Chapter Text
On a usual basis, the first thought Kokichi turned to is typically something along the lines of, it could always be worse.
However, he had been having a very difficult time doom-spiraling when things were already extremely bad.
The village he lived in, a secluded little town deep within the “Witches Woods”– a place notorious for demonic activity, according to the books he’d stolen and read– tended to be a little jumpy. It made sense, with the threat of the haunted forest they both thrived off of and feared. But no time of the year got them more antsy than October.
There were only a few times in the year when the moons were full. Two glowing orbs hanging in the sky, cycling from their crescent shape to being full. Kokichi liked to watch them rise with his brother sometimes, or his brother’s grandparents. Who were also… his grandparents? Bleh. It was confusing.
However, October was one of the most common recurring months when the moons became full simultaneously. And unbeknownst to Kokichi five days ago, that was the perfect time to start scouting out “the lamb”.
Five days ago, when he and Kaito got lost in the forest.
Five days ago, when his life was irrevocably changed.
He really didn't mean to lose track of his brother. He had just been playing. He didn't mean to scream when he came across the mangled remains of… something.
And, well. Paranoid adults tended to make assumptions when they found the mischievous kid no one liked, covered in blood, without his popular, adored brother.
Kokichi had been swept away so fast, he hardly had time to babble out that he had only tripped into the corpse. He didn't do anything.
And now he was stuck here. In the stinkiest cell alive. Still covered in blood. He was going to die at 16, because he was an idiot.
Now here’s another thing about this village. Something that is known amongst everyone, and not only the leading council. Even deeper within the Witches Woods, some place not even the most fearsome of creatures dared to go near, stood a mansion.
No one knew much about it. No one who entered ever came out. The only person who ever did get a glimpse of what lurked inside committed suicide a few weeks after the fact, according to Kaito’s grandpa.
Needless to say, this did not bode well for Kokichi.
On top of the cell being gross, Kokichi felt gross. Apparently murderers– which he wasn't! That went against every single one of his core values!– weren’t allowed to have clothes. Or it was just part of the ritual, Kokichi had been panicking too much to pay attention to what those old geezers were saying. Days old blood coated his hands still, which had been bound in large, heavy shackles since the moment he was tossed in here. His only saving grace was that he got to have underwear. You’d be shocked at how little that did against the cold.
And yes, the cold. The cell had only a single window, magicked to only filter cold air into the room. Extremely unnecessary, if you asked him. The mountainous, October winds would do the trick just fine.
The real cherry on top was that Kokichi hadn’t been allowed to eat. His systems needed to be entirely cleared out for ritual day, or something. On the night of the full moons, when he would be disgraced as ‘the lamb’. The offering to the entity inside the mansion. A plea to leave their little town in peace.
If Kokichi had known this is what happened to those people he never saw again, he would have run from the village long ago. That old man that gave him candy once, a year ago. That older girl he and Kaito used to play with. And now, himself.
He was told that the forest had claimed them. Kokichi supposed that would be a far kinder fate than whatever the hell he was about to experience.
One thing his mind had been doing at rapid-fire speed is wondering what the entity was like. What sort of hellbeast was he going to have to face? The only person who ever saw it killed themself! If it looked that terrifying, what was it going to do to him?
It was getting dark again, preparing to plunge the cell into darkness once more. Kokichi watched the full moons through the slit of the window, feeling vaguely as if his part was about to beat through his chest. That could be the starvation, but he thought it was more likely the fear.
He was so caught up in his own terrors, he hardly noticed when the door opened. He was pulled onto his feet by his chains, which fizzled his vision into a gray fuzz. Blood pounded in his ears, muffling whatever it was the people in front of him were saying.
The freezing chill that had seeped into his skin spiked suddenly, not used to warmth. And when Kokichi opened his eyes, he realized he was drenched head-to-toe with blood.
“Oh,” he choked out in lieu of screaming, because his throat hurt so much, he didn't even know if he was capable of raising his voice anymore.
“It’s lamb’s blood,” one of the blurry figures in front of him told him. And suddenly, the title of the lamb made more sense.
Kokichi didn’t have the energy to put up a fight as he was dressed up. The sudden temperature shift was making him feel nauseous– the warmth was nice for a second, but now he felt as if he had been set on fire. Wool was procedurally wrapped around his body, itchy and hot, like pins dancing along his tender skin. He could taste its blood on his lips, which did nothing to help the sickness churning in his weak stomach.
“The moons will be high soon,” somebody said to the others. “We should begin the trek soon.”
“Hai,” affirmed another. “Let’s go.”
Kokichi’s world spun as he was hoisted upwards. And when he opened his eyes again, he was in some sort of wheelbarrow, transported through the woods.
The light of the moons filtered through the thick leaves, only barely illuminating the sorry excuse of a path ahead. Kokichi had never been this deep into the woods before– he was smarter than that. Especially with the horror stories of what lurked out here.
Well, he figured, if Kaito really did die, I guess I’ll find out how.
The thought was not at all comforting. But, well, five days alone in the Witches Woods? Kaito was probably gobbled up by a squirrel or something. Kokichi was about to be sacrificed to, for all he knew, the devil that the older townsfolk were always moaning about.
The journey was mind-numbingly long. By the time Kokichi did see something different, the moons were already at their peak; two glowing eyes in the sky, watching him be marched to his end.
Up ahead there, surrounded by a massive stone wall with gothic barbs at the top, was a mansion.
The mansion.
Okay. So this is actually happening, Kokichi found himself thinking somewhat hysterically. He gawked at the mansion’s size– it was enormous, bigger than anything he could have ever imagined. The biggest structure in the village was the central hall, where adults went to yell at each other over politics for three hours before going back to their everyday lives.
It had him in awe, for a few moments. The way its walls glowed a pearlescent white under the moon’s gazes. The fancy architecture of its outside, despite the plants growing over the walls and through the barbs. The subtle orange light leaking out of the otherwise dark windows.
The creak of the massive gates snapped him back to reality, and it occurred to him again, ah. Right. Whatever’s in there is gonna eat me.
Kokichi’s entire body flared with agony as he was dumped onto the ground. Hitting solid stone did little to help the pain already pulsating through his bones.
“Mercy!” the mayor, who had been leading the charge, called out to the mansion. He stood over Kokichi, practically stepping on him. “Kamakura Vampire who resides within these walls!”
That was new. Vampire!?
“We plea! Keep your mind, your fangs, and your wings to your domain!” the mayor shouted. “Accept the lamb! Its blood runs with sin, touched by the wicked deviltry woods. This is our plea to you! And when the full moons meet again, we shall return with another!”
Kokichi was still trying to process the terrifying fact that he was about to be left to a vampire’s mercy. He turned his head enough to watch what were once his neighbors hurry past the gates, leaving him to his fate. The only person who even dared to give him another glance was someone he knew Kaito’s grandma was fond of, and even then, she was gone with the rest of them.
So, vampires. Most people weren’t sure if they were still even alive, let alone if they existed in the first place. They were almost as unheard of as angel dragons– an urban legend, so to say. Depending on who you asked, their description might differ here and there, but a few things were commonly agreed upon.
One, vampires drank blood. Two, vampires were very physically attractive.
And three, vampires were notoriously ruthless.
Somehow, knowing it was a vampire he’d be meeting his end to made him feel even worse. Because now he could think about all of the horrible things that vampire was going to do to him before he eventually succumbed.
He could be kept alive to be drained of his blood whenever it got thirsty. He could be kept as a pet! He could be tortured just for the vampire's amusement! What if he was very gradually dismembered? What if he had to eat other people?
Kokichi could barely breathe, thinking about it. He was going to die some horrible, drawn-out death. He was going to be brutalized beyond recognition. He was being punished for something he hadn’t done. His only crime was being disliked.
I'm going to die. No matter what, I'm going to die. The only difference would be how much he suffered before he did.
The village wouldn't take him back. He had no idea where any other villages could be, assuming he survived the treacherous Witches Woods long enough to find one. He was effectively trapped between a rock and a hard place.
He looked down at the chains linking his wrists together. He looked back up at the mansion.
And felt his heart skid to a stop.
In the highest window of the mansion, silhouetted against the light, stood a dark figure. Staring down at him.
Fear gripped his heart in iron-clad claws. He felt all of the air leave his lungs.
It knows.
It knows, it knows, it knows.
Morbid images flipped rapid-fire through his brain. Images of his own body, shriveled and dry. Monstrous teeth ripping unto his flesh.
Clouds were gathering in the sky. The light of the moons vanished, replaced by the kiss of rain. Then, the downpour.
A hysterical, breathless wheeze escaped his lungs.
Mountain weather, huh?
That was the only thing he was able to think before everything went black.
Everything moved in a slow warp of time. He was on the ground one moment.
And the next, he was in someone’s arms.
Perhaps he stirred too much, because they let out a small shushing sound, embedded with the hiss of their teeth. It sent a cold shiver down his spine, an uncanny valley gnawing at his fight or flight.
“It’s okay, lamb,” they reassured him, their voice as delicate as morning dew. “I’ll clean all of this icky stuff off of you. I imagine you’d like to do it yourself, but… ah, you really shouldn’t strain yourself.”
Kokichi blinked slowly, trying to clear his vision. “Whha…huh…?”
“Ah… you should go back to sleep, lamb. You’re still sick.”
That… sounded like a good idea.
He let his eyes close again, despite the fact that he was being held by a stranger.