~ Elias ~

Elias stood as a testament to the kingdom’s martial discipline and a role model for other royal guards like himself, though his current predicament lacked any of his usual dignity … He is a man defined by sharp contrasts, his midnight-black hair and eyes the vivid green of a sun-drenched forest, his silhouette one of a Greek god shaped by duty and dedication to the craft. This sudden interruption was a violent departure from his perfectionist routine. One moment he was patrolling the surroundings of the palace under a familiar moon … and the next, he was intercepted by two shadows that moved with preternatural speed that not even his years of relentless training could aid in fighting off. The crown had essentially ghosted their deal with their uncanny neighbors by hoarding the promised livestock and unknowingly left Elias to pay the tab. Humans aren't alone; vampires are real, and they are the reason for the kingdom's uneasy truce. In exchange the vampires were promised animal blood to keep them off a human diet along with the title of "Duke" to every heir. The mortals have not kept their promise and so the Vampires have decided to get the point of that being a very bad idea across by casually kidnapping one of their prized staff to use as a bloodbank while the feeble humans gather up resources to send them. Now, Elias knelt on the cold stone of an eerie ballroom as two cloaked figures pinned him down. He struggled, but their grip was unbreakable. The realization was galling. He once fought off six men alone and yet he couldn't budge these two. They weren't human. Neither were the figures surrounding the throne. His head throbbed from the blow that knocked him out, which was somewhat of a familiar pain making it easier to bear. Disoriented and puzzled, he could only wonder where the hell he was and what was about to happen to him.