La Vie En Rose ~An IZ*ONE vampire story~

Prologue - Promise

Somewhere in the forest, in the dark of night, two girls were running with their hands intertwined. One of them had a ring on their finger, the red ruby on it glimmering in the moonlight.

"Hurry!" the short haired girl whispers.

The girl with silvery white hair looked over her shoulder, seeing figures in white robes in the distance.

"Come on!"

The two dashed to an old mansion and ran into one of the bedrooms.

The short-haired girl peered out the window, seeing the men in white robes approaching.

"Chaeyeon, you have to hide!"

Chaeyeon looked at the girl, confused.

"But, Saku..."

"I'll be okay. I can fend them off with my magic. You still can't control your own powers."

Sakura opened up a wardrobe and Chaeyeon stepped inside.

"Once they leave, we can run away from this place. We'll find somewhere we can be together."

Chaeyeon quickly kissed Sakura's lips before she shut the door.

"I love you..."

After she shut the door, she quickly hid herself in the shadows. The door burst open as the white robed men walked inside.

"Find them! They must be hiding somewhere!"

Chaeyeon covered her ears and held her breath. She heard footsteps walking passed the wardrobe, making her heart pound.

A new voice shouts, "What do you think you're doing here?!"

"What the--?!"

*Crash*

"This is mine and onee-chan's home!"

"Nako! Stop!" Sakura shouted as she revealed herself from the shadows.

"There she is! Get the vampire!"

Chaeyeon heard screaming from Sakura and Nako, as well as more crashing sounds, likely from their thrashing about.

Unable to stay still any longer, Chaeyeon burst out of the wardrobe. The bedroom was empty and now cluttered due to the struggle, but she then heard another scream down the hall.

"Saku..!"

Chaeyeon ran out of the bedroom and into the main lobby, seeing Sakura being tackled by one of the robed priests.

"Stop it! Let go of her!" Nako screamed as she fought against the priests holding her back.

"This is the end of you, vampire."

She then saw them lift Sakura up and the head priest ready to stab her in the chest with a silver stake.

"Sakura!"

She tried to run towards her, but was stopped by one of the robed men. She tried to free herself, but could only watch in agony as the man pierced Sakura's chest with the stake.

"NO!!!"

Sakura collapsed to the floor, her blood seeping out onto the floor, red like roses. Nako was crying in pain, calling Sakura's name as she tried to break free from the hold of two other robed priests.

"All of you vampires and witches must suffer the same fate... As Nightlings, your only salvation is to die here."

Chaeyeon, however, stared in shock as Sakura was slowly dying.

"Saku..."

Nako screamed, her fangs growing as the priest doused her in holy water.

"We shall free your corrupted, impure souls and you shall receive divine punishment. If you simply surrender, perhaps the Lord will show you some mercy."

"Shut up, old man!" Nako kicks and screams in pain.

Chaeyeon felt all her senses muddle together, her ears ringing as she saw Sakura reach her hand up to hold her cheek.

She saw her mouth something in a voiceless whisper.

"I'm... sorry."

Then, her hand dropped.

Chaeyeon screamed, a blue energy suddenly erupting from her body.

"She's using her magic! Kill her now!"

A glowing blue rose mark appeared on both her hands and on her chest, marks that appeared similar to thorny vines wrapping around her arms, legs, and neck.

Chaeyeon stood up, pushing the priests to the wall by an unseen force. As they crashed and fell, Nako quickly turned into a bat, flying away and hiding from them.

"Father! The little one got away!"

The Head Priest grits his teeth. "We'll find her later... Take care of that witch!"

Chaeyeon, tears staining her cheeks, walk towards the Head Priest. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground with absurd strength.

"Father, no!"

The man threw holy water onto Chaeyeon's face, making her scream in pain. Her tears turned black and the aura around her shifted to a darker blue.

She held out her hand, an orb of dark energy forming, and threw it at the priest.

The man screamed and fell to the floor, his hair turning white and his eyes glazing over.

"Father!" the female priest glares at Chaeyeon. "How dare you... Cursed witch!"

"M-monster..!"

The male priest picks up the stake and tries to stab Chaeyeon, but she grabs him and pushes him back.

He crashes into the stairs, shattering some of the wood. She slowly approaches him, forming another orb of dark energy in her hands.

"G-get away from me..." he said as she walked towards him. "Don't come near me!"

"If you try anything, I'll kill you!" the female priest said as she reached for the stake.

Chaeyeon slowly turned around, dropping her hand as she saw all of them stare at her in fear.

Then, in a deep, echoing voice, she yelled.

"Leave!"

The priests scream and run out of the room, the female priestess dropping the silver stake. The cold wind blows in as the mansion doors are left open.

Chaeyeon falls to her knees, the aura around her growing dim. She slowly crawls over to Sakura, placing her hand on her chest.

"Sakura... I'll save you... I promise..."

Slowly, a white energy from Chaeyeon's palms became absorbed into Sakura's body, healing her wounds.

However, at the same time, Chaeyeon's white hair turned black. Her vision blurred as she slowly collapsed, fainting next to Sakura.