by Gloria Dark
“Adrian!” Leticia was surprised to see her brother.
“Sister?” Adrian replied with a cold gaze. Although he was younger then Leticia, he was the strongest member of the family, as well as Eden’s father for the third time in a row, “Are you feeding him with lies again?”
“What do you mean?” Leticia sat at the glass coffee table and glanced outside the rainbows hitting the window.
“Do you really believe he’s so special?” Adrian laughed sarcastically, “You’re wrong! He’s nothing more than a curse!”
Adrian turned to face Eden.
“Did you hear me, Gracious? Everyone’s sick of you!” Adrian hissed, showing his large fangs.
“Adrian!” Leticia sent her brother a warning glare, “He’s just a boy!”
“For now.” Adrian replied coldly, sitting down in a chair across Leticia’s seat, “When he remembers who he is, Eden will train you like a dog again, and all your music lessons will go to the Underworld because they mean nothing to him!”
Suddenly, Adrian’s eyes narrowed on his sister’s graceful hands holding the pendant of her necklace.
“Or is that what you’re trying to achieve?” he roared, “It looks like you’re trying to make him remember everything!”
Adrian stood up again and ripped the violin out of Eden’s hands, breaking it in two halves. Eden started to cry immediately.
“You know what I think?” Adrian groaned, “I think he’s just acting! Usually, he remembers everything by the age of five! It takes him suspiciously long to remember things this time!”
“Father, why?” Eden cried, unable to understand the anger.
“Don’t you dare to call me your father!” Adrian made a disgusted face.
“Adrian, please…” Leticia was running out of tolerance. “Perhaps, this is his chance to live a normal life! He hasn’t remembered anything, maybe he won’t? He could grow up like the rest of us!”
“It’s impossible to tame a monster like him!” Adrian shouted out, pointing his sharp nails at the boy. “I don’t want to play a pony for him while he pretends to reign over the world!”
“Have you forgotten who made our family wealthy? Have you forgotten the reason why everyone, including the Elderly respects and fears our name?” Leticia defended the boy, “Have you ever considered that he might be in pain? His broken soul is restless for centuries, and you look down on him as if he were an enemy! He has always protected us, and this is how you thank him?”
“The only thing that hurts him is boredom, Leticia! Boredom is his only enemy, and we are unlucky to always be in the way when he has nothing else to toy with!” Adrian shouted loudly.
Another feminine figure walked into the room, dressed in a skin-tight dress made of red lace, barely hiding her breasts. Her slim legs stepped forwards gracefully, complimenting her high heels. She flipped her black hair over the shoulders and wrapped her arms around Adrian’s waist, gazing into his eyes like a fox. She was the youngest women in the family, Eden’s mother, Loren.
“Why don’t you two stop fighting and pay some attention to me?” the woman moved her red lips, pronouncing each word slowly on purpose. “And I don’t want to talk about Eden Gracious.”
“Maybe it’s not even him, and you actually got pregnant for real?” a voice similar to Loren’s appeared next to Eden.
A woman with Loren’s face sat down on the floor next to the boy, dressed in black leather trousers and a white blouse, frills covering her neck and wrists. Unlike Loren, her body was fully covered, but her black hair cut short. Both sisters stopped ageing by the age of twenty-three.
“I would never confuse any child with him, Lotteline!” Loren replied to her twin sister, “It’s impossible not to recognise Eden! Look at his face!”
Eden looked at his mother with tearful eyes, but Lotteline wiped them away with a kind smile.
“I’m planning to take the boys for a hunt today!” Lotteline announced, “Would you mind, Leticia?”
“Not at all. Eden is always ready, and by the looks of his eyes, I’d say he could do with some food!” Leticia glared at Adrian and Loren disapprovingly.
“Not a chance!” Adrian warned, pointing his fingers at Lotteline. “You’re not training him!”
“Perfect, I’ll let you know how the hunting goes!” Lotteline took Eden’s hand and left the room.
“I’m his father, and I will decide when he goes hunting!” Adrian shouted.
“I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with him a second ago!” Lotteline shouted from the hallway, whistling cheerfully, “You were right, Adrian! He’s nobody’s child! He’s the oldest member of our family who’s temporarily shorter than the rest of us! You’re just scared to be the second strongest after the god awakens!”
“Seriously, Leticia!” Adrian turned to his sister when the annoying girl was gone, “We must end this miserable cycle! Eden has been my brother, my nephew, my son, for the third time already! I’ve lost the count of how many times this demon has reborn!”
“I wouldn’t care if he were the lord of the Underworld!” Leticia hissed, her long fangs flashing in the light, “I’d follow him regardless of his deeds! Maybe you’ve forgotten who saved your life when you were just a starving kid, but I’ll never forget why I’m able to sit in this glass throne a thousand years later!”
While the superior fon Vorigans argued, Lotteline and Eden walked outside their house. Another boy waited for them at the entrance, dressed in a frilly blouse and black trousers like a vintage doll. His youthful skin enjoyed the raindrops, but they made his golden hair stick to his face. Some of the strands curtained over the dark blue eyes.
“Kastian!” Eden ran to the older boy, feeling excited about his cousin’s presence.
Kastian was five years older, but he always treated Eden like an equal.
Next to Kastian, there were two servants, both dressed in black latex suits. Both of them had human bodies and faces, but their ears were fluffy, and so were their long tales. There were black chokers around their necks with fon Vorigan symbol engraved into the pendants.
“Hello, kittens!” Lotteline patted both of her male servants, “Is everyone ready for a ride?”
“I think it’s a perfect day for adventures!” Kastian reached his arms up to catch the rain.
“Exactly!” Lotteline sounded excited as she unchained a pendant of the servant’s neck and rubbed it in her fingers.
The pendant formed into a transparent ball, and the girl threw it up in the sky. The ball expanded, lighting up with a blue shimmer around what seemed like the borders, turning into a translucent giant bird.
“Wow!” both boys expressed their admiration at the same time.
“What do you think?” Lotteline asked proudly, “It’s Orxa X -the newest model of the Stormbirds!”
“Stormbirds?” Eden asked quietly, his voice shy.
“Oh, the Strombirds are machines meant for flying. Orxa X is the newest model, specially designed to carry multiple passengers!” Lotteline explained, “Our entire family could fit there!”
“I’ve heard they are manufactured in Jitoshizu, the hidden human city!” Kastian added, “Have you ever heard of it? There are rumours about the city, but nobody really knows where it’s located, and it doesn’t display on the map either!”
Eden looked at the giant bird with surprised eyes. He could see Olendalia through the bird’s body, but the blue light around its frame made it visible.
“Do we sit inside it or on its back?” Eden asked, blushing with the embarrassment.
“Either way!” Lotteline smiled.
“Can we sit on the top?” Eden pointed at the bird’s head.
“It doesn’t look too safe at the top…” Kastian glanced at the machine.
Lotteline reached her hand up, and the bird lowered it’s head, allowing her to climb up. Her servants turned into cats and jumped into her lap, but Kastian sat Eden on top of the bird first, then climbed up himself.
&nbs
p; A blue light appeared around them, tying around their bodies like holographic belts. Ensuring everyone was safe, Lotteline swiped her palm over the bird’s head, and it turned into a screen displaying a globe.
“The Sleeping Woods, please,” Lotteline said to the globe, and it highlighted the location, displaying a hologram of the map just above the bird’s head.
Eden eyed the map with big eyes full of wonders.
“I love these technologies! I don’t understand how the ancient vampires could survive without them!” Lotteline giggled, swiping away the map to turn it off. “Up we go!”
The Stormbird spread its transparent wings and pushed itself up in the sky. Swiping its wings gracefully, it flew over the city, opening new views.
Eden looked down at his feet. At first, he felt uncomfortable to see trees through the machine as if he were floating in the sky on his own, but Kastian reassured him to feel safe. The cat servants, on the other hand, were so scared they dug their nails into Lotteline’s trousers.
“Can you see the picturesque scene?” Lotteline asked, noticing that the rain had stopped, clearing the sky.
Eden closed his eyes and opened his hands wide, pretending to have wings. He enjoyed the soft breeze, playing an unknown melody quietly with his voice.
Suddenly, a faint memory crossed the boy’s mind as if he had already flown before. The vivid picture made Eden open his eyes in surprise. The skin between his shoulder blades started to itch, and it made the boy glance over his shoulder.
Eden jumped in surprise when he noticed a black wing dazzling with silver shimmer. When the boy blinked, the wing dissolved like an illusion.
“Are you okay?” Kastian asked casually.
“I think I fell asleep for a moment.” Eden thought about the strange vision, but his attention got swept away by the beautiful ball-shaped capsules spreading across a circular field. “What’s that?”
“We’re above the Punishment Circle. It’s where most of the criminals are imprisoned if they cannot be tamed otherwise.” Lotteline explained, trying to find the right place to land.
The Strombird lowered, landing between the Life Capsules. Lotteline and her servants jumped off the bird immediately, then helped the younger boys to get off too.
“Why here?” Kastian pointed at the prisoners.
“We cannot land in the Sleeping Woods. It would cause the trees to move, plus, no technologies work there. I already tried!” Lotteline grinned. “Crashed my first Stormbird. I was lucky to find the way out!”
Lotteline’s cats took human forms, standing by her side like guards. Eden glanced at their furry ears with amusement. Although many cat-like servants obeyed their family, Lotteline’s seemed free-spirited. Happy.
“Follow me, boys!” Lotteline climbed over the ruined fence to lead her tiny army into the Sleeping Woods, whistling cheerfully.
Kastian followed her immediately, but Eden stopped, to glance at the dark-swirling Life Capsule whispering something in a voice of the wind.
“Eden, come here!” Kastian waved at the boy from the woods.
Without listening further to the snaky whispers, Eden followed his cousin.
A thick fog embraced the drowsy trees, making it harder to see the surroundings. Lotteline led the boys dangerously deep into the forest to find a perfect spot. When she stopped, one of her servants pulled a red handkerchief out of his bracelet. Lotteline touched the fabric, whispering a spell, and the tissue turned into a large picnic blanket.
Eden tried to reach his itchy shoulder blades, watching the servants set the blanket over the soft moss. Lotteline noticed the boy’s attempts to scratch himself and helped to do it for him. Unlike other family members, Lotteline was never demanding, she never shouted.
When everything was ready, she invited the boys and her servants to join her on the comfy blanket to discuss the rules.
“As you already know, rain weakens vampire senses.” Lotteline explained, “This is why I decided to take you both hunting while the weather is bad and you’re hungry.”
Lotteline pointed at the mist, the enchanted trees and the possibly dangerous birds.
“We are fon Vorigans, and we’re not afraid of a challenge!” Lotteline continued, “Let’s consider this a game! You’re surrounded by dangers, and the most animals you could hunt are probably hiding somewhere warm. Your task is to bring me a trophy of your prey before the sunset. The best trophy defines the winner!”
“Will there be a prize for the winner?” Kastian’s eyes lit up, eager to gamble.
“Of course!” Lotteline grinned, “However... If you bite your prey, make sure to kill it. Our venom is very powerful, it can cause great suffering to our victims.”
“I don’t understand.” Eden blushed. “I thought venom makes the victims feel pleasure to stop them from resisting the bite…”
“You’re right, it does!” Lotteline patted the boy’s shoulder, “However, it works only on those races that are suitable to be turned into vampires. To them, venom works like a pleasant drug, it lures them back to the pureblood that bit them. However, most animals cannot be turned. To any race that cannot become our kind, venom is a proper poison that kills them slowly.”
“Are there any vampire animals?” Eden asked curiously.
“No,” Kastian replied, “the Elderly hunts them down because they cannot be controlled. They are too wild, and they serve no purpose!”
“What will be the winner’s prize?” Eden asked.
“Once you come back well-fed and full of energy, you can hunt me!” Lotteline grinned.
“But that’s not even legal!” Kastian laughed.
“Well, we can keep it a secret then!” Lotteline teased.
“Why would we want to hunt you?” Eden asked.
“To taste my blood, of course!” the girl smiled kindly, pointing at her wrist.
“But why? You’re a vampire.” Eden made a face. “You’re not our parent either. Vampires don’t eat vampires unless they are pureblood children!”
“Oh, you’re incredibly wrong. Everyone is incredibly wrong, actually!” Lotteline replied, her gaze becoming distant. “Have you ever heard the legend about the ancient purebloods?”
Both boys shook their heads at once.
“If you each bring me a trophy by the sunset, I will tell you the legend after the hunt is over!” Lotteline promised, placing two fingers over her forehead as an ancient symbol of wisdom and honesty.
“What if one of us loses?” Eden poked the moss.
“If you lose, I will rub it in your face for the rest of your life!” Lotteline grinned playfully. Unlike other purebloods who had stopped ageing, Lotteline had never lost her childish sense of humour. Her smile always remained youthful.
It started sprinkling, and the servants created a transparent shield over their master’s heads. Only the boys were left without a cover.
The hunt began. Kastian and Eden both run deeper into the forest, trying to find suitable prey to complete their task. Lotteline stayed on the picnic blanket with her servants, playing some cards for the entertainment.
Eden had never been in the Sleeping Woods, but he felt familiar with the surroundings as if he had visited the place hundreds of times. Unfortunately, it was hard to find any animal. After wandering deep through the woods, Eden knelt down and closed his eyes, inhaling the air deeply. His head cocked sideways, his ears searching for a sound. Anything that could give away a heartbeat.
At first, he could hear only tiny sprinkles of the rain, hitting against the trees. Most sounds were loud and harsh, but there were also places where the drops landed incredibly softly as if sliding down the fur. Finally, the boy heard a faint beat, surrounded by many other beats.
Focusing on the dynamic rhythm of the hearts, Eden followed the sound. To hide his steps not to scare away the animals, the pureblood created translucent energy platforms to appear under his feet wherever he stepped. They disappeared behind each step and appeared before the next one. The boy�
�s footsteps became mute.
Suddenly, a faint shiver went down Eden’s spine. The scent that he couldn’t feel before because of the rain became clear. The boy froze, glancing around carefully.
“Death’s wolves…” the boy whispered to himself, watching a large pack of wolves sitting in a field behind the shrubs. All of them had silver furs apart from one. The alpha male was thoroughly black, only his red eyes sticking out of the dark. He was much larger than any of the wolves, and the rest of them seemed to fear him.
Eden considered hunting one of them down, but he knew not to be foolish to stand alone against an entire pack of the wildest animals. Instead, he backed off as quietly and carefully as he could. To hide his own heartbeats from the wild ears, the pureblood made his energy platform expand like a ball-shaped shield around his body.
Using excessive amounts of magic made Eden’s hunger stronger. His regenerative abilities slowed down, making his body vulnerable if anyone attacked. His eyes turned the most toxic shade of pink, illuminating brightly.
The energy shield disappeared, and Eden fell into the moss. His heart raced, fearing the Death’s wolves, but they were too already. It was getting darker, and the boy was running out of time. He couldn’t waste his energy either. He had to find a worthy trophy, and he had to do it fast.
Eden sat down, allowing the rain to wash away his anxieties. He took a deep breath, remembering everything Leticia had said to him during his music lessons. Although the boy failed to understand why she always caused him headache on purpose while he plaid the violin, it all suddenly clicked together like matching puzzle pieces. Leticia tried to replicate the hunger. Her music lessons weren’t just about the music. They were constant training to prepare the boy to control himself, to tame the hunger.
Eden inhaled deeply once more. When he opened his eyes, they no longer simmered. Instead, his gaze took its natural dark purple tone, and the boy no longer felt any hunger. He had to get a trophy, and it had to be perfect.
Kastian had already caught a bird, bringing it back to Lotteline while whistling cheerfully. When the girl noticed him with a trophy, she gave him approving applause.
