01. The sacrifice

Chapter 1

Sacrifice in the Dead of Night

The night was oppressively dark.

Rain poured mercilessly, drumming against the cobblestone streets of the secluded village of Fureal, hidden deep within the valley.

A girl in a black cloak and hood stood before an aged iron gate that loomed tall before her, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Behind her, an elderly man, the village head, clutched a lantern, its flickering light trembling as his hands shook with fear.

“Go inside!” the old man urged her, pushing her small shoulders with growing desperation. His voice was laced with anxiety, but also terror.

“For God’s sake, hurry! We have no other choice. If you run, it won’t just be your family—it will be the entire village that pays the price.”

The girl, Isabel Dawson, turned back, her dark eyes lingering on the small houses in the distance. Their lights flickered like dying candle flames. She could already picture her mother in their home, sobbing, clutching her little brother desperately, just as she had when Isabel last saw them.

She exhaled, her breath forming a mist in the frigid air.

If she had to walk into the monster’s lair to protect her family, she would do it—no matter the cost.

A rough shove from behind forced Isabel to take a step forward. The gate creaked open with a sound that shattered the silence of the night.

She turned just in time to see the village head shutting the gate behind her in a hurry. He kept waving his hands, shouting, “Go on! Get in there, quickly!” before stumbling away, leaving her alone. The gate locked behind her like a seal of fate—one she could no longer undo.

Isabel stepped forward, her surroundings whispering of gloom and foreboding. She wouldn’t even be surprised if some unseen creature lunged at her from the ink-black darkness.

As she carefully felt her way forward, a strange flicker of light appeared along the cobblestone path ahead, leading her deeper into the unknown. It sparked like tiny fireworks—eerily beautiful in the rain and darkness.

Realizing that her arrival had already been anticipated, Isabel followed the path until she reached the front of a massive, shadow-cloaked castle.

She was just about to push open its towering double doors when, without warning, they swung open on their own. Before she could react, a gust of cold air pushed her inside, and with a thunderous boom, the doors slammed shut behind her.

Her breath hitched.

The castle was dark, cold, and silent. The air inside was heavy with the scent of dust… and something sharper—like iron. Or blood?

Cautiously, Isabel moved toward the grand staircase. Her destination was on the second floor—the only room where light still glowed. Her fingers trailed against the rough stone walls. She knew he was watching her.

Kael.

Somewhere in the shadows, she could feel his gaze—cold, sharp—tracing her every move.

“Isabel.”

The voice finally emerged. Deep, low—like a whisper rising from the depths of the earth.

She froze, breath caught in her throat.

The room she had been heading toward suddenly went dark. And from within that suffocating blackness, a figure stepped forward.

The first time Isabel heard the legend of the Night Hunter, she had imagined a creature who had lived for centuries—an old man, perhaps. Even if he was immortal, surely he would have at least a few wrinkles?

But now, as she laid eyes on the man before her, disbelief gripped her.

Kael was tall, his frame lean yet powerfully built. Even through his black shirt, the defined muscles beneath were evident. His skin was pale—like marble—and his eyes burned a deep crimson, smoldering like embers on the verge of dying out.

His face was flawless, sculpted to a level of unnatural perfection, as if he were the model for some high-end fashion brand. There wasn’t a single sign of age on him—his appearance frozen in what seemed to be his early twenties.

“I have known your name even before you were born,” his baritone voice broke through her thoughts.

Kael moved closer, his motions impossibly smooth—like a shadow gliding through the air.

“You are their gift to me. A sacrifice. Just like every girl before you.”

Isabel straightened her back, masking her fear.

“I am no gift,” she said firmly. “I came here because I chose to protect them.”

A low chuckle echoed, its sound as cold as a blade of ice.

“And what makes you think your presence here can save them?” Kael’s voice was laced with amusement. “How are you so certain that after draining every drop of your blood, I won’t simply go and slaughter them all anyway?”

He stepped closer, their faces now mere inches apart.

“Tell me, Isabel,” he whispered, “what will you do if I decide to do just that?”

Isabel clenched her fists.

“You won’t.”

“Oh? Do you want to test me?”

Kael smirked, revealing two razor-sharp fangs.

“Even if you wanted to,” Isabel countered, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped them tighter, “you wouldn’t be able to.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Blood pact.”

Isabel met his glowing crimson gaze, illuminated by a flash of lightning that streaked through the window.

For a moment, Kael was silent. Then a smile tugged at his lips.

“Well, you’re right,” he admitted. “Though we are called ruthless, my kind would never dare break such an absolute pact.”

With a snap of his fingers, every lantern in the castle flared to life, casting light into the once-darkened halls.

Isabel’s breath caught in awe as she moved toward the staircase railing, gazing down at the grand interior that now lay exposed beneath the glow. The castle was hauntingly beautiful—imposing, yet carrying an air of death.

But when she turned back, Kael was already there.

He stood behind her, a sinister gleam in his eyes as he reached for her chin, his fingers cool against her skin.

“Well then,” he said coldly, “I suppose I can have my first taste now, can’t I?”

Isabel barely had time to react before Kael swept her hair aside, pulling down the fabric of her cloak just enough to expose her shoulder.

Then—pain.

A sharp sting as his fangs pierced her skin.

A wave of dizziness crashed over her, too sudden to fight off. Before she knew it, her body went limp against the vampire who was now savoring his first drink.

Kael’s lips curled slightly as he licked the bite mark, sealing the wound instantly. His fangs had already vanished as he pulled away, satisfied.

The movement caused Isabel’s hood to slip down, revealing her face completely.

Kael’s glowing eyes studied her features, his smirk deepening.

“Oh,” he mused, “you’re quite the beauty.”

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