ASCEND INTO DARKNESS

by Ulquiorra9000

A/N: This story features all-new characters of mine pitted against the horrors of Innistrad. It will be a tale of trust, love, monsters, and the consequences of one's actions. I plan to make this story shorter than my earlier works like Magic Chronicles and Two of a Kind, but I will give this fic all the exciting action, fun characters, and wild twists that my earlier stories have.

Also, I borrowed this story's title from the Innistrad set's trailer because it felt fitting for this fic.

Prologue: The Pact

Although the massive, silvery moon shone brightly in the inky black sky, Leo could barely make out anything with his hazy, tired vision. Grunting in mingled exhaustion and dull, throbbing pain, the 17-year-old Cathar reached out with his right arm, gripped a stone brick on the castle roof's cool, mossy surface and dragged himself forward another few inches toward his fiancee and fellow Cathar. "Abigail," he coughed, trying to force a comforting grin, "can you hear me? Come on, say something."

Ahead of Leo lay the brunette Cathar mage, flat on her stomach and her face turned away from Leo. She did not stir, but she groaned faintly and Leo, heartened by the sound, shoved out with his left foot and scooted himself forward a little more. Angels curse me, this is difficult, he thought bitterly. Have to... make it. Abigail needs me. Everyone needs me. This whole mission was my idea! How could I know that the Falkenrath vampire family would be this powerful? Bit off more than I could chew for once.

Leo felt his Cathar uniform soaking slowly with his warm, sticky blood, his shirt torn and his coat dirty and frayed from the now-dead vampires he had fought only minutes before. More than a dozen Falkenrath vampires lay about on the castle roof, where they had tried to use their mastery of flight to get an advantage over Leo and his fighting team. That tactic didn't save the vampires, but it damn well cost Leo and his team dearly. Leo looked to his side, slowly turning his sore neck and squinting at the other prone form near him. His best friend Friedrich, or Rick for short, lay with his back to Leo, with only his bright dyed-red hair giving away his identity.

"Rick. Hang in there, old friend," Leo muttered, reaching out with a scratched hand as a chilly breeze wafted across the castle roof. Around him, the dark, misty Stensia mountains loomed high like a crowd, watching the humans fight desperately to stave off bleeding to death. Frowning a little, Leo scooted his way closer to Abigail, pushing his way past his dropped sword, shoving aside the weapon with his bloody hands. The silver weapon clanged and rattled as it skittered across the castle roof, and Leo winced as the deafening sounds struck his sensitive ears.

"Abigail. S-send... out a flare," Leo spoke up, wincing as one of his chest wounds scraped against a loose rock. He curled up, pressing his hands to the bleeding wound. "C-come on! Alert th-the backup team. Jorge's healing magic w-wore out in the fight. He can't help us." Indeed, the surly medical mage lay prone further away, unable to help his fellows at all.

"Leo?" Abigail asked weakly, flopping over to face her fiancee. Her normally attractive, gentle face as marred by scratched, blood spots and dirt. "Y-you're okay. Thank the angels."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Leo coughed again, feeling a shred of strength returning to his limbs and voice. "Just send that fl-flare! Now!"

Breathing in as deep as her damaged lungs would allow, Abigail reached out with her right arm, bright yellow magic focusing on her right hand's palm. With a strained grunt, she flung the magic vapors into the air, streaking through the night sky like an oversized firefly. Once it reached a sufficient height, the magic sphere exploded in a vivid display, glitters of the holy magic scattering across the sky. No doubt the rescue team would find it and make a beeline for the Falkenrath stronghold, and Leo sighed with relief at the thought, trying to relax and conserve his strength.

"L-Leo," Abigail mumbled. "We're going to make it, aren't we?"

"Yeah, course we will," Leo managed a weak smile. "We always do, don't we, darlin'?"

"S-stop calling me that ridiculous name," Abigail tried to scold Leo, but she only laughed despite herself. "Haven't I told you before?"

"Does th-that matter at a time like this? Lighten up."

Abigail turned back away, staring out at the rugged landscape beyond. "O-only when you learn a l-little more discipline, Leo. You still... don't take this job seriously enough. But I forgive you." She sighed again, then didn't make another sound.

Unsure what to do next, Leo dragged himself closer yet to his fiancee, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "A-Abigail? You still there, darlin'? Say something..." His hand fell off Abigail's shoulder, and he rolled onto his back, gasping for breath as his head swam and his arms and legs shook. "Damn it, might not m-make it after all... Where is good help when you need it, huh?"

"It sounds like you're in a real bind, boy," boomed a deep, gravelly voice. Leo started, his eyes darting this way and that, but he saw nothing. No one else on his squad stirred at the sound, but when the voice came back, Leo realized that he was hearing it in his head. "I can help you, you know."

"Who's out there?" Leo called out as loudly as he could, wishing he had his sword with him. "Is this some trick?"

The air suddenly felt thick and cold, and Leo distinctly heard something huge swoop down on leathery wings and land heavily on the castle roof. His stomach churning with confusion, Leo grunted again and flopped himself over, then beheld a bulky, huge being standing only ten feet away from him, its body standing out against the star-studded sky. The being's huge, bat-like wings flared out and a long, reptilian tail swished excitedly through the air. A cloud drifted away from the moon, allowing a beam of pearly light to shine on the monster: a demon. With a lizard-like face, humanoid body and long claws, the demon lived up to Leo's vision of what such a being would look like.

"And what does a demon want with me?" Leo sputtered. "If the angels find you... they'll drag you off to Avacyn and destroy you!"

The demon chuckled deeply, its tail twitching. "Ah, but your Avacyn cannot be everywhere at once, can she? No one can help you. You are dying. Help is too far away to save you. You brought your team into this situation, Leo, and they will pay for your foolishness with their lives."

"Like hell they will," Leo spat back, galvanized by the demon's accusations. "They knew what I was bringing them into! We were ready. I..."

The demon snapped its jaws, its red eyes flaring. "Not ready enough, I would say. You will die here, Leo, and your companions... but for a price, I can change that."

"Wh-what?"

As an answer, the demon lumbered toward Leo on its squat legs, reaching out with a hand infused with shimmering blue and red mana mingled in a purplish haze. "I can give you your life, and that of your friends," the demon offered. "Make a blood pact with me, and for a later price, I can keep you and your friends alive long enough for help to arrive. Refuse, and die on this roof. I trust that you will make the right decision."

Leo coughed again, feeling blood in his throat. His head ached as he squinted past the demon, and against the starry sky, he thought he saw the outline of a tall person standing there. "Is... someone there?" But then again, his fuzzy brain was no doubt making him see things. Already, he thought he heard the flapping wings of angels coming to take him to the Blessed Sleep.

The demon slowly lowered its hand toward Leo, and the Cathar jolted as a tiny sliver of the mana stabbed into his body. Leo felt a surge of strength and warmth as the demon's magic filled his body. Springing to his feet, Leo felt his nerves tingle with renewed strength and he charged headfirst at the demon, his shimmering white holy magic flaring on his hands. Before he reached the beast, however, Leo felt his legs give way and he sprawled in a confused heap at the demon's clawed feet, gasping for breath. The castle roof seemed to spin around him and he fought to draw breath.

The demon drew back its hand a little, wings lowering slightly. "A taste of what I can offer," it boomed. "Do you really wish to bleed to death here, boy? You have only seconds to decide, and your friends might have even less time for you to finally decide what to do."

"I swore... to uphold justice," Leo mumbled feebly, feeling his wounds re-open from his fall. Terror and shame squirmed in his guts: he couldn't afford to die here, but a demon's pact? Could he make such a bargain? But... he couldn't hold out much longer, and when he glanced at Abigail's tattered, limp form sprawled in the moonlight, Leo took a deep breath and craned his head up far enough to look the demon right in its fiery red eyes. "O-okay. Just enough to get us out of here alive. I..." he sent a quick mental prayer for forgiveness to the angels. "I accept. I make the pact."

"Smart boy," the demon chuckled, crouching over Leo and resting its hand on his back. Blue and red mana surged from the demon's black scaly hand and across Leo's body, soaking into his flesh like a tonic. From Leo's body radiated the demon's magic, tendrils of it seeping into the limp forms of Leo's friends. "This will take only a moment. But know that you can never escape a demon's pact. I will demand repayment of you, boy, and you will never know peace until you do." With its work done, the demon pumped its wings hard, sending a blast of air across the castle roof. With a few more flaps of its bat-like wings, the demon soared into the air and was gone.

Leo gripped his fists tight, resolve burning in his gut. "And I swear that the spawn of evil will never know peace for as long as I live."