As the Vampire Realm prepares for battle against a mysterious enemy, the city's captiol is thrown into mayhem once the lost Princess returns to reclaim her throne. There's just one small problem, the Princess is human.
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The tune is soft, and oh so faint, like a whisper of some forbidden secret. I strain to focus on the glorious sound. The first sound, I have heard since my own screams. A symphony, that I cling to, that I take from. I use it as my catalyst. Something else to focus on, besides the absolute nothing. I want to hold it close, never let it go. It has stirred something inside me, awakened something.
My eyes open to a flurry of distorted shapes, and colours. Gradually, everything comes to a sharp focus.
A strangled cough leaves my lips and water spews from my mouth. I struggle for air, absolutely starved for it. Like, I haven't taken a breath in ages.
I am encased within a glass coffin. It floats in the center of a marble fountain, full of desolate grey waters.
Shaking hands reach up to the cool interior of glass above me, I realise they are my own. With a single shove, the casing falls back on creaky hinges. I take my first breath of air, and I feel serenity.
The smell of earth welcomes me. There's an echo of water dripping on rock. Looming above me, is the roof of a cave. It is vast, making me aware of how small I am in comparison. Jutting from its ridges, are large crystal spears. Hundreds of them, in various lengths, they glow a luminescent green. White stone walls bend and twist at odd angles. Symbols, have been carved into them, a forgotten language. This space has an aura that feels as old as time. Time.
The word makes me bolt up. I gasp at the remembrance of The Void. I never want to go back, I place a hand over my heart. I can feel it beating erratically. Be calm, I think to myself.
A pocket sized book flutters from my chest, disturbed by my movement. My lap cradles it's fall. Gingerly I reach for it, turning it over in my hands. The black leather cover has softened and become delicate, like it can tear at the slightest tug. The title has been worn out. I run my fingers over the cover feeling indentations of letters. Two words, one under the other. My forefinger recognises an L in the first. Below it, I trace an I then an E. I can't make sense of the discovery, and resolve to visit it later on.
Fire flickers, and dances on a wooden post. The torch outlines the rim of the fountain, and the flames allow me to see what's beyond.
Several arched doorways, each leading to a different path, all obscured in darkness.
My movements are awkward, as I stand on unsteady feet. A rip of fabric startles me, and I glance down at my body. I am dressed in a gown of white that doesn't seem to fit. A collar made of tightly woven frill constricts my neck. Sheer sleeves stop at my elbows, their seams have been ripped. Thread, streams like cobweb to my hands. Distressed fabric slopes around me, pooling just below my knees. Dismal bows droop in pairs along the edge of the gown. My body has most certainly outgrown this cloth, I feel confined. But for now, this will have to do.
