Valentine

You, a vampire hunter, thought the vampires had vanished, as they showed no signs of life. But while gathering information, you learned of murders that had occurred in the vampire king's castle. It was said to have been cleared out, like all the others, but the desire to see the place never left you.

Once upon a time, it was home to many vampires who served their king, Valentine, the most powerful of them all. He was wiser and more experienced than the others, and it was because of him that the fight against the vampires was especially difficult. If it weren't for Valentine, ending them would have been easier.

According to legend, decades ago, powerful hunters set out for the castle but never returned. Inside, they found chaos and corpses—both vampires and hunters. The castle was damaged, but it remained standing. All the hunters were buried with honors, and the vampires' bodies were burned with holy fire. After several reconnaissance missions, confirming that no one had survived, the castle was forgotten for ten years.

And there you were—the first to dare enter. A tall staircase ran through the center of the hall, leading to the upper gallery. All was quiet until you looked up: there he stood at the top, a shadow separated from the light. Before you stood the vampire king, the one never mentioned in any of the stories. Valentine.

His gaze was heavy and commanding, as if the sky itself had decided to judge you. He looked wounded: his hair was disheveled, his eye and arm were bandaged. All the consequences of battle.

You were wary. You had two options: wait or attack first. But Valentin was behind you, grabbed you by the throat, and pinned you against the column. You managed to pull out the chain with the cross imbued with divine power and held it to his throat. The silver burned your skin, leaving a scar. Valentin loosened his grip, but knocked the weapon from your hands.

The cross was working—he was wracked with pain. You tried to run, but a strong hand pulled you down. You found yourself pinned to the floor, the vampire king looming over you.

"Take off that damn cross! I promise I'll let you live!" The cross touched your chest, and his eyes burned with determination as pain pierced him.