Gold. She looked at those golden orbs in relief and delight. The raven girl smiled sincerely as her tears fell down from the corner of her eyes. This moment, she had been waiting for so long at her usual mask was taken off. But soon, a hint of caution and anger appeared, staining those clear golden orbs. Before the raven girl could say any word, she felt a hand tightening around her neck. She flinched slightly at the sudden force. However, it was not enough to nudge from her position.

Staring back at the blond girl, who was now sat up and glared at her furiously, she calmly waited, did not mind about the slim fingers on her neck firmly tightening their grip. Seconds passed. Finally, those pupils dilated, relaxing more than before. The brows arced in surprised as the angelic face in front of her displayed a clear view of shock.

“E-Eunha?”

The girl mumbled, loud enough for Eunha to hear. The raven girl smiled gently as she felt the grip on her neck loosen.

“W-wait... Your face is definitely Eunha’s... But your eyes... Your hair...”

The blond girl was still in shocked, gasping at the unfamiliar sight in front of her. Seeing how the reacted, the raven girl giggled a little before wrapping her arms around the skinny shoulder, pulling her to a welcoming and warm embrace.

“Yerin-unnie... I miss you... I miss you a lot...”

The younger girl sobbed quietly. Taking a while to register everything, the blond girl finally reacted to the warmth. Returning the embrace, she also missed this warmth. This petite torso. This sweet and cute voice. She missed her cousin so much. Tapping the girl’s back softly, Yerin enjoyed the moment of reunion. However, when reality hit her, she abruptly pushed the girl back, scanning the girl from head to toe.

“Eunha, what happened to you? You have changed a lot... And your arm... Last time I remembered it was cut off...” Confused, Yerin looked around, only to find herself in a strange room with unfamiliar objects that she had never seen before in her life. “Where are we?... Where am I?... And where is SinB? Is she safe? Eunha-ah, answer me please!”

“Calm down, unnie. SinB is safe. She just isn’t here at the moment.”

“What? Why? I thought I told you not to leave her alone. What if they found her?!?”

“Unnie. Please. Listen to me.”

Eunha held tightly onto the blond girl’s shoulders, gazing deeply into the panicking eyes. The rapid breaths slowly became steady as the muscles relaxed a little. Seeing Yerin had finally calmed down, the raven girl smiled reassuringly before continued.

“First of all, SinB is totally safe. They can’t find her. And I have never stopped watching over her so you don’t have to worry about that. Secondly... there has been a lot of things happened, unnie.” She paused, looking at the girl in front of her sadly. “Yerin-unnie, what do you remember? What happened before you woke up?”

“I was fighting against Yunkyu’s army to borrow more time for you and SinB. Then I lost to that traitor... and got trapped in the ice...” Yerin shut her eyes as she bit her lower lip in frustration. The moment she lost to that vampire, she was reminded of how hopeless she felt. Her pride was hurt. Being the heir of the Jung clan, she lost to an unknown vampire, a traitorous one. How shameful she was.

“... So you were actually in that ice block after all... I and SinB had searched for you everywhere for years and yet we couldn’t find you. I didn’t sense your scent or aura within the ice so I overlooked it. Who would imagine that you could be this close to us? How dumb I am...”

Eunha sighed. However, she was not the one who was in the most shock.

“Wait... Did you say years?”

“Yes, unnie... You have been sleeping inside that ice block for almost 600 years.”

“What?!?”

Yerin jumped off the bed. However, her legs were too weak to hold her weight at the moment. Therefore, as soon as her feet touched the ashen carpet on the ground, she collapsed. Fortunately, Eunha reacted quickly enough to catch before she could hit her head. Taking that moment, Yerin one more time observed her surroundings. Everything looked so strange to her. Some of the furniture was similar to what she had in her family mansion. But the shapes were different. Some of the objects she could not even name them. Letting the younger girl lead her back to the bed, she sat down on the soft surface. Eunha checked her cousin again to search for any visible injuries before she stood up and walked to the make up a table near the bed. When she walked into the room, in the beginning, she brought along a glass of water and her pill bottle. Taking out one of the pills, she dropped it in the glass, waiting for it to dissolve completely before giving it to the older girl. The blond girl stared at the glass skeptically.

“Don’t worry, unnie. It will help you to feel better. Trust me.”

Looking at the clear crimson liquid inside the glass, Yerin reluctantly accepted it. She gazed at the girl who was now taking a seat next to her, only to see the girl urged her to drink it. Raising the glass up to her nose, there was no scent she could smell from it. Taking a deep breath, Yerin took a gulp. Right after the liquid touched her taste buds, her brows furrowed in disgust. Eunha chuckled amusingly at the girl’s face.

“Yeah, I know the taste is bad. But it’s as nutritious as normal blood so please bear with it, unnie.”

“Don’t tell me you drink this every day? Like how on earth can you swallow this nasty liquid? Why don’t you just drink animal blood?”

“Well, it’s not that easy to get fresh blood in this era. Everything has changed. The world has changed from what you used to know, unnie.”

Knowing that it was a serious matter, the blond kept shut, patiently waiting for the younger girl to continue. Eunha smiled weakly before she began to retell her past. Her suffering past along with SinB.

************************************

It started after Eunha and SinB went through the secret cave, leading to an undiscovered land far in the South. After hours of running, both of them found a village where the people were not aware of the war and even the existence of vampires. Because of her black eye, the one she had been hiding behind her eye patch in years, SinB persuaded the villager to believe that she and Eunha were survivors from a war far away from the North. The villagers were kind enough to provide them with a shelter to patch up their injuries. The two young girls were successful in covering their true identities from the villagers. Therefore, they settled down in the village, being treated like a normal human. As soon as Eunha had recovered from her severe wound, both of them decided to go back to the cave to find Yerin. It had been days since they had not seen their big sister, both of them were worried about the girl’s safety.

However, to their horror, the cave that the Eunbi duo walked through was now blocked by rocks. Some hunters from the villagers told them that there were landslides happening during the night before they arrived, resulting the terrible scene in front of them. Not giving up, the young girls made a detour by climbing over the mountain, taking them a whole day to finally reach the Vampire Land, even with their vampiric speed. However, before their eyes, everything was burnt to the ground. No single life could be found. In fear and sorrow, both of them searched the whole land restlessly, looking for any smell for any sight of life. Unfortunately, they could only find ashes, the remaining of a dead vampire. The whole vampire race was wiped out. And they believed that a few of their fellows were captured by Yunkyu’s army. Except for the big ice block in the middle of the burning forest, where they last saw Yerin, Eunha and SinB could not find the blond’s scent. They were too desperate and suffering by the loss of their families and the whole world that they overlooked the ice block, where their beloved sister was trapped inside.

The Eunbi duo believed that Yerin was among the captured vampires. So they set up a plan to attack Yunkyu’s castle and rescued their fellow vampires. However, Yunkyu’s army was stronger than they expected. Remembering the last wish from Yerin, Eunha always prioritized SinB’s safety. Therefore, after many failed attempts, even when the brunette insisted on saving her sister, the bobbed hair girl forced both of them to retreat and waited for a better chance. But Yunkyu’s biggest target had always been SinB, and Eunha knew it. After learning that the young girl was still alive, once again, the Eunbi duo was on the run for their lives. They were chased by Yunkyu’s army around the whole land of a human. They tried to adapt to the human’s daily life to cover their identities better. After centuries, even after Yunkyu’s death, the chase was never stopped, causing the vampires to hide more, slowly mingling with the humans and erasing completely the existence of vampire out of the world. Therefore, in this era, the vampire was nothing but a fictional creature.

“So we’re really extinct... Losing to a lowly race like human...”

Yerin gripped her glass, forming cracks on the object.

“In their minds, yes. But in reality, vampires still exist.” Eunha sighed heavily. “Do you remember the vampire worked for Yunkyu? The one that prisoned you in the ice for years?”

“Of course... How can I forget him?” The blond replied angrily.

“After Yunkyu’s death, he used his power and influence as the right hand of the late emperor to create an organization from the captured vampires. It was an underground organization that had been existing for centuries. They breed and train vampires for only one mission. To capture SinB. From my investigation, what they want from SinB isn’t herself.” The raven hair girl paused a second before continued. “It’s her blood.”

Yerin startled by the shocking news. It would make sense more if they wanted a strong bloodline like hers or Eunha’s. But spending all the resource for a hybrid’s blood was hard to believe. She was curious and quietly urged Eunha to continue her story. However, the blond found a hint of guilt and pain in the pair of crimson orbs in front of her.

“We were wrong about SinB, Yerin-unnie. About her not having any special abilities. But the truth is... she has one. The rarest and the most powerful you could ever imagine. Both of us learned about her ability not long after we were running away from the organization. But, we also learned, in a hard way, that her ability comes with a big price.”

Eunha stood up from the bed. She slowly approached the only mirror in the room, fully aware of the gaze from the blond on her back. Looking at her own reflection in the mirror, Eunha bit her lower lips as her knuckled turned pale from the tight grips of her fingers on the makeup table.

“That traitorous vampire called himself as Mr. K. And as you already knew, his ability is ice manipulation. However, he is more powerful than any vampires I’ve known. His ice can freeze anything coming into its contact, including fresh. That was why I completely lost my arm back then... In a year, I couldn’t grow back my arm when it should be regenerated after one week.”

Eunha gulped in difficulty, trying to hold back her sob as she kept her compose.

“Being an immature vampire was one thing. Losing one arm just made it more difficult to keep me safe, not even mention how to protect SinB in that condition. One day, we were cornered by Mr. K’s squad. There was no escape at that time...”

The raven-haired girl turned around, facing the blond with an apologetic gaze.

“The only choice we had left was for me to turn into a mature vampire... SinB was the one who suggested the idea...”

Yerin understood now. The reason for Eunha’s crimson eyes. She was a mature vampire, because of SinB. Her heart ached by a strange feeling as she thought about Eunha drinking SinB’s blood. It was not the right time to even figure out why she felt that way so Yerin just shrugged it off and concentrated on Eunha’s story.

“I rejected the idea at first. But SinB insisted since we had no other choices. So I accepted it. In the end, it went well... Too well to be honest... Not only my ability achieved its full power, but also my arm grew back in a blink of eyes. Because of that, I was able to get us out of the danger. Unfortunately, the real deal happened after that.”

Seeing the uneasiness on the blond’s face, Eunha came closer to Yerin, kneeling politely opposite to the girl before continued in a weak and guilty tone.

“Later on, I was able to walk under the sun like a human. My strength and speed were boosted significantly. Besides all of my vampiric ability and the thirst for blood, I am a normal human. Eating, sleeping, walking in the daylight. And moreover, I can’t be harmed or killed by silver. Not anymore. After observing other vampires from Mr. K’s squad, I realized that only I possessed such abilities. And I understood why Mr. K wanted SinB’s blood so badly.”

“... So SinB’s blood gave you those abilities?”

Yerin carefully asked. She received a nod from the younger girl. And of course, the older girl was shocked. SinB’s blood was special and yet she never knew. That was why her father would sacrifice himself to protect SinB at all costs. He knew it and yet he would never have a chance to tell her. Just imagining some guys would use SinB as an experiment, as a tool for their ambitious dark plans boiled the blond’s blood in anger.

“Not only she boosts vampire’s abilities, her blood can cure any injuries, both vampires, and humans. Any injuries, from a scratch to life-threatening wounds and diseases. Her blood is so powerful and precious that everyone wants it for their own purpose. But of course, everything comes with a price... And SinB’s price is really expensive.”

Struggling with her words, Eunha exhaled heavily.

“She is immortal. But not like vampires, she can’t regenerate limbs or any organs of her body. She can’t cure herself with her blood. She even grows old like a normal human. And once she gets hurt, the only way to cure her is...”

However, Eunha flinched before she managed to finish her words. Her pupil dilated as she held her head as if she was having a great pain. Worrying about the sudden change of the younger girl, Yerin extended her arm toward the raven-haired girl. She was about to touch the small shoulder until the raven girl stood up abruptly, making her jump back a little by the quick movement. Then, the younger girl looked at her with such an anxious and scared expression.

“They found her. Damn it! So it is their plan after all.”

Eunha groaned angrily, quickly running out of the room to fetch her phone lying on the kitchen counter. Being paranoid, the raven hair girl hastily called a certain girl who she was concerning about. As the dry ringing tone rang in her ear, she noticed that the blond had followed her to the kitchen, quaky but steady enough to stand still. Yerin leaned on the counter for support, waiting for the shorter girl’s response. However, the horror displaying on the girl’s face told her it was not a good news as she watched the girl put the strange object away from her ear.

“She didn’t pick up. Either she’s in the middle of an operation or she is sleeping with her phone in silent mode. Damn it! I should have known.”

“Alright, Eunha. Calm down and explain it to me. Are you talking about SinB? What is happening to her?”

Eunha sighed heavily.

“One of my abilities, after I matured, is precognition. It’s a passive ability that I can’t control it freely. I can only see visions whenever something important or bad may happen. And just now, I saw a vision that the Organization will attack SinB at her workplace.”

Hearing that, Yerin was as panicking as the younger girl. They had the same intention. Both of them wanted to go to SinB’s place as soon as possible. However, being a well-trained vampire and the former heir of the Jung, she still kept her head cool to analyze the situation before making any moves. Her body was not yet recovered after a long deep sleep. To be frank, Yerin was nothing but a burden to her cousin. She did not know if she was capable to fight yet. And from what she understood from Eunha’s story, the raven-haired girl was not their opponent if she was on her own.

There were so many questions in her mind that Yerin could not think of any plan. She had not understood the concept of this era yet. It was already a big disadvantage for her. What if they had developed some sorts of weapons which were more powerful than those silver blades and arrows she used to know. She was not prepared for the fight. But she could not let Eunha go alone. While she was still struggling with her own thoughts, a vivid scent of strangers invaded her nose. Alerted, Yerin turned her head to the staircase as Eunha also noticed the incoming people. The raven-haired girl quickly went back to her compose and alluring self when she knew who was coming.

Stepping away from the stair, the intruders revealed themselves as no others than the two young detectives. The red hair girl was timider than the other as she looked at the two vampires cautiously. On the other hand, the senior detective kept her compose, showing no fear in her black orbs. Astonished by their presence, Yerin quickly turned to the younger vampire, demanding for an explanation. Eunha sighed, rubbing her nose bridge gently. Their covers were busted. She was freaked out by her vision that she did not control her voice volume. And she forgot to put on her contact lens. Now her crimson and Yerin’s golden eyes were on display. Not to mention that judging from the humans’ expression, they had listened to more than they should know.

“Eunha. Why on earth are there humans in your residence? And why don’t you do anything to them?”

Yerin spoke in low threatening voice. Her eyes never left the two strangers in front of her. If she still had her power at that moment, they would be dead meat by now.

“Unnie, it may sound really wrong but please trust me. These two aren’t hostile. They are actually the ones who found you and brought you back to me.”

“Do they know about us?”

“Well...” Eunha observed the tallest girl among them discreetly. “They do now. Sojung-ssi, I thought I had made myself clear that you shouldn’t get yourself involved in our business until you’re ready.”

The tall girl scratched her nape nervously. She and Yuna did not plan to eavesdrop the conversation. But they were wakened up by the noise. And being detectives, their ears were too sharp to miss out some words that Eunha said when she was panicking about her vision. Although there was still a lot of disbelief in the story they were witnessing, the young detectives could not just stand still and do nothing when their colleagues were in danger.

“You told me that soon or later, we’ll be involved involuntarily. So why don’t we just stop wasting our time and get straight to the business? And from what we heard, you two need our help.”

“Why do we need help from a human like you?”

Yerin retorted, glaring at the taller girl. The senior detective startled a little by the threatening voice of the blond. This girl was more dangerous than the petite psychologist but she was still a reasonable person. If she was just a brute monster like what she had read from fictional books, both of them would be dead by now.

“I’ll be frank here. You have been sleeping inside the ice block for 600 years and you’re unfamiliar with our technology nowadays. You need someone to guide you, to teach you how to fight with the modern weapons. And from my guess, the Organization that you two were talking about can be the guys that we encountered before. They are far stronger and well-armed than you can imagine. A one-man army won’t be able to stand against them.” Sojung exhaled quietly. “Sooyeon-ssi is our friend. We’re not heartless creatures to just stand aside and watch our friend suffer.”

Hearing an unfamiliar name that Sojung used to address Eunha, Yerin looked at the shorter girl confusingly. The girl just slowly shook her head, gesturing that this was not the time to talk about it. Eunha turned to the senior detective, locking their orbs together. She saw it. The determination and seriousness inside those pupils. The sincerity in the girl’s mind caused the petite vampire to soften her heart. She sighed in defeat. That stubbornness, it was so similar to a certain girl. The girl who she devoted her whole life to protect her.

“Fine. You two have made your choices then I’ll respect that. However, I already warned you before. I can’t guarantee your safety. As you may have noticed, SinB is my priority. And I will do anything to protect her.”

Sojung furrowed her brows as she felt her heart aching by the mention of the girl’s name. She ignored the mixed feeling and nodded in agreement. On the other hand, Yerin was still alerted toward the detectives. Eunha used to be her right-hand companion and she trusted the girl’s judgment. She disagreed with the offer since she still had a grudge towards humans. However, she was not in the place to give a reasonable and ideal decision. Especially not when they were running out of time.

“I would like to have some small talk to get to know each other before we begin this alliance. However, I assume that we don’t have much time left so it would be the best for us to make our move now.” Sojung suggested as she fixed her clothes, in which Eunha agreed with her suggestion.

“They will arrive at the hospital in half an hour. My car is ready outside but with this heavy snowing, I don’t think we can make it on time.”

“I can do it.”

Out of nowhere, a clear voice like crystal spoke up, earning everyone’s attention. All the girls looked at the red hair girl, who had been quiet since the beginning and just suddenly raising her hand. With a proud smile on her face, Yuna straightened her back, claiming once again she could take them to Seoul Central Hospital in less than half an hour. The vampires looked at each other. Their new allies were more enthusiastic to help than they expected. Reluctantly accepting the fact, Eunha fetched her car key from the cabinet in the kitchen and threw it to Yuna, who caught it perfectly.

“The car is in the yard. You should have already seen it when you arrived. Just don’t scratch it too much.”

“You mean the Black Porsche 911? You bet I’ll take a good care of your baby.”

Yuna’s eyes shone in eager as she quickly took her coat and ran out to check the car. On the other hand, Sojung took times to get her coat as she was waiting for the raven-haired girl to come along. However, when the petite girl was about to join the detective, she was held back by a grip on her wrist. When she turned around, she met the serious golden orbs.

“I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t, unnie. You’re barely able to walk. You need to rest.”

“My sister is in danger and you’re asking me to stay here and do nothing?” Yerin furrowed her brows. “Whether you like it or not, I’m going.”

Eunha sighed in defeat. She just realized where the stubbornness coming from. SinB just seemed to take the wrong thing from her sister. Gesturing Sojung to go out and prepare for the trip, the raven-haired girl turned around and loosened the grip on her wrist.

“Fine. You can come with us. However...” She made a quick glance at the older girl from head to toe, especially at the torn black dress from the mediaval era. “You can’t go in that outfit. Let me get something more comfortable and some blood pills for you then we can go.”