Sacrifice

Chapter 2 : The Crimson Raid

The night the princess lost her first life, a night that would haunt the princes for the rest of eternity, started off uncharacteristically humid and gloomy. It was like the universe knew of the unescapable fate the evening held and was already mourning the loss of Her Highness. Fittingly, not a single teardrop was shed from the sky until after the atrocious deed had been executed.

As the moon shone brightly in the night sky and as the forest around crept with esoteric nightlife, the castle itself was sound asleep. The princes and the princess had retired to their personal chambers for the evening long ago, all blissfully unaware of the group of villagers treading closer and closer to the fortress's premises from the next town over. That night, like most nights, the eight royal residents had chosen to sleep in their own respective rooms in favor of allowing each other personal time to unwind after spending decades together. They had discovered that to be one method that helped them maintain a healthy relationship with minimal disputes. But that didn't mean they wouldn't indulge in cuddling up with each other every now and then to enjoy each other's company through the night.

As the villagers inched closer to the castle, one particular prince began to grow restless in his sleep. The second youngest had always been keen to sensing trouble even in an unconscious state. The closer the men walked, the more unsettled he grew in his sleep. Yet, their quiet footsteps weren't enough to fully wake Jungwon so the prince slept on, mildly unaware of their lurking shadows.

In retrospect, the princes should have foreseen this deceptively sudden attack. Their vampire identities had never been a secret and the townspeople of the village they lived nearest to, the town in which the princess would be later reborn in for her second life, didn't seem to mind. The local villagers and the princes had naturally formed an unspoken agreement - no harm would be bestowed upon one another for the protection of each other. Yet, it would be a lie to say this amicable agreement was widely accepted throughout the land. It's been long since vampires were collectively seen as evil. In fact, it has been common knowledge for the past couple of centuries that most vampires have good intentions and wish to live amicably among humans. However, this does not mean all vampires hold the same beliefs. There are still vampires that truly wish to harm humans and use them for their blood. These vampires, specifically, ignite a deep hatred within some people that causes them to falsely project the stereotype onto all vampires. The villagers of the next town over are no exception. They had always execrated vampires and were never afraid to directly express their bigoted opinions. In fact, their hatred seemed to burn brighter after they learned the seven vampires were royal princes. From thereon after, the villagers tried a multitude of times to drive the princes completely out of the country, which ultimately resulted in the last attack that targeted the princes' light in their eternal life, costing them their beloved princess.

By the time the first villager broke into the castle's main entrance and stepped foot into the grand foyer, Jungwon had shot up from his bed in alarm. "Someone broke into the foyer!" he had warned everyone telepathically in a mild panic, eyebrows pinched together as he sprung into action. In spite of the adrenaline that pumped through his veins, Jungwon had been careful to leave the sleeping princess undisturbed in fear of scaring her. He couldn't have lived with himself if he had startled the princess for nothing as it wouldn't have been the first time the prince sensed something lurking amongst the shadows of the castle and woken up the other princes with unease. But prior to this nefarious night, the second youngest prince had always mistakenly sensed small rodents skittering across the ground floor, which always resulted in Riki snickering and teasing the older prince while gently guiding the animal back out of the castle.

That night, however, Heeseung, Sunghoon, and Riki had also sensed the impending danger, but regardless of the gut-wrenching feeling that weighed deep within their chests, it was too late. While the princes' powers were strong, they came with limitations in their slumbering states. The mass of the villagers had broken into the castle by climbing up the easter and western staircase towers. Their heavy steps had naturally been dulled by the thick cold stone material holding the structure in place, and with the towers located on opposite sides of the long stretch of hallway, it was nearly impossible for anyone to pick up on their advance. By the time the first prince reached his bedroom door to charge against the scene, a swarm of villagers had managed to fill into each prince's room, all having entered from a small window atop the stairwells, and created an ocean of bodies deep enough to drown the seven vampires before anyone could make it to the princess's room.