Velad Pov:
I was standing by the window of my room, watching the slow fall of snow.
The more it covered the ground, the heavier that silence felt — a silence that pressed against the walls, against my chest.
Every flake that touched the earth seemed to awaken an old memory. Memories that had lived with me for centuries — still sharp, still aching.
I used to be an ordinary man. Just another guy in New York.
A robbery, a gunshot… and everything ended.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying naked in a damp, dark cave. I didn't know where I was, or why I was there. I only knew one thing — I was thirsty.
Then a voice came from the shadows.
"Rise, my creation."
From the darkness, a man stepped forward — dressed in black, skin pale, hair dark, and where his eyes should've been, there was nothing.
I tried to move but my body wouldn't obey. When he knelt beside me, I somehow managed to whisper, "Who are you?"
He smiled. "I am the Devil."
The Devil? I didn't believe him at first. He had to be lying.
But that smile — that cruel, knowing smile — carried something more terrifying than truth.
"The creatures of shadow are flawed," he said softly, "but you… you are mine. My perfect creation. Don't disappoint me, Vlad."
He dragged a long nail across his wrist, and black blood dripped onto my lips.
The first drop eased the fire in my throat, but it wasn't enough.
Instinct took over — I lifted my head, pressed my mouth to his skin, and sank my teeth into his flesh.
His blood burned, yet it was sweet — sweeter than anything I'd ever tasted.
And in that moment, I stopped caring that it was blood.
I didn't understand what he meant back then.
After that night, I wandered through the forests of Romania — lost, empty, with no memory of who I'd been before, except for the name he gave me: Vlad.
Years passed.
I tried to avoid human blood, but the hunger always returned.
Near those same woods, I built a small house. Over the centuries, it became a castle.
That's where I met Roma — my first friend in this world.
He was a hunter I almost killed one night when the thirst overwhelmed me. He survived… and somehow, we became friends.
He wanted to be like me, so I turned him.
Still, I didn't know what I was supposed to do with the power inside me.
So I went back to the cave — over and over again — but the Devil never appeared.
He was silent, watching, maybe laughing from the shadows.
Until one night, he came back.
"Seems you've missed me, Vlad," he said, stepping out of the darkness.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
He laughed quietly and sat on a rock. "You came to me, remember? You're the one who wants something."
"I don't belong here," I told him.
His smile widened. "True. You don't belong to this world. Do you want to go back?"
I nodded.
"Then you'll have to do something for me," he said.
I listened — curious, but cautious.
"My brother, Shadow, created a race called vampires — creatures that drink human blood, fast and strong, but flawed. They glitter under the sun, and with one spark, they burn."
I frowned. "You called me perfect. I'm a vampire too — but I don't have those weaknesses."
He stepped closer. "You have thousands of years to build your own covenant, your own kind. Make those flawed ones kneel before you."
"And if I succeed?"
"Then you may return to your world," he said, placing two fingers on my forehead.
"I'll teach you how to use the power inside you. Until your task is done… do not come back here."
Fire exploded in my skull. I screamed, fell to my knees, clutching my head as pain tore through me.
Then knowledge flooded in — symbols, instincts, words that weren't human.
Through the agony, I heard his voice one last time:
"I wonder, Vlad… after thousands of years, will you still want to go home?"
After that night, I began to change.
I learned to control minds — vampire and human alike — to shift the color of my eyes, to rewrite the essence of my bloodline so none I created could ever surpass me.
The land became known as Transylvania.
And when my castle was complete, I formed the Romanian Covenant.
Other covenants rose later — the Volturi among them — but none could cross my borders.
Those who tried died before they even reached the gates.
I made laws:
1. Never reveal our existence to humans.
2. No marriage with vampires of other covenants unless they are true mates — and if so, they must join us.
3. No one leaves the country without permission.
Breaking any of these meant death.
Unlike others, I could cry if I wished, sleep if I desired, even eat human food — and I passed those traits to my creations.
Human blood was sweet; I drank, but never killed, erasing memories after every encounter.
And yet… after all these years, I still feel hollow.
Sometimes I envied Roma.
He found something I never could — peace. Love.
He fell for a human woman, and from that love came Mikael — the first hybrid.
The boy grew quickly, looked so much like Roma, but he carried something unique: the power to see both past and future.
Now he's in Forks.
I know what's coming there — the Cullens, Bella, the wolves — but none of it should concern him.
So why did he go? What is calling him there?
Roma's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.
"Why did he go to America? To that town?"
I turned toward him — his curly brown hair was the same as always, his crimson eyes filled with worry.
I sighed. "It has to be connected to his visions. Otherwise, he'd never have left."
Roma ran a hand through his hair and sank into the black leather couch, his gaze falling to the floor.
"It's all my fault… I should've protected him better. I'm a terrible father."
I gave a faint smile. "Yeah. You are."
He tried to laugh, but it died in his throat.
He had always wanted to be there for Mikael, but the boy reminded him too much of Violet — the woman he still couldn't forget.
She died giving birth to Mikael, and ever since, Roma blamed himself.
He didn't even visit his son for five years. Spent them all beside Violet's grave.
Even now, he sleeps there sometimes — the great hunter, the immortal, lying beside the one thing he can never have again.
I sat beside him and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Roma… none of this is your fault. You're still hurting, I can feel it. You deserve peace — don't take it away from yourself."
A tear slipped down his cheek. "When Violet died… I died too. What's left of me is just a shell, wishing for an end I can't reach. I can't even go after Mikael… I can't spend one night away from her grave."
I pressed my forehead against his. "I know, brother. I feel your sorrow."
I drew in a deep breath. "Don't worry. I'll go to Forks… and I'll bring Mikael back."
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