Chapter Text
Heavy snow pours in the village of Akantha. The children are throwing snow molded in a circular shape not minding the angry scream of their elders. Houses were made of a wooden frame, with the gaps filled with woven strips of wood with clay and horse-dung are now engulfed in white. Even with the heavy snow storm, the narrow and busy streets of Akantha is filled with the sound of the town crier, church bells, trumpets, and traders calling out their wares. Fresh looking fruits and vegetables as well as different materials for everyday living are sold in the market. The food sellers offer their customers with the fresh sheep's feet, beef-ribs, and a hanged naked chicken looking like these animals were just begging for help earlier as the butcher slaughters their flesh. Even with all the commotion, Akantha is a place full of festive and laughter.
Just like any other town, Akantha has a lore - vampires once live in this town. Every child in this village had laughed at this forest-lore passed down by the woodcutters all those years ago. Beneath the vicinity of Akantha, a forest engulfed by total darkness was once delve into by woodcutters until the higher ups of the town prohibits anyone to step foot of the said forest saying that wild beast and carnivorous animals are roaming within it. But the villagers started to doubt their empire when a rumor spreads that the wife of one of the said woodcutters who travelled outside Akantha kept on insisting that his husband was found to have a bite mark on his neck - not just a normal bite but a bite that resembles that of a vampire's teeth. She justified that if it's done by a carnivorous animal, his husband's body wouldn't even found for a human's body is a festive to those creatures, rather, she found him crawling on their home, pale as a dead as if every drop of his blood was gone, unable to utter a single word before dying while drooling with his eyes opened as if he just witness an ungodly scene right in front of him. The said woman was never been found and this story is nothing but a tale to Akantha.
Just like any other day, at dusk, a bell will rang for curfew, and everyone is supposed to stay inside their houses. The gates to the town would be closed, and a group of soldiers fully loaded with guns and armors would patrol the streets looking for those who had stayed out late.
"Seungyoun come here." Seungyoun runs towards his mom reaching her hand.
"Mom, why do we need stay home at this hour?", a curious young Seungyoun asks.
"No one knows my dear, the only thing I know is we should obey the law or else we'll be imprisoned in a place engulfed with pure darkness", his mom answered in a playful way that made young Seungyoun shivered in fear. "Mom, I'm scared", he embraces his mom with all he might and his action made his mom smile. She sitted allowing her eyes to meet Seungyoun's, "I'm fooling my son, nothing will ever happen to you as long as I'm here, so now let's go home", assuring him and patting his head as she places her wrinkled hands to Seungyoun's soft little ones and slowly walks to their home. Then the silent night was suddenly broken with cries of agony.
"Seungyoun run! Run my son!", sweat was dripping on Seungyoun head, continuously uttering "mom" in between his breath witnessing his mom slowly fades in his sight. A nightmare that he wanted to stop but a memory that drives him to where he is now.
"Seungyoun! When will you learn to wake up on your own!", a voice echoed on his door. He was awakened by the loud continuous knocks. His eyes adjusting to the bright light of the sun slipping behind the curtains on the windows.
"Can you shut up for a damn minute!", he grunts as he change in a sitting position, holding the back of his head from the pain of sleeping in a very bad position. His bed made a cricking sound as he stood up, it is evident that the bed is slowly rotting due to its oldness and blows off the fire of the dying candle.
A loud scolding immediately greets him as he open his door. "Damn you, I'm late again because of you!" A man with strong features and a body build in such perfection says.
"So what do you want to hear from me? "Thank you Hangyul-shi, I owe you so damn much", teasing the other man more.
"Shut u---",
"Go now, I'll follow", Seungyoun interrupts.
"We won't be on the field today", Hangyul says with concern on his voice.
"Really, then where?" Seungyoun answers as he put on his creased uniform, deep green in color with a logo of a snake on the right arm and wings patched on the back side resembling that of a soldier's uniform, his tattoos are peeking on his shoulders as he rolls up his sleeves. Putting harnesses on his body, a gun loaded with bullets on his piston belt, and knives for short-range combat.
"Akantha", Seungyoun stops tying his combat boot as he heard Hangyul's answer.
"Can you?", Hangyul added.
"I've been waiting for this Gyul, it's long overdue."
"Hyung!!! Youn, Gyul Hyung where are you?", a young yet taller than both of them approaches the door, hands on his knees, panting from all the running he did.
"We're going there Dohyon, come on", Hangyul says as he playfully ruffles his hand on Dohyon's head.
"Argh hyung stop!", the younger one says as he remove Hangyul's hand on his head annoyingly.
Seungyoun chuckles as he watch the two idiots in front of him. "Stop that you two, come on let's go now, by the way Dohyon, tada... cookies for my lovely brother."
"This is why I love you the most Seungyoun hyung", Dohyon says in such a cheerful manner hugging Seungyoun while eyeing Hangyul. These three are always together, there isn't any day where they stop fooling each other.
***
It's been 10 years since Seungyoun step foot on Akantha again. Everything that he remembers are all just part of his memories as he look at the soulless scene unfolding in front of him. The villagers themselves were gone, swept away as if by some invisible hand. The once festive land is now a land covered in thick snow as if no one has ever lived there.
"Halt!", their commander yells and everyone positioned themselves in 5 rows according to their height.
"This is Akantha, I assume everyone of you heard of this village. The first village where vampires were first spotted and the first village that was destroyed by these ungodly creatures."
Seungyoun clunches his fist while hearing this. The scene that he witnessed, the cry of the people, the fire that destroyed the town, and the vampire who took his mom's life, everything is vivid on Seungyoun's mind.
"Beneath this forest, the castle of the vampires can be found and this is the starting point of your journey as vampire hunters. The training that you had is nothing if you can't even look at a vampire's eyes. We will stay here for a week and I want everyone of you to be armed always. We will not have any signal from the capitol now, this is all on us." Their commander stops walking, faces his hunters and uttering these words with conviction, concern, and fear;
"If we happen to encounter vampires in our stay here, fight, and save yourselves." Their commander's voice is enough to give shivers to the young hunters.
"Dispersed!"
***
It is already afternoon, everyone is all occupied; some build the tents, cooks their meal, cutting woods, and others are on watch. Not long after that, it is already dusk. The bright sun is now hiding as if afraid of something but instead of darkness, the sky reflects a bloody red sky. Everyone is eating & enjoying their meal along with red wines place in a bamboo glass. Seungyoun, Hangyul, and Dohyon refuse to drink.
"Hyung why is the sky red?", Dohyon asks, fear is apparent in his voice.
"It happens once in a while.", Seungyoun answers tapping Dohyon shoulders.
"But I haven't seen one on Berthel", Dohyon is now looking down.
"You're afraid aren't you?", Hangyul teases Dohyon more, tickling his side.
"Argh hyung stop, I'm not", Dohyon says as he block Hangyul hands that attempt to tickle him.
But the peaceful hours has now ended. A strong wind welcomes them, the fire that lights up their place is now gone, the wooden plates are carried by the wind, howling sounds can be heard in their surrounding, and blinking red eyes are surrounding them.
"Everyone prepare your weapons, don't let the alphas wound you", their commander yells.
Seungyoun can remember everything, this is exactly what happened 10 years ago. Wild beast, which is now called as alphas, attacked theor village, eating every flesh they encounter. The white-filled land turned into a bloody land and not long after that, vampires join the war.
"Hangyul, Dohyon, alphas are just the start, prepare for the vampires afterwards", Seungyoun warns the two.
"You're joking rig--", Hangyul was interrupted by the sound of the gun. Seungyoun fired on Hangyul's side, a dead alpha is already lying on the ground.
"Stop questioning, move!", Seungyoun yells.
Seungyoun is best on long-range combat, Hangyul on close-range one, and Dohyon is their strategist.
An ugly looking animal, drooling with hunger on its bloody red eyes, an animal that resembles a wolf but with longer nails, bigger in size, and faster in speed - alpha - . One is about to attack Hangyul on the back but immediately slaughtered it right before making a contact. Seungyoun is aiming at those who are running towards their direction, making sure that Hangyul will fight lesser numbers in close contact fight.
"Hyung, this is the best time to go near the woods, these animals are already in this place. We can climb the trees and aim at them using our long-range weapons."
"How can you be so sure that this are all of them?", Hangyul asks Dohyon as he slit the animal's throat while the blood spurs on his face.
"They make a distinctive sound as if calling for their companions, but they stop making that sound but this is just a conclusion of mine", Dohyon answers as he observed their surroundings.
"Okay, let's gather more weapons then. Go to the big tent Dohyon!", Seungyoun says. Dohyon instincts are never wrong and they trust him for it.
"Copy hyung!",as Dohyon runs toward the tent, an alpha was running towards his direction.
"Dohyon on your right!"
But before Dohyon can hear what Seungyoun had said, the animal jump on him, ready to devour him but he was able to block its fangs on his forearm armor and Seungyoun immediately fired multiple shots on the alpha.
"Dohyon are you hurt?", Seungyoun's worry is apparent in his voice as he lift Dohyon's upper body from the ground.
"I'm fine hyung, I was able to dodge it just how I dodge Hangyul hyung's attack", Dohyon answers jokingly, he does not want his hyung to worry about him now that their fighting.
"Stop joking, let's go", before running to the other side Seungyoun looks back.
"Hangyul will you be fine there?!", Seungyoun shouts.
"I can handle this just make it faster!", Hangyul assures him.
As they made their way to the tent, some of their companions are already lying on the ground missing a part of their bodies and others are already dead.
"Please help me", they heard a soft voice as they exits the tent with lots of weapons on their arms. Seungyoun immediately look for a piece of cloth and wrap it on the boy's bleeding foot, the boy was bitten.
"What's your name and what are you good at?", Seungyoun asks rapidly.
"Eu.. Eunsang, arrow", the boy immediately utters.
"Dohyon search for the bow and arrows."
It didn't take long in finding the bow and arrows. Seungyoun hurriedly supports Eunsang to stand on his feet putting Eunsang's arm at the back of his neck and his other hand holding the back of the younger. Seungyoun didn't think twice as he sees Hangyul surrounded by three drooling alphas ready to attack any time soon.
"Dohyon!", Seungyoun blurts out signalling to support Eunsang on his behalf. Seungyoun then immediately loads his gun, fired three bullets consecutively, all was shot in such preciseness as they all went on each of the alphas' head thus they immediately died. They are now on their way to the woods just as how Dohyon plans.
"Hyung, isn't it these alphas are said to be the vampires' pet?", Dohyon suddenly asks.
"They are", Eunsang immediately answers him while still being supported by Seungyoun.
Dohyon went back and pulls one of the alphas they killed.
"Pets are loved by their owners, we should have the same smell as them... you know for protection if vampires will immediately follow here", Dohyon explains.
They didn't took a minute, they are now covered with alphas' blood. Running as fast as they can to reach the nearest tree.
"Dohyon stay with me, Hangyul stay with Eunsang, we are both good at long range attacks, that would help us survive for a day", Seungyoun commands.
Seungyoun immediately climb on a tree and Dohyon follows him. Hangyul is also on the branch now just beside the tree where Youn and Hyon stays but Eunsang is having a hard time as he put so much force to his wounded foot, an agonizing pain irks his body.
"I can't seem to do this, I'll just stay here", Eunsang yells to the man above. Hangyul immediately went down.
"You shouldn't give up too easily, what do you take us for", Hangyul says as he ties a rope on Eunsang's waist upto his upper body connected to his.
"Hop on my back", Hangyul commands the other.
"I didn't know you have this side of yours Hangyul-shi", Seungyoun teases Hangyul as they climb the tree.
"I'm always like this except to you. You're a pain in the ass", Hangyul said following the flow of this conversation.
"Except to me too", Dohyon immediately adds that made everyone laugh.
"Thank you Hangyul hyung", Eunsang says as Hangyul finishes untying the rope on his body finally on top of the tree now.
"Don't worry about it, now it's your time to protect me", Hangyul answered as he pats Eunsang's head assuring that he receive the younger's gratitude well.
They didn't know if the other hunters made it, but just as what their commander says, their goal is to provide new knowledge to the capitol about the vampires and that's what they aim for.
"Hyung after this day ends, where are we going?", Dohyon asks and all eyes are all on Seungyoun waiting for his answer.
"What's our goal here?", Seungyoun simply says.
"Discover new information about the vampires", Dohyon utters.
"Then that's what we're gonna do."
"You're talking about their castle isn't it?", Hangyul joined the conversation.
"Exactly", Seungyoun answered.
Their conversation was interrupted by the rustling sound below them. Seungyoun holding his gun and Eunsang with his bow and arrows all ready to fire. More rustling sound was heard.
"Yah Minhee how can we survive this forest if all we did was run." A young man's voice.
"Give me silence Junho I'm thinking or else I'll slit your throat with no remorse.", the other says.
"As if you can do th---"
"Wahhhh!!", both of them shout their lungs out as an arrow was aim in between them.
Hangyul went down the tree, landing on his knees with knives on his right hand.
"Who are you?", Hangyul says as the light of the moon reflects his strong gaze signalling the two that he is ready to kill both of them at any minute.
"We...we are travelers, I swear we don't have any bad intentions, we all run as fast as we could when the alphas attack the town", the shorter answered but definitely taller than Hangyul.
"That clothes, you are a hunter aren't you? Please we're begging you, save us." The taller and paler one says kneeling down looking at the other guy to do the same. The two kneel down in front of him. Hangyul kept back his knives and raises his left fist signalling the other three on top that they're safe and these two are harmless.
"Then tell me what can you give to us", Hangyul is definitely not going to let go of this opportunity to have something from these two.
"We...We have our treasures, enough for us to survive for a week", the taller answered.
"Youn rope!", Hangyul shouts."You two better won't slow us down or we'll kill you."
***
They introduce themselves and Minhee offers their monoculars to Seungyoun and Eunsang to better have a vision on their surroundings. Junho shares the spare food that they were able to save enough to survive the night. The riot has ended and Seungyoun can see on the monoculars that the other hunters also went on different sides of the forest. He didn't see any alphas walking on the war scene.
"I guess we're safe, rest now we have a long way tomorrow", Seungyoun assures the others.
Expecting that the sun will wake them up, Seungyoun woke up with the birds' scary sounds above. One landed on his chest, a black bird with red eyes looking at him as if familiarizing everything about him. As he wooed away the bird, he lost his balance and landed on the ground.
"F*ck", he grunts and he is totally awake now. Then he heard a hissing sound, a snake is in front of him ready to bite, and he reach for his knife. The snake attacks him but Seungyoun is faster, the poor head of the snake was cut off. The other was awakened by the loud falling sound earlier.
"Youn, what's wrong?", Hangyul asks as he looks down to where Seungyoun landed.
"Just a snake. Is it morning already?", Seungyoun asks.
"I guess, that's what my clock says!", Minhee is yelling above.
Everyone was terrified at the thought, instead of a bright light from the sun, a red bloody moon gives light to the sky. The rumor is true, this forest does not meet the sun, odd as it sounds but it is definitely true.
***
A bird knocks on the tall window waking the man inside the large room. The man is half-naked, tatoos are seen on his pale skin, his hair covers his eyes clearly not entertain by the sudden visitor. He open his window and let the bird enters his room. He put his forehead on the bird's head as if transferring the scene the bird had witness. The unentertained man has now a smile on his face clearly satisfied by the message that he received.
"It's been a long time since humans visited our place, we shall welcome them."