- 5 hours ago
Silver Blood Awakening
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My name is Alara, the lowest-ranking Omega in my pack.
00:05Every day, my task was to follow the other Omegas and pour a small cup of holy water,
00:10mixed with liquid silver, into the altar in the Shadow Abyss.
00:14At the center of the altar stood a hexagonal coffin.
00:17Sybil, the cruel Beta Overseer, spoke in a low, cold voice.
00:22That rebel on the altar dared to covet the throne.
00:26The king has ordered him to die in disgrace.
00:28Grace, great moon goddess, who would dare betray a true alpha?
00:32Thou frightened the Omegas lined up, pouring cup after cup of the silver-tainted holy water into the grate.
00:39When it was my turn, my hand trembled.
00:42I tried to steal a glance at the coffin, but someone shoved me from behind,
00:47sending me crashing onto the stone floor.
00:49A burst of cruel laughter erupted around me.
00:52Sybil turned, her eyes cold as ice.
00:55She raised her silver-tipped whip and lashed it across my back.
00:59The whip burned, and the sheer force of the impact threw me forward.
01:03Get up, you filthy degenerate, and get back to work.
01:07No one helped me.
01:08In their eyes, I was tainted.
01:10A cursed Omega who had willingly disgraced herself after being attacked by a rogue deserter.
01:15They said misfortune ran in my blood.
01:19I swallowed the pain, picked up my cup, and walked toward the altar with the last splash of holy water.
01:25The moment I bent down to pour it, I heard a faint, frantic scratching sound from inside the coffin.
01:32My body went completely rigid.
01:34The hand holding the cup froze in mid-air.
01:37I heard my own voice, barely a whisper, trembling in the gloom.
01:42Is the person inside this coffin still alive?
01:50Sybil paused, then burst into a harsh laugh.
01:53The others immediately followed suit, their snickers gradually turning into open mockery.
02:00Sybil stopped laughing, walked over, and bent down to look me dead in the eye.
02:05Alive.
02:06Even if he is, what difference does it make?
02:09Are you pitying him?
02:10She pointed a gnarled finger toward the altar.
02:13That lid is sealed with three pure silver nails.
02:18Do you think they drove them in out of mercy?
02:21Sybil straightened up, her expression turning deadly serious.
02:25A rebel is imprisoned in this coffin, Alara.
02:28I warn you.
02:31If you ask one more question, I'll nail you in there with him.
02:34I lowered my head, saying nothing.
02:37But that sound remained trapped in my mind.
02:39That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
02:43The sound in my head nails scraping against wood echoed again and again.
02:48I listened carefully, Sybil was already sound asleep, her heavy snoring filling the room.
02:53The other omegas in the barracks were also fast asleep.
02:57I quietly pulled back the covers, stepped barefoot onto the cold stone floor, and tiptoed out the door.
03:04Gathering every ounce of my courage, I slipped back toward the altar.
03:11Every hair on my body stood on end.
03:14Forcing myself to be brave, I whispered across the altar.
03:18Is anyone there?
03:20Are you still alive?
03:22My voice drifted into the dark night, met only by silence.
03:26I called out twice more, my voice rising slightly.
03:30Can you hear me?
03:32I am an omega from the shadow abyss.
03:35My name is Alara.
03:36There was still no sound from inside the coffin.
03:40I was just about to give up.
03:41Thinking that perhaps the scratching sound had been a trick of my mind, or that the prisoner had finally succumbed
03:47to the silver.
03:48I prepared to stand up and walk back just then.
03:51Thump.
03:52A dull, heavy thud came from inside the coffin.
03:55My heart skipped a beat.
03:57He was alive.
03:58I ran back to the barracks as fast as my bare feet could carry me.
04:02I retrieved my specially made waterproof boots and a protective suit that covered my entire body.
04:08Just as I was about to leave, I saw a piece of raw meat hidden under my bed, leftovers I
04:14had smuggled from dinner.
04:15Without a second thought, I wrapped it in a handkerchief, tucked it inside my dress, and ran all the way
04:21back to the altar.
04:22After pulling on the boots and protective suit, I approached the coffin.
04:26Indeed, three massive silver nails were driven deep into the lid.
04:30I squatted down and felt around the perimeter of the coffin.
04:34Near one of the top corners, my fingers brushed against a tiny opening.
04:39I stood on tiptoe and pressed my eye against the gap, trying to peer into the darkness.
04:44The very instant I leaned in, a hand shot out from the gap and firmly gripped my wrist.
04:51I nearly screamed in terror, but then I noticed the glint of a gold ring on his finger.
04:57Only royalty could wear a ring of that design.
05:00Before I could pull away, the hand snatched the raw meat from my grip, pulling the food and the handkerchief
05:06back through the crack.
05:07I leaned against the altar, trembling violently.
05:11From the dark crevice came the faint, desperate sound of teeth tearing into raw flesh.
05:17I dared not linger any longer.
05:19I scrambled to my feet and ran.
05:22But the sudden movement split the whip wounds across my back.
05:26After only a few steps, I collapsed to the ground, crying out in agony.
05:31I clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my sob into my palm.
05:35The wounds had torn completely open.
05:38Warm blood flowed down my spine, and waves of white-hot pain darkened my vision.
05:43Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
05:46I choked back another sob but the tiny sound was sharp and clear in the quiet of the night.
05:51The chewing sound from the crack stopped.
05:54The person inside had heard me.
05:56I froze in place, staring at the dark crevice.
06:00After a long agonizing silence, I spoke softly.
06:03Who exactly are you?
06:05There was no answer.
06:06I tried again.
06:07Can you speak?
06:08Still, silence.
06:10I held onto the stone altar and slowly pushed myself up, inching back toward the coffin.
06:16It was so quiet that the only sound was my own shallow breathing.
06:20I lowered my head, trying to look into the crack once more.
06:24The next second, a terrifying, lateral growl erupted from within.
06:29It sounded like a wild beast, yet also like a man on the very brink of death.
06:34I gasped in fright, turned and fled.
06:40Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pushed myself back to my feet and ran all the way to the
06:46barracks.
06:47Daybreak was approaching, I had to hurry.
06:50The next day during my shift, I pretended my injuries were far worse than they were.
06:55Letting my body wobble and spilling more than half of each cup of holy water.
07:00Sybil didn't suspect anything.
07:02She assumed I was simply terrified by the previous day's whipping and kept sneering at me, calling me a useless
07:08waste.
07:09At night, I wrapped the food I had saved from my meager dinner half.
07:13A raw steak and a handkerchief, and returned to the altar.
07:16The memory of that low growl had haunted me all day.
07:19But I had to try one more time.
07:22If there truly was a living prince trapped in that coffin, this piece of meat might help him survive another
07:28night.
07:28The moment I squatted down, sweat slicked my palms.
07:33The growl from the night before echoed in my mind.
07:35And I began to regret my own recklessness.
07:38Yet, I couldn't bring myself to him.
07:41Suddenly the hand stretched out from the crack again.
07:44I shuddered, almost falling backward, but I bit my lip hard and forced myself to stay.
07:50This time, he didn't grab my wrist.
07:53Instead, his fingers gripped my sleeve tightly.
07:56Then, a voice drifted out.
07:59Don't trust anyone.
08:01I dared not move.
08:03Don't tell anyone about me.
08:06His grip tightened slightly.
08:09Otherwise, you'll die before I do.
08:13I leaned closer, trying to see through the gap.
08:16At first, there was only pitch black.
08:19But as my eyes adjusted to the faint, filtered light, I saw it.
08:26I didn't sleep at all that night.
08:28Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those piercing golden eyes staring back at me.
08:33And the ring.
08:34The moonlight had been too dim to read the fine engravings on its surface.
08:37But I couldn't mistake its style.
08:40It wasn't something an ordinary noble would wear.
08:42It was the mark of the royal family.
08:44But if the man in the coffin was royal, why was he imprisoned beneath the church's altar?
08:49Why was he chained like a beast, forbidden from ever seeing the light of day?
08:54The more I thought about it, the colder I felt inside.
08:57The next morning, I carried the brass basin for cleaning sacred vessels to the backyard.
09:03An Omega housemate was squatting by the well, scrubbing laundry.
09:07Seeing my troubled expression, she asked casually,
09:11Didn't sleep well last night?
09:15I lowered my head, vigorously rubbing the edge of the brass basin,
09:20and spoke as if the thought had just occurred to me.
09:23Last night, I heard some of the guards talking about things beyond the shadow abyss.
09:29About the vampires.
09:31What are they really like?
09:33She frowned, quickly looking around to ensure no one was nearby,
09:37then lowered her voice.
09:39You know, there are vampire territories just beyond our borders, right?
09:43I nodded.
09:45I heard stories when I was a child.
09:47She whispered.
09:48They drink blood, eat people, tear living wolves to shreds.
09:54Isn't the shadow abyss built to stop their invasion?
09:57The Omega let out a soft mocking scoff.
10:00Stop them?
10:01If we could truly stop them,
10:04the royal family wouldn't need to send sacrifices over.
10:07I abruptly looked up.
10:10She seemed to realize she had said too much.
10:14Her expression shifted,
10:15but she kept speaking in a hushed tone anyway.
10:18Every few years, the royal family sends one of their own to the border.
10:22Nominally, it's for peace talks.
10:24But in reality, everyone knows it's a sacrifice.
10:28My hand slipped,
10:29and the rim of the copper basin nearly struck the stone edge of the well.
10:36Sacrifice?
10:38They say that as long as those vampires receive their royal offerings on time,
10:42they won't cross the border.
10:44I stared at her, speechless.
10:47A sacrifice every few years?
10:52Every three to five years,
10:53the most recent one was three years ago.
10:55Three years ago,
10:57those words pierced my heart like a thorn.
11:00I stood frozen.
11:01That coffin had appeared under the altar exactly three years ago,
11:06the same year I had been forced into this grueling work.
11:09My throat tightened,
11:11and I tried to keep my voice casual.
11:14Three years ago,
11:16who did they send?
11:18The Omega hesitated then whispered.
11:20I heard it was Prince Lucian.
11:22Cerebus.
11:23My mind erupted into utter chaos.
11:26If Prince Lucian was sent to the border three years ago,
11:29then,
11:30who was the man trapped in the coffin?
11:35The man beneath the altar,
11:37wearing a royal ring,
11:39possessing rare golden eyes,
11:41secretly imprisoned,
11:42never seeing the light of day.
11:43There was no such thing as coincidence.
11:46Unless,
11:47the man in the coffin was his highness Lucian Seraphis.
11:51The realization struck me so hard
11:53that the copper basin slipped from my hands,
11:56crashing to the stone floor with a deafening clang.
11:59The other girls by the well gassed and turned to stare.
12:04What are you daydreaming for?
12:07Sybil's voice boomed from behind me,
12:09before I could react.
12:11Her palms slammed across my face.
12:15You can't even hold a copper basin steady,
12:18you good-for-nothing.
12:20The blow sent my head snapping to the side,
12:23making my ears ring.
12:25I quickly scrambled to pick up the basin.
12:28Sybil stood over me,
12:29her face terrifyingly grim.
12:32You've been distracted these past two days.
12:35What exactly are you plotting?
12:38I murmured, keeping my head bowed.
12:41Nothing.
12:42She let out a cold laugh and kicked the basin out of my hands again.
12:47Nothing?
12:49Look at you.
12:50You're practically shaking.
12:52I clenched my hands.
12:54Not daring to look up,
12:56but my mind was spinning,
12:57and as if possessed by madness,
12:59I whispered,
13:00I only...
13:01I heard there is someone locked in the coffin under the altar.
13:05The courtyard went deathly silent.
13:07The next second,
13:08Sybil grabbed me by the hair,
13:10violently forcing my head back.
13:12Her eyes cut into me like knives.
13:15Who gave you permission to ask about that place?
13:20My scalp burned with agonizing pain,
13:22but I forced myself not to struggle.
13:25I didn't ask.
13:27I only heard the others talking.
13:29It doesn't matter what you heard.
13:31Sybil sneered.
13:32You won't live long enough to tell anyone anyway, will you?
13:35My heart sank into my chest.
13:37No matter who the man in the coffin was,
13:39I couldn't let him die.
13:40For three consecutive nights,
13:43I saved my own food and water and brought it to him,
13:46but he refused to touch it.
13:47I asked him if he was Lucian Seraphis,
13:50but he remained silent.
13:52It was only when I whispered,
13:54I will get you out of here,
13:56that a faint, mocking scoff echoed from the gap.
13:59There was no joy in his laugh,
14:01only bitter amusement.
14:02You, an Omega,
14:04trampled underfoot by the entire pack.
14:06What could you possibly do to save me?
14:09But as he spoke,
14:10his hand reached out
14:11and took the beef and water from my grasp.
14:14I let out a small relieved smile.
14:16I will find a way.
14:18Just wait.
14:21The next afternoon,
14:23Sybil noticed the fluid levels in the altar had changed.
14:27How is it that the holy water
14:29has decreased by half a foot these past few days?
14:32My heart leapt into my throat.
14:35If the water rose any higher,
14:37it would submerge the crevice and drown him.
14:40Every night,
14:41I had been secretly scooping some of it out.
14:43The nearby servant girls exchanged uneasy,
14:46panicked glances,
14:47but no one dared to speak.
14:49Sybil stood up,
14:50her gaze sweeping across the line of Omegas,
14:53finally stopping on me.
14:56Elara.
14:57My legs began to tremble.
15:00Step forward.
15:03The girls beside me parted instantly,
15:06leaving me standing alone in the center of the room.
15:09Sybil walked over,
15:11scanning me from head to toe.
15:13Then,
15:13she smiled a cold, cruel curve of her lips
15:16that was far more terrifying than her rage.
15:19I heard that someone has been wandering around the altar late at night.
15:24My mind went entirely blank.
15:27Ilarra,
15:29do you know who that might be?
15:31Panic seized me,
15:32and I shook my head frantically.
15:34No, I don't know!
15:36Get down!
15:37Sybil barked.
15:38She whipped out her silver whip and lashed it across my back.
15:42I screamed in agony,
15:44collapsing heavily onto the stone floor.
15:49In front of everyone,
15:51I lay face down on the cold stone floor.
15:54I didn't beg for mercy,
15:56nor did I confess.
15:57Because I knew that if I admitted to knowing what was in that coffin,
16:01I would be dead before dawn.
16:03When she was finally done,
16:04Sybil flicked the blood off her whip
16:06and swept her cold gaze over the room.
16:09Whoever dares to give her medicine,
16:12speak to her,
16:13or even look at her,
16:14will be the next to feel this whip.
16:16For the rest of the night,
16:18the barracks were dead silent.
16:20No one dared to come near me.
16:22As the night grew deep and the others fell asleep,
16:25I forced myself up.
16:26Every movement brought a wave of blinding pain.
16:29But I dragged myself into my protective suit and boots.
16:34I hobbled to the altar,
16:36stood on tiptoe,
16:37and pushed a piece of raw beef through the gap.
16:40For a long time,
16:41there was no movement in the dark.
16:43Just as I thought he was going to ignore me,
16:46his hoarse voice drifted out of the crevice.
16:48You're injured.
16:50I smell blood.
16:51Alphys had sharp senses.
16:53He had picked up the scent instantly.
16:56I froze,
16:57subconsciously touching my back.
16:59My fingers came away sticky and damp.
17:02I forced a faint smile and whispered,
17:05I'm tough.
17:07I'll heal in a few days.
17:10A long silence followed.
17:12Then a soft, self-deprecating sneer echoed from the darkness.
17:18So weak,
17:20yet you dare to come back.
17:22You are a reckless little fool.
17:27I leaned against the cold coffin,
17:29not knowing how to reply.
17:31His voice murmured,
17:33carrying an innate powerful authority.
17:36You reckless little thing.
17:38Take this.
17:39From the dark crevice,
17:41something was slowly pushed out.
17:43I reached out and took it.
17:45Under the faint moonlight,
17:47I saw the glint of the royal ring.
17:48Take it to the moon temple.
17:50Find the lame herbalist there.
17:52Trade it for wound-solve and cleansing balm.
17:55You want me to steal medicine?
17:57If the guards catch me with this,
17:59I'll be banished.
18:00I told you to trade it for yourself.
18:02To treat your own wounds.
18:04His tone was flat,
18:05as if he were speaking of a stranger.
18:07As for me,
18:09the holy water you pour daily
18:11has already seeped into this box.
18:13My skin has long since frested.
18:15It won't heal now.
18:16My fingers tightened around the heavy gold ring.
18:19Do you honestly think I would leave you to rot?
18:22His voice softened slightly,
18:24like the fading heat of dying embers.
18:26Go,
18:27and don't come back.
18:30The next evening,
18:32risking banishment,
18:33I snuck to the back door
18:35of the moon goddess temple.
18:37After waiting for nearly an hour,
18:39the limping herbalist finally emerged.
18:41I blocked his path
18:43and held up the royal ring.
18:44The moment he saw it,
18:45his face drained of color.
18:50Where did you get that?
18:52My heart pounding like a war drum.
18:55I said,
18:56That's none of your concern.
18:57I need your strongest healing salib
19:00and cleansing balm.
19:00The herbalist stared at me,
19:02his eyes wide with fear.
19:04Finally,
19:05he snatched the ring
19:06and stuffed it into his pocket.
19:10Tomorrow evening,
19:11meet me here.
19:13Do not get caught,
19:14or we will both be executed.
19:16The next night,
19:17I returned on time.
19:18The limping herbalist
19:20shoved a package
19:21wrapped in oiled leather
19:22into my hands.
19:23His fingers were shaking violently.
19:26This is treason.
19:27I've taken the ring.
19:29Now run and never come back.
19:31He turned and fled,
19:33disappearing limping into the shadows.
19:38The medicine package was hidden in my palm.
19:41If I applied it to my own wounds now,
19:43I could cover the whip marks,
19:45pretend nothing had happened,
19:46and walk past the guards without raising suspicion.
19:50I had planned it all out.
19:51Apply the salve,
19:53hide the rest in the seams of my mattress,
19:55and remain quiet and compliant.
19:57But as I gripped the leather package,
19:59my knuckles turned white.
20:01If I used it,
20:02I would suffer less.
20:03But what about him?
20:05He would continue to rot in the dark,
20:07waiting for infection to take his life.
20:09I closed my eyes,
20:11steeled myself,
20:12and hid the medicine package in my waistband.
20:14The sound of heavy boots echoed outside the door.
20:18I straightened my spine,
20:19my heart hammering against my ribs.
20:21I had to face the guard's search head on.
20:25Everyone line up.
20:27No one move.
20:30It was Kale,
20:31the newly appointed beta overseer.
20:34My chest tightened.
20:35I instinctively pushed the medicine deeper into my clothes.
20:39While Kale's back was turned,
20:41I tried to slip along the wall toward the door.
20:44But after only two steps,
20:46my eyes caught the altar.
20:48My blood ran cold.
20:49The water level was almost flush with the coffin lid.
20:54You, stop right there.
20:56Kale's voice cut through the room.
20:59Me feet froze.
21:00Kyle walked over,
21:02her sharp eyes scanning me from head to toe.
21:05What are you hiding?
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