Luxcia's P.O.V.
I woke up because of a strange smell lingering in the air.
Wait… what happened?
"She's awake."
I looked around and froze when I saw the people surrounding me.
The Scarlet Knight, three vampires who looked like the Queen's direct messengers, and the Queen herself were all there, staring at me with concern. I quickly sat up, and they immediately moved closer.
"Your Majesty-"
I was about to stand and bow respectfully, but she stopped me and smiled.
"It's alright. Don't stand up just yet."
I looked at them in confusion.
Wait… what's going on?
"W-Why am I here? Weren't we just walking around town?"
I asked Clide and the others, but they only looked at me with puzzled expressions, as if I had said something strange.
"You don't remember what happened earlier, Lulu?" Elaine asked.
"I-I don't remember anything," I answered honestly.
The last thing I remembered was us leaving a building and then...
Nothing.
"You were screaming while holding your head, and suddenly your scar started glowing. A powerful force surrounded you. We couldn't even get close to you, but then it suddenly disappeared. And when we finally reached you, you had already lost consciousness."
I frowned.
"Huh? A powerful force?"
"Lulu, because of what happened earlier, the entire town was nearly destroyed. It looked like it had been hit by a massive storm,"
Elaine added.
"What do you mean? Me? I caused that? B-But I don't have any powers. I'm just a mortal!"
"No… you're not just a mortal. You are the Chosen One," Michael said seriously.
"Luxcia, your powers are slowly awakening. And you must train so that something like that never happens again," the Queen said gently.
I tried to remember what had happened earlier.
Impossible...
It was impossible that I was the reason the town was destroyed.
Then suddenly, I remembered something.
That voice!
"I heard a man's voice! H-He was telling me to leave this world. It sounded like he was asking… why I came back."
They all looked at me, and it was obvious they knew something. Their expressions darkened, as if they were hiding the truth.
"You should rest for now, Luxcia. We'll leave so you can be alone for a while," the Queen said.
One by one, they left the room. Silence swallowed the space around me.
It felt like they knew who that voice belonged to…
But why wouldn't they tell me?
How many times had I already lost consciousness since coming here?
I picked up my phone. It was already eight in the morning. I got up and stepped outside the room. I was getting bored. Good thing I had already memorized the way out…
Or so I thought.
When I opened one of the doors, instead of a hallway, I was greeted by a garden.
Wow.
It was a vast garden that looked like it had been taken straight out of a dream. Flowers bloomed everywhere, roses in different colors like crimson red, pastel violet, even black. The breeze was cool and refreshing, carrying the scent of earth and fresh leaves.
Lush green grass stretched across the garden, and at its center stood a white marble gazebo wrapped in creeping vines with tiny black flowers.
I walked over and sat down there, taking a deep breath.
I closed my eyes, savoring the silence when...
"BOOO!!"
"Holy Cow!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin and quickly turned around. Three little boys stood there laughing hysterically, clearly entertained by my reaction.
"So the rumors were true. Mortals really are weak!"
"Hey! What are you doing here? And why are you trying to scare me?!" They looked at me like I was joking.
"And she's ugly too. Hahaha!"
Calm down, Luxcia. They're just kids.
"Auntie , why were you chosen?"
"I don't know, okay?! And stop calling me 'Auntie!'"
"Huh? Then what do you want us to call you?"
"Maybe she prefers 'Grandma.' Hahaha!"
"Yeah! Grandma, how come you don't know you're the Chosen One?"
I could only stare at them with a blank expression while trying not to get irritated.
"If you make me angry, you'll regret it!"
I threatened them with a frown, but instead of getting scared, the three little troublemakers only laughed harder.
They were three vampire boys who looked almost identical, like copies of one another.
All of them had pale skin, jet-black hair that reached their necks, and crimson eyes that sparkled whenever they laughed.
From head to toe, they looked like miniature aristocrats. The three of them wore white long sleeves paired with black shorts.
I sighed while watching them.
"Are you seriously not going to stop laughing? Don't you know I'm scary when I'm angry?"
They looked at each other before bursting into loud laughter again.
"Hahahahaha! Grandma, don't try to threaten us. You're weak anyway!"
G-Grandma?!
"I SAID STOP CALLING ME GRANDMA!"
I was about to march toward them, but they suddenly ran away, looking even more energized after seeing how annoyed I was.
Urgh! I shouldn't bother chasing them but seriously!
"Hahahahaha! Come on, old lady! Keep running! Your knees might give out!"
"I'm not old!"
I chased after them. I honestly had no idea why I was even trying when vampires were ridiculously fast, but even though I was already out of breath, I couldn't stop myself from laughing a little. They were still so young, yet unbelievably good at teasing people!
[20 minutes later]
"Time out first!" I shouted while gasping for air.
I dropped onto the grass, drenched in sweat, my knees feeling like they were about to collapse. These little brats were unbelievably energetic.
"Grandma! What's this? You're tired already?"
"So weak…"
"What a waste. We were just starting to have fun…"
"Can you let me rest for a second?! I'm only human, remember?!" I took a deep breath while wiping the sweat from my face.
"Wait… what are your names anyway?"
"Vince!" The most energetic one shouted immediately.
His hair was messy and slightly spiky, like he had just come back from some grand adventure. His bangs fell carelessly over his forehead...
"My name is Vincent, Grandma," said the mischievous-looking one with a wink.
His hair was more semi-neat with a side part, though one stubborn strand kept sticking up. He looked like he tried to appear proper, but his playful personality gave him away instantly.
"Vicente…" the quietest one answered softly. His hair was straight and neatly combed, looking untouched even after all the running. It slightly covered his ears, with short even bangs framing his face.
I stared at them carefully. Same eyes, same nose, same face…
They really looked identical.
"Wait… are you triplets? You all look exactly alike."
"Well, obviously!" Vincent answered immediately, sounding weirdly proud.
"You're really dumb, old lady," Vince teased while laughing.
"Alright, don't say anything, Vicente," I said while glancing at Vicente, who had been quiet the whole time but was secretly giggling beside them.
I shook my head. Anyone would mistake them for little devils, but they were still cute somehow, even if they were annoying.
"Why are you here anyway? Where are your parents?"
"Mom is talking with Big Brother Clide."
Clide?
I raised an eyebrow. So Clide actually knew these kids?
"Wait… what's your mother's name?"
Suddenly, Vince stood up proudly and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Old lady! Her Majesty the Queen is our mother!"
"Huh?!"
I nearly fell flat on my back from shock.
So that was it.
The three little troublemakers I had been calling tiny demons…
Were actually the Queen's children.
The Queen's. Children.
How embarrassing!
A few hours had already passed since I found that out, and now I was standing inside a place they called the Training Room.
Or as I liked to call it…
The Torture Room.
The moment I stepped inside, my jaw dropped. The room was enormous, bigger than the gymnasium back at my school. The ceiling was made of glass and steel, allowing sunlight to pour beautifully into the space.
Different kinds of weapons lined the walls. large polished swords, shields engraved with sigils, spears almost as tall as me.
At the far end of the room, several bows and arrows were displayed, and they immediately caught my attention.
I walked toward them and instinctively picked one up.
Whoa… this feels so light.
I aimed at the mock target standing in the middle of the room and released the arrow.
"Omo! You know how to use a bow, Lulu?" I turned around. It was Elaine.
"Ahm… yeah? W-We were taught this at school," I replied with a small awkward smile.
"That's enough talking," Clide interrupted. Apparently, he had been watching the entire time."You need to start training now."
"Ahm… w-why though? Didn't you say I was just a mortal?"
He looked at me.
I literally swallowed nervously. His stare felt like three swords piercing straight through me.
"That's exactly why. You are a mortal. But that doesn't mean you can't fight. Even when you already know you'll lose… you still have to fight."
I smiled a little.
Well… once in a while, he actually says something nice.
"Clide… you actually left me speechless there," Michael said dramatically.
"Dude! That deserves a thumbs up!" Steven added with a huge grin plastered across his face.
"I'm about to cry… Big Brother, you finally have a heart," Elaine said while pretending to wipe away tears that weren't even there.
I laughed quietly, trying to hold it in.
Somehow, the nervousness in my chest wasn't as heavy anymore.
"Will you all shut up?! Hey, mortal, keep training!"
There it is. Clide was back to normal again.
[2 Months Later]
I let out a deep sigh before opening my eyes.
"If you manage to hit any of us with your arrows… you win," Clide said while standing confidently in the middle of the arena like some final-stage boss.
I steadied myself, gripping my bow tightly. My hands remained firm.
But before I could even take proper aim...
Someone kicked me from behind.
I quickly turned around, but there was no one there. Only a shadow darting around at impossible speed.
"Sorry!" Elaine shouted, though she sounded way too happy about what she did.
"Mortal! What are you doing?!" Clide yelled. He sounded annoyed or maybe he was just enjoying watching me get hurt.
"Yes, yes! I'm doing it already!"
Seriously. Even after two months of training, I still couldn't catch them.
But I refused to lose today.
I focused.
Even if I couldn't see them clearly because of how fast they moved, I wasn't about to let myself get kicked or punched again. Yep, this was my daily training now, literal beatdowns.
At this point, I was already used to getting hurt.
Was I becoming a martyr?
Possibly.
Suddenly, I heard movement behind me.
I immediately fired an arrow.
"Urgh!"
I burst into laughter the moment I heard Michael groan in pain.
"Hahahaha! Sor—"
Before I could even finish apologizing, Clide punched me hard in the side.
"Waaah! Clide, that hurts!"
I fired another arrow in retaliation, but it only sliced through empty air.
"In a real battle, you would've died already," he said coldly.
I followed the direction of his voice and immediately shot another arrow.
This time, I heard him curse.
"Sh*t!!"
A grin spread across my face.
Gotcha.
"In a real fight, nobody talks," I added, mimicking the exact same tone he used when he said it.
Elaine laughed somewhere in the background, but before I could even react-
Pak!
Someone smacked the back of my head.
"I liked what you did there, Lulu," Steven said casually.
"Steven, that hurt!"
He only grinned before suddenly disappearing like a ghost.
Urgh, here we go again. Hide-and-seek round two.
I ran, trying to track their presence, and eventually found Steven hiding behind one of the training posts. I immediately kicked him.
"Wohohoho! Easy, girl!"
He dodged smoothly and punched me in the stomach, but I caught his leg mid-air and twisted it.
I thought I could slam him down, but nope. He was as light as a feather. He jumped away, and the momentum sent me flying straight into the wall.
"Urgh!"
Blood escaped from my mouth.
"Steven! Don't take it too seriously! Look at–!" Elaine shouted while running toward us.
But I didn't let her finish.
I followed the sound of her voice and instantly fired an arrow. It hit her leg.
"AH! Sh—!"
"See?! That's exactly why I can't go easy on her, or I'll be the one getting hurt!" Steven complained.
I ended up laughing.
I was about to say something when suddenly I felt a presence rushing toward me.
Right side… low angle…
I immediately dodged. A kick sliced through the spot where I had been standing seconds earlier, barely missing my side.
When I turned around, I saw a familiar face.
I instantly grinned when I saw Clide.
"Yo!"
I fired an arrow immediately.
This time...
Bullseye!
It hit his arm.
I thought he would retreat.
But no. He simply pulled the arrow out and charged at me. He launched a fast kick, forcing me to dodge to the right.
Before I could recover, I saw him preparing to punch me. Out of pure reflex, I kicked him back first.
But the annoying thing was he caught my leg mid-air and…
BOOM!
I got thrown into the wall again.
"Urgh!"
How many times had I hit a wall this week?!
Before I could even breathe properly, Michael suddenly appeared on my right. He was about to punch me, but I quickly got up and dodged.
"Are you all really teaming up on me?!"
"Sorry, Luxcia. But we have to." He even smiled while saying it.
What a demon.
Before he could continue his attack, I jumped back, grabbed my bow, and aimed quickly.
WHOOSH!
The arrow struck Michael's leg just as he was charging toward me.
I did the same to Elaine and Steven, who had been arguing a second ago but apparently bonded instantly over beating me up.
Before they could get close, I shot them both in the legs.
A grin spread across my face.
Okay, okay. One by one, you're all going down.
But—
BOOM!
Someone appeared behind me.
Michael again.
He was about to punch me...
I immediately ducked down and...
PAAAK!
"OUCH!"
Elaine got punched in the face instead.
I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
Sorry not sorry.
"You're so annoying, Michael! I'm a girl, why would you pu—"
I didn't let her finish. I fired another arrow instantly. She jumped back in time and barely dodged it.
Tch.
I was about to shoot again when—
BOOM!
Clide suddenly appeared right in front of me.
He was about to throw a punch, but what happened next shocked me even more.
Steven suddenly shoved me from the side. Since they were all superhuman vampires... (Thank you very much, glorious vampires) Both Clide and I went flying and crashed to the ground together.
Urgh!
I squeezed my eyes shut from the pain.
And when I opened them—
WAAAAHH!
I was lying on top of Clide.
Our faces were inches apart. I could feel the warmth of his breath.
I swallowed nervously.
"Are you not getting off me?" He frowned, though there was the faintest hint of red on his cheeks or maybe I was imagining it.
"A-Ah! S-Sorry!"
I immediately scrambled off him.
AAAHHH! Why were we so close?!
"Urgh…" I grabbed my back. My whole body seriously hurt.
"Can we call time's up already?! Hello?! There are four vampires against one mortal! And you're all ganging up on me too?!"
Out of nowhere, Steven suddenly appeared.
"Ahahaha! But hey, at least you can hit us with your arrows now."
I was surprised when Elaine suddenly hugged me.
I winced.
Ow!
"Waaahuhuhuhu! Sorry, Lulu! Are you okay?!" She sounded close to tears while checking my arms and shoulders like an overly worried nurse.
"If you're asking whether I'm still alive… yes. Kicking and alive." I hugged her back.
"Waaah! I'm really sorry! This is all Michael's fault!"
"What do you mean my fault?!" Michael immediately protested, raising an eyebrow though he still sounded slightly guilty.
"Why were you and Big Brother teaming up on Lulu?! And Big Brother! Why was it four versus one?! That's so unfair!"
I looked at Elaine, and she looked back at me.
We both nodded at the same time.
YES. Finally, someone's on my side.
But of course, Clide refused to lose the argument.
"In a real battle, she won't just face four enemies."
I immediately went poker-faced.
This man is seriously terrible. It's like vampires have their own menopause version, and he's the poster boy for it. So annoying.
I glared at him.
"Oh? Why are you looking at me like that?"
I quickly looked away.
"Ow… I think something got into my eye. It hurts to look at." I rubbed my eye dramatically as an excuse.
He was about to respond when Steven suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"AHAHAHAHA! Here they go again! They're about to start fighting again!"
"I seriously don't know what to do with you two, Big Brother…" Elaine sighed while still keeping an arm around me.
"Alright, Lulu needs treatment first," Michael interrupted calmly, sounding like the only normal person in the group.
Huhu. Thank goodness for Michael. At least he actually feels bad for me sometimes.
Elaine gently held my waist and helped me walk out of the training room.
"Come on, Lulu. Get some rest first. At this rate, next time it'll probably be 10 versus 1!"
"Please don't even joke about that…"
As we walked away, the hallway was still filled with their teasing and laughter.
Well… except for Mr. Menopause over there.
Even though I was exhausted and my body hurt all over, I was still happy.
I really do hope I get stronger someday.
But before that…
"Elaineee… my bodyyyy… hurts so muuuchhh…"