Kingdom of Cresia

The border gates of Cresia were opened. King Xavier laid out special orders to receive the Nightshaders and escort them directly to the, now sealed area, of attack. After that they will formally meet the royal family and the Council for further discussion. It was nighttime and so the vampires need not require their potions. The Chief of the royal guard was entrusted in receiving and escorting the Nightshaders into the area.

“Welcome, to Cresia!” the Chief held out his hand to greet Nezeira.

Nezeira coldly took the hand and shook her head without any reply. The second-in command of her group vampire, Ywain, assessing the mild awkward situation, hurriedly replied to the Chief,

“Thank you Chief, it is an honour.”

The Chief, “Shall we get to business then. Our orders are to take you directly to the affected site , then we have arranged for your stay at the royal palace.”

Nezeira, “That won’t be necessary Chief,  we will stay with our Vigillante group here.”

The Chief could not bring to say anything to Nezeira and was a little offended and annoyed with her curt and cold responses. Ywain as usual managed the situation by saying,

“She is like that Chief, don’t take offence. I’ll deal with her.”

The convoy soon left for the State Building area. There are three trucks in the convoy, the middle one carrying the vampires while the other two are of the soldiers. The soldiers have heard rumors about the Princess of Vladmore, finally they saw her tonight and all were abuzz with her looks. One of the soldiers,

“Man, did you see her eyes!? I’ ll be damned.”

Soldier 2, “All this time with the rumors about her, I finally got to see the fabled Princess of Vladmore. Hey, I heard that she hates humans to the core.”

Soldier 1, “Really? But why?”

Soldier 2, “God knows, some say she was human once. Others say she is a half-breed and a love-child of King Zachaeus. But it’s still a mystery as to what she really is. Even the vampires have no idea.”

Within about twenty minutes of driving they reached the area, which was already fortified and quarantined by high-tech systems, electrified with high voltage solar-powered electricity. The electricity is produced by directly harnessing the power of the sun. In other words the voltage and power of the system is equivalent to the sun’s potential. The group got out and geared up. Nezeira and her Nightshaders suited up too. They were about to enter when she stopped and said to the Chief,

“I don’t think it will be a good idea for you and your men to enter. Its nighttime now.”

The Chief thought for a second and said, “Well, that is right but you are not acquainted with the area at all.”

Nezeira, “We have our tracking equipment and heat sensors. Don’t worry, it won’t take much time. Kindly wait for us here.”

With that she signaled her vampires to follow and they entered the gates into the area. It reeked of a strange bad odor, which is not of rotten human flesh. It is a kind of smell the vampires never experienced before. The area was a striking contrast with Leopolis ; the ultra-tech glistening capital of Cresia. With one look it can be deduced that this place too was hustling and bustling until the horror a week ago. Now, it is a dark and desolate place which doesn’t even reek of death, but an unknown calamity that has already sent rippling fear across all the kingdoms.

The vampire team proceeded slowly, looking around with their weapons and equipment. Nezeira unsheathed her katana samurai sword; which she inherited from her former Samurai master. It’s super sharp blade gave off a glistening sheen in the dark. If looked closely a name, ‘Requiem’ was craved just a little above the black and gold hilt of it.  The vampires wore leather outfits and each have a tech-gadget on their left hand which have heat sensors and other tracking systems. Nezeira was clad in a black nigh neck body hugging full leather jacket and a dark brown leather pants, clubbed with calf-length shinny boots. Her hair straight sleek hair was put up in a semi-high ponytail that went down a little above her waistline with two thin strands of locks falling over her face. Her blue eyes got dilated as she was on high alert; but looked exceptionally ethereal. Suddenly her ears twitched a bit. With superhuman five senses she quickly glanced over the sound. A mouse was nibbling on something a distance away. She alerted the group and they slowly approached it flashing the torch. It looked like flesh. Nezeira scooped down to observe while signaling one of the vampires to come forward with a collection bag. The vampire then spoke,

“What is this thing? It isn’t human flesh.”

Nezeira, “No. It looks like something else. Not vampire, or werewolf either.”

Ywain, “Maybe it belongs to the creatures we saw.”

Nezeira, thoughtfully, “Yes, possibly.”

Then she instructed the vampire to carefully collect it for further examination. After that they proceeded a little more further towards the, now ruined and dark State Building. She scanned it with her device and found no sign of life inside it except for rats and other rodents. She then turned towards Ywain and asked,

“The footage of Rhain. Where was it taken again?”

Ywain, “It was on the threshold of the entrance of the State Building. The camera was on the entrance door. “

Nezeira, “Let’s have look.”

The group went up over the stairs and stopped at the entrance area near what it looked like dried blood trail which went from there, to all the way through the main entrance hall, before taking a left turn into the building out of sight. They all flashed their torches from outside to look but no one entered the building as Nezeira has strictly instructed. Because no one knows what they are up against and thus could not afford any casualties. Nezeira gave out a deep sigh and spoke,

“Let’s leave for now.”

Then she turned to the vampire who collected the flesh and instructed him,

“Look into the flesh and see what you can find.”

The vampire nodded his head and said, “Yes, Princess.”

The group then turned around and walked away from the building. As they kept moving away, high on the tower in the darkness,  a black hooded figure appeared with a pair of red eyes which glowed in the dark. Then came a faint, course voice,

“Hello, Nez”, followed by a bone chilling smile showing white fangs.

Nezeira, almost stepped out of the main entrance gate of the area, when she suddenly stopped, and spun around to look back. Being a vampire with rare and unique powers she has extremely strong senses. Her ears fluttered a bit, catching up on a faint frequency that sounded like someone called her name. She stood facing the dark deserted area, looking straight, her pupils wide and dilated, trying to catch something. Ywain noticed and came up behind her asking,

“Princess, what is it?”

Nezeira, without taking her eyes off the darkness replied, “Nothing. I thought I heard something. Let’s go.”

They hopped into their vans and the convoy headed towards the royal palace. The city of Leopolis was like a futuristic glittery one. The royal palace was by the seaside cliff at the far end of the city away from the noise, surrounded by a lot of foliage and nature. The security of the palace was heavily monitored by the elite and fiercely trained group of guards. The Chief of whom was the one who went to escort the Nightshaders. They passed the sensor laden imperial gate and then drove through the sprawling acres of the royal garden and after about a few minutes they reached the huge portico of the palace. The palace was as white as a pearl and spread over seven hundred thousand square feet. At the front of the portico was grand fountain which was roughly twenty feet high. The group was scheduled to meet King Xavier and Queen Chang and the two princes. The Nightshaders were led through the grand entrance of the palace, and the high ceilinged corridor into the huge throne room where the King, the Queen and the Crown prince was seated. The interiors of the palace was a unusual amalgamation of two different styles resembling Victorian and Feng Shui. The Nightshaders entered the throne room and approached, kneeling down bowing. The King spoke in an welcoming tone,

“Welcome to Cresia, Nightshaders. Please rise.”

The Nightshader stood up with Nezeira, with her head still down replied,

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Then she lifted her head to look straight at them. The Queen almost gasped looking at her. The rareness of the sight was astonishing for her. But the one who was smacked by the intensity of Nezeira’s demeanor and look was the Crown Prince. It looked like he was instantly imprisoned into a stance like state where he felt helpless and completely immobilized. The King then spoke with an appraising tone,

“We all have heard about the fabled Princess of Vladmore. It is truly fascinating to finally meet you Princess.”

Nezeira, “The honor is ours You Majesties.”

Queen Chang, “ What is your name Princess?”

Nezeira replied, slightly bowing her head, “Nezeira, Your Highness.”

The Queen, smiling, “What a unique name. King Zachaeus has good taste for names I must say.”

Nezeira, looking straight at the Queen, said, “Yes, my father gave me this name.”

The King then spoke, “Well, this is my eldest son, the Crown Prince, Constance, and……”

He stopped in the middle abruptly noticing that the other chair beside the Queen was empty, which belongs to the second prince. He got visibly irritated and whispered to the Queen,

“Where is he?”

The Queen, “As usual.”

The King quite annoyed said, “How many times have I warned him to be present for occasions like this when convoys from other kingdoms visit. Shameful.”

The Queen and the Crown Prince looked helpless and the King somehow managed the awkwardness and spoke again,

“I believe you all have visited the area.”

Nezeira being the leader of the group said, “Yes Your Majesty and we collected a sample from the site which requires lab testing. Only after that we will be able say something about what might be going on.”

The King, “Very well then I have prepared a lab in the third basement level, keeping in mind about your requirements. You will have your residence there but for the Princess we have prepared our outhouse.”

Nezeira, immediately, came forward bowing, “Your Majesty you have my thanks for your kind gesture but I would like to reside with my team. As their leader it will be inappropriate for me to seek entitlements just because I am a princess.”

The King was in a fix, and his minister who was at standing at the right side down the throne platform spoke, “I do understand your views Princess but I am afraid we do not have any more space to  accommodate you. Can you please accept this arrangement for now.”

Ywain then turned to Nezeira and said, “ Princess, it is alright, please take the residence prepared for you.”

Nezeira nodded and said nothing further. The King concluded the meeting and said that after three days there will be a virtual council of the kings where the Nightshaders will share the reports of their findings. With that the Nightshaders were dismissed and led to their basement stay near the lab and Nezeira was escorted by the Crown Prince to the grand outhouse overlooking the sea. While walking Crown Prince Constance, spoke,

 “ So, Princess, have you been to Cresia before?”

Nezeira, “No Your Highness. This is my first time.”

Constance, “Ahhh, I see. So do you like it?”

Nezeira, “Not really Your Highness. We are here strictly for business. Probably there won’t be time to look around.”

Constance, a little shocked with her curtness, “Of course. But if you have time then I will be happy to show you around.”

Nezeira, paused, looked at him squarely, without any reaction and spoke, “Do not trouble yourself Your Highness, that won’t be necessary. I believe we have reached the outhouse, so I will take my leave, Thank you for escorting me. Have a goodnight.”

She then bowed her head slightly before turning around and leaving for the outhouse. Constance was puzzled with her curtness and straight behavior. Constance is the perfect prince with gentle nature and properness of the crown prince. He maintained the royal antiques and decorum with utter perfection. His features are exotic with his mother’s mongoloid features mixed with his father’s sharpness. He is soft spoken with elegant gestures, a striking contrast to his younger brother who is notorious for his rough and unruly attitudes but more handsome. He is an actor in the entertainment industry; a superstar one at that. He is a hardcore womanizer who treated girls like clothes. He is arrogant, unruly and has blatant disregard for rules and decorum for which he often faces the wrath of his father, the King. Not only is he an actor but also an ace professional motorbike racer. He regularly takes part in competitions and wins most of them. He is also very snob and leads an ultra-luxurious lifestyle. Women are so smitten by his aura that they often throw themselves at him to get his attention. He has no interest in royal duties whatsoever and deliberately skips them despite the King’s repeated warnings. However he is close to his mother who dots on him more than the king. That day too, when he was specifically asked to be present to welcome the Nightshaders, he in evidently skipped it for a one night stand with a starlet in a luxury hotel somewhere in the middle of the city.

Nezeira was woken up by a ray of sunlight falling on her face. She opened her blue eyes and was a little glazed by it. She got up hastily and paged Ywain who were busy in the basement. He informed that they has started to run tests on the sample they collected and will report her if they reach any break-through. Nezeira after hanging up, thought for a second and proceeded to dress up. She then put on a black contact lens and put away her sword. She dressed up in a human civilian manner as she decided to go out to the area again, now that its daytime and look for any information available. She called Ywain again to inform him before heading out towards the Chief’s office. After reaching the Chief was a little taken aback with her get up, especially her eyes.

Nezeira, “Black contacts Chief. Also, I have come to ask for a favor.”

Chief, “Yes please.”

Nezeira, “I want go out to the area again and look around. Since its daytime I believe it will be much safer to look around.”

The Chief, “I suppose yes. But I am afraid we do not have any man-power to accompany you Princess.”

Nezeira, waving her hand said, “Ohhh that won’t be necessary. I only need a vehicle.”

The Chief, “All our vans and trucks are busy, but let me look into the inventory and see if there is anything.”

After going through the inventory list he found that all vehicles are either in use or are scheduled to be used that day except for a black and red superbike. He wasn’t sure so he asked Nezeira if that would do. To that a faint smirk appeared and she said,

“Can’t be any better Chief. Thank You.”   

The Chief then led her to the underground parking. Nezeira put on the helmet, and kick started the bike which roared up. She rolled the accelerator and whooshed out of the basement into the pathway towards the main gate. Just as she was about to reach the main gate, a red Ferrari entered. Nezeira shifted to a side to make way for it and while doing it both she and the driver of the Ferrari slowed down a bit, before crossing each other. While Nezeira was wearing a helmet, her long hair was all down to her waist and anyone could tell that the rider is a woman. So when she crossed past the Ferrari and went out speeding away, the driver, stopped and rolled down his window before the guard ran to attend him.

“Who was that just now on the bike?”, a deep voice was heard

The guard, “That would be the leader of the Nightshaders , Your Highness.”

“Leader of the Nightshaders…hmmmm…interesting.” the voice spoke, before rolling down the window and driving off.

The guard went back and said with bitterness, to the other guard on duty with him,

“This younger Prince, I tell you. Won’t spare anything that moves and is a woman.”

The Prince sneakily entered the royal mansion and with extreme caution walked towards the left wing of the palace, hoping to get away before anyone would notice his return. He was about to take the grand staircase to the left wing before a stern, female voice made him stop abruptly,

“About time Yihan!”

The Prince, turned around to face his mother, rather flustered.

“Mother, I am sorry about last night. I have multiple film projects coming up so was caught up in them.”

The Queen, “When will you realize that your blatant lies have run their course, son?”

Prince Yihan, “It's true mother, I was really busy. Hey, listen if you really want me to meet them then how about I attend the Council next? That should make it up for it.”

The Queen crossed her hands, and said, “What if you don’t keep your word?”

Yihan, “Then I accept any punishment from you.”

The Queen, “Fine, you said it. Keep that in mind. Go get some rest.”

The Queen left and Yihan went to his grand living suite. He closed the door shut and lay on the bed with closed eyes. Suddenly the woman on the bike flashed in his mind and he opened his eyes, smiling ear to ear.