A Vampire's Tale

8 The Turning

His steps were slow and heavy with disbelief. Freedom came too easily for Milas' liking. He was wary as he walked through the hallways that were once dark but had suddenly became bright as day.

Milas was back in the white room and a wide pool of blood was the only thing that provided some color to the room. He ignored the sickening smell of blood and picked up the thin knife that the prince had left behind. He then walked through another hallway with the knife held in a reverse grip.

A thud came from the hallway he was in which later turned into a constant banging. His newly gained night vision allowed him to spot a door in the distance. He looked closer and saw a figure sitting down with his back against the door.

Milas saw a black mask on the figure's face but a wide crack was on its surface. He could hear the laboured breathing of the figure. He cautiously neared the prince and he spotted the handle of a dagger sticking out of the figure's chest.

Milas got closer and put his knife on the prince's neck. Half of the shattered mask fell off revealing a smile on the prince's bleeding face. That smile turned Milas' face red with anger. He was about to slit the prince's throat but he opened his mouth to say something.

"I knew you'd get here as soon as the contract broke. I won't deny you the pleasure of killing me but you must listen to me if you wish to live." Milas eased the pressure he had applied to his neck to show that he was willing to listen. "I am already dead as my core is destroyed. The shelter is doomed but you, you are my perfect creation. You must live and be testament to my genius. I may have failed to turn you but a bond was formed. I'm sure you can feel it. You may survive due to your lack of royal blood but I need to ensure that my family legacy lives on. I may hate my family but I must admit that we have an amazing heirloom. The end of the Bloodwing family bloodline is marked by the creation of something awe-inspiring. You will do great things in the future but my bloodline's responsibility will be yours to bear." The prince ended his strange speech with a hoarse voice as he started to cough out black blood.

Milas didn't let him die just like that. How else would he get his revenge. He held the dagger that was embedded in the prince's heart then gave it a good twist. He felt the blade grind against something hard but he paid it no heed. He kept twisting the blade till the prince stopped flinching. He gazed into the hollow eyes of the prince as they lost the red glow and became unfocused.

A great sense of satisfaction filled his mind as he closed his eyes and processed what just happened. A sudden energy invaded his brain and flowed all over his body. Milas felt violated by the energy as he felt his skin crawl. The energy passed every inch of his body as if it was searching for something. The energy concentrated in his heart and pain was felt.

The feeling was strange as it felt like something was forming and expanding inside his heart. The pain was caused by his heartbeat as every contraction pushed against the expanding object. Milas laid down as the pain from every heartbeat worsened.

Something eventually broke and unfortunately for Milas, his heart was now broken. His organs shut down slowly due to lack of blood. He could still feel the object expanding in his chest. His consciousness was quickly fading. His face was frozen with disbelief as he could no longer control the muscles of any body part. He could only lay still and wait for the cold embrace of death.

"I can't believe I'm dying without knowing what killed me. Worst of all, I'm still a virgin." These were Milas' final thoughts as he left the plane of the living.

–— –— –— –—

A horse drawn carriage moved through the heavy gates that led to the dungeon of a magnificent castle. The carriage itself was full of people and two guards who seemed disinterested in their job. Some of the people were unconscious, some were covered in injuries while a few were close to death.

The carriage stopped outside a smaller yet similarly heavy metal door. The people were forced to get off the carriage and through the door with spears held to their necks. The ones who couldn't walk were dragged out by a few guards. Their bodies received multiple bruises as their skin was grazed by the rough floor. These people were thrown into a large hall filled with hundreds of people all of whom were in the same condition. The guards left while locking the door behind them. No one bothered with helping the injured except for those who might have known each other. Everyone else sat quietly minding their own business.

A few hours passed and three guards entered with two of them carrying a box between them. The trio walked towards one of the people and took out a metallic collar from the box. The collar was placed around the person's neck. Runes appeared on the collar with a bright blue glow and the person's eyes became unfocused for a second. The blue glow retreated into the collar and it went back to looking like a normal piece of metal.

The guards went around the hall placing collars on everyone's neck. Some tried to resist but the guards soon proved to them that they had the strength to defeat them and the only thing they lacked was mercy. This continued till the people learnt how futile resistance was.

The healthy people were all collared and the next people were the injured and unconscious. The guards had a much easier time as the only effort they put in was when they lifted someone's body in order to gain better access to their neck.

The guards completed their job and made another round in order to confirm that everyone was collared. They left as soon as their confirmation was attained.

A bulky man fully kitted in thick leather armour with a whip on his belt walked in. The aura he exuded made the people shudder. This became more apparent when his hawk like eyes scanned the hall making most people flinch.

"As most of you know those collars will shock anyone who leaves the group so I hope you new guys don't think of escaping. I will be back in an hour where I will lead you to the mines where you will work to earn your meal." The man said in a booming voice that echoed across the hall. He then turned around and left the hall.

Some time later, a teenager with black unkempt hair that covered his face woke up. He looked around the room in confusion. He eventually decided to sit down and analyse the situation he was in.

Milas' eyes glowed a bright red as he stared off into space.