SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: 2
While the Arcani studied the magical forces that existed diffusely on earth, the Inferni drew their power from pacts with the infernal forces of other planes, the Nosferatu from shadow and darkness, but the Justicar had a different power, the power of seals and prophecy, they were forces that although they were not useful in combat could make us very resilient compared to other vampires.
However, a thousand years ago a strange book fell into my hands, one that no other vampire seemed to know, having unique knowledge was something very valuable so for more than a millennium I studied that compendium of a Greek sage who had been able to identify the parasite and had predicted a way to preserve it.
I didn't know if it would work, but if they were going to set a trap for me, it was time to try it, after a last look at my notes I threw them into a fireplace that had a live fire, I would take that secret with me to the grave if necessary.
My phylactery, a part of my soul and my host's blood torn out long ago and prepared for three centuries in case a serious situation like this one ever came. In the eyes of many, it was just a decorative metal ball that had been bathed in that light every full moon night for centuries.
The smooth metal exterior, only furrowed by a few channels, hid inside the greatest work of engraving and magic seals that could be found and in its center a piece of my own heart, not enough to be able to be reborn from it, but enough to keep the parasite alive and with it my power.
It was just a theory, something I had been studying for centuries, but I knew that if they destroyed my body or locked me away forever it would be impossible to revive, but nevertheless with this they might have a chance.
With the excess of blood in my body I was not afraid of the procedure that I was going to follow, I filled the whole orb with my blood, and closed it, the time had come to execute the old spells of the justicars, those that guided the prophecy.
"By the sacred power of Athod, I, his descendant, leave here my flesh and blood, so that when the day of my vengeance comes I can be reborn in another body. Even if centuries and millennia pass, my soul sealed in the orb will see the light when the time comes, and I will be reborn to finish off my enemies."
I buried the orb in the basement of the old mansion in the center of London, and now I went to my final destination. The road to Nottingham meandered through forests from the moment I left the city, it was not difficult to know which farm I had been summoned to.
Robert Orshide was actually a free agent of the Vampire Clan Council, one who was in charge of ensuring that the council's rules were not broken, and that the clan representatives kept their nests and litters under control. Meeting me there was a neutral meeting place a priori, if they had said any other place I might have refused to go.
The simple farm was actually built on top of an ancient ruin, however, as soon as I approached I knew something strange was going on. I couldn't notice the presence of any vampire there, at least not in the house, but there were more than twenty humans inside. I could hear their hearts beating, their nerves, I could even feel their fear.
What were the humans doing in the council representative's house?
Twenty humans, no matter how armed they were, were nothing more than an appetizer for me, and even more so after having drunk blood just a few hours ago. But if we were going to play, we would play it big. First, I wanted to know what this was about.
I descended from the wind and materialized behind some bushes to join the path. With my noble costume of the time, my sword and my bearing, it was clear that I was not a common passerby, no matter how strange it was that I was walking along the roads at that time of night.
The first guard saw my dark shadow walking down the road and put his hand on his sword.
"Who's there? Turn around, there's nothing to see here."
"Excuse me, I was going to take the Yorkshire road, but I think I got lost..."
I didn't stop walking the whole time, I needed to be able to look that guard in the eyes more closely. My attitude put the man on alert but from the moment he could see my eyes properly, his gaze became blurry, the hypnotism of a vampire was something that was automatic, at least for me and my power.
From the coverall that the soldier wore and the symbol on his pendant, it was clear that they were the bishop's guards.
"What is the bishop's guard doing here?"
"We have orders to wait on this farm for a demon, the bishop has had a divine revelation and knows that a demon will appear on this farm these nights."
"And what is that demon like?"
"He will come in the form of a man asking for Robert Orshide, or he will attack us directly..."
"Where is this Robert Orshide?"
"Mr. Orshide is being held in the bishop's palace right now, we will release him after finishing off the demon, it is for Mr. Orshide's safety"
"Are there more people in the farm besides the guards?"
"A large group of hooded men entered before us, they did not have an English accent, but when we entered the farm they were gone, we have searched the underground tunnel, but we have not seen it, the bishop has also given orders not to disturb them, they are exorcists who will also fight against the demon..."
"Take me to your companions"
Why would the Arcani involve the church in all this? It is true that the church was one of our declared enemies, vampires and Christians had fought since they began to exist, although normally the former always had the ones to lose.
The guard opened the door of the farm and immediately the alarm was raised inside, but when they saw his companion walking with me so calmly, everyone was surprised.
"What is that man doing here? Don't you remember our mission? We have to prepare to fight a demon, we can't go wasting time with passersby, no matter how well dressed they are. Hey, who are you and why are you here?"
The moment I set foot in the farm, I noticed it. I couldn't know what it was, but there was magic in the air, a lot of magic. My first intention was to leave, but nevertheless, the blood of all those men running through their veins stopped me. It was a perfect meal, an insatiable hunger took hold of me.
They were just some innocent guards, tricked into participating in that act, but I could barely control myself. When one of the guards pushed aside the hypnotized companion to come closer to search me and take my sword, my body moved on its own. With a single bite I had torn out his jugular, the rest of the guards tried to take the weapons, but human strength was nothing compared to my power.
I changed to my shadow form and materialized alone to cut the throats of two other guards with a slash of my sword, blood splashed everywhere and bathed my face.
I don't remember much else, only that I took a bloodbath, I ate them, dried them, and enjoyed it, if it had been in self-defense I could make some excuse, but I acted savagely, as if possessed and out of control, something that had never happened to me.
An insatiable hunger and rage, which only ended when the last of the twenty men was in my arms, dried to satiety. My body was boiling with more power than I had ever felt, and at that moment the house literally exploded, when I looked around the weak walls no longer existed, there was rubble everywhere, and surrounding the farm was a group of figures.
I could smell his vampire blood, I recognized Orshide first, and I recognized the putrid blood of two Nosferatu as well, there was a very old and ancient Inferni, and there were three Arcani with them, but the most surprising thing was that there was the smell of two bloods that I knew very well there. One of them was that of the great master Seth, but the other was a blood that I thought I would never smell again. It was the blood of my master, it was the blood of Isbaelen.
"What does all this mean? What have you done to me?"
"Do to yourself? I think your actions speak for themselves, you attacked the house of the representative of the Vampire council before a secret and formal meeting, and what is worse, you made the mistake of killing twenty men of the bishop's guard corps. Innocent men who did not have to die, who did not have to satisfy your madness, Ashan."
My red eyes looked at my Master, I had always respected him, I had always obeyed him, why was he doing this to me?
"Why me?"
"That is a big question, and a difficult answer Ashan, of all my children you are by far the most powerful, the smartest, the strongest, but also the most dangerous, tell us the secret of life beyond our bodies that you have worked on for centuries, and we will give you a quick and painless death"
"My secret? Is that why?"
This time it was Master Orshide who answered me with a cruel smile.
"Well that only explains why you, why are you becoming dangerous, you have so many nests and so well distributed that in the long run you would become a power in yourself, and that is not to the liking of the council. You also want to circumvent the council's laws of death, and we all want to have the same right to survive, and especially because the church in this kingdom is corrupt, we have reached an agreement to live with them and for them to forget us, the council plans to move to this land Ashan, and you and your growing kingdom are in our way, it is simply because of that"
"What are you going to do to me if I don't talk?"
"Well, we will kill you anyway, but first we will try to get the secret out of you, it is clear, and you know that we are capable of it"
I was screwed and trapped, but there is always a way out. I concentrated my energies, all that blood I had in my body and began to project it on the seal that was engraved on my chest and that was the twin of the one in the phylactery. With a last blow of power and before any of my enemies could reach me, my body exploded into a thousand pieces, the flesh suddenly turned to dust and my blood was a torrent that turned into mist and dispersed in the wind.