01: The Takeover

•Even the strongest chains would not hold him down•

°Somewhere in the Royal Castle°

His powers were awakening itself, and the chains holding him down were getting too light to contain him. He smirked as he watched the guards latch the gates again, whispering between themselves about the royal wedding of the prince. The time was near, he thought, the time to take what was rightfully his.

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AIDA

The castle brimmed with activities, one could hear the subtle playing of the lutes and violins throughout the walls... It had been like this for the past three months, but today's own was more pronounced because the royal wedding was set to happen today.

Aida almost stumbled on her feet as she rushed into Lady Ellis's room, the soon-to-be princess of Vesper. She was but a mere human servant sold into Vesper by the human traffickers and she had served in the Royal castle for seven years now.

This time she was assigned to Lady Ellis to prepare her for the upcoming wedding to the Vampire Prince Cassius of Vesper. Even though Aida disliked the lady, she has to do her job to avoid punishments.

Pushing open the door to Ellis's chambers, Aida walked in bearing the basket of jewellery the Lady was to use along with her wedding dress.

"There you are Aida, I was beginning to think you had vanished with the wind," commented Ellis as Aida set down the basket on the vanity table.

"Of course not milady, I just have to get the best jewellery for your beautiful face." She replied with a practised smile plastered to her face.

Ellis flipped her hair backwards with a smirk just as other maids came into the room to dress her up. It was three hours before the wedding ceremony.

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The bride and her Father walking towards the lore altar was not a new thing for Aida to witness, but as Lady Ellis and her Father walked towards the Prince standing beside the Lore Elder, she could not help the sinking feeling that pulled at her guts. She feared the unknown. Aida had always been one to have a very keen intuition, she usually was quick to notice when something good or bad was going to take place. If she was not human, one would think she possessed magic.

One thing was common in Vesper, the blood rituals. They were vampires, so it was only right that blood was their companion. Although unlike most folktales, the vampires did not only survive on blood, they survived on real food and blood was just a passageway to fuel their magic. Although some of them fed with it. No one could really understand their deal though. Aida sometimes didn't.

The lore elder held out the goblet to the couple for them to spill their blood in it, which in turn will be locked up in a vial and thrown into the _Turi_ flames, therefore sealing their union.

Aida held her breath as Prince Cassius and Lady Ellis sliced their wrist with the _turi_ dagger. Blood seeped into the goblet as their sliced wrist began to heal again. Despite spending seven years in Vesper, she was still amazed at the rapid healing rate of the vampires.

"Now, by the power vested on me€”" The shrill scream from outside the room was what stopped the lore elder from finishing his statement or from continuing the rites, because just as the scream was heard, a bloody-matted man dashed into the room, eyes wide with fear. Blood dripped from his clothes, coating the floor in a darkish red colour.

"What is going on?!" King Veitch rose, eyes trained on the intruder as he walked up to him.

"Your Majesty!" The man's lips trembled as he spoke, his teeth knocking against each other.

Something was definitely wrong. Aida could feel the throbbing in her veins, the throbbings that always warned her of impending dooms.

"Speak!" King Veitch's voice boomed across the room, but before the man could speak, an arrow zaps through the window, hitting the man right in his chest. The crowd gasped, everyone now genuinely scared for their life.

In a second, Aida could see black smoke pouring from the man's chest as the arrows pierced into his body. His body started to crack apart as he screamed one final time, blood gushing out of his mouth, nose and ears as he crumbled to the ground and then there his remains lay.

It took a moment for everything to settle again. But when it did, it was silent. Every single person in the room stared as if they'd seen a ghost and they all looked around, confused as to what happened. Only the King stood strong, looking as if nothing ever happened in the first place.

"Guards! search the area!" King Veitch ordered.

"I do not presume there would be any need for that Callos Veitch." A voice filled the air, coming from the doorstep. It was deep and smooth, yet also sharp and menacing. Everyone froze in place, the only sounds being the creaking sound of old, worn-out boots and the occasional dripping of blood from whoever was walking in.

His face came into view, covered entirely in blood and dirt. He was dressed in literal rags and there were cuts and bruises all over his body. In one hand he carried a huge crossbow, with another hand pulling back the string. His eyes seemed cold and emotionless, but underneath those glistened red pools, the glimmering fire in his gaze burned brighter than ever.

No one moved as he approached and even the guards stayed rooted to their spots under his menacing gaze.

"Ruvan Zarek Petros" The shock in King Veitch's voice as he said the intruder's name was clearly evident and even the fear could not be missed.

Who was this man that could create such emotion in the King of all people; Aida wondered.

"Tis me, in flesh." The man replied, a smirk gracing his matted features.

"You are not supposed to be here!."

"Oh... That's true since you have kept me locked up in the dungeon for twenty-five years after you killed my family and forcefully assumed my throne! I should not be here, should I?" Ruvan spat as he stepped towards the king, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.

The King of Vesper looked away from him to the knights. "Arrest the traitor, bring him here."

Ruvan looked back at the King and laughed and with a flick of his finger he sent the approaching guards flying back.

"Are you surprised I could do that? You seem to have forgotten that my powers were meant to be unlocked on my thirtieth moon and locking me up in that darned place would do absolutely nothing to change it. Tsk Tsk. How incompetent of you, Uncle."

Aida could feel the trembling of every other person in the room, her palms balled into fists and her teeth pressed tightly on her lip to stop its shaking.

"What do you want Ruvan?"

"It's simple. I want my throne." The man replied and without waiting for another word from the king, he stepped forward and in a swift moment, he grabbed him and sank his canines into the King's neck and began drinking off him. Prince Cassius who seemed to have been frozen throughout the whole ordeal instantly drew out his sword.

"Step away from my Father!"He yelled, his sword getting ready to pierce the man—Ruvan. It did not, instead, Ruvan snapped his fingers causing Prince Cassius to fall to the ground and then with another snap Cassius took his own sword and stabbed himself. The piercing scream from Lady Ellis was enough to tell what had just happened. Prince Cassius was dead.

Aida trembled like a hummingbird as she saw the prince lose his life right before her. Her eyes were glued to Ruvan's body as he continued to drink from King Veitch. As much as she may hate the vampires, she knew that she had to do something about it.

"Stop!!" She yelled. All heads in the room turned to look at her in horror. "Please stop," she said again.

He stopped.

Ruvan stopped and released King Veitch who topped onto the floor, almost lifeless. Blood dripped from his lips as he began to walk towards Aida, his footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. He could feel the anticipation building within him, the hunger for blood and power that had sustained him for so long.

Soon he stood before her. She was a pale, slender figure, with long dark hair and eyes that shone with fear and defiance.

He sneered at her, relishing the look of terror on her face. He had never cared for humans, viewing them as nothing more than cattle to be used and discarded at his whim. But this one was different. She had dared to defy him, and now he would make her pay.

He approached her, his eyes burning with hunger. "You are mine now," he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You will serve me for all eternity, or suffer the consequences."

The human woman backed away, her eyes wide with fear. "Please," she begged, her voice trembling.

The vampire laughed, his fangs glinting in the dim light. "You have no choice," he said, his voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. "You are mine now, and you will do as I command."

He reached out and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her close and baring his fangs. She screamed and tried to fight him off, but it was no use. With a fierce snarl, he sank his teeth into her neck, drinking deeply of her blood.

As he drank, he could feel the life force flowing through him, strengthening him and filling him with dark power. He could smell the fear from every occupant of the room, he could imagine himself ruling these people and making them suffer for what he had gone through. This was what it meant to be free, he thought with a smile. This was what it meant to take back his rightful place.

A villain feeds on fear and Ruvan Petros was the perfect definition of a villain. He had wiped away the royal family in just a blink of an eye. No one could leave their seats as they watch him almost drain the human of her life, who would even dare except he or she had a death wish.

Aida could not scream any longer, and neither could she even talk as the vampire drank from her. The monster was so close to finishing that the only thing Aida could do now was pray that he did not kill her there and then.

As if on cue, Ruvan released her and she tumbled to the ground

with a gasp. Her chest ached as the air forced its way out from inside her lungs, and it took her several minutes before she felt able to breathe again, even though tears were streaming down her face. She looked up into his eyes, which were filled with nothing but pure hate. His eyes roamed the crowd and he asked. "Anyone wants to question me again?"

No one spoke, not even the lore elder could say a word. Ruvan smirked at their silence, relishing in their agony.

"Good then." He spat the words out and then bent to the almost dead King Veitch, forcefully lifting him up by the throat.

The poor King gasped for breath, trying to hold on to the little thread of life he had left. It was too late though, Ruvan pulled the knife out from behind his back, plunged the blade deep into the King's heart and twisted, before releasing the corpse again to fall with a thud. Everyone screamed at this terrible act, but no one dared to move or speak.

Aida looked up at the man, the monster.

"I Ruvan Petros will ascend my throne now, and no one will question me." His voice was low, dark, and dangerous.

That day was the beginning of Vesper's Woes.

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