Briar Rose - Taekook

Epilogue 1

Hey guys! So, this epilogue is an account of what is happening to V. I decided to split it into three or four parts, because I really didn't want to leave you guys on a cliffhanger ending. Also, the setting changes pretty constantly, so keep a sharp lookout for that. 

The time period is one year after the last chapter. 

I year later

Epilogue: V

It isn't that the building of Bloodcrest is ugly.

It just lacks architectural design.

I understand that it is meant to be fear-inspiring, with its tall sharp towers and barbed wire fences. But I'm still not impressed. Perhaps it is because the architect has put in one too many blue-fire torches in the courtyard. Or that all the training barracks look like squat little toads made of wood. But I am impressed with how many people, or students, Bloodcrest manages to kill in a year. Their dying screams provide a very nice soundtrack when I turn in for the night.

I shake my head to dispel those thoughts. I had promised myself ― and Jungkook― that I would stop thinking murderous thoughts. It isn't easy. I've had my fair share of kills throughout the years, and my urge for blood hasn't cooled very much. Of course, living next to Bloodcrest for a decade may have something to do with it. But I really don't have any desire to move. I find this place almost... relaxing. No one in the streets looks twice at me, too afraid of Bloodcrest's power to even look up from their work. And it also helps that there's a bustling illegal black market just blocks away. It is one of the reasons I picked this place to be my temporary home.

Today, I am resting in a high tree just overlooking the menacing barbed wire fences surrounding Bloodcrest. The training fields are deserted in the dark hours of night, though some lights in the barracks are still on. The first dots of stars are starting to blink into existence in the ink-black sky, when the front iron gates of Bloodcrest open with a loud creak. I look down, expecting to see a low-ranking soldier ready to go out on nightly patrols through the town, or a Mask eagerly walking down to the brothels on the docks.

What I didn't expect is a student.

It's not everyday that you see such a small, cloaked figure running away from Bloodcrest at night. I'm surprised that whoever it is even managed to even get out, considering that Bloodcrest's security is top-notch. As I watch, the cloaked figure quickly looks left and right, before running down a narrow alleyway.

This could be interesting.

I abandon my roost on the high sycamore tree, and fly down silently to follow the student. She's smaller than I expected. A first-year, by the looks of it. Those are usually the ones who come in with hope, hope that they can survive and become one of the greatest warriors in the vampire kingdoms. At least half die trying.

But this girl doesn't seem to be running away. She doesn't have any pack, food, or even a flask of water. The only weapon she has is a sheathed dagger dangling from her belt. Either she's a horrible planner, or her aim is something else. I find myself more intrigued by the second, and touch down silently on the ground just a few meters away from her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The little girl jumps, then looks guilily around. When her eyes meet mine, she lets out a little squeak, backing away in horror. There is something about her ruby red eyes which looked vaguely familiar, though I can't remember from where. She is wearing an inconspicuous black dress and cloak, but is obviously a student of Bloodcrest as she has the school crest tattooed on the back of her hand. Her cloak is fastened at the base of her throat with what I suppose is a family crest. A rose, etched deep into the silver metal. What clan is that again? The name is at the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember. The knowledge seems to get farther and farther away as I grasp at it, so in the end I give up, focusing my attention once more on the little girl.