Down a seemingly never-ending corridor a young boy's steps can be heard running. Alongside every step the wall sconces light up as if they know where he's heading.
The boy, Vesper seemed to be 13 years of age, although his stature would suggest him to be younger, continued running down the corridor, gaining speed. His anxiety rising as he tried to recall the door he needed.
'A sealed red door, guarded by darkness' he thought to himself 'what does that even mean? Everywhere I go these damn lights come on, there's no darkness anywhere'. His desperation visibly clear on his face. Despite his small frame he was charmingly handsome and would only grow to be more so. Dressed in pinstripe black suit shorts, he clenched his fist and dropped to his knees on the floor giving up his chase. His jet-black hair, middle parted framed his face as he looked up to the ceiling letting out an exasperated sigh.
'Am I so weak that I'm looking for legends and myths for help?' He sighed. 'A sealed red door, guarded by darkness. Only shown to blood, to be called upon to help the crimson eyed demons' he recalled the entire myth of the Crimson family folklore. A fairy tale his parents would tell him as a child before they passed. 'Ha! Even if I did find this door like they would ever help me when I'm a disgrace to our family name!' His eyes started to swell as he began to wallow in self-pity remembering his embarrassing defeat earlier that day, until he realised how dark it was where he was staring off in to space.
It was complete darkness nothing to be seen on the ceiling even with his enhanced vision, this being very strange considering everywhere he would go in this corridor mystically lit up, as if it were greeting him as the master of the castle.
Vesper stood up and kept examining the unlit ceiling above, his eyes focusing till they turned crimson lighting up the darkness above to reveal a dark red door sealed with multiple chains. A devilish smile creeped up Vesper's pale skin revealing his sharp not quite grown out fang as he recognised the door of legend.
'I Vesper Crimson the second of his name command you to open and allow me to seek help from my ancestors.' He said in an authoritarian tone. The chains slowly loosened and began to drop to the floor revealing the Crimson family crest engraving, a snake that circles itself and swallows its own tail. The abnormally large red door began to creak and then suddenly slammed open while what could only be described as darkness poured out drowning Vesper and then pulled him in, followed by silence and obscurity as the corridor becomes void of light once again.
Vesper fluttered his thick eyelashes out of the way as his eyes began to adjust to his surroundings. He used his crimson eyes to orient himself quicker, these were something most vampire families had but none at the level of the Crimson family. Not only could the skill help with night vision and long distance the family eyes would also cause them to take in all the information at inhuman speed aiding in processing and retaining their surroundings.
Vesper found himself in what looked like a small reading room, on one side the large red door stood open, the other side was a large window with a sky that showed nightfall with a constant stillness. All that could be seen outside was a barren wasteland clearly different from the noise polluted city outside the castle from where Vesper came from just moments ago. The rest of the room was decorated in mediaeval furnishings with a fireplace burning at the centre opposite the door of legend.
Vesper walked around the room inspecting everything as he wasn't quite sure what he was looking for exactly. 'I know we can possess anything as a resting place, but I was expecting something obvious.' He shrugged as he put down a chalice full of wine. He walked up to the fireplace as it seemed to be the only thing of life in the room, staring into its flames as it crackled he could feel something drawing him in, turning on his crimson eyes once more the fire erupted and Vesper took a slight step back in excitement. 'This is it! Father told me that I would just know, this must be it.' His eyes returning to their pitch-black void but still in awe of what he was about to do and what that meant for him.
'Now all you need is my blood to show I'm worthy.' He hardened his nails as they grew slightly sharp and pricked his finger and let a few drops of blood fall in the fireplace. The flames raised again but quickly quietened down as if asking for more. 'Haha of course it wouldn't be that easy.' Vesper said as he braced himself and started slashing both his arms to spill more blood in the fireplace.
Again, the fire would rise up and then down.
Again, he would slash and again the fire would taunt him.
Again, and again and again.
'I AM OF CRIMSON BLOOD, I AM WORTHY, YOU WILL NOT DENY MY EXISTENCE AS WELL!' Vesper shouted as he kept slashing again and again until he paused, pointing his face to the ceiling he sighed. 'I am of crimson blood, I am worthy, you will not deny my existence' he whispers as he raises his hardened nails to his throat and with one fierce slash he falls to the ground in pool of his own blood. The fire roars in excitement engulfing the entire room as well as Vesper until it calms down revealing a man slowly stepping out of the flames.
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In the west wing Estefan, a tall athletically built middle aged man stood sorting books in a study wearing a well-tailored suit and high collared shirt. Estefan was very pleasing on the eyes his blonde hair was swept back neatly, revealing a chiselled face structure framed by reading glasses covering his deep dark pupils.
Estefan froze in place dropping the book in his hands to the floor as he felt a sudden immense pressure all around the room, it seemed to be all over the Crimson family mansion. The air suffocated him as he reached for his throat for he recognised this feeling very well, it was one he felt many times but hadn't experienced for an eternity.
'VESPER!' Estefan shouted as he ran out the room, if you could call it running. He was moving at such a fast speed that even to most vampires it would look like he was teleporting. Rushing through the mansion Estefan knew exactly where to go, following the intensity of the pressure. He was thankful that the house staff had gone home for the night, as anyone else caught in this would have come out severely injured. Racing down the corridor he could see the red door's chains on the floor and the door itself open, although he would never have had the authority to open it himself since he was not of Crimson blood, now that it had already been opened he could enter freely.
With one large leap upwards he found himself in the same reading room staring down at the young lord Vesper, unconscious, lying in a pool of blood with wounds all over his body. He was being held by a tall naked well-built figure with long black hair that brushed the floor, but the most prominent feature were the two large fangs that protruded his mouth. Estefan, recognising his master straight away knelt to the ground in respect and hesitantly uttered.
'Is the young lord… alive?' Even with Estefan's enhanced hearing he could not sense a heartbeat.
Whereas the mysterious figure focused his senses, and could still hear a faint pulse 'just barely' he exhaled examining the wounds on Vespers body, the man could see they were starting to slowly heal themselves. 'This one has inherited my regenerative qualities I see'.
Again, taking caution Estefan slowly turns his gaze towards the scene. 'Will you help him?'
The figure pauses with his eyes closed. 'I'm still deciding... however at his age being able to awaken me is a task that deserves some merit, that is the least I can do'.
Hearing this Estefan rejoiced, as he had been with Vesper since his birth and had taken a fatherly role after his parent's passing. With no power to refuse or enforce his original Master, Estefan could only wish his Master woke up from slumber in a generous state. The man then pricked his finger in the same fashion as Vesper did, although his nails turned black at the tip when hardened. He then proceeded to feed Vesper a single drop of his blood 'This may be too much for him to handle'.
Seconds later, as the blood entered Vesper's system his eyes shot open turning a bright crimson, and his whole body started shaking. Estefan wanted to rush in and help, but he knew he could not move while his Master was there until told to do so, either way this was a process that the young lord had to go through himself 'you won't die, you are strong' he said to himself under his breath cheering for Vesper's success.
The shaking soon subsided, and Vesper jumped up taking a long deep breath in. 'What is this power? I feel invincible!' He exhaled.
As soon as he finished his sentence, he threw himself at Estefan lunging at his side with a powerful right kick. Estefan without moving from his knelt position blocked this with both arms, although to his surprised he flinched in pain for a moment. He had sparred with Vesper many times in the past and the young lord was never able to land a hit on him, let alone one that he would feel.
Cackling to himself Vesper turned to face the mysterious man and lunged towards him at incredible speed throwing a punch full of force. 'No you mustn't!' Estefan pleaded but before he could even get up, Vesper's jaw was forcefully cupped by the man and his entire body slammed to the ground.
The man's crimson eyes were activated inches away from Vesper's. 'Sleep boy' he uttered. The young lord Vesper's eye lids were no longer listening to him, they were being forced to close and all he could see were two small beauty spots under the man's right eye before blissfully falling asleep.
'To still attack me despite the power difference... lots of potential this one, either that or he is simply mad.' The man smirked. 'Estefan you may see to him, and ready my belongings'. He commanded.
Without a moment to delay Estefan obeyed. 'Yes Master Cassius!'