Okay, I set up my agenda for this story. I plan to update this story every two months, since I'm really having much of the updates being done over on my dA account. So, let's dive into the second chapter of Synchro Beast, Crimson Rose!
Chapter 2-In the Life of a Survivor
~25 years later~
It had been less than three decades ago since the last attack on the village holding the remaining vamporants that were lost in the siege, but also protected one that was bared by one of their most respected people. The vampires and hunters were in a standstill in the war, now gone cold due to the vampire lord being restrained in the Forest of Filaroya; desperate to repair the damage caused by such rogue vampires. Everything was gathered back from other villages from the surrounding areas, as the survivors from the battle tried to recollect all the information that was destroyed in the fires that housed the vamporants.
Since then, the vampires hunters have lost many of their comrades, and their children had taken their place amongst the ranks of the Hunters' Legion as part of the new defense that was created two years following the attacks on the village. It was also made into law that no commoners were allowed to go into the Forest of Filaroya unless they have authority rights from the Hunter's Legion.
Life itself hasn't been much of the same for the northern village; there weren't many survivors from their neighboring towns of each direction, plus they lost contact with the western district years dating back before the treaty was signed. Supplies were low at this point near this coming spring, and finally, there was quite the commotion about the newest recruiters, as well as old ones.
Carrying a basket while heading towards the market, a young woman with pink hair and cerulean highlights was heading back into the home that she was raised for so many years. She was also one of the survivors from the siege of the rogue vampires that attacked the town years back when she was still a baby. Her true identity was also being protected by the Hunter's Legion should the rogues come back and claim her life. As part as of her concealment, she was given special permission to enter the forest, but only if she was escorted by a vampire hunter.
"Good afternoon, Friar Bruno!"
"Good afternoon to you, child! You'll be careful in the streets; and do visit the church if possible." Bruno called out to her.
"I will!"
The priest was a descendant of other priests, going into small towns and also leaving the country to inspect anything out of the ordinary. It was quite like him to leave on short notice, having bearing information from foreign lands and reporting to the leaders of the Hunter's Legion. It was once said that he nearly escaped the reign of the vampires in the southern region, but nobody knew how he came around to this world. There was no records of his parents in any library, nor any siblings; although, there were reports of three cousins he lived under, but they all mysteriously disappeared dating back to his childhood. His memory had vanished, and to this day, the priest is still searching for the life he once knew.
The woman smiled along the way; greeting villager after villager as she finally made it to the market, bustling with traders from other lands. Her adopted brother told her to get what was necessary, although on occasions she bargained more than what she can chew. Upon closer inspection, the woman noticed her friend at the fruit stalls of the market, running towards the person who was looking over the prices of the goods that she wanted to purchase. The auburn-haired beauty was shopping around for her regular items that were usually on sale during the spring season, but didn't see them. The voice of her friend cut her off of her shopping stares and looked at the approaching person in the distance, calling to her as they both held each other in a friendly embrace.
"Serenity, my friend! What brings you around the market this time around?"
"Oh, I was hoping that my regular items would show up today." Serenity said. "But, it appears that they don't have it in stock. What a shame, and I was saving up most of my earnings to get such good apples. They're quite the treat when you dried them up."
The woman chuckled; her friend was always a sucker for sweet treats.
"Anyways," Serenity continued. "I hope you'll be at the Hunter's Academy graduation ceremony later on tonight. They have such good promises this year, including the senator's daughter. Rumor has it that she's the latest prodigy and also the youngest person to actually become a hunter!"
The woman was quite familiar to the ceremonies that took place at the academy, as well as hearing the latest news about the senator's daughter. She and her family arrived from the eastern region of the continent, having being the only survivors from the vampiric siege years ago. She attended every single one of the graduations held only at night, as it always been for generations. She snapped out of her stupor to look at her friend.
"Of course I'll be there. The Hunter's Legion always want me there to assign me my protector when I go for my errands outside of the village's boundaries."
"Oh my, I quite forgotten about your real status in this society. Accept my apologies, Amy." Serenity begged.
"Serenity, you do know that I will always forgive a friend." Amy said. "Besides, my true identity is kept confidential to ensure my safety. The only ones who knows about my true identity is the Hunter's Legion themselves. Anyways, I have to get going and finish up my shopping here; I don't want to make Placido(1) wait any further for me. Until then, we'll meet once more at the graduation! See you later!"
"I'll see you then!" Serenity shouted.
This young woman, now dubbed as Amy Rivers, was the youngest survivor ever to escape death from the vampires themselves. To ensure that she lived up to her mother's reputation, she was assigned many tutors ranging from anti-spell potions to self-defense. She was also taught to hate the vampires, considering that her mother was killed by one when she was still a baby herself, but she didn't want to hate them. The tutors always told her that she always had her mother's compassion when it came to trusting the blood-sucking monsters; even when her own adopted family was attacked by them not too long after she settled herself in.
When she was five, the girl was already studying up on her counter-spell knowledge. But suddenly, her adopted elder brother shoved her and her necklace into a secret compartment behind the bookcase in her room. Screams echoed from the hallways as she became numb throughout her body, her elder brother starting his attack position as the vampiress of the west came forth and looking quite bloodthirsty with his parents' blood drenching on her garments from top to bottom. Enraged, Placido attacked without warning, blinded with rage as he put up so much of an effort to avenge her fallen parents, but failed as his neck was penetrated by her fangs. She dropped him onto the ground, noting that he will transform and become one of them, as she left laughing maniacally, but not before taking his right eye with him screaming in agonizing pain; his eyeball rolling onto the wooden floor. Amy felt rather terrified of the vampiress while hiding in the shadows, clutching her necklace tightly in her balled up fist, shaking with anxiety building within her body. When the hunters arrived at the house, they only found his parents murdered; the two of them in the other room.
Placido have to be taken to the Hunter's Legion for treatment, only to find out that he was bitten by the attacking vampire. They burned and encrypted a seal on the area of the bite mark, hoping to contain the beast now growing inside of him. His right eye was rebuilt with scrapped iron melted and welded together from a blacksmith; his appearance now disfigured from his fight. He grew to hate vampires since then; never wanting anything to do with them at all, retiring from his hunter's duties and living in solitude.
Amy hoped for him to at least attend with her to the graduation ceremony; she didn't like seeing him in the state he has been for the past twenty years. The rare smiles that she did see from him disappeared completely, never to be in her visional sights again. Once she gathered up the remaining items on her list, she rushed home to prepare herself for tonight.
The sound of the door snapped Placido out of his stance and his eyes looked upon his adopted sister's arrival home. He could never hate her, but the views the two shared about the vampire race were completely different. How could he even raise his own sister properly, considering that she was the only one keeping him in check with the beast that grows inside of him as a result of the western queen? Her voice put him back into reality as she looked at him dead on.
"You know, if you keep spacing out on me when I call to you, you might as well hang up your house duties." Amy chided. "Besides, I thought that you would at least dust up in here. I can see the damn cobwebs over there in the corners."
"I just have so much on my mind..." Placido muttered.
Amy let out a breath of remorse. Her brother hasn't been much of the same since then.
"Look, the least you can do for me is escort me to the graduation ceremony at the Hunter's Academy tonight." Amy said. "I'm not forcing you or anything; it's just that...well, you haven't been out of this house for twenty years since the incident happened."
"I'm a fucking beast now, Amy." Placido hissed. "How can I go out knowing that I'll lose control of myself again?"
"...You're only half-vampire, and still have control over your actions." Amy remarked. "Tell you what; I'll give you an strengthening potion to help you control yourself better if you promised to escort me to the academy tonight. Please?"
"...Fine." Placido said. "I'll get ready."
Hours have passed; the graduation ceremony went completely perfect and the new vampire hunters were collecting their weapons as well as greeting new clients and other important people. Amy searched around wondrously for Placido, who skipped upon the closing speech of the ceremony. She knew that he would act this way; it had been that way every time he went out of the house with her. She accidentally bumped into a woman a little older than she was, and was about to apologize to her but met a shiny metal dagger right in front of her face. This person really had such a great reaction to her surroundings, although...the situation was misleading to the woman holding the weapon.
"State your business here, woman! Or maybe vampire would be a much better term for you, creature of the damned!" The woman growled.
"Woah, w-w-wait a minute!" Amy panicked. "I t-think you got the wrong idea!"
"Aki! Lay your weapon down!"
The woman that threatened Amy...Aki as the person said, lowered her weapon as she was told. The person, or rather persons, came over to the two of them. Amy mentally sighed with relief; these two actually saved her from a situation that she couldn't get herself out of alone. Although, where has she seen those two before?
"I see you have met Ms. Rivers, Aki."
"Wait, YOU are Ms. Rivers?" Aki asked. Her attitude quickly changed. "I am dreadfully sorry! Please accept my deepest apologizes for the confusion right now!"
"I-It's alright." Amy assured her. "I get that quite often from graduates like yourself."
"I really got off a terrible start. Let me introduce myself: I am Aki Izayoi, your new bodyguard. I shall protect you from the evils of which they form into." Aki said.
"You're the senator's daughter?" Amy asked.
"Why, yes. Aki's my pride and joy, bless her heart. Although, she does get carried away with her profession due to her training and such from time to time."
"Ah, yes. Senator Hideo, from the eastern district, right?" Amy inquired.
"Correct, Ms. Rivers." Hideo admitted. "My wife couldn't be here tonight due a minor flu from her allergies; and I presume my daughter has told you about her becoming your new escort?"
"I heard her loud and clear." Amy said.
"Wonderful! I hope that my daughter lives up to your expectations!"
"Same here, but now I must depart; apparently, my brother has made it quite the habit to disappear from such events like this."
"Placido? I haven't heard anything from that fellow in years!"
"Well, after the incident years ago..."
"I understand. Please tell Aki when to meet you for her first mission."
"Ah, yes..." Amy turned to Aki, "Three days from now, at high noon. At the gates leading into the Forest of Filaroya. I required special herbs and flowers that only grow there during the spring time. I have already quested permission for a dear friend of mine to come along and help me gather them. You already know what lurks in the forest, and I am in need of protection."
"You'll have my word to follow up on your orders, Ms. Rivers." Aki said.
"You're my bodyguard; a friend no less. If we want to get to know each other better, it's best to call me Amy; please don't call me miss all the time."
"Of course, Ms. Rive-I mean Amy." Aki quickly corrected. "I'll be there as you requested."
I best end it here; no point of continuing on if it we're heading into the next chapter of the story.
1-Okay, I know I said that Bruno was going to make his appearance, but what the hell? I need someone to play Amy's adopted brother, and who better than Placido? (Me: Put that sword down, buddy! Placido: Fuck you!)
Next Chapter- Diverse yourself into the current life of the vampire lord years after his sealing.
Please, review!