Blood Petals ➢『KTH Vampire!AU』

✿ PROLOGUE ❀

I walk along the dense forest, parting the grass which came up to my height as I go. The sun was up high in the sky when I stepped into the forest. As soon as I enter the dark, gloomy forest, I lose track of both time and direction. I don't know how long I've been walking or where I am standing.

"I shouldn't be surprised. It is known as a forest that leads people stray"

As a hunter, I'm used to trekking through forests. However, the Idora Forest is different. I've never entered this far into this forest before. With gentle hands I softly touch my partner's back. He is a wolf.

"Bear, do you sense anything strange?"

His name is Bernhard, but I usually call him Bear. He is almost as big as a bear, but braver than one. I trust him deeply as my partner. Bernhard looks at my face and snorts.

"Sorry for making you come with me, but I have to go there"

The place I'm searching for should be right where the forest ends. I don't know for certain if it's really there or not. That is because nobody in the village has actually seen it.

A castle for vampires. The den of evil. That's how the villagers explain it. I don't have a choice. I need to find it and step into that castle. Not only do I have to step in it, I have to come back safely. It's for the sake of my mother and sister waiting for my return at home.

On my way out of the house, my sister Alissa looked up at me from her bed, her face full of worry. She was born frail and she was often left bedridden. Recently, her health had been declining rapidly and she spent most of her days confined to her bed. "(y/n), do you really have to go?"

"Don't look so worried. I'll be fine, Bear is coming with me"

"...Okay. Bernhard, please take care of (y/n) for me" Alissa stretched out her hand and gently petted Bernhard on the head. "I'm sorry for not being able to help. I'm causing you and Mother trouble all the time"

"Don't you dare say that. Neither Mother nor I could live without you. It's you that keep us going" I placed my hand on my sister's pale cheek. "...I promise I'll come back"

Alissa broke a smile and giggles "I'll be waiting for you"

My mother stepped out of the house to see me off. She whispered into my ear so that my sister couldn't hear her. "(y/n), I'm sorry for making you do all the hard work"

"It's fine, Mother. Everything will be alright. You can count on me!" something clicked inside of me and I quickly took something that I just received from the village chief. "Here. I just received this medicine from the village chief. It should hold for a while" I gave her the bag of medicine.

"Thank you, (y/n)"

"If I were a better witch, I would've been able to make it myself..."

Our family has born witches for generations, and my grandmother was one as well. I ended up inheriting powers instead of my mother, but I could only make simple medicine. If I could only make an actual magical potion, I might have been able to cure my sister.

"(y/n), take care of yourself"

"I will!" I left my sister in my mother's hands and entered the forest with Bernhard.

How long have I been walking around the forest now? No matter how much I walk, I see no signs of a castle.

"Bear, can you smell anything?" Bernhard twitches his nose, but he looks at me with a helpless expression.

"What am I going to do?" I breathed a heavy sigh and decided to take a rest at a nearby tree trunk. "Bear, let's rest for a bit" I the take out a piece of dried meat and give it to him.

"Bear, did you know? It's a story from a long time ago. There used to be many demons in this forest and they used to attack humans. A castle where vampires lived stood at the end of the forest and controlled the demons. The villagers feared the demons and blamed the castle for everything that led our village to this mess" Bernhard quietly listens to me with a serious expression on his face.

"The villagers then decided to attack the castle. In the middle of planning their assault, a witch stopped them and headed to the castle all by herself. That was my ancestor Tatiana. She never came back to the village, though. A letter eventually arrived, saying that humans and demons made a pact to never step foot in each other's territory. After that, the demons disappeared from the forest. The forest became a maze, and nobody was able to find the castle again. It has been 500 years since..."

I take out my canteen and take a sip of water.

"I wonder if there really is a castle...Do you want some?" I pour some water into my palm for Bernhard to drink. He licks the water out of my hand. Then suddenly, his ears perk. He scowls and starts growling lowly. I stand up and calmly prepare for an attack. The leave from the trees rustle loudly. I hear an animal howl in the distance, along with an earthquake-like rumble.

"Bear, let's go!" I softly pat him on the neck and step deeper into the forest.