Sold to the Count of Erana

In a time where Kings ruled the land, existed a place closest to the sky. These mountains soared through the clouds and raindrops became their seas. On the day, the village was called Erana, for it was closer to the rays of the sun.

And on the night, the village was called the Goblet of the Night Hallows, where every part of the village was bathed in moonlight, hence the awakening of the creatures in the dark.

These creatures crept slowly into the darkness... watching, looking, grinning cunningly into the villager's frail bodies. In each of their homes, a creature watched from their windows.

This was an unusual time.

Kings were treated less than Counts.

The Kings were crowned as mortals. They lead, they judge, they make the decisions.

The Counts were awakened as immortals. They watch. They devour. They live for entertainment. And one can destroy a nation.

The King of Chesterfawn was the ruler of the continent. He conquered cities and his opponent with the hilt of his mighty sword, forged by the best of blacksmiths. He was young and unstoppable.

The people thought he feared nothing.

But there was something... no someone that he felt intimidated of. Somebody unknown. Somebody who only lurks in the middle of the night, or so they thought.

The faceless Count of Erana.

The King of Chesterfawn had not once seen this beast. Though the palace had received reports of a strange creature with blue eyes lingering in the dark, smiling against the darkness when they slept.

After an investigation, the wardens assigned have come back with a piece of twisted information.

Above the mountain of Erana, which divided the poor village from the cities, they caught a glimpse of a crumbled castle from a far distance. But no matter which path they took, they could never reach the castle.

Thus, they gave the creature the name Count of Erana. A creature thought to be immortal like the rest of the Counts of the continent. The King of Chesterfawn did not believe the existence of the Count. Until one day, he managed to hold a ball in the palace.

He invited the Counts, Countesses, Nobles, and even the Royalties of the other lands.

The young king hoped to see the Count that he had been fearing. To speak. To confide. But no matter where he looked, he only saw creatures with crimson eyes and none with blue.

Crimson eyes that bleed when seeing the sunlight, but could see even the slightest pixel of the moonlight. These were the identities of the Counts. Creatures that are easily vanquished like dust upon the Sun’s deathly rays. Most of them were vampires and ghouls. A few were recognized as werewolves and moon griffins. Truly the most sinister of the inhabitants of Earth. 

Disgraced by the creature's absence, the young king canceled the ball. He was disappointed that the rumored Count of Erana did not dare make its presence known.

As the guests prepared to leave, they heard faint footsteps that resembled glass, making its way to the middle of the ballroom. The chattering eased and a creature emerged from the entrance. Nobody was able to speak a single thing. 

Their eyes fixated on the creature. A Night Hallow. To the king's bewilderment, the creature knelt down before him. The invited gasped as they saw how incredibly striking he looked. And even if a mask covered his mysterious face, the king could feel the smirk on his lips. The bloodlust. The hunger for entertainment.

The creature then spoke with its rich, dark, and masculine voice. A voice which charmed even the married queens invited to the ball. A voice so intriguing that no one could take their eyes off the male.

"I suppose you are 'him'. The rumored Count of the Sun Village." spoke the young king, who looked exactly the same as the creature's physique.

A creature in the shape of a man. And it would seem that he had a perfect shapeshifting ability- Mimic.

The other counts and countesses whispered to each other.  They have never heard of a Count that lived closest to the Sun, considering the Sun was their enemy.

The creature's grin spread from ear to ear. "Indeed I am the rumored Count," he replied.

The young king placed his palms on the hilt of his sword and bellowed over him. "I had been enduring to meet you, Count."

"You flatter me too much, My Lord."

"The ball is over. I supposed you have been watching over the darkness as the celebration commenced, weren't you?"

"Indeed, I was."

The audience could only look at the creature with silence.

"Then what are you here for, Count?"

The male lowered his mask, only to reveal his bright, blue eyes. It retracted like a cat's as he stared with amusement over the agitated royalty. His sharp look cunningly challenges the young king.

"I'd like to speak with you in private, if that is possible."

"Resume the ball." the King declared.

Confused, the guests looked away and brushed off the fact of his arrival. They paid no attention and assumed that the man was merely the King’s acquaintance. The guests then drowned on to the sound of the soft melody, and the couples ran into the dancefloor, holding themselves while the mysterious Count slowly walked into the staircase to meet with the King.

The King looked at him warily. The count smiled pleasantly and bowed at him. “Greetings.”

"Take off your mask."

"I cannot, My Lord."

"Then I will not allow you to speak with me."

"I am already speaking with you, My Lord."

The King's brows furrowed deeper. "What is it that you want?"

The Count's eyes lowered into the ballroom. He leaned his chest against the rails and looked into the sea of nobles and royalties.

In a few moments, the King noticed that his eyes were no longer looking elsewhere. It was fixated on the ballroom. The King peered over to find what caught his attention.

Down on the dancefloor, stood a lost girl with bright orange hair, her eyes resembling the stars as she looked into the chandeliers with delight. She was not dancing, nor with a partner. She wore a simple, beige dress and her hair was adorned with little chrysanthemums. She was unlike any of the people on the dance floor. She was calm, innocent, and curious, just standing on the side. And watching the waterfall of chandeliers was enough for her.

The King glanced at the creature. And he spoke. Leaving the king speechless as he finished his request.

"I want you to sell that woman to me."