Queen Ritharia of Valkuta

~•Xaldrius•~

My peripheral view saw Rialdus bolt passes on my face, and it hit the trunk of a beech tree. I stopped from running and get his crossbow's bolt made of hardwood, casted with spell.

"That was close, brother!" I shouted and my voice echoed into the wild wood forest. I heard his giggles.

"A hundred years have passed and still the target I can't aim!" We both laughed. Rialdus and I were having a... let's kind of say a warmup.

Battle trainings are not new to us, we've been trained since we were young and now aging to a hundred and four, I must say we're close to being experts.

A thousand meters away, as flash as lightning I came straight to where he's standing.

"You've lost," I teased him.

"Did I? You still haven't beat me in a race," he said and vanished in front of me. I chuckled.

"I'm coming to you, brother!" I shouted and followed him.

With a blood of a Vampire, for us it seems like the time is just an illusion, it slowed but our movement is faster than the speed of light in real time. Now we're on the same track and same speed.

Laughter filled our nature, since Rialdus and I are having so much fun together.

Among us, Rialdus still possess more potential and skills. But never in my whole existence did I envy him, in fact, I'm so proud of what he'd become, after all what we've been through, with our suffering beyond measures, he became stronger, intelligent, and still remain unbeatable. In fact, he can be one of the Valkans— the army of Vampires in the Kingdom of Valkuta. While I, still remain an indecisive weak creature.

I groaned when I suddenly hit our home's door. It was a small cabin just made from woods, all home in the Kingdom of Miranya are just the same.

"That escalated real quick!" He teases and open the door, and suddenly a letter falls on the ground. Rialdus entered without minding it, and for me, who's curious of everything, I picked it up.

I open it immediately without checking where it came from.

~•The Queen ordered your presence, Rialdus and Xaldrius.•~

I read the letter sent by a chevalier—the knight that guards the world of Hestiral, they were beastly creature from the caves of hell.

The land of Hestiral was divided into four immortal kingdoms.

The Kingdom of Valkuta, where the bloodsuckers known as vampires lives and the home of the most powerful Queen ever exist.

The Kingdom of Letori, where creatures that possess elemental magic exist.

The Kingdom of Fervor, the home of witchcraft and sorcery, where witches, beastly creatures that descended from the caves of hell and dark entities resides.

The last and the fallen Kingdom of Miranya, where the fallen and the weakest of all creatures were thrown away—our home.

I looked at the abandoned palace of Miranya from a distance, that was already devoured and fall into dark abyss. A Kingdom once teemed with life.

The Kingdom of Miranya was once the great rival of the Kingdom of Valkuta. Long years ago, it was ruled by Queen Emores who was once believed to be the most powerful vampire and entity in the land of Hestiral, but when the Queen lost her immortality and died with no successor, the Kingdom were chained by the curse and rule of Queen Ritharia— her sister. The souls of every Mirans were deemed sold to the Queen and in order to reclaim it, a Miran must become a thrall—the Queen's slave. Thralls were originally human until they were bitten by a vampire. A vampire's bite births a thrall—I and my twin is the first one to ever exist.

My vision slid into every letter on the paper. Looking from its wax emblem and reading from its content it was already obvious that this is a call from the Queen of Valkuta.

I tilted my head and face my brother Rialdus inside, that's now cleaning his crossbow with a cloth.

I cleared my throat. "Brother, Queen Ritharia has summoned us."

Rialdus stood and put on his crossbow at his back and walked towards me. He grabbed the letter from my hand.

"This is new, she never ordered us to go back to the palace after we accomplished our quest. Our last quest will be on the day of the blood moon...this is bizarre," Rialdus wondered.

"Do you think we did something wrong?" I asked.

"We're doomed if we did," he responded and looked furious. "Prepare yourself and let's head to the palace," he added and tapped my shoulder. I entered the cabin to fix myself.

While wearing my dark overcoat suit, I saw the blood necklace gleaming in the table, as if it was calling me. I take a step and take a glance of it. I saw my reflections in it. This is the first time I looked at it with unexplainable and strange feeling. What's happening?

"Brother..." I was a little bit shocked when Rialdus came in. "D-did I interrupt you? What's wrong?" he catechized.

I wear the necklace, pretend it didn't bother me and just face Rialdus.

"Nothing," I responded. "Let's go," I said and walk past by him.

An army of vampire welcome us with furious gaze. Of course, they despise us, Mirans. We are supposed to be not allowed on their Kingdom unless we're under the command of the Queen.

The moment we reached the palace of Valkuta, its large gate with the emblem of Vampires welcomed us. The gates opened, already recognizing our coming. Built with high, dark grey gravelly stone walls that fall the surrounding into darkness. Spiderwebs owning the cracks in the walls. Small windows that opens a view of the gloomy weather outside.

As we walk towards Queen Ritharia, wearing her usual black victorian elegant gown, whose sitting on her square high-back throne, waiting for us, the air became fetid, clogging the nose. Wearing her huge black thorny crown, with a red crystal filled with blood on its center. Her long sharp fingernails that can almost pierced a skin. With eyes sunken, and pale skin that's almost glowing.

When we reached in front of her throne, she stood up and before we could speak our greeting, the metallic silver big chains strangled our body and pull Rialdus and I apart, from side to side.

Rialdus and I screamed in torment, not because of the chains that binds us but because of its silver metal—it repels Vampires. It burns our skin.

"I condemned both of you for betraying your Queen!" she furiously yelled.

"Queen Ritharia, we're clueless about your allegations," I anxiously said.

"Allegations!? Look what you've done!" She pulls out her dress, now her naked body is standing in the center.

We're astounded to see her pale body slowly melting into age and it's rotting.

"The last man you brought isn't mortal anymore, it's blood was poisoned!" she yelled in anguish.

What does she mean, it's not mortal? And how come his blood was poisoned? Rialdus and I wasn't mistaken, that man's blood smells mortal. He is a human, I confirmed. I don't understand Queen Ritharia, and what's happening to her.

"I will not wait for the blood moon to arise. I command you, Rialdus and Xaldrius, bring this woman to me!" She showed us a vision of a woman in a mortal world.

"Who is she?" Rialdus asked.

"It's not your obligation to know her. What you're obliged to do is follow my command!" The Queen was really furious. "I want her to be the last offering. If you succeed to bring her to me, I'll grant the freedom of all the souls of Mirans. But if fail to fulfill your mission, both of you and their souls are mine, forever." This is our chance to reclaim our people, but we don't know what's the end line of this last quest.

"You have until blood moon." The chains loosen us. We lay on the ground and groaned in pain. "Prove to your queen, what a thrall can do," Queen Ritharia's last word and vanished. Rialdus eyes and mine met when we heard that, with that thought, it haunted us.

~•~