In the heart of a castle forgotten by time, shrouded in thick fog, shadows, and wooden walls, a young hero traversed the main hall. Each step he took echoed and shattered the deep, unsettling, and maddening silence of the place, reverberating between cracked columns and faded tapestries.
In the center of the hall, shrouded in twilight, a feminine figure emerged. Her skin was pale as untouched snow, her hair black as a starless night, and her dress seemed woven from threads of silk, magnificent in its delicacy. Even though her appearance could deceive, her eyes sparkled with a hungry and seductive gleam. She stood before a creature of the darkness, a faded vampire.
"Welcome, traveler. What are you looking for? Are you here for your end... or something more interesting?"
The girl's voice sounded like a melancholic and lonely chant. A recital of a piece that both were about to perform.
The hero, however, did not respond. He merely tightened the hilt of his sword and his eyes narrowed. He was not there to talk.
With a firm shout, he moved forward.
The hero raised his sword and then brought it down, cutting through the air like a black lightning bolt, tracing its path like a beam of light capable of splitting the very darkness of the night in half. Even so, she dodged with grace.
"Huh huh huh! So impatient, handsome. I didn't think you'd be so quick, especially with that... big body, hehe. It's been so long since my last decent meal... so pretty, it would be a shame to end you now. How about surrendering? We could have fun together in ways you can't even imagine! I have a reputation for being quite creative! Huh huh huh!"
Commented the vampire touching her lips with her finger and smiling mischievously.
"You talk too much!"
So, the duel begins.
The dialogue gave way to a fierce confrontation, where both advanced against one another, their eyes burning with determination and thirst for blood. The Sacred Sword "Bloodstain" hissed and sliced through the air. Its strikes were swift and precise, like a falcon diving for its prey. More and more, the vampire found herself at a disadvantage.
When he executed a diagonal strike, which was blocked, he quickly spun around on his own axis, using the momentum of inertia to launch another sideways attack. The vampire narrowly dodged, but the soft melody of steel whistling as it cut through the wind startled her.
She tried to counterattack, but a well-placed kick knocked her off balance. Without hesitation, the hero took advantage of the opening and brandished his sword again, hitting her superficially in the abdomen.
"Hyyaaaa! This burns!"
Screamed the vampire, retreating. The pain caused by the Bloodstain was not only physical but felt like holy fire that consumed even the soul. Even a superficial cut was enough to inflict unbearable torment.
Consumed by fury, the beautiful vampire lunged with blind ferocity, tearing through the air with her claws while abandoning any notion of defense. Meanwhile, the man, sensing her loss of control, glided to the side, like a leaf dancing in the wind, narrowly escaping the blows that sliced through the space where his neck had been.
His claws cut so fiercely that they tore through the air, leaving only a crimson trace in their wake. It was easy to see that a single strike could penetrate even the densest of armors, inflicting terrible wounds. Still, he moved like an experienced dancer, skillfully gliding across the stage of this fierce duel, fully trusting in his prowess and evading each attack, staying a step ahead of death.
Realizing that his attacks were ineffective, he tried to grab him. However, with two calculated steps backward, he skillfully and precisely dodged.
This was the moment the hero had been waiting for patiently.
In a blink of eyes, with a simultaneously subtle and quick movement, he positioned his hand over the guard of his second sword. In an instant, the metal shone and the next moment, he was sheathing the second sword again.
When the vampire regained her senses, an uncomfortable sensation began to spread through her right arm — a tingling that quickly turned into an intense burning, accompanied by a pain she could not describe in words. Looking to the side, she was horrified to see that her right arm was not there. Only a hot, thick liquid gushing marked the spot where the limb had once been.
"HOW... HOW DARE YOU HURT ME, YOU FUCKING SHIT!!! GRRRR! I HAVEN'T LOST YET!!! I WILL RIP YOU APART!!!"
She shouted, her voice overflowing with anger, pain, and frustration. Then her body started to emit some weird black smoke. Her expression twisted into great angry.
Placing himself in an animalistic posture, his silhouette began to distort. Bones cracked and the once delicate, almost ethereal appearance, along with the skin that looked like porcelain collapsed, similar to something that is cracked, revealing beneath it a disgusting and grotesque flesh, like a monster from a horror story emerging from within her. The previous beautiful appearance broke into pieces without a trace, so much so that even the smell was repulsive.
Even with this terrifying vision, a faint smile appeared on the hero's face. Perhaps out of confidence, or by impulse, but his eyes remained steady, unfazed as they fixed unwaveringly on the creature before him.
As soon as the transformation was complete, the vampire lunged forward quickly and attacked fiercely. She moved in an unusual way, dragging herself along the ground, like an abomination straight out of a nightmare. Her claws oozed *Sangue Rubro*, a potent corrosive poison.
The hero, drawing on his experience and sharp reflexes, dodged skillfully, defending himself with his blade while seeking an opportunity to counterattack. The vampire's movements were unpredictable, often coming from unconventional angles and forms, making them difficult to follow, but her lack of strategy prevented her attacks from hitting the target.
However, for the hero, the winner was already decided. Even with her increased strength, she was still no match and was hit multiple times by the Sacred Sword as she approached to attack. Each blow hurt her deeply, until her body began to show signs of giving up.
The pain, the fatigue, and her diminished mana made her slower and more vulnerable to the hero's attacks.
"You're weaker than I thinked. But I'm going to have some fun before I finish you off, freak."
Confident that he could easily win, the hero was not delivering fatal blows. However, he could not prolong the fight too much, as it would leave him too tired against other opponents.
With the opportunity in hand, the hero dealt a firm blow and the sword pierced the right side of the vampire's chest. The pain and the severity of the wound were enough for her to return to normal. She no longer moved.
"Damn, I think I overdid it. Well, that's enough."
When the hero began to approach and finish off the incapacitated vampire, something made him stop.
Then, a black glow came from the direction of the entrance door of the hall. This glow returned a bit of vitality to the vampire and stopped her bleeding, although she was still staggering and weakened.
She should have died, but someone saved her. The vampire then ran to the front door.
(Are she running away? What is happening here?) thought the hero who considered chasing her, but then the walls of the hall began to pulse, as if the castle itself had awakened.
The hero gripped his sword tightly as cold sweat ran down beneath the armor. Signs of fatigue began to show. However, his instincts told him not to give in because something was coming...
*toc-toc-toc-toc*
From the heart of darkness, light steps that did not match the weight they carried sliced through the silence. Slowly, the figure of a little girl emerged, resembling a porcelain doll dressed as a Victorian princess. However, her scarlet eyes sparkling like rubies, contrasting with the innocent smile on her lips and her approach that carried an oppressive presence, revealed what she was: she was not a child, she was the embodiment of the night and death walks with her.
The aura that flows from the little vampire was suffocating and her presence was as dense as a malevolent mist, making the air in the environment seem trapped in the abyss of the depths of the sea.
"You hurt Nana, right?"
Even a Veteran hero, used to deadly battles, felt a shiver run down his spine. She was not an ordinary vampire. Supposedly, she was the true guardian of this place. The little vampire then said.
"You should not be here."
"Can't you guys give me at least a moment of peace?"
The hero grumbled without taking his eyes off the enemy.
The child vampire then looks disdainfully and says to the other vampire.
"You've already lost, Nana. Go back to your place now!!!"
The girl said that and threw a punch at the woman, who flew into the wall from the impact.
"Get yourself ready and take a shower, please."
She said a few more words to the vampire who was recovering from the blow. The adult vampire quickly backed away in fear. The little girl then turned to the hero.
Without hesitation, he launched into the offensive. He knew that giving space to such a powerful opponent could cost him his life. Using his strongest ability, which elevated his reflexes and strength to the limit of human capabilities, he advanced, aiming a direct strike at his neck. However, the blade found nothing. Didn't see it dodge.
"So this time it's a broad sword, huh! Looks different from the last one that came here. Still seems weak to me, though. It won't last long after this..."
She said with a laid-back, almost playful tone.
The hero immediately retreated, remaining cautious.
The girl smiled mischievously and said.
"I saw you fighting with Nana. It was pretty fun, you know. She couldn't even touch you. What if I join in the fun too?"
In a instant, she simply vanished. It didn't even seem like a movement, but rather that reality itself had been distorted, unable to keep up with her existence. The hero felt a shiver and, trusting his instincts, jumped back... and then saw part of his armor in the girl's hands, which she was polishing with her fingers.
"Well, that's right. You've got good instincts! You're a true survivor and have potential."
She then disappeared right before his eyes again. When trying to move away again, he hit the wall. He was cornered.
"Come on, don't be afraid… I`ll give you a gift."
After saying this, the girl then held the hero's right arm. Her small, thin arms seemed so fragile, but contained an overwhelming strength like that of a bear. He was also no longer able to move, due to the passive effect of the vampire's evil energy, intensified by the great power disparity between the two.
With a slow approach of her hand, she lightly touched the hero's forehead. A heat flooded her body, as if a powerful and deadly liquid poison was trying to lodge itself in her intestines, seeking to spread throughout her body. At that moment, the glow of the Bloodstain flickered. Something was very wrong.
"What is… th…~?"
The girl touched the hero's lips with the tip of her index finger.
"Shhhhh! It's be ok, hero."
As she released his arm, the hero tried to strike, but his body didn't move.
"Don't be afraid. If you survive this, we'll see each other again. Don't let me down."
Slowly, the strength of his body was leaving him, and it was no longer possible to remain standing.
Bloodstain fell to the ground, as if the hope of the world was also falling. The body of the hero then fell like a marionette with its strings cut. His body did not move and his breathing was weak, almost inaudible. The curtains, therefore, closed before his great defeat, but like the last ember of a forgotten campfire shaken by the wind, he fought fiercely not to let his spark of life extinguish before the darkness.