Chapter Text
Welcoming you warmly to the kingdom of Xraso!
As a result of the Great War that happened nearly 1,700 years ago, this kingdom stands proudly today. Shall I tell you a little story?
Have you ever heard of the monsters that suck the blood out of living beings? I am certain you know of the creatures called vampires. I am also sure you consider them entirely fictional. But did you know that there is a star, shining brightly and distinctly, far beyond our solar system?
You might not know that on the planet orbiting this star, all the beings we consider mythical actually live. Well, perhaps not all fictional creatures, but the vampires are definitely there.
So, what have you heard about them? Do you know any theories, stories, or news? Have you heard that vampires cannot die, or that their hearts do not beat? Have you heard that they can fly, or that they are terrified of the sun? What do you truly know about these creatures? Are the myths proven to be true? Do they even make sense—like their supposed fear of salt and garlic?
Or maybe, there was a time when the vampires you know actually lived. But that was in the past. Exactly 1,700 years ago.
It was the year 326, famously known as Y.D.E.—the Year the Dangerous Witches Were Expelled. That is how everyone remembers that year. Yes, during that time, a massive war erupted between the witches and the vampires. If I said the entire world turned upside down that day, I would be entirely correct. Everything the vampires once owned was lost. From that fateful day onward, a new, cursed species of vampire was born.
Would you like to know about the curse that stripped us of our ability to fly, took away our immortality, and worst of all, prevented us from drinking our survival drink?
The war of 326 broke out because both the vampires and the witches wanted ultimate control over the Kingdom of Xraso. For centuries, a sacred pact had secured peace between our sides. If I told you the peace shattered because of a reckless, greedy new generation, I would not be wrong. Even though the witches initially had the upper hand, they were ultimately defeated by the immortal vampires.
Unable to bear the crushing weight of their loss, one of the most talented and powerful witches, named Wicliff, cursed the entire vampire clan. He cast it under a roaring sky and crying rain. The curse dictated a cruel fate:
Every vampire would be born with the exact time of their death.
Yes, the grand immortality of vampires vanished in an instant. From the day after the curse was cast, every vampire child came into the world with the date, time, and location of their death permanently tattooed onto their skin. Day by day, that tattoo shifts and changes with the ticking of time.
So, does anyone wonder who I am to know this much history?
I am Por Suppakarn Jirachotikul, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xraso. As my parents put it, I am the one who was born by killing his own twin. The sinner. Or, as the common folk whisper, I am the reincarnation of a disgusting witch, a shameless royal blessed by dark magic.
Yes, that is how everyone introduces me. For years, they did that. From the very moment I was born, I was painted with those cruel words. By now, I am completely desensitized to hearing them call me that. The only thing I could never get used to was watching my own parents refuse to stand up and protect me.
Now that I am grown, I have accustomed myself to this lifestyle. There is no point in drowning in sadness over things I cannot change. Besides, they aren't entirely wrong. They all have a vivid reason for calling me a monster: my tattoo.
Yes, my tattoo is the sole reason I receive such harsh words, even from my own flesh and blood. My death timer was tattooed with a lifespan of exactly fifteen minutes. I was a child who was supposed to die a quarter of an hour after birth.
Yet, I am still alive. Even after twenty-three years, I am still breathing. That is my crime. I am still living when I should have been buried over two decades ago. That is the main reason I am subjected to their brutal words. My twin, who was destined to live for 234 years, died after just three months, making me an object of absolute hatred in my parents' eyes.
So, what do you have to say to that? What did I do wrong? Was it a crime just to be born? What should I do—kill myself? It feels like I only have one option left: to leave this world entirely. But should I really end my precious life just to appease others? Is that truly what is meant to happen?
No. I refuse to die. I have to live to prove myself. I must live to prove all the common folks wrong. I will prove them wrong. That is a sacred promise I made to myself.
A soulmate... have you ever heard of that?
Of course you have.
It is your lifemate—the one who completes you, your other half. Most importantly, they are the only one who can free you from the curse. A single touch from your soulmate is powerful enough to break the timer. So, you might think I have finally found my soulmate. I want to believe that, too. But if that is true, why is my tattoo still glowing? Why is it still shifting with time, ticking in the exact opposite direction of everyone else's?
Whatever the case, we are now in the year 2026. After 1,700 years of this curse, I am a part of the 4th generation of vampires. How am I going to survive my life here amidst everyone's brutal cruelty toward me? What will happen to me?
"Prince... you are being summoned."
Guess I have to go back. Until I return...
— Por Suppakarn, Crown Prince of Xraso.