Evil Aura

Darkness greeted Ellie's sight the next time she opened her eyes. Feeling her sight might be blurry from sleep, she shut her eyes tightly once more and opened them again.

This time, she could see a faint white light, enough to dimly light up the place, and for her to make out some of the items in there, which her eyes could see.

Pushing herself up from the hard surface on which she lay, she wondered where she was and how she got there. The place looked like an artist's studio, as she could see a number of easels, with paintings on them, lined up.

She was about to ask how she ended up there when the memories of the last few moments before she blanked out refreshed in her mind.

The jewelry store, the attendant, attackers, guns, stakes, and… Real, living, breathing vampires. While all these were replaying in her head, her eyes were growing larger, and her expression, graver.

JP had been right… The news was true… There were vampires in Alada. How could this be? They were all killed. The chief of state ensured no one of them survived. According to the story, they threw a big party in celebration of finally getting rid of the night creatures. How were there still vampires in the city? Where did they come from?

"Impersonation, False accusation, image tarnishing, character defamation… These, I consider the worst crimes to my person." A deep, low-pitched voice reached her ears, forcing her heart to jump.

The place had been so quiet, she didn't realize she wasn't alone. But that was not the only reason her heart jumped. That strange, hair-raising feeling washed over her again just at the sound of that voice.

Turning toward the direction the voice echoed from, she saw the back of a man sitting on a high stool and painting something— wait a minute… He was painting… Her?

Ellie's eyes stretched further. On the canvas he was working on, she could see a head-to-shoulder image of herself with the mask. The painting was not yet completed. He was currently working on her hair, but the eyes had not been painted. Apart from the eyes and hair, every other detail was perfectly represented.

Why the hell was he painting her? And who the hell was he? Was he one of the people who captured her? What do they want with her?

"My judgment… Life imprisonment in the palace. Lock her up." The man's voice echoed again, and before Ellie could react to what he said, a strong hand grabbed her by her upper arm, and effortlessly pulled her up from the ground.

That was when she realized there was another person in there with them. But she was still confused about what she heard. Life imprisonment? Lock her up?

"Wait! What is going on? Who are you people?" Ellie asked frantically, looking into the face of the person dragging her away. She recognized him as one of the vampires who captured her. His face was rigid, and he kept his gaze ahead as if his only mission in life was to carry out the order he was given.

When no one answered her question, Ellie started to panic. These guys were vampires. Do they want to kill her? Was she going to die here? Her mind instantly went to Nicholas. If they locked her up or killed her, what would happen to him?

"Wait, please… I… You can't lock me up. My brother is sick. He has no one else to take care of him. Please…" Ellie pleaded, but no one seemed to be listening to her.

'It's no use. Just shut up before they kill you.' A voice inside her head urged her, and she knew it was right. Vampires are heartless, blood-sucking creatures, who cared about no one else but themselves. She knew all these, but her concern for Nicholas didn't let her stay still. She couldn't imagine what would happen when he wakes up and she wasn't there.

She looked away from the one dragging her and turned her face the other way, twisting her neck to its limit so she could look at the painter.

"Please… I'm sorry for all the things you mentioned. I'm willing to pay for my crimes, but don't let my brother suffer with me. Please forgive me… No... Lessen my punishment…" She began to say anything that entered her head in a desperate attempt to get them to listen to her.

When nothing she said seemed to be working, she lost her cool, her temper, and the intense fear she felt.

"Argh..." Ellie forced herself to stop moving, and she pushed the man dragging her away by her arm with all the strength she could muster. "Aren't you listening to me? He's only a child. Please." she pleaded. At that point, she wasn't concerned about herself anymore. Nicholas was the priority.

The man was as solid as a concrete wall, and although he barely moved a step away despite the force she used in pushing him, her actions seemed to have made him stop dragging her.

Or maybe not.

Because the next second, she heard the sound of the sole of a shoe hitting the ground, then another, and another...

Turning around in apprehension, she realized the painter had finally turned from his painting and was walking toward her.

Her bones froze instantly. His face... She had no words to describe how beautiful he was, even though his skin was almost white. His dark brown hair fell over his forehead, almost covering his dangerously cold dark grey eyes.

His steps were slow and majestic, making him look like a top-ranked demon walking out of hell with just one agenda — to end her miserable life. He reeked of bloodlust, and the aura around him radiated death and destruction.

The hairs on her skin stood up in reaction to the threat approaching her, and knowing she couldn't outrun him, she fell to her knees, which had already weakened due to fear.

How can someone be this beautiful and at the same time radiate such an evil aura? She lowered her eyes, unable to keep up with his intense, soul-piercing gaze.

"P-please, I-im s-sorry for disturbing you a-and pushing him. My brother is only a child. He's sick and I'm the only one he has. If you must imprison me, then I beg you to at least take him to an orphanage." Ellie pleaded, stuttering for the first time in her life, her eyes fixed on the floor.

A moment later, she felt a cold finger touch her chin, lifting her head.

When that was done, he took off her mask, exposing her face.

Ellie's heart was beating wildly by this time. There was no trace of warmth, and neither did any emotion register on his face upon seeing her complete facial features. It was just plain, cold, blankness.

"You are in no position to make demands." His lips finally moved, and the words that came out of his mouth crushed Ellie's heart.