The world swayed. Tenra blinked, head pounding, and forced his eyes open.
Iron bars. The rattle of carriage wheels. An unfamiliar city shrouded in mist. It didn't take long for the facts to click into place—
He'd been captured.
Memories surged back. His black eyes flashed with cold light, but the fire faded quickly, replaced by a steely calm. Two years wandering the world had hammered Tenra's nerves into iron. Danger was nothing new. Even locked in a cage, he felt no panic—only a chill, analytical focus.
He took in his surroundings. The city outside was nothing like the glass-and-steel metropolises he'd known. Tall buildings rose here, but their bones were medieval—stone and gothic arches, windows like dark eyes. The whole city was drowned in a thick, clammy fog that seemed almost alive, brushing his skin with a damp, uncomfortable chill. No sunlight pierced the gloom.
The carriage trundled down the street, cage rattling behind it. Pedestrians passed by—at first glance, ordinary. But look closer, and every face was bloodless, every gaze empty. Tenra caught a child watching him through the bars, tongue flicking hungrily over pale lips. A second later, the kid's mouth split into a grin, revealing two sharp fangs.
Even Tenra felt a shiver run down his spine.
A city of vampires.
He forced himself to stay still, curling into a corner and keeping his expression blank. Time crawled by. One by one, the other captives in the cage began to stir, blinking in confusion and fear.
"How did I get here? Where is this place?"
"Who are you people? Why are we locked up?"
"Let me out! Let me out! I want to go home!"
Most were just regular people, lacking Tenra's hardened will. Once they realized they'd been snatched and caged, panic set in—voices rising, fists pounding the bars, shouts echoing down the foggy street.
Idiots, Tenra thought, but he had enough problems of his own. No point trying to calm them.
The noise brought the carriage to a halt. One of the vampires up front stalked over, eyes cold, and yanked the loudest protester—a heavyset middle-aged man—out from the crowd. With one hand, the vampire hoisted the man up and slammed him against the bars, lips curling in a cruel smile.
"You want out?"
The man tried to bluster, but when he saw that corpse-pale face and those gleaming fangs, terror shut him up.
"D-demon! You're a demon!"
"Don't you dare compare us noble vampires to those filthy things," the vampire hissed, smile vanishing. With a sudden twist, he bit down—and in an instant, the man shriveled to a dry husk.
Most of the captives were too shocked to process what had happened. But Tenra saw it all: a flash of fangs, a blur of motion, and every drop of blood gone.
This was what vampires were.
With a dull thud, the corpse was tossed back into the cage. For a heartbeat, everyone was silent. Then the screaming began.
"AAAHHH! AAAAHHH!"
"Enjoy the rest of your journey, lowly humans!" the vampire called, laughter echoing as the carriage rolled on.
—
After what felt like hours, the carriage stopped at the gates of a towering, shadow-drenched castle. The initial terror had burned out of most captives, leaving only numbness and despair. They slumped in the cage, eyes empty, hope gone.
Tenra remained curled in his corner, silent and watchful. Outwardly, he looked as broken as the rest, but his eyes still flickered with sharp, calculating light.
"Out. All of you. Humans!" barked a vampire, unlocking the cage and rapping the bars.
No one knew what to expect. Fear and confusion in their eyes, the captives stumbled out, herded by vampires through winding corridors until they emerged into a vast courtyard.
"Brats! Your food's here!"
"Eat up, little monsters! Hahahaha—"
The vampires shoved the group into the courtyard, then slammed the heavy doors shut. Someone immediately ran back, clawing at the doors, but they didn't budge. Magic, Tenra guessed. The whole castle was probably warded—these powerless humans didn't stand a chance.
Instead of wasting energy, Tenra slipped away in the confusion, hiding behind a stone pillar.
Suddenly, a shriek: "B-bats! There are bats!"
A swarm of bats erupted from the shadows, screeching and flapping, sending the crowd into a fresh panic. Tenra used the chaos to stay hidden, eyes scanning the perimeter.
From the gloom, figures began to emerge. Not adults, but children—some as young as six or seven, none older than ten. But these were no ordinary kids. Every one of them had crimson eyes, fangs glinting in the mist.
A gang of vampire children.
Faces twisted with hunger and malice, they pounced on the terrified humans. Screams and sobs filled the air, but resistance was useless. Even young vampires were far stronger than any human. Within minutes, the courtyard echoed with the sounds of feeding—wet, horrible, punctuated by desperate screams.
When the frenzy ended, the little vampires gathered in the center of the courtyard, all eyes swiveling to the pillar where Tenra hid.
"Come out, human. I can smell you," called a voice—sinister, but still childishly high.
Tenra stepped into the open, meeting their stares without flinching. Most people would've broken under the weight of those red eyes, but Tenra just looked them over, sizing up the threat.
The speaker was a chubby boy at the front, nose in the air, belly jutting out. His round face would've been comical if not for the cruel twist of his mouth. Clearly, this was the ringleader.
"You're not scared of us, human?" the chubby vampire asked, surprised.
"Why should I be?" Tenra replied, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Because we'll suck your blood!" The boy bared his fangs, trying to look menacing. The others closed in, eager for more.
"Go ahead. Try," Tenra said, voice casual.
The vampires hesitated, thrown by his bravado. The chubby one scowled, but he couldn't back down in front of his gang. "Hmph! I'll show you, human! Stick out your neck!"
He strutted up, chest puffed out.
Tenra didn't move. Instead, as the chubby vampire leaned in, Tenra's fist shot out—burying itself in the boy's gut.
"No neck on offer. But here's a fist."
Tenra blew on his knuckles, grinning.
The chubby vampire collapsed, clutching his stomach and shaking with pain. After a long moment, he managed to glare up at Tenra, face red with humiliation and rage.
"Y-you cheated, human!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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