---
"Come here! Come here! We've got a new scarab sweet at a lower price!"
"Our stand has lowered all prices!"
"Huge discounts on clothes! Even the lord wears tailored garments from our store!"
"Accessories from the West have arrived! New equipment at a bargain price!"
Shop and stall owners shouted like madmen, desperately trying to sell their products to the bustling crowd. They knew the Festival of Lights was the biggest celebration on the continent, and being in one of the most populous cities of the human kingdom, they aimed to clear their warehouses before the festival ended.
The main road, which directly connected the lord's manor to the castle gate, ran through the entertainment district. Most merchants chose to set up their stalls there, knowing it was the busiest route.
That was where Sadit had his stall. He had come to the city with his young son, Sadin, along with Sardik, the owner of the Rising Sun Inn. With Sardik's help—who was well-known for his 'Adam's Apples'—Sadit secured a spot for his business.
Since morning, his apple stall had done well, selling nearly half of his stock. After breakfast, his seven-year-old son, Sadin, came to help. But it was his first time in the city, and he was too fascinated by the sights to be of any real assistance. Instead of working, he wandered off, exploring other stalls and becoming more of a distraction than a help.
Sadit continued selling until evening. Just as he was about to close, he realized something—Sadin was gone.
Panic gripped him. He called out his son's name, scanning the nearby sweet stalls. But Sadin was nowhere in sight.
His mind clouded with fear. He rushed to the nearest checkpoint station, reporting his missing child to the guards. But they barely acknowledged him, dismissing it as nothing serious. "The boy is probably playing nearby," they said. "Don't worry."
Furious at their indifference, Sadit took matters into his own hands. He searched every alley, stall, store—every possible corner. But there was no sign of Sadin.
Desperate, he packed his belongings and headed toward the Rising Sun Inn.
---
"Grraghh…!"
"Come here, you demon!" Dracula snarled.
He could taste the scent of a demon from the slums while patrolling. The foul presence lingered deep within the district, beyond where he was allowed to venture.
At dusk, the demon finally made its move. Dracula sensed its presence moving at high speed near him.
---
Pant... pant... pant...
A small boy ran with all his might, gripping the hand of a little girl. Their tattered clothes marked them as beggars.
Thud! The girl tripped over a rock, scraping her knee. Blood trickled from the wound.
"Waaah!" she cried, but the boy immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhh! Don't make a sound, or the scary uncles will come," he whispered urgently.
The girl nodded but froze as her gaze drifted past him.
"Grrrr..."
The boy slowly turned.
A monstrous creature loomed over them, its body covered in thick black fur. Its head resembled a bat, but its body was that of a monkey, with the long, thin tail of a deer. The creature growled at the sight of the children.
"Run!" the boy shouted, grabbing a stone. He aimed for the creature's knees, but before he could move, his body locked up—paralyzed by the creature's yellow gaze.
A gargoyle.
It spread its wings, preparing to snatch the children—
Shing!
A white flash sliced through the air, severing the gargoyle's legs.
"Gahhh!" The creature howled in agony, its cry echoing through the slums.
The boy's paralysis faded. He stumbled backward, still gripping the stone.
Before the gargoyle could recover, a red-haired young man stepped into view, his body outlined in a faint blue glow.
"Shaa…" The gargoyle's eyes flashed again, attempting to petrify its new opponent.
"Pah. You think that pathetic trick will work on me?" The red-haired man scoffed. "Do you have any idea how many demons I've hunted?"
Realizing its power was useless against him, the gargoyle flapped its wings, trying to escape.
"Uh-uh. That won't do," Dracula muttered.
He dashed forward, broadsword flashing. A streak of blue energy followed his blade as he sliced clean through the gargoyle's wings—and a portion of a nearby building.
Thud.
The gargoyle crashed to the ground, crippled.
The boy, no longer paralyzed, stepped forward. His grip on the stone tightened.
Thwak!
The rock struck the gargoyle's eye.
"Gahhh!" The demon screeched in agony.
Satisfied, the boy turned and lifted his sister into his arms.
Dracula smirked. "Quite a spectacle, wasn't it?"
"That's what it gets for messing with The Paisley," another voice responded.
A man approached from the shadows. Icarus. He had heard the gargoyle's cry and rushed over, though he had arrived only after Dracula had grounded the demon.
Icarus knelt, gently placing a hand on the boy's forehead. Within seconds, the child slumped unconscious.
"This one deserves a reward," he murmured. "He'll make a fine knight one day."
Then he turned to the gargoyle.
"It's a familiar. It'll return to its master soon."
Dracula frowned. "Then we'd better place a tracer on it before that happens."
Icarus hesitated. "Its master is skilled. I've been monitoring the entertainment district all day, but they still managed to slip past me—kidnapping multiple children in the process." His face darkened with frustration.
"But we got this one," Dracula reminded him. "We'll follow it back to its master."
"Let's hope it doesn't vanish before we reach them."
Icarus pulled a small needle from his sleeve and drove it into the gargoyle's skull. The creature twitched, then dissolved into a swarm of bats that flitted into the dark alley behind an abandoned house.
Icarus turned to the masked figures emerging from the shadows. "Take these children to the barracks. Treat them with utmost care."
Without a word, the figures lifted the boy and his sister and disappeared into the night.
Meanwhile, Icarus and Dracula followed the swarm of bats—straight into the darkness.
---