Arrival in Crimson Hollow

The wind howled, sharp, cold, and merciless.

Owen's body slammed into the earth with a heavy thud. Damp soil and crimson leaves clung to his skin like decay. The air forced its way into his lungs, thick with mist and the bitter tang of iron.

For a moment, he lay there, heart pounding and mind reeling, until his dazed eyes caught the sky above.

It churned violently, a storm of blood-red clouds swirling across a bruised canvas of darkness. Overhead, twin moons glared down, cold and cursed, watching him in eerie silence.

Then it hit him, he wasn't on the bed with King Zephyris.

A rush of heat crept into his cheeks, an uncontrollable blush that flickered before shame overwhelmed it. His fingers dug into the mud beneath him, slick and wet, stained with the faint metallic scent of blood.

He looked up again.

The clouds tore wider, bleeding deeper shades of crimson and black. The twin moons still loomed, unforgiving and watchful. Around him, the wind screamed through a forest of twisted trees. Skeletal branches stretched upward, gnarled limbs clawing at the low-hanging sky like broken fingers.

He looked around like a confused kitten.

"How… where am I in?" He asked as he stood up a bit.

"Indigo… What's going on? Why am I here all of the sudden?"

Neil asked, looking around scared.

"System Booting… 5%... 25%... 100%. Welcome back, Host. Thought you wouldn't ask."

Neil blinked rapidly. "Are you kidding me?" he coughed, rolling onto his side, vision spinning.

"Tell me what's going on, here?" he asked again.

"Well, let's say you've just respawned into your first real Mission." The fairy answered with a smug and playful voice.

"What? I thought that's our first mission, I'm confused." Neil asked frustrated and scared at the same time

"Nope it wasn't." Indigo replied indifferently.

"You should have informed me atleast. Why didn't you do it."

Indigo fluttered in front of him, her tiny arms crossing over her chest as her wings gave a faint shimmer.

"Because if I had, you would've panicked, overthought, and probably messed it all up. You're cute when you're clueless, Neil. Besides..." Her smirk deepened. "Where's the fun in spoiling the surprise?"

She winked, clearly unbothered by his frustration.

"Are you serious right now?" Neil snapped, his voice rising yet his body froze, too overwhelmed to truly lash out.

'The best thing I should do right now is figure out where the hell I've transmigrated this time…'

"You're catching on," Indigo chimed, voice sickeningly sweet. "You passed the trial world. That was just a sandbox... a little playground to test if you're worth the effort."

She twirled mid-air, eyes gleaming with mischief. "But this? This, my darling Host… this is the real beginning of your story."

Her smirk widened, wings shimmering like broken stardust.

A wave of dizziness washed over him. His hands looked smaller, skin pale with faint bruises trailing his wrists. As he reached up and touched his face, his breath hitched.

"This isn't... this isn't my face. Why does it feel like this body is malnourished?"

"Of course it's not yours," Indigo replied smoothly. "This body belonged to Owen Mortem, the third son of the fallen Saint family. Abandoned by both the church and the court. Tragic, really."

She floated closer, her voice turning smug. "Oh, and the fun part? He looked exactly like you."

Neil's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'looked like me'?"

"Almost like the universe tailored this one just for you," Indigo said, lips curling into a sly smile. "And yes, you were right. This body is starved, weak. The previous host was treated like trash. Beaten, ignored. You're wearing the aftermath."

Before Neil could reply, a shout rang out nearby, slicing through the thick silence.

"Is that the boy?!" a raspy female voice called out. "The sacrificial bride?"

Neil turned his head just as a group of cloaked figures emerged from the mist, five robed women and one heavily armored man.

Panic flared in his chest. He tried to move, to crawl or even drag himself away, but his limbs were sluggish, his body too weak. Within moments, they encircled him like a pack of wolves closing in on prey.

"He rose… just like the prophecy said."

"He looks pale… He must be the one meant for Prince Thorne."

"The cursed bride."

"The replacement."

Their voices overlapped in a ghostly chorus, whispering like wind through a graveyard.

Neil instinctively stepped back, heart racing. "Wait... what bride? What prophecy? I'm not marrying anyone!"

The man stepped forward, towering and grim, his armor clinking with every movement. His eyes were cold, devoid of sympathy.

"You will. Tonight marks the rise of the Red Moon. You are to be offered to the Vampire Prince of Crimson Hollow. He must drink from you… or your body will begin to decay before sunrise."

From above Neil's shoulder, Indigo's voice broke the tension light, annoyingly casual.

"I may have… forgotten to mention that tiny detail."

Neil spun toward her, face drained of color. "You WHAT?"

The armored man gestured sharply, and two women stepped forward to lift Neil firm but not cruel. "He must be prepared."

"No I must not. Let go of me you huge... Ugh damn."

"Easy dear master, you might end up provoking this huge armored man. Hehehe."

Neil struggled, but his body refused to cooperate frail, thin, and cold to the bone.

They shoved him into a dark carriage. The cushions were worn, and the air inside was thick with dampness and the faint scent of old blood. He sighed and sat upright, his thoughts spiraling in every direction.

"So, are you finally going to tell me where the hell I am now?" Neil asked, impatient and irritated.

"Crimson Hollow," Indigo answered with a cheeky lilt in her voice. "Population: 40% Vampires, 40% Undead, 15% Fae, and 5% Screaming Mortals."

Neil stared blankly ahead. "Great. Just great. From the look of things, I'm actually getting married… This is getting weirder by the second."

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the crimson-tinted clouds. The air shifted, heavy with tension.

"It's about to rain," Neil muttered, eyes fixed on the blurred view through the window.

"Yes," Indigo replied, unbothered.

He didn't glance at her. "Anything else I should know?"

"Oh, absolutely. Twelve shards of the Demon King's soul are scattered across twelve different worlds," she said, her tone suddenly turning serious. "This is World One. Mission One: Seduce the Vampire Prince and retrieve the shard embedded in his cursed heart."

Neil's jaw dropped. "Seduce? You're joking, right?"

"Does it sound like I'm joking?" Indigo replied, unfazed. "But before you worry about all that, focus on surviving Crimson Hollow. One wrong move, and the punishment might make you wish you were dead."

With that, Neil's body betrayed him again, his vision blurred, and before he could protest, his eyes fluttered shut, until finally, sleep took him completely.

Time passed, but it felt like nothing at all. Minutes? Hours? It was hard to tell.

The carriage jolted to a halt, snapping Neil from his uneasy slumber. The faint hum of the wheels and the sway of the carriage had lulled him into a daze, but now, everything was still.

Indigo's voice rang in his mind, "Get up. We've arrived."

Groaning, Neil pushed himself upright, the weight of his limbs still too heavy, his body weak and aching. He winced as he moved, the remnants of memories about Zephyris still lingering in his mind.

Through the fog of his disorientation, he could see the towering silhouette of the black temple against the darkened sky.

The temple loomed like a massive, ancient shadow carved into the cliffside. The black stone was adorned with glowing red runes, flickering as if alive.

The atmosphere around it seemed thick with power, almost suffocating. A chill ran through him despite the warmth of the carriage's interior.

Neil stared at the temple, his heart racing. "What the hell is this place?"

He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. The glowing red runes on the black stone made the place look alive, almost suffocating. A chill ran through him despite the warmth inside the carriage.

"Of course," he muttered under his breath. "A creepy, blood-soaked temple. Just what I needed."

Indigo's voice echoed in his mind, casual as ever. "Welcome to Crimson Hollow."

Neil groaned, still feeling the weight of exhaustion. "Yeah, thanks for the warm welcome again."

Just then, the carriage door was opened and the same huge man appeared before Neil and carried him inside the temple the walls laced with glowing red runes.

Inside, they took him to a chamber with candles burning violet flames. The man left him with four women dressed in black and red robes with gold.

One of the women started chanting softly as it echoed through the chamber. They carefully stripped Neil and lowered him into a basin of warm, rose-colored water. As he looked closely, Neil saw the petals weren't roses they were soaked in blood.

Owen's heart thundered.

"This is just part of the ritual. You won't die. Yet."

"Helpful," Owen muttered.

As he soaked, Indigo's voice softened, more serious now.