Grian opened the door to his bedroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stepped out into the hallway of the castle. There was a knight standing guard beside the entrance to his guest room, their face plate lowered so that the architect couldn't make out their facial features. He held a long spear with a silver end, while also having a sword in the holster on his waist.

He didn't pay much mind to the guard, turning to head to the dining hall to meet the king. Though, as he walked, the rattling of metal armor came from behind. Grian stopped, looking over his shoulder, only to see the knight stopped a few feet away from him.

"Um..hello." Said Grian with an awkward tone. "Is something wrong?"

"I have been assigned to guard you, sir." The knight said firmly.

Puzzled, Grian blinked. "Guard me? I don't need to be guarded."

"I'm afraid you do, sir." He said, lifting his face plate to reveal his cold blue eyes. "It seems as though you were attacked."

"Wait—, Wels?" The architect asked, remembering the knight he had met on patrol of the streets a while back. "And attacked? I don't remember being attacked! What on earth is going on?"

The knight removed his helmet, allowing for his dusty blonde hair to fall out of the headgear. He gestured down the hallway, still holding a serious gaze in his eyes. "King Scar is planning to explain everything, though he is a very busy man. He's waiting for you down in the dining hall, so we should hurry to meet him."

Grian frowned, tugging on the fabric of his tunic. "Al-alright." He said with hesitation, a sudden feeling of dread filling the pit of his stomach. What on earth was going on?

Wels took the lead down the hallway, Grian following the knight close behind. There was silence as they walked, the only sound coming from the armor-clad footsteps and the clanging of heavy metal armor. There were guards waiting outside the dining hall doors, as well as more knights inside with the king.

Scar was sitting at the head of the table, scribbling something down on pages of notes he had, when the tip of his quill broke off. He groaned underneath his breath, setting down the pen as he leaned back in his throne. As he used his thumb and index finger to rub his eyelids, he noticed Grian and Wels enter. "Ah, there you are." Said the king, visibly relaxing slightly upon seeing Grian safe and sound.

He gestured to the seat across from him at the other head of the table, which Wels pulled out for him to sit. "Scar, what is going on?" The architect asked with worry, noticing the increased number of guards in the room.

"You remember that little 'problem' I mentioned to you?" The king asked, tilting his head slightly as he leaned back in his throne. His face was cast in a shadow, while his normally kind eyes seemed colder than usual. "—That beast, to be more specific. The one in the forest that has been attacking our kingdom?"

Grian slightly nodded. "Yeah, is that was this is all about?"

"Mm. Another attack was found."

"Really? On who?"

"You."

There was silence, then an awkward laugh from the architect. "Okay Scar, good try. You were always kinda bad with pranks." He said while rising from his seat, only for the knight to place his hand on Grian's shoulder.

Wels shook his head, lifting up his helmet slightly. Through the warped reflection on the armor, two faint marks rested on Grian's neck. He slowly dragged his finger over them, flinching at the sealed holes. It was like he was bit by something. Once realization hit him, the architect's face went pale, as he slowly sunk back into his seat.

"I'm sorry." Scar sighed, shaking his head. "That thing somehow got to you. We're lucky you managed to survive. I've had guards drained of every last drop of blood. Based on the bite, it seems as though the beast didn't drink much."

"W-what?! What attacked me!? And why don't I remember..!?" Grian asked the king, panicked as he gasped for breath. Scar shared a look with Bdubs, giving his royal advisor a nod.

Bdubs walked over to Grian's end of the table, placing down an old book in front of him. He opened the leather cover, flipping through the frail pages before stopping. "That's what attacked you."

Grian looked down at the ink words and sketches on the page. Upon first glance, it was a man. But looking closer, it was no man. It was some kind of humanoid beast, eyes blacked out with pointed ears. It appeared to be feral in the drawing, hissing with his mouth exposed, showing off the massive fangs that could easily rip through flesh. His eyes felt stuck, glued to the image of the beast. With his hands shaking, Grian slowly tore his eyes away from the picture, looking at the top of the page.

'Vampire'

"One of the most powerful monsters we've ever encountered." Scar spoke up, "Hunted to the brink of extinction just so us humans have a chance. With one bite they can turn a normal human into a horrific monster like them."

Grian swallowed roughly, rubbing the spot on his neck where he had been bit. "It seems like you're okay, though. You have no symptoms. They tend to show instantly after being bit, so it seems like you were used to feed, rather than used to create more vampires." Wels added after noticing Grian's clear look of worry.

Scar nodded, before continuing on in his explanation. "The reason you don't remember your encounter with the beast is because of their powers. Vampires are strong creatures with a wide array of abilities. So much so that we don't know their full capabilities. But they have the ability to control the minds of other creatures, including humans."

"Before vampires were hunted to extinction, they used to rule humans." Said Bdubs, lifting the book off of the table to read the page on vampires. "With one gaze, it was said they could completely take over someone's mind. They could break someone's will with simple eye contact. With that, they were able to turn humans into eternally loyal servants."

"With that power alone, they were feared. But they had more than that, more than we could ever know. They were strong. Stronger than any beast recorded." The king sighed, rising from his throne with his palms placed against the wooden dining table. "We believe that creature lured you away, into the forest, so it could feast."

"S-so you're telling me that I could have died, been turned into a vampire, or brainwashed into some kind of...of puppet? A-and I was helpless to stop it?!" Grian asked, nauseous from everything he had heard. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"The beast must have had mercy on you." Bdubs suggested.

"Beasts like those are incapable of mercy." Scar snapped in response, "Something must have scared it off while feeding. Whatever it was, we are lucky to still have you with us. That is why I've assigned Wels to guard you, in case that vampire wants your blood once more."

"I shall keep him safe, sir." Wels bowed. "It is my honor and my duty."

"What about that vampire? How are we going to get rid of it?"

"There is a large bounty out on those beasts, I have my finest knights and hunters in the forests searching for the monster as we speak. You don't need to worry about that beast anymore. From now on, you will be staying here in the castle to keep you safe." Said the king, adjusting the golden crown atop his head.

"But, wait, maybe I could help!" Grian suggested, rising from his seat. "I-I could be bait, to lure it out—"

"No way." Scar frowned, his scowl firm. "It's far too dangerous. Especially after you were already attacked. I won't allow you to put yourself in danger."

"But—"

"That is an order from your king." Scar's voice boomed, suddenly commanding. "You shall stay on these castle grounds until the threat is dealt with. As for you, Wels, make sure Grian does not step foot off the property. Do I make myself clear?"

Grian frowned, though gave a silent nod. "Good." Scar said, turning to head out of the dining room. "I have business I need to attend to. Bdubs will be around if you need anything."

"What?!" Bdubs asked, shocked. "I'm not babysitting!"

Scar shot him a cold gaze, quickly shutting up his advisor. "Fine." He huffed, crossing his arms. The king hummed, nodding his head as he left the room.

Grian frowned, stomping off and out through doors after Scar. His personal knight ran after him, following close behind the architect.

"Shall we head back to your room, sir?" Wels asked.

"Nope." Said Grian, a slight smirk across his face. "You and I are going out to that forest, and we're going to catch that vampire!"

Wels stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dropping his spear. "Grian, are you serious? Did you not hear everything the king just said to you?! He'll have me beheaded if I let you step foot outside the castle walls!"

He looked over his shoulder at the knight, smirking slightly. "I don't exactly like to listen to the rules."

"No." Wels shook his head. "Nonono, no way. I won't let you leave."

"Don't you want a promotion?" Grian asked, clearly sparking the knight's attention with his words. "Think about it: if you use me as bait, we can lure the vampire out, and you can catch it! Then you won't be stuck on candle duty, or babysitting me! Maybe Scar will even make you head guard."

He was clearly intrigued for a couple moments, before shaking his head. "No, no. I'm not doing that. You'll get killed. I'll get killed!"

"We could just say the vampire snatched me! Then I could explain how heroically you swooped in, killing the vampire to save me!"

"You're an idiot if you think that would work!" Wels snapped.

"Just one hour." Grian said, "We'll try it for one hour, and if it doesn't work, we'll head back to the castle, and I'll behave."

The knight let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You won't stop asking until I say yes, will you?"

"You already know me so well." Smirked the architect.

"Alright then. We go tonight." Wels said, slightly poking Grian's back with the tip of the spear. "Until then, you go back to your room. We don't want anyone seeing what we're doing."

"Ooh, sneaky, I like it." Grian winked, causing Wels to groan.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"