The night was cold, the moon was bright and blue, and while he appeared small in comparison, Viktor wasn't intimidated by the massive gothic structure before him. His red vampire eyes narrowed as he looked up at the multiple towers at sharp fang like points, with dark windows and foreboding air.
At a glance Viktor looked like he was the owner of the place, at least in terms of looks. Wearing mostly black which included the overcoat and slacks, he also wore a deep red turtleneck shirt, the various buttons were silver, but the armor that covered the majority of his left arm was black. His left hand had sharpened fingertips curved like claws, his right hand was covered in a black leather glove.
The red diamond shaped gem on the back of his left wrist, a major source of his power, glowed brightly. No doubt from the various vampires and night creatures that surrounded him.
He had faced many challenges before, but this one, even with its unknown challenges, would not deter him. He walked past the others in the courtyard towards the front door of the castle.
"You sure are headstrong, aren't you mister knight?"
Viktor stopped walking and turned at the sound of the female voice that he had passed. A woman with platinum blond hair and a sultry expression smiled at him.
This was a woman he knew by name. "Ms. Tsukimiya."
This woman couldn't have been older than eighteen but from what Viktor had seen her do up to now, he knew she wasn't just a pretty face. Dressed in a simple white and black outfit that did nothing to hide her feminine curves, the woman casually approached Viktor. He kept his stance straight.
"Considering that you don't know what lies ahead, would you mind sharing your thoughts?"
One side of Viktor's lip went up, amused. "This coming from a woman who stole a kiss from me?"
Tsukimiya giggled. "That was for my benefit. Nothing personal."
Earlier, both Viktor and Tsukimiya had taken on a winged monster known as a wyvern. In the heat of that battle Viktor ended up getting a surprise smooch from the girl. He hadn't been able to ask about it until now, though it ultimately wouldn't matter to him what her reasoning behind that was.
"Very well. There's someone in the castle waiting for me, and I intend to get her back."
Tsukimiya blinked once, "Her?"
"Princess Sera, the girl who I am supposed to protect."
"Oh, so it's a rescue mission?"
"Yes." Viktor looked up towards the castle. Truth was, even though he didn't know for a fact Sera was in there, he didn't have to see her to know she was in the structure before him. He could sense her presence. It was weak, judging by the distance, but it was there. She was in the castle. "I don't suppose you're offering to help?"
Tsukimiya shook her head, "I got my own demons to deal with. Besides, from what I have seen, you're more than capable of going at it alone."
Viktor smiled. "I am confident in my own abilities." Armed with a magical sword and whatever pureblood powers he inherited from his ancestors, Viktor was indeed a force to be reckoned with. That might have been the only reason Sera had been safe until now. His confidence was seen as arrogance to most vampire aristocrats, but as the saying went, it was only arrogance if you couldn't back up what you say.
"Well, you better going. Your princess is waiting. Good luck, sir knight," said the woman with a playful bow.
Viktor returned her gesture with a simple nod. "As to you, milady."
He then turned towards the doors and walked up to them. With great effort he pushed them open, revealing a stone corridor with intricately carved statues lining the walls beyond. Taking a deep breath Viktor took one step before he spoke under his breath. "Sera, wait for me. I'm coming to save you."
It wasn't a statement, but a promise. One he intended to keep no matter what.
There was a place int he castle that was off limits to everyone, save for the masters themselves. A secluded garden that which its beauty was unsurpassed. A large stone fountain of the infamous monster Medusa holding Perseus' head aloft in defiance of the story she was in was in the center of the garden, and countless statues of soldiers and hunters who had gone into the garden only to fail in trying to reach the master of the castle lined the walls. The moon shined down on the garden, bathing it in its soothing glow. Yet within was a single chamber with only one way in and one way out, which was barred by bars made of silver. This was to keep out the monsters of the castle and protect the prisoner within.
Forming from the cloud of mist she had exited the courtyard from, Laura returned to her normal self and stopped short of the door of the chamber. The bars were made of silver so she couldn't get too close. She was able to get a good look in at the woman she had been tasked with watching over.
A lone woman, age seventeen, was sleeping peacefully on a large bed. Next to that was a nightstand, a wardrobe, and a small table with a single chair nearby. One couldn't have thought that, in such an elegant room, she would be called a prisoner.
Yet that was where she stood, and to be perfectly honest, Laura hated it. 'Why does she get such preferential treatment? She's a filthy-!' Her expression turned into one of disgust, like she had tasted soiled blood.
Before her sentence could be finished, the distinctive footsteps of another woman were heard approaching her. "Why such a look, sister? It ruins your beauty."
While Laura sensed the presence of another nearby, only her eyes moved to where the voice had chided her. "How long have you been waiting to say that, Orsolya?"
Holding a golden cup in one hand and a handful of skirt in the other, the Countess Orsolya approached her older sister. Equal in height to Laura she wore a bright red dress of medieval style that was bound tight at the waist in a corset that actually doubled as armor in addition to pushing her bountiful chest up in full display. A long slender neck, skin pale as moonlight, and long hair slickened back that went down to her waist, made Orsolya a haunting as much as an enchanting beauty. Even compared to her sister, she appeared flawless. Just the way she wanted to be seen.
The sisters' bright red eyes met, and for a moment a spark of dislike could be seen. Orsolya took a drink of the blood filled goblet in her hand. "I've been holding in the urge to say the line for some time. Why not now?"
Laura's eyes narrowed. It was no secret that her sister drove her up the wall with her constant looking down on her. Despite being the oldest and most feared child in her family, Laura had something of a rivalry with her sibling that was the best known secret in the castle. Not that she tried to hide it.
Clearing her throat Laura gave up on arguing with her sister and turned to the chamber before her, and to the woman sleeping on the large bed.
Orsolya saw her too, "So, that's the girl Reidoe brought back from Germany?"
"Seems to be. Mother says she is to participate in the ritual later."
The younger sister scrutinized the girl from where she stood, though she was careful not to get too close to the silver coated bars. Were they to touch her skin she would not only be burned, but she'd go into a frenzy. "She doesn't look all that special to me."
"According to the information mother received, she is more special than either of us combined, but I don't need to tell you that."
"She's just a human girl." That jab of superiority made Orsolya sneer at her sister. She hid her dislike for her and stood up straight. "How is mother doing?"
"She is making sure preparations are getting put in place. We better not do anything foolish until she is ready for us."
"Hmph," was how Orsolya replied.
"So that means stay out of trouble-or else." With that last quip, Laura stepped back and with a wave her arm, she transformed into mist and vanished out a nearby window.
As soon as her sister had left, Orsolya's expression changed from slightly serene to pure disgust. "I hate her so much..."
"Such a look is unfitting for you, Countess."
A man appeared wearing pure white armor from top of neck to his feet. He also had a black cape draping from his shoulders to the floor and a sword on his left hip. A coat of arms, undiscernible as it was heavily scratched, was on the left side of his chest.
Reidoe Gunther was the knight of her sister Orsolya, and his handsome countenance was mesmerizing to those who were enraptured by looks alone. Yet his smile was sinister under the surface, which made him a perfect foil for the Countess he served. Both were beautiful, but only on the surface.
He got down on one knee before his lady, and she eyed him with suspicion.
"Laura would drive a saint to suicide, Reidoe." She turned away from her and looked in on the sleeping woman once again. "I thought you were going to retrieve a beautiful woman, Reidoe. She was not what I was expecting."
The knight raised his head. "She bears the title of Princess of Germany, and while I think she doesn't hold a candle to you milady, she is certainly fetching for a human princess."
"Princess...such titles aren't what they used to be in this day and age it seems." Orsolya took another drink, finishing off her cup. When her mother had told her to retrieve the girl from her palace in Berlin she had thought it would be some older woman, but the girl on the bed didn't look a day over seventeen, which was a highschooler from what she knew of human education. "You sure she is who she is?"
Reidoe got to his feet, and he listed off the title of the woman he had kidnapped just hours before. "Sera Erica Reinhardt, Princess of Germany. Age seventeen. Daughter of the German Kaiser Vincent Hohenzollern-Reinhardt, grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Empress Ruina le Alba, who was also Queen of the Italian Vampire Kingdom."
Orsolya had initially taken in what she heard with indifference. Yet after her knight had finished explaining who she was looking down upon, she couldn't help but notice a few things that were odd about what he told her. Putting two and two together, she spoke in total disbelief. "A lowly human father...and a prolific vampire mother...no, it cannot be!"
"It seems the princess here is a dhampir, my lady."
Orsolya felt as if she had been shot in the chest with a high powered gun. She dropped the goblet from her hand. She felt disgusted, even more so than she had earlier when next to Laura. "What a waste of flesh! Ugh!"
Grabbing the hem of her dress she began to stomp towards the exit. Reidoe was surprised by her sudden departure and scrambled to chase after her. He called after her, "Countess! Where are you going?"
"To wash my skin with virgin blood. Just being near that half breed makes me feel filthy!"
The two vampires left in such a hurry they both failed to hear the groaning coming from within the chamber they had just left. The girl, Sera, slowly opened her eyes. The sleep she had been under finally wearing off, and her bright blue dhampir irises glowed even in the deep darkness.