"One inch into the future is darkness."
It was an old proverb. Because darkness sounded sinister, people often used it to suggest a foul fate lurking ahead, but originally it meant that the future was unknown — whether good or bad, no one could say. But in this line of work, Mélanie thought, the negative interpretation was the more accurate one. Being a vampire hunter meant living with the constant possibility of death — sudden and without warning. It didn't matter if you were a rookie with a future or a hardened veteran; at any moment, you could drop out of the world of the living like stumbling into a hole. It could happen to anyone. Mélanie had spent these past three years on the front lines of vampire extermination dodging such plunges into the abyss. Was her luck a blessing from God or a run of good fortune? Or did it mean she was so lost even the Grim Reaper had forsaken her? Mélanie chuckled bleakly to herself. God and the Grim Reaper where the last things on her mind. All Mélanie could count on were her ever-present companions — knives, vampires and her two partners.
——————————————
Mélanie kept a silent watch. The crackles of the bonfire drifted sharply through a haze of moonlight. She was in the forest outside of the town of Machecoul. The lights of the town not too far away seemed impossibly distant; before her was a dark sky broken by the cold silhouettes of the overhanging limbs of the trees. Mélanie surveyed the darkness that seemed so close. She scanned her surroundings for movement. Her sight and hearing had gotten very keen over the years, though nothing stirred in the forest but leaves in the wind.
"They claim it's the natural order. They're born rich and we're born poor. And that it's just the will of God. It's the natural order for them to get rich by milking us dry with impossible rents and unpayable taxes," declared a youthful voice above the crackles.
Maria Renard, Mélanie's best friend, and the leader of the revolutionaries in their town, was an extremely pretty girl. She had fair skin, emerald-blue eyes, and long, pale blonde hair tied back with a green ribbon. She was in a two-piece outfit of shocking pink with a white, lace frill collar and matching cuffs. Maria was admired by most for being very pretty, among her friends and peers, she was admired for speaking boldly and fearlessly against injustice and tyranny. The light of rebellion flared in her eyes.
"My mother hasn't paid her taxes for years now because she's just too poor," Maria said bracingly. "Sooner or later they'll send around their bully boys. And you all know what I mean by that."
Mélanie knew it as well. It was the reason she stood guard for Maria and her group. The only reason, in fact. Whilst she was sympathetic to the cause, she wasn't a very political creature.
Mélanie retreated away from the band of revolutionaries gathered within the circle of stones, and locked eyes with Richter Belmont, who casually reclined against a tree on the opposite end. He gave her a quick smirk and amused look, perhaps thinking this whole thing was entertaining. He wasn't a very political creature either, but greatly admired Maria's courage, and was more than willing to guard her. Especially if it meant potentially fighting vampires. Richter's family, the Belmonts, had been fighting vampires and other monsters for centuries. Fighting the forces of evil was in his blood.
Neither Mélanie nor Richter were very interested in listening to Maria's speech, but ended up half-listening anyway.
"They thought it would stay like that until the end of time. Well, the king thought it was his divine right to be king, but do you know what happened to him? He's been arrested. The government in Paris has overthrown the monarchy and declared a republic." Maria thrusted her fist in the air.
"To hell with the natural order," she shouted. "No more kings, no more aristocrats! Vive la Révolution!"
"Vive la Révolution!" The crowd chorused, bar Richter and Mélanie. They were more focused on what was around them. Mélanie tensed, reaching into her maroon robes for a throwing knife. Her eyes caught the movement in the trees, circling them. Richter noticed them too, and shot Mélanie a warning look. We've got company.
All of a sudden, three snarling figures leapt into the clearing, landing on the campfire and extinguishing the warm, orange flames — vampires. People gasped as the vampires growled animalistically.
YOU ARE READING
Cloak and Dagger (Castlevania Nocturne x fem oc)
Fiksi Penggemar"What do you want from me? Want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich only child who got anything I wanted. As long as I behaved... and sat still... and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I...
