Obscurity

𝔖𝔦𝔵𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔥 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯: in the depths of Lan Zhan's past ☾end☽

Zhu Yilong was reading a book. His upright posture with crossed legs majestically fit his 'librarian' appearance, features scowled but embellished with round glasses. On the other hand, Xue Yang slumped on the window's ledge and hummed while tapping his finger on the glass, disinterested.

Zhu Yilong was accountable for storing books by their alphabetical importance. And to value its significance, Zhu Yilong had to read them all. With endless hours of muscle strain came glasses, which enhanced his already rough features. Xue Yang, due to his feral personality, was given the task of schooling fellow vampires. From hunting prey, collecting and storing blood to simply uncovering their hidden magic.

An individual vampire not only was given powers to modify their body but was also gifted with a unique talent. The older he was, the more powerful he became.

Elderly vampires like Zhu Yilong and Xue Yang were already at their top peak. Yet, a vampire-like Lan Zhan, who not only harbored the title of being an elder but also a pureblood, could master unimaginable powers accumulated into one body.

Lan Zhan stayed further away from the two, paying no mind to Xue Yang's unnecessary buzz, dealing with authority parchments. Every year, a mortal would deliver a treaty of cooperation. And every year, Lan Wangji would sign it with a seal of his blood.

Those five hundred years of segregation were like a drop of strong vinegar into a cake. The first piece was sweet and alluring, making you want to try more. Followed by the first, came bitter with strong convulsions of your taste buds. After some time, bitter was replaced by insipid with a nasty aftertaste to it. The more you consumed, the stronger you reacted to it. That's how Lan Wangji felt in isolation. At first, he was satisfied, but soon enough, it became boring.

Almost half a millennium passed when Lan's vampires were cruelly killed. Justice was served. Now former mortals roamed under Lan Zhan's reign with their genes mutated. Living like entities they so despised. And in all honesty, Lan Zhan couldn't bring himself to hate all the earthly creatures. It may be his long-forgotten youthful, innocent self. Or it may be his curiosity to observe human life and enjoy the festivities they created.

As years passed even centuries, Lan Wangji secretly slipped into expanding towns of humans' and without realizing it, envied them. The strong pull of living as a human entangled him, and the extinguished fire was newly ignited. Lan Zhan could only blame his parents for it. They were the reason Lan Zhan loved humans that much. The glass of hate in Lan Wangji's heart slowly shattered into tiny pieces and got replaced by interest.

He formed a new alliance with the living. The treaty of cooperation, which was sent every year, was the official contract to it. Humans would keep away from the magical forest, and vampires would not kill without reason. Both parties handled breach of contract in their own ways.

Suddenly, the three vampires in the room stalled and raised their heads in unison. Just when Xue Yang fixed his position from slumped to upright, the doors to Lan Zhan's office burst open.

Two vampires followed one after the other; the one at the front dragged an unconscious woman, and the one following from behind held two on his shoulder, "Leader, we found an unconscious human in the woods, and these two are vampires... Sadly, already dead."

Lan Zhan's eyes widened when he looked down at the woman. The chair he sat on moved back. He lowered himself down and tilted the woman's chin upwards.

"Li Qin." undertoned Lan Zhan. When he fixed himself back up, he spoke in a passive tone, "Bury these two next to the others." His yet tricky to discern peer stayed fixed on Li Qin, "Leave her here."