The Midnight Oath

2 0 0
                                    


In a forgotten manor deep in the forest, an albino vampire waits each night, his beauty ethereal, drawing suitors from all realms—maidens and monsters alike. Though brides come to him willingly, hoping to win his dark heart, they find themselves entranced beyond reason, unable to leave even if they wanted to. His skin, pale as death, glows under the moonlight, and his eyes, an icy blue, pierce like frostbite. But he remains alone, haunted by a prophecy foretelling that only one bound to both the day and night can match his eternity.

Each blue hour, when dusk meets nightfall, he watches from his crumbling tower as a solitary swan with midnight-black feathers lands on the lake near his estate, appearing only for a brief, enchanted moment. Captivated by the swan's grace, he feels a strange pull to it, sensing that this creature alone does not fall under his spell.

But one evening, just as blue hour gives way to darkness, the swan transforms before his eyes, its feathers dissolving into the form of a pale woman with sorrow-filled eyes. She is bound by an ancient curse, turning her into a swan each dusk to escape a fate darker than his own. Drawn to each other's solitude, they share a quiet understanding as she stands barefoot at the lake's edge, her skin touched by twilight.

As they grow closer, the vampire learns that the woman's transformation is part of a dark ritual—one designed to protect her from a sinister force that hunts her every night. The curse only keeps her safe until blue hour fades, and if they are ever to break free of their enchantments, he must decide: to save her, he would need to sacrifice his vampiric powers and face the haunting curse that binds her. But if he fails, she will become a creature of the night, bound to darkness forever, unable to leave his side yet never fully human again.

ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱWhere stories live. Discover now