Leave Us Alone (Englot GirlXGirl)

Chapter 1. The Ardelean's Heir

The term "vampire" became widely used in Western Europe after reports of an 18th-century mass hysteria of a pre-existing folk belief in Southeastern and Eastern Europe, which in some cases resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. Vampires are legendary creatures that are said to gain their sustenance by feeding on the vital essence (usually in the form of blood) of the living. Different countries in Southeastern Europe had different names for their local varieties; for example, shtriga was spoken in Albania, vrykolakas in Greece, and strigoi in Romania. Even though belief in other vampiric creatures persists in the modern era, the vampire itself is widely considered to be a myth.

Humans in the modern era tend to paint vampires in the most favorable light possible while they feed on human blood, and some extreme vampires have gone to great lengths to make themselves appear as vampires groupies, even undergoing plastic surgery. Actually, the myth was based on some truth, albeit in a different form of storytelling. It dates back to the time of Vlad the Impaler, who was a warlord in what is now Romania in southeastern Europe in the 15th century and was also known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia. People today believe this because it fits with their preconceived notions about history, but the truth is that Vlad III — never owned anything in Transylvania, and is instead a subject of the most powerful entities in the world, the Ukher, a human with a blood descent from the God of Extermination, whose clan goes by the name Ardelean.

For a century prior to Vlad III's rule, the Ardelean clan had traveled the globe, always lurking in the shadows of the world's most powerful monarchs. They don't follow human laws, but rather make their own laws based on what humans need, and they avoid touching humans unless they're asked for help. Only one person in every generation carries the purest form of Ardelean blood and thus possesses the greatest strength of all the Ardeleans of that generation. The most powerful Ardelean have always been able to wipe out the entire civilization.

Not long after Vlad III and his brother Radu were held as hostages by the Ottoman Empire, his father was murdered after being betrayed by his local nobles. During the time under the Ottomans's hostage, both Vlad and his younger brother received an education that included lessons in the sciences, the arts, and philosophy. However, Vlad harbored animosity toward the Ottoman Empire and worked to improve his skills as a fighter and an equestrian while his brother capitulated and joined the Turkish side. Upon succeeding to his father's throne, he became suddenly disoriented, and it was then that he met Ioana Ardelean, the most beautiful and alluring woman he had ever seen. After promising to be a loyal subject to his new queen, Vlad III returned to Târgoviște to fight his old enemy, Vladislav II, with a small force of exiled boyars, Hungarians, and Romanian mercenaries.

With her power, he was able to finally put an end to his mortal enemy and his father's assassin. Ardelean power isn't the one human can fight with; they can turn anything into living things and give nightmares to whoever face their power. The following year, in 1456, Vlad was proclaimed to be the voivode of Wallachia. One of his first orders of business in his new role was to discontinue paying an annual tribute to the Ottoman sultan. This was a practice that had previously ensured peace between Wallachia and the Ottomans.

However, Ioana Ardelean was not the only Ardelean who was involved in all of the major ruling. After Vlad III had his thrist quelled, he became a very harsh ruler and became famous for the name of Vlad the Impaler. This earned him the nickname "Vlad the Impaler." After his victory over the Ottoman Empire and the impalement of Ottoman prisoners of war, his brother, who had sided with the Ottomans and was also an Ardelean subject, forced him into exile. That marked the end of the Vlad III era, as he died at the hands of Ottoman soldiers.

But his blood remains because Ioana gave birth to a daughter and son of Vlad III; Ioana was not his legal wife, but the woman chose him as her fated mate. The death of Ioana was confirmed five years after the death of Vlad III, proving that the Ardelean's greatest weakness was in fact their heart. When Ardelean falls in love with an ordinary human, they will bestow all of their power and blessings on that person. And if the humans passed away before them or betrayed their love, Ardelean would become ill, be unable to use their power any longer, and ultimately pass away. If they were to find their soul mate, they would be able to outlive any other normal humans and spend their remaining years with the person they were meant to be with.