†
Harsh winter of December 18th, 2013;;
Caleb had been in Seoul for only a few days after spending more time than necessary in China. He had even made a stop in North Korea prior to entering the south, but had drawn far too much attention to himself and had nearly exposed his identity. Since when had countries developed such a large quantity of security that even the slightest movement set off alarms, even from one of the fastest vampires in existence? Perhaps, it was his own ignorance, his lack of knowledge of the world outside of Europe, his refusal and denial of technology that prompted surprise. He had never been to Asia before the year of 2013, had never left the countries of the European continent, so perhaps, it was just that he was unaware of how other civilizations were ran.
All of this bloody technology… such a nuisance…
The world had been changing since the early 1900’s, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth that lingered at the back of his throat, wouldn’t leave no matter how many times he swallowed. He felt restricted, confined, suffocated, and the worse it got, the more he felt a deep longing for his sire’s presence. There had always been moments that he had missed the one who had given him a new life, but such a feeling of yearning grew the less he was able to continue on how he had always lived since being sired. Caleb felt lost, as if his hands were tied behind his back and he was blindfolded while stripped of all his senses, and he needed guidance despite being unaware of needing it. Desperately, he needed direction. He was not at all adapting easily to the changes the new world was bringing, and it was purely instinctual that he began searching for Aleksei.
And so his search had brought him to Seoul, South Korea. A place he would have never thought to look if not given information about his sire’s whereabouts while he was in China. The city of Seoul was bright and busy and had so many people, a blur of crowds that even at night time, had the streets congested and Caleb was unable to control himself, had already claimed a little more than a dozen people to feed from within just three nights. His sire’s presence could be felt strongly, and he spent those few nights wandering around different city segments in search of the tall Russian prince that he hadn’t laid eyes on for over two centuries.
The third night, in the very early morning, he had stopped at a small park blanketed over in cold and beautiful white, seemingly untouched ever since the snow had fallen. Manufactured lighting from street posts nearby created a glow effect upon frozen water, drew Caleb’s attention to the lonely swing set at the furthest end of the park. He was alone, there was not a soul in sight, but he could feel the presence he had been searching for. It was strong, stronger than the night before, and he knew he was close. Close to finding Aleksei.
Caleb was adorned in all black, practically from top to bottom, his choice of fashion certainly vintage but somehow feminine, the black shirt he wore had lace cuffed sleeves and the collar was the same—a button up but the top two buttons were left undone. Black fitted pants and blacks boots. Under dressed for the weather by societal terms, but the freezing temperatures, of course, did not affect him. In his arms he held a porcelain doll. It had blond, wavy hair, dark eyes, and was decorated in 18th century clothing; a crimson and cream dress, hat, and closed parasol.
Blood stains made up half of the red hues.
Brushing off the snow that had piled up on the swing set, Caleb took his seat there, held the doll with one arm as he pushed off with his feet lightly, swaying back and forth in a gentle manner. Glancing at the sky briefly, a soft sigh passed pale pink lips. It was hard to see the stars ever since he had arrived in Seoul, and it strangely upset him.
"Where do you think he is, Miss Emily?"
Snow had dusted over every rooftop and every tree-branch. Glistening like small crystals in the blue light of a highly risen moon. The world had been left covered in white, every inch molded into perfection with the help of chill, ice creating beautiful patterns along curbs and railings. And of course it brought the pureblood outdoors. Because when the world was enveloped by winter like this, that was when he could reunite with the solitary substance that he consisted of; Ice. The air was vibrant, his energy flourished by the way his breaths created small clouds of condensation and he basked in the joy of truly being alive. Winter always made him feel alive.
But this wasn’t the solitary reason to his nightly wanders, oh no. Sadly, there were other things occupying a tattered mind, causing his lips to form a thin line as his feet led him to places he usually wouldn’t enter. Guided him to spaces he had ignored for years. He was in search for something he had lost long ago, someone he had tried to keep track of for as many years as he possibly could and he had indeed been informed of his arrival to Korea. Of course he had been. And even if he hadn’t, the way his skin tingled would have made it noticeable either way. It came at the oddest of times, at the strangest of places, and his search had begun about two days back. Because at first, he had naïvely believed that he would be found first, rethinking his choices after receiving word of how difficult it seemed to be.
There wasn’t much Aleksei didn’t know of his sirling, little he hadn’t kept his eyes open for over the years. What had been seen and heard had caused him many issues but also given him a large sense of pride. As twisted and wry as his own heart had become, it wasn’t too strange. For someone whom had killed almost a million people during his own lifetime, taking pride in the psychosis of his own progeny, of the way his path was trailed by bloodstains and ashes, it almost seemed natural.
Blood and ice, conjoined in beauty.
He smirked to himself as he almost levitated above untouched expanses of crystal white, of gleaming flakes he treasured more than his own heart. Because, they were what he consisted of. Thus the chill had no effect on him, although he was dressed properly either way. His grey coat was draped gracefully over slim shoulders, strands of icy blond adjusted perfectly, not a single one astray as he wandered through frostbitten landscapes. He was close and he could tell. The air grew thicker, skin tingling further and the strands of hair upon his nape bristled impatiently as silence continued to echo throughout the entire city.
The Siberian king wandered slowly, kept hues of amber wide open as almost searching frantically for his lost treasure. Would he succeed this time, would there be a reunification or would their senses be lost to the darkness of complete insanity once more? Would the pureblood loose his little beloved yet again? Or would he be able to contain the raging sea of corruption that he had indeed seemed to become? He questioned himself many times over, albeit being determined to succeed no matter what. And perhaps, that was why it seemed to simple, when the sight of the younger vampire finally grew apparent, when senses tingled like never before and Aleksei came to a stop.
Only a few feet away he was, standing still amidst crystalized beauty. Staring at the frozen image of someone he had not met in person for over two hundred years. Strange, it felt strange. To behold him like this, to see him in person and Aleksei’s desire to berate was strong. But he pushed it aside, striding with silent steps, eyes wide open and hands resting by his sides. His pale, flawless skin had grown red from frostbite, a few snowflakes caught on long eyelashes as his lips curved in the faintest of pleasant smiles.
" So I see,
that you have returned
to me,
my darling"