Chapter 1: Cold One

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As the sun began its slow descent below the horizon, casting a fiery palette of reds, oranges, and purples across the sky, a serene hush settled over the land. The world was bathed in the warm, golden glow of the setting sun, and shadows stretched long and dark on the ground. The sky gradually darkened as the stars emerged, one by one, like precious gems scattered across a velvet canvas. The night was approaching, and the world was beginning its transition from day to night. Amidst this natural spectacle, a woman with wavy black hair and porcelain pale skin moved swiftly, her long-sleeved white dress flowing behind her like a ghostly shroud.

Her name was Druella and she was their soon-to-be First Blood queen, fleeing from the Kingdom of Blackthorne Hollow. Her escape was driven by a secret affair she had outside the castle, which had resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. As she ventured deeper into a dark and foreboding forest, a sense of weakness weighed heavily upon her. Each step was a struggle, her heart pounding in her chest as the pain in her stomach grew more acute. She collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, her face contorted in pain. With determination, she crawled forward, her trembling hands clutching the damp earth beneath her. Her mind raced with memories of her last few moments in the kingdom, the need to escape without being seen, the danger of the soldiers who were still scouring the kingdom in search of her. At that very moment, she knew she was about to give birth.

Her cries of pain filled the dark forest as the agony in her stomach intensified. She couldn't stifle her wails, and her voice carried through the night. Minutes later, her body convulsed, and a small, fragile figure emerged from her, a newborn baby. The baby's cries pierced the stillness of the forest as she took her first breath in the world.

Druella lay there, motionless and pale, her strength fading as she had lost a significant amount of blood. With her last reserves of energy, she managed to utter a few whispered words towards her newborn daughter.

Druella: W-Welcome to the world, Princess Araceli.

Her eyes slowly closed, and her heart ceased its feeble beating. In the dark forest, she passed away, her life ending right after giving birth to her illegitimate child, Princess Araceli. Back inside the castle, King Leviathan's patience wore thin as he anxiously awaited the return of his soldiers. With great dismay and a forced veneer of patience, he sat upon his dark throne, pondering the escape of his daughter, Druella. His eyes, stern and cold, scrutinized the soldiers as they entered the grand hall. When the soldiers finally returned, their faces bore signs of exhaustion and frustration.

King Leviathan: With a commanding and stern tone. Well? Have you found Druella and my unborn granddaughter?

Soldier #1: No, no trace of them, sire.

Soldier #2: We practically searched every inch and corner of this kingdom, but nothing...

King Leviathan: He stood up. Where could they have gone?! Don't tell me it's possible they had fled into the human world...

Soldier #2: That's most likely where they escaped to...

King Leviathan: If that's the case, don't rest until you find them...Especially the child Druella is carrying.

King Leviathan: My granddaughter needs to learn of her royal blood one day.

King Leviathan: I cannot bear the weight of not knowing where our First Blood princess roams.

In the depths of the human world, far from the prying eyes of her vampiric royal lineage, young Araceli had to learn to fend for herself at an incredibly young age. Alone and abandoned, she roamed the unfamiliar terrain, her survival instincts driving her to feed on human blood to sustain herself. One evening, the little vampire girl was walking quietly through the dim streets of a suburban neighborhood as her small figure moved cautiously forward. As she continued her solitary journey, two sketchy-looking middle-aged men approached her. Their intentions remained unclear, and the uncertainty of the situation hung heavily in the air.

Guy #1: Hey little girl...How come you're out all by yourself? Didn't someone teach you to not run away from your parents?

Guy #2: Don't be afraid of us...We'll help you find your way back to mommy and daddy.

Young Araceli: No, stay back! Get away from me...

Guy #1: Oh, you don't want us to get angry, sweetheart...Be a good girl and come here!

The men were driven by their own dark motives, and continued to advance. As they took a few more steps toward her, Araceli knew she had no choice. With a combination of her supernatural powers, she unleashed a torrent of energy, freezing the men in their tracks and inflicting intense pain upon them. They felt a gush of pain piercing through their bodies as they fell to the ground as she immobilized them. And when she was certain they posed no further threat, she took a sip of their blood as it poured from their necks.

Young Araceli: She thought to herself. Ahh, so tasty. I feel satisfied during dinner...

Young Araceli: On the inside. Humans are such fools...It's not a bad world to be in after all...

A decade had passed since Araceli's birth, and during that time, she had grown both in appearance and power. Her raven hair had darkened even further, cascading like a waterfall down her back, and her green snake-like eyes were indeed as mesmerizing as ever. She bore a striking resemblance to her late mother, Druella, with her ethereal beauty, but there was something slightly more dangerous about her appearance. A hint of malevolence that lurked beneath her surface. To anyone who encountered her, Araceli seemed like a sweet angel, her innocent charm able to captivate and enchant those who crossed her path. But beneath that facade, laid the wicked heart of a devil, rebellious and fiercely determined, much like her mother had been when she was alive. Her motives were clear: survival and the seduction of human adults, particularly grown men, whom she lured into the darkness before murdering them.

On a Halloween night, as the full moon hung in the inky sky, Araceli rose from her coffin inside a dark, cold mansion. She had spent months hibernating through the summer, conserving her strength and feeding off the memories of past victims. But with the changing seasons and the lure of Halloween spirit, she felt invigorated and ready to venture out once more.

The world beyond her mansion beckoned, and she yearned to prey upon new victims, her thirst for blood and the thrill of the hunt driving her forward.

Araceli: She said to herself. At last...Summer is over. Hibernation sucks when nature is sizzling hot like broiled fish on a grill...

Araceli: On the inside. Hello, darkness...Here I come. Your favorite night slave is back.

As you didn't know, my name is Araceli...a huntress of the night and the coldest b*tch you'll ever meet.

The dark and cold have always been my biggest company as I dread the morning sun and smell of daisies.

But it's no easy task to destroy me once you're in my sight...Garlic and silver don't do sh*t to me.

Oh, you're wondering about the portrait hanging up on the wall behind me?

Fear not, this house used to belong to a wealthy family who took pity upon seeing me alone and friendless...

Many still want to believe they've gone missing during a vacation, but the truth is...they're dead.

I'm the one who ate up their lives and buried their bodies 6ft under the backyard.

Now you might think I'm bad, but I don't care.

I'm like a lion that never sleeps while hunting...

People think they're getting a sweet-tongued angel upon crossing paths with me...

But once I get them wrapped up in my wrath...I charge like a warzone.

Hearing them cry and beg for mercy does nothing but insatiate my survival needs.

Araceli: She said to herself. Gotta go out and get f**ked up for tonight.

Araceli: On the inside. Let's see who will be my next toy to break...

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