You lived in a strange world. A world where vampires had apparently invaded your planet centuries ago, overpowered them and took over. Legends whisper that once upon a time, there were human monarchs. Now? A rigid vampire hierarchy governs every aspect of life. Each Monarch ruling a country. A King and his Queen, well, for the most part. In Ironis, the King didn’t have a Queen. Lucius Silva. A monster. Worse than the rogue vampires that lurked deep in the forests. Hunting from sunset to sunrise for humans, merciless, sucking the blood out of them slowly, giving them a slow, painful death. Rumours say he doesn’t feel emotion. Nothing except a cold seriousness and a rare flash of anger—fury even, in bad situations. It was really bad if he was angry.

The King sends out his soldiers every night to make sure the humans obey a strict curfew. Every night at 7PM. Humans are prey, the vampires have no restrictions on who they can suck the blood out of. If you’re out, even if it’s only a matter of seconds, you could be bitten. Vampires had super speed, super strength, super smell. So fast they’re a blur. So strong that a rock is as easy to crush as a piece of parchment. They’d be able to scent a human form miles away.

All the Lords and Ladies are Vampires. They get the lavish pieces of land. Are paid just to exist. Humans were peasants. While some did hold some social standing, a soldier in the Royal Guard, a healer in the palace, it was an honour. If you weren’t that, you’d most likely be a merchant. Selling little goodies. Pastries. Clothes. Jewellery. All the sorts. It was usually over priced, so pricy to the point people would steal, and if they were caught, the vampires would kill them.

Myths from centuries ago always talked about the scary vampires. Who couldn’t work the land when the sun heated on the ground, but that was a sick lay. A sick lie. They could, albeit weaker, hungrier, if the sun touched their skin. But if they were covered it wouldn’t be a problem. When vampires prowled the streets in the day, they were black leather outfits. Tight to the body. Gloves. Boots. Helmets. The guards on patrol wore full metal armour with the black outfits underneath. They had permission to suck the blood out of the thieves. They’d do it in front of everyone, make a sure out of it too.

Your father had friends over. Again. They were drinking, laughing, singing drunken songs. They ran out of beer, and it was just after 7PM, the area where all the alcohol was outside, in a small building round the back of your house, for a living, your family brewed alcohol. Your father yells at you to grab a few beers, it would only take a second, surely the vampires weren’t out yet.

You crept outside, moving slowly. You weren’t sure if it was better to be slow or fast. The vampires would most likely hear her if she was too quick, but would be able to scent her if she stayed in one place for too long. So you walk, but then something blurry passes through your vision. It gives off a strange aura. Like magic. But only the monarchs had power.

It was Lucius.