. "I'm not so cruel as to force you into something you're not ready for." His voice was measured, almost thoughtful. "But you will come to see the necessity of it."
Valor swallowed. "What do you expect from us?"
Draven tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "I expect you to survive. You'll need to be strong for what's coming. If you're lucky, you might even find some measure of purpose in it. Perhaps, in time, you'll even come to understand what I'm doing."
His gaze softened, and for a moment, it almost seemed like he was speaking not to them, but to himself. "But don't mistake me," he added, his voice hardening again. "I will not hesitate to crush anyone who gets in my way, hero or no hero. I will shape this world, with or without your cooperation."
For a moment, there was silence between them. Draven studied them with the cold precision of someone who had seen far too many battles and far too many betrayals.
"I won't harm you," he said at last, as though it were a concession. "Not unless you give me a reason to. You are tied to me now, whether you like it or not. And I will protect you, for as long as it serves my purpose."
There was a coldness to the way he spoke, but beneath it, a strange protection seemed to lie—a strange, unsettling sense of duty, rather than affection. Draven had no love for the children, but their fate was now his, and for the time being, their survival suited his own interests.
With a final glance, he turned and walked deeper into the cave, his steps soundless but heavy with authority.
"Come along. The game has just begun."
Valor and Volta stood still for a long moment, the weight of his words pressing down on them. Despite the tension in the air, the siblings exchanged glances—this wasn't a simple villain they faced. Draven Noctis had his own plans, and whether they liked it or not, they were part of them.
Draven's footsteps echoed faintly as he walked deeper into the cave, his back turned to the siblings. His dark cloak flowed behind him like a shadow, and for a moment, it seemed as if he might vanish into the very stone. Valor and Volta stood frozen, the weight of his presence still heavy in the air.
Valor's mind raced, his heart pounding in his chest as if it might burst. "What just happened?" he whispered to himself. He had always known there was something strange about the stories surrounding their bloodline, but this—this was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Volta's hand clenched around her sword hilt, her knuckles white. She watched Draven retreat into the depths of the cave, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Her instincts told her to be cautious, but another part of her—something deeper, something unexplainable—urged her to stay still. To wait. To see where this strange path would lead them.
"I don't trust him," Volta muttered, her voice low. "That man is no ally. Whatever he says, whatever promises he makes, we're nothing to him but tools. Pawns."
Valor slowly shook his head, his voice quieter now. "You're right, Volta. He's dangerous. But… there's something about him. His eyes—there was a truth in them. He's not lying about everything." He paused, looking at his sister, his expression conflicted. "But what if he's telling the truth about the world he'll remake? What if we can't stop it? We're… part of his plans now. Whether we like it or not."
Volta turned to him, her gaze hard but uncertain. "If we play along, we might be able to figure out a way to stop him. To turn the tables before it's too late." She hesitated, her gaze flickering back to the shadows where Draven had disappeared. "But there's something about him… It feels like we're stepping into something bigger than we can even understand."
A long silence fell between them. The sounds of the cave, the distant dripping of water, the faint rustle of bats above, seemed far away in the wake of Draven's departure.
Suddenly, a low, cold voice broke the silence, causing both siblings to flinch.
"You two are more than just pawns in my game," Draven's voice echoed from the darkness, his figure emerging once more, not far ahead. He hadn't turned around, yet it felt as though he were watching them. His eyes glinted red from the shadows. "But don't mistake my words for kindness. Survival is the first lesson you must learn. You'll need it… soon."
Valor felt his stomach twist. Was Draven testing them? Or warning them? He couldn't tell. Every time he thought he understood Draven's intent, it seemed to shift like sand beneath his feet.
Draven continued, his steps now steady and purposeful, "The world I will remake will be one of my own design. No more false heroes, no more foolish gods. You two… you will be integral to it. I will protect you—for now. But remember this: I am not your savior. I'm no hero."
Valor felt the sharp sting of his words. They were not meant to comfort, to guide. They were meant to remind them that they were tools in a world he intended to reshape. Tools to either survive with him… or be crushed underfoot.
"Then why protect us?" Volta snapped, her voice carrying a fierce edge. "If we're so insignificant in your eyes, why not simply let us die and be done with it?"
Draven's red eyes gleamed, a small, unsettling smile playing at the corners of his lips. He didn't stop walking. "Because, my dear, your survival suits my purposes. And for now, that is enough."
There was a cold finality in his tone as he turned and walked further into the cave. With each step, his presence loomed larger, and the siblings had no choice but to follow—still uncertain, still unsure—but bound by the strange gravity of the world Draven was pulling them into.
The path ahead was treacherous, and though they didn't know it yet, the choices they made in the coming days would shape the future of the world. Would they walk beside Draven, or would they find the strength to defy him?
For now, the only thing that mattered was survival.