Red Fang

Prologue, Part 1: Tonight Is Visage Eve

-2021-

-Vermillion Enclave, Transylvania-

Hidden away in the vast forests of Transylvania is a secluded civilization of vampires known as the Vermillion Enclave. Like the vampires you've probably heard about in other novels, TV shows, or movies, they have a natural craving for the blood of others; if they go too long without this sustenance, the result would be something akin to dehydration in regular humans. They are also weak to garlic, wooden stakes, and sunlight, though this last factor is not an issue for our main character.  .....But we will get to that later.

The vampires of the Vermillion Enclave have longed to integrate themselves into normal society and break free of their isolationist ways, but because of digital media conveying negative stigma surrounding vampires---as well as their need to consume blood regularly getting in the way---they have made the tough decision to remain sheltered for the time being; their only contact with the outside world are "hunting trips" where the vampires venture out to other settlements at night to feed on unsuspecting humans.....though they do this very reluctantly.

This bloodthirst curse is one that has plagued the Vermillion Enclave since its conception. Their society hopes to one day be freed from it and not have to depend on it in order to ensure their survival, for it would be a great leap towards improving human-vampire relations. No one—not even the vampires of the Enclave itself—can recall just how long the civilization has existed for. Some say it has been around for hundreds of years, while others say thousands instead. And although the creatures have managed to keep their existence a secret from the outside world for so long, they have so far failed at finding a cure for their ever-persisting lust for blood.

The Vermillion Enclave is led by a royal family: Lord Balfort Ladair, his consort Lady Amber Ladair, their older son Theo Ladair, and their younger son Mason Ladair. At his birth, however, Mason was born with two mutations in his genes.

One of them rendered him immune to the effects of sunlight, enabling him to venture out in the daylight without any risk of burning up and exhibit more human-like behavior than the other vampires. The other, though, made one of his fangs appear a solid red rather than the typical white. Ever since he was conceived, he regularly suffered bullying from some of the other members of the Enclave, being constantly insulted and belittled for his "red fang", despite his status as a member of the royal family.

Lord Balfort Ladair, however, never gave up hope; rather, he saw great potential in his youngest son. He chose him to be his eventual successor because of Mason's sunlight immunity mutation, hoping that Mason would one day give birth to a new generation of vampires that would all possess this defense, too. Although Mason wasn't quite sure what had happened to him to make him be born with these "oddities", he nonetheless learned to embrace them with time as he grew. Meanwhile, being the supportive older brother that he was, Theo Ladair never resented his younger brother even once for supposedly "taking" the throne from him, instead fully supporting his sibling on his path to becoming the Enclave's future ruler. Deep down, he felt that Mason would be a better leader anyway, for the exact same reason that Balfort had; his sunlight immunity mutation.

The year is 2021, and on this jubilant night, the Vermillion Enclave is only a few hours away from the official start of Mason's Visage Eve, a coming-of-age ceremony of sorts for young vampires. It is during this occasion that the child is allowed to choose the form that he or she wishes to take for the rest of their years in the Enclave, and fully completes their transition from a child to an adult. At the stroke of midnight, every vampire in the entire Enclave would gather at the square and watch the child tap into the artifact known as the Bloodstone, which perpetually hovered at the center of town. It is said that the Bloodstone has the ability to sense the thoughts and desires of the vampire that resonates with it—as if it were sentient itself—and that it is the reason for every vampire gaining diverse, unique forms during their coming-of-age celebrations.