In the dimly lit main hall of the Lumeria Church, the glow from countless magical crystals on the walls cast a pale golden light on the statue of the minor deity Arvess, exuding a false sense of grandeur. Three figures in deep red ceremonial robes sat around a long cold black stone table. They were the three cardinals: Marcell, Theon, and Ravia.
Marcell slammed his gold-inlaid ring onto the table, his voice tense and furious:
– "How humiliating! The three of us, the highest-ranking cardinals of the Lumeria Church, were publicly humiliated at the Adventurers' Guild…! A bunch of scum with no respect daring to look at me with contempt!"
Theon, a short and stout man with a round, flushed face of anger, slammed his hand onto the table:
– "Exactly! Especially that adventurer 'Fang' Kael and that brat accompanying him. I hired assassins, yet there is no news. Could those useless fools have failed?"
Ravia – a middle-aged woman with a cold, calculating face, her eyes half-closed – spoke with disdain:
– "Hmph, even if they failed, it does not matter. If the assassins cannot succeed, we have other means. Once the Church acts, no one can escape."
The atmosphere thickened with hatred and conspiracy. Suddenly – *bang* – all the crystals in the hall went out at once. The room plunged into pitch darkness, leaving only weak light from lightning outside staining the rain-soaked windows.
– "W-what is happening?" – Theon panicked, looking around.
– "Who dares…?" – Marcell immediately stood, eyes darting in all directions.
A chilling cold swept through. Ravia trembled, her lips losing their usual coldness, pointing toward the statue of Arvess:
– "Look… look there…!"
At the foot of the statue, a figure appeared. A girl about thirteen or fourteen, with an eerie beauty that sent shivers down spines yet captivated eyes: a noble dress of purple mixed with blood red, pale lifeless skin, glowing red eyes in the dark, and dark red lips curled into a bizarre smile.
The sound that escaped her lips was like a haunting song:
– "You… are too noisy. Fascinating…"
All three cardinals turned pale. Marcell stammered:
– "No… impossible… A high-ranking vampire…!"
They realized immediately, for everyone knew that normal vampires were mindless bloodthirsty beasts. But this girl exuded nobility, an aura of humanity – only found in *lords* or *nobles* of vampires. Encountering such a being meant death.
Instinctual survival rose within Marcell, shouting:
– "Take her down now!!!"
Instantly, all three chanted spells.
– "Arrow of Radiance!" – a golden arrow tore through the air.
– "Wave of Purification!" – a golden wave surged like the sea.
– "Illuminated Blades!" – four light swords engraved with anti-demon symbols appeared, charging toward the girl.
The three powers collided, causing a tremendous explosion. The hall shook, debris fell from the ceiling, smoke and dust filled the air. The cardinals panted, lips curling, believing they had destroyed the monster.
But…
A cold, thrilled laugh echoed:
– "Ha… ha… ha… Wonderful… pain, brilliance… is this the holy magic? This… excites me to madness…!"
As the smoke cleared, the girl still stood there, completely unharmed, not even a scratch. Her smile stretched, eyes flashing madness.
Then – *thud* – she leaped from the statue to the ground. The height was enough to crush a normal human, yet she landed as lightly as a leaf. Step by step, she approached the three cardinals.
– "No… impossible…!" – Ravia staggered back.
– "Run… run quickly!" – Theon screamed, panicking toward the main door.
*Thud!* – A dark purple-black spear, engraved with church symbols, pierced Theon's head. Blood splattered. His body collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
The remaining two were horrified. Marcell gritted his teeth:
– "A… a vampire capable of holy magic?! This… this is madness!"
Ravia screamed in panic:
– "That is… blasphemy! How can an evil creature touch the light of God?!"
The girl giggled, bowing slightly as if delighted with their panic. Her voice was chilling:
– "Now it's your turn…"
Marcell shouted:
– "Who… who are you? Why are you here?!"
The girl paused. For a moment, her smile disappeared. Then, another – even more terrifying – smile appeared.
– "I just want to see… if the deity you worship will come to save you. And… because… I enjoy this game very much."
Both Marcell and Ravia were desperate. They fell to their knees, trembling, pleading:
– "Please… spare us! We will give all our wealth, all power… everything you desire! Just… let us live…!"
– "Yes! We pledge loyalty, just give us a path to survive…"
But the girl only smirked. Her skin began to transform, the beautiful face twisting into something grotesque. Sharp teeth grew long, lips tore to her ears, tongue longer than her body height. Skin shriveled, covered with spikes, oozing foul liquid. Her magnificent dress was reduced to rags hanging from the monstrous body. Her dark red eyes blazed like embers.
She charged – and…
...
...
...
After a while, a deadly silence enveloped the hall. The girl reverted to her original form, hair wet from the torrential rain. Lightning split the sky, echoing as a warning of the newly awakened threat.
She stood atop the church roof, arms outstretched to catch the raindrops, face lifted to the sky in ecstasy. In her red eyes, a flash of light appeared in the distance.
– "Evil Eye." – she whispered.
From far away, she saw a young boy clutching something, running hurriedly across rooftops, accompanied by a companion. She smiled, whispering with delight:
– "Oh… a new toy has appeared…"
Then, she bent her body, gaining momentum, and shot like an arrow toward the unlucky targets just entering her sight. The adventurer 'Fang' Kael – still unaware that a nightmarish terror was approaching him…