The Hunger of the Cursed Prince
With hands trembling violently, the Queen Mother unlocked the heavy iron latch. As the massive door creaked open, a foul stench of decaying flesh and clotted blood filled her nostrils. In the deepest corner of the dark room, Aditya sat huddled, cowering in agony. The moment the faint light from the doorway touched him, he let out a terrifying roar; his eyes could no longer endure the brilliance of the sun.
Watching him from a distance, the Queen Mother burst into uncontrollable sobs. In a broken, hushed voice, she cried, "Aditya! Vikramaditya! You are a prince? What have I done! I have destroyed you, my child!"
But Aditya had completely lost control over his senses. His thirst-quenched, crimson eyes were now locked onto the Queen Mother's throat. He stumbled forward with shaky steps, his long, razor-sharp claws scraping against the floor with a chilling, screeching sound. He no longer recognized the Queen; to him, she was merely prey—a source of the warm, pulsing blood his body craved.
Backing away in terror, the Queen Mother pleaded, "Aditya, I will set you free! I will go to the High Priestess (Gurumata), and I will turn you back into a human! Please, have patience, my son!"
But a demonic, guttural voice erupted from within Aditya: "Blood... I want blood..." In one swift, monstrous leap, he lunged, closing the distance between him and the Queen.
The Queen Mother barely managed to scramble out of the room, slamming the door shut and locking it with a resounding thud. Her heart was pounding wildly; Aditya's blood-red eyes and demonic transformation had shaken her to the core. Returning to her chambers, she paced frantically, her mind racing—what could she do? How could she save this lost prince?
As night fell, the Dracula powers within Aditya surged with newfound intensity. Driven by an agonizing thirst for blood, he thrashed in the darkness. Suddenly, through a mysterious and supernatural power, he transformed his physical form. Taking the shape of a massive black bat, he slipped through the narrow slit of the window and vanished into the night, hunting for prey.
A while later, consumed by restlessness, the Queen Mother returned to the chamber. But the room was deathly silent. Filled with dread, she cautiously unlocked the door and peered inside. To her horror, the room was empty! The window shutters flapped aimlessly in the wind. The Queen shrieked in despair, "What have I done? The cursed Aditya is free! Will he now soak the entire kingdom in blood?"
The Queen Mother realized that only Arohi's love could thwart this catastrophic sorcery. Only Arohi would be strong enough to defeat the evil High Priestess, Gurumata, and seize the magical key. With trembling hands, she penned an urgent letter to Arohi: "Arohi, wherever you are, return at once. A terrible peril has befallen us. I cannot explain everything in a letter, but know this—your Aditya is trapped in a cursed web. Only you can save him."
Arohi was at her maternal home when she received the letter. Her heart sank as she read the words; she felt as if her beloved was drowning in a dark abyss. Without a moment's delay, she mounted her horse and galloped toward the palace. Arohi jumped off her horse and ran into the palace like a whirlwind. The Queen Mother grabbed her hand, dragging her into her chambers and locking the door from inside. Gasping for breath, Arohi asked, "Mother, what happened? Where is Aditya? What was that danger you mentioned in your letter?"
The Queen Mother collapsed at Arohi's feet, breaking into uncontrollable sobs. Startled, Arohi asked, "What are you doing, Mother? Why are you crying?"
The Queen wailed in agony, "Arohi, please forgive me! I had woven a diabolical conspiracy to separate the two of you. Do you remember the day Aditya first set foot in this palace? I lied to him, pretending it was our royal tradition to welcome guests with a glass of juice. Within that juice, I had mixed a mysterious purple liquid given to me by the High Priestess (Gurumata). That was the true poison meant to turn Aditya into a Dracula!"
Arohi shuddered in horror. "With the juice? So that's why he started feeling dizzy from that very day?"
The Queen nodded through her tears. "Yes, child! That was a light dose to make him weak. The following dawn, I gave him the final dose, transforming him completely into a Dracula and locking him in that dark room. I thought he was just a common peasant's son, and if I turned him into a monster, you would despise him. But today, I discovered the truth—Aditya is no ordinary boy; he is Vikramaditya, the sole Prince of the Kingdom of Junagarh!"
Arohi stood frozen like a stone. The Queen continued, "Driven by a thirst for blood, Aditya has transformed into a bat and escaped through the window. There is only one way to save him, Arohi. You must hunt down the evil High Priestess, kill her, and snatch the magical key from around her neck. Only that key can open the chest in my room containing the 'Magic Mirror.' Only that mirror can free Prince Vikramaditya from this curse. Can you bring your Prince back?"
The tears in Arohi's eyes dried up, replaced by the fire of vengeance. She simply said, "I am going right now, Mother. Neither that witch nor her cursed potion is stronger than my love. I will bring my Aditya back."