VAMPIRE'S FAIRY

THE VOICE IN MY HEAD

Morning arrived slowly, wrapped in golden light. The moment my alarm rang, I sprang out of bed and hurried to Ariel's room. Luckily, the door was unlocked. I slipped inside and immediately jumped onto her bed.

"Ayl, it's still early. What do you want?" she mumbled sleepily, pulling the blanket over her face.

Ignoring her protest, I strode to the window, flung the curtains open, and tugged the blanket away. She groaned dramatically before sitting up, her eyes half-open and full of irritation.

"Why did you open the curtains? The sun is hurting my eyes."

I simply sighed. The sun could do her no harm.

One of the many advantages of being a hybrid vampire is immunity to sunlight. Unlike pure-blood vampires, hybrids can walk under the sun without their skin burning. They also don't rely entirely on blood for survival. They only need to drink blood once every two months and can otherwise eat normal food like anyone else.

However, things become far less pleasant when their feeding day approaches. According to my siblings, their inner vampire begins to burn, leaving them restless, irritable, and dangerously violent. As that day nears, animal blood is stocked in their rooms. Thankfully, hybrids don't drink human blood like pure-blood vampires once did, or I would probably have become my family's monthly meal.

When feeding day finally arrives, they are confined to their rooms for twenty-four hours. During that time, they consume fresh blood three times a day. No other food or drink is provided until the period ends.

A few minutes later, Ariel suddenly jolted fully awake. I knew exactly what had dawned on her—the storm was gone.

"The sun is out? You mean... the storm is over?"

I laughed at the bewildered expression on her face. Since the storm had disappeared late last night, everyone else in the house had already been asleep.

"Yep, it's gone. It vanished last night," I said.

She immediately got out of bed, hurried to the window, and threw it open. Taking a deep breath, she smiled.

"The air smells so fresh. Wait... what do you mean it vanished?"

"Last night, everything suddenly went quiet. When I looked out my window, the clouds were gone. No strong winds, no thunder—just a perfectly clear sky. I took a deep breath, and the air smelled like a thousand flowers blooming at once. Then I saw this."

I pulled out my phone and played the video I had recorded.

At first, Ariel looked terrified, but she quickly regained her composure.

"What is that, Ayl?"

"I don't know. But look at its shape—and those wings. It looks like a bird. Could it be the eagle you once told me about?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "Could what I read actually be true? But the books said they no longer exist."

"Ariel, remember Lynn? It was said that he was also born half-bird."

Her eyes widened. "Are you trying to say he's back? I don't think so, Ayl. Maybe you just saw something else."

"I literally recorded it. Unless my camera was hallucinating too, I know what I saw. Besides, this isn't the first time I've seen it."

She turned to me sharply. "What do you mean, not the first time?"

I told her about the first sighting a few months ago.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Would you have believed me if I had?"

She paused, then sighed. "Probably not. But why now? Why would he appear after all these years?"

That was a good question—one neither of us could answer. Whatever the reason, I only hoped his return would bring peace rather than chaos.

School resumed two weeks later. During that time, the government worked tirelessly to repair damaged infrastructure and clear the roads. They moved surprisingly fast. Had this happened two decades ago, recovery would probably have taken months.

I wasn't exactly thrilled about returning to school, but I was eager to see my best friend again. He was a hybrid too, born to a vampire mother and a human father. His family ranked among the five most powerful in Country S—slightly below ours, but still incredibly influential.

Since school was only a twenty-minute ride from home, Ariel and I decided to go by bicycle.

As we approached the school gates, a convoy of sleek black cars sped past us—at least seven in total.

"Well, aren't we lucky?" Ariel said. "We've just crossed paths with Country S's top billionaire... and its biggest mafia king."

I wasn't so sure "lucky" was the right word.

Everyone said he was one of the most dangerous vampires alive. Not only was he a titan in business, but his vampire abilities far surpassed those of most hybrids. Rumor had it he was a direct descendant of Erl through Erl's son, Eric.

And mafias? They were only glamorous in books and dramas. In real life, they were terrifying.

I found myself wondering what it must feel like to wield that much power—so much that even the president treated you with reverence.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice the voice until it cut through my mind like a blade.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A chill raced down my spine. The voice was deep, powerful, and laced with unmistakable anger. It carried a deadly aura that froze me where I stood.

Who is this?

Before I could gather my thoughts, the voice spoke again, colder this time.

"I should be asking you that. Who are you?"