Dream

I woke up to the sound of murmurs. As a light sleeper, a small noise can easily wake me up in the middle of the night. If it doesn't matter, I just go back to sleep. But this time, it's different. 

    It was in the shadows. I can't point out what it was but I know for sure that it was my name it's calling. Pushing myself off the mattress, my eyes instantly looked for Lord Minir's presence. But upon finding him nowhere, I decided to lit up some candles. 

    I must be dreaming. Why am I suddenly feeling cold?

    "Solcetur..." I flinched to the door when I saw it opened slightly. 

    "Yes?" 

    "Come..." 

    "M-Master?" I stuttered to call him while approaching the door. 

    But it can't be him. I paused on my tracks, summoning a memory of Gerber and Atlas talking to me. It must be one of them since it's a woman's voice? 

    "Gerber,Atlas, is that you..." I opened the door and peeked on the dark hallway, only to find no one. 

    No one's here? I must be hunted by ghosts, then. I shook my head. There was silence when my bare foot stepped out of the door. A yelp escaped my mouth as I fell into a void. 

    The darkness wrapped itself around me, pulling me deeper into somewhere I couldn't even imagine to go. Oh, god! What is happening?! 

    I kept on screaming and screaming for hours until I fell on a pond. How the hell did I even got here? Where did this...Wait, where am I? 

    I looked around. Only the moon gave my eyes the power to see through the darkness. It was like I was in a middle of a dead forest, dead and burnt trees surrounded me, the ground is covered in ash and charcoal, and bats danced above my position. I had no idea how I got here. Despite the uncertainty that surrounded my whole existence right now, I managed to march my way off the pond. 

       But it wasn't long when images flashed in my head. Images of women around the pond, circling the girl inside the basket that floated above the white-like liquid of the pond. Their hands are all over the air, singing a song that made the owls hoot at night and their voices... their voices whisper to me like that of a ghost, waking the curiosity hidden in my skull. 

    Ever since I was left in the shelter for blood slaves, I no longer had the idea of my own identity. I was nameless. I had no memory of a parent, a name or even my origin. All I have with me is my blood and the fact that I am a human, a Helsing. 

    Helsings are humans, hunters rather. They're known as the protectors of the human kingdom, Doria, way before the vampires, werewolves and other night creatures took over the throne. They hunt down the nightcrawlers. Their blood smells nice too. Our blood. My blood. 

    My head spun around, all the things that surrounded me began to disappear until everything went black and I opened my eyes. I woke up that morning with no energy at all. Lord Minir left the mansion without even saying goodbye to us except for a note he left on my bedside table, saying, 

    I will be back.

    Farewell, 

    Minirvus 

    

    Gerber brought a food full of tray in my room, placed it on the edge of my bed in the gentlest way she can to avoid the soup to spill. I watched her went to my dresses, folding it before facing me with the widest smile that can almost erase the wrinkles in her pale face. 

    "W-What?" I stuttered, asking for a confirmation from her unusual big smile that actually looked fake. 

    She rolled her eyes and stopped smiling while saying, "Just! Just...a good morning ."

    "Good morning? You don't seem w-well..."

    She smirked, "Lady Catherine advised everyone to always wear a bit smile on our faces."

    I smiled softly and she continued,

     " She cooked these foods. Don't worry. Atlas already tasted in case she drugged or poisoned them."

    My eyes widened," W-Why would you let her—"

    "She's a vampire. She can't die!"

    "Then there could be a chance that it is poisoned then..."

    " Ah, no. She tastes for everyone's food before serving them. That's her job as a tester. "

    I nodded slowly, trying to think of a better way to find out if the food is poisoned or not. The fear of being poisoned is making me lose appetite but since the food looked as gorgeous as Lady Catherine, I decided to take a spoon. 

    She can't be that bad, you know. It's Lady Catherine. She is kind enough to initiate to cook for everyone's sake while Lord Minir is gone. Not that we lacked a chef's service but it's still kind of her to do it. 

    I should also aspire to be someone like her. Nor as level as her but to be someone like her. She can cook, read and do all things. What else can't she do? 

    "It's good, " I commented. 

    Gerber nodded, "Of course, it is. She's a good chef.If only she's not that evil..."

    I grinned at her. 

    " Anyways, go take a bath after eating . Count Vlad will be mentoring you later on... "

    I nodded, munching the food while watching Geber fold more clothes into the drawer and hang some of it to the wardrobe. I sneaked some books from the library last night. It was a book about the Helsings. 

    I stumbled upon one of the pages that deals with poisons. While eating, I couldn't help but speak a few of them. 

    "Let there be no ill. All that is poison must reveal... "

    I lifted my gaze towards my food only to find a black liquid floating on the surface of the soup. 

    "Gerber..." I called on her before closing the book, putting it away as I leaned on closer to the bowl of soup. 

    "What is it, Sol?" 

    "T-There's something on the soup..."

    She looked at me confused so I defended as she came closer, " I haven't touched it. I only w-went for t-the cake... "

    " What the—" she turned on her heels, " I'm calling Atlas. Don't touch anything!" 

    It took them about five minutes to arrive with their heels clicking on the floor. Gerber was ranting about stuffs that relates to herbs or such while Atlas silently followed her from behind. 

    "What? I told you. I tasted everything. It's not poisoned," Atlas defended. 

    " You could forgot tasting the soup?" Gerber placed her hands on her hips.

    "No, I haven't. It's impossible to think it's poison. It could be one of the ingredients... " Atlas forwarded while taking a spoon of the black liquid. 

    She smelled it for a few seconds before placing it on the other side. 

    "You're right. It is poison."

    "Oh, god! I swear,that Catherine will have her guts hang on the wall!" Gerber pushed her sleeves up while marching to the door. 

    Atlas tried to stop her violent moves but she left before we could even react. I ran up to the two, behind Atlas who seemed too calm for what is happening. I almost died! How did that even got there? 

    "It's a type of poison that doesn't react to any vampires. It's the Helsing syrup. It's made from the roots of a helsing plant which can be found only in the palace grounds..." Atlas explained it to me as we turned to a different hallway. She continued," This type of poison is invisible. It doesn't reveal itself through any tests... I'm a bit worried... or should I say, I am quite amazed that it revealed itself. "

    " O-Oh... "

    I absolutely had no words to say. Am I supposed to feel scared? Have I been too scared my whole life that this kind of events looked normal? Someone is trying to kill me! 

    "C-Could Lady Catherine...put it there?"

    " She's the only person I know who can have a supply of the plant. It's a possibility, Sol."

    "I am... speechless... a little scared, probably..."

    " It's okay, " she smiled at me before her face became a grin full of vengeance. She added, "That bitch will pay for it."