ONEUS 18 + BLOOD MOON ECLIPSE - Vampire - (Book 2)

Sanctum Part 1

Neoma had been sleeping only for a short while when the sinister sound of chanting began to flood her room. The unison of the voices chanted in a language that she didn't recognise which created both a powerful and terrifying noise. Her grey eyes snapped open as her heart pounded hard in her chest. She sat up quickly and surveyed the empty room. Her golden brown hair falling in tangled waves around her shoulders and pale face. The ominous chanting continued  from somewhere else within the castle.

Neoma's survival instinct was honed enough to enable her to calmly and carefully slip down silently from her bed. Her bare feet made contact with the thick rug as her thin nightgown grazed her ankles. Feeling blindly on the bedside dresser, she managed to grasp a nearby candlestick. The weight of the makeshift weapon provided her with enough courage to approach her bedroom door.

As Neoma reached her bedroom door, something made her pause, a strong sense of de ja vous began to flow over her. Something very terrible was beyond her door, she could sense it. The chanting sound began to increase in volume and speed. Frowning Neoma shook away her hesitation and slowly opened and peered through the crack in the door. 

She scanned the corridor, discovering it to be empty except for the ever increasing sound. Taking a deep breath Neoma opened the door wider and stepped out to investigate the sounds origins. At the same moment her father appeared from his own room. His sword brandished in his hand. As their eyes met, Neoma asked 'What is it father?' The king shook his head in confusion. Neoma was about to suggest that they call the guards when a figure emerged from the darkness of her fathers room. Before Neoma could warn him, a blade shot out from the kings chest.

Neoma was stunned into inaction, her heart and her mind broke simultaneously with the realization that somehow, she had been robbed of her father a second time. She continued to watch on, horrified, as his lifeless body fell slowly to the ground. In the kings place stood a man Neoma recognized but couldn't place. His tousled ebony hair contrasted with his skin which glowed like moonlit ivory. Together, they provided a mesmerizing canvas for his hypnotically pale green eyes that seemed to stare deeply into her soul. The indoctrinating chanting became louder as he slowly began to approach her. An additional accessory he was wearing caught Neoma's attention, a small red stud depicting a rose sat on his right ear. Suddenly, a lightning bolt of recognition struck though her mind. Then. Darkness.

Neoma felt herself lying on something cold and hard. The sound of chanting continued, a thunderous and merciless melody flooding her mind. Neoma hesitantly lifted her eyelids and peered through the small gaps. Her heart dropped with dread as she recognized the twisted and chilling art work splayed across the ceiling. Black shadow hands and skulls intertwined with disturbing familiarity.

Neoma realized with despair that she was once again, lying outstretched on the sacrificial stone table within the cursed marble clad sanctum. Turning her head, her heart raced as she recognized the monarchs dressed in hooded robes surrounding her. The candle light cast sinister shadows across their faces making them look like menacing strangers. But they weren't strangers. She knew them and they knew her. A rush of memories invaded her mind as brutal and as beautiful as a handful of thorn covered roses.

An overwhelming sense of rage replaced fear as Neoma sat up quickly. The chanting immediately stopped. The silence in the room was palatable. She immediately noted that her once golden brown hair falling tangled around her shoulders was no longer golden brown, but had changed to an unnatural deep dark shade of pink. Neoma fingered the magenta strands in confusion and looked around at the impassive faces of the monarchs, slipping in and out from their shadowy garbs. 'What have you done to me?!' she demanded. 

One of the figures removed their hoods, 'Welcome back Princess' said Keonhee, his handsome angular face wearing a soft smile. An avalanche of confusion, misery and rage overcame her. Neoma placed her hands over her ears and a scream from the very depths of her tortured soul escaped from her lips. The raw power lifted the Monarchs from their feet, sending them all tumbling backwards. The room quickly became testament to her agonized distress. The stone table cracked from underneath her as the surrounding stone pillars began to splinter and shake. The room descended into chaos as the Monarchs began to shout to each other as they attempted to take cover. 

Swiftly getting to her feet, Neoma strode purposefully out of the ensuing chaos. As she gracefully navigated through the confused turmoil surrounding her, she stopped briefly to pick up what she recognized to be the unconscious form of Hwanwoong. Placing her lips to his ear she whispered softly, 'We have to get out of here.' Clutching his lifeless form to her chest, she carried him from the sanctum, willing the large iron door to close and lock with a loud dull clunk behind them.

Once Neoma had left, the room became still. The rich deep tone of Leedo's voice placidly softened the strained silence 'I knew this was a mistake' he affirmed as he slowly stood. His hood was no longer covering his face as he approached and attempted to pull open the now locked door. Appearing from behind one of the remaining pillars, Keonhee smiled tightly and responded 'But we must remember, with every challenge, there comes an opportunity' he stated. The waver in his voice betrayed his air of confidence as he produced a door key from his robes with his shaking hand.