Chapter 1: North Star

His fingers trembled. The bowstring remained pulled, the arrow aimed directly at the vampire's chest. Years of training told him to release it. Years of hunting told him to finish the job.

Yet he couldn't. Before him knelt a vampire. Weak. Pale. Barely able to keep herself upright.

"I only drink animal blood!"

Her desperate words still echoed through the silent castle hall. "I don't believe you," he said.

The vampire glared at him from the floor. "Then kill me already."

Her voice carried frustration more than fear. He narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong.

Every vampire he had hunted before was powerful. Fast. Cruel. Human blood gave them strength. That was common knowledge.

But this one looked like she could barely stand. His gaze wandered through the castle. Broken furniture. Dust-covered walls.

A cold fireplace. No signs of servants. No signs of prisoners. No signs of blood.

He stepped backward and entered a nearby room while keeping his bow ready. The vampire blinked.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

He ignored her. Minutes passed. He searched room after room. Nothing. No chained humans.

No bones. No bloodstains. The only thing he found was a storage room filled with animal carcasses.

Deer. Boars. Rabbits. Enough to feed someone for months. His grip tightened. Then loosened.

When he returned, the vampire was exactly where he had left her. Collapsed against a pillar. Breathing heavily.

"If you were planning to escape, that was your chance." She rolled her eyes.

"I can't even walk."

He watched her carefully. No lies.

At least none that he could see. Slowly, he lowered his bow. The vampire stared at him in surprise.

For a moment, neither spoke. Then he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of bread. He tossed it toward her.

The bread bounced once before landing beside her. She looked at it. Then looked at him. Then looked at the bread again.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Eat it."

Her expression twisted in confusion. "How?" Now it was his turn to stare.

"How?" "Yes. How?" For several seconds they simply looked at each other.

"You don't know how to eat bread?"

"Nobody taught me."

The hunter covered his face. Somehow this conversation felt more exhausting than fighting.

The vampire picked up the bread and pressed it against her mouth. Nothing happened. She frowned. He almost laughed.

"Try chewing."

"What?"

"Use your teeth."

Her face immediately turned red. "You don't have to say it like that." He pulled out another piece and took a bite himself.

"Like this." She copied him. Crunch. Her face twisted in horror.

"It tastes awful."

"It's dry."

"It's like eating dirt." Despite her complaints, she continued chewing.

A few minutes later, some color returned to her face. Her breathing became steadier. The hunter noticed it immediately.

"The herbs worked."

"Herbs?"

"The bread contains healing herbs."

The vampire looked at the half-eaten bread in her hand.

"You heal people with food?"

"Sometimes."

"Humans are weird."

She stood up carefully. Her legs shook but managed to hold her weight this time. The hunter instinctively stepped back and reached for his bow.

The vampire noticed. "Relax" His hand stayed where it was. Trusting a vampire was foolish.

Trusting a vampire he had met less than an hour ago was suicide. "This castle no longer belongs to you," he said. "Ehh?"

"My mission was to eliminate you."

The vampire immediately took a step backward. His fingers touched the bowstring.

She froze.

"...But I changed my mind."

She blinked. "What?" "You'll come with me." "No." His fingers tightened.

"Okay, maybe yes." His fingers relaxed. The vampire clicked her tongue. "You're annoyingly dramatic."

"And you're annoyingly suspicious." He Said "You're the one pointing a weapon at me."

The hunter sighed. For the first time, he properly looked at her. Not as a target. Not as a monster.

As a person. Her clothes were torn. Her face was covered with dirt. She looked exhausted.

More importantly, she looked young. Far younger than he had imagined. The vampire crossed her arms.

"If I'm your prisoner now, can I at least get something to wear?"

He immediately looked away.

"I'm half naked."

His ears turned red. The vampire smirked. That was the first genuine smile he had seen from her.

Without another word, he removed his cape and tossed it toward her.

"Take it."

The cape landed on her head. "Could you stop throwing things at me?" "Just wear it."

She wrapped herself in the black cape and smiled. It was strange. Only an hour ago, he had climbed this mountain to kill a vampire.

Now that same vampire stood in his cape, alive because of a decision he still wasn't sure was correct.

His mission had failed. Or perhaps it had only just begun. Far outside the castle, the North Star shone above the dark mountains.

For the first time in years, he wasn't sure where his path was leading.

To be continued...