Prologue ~Serenity~

96 Years Ago

Fall of The Izusan Outpost

Deusin Province

The intense emerald green of my killer’s eyes swirled with turmoil as my vision began to darken. Images blurred into black, creeping in from the corners of my eyes. They overwhelmed the colors of vibrant fire that danced off the mud-brick stronghold my army had invaded moments before. Every beat of my heart struggled against the blade this strange man had embedded in my chest, slowing the flow of blood. Every sense was numbed after the initial shock of pain when the small orange crystal dagger was plunged into my chest.

This wasn't right, this sensation. Vampires didn't die when the heart was pierced, they simply fell into an immobilized sleep until the object was removed, and blood was reintroduced so regeneration could begin. It had been done to me in the past for training purposes, or to please the sick twisted needs of my instructor. But I knew the feeling of falling into that induced slumber. The tingle of warmth that gripped onto everything as the body shut down, leaving us to look like death's victims but still very much alive. A useful tactic against the very uninformed mortals.

This time when the blade struck my heart it felt…Different.

The chill that snaked its way through my body was so much deeper than I had ever remembered, starting at my fingertips then draining into the dagger. The sensation of having every ounce of Vondorian's immortal blood being drawn out of my body into the weapon overtook me with a strange weakness.

Panic tightened in my chest. This was it... Death!

I could feel the reaper's kiss brush against my lips signaling the end when denial hit me. This isn't possible…There is no such weapon that can completely stop a vampiric heart.

Harsh reality crashed against my consciousness and the fragility of life suddenly became so clear. I had taken it for granted, allowed myself to fall into the false belief that death was beyond me. In desperation I screamed for the creature that lived inside me, my duality. The thing which awoke in my most dire moments to save us both.

Where are you... I don't want to die!

“Forgive me.” Warm breath brushed against my ear. “It is not coming. No one will save you,” my killer mocked. His body so close I could feel the sweltering taunt of life radiating off him, and a faint smell that gripped onto my dulling senses.

Damp earth greeted my body, he must have laid me down but it was so hard to tell with the world fading away. There was no more pain, only pressure that slowly drew back until it was gone. Still my heart continued to weaken and air caught in my throat... So hard to breathe.

“I'm here my raven beauty... I'm here,” he whispered again, the man with troubled green eyes whom appeared from shadows... My murderer. “Be still my little mystery, and go with the knowledge that with your life you take my soul.”

Warm soft lips pressed against my own, a heat sparked inside me despite the cold that marred my flesh. His scorching kiss and cryptic words the last sensations of my power driven existence sending me into death's uncertainty.