One moment, the hills were there, wide open and safe; the next, there were loud noises, acrid smells, and pain that one may or may not recover from.
The train raced through the sky but halted abruptly as a giant dragon swooped up into the clouds, roaring and warning them not to go that high again.
Passengers flew in all directions, including Phthonus, a stoic observer with a keen eye for detail; Kali, known for her quick reflexes and courage; Isa, the quiet strategist who always stays calm under pressure; and Emine, whose cheerful energy lifts everyone's spirits.
. . .
A few moments of hustled chaos pass, and the dust clears.
As smoke began to ascend into the air, the steady coughs of passengers trying to clear their airways began to echo through the crash site.
Disoriented and coated in dust, Aletha pushed herself up from the ground, ears ringing loudly and drawing her attention.
Her sight was blurred, but she forced herself to keep moving, stumbling forward on the oddly untouched terrain. Each step made her feel dizzier, yet she pressed on, determined to find a sense of stability.
Exhausted, Aletha slumped onto an overturned rock just outside the wreckage, her mind racing with thoughts.
"What happened? Where am I? What was that dragon?" She took a deep breath to calm her senses down, then she looked over to her body, making sure that she was okay.
Luckily, she remained uninjured.
Because of her injury, Aletha's mind was foggy from the crash. After a while, her vision cleared.
Beyond the wreckage, a damp and humid mist enveloped her surroundings.
A forest of huge pine trees stood around, their roots winding across the uneven ground. In the center, a large village grew, surrounded by strange plants and thick greenery.
As she slid down the hill, resting her back against the shade of a brown canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight, Aletha began to wonder about everything that had just happened.
"Why did those people want me in the first place? That's so… weird."
A girl with thick dark hair, blue eyes, and light-bluish skin emerged from the debris and sprinted over to Aletha with two limping people behind her.
"Hey! A… Are you okay?!"
Aletha brushed dirt from her shoulders, narrowing her eyes at the girl. She glanced at the two green-haired individuals limping behind. Scratching her head and sighing, Aletha tried to recall who this energetic girl might be.
Luckily enough,
"I'm Emine, remember? I'm the one who saved both you and your brother's lives."
Aletha shook her head slowly, eyes drifting back to the train wreck as she struggled to recall past events. She replied, her vision drawn involuntarily to the hill behind them.
"Do you know where the others are?"
While loud bird chirps echoed over the thick, solid bark of the gigantic pine trees, Emine nodded her head and answered calmly.
"Yes. One was found inside making a campfire, while the others were wandering around. I don't exactly know the reason why they didn't come with us, but… oh well."
After the short conversation, Emine walked over to Kali and Isa to share what she knew about Aletha's condition and location.
Emine hauled a log over, sat down, and announced, "It looks like we've landed several kilometers from where we meant to go. With our problems, it'll take hours to reach our destination. Let's rest here for now."
* * *
After the abrupt and unexpected crash landing, Aletha, Emine, Isa, and Kali all came to gather around a fairly scenic spot just a few meters away from the train wreck.
After about an hour of planning, the group set up camp on a medium-sized cliff. They had a fire, several logs for seats, and a few supplies Isa found.
As they sat in a circle at the campsite, Emine spoke up to address the group.
Emine cleared her throat and addressed the group around the fire. "Okay, girls! Since we are all stranded and have formed our own group, I'll give each of us identification. I will serve as the leader of the group. Isa, you will be my backup. Kali, you will be the scavenger, and Aletha, you will serve as the watcher of this site. Do I make myself clear?" Isa nodded with a confident grin, feeling proud to be entrusted with such responsibility.
Kali gave a thumbs up, excitement sparking in her eyes at the thought of exploring and gathering resources.
Aletha hesitated, her hands clasped nervously, feeling less certain about her role as a watcher but still wanting to help. Emine scanned the group, sensing determination and camaraderie. "Yes, ma'am!" everyone replied, feeling a sense of unity.
"Alright, girls, let's do our jobs and get moving!"
* * *
Before leaving, the others assigned Aletha to watch over the campsite and search for survivors. Determined to do her part, she took her place near the scattered supplies, fighting off a sense of restlessness.
"Gosh, this is boring," Aletha grumbled as she fidgeted with a branch. "Why couldn't I be the scavenger?"
Stuffy and warm air pressed against her side.
Why was it that Aletha, the one who had fought her way to defend herself from those monsters lurking inside the train carriage, was suddenly tasked to just watch over the place?
Perhaps it could be because of that initial thought, the idea of a relaxing break?
"No, that can't be it," Aletha muttered to herself quietly. "Why would I need a break? Is it because they know that I am weak? No, that's a dumb idea. Maybe it's because…"
She shrugged and sighed deeply, unable to think of any more ideas. "Umm..."
Instead of dwelling on the reasoning behind her abandonment, Aletha simultaneously recollected and hypothesized.
"Alright, so first of all, why did we even have to go to the train? What was my destination?" Aletha scratched her head and looked over to the woodpeckers on the fairly-sized pine trees dotted about the unusually lush terrain.
She shook her head and dropped her stick, scratching her chin and processing all those jumbled thoughts into one coherent line.
"I remember that guy said a Queen of some sort was looking after me. Wasn't I supposed to be forgotten? Are those people just like those creeps I saw in that underground place before? Also speaking of forgetting, what happened to Drimi? Gah-- I'm so confused."
After looking up into the starry sky veiled by the treetops, Aletha sighed deeply and came to a conclusion.
"You know what? Screw all of this training stuff, I just want to save Drimi's soul and protect my brother. I never asked for all of this, and I surely never asked to be in this wreck to begin with."
Aletha rose abruptly from the parched ground, fists clenched, as flickering memories flashed in her mind like a film reel. She mumbled under her breath.
"Drimi is now a friend of mine. She has done so much good for us. I simply can NOT afford to lose someone else like that. Why have I never asked for help in the first place?! Maybe if I ask the girls for help, I could finally get some knowledge as to what the heck is going on."
After all her questioning, Aletha steadied herself and began searching for anyone else who might have survived the train wreck.
As Aletha neared the sharp edges of the shattered carriages, a surge of confidence pushed her forward. Suddenly, she stopped, reevaluating her decision and considering her next move.
"Wait, why am I searching for help? Didn't I tell those people that I am a Ruler? I should be independent!"
"Goodness, stop talking to yourself!"
"What?! W-Who are you?!"
. . .
To avoid any more danger, Aletha raced out of the ominous train wreck and back to the campsite. She panted heavily and glanced around, seeing Carla gather firewood, Jess comforting Mira, and Sam checking their supplies. All the girls had done their part.
Kali was looking over the treetops while Emine was declaring to all the people in the group.
"Good job, everyone! Because of how smart we are, we girls managed to make our own campsite!"
Kali's cyan eyes sparkled with awe. The erupting confidence that surged around her was contagious, spreading to each and every girl, brushing aside the negativity of the crash.
Kali lifted her arm, shouted joyfully, dropped the wood beside the fire, and wiped sweat off her brow.
"Yeah! Girl power!"
Isa smiled and chuckled, lying back with Aletha as they saw strange magenta particles floating around.
Aletha noticed something strange about the tiny pink orbs floating over the pine trees.
A sleepy, happy feeling passed over all of them.
It was so strong that it felt almost like poison, as if it forced them to feel this way.
Once evening came and the orange sun set, Emine clapped her hands, excitedly leading the group to dance around the bonfire, encouraging them to follow her steps in the moonlight.
Despite not drinking a single drop of any poison or alcoholic beverage, all of them danced around the campfire like drunk monkeys. Aletha's silly poses and wacky arm movements made the others smile, as if she were the youngest and goofiest of the group.
Emine still wore a bubbly, drowsy expression, laughing as she moved around the campfire. The scent of pine and smoke from the fire mixed in the air, casting an almost dreamlike atmosphere over the campsite. A dense, sweet-sour odor lingered subtly around them. Something was clearly off. The night was oddly silent, save for the crackling of the fire and the occasional rustle of leaves. Shadows from the moonlight danced across the ground, stirring an unspoken tension. Emine's laughter was light, masking a subtle hint of unease. "Come on! Relax and take a break, ladies! This night is for us!"
"Are you sure, Emine? I mean… WE still have people to look after. I like this party and all, but… don't you think this is a little disrespectful?"
Though the party was small, Aletha, Isa, Kali, and Emine celebrated like nothing bad had happened, despite what they had just gone through.
"Woo hoo!"
The strange pink particles accumulated in numbers, engulfing the air, entering the girls' lungs without their notice.
Time elapsed, and the girls were still dancing around the campfire, ignoring the swarm of hypnotic pink particles encircling the group. Isa crawled up and approached Aletha closely, so close to where her breath touched her face.
She tried to back away, but Isa lunged forward at Aletha, pressing her against the ground with both her arms. The white-haired girl shrieked.
"Hey, g-get off!"
The tone in Isa's voice sounded dizzying and uncharacteristic of her normal, cold personality.
"Don't worry, Aletha… Come here and hug me! After all, if it wasn't for you and all that stuff you did in the train, we wouldn't have been in this situation.~"
Aletha gulped, her fingers trembling in shock and fear. Although she wanted to participate in the "party", she was the only one who felt suspicious about the situation.
She had a notion that the particles were to blame for this bizarre event, which then made her more suspicious as a result. Yet despite the suspicion, Aletha continued to dance as if nothing bad had happened. As her arms flew around the bonfire like a hawk, she mumbled in her mind.
(I still feel uneasy about this. We've been dancing nonstop for the past two hours. S- Should we not be exhausted?)
Aletha's head hammered, seeing the environment around get engulfed by a swirling swarm of enigmatic bright pink particles.
Without her realizing it, her eyesight, along with her mind, abruptly went black.
* * *
Meaningless.
The first thing Aletha felt when she had awakened was a smooth surface.
It wasn't the welcoming texture of grass, air, or even smooth stone.
The texture of it felt more fleshy and sweet, one that matched the feeling of…
(GASP)
Aletha was instantly rendered helpless as she felt the smoothness rubbing and pressing on her shoulder.
She prayed it was only a dream...
(What…)
When she pushed her eyelids to open, she saw two brilliant, rounded ruby eyes fixedly staring at Aletha.
"What the?!--"
Aletha's dismayed visage was reflected in the pink and flaming glare that emanated from the stranger's pupils. Not to let go, the mysterious girl held Aletha's shoulder still and connected a weird purple luminance toward her. As the strands of dust parted away from the departing light, the strange girl whispered.
"Lovely, Powerful, and Beautiful. Your soul tastes so sweet."
Aletha shivered and coughed in astonishment, trying to force the pink luminance out to the ground while pushing the girl in front of her away. Never would she have thought she would awaken to something as bizarre as this. Her face was glowing red, and she stammered while touching her lips.
"What? W… Why…? Huh?!"
The stranger licked her lips and chortled, fidgeting with her soft pink hair and smiling.
"You feel so soft, it's no wonder my magic wanted you.~"
While she stared at Aletha with adoration and interest, her two fangs swiftly grew out.
"Not a drop of blood is inside of you. How cute.~" She whispered with a deep tone.
When Aletha saw the girl, her heart began to race.
She hastily moved back, but as she did so, she hit her head on a tree and lost her balance, freezing once again in shock.
The strange girl grinned and giggled, creeping over to Aletha, her fangs shimmering in the night.
She had dazzling crimson eyes, smooth and soft rosy skin, and long, dangly, curly, strawberry-blonde hair. The girl was dressed in a stunning pink dress that reached her feet, her head was adorned with a charming flower crown, and she was surrounded by the invigorating scent of blossoms and flowers, which permeated every inch of her radiant beauty.
Although she had a face as delicate and pointed as a flower, her actions were as icy, thick, and unsettling as a savage beast. The girl leaned forward and stuck her two fangs out toward Aletha's exposed shoulder, piercing through and digging for any blood. Her eyes were scrunched shut, pulling her fangs away, and smiling. She murmured to her as the rays of moonlight streamed behind the drifting clouds.
"What a plentiful taste.~ Although bloodless, your essence tastes heavenly and beautiful."
Aletha trembled in shock, hastily jumping up and screaming with a steamy, hot face.
"D… Did you... What did you do to me!?"
The girl slowly shook her head and giggled.
"Ho ho ho, oh, please! If you consider that a hug, then I guess you are clueless as to what we vampires do."
Aletha stopped for a moment. Then, she jumped up and shrieked.
"Huh? Who are you? What's your name?!"
The girl answered casually and smoothly.
"I'm Rinnea, The Princess of Obrus and Vampires. You may have seen me in that ceremony the other day. I can't believe you all fell for my fake attitude."
Aletha's eyes widened, remembering the ceremony. She quickly leaned over and asked.
"Wait, so you're saying that all of what you said was fake?"
Rinnea nodded.
"Mhmm. That ceremony served as a lure for the monsters, which worked effectively in gathering people from around the world. They should have known better that it was a hoax, but oh, so it turned out to be... that pleasure can blind intelligence." She sassily perked her hips and stared her crimson eyes at the S mark engraved on Aletha's face.
"When I awakened here and saw you four, I was curious as to what you have to offer. But then I realized… that you didn't have any blood. So I led you here."
A distraught look came from Aletha's face.
"S... So you're saying that all of that was a hoax?"
Rinnea scratched her head and nodded.
"Indeed. The ceremony was all a lie, a hoax, just like the delusion of the happiness-run economy in Linuxinia. Seriously, how could people in this world be so gullible? Say, I think you should run now."
Just before Aletha could go away, Rinnea quickly clutched her wrist and neared closer to her neck, whispering with a sick grin.
"Goodness, you're so gullible, too. Who cares?" Her crimson eyes sparkled with awe as she gazed at the moonlight shining on Aletha. Quickly, Rinnea complimented.
"Wow, you look so infectiously gorgeous with your long white hair, and especially your clothes. I have never seen such attire so revealing before."
Without consent, Rinnea rubbed the girl's sides and examined the tight fabric of her clothes, noticing the star pattern scattered about the blackish-brown top. Aletha froze, still, hoping not to get hurt by Rinnea. Luckily, all she wanted to do was examine her attire. After twelve uncomfortable seconds, Rinnea backed up from Aletha and complimented her.
"Your body is perfect! Gee, I wish I had such a spectacular shape as yours! You got everything right. From the bottom to the top! Your parents must have great genes."
Aletha scratched her head nervously, remembering the appearance of her parents. Although it was nothing but a blur, Aletha always remembered being complimented on her beauty by the people of her home world and the other worlds she had traveled to with her brother in the past. She looked down at the ground and responded with an anxious smile, answering.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. All I remember is that my mother and father were very beautiful. My mother, everything about her, including her voice, was perfect; she had the ideal body for a Goddess. Her hair was the brightest in the family; her attire was so revealing and unique that everyone wanted to emulate her. Her beauty was so radiant that it drew the world to her. And it seems... I got her genes."
Rinnea's heart thumped at the image she imagined of Aletha's mother, then imagined what Aletha would look like if she had grown more.
"Ho ho, you're gonna be one gorgeous woman when you grow up if that's the case. Wait, is your father attractive too?"
Aletha's face flushed, starting to grow uncomfortable about this discussion. But she still answered anyway...
"Ha, y-yeah, my father had long, vibrant white hair, clear skin, and overall, was great. Do you want to know more?"
Rinnea hastily nodded.
"Yes. Yes, please."
Aletha rolled her thumbs and replied.
"O... Okay. My father's eyes were heterogeneous, meaning they were of different colors. That touch of the color of amethyst in his right eye was what made him stand out."
Rinnea's crimson eyes widened in both shock and disappointment.
"Wait, no.. Oh my goodness... are you still innocent?!"
Aletha raised her eyebrows.
"W-What do you mean?"
"N... Nothing." (Goodness, with such an appearance like that, I figured that she would know about it by now.)
After the extremely uncomfortable and meaningless discussion, Rinnea offered.
"Say, since you are bloodless and all, how about I offer you something?"
Aletha squinted in suspicion, still unsure about the "kiss" she felt from Rinnea.
"Huh? L-Like what?"
"Hmm, what if you come with me and join my group? I know a great deal about the dragon you saw, and I can provide you with basically everything you need to know. I'll even escort you to the town of Clearstar, where all my friends and joy reside. That is... if you're willing to join the group that is."
Aletha's face rounded in embarrassment. She tilted her head away from the radiant girl and mumbled while her eyes jiggled left and right.
"N… No. Please. I know you need it and all, but… I don't think I want another thing like that again."
Rinnea raised an eyebrow and gave a chuckle of doubt. She waved her hand in the air and patted Aletha's back, leaning closer and closer, whispering.
"Oh, please, that wasn't even close to a 'true' vampire's embrace. If you really want to know, it would have been a lot more aggressive and violent. But, that's for mutual-ships. For our victims, we just embrace for like two seconds, then push them away as if it never happened."
Aletha backed away, looking over to the trees.
"So, this 'vampire' race hugs, so that they could secretly get their victim's blood?"
"Ho ho, now there girl, don't get too far. In order to be a vampire, you have to sacrifice your entire soul and do this ritual. Erm, I think you're taking on too much for the task. You won't handle it. Besides, I think you like the privilege of standing out in the sunlight. So, it isn't as pleasurable."
While they walked over the path, Rinnea scratched her chin and analyzed Aletha's appearance. A curious look came after the emotion projected on her face. She asked as they approached a wooden wall covered in thick foliage.
"So... now that I have you, just how are you, Bloodless? Out of all the years I've been alive, I have never seen anyone in this world without blood. Hmm, could it be that you are a vampire?"
Aletha shook her head, walking next to Rinnea as they passed through a canopy of trees and waterfalls.
"No, I'm not. It's hard to explain, but it's because of this thing called Dust coming from a race. Could we stop talking about that? I'm just looking for a certain necklace and my friends. Speaking of friends, have you seen them by the way?"
Rinnea turned over to the left in disinterest and snapped her fingers, keeping her grin as she stared at the moonlight. She responded in a cooler tone.
"Oh, if your friends mean two green-haired girls and a ghoul, then they're probably right there, in the village. Wait a minute, are you the one who came from that train wreck?!"
Aletha gulped, nodding her head.
"Y… Yeah."
Suddenly, Rinnea pushed her pink hair to the side and exclaimed.
"Goodness, you almost gave us a heart attack. We thought it was some sort of shooting star, and then found this necklace shortly after."
At that moment, Aletha's eyes broadened in shock.
"Necklace?"
Rinnea nodded her head and pulled out a glowing necklace, waving it back and forth as she replied.
"Yeah, this one. My, I can just feel a dark aura resonating within it."
Aletha hopped over and jumped in shock.
"Wait, is that?!--
Fastly, Rinnea stepped back and yanked the necklace away from Aletha. She knew exactly what she was doing from that incisive and greedy stare, using her manipulation to her best advantage.
As they approached a village nestled among pine trees, Rinnea informed them, putting the sacred necklace back in her pocket.
"Nu uh uh! If you want this necklace, it comes with a cost."
Aletha bounced up, begged on her knees, and asked desperately.
"What can I do in order for me to get it?! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!"
A prideful and smug smile shone on Rinnea's glowing and deceptive face.
"Ooo, anything... You say? Ho ho ho, this new adventure of ours is going to be fun..."
Within that particular second of approval, Aletha knew the moment she agreed with this beautiful, manipulative vampire girl, that her fragile soul was going to be in for one WILD ride.
Despite the uncertainty and the looming danger ahead, Aletha felt an unyielding resolve pulsing through her. The desire to protect her loved ones overshadowed her fears, igniting a fiery determination within her heart. She glanced up at the moonlit sky, vowing silently to find strength in the chaos and emerge victorious.