The night had never felt this heavy before.
A cold wind drifted across the empty school field, bending the tall grass beneath the pale silver glow of the moon. Somewhere beyond the trees, the forest whispered restlessly in the darkness, carrying the scent of damp earth and rain-soaked leaves.
And far away, hidden deep within the ancient world of vampires, something long forgotten had begun to awaken.
Because the blood that had slept for centuries…
had finally begun to stir.
Ashra stood frozen near the cracked pavement, her breathing uneven.
Her pulse still refused to calm after the strange burst of energy that had erupted from her body moments earlier. Even now, she could feel a faint warmth moving beneath her skin—soft, distant, but alive.
Like something sleeping inside her veins.
She slowly looked down at her trembling hands.
Nothing appeared different.
No glowing marks.
No visible change.
And somehow, that frightened her more.
Beside her, Rusof stood unnaturally still, his crimson eyes scanning the forest carefully. The vampire messenger from the council had disappeared into the darkness not long ago, but his final words still lingered heavily in the night air.
"The entire vampire world will come looking for you."
Ashra swallowed nervously.
"Rusof…"
He didn't look at her.
"What?"
"You know what he meant, don't you?"
For a few seconds, only silence answered.
Ashra frowned slightly. She had spent enough time around him now to recognize his habits. Rusof only became this quiet when he was hiding something important.
"Rusof."
He finally glanced down at her.
Moonlight sharpened the cold lines of his face, but his expression remained unreadable.
"No."
Ashra sighed softly.
"You're lying again."
To her surprise, the corner of his mouth almost lifted.
"You're getting better at noticing."
Before she could respond—
A freezing gust tore violently through the trees.
The entire field seemed to shudder.
Rusof's expression changed instantly.
Every trace of amusement disappeared from his face.
Ashra felt the warmth in her chest turn into cold dread.
Because both of them understood what that wind meant.
Rusof's voice lowered into a whisper.
"He's back."
Ashra's stomach tightened.
The darkness beyond the field shifted unnaturally.
Then something slowly stepped out from between the trees.
The Night Feeder.
But this time, it looked different.
Worse.
Its body appeared more twisted than before, its limbs unnaturally bent beneath torn black flesh. Veins pulsed visibly beneath its skin, while its hollow black eyes glowed brighter in the darkness.
And its smile…
Its smile looked wider now.
Almost excited.
"Found you again…"
Ashra instinctively moved closer to Rusof.
"Why does it keep coming back?"
The creature tilted its head with a disturbing crack.
"Your blood…"
Rusof stepped slightly in front of her.
"Leave," he said coldly.
The Night Feeder laughed softly.
"No."
Its dark eyes locked onto Ashra once more.
"You're different."
Ashra shook her head quickly.
"I'm just a normal person."
The creature's grin widened further.
"No," it whispered. "You're not."
Rusof's crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
"You're not touching her."
The Night Feeder lowered itself into a crouch, moving like a predator preparing to strike.
"You cannot protect her forever."
Rusof took one slow step forward.
"Watch me."
The creature exploded forward.
Faster than before.
Ashra barely saw it move before Rusof intercepted the attack mid-lunge, twisting sharply before driving the creature into the pavement hard enough to crack the concrete beneath them.
The impact thundered across the empty field.
Ashra stumbled backward.
The fight had begun again.
But this time, it was far more violent.
The Night Feeder attacked wildly, slashing with unnatural speed while its body twisted in impossible directions. Its claws tore through the air repeatedly, forcing Rusof backward across the cracked pavement.
Rusof blocked the first strike.
Then the second.
But his earlier injuries were slowing him down.
A claw ripped across his shoulder.
Another tore through his side before he forced the creature back with a brutal strike to the chest.
Ashra gasped.
"Rusof!"
He gritted his teeth as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
The Night Feeder rolled across the ground before landing lightly again, grinning through bloodstained teeth.
"Weak."
Rusof wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
"Still stronger than you."
But then the creature's gaze slowly shifted past him.
Toward Ashra.
Its smile widened.
"Soon…"
Ashra's chest tightened painfully.
Something about the way it looked at her sent fear crawling beneath her skin.
Not hunger.
Recognition.
The Night Feeder moved again.
But this time, it ignored Rusof completely.
It rushed straight toward her.
Everything happened too fast.
Rusof lunged forward to intercept—
But the creature reached her first.
Its claws wrapped violently around her wrist.
Pain shot through Ashra's arm.
She cried out as the creature pulled her closer, inhaling deeply near her throat.
"Ancient blood…"
Ashra struggled desperately.
"Let me go!"
But its grip only tightened.
Rusof's voice cracked across the field.
"Release her!"
The Night Feeder laughed softly.
"Too late."
Then suddenly—
The wind shifted again.
A new presence entered the field.
Silent.
Invisible.
But powerful enough to make the entire atmosphere feel heavier.
Rusof felt it immediately.
His crimson eyes widened slightly.
Because he realized something strange.
They weren't alone anymore.
Hidden deep within the darkness beyond the trees, several figures stood motionless beneath the moonlight.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ashra didn't notice them at first.
But Rusof did.
Their presence felt disciplined.
Cold.
Controlled.
Not vampires.
Something else.
Something dangerous.
The Night Feeder sensed them too.
Its body suddenly froze.
Slowly, its head turned toward the forest.
For the first time since appearing—
Fear crossed its face.
Ashra noticed instantly.
"What's wrong with it?"
The creature stepped backward cautiously, its glowing eyes scanning the darkness nervously.
Rusof stared toward the trees.
"So… they finally showed up."
Ashra looked confused.
"Who?"
Rusof didn't answer.
Because suddenly the Night Feeder released her.
Ashra stumbled backward, clutching her wrist.
The creature looked furious now.
Almost frustrated.
"Protectors…"
Ashra blinked.
"Protectors?"
Rusof's expression darkened thoughtfully as he glanced toward the forest again.
Far beyond the shadows, tall figures stood silently beneath the trees.
Clad entirely in black.
Motionless.
Watching everything.
Ashra still couldn't see their faces clearly, but she could feel their attention now.
Cold.
Disciplined.
Ancient.
"Is someone there?" she whispered.
Rusof glanced back at her.
"Probably."
Ashra frowned.
"That's not comforting."
The Night Feeder snarled violently.
It hated the new presence.
But it still wanted Ashra.
Desperately.
The creature lunged again.
And this time—
Something inside Ashra awakened.
The warmth in her chest suddenly burned hotter.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
Then—
Power erupted from her body.
A shockwave exploded outward across the field.
The air itself seemed to split apart.
The Night Feeder was thrown backward like a broken doll, crashing violently into the school wall hard enough to fracture the concrete behind it.
Silence followed.
Everyone froze.
Ashra stared at her own hands in horror.
Her breathing became uneven.
For one terrible second, she felt afraid of herself.
"What… was that?"
Even Rusof didn't answer immediately.
He simply stared at her.
Not with shock anymore.
With certainty.
The Night Feeder slowly rose from the rubble.
But now its body trembled.
Its hollow black eyes were filled with fear.
"That power…"
Ashra stepped backward.
"What power?!"
The creature continued retreating.
For the first time, it no longer looked like a predator.
It looked like prey.
Behind the trees, the hidden figures shifted slightly.
Even they seemed surprised.
Ashra's pulse thundered painfully in her ears.
"Someone explain what's happening!"
Rusof still didn't answer.
He kept staring at her like he was finally seeing something clearly.
Something he should have realized sooner.
Ashra noticed the strange expression in his eyes.
"Rusof?"
His voice lowered carefully.
"How much do you know about your family?"
She blinked in confusion.
"My family?"
"Yes."
Ashra hesitated.
"Not much."
Rusof waited silently.
Ashra frowned slightly as old memories resurfaced.
"My parents traveled constantly when I was younger."
"For work?"
"I think."
Rusof raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You think?"
"They never explained much."
She rubbed her arm uneasily.
"But there was always security around our house."
"What kind of security?"
"Men in black suits mostly."
Her expression slowly darkened as the memories returned.
"They were everywhere. At the gates. Near the woods. Even on rooftops sometimes."
Rusof glanced toward the hidden figures beyond the trees.
That explained more than he wanted it to.
Ashra let out a nervous laugh.
"My parents always called them employees…" she muttered. "But employees don't stand on rooftops holding binoculars."
A faint smile almost crossed Rusof's face.
"They disappeared when I got older," she continued quietly.
"At least… I thought they did."
Rusof looked back toward the forest.
"They never disappeared."
Ashra followed his gaze slowly.
The darkness between the trees suddenly felt alive.
Watching her.
Protecting her.
The Night Feeder backed away another step, its voice trembling.
"Impossible…"
Ashra looked at it.
"What is?"
The creature stared at her like she was something unnatural.
"Someone with that blood… shouldn't exist."
A cold silence spread across the field.
Rusof stepped forward slowly.
"You should leave."
The creature hesitated.
Then it looked at Ashra one final time.
Fear filled its eyes.
Not fear of death.
Fear of her.
"She shouldn't exist…"
And then it fled.
Vanishing into the darkness of the forest.
This time, it didn't come back.
The field fell silent once more.
Far beyond the trees, the hidden figures slowly disappeared back into the shadows, their purpose fulfilled for now.
Ashra stood motionless beneath the moonlight, struggling to steady her breathing.
Nothing made sense anymore.
She looked at Rusof.
"You're acting strange."
For the first time since she had met him, Rusof hesitated.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Ashra."
"Yes?"
"That energy you released tonight…"
Ashra waited nervously.
"In vampire history," Rusof said slowly, "there's an old legend."
"A legend?"
He nodded.
"It speaks of a bloodline powerful enough to control vampires themselves."
Ashra blinked.
"That sounds impossible."
"Most people believed it was."
The strange warmth pulsed faintly inside her chest again.
Sleeping.
Waiting.
Rusof stared directly into her eyes.
"But the power you released tonight…"
He stopped.
Even he seemed reluctant to continue.
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"Only one being in vampire history was ever said to possess something like that."
Ashra's heartbeat quickened.
"Who?"
But Rusof didn't answer.
Because even he wasn't ready to say the name aloud.
Far away in the darkness, hidden eyes still watched from the forest.
And somewhere deep within the ancient vampire world, forces older than kingdoms had already begun to awaken.
Because a forgotten bloodline—
one believed extinct for centuries—
had finally begun to stir once more.
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FROM AUTHOR:
Hello Readers,
With Part-12, the journey of Crimson Secret: Part-1 officially comes to an end.
Thank you for staying with Ashra and Rusof through every mystery, fight, and secret hidden within the darkness. This story started as a simple idea, but your support made the world feel alive.
Now I need your opinion…
Should I continue the story with:
Crimson Secret: Part-2 — Origins of the Blood