Legend

In the ancient town of Sleep, two men, Locke and Aenilu, were sitting in a bar, drinking and passing the time.

"Locke, are we just going to sit here and drink? It's so boring," Aenilu said wearily, resting his head on the table.

Locke finished his drink in one gulp, propped up his chin with one hand, and glanced at the people in the tavern who were chatting and drinking.

"Aenilu, you should know that a tavern is the easiest place to gather information. Besides, didn't you send those soldiers to find the noble lord on this island?" Locke replied, playing with his empty glass.

As Locke observed a young boy attempting to steal a bag of coins from a drunken man's pocket, he suddenly confronted the boy.

"Hey! You little rascal!"

Just as the boy was about to succeed in his theft, the intoxicated man abruptly woke up and grabbed the boy's hand.

"I've finally caught you, you damn brat! Do you know you've thoroughly angered me?"

Ignoring the boy's struggles, the man firmly grasped his neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Today, I will teach you a lesson you won't forget: daring to steal from Roman!" With those words, the man mercilessly slammed the boy onto the ground.

"Thud!" A loud impact sent the boy crashing onto the tavern floor, and the blow's force made him cough up a mouthful of blood.

"Cough, cough, damn it!" The boy coughed a few times, glaring at Roman with a fierce expression and clenching his fists.

Seeing the boy's defiant look, Roman became even angrier and kicked the boy on the ground.

One kick, two kicks, three kicks...

It wasn't until the boy lay on the ground, bleeding and helpless, that Roman finally stopped.

However, the entire tavern seemed indifferent to Roman's actions, as if they were commonplace. No one came forward to intervene.

The patrons in the tavern continued to chat and drink, perfectly embodying what it meant to be cold-hearted.

The boy lying on the ground, eyes vacant, body limp, and tears mixing with the blood on the floor, struggled to focus.

Locke stood up, walked over to the boy, and crouched down. Seeing Locke approaching, Roman stumbled toward them, his movements unsteady.

"Kid, get out of the way. Nobody is allowed to help this brat today, or I'll beat you up too," Roman threatened with a menacing tone directed at Locke.

Ignoring Roman's threatening words, Lox said, "Kid, why aren't you resisting? You have the power to defeat that drunkard easily."

The boy turned his head to look at Locke, wiped away his tears with difficulty, and slowly sat up.

"Damn it, kid! Haven't you heard what I said? You're not supposed to help this brat, or I'll ensure my uncle, Count Rheinhardt, executes you!" Roman angrily roared, his fists clenched.

Upon seeing Roman's rage, Locke crouched down and increased the gravitational force beneath him.

"Buzz!" Just as Roman was about to strike Locke, a weighty force pressed him to the ground. Unable to move under the immense weight, Roman looked at Locke with fear. 

He didn't understand why he was suddenly pinned down, but he was confident that Lox was responsible.

The boy, struggling to sit up, glanced at the helpless Roman, then back at Locke. "If you don't want trouble, you'd better leave here as soon as possible. No matter what, that guy is the nephew of the town's lord, Count Rheinhardt."

After saying this, the boy laboriously got up and staggered out of the tavern. Locke watched the boy's unsteady departure and then turned his gaze back to Roman on the floor.

Upon realizing that Locke was looking at him, Roman's fearful expression turned into anger.

"Damn it! You brat, since you know I'm Count Rheinhardt's nephew, you better let me go now! Otherwise, I'll ensure my uncle executes you!"

Locke crouched down, staring at the furious Roman. He slightly increased the gravitational force once more.

"Buzz."

"Screams" echoed throughout the tavern.

The patrons, who had been chatting and drinking, fled the tavern due to the sudden commotion. They didn't want to get involved in this unnecessary trouble.

Lox pulled a chair over and sat down, watching Roman writhing in pain on the floor. 

"I have some questions I'd like to ask you. If you satisfy me with your answers, I'll let you go. Deal?" Locke inquired.

In excruciating pain, Roman frantically nodded. However, every nod under the weight felt like his bones were crushed.

Locke nodded in satisfaction and lifted the gravitational pressure suppressing Roman. The moment the weight disappeared, Roman felt relief over him like never before. He struggled to his feet, gasping for air and wiping his tears.

"I... What do you want to ask? Please feel free to ask. I'll tell you everything." Roman trembled as he looked at Locke. He had no desire to experience that overwhelming pressure again.

"I heard there's a legend of vampires on this island. Can you tell me about it?" Locke inquired.

Upon hearing Locke's question, Roman's pupils noticeably contracted; however, after seeing Locke's calm, emotionless gaze, fear filled Roman's heart.

"Yes, in the town of Sleep, there is a legend about vampires." Sleep faced a great disaster about eight hundred years ago when Marquis Ogest ruled the island.

With Marquis Ogest's leadership, the town of Sleep prospered immensely back then. With his incredible strength, the marquis repelled countless pirates and became the beloved guardian of the town's residents.

However, something strange and mysterious happened after he thwarted one of the pirate attacks. On that fateful night, the entire town of Sleep was shrouded in crimson moonlight.

That same night, several young and beautiful girls in the town were attacked by an unknown entity. Their blood was drained from their bodies, and they died gruesomely.

This event sent the entire town into panic. The town's residents banded together and pleaded with Marquis Ogest to help them uncover the truth and eliminate the monster responsible.

What followed was inexplicable and miraculous. The elderly Marquis Ogest, already in his seventies, inexplicably regained his youthful appearance. He appeared before all the townsfolk as a young man.

Seeing the rejuvenated Marquis Ogest, the townsfolk were filled with excitement, fear, and confusion. They were excited because their guardian had regained his youth and could continue to protect them. 

They were afraid because the elderly Marquis Ogest had inexplicably become young. They were puzzled because they couldn't understand why this had happened.

However, after Marquis Ogest promised to help the townsfolk uncover the truth and eliminate the monster, they stopped questioning why he had become young. They knew that their protector had returned to them.

Indeed, after the townspeople gathered, Sleep never experienced another monster attack. The residents assumed that Marquis Ogest had slain the creature responsible.

Years passed quietly, and when Marquis Ogest once again became elderly, a terrifying incident occurred again.

This pattern of events repeated every few decades, ending with the terrifying day when the monster returned. And now, they were on the verge of facing that dreaded day again. 

After Roman recounted this legend, the tavern's door swung open, and a middle-aged man dressed in elaborate attire entered the establishment.