EPISODE 1 — THE FIRST TASTE
The night the Veyne family was destroyed, the moon was red.
The forest was unusually quiet, the kind of silence that made every instinct scream that something was wrong. Six hunters stood in the middle of an abandoned village, their weapons drawn as they surrounded two figures standing beneath the broken remains of an old stone building.
One of the figures slowly stepped forward.
He looked young. Too young to carry the kind of presence that made even experienced hunters tighten their grip on their weapons. His black hair fell messily over his forehead, his crimson eyes glowing beneath the moonlight. His clothes were almost untouched despite the blood scattered across the ground around him.
The other vampire stood beside him, watching the hunters with an amused expression.
"You're surrounded."
The vampire smiled faintly. "Are we?"
Eryx Veyne stepped forward, his sword already stained with blood. "You're not leaving this place alive."
The vampire's smile disappeared.
Then everything happened at once.
Steel collided with claws.
The forest exploded into movement as the six hunters charged. Blades flashed beneath the red moon while the two vampires moved through them with terrifying speed. Every strike from the hunters was met with something faster, stronger, and more brutal.
Eryx swung his sword toward the vampire's neck. The vampire caught the blade with one hand.
The force of the impact cracked the ground beneath his feet.
Eryx's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
The vampire looked at him calmly. "You're stronger than the others."
He threw Eryx across the battlefield.
Eryx crashed through a wooden wall but immediately forced himself back onto his feet. Behind him, the other hunters were already fighting for their lives.
One fell.
Then another.
Blood soaked the ground.
A hunter screamed as claws pierced through his chest. Another tried to attack from behind but was thrown into a tree with enough force to snap the trunk.
Eryx gritted his teeth. "Everyone! Fall back!"
But there was nowhere to run.
The younger vampire moved through the battlefield like a shadow. Every movement was precise. Every strike was fatal.
He wasn't fighting for survival.
He was simply proving that he didn't need to.
Eryx knew then that this wasn't an ordinary vampire.
He was something far worse.
"Bloodlord..." Eryx whispered.
The vampire's eyes shifted toward him.
For the first time, there was a hint of interest in his expression. "So you've heard of me."
Eryx raised his sword again. "I know enough."
The vampire smiled. "Then you should know better than to fight me."
A small cry suddenly came from behind the ruined building.
The vampire turned his head.
A little girl stood there.
Frozen.
Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at the battlefield.
Eryx's face changed immediately.
"Ophelia!"
The little girl looked at him. "Papa..."
Eryx's heart dropped.
He had told her to stay hidden. He had told her not to come out.
But it was already too late. The vampire was looking at her. Something about the little girl caught his attention.
Not her face.
Not her clothes.
Her scent.
For the first time that night, the vampire stopped moving.
He could smell blood.
Human blood.
But it wasn't ordinary.
It was faint, almost hidden beneath the scent of the forest and the blood covering the battlefield. Yet somehow, he could smell it perfectly.
Sweet.
Warm.
Different.
The vampire slowly walked toward her.
Eryx immediately stepped between them. "Don't touch my daughter."
The vampire looked at him. "Your daughter?"
"Stay away from her."
Eryx attacked.
The vampire dodged.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Eryx fought harder than he had ever fought before, but the vampire was faster.
Much faster.
The vampire grabbed his arm and twisted it. Eryx dropped to one knee.
"Papa!"
Ophelia ran toward him.
"Run!" Eryx shouted.
She froze.
"But—"
"RUN, OPHELIA!"
Tears filled her eyes.
She turned and ran.
The vampire watched her disappear between the trees.
He could still smell her.
That strange blood.
He wanted to follow.
But Eryx attacked him again.
The vampire blocked the sword, then suddenly caught Eryx by the throat.
"You should have run when you had the chance."
Eryx struggled. "As long as I'm alive... you won't touch her."
The vampire stared at him for a moment.
Then his grip tightened.
Eryx's body fell to the ground.
Ophelia stopped running.
She heard it.
Her father's voice disappeared.
She slowly turned around.
The vampire was standing in the distance.
Watching her.
He began walking toward her.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if he already knew she couldn't escape.
Ophelia stumbled backward. "Papa..."
The vampire appeared in front of her before she could take another step.
She screamed.
He reached for her.
His fingers brushed against her arm.
A sharp claw accidentally scratched her skin.
A tiny drop of blood appeared.
The vampire froze.
His crimson eyes immediately dropped to the wound.
The scent hit him again.
Stronger this time.
He slowly touched the drop of blood with his finger.
Then he brought it to his lips.
Silence.
His expression changed.
It wasn't like ordinary human blood.
It wasn't even like the blood of the strongest humans he had ever tasted.
It was something else.
Rich.
Sweet.
Almost addictive.
His eyes darkened.
"What are you...?"
Ophelia stared at him through her tears, not understanding his question.
The vampire looked at the tiny wound on her arm again.
One drop.
That was all.
Yet somehow, one drop was enough to stay in his mind.
Suddenly, a series of footsteps echoed through the forest.
More hunters.
The vampire looked toward the sound.
His companion appeared beside him. "We have to leave."
The vampire didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on the little girl.
"Go."
His companion frowned. "What?"
"I'll follow."
"They're coming."
The vampire finally looked away.
He gave Ophelia one last glance before disappearing into the darkness.
He didn't know her name.
He didn't know what made her blood different.
He didn't know why a single drop had affected him so strangely.
He only knew that he wanted to taste it again.
Hours later, the vampires returned to their territory. The ancient castle was quiet when Alaric entered.
The servants lowered their heads as he passed. The other vampires gave him space without being told. No one dared approach him unless necessary.
But Alaric barely noticed them.
He walked through the long corridor with the same calm expression he always wore.
Yet his mind wasn't in the castle.
It was still in the forest.
That little girl.
That wound.
That drop of blood.
Alaric stopped beside a tall window overlooking the vampire territory.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
He could still remember the taste.
He had tasted the blood of countless humans throughout his long life. Strong hunters. Noble bloodlines. Humans with rare abilities.
None of them had tasted like that ,he lifted his hand and stared at his fingertip. There was nothing there now. Still, he could almost taste it.
"Strange..."
For the first time in years, Alaric found himself thinking about something he couldn't explain. He wanted to know who she was.
More importantly, he wanted to know why her blood was different.
Days passed.
He still remembered it.
Weeks passed.
He still remembered it.
Months passed.
The taste remained in his mind.
Sometimes, while sitting in the throne room, he would suddenly remember the scent..
And somewhere deep inside his mind, one thought quietly remained.
"I want that blood again.”
