Chapter Text
“Hey, don’t sleep! I’m not going to carry you all the way to your bed!” The vampire prince called out. He heard a snore and realized that it’s too late. The girl had fallen fast asleep.
“I shouldn't have come out of my coffin,” he thought, as he gently hoisted her up to stop her from slipping off. He continued to walk forward, following the directions the girl had left him before she drifted off.
They finally arrived at the bus stop, just as a bus rolled up. The sound of the brakes waking her up from her slumber.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, getting off from the prince’s piggyback ride, “This is the bus! C’mon, let’s get inside.”
The prince looked at the bus in awe, before following her into the steel carriage.
“Tickets…?” the bus driver asked, his voice lethargic.
“Sorry, my bus ticket expired a while ago. But, we have some cash,” The girl said as she turned to the man behind her with hopeful eyes. The vampire prince sighed as he pulled out a pouch full of golden coins and handed them to the bus driver. The driver looked confused, then stunned, and then he cried tears of joy.
“Thank you so much, sir!” The driver happily exclaimed. “With this much money, I don’t have to be a bus driver anymore!” He cried more tears of happiness, before steeling himself and facing both the prince and the girl. “I’m quitting tonight. So, let me drive you guys to the bus stop nearest to your house right now!”
Rana and the vampire prince took a seat and they enjoyed a peaceful drive, as they were the only ones in the bus. The moon shone brightly against the pitch black sky, dotted with glittering stars. The prince looked at the sky longingly through the thin sheet of glass, “I haven’t seen the night sky in a hundred years…” He thought solemnly, as a memory from long ago began to play in his mind’s eye.
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The little prince has always been a night owl, and would often stay up late into the night. One of the things he would do to pass the time is to look at the stars from his room, which is in the tallest tower of his castle. The sky is alight with many celestial bodies, which he considered his companions. As he prepared to stargaze, he heard a knock at the door. The little prince opened it, and a familiar face came into view.
Mentor: My prince, didn’t I tell you to go to bed? Staying awake late into the night like this isn’t good for your health!
The mage exclaimed, stepping into the room.
Little Prince: Aww, don’t scold me. I can’t help it if I’m not sleepy. Besides, I won’t get to see the stars and the planets if I sleep!
The mentor let out a chuckle as they opened the large windows and stood next to the prince, who eagerly took a seat. The tall mage pointed their staff to the moon.
Mentor: You’re in for quite the sight tonight, my prince. There will be a full lunar eclipse which will bathe the moon in a brilliant scarlet light. I call it a strawberry moon!
The mage smiled, proud of the way they named the astronomical phenomena. The prince, on the other hand, is sulking on his tiny stool.
Little Prince: I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this!
Mentor: Well, you have been staying up late for many nights in a row now. You are still growing, you need all the rest you can get to grow up big and strong.
The mage patted the young prince’s head lovingly.
Little Prince: If I did sleep, I might not get the chance to see the strawberry moon again.
Mentor: Don’t worry, it happens quite often.
The mage chuckled.
Little Prince: Really?
Mentor: Yes, my Prince. Once every eight years!
Little Prince:...
Little Prince: That’s such a long time from now!
Mentor: Oh, is it really?
The prince is unsure if his mentor is feigning ignorance or is genuinely certain. Eight years is an eternity for him. Before the prince could respond, he noticed a soft scarlet hue from his peripherals and excitedly turned to the moon, now glowing a brilliant scarlet, dyeing the stars and sky around it a pinkish hue. His large eyes, dark as obsidian, reflected the moon, stars, and sky. The prince’s smiling face shone with wonder and delight. His smile is infectious as the mage couldn’t help but smile at the sight. They took this opportunity to teach the prince more facts about the celestial bodies that he adores. They were in the middle of explaining the Pleiades star cluster to him, when the prince tasted salt and metal in his mouth. He touched the corner of his lips to find blood on his fingers.
Little Prince:...!
Before he had a chance to alert his mentor, he was beset with a terrible coughing fit.
Mentor: My prince!!
They worriedly pulled out an ivory handkerchief to aid the child and were horrified when it soaked up dark red blood.
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“That was so long ago,” The prince thought to himself, a melancholy look tinging his refined features.
The girl next to him seemed to notice this and turned towards him, her arrow headband nearly grazing his cheek.
“So…What did the sky look like one hundred years ago?” She asked.
“Well, you can definitely see a lot more stars back then.” He said with a small smile on his face.
They arrived at the bus stop. As they exited, the driver couldn’t stop thanking the vampire prince as they all said their goodbyes.
“That’s really generous of you, prince.” The girl’s wave slowed as the bus disappeared into the distance. She turned towards him.
“Thanks to you, it’s just a short walk from this ‘ere bus stop. C’mon.” The girl led the way.
They arrived at a medium sized, two storey home. The front of the house is divided into two sections, the one on the left is a wall, light beige in color, tinted by the orange light of the street lamps. The top of said wall is lined by a variety of potted plants, the prince noted that they looked well taken care of. The other half is a sliding gate, one which the girl is opening right now. She left the gate opened as she walked to the front door to unlock it. With a click, the door opened to reveal a dark abyss, illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights. She spun around to face the prince.
“Aren’t you coming?” She asked.
“As a vampire, I can’t enter places that I’m not invited to,” The prince said.
“Hmm…? Oh yeah, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet!” The girl exclaimed. She had just remembered this important fact.
“I can’t keep calling you ‘vampire prince’, after all.” She continued.
“That would be way too suspicious!” She thought.
“My name’s Rana. Nice to meetcha,” She offered him a small, awkward smile. One that’s just a little bit crooked.
The vampire prince smiled in return as he elegantly bowed, “My name is Viktor. A pleasure to be serving you, Rana.”
“Okay then, Viktor.” Rana turned on the lights, instantly making the house a lot more inviting. “Welcome to my humble home! Come on in.”
The prince entered. Being welcomed into this threshold makes him feel at ease somehow. There’s a sense of history within this home. And so, naturally, the prince deduced that Rana has lived here all her life. The home is decorated simply, with many things that the prince found strange. For one, the light sources are oddly shaped spheres that are embedded in what looked like stylized glass bowls and cones in the ceiling. Rana turned the spheres on by flipping a white box on the wall. Curious, he investigated the white, square-shaped thing and touched it, unwittingly turning the lights off. Surprised, he turned it back on again.
Rana turned towards the prince, stifling a chuckle as the prince acted as if nothing happened.
“It’s called a light switch. We use electricity to turn on the lightbulbs,” Rana explained, gesturing to the lights on the ceiling. “The switch can also cut off the electricity to turn them off,” Rana finished.
The prince looked at the switch with fascination. Something about the motion and the satisfying *click* noise filled him with a strong desire to flick it again.
“You can flick it again if you want,” Rana smiled smugly, a knowing look on her face.
“That won’t be necessary…”
“Aww, alright then,” She said, almost disappointedly, as she disappeared into the kitchen. The prince could hear running water and his curiosity was piqued once again.
“My hands are sticky and smell like strawberries…” Rana thought as she removed her brown gloves. They’re torn and dirty from the kerfuffle in the mansion with those killer dolls, rendering them unwearable. Rana threw the gloves away to the trash can next to her kitchen sink.
“I guess those rubber gloves didn’t do their job very well,” She turned on the water to wash her hands, only now realizing the scrapes she had on them as the water made contact with her skin. She flinched, and a second later Viktor was by her side.
“You’ve injured your hands,” He said, as he tenderly took her hands in his to inspect them. “That won’t do,” He continued, looking up at her with those dark obsidian eyes. “Where do you keep your medicines?” He asked. His look of genuine concern made Rana blush slightly. She tried to stop it, but the fact that he looks like her favorite K-pop idol isn’t helping at all.
“Um…Y-you mean the first aid kit? It’s in that cabinet over there,” Rana stuttered, surprised at her own bashfulness. She was the one who asked for a piggyback ride from him without hesitation. The one who basically threatened to hit him with her holy axe because she blamed him for all the horrible things she went through in that mansion. The one that shamelessly made him pay her bus fare with a lotta golden coins. Her so-called friend’s face flashed in her mind’s eye, before a sudden realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
“OH MY GODDD!!!” Rana clutched her head, ruffling her lovely green hair. “I was totally acting like…!” There was a pause there as the gravity of her realization sank in, “Heeeeerrr…!” Rana cradled her head and covered her face as she could practically hear that annoying laugh echoing in her head.
“Rana,” Viktor called her, interrupting her torrent of thoughts. She looked up to meet his gaze. He was holding some fluffy cotton balls and a bottle of disinfectant.
“Do sit down, your wounds will be infected if we don’t treat it soon.”
“Okay.”
Rana sat on the couch as Viktor knelt to disinfect her hands. Rana couldn’t help but feel something (it’s a mix of happiness and guilt) as he cleaned her small wound with so much care.
“All done,” Viktor stood up, putting the disinfectant and the remaining cotton back in the kit. He threw the blood-stained cotton into the trash can.
“Thank you,” Rana said. She’s rather embarrassed at her previous behavior and couldn’t meet his eyes. Which is why she didn’t notice Viktor’s eyes glowing an ominous gold. Seeing and smelling the scent of her blood has caused his one hundred years of hunger and thirst to rapidly catch up with him; he can feel his self control slipping.
“Must stay in control,” Viktor thought as a bead of sweat rolled from his forehead. He can hear Rana’s heartbeat, loud as a drum. The sound intoxicating, ridding his mind of rationality, beckoning him to come closer.
He swallowed thickly. One bite is all it takes. Sharp fangs piercing the soft and delicate skin of her neck, her sweet blood quenching his parched tongue, like blessed rain on a barren desert. The urge for blood is the strongest desire of a vampire, after all. Stronger than friendship, stronger than love, stronger than familial bonds. Blood withdrawal drives you to do inhuman things. Viktor knows this better than anyone. He remembers the things he’s seen and experienced in his past, the inhumanity of vampirism. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
“I’m much, much stronger than these urges of mine,” Viktor smirked, regaining his composure.
“It’s already quite late. You should rest,” The vampire prince said, looking at the full moon hanging high in the sky. Rana looked at the clock.
“It’s already past midnight! I’ll wash up and go to bed, I’m getting sleepy again,” She yawned.
“I know you’ve slept in that coffin for the past century, so sleeping is probably the last thing on your mind right now,” Rana said. “But you should rest up, too. You can use that guest room over there,” She pointed to a white door with a cross stitched “Guest Room” sign decorated with colorful, cute flowers on it.
“I’ll go get some pajamas for you, wait here.”
And with that, she’s gone. The prince can hear the patter of footsteps as she ascends the stairs. He walked to the guest room and opened the door, flicking on the lights as he entered. Satisfied, he took a look around his new home. The room had one single size bed with a nightstand next to it. One large window at the end of the room and a dresser near the door. He noticed a small potted snake plant on the nightstand.
“It looks well taken care of,” The prince thought as he gently touched its waxy leaves.
“Although this threshold is homely, it also feels rather lonesome.” His eyes soften. Loneliness is nothing new to him. In fact, he’s quite accustomed to that unpleasant feeling of isolation.
“I’m back!” Rana said as she entered the guest room, pajamas in hand. She walked up to him.
“Here, for you,” Rana offered him a set of white and red striped pajamas.
“This is my dad’s. So, I’m sure it’ll fit you,” Rana smiled that awkward smile. “If it’s too big or too small, let me know so I can get you another pair,” She continued, giving the prince a thumbs up. “Make yourself at home!”
“I’m very grateful.” The prince said with a smile, pajamas in hand.
“Hehe, goodnight!” And with that, she left, leaving him alone in the cozy room.
Rana prepared a fresh change of clothes for herself, while waiting for her bathtub to fill with warm water. She took off her headband, unzipped her velvet gothic princess dress and took a dip in the soothing warm water. She sighed contentedly, as the warmth melts away the fatigue from her achy muscles and joints. She took many warm baths in this bathroom before, but this one felt special. Rana’s thankful to be back home, relieved that she’s safe, and is kinda happy to have someone to keep her company. Which is why she embarrassedly sunk into the water.
“Man…I was kind of a jerk to him today,” Rana thought as she blew tiny bubbles with her lips.
“I mean, I almost lost my life to those creepy dolls. But, it’s not like he directly ordered the dolls to kill me.” She looked up at the steam rising from the water.
“I’ll make it up to him tomorrow!” She decided.
Rana put on her purple pajamas, decorated with little yellow moons. She sat in front of her vanity mirror and brushed her hair before tucking herself in. Before she drifted to sleep, one last thought crossed her mind.
“I hope he’ll like my surprise.”
Her eyelids grew heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.
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The guest room’s window is wide open, moonlight shone brightly on a set of neatly folded pajamas. Viktor is nowhere near Rana’s home. He ran away from his new master, away from the town, away from all the people sleeping soundly in their homes.
He felt his self control slipping after smelling the sweet scent of Rana’s blood, fanning the flames of his vampiric urge. He can hear the heartbeats of everybody in town, his senses heightened by his hunger. The noise is like an overwhelming cacophony of thumps, making him cover his ears on instinct. He rushed further and further, approaching a wooded area outside of town. His overwhelming desire to consume blood built up like a roaring river crashing against a concrete dam. A hundred years of thirst and hunger came over him like a tsunami.
“Arrghhh!!!” He groaned, clutching his head.
“Not yet!!” He thought. He’s not going to lose control now. He’s still not far enough away from town.
So, he continued to run. He can feel his fingernails sharpen to claws and his canines give way to razor sharp fangs as he enters the woods. Viktor suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes glowing a brilliant gold as he looked at the moonlit sky.
Viktor is no longer there, only the vampire remains.
He weaved between the lush pine trees with ease, swiftly locking on to his prey.
The boar didn’t even have time to react as the vampire prince immobilized it. His sharp fangs pierced the boar’s thick hide in a flash, and he feasted on its blood. Imagine your first sip of water after spending a whole day outside in the sweltering summer heat. Imagine the first bite of your favorite food after a long day of work. Lock into that feeling, that euphoric bliss of fulfillment. Now multiply that by one hundred. The vampire prince let out a rapturous sigh as his brain was flooded with endorphins. With each gulp, his vampiric urge subsided, making way for his consciousness to take control of his body.
Viktor looked at the boar, now nothing more than a dry husk. He buried it with a somber look on his face.
“Thank you for the meal,” He said. Offering a short prayer to appreciate the boar’s sacrifice.
Viktor looked at his hands, caked with blood, dirt, and grass. He can feel dry blood on the edges of his lips and cheek. He walked, following the sound of rushing water and found a river. He washed the blood from his face and hands, before washing his jacket as well. He made his way back to Rana’s house and jumped up to the window. He changed into the pajamas she lent to him. It was a perfect fit. He sat on the edge of the bed, which is soft and much more comfortable than he thought it would be. He rested his hands behind his head as he lay on the pillow.
“My new master…” He thought to himself. The moment he woke up, he was met with quite the hostile reception. In exchange for resurrecting him, Viktor offered her power, control, and even revenge. He offered her everything that he thought would appeal to her desires, but in the end, she merely asked for some spare change and a piggyback ride. Viktor smirked.
“Is quite the interesting character indeed.”
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Chapter One Intermissions - The Bus
The Vampire prince is very confused after waking up. He’s now in the modern era, and doesn’t know what many things are called nowadays. Today, he’ll learn about the bus!
Viktor: What is this steel carriage? How can it move without horses?
Rana: Don’t worry, Viktor! We have Google on our side!
Upon saying this, Rana pulled out her phone and held it up proudly. The screen reflected the light, making for a dramatic, anime-like shine. She typed into the touchscreen and read what she found to Viktor.
Rana: The steel carriage is called a bus! Its name is derived from the latin word “Omnibus” which means “for all”.
Rana: They also move using engines. On average, a bus has 450 horsepower. Which is like the collective power of 450 horses in each bus!
Viktor’s eyes widened. He’s rather impressed by this fact.
Viktor: Ah, I see. That’s quite fascinating.
Viktor: Thank you, Rana. Please extend my thanks to this “Google” friend of yours.
Rana: Yep, you got it!
She typed in “Thank you, Google!” into her search bar.
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Here, have a drawing of Vampire Prince! IDK where else to post it...hehe.
