Lizzy went to the library and decided to check if there were any good books to read. It wasn’t a really big library, it was just slightly bigger than her room, with single shelves packed along the walls, sofas and a couple of tables over red carpets at its center. It kind of reminded her to her father’s study or a common room.

The first thing one could notice upon entering was that iconic old paper smell that was so characteristic of libraries, one that was enjoyable for most. It didn’t smell of dust, the staff made sure that every single corner, from the wooden floor to the highest of shelves, would be in perfect condition (in case someone wanted to adventure themselves in the realm of literature).

Lizzy wasn’t much of a book person, not ever since her tutors got rid of her potential passion for reading, but she was probably able to find something. As she brushed her fingers on the spines of the books on the shelves, she stopped to see a familiar portrait. It was a portrait of her mother and father, shortly done after their marriage.

She kept looking at it. Since she never went to the library a lot, every time she saw the portrait it was like seeing it for the very first time. Lizzy kept looking at how young, handsome and happy Marcus looked, at the soft smile that was so rarely seen these days. Then, she looked at her mom. It was uncanny how similar to her she looked like, from her black as night hair to her bright onyx eyes to her thick eyebrows and the color of her white skin, colored by a soft pink. It was like looking at a mirror. In the portrait she was wearing the same locket Lizzy was wearing, a memento left by her after death. She had always wanted to give it to Lizzy when she was older.

Anna Dabeltorn was known for her beauty, one that was the source of jealousy of many women (including her own sister), but she was also known for being a dreamer. She was a very curious person, wishing to try a bit of everything, even when her parents thought it was “un-ladylike”. Her main passion ended up being painting, creating beautiful compositions of landscapes that she had never seen but she had read about. She couldn’t visit them, so she brought them to the canvas instead.

One of her flying interests was medicine, and the use of medicinal herbs. The local doctor was reluctant to teach her, but gave in (it was hard to tell her no, she was very stubborn when she wanted to be). It turned out that medicine wasn’t really for her, being far too gory for her liking, but learning about the human body helped improve her art. It also helped her meet her future husband.

When she was still trying to learn about herbs she entered the forest looking for some, and, just like many, she was attacked. The servants of the vampire lord were not going to let such a beauty escape their grasp, being the perfect gift for their master; and then, when it looked like it was all over, Marcus Dabeltorn swept in, killing the vampires with his sword and gun swiftly, reducing them into dust and saving the day like the hero he used to be.

The first conversation wasn’t one of love, though.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you know how dangerous these woods are?!” Marcus first said without the need of any introduction.

“Of course I know! I just got lost, that’s all,” she nonchalantly said.

“Well, next time don’t get lost! Do you know how many people make the same mistake that you do?”

“No, I don’t, but I guess that you are going to tell me,” she said with an innocent smile.

“You–! Just, go back home…” he said defeated, knowing that he didn’t have time to keep going.

“I don’t know the way, though. Care to show me the way back?”

“Let’s just go…”

Or at least that was how Marcus told the story…

After meeting many times by chance (and by chance that meant every time Marcus needed something from the doctor to heal his wounds), they had become somewhat friends; friends who then became lovers. Marcus then asked for permission from his family to take Anna’s hand in marriage, and they would have gladly accepted (considering his inherited fortune) if it weren’t for the fact that Marcus’ job as a vampire hunter was far too dangerous. They also had planned to move to the capital, where they would have a better social standing and better marriage candidates for their daughters. Anna, however, chose to stay behind in order to marry the man she loved, despite wanting to explore the world herself.

It was something out of a fairytale. A beautiful princess rescued by her knight in shining armor and living happily ever after. It was the talk of the town! Anna was definitely happy with her husband. They loved each other very much, and Marcus was willing to give up his role as The Hunter to be with his newly made family instead, but Anna discouraged him — he needed to do what was right. He also promised to travel with her one day, to bring her to the places she had only dreamed about. He couldn’t fulfill his promise when she was pregnant, for the safety of his wife, neither when Lizzy was born, for she was too young to travel…

And now he could never fulfill his promise…

Lizzy opened the silver locket and found a small piece of paper, a small painting of a violet flower. It was odd for Anna to left such a thing inside the precious locket (one would assume it contained a piece of her hair), but Lizzy didn’t mind, it was her favorite painting, as simplistic as it was.

Rage started to fuel inside Lizzy’s heart. If only that demon hadn’t kill her mother, then everything would be for the better! Better yet: if only he was dead, then everyone’s lives would be better!

Too bad that Lizzy was incapable of doing something… and so was everyone else…

Lizzy grabbed a random book and sat on a sofa. She didn’t even read it, just turned the pages, vaguely seeing something about the socioeconomical history of Lysvelle. She did this for hours and hours until the sun set. Once she was bored enough, she decided to check something else. She was especially interested in that one big book in the lower half of the bookshelf, it looked ancient.

What she did not expect was to hear a click once she took out the book from its shelf.

Upon closer inspection, there was some kind of mechanism behind the book, and that only meant one thing: a secret passage. Excited, she first looked around to see if there was someone who would stop her. There were none. She tried to move the heavy bookshelf and managed to find a passage that lead to an unknown location. Lizzy was unsure if going through the passage at night was a good idea, but she needed to satisfy her curiosity before someone else noticed it.

What if it lead outside? What if she had found what she was looking for?