Samantha's weak knees immediately gave in as she sank to the ground in front of the young Vampire Lord who sat carefree on a wooden chair.
He was meant to be the next ruler of EmptyHollow, he was meant to protect his people; vampires and humans.
He was meant to act just regardless of their difference in species, but…... here he is, tormenting her frail self with his presence.
In the past, humans and Vampires both lived in different regions. The Vampires occupied the North, while the humans lived right in the middle of the South and North.
When the Vampires went power hungry and started a war, the humans could not defend themselves from such otherworldly beings which led to their defeat. But there was a difference, the leader of the Vampire Clan, Muzan Chevalier, agreed to let human and Vampires co-exist peacefully for the sake of the sacred orb that brought longevity to GreenHollow.
When the war ended, Humans and Vampires lived peacefully, until a certain dreadful stormy night when the Vampire King was brutally murdered in his own Palace, and like that wasn't enough of a problem, the sacred orb of GreenHollow disappeared the same night.
All hell broke loose that day, GreenHollow lost its name and was renamed by its emptiness.
EmptyHollow.
The regions knew no peace after that day.
More than a decade has passed since the tragedy of King Muzan Chevalier, and a lot of things have changed along with it.
Samantha had just returned from her favorite Library shop one certain night, only to be met with chaos at her home.
The Carriages that parked at the corner of her home, outside their old brown gate didn't belong to a commoner.
The white-colored flag that had the symbol of a soaring giant black bat on it was enough to raise Samantha's alarm. She didn't need other evidence to realize who had paid her home a visit, and that explains how she ended up in this state, with her feet dropping to the ground in defeat before the Vampire Lord.
His beady eyes remained nonchalantly fixed on the seventeen-year-old girl, patiently waiting to hear her decision as he had all the time in the world to spare dealing with each and everyone of them tonight.
On the other side of the half-wrecked living room, Samantha's father was being held by two bodyguards, one of them pinning him down to the ground. There were slight bruises on his skin, and his clothes had been half torn, simplifying how he had been roughly dragged to the barely-lit living room.
Samantha quickly crawled closer to the young Vampire Lord who sat on a chair, looking unfazed by what was happening. Her hands were clasped together in a pleading gesture as she beseeched for her Father's life to be saved.
"I beg of you, don't do this to me! My Father he... he'll never hurt anyone. He is innocent of your accusations! Give me a few days to prove his innocence, and I will. But I beg of you, don't take him away from me, please!!"
Helpless, Samantha placed her forehead to the ground, pleading for her Father's life to be spared with tears brimming in her eyes, and at her pitiful gesture, the Vampire Lord raised a finger, halting his bodyguards who seized in holding the man down, and they released him.
With a little struggle, the old man looked at his daughter who was offering herself to the most dangerous Vampire Lord in their city, with her forehead pinned to the ground at his Mercy.
Broken by the sight, he shook his head.
"S…. Samantha….run away from here! Now!" Her Father coughed out his words with urgency, barely able to stand on his own two feets as his weak body instantly gave in.
"Father!" Samantha's fourteen-year-old brother, Maurice, who had been watching his Father struggle on the ground, immediately stepped out of his hiding place.
"Get away from him!!" He ran towards his Father, shielding him with his own body. "Stay away from us! You have no right to hurt us!!" His words were choked with hot tears as he remained atop his Father who could barely speak, and the Vampire Lord was starting to get irritated by all the noises.
"You girl, what is your name?" The young Vampire Lord asked the golden-blonde-haired girl in front of him, and Samantha's teary gaze shifted to her poor Father before answering.
"My name is..."
"Your attention should be up here." His demanding tone became more audible, but it was laced with a daring consequence that Samantha couldn't ignore as her gaze snapped up to meet his.
"Samantha! M…. My name is Samantha." She obediently responded.
"Good girl." His gloved fingers reached forward to stroke her hair gently, his soothing touch sent an electrifying shudder coursing through her spine, but she dared not complain.
"Don't touch my sister!! You Mon--"
"Keep quiet Maurice! Please!" Samantha yelled back pleadingly to Maurice, forcing her helpless brother to keep his mouth shut before he made things worse for all of them.
"You should listen to your sister," The young Vampire Lord warned indifferently, but his hardened gaze was fixed on no one else but the girl that knelt in front of him.
"Samantha," he tasted her name on his tongue and finally took his hands off her. "your Father hasn't pleaded for his life to be saved since I got here, and do you know why? He already saw this day coming."
A mocking sneer reached his lips, "he knew he won't be able to hide forever, and there's me, who finds it difficult to forgive." His index finger rested beneath her chin, and he gently pushed her head up so she could see his vengeance mirroring in her eyes.
"Your Father will die, but I might reconsider if he tells me exactly where he hid it. Do you wish to know what your loving Father has done?" The young Vampire Lord unhurriedly rose from his seat, moving past the lady who knelt before him. "Your Father is responsible for the death of King Muzan, my Father, he also stole the sacred orb of Empty Hollow, leading to the endless drought."
He stopped walking and snapped his fingers, the echoes ringing loudly across the walls. "Five minutes." He said before spreading his five fingers, "you have five minutes to get as far away as you can from this place. Run, my dear little Samantha, keep running till you no longer feel your legs on the dry earth, take your brother with you, and run, run without looking back."
"What happens after the five minute elapses?" Samantha dared to ask, already short of breath. If he wanted her to run, he had to give her enough good reason why she needed to run without her Father, but she heard him hum mirthlessly before saying.
"Darkness invades during midnight, and do you know why? It's because every blood-thirsty Vampire out there will be out on the hunt for human blood, and in five minutes, Midnight strikes."
A wicked grin appeared.
"Get out of here!! Take your brother with you!! Do as he says!! Now!!" Samantha's Father used the last strength he could muster to push his son away from him to Samantha.
It felt difficult to leave.
"Father." Samantha could no longer cry as she watched her own Father break down into tears. She pulled her crying younger brother close as they rose to their feet.
"Your Father is begging you, just get out of here! Go!"
Glancing at the clock on the wall, a minute had passed. Samantha quickly wiped her tears away and clasped her hand with her younger brother. She looked at the Vampire Lord who had his back against her.
With silent tears dropping from her eyes, Samantha dashed out of the house with her younger brother. Running away from their cottage, out of the gates and into the woods.
When the five minutes finally elapsed, another carriage pulled over at the cottage.