5. Hunted

Triana

Just like Triana, Vlador's entire body also glowed green and had just been extinguished.

Unexpectedly, the magic that had worked for Triana, worked in tandem with the vampire in front of her. It should be a natural thing, since giving Dracount a potion to drink was indeed a requirement of the witch.

However, didn't the witch say that her potion would make the vampire who drank it feel burned inside for three days? The explanation from the witch was far different from what was happening now.

Vlador looked at his hands which were no longer tied in chains. "My powers… they are back," he muttered.

When the vampire rose to his feet, all of Triana's guards immediately readied their swords.

"My lady! We have to go now!" The head of the guard group grabbed Triana's upper arm.

Awakened from her shock, Triana quickly stood up, slightly wobbly because losing a lot of blood made her dizzy and weak.

She was immediately led by her guard towards the exit from the room. However, a strong wind blew from behind them until the door was banged close.

"God!" Triana turned back to look back, at where the other guards were standing in front of the freed vampire.

The last thing she saw was a wide smile from a sinister face that revealed two long, pointed fangs. After that, all the lanterns they were carrying were off.

"Hurry up, m'lady!" said the guard who was beside Triana as he opened the heavy iron door in front of them.

"Save yourself!"

The man shouted again while slightly pushing Triana's body until she bounced out of the room into the passage which only got a little full moonlight to give her some light to see.

"Grivin!" Triana turned around, but the door was closed again before the head guard managed to get out.

Suddenly, Triana heard the screams of her guards along with the sound of metal stuff falling to the stone floor, which she believed was the sound of swords and men wearing armour.

"They are attacked. The vampire kills them!" Triana muttered as she covered her mouth with both hands.

Having no other choice, she was forced to abandon all her guards, including Grivin.

Triana's gaze swayed. She couldn't run straight and her body kept hunched over. Her steps were so wobbly that she felt like her feet didn't touch the ground. Even so, she still tried to run as fast as she could.

Without a lantern, Triana relied on the full moonlight pouring into the gloomy castle through its iron-barred windows.

On the uneven and dirty floor, she continued walking towards the exit of the castle, even though she wasn't sure if she was walking in the right way or the false one.

How did the vampire escape? Shouldn't he be in extreme pain? Was it the magic potion that let him loose?

Tears began to well up the corners of Triana's eyes. She couldn't believe things turned out like this. The hope of having eternal beauty for a bright future made her nearly lose her life.

All her struggles would in vain if she died at the hands of that monster. Triana was sure her guards were dead by now and she regretted it very much.

Shouldn't her beauty bring happiness to everyone; just like what her father said?

But why now the reality was; her beauty cost others to lose their lives?

If Triana knew from the start that in order to maintain her beauty, someone's blood had to be spilt, she would not have done what the witch ordered.

Now, it was too late. No, from the start, it was too late. The happy life that Triana had had so far had actually been destroyed when she met the witch for the first time.

She didn't forget the witch's words that she would be ugly if she didn't make the vampire drink the potion. Even if Triana had not brought her guards here and didn't go to this doomed castle, her life would have ended because she would have become ugly.

Looking back, Triana found nothing but darkness and cold and damp wind blowing from various directions. Even though she didn't find anything chasing her, she felt like something was watching her and would suddenly appear to pounce on her.

'Run, Triana! It's just your feeling. Perhaps, he is currently drinking the blood of the guards. He won't have time to catch up with you as long as you quickly escape from here!' She cried in her heart.

The prey instinct somehow helped Triana find her way out of the castle without getting lost. However, once she got out, she found that the rest of the guards who were supposed to be waiting outside the castle had disappeared, abandoning their horses behind.

'Oh my God… How could things turn out this bad?! I have to leave this place right away,'

Running out of breath, Triana approached one of her guards' horses, and got on it after making several failed jumps due to her weak legs.

Sitting on the horse, Triana whipped the reins in an amateur move. However, instead of running, the horse lifted its front legs so high that made her nearly fell.

"God! Why am I so stupid?!" She cursed to herself as she looked down.

Triana immediately jumped down from the horse. Her limp legs made her fall on the front of her body and dirty her pretty green dress.

However, she waste no time rising to her feet. With slight limp paces, she approached the thick rope that was tied to the wheels of the horse carriage and connected to the reins of her horse.

Triana regretted that all this time, she had been too obedient to her parents' words, which did not allow her to ride a horse too often. Even, if she wanted to ride a horse, the servants would always prepare everything for her, including preparing a horse that she only needed to ride.

After the rope was taken off, Triana again tried to get on the horse with her strength getting drained out. However, the sound of footsteps crushing on dry leaves made her body freeze instantly.

A squeezed pain in her heart made Triana wince. With a stiff neck, she turned back only to make her body tremble even more and complete dryness hit her throat and mouth.

A man with fiery red eyes stared at her as if she was a fresh roast turkey served on the sumptuous dining table. The fresh, thick blood that covered his mouth and chin was still dripping onto his white, blood-soaked garment. His claw pierced the nape of one of Triana's dead guards.

No need to think hard, Triana could conclude that the man was a vampire who had sucked her blood. But now, the vampire was no longer a skin-warped skeleton, not even a pitiful skinny vampire.