The moment they entered, the townspeople greeted them with warnings and despairing looks.

"The vampire destroyed our church and keeps the earth from healing," said a farmer whose gaunt face spoke of hunger and hopelessness.

Among the collapsed houses and abandoned shops before them, countless gravestones rose like silent stone monuments, grim reminders that the once prosperous town was becoming less a home and more an ever-expanding cemetery with every passing day.

"I never imagined things out here could be this bad," Pyrite murmured, his expression hardening.

They had heard stories about the corruption spreading across the continent, poisoning the land and extinguishing every form of life, but witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely.

Selenite brushed her fingers across the surface of a gravestone.

"Those poor people," she whispered, pressing a hand against her heart. "We have to help them!"

"And we will!" Jasper declared without hesitation. "One of the villagers told me the vampire lives in a cave on the Devil's Tail Peninsula. So, what do you say we go kick his butt?"

"What's the plan?" Cinnabar asked. "We're talking about a vampire. They're fast, incredibly strong, they regenerate, and they have magical abilities too."

"You trap him with fire magic so he can't escape," Jasper replied. "Then Pyrite and I'll cut him to pieces."

"What about me?" Selenite asked.

"You..."

The three young men exchanged hesitant glances.

"You'll stay in support," Jasper finally said.

"Vampires are far too dangerous," Cinnabar added. "It's safer if you stay out of the fighting."

Even knowing her friends meant well, motivated only by their desire to protect her, Selenite could not help feeling discouraged. It was true that, as a White Mage, she contributed less in direct combat—she lacked Jasper's raw strength, Pyrite's agility, and Cinnabar's destructive magic—but she was hardly helpless. She carried her beloved staff and hammer, Lightning and Thunder, for a reason. Even so, faced with her companions' unwavering resolve, she reluctantly swallowed her objections.

The group set out for the peninsula known as the Devil's Tail. The sprawling plains and meadows, which should have teemed with vibrant flora and wildlife, had become dry, barren wastelands inhabited only by wandering monsters. Every mile they crossed revealed more devastation, strengthening their determination to save this dying land.

They reached the cave shortly after nightfall.

"We've got no idea how deep it goes," Jasper said. "We'll camp here tonight and head in tomorrow after we've rested."

No one objected. They pitched their tent, and while Cinnabar volunteered for the first watch, the others settled into their sleeping bags. A few hours later, amid the silence of the night, the young Red Mage caught the faint rustling of something moving through the surrounding dead bushes, followed by tiny, frantic squeaks.

Fearing it might be a monster, he drew his sword and cautiously stepped away from camp to peer into the undergrowth. Instead of a dangerous beast, he found a tiny bat tangled in fine thread, its little black body twisting helplessly as it let out frightened, exhausted squeaks.

Maybe it got caught in a trap, he thought, pitying the tiny little creature.

Carefully, he untangled the delicate strands. The instant it was free, the bat shot into the air and vanished into the darkness of the cave, disappearing almost immediately.

That was... strange, Cinnabar thought before making his way back to camp.

Then his heart nearly stopped.

Jasper and Pyrite were still asleep, but the sleeping bag between them was empty.

Selenite was gone.

Cinnabar's panicked scream jolted the others awake. Within moments, all three realized the horrifying truth: Selenite had vanished.

Her pack was still there, her weapons remained untouched, every one of her belongings lay exactly where she had left them.

Only the girl herself was missing.

No one had heard a sound. No one had seen anyone. It was as though she had simply disappeared into thin air.

"It's my fault," Cinnabar choked out, his throat painfully tight. "I was supposed to be watching... and I wasn't paying attention."

He fought desperately to steady his breathing, but the tears gathering in his eyes betrayed the crushing guilt threatening to overwhelm him.

"It's not your fault," Pyrite said gently. His own heart pounded with fear over Selenite's disappearance, yet he forced himself to remain composed for the youngest member of their party. Kneeling, he pointed toward the ground. "Look. Human footprints."

The tracks led straight toward the cave.

"Do you think Selenite went in there by herself?" Jasper asked.

"Or maybe someone... took her?" Cinnabar whispered.

The silence that followed was answer enough.

"Whatever happened, we're going after her. Right now," Jasper said, gripping the hilt of his sword. The others nodded, determined.

Gathering their belongings, the three Warriors of Light stepped into the mouth of the cave, allowing its dense darkness to swallow them whole.

~🗡️💰🪄⚡~

Selenite drifted awake slowly. Her mind was wrapped in fog, her limbs were heavy and sluggish, as though sleep still clung to her. The surface beneath her was hard and cold, nothing like the warmth of her sleeping bag. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and it took several attempts before she managed to force them open. Bracing herself on her elbows, she blinked and looked around.

Horror settled over her almost immediately as she realized she was no longer at the campsite. Instead, she found herself inside a cramped chamber of packed earth and rough stone, more like an underground prison cell than a room. Two flickering torches cast shadows across the walls. The only exit was a wooden door with a small barred window.

The room was empty except for a chest in one corner and—Oh, Gods—a coffin.

Selenite lay barefoot on the cold floor, stripped of every one of her belongings. She was still dressed in her white robe. A heavy iron shackle encircled one of her ankles and a chain connected it to a metal ring bolted into the stone floor, preventing her from reaching the door.

How... did I get here? she thought, as the dreadful realization settled in, confirming that this was, in fact, not a nightmare.

She scrambled to her feet and pulled desperately at the chain, but it barely moved. The clatter of iron links rang through the tiny room. The shackle was snug without cutting into her skin, but one glance told her that trying to wrench her foot free would only leave her with a mangled ankle.

Where were her friends? What was this place? How had she ended up here? What had happened? Questions crashed through her mind one after another, each unanswered thought feeding the panic pounding in her chest.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—she would not have to wonder for long.

A bat slipped effortlessly through the bars of the door. Its black body was slightly larger than that of an ordinary bat, and its tiny eyes glittered with unnatural intelligence. Selenite watched it circle the room twice before thick black smoke swallowed its body. Just a moment later, a man dressed in dark blue robes stood before her.

"At last… you are mine, beautiful lady."

The man’s skin was so unnaturally pale it resembled that of a corpse. Short crimson hair was slicked tightly against his scalp, while ruby-red eyes lingered on her with unmistakable hunger. When he smiled, gleaming fangs emerged from behind his lips.

There was no mistaking his identity: The vampire who had cursed Melmond stood before her.

And now Selenite was his prisoner.

"W-What do you want from me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

She was alone, chained, unarmed, and at the mercy of an enemy whose intentions she could only imagine.

The vampire's gaze drifted leisurely over her from head to toe.

"You're exquisite," he purred. His rolling r's betrayed a heavy accent, yet his voice remained velvet-soft, almost hypnotic. "I've watched you and your companions since long before you reached my cave. I must say I was utterly captivated. The instant I laid eyes upon you... I knew I had to possess you."

He stepped closer, and Selenite instinctively retreated until her back struck the stone wall. Without asking permission, he took her trembling hand and raised it to his lips. His kiss was ice-cold.

A violent shudder raced through her body.

"What... do you want from me?" she whispered again, tears burning at the corners of her eyes as his face hovered only inches from hers, invading her space.

"Don't cry, my lovely," he murmured, gently cupping her chin. The gesture might have seemed tender had his fingers not tightened just enough to force her to meet his gaze. "A woman as beautiful as you should not waste her days hunting monsters or trudging through mud. No... you should dance beneath the moon forever." His thumb brushed lightly across her cheek. "You should belong to me."

He leaned closer. The tip of his nose grazed her throat, lingering over the frantic pulse of her veins.

"N-no... please, stay away!" she cried, instantly understanding what he intended to do.

She would never allow herself to become a vampire. It would mean never feeling the warmth of the sun again. Never traveling beside her friends again. Never returning home to her mother.

"Don't struggle, my precious," the vampire cooed, his sickeningly gentle tone at complete odds with the possessiveness burning in his eyes.

Selenite fought with everything she had, shoving, kicking and scratching. She clawed at his face with all her strength, and her nails tore bloody furrows across his pale skin. Within seconds, every wound sealed itself, as though they had never existed.

"How adorable," the vampire chuckled.

Without warning, he seized the collar of her robe and yanked. The fabric ripped apart like fragile paper beneath his unnatural strength. Cold air struck the exposed skin of her shoulder and chest. Selenite gasped, instinctively throwing both arms across herself, but she was already too late.

The vampire froze and his crimson eyes widened. He recoiled as though burned, pointing a accusing finger toward the rune engraved over her heart—a pale, scar-like mark that would remain with her forever, proof of the terrible price she had paid to have her wish granted.

"What are you?" he hissed, revulsion twisting his features. "Only a madman would sacrifice part of his own life simply to change bodies. You are no woman."

A sob caught in Selenite's throat. She collapsed onto the floor, curling tightly into herself. Humiliation burned her face. At that moment, she wished the earth would simply open beneath her and swallow her whole.

Then voices echoed faintly through the cave from somewhere in the distance.

"Selenite! Where are you?!"

She recognized them immediately: Her friends! Tears of relief mingled with those of shame, flooding her eyes.

The vampire clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I dislike interruptions," he said as he turned toward the door. "I'll dispose of those pests first..." He glanced back over one shoulder. His crimson eyes pierced her like poisoned blades. "...and afterward, I'll decide what to do with you."

Before she could answer, his body dissolved into a cloud of black smoke. A heartbeat later, the bat slipped through the bars and disappeared.

For several long moments, Selenite remained frozen, struggling to process everything that had just happened.

Then the shock gave way. Terror crawled up her spine and seized her entire body. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks as violent sobs wracked her chest. She tried to steady her breathing, tried to stop crying, but it was useless, the fear was simply too overwhelming. Several minutes passed before she finally managed to wipe her eyes.

I have to do something, she told herself. Her friends were in danger. And if anything happened to them...

Selenite forced herself to her feet and hurried toward the door, but the chain snapped taut, stopping her. She stared at the iron shackle around her ankle.

She refused to remain helpless any longer.

Her frantic gaze swept across the room in search of anything that could help her escape. She threw open the chest in the corner, revealing a glittering hoard of precious gems. Nestled among them lay a large ruby with a razor-sharp edge.

Without allowing herself time to think, she grabbed it and sat on the floor. She pressed the stone against the top of her foot. And cut.

Agony exploded through her body. Blood immediately poured from the wound, spilling over her foot in a warm crimson stream. Ignoring the blinding pain, she dragged the ruby farther around her ankle, carving through skin until blood soaked every inch of the shackle.

Using it as lubricant, she forced her foot against the unforgiving iron. The metal peeled away strips of flesh, but she didn’t stop, pulling harder. Skin tore. Muscles scraped against steel. She screamed. She didn’t stop. Blood splashed across the dirt floor, pooling beneath her as the chain rattled violently with every desperate tug.

Then—CRACK. The sound of breaking bone echoed through the tiny chamber as Selenite tore herself free. She collapsed onto the floor, biting down on her own bloodied hand to smother the scream that ripped through her throat.

Her foot had become an unrecognizable mass of torn flesh, blood, and shattered bone. She lay there trembling, gasping for air until the worst of the agony finally loosened its grip.

"C-cure..."

Soft white light enveloped her mangled foot. The healing spell could not completely mend such horrific injuries, but it dulled the pain enough that she could stand, even if every limping step still sent fresh waves of agony up her leg.

Ignoring her torn robe and blood-soaked foot, Selenite shoved the door open (it had never even been locked). She staggered into the winding earthen tunnels, following the distant sounds of battle.

Then suddenly, everything fell silent. Her heart lurched, as she broke into the fastest limp she could manage.

At last, she burst into a wide chamber carved from packed earth, and the sight before her froze the blood in her veins.

Jasper and Pyrite stood several yards apart, swords raised but completely motionless like statues.

It was the work of the Vampire's Gaze. They had been paralyzed.

Nearby, Cinnabar hung limp in the creature's embrace, equally unable to move. Silent tears streamed down the young Red Mage's face as the vampire gently brushed his long hair aside, exposing the pale curve of his neck.

"With that face and that lovely hair, you almost resemble a woman" the vampire purred, brushing his nose along the frantic pulse beneath Cinnabar's skin, drawing another helpless tear from the mage's eye. "But I desire only a true woman to share eternity with."

His crimson eyes swept over the three adventurers.

"So all of you must die."

His mouth opened, revealing his gleaming fangs that descended toward Cinnabar's throat, ready to drain every last drop of blood. Jasper's and Pyrite's faces twisted with helpless horror, unable to move, to fight, to save their friend.

Selenite refused to become another helpless spectator.

She had no weapon, no offensive magic; her opponent was stronger than her, faster, practically impossible to kill. Put that way, it sounded like an impossible mission.

"Nothing is impossible if you give it everything you've got."

Her mother's words echoed through her mind, filling her with courage. And within the darkness of that cursed cave... Selenite found the light.

She focused on nothing except the monster before her, as she felt the magic that surged through every fiber of her body. Her chocolate eyes blazed with radiant white light, bright as the full moon itself, before she cried out:

"DIAGA!"

A pillar of holy light erupted from above like divine judgment itself, before it crashed down upon the vampire.

He screamed in agony as his flesh blackened instantly. Smoke poured from every inch of his burning body.

The paralysis spell shattered, and Jasper, Pyrite, and Cinnabar gasped as feeling returned to their limbs. They could only watch as the vampire's body crumbled apart, collapsing into nothing more than a mound of drifting ash.

Silence returned to the cavern. Only then did the three adventurers turn toward Selenite, several feet away.

"Guys..."

Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper. She could no longer feel her body. Her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood dripping from the corners of her lips to her chin. Some more seeped from her ears. The cave blurred around her. She could no longer tell whether she was still standing or already falling.

Darkness closed over her, but before it claimed her completely... she smiled.

She had saved her friends.

When Selenite opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was that she no longer felt as though she were dying. That seemed like a very good sign.

She opened her eyes, blinking away the haze. She realized she was still inside the Earth Cave, but the location hardly mattered. Three familiar faces immediately filled her vision.

Jasper and Cinnabar were openly crying. Pyrite offered her a reassuring smile, though the relief in his eyes was no less profound.

"For a moment... we thought we were going to lose you" he said quietly, his voice wavering despite every effort to remain composed for the sake of the team. "I'm really glad Cinnabar’s healing magic is second to none."

That was all it took. Within seconds, all four of them were hugging and crying again. The next several minutes disappeared into tearful embraces, relieved laughter, and countless reassurances that everyone was still alive.

Once Selenite had recovered enough strength to walk, she guided the others back to the prison cell. The chest overflowing with precious gemstones remained exactly where she had left it, and after everything they had endured, they unanimously agreed it was fair payment for yet another impossible mission they had somehow survived.

At last, they climbed out of the Earth Cave together.

Their journey was still far from over, but as Selenite walked beside the people who had become her new family, she could not help smiling. She had friends who loved her, who accepted her without question, friends who never stopped believing in the person she was striving to become. And somehow that made every painful step forward feel worthwhile.

Owning Her Future taglist: