BLOODLUST SERENADE (vol1)

THE UNHOLY PACT

Three nights prior, Ether had escaped the Church's suffocating grasp, slipping away like a phantom into the darkness. The moon had hidden behind veil-like clouds, aiding her flight.

The memories of the epidemic still haunted her. The Church's inaction, their callous disregard for human life, had ignited a fire within Ether. She recalled the countless deaths, the pleas for help ignored, and the Church's hollow prayers.

As a medic nun, Ether had tended to the dying, but the Church's restrictions had shackled her. They prioritised dogma over compassion, condemning the afflicted to suffer. The final straw came when the Church elders refused to aid a dying child, citing "God's will" as justification.

Ether's faith shattered. She realized the Church's hypocrisy and corruption had no place for true compassion. That night, she abandoned her holy vows, vowing to find a new path, one where she could truly help those in need.

She traversed treacherous landscapes, avoiding detection by Church zealots and vampire patrols. Her heart pounded in her chest, fueled by determination and desperation.

After three grueling days, Ether reached the border of the Vampire Realm, the castle of the infamous Crusnik Vampire Noble looming before her. Ravens perched atop the battlements, their eyes glowing like lanterns in the night.

As Ether pushed open the creaky door, the ravens' cacophony echoed through the abandoned castle's halls, announcing her arrival. The dimly lit room swallowed her whole, but her determined gaze pierced the shadows. Before her stood the infamous Crusnik Dark Lord, Errick Rey.

Errick, the overpowered scion of the Royal Clan, wielded the primordial spirit of vampires, a power inherited from the first vampire, Auris. This legacy, passed down through the ages, held a 0.1% chance of manifestation among over 100 million vampires. Errick was the rarity among rarities, the strongest among the strong.

His reputation preceded him: the Mad Vampire who slaughtered his royal family at the tender age of 12. Feared by all, Errick's gaze struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest warriors. None dared meet his eyes, yet Ether stood before him, her emerald gaze flashing with defiance.

Ether's eyes widened, drinking in the vampire's chiselled features and piercing gaze. His raven-black hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall of night, framing his angular face. Errick's eyes, like polished onyx, sparkled with curiosity.

Rumours of his advanced medical knowledge had drawn Ether to this forsaken place. Desperation drove her to seek out the notorious vampire, despite her disgust for his kind. The Church's inaction during the epidemic still seared her soul.

"I've come for your expertise," Ether said, her voice unwavering, like a challenge. "Teach me your medical secrets, and I'll offer my blood in exchange."

Errick's eyebrow arched, his expression a masterful blend of amusement and irritation. "How impudent of you to enter my domain and order me around." His gaze lingered on Ether's defiant face, her porcelain skin aglow in the faint candlelight. "Yet, your audacity is... captivating."

Errick's gaze lingered on Ether's defiant face. "What drives a nun to abandon her vows and seek out a monster like myself?"

Ether's eyes flashed with determination. "The Church's inaction during the epidemic taught me that true compassion requires action, not prayer. I seek power to heal, to protect those the Church abandoned."

Ether's disdain for vampires rivalled her disgust for the Church. She recalled the screams of the dying, the stench of death, and the Church's callous indifference. Her eyes flashed with determination, her slender fingers clenched into fists. Errick's gaze lingered on Ether's defiant face. A slight change in his expression betrayed his surprise.