Grandma and I waited patiently in the living room.

"What is this ritual they're talking about? Who are these people?" I asked Grandma in confusion. I was feeling restless. ​​

"Shh...stop asking questions. If you want a miracle to happen, just keep your mouth shut and accept the result with open arms. Remember, you already agreed to the deal. You can't back out!" Grandma replied.

Sighing, I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't expecting a positive result. I was just humoring my wife.

Two hours later.

Suddenly, we heard a loud crying of a baby echoing inside the castle.

"Uwaeeeee...uwaeeeee...uhahhaha...uhahhaha...."

The loud wailing of the baby interrupted my musing and instantly pumped my heart with joy. I rose to my feet, looking at the top of the stairs. My whole being was gripped with extreme shock and surprise at what's happening.

Astonishment mirrored my eyes when I looked at Grandma. "D-did they just succeeded in resurrecting my daughter back to life? This is impossible!" I murmured to myself, feeling excited at the same time. I was elated beyond words.

Grandma smiled triumphantly and nodded her head. "Yes...did you hear the voice of your baby daughter? They have resurrected her back to life! Congratulation!" she said animatedly.

I can't express my happiness in words. I wanted to see my baby daughter at once! But I have to contain my excitement and prevent myself from climbing the stairs in a hurry, wanting to see her. The sound of my child crying for the first time makes me want to jump up and down with joy. It's so exhilarating and wonderful!

It's hard to imagine such a miracle could still happen in this world. My baby daughter has come back to life! It filled my heart with gladness. My heart was overflowing with love and happiness. I'm looking forward to hugging my child in my arms. Now all my doubts were cleared.

I don't care anymore what the mysterious couple did behind the scene to bring my child back to life. All I care about now is to get my baby back and bring her to my wife's arms as fast as I could. I'm already imagining the jubilation on my wife's face.

I'm pacing back and forth on the floor, wondering why the couple took a long time to return my baby to me?

My waiting didn't last long. The couple descended the stairs and went to my side.

"Your daughter is alive!" the woman in the cape said. She placed my baby daughter in my waiting arms.

"Congratulation, Simon!" the husband said.

My heart was overflowing with happiness while looking at my daughter's bright eyes. She was wriggling in my arms, alive and healthy. I raised my head and looked at the couple with awe and respect. "Thank you so much for bringing my baby back to life! I can't thank you enough. I'm forever grateful for your help. I'm sorry, I don't have much money in my pocket right now. I can't repay your kindness..." I apologized to them wholeheartedly.

"Ah, no need to pay us with money. Agreeing to the deal is good enough payment for our hard work in bringing your daughter back to life," the woman in cape replied.

"Go home now! Raised your daughter well and enjoy her precious presence in your lives!" the guy in cape commanded.

I was ready to go...but wait a minute...some nagging questions need to be addressed first before we will take our leave. "May I know what kind of ritual did you go through to resurrect my baby?" I asked the couple curiously.

The woman in the cape smiled. "I'm sorry, we don't reveal our ritual to a stranger. It's a complicated process. You won't understand anything."

"Try me! I'm willing to understand. Please tell me..." I pressed on.

The woman in the cape looked at her husband, then at me.

"Well, I could explain it to you in simple terms. It goes like this...the truth... is I went through the gate of hell and passed the gate of the infinite void just to retrieve your baby's soul and planted it back into your daughter's body. I undergo thousands of painful lashing in my body just to get your daughter's soul back. The keeper doesn't want to give her up because she would be a nice addition to his little angels adorning his place. In short, I made a deal with the devil, just to bring her back to life..." said the woman wickedly.

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

I was shocked. I dunno if she was just joking or telling the truth. The dramatic way the woman explains her ordeal in the pits of hell terrifies me. I looked at her with a raised brow. I'm kind of skeptical. Should I believe her?

"Oh...you don't believe me? Here, see the bruises in my arms!" the woman said and revealed the cuts in her arms, it was ugly looking, and her flesh was red all over due to the severity of lashing.

I swallowed back my saliva. "I'm so sorry...I...I..."

I can't find the words to express my admiration for the woman who undergoes extreme sacrifice just to resurrect my daughter. I felt ashame. I was supposed to be the one who should do it for my daughter.

"It's okay, don't feel guilty! Your daughter is worth my sacrifice. Go home now..." the woman said.

The guy in the cape gave grandma a pouch of gold as a reward for bringing me to them. Then he handed me a much bigger pouch of gold.

"Used the proceeds of these precious metals to raise your daughter well. And don't forget our deal!" he said, smiling at me.

Time to leave the place!

The mysterious couple accompanied us in the path leading to the river bank and bid us goodbye.

The couple in the cape continue watching us until Grandma and I boarded the boat safely.

A few minutes later.

I can no longer see them standing on the same path. The couple disappeared into the night.

While the boat was moving...

I can't believe my luck tonight. My baby daughter is very much alive and breathing! I was also rewarded with gold nuggets that I can sell for a hefty price. My wife and I would be rich in no time!

I was smiling with happiness while gazing at my baby daughter. She's so cute, and she wriggled a lot.

After a while, I realized that I failed to ask the couple's name. I directed my gaze to my companion sitting beside me. "Grandma, who are they? I forgot to ask their names!" I scratched my head in shame.

"The husband's name is Zalvo, and the wife's name is Sylvia," Grandma replied.

"What kind of people are they? Why are they living in an old castle? Why they're all wearing a black hooded cape as if they were trying to hide their identities? Are these people belong to a cult?" I asked her.

Grandma sighed. "Don't ask too many questions! Just be thankful that your baby daughter is already back in the land of the living. She's alive, and that is what truly matters right now!" she reprimanded me.

"B-but...Grandma... the identity of these people is questionable. I feel something is not right with them. Why would they want my daughter to marry their son?" I asked in bewilderment.

"That's the price you have to pay for your daughter's life, and you already agreed to the deal! There's nothing more to discuss regarding this topic," Grandma concluded.

I released a deep sigh. Since Grandma is no longer in the mood to discuss the mysterious couple with me, I kept my mouth shut. I shifted my attention to my baby daughter and immersed myself in the wonderful feeling of being a father for the first time.

Two hours later.

We arrived at our village.

Grandma warned me not to break the deal, or else, I will anger the couple, and they will kill me and my wife. I asked her once again. "Who are those people?" I persisted.

"They belong to the vampire clan," Grandma finally dropped the bomb.

"Whaaat!? Holy Christ" I exclaimed in shock and made a sign of the cross. My face went pale. I felt scared after learning the truth. I looked at my baby daughter, her cherubic face melted my heart but terrified me as well. My conscience was gnawing at me. Hell no! I don't want my baby daughter to marry a vampire!

Grandma and I proceed to our village in silence. We went our separate ways.

As expected, my wife was jumping with joy after seeing our baby daughter alive! She was crying and at the same time laughing while bombarding our daughter with her kisses. Then she breastfeeds our daughter for the first time.

I was looking at them in awe. The mother and daughter bonding was a beautiful sight to behold.

However, deep inside me, I was already feeling restless. I'm thinking of escaping and taking my family away from this village. The answer lies in the golden nuggets that the vampire couple had given me.

A few months later. After telling my wife everything, we fled the village and migrated to a faraway town. We stayed here in Hallowpass peacefully for the last twenty years.

...

Simon finished narrating his tale.

He looked at his daughter sadly, begging for her understanding. He released a deep sigh. "That's how everything started, daughter," he said.

Laura closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. Now she finally understood everything. What happened today is connected with the mystery of her birth. Her father made a deal with the vampires to bring her back to life. After so many years, those black hooded cape men finally located their whereabouts, wanting the deal to be honored!

Their life will be in danger if those vampires come back and find out that they have fled again. She wants to escape with her family, but Sofia was taken by the vampires! She can't leave her sister alone at the mercy of those bloodsuckers!

Aargh! Her dilemma was huge!

She left her parent's room in a daze and went to her bedroom. She lies in bed, shaken to the core, struggling to come up with a better plan on how to evade those vampires. They're powerful beings, and they can easily find her and her family wherever they will go and hide.

Her world went on a nosedive today.