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Hlarin: The Bloodborn Princess

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Chapter 1 - The Bloodborn Princess

The Awakening

A Dark Fantasy Novel

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Prologue – The Fall of Hlarin

Once upon a time, beyond the reach of mortal kingdoms, stood a land called Hlarin — a realm so powerful its borders stretched beyond rivers, deserts, and mountains. No kingdom dared challenge it. For it was ruled not by mere men, but by mythical beings — the Royal Blood Vampires.

These vampires were unlike the monsters of legend. They walked beneath the sun, drank from crystal goblets, and wore crowns of gold. Their blood did not curse — it healed. They did not need to feed to live, but when they did, it made them stronger. Unlike their savage cousins, the Wild Vampires, Royal Blood Vampires were refined, civilized, and capable of compassion.

At the heart of this realm lived Princess Rafaela, daughter of Queen Iseria. With silver hair like moonlight and eyes to match, she was said to be the purest of their kind. Her blood alone could restore life, mend wounds, and calm even the most frenzied Wild Vampire.

But her power was a curse as much as it was a gift.

Her very presence awakened something primal in the Wild Vampires scattered across the world. Some fell to their knees in devotion. Others were driven into madness and rage. Attacks surged. Villages burned. Whispers grew louder — that Rafaela was the source.

In fear, Hlarin's nobility turned against her. Once-beloved, she became a danger in their eyes. Her own council betrayed her, binding her in chains of silver — the metal that burned her kind — and sealing her deep beneath the royal castle.

As the tomb closed around her, Rafaela did not scream.

She only whispered, "Not cursed. Only forgotten."

And then, silence.

Hlarin fell soon after. Wild Vampires overran its cities. The kingdom vanished from maps, and from memory. Only ashes, bones, and half-remembered tales remained.

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Chapter 1 – The Forgotten Ruins

Four hundred years passed.

And the world forgot.

The ruins of Hlarin lay hidden beneath forests and soil, its once-great towers devoured by time. What remained of its history became legend — vague tales of a cursed princess and a kingdom swallowed by night.

In the distant land of Velmora, a powerful empire in the west, a king lay dying.

King Therion, the Iron Bear of Velmora, conqueror of ten nations, was now a husk of his former self. No physician could cure him. No magic worked. His body decayed, inch by inch, as if something ancient had touched him.

His son, Prince Ron, stood at the edge of desperation.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and trained in both war and diplomacy, Ron had never believed in bedtime stories. But when his uncle came to him with whispers of the forgotten kingdom of Hlarin, he listened.

"There lies a creature," the uncle said, "a thing with blood so pure, it can raise a man from death's edge. Sealed beneath stone and silver. They say it was a saint. A princess. A monster."

Ron did not hesitate. Whether truth or myth, he would find this creature — for his father, for his kingdom.

He gathered his best men, draped his banner in conquest, and marched east.

But what he sought was not a kingdom to conquer.

It was something buried.

Something waiting.

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Chapter 2 – Whispers in the Woods

Their journey took them across broken roads and forgotten trails. The forest near Hlarin was thick, ancient — trees twisted like claws, roots spreading like veins over ruined stone.

At night, they made camp in the shadows of overgrown statues and crumbling bridges. The soldiers whispered old tales beside their fires.

"Ever heard of the Blood Saint?" one asked.

"They say she had silver eyes and could heal the dying."

"Bah. A vampire that heals? Lies. The only thing they heal is their thirst."

"But not her. She walked among mortals. Her blood was divine."

"And yet her kingdom's gone, innit? Must've been cursed."

Ron listened in silence, sharpening his blade. He, too, had begun to feel the weight of the place. Animals avoided them. Birds did not sing. The wind itself seemed to carry voices that never quite formed words.

As they drew closer to the ruins, things worsened.

They found the remains of deer — bodies intact, but completely drained of blood.

Then came the howls.

The Wild Vampires were stirring.

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Chapter 3 – The Tomb Beneath the Castle

The ruins of Hlarin rose like broken teeth from the earth, swallowed by roots and moss. The once-golden gates were rusted shut. The castle itself had partially collapsed, but beneath its central tower, they found a sealed stairwell of blackened stone.

It took hours to dig through the debris. The deeper they went, the colder it became. The air grew still, thick with ancient magic.

Torches flickered.

Then they found it.

A chamber carved from obsidian and iron. In its center lay a coffin bound in silver chains, engraved with runes of sealing. Ron ordered the others to stay back.

As he stepped closer, he saw her.

A woman — no, something more.

She looked as if she had been asleep, not entombed for centuries. Her silver hair flowed around her like silk. Her skin was pale, perfect. Around her wrists and ankles, silver shackles glowed faintly.

Her eyes opened.

Silver met gold.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then she whispered, her voice hoarse yet calm, "So... the world remembers after all."

Ron felt the hairs on his neck rise.

"You're… her?" he asked. "The Blood Saint?"

She smiled faintly. "I was a princess once. Now I'm just a memory."

"You're not human."

"No. But neither am I what they feared."

Ron raised his blade slightly, unsure. "If I free you, will you harm us?"

She looked at her chains. "If I wished to harm you, I'd wait until your back was turned."

He didn't know whether to laugh or run.

Still, something about her was... haunting. Not monstrous, but mournful.

"Why were you sealed?"

"My people feared what followed me. Wild ones. Beasts with bloodlust. Some still hear me. Others have forgotten."

He hesitated. "Can you command them?"

"We're strangers, my lord," she said softly. "I don't know if they'll hear my voice."

A chill ran through him.

But his father was dying. And this… creature… could be the only hope left.

With a breath, he placed his hand on the first chain.

And began to unlock it.

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