Chapter Text
They say some stories don’t end; they linger, echoing through time and whispered across centuries. Etched into memories, felt in silence and relived in heartbeats… heartbeats of ones who died a long time ago, but they still breathe through shadows and darkness. Finding answers that will calm their undead souls. But it’s the curse of being a creature, a nightwalker that they shall never find peace.
One such tale began in the early eighteenth century — when lands defined power, men bled for freedom, and souls were sacrificed at the altar of one man’s will. A king, his ambition, his command. And people that obeyed those. The monarchy rose in the eastern region of old Europe where two subjects dominated the conversations, the rising threat of war situations and the beauty of the prince destined for the crown — Prince Vegas.
Prince Vegas’s beauty was the talk of towns across Europe; the prince’s allure was almost mythical. When the king declared that the coronation would be held in two days, behind those velvety curtains of royalty, a rebellion stirred. A storm erupted at the mention of Vegas getting married off to the princess of northern Europe.
“Father, I will not marry a stranger for the land,” Vegas declared against the king’s will.
But no one dared to cross the king’s command and his son was no exception.
“No more from you, Vegas,” the king concluded. “That land ensures our victory in war and gives you a queen. It’s time you serve your kingdom.”
But Vegas stood there, teary eyed, anger breaking through and heart thumping loudly. His heart had long been given — not to any princess, but to a mere servant. Theerakit, a quiet craftsman who carved more than just wood; he had carved his way into the prince’s heart.
The night before the coronation, a sudden fire broke out. The king’s men rushed to save him, promising their loyalty, but fate moved fast with the flames and the king took his last breath with his last command, “Save the prince.”
By the time the men reached the prince's chamber, prince Vegas was nowhere to be found, he vanished in the burning agony. The men searched for him and eventually, the kingdom was lost to the ashes. There were talks in neighboring towns about the prince’s escape but no one knew about his lover. The enemy kingdom won without any effort and just like that everyone forgot about it.
Years passed, centuries turned. But the tale was abrupt. Neither prince Vegas was found. Nor anyone searched for Theerakit.
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
In the modern day age, the year 2025.
Warm sunrays casted throughout the quiet bedroom, casting a golden hue over a delicate face partially hidden beneath soft, black hair. He looked like he didn’t belong, gorgeous in a way that didn’t feel real, elegant features and long lashes, and shoulder-length hair that crowned his face like something regal. Too beautiful to be real and too broken to be ordinary.
Bible Sumettikul, twenty-one, beauty with brains, an empath and a warrior. He stirred beneath the covers and then rose up to get ready for the day. The second-last day of his university life to be precise. While towel drying his hair, his gaze drifted to the bedside table. He took the photo frame into his hands and ran a finger gently over the glass, tracing the smile of the person in the picture. A tear drop formed in one of his eyes.
“P’Jjay, I miss you so much.”
Every time Bible looked at his old brother’s photo, his heart sank, and he was pulled into fragments of a faded childhood. Bible’s life as an orphan was mostly cloudy memories but he remembered the good ones when his brother found him one day and made his life a warm and happy place.
But exactly ten years back, when Bible was eleven, his brother was murdered — body drained of blood and discarded on the train track, brutally killed by something inhuman. A vampire. Bible was too young to understand then to realize what it meant but the grief remained with him through years. The pending justice that was yet to be served.
A soft knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his roommate — and leader of their rebel group — Bas Asavapatr, step inside.
“You know, your brother's killer is still out in the open, breathing freely and we haven’t even reached the entrance of the royal palace.” Bas reminded Bible while entering the room and placing a hand on his shoulder with sympathy.
“I have a hunch, my classmate’s boyfriend. There’s something off about him, he might be from a royal bloodline.” Bible spoke after setting the frame back, voice heavy and yet steady.
Bas’s eyes narrowed at that, “Are you certain? If that’s true, you need to watch him closely. But be careful — the royal blood runs deep that we know, and it’s the strongest of all.”
Bible listened while gathering his study material and putting in the college bag.
His roommate gave a reassuring squeeze and said, “If you are ready, let's head to the morning briefing.”
Bible nodded and slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, and followed him out. The door closed behind them quietly, and he promised himself, till the time he sought justice, he would stay strong.
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
In a secluded corner of Khao San Road in Bangkok, behind a rusty old cafe, and a metal gate, the rebel group had formed a safe haven — a headquarters for planning their revenge against their immortal enemies — Vampires .
Twice a week, Bible and Bas led the strategic briefings, assigning surveillance zones and attack missions to their group members. Each member was equipped with a special set of weapons, enchanted liquids, safety tools and other essentials — items designed not only for survival but also punishment. The term rebel wasn’t just a fancy name, it was a deliberate defiance to the “Vampire x Human Peace Treaty” — a politically polished lie meant to convince the world that vampires and humans could co-exist without bloodshed. But for everyone in the group, the treaty meant nothing but mockery. Every single one in the group had lost a loved one from their lives to the vampires and that’s how the rebellion was formed, a shared sentiment and the desire for revenge.
The Vampire x Human Peace Treaty was a diplomatic initiative meant to restore the balance between the two species — the one who breathed, and the one who drank. On paper, it was a step to maintain peace but in reality, it allowed vampires to mend rules as per their will and get away with killings with humans turning a blind eye. And so, the rebel group made it their missions to target two primary threats:
Rogues — vampires who lost control and hunted for pure bloodlust.
And Fledglings — newly turned vampires without the sire to control their restraint.
“So, let’s start with your status, everyone.” Bas led the briefing when everyone gathered with their rebel protection kit. The rebel protection kit consisted of things that helped the rebel members to stay on guard around vampires and be strong as compared to the normal gullible human beings who got seduced and hypnotized by vampires on a daily basis.
“I found a rogue yesterday in the Ekkamai area,” one member reported, adjusting their jacket. “Stabbed him with a stake, so I’ll need a new one.” They walked over to the weapons cabinet as Bas gave a nod of approval.
“I had to deal with a fledgling,” Bible added, his voice quiet but calm as he sorted his tools. “She was out of control. I distracted her with a sealed blood bank vial, then finished her off.” His fingers moved swiftly, selecting fresh stakes, a new rosewood stake .
“Bible,” Bas said, looking up. “Focus on your university zone for now. We’ll cover the surrounding areas.”
Bible gave a nod, not questioning the order. He had his own mission to pursue.
Once the meeting wrapped, Bible carefully unsealed an airtight jar filled with mustard oil infused with rosemary , its scent sharp and earthy. He poured the mixture into small bottles and handed them to each member.
“Keep it close. If a vampire tries to attack just open this and it will dull their senses,” he reminded them, slipping one into his own jacket pocket. Then, with a small wave and a tight-lipped smile, he added, “Stay safe. And try to stay alive.”
With that Bible stepped out to get into a metro to reach his university. To his world of lectures, textbooks, and vampire targets.
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
It was the last lecture of the day when Bible noted down a few pointers. The evening sunset was shining a beautiful pink shade across the classroom. Just then, his best friend — Euro Yotsawat — plopped down on the bench beside him with a grin. He flipped the last page of the notebook and scribbled a message in bold letters before sliding it to Bible.
“Coming to the party tomorrow, right?”
Bible raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, then scribbled back underneath.
“What party?”
Euro rolled his eyes before writing again.
“Did you forget? Jeff’s throwing a private farewell at the nightclub his family owns.”
At that note, Bible’s sense got alerted, a nightclub owned by a potential vampire royalty? That was a step closer to his lead.
“Right... I remember now,” he wrote casually, then smirked and added beneath it, “But you won’t mind me crashing your night with your boyfriend, will you?”
Euro blushed hard, that signature pink rising fast to his cheeks. He quickly scribbled a reply.
“What boyfriend? We’re taking things slow.”
Bible shot him a knowing side-eye and added with deliberate strokes, “Fine. Soon-to-be boyfriend. Are you sure he’s a nice guy?”
Euro leaned in, still flushed, and wrote with a wink, “He’s not.”
Then added with a wink, “But you know what they say — good boys go to heaven, bad boys bring heaven to you.”
Bible let out a soundless laugh and smacked his friend lightly on the shoulder. They both dissolved into giggles, trying their best not to draw the professor’s attention
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
Situated in the prime area of Bangkok, hidden deep within Sathorn’s embassy — where the streets stayed quiet even at midnight — stood the royal palace. Blooming structure of white marble, set behind beautiful lilac plants, and if only the royal bloodline was aware of its existence. The courtyard formed a perfect crescent, a magnificent fountain at the entrance that never stopped flowing. At night the water glowed under the moonlight surrounded by lower flowerbeds, perfectly trimmed.
The palace didn’t scream but it owned the royalty. Slate-blue roofs, tall chimneys, narrow windows, it wasn’t old, it was vintage. It didn’t have guards outside, because the castle gave space to only those who didn’t need any protection. The strongest of all — the vampire royalty. The oldest bloodline, the immortals, the indestructible.
Inside the palace, the room had shimmered with gilded arches, carved ceilings, and chandeliers that caught every whisper of light. Gold traced every edge, from the door borders to mirrored walls. The air felt still, as if the time had stopped inside, too reverent to breathe.
In his private chamber, on a velvet chair, the crown prince Jes sat in a regal allure. Awaiting his royal commander — Son Yuke — the highest-ranking military officer and Jes’s most trusted informant for the information of the human world.
“Rhys Son, did you bring what I asked for?” Jes questioned calmly, he didn’t need to command. His aura was more than enough.
“Your Grace, I did,” Son replied with a low bow, stepping forward. “Here is the detailed information on the rebel group working against our kind. Names, photographs, ages, and the tools they use to hunt us.”
He handed over a thick folder of documents — except for one. One single sheet remained clutched in his hand, withheld with visible hesitation.
Jes flipped through the contents with sharp eyes, absorbing every detail with silent precision. But his gaze soon narrowed. He noticed the paper Son hadn’t surrendered.
“Bring me the one in your hand,” Jes said, this time with a subtle drop in tone — a sound more like a command than a request.
The air shifted. Son’s shoulders tensed. He hesitated but only for a breath, before finally stepping forward.
“But, Prince—” he began, faltering as Jes raised a hand. A single gesture to silence him.
“Apologies, Your Grace,” the commander whispered and handed it over.
When Jes saw the picture on the document, he was stunned for a moment. His fingers grazed the picture like it’s something precious. For the first time in years — decades, maybe centuries — his usually cold expression cracked.
He stared at the picture, and his fingers gently grazed the surface as if it were a fragile artifact.
“He… he looks... He looks exactly like — Vegas.” Jes murmured, barely above a whisper.
“Your Grace, he is not Prince Vegas. His name is Bible Sumettikul.” The royal commander informed him as if the details were not mentioned on the piece of paper.
“Of course, he isn’t,” Jes said bitterly. “Vegas died in front of my eyes.” And yet, even after all these years — centuries of mourning, of burying that night deep beneath duty and politics, the memory surged forth like a wound torn open. The night of despair, the instant guilt filled his heart.
Jes looked away, then back at the image, eyes shadowed in thought.
“Tell me, Rhys,” he finally said, voice low, “If Bible is Vegas’s doppelgänger... then this is no coincidence. This is a problem.”
The commander nodded and asked, “What do you suggest, your grace?”
Jes stood, the silk of his robes catching faint light. A decision had already been made.
“I will meet him tonight. Make the arrangements,” Jes said, firm and resolute. “If there’s even the slightest chance that his identity carries weight, I must know. And if he is significant... I will protect him at any cost.” Jes spoke with reverence.
“Your wish is my command, your grace. I will inform the court that you won’t be attending the proceedings tonight.”
The prince let out a frustrated sigh, “Tell Mile and Apo, I went out of town.”
One of these days, Jes will attend the court proceedings and handle all the responsibilities as his roles demand him to, but not tonight.
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
Bible took the library keys from the librarian and promised the lady to shut it down by midnight once his chores were done. One of the advantages of his college being almost over was that he could spare more time for his research on vampires and what better place than surrounded by his favourite thing — books.
He strolled between the book-shelves with the trolley of newly arrived books and started placing them alphabetically and sorted them into distinguished genres. Some of the books from the fiction section had quite creative titles centered around vampires, and he was really curious to read them all but considering they were works of fiction, he discarded those thoughts and continued to place the books.
The smell of books — old and new — lingered in the air and there was an eerie silence when Bible almost finished sorting and arranging the shelves. He was never scared of dark nights, over the years his fight against inhuman creatures taught him a thing or two. To be tough and unafraid were part of it. And besides, vampires rarely bothered with books, and those who did, he could handle. Or so he thought.
Because vampires went hunting at night times, rushing for blood and went to secluded places for their victims. They even had willing human donors to fulfill their needs, so, out of all the places in the town, a vampire wouldn’t be in a well-lit library, searching for a history book, right?
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
“I thought I told you to make arrangements. Where’s my horse?” Jes questioned looking at the old vintage car parked outside the palace with his royal commander awaiting to drive him off.
“Pardon, my grace, humans are not used to seeing other humans riding horses to travel to other places. Their preferred medium of travel is vehicles.” Son informed with a slight bow, he couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.
“What a poor sense of living these humans have…” Jes remarked, the tone wasn’t taunting but it felt more like a pity. “I suppose, when you spend a few years inside the palace, I miss out on these details.”
“It’s not a concern, my grace. I will keep you updated with the human world functioning if you intend to travel out more often.” The commander responded as he opened the door of the passenger seat.
The prince sat inside gracefully, adjusting the turtleneck under the coat of his woolen clothing, “This is oddly warm as well.”
“I apologize; it’s the monsoon season with cold weather. If you appear in front of a human, they will get chills, and this will make you look less suspicious.”
“Fine, Rhys. Drive away.” Jes replied as he relaxed comfortably in the rare seat.
━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━
When Bible finished his task, he finally approached the section he had been meaning to visit — the history section. After carefully hovering his fingers through the alphabets, he reached the V. He took a deep breath as he pulled out a book named — Interview with the vampire by Anne Rice. Bible slid the covers open and scanned the summary.
“In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood.”
Bible was intrigued and started reading through bits and pieces randomly to get a gist and then dive in thoroughly. He was busy absorbing the words of a brilliant writer, portraying some facts about the vampires. It was a moment later when the air suddenly felt chilly. Goosebumps rose all over his exposed skin and he felt fragile. And it wasn’t raining outside so it was a surprise because Bible didn’t get cold easily.
“You read those as though they tell the truth.” A voice spoke from behind him, low, velvety-smooth, trembling his senses.
Bible felt a stillness in his movements, but he managed to close the book to put it back on the shelf. And then he turned to see the man standing behind him. Taller, sharp jawline, skin pale yet honey-toned. Big brown eyes that lured Bible’s senses to surrender. Bible felt breathless all of a sudden, he gulped to speak, “You sound like someone who thinks he knows better.”
Bible stood with a pause, wondering how he didn’t get a hint of the man appearing at all. The library entrance didn’t make a sound, and partly he blamed himself for being engrossed in the book earlier. But regardless, Bible didn’t recognize the man. Not exactly a student per se, a man, in his mid-twenties, arrogant and beautiful.
The prince circled him slowly, picking a book from the top-shelf, the section Bible wouldn’t be able to reach, flaunting his height particularly.
“Do you believe in ghosts, dear?” Jes asked in another silky voice.
Bible rubbed his forearms trying to generate some warmth, “Only the kind that drinks blood.”
Jes smiled. A little too sharp. And looked at Bible in his eyes, “Vampires are not bad if humans stay strong. I have read about them. Unfortunately, I never came across one.”
Bible huffed, in annoyance. No. But curious. “It’s because you never encountered one, that you say nice things about them.”
“Maybe.” Jes shrugged his shoulders, noticing the way Bible shivered. Then he took off his coat — offering with a genuine smile, “Take this, you’re cold.”
Bible hesitated for a moment but eventually took it, wrapping it around himself. “Aren’t you cold?”
“I’ve been immune too cold for a long time now,” Jes answered while casually flipping through the pages of a book — Bloodline Wars: The rise of crimson court.
Bible closed the gap between them despite the unknown nervous emotions binding him, taking a look closer to the lines the man is reading. Bible’s pulse stuttered then.
“Wars never bring peace, but they do break hearts and homes.”
A line written in cursive-handwriting printed in the book, that was unusual for sure, Bible observed.
Then Jes handed over the book to Bible, taking a step back, “Careful, if you stare too long into the abyss, someone might stare back.”
Bible froze.
There was a flicker then. Jes let the weight of his presence pulse outward, and his eyes stayed on Bible’s features for something longer than he intended. The exact outline of his lover. Same face, same appearance, the resemblance was uncanny.
Bible’s eyes met Jes’s, and then Bible felt his heart skip a beat. It felt like a deja vu — like recognizing someone he’d never met.
Jes saw the blink of uncertainty, how good it felt when their breaths mingled, and he hated how much of a restraint he had to put on himself to not lean on for more and claim Bible.
So, instead, he leaned slightly, letting his breath ghost over Bible’s cheek. Not a threat, definitely not a kiss. Just close enough to blur a line.
“Enjoy your reading. The stories tend to get personal after one point.”
Bible was taken aback by those words. It felt like the stranger he just met wanted to say something different.
Jes handed over the book and Bible took it while still interested to know more about him. But his fingers touched the sharp edge of the paper, he got a papercut. “Ouch.”
Bible saw the blood oozing out of his finger and looked up. Only to find himself alone, again.
And when he closed the book, the author's name read — Theerakit.