Monster

Prologue

(This will probably remain just a prologue for a while, as this isn't my priority for writing at the moment. I just wanted to get the prologue written out after getting the idea. Thanks for reading!)

743 years ago

It had been just like any night, at first. Everyone knew what to do, the precautions to take, what to look out for. It had long been past tradition at this point. It was as accepted and common as cooking, or farming, or any other task that the humans of that village regularly did. Everyone knew to barricade their homes at sunset and hope they would live to see dawn.

They all knew about what hunted them in the darkness.

House Craith ruled over the village, as the head from several generations had gained a monopoly on the farmland. And with the control of the food, soon came control of the wealth, and then control of the village. Thus they had ruled over the entire valley for centuries from the comfort of their impressive manor.

The current head of House Craith, Jonan, was considered a harsh but fair man. He had a strong sense of justice and wasn't known for his mercy, but also wasn't needlessly cruel to his workers. The people closest to him knew that he was surprisingly selfless for such a powerful and rich man. He worked to help the ones he considered his own, even if many of the people in his village resented him for his status. But it was also known that he could be brutal if he thought it would help them. No deal was unbreakable, no word sacred, no god above his own judgement, not if it stood in Jonan's path. He had gained the nickname the Monster of Craith for how he had dealt with enemies and allies alike in the past, when it suited his interests.

But even as powerful as Jonan was, and as strong as his desire to improve his house's standing, he and the rest of the of the people under him were helpless when faced with the real monsters.

It had started with the sound of shattering glass. One of the servants heard this, heading to investigate. He found one of the massive stained glass windows to have been busted open. Judging by the hole, there was some sort of intruder. The servant turned to tell one of the guards, but as he did he discovered there was someone behind him. Before he even knew it, the servant had been thrown to the floor, and the mysterious stranger held his wrist, which had been cut open, over the servant's mouth. The stranger's blood dropped into the servant's mouth.

The servant screamed, but the stranger quickly covered the man's mouth, forcing him to be quiet. But the manor would have heard that. The servant knew that help would come soon. He only hoped it would before whoever this was killed him.

It was at that moment that he noticed the burning in his mouth. For some reason, the blood that had gotten into his mouth had an intense burn, so horrible that the servant was desperate to get rid of it. He tried spitting it out, but with his mouth covered it was impossible, and the stranger's grip was too strong to remove. Desperate, he did the only thing he could- he swallowed.

Instantly, the figure let go, and quickly ran away, disappearing into the dark corners of the large manor. For a moment, the servant wondered about the stranger, about why he had done all of this, and how he had disappeared so easily. But suddenly his stomach convulsed and he found himself coughing violently.