A Dark Night

Chapter X

Chapter 10

Scarlet Banquet III

I looked at them with eyes darker than the deepest abyss of hell and released a hellfire within my smile. The breath of the flame demons echoed from within my fangs, outward to the air as I released a hiss. It was as if I was an animal making its territory, and that they now belonged to me. Their lives, their soul, their being was forfeit. All mine, mine to claim! Mine to feast and mine to destroy!

Behind me my torn cape billowed like drapery in the wind outstretching itself, casting forth a hulking shadow. Within the shadow of myself it seemed to grow bigger with every small step I took and then, like an extended vision of myself, followed behind my step growing my presence to the scared sheep before me. And so I took a step, beginning the movement of the dance of death.

"B-begone beast! You are no man, what's gotten into you!? For Gods sake commander, what are you?"

"Get a hold of yourself sir! There's a demon inside of you! Resist it or we'll have to kill you!" The dog barked.

"You think you can kill me?" I answered calm as snow. Snow was my ally, snow was my home amidst the fading warmth from my body and soul. And upon my home the blood of my past life was now to be shed, to give birth to something more, something to feed! I gazed at the scared dog once more and spoke, "You are wrong. I care not who you are or who I was once to you. The man you knew is dead. All that remains is I, I who will feast upon your lives."

The next moment came naturally. Not in a detailed narration, but like the natural song of a bird. A bird that flew free within the cold sky, caressed by the moon and given warmth by the howl of wolves. I flew towards them and flashes of red spewed before my eyes. Scarlet covered my vision and hunger covered my tastes. No longer did I know how much were left. No longer did it matter to me. Nothing did but their lives, their blood and their souls. It was mine. It was from the very beginning, when they became knights they didn't give their lives to some God, they gave their lives to me! They gave me their honor, their loyalty, not some God! So I was to deliver them from their mortal flesh and revitalize my own.

I cleaved their flesh and ripped their skin apart, separating the surface from the fleshy softness. It covered itself in a deep red and gushed out as I cut their limbs off. They splattered all over my armor that once carried the visage of God. Now it stained itself with the blood of His devoted followers. In the end they died for a God that would all in the end forsake them to miserable death. I granted them this pleasure one by one as they fell. To be frank I forgot how much there were originally. They all fell like pebbles tossed at the ground, at the dirt they all came from. Only about twenty more remained. At my first glance about thirty to forty were once camped, thirty five or six perhaps. Now about ten of their brothers had fallen. Five or six had fled. The last twenty backed into the woods, some fleeing as I drew closer. Somehow I couldn't stop myself. It was as if my spirit had left my body and only revived death moved my limbs. I felt nothing as I once slaughtered my men. I felt as if I should. Killing men of God is a grave sin.

"Help us Lord! Help us Savior!"

Their cries of agony deafened the skies, their shrieks of confusion at me brightened the darkness of night. One by one they dropped dead and lifeless merging with the snow. The beautiful whiteness covered them like a soft blanket, a mother comforting her children to sleep. In the end the coldness came back to claim her children as they decayed into the earth, gazing at the heavens. Their eyes crying at their God why. Why He hadn't saved them. Their faces were forever porcelain and their eyes pale stones. Their faces desecrated and bodies mangled in red and flesh. All because of my thirst. All because, of me.

"You bastard! You holy bastard!" He was right.

"Is there no God to save us? The devil has taken over the captains body!"

I blinked my eyes and my teeth receeded. My grin faded and I felt my skin once more.

"Y-you bastard! You monster! No God can save you now!"

My mouth drew itself open and coldness echoed out the tunnel. I was so cold.

"Damn you! Damn you to hell! Damn you for all eternity! Damn you to the eternal fires! Only Satan waits for you!"

I wrapped myself with my arms and fell to my knees.

My men. My soldiers. What had I done? I had done only what I needed. Their blood was mine for the taking. But their lives are their own, theirs to claim. Their lives are forever under my dominion. What. What had happened? Why was I cursed to this damnable abyss? The blackness of death, where the spirit could only watch as his body had embodied death. This coldness embraced me and told me it was alright. She whispered in my ear, it's alright just to fade away. Like I child I stopped my fright and sunk myself deep in the snow and felt like crying. But nothing came. Only thoughts and memories. Smiles and laughs, hardship and prevail. Glorified triumph and reward of Gods grace. It seemed my existence only came to me now when I had already massacred my men. I felt like crying yet again nothing came. My pale locks touched the mother snow as she ran her hands through my hair. She told me it was alright. That inside all of us were monsters.

In my agony I stripped myself of my armor that once hailed myself a warrior of God. I tossed it to the ground feeling the cold winds stab me with shrieks and laughter. Now only in my long tunic and leggings I felt the mountain beat at me with her cries. I could still hear them, the men fleeing. The twenty or more scared souls abandoning the only source of shelter they once held. Massacred in plain sight by their glorified commander. They asked eachother why and cursed themselves. I could hear Wilhem and Gatrie. Condemning me to Hell for eternity. Blaming my bloodlust on the devil as they faced the frozen forests in hunger. They were so far, yet so close. I could hear them hating me and cursing me. I heard them telling eachother that the mountain was truly cursed and I was a devil. A devil made flesh in the body of their once noble hero. Perhaps I was the devil. It was he who was once Gods holiest angel. A man whom all the others hailed and admired, yet it was he who ultimately fell the hardest. If I was to be the devil then so be it. Within this coldness was where I was the most comfortable, laying in the snow as I once did. It was here the snow goddesses lay with me and cradled me in their cold embrace. They lulled me into sleep like a newborn babe, comforting me in my confusion of a new existence. Nothing made sense. This power, this hunger. This weakness, this starvation. I wished to be whole.

I know not how much time passed. I must have slumbered for days before I once again awoke. I felt lifeless. Not cold, not warm, but unfeeling. It was as if the coldness had stripped me of everything and left me numb. To the world, to reality, to life and feeling. Yet I still could not comprehend this. I only knew that in this snow I felt comfortable enough to sleep. I stood still again trying to feel. Hoping I would burn away in the sun. I once believed that I was a man who fought for God. I once believed that God chose me to fight in His name. I am only a monster now.

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I havent written in like, forever. My earlier writing in the story was kinda crappy my bad. This pretty much ties up a section of the story and expect more shit soon. If I wasn't so lazy I'd make more shit more often but eh, my bad. tbh i havent update in like a year or something lmao

but yeah ill stop being lazy ok bye

lmao congrats if you still even follow me c: