Upon answering the door, Nene was met with an unknown woman standing before her.
“Yes, how may I help you?” She asked, relaxing against the door a bit.
The woman locked eyes with me, scanning the room before settling her eyes on my protector.
“Hello, pardon the early intrusion, but I’m currently looking for someone, and I heard she might be near here. She goes by the name of Lilith, who is a wanted fugitive.” The lady who appeared to be a vampire took a picture of something I couldn’t quite see.
I was curious about who she was looking for, though. It was more interesting than the food in front of me, especially since the name was familiar to me.
Lilith… is she looking for my Papa’s partner? Or is it another one?
“Sorry, I don’t know who that is,” Nene answered, triggering the lady to pull out a card from her pouch.
My curiosity was overwhelming me as I got off the chair, slowly walking up towards them.
You’re a vampire! I can tell because of your red eyes! Only Lycans and vampires can have them, and you don’t have fluffy ears and a tail like the wolves do!
I had seen a few from afar when they passed by the village, but this was the first time I was near one. Even though we lived in a rural area, Papa always made sure to educate me with everything he could offer. Our humble home was filled with books, which I found myself reading most of the time.
“I see, well, my name’s Tania. Please call me if you see her. She’s very dangerous, and I’ll be here in the village for the next few days following a few leads.” The vampire announced, slightly bowing down to Nene.
She was so formal that she resembled royalty—ones I had only seen in text alone. Without even realizing it, I got closer to the door, wishing to see more. She also looked so fit and nimble that I wanted to grow up to be just like her.
“Yes, I’ll let you know if I see anything. Thank you for letting me know.” Nene tried to bid farewell, not noticing I had already gotten close enough for Tania to spot me.
The moment she did, surprise clearly showed in her eyes as she had never expected to see a child in this village.
I guess when we locked eyes before, you didn’t see me.
It only made me wonder what she was looking for.
“You’re so pretty, vampire lady.” I complimented her.
I didn’t think her eyes could go any wider, but there they were as Nene’s did the same. Instead of surprise, there was an unfamiliar emotion within her, and a second later, she shoved me back inside.
It was the first time she had ever done that to me, which startled me, leaving my shoulder aching because of it.
“Vivian! Go to your room! Right now!” Nene scolded loudly, triggering my chest to sting.
Why are you… Angry with me?
My voice refused to leave me as I rubbed my arm, gazing at her with teary eyes. Unlike before, her eyes were fully dilated, which alerted me that something was wrong, yet I couldn’t connect the dots quickly enough.
“It’s alright. No need to punish the kid for a compliment. She surely meant no harm, and it was nice to hear.” The vampire worried over Nene’s response, gazing back at me.
Biting my lip, I stayed quiet there, unsure of what was right. Nene turned toward the pretty lady, gripping the door tightly.
“You royals aren’t welcome in this home. I’ll call you if I see the person you’re looking for. Otherwise, I need to tend to her.” Nene huffed, closing the door in her face.
The moment she turned around towards me, her expression somewhat scared me. I had never seen it on her face before.
Did I do something wrong?
“Nene?” I mumbled, trying to hold back my tears.
The sigil, which made the house completely soundproof, was active as it always was. The only sound that ever made it through was the occasional knock in case of visitors.
“Never come to the door like that, Vivi! That was one of those evil people your dad told you about!” Her voice quivered before she embraced me soon after.
There, I noticed her entire body was trembling as she struggled to get her footing.
But… That lady doesn’t look...
If anything, her eyes appeared tired, much like Lilith’s. I nodded slightly, triggering Nene to sigh before pulling away from me.
“After you’re done eating, go to your room, okay? I need to call Cain to see what we’ll do.” Nene informed, tugging out a crystal from her pocket, and placing the same pouch she picked up back on the shelf.
Twisting the crystal, Nene turned it on as she headed towards the back room of the house, closing the door behind her. My eyes slumped towards the floor, heading back to eat.
You’ve never acted that way before. Why…
She would use that room to speak to Papa through the special gem that he gave her to use. I could never use it to call, though. Nene said it was only for dangers.
What happened was an emergency? Has Tania found out about us? Will she use me to hurt Papa? No! That can’t happen! I…
Sitting back down, I took a bite of the leftover pancake to realize it had lost its luster. I even got full before even finishing the plate, which was unusual for me. Releasing a sigh, I gazed towards the room where Nene was as a faint blue glow came from the bottom of the door.
Unable to do anything else, I did as Nene had told me to do and headed into my room, where I lay on my bed for what felt like a couple of hours. By then, the sun was already up in the sky as everyone in the village started their day.
Curled up into a ball, I stayed quietly while the world moved around.
I don’t even want to read. This feels… weird. Papa, please come home already.
The moment that thought passed through my head, I heard Nene stumble outside in the living room, rushing towards something again. Worried she might’ve fallen and hurt herself like many times before, I opened the door to my room to spot Nene trembling where she stood.
“Nene, is it Papa?” I asked, peeking from my door, which startled her because of my voice.
Is it the vampire lady again?
Nene wasn’t this scared when the other lady was there. She was more angered and ready to fight than she was this time.
“No, Vivi, it isn’t your dad, but please stay in your room, okay? I need to pack some things. We have to evacuate.” Nene informed me.
Her voice was off. I stood by the door to my room, unable to understand what was happening or the reason for her demeanor.
Evacuate? Why do we need to evacuate? Is there something happening here?
Nothing like this ever happened before, leaving me unsettled as a cold grip started to take over my core.
Papa, why aren’t you here? I don’t like this feeling.
“You should do this as fast as you can. The beast will be here in around twenty minutes or so. Maybe less, you know how unpredictable gates can be.” The woman outside the door announced.
Huh? That isn’t the vampire lady!
Her voice was unique and was audibly a bit weirded out by Nene’s reaction to her. Thought it was alluring to me, too. Something was telling me to run to her, but my guardian’s words were keeping me planted where I was.
“Is that all? If so, thank you. I’ll get out of your hair right away.” Nene tried to close the door on the random lady, but she suddenly held it open by placing her foot on the doorway.
“Hey, is everything okay? Do you need help with anything?” The lady questioned.
I tried to peek to get a better look at who it was, as for a slight moment, I got to see her face. She had beautiful purple eyes and silver hair with brown horizontal stripes. Another beauty descended into our village, and much like the vampire lady, she had pointed ears, yet she didn’t seem to be of the same race.
It was the first time I ever saw anyone like her, too. The air around her was slightly different, too. For a moment, I thought our eyes locked, but Nene pushed the lady out before anything came out of it.
“Everything’s fine. You need to leave!” Nene yelled at the woman, slamming the door on her.
As soon as it was closed, she stood by there, shaking her head before grabbing the same pouch from before.
“Fuck!” A curse left my protector’s lips under her breath, shifting her gaze towards me as she quickly closed the gap between us.
My heart felt like it dropped when she grabbed me by my arm before dragging me out of my room. She hauled me to an exit by the back of the house before kneeling, holding both of my shoulders in her grasp.
“Listen to me, Vivian. We can’t wait for Cain to come. We have to move now.” Nene huffed, leaving me shaking my head.
A sunny morning had turned into a nightmare, leaving me unsure if I was awake in the first place.
“What? But Papa—” I went to speak only for her grip on me to tighten as an ache caused me to stop.
“You’re Papa won’t make it in time. We need to run straight ahead without stopping. Do you hear me? Even if I fall, even if I can’t continue with you, you need to run until Cain finds you.” Her voice trembled, and her hands shook as well.
What is happening?
Tears formed on the corners of my eyes as she leaned into me and kissed my forehead lovingly.
“I love you. You know that, right?” She breathed, and I felt a pop in my heart.
For a moment, I stayed quiet while she fixed my shoes, placing a black hooded cape on me, ensuring it was on me tightly, before opening the door, revealing the forest that surrounded the village.
That was when reality sank in as my core dropped to the core. Suddenly, all the warmth from before was gone as I felt a familiar icy grip take hold of me.
“No… No… Why is this happening?” I tried not to cry too loudly as tears streamed down my cheeks.
I knew that if anyone heard me, it would only trouble Nene, who was already crumbling. Pulling out a deep blue orb from the pouch, her breathing hitched as she tightly clasped the sphere in her palm.
“Promise me, Vivian, that you’ll run no matter what,” Nene whispered, trying to steady her nerves.
“Yes!” I sobbed, unable to hide the pain that was leaking out.
Shifting her gaze towards the door where the woman was, I felt like my world was slowly freezing.
Is all of this happening because of you?
“Good girl, I love you so much.” Nene smiled bitterly again, throwing what she had in her hand towards the other door.
Before it even hit the floor, she closed the door, grabbing my arm and yanking me towards the forest in a full sprint. We used to go there at least once a week, as she enjoyed fishing near the river. This time, however, it differed from the leisure trips we took.
A blue light shone behind us before the sound of wood snapping echoed through the air along with a nasty roar. My eyes were glued behind me for a second as a quick jerk from Nene quickly made me focus on the road ahead.
We headed towards where the borders met, at the river she used to fish at. It was between Celnaer, the vampire nation, and Arthion, the human nation. Shrubs after trees, she pulled me along like a rag doll as I somehow didn’t lose my footing.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before we ran into a complication in the form of a big cliff. Usually, we would use a rope to climb down to reach the river, but in our hurry to get out, Nene forgot it. This meant we had to descend it, as a slip would be hazardous.
A soft curse left her lips as she tried to figure out a way for us to get down safely. I held onto her hand tighter, seeing her try to analyze our situation. Suddenly, she yelped in pain, quickly letting go of me.
Instinctively, she reached for her arm, revealing that she had touched something that was stained red.
Is that blood?!
There were many things I was naïve about, especially regarding my power. Even though it had awakened in parts, I couldn’t use it. My father prohibited it, and if I had the ornament he gave me, it remained relatively dormant.
Too dangerous for me, he called it.
“Shit!” Nene cursed, turning towards our attacker as I clasped onto my shirt, darting my gaze toward them.
There stood the vampire from earlier, whose eyes shimmered brightly as she remained in the shade the trees provided.
How did…
“So… I was right to suspect you. Are you working with Cain and Lilith?” Tania coldly questioned Nene.
That’s… Papa’s name.
It triggered us to take a few steps back, only to meet the cliff behind us. There was no escape. Nene hadn’t accounted for the female vampire watching us when she decided to use the sphere to buy us time.
“I-I don’t k-know what you’re t-talking about! We’re running from the beast! You’re the one who attacked me!” Nene tried to stand firm, though her hand trembled.
I held onto my hood tighter, shifting my gaze towards the ridge behind us.
If I slip and fall... I’ll...
Shivers ran down my spine as the tension in the air rose, leaving me feeling like I would crumble under it.
“Don’t pretend to be dumb. I planned to make you bait for that elf, but it seems the arrival of Rem ruined those plans. I already knew you were an eternal witch from one of the villagers; they are rather chatty.” Tania scowled at us. “They saw you stopping time when the girl was crying over a bird that was dying.”
Eh?! Nene… didn’t do that! It was me!
Yet my fear kept me from speaking as knots formed in my throat. Another familiar feeling was growing within. One I didn’t remember knowing before. All I knew was that trouble was brewing, and our escape was closed off.