The night, like a weary sentinel, prepared to surrender to the pale embrace of dawn. Faint streaks of amber stretched across the horizon, hinting at the arrival of morning. Yet, within the Delightful Recreation Garden, time seemed to stand still.
Rose held both of Felix's hands, his body still aglow with a fierce crimson light, a flame refusing to be extinguished. Their gazes locked repeatedly, smiles dancing on their lips, carrying a thousand unspoken words. In that fleeting moment, warmth existed in a world of cold blood.
But peace is a fragile thing. A piercing scream shattered the delicate stillness, slicing through the dawn's fragile calm.
Felix's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. Rose, too, turned sharply, dread curling in her chest.
Dammy stood Like a phantom resurrected from the shadows, his face twisted with malice. Behind him, Lyra trembled, her frail body pressed tightly against his chest. Dammy's hand coiled around her neck like a serpent, his fingers sinking into her pale skin. His fangs glinted in the dim light, hovering dangerously close to her throat.
Lyra's body quivered, her legs useless beneath her. Her wide, terrified eyes shook in their sockets, locking onto Rose's own.
"E-Elder sister… please, save me," she whimpered. Her voice was a brittle thing, cracking, breaking, like glass underfoot.
Dammy's tongue slithered between his sharp canines, a serpent's hiss before the strike. He dragged it along Lyra's neck, lingering, savoring the fear radiating from her fragile form.
"Your blood…" he whispered into her ear, his voice a vile caress, "cold and stale. Not tempting, but… I might just have a taste."
Lyra's body crumbled with panic, her legs buckling. Fear rolled off her like a suffocating fog, her breaths shallow, her life hanging by a thread.
Rose felt the words like ice water down her spine. Her breath hitched, cold sweat dripping from her brow.
"Stop it, Dammy!" Rose screamed, her right hand slicing through the air. "There's no gain in hurting her! You wanted me, I'll come with you. Just let her go!"
Dammy's gaze slithered from Lyra's neck to meet Rose's pleading eyes. A sinister smirk crept across his lips, wicked and slow. "Hmmm… nothing wrong with giving you another chance," he murmured.
Rose exhaled shakily, relief threatening to breach her composure. "Yes… le-let her go," she stammered.
But Dammy wasn't finished. "Alright. I'll consider it." He paused, his voice turning sharp. "But first, kill him." His finger stretched, pointing directly at Felix, still standing calmly behind Rose.
The words hung in the air, heavier than the dawn mist. Rose's eyes widened. Slowly, hesitantly, she turned, her gaze meeting Felix's. His face remained calm, unmoving, unreadable, like a statue carved from stone.
"That will prove your sincerity," Dammy added, his voice curling like smoke around the breaking dawn.
"The agreement was for you to take me. I never broke my promise," Rose said, her voice regaining strength, but her trembling fists betrayed her.
Dammy's grin widened, his grip on Lyra tightening, almost choking her. "No, you didn't break your promise." His eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. "But he did. A member of your household disobeyed. His life… is your proof of loyalty."
The dawn's warmth seemed to hesitate on the horizon, as if watching, waiting. "Rose, what's your choice?" His words, cold, sharp, final, dripped like poison into the fragile dawn.
Rose stood frozen. Her head hung low, fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms. The weight of the decision bore down upon her, splitting her between duty and conscience.
Felix stepped forward, his movements unhurried. His right hand reached out from behind her, his warm palm landing gently on her shoulder.
A hand of Warmth, Reassuring, Steady. Rose gasped, her tear-stained eyes widening. The warmth from Felix's touch cut through the cold despair gnawing at her heart.
"Don't forget," Felix said, his voice low, firm. "I'm part of your household. Any decision you make, we'll support you. That's what a vampire household is, right?"
His words were simple, but they echoed with the weight of unspoken loyalty. Rose's breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she lifted her head, brushing away her tears.
Her once-pitiful expression was gone. In its place, steel, resolve. Her face now bore the determination of a soldier heading into war, knowing the risks but refusing to back down. "Felix," she whispered, her voice no longer trembling. "Is it possible for you to stop him?"
Felix glanced toward Dammy, then at Lyra. His lips curled into a calm, confident smile, a promise in the shape of a grin. "Not sure," he said. "But I can guarantee she won't be seriously injured before I save her."
Rose stared into his blazing crimson eyes. In them, she saw no hesitation, only certainty. "That's satisfying to hear." She stepped back, lifting her chin high. "Felix, the seventh member of the Rose Household…"
Her voice rose with strength. "I command you to save your six senior sisters." Felix smiled wider. "Yes, as you wish… President."
Felix charged. His movement was so swift, so absolute, that he seemed to have outrun the very sound of his existence, leaving behind only the faint whistling of the dawn breeze as a ghost of his passing.
To Dammy's widening eyes, Felix had simply vanished. The arrogance that once danced across Dammy's face crumbled into raw fear. His gaze darted wildly, desperation bleeding into his features as he scanned the surroundings for a threat now beyond his comprehension.
"Hum…" Dammy's voice trembled, a weak growl escaping him.
Desperation twisted his features as he instinctively turned, fangs bared, ready to sink them into Lyra's neck.
Felix was already there. Silent. Unrelenting. Standing between Lyra and danger, like a crimson sentinel bathed in the soft glow of dawn.
But before he could sink his fangs into Lyra's pale neck. Crimson light gleamed from Felix's outstretched right hand, moving faster than the wind's whisper. In one seamless stride, passing mere inches beside Lyra. With effortless precision, he gripped Dammy by the neck , Like a vice forged from iron and flame, unmovable and absolute.His other hand, smooth and unwavering, reached for Dammy's arm wrapped around Lyra.
With the ease of parting water, Felix pried Dammy's hand away. The vampire's grip trembled, futile against Felix's strength. Lyra stumbled free, her body bending like a delicate reed in the wind, leaping away from the center of chaos.
The air grew heavier. Felix lifted Dammy higher by the neck, his crimson aura crackling with raw power. "A true warrior fights for what he desires, not by cowering behind another's weakness." His voice came low and resonant, laced with quiet fury.
With those words, With a surge of force, he slammed Dammy into the ground. The earth shattered beneath the impact. A sharp crack echoed like distant thunder, the ground cracked, forming a crater behind Dammy as dirt and grass gave way under Felix's ruthless force.
Still gripping Dammy's neck, Felix dragged him without hesitation, carving deep scars into the garden's grass. The earth uprooted in wide streaks, dust rising to veil the scene.
Then, with chilling precision, Felix released him. Dammy's body skidded forward, a helpless ragdoll, until his head struck a bed of flowers, the blooms crushing under his weight, their fragile beauty smeared by his defeat.
"Hah....hah....hah…" Dammy gasped, his ragged breaths lost among the ruined petals.
Felix turned, calm and silent, his crimson gaze sweeping toward the Rose Household.
The six sisters, alongside Rose, felt the weight of his glance. The suffocating tension that had strangled the air only moments ago dissolved into confused silence, heavy with unspoken questions.
Felix stood there, glowing with power, but a silent question remained in the air, how were they to address this new member, this crimson savior they barely knew?
Before the moment could settle, the sun began to rise.
Its golden rays pierced the horizon, as the first rays of sunlight kissed the earth, the sisters cried out. Their skin sizzled, pale flesh peeling under the harsh touch of dawn.
Rose and her sisters stumbled, shielding themselves, but it was in vain.
Panic struck the sisters. Their once-pale skin began to burn, flesh peeling, smoke curling from their arms. Their beautiful, immortal bodies withering under the cruel kiss of sunlight.
All except for Felix. The sun touched him, but no burns followed.nNo pain. Only the persistent, crimson glow.
Instinct took over. Felix surged forward again, his speed a blur against the waking world. In a symphony of motion, he gathered the sisters, one after the other, his arms wrapping around them like a shield.
Felix's body isn't large enough to protect them, but that's a problem for the future to solve.
With a single, powerful leap, he soared. Twenty-two feet into the air, his crimson form cutting across the sky, faster than the wind could whisper his passage. He ran, a streak of red weaving through the morning mist, taking sharp turns through narrow roads.
Each step a thunderclap. Each turn a blur.
The sisters, cradled in his arms, could feel the sheer force pulsing through him, a heartbeat louder than war drums.
Finally, after a desperate sprint, Felix halted. They stood before a dilapidated house, its wooden beams sagging, its windows shattered. But it was shelter.
Felix lowered them gently. As they touched the ground, their wounds they bore had already healed, their bodies mended with unnatural speed. Only the faint scent of blood remained.
The danger seemed to fade.
Felix turned toward them, his glowing crimson aura flickering faintly, like the last embers of a dying fire.
"Things… should be okay now. I thi..."
His voice faltered. His strength and stamina, drained. Felix stumbled, falling, right onto Rose's chest.
Her soft curves cradled him, his head sinking into the warmth of her as if the world itself had chosen this gentle pillow for his collapse.
Rose froze. The other sisters stared, wide-eyed, unsure of whether to be shocked or amused. Felix, resting there, let out a quiet breath, his body finally relaxing, his lips curling into a faint smile. The dawn had broken. The danger had passed. But the story was far from over.