10 An empty shell

"What happened?"

The words float through the air, and the sweet voice was enticing. It was as if it was forcing Ophelia to respond. However, because Astraea was not as experienced as the blonde Vampire-Witch, Ophelia was resistant to Astraea's charm.

'Her charm isn't supposed to be this strong as yet,' Ophelia thought. Despite her ability to resist the newly turned vampire, it took a lot out of her. Her forest-green eyes locked on the girl, and a small smile formed on her thin lips.

"What happened?" Astraea inquired in a more assertive tone that screamed authority. The young princess didn't know where her newfound confidence came from, but she didn't mind, and she liked the fact that she wasn't running away from the more powerful being.

Ophelia rose from her seat on a large rock and walked towards Astraea, indifferent to the question. "Come on, let's go inside." She looked at Astraea and saw defiance in her blue eyes, which seemed to have developed a tint of red around the iris, a rare trait that vampires acquire when they turn.

"Did anything go wrong during the ritual?" When Astraea realized Ophelia had no intention of answering the previous question, she changed the question.

"No."

"No."

Astraea nodded thoughtfully before deciding to drop her question; she was curious as to why Ophelia reeked of sympathy, but whatever it was, it would be revealed soon.

Astraea pushed herself up from the ground and brushed the dust from her dress. Strangely, she wasn't wearing her nightgown any longer. "You changed my clothe." It was more of a statement than a question, but it did contain a question.

"Yes," Ophelia replied.

"Why?"

Ophelia sighed grumpily. "Why are you so inquisitive? It's only a change of clothing." Astraea frowned at the response, knowing that Ophelia had changed her clothes for a reason. But what exactly was it? Astraea decided to ignore it for the time being and followed Ophelia. Instead of going to her bedroom, Astraea went to the bathroom to see if she had changed her appearance.

When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she exclaimed in surprise, followed by a gasp. Lifting her pale, slender fingers, she ran her palm over her smooth face. Her constellation-blue eyes were brighter than ever, and they had developed a noticeable red ring around the iris.

Her skin was pale and smooth, with no flaws, and her plump pale-pink lips changed to an apple red color, as did her nose. Astraea's gaze moved down her reflection in the full-body mirror, where she noticed that her curves were more defined. She was beautiful before, but now she is breathtaking. She exuded confidence and power, but she lacked both and was willing to work harder than she had ever worked before to achieve her life's goal.

She left the bathroom and walked towards David's bedroom, deciding to find him and tell him the news. She was also curious as to what had been bothering him recently. Astraea knocked on the door a few times but received no response. She pounded her fists against the door once more but was met with silence. She pushed the door open and walked inside, her face puzzled.

When she saw no one in the room, Astraea's brows knitted together. She thought back to shortly after she awoke, but she couldn't recall seeing him anywhere else. She scanned the house from the areas she was allowed to the areas she wasn't, but he was nowhere to be found.

She didn't go into Ophelia's room because she knew David wouldn't be there, so she walked outside. She picked up a scent similar to the one in David's room after a while of walking, and without a second thought, she followed it. She got further and further away from the cabin, but Astraea didn't mind because she could always find it by scent.

The leaves on the trees were falling off, indicating that winter was on its way. Astraea didn't notice, but she was speeding up as the minutes passed, and she was now nothing more than a blur to the naked eye. Astraea stopped and looked around, thinking she was taking too long to find David. The scent lingered in the air, but it led in many directions as if someone had done it to mislead her.

Astraea hissed in annoyance. Without the young girl's knowledge, two fangs grew from her mouth, and the blood-red hue from around her iris devoured the blue. Her surroundings had shifted. They used to be their usual color, but now everything was red, and she could see better.

While sniffing, Astraea noticed a red spot on a tree that had David's scent. Astraea followed that path at human speed because she didn't know how to control her vampiric one. As she came to a halt, her eyes and fangs returned to normal. Astraea turned to face the person whose scent had drawn her attention.

She hid and watched the person's back, resisting the urge to leap from behind the tree and tear him apart. She never expected to feel this way about her brother. The long silver-haired man turned to look at Astraea, his crystal blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Unlike the first time she saw him, his hair was no longer pulled back into a ponytail but instead fell to his hip. The man brushed his hair back with his hand while still looking at the princess.

Astraea's heart pounded against her chest as if she were trapped in a room and desperately wanted to get out. She hoped he didn't notice her, but when his thin lips pulled up into a smirk, and they locked gazes, Astraea quickly swirled around and pressed her back against the tree. She waited for them to find her, but when they didn't, Astraea looked up to see that the man had returned to his conversation with Astrophel.

When Astraea looked at Astrophel, she felt so much hatred in her chest that she wondered if Ophelia had hidden the fact that hatred was also an emotion she would keep. Astraea sniffed the air, looking away from her brother, and she was sure David was somewhere, but she didn't see him hiding in any bushes or behind any tree. Astraea was about to give up and wait for him at the cabin, but her brother and the others he came with had finally left, and Astraea had a chance to see what they were circling.

The bloody body was lying on the floor in its own blood, the legs had become separated from the rest of the body, and she could see someone chopping them off in an attempt to keep him from running while laughing at his misfortune. His nails were ripped from his fingers, and his body was riddled with stab wounds.

Astraea approached the body and looked down. The scent had already alerted her to who it was even before she could see the face. When Astraea looked at the body, she expected to feel rage and attraction, but instead she felt nothing. Her desire to murder her brother remained, and she wondered if Ophelia was lying when she said the attraction was a dominant emotion.

Astraea walked away from the body, turning around. She didn't feel the need to rush, so she walked slowly in the direction of the cabin. She reflected on everything and how her life had been nothing but a series of misfortunes. She was frequently told she was too naive and childish for a nineteen-year-old considered an adult, but that is how her brother raised her because he had always stated that he did not want her to be mature. She could tell, however, that there were changes in the way she spoke and behaved.

After a while, she came to a halt and looked up at the sky, where she saw birds freely flying while she is anything but free, but Astraea didn't regret her decision. Astraea sighed and continued walking before muttering to herself.

"I'm nothing more than an empty shell."