the lost king [ hongsang ]

011

❝ i shall make you scream out for him. ❞

IT was the scream that caught the attention of the other vampires in the castle. it carried anguish and fear.

at once, they were all on their feet, exchanging uneasy glances to one another. their supper, long forgotten.

in a flash, they were all stood in the human's chambers, the scene in front of them a bone chilling one.

the mighty vampire king, kang yeosang, a ruthless killer, resembled a frightened child and the human was nowhere to be seen. and even worse still, the stench of rotting corpses lingered in the air. and that could mean only one thing.

the dark ones had come for him.

"what has happened here," seonghwa began in a hushed whisper.

"he is gone," yeosang's voice trembled. "they have taken him. if i had just not left him alone, i knew better—

"we can find him with the bond, can we not," wooyoung interjected.

jongho shook his head solemnly. "there is no way to track him through this foul stench. we cannot rely on the bond alone."

"it will be alright," yunho spoke, trying to remain optimistic. "they know not who he is, nor where he comes from. they have only taken him to fuel the feud with our king."

yeosang shook his head. "we all know of their mind tricks, it is only a matter of time, if they have not already discovered the boy's identity."

"even so, he is immortal with the bond," san offered. "right?"

"yes, but i would not put it past them to find a way. at the very least he will suffer greatly. we must find him. we will split up, leave no stone nor leaf in all of vamporia unturned. seonghwa, you will come with me—

"your majesty, with all due respect, i do not believe you are in the correct head space to—

"seonghwa," yeosang warned. "my priorities are in order. do not confuse what you believe to be my feelings on the matter," the king spat, his words laced with venom.

the others merely watched on in confusion. feelings?

"wooyoung, san, jongho you will take the south. mingi, yunho you will take the west. seonghwa and myself will double down and take the north and east. we will meet back here after and if nothing is found, a plan shall be made to infiltrate past the barrier. are we clear?"

everyone shared a look of confusion. "but we have never infiltrated enemy territory in fear of starting the war of species—

"they have started the moment they came on my turf and took what was mine. now are we clear," there was fire in the king's eyes.

the other vampires backed down, voicing their understanding.

HOngjoong could see nothing through the blindfold he wore as he kneeled on the damp cobblestone. his clothing was torn. heavy chains connected to the rock wall were holding his arms above his head. the metal rubbed the skin of his wrists raw, making it an angry red.

as far as he was aware, he was alone. he was alone and petrified. the only sounds evident in the space was water dripping and hitting the floor, it was unnerving.

the human trembled violently as he awaited his fate. he couldn't help but wonder if yeosang was looking for him. would he even care? he was just measly human, a means to an end, easily replaceable and disposable.

or so he had led himself to believe.

ELsewhere, two figures concealed themselves in the shadows, gaze trained intently on the human before them.