"You shouldn't be sitting up, boy", I heard the distant voice of Sight as I began to regain my senses."Oh, no I'm fine. Please don't worry about me", Felix replied in the distance too."Is that right? But I'm not worried or anything. I know you are more than fine"."Hmm?""That was a nice spell, huh? Sure did reinforce that weak barrier real good, huh?!", Sight sounded like he was in a really good mood, though I didn't have enough capacity to comprehend his words.There was no exchange between the two after that. I wonder if I'd simply been unable to hear it but I gave up on trying to get up. I rested my head back on a hard pillow, perhaps a stone. And I was already halfway to the land of dreams before Sight decided to grab me and set me straight. My eyes sprang open with terror, knowing no sleep nor dreams."Ah! You are up, boy!", I was in fact mid air like a cat holds its kitten in its mouth.I tried to look his way but he had already decided my legs were strong enough to carry my
"You've realized by now, haven't you? About what Deli is?" "Yeah, it's ironic that we were just talking about that the other day". "It's not just her. It's all of Versailles", Felix reminded me of Amelia and that night I had forgotten came back to me. Everything made a lot more sense now. "She protected me from her own kind...it's funny", I couldn't help but think this way. "You're not exactly wrong about that but...", Felix paused, "I'm sorry, Seraph. Sometimes I say things that don't make sense to you, don't I? Through all my travels, I've come to learn a lot. I'm not bragging about it. I'm just saying, I've heard some stories". "What are you trying to say, Felix?", both of us were on our way to Wallach. "Seraph, in Versailles, people don't come out at night because they are afraid of the bloodsuckers. And it's an unspoken rule but no on talks about their existence. No one knows how many there are, where or who...all that doesn't mean a lot in the end. These bloodsuckers-" "Va
I was feeling dizzy and my senses were extremely numb when we finally reached Wallach. Somehow it wasn't how I remembered it. The ashen road and small huts were still there but there was something in the air. I could smell fire and the ash as it flew by, it stung my eyes."Seraph?", Felix noticed that I was half delirious and patted my shoulder."Felix...""You must be feeling the pressure. Sometimes, it isn't really that easy to travel through the tunnel. But don't worry, you won't feel nausea after this".He then performed some sort of healing spell on me after which I regained my senses considerably.We then began walking and I noticed the hut of old Granny. I wasn't sure she'd let me in and anyways, I didn't have that sort of time on my hand. Coincidentally though, we saw Granny coming home from somewhere and we stopped, hers being the only life we noticed in that ashen town."Granny!", I was glad to see her and couldn't help but notice how different she looked. Not that she had e
I was getting exhausted from constantly failing at escaping from Nosferatu. Felix tried his best to give me a window but the giant beast was not just strong but also too fast for his figure. He simply wouldn't let me slip by."Whaaaat?!", the beast growled, "This isn't amusing at all!"The two of us hadn't managed to land a single blow yet, we were constantly on defense and yet this beast hadn't broken a sweat yet. We couldn't find an opening no matter how hard we tried."I know why you are here", he grinned, looking at me.I wondered if that meant what I was looking for was really here. I didn't get fazed by what he said and kept my guard up.He then looked at Felix again and then laughed, "Amusing!!!".At least his very long laughter gave us time to catch up on our breaths. I didn't think Felix'd be doing really well, but I noticed he was holding up. We couldn't let Nosferatu take us for granted like this and Felix knew it better than I did."But!!!", the beast exploded and I believ
As I walked down that endless spiraling staircase, the only sounds I could hear were my footsteps on the damp brick stairs and the occasional dripping sound in the distance. It was perhaps a leakage in the ceiling but I was safe from whatever it was and all I focused on was not to get dizzy and tumble down. As I walked on, the candles lit up to light my way but when I looked back, there was nothing but darkness.Naturally, I did consider that all of this could be a trap but knowing that whatever was leading me down there was way stronger than me, there was no way I'd resist against the inevitable. At the end, regardless of the outcome, I would have to fight and I was okay with that. Felix was fighting too, though I wasn't concerned about him anymore.When I finally reached the end of that seemingly ceaseless stairway, feeling like I had been treading down the whole night, I found myself in a dark damp place filled with nothing but the scent of death in the air. I walked ahead carefull
"My lady, are you awake? Your father is calling for you", a voice from beyond the door broke her weak slumber."Wouldn't matter if I wasn't", she mumbled under her breath, removing the warm silk sheets from her snow white shoulders, "Tête!"."Yes, my lady!", Tête waltzed in through the door and slightly bowed her head upon greeting the young lady."Bring my gown, Tête. How long has father been awaiting me? Is he in his study?""He was in the tea room with some guests. I don't think he went back to the study. Here", Tête handed over the velvet gown to the young lady."Guests, you say?", the young lady had moved to her dressing table, examining her bright silky-smooth face fitted with the brightest set of blue pearly eyes."Some foreigners of little importance, I'm sure", Tête arranged a fancy linen gown for her to get changed in."Then my father wouldn't have met them in the tea room. Tête, the water", the little beauty instructed. She had now began brushing her golden locks.Soon she
"My Lord", Tête entered the room and bowed her head, "There is a letter for you, sir".She presented the envelope that she was holding in her hands. "On the table", the master of the house muttered, without looking her way, continuing his gaze into the unknown outside the window, sitting in his recliner. "Anything else?", when Tête didn't leave for a while, he finally asked."My Lord, I am but a servant of your family, like my father was and his father too. We've served your noble family for generations and now, I find it in me to ask you about the fate of your daughter that I raised with my own two hands"."You've served us", he looked her way, uninterestingly, "Your job has been fine. And this is the only time any member of your family has questioned a decision made by the family of Vlad. It is perhaps my own failure that pests like you have gained a mouth. But since you've presented yourself to me with that miserable fate of yours, let me tell you".He began."Vampires cannot hav
"Master is back, girls! Come on up and get to the kitchen, all of you", the head maid came waltzing in, clapping her hands, scattering the group of maids chittering the day away."Madame, who is going to tell him? Will you?", one of the girls approached the head maid and asked slowly."Tell him what? Mistress would tell him herself, is it our duty to give such news to the head of the house? Of course not! Don't forget your place now, go get the stew started already!""Oh, she's not half wrong, Madame. Mistress is what, only 18! And you know how cold their marriage is, good heavens, they don't even talk to each other", another one opined."Goodness, you girls!", the head maid herself wasn't too old, but with all the young ones scampering around, the middle aged woman felt many a wrinkles coming, "Can't you keep your heads in your work? Now get to work and stop idling around".In fact, if there was one place in the huge Valentine mansion that was lively and seemed to be inhabited by any
I would like to think to myself that this isn't the end. But seeing as her story went back to where it all started, I realized that my role wasn't saving her at all. I just made sure she'd continue to exist, eternally.In eternal suffering and forgetfulness and new encounters and the last times, in every world, she'll continue to exist.As for me, I couldn't bear to live in a world knowing she was somewhere out there, helpless and torn, just as she'd been when I first found her.When did I first find her?Who can say? I had always been talking about how I wished I'd met her sooner. In fact, I had always known her. Our existences were intertwined so much that I don't think either of us could just pull away and be happy all on our own without thinking of the other.After I'd returned Lady's power to her, I floated away in an empty space for an eternity. I was foolish enough to think that the sorrow would fade away one day. But no matter how long and far I floated away, the memory and th
It was the coldest I'd felt in ages, and there was an aching heaviness in my head that I simply couldn't seem to shake off no matter how much I walked. I don't know when, how, or why I was walking through the snow towards the top of some hill I didn't even know.For that matter, I didn't remember who I was, how I'd gotten there, or where I was going.And just like that, before I knew it, I had collapsed in a den of wolves. Luckily, it looked abandoned, so I didn't get eaten off right away. I figured it'd be a long, slow death. I found the idea of such a gentle death appealing, despite the fact that I was walking mindlessly just seconds ago.I must have passed out, for when I came to, I was stiff as a rock. And yet, I wasn't that cold anymore. I lifted my head to find myself covered in a bear pelt. Someone had been so kind as to cover me up. And yet, the pelt was rather old and shoddy. Who cared as long as it could keep me warm?I stood up, looking around, getting accustomed to my surr
"I didn't imagine we'd ever come to a crossroads such as this", I let out a puff of smoke, standing opposite her."But, as a matter of fact, I always had a feeling we would", Lady answered with her signature smirk."Sure, you did", I said sarcastically.It was surprising at first. But things made sense soon enough. Lady had sent all of us away on a mission. She'd isolated herself at Valhalla. Chopper had left of his own accord. She'd sent Sight to look for him. Deli had gone to see her children. And she bid Lubbock and June farewell. She'd even given her fur coat to June. Grim was on a mission, too. And I was looking for Jean V. to deliver her letter.It was all exactly as it had been back then. When I'd return from meeting Jean V., Lady would already be beyond saving. Back then, all I knew was that the person who sent her that blank letter was the one who came to kill her. I never ventured to find out much else.It all made sense now as I stood be
"Must you leave without fulfilling my wish, Seraph?"He had some guts to ask. I looked up at the red sky. There was nothing but barren, burnt land all around us."What else could you ask for?", I looked back at him."You look so old, Seraph", he chuckled, "What exactly did you give the others?"I looked behind me without answering his question. There was no one and nothing."What? It's a long story", I answered without looking at him."We've got time to kill", he grinned."I don't", I said, but went on to answer him anyway, "I gave everyone what they wanted.""Really?"I glared at him, "Yes, really, Grim. I took a fee, of course."He laughed."And what will you take from me?", he asked, grinning.I looked around and then rested my eyes on him."There's really nothing."He seemed to agree."So how'd you manage?""Well, Grim, you could almost call it travelling back through time. Though, it really isn't that. I split the worlds to create new ones. Time doesn't exist for me anymore. Ever
"I will take death in any way and form it comes to me, anywhere and anytime."That had to be the most brazen statement I'd heard. It took me a bit to take that statement in."You really have no special requests? If I can, I'd like to make it up to you", I sat down and stared at his bloodied face.He shook his head."Make up for what?", he asked.He didn't know me yet to call me "boy" but I suppose that's the way it had to be.I had become better at rewriting the reality. I could write quite far back in certain cases. For example, in Sight's case, I made it so he never met Lady and Chopper on the night he killed the prima donna, Czarna Dalia.Before meeting them he didn't know anything about what he'd been doing. He didn't know what an outcast was, even though he himself was an outcast. Ignorance is indeed the greatest of all blisses. And I thought for Sight, it had to be the biggest saving.Lady was right. People who see things differently are the most dangerous of all. Especially tho
"This isn't what I asked for, Seraph", she complained, fixing her glasses on her tiny nose."I don't get what the hell it is that you want exactly, June", I was beginning to get tired."You don't understand at all", she folded her arms."You're damn right, I don't. What kind of crazy a-""One thing.", she looked at me sternly, "One thing I'm asking for is a place to be happy. Not a mother, not a wife, not a hero, not any of the other things you're trying to come up with.""What'll make you happy, exactly?", I folded my arms and leaned against the wall of Valhalla.Everyone else was off to fend the red sky off. June had been left behind in a protective barrier.She fell silent."How about Lady? Isn't she your favorite?""I could care less about her", she answered, bluntly, "I hate her.""Huh?", I wasn't sure I'd her heard her right."She does everything on a whim. She claims to understand everything when rea
"They are waiting for you, Monsieur Lubbock", a dark woman poked her head into the dressing room, "It's almost time for the show."The bajillion young ladies that were powdering his nose scattered away.His face was pink with heat and he wore a long fancy coat. It almost looked odd on his somewhat small figure."I'll be right there", he answered, gussying up in the mirror."Aww, you're leaving already, Monsieur?", some of the girls came up to him.He chuckled modestly."What can I say? The life of the greatest singer in the world isn't so relaxing, my dears.""You might be the greatest singer, but Monsieur is also the life of all women's hearts", one of the cheekier ones commented.Lubbock laughed. He didn't try to hide how much he loved being pampered like this."I'm sorry, girls. My audience awaits!"Saying so, he shot out of the room and hurried towards the stage. Backstage was always heated just before his shows. He was the one star that every theater wanted to have. But he was a
"Do you blame me for mother's death, father?", she asked, placing the empty cup of tea on the little side table.Her father wasn't facing her. He was still locked up in his study, reclining on his chair and looking out of the window at some distance lands.She sat straight, with her back erect. The weight of her gown was enough to tire her but she was made up, as befitting of a noble. She had to look all the more perfect since she was visiting her home for the first time since her marriage."Blame you?", the lord of the house spoke in his grave voice after a while, "I simply don't think you were worth her death. Esme was a wise woman. A level headed, understanding, noble woman."Faye looked at her lap."You refuse to carry out the will of the house of Vlad. You'll go as far as to commit a heinous crime to that end. I'm disappointed beyond measure."Faye pursed her lips. No one but she herself had been hurt the most by what she'd done."Vlad was born to you twice. And yet, you ungratef
"Tell you what, Seraph, this one time, I met a girl and she had these enormous scars all over her arms and legs. I couldn't help noticing her, of course. When she told me she did it herself, I couldn't help it. I killed her then and there", he chuckled to himself, "I didn't want to do it, of course. Something just came over me. It wasn't that she told me she did it herself. It was how she said it. She was smiling.""I'm sure she wasn't smiling because she was happy", I answered, with a solemn look on my face."I'm sure of that too. I was sure of it back then too. That's probably why I killed her. But do you know how many people I've saved?"He looked at my face. I stayed silent."I've saved more people than I've killed. I've been counting since the beginning. I know, for sure, that my atonement is over. At least, it ought to be. But does it look like I'm still repenting?", he asked, smiling vaguely, knowing my answer."You do.""That's because I am. No matter how many I save...the ato