#vampireau

It was going to be a harsh winter.

She knew it from the first snowfall when there was barely a hint of frost on the trees. Day after day, the temperature dropped alarmingly, and in a matter of hours, the entire forest had been painted white. A white so pure it was almost uncomfortable to look at.

“You should stay in the village this season.”

Yuu blinked, losing track of what Father Rollo was solemnly reciting that Sunday morning. She turned toward the voice, facing a pair of brown eyes that, to any stranger, would seem cold and indifferent. But to her, they held an almost imperceptible warmth.

“What…?”

“You can stay at my house. During the winter, there won’t be any smell of blood or anything that bothers you.”

He continued, unfazed, completely ignoring the constant "shhh" from the other villagers around them. Yuu blinked again, stunned.

“They rarely manage to hunt anything this season.”

“Are… are you crazy?” She lowered her voice behind a fist, trying to draw less attention than her companion. “Do you have any idea what they’d say about a man and a woman living under the same roof without being married…?”

“You know I don’t give a shi—”

“Adel!”

It was a fact—now everyone in the church knew about their conversation. Even Father Rollo paused his sermon and observed them for a brief, cutting moment before resuming his reading with a grunt, an act of mercy.

It was incredible how, with a face that almost resembled a woman’s, his pretty brown eyes, the deep dark blue—almost black—of his hair, and his rosy skin, Adel could curse so shamelessly inside a church.

“You know Father Rollo…”

“I don’t understand why you revere that idiot so much.”

“Adel…” she pleaded, pulling at her hair in exasperation.

“If he cared about you as much as you think, he never would’ve exiled you to live alone in the forest.”

He added with disdain, declaring his victory as Yuu fell silent.

Not long after, the service ended. Yuu wasn’t even surprised when, from a distance, Father Rollo gestured for her to come over while everyone else left the sanctuary. She quickly bid Adel farewell before hurrying in his direction.

“F-Father Rollo, we didn’t mean to…”

“That butcher… are you two close?”

Rollo Flamme cut off her murmuring mercilessly, earning a confused look from the younger woman.

Yuu swallowed dryly, staring into the pair of cold, dark eyes that always seemed to judge her.

Rollo Flamme was young, very young. But that didn’t disqualify him from his position. The deep dark circles under his eyes were the greatest proof of his devotion and commitment to the clergy. With his nearly six-foot height, severe yet attractive face, he radiated an imposing aura that drew villagers like flies to honey—or, in Yuu’s case, made her shrink into herself.

“Well, yes…”

“Has he asked for your hand in marriage?”

He cut her off again, impatient.

Yuu stared at him blankly, making the wrinkle between Rollo’s brows deepen.

“Has he?”

“No! No, no, no…” She fidgeted with her fingers, suppressing the urge to bite her nails in an attempt to escape his icy gaze. “Adel and I are just friends…”

“Oh, please.”

Rollo scoffed, a condescending smile curling his lips as he looked at Yuu with false sympathy.

“Don’t tell me you seriously believe that a man and a single woman can just be friends?”

Suddenly, the smile vanished, leaving only the tight press of his lips in distaste.

“If you keep thinking that way, you’ll only follow in the disgraceful footsteps of your mother.”

“Remember, Yuu, there isn’t a single man in the world who doesn’t see you for what you are…”

“The daughter of a prostitute…”

She murmured, eyes cast downward in shame.

Yes, that’s what she was.

Exile was the price of atoning for her late mother’s sins. Carrying that shame had long been her way of life.

“Oh, come now, don’t make that face.”

Rollo’s fingers took her chin with a gentleness that starkly contrasted with the severe, accusatory tone he had just used to reprimand her.

“I only want what’s best for you, and if I speak to you this way, it’s because I care. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes… Thank you, Father.”

“Wonderful.”

Rollo hummed in satisfaction, sliding a hand over Yuu’s hair in what could be considered a reward.

“Now, go home. Remember not to talk to strangers, especially if they’re men.”

“…Alright.”

She stepped back with a reverence, ready to begin the long journey back to her cabin in the forest.

“Oh, Yuu…”

“…Yes?”

“Don’t forget that I love you.”

• • •

By the time she reached her humble dwelling, the sky was completely dark, and the snow reached up to her knees. She took refuge by the fireplace, seeking to rid herself of the oppressive cold that seemed to cling to her very blood. She knew it was risky to go back and forth between the church and her cabin, but what else could she do? Father Rollo had always been so kind to her that missing a service felt like an unforgivable act of ingratitude.

She looked out the window, finding nothing but utter and absolute darkness. On nights as cold as this, she missed her mother’s presence... She stepped away from the window, pushing away thoughts of the past, causing the wooden frame to creak under her touch. A creeping sensation stirred within her—that something, deep in the forest, was watching her. She added more firewood to the flames and wrapped herself in a pile of furs that, despite being old and worn, did their job: keeping her warm.

The next morning, the sky was overcast, and the cold was hardly any different from the night before. Yuu began her daily chores early, stepping outside only to clear the frost that had built up on her door and roof. On days like these, wolves and other creatures lurked in the shadows, so the less time spent outside, the better.

That’s why she didn’t know how it happened.

She didn’t know at what moment, in the midst of her cold and lonely winter, she ended up like this—dragging a bloodied young man she had found on an equally gray afternoon while gathering firewood. She knew her world was inhabited by all sorts of malevolent creatures, but she simply couldn’t ignore the dying, unmistakably human figure of the boy lying in the snow, disturbing the pristine white with blood... too much blood.

She knew Father Rollo would reprimand her for not heeding his advice, but she would regret it for the rest of her life if she left him there to die.

There was something sinister about this young man. Something terribly sinister in how pale and beautiful he was. Beautiful—yes, there was no better word to describe his angelic features, which clashed with the ragged state of his bedding. His hair was black, deep, like the glossy plumage of a raven gleaming under the flickering firelight. Even someone as uneducated and illiterate as Yuu could tell that the refined attributes of his face would put many artists and poets—who prided themselves on knowing true beauty—to shame.

She was so mesmerized by his appearance that, throughout the entire process of cleaning his body, she failed to notice that there wasn’t a single wound on his pale, ice-cold skin.

The stranger remained motionless for days, making her question whether she had brought home a man or a statue.

Either way, since his arrival, her small hut no longer felt so lonely. And somehow, since she brought him in, the constant sense of danger emanating from the forest seemed to have lessened.

Yuu basked in the newfound calm, oblivious to the fact that she had invited the most dangerous predator to her doorstep.

Months passed, and winter began to fade. It seemed like any other day when she left to gather firewood, leaving her silent guest alone, as she had done in the weeks prior. Excited to see how spring was gradually making its presence known with small touches of green here and there, she lost track of time and found herself returning home as the sunset painted the sky in shades of red and orange. It was beautiful; she rarely had the opportunity to admire the sky like this.

The tranquility of the forest was soothing—the distant hum of insects and the fluttering of birds signaled that spring was just around the corner. She gazed at the faint silhouette of the moon in the sky, feeling strangely happy.

Soon, I’ll be able to return to the village and see Adel and Father Rollo!

“Good afternoon.”

Her blood turned to ice.

Slowly, she turned to face the group of hunters who, at some point along her path, had drawn uncomfortably close. She vaguely recognized their faces—they were likely from the village, though she couldn’t put names to them. It was strange. Why were they approaching her like this?

“Good afternoon,” she replied, her voice steady and composed as she clutched the firewood against her chest, an awful sense of dread swirling in the pit of her stomach.

If there was one reason Yuu had survived alone in the forest for so long, it was her instinctive fear of strangers. Even she was surprised that she had invited one into her home.

“It’s been a harsh winter, hasn’t it?”

He kept talking. Why was he still talking? It was odd—normally, everyone, except for Adel, avoided her like the plague.

“Yes, it has.”

She slowly stepped backward, uneasy at how they all seemed to notice her growing desperation to end the conversation. The dogs growled in response, making her even more anxious.

“We had a good hunt,” the eldest of the hunters mused, gesturing toward the large stag they were dragging back to the village. “If you want, we can give you something... in exchange for your services.”

“My... services?”

The men exchanged glances.

“Come on, we all know you’re following in your mother’s footsteps—that’s why that priest cast you out of the village,” another man interjected, far less patient. “So spare us the false modesty.”

She didn’t even get the chance to scream.

Yuu fought with all her might, but they were too many—too strong and too fast. Within seconds, her face was pressed against the snow, sharp stones and twigs scraping her skin.

“N-no...!”

She kicked wildly, screaming in terror as she felt a hand slipping beneath her skirt. Somehow, she managed to snatch a small hunting knife and swung it blindly, forcing them to back away. She took advantage of their surprise and ran, abandoning the firewood in her frantic escape. But she didn’t get far.

One of the dogs sank its teeth into her leg and dragged her back. Her screams echoed through the endless forest. It hurt. It felt like massive needles were tearing through her flesh. Someone struck her across the face, and suddenly, everything went dark.

Yet she refused to stop fighting.

Then came the worst of it.

“Shit! Which one of you idiots stabbed her?!”

“W-what was I supposed to do?! She wouldn’t stop struggling!”

“What do we do now...? Her guts are about to spill out any second now...”

She held her stomach, feeling a great, damp warmth spreading through her arms. Cold, it was so cold. Her eyes could only make out blurry shapes, and her lips trembled with unintelligible mutterings.

It hurt, it hurt so much.

Yuu wanted to scream, but her body was becoming less and less hers; there was a disconnect that manifested as a tingling, numbing her extremities.

So… I’m really going to die like this.

On her deathbed, she thought of Adel, of how she should have listened to him and thanked him for being one of the few who genuinely cared about her. She also thought of Father Rollo and how sad he would feel to know she had died in such a miserable way, all because she hadn’t followed his advice.

And she also thought of him, her nameless guest. Her greatest regret in that moment was that she would never be able to find out what his voice would have sounded like. It was foolish. Why was she thinking about something so trivial? Had her life really been so insignificant from beginning to end?

«Crunch, crunch, crunch»

In the middle of the small battle she was fighting with her eyelids to keep them from closing, she thought she heard unfamiliar screams and growls. Something splattered against her face, just as hot as the blood seeping through her fingers.

«Slurp, slurp, slupr»

What was that sound?

"Ah~, it's been a while since I last had a bite… This time, he really almost killed me."

A single voice echoes in the now silent forest. Yuu weakly lifts her eyes toward the direction where, just moments ago, her tormentors had been looking at her. She almost doesn't recognize the angelic, pale face covered in blood. The vital liquid dripped excessively from his lips, covering everything with the horrible metallic scent that it was known for.

"A bit bitter for my taste, but it'll be enough for now."

It was him.

No, impossible. She had to be hallucinating—a cruel and bleak trick her mind was playing on her before her permanent dismissal from life. It was unthinkable, especially because her guest didn’t have those strikingly prominent horns atop his head, nor did he have the physique to tear apart five seasoned hunters. And he certainly didn’t look like a vampire.

For starters, since when were those demonic entities so beautiful? Father Rollo had always described them as horrendous creatures—monstrous beings you’d recognize at first glance! Yes… ugly, dangerous, and… red-eyed.

But him… he was none of that. His eyes weren’t even red; they gleamed with the intensity of an emerald fully bathed in the midday sun.

"Look at you… And here I was, thinking I’d return your kindness by killing you painlessly."

He spoke, and Yuu’s ears caught his tone like a gentle caress, even in the midst of his condescension. There was no expression on his face, or at least none Yuu could make out when more than half of her bodily fluids had already painted the ground crimson. Besides, the sun had long since vanished, and the moonlight barely allowed her to make out faint shapes.

"I have lived through countless eras, and yet, not once have I fully understood humans. Weak, pathetic, selfish… I have never met one without these three traits. But you, foolish little human… you are, without a doubt, the stupidest one I have ever encountered."

Silence.

That seemed to be the conclusion he had reached as he wandered around her slowly cooling body, splattered with the remains of several people.

"H-Help… me…"

She didn’t even know if he was still there, much less if he would offer her anything after so openly insulting both her and her entire species in her final moments. But what else could she do? In the end, he was right. She was nothing more than a selfish creature who, no matter how miserable her life had been, refused to leave without clinging on and fighting just a little.

There was no response, but that didn’t surprise her either. She hadn’t taken him into her cabin expecting anything in return. Just having someone there for all those months—someone she used to warm herself during the nights when the ice nearly froze her bones, someone to talk to when the silence became unbearable… someone who, in his taciturn way, reminded her of what another person’s face looked like.

How pathetic. She had even shared her most personal thoughts with him when the solitude threatened to shatter what little sanity she had left. She expected nothing from him because, even in all that silence, she felt like she had already received too much.

Yes… in the end… she would die settling for scraps.

Just like her mother.

"Aren’t you just a pathetic little thing~?"

He cooed, his voice light, laughing shamelessly at her plea. But Yuu was already too weak to hear him.

She had the faint sensation of something sinking into her neck, but by then, her nerves had already stopped being of any use.

Her last memory as a human was how beautiful the moon looked at the turn of the season.

Tag list: @ghostlysyntaxed @nico707 @strayharmony943

Legends were funny things.

They started as whispers, grew into warnings, and eventually turned into stories parents told their kids to keep them out of trouble. Stay away from the forest. Don't wander near the old ruins. Nothing good lives in places like that.

Thirteen-year-old Hwang Seoyeon had heard those warnings her whole life. Which, of course, only made her want to see the place for herself.

The ruined castle sat deep in the mountains, hidden behind thick pine forests and jagged ridges of rock. Most people in the nearby villages avoided it completely. The road that once led there had long since cracked apart, swallowed by weeds and creeping vines.

But teenagers were stubborn creatures, and curious as hell.

Which was how Seoyeon ended up standing at the edge of the broken courtyard with four of her friends.

"Holy shit," Jaeyun muttered, running a hand through his messy dark hair as he stared up at the ruins.

The castle looked even bigger up close. Massive stone walls rose crookedly against the sky, half-collapsed towers leaning like they were one good storm away from falling apart completely. Ivy strangled the outer walls, and the iron gate hung off one hinge like a rusted jaw. A cold wind moved through the broken archways.

"Okay," Minhee said slowly, his eyes widening. "I take it back. This place is creepy as hell."

Seoyeon folded her arms and lifted her chin. "Oh please. It's just an old castle."

"Yeah?" Beomha interjected, raising her eyebrows challengingly. "Then why does it look like a fucking horror movie set?"

Seoyeon rolled her eyes. "Because it's abandoned."

Behind them, someone cleared their throat loudly. The five teens turned.

Eleven-year-old Hwang Hyunjin stood there with his hands on his hips, looking deeply unimpressed with the entire group. "You guys are being dramatic."

Seoyeon blinked. "Hyunjin, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Following you," he said simply.

"You weren't invited."

"And yet here I am."

Minhee snorted. "Damn. Your little brother's savage."

Seoyeon groaned and rubbed her face. "Mom is going to kill me if she finds out you came."

Hyunjin shrugged. "Then don't let her find out." He stepped past her and walked toward the broken gate like he owned the place. "Are we exploring or just standing here like drama queens?"

Seoyeon stared after him. "Did my brother just inadvertently call us cowards?"

Hyunjin looked back over his shoulder. "If the shoe fits."

Kaisun burst out laughing, his voice echoing faintly. "Oh shit, he did."

Seoyeon glared at all of them. "Fine. Let's go, assholes."

The courtyard was a mess of fallen stone and weeds pushing through cracked ground. Their footsteps echoed strangely in the empty space.

Minhee kicked a loose rock across the ground. "This place is ancient."

"Yeah," Jaeyun said. "My grandpa said it's been abandoned for like hundreds of years."

Hyunjin looked up at one of the broken towers. "What happened to it?"

"No idea," Seoyeon said.

That wasn't entirely true. She'd heard the rumors: People disappearing in the forest. Strange noises at night. Hunters refusing to go near the mountains after dark. But she wasn't about to admit that now. Because then everyone would say the place was haunted, and that was dumb. Probably.

"Come on," she said, heading toward the massive entrance hall. "Let's see what's inside."

The interior of the castle was colder. The air smelled like wet stone and old dust. Pieces of the ceiling had collapsed in several places, leaving beams of sunlight slicing through the darkness. Moss covered the floor in thick patches, and broken furniture lay scattered like bones.

Beomha whistled. "Damn."

Hyunjin wandered over to a cracked stone pillar and ran his hand along the time-worn carvings. "This place used to be really nice."

Seoyeon nodded. "Yeah." It must have been incredible once, she thought, all huge and powerful. Now it’s just a skeleton.

Kaisun kicked open a half-rotted wooden door. "Room's empty!"

"Check the next one," Jaeyun said.

Soon the group spread out, exploring different corners of the castle. Every hallway seemed to lead somewhere darker. Every staircase creaked like it might collapse under their weight. But the excitement of exploring kept them moving.

"Hey!" Beomha called from down a corridor. "There's stairs over here!"

Seoyeon and the others ran over.

Stone steps spiraled downward into darkness.

Hyunjin leaned over the railing and peered into the blackness. "Well that's ominous."

Minhee grinned. "Dungeon."

Seoyeon raised an eyebrow. "You don't know that."

"Old castle?" he said. "Stairs going underground? That's definitely a dungeon."

Jaeyun crossed his arms. "You going down there, Seoyeon?"

She snorted. "Obviously."

Hyunjin grabbed her sleeve. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not." She shot back.

"Yes I am."

"It's dangerous. If you get hurt, Mom will kill us both."

"I don't care."

She stared at him for a moment, then sighed reluctantly. "...Fine. But stay close to me."

The group started down the staircase. Each step echoed loudly. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The sunlight disappeared completely after the first few turns. Soon the only light came from the flashlights Minhee and Jaeyun had pulled from their backpacks.

"Man," Jaeyun muttered. "This place smells weird."

He wasn't wrong. The air down here had a strange metallic scent; old and stale, like something that had been sealed away for a very long time.

Seoyeon reached the bottom first.

The narrow dungeon hallway stretched ahead in both directions. Rows of empty stone cells lined the walls. Rusty iron bars hung crookedly in their frames.

Hyunjin's voice echoed loudly in the still air. "This is definitely a dungeon."

"Yeah," Kaisun said. "No shit."

They started walking. Their footsteps sounded too loud, too sharp; like the walls were listening somehow.

Jaeyun shined his flashlight into one of the cells. "Nothing in here." Another one. "Empty." Another. "Damn, I was hoping for skeletons."

Seoyeon laughed. "You're fucked up."

"I'm realistic." He countered.

They reached the end of the hallway and found another corridor branching off to the left.

Seoyeon turned toward it... and froze. Something felt wrong. She couldn't explain it. There was no noise, no movement. But suddenly the air felt heavier. Colder. Like the darkness itself was staring back at her.

Hyunjin noticed immediately. "Noona?"

Seoyeon didn't answer. The hallway ahead seemed... deeper somehow. Like the shadows were thicker, almost alive.

Minhee waved his flashlight. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said automatically. But her stomach had tightened. Something in her chest felt... strange. There was a weird pulling sensation, like an invisible thread tugging at her ribs.

Beomha nudged her shoulder. "Don't tell me you're getting scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Then move."

Seoyeon swallowed. She took one step toward the corridor. The strange feeling grew stronger. Another step. Her heartbeat sped up. Another. Suddenly the darkness ahead seemed to breathe. The air shifted, and Seoyeon felt a presence brush the edge of her mind. Old. Hungry. Waiting.

Her entire body locked up. A wave of cold panic slammed into her chest. "Fuck that," she gasped. Then she turned and bolted. Her shoes pounded against the stone floor as she sprinted down the hallway.

"SEOYEON?!" Jaeyun shouted, sounding concerned.

She didn't stop running until she burst out of the dungeon staircase and into the main hall. Her lungs burned. Her hands shook violently.

A few seconds later the others came charging up the stairs behind her.

"What the hell was that?!" Minhee exclaimed.

Hyunjin grabbed her shoulders. "Noona, what happened?"

Seoyeon tried to speak, but her throat felt tight. "I-I don't know." She croaked.

Jaeyun frowned. "You just took off like the devil was chasing you."

She shook her head. "There's something down there."

Kaisun raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know!" She nearly yelled, panic still clinging to the edges of her words

Hyunjin studied her face carefully. For once, he wasn't teasing. "You're serious."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I am."

The group fell quiet for a moment. The wind outside howled through the broken windows.

Jaeyun rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... fuck."

Beomha exhaled slowly. "Okay. That's enough exploring for today."

Hyunjin wrapped an arm around Seoyeon's shoulders. "Come on, noona. Let's go home."

No one argued. They left the castle quickly, their footsteps crunching across the courtyard as the ruins loomed silently behind them.

Seoyeon almost looked back, but stopped herself.

If she had looked... she might have noticed something shifting in the shadowed windows of the castle, might have seen the faint outline of a dark shape observing their exit.

Darkness had been his entire world for a very long time. No dreams, no thoughts, no sense of time passing; just a heavy, endless silence pressed against stone and wood and ancient magic. The coffin had held him like a cage. Then something changed.

It began as the faintest disturbance. Not a sound, not a movement, but something subtler.

A presence.

Deep in the suffocating black of a sealed chamber, the Vampire within the coffin stirred. For the first time in centuries, he became aware. Slowly, painfully, his mind clawed its way up from a suffocating abyss.

Awareness returned in fragments. Cold. Stone. The faint pressure of ancient runes carved into the coffin's lid. Then something else reached him: a scent, so faint it barely existed. But the moment it brushed his senses, something inside him reacted violently.

His eyelids snapped open to reveal eyes that were completely white, the irises indistinguishable from the scleras. His pupils widened, stark black against the pale surface, as consciousness flooded in.

The scent drifted through the sealed chamber again. Human. Warm. Alive. And beneath it... something deeper, something older. Something that vibrated straight through the core of his being.

The Vampire inhaled sharply. His chest expanded against the tight interior space. The scent was wrong. No, not wrong. Impossible. Because it carried a resonance his instincts recognized immediately.

Life Mate.

The realization hit him like lightning. For centuries his mind had existed in broken pieces, devoured by feral madness. But the moment that scent reached him, something ancient stirred: clarity. Not complete sanity, not yet. But enough presence of mind to understand what he was feeling.

His Life Mate was close. Close enough that the bond was awakening.

His fingers twitched against the lid of the coffin. The wood creaked softly.

Outside the sealed chamber, footsteps echoed faintly through the dungeon. His heightened senses picked up several heartbeats. Young, fast, human. His head tilted slightly as he listened. Children.

The scent was stronger now. One of those heartbeats carried the pull that had dragged him out of centuries of magical sleep. He inhaled again. Her scent was light and warm, like fresh air after rain.

His instincts surged immediately. Claim. Bond. Protect. Feed. The last instinct twisted violently, because something about the scent didn't align with the bond's rules. His ancient mind processed the information slowly. Too young. His pupils expanded even wider. The bond could not complete yet.

The realization scraped through his consciousness like broken glass. Not ready. Not grown. Not twenty-one.

For a moment the ancient predator inside the coffin lay perfectly still, listening.

Outside the chamber the children moved deeper into the dungeon. The heartbeats grew closer. The pull of the bond intensified. His fingers curled slowly, wood groaning beneath the pressure. His instincts screamed at him to move, to reach her, to claim what belonged to him.

But something deeper - older than even his vampire instincts - held him still. The Life Mate bond had rules, ancient ones, and breaking them had consequences.

Her scent told him the truth clearly. She was barely more than a child.

Then suddenly, the only heartbeat that mattered froze. Her scent spiked sharply with fear. His head tilted again. She'd felt him. Even through the stone, even through the coffin, some instinct deep in her human mind had brushed against the thing sealed in the room just ahead of her.

And then she was running. Footsteps exploded outside the chamber, fast and panicked. The other children shouted after her, their voices echoing through the dungeon as they scrambled back up the stairs.

Bang Chan lay in the coffin for a moment longer, her scent fading slowly as they moved away. The pull of the bond stretched thin but didn't disappear. She was still nearby, still within the castle, still alive, still his.

His hand brushed slowly against the coffin lid. For centuries the runes carved into the wood had suppressed the monster inside him, but now the bond had weakened them just enough. His fingers pressed against the wood. For a moment nothing happened. Then the ancient seal cracked with a dry snapping sound, tearing a hole in the very center of the lid. The wood shifted as dust rained in. The Vampire inhaled deeply as the first fresh air he'd breathed in centuries filled his lungs. Then the coffin lid exploded outward, wood splintering as he burst through with supernatural strength.

Chan rose slowly from the coffin. His movements were stiff at first, centuries of magical sleep having left his body sluggish. But the moment he stood fully upright, power rushed back into his limbs. The white-eyed predator stepped out of the coffin.

The chamber around him was carved from ancient stone, the walls etched with fading runes meant to keep him contained. And they had worked for a very long time, until the bond broke the magic.

He tilted his head slightly. Her scent was still drifting down from above, faint but unmistakable.

He moved toward the staircase. His footsteps made almost no sound against the stone. When he reached the top, he paused. Voices echoed faintly from the main hall. Children talking loudly. Nervous laughter. One heartbeat in particular thudded loudly against his senses.

He stepped into the shadows at the end of the corridor. The main hall stretched before him, broken pillars, collapsed stone, sunlight streaming through shattered windows. And down below him, near the entrance, was the group of children.

Chan's gaze locked immediately onto the one he had felt through the bond. She was beautiful. Dark hair pulled back loosely, thin from youth but standing with the confidence of someone older. Her breathing was still uneven from running. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest. Her scent hit him fully now, warm, alive, and threaded with the unmistakable pull of the Life Mate bond.

His white eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. The realization came easily, he had lived long enough to recognize the signs of human age. Only thirteen. She was barely past childhood. Which meant the bond could not complete, not yet. Not for eight more years.

His gaze stayed fixed on her as they began leaving the castle. One of the boys - her brother, judging by the similar scent - wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively. She leaned slightly into him.

Chan watched the interaction silently, the instinct to kill flickering briefly in his chest. Not jealousy, not anger. Just a predator recognizing proximity. The beast always evaluated threats. But that instinct faded quickly. The boy wasn't a rival, just family.

The group stepped out into the courtyard. Sunlight touched Chan's face as he stepped forward a small bit. The girl's head turned slightly and then stopped, as if she'd been about to look back but caught herself.

Chan remained perfectly still until their footsteps faded into the forest. The pull of the bond stretched thin, but it didn't disappear. It would never disappear now that it had awakened. His second-chance Life Mate existed. She was alive, she was close, but she was also eight years too young.

His posture shifted slowly as he processed the information. Eight years. For a human that was a long time. For an immortal predator - it was nothing. He could wait. The decision settled coldly into his mind. He would stay near the castle, watch and wait. When the girl turned twenty-one, the bond would complete and she would be his.

The thought lingered in his mind for a moment. Then another sensation slammed into him like a hammer. Thirst. A brutal, agonizing thirst that tore through his throat like fire. His body stiffened instantly, because with the return of his hunger came something far worse: the madness.

It rushed back into his mind like a tidal wave. Centuries of feral instinct crashed through the fragile clarity the bond had created. Memories shattered. Thoughts fractured. The beast surged forward violently. His pupils widened unnaturally against the white surface of his eyes. A low growl rumbled from his chest. Blood. He needed blood, now. The bond might have awakened something ancient in him, but it hadn't cured the monster. Not yet.

Chan stepped into the courtyard. The wind moved through the ruins, carrying scents from the forest beyond. Animals. Dirt. Water. And somewhere in the distance... Humans. A village. His head turned slowly toward the smell. The beast inside him grinned. Food.

Without another sound, the Vampire vanished from the courtyard. He moved through the forest like a ghost, faster than any human eye could track. Branches barely stirred as he passed. Leaves shifted softly in his wake. To anyone watching, it might have looked like nothing more than a strange gust of wind rushing through the trees. But the villages near the mountain would soon learn the truth.

The monster sealed beneath the castle ruins was no longer sleeping. And tonight, it was very fucking hungry.

As mentioned before. There is a whole economy for blood and mana trading and selling to Vampires to ensure they eat. Some people donate stuff to actual restaurants who make special menu items.

But usually stuff sold in stores are made of supplements and replacements for the blood and mana diet.

And of course. Each Vampire has their own preference and taste :D

Nightmare.

Nightmare never cared for the taste of people blood or mana. He prefers mana rich drinking as he uses a lot with his own powers. And while his soul has powerful magic his soul doesn't make enough mana to keep up with intense use of it. Imagine it like someone trying to run a marathon when they haven't eaten or drunk in days. It isn't going to go well. So when Nightmare uses his magic he needs to drink more than usual to keep everything running smoothly and to not have spikes of paniced/overstressed magic. His powers of empathy and ability to still absorb negative emotions does make him physically stronger. Nightmare is actually one of the stronger vampires (I may go into each strength and weakness each vamp has in another post lmao). But in general, that means Nightmare needs to drink more mana on average but he is reasonable well with drinking little blood.

But as mentioned before. He never cared for the taste of the blood, and more specifically the mana, of others. Which is why he is happy he doens't need to keep up the blood diet too much (this did backfire as it is why he was overpowered in the beginning of the story. Nightmar ehad already been pushing his limits to not drink because he just doens't care for drinking that much)

Nightmare has a very strong preference for the supplement drinks and artificial drinks. Even if he doens't think it is delicious still. He makes do.

It is why it was a shock to him that he liked the taste of Sans's VERY mana rich blood so much.

In short. Nigtmare doesn't like drinking people blood/mana. He makes do with supplements because he HAS to drink, not because he likes the actual taste. Sans is one of the first people who's blood he even liked to drink.

Overal. Nightmare is neutral with some distaste for the whole dirnking thing. Purely because it doesn't taste good to him.

Horror.

Horror hates drinking of people. The idea of drinking of a person makes him physcially sick and he can no longer hold down that sort of blood or mana. He will throw up. Drinking vampire blood/mana works even if Horror still feels a bit ill at the thought. (when Nightmare and Horror ran for the first time they found out this issue very quickly. For a while Nightmare would drink a LOT from people before letting Nightamre drink from him.)

This is all a trauma response from his time as a ghoul. his Sire had wanted Horror to be feared and seen as a true irrideemable monster. So the Sire made Horror eat people while Horror could not fight the control or comment. It let its scars and now Horror can't stand the taste of any real blood or mana.

This was actually the reason why they even settled in this city. Nightmare didn't like to be around people but knew this diet and thing they had figured out would just worsen Horror's mental condition even if they kept his body/magic/soul strong. The mental trauma would get too much. Nightmare managed to drag them all the way to the city and get settled there. The first few paychecks they spend on Horror getting supplement food and for the first time in a long, long, time Horror could drink in peace.

Horror will prefer to physically starve himself over ever drinking the blood of a living creature ever again.

Taste wise Horror likes blood rich foods. (or the supplements that replace it) he preferce salty and like earthy tastes over anything else. Horror also physcially needs the richer nutrients to keep his body strong.

Killer.

Killer loves to drink blood from people. He loves the real deal and loves abit of hunting. He likes to bite and suck the blood out. He just loves every single part of it.

He has drunk from so many people and at this point? None of the blood really taste different to him. He likes the taste of all blood.

It is why they needed to hire poeple Killer could feed off to begin with as Killer refused to change his diet. This was the compromise to keep him from hunting.

Killer very clearly preferce drinking of other people over supplements.

(even if... for some reason. He hasn't drunk from a single person since Dust's change and has just been trying supplements with Dust as they hang out) ((Killer doens't realise this but it is because he wants to drink from dsut again but is too afraid to ask because he is afraid dust will be annoyed or mad. So killer just... hangs aorund him.))

As mentioned before. Killer just, doesn't have a preference anymore. He is a strong hunter and it is mostly out of habbit that he drinks whenever he gets a bit thirsty. if nothing else killer just has issues with self control over anything. But he doens't need to drink more/less. he is actually very average in his needs.

Dust.

Dust is still a very new vampire. He technically for a lot of vampries still counts as a fledgeling (which just means a vampire who is still growing into their strengths/weaknesses)

Dust doens't like the idea of drinking from people. Mostly because he used to be a bunny monster and his diet before was mostly vegetarian (even if that wasn't his choice but that of his parents)

When he first transformed into a vampire he actually REALLY wanted to try a steak!! nightmare adviced him agaisnt it as dust's body wasn't used to one, meat in his diet. much less two, with extra supplements to meet his vampire needs.

For a while he drunk from nightmare (normal for a sire to help their fledgeling by letting them drink) until he was more stable and stronger. Than dust switched to a full supplement diet.

Dust never once drink from a person/mortal.

Taste wise Dust doesn't have a preference yet. He is still tasting and exploring what he likes. He really. REALLY. likes the specially prepared sushi that they ordered in once and is a big fan of ice cream. (just assume it always has extra nutrients and supplements if the vamps eat/drink anything) but he still hasn't completely decided. His taste is also still shaping and refining as he is newly changed.