Egypt

Sooyoung and Hyoyeon followed their ancestor into the chamber which held a powerful weapon for hundreds of years. They were welcomed by a room that was furnished with gold and diamonds. But the room seemed to be basically empty except for the gilded hieroglyphs and diamond-studded paintings that decorated the walls of the room. The two young vampires could not help but wonder at the skillful craftsmanship of the Egyptians. 

Then, a question came into their minds. ‘Why did their fathers choose them to retrieve such important artifact and not have the twins take the swords themselves?’ 

The two vampires looked at each other before facing their ancestor who had been studying the decorated walls. 

“Grandpa…” Hyoyeon mustered the courage to speak. 

“Yes, Hyo?” Jung the Elder turned his attention towards his descendant. 

“I was just wondering…Why did our fathers choose us to retrieve the Carnelian Treasure and not our cousins instead?”

“Good question, Hyo…” 

“Seriously, grandfather…We were curious ever since Hyo and I got here.” Sooyoung mused as she stood by her cousin. 

“Well, you should know what your families had pledged a long time ago…” 

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung gave a confused look as they listened to their grandfather. 

“What was the pledge about, grandfather?” Hyoyeon asked.

“Well…” their ancestor began. “Your great grandfathers had vowed to protect the Royal Vampire Family when it was threatened a few centuries ago. War had broken out among the vampires and there was a struggle for power. The forerunners of the rogue vampires fought against our family. You had eight great grandfathers namely Kim, Jung, Lee, Hwang, Kwon, Choi, Im, and Seo. The eldest two lead the family while the archers Lee and Hwang were the battle strategists. Choi and Kim were the closest among their brothers and they vowed to protect their brotherhood at all costs. It so happened that a god had appeared to them in a vision while they were on the battlefield.” 

“A god?” the girls chorused. 

“The Egyptian god, Horus…”

“As far as I’ve known, he’s somehow the god of protection?” Sooyoung mused. 

“Yes. He appeared before your great grandfathers and told them that they are the strongest among the brothers and therefore must protect the family at all costs. He made Kim and Choi swear an oath to bring back the old glory that the vampires held.”

“But I still don’t get it, grandfather…” Hyoyeon admitted. 

The ancestor placed a hand on the Kim descendant and said. “Hyo…you and Sooyoung were destined to become the retrievers of the lost treasure – the one that had caused all this trouble in the world and the one to protect our family as well…You two were destined to protect the Royal Family and the chosen twins. That is why, the Carnelian Treasure has entrusted itself to you both because it knows that the twins were not ready to yield such powers yet…” 

“We understand, grandpa.” Sooyoung mused as a smile came across her face. “But I’m still curious…What happened to your twin as well as your wife?” 

“I have to admit, our family’s history is a bit complicated…My twin brother bargained his soul for immortality. He became the first werewolf. My wife, your ancestor, has chosen to live a quiet life without intervening with our family matters unless urgently needed. And I must reveal to you that we have a younger brother – the first hunter…” 

Sooyoung and Hyoyeon’s eyes widened at their ancestor’s revelation. A realization had dawned on both girls.