Chapter 1: Plans to Visit The Human World

Lorcan Judson

The sky has already turned into the darkest shade of black, welcoming midnight. The small stars shine like tiny diamonds, illuminating the night sky. The gentle glowing moon is the only source of light in this dark forest.

I’ve been sitting comfortably on a high branch of a tree, enjoying the chilly breeze that has been grazing against my skin since a while ago. I cannot deny that leaning against the rough bark of the tree with my hand resting on the knee and the other one behind my head, is the best position to enjoy the perfect view of the dense forest. It isn’t your ordinary forest but a forest enriched with flora and fauna. That means…I can hunt my prey whenever I want. Perhaps these forests of the vampire world are the only forests that aren't tarnished by the worthless humans. 

Being a vampire is actually fun. Like you can see how the world is changing from the renaissance period to the present day. Since the last five hundred years, I’ve witnessed how the simple loseyns have transformed into gorgeous savory lasagna. Even the plain boiled pasta with simple spices that was once eaten as one of the most recherche dishes by the aristocrats and royals has changed into various fancy flavors like tomato pasta, white sauce pasta, shrimp pasta and many more which is afforded by even working class people! I’ve seen how the world has advanced with the help of modern technology that has been destroying the beauty of the earth, wrapping it with layers of pollution. Hah! It isn’t the fault of technology but that of humans. They are willing to sacrifice the other’s happiness for the sake of their own comfort. Those filthy creatures only know one thing - how to destroy everything that appears serene. 

Suddenly, I hear a faint rustling sound. I lean forward, shifting all my focus on the source of the sound. Thanks to my heightened sense of hearing, I can easily tell it's the sound of a tiny creature scurrying around, searching for its food on the floor of the forest. I haven’t hunted anything since yesterday and I’m famished. My sapphire iris must have turned into jet black by now. I quickly jump from the tree and start to run at an inhumane speed, following the source of the sound that is waning. As I increase my speed, the sound intensifies. Soon the delicious scent of the animal assaults my nose. 

Bunnies! 

The next moment, I stand in front of the source of the sound. The two rabbits, which were scuttling a while ago, pause. I loom over them like a monster ready to pounce on his prey. Technically, I’m like a monster to those little fluffy creatures. The fidgeting fluff balls tremble, looking at me with begging eyes. 

I rest my hands on my hips as I watch them. Sighing, I shake my head. 

Hah! I guess I've a soft spot for bunnies. 

Picking up one of them, I cradle it as if it's very important to me. I wiped the urge of devouring them a while ago. 

“Aw…little bunny.” A faint smile plays on my lips while my usual cold  facial expressions soften. 

I run my fingers against its fleecy fur, enjoying its softness. Abruptly, my thoughts drift into a distant memory in the back of my mind. 

She used to love bunnies. 

She was my lover who made several sweet commitments but left me midway. She didn’t betray me or wanted to leave me; the cruel fate separated us. 

I am about to drown in the deep pit of unpleasant memories of separation when a cheerful yet manly voice pierces my eardrums. 

“Hey, Lorcan!” My younger brother, Orlo, appears out of nowhere, flashing his signature smile. “Whatcha doing with the bunny in your hand?” He walks towards me with twinkling eyes. “Pass it to me if you don’t wanna devour it.” He extends his hands, planning to snatch the poor little creature from my hands. 

He is my younger brother, Orlo Judson. Perhaps he is the most cheerful guy of our whole vampire kingdom. He is impulsive and does whatever he wants. You might call him carefree but I prefer to call him an immature brat. 

“If you wanna save that pretty face of yours then please stay away from it,” I say, masking my urge to smack his head. 

He raises his hands in the air and shakes his head while his body language confirms that he means no violence. 

I gently stroke the rabbit’s head one more time before softly placing it on the ground. No sooner had I removed my hands off it than it sprang away, disappearing into the nearby bushes. Standing up, I glance at him. 

“What’s up?” I ask, fixing the collar of my black linen shirt. 

“Why did you let the rabbit go?” Orlo let out a small cry like a little kitten whose bowl of milk is taken away. 

“I didn’t feel like eating it,” I say in my usual cold, stoic voice.

“You always let those precious, delicious bunnies go,” he whines. “Are they related to your past?”

I look at him with a dead look before rolling my eyes at him. I don’t wanna answer his stupid question. 

“Hey! Don’t ignore my question like that!” He yells, grabbing me by my elbow. “I have asked this question more than a million times by now. Why won’t you tell me? We are brothers, aren’t we?”

I sigh. This boy! His patience should be rewarded. I generally avoid questions related to my past, especially if it's about my lover. I don’t want to revive the emotions that I got rid of five hundred years ago. This little idiot doesn’t understand I’m avoiding his question on purpose.

“My past lover was fond of bunnies,” I answer unwillingly. 

“I want more details!” The corner of his lips slips down as he looks at me with disappointment. “Why won’t you tell me about your human life?”

“If you are going to spout nonsense, then go find Dylan,” I turn away, planning to escape before he pesters me even more. 

“Tch…who wants to find that iceberg now?” Orlo rolls his eyes. “Anyways…aren’t you going to hunt?” he inquires, putting one of his hands on his waist. 

“It depends on my mood,” I reply casually, cracking my neck gently. 

He clicks his tongue. He looks at me with zero interest. All of sudden, his eyes squint as he gazes at me. 

“For how many days you didn’t drink blood?” He wonders, noticing the color of my iris. 

“Hah! You are the one to speak,” I snort. “Your eyes have turned black.” 

“At least they have lighter shade than yours,” he snickers, pulling his lower eyelid further down, showing me more of his eyeball before sticking his tongue. He tried to mimic those kawaii japanese girls he saw on the television the other day but ended up looking ugly yet stupidly cute. 

“Hypocrite,” I chuckle, seeing his childish tactics. 

This guy always plays childish tricks whenever the conversation goes downhill. 

“Wanna have a bet?” He wiggles his eyebrows mischievously. 

Those wiggling eyebrows always means one thing - get ready for a duel. And as usual I have no other option than to give in to him. I gaze at him questioningly.

 “Let's see who can catch the prey first,” Orlo says in a confident tone. 

If you are going to place a bet, place it in such a way that you are the one who will have the upper hand at the end. Those bets are interesting ones to win. This bet… is a childish one. Well, that’s what makes him different from boring vampires like us.

“Sure,” I smirk since I’m one hundred percent sure that I’ll win. 

Before my words can process in his head, I vanish from his eyesight. I run so fast that the slight breeze that should feel softly grazing against my face feels like it's cutting against my skin like a sharp blade. I grin, picturing the utterly confused expression on my brother’s face since everything happened in a blink of an eye. 

That little fool!

Suddenly, I hear the sound of dry leaves rustling. I side-glance only to find my brother to catch up with me. 

He keeps running at his maximum speed. The wind is blowing back his jet black hair. His black coloured loose t-shirt is pressed against his chest, showing how firm it is. His visible biceps keep flexing his elbows as his hands move in oscillatory motion while running. I must admit this guy has grown some nice muscles. Just two centuries ago, he looked like an ordinary tall guy; more like a nerdy lad. But now, he is a perfect heartthrob. It all started when I teased him saying that I can bet on a wolf that he will never gain muscles. He took the joke way too seriously and went through vigorous training to achieve what he is at this present day. 

“Yah, you jerk!” Orlo yells, glaring at me. “You've cheated! You set off without a warning.”

“Haha…Everything is fair when it comes to betting,” I answer promptly, increasing my speed. 

I frown, noticing a lot of tall trees, which will hinder my speed, standing proudly on my way. I quickly scan the surroundings. Time to change running tactics. I jump onto the branch of  a nearby tree. This view is much better from here. Orlo raises his head to take a quick glance at me. He squints for a fraction of a second as our eyes meet before changing his direction. I pause for a second, watching him disappear at  the speed of a lightning. 

No. I shouldn’t stop. I’m not used to losing bets. I believe in the words ‘I came, I conquer’.

Within three minutes, my eyes fall on an enormous wolf. My eyes glisten. My prey is trying to hunt its prey. Poor prey, it doesn’t know its life is about to end. In this world, either you hunt or get hunted - that's the ultimate principle. I never had nor will ever have any regrets for following this principle and that's what makes me the most eligible person to take up the throne of the vampire world after my father.  

The wolf is so focussed on its prey, a rabbit, that it doesn’t notice me. Taking the opportunity, I jump on it and sank my razor sharp canines at its neck, making it go limp first. The thirst quenching delicious crimson liquid starts to pour into my mouth as I suck on the open wound like there is no tomorrow. The more the blood trickles down my throat, the more I feel rejuvenated. After having my fill, I let it go. 

Standing up, I gaze at the still body of the animal. I guess I have spared a nice food for the hyenas. Now it's time to meet my beloved brother. Wiping the blood that stained the corner of my lips, I jump on the lowest branch of the tree before climbing to the highest one to find my brother. After running for a while, I finally spot that reckless fella. We were in the southern part of the forest when we started our hunt. Now we are in the eastern part.

Tch! Did he really not find any animal and that's why he has to come to the east?  Is he kidding me?! Because this specific forest is known as Fauna forest for being rich in wild animals. 

I notice he is focussing on something, may be his prey? I follow the direction of his gaze.

 What is he planning to hunt?

My eyes widen while the eyeballs are ready to pop out of my sockets. My jaws drop to the floor after realizing what he is targeting. He is planning to hunt a fully grown enraged goddam bison! A BISON!? 

This guy is nuts. He is about to pounce on it when I grab him by his collar, stopping him. 

“Hey, Idiot! Did you finally lose it?” I grit my teeth as a fly to one of the highest branches of the adjacent tree with him. 

“Why?” He yells back without looking at me, irritated since I disrupted his hunt. 

“Were you planning to hunt that mad bison or get thrashed by it?” I say in a deadly cold voice, appearing highly miffed.  

“My dear malfunctioned robot brother, I’m a vampire, remember?” Orlo arches his eyebrows as he turns towards me. “I won’t die- hey wait! Your eyes turn into a creamy golden color. You already had your fill?”

I smirk faintly. “Yeah, I won, you little loser.”

Orlo rolls his eyes. “I thought of hunting a bigger prey to show off.” 

Though he tries to show his annoyance, he is actually throwing tantrums.I chuckle internally. This kid!

“Since I already won, why don’t you hunt some small animal and quench your thirst?” I suggest as I look away, trying to appear not very concerned about him. 

“Hmph!” He looks away. 

Fidgeting, he looks here and there. Abruptly, his eyes twinkle as he notices an antelope. He gives me the ‘I'll be right back’ look before hunting his prey. 

I am about to let out a sigh when a deep voice startles me. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Goodness heavens!” I turn towards Dylan, my older brother. “Why are you acting like a sneaky rat?”

“Where is that mutt?” Dylan asks in his usual cold voice, taking a look at his surroundings. 

“Orlo?” I say on purpose. I don’t like it when he calls Orlo like that. We are brothers, but Dylan always felt a bit distant. “He went to hunt. Any important updates?” I arch my left eyebrow. 

Dylan, despite being the oldest among the three of us, never wanted to sit on the throne. As a result, the responsibility fell on my shoulders. I wasn’t very enthusiastic about being the crown prince of the vampire world in the beginning. Soon, I got addicted to the sweet taste of power and privilege. But later, when I was chosen as the crown prince by my people in the interkingdom competition, I couldn’t back off. That's when I realized how heavy the weight of the responsibility is on my shoulders. It made me grow even more powerful and ruthless - making me the perfect and sole heir to the throne. 

“No,” Dylan replies shortly. “But-”

“Hey, Mr Iceberg!” Orlo appears out of nowhere. “Whatcha doing?” He wraps his arm around Dylan’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

“You were saying something?” I ask, ignoring my younger brother’s childish tactics. Dylan seemed to say something important and as a crown prince, I cannot close my eyes to any minute details. 

“Father and mother want to meet both of you,” Dylan informs. 

“Only Lorcan and me?” Orlo inquires, looking at him with a grain of salt.

“All of us,” Dylan clears his doubt. 

“At the dining hall?” I ask. 

“Meeting room.” My older brother looks at me. 

Now that's something I cannot take lightly. If it's a friendly or not so important conversation, we generally have a family round table conference at the dining hall. But summoning all of us for a round table conference at the meeting room means one thing; it's going to be an important discussion regarding our kingdom and well being of the vampire world.  

“Let's go,” I say. “We shouldn't make our father and mother wait for us.” 

Taking a quick glance at my brothers, I jump from the tree with the intention of reaching the mansion as soon as possible. Soon, I find myself standing in front of the gigantic mansion gates. Though it's a mansion, it appears no less than a palace. I side-glance, checking even after knowing that my brothers are here. I walk inside and stride straight into the meeting room. 

“Ah! You are here.” My mother, Sofia Judson, welcomes us with a gentle, warm smile. 

She is a thousand years old vampire but her appearance looks like a young lady of around thirty years old. Her porcelain skin has no signs of wrinkles at all. She is tall, slim, sitting elegantly adjacent to my father. She is vivacious with her shoulder length chestnut hair styled into loose ringlets with subtle pouf. There’s a confident aura surrounding her. Ah! This is the charm of the empress, the moon of the vampire kingdom. 

“We’ve been waiting for you.” My father takes a quick glance at us before gesturing to us to take our respective seats. 

He is sitting relaxedly, leaning comfortably against the soft cushion of his specially designed chair. He is tall- a bit taller than my mother, with a perfect build. His short yet thick black hair is swept backwards. In addition to his perfect look, he is wearing rimless glasses, making him look a hundred times more confident and charming. You can never guess that this handsome vampire is thousand years old. He is Harvey Judson, the merciless, righteous emperor, the sun of the vampire world. 

“Greetings, father, mother.” We, the three brothers, greet our parents formally. 

“Oh…You’re still stuck at the formal greeting,” my mother laughs softly. 

She told us to greet them normally as the new generation humans do. Since Dylan and I are reluctant to adapt to the new behavior, we stick with the old greetings. Orlo wanted to use the informal ‘Hi, mom. How are you doing?’ but because of his stubborn older brothers, he has no option other than to follow the old custom. 

“Lorcan, I think you are aware of the situation of the human world and the vampire world, aren’t you?” My father asks, raising his head up, looking a bit more intimidating. 

“Yes, father,” I nod. “A number of cases of unusual deaths of humans have increased since the last two months. I’ve substantiated that these are vampire’s doings…more precisely to be said, it's the duke Morgan Layton’s doings.”

“It might be the duke’s doing but he left no trail of it,” my mother speaks promptly. “So, as a crown prince, you cannot accuse him directly without evidence." She rubs the corners of her eyes in a stew. "This problem should be taken care of as soon as possible. Otherwise it will lead to a disastrous war between the two worlds. Lorcan, I would like it if you find evidence to prove our point without delay.” She glances at my brothers. “Dylan, when will we be able to see the results ?”

“I am trying my best to catch the culprits, mother,” Dylan acquiesces. “I have sent a word to the lord of every vampire territory. Everything is being done under wraps since we don’t have proper evidence.”

“I’ll send my men to re-investigate the situation of the human world,” I say, averting my gaze from my mother to my father. 

“That won’t do,” my father asserts with his lips slightly pulled down. 

“Huh?” I croak, confused by his sudden, intense opinion. 

“There is one more thing you seem not to be very aware of,” my father’s facial expressions turn into a grim one. Steepling his hands, he gazes at me. That’s the gaze that makes everyone go down on their knees. “Unusual paranormal activities have been noticed in the area surrounding Telisha University of Medical Science. Since there is no definite information about what's exactly going on there through my spies, it's time for us to get down to business.”

“I’ve heard about the paranormal activities thing,” I state. “I was discussing it with my assistant in the morning regarding this matter. He will go to keep an eye on that institute tomorrow.”

“You should go instead of him,” my father insists. 

“But, father-”

“I know you despise humans and the human world. But as the crown prince, your presence there is mandatory,” he continues, leaning back gently. “You might visualize the things that others can’t.”

I lower my gaze, feeling downhearted. I bit my inner cheek, unable to find the proper words to reject my father’s suggestion. He is right. With such a massive responsibility on my shoulders, I shouldn’t leave any chink in my armour.  

“Your brothers will accompany you,” my mother adds, noticing my unusually wary mien. 

“Yes, three of you will go,” my father agrees with her. Taking a quick glance at me, he looks at my mother who does the same. But their gazes seem unwavering; they seem to know what my answer will be. 

“Dylan, Orlo, what's your opinion?” my mother inquires, turning her head towards them.

“I would love to go!” Orlo replies with enthusiasm. 

“I’m fine with it,” Dylan asserts in his usual tone. 

“Lorcan?” My father’s deep voice reverberates in the silent room. 

“I’ll go,” I reply with determination, sucking in a deep breath. 

“Great!” My mother flashes a soft smile contoured with relief. 

My father’s facial expressions don't change much. But I can see the relief in his eyes. To be honest, they couldn't have forced me if I had refused their request. That's how my parents are; they would find some other way to deal with the situation. 

“Let's wrap up the meeting,” my father says, standing up. Fixing his unbuttoned topcoat, he gazes at us with a ‘are you going to sit here all night long?’ look. 

“It's already late,” my mother voices out her thoughts. Standing up, looking as serene as always, she smiles.  “You guys must have had a hectic day. Have some rest.”

“Mother, I’ll go to that institute tomorrow,” I declare, leaving the other vampires astounded. 

“Are you sure?” My mother asks, raising one eyebrow higher than the other. 

“Yes, I am,” I reply. “I’ll discuss it with my brothers. Please don’t worry.”

“That's more like my son.” my father’s low laughter echoes in the room. “Rest up today. Goodnight.”

A warm feeling fills up my chest. My facial expressions soften, seeing my parents' proud smile. I like it when they compliment me.

Okay…I admit I belonged to some mafia organization and now I’m a vampire. But that doesn’t mean I’m not weak to compliments, alright? I too love receiving compliments. Who doesn’t love being complimented? I might have broken the necks of a few dozen vampires overtime but I’m not that stone-hearted. 

After wishing my parents goodnight, they return to their room while we three brothers decide to crash at the youngest one’s room. After a huge session of planning and plotting, we finally chalk out a plan that might work out in the human world.

“That’s for today.” I let out a huge sigh that might even blow away the world. 

“I’m dead tired, man!” Orlo flops on his bed, spreading his limbs like a starfish. 

“I wanna kip on my bed,” Dylan groans. 

“Let’s rest all we want today,” I utter, massaging my temples. “Starting from tomorrow, everyday will be a roller coaster experience for us.” 

“Lorcan,” Dylan calls, leaning forward on the chair. “You didn't say no to our parents despite your reluctance because they rescued and gave a new life to you, didn’t you?”

I pause. That is quite an unexpected question coming from him. 

“Well…that might be 0.01% true.” I nod extremely slowly, glancing at him. “But I really want to see what's brewing in the human world under our nose.” I get up. “I’m retiring to my room. We will meet tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Orlo wishes me the same with a weary smile while Dylan nods. 

Returning to my room, I flop on my bed. Suddenly my mind shifts to what my other brother said - about my parents. 

My parents gave me a new life five hundred years ago when I was knackered while trying to save my lover. She and I went on a nice date and were strolling in the outskirts of a forest, since she loved peaceful night strolls, when some of my mortal enemies of that time carried out their planned attack. That night, I paid a heavy price for being a member of the underworld. I tried my level best to protect her from those merciless fuckers. But I ended up losing her. I broke down at that moment. Taking advantage of that situation, they beat me black and blue and left me alone in a pool of blood to die. When my vision became too hazy to differentiate the reality from dreams, the emperor and the empress spotted me. It was my mother’s idea to turn me into a vampire. 

By that time, my parents already had Dylan, who wasn’t their birth son but a converted vampire like me. He was welcomed to the vampire world just half a century before me. Since my mother couldn’t become a mother, she adopted Dylan, Orlo and me. Orlo became my brother just three centuries ago. Practically, we are converted vampires, not the true ones. 

After my conversion into a vampire, I couldn’t get my dead lover out of my head. It drove me crazy. I became a mad man, biting whatever came on my way to satiate and calm down the burning pain of separation that was gnawing my brains out. To bring the rampant situation under control, my parents erased my memories and emotions. No matter how many times they tried to erase my memories, they kept coming back to me again in no time. When I regained my composure, I entrated them not to erase my memories. But expunging my emotions benefited me the most; it gave birth to one of the most merciless, arrogant and powerful vampires in the history of the vampire world & the crown prince of the vampire world - Lorcan Judson. From that day, I vowed not to fall for anyone ever again since my mate already left me. And I hate that disgusting human race from the core of my heart.

Phew! That's a huge back story. I need to rejuvenate. I have pretty mixed feelings for tomorrow’s adventure.