Dear Journal,
As an angel of death, I have just given life. I would have never thought that since my resurrection, I have been walking this earth as only half a being. But here I am, at present, whole.
- 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
(1605)
As the words of the chant left Elias's lips, his heart effectuated a lethal contraction.
Had he been human, his death would have been certain as the severity of his tightening chest resulted in him falling on to his back while writhing in pain. Tearing off his doublet and linen shirt, he clutched his left breast as he groaned in agony, his fingernails digging into his pale skin.
"What is happening to him?" Emma cried frantically, rushing to his aid as she fell to her knees to rest his bobbing head in her lap.
"The sire bond is being formed. He is in pain as this specific turning requires him sharing pieces of his soul. It is only a matter of time befor..." Zelda began to say before flinching. Syrus's body had suddenly began to convulse, startling the witch.
Emma's eyes bulged with disbelief as the previously dead boy began to shake violently, his body mimicking the same intense spasms as Elias'.
"...before that" Zelda finished, her chest rising and falling rapidly from the anomaly she was witnessing.
She had seen it happen before but it had been such a longtime, the sudden movement of the dead had actually surprised her. Perhaps it was the cold night air or the wind that had engaged the leaves of trees in battle, triumphantly defeating them as they fell from their branches to swirl wildly around them. Zelda was not sure, but the night had surely turned eery and frigid.
Both women squinted as the gale roughly swept through their hair, threatening to take them away in to the ether. Somewhere, hounds howled in the distance and birds that previously slept soundly flew away in fear. The fish swam to the bottom of the river and the humans shivered from a sudden draught. Zelda considered this as a sign that something extraordinary was about to happen.
The sound of wings fluttering could be heard in the distance, closing in on the group's location. Emma held Elias's convulsing body a little tighter as a colony of bats broke through the forest, circling above their heads as they shrieked gleefully.
"What is happening? What are they doing?" Emma shouted above the noise of nature and its beings.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen this happen before" Zelda said truthfully, referring to the sudden and strange behavior of the nocturnal mammals.
After a moment, Elias and Syrus's convulsions had ceased and Elias was no longer conscious. The bats dispersed, flying back into the night as the wind rested its boots by the bed of calmness.
"We need to lay them beside each other" Zelda told Emma, helping her place Elias abreast of Syrus.
Standing up, the women stepped back as they watched the two bodies become engulfed in a golden aura, joining them together like a link.
Emma watched in amazement as Syrus's hair metamorphose into jet black, just as as Elias's. His skin, which had turned blue from the cold of the river had become pale and his jawline was now flawlessly chiseled. The wound Elias had opened in his chest closed and a dark, patterned mark had appeared on the left side of both his and Elias's neck.
The golden aura around the two soon faded and for a moment, the earth stilled.
Slowly, Emma approached them, desperate to know if they were alright.
"No, Emma" Zelda warned but was ignored as Emma moved closer to stand over them.
Holding her breath, she frowned as she stared at not one, but two handsomely similar faces.
"Elias?" she whispered.
As if to answer, they simultaneously opened their eyes to reveal glowing, honey gold irises.
Startled, Emma stepped back quickly, watching as the creatures awoke.
Together, they sped to their feet at amazing speed to face each other, Syrus regarding Elias knowingly.
Scanning every crevice of his face, Syrus looked up at his senior, his body now emanating the same intimidating aura, regardless of their difference in height.
They said nothing as they watched each other, Syrus's wet hair falling limply in his face, Elias's long hair slicked back with water. Together, they extended their long fingers towards each other's necks, lightly touching the identical marks they both donned.
After a moment, Syrus's mouth turned up into a fanged smile. Kneeling before Elias, he bowed his head at his sire.
"Thank you" he said sincerely, his voice no longer boyish but manly and suave.
Syrus thought his current feelings were inexplicable. While they had both been unconscious, Elias's entire existence had flashed into Syrus's mind like a vivid dream.
He saw Elias being born, he saw Elias's elders teaching him how to read, he saw Elias's father dying and heard the words he had uttered to his only son, he saw the love of Elias's life, Genevieve as she cuddled with him in bed, he saw Elias in the workshop forging swords and jewelry, he saw Elias die by the hands of a scarfaced knight and rise by the hands of a witch. He felt the maggots that had writhed in Elias's body as he rotted in the dirt, the anger he felt towards his wrongful death, the infatuation he felt towards Emma.
He saw Elias's goals and ambitions, his dreams and nightmares. He saw everything, he experienced everything.
He knew right there and then that he would walk to the ends of the earth if Elias asked. He would do any and everything for him. If he wanted him to run, then he would run. If he wanted him to love, then he would love. If he wanted him to die, then he would die.
He could feel every emotion Elias had ever experienced and was currently experiencing. He had believed Elias to have taken a liken to him when be was human but now, he was positive that Elias loved him. He imagined it was the same for his sire.
"You may stand" Elias commanded.
As he got to his feet, he stared into Elias's eyes with intense passion and fearlessness.
Pulling him into a hug, Elias held him like a father would his son.
Zelda was enthralled by the strong display of emotion and affection between the two vampires. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Together, the two of them seemed complete. She did not think it could be possible, but Elias had gotten even more powerful with Syrus so close him. The pressure of their presence weighed on her chest, making it difficult to breath.
Letting go of him, Syrus glanced over to the two women, his fangs aching for blood.
Speeding over to Emma, he was blocked by Elias as he suddenly appeared infront of her.
"Not her" Elias said sternly, his eyes serious and intense.
It was not that Syrus wanted to obey this specific command but it was that he had to. Elias's voice was now a compelling force to him. Regardless of whether he agreed, he could not help but listen and obey.
Clenching his jaws in anger, Syrus stepped away from the girl, watching them both with hungry eyes.
Elias turned to Zelda before speaking.
"I need the item before the sun curses the land with light. Hurry back, do it quickly. We will be at the castle gates before dawn" he told the witch as he spoke with authority.
Unable to form words, she nodded at him. She owed him a favor afterall so she had to get it done.
"I'm sorry Emma" he turned to her, caressing her cheek lovingly.
"Come, Syrus" he told the new vampire.
Together they sped off through the forest, leaving the women alone in dark silence.
"Elias, wait!" Emma called out but they were already gone.
"Let us go Emma. He will be back tomorrow and I must get this news to Koren and Baltazaar" Zelda said as she gathered her cloak in her hands, storming off through the forest.
"What- but .. I do not understand. Where are they going?" Emma asked confused as she trailed behind the witch.
"To wreak havoc" Zelda said solemnly, making her way through the trees.
Syrus glanced over at Elias as they ran at superhuman speed through the forest.
For a moment, he recalled an abundance of water entering his mouth and nose before losing consciousness. Death had been dark and cold. He was a man and then he was nothing. Now, he was everything and more.
He could see everything, he could smell everything, he could run faster than sound could travel and he had a god for his maker.
No...not a god, the god.
Elias was no longer just a friend to him. He was someone that was to be worshipped. He was his anchor, his deity, his father, his brother, his lover and his bane. The feeling of adoration was so potent that it made his blood tingle and his fangs quiver. He knew he would do anything for him. As long as Elias was by his side, he was unstoppable. And if he were to die, then the world would have to be without them both.
The sound of voices could be heard from the entrance of the city of Garshank. This was Asphal's major city, home to Loremore Cathedral, the Garshank market and the infamous Hellsmere gallows. Next to Selvalley, Asphal was actually the second greatest kingdom. Often times major executions were taken to their gallows and major decisions were made with aid of their cathedral.
Churches were organizations of power that exercised enormous influence over the daily lives of the people of a kingdom. This ranged from the king on his throne to a peasant in a field. Their clergies were corrupt, money hungry and power driven men and for that reason, the poor was exploited.
Churches made good on no assessments and were bolstered by the individuals of a town or city. People were answerable for supporting the ward cleric and Church in general through a tithe of 10% of their pay which could have been utilized to make sure about land and nourishment for their families.
Gandalwell had a church located in the town of Odifell but only Selvalley and Asphal had cathedrals.
"Eli.." Syrus called him as they walked into Garshank together. Their destination, naked necks and human blood.
"I know" Elias answered.
Syrus was hungry for blood. Elias knew the feeling all too well. His fangs were aching and his body felt fatigued. They were headed for a feast and Elias could tell by the noise that it was a large crowd.
They both removed their torn shirts, flexing their abnormally buff physiques as they walked through the group of people, blending in with the gathering. Though they stood out, the crowd was more interested with what the priest was saying infront of them. Standing on a raised wooden stage behind a wooden pulpit adorned with a cross on its forefront, Elias and Syrus could see the old man dressed in a white chasuble and biretta along with his clergy clear as day as lanterns lit up the large area of the city.
"Willowry was destroyed by demons! The King of Asphal is rumored to be consorting with the devil. Along with his son, who will soon become the King of Gandalwell due to a devil killing the previous king. We cannot allow the great city of Garshank to become ruins. We, the clergy of Loremore cathedral withdraw our support from the crown. If the King refuses to step down, he will be removed by force!" The priest spoke loudly.
The crowd erupted in cheerful agreement. Elias was taken aback by this revelation. Koren nor Baltazaar had ever informed him that the church had stopped backing them and the severity of this action. He now understood why they wanted armies of the supernatural to fight the revolution against Selvalley. They were unable to move forward with a real army because the church would not agree to it. This is why the suggestion was dismissed at the meeting earlier. Koren had been keeping it from his inner circle.
Syrus's body twitched next to Elias, causing him to look at the younging. He had forgotten for a moment what they had came here for.
"Wait, Syrus" he ordered him.
"Right now, my sources have told me that a demon temporarily resides in the castle of Asphal. This was the same sinful act that led to the fall of Zerfur Cathedral in Selvalley. Now that kingdom has run amok with monsters. We must take back our kingdom and its land and return the country to the ways of the lord!" The priest went on.
"A demon, they say" Elias whispered to Syrus, but he was not listening. He could barely keep still with the plethora of humans around him as the sound of blood running through their veins made him jittery.
"Demons you call us?!" Elias shouted from the middle of the crowd.
The area fell silent as everyone turned to look at the vampires.
Speeding through the crowd, Elias shot up on the stage, Syrus following behind him shortly after as they left a few people sprawling on the ground from moving at such a fast pace.
"We are not demons" Elias said again, looking at the priest and then the crowd. The spotlight was on them. Two half naked vampires, black marks on their necks, one with his fangs aching for a drink.
"You dare show yourself before the people of God?" The priest asked incredulously, backing away from the vampires.
"The people of God, is it?" Elias tittered.
"My father never believed in the church. He thought of them to be selfish bastards that only got a hard on from money and power" Elias said loudly.
Syrus smiled next to him, tickled by the sexual reference.
The crowd was still in disbelief. They were still not sure what they were looking at. At first, they seemed to be Adonis', beautiful men. They were perfect but their fangs told the truth, their eyes spoke only facts.
They were monsters.
The crowd was in such a stupor from Elias and Syrus's spiritual pressure that they could not even move. Each person wondered how they did not feel it before, the presence of the divine.
"I am not a fan of Koren and his son. But I'm not a fan of the church either. Instead of helping your king in the war against Selvalley, you turn on him" Elias said, walking over to the priest.
"I plan to become King someday, but I can see now that you would never have me" he whispered only to the priest.
"And you, subjects of Asphal, are like sheep. Instead of rising up against power hungry fucks like this, you fight alongside them. Against the wrong side at that. Like I said before, sheeps" Elias said to the crowd.
"Who the hell are you?" Someone shouted from the middle of the mass.
"I am your shepherd" Elias spoke powerfully.
"And he is more worse than any wolf" he said after, pointing to Syrus.
"Syrus.." He called at him. "...feast"
Syrus did not wait another second. Speeding off into the crowd, he cut the throats of several people as he passed them. Screaming, the crowd began to disperse, running to safety from the hungry monster.
Syrus drank and killed, laughing as he murdered half of the attendees. The screams and cries had drowned out the sweet melody of a peaceful night and instead replaced it with a rough, agonizing tune of death.
Watching Syrus, Elias could see he was even more blood thirsty and wicked than him.
Turning to the clergy, Elias smiled at their horrified faces.
"Who's first?" he asked, as the men took off running, trying to escape their imminent death.
Accompanied by 12 of his best remaining knights, Baltazaar made his way through the wood behind the castle as he headed to Damien's shack. The full moon had risen and it was the first time since his capture that Baltazaar had to tend to Damien by himself.
The shack's enchantment had been heightened for the safety of the castle and its occupants.
Baltazaar was confident in his powers and knowledge as Zelda had helped to mold him into the half fae that he is today. He had seen her perform the spell to ease Damien into transformation so many times that he felt has if he could do it in his sleep.
Damien's transformation was so excruciatingly agonizing and delicate, that he would need a medical spell in order to soothe the shattering and metamorphosis of his bones and the pain that accompanied it. Without this procedure, the torment could drive the werewolf to insanity and as such could result in a creature identical to the destroyer of the Emma's banquet.
The last thing Baltazaar wanted was the werewolf to become rogue as it would completely defeat the purpose of turning him into an ally.
Finally making it into the clearing, a loud, animalistic cry could be heard from inside the shack. Squeezing the hilts of their swords, the knights shook in fear at the bestial sounds coming from the wooden house.
A bead of sweat pranced across Baltazaar's forehead despite the cool night air as the beastly cries made him nervous. Zelda had always been by his side on occasions like this but now, there was no guarantee that everything would go as planned.
It was his will to live that allowed him to move forward. He refused to die before accomplishing his goals and as such he used that deep conviction within his heart to he press on.
Weakening the enchantment by chanting a spell, he had the two of the knights accompany him inside where he found Damien hunched over in pain, his hands chained above him. He was in mid transformation as his muscles had grown to an abnormal size while brown fur threatened to take over his body.
"Damien.." Baltazaar called, relieved he had not yet fully transformed.
The werewolf let out a horrifying howl, his head snapping to the men after.
His irises had turned to yellow gold and fangs had now appeared on each canine of his maxilla and mandible.
"Get out" Damien said in a low growl, wincing as he doubled back in agony.
"It is okay. I am here to help. Samson, Richard... hold his arms" Baltazaar instructed the knights.
Before they could obey his orders, Damien snarled dangerously at them, clenching his teeth angrily as he broke open the chain.
Terrified at the werewolf's actions, the knights ran away, abandoning Baltazaar and the beast. Damien charged at Baltazaar, tackling him to ground as he attempted to raise his claws to slash his face. Baltazaar held on to his arms as he tasseled with the creature whilst it snapped viciously at his face. Overpowering him, the wolf bit Baltazaar on his shoulder, causing him to holler in pain.
Spreading a hand on Damien's forehead, Baltazaar began generating his power, allowing it to course through his body in order to convert it into subtle and therapeutic wavelengths before transferring it into Damien's body to tame his ferocity.
Falling over beside him, Damien's snarls immediately turned into low growls and whimpers.
Baltazaar hurriedly exited the shack, using his left hand to apply pressure to his wound while simultaneously reupgrading the enchantment once more. He cursed as he noticed his knights had abandoned him.
Groaning and bleeding, he struggled as he tried to return to the castle.
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I had writer's block for the longest!
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter❤️