The Immortal vampire Prince

Chapter 2 Bloody Red

"But on one condition," she suddenly said after a long stretch of silence. But before she could complete her statement, Lucian stormed out of the house like a madman who had lost his sanity.

Aria wanted to stop him from leaving, but she couldn't because her mother immediately stopped her.

"But Mom... I need to go after him," Aria told her as she jerked her hand away from hers. Her feet clamped against the marble floor as she headed towards the double door leading outside.

"Dad, please let me just go after him." Her hands were folded, she pleaded with her dad, who was blocking her from leaving the house.

Mr Reign took his daughter's hand and led her towards his study. "He doesn't deserve your time, my princess. You just need to sign the divorce papers, and you're good to go," he told her, almost as if he was coaxing her.

"B-but Dad..."

"No, my darling. You don't need to bother yourself anymore. Take this." He said, giving her the divorce papers and a pen in his outstretched hand.

Aria sniffled as she collected the divorce papers from him.

---

Meanwhile, Lucian didn't know where he was. He couldn't see anything; his vision was blurry and red. His body and mind were numb, and his heart was filled with pure darkness. He couldn't feel anything.

"Your Majesty." Kael bowed his head as he curtsied. He was the second-in-command of Lucian's army. "I think you shouldn't be doing this. You're still in human territory, and it will be very bad if anyone sees you in this state," he reasoned with Lucian.

Immediately after Lucian left the Reigns mansion, he called his second-in-command, Kael. Kael didn't waste any time as he and some of the royal guards accompanied him to the woods, where humans were forbidden from going at night because it was dangerous for them.

"But what should I do, Kael? The Reigns are pressuring my wife into divorcing me. Should I just sit idle and watch?" he said, his eyes blazing like an inferno. His fangs were already out.

His body craved blood, destruction, and chaos. He just wanted to kill and slaughter anybody who came his way. He was like an insane creature born just to kill and destroy, to bring calamity to the world. His body yearned for blood.

He stepped away from Kael as he headed towards the deepest and darkest valley in the woods. But Kael's grip on his arm was firm like iron, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I can't let you do what you want. As the only surviving full-blooded vampire alive, you're my top priority, and I have sworn to your father that I won't let any harm come to you," Kael told him.

"You think you can stop me, or have you forgotten how I single-handedly took down a full nation?" He scowled and jerked his hand away from Kael's.

His words sent shivers down Kael's spine. He could still remember how Lucian took down the rogue vampire without their help and returned victorious.

"I know, Your Highness..." He whispered. "Your Highness!" He suddenly exclaimed, his eyes scanning the forest. 

Lucian was no longer there. He stood still as he focused his vampiric hearing ability, trying to see if he could hear his heartbeat. He tried several times, but his efforts were futile.

"Men, did you see the prince?" He asked his vampire men, but none of them could give him a positive reply. 

"Now, put yourselves on high alert. You all know that the enemies want him dead because he's the true heir to the throne," he reminded them. 

Without another word, some immediately stationed themselves at the entrance of the forest, while most of the eligible and powerful warriors leapt further into the forest, with Kael leading them. 

The rustling trees brushed against their faces as they leapt further. They were all worried about their prince's whereabouts.

They suddenly stopped at the top of a tree trunk. 

The rustling leaves became still. The only thing they could hear was the deafening silence of the night.

"Who could it be?" Mac, the hairy guy, asked no one in particular. "That sounds like the heartbeat of a human, right?" He was curious because humans were forbidden from entering the woods during dusk.

After a long while, Kael responded, looking at all four men. "Yes, that sounds like the heartbeat of a human, but that's not our top priority right now," he told them and was about to leap further when a voice echoed through the woods.

"Lucian." The voice could be heard from where they stood.

"That's a lady's voice," Mac remarked as he focused on his hearing ability before jumping down.

The voice sounded again. Not long after, the owner of the voice appeared before them.

"Where is Lucian?" Aria asked, meeting Kael's gaze. She could still remember seeing him with Lucian on their wedding day. "I asked a question. Where's Lucian?" Her voice was hoarse. She couldn't keep her emotions in check as she surveyed the area.

Lucian responded to her question. "He's there."

"W-where?"

"There." He said, pointing towards a lake not too far from where they were standing. The lake was dark, and there were no ripples on its surface.

"But there's no one inside," she told him as she walked towards the lake. It was already dark, but due to the brightness of the moon that night, Aria could see the place very well.

"Wait. Don't tell me you want to go inside the lake." Kael's voice halted her. She turned, giving Kael a warm smile.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. I'll be perfectly fine," she told him and continued walking.

Without warning, Kael leapt towards her before she could even notice. "That would be too dangerous," he told her, like a mother hen protecting her chick.

"Do you expect me to leave him all by himself while he drowns?" She asked him while looking at the lake.

Kael let out a quiet sigh. He bent down and pulled something out of the lake.

Aria's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "Isn't that a human skull?" She exclaimed.

"Yes. That's why I'm telling you that it's not safe. It's dangerous for you to go in there. When he feels like it, he will emerge from the water," she heard him say. Her full attention was focused on the water.

"What if he gets injured? What if something worse than that happens to him?"

"You need to calm down. Nothing will happen to him," he coaxed her.

"I can't. I can't wait until he comes out. I'm scared."

"Nothing will happen to him. He's an immortal, for crying out loud," he said, suddenly causing Aria to freeze in her spot.

"Imm... Immortal?" She stuttered.

"What I mean is that... nothing will happen to him. This isn't his first time here. That's all." Kael forced the words out of his mouth.

Aria wanted to ask him more questions. She knew he was lying because of his sudden behaviour and the way he rushed to answer her.

The water rippled. They all turned their gazes towards the lake, and Lucian emerged from the water. Right then, he looked like a god of war, a god of water. His damp hair made him look utterly breathtaking. His clothes were torn, revealing some parts of his body.

"Lucian!" Aria called out, but halted when she noticed the colour of his eyes. They were bloody red!