Prologue

1696, St. Austell, Cornwall, England

I awoke with an unusual burning sensation enveloping my entire body as I tried to open my arduous eyelids, but the smothering heat engulfed me, drowning me as I started to shake uncontrollably, impelling me to the darkness as I lost consciousness. However, before I was hauled to a bottomless gulf, I heard Amara's revoltingly aggrieved voice.

“You will be doomed for an eternity of solitude and suffering, Caleb as you have scathe and betrayed my love for you...”

After for seemed like an eternity of slumber and voidness, my eyes slowly opened from the relatively loud voices of different people chatting and the relentless chattering of animals in the woods. I was quite appalled and uncertain when my eyes finally opened and adjusted to the dark surrounding as my vision became vividly clear like I was seeing something in an entirely different perception. The cottage had no lights of some sort, but I could perfectly see well through the darkness of the night. I was in Amara's hidden cottage down in the woods. Why am I here? I asked myself as I could not remember what had happened. All I could recollect was, that I was with Cornelia and we were happily chatting in the stable after our late afternoon ride.

“Cornelia...” I whispered, remembering her, and I was aghast to hear my voice. It was still the same, however, the pitch of my voice changed several octaves higher with a mixture of huskiness. It sounded somehow alluring. I shook my head when my temple started to throb and my throat felt parched. I suddenly felt thirsty like I had not drank for a long time. I arose without delay and walked towards the door only to be astonished at how inhumanely fast I moved. Disregarding it, I reached for the door and swung it open, but the door was effortlessly torn from its hinges. I let go of the door handle and ran towards our Manor, terrified and confused as to what had really happened to me. Everything to me was new and profound. I had this speed beyond any normality, a vision that could see through the dark, and as I gazed through the darkness of the woods, I could clearly see every animal of different kinds even in the far distance lurking just about everywhere. I stopped running when I was in front of the Manor. My sense of hearing seemed to have also heightened I observed as I could hear my mother's heartbreaking cry. Why is my mother crying? I thought to myself and tried to listen carefully. I was surprised yet again to hear all kinds of sounds. People's voices mixed with animals and even insects hollered in my ears in a deafening manner. I dropped to my knees and covered my ears as I felt like my head was going to explode from the tremendous noise.

“Silence! I cannot take it anymore! I beg of you!” I screamed, still covering my ears. Then, I heard footsteps rushing in my direction.

“Son!” My father's voice---the lord of the Scovell Manor---echoed in the night as he swung the door open. He knelt down before me and his strong arms enclosed my body. “Son, you are as pale and cold as the dead! What has happened to you? We were searching for many days, but we did not come upon you!” My father exclaimed and helped me stand upright. I could not find my voice as my senses became clouded by the loud and fast beating of my father's heart and my eyes involuntarily went to the pulsating blood through the veins of his neck. Against my will, my mouth watered and suddenly, I could feel something elongated and sharp growing inside my mouth then I tasted my own blood. I turned my back on him at once, afraid that my father might see it.

Oh, dear Lord, what is happening to me?

“What is the matter, son?” My father inquired in his worried voice. I did not answer and remained silent.

“Oh, Caleb! My son!” I heard my mother's distressed voice as she rushed toward us and wrapped her slender arms around me.

“Stay away from me!” I hissed and pushed her away, forgetting the unknown strength I possessed, I sent my mother flying back inside the house and landed on one of our furniture. I heard a crackling sound of broken glass, then my nose wrinkled as I smelled the delicious scent of blood dripping on the floor.

“Elizabeth!” My father ran towards her, but something possessed me. Before my father was able to reach my unconscious mother, I ran towards her in a swift movement and sank my teeth into her bloody hand. My enraged father grabbed my shoulders and attempted to pull me away from my mother's already limp body, but the beast in me would not concede. I ferociously shoved him and continued on drinking my mother's blood to the last drop.

“What has befall of you, my son...? What has the devil bestowed on you? No, you are no longer my son! You are a monster!” My father cried as he tried to straighten his bruised body from the hard fall. I stared at him and then at my lifeless mother in horror as my thirst was finally quenched. I moved away only to be terrified yet again to see my horrendous appearance in the mirror that was hanging on the wall, facing me. My skin was as pale as the ghost, my eyes were bloodshot, and I could see fangs extended from my upper lip with fresh blood dripping on my mouth.

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