Carmela let out a quiet breath, the faint tremor beneath it betraying the weight of what she was about to say.
"Everyone in this continent believes that vampires are nothing more than myths." She began. "Extinct. Purged from existence long ago. Just a story to frighten children."
Her lips curved in a faint, almost wistful smile.
"But that's not entirely true. They're not wrong...but they're not right either."
She looked off into the distance, eyes distant and hollow.
"Somehow, my family managed to survive the purge. We hid for years, moving from place to place, keeping our heads down."
"My ancestors were clever, cautious, and desperate and for a time, it worked."
"But..." The small smile faded. "...not forever, as one by one, the world found us."
Her tone grew quieter.
"My uncles, aunts, cousins—people I'd never even met, some I didn't even know existed were killed off over the centuries."
"Hunted. Burned. Executed. Until finally...it was just us left...
