Eira woke to the stench of rot.
Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she felt was pain. It was a biting pain that coiled around her wrists, ankles, and waist.
Chains of cold and rusted iron carved into her skin, anchoring her to the floor. Her breath hitched.
The air was stuffy, humid, and smelled like a graveyard that had been left open too long… piss, sweat, decay, and coppery blood that coated her tongue every time she breathed.
Something warm splashed onto her forehead.
She looked up.
Bodies. Dozens of them. Hung upside down from the ceiling like slaughtered livestock. Naked, pale, drained. Their skin was stretched too thin over bone, their hair dirty and tangled, dripping red. Blood ran down their arms and pooled onto the floor below, gathering in sluggish puddles.
Some bodies twitched; most didn't.
Eira screamed. The sound tore through the silence, raw, high, and terrified.
"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" someone snarled from the shadows.
"Bloody hell, is she new or what?" Another voice groaned. "Actin' like she ain't never seen a corpse before."
"Fucking nuisance…" A third muttered, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. "Where… where am I?" she whispered, but the words vanished into the stale air.
No one answered.
Then the air shimmered. A soft mechanical hum vibrated in her ears, and a glowing red screen appeared before her eyes. Lines of text scrolled across, pulsing faintly.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Welcome, Eira.
You have entered Realm One: Blood.exe
World Name: Arthwhalt
Status: Captive
Species: Human (Low Class)
Warning: This realm is ruled by the Red King. Vampires dominate. Humans are slaves.
The message faded into nothing.
Eira's breath became fast and shallow. The sharp chill of fear cut through her foggy mind as she processed what she had just seen.
Damn, Eve.
She turned toward the nearest prisoner—a skeletal man with torn lips, his body marked by lashes that still oozed blood. A thick chain looped through his collarbone like a grotesque piercing.
"What is this place? I'm kinda new." she whispered.
The man lifted his head weakly and chuckled, dryly. "Welcome to Arthwhalt, sweetheart. Land of the long-haired bloodsuckers and no fucking mercy."
A woman with black hair so matted it looked like tar leaned forward from the shadows beside him. "You're in the Red King's territory. Vampires run this pit. We just meat waiting to be drained."
Eira's lips trembled. "Why are we here? What did you do?"
The man snorted. "Traded vampire piss. Gets you high if you mix it with moonroot."
The woman added next. "I sold fang dust. Ground vampire teeth. It makes your skin glow. They caught me last week."
Eira blinked, shaking her head. She wondered what she stole herself…
She licked her chapped lips. "So… when do we go to court?"
Silence.
Then laughter. Cold, ugly laughter that filled the cell.
"Court?" the man wheezed. "You think there's a court for humans? What kinda crack you on?"
The woman's cracked lips curved into a cruel smile. "You're not in Kansas, darling. You're in Hell. We get executed. That's it."
Eira's stomach dropped. Panic tore through her chest as she scrambled toward the iron bars, her chains clanking violently. She banged on the metal with her fists until her knuckles split.
"Hey! Hey! I didn't steal anything! I don't belong here! I think there's been a mistake!"
"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" A fellow prisoner shouted.
"Just die quietly like the rest of us!" Another spat.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Slow. Heavy. Each step made the floor tremble.
The other prisoners fell silent.
Eira froze as two figures emerged from the shadows. They were guards, tall and pale, dressed in long black coats lined with silver thread.
Their hair was impossibly long, brushing their knees, and their eyes glowed faint red like dying embers. Their faces were perfect. Sculpted, inhumanly symmetrical, and completely void of emotion.
One slammed a baton against the bars.
CLANG!
"Silence!"
The clang reverberated through Eira's skull.
She backed away, trembling. "Please… I didn't do anything. I swear—"
The second guard opened the cage door. He stepped in, his boots crunching on dried blood, and without hesitation, kicked her hard in the ribs.
Eira screamed. The air left her lungs in a single, brutal gasp. She hit the floor, choking on the metallic taste of blood.
"Fucking humans" the guard muttered. "Always whining."
They left her like that.
Eira lay curled on the ground for what felt like hours, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her ribs throbbed. Her wrists bled. The cold from the stone seeped into her bones until she couldn't feel her fingers. She stared at the dark ceiling, watching blood drip from above, counting the drops just to stay sane.
One. Two. Three.
When her eyelids grew heavy, she let them close, eventually drifting to sleep.
She dreamed of fire. Of a sky that bled red. Of screams that weren't her own.
Then the ground shifted beneath her. She woke up to the movement.
Chains clattered. The whole prison groaned as if something enormous had seized it. Eira blinked through the haze of exhaustion and realized the entire block was moving.
"What's happening?" she rasped.
The gaunt man whispered "It's time. We're being taken."
Her heart raced. "Taken? Where?"
His smile was hollow. "To the execution grounds."
Eira's blood ran cold.
She tried to stand, but her chains yanked her back down. She dragged herself to the edge of the cage and peered through the bars.
The world outside made her breath catch.
Arthwhalt was a gothic nightmare. Towering castles pierced the sky, streets lined with statues of screaming humans, frozen in agony.
The sky was a permanent shade of black, with little to no moon, just swirling clouds and the occasional flash of red lightning.
The vampires carrying the cages moved in eerie unison. Their clothes were elegant, embroidered coats, flowing gowns, and their faces were hauntingly beautiful. Too beautiful. Every step they took was perfect, rehearsed, unnatural. They didn't speak or blink.
Eira tried to plead. "Please…" She whispered, desperation clawing up her chest. "Please, I didn't do anything. I'm not supposed to be here."
One of the vampires turned, sneered, and slammed her back with a clawed hand. She hit the floor hard, her right side exploding with pain.
She crumpled against the bars, tasting blood.
"Shut your fucking mouth." He hissed.
Eira whimpered. Her ribs felt cracked. Her skin throbbed. She hugged her knees, trembling.
She was going to die.
Before she even got the chance to explore the realm. Before she could find the data vein. Before she could find Sera. Before she could fight.
Her eyes stung, but she refused to cry.
She needed to think. Survive. Escape. But how could she escape when she couldn't even stand?