Ryusei

The forest greeted Ryusei with the silence familiar to these places—thick, heavy, and oppressive. It seemed as if the trees themselves were concealing something in their intertwined branches, preventing even the faintest daylight from penetrating their crowns. He hadn't taken more than a few dozen steps before the sky rapidly darkened. A piercing wind arose, followed by a snowstorm.

Ryusei just chuckled to himself, wrapped his cloak tighter and walked on.

There was no turning back. After being declared a traitor and forced to flee his homeland, there was only one thing left to do: find a place where the past would no longer haunt him. For that, he was willing to endure the cold and fatigue.

The deeper he went, the more unsettling the surroundings became. The wind howled between the tree trunks like a distant voice, the snow obscured any traces, and the shadows seemed to move of their own accord, forcing him to glance at them again and again.

Many stories were told about such forests. Some blamed wolves and bears, others bandits. But most often, they whispered of a creature lurking in the darkness. A vampire.

Ryusei never attached any importance to these tales.

If half of what I heard was true, the world would have long ago belonged to monsters.

Several hours later, he finally stopped. His feet were almost knee-deep in snow, and the icy wind made it difficult to take a full breath. Leaning his back against a wide tree, he pulled out a bowl, poured water from his canteen, and was about to take a sip...

Crunch.

A sharp sound was heard somewhere ahead.

Ryusei froze. The cup swung in his hand, a few drops falling onto the snow. Almost simultaneously, his hand landed on the hilt of his sword, and his gaze pierced the darkness between the trees.

There was something there.

For a moment, a cold glimmer flashed from the depths of the thicket, too much like a pair of attentively watching eyes.

Ryusei slowly rose to his feet, not looking away.

• Come out... Or should I look for you myself?