Chapter 1: A Trip to the Past

July 8, 1822

The wind spiraled amidst the crusty pine trees, riveting forward near the patio of the perilous statehouse. It crunches and heaves as it travels across the edge of the city, carrying dust particles wrung from pebbles.

Meanwhile, from the boats pillared on the bay to the street dwellers pining for bread in the slum's hallways, he never missed a beat. Lawrence could see everything, sense in all directions, and smell the wrath of those pursuing him.

His tantalizing eyes in the hue of red glimmer in the night, defeating the glow of the twinkling stars and joyous moon above. Lawrence leaped from one shelter to the other, his cape drifting along with the wind, cravat swinging and all.

"Mother, look!" A boy points at the roof, pinning his location to the guards pursuing him.

"Get away, kid!" warned someone, followed by the echoing of hooves crushing the pavement of the rodent-festered street.

"What was that?" the young mother asked at first but didn't bother anymore as she thought it must've been another thief. "Let's go inside, Halloway."

"Brother, here!" the forefront aimed, denouncing Lawrence's location. They've reached another village, where the houses are more cramped yet the absence of people is more apparent.

"Don't stop! Keep an eye out and never let that monster get away!" Answers the co-leader, 4th in rank, wearing a monocle as he glides with the biggest stallion in the group. "Tonight, we'll slay that vampire," he whispers, but the man in question still heard.

"I'd like to see you try," Lawrence hemmed, launching himself up and disappearing behind the clouds. The men in pursuit eventually stopped in an abandoned alley, their horses cooing as each of them kept on the lookout.

"Where did he go?"

Thus, these were their last words before being impaled by his sharp nails and keen fangs. From all directions, Lawrence raced. In the glimpse of an eye, seven men dropped to the ground. Drained of their blood, missing their eyes.

Their limbs, fingers, and even hair are twisted in all directions as if twigs on a tree affected by the fall season. A few seconds passed, and the fog cleared. In the middle of the deceased, one man appeared. He struts a three-piece suit with his white cravat hanging loose. His rich, black hair danced with the wind, and his mouth, it seeped with blood.

He's made a mess. This would definitely not look good on paper tomorrow morning, but he's got bigger problems now. It seems like… his enemies have found him.

Shaking his head, he planned to strut away to send their group a message.

Indeed, the last vampire resides in Glasgow.

However, the moment he turned around, a whole new familiar aura soared. He smelled the scent that he had long dreaded crossing paths with. It was on his left. His eyes automatically pinned on the nearby well, hearing the subtle blotch that came from there.

'It can't be…' he thought to himself as he launched in small, steady steps. Just before he reached the circular opening of the bricked shaft, water pummeled over and splashed around the vicinity.

A woman emerges, and it's not just any other woman…

"Damn it!" She screams and pulls herself up, glistening and having a hard time breathing.

She looked up and saw Lawrence, but only his shadow greeted her eyes because of the bright moon. Obvious fear was plastered on her face, it completely contorted to that of a silly painting. She exhaled in shock, shaking pupils and all before screaming, "What the fuck?! You're here but you just stood there as I almost drowned? I can't…" She inhaled, and then continued, "Believe you…"

Lawrence's brows met.

"Pardon?"

…

July 7, 2022

"I'm telling you, Margot. I can't make it because I need to fix the papers to sell my grandma's house in Glasgow. For an old house, it has such severe paperwork. It's so annoying, but what can I do? It's not like I have a choice," says a voice that fills the walls of the office pantry. It's a Friday afternoon, and as usual, employees are on the edge of their swivel chairs before their desired weekend. Nonetheless, Emily can't party tonight; she has something better to do.

"Ugh! Come on, Emily! It'll be fun. Just ditch your grandma's property. I mean, who cares about houses in Glasgow? No one. Literally, no one. It'll cost you more to restore that place because it's on the edge of the country. Do people even live there? I don't think so! Witches probably do..."

"Well, my father cares," Emily retorts as she sips coffee. They began to walk outside the pantry and into the halls. "I'll go next week. Anyway, I'll go now. I have to catch a flight at 6PM. Toodles," she simperingly waved whilst taking her steps backward.

"I hate you…" Margot pouted, to which Emily chuckled.

At about 5PM, she clocked out and drove to the airport. It'll be a quick flight of about two hours. By tomorrow morning, she'll be back home after dealing with the paperwork. Right now, she's waiting by the steel chairs in the departure area while scrolling on Tiktok when a man lounges next to her.

At first, she doesn't want to pay attention to him, but eventually, she feels that whoever this guy is, he's creepily staring at her. So, like any other 20th-century girl, she put on a fake brave face and looked him in the eye.

"Do you mind?" she asked, but when she saw his face, fear instantly claimed her heart.

The man had long, messy hair. His beard was a few moments away from turning white. Black spots, which seemed like grease, covered his cheeks and chin. He wore torn clothes that she couldn't even comprehend.

Automatically, Emily grabbed her things and planned to move away, but the man said something she couldn't quite forget.

"You will have the power to steer things on a different path, Harriett. Be brave."

"What? Who is Harriett? What an ugly name. That's a hundred percent, not me," Emily chided and annoyingly pulled her suitcase, just in time for the announcement of her flight.

"Men…" she whispered to herself and didn't turn to look at the man again, even once.

Little did she know, the dirty man disappeared as she passed through the scanner.

A few hours later, she reached the outer state.

"Wow, this view is impeccable!" Emily commented, mildly satisfied as she pulled her luggage out of the airport. In front of her are historical buildings dating back to the 1800s. The city center of Glasgow seems booming with country nightlife, and if Emily isn't in such a rush, she would love to hang around and mingle. Perhaps, that way, she'll find out some things about the history of her maternal family.

After admiring the nearby Gothic church for a while, she took a taxi to the address left by her father, where it was said that the woman she needed to talk to regarding the papers would be waiting.

'It's nearing dawn, though. I hope she's still patiently waiting.'

Her thoughts ran free as she looked outside the window. Mountains and a wide array of grasslands cover most of the journey as the car departs from the center and into the small town of Osborn. A little while later, the car reached the borough, where most of the houses are restored in their Romanesque styles.

"Wow, they really preserved the architecture in this place," Emily said.

"Yup. That's all Osborn's got to offer, though. It was said that back in the days, during the Victorian era, officials here were so corrupt that the poorer residents fled after the aristocrats were massacred. Later on, this town was deserted. Now, this sort of has become a shooting place for historical movies. Talk about a downgrade." The taxi driver shared everything he knew with great knowledge.

"I see," Emily faintly answered back, amused, but a bit disinterested. She's not the biggest fan of existential-crisis-inducing talks. The cab turned right and entered a secluded village, where most of the houses were either crumbling or had completely collapsed on their own.

Surprisingly, the driver stopped, and words Emily dreaded to hear came out of his mouth.

"We're here."

"Are you sure that this is the place?" Emily asked in shock.

The taxi driver could only heave. "Yes, miss. This is what's written on the address you gave me. Number 243, Viscount's District, Osborne, Glasgow…"

Emily and the driver looked at the building in front of them. Behind a tall gate is a humongous structure.

"Looks like it's not just a house, but a lonesome castle. Are you sure that you'll come in? You know, they say that this castle used to be a vampire's den," the driver worded with extended lips.

Emily looked at him with a worried gaze. "Vampire? Like… Edward Cullen or Damon Salvatore?"

The driver sneered in amusement. "I don't know. I don't watch those. It's just a tall tale. The bill's 26.8$, by the way." He tapped the meter, and Emily could only shake her head.

She paid him and exited the vehicle with her suitcase in hand and newly-found courage. "Hello?" Emily stood in front of the gate and yelled that, hoping for the woman to be here so she could get things over with.

Above all, she didn't expect things to turn out like this. The sole reason she's going above and beyond to secure this property is to earn some money for her father's surgery. Her mother has long left this world, so money isn't something she can easily acquire. But looking at this house right now, made her doubt a little.

Who would buy this place?

"Don't worry. It's just a small property on the outskirts of the country. It'll be easy to sell," were exactly her father's words.

"This ain't no small property," she whispered and found herself about to push the gate. She thought that she should go in first since the weather is quite cold at this time of the month.

Still, she shook her head and set things straight.

The large gate squealed, which didn't really bother Emily. However, before she could even take another step, a faint ringing blared in her ears. She looked to her right and saw a faint light coming there.

Curious, she walked closer and saw that it came from a well at an intersection near the castle. She plodded nearer and looked inside. There was no water, perhaps it had evaporated with years of indolence.

But that's the last thing on her mind right now.

The glowing thing on the well is no ordinary object. It's a necklace with a luminous jade pendant. It seemed like the cover of a locket.

Of course, Emily wanted to seize it. "This must be an antique. Surely, this is expensive…"

She extended her hand and reached for it, but the well's bottom was quite a reach.

"Ugh…" She fetters, the tip of her fingers touching the glowing stone. However, just before she clung to it, the strong wind gushed. Her eyes widened in fear and her world slowed down as she gradually plummeted inside the narrow well.

Gaze glued to the nearing grimy ground, a strong streak of violet light glowed around her and before she knew it, her body was claimed by water that was eight feet deep.

'Where the heck did that come from?!'