Their first thought was to avoid it, but in the end curiosity won. Considering their situation, it was better to know who their enemies were. They continued running closer until they caught sight of what was happening in the distance.
"They’re humans!" Rymora exclaimed with a sigh of relief, voicing the very thought in Aria’s mind. It was clear she had feared their enemies might be monsters.
"That’s good, right?" she added, her voice carrying visible relief, a feeling Aria shared as they drew nearer—only for both of them to jerk back at once when someone came hurtling toward them.
It was a human, already injured, thrown violently to the ground and most likely dead. Advancing toward them was a man clad in the black and silver uniform of the royal guard. His eyes glowed red, unmistakably marking him as a vampire.
"I’m glad that you’re safe! We lost track of your carriage when we were attacked from behind!" the vampire said, his voice firm, though Aria did not know his name or his face. She gave a slow nod in reply.
Rymora stood slightly behind her, visibly more at ease now that a vampire guard had appeared to protect them.
"Follow me, my lady. I’ll lead you to another carriage, and then we’ll leave!" he urged, gesturing for them to follow.
But Aria shook her head and pointed farther down the road. "There are men who are injured. I’ll heal them first, then we’ll go together."
The sound of fighting still lingered faintly in the air. The vampire looked as if he wished to argue, but in the end he only nodded as Aria gestured for him to lead the way.
Rymora followed in silence, her gaze constantly flicking behind them, knowing her front was guarded but her back remained exposed.
It did not take long before they reached the site of the battle. The destruction was undeniable. Two carriages lay in ruins, ripped apart as though the iron itself had been torn like cloth.
"The fight was fierce. I barely escaped alive. It was shocking when they used fire," the vampire guard said, pulling his hood lower to shield himself from the sun.
Aria’s eyes swept the scene. Burnt corpses and lifeless bodies lay scattered, the evidence of a brutal clash. The guard once again urged her to leave, but Aria refused. She would not depart until she was certain of the dead.
Her heart eased when she found one vampire still clinging to life, though half his head seemed nearly severed from his shoulders. Worse his skin was also badly burnt by the sun where the cloak he wore had fallen open.
She fell to her knees beside him at once, pouring her energy into him. It took immense effort to mend such a grievous wound, to reattach bone and sinew, to knit flesh back together. At last, he rose shakily to his feet. Aria smiled, relieved that he was not a monster.
"Thank you, Lady Aria," he said gratefully. She nodded in return as they continued to search for survivors.
Another vampire, his face also hidden beneath a hooded cloak, began to speak. "They were much stronger than we expected. Worse, there was a shape-shifter among them. We managed to kill it, but what troubles me more is how they gathered so many people to fight alongside them."
Aria frowned. "What if the others were also shape-shifters that hadn’t transformed?" she asked. She resolved then to burn all the bodies before moving on, once it was certain there were no survivors left.
But before she could give the order, a sudden surge of wind struck from her left. In an instant, something seared through her right side. She moved just fast enough to save her chest, but not her arm.
Pain erupted as realization struck. The first vampire who had met them had transformed, and with one brutal strike he severed her arm as though it were nothing.
Rymora screamed, her cry breaking halfway, while the other vampire dove forward to defend her, his hands twisting into sharp claws as vampires could.
Aria staggered back, stunned beyond measure, clutching at the space where her arm had been. Her eyes widened as the guard who remained loyal hurled fire bombs at the traitor, who now loomed before them in his true form.
The creature was monstrous, a Zygon. It towered over them, its body enormous and grotesque, its skin covered in black scales that glistened like stone, its eyes empty voids of darkness. The loyal vampire fought with strength and speed, yet the Zygon moved just as swiftly, its crackling growl filling the air.
"Who knew you would have so many guards with you? The leaders will be pleased when I bring them your head. I wonder what reward I’ll receive," it sneered.
Aria’s aura blazed around her as she poured her energy inward, struggling to heal, forcing her body to regrow the lost arm. But she quickly realized that this was far different from mending wounds or curing sickness. Growing an entire limb demanded more than she had ever imagined.
Even Rymora saw the strain on her face. "You can just stop the blood for now while we run!" she cried, unashamed of her desperation, knowing they were powerless to aid the vampire guard who was losing ground with every passing moment.
But Aria could not bear to abandon him. Abandoning the attempt to regrow her arm, she turned her aura outward again, pouring it into the guard to heal his wounds instead. She watched as he struck, severing the monster’s arm—only to see it immediately sprout anew, the Zygon regenerating in an instant.
"Aria!" Rymora screamed, her heart hammering, panic stripping away all restraint.
But before she could say more, the Zygon threw back its head and roared. Its mouth gaped wide, and fire burst forth in a torrent none of them expected. The flames engulfed the vampire guard, burning him alive, his body reduced to ash in moments.