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The Callisto Mansion rose amidst the thick fog, like a tomb still inhabited. The tall windows, veiled by black curtains, barely allowed a pale thread of light to slip through, just enough to reveal the dead beauty of the place, suspended in a silence so dense it seemed to have weight.
In that space where time itself slept, only one presence moved with firmness and cold restraint: Cedric Callisto.
His footsteps echoed through the halls like memories of a past that refused to die. Every corner of the mansion responded to his dominion. No one entered, no one left, no one touched what belonged to him.
Especially Kieran.
The little boy slept in the most protected room of the house, surrounded by talismans, ancient symbols, and seals drawn in blood. The vampire had traced each one himself, swearing he would never again lose his family as he had that night.
Because that night… the forest had screamed. Howls, the stench of iron and ash. And among the shadows, the torn bodies of his parents, victims of werewolves.
Cedric, barely eighteen, had inherited not only the leadership of the coven but also the custody of the infant Kieran. Since then, he had sealed his soul behind a mask of ice, one that only his younger brother could melt.
A crow’s caw pulled him from his memories. The vampire stopped at the threshold of his brother’s room and turned toward the window. Outside, on the sill, several crows swayed beneath the pale moonlight. They were the same ones Kieran used to feed, he adored them ever since that night when Cedric had turned into one and let him stroke his feathers.
He stepped carefully, avoiding the scattered crayons on the floor. Kieran slept hugging a small stuffed toy, wrapped in soft sheets. His breathing was calm, and the moonlight traced his face with tenderness. The toys and childish drawings contrasted with the talismans hanging from the ceiling, innocence and darkness sharing the same space, like two worlds refusing to part.
Cedric slightly lifted the curtain. Outside, the forest watched him: dark, silent. The same forest that had once taken everything from him.
—Not this time.—
He whispered with a voice rough, inhuman.
He closed the curtain and returned to his brother’s side. His cold hand rested on the child’s forehead. Kieran mumbled something in his sleep but did not wake. Cedric looked at him with a tenderness that existed only when his gaze rested on Kieran.
—They won’t take you too—
Everyone knew well that the day belonged to Kieran, and the night to Cedric. So dictated their nature. The elder was a vampire of the dark, unable to bear the light; the younger, a rarity among their kind, a vampire of light, capable of walking beneath the sun.
But that day, Cedric was awakened before dusk.
By noise, voices. A conflict among the vampires of the coven. His patience, long worn thin, finally broke.
He looked upon them with burning eyes, his body transforming, black feathers, sharp claws, half bird, half beast. The others recoiled in terror. None dared meet his gaze… except one small figure.
Tiny hands clung to his leg.
Cedric looked down. Big, brown, bright eyes stared at him with pure innocence. Kieran smiled.
The beast vanished. The feathers faded, the claws retracted. Only Cedric remained, trembling at the power held within that smile. He didn’t ask how his little brother had gotten there, nor did he care that the vampires he had been about to destroy were retreating in silence.
—Brother!—
Exclaimed Kieran; his voice, pure and innocent, capable of breaking the tension like a ray of sunlight through the shadows.
—You’re awake!—
Cedric gave a faint smile, lifted him into his arms, and held him carefully.
—You should be in your room—
He murmured.
—But I want to play with you… You’re always asleep when I’m awake, and no one else wants to play with me.—
The boy pouted, puffing his cheeks.
Cedric let out a low laugh.
—I’ll only play with you for a few minutes. No more.—
—That’s not fair! It’s too little!—
Kieran protested, nearly in tears.
The elder sighed.
—You know the light hurts me. But tonight I’ll read you a story, the one you choose. I promise.—
—I don’t want stories! I don’t want to wait until night!—
The boy’s trembling voice broke, his eyes shining with tears.
—I want to be with you now. When I grow up, it won’t be the same.—
Cedric felt his heart ache like an old wound. He embraced him tightly.
—I know… But I promise, when the time comes and you choose the night, I’ll be with you forever.—
The boy sighed, surrendering.
—Then… can we at least feed the crows before you sleep?—
He asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.
Cedric smiled softly.
—Of course.—
There were nights when nightmares took hold. Kieran would wake up screaming and crying, chased by shadows, by golden eyes among the trees, by cages closing around him.
Those nights, he ran barefoot to his brother’s office.
Cedric looked up from his desk as soon as the door creaked open. In an instant, he was beside him.
—Again?—
He asked, his voice deep and restrained.
Kieran nodded, rubbing his eyes. Cedric lifted him and sat him on his lap.
—Nothing will hurt you, do you hear? Not while I’m here.—
The boy looked at him with a mix of faith and exhaustion.
—Will the nightmares stop?—
Cedric’s silence weighed heavier than any word. Then he whispered:
—They will. I promise.—
He rocked him gently.
—Sleep. I’ll be here… always.—
And Kieran, trusting him completely, fell asleep in his arms. The vampire guarded him all night, keeping his slumber safe and the nightmares at bay.
The clock hands moved endlessly. Time passed, and with it grew the young vampire’s curiosity. Each day, from his window, he watched the forest: the shadows that danced under the sun, the crows flying free, the mystery of what had always been forbidden.
—Can we go outside?—
He had never gone out like other children, but this time he dared to ask.
—I just want to see what’s out there…—
His voice trembled.
Cedric’s gaze turned to ice, sharp, swift, and cutting enough to still the air. He stopped arranging the portrait of their parents on the bedside table.
—No. You’ll stay here, in the mansion. And don’t ask again.—
His tone was not a plea. It was a sentence.
The little vampire lowered his head, eyes wet. He didn’t understand what he had said wrong. Cedric sighed, approached him, and wrapped him in his arms. For an instant, the world was warm again.
—Don’t cry… I’m sorry. But you won’t go outside.—
His voice, however, was as sharp as a blade.
—You’re safe here.—
The boy nodded silently.
—I just wanted to see the forest…—
He murmured.
Cedric held him tighter, almost painfully.
—Everything I’ve ever loved was taken from me by that forest. I won’t let it take you too.—
“I’m only protecting him,” he told himself. “I’m only protecting him.”
There was love in Cedric’s eyes, yes, but his embrace looked far too much like a cage. And Kieran, innocent, only saw it as safety.
One afternoon, while Cedric slept, Kieran escaped. He took advantage of carelessness and the other vampires’ indifference. He didn’t go far, just to the edge of the forest.
The air was sweet, the sunlight warm; the flowers like tiny stars scattered across the earth. For the first time, there were no talismans, no curtains, only freedom.
Then, something moved among the bushes. From there emerged a boy with golden eyes, wild, curious, sniffing the air like a young wolf.
When he noticed he wasn’t alone, he blinked; and in an instant, his eyes changed color, from gold to blue. A blue as deep as the sky… but more alive.
Kieran took a cautious step back. The other boy, however, smiled, with surprise, and joy.
When the day ended, Cedric awoke at dusk. But this time, something felt different: a presence, a scent, a subtle imbalance in the air. He rose immediately and dressed quickly. His goal was clear, to go to his brother’s room. With each step, the echo of his boots filled the corridors, as if the mansion itself were holding its breath.
When he arrived, he opened the door. Everything seemed in order… except for a small flower lying on the table.
A daisy.
Cedric picked it up between his fingers. Before he could speak, Kieran ran out of the bathroom in his pajamas, startled, as if he hadn’t expected to see his brother there, the same one who read him a story every night.
—Don’t crush it!—
He shouted, alarmed.
The vampire studied him carefully.
—Where did you get this, Kieran?—
The boy lowered his gaze.
—A crow brought it… in its beak.—
He lied.
—It’s pretty. Can I keep it?—
Silence stretched between them. Then Cedric nodded and handed the flower back.
—All right—
He murmured.
Kieran smiled, relieved. Cedric sighed, walked to the bookshelf, and took a book.
—Ready for your story?—
The boy nodded, clutching the daisy gently.
That night, while his brother read, Kieran didn’t hear the words. He only thought of the golden and blue eyes of the boy from the forest, the one who had given him that flower.
The first one who had spoken to him.
The first one who had given him something.
Cedric patrolled the mansion that night, ignoring the unease tightening his chest.
The forest seemed to watch him back, dark, patient, ancient. Something was waiting.
Fate had already begun weaving its threads. And when blood and moonlight met… neither vows nor love would be enough to stop what was coming.