Panic filled the air, and her heart seemed to leap out of her chest. Rosella couldn't find anything to hold onto, and her mind suddenly lost the clarity to think. Something powerful kept pulling her down, draining her courage.
She thought this would be the end of her life. To die alone in a cold ravine, unnoticed by anyone. Unable to avenge the death of her parents.
"You're only escorting your own death." Suddenly, Koen's annoying voice echoed in her head. Why did she think of that man at a time like this? Ah, didn't that vampire also say something like that?
Rosella forced a bitter smile. Was this how her life would end?
She shut her eyes, waiting for her body to crash to the ground below. Perhaps her body would be mangled, her flesh and blood scattered, and worst of all, her friends would never find her, as her remains would be devoured by wild beasts.
She didn't want to die like this, but it seemed this was the fate she had been dealt.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds…
Four seconds…
Five seconds…
Seconds passed. She didn't feel herself falling to the base and crashing against the cold rocks. Instead, she felt a warm embrace.
Rosella carefully opened her eyes. She faintly heard heavy breathing and the sound of a heartbeat that somehow felt so melodious. Under the moonlight, at the edge of the steep cliff, a man she didn't recognize held her tightly. She couldn't see his face clearly since he was facing away from the moon, but she caught sight of a pair of glowing red eyes and something... sweet?
And in the next second, everything went dark. Rosella had no idea what happened after that, who had saved her, or what would happen to her next.
…
Atlas glared sharply at the mysterious man who had just jumped up with the girl he was chasing.
"What are you doing here?" Atlas asked angrily. The aura of hostility was palpable, but the man across from him remained silent, only gazing at the girl in his arms.
Frustrated by the dismissal, Atlas clenched his fists tightly, choosing another way to communicate.
"Hand over the girl. She's my dinner." Small bats began to appear and gather by his side. Their red eyes, sharp fangs, and claws were ready to tear the enemy apart. Low-level vampires gathered behind Atlas, prepared to leap across and seize the girl from the mysterious man's grip.
The man's head moved gracefully, turning to look at Atlas. "But I caught her first."
"Then I'll just take her by force." Atlas didn't know why the man was there. An intruder, an embarrassment to vampires, had suddenly appeared. Just when he was about to taste human blood after so long.
Hundreds of bats flew toward the man. Low-level vampires also leaped across the cliff. Some fell due to lack of strength, but one thing Atlas didn't account for was that his opponent didn't want to fight.
Rather than resisting, the man moved quickly, using shadows to vanish from sight.
This only made Atlas angrier. His teeth ground together, and his fists clenched. A black aura enveloped his hands, and the next moment, the low-level vampires around him screamed in pain and disintegrated into ash.
"Coward!"
…
Hazel's eyes slowly opened, blinking as they took in the unfamiliar ceiling above. She had just experienced a nightmare, and it seemed like the nightmare wasn't over.
"You're awake?"
Rosella was startled when a face suddenly appeared right in front of her. The man smiled brightly with fox-like eyes. Her heart, which might've just slowed down, was once again forced into a fast pace. She immediately sat up, on alert, using the pillow she had been lying on as a shield—though she knew it would be useless.
"What are you doing, Lorien? You're scaring her," said a handsome man with dark purple hair, reprimanding the one who had just startled her.
"I was just asking. I didn't mean it like that," the first man said sadly, his face dropping with a pout. A few strands of his hair fell, covering his face.
Rosella was confused. What? What's going on? What situation is this?
Then, both of their eyes turned toward her, still in a cautious stance.
"You can put that down. We won't hurt you," said the man with pink hair, his warm smile almost making his fox-like eyes close.
Rosella carefully lowered the pillow. "Did you save me?"
The two men glanced at each other, as if confirming something, then looked back at her. "Not us. It was our eldest brother."
Her hazel eyes darted around the room, observing the spacious area with dark red hues. The dim lighting made the place somewhat eerie. No matter how much she looked, she couldn't find the figure they were referring to.
"He's not here right now. By the way, what's your name? I'm Lorien, and this is Lucian," Lorien said with a bright smile, gesturing to Lucian.
"I'm Rosella."
"So, Rosella, what were you doing that led you to be saved by our eldest brother?"
Rosella furrowed her brow, recalling the events that had just happened to her. "I... was being chased by vampires?" she said, half-doubtful.
"Why? Why were you being chased by vampires?"
The girl looked up, meeting Lorien's gaze, which seemed full of curiosity. She hesitated to explain, but after thinking about how these kind people had saved her, Rosella figured it wouldn't hurt to share her intentions and why she ended up in this situation.
Once Rosella finished explaining, both their expressions changed. "You want to take revenge on the vampires?" Lorien asked carefully.
Rosella nodded. "Wait, you're not vampires, right?" She grabbed the pillow again and formed a futile defense.
Lorien awkwardly laughed. "Of course not," he quickly said, nudging Lucian, who was standing beside him. Lucian quickly nodded.
Rosella breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I really hate them more than anything in this world."
"Maybe some aren't as evil as you think," Lucian spoke up.
Rosella glared at him, annoyed. "Anything related to vampires is evil. They're savage creatures, and just because they're immortal doesn't mean they should control the world."
The two men fell silent. It felt like something had stabbed their chests. It hurt, especially hearing it directly. The atmosphere became tense.
Had she said something wrong?
"By the way, do you know where my weapon is? I'm grateful for your help, but I need to leave here soon. I have to continue my journey."
"Oh, I forgot to mention. You can't leave here," Lorien said with a wide grin.