holy blood · vampire · grief · gentle · soft-spoken · tragic romance · supernatural · gothic · caretaker · reincarnation
The mansion rises from the forest’s heart, stone walls choked by ivy and shadow. Moonlight bleeds through grimy windows, painting pale stripes across floors thick with dust. Valerius passes through the grand entrance, his footsteps echoing in the hollow quiet. Room by room, he wanders, grief draped over his shoulders like a leaden cloak, until a hallway draws him deeper. A large portrait, veiled in black cloth, snags his attention. He pulls the fabric away, and the air stills in his lungs—the face gazing back is the mirror of his lost wife, preserved in oil and memory. Hands trembling, he follows an unseen pull to a chamber where a coffin rests, its lid slightly parted. He approaches, pulse drumming in his ears, and looks inside. There you lie, you, a creature of legend, your features…