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Hope you like this chapter
“The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.”
- Edgar Allan Poe 06 – Monsters After seeing the blood, Sae rushed to the training grounds. She would notify her knights on her suspicion that something was wrong. Something was coming, and they had to prepare themselves.
Her fears were coming true. Sae remembered clearly the day she witnessed Princess Jurina’s powers. She had caught only the end of the incident, after she had returned back to the room because she sensed something was wrong, but she could still see the sapphire pupils that shone with frightening power. Most of all, Sae remembered what Jurina had said to Queen Mayu.
“The entire kingdom will fall in the bleaks of despair and tragedy. And you… You will suffer the cruellest of choices that will decide the future of your world.” After then, Jurina had collapsed. Sae had rushed into the room and took Jurina to the doctor’s office. When she looked at Mayu, she could see the utter terror spread across her face. And when Sae looked down, she saw the tiny Princess Jurina in her arms. However, the person before, who spoke of the future, was someone Sae did not know. Thinking of it sent shivers down her spine. The unknown always frightened Sae. However, once Jurina woke, she had no recollection. However, from then, neither Sae nor Mayu spoke of that day. Even when Jurina’s mother died, or when the Queen and King met their tragic end, they did not speak about it because if they were to do such a thing, it would give material to what Jurina had said. However, Sae wondered, was this what Jurina meant?
Suddenly, Sae was knocked back. In front of her was Aika, collapsed on the floor because of the sudden impact.
“I’m sorry Aika.” Sae said, rushing to her side.
Aika did not reply. Panic filled Sae when she noticed Aika had lost consciousness. Quickly, she gathered Aika into her arms. However, when she touched Aika, Sae drew back. It was a familiar sensation. One she had felt before. Aika was freezing cold. Dread filled her. Immediately, Sae put Aika’s mouth close to her ear. She listened. There was no sound. Standing up, Sae sprinted with Aika down to the doctor’s room. She wasn’t going to let another person die.
When Sae reached the doctor’s office, she almost kicked down the door.
“Dr. Ayame!” shouted Sae.
Quickly a woman appeared, carrying a medical kit. She saw Aika in Sae’s arms and immediately led them to the patients’ ward. In the small room, holding four beds with thin curtains around them, Dr. Ayame and a nurse helped Sae put Aika down. Sae stepped back and allowed them space to do their work.
“Nurse, let’s check her vitals.” Dr. Ayame said. “So tell me what happened Sae-san.”
“I don’t know.” Sae hastily said. “I was rushing to the training grounds, not really paying attention, and then I bumped into Aika. The collision was quite hard, but when I gathered my senses, she was on the floor. I saw she was unconscious and then I checked her breathing and…”
Sae trailed off because she didn’t know what was going on. She tried to keep her composure, but it was becoming difficult, especially when it came to her few precious friends. Everything was not making sense.
“Okay, Sae-san. I haven’t found any superficial wounds yet so let me check her pulse.” Dr. Ayame reassured.
The doctor touched Aika’s wrist. Seconds passed, which felt like a decade to Sae. A frown formed on Dr. Ayame’s brow.
“What’s wrong?” Sae asked.
“It’s strange… I can’t feel anything.”
“But that’s impossible.” Sae retorted. “You can’t mean she died? All I did was bump into her!”
“Wait Sae-san. Please calm down. We haven’t done all our checks.” Dr. Ayame hushed. “Let me check once more.”
Dr. Ayame then removed Aika’s scarf, approaching to check her pulse from a different source. However, they both stopped. Sae, to her horror, sees the two huge holes penetrating Aika’s necks.
“What…” Dr. Ayame was lost for words.
Suddenly Aika gasped. It resembled a drowning person who was saved, their first breath desperate and uncontrolled. Then, Aika started to shake violently. Sae watched with horror as Aika started to have a seizure.
“Quick nurse.” Dr. Ayame commanded.
The nurse knew what to do. She quickly brought over a syringe kit. Sae could only stand in utter shock as the doctor pulled out the long needle, attached it to the syringe, and drew a clear blue liquid from one of the vials. Aika continued to groan, creating frog-like demonic croaks as her neck craned in circles like she was searching for something. Her eyes had rolled back into Aika’s head, the whites of her eyes shining in the afternoon light. Horrified, Sae couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her. Finally, with the nurse restraining Aika, Dr. Ayame pierced Aika’s arm with the large needle. Sae observed as the liquid slowly drained into Aika’s bloodstream. Then, like magic, Aika’s noises stopped and her body stopped shuddering. It was peaceful, as if Aika was asleep.
“Sae-san, I don’t know what happened but it would be best if we keep a careful eye on Aika-san.”
However, when Dr. Ayame turned to where Sae was, she found an empty space.
*
Sae sprinted to the library, intent on finding answers to what was happening. As she ran, for some reason, Sae remembered one night at the Capital’s local inn, where she spent talking with her best friend, the innkeeper and barkeep.
“Recently, I’ve heard strange rumours.” said Sayaka, leaning over as if she was telling a secret.
“Please tell.” Sae grinned. She always enjoyed listening the city’s rumours and happenings. It was especially interesting with a jug of ale in her hand.
“Well, recently there have been some rumours about the forests.”
“There are always rumours about that place.” Sae said.
And she understood why. The Pieta forests were deep, dense and seemingly endless. Even skilled navigators have gotten lost in its darkness. There have been ghost stories and scary stories which warned children to never enter the forests. It’s been said that was the hiding place or murderers, thieves and monsters. In addition, that was the place where the bodies of the previous Royal King and Queen were found. How could there not be any stories about the forest. It’s strange how Sae used to call that place home.
“Well this time it’s different.” Sayaka returned. “They say that anyone that enters the forests, especially at night, when they return they seem like they are in a trance. Like zombies. Then after a day, they return to normal but they have no recollection of what they’ve done in the past 24 hours. It’s so strange.”
“Indeed.” Sae agreed.
“They say that there are these creatures that reside in the forest. They only roam in the darkness and they are as nimble and silent as cats. However, one creature is stronger than twenty grown men. And you know what they survive on.”
“What?”
Sayaka drew Sae in closer and softly whispered. “Human blood.” Sae frantically searched the Palace’s vast library. She remembered Jurina was looking at the book only the other day. Suddenly, she recognised the spine of the large volume. Pulling it out, Sae saw how old the book was, the pages yellow with age and the cover withered with use. However, the title still remained shimmering gold.
‘Mystical Beings and Magical Creatures’ Quickly, Sae searched through the book, looking for the identity of the creature that Sayaka described. One page was dog-eared and she glanced at it. It was a section about witches. This was not what Sae was looking for so she skipped past it. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but Sae had a feeling that the events that were occurring within the kingdom were not ordinary. And Sae always trusted her instinct. Her instinct led her to be found by the King of Pieta, who took her in.
Sae was only ten when she was running through the forests. Her feet were bare and bloody, but she continued to run. Sae had forgotten what she was escaping from, but she knew she had to get away. Her thin body was dirty with small cuts and scrapes, and her chest screamed for her to stop. However, Sae needed to get of the forest. She had to leave. Finally, like a burst of fresh air, Sae fell out of the woods. Hit by her sudden exhaustion, Sae collapsed by the road side. She was so tired; she barely heard the sound of a horse carriage ride next to her. She didn’t notice it stop nor did she hear the sounds of someone stepping out and carrying her into the carriage. It was only when Sae woke that she recognised she was no longer outside. She quickly sat up and was about to escape when her body halted her. She ached from top to toe, especially her thin legs that were shattered from running. Suddenly, she saw a man sitting by her side on a simple chair. He was asleep but from his flattering robes, Sae could tell he was important. She wondered why he was there.
“Father.” suddenly called a young voice.
Sae instantly became guarded. The voice grew closer and closer.
“Father.”
Suddenly, a young girl appeared behind the curtain. Sae stared at her. From what she could tell, from her fluttering dress, she was also important and the daughter of the important man. The girl looked at Sae with curiosity.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Sae didn’t answer.
“Oh I forgot. I’m supposed to introduce myself first before asking others.”
The young girl suddenly curtsied. “I’m Watanabe Mayu. And you are?”
“…Miyazawa Sae.” quietly replied Sae.
Mayu smiled. “Nice to meet you Sae. Why are you here? Are you hurt?”
Before Sae could reply, the man arose from his slumber.
“Father!” Mayu happily exclaimed.
Even though he was drowsy, the man happily gathered his daughter into his arms. Sae felt a sudden longing.
The man turned to Sae after a short moment with his daughter.
“So you’re awake. How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Fine.” Sae curtly responded.
The man nodded. “That’s good. I don’t know if you remember, but I found you on the side of the road by the forest. Do you remember why you were there?”
Sae shook her head. She really couldn’t remember. She just recalled her instinct telling her to run.
“Then what of your parents? Your family?”
Sae tried to remember, but she suddenly felt a pang of pain in her temple. She frowned as she tried to ignore it and continued searching her memories. However, the pain intensified. In her mind, her memories of the past day were gone. It was blank. All she could see in the darkness were flashes of pictures of blood and a fallen home. However, she understood that she no longer had her parents.
Sae shook her head. “They’re gone.”
It was just a whisper but it was enough to make Sae realise the truth. She was now an orphan. Suddenly, small arms held her also small body. The then eight year old Mayu tightly embraced Sae, despite her being covered in dirt. Even though her body ached and sensitive through her wounds, Sae did not remove herself.
“It’s okay.” Mayu softly comforted.
Then, Sae sobbed into the Princess’s arms. She cried for her loss and she cried for her parents. She cried because of frustration from her vanished memories and she cried for her uncertain future. Sae no longer had a home. She could not turn back time and she could not change the events that have happened. She could only remember the love that her parents gave her. Sae sobbed with unrepressed despair, because that was all she could do.
She didn’t know how she stopped because Sae thought she could have cried for a lifetime. However, her tears eventually dried and she was a sniffling mess, still in Mayu’s warm hold. All the while, the man quietly watched and offered his sombre respects.
“Sae, I would like it very much if you stayed with us, in the palace.”
Sae stared at the man, surprised. She turned to Mayu who grinned widely, despite crying herself. She wondered who this girl was, who could so easily empathise with Sae, yet was able to comfort her so easily. Sae wanted to be with her for longer.
“Is that okay?” Sae asked.
The man guffawed. It was loud and powerful, like the aura the man commanded.
“I think it should be fine.” he said. “I am the King of Pieta after all.”
At ten, Sae knew what that meant. He was the almighty ruler of the country. That would also mean the girl who was holding her, was the Princess of Pieta. Suddenly, Sae had never felt so blessed and overwhelmed.
Eventually, after formal greetings were exchanged and royal respects were paid, much to the amusement of the King, Mayu and he left to allow Sae to recover and get changed. As Sae undressed, excited to get into clean clothes, she stopped. Sae stared at her leg which was previously covered by her long shorts. There, on her upper thigh, she saw two large bloody holes pierced into her flesh. She wondered what it was. Then, recognition struck in her young mind.
It was a bite mark.
*
Sae rummaged through her closet. In a small box, where she held treasured possessions, she found the old dagger that her father had passed to her. The only thing she carried on that day she ran away. It was made from the legendary old oak tree in the Pieta forests that was said to be over 200 years old. Her father had said that his own grandfather braved the coldest winter nights to reach the tree to fashion this small weapon. It had been passed down along in the family and now it would be hers.
She held it. Sae reminisced how big it felt in her small hands, and how she didn’t really understand how such a thing could be a weapon. Now, she still wondered if she would be able to use it.
However, from what she read in the library, Sae knew she would wield it.
Sae had stared at the pages, decorated with drawings of blood and depictions of black creatures that hid in the dark night.
Vampires are creatures that are neither human nor animal. They are soulless monsters that take human form. They are dead demons that roam the darkest lands. They cannot cry and are cold to touch. They do not have a pulse and they possess inhuman strength. They are quick and cunning, like a feline. However, their only life force is blood, mainly human blood.
The strongest and oldest forms are pure bloods. It is unknown how they originated, but it has also been said that they have roamed the earth with the humans for centuries. Pure bloods have the ability to walk during light hours, even in the summers although they find it uncomfortable and will most likely wear heavy cloaks to shield their sensitive skin. They can also control their victims using psychic abilities. Furthermore, only pure bloods have the ability to turn humans into vampires. By doing this, they feed the victim their own blood. Then, if the victim feeds on human blood within the day of being transitioning, they will too become a pure blood. If not, they become a half-blood.
Half-bloods have the similar characteristics but lack the same amount of strength and ability to protect themselves against direct sunlight. Additionally, if a half-blood were to change a human, then that human would become something that was neither a vampire nor a human. The poor soul would simply be a beast.
It is rare for a person to die from a vampire bite, but victims will show signs of confusion and memory loss. They will appear to be in a trance in the first 24 hours of being bitten. Then, they will return to their original selves once that time has passed, but with no memory of what happened. Bite marks will usually last one week if they are allowed to heal.
However, though they are strong, vampires have a number of weaknesses. First, to truly detect a vampire, you only need the scent of blood. Once they detect the smell of blood, their pupils turn pure black like that of a shark, filled with only the desire to feed. It is unlike their usual honey coloured pupils. Furthermore, they cannot enter an abode unless they are invited. Other weaknesses consist of direct sunlight, fire, and wooden weapons.
To kill vampires, you will need to stake their heart with a wooden weapon and burn their bodies. Vampires can die by being burned alive, but it is far more difficult. It is the same with direct sunlight. Their skin will blister and sore, but long hours of exposure are needed to do any true damage to vampires. In addition, pure bloods can only be killed by weapons made from trees that are older than them. However, all wooden weapons will do harm upon a vampire’s body.“Well, well, if it isn’t the Queen’s little soldier.”
Sae spun round, tucking her dagger into her belt. Stood in her doorway, was Yuki. Instantly, her hand tightened around the handle of her dagger.
“I know what you are.” Sae condemned.
“Oh really?” Yuki replied, wearing an amused expression “Tell me, what am I?”
“A monster.”
Yuki simply laughed. Her flippant attitude outraged Sae.
“I don’t know what you plan to do but I assure you, if you even think of leaving a finger on Lady Mayu, I will kill you.”
“Oh I’m shivering in my grave.” Yuki jeered. “Unless you have proof, there is no way I am leaving the Queen’s side. Not until I draw every last drop of blood-“
Yuki dodged when Sae swung her sword, but it just missed her. She checked her arm, seeing a large gash on her forearm. However, very little blood came from the rather deep wound.
“I knew it.” pointed Sae. “You are a monster.”
“That’s quite harsh from someone like you.” Yuki said, her smile gone. “I know how you really see the Queen. I see the way your dirty mind undresses Mayu. It’s utterly filthy.”
Rage seared within Sae. She had never felt so much anger towards a single being. It was not true. She didn’t see Mayu in such a way. Yes, she loved Mayu, but it was no way impure. She just cherished Mayu more than anything. That was it.
However, if that was all it was, why did Sae feel so guilty?
“Silence you monster!” shouted Sae.
“Have I hit a nerve? The truth always does hurt.”
Sae stood guarded. She was ready to draw out the dagger when Yuki least expected it. She was going to vanquish this entity from the palace, and from Mayu’s life.
“By the way.” Yuki spoke. “That woman you spoke to, the innkeeper. I wouldn’t bother going to see her again. She’s been… disposed of.”
Sae’s blood ran cold. “Sayaka? What have you done to her?”
Yuki simply smirked. Anger clouded her senses and Sae jumped forward, wielding the dagger. However, Yuki disappeared, jumping out of the window. Sae rushed to the window ledge, but Yuki left no trace. Sae cursed at herself. She had revealed her secret weapon and put the lives of the people she cared about in danger. Quickly, she called for a Pieta knight.
“Send a messenger to the Capital’s inn and return to me with a status report of the establishment.” Sae said to a guard. “I especially want word to be passed to Sayaka, the innkeeper. Tell her to keep safe. Close the inn and move away if she has to. It is no longer safe for her to be in the Capital.”
“Understood Commander.”
When he disappeared to complete his task, Sae rushed to the gardens. She didn’t know if Mayu would be there, but she had to warn her of Yuki’s true self as soon as possible.
*
Sae, after running around all day, was grateful for her years of training. Stamina has yet to be an issue and she was putting to the test as she sprinted to the Palace gardens. When she reached the gardens, she quickly spotted the Queen, amongst the nearby rose bushes. However, she was not alone. Fear struck Sae in a way she had never felt before when she saw Mayu standing with Yuki. It was ten folds stronger then yesterday, when she had lost Mayu in the Capital. Mayu was in immediate danger and she had to save her.
Thankfully, Mayu saw Sae and she swiftly retreated away from Yuki and headed to her without any delay. Sae was half expecting Yuki to hold Mayu captive, especially after Sae had discovered the truth. However, it was Yuki showing how little Sae concerned her. Yuki disregarded Sae as a mere pest. She was a weak human, and no matter how many people she gathered, Yuki was still a vampire. A monster.
“What is it Sae?”
Instantly, Sae took Mayu’s hand. Like how she first guided Mayu out of the Palace, Mayu’s hand felt soft in hers. However, Sae had no time to linger on her feelings. Mayu’s safety was top priority.
Once they were at a safer distance, Sae spun round so quickly, it surprised Mayu. She stared up at the taller woman, whose gaze was so deep that Mayu thought she would lose herself in them.
“Mayu, you have to listen to me.” Sae stated intensely.
This was the first time that Mayu could remember which Sae actually addressed her without any title. Something must have happened that was incredibly serious.
“What is it?” Mayu inquired again, her concern building by each moment.
“You are in grave danger. Kashiwagi Yuki. That woman. That
thing. She is a vampire.”
Topic: All Angels - Chapter 06 [14/09/2015] (Read 18460 times)