A Vampire's Sacrifice

The Vampire's Lair

It was clear to Akihito that the person before him wasn't human.

A pair of golden eyes reflected back at him from the shadows. Above the canopy of the forest trees, the moon rose from its slumber, rising up from behind the dark blanket of stormy clouds.

Slowly, the bright light of the wintry moon pushed the curtain of shadows away, revealing a man with ivory skin and hair as black as a raven's feathers. His commanding stature was wrapped in a cloak that seemed as if it was darkness itself.

The man smiled. A pair of sharp canines glistened coldly under the pale light.

Slowly, he approached Akihito.

In the distance, deep within the dark forest, a wolf howled to the full moon.

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Across the forest where the village was situated, there was an antediluvian castle located on a cliff overlooking the forest. Inside the cold stone walls, there lived an old vampire.

In exchange for the rest of the villagers' lives and the protection from other creatures and vampires, the old vampire would select a sacrifice, usually a child. The sacrificial mark would appear somewhere on their body. Once the child reached the age of eighteen, they would be sent to the castle and never be seen again. 

Centuries went by and the old vampire nearly wiped out the village with his demand of a sacrifice every year. Nearing to their wits' end, the village elders met in collusion to discuss fleeing from the anathema when a miracle happened.

A new vampire came and took over the territory. As to how it happened, no one really knew. During the few centuries he had been there, he never requested a single sacrifice and peace finally settled over the village.

Time flowed on like a river, carrying the dreadful memories of the old vampire with them. Overtime, the villagers gradually forgot that vampires even existed.

Until the day the sacrificial mark appeared on Akihito.
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"Ow!"

Akihito's eyes flew open in alarm as something hard slammed against his left side.

Brain foggy with sleep, it took him a minute to realize he was currently on the floor, his legs tangled in the blanket. It seemed that he had once again rolled off the edge of the narrow bed while asleep.

He sluggishly untangled himself as he yawned, and the remnants of the dreams dispelled into the morning air.

The sun was already up and the sound of a faint laughter floating up from below.

He rubbed his shoulder and walked over towards the window, and with each step a metallic chinking noise echoed behind him. As he neared the window, he was abruptly jerked to a stop. He glanced irritatingly at his feet, and saw that the chains around his ankle had twisted together. Akihito clicked his tongue in irritation. At least today would be the last day he would be bound to these chains. He yanked the knot free and took the remaining few strides to the thin slits that served as his window in the high tower. From there, he could just get a glimpse of the village below.

The small houses with smoke rising steadily out of the chimneys; the women bustling around with washings in their arms; the children laughing and running on the lush green grass; the cows grazing at the meadow, flickering their tails every so often; the men readying their weapons to set off to hunt.

It was such a quotidian scene, yet in Akihito's memories, he had never experienced it.

The sound of locks being unbolted brought Akihito back from his thoughts. The thick wooden door that served as the only entrance out of the tower opened with a deep groan.