Well, I had been sitting on this idea for a week, so I started this. I know, Waterfalls only has one chapter still, but I have about three different scenarios on it, and none of them want to be written.
To sum this all up, this takes place...I don't know, just after Luke returns at the end of the game. They're walking through the valley, to the Albiore, when a certain rouge vampire makes his entrance. Just a note, if you think that the vampires in this stories are going to be like the ones in the 'Twilight' series, you're wrong. Not that far off, but still wrong. They will buuurrrnn in the light. That's all I shall say...
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss. Vampires are a figment of everybody's imagination... At least, that's what we think we know.
Tataroo valley was quiet, save for the sounds of the wildlife and the river. It was dark, in the cover of the trees, but in any clearing, the valley was lit by moon light and the petals of the selenia flowers, which seemed to shine with the life of the night. But all wasn't still, not while a certain group of people were moving through the forest. They walked merrily in some cases, but happy over all. Six figures picked their way around the roots and weeds on the path, to a dark shape in the distance. But unknown to them, there was a seventh being following behind them, hidden by the shadows.
Ryden dug his fingers into the ground, locking his jaw and trying to focus on something else other then the scent that was practically eating his ability to control himself. He was a rouge vampire yes, but that didn't mean that he had lost all dignity. He still had control around humans... Most of the time. The scent of this particular 'human' was driving him insane! It was taking almost everything he had just to sit still, and quietly stalk his prey. Just as he'd been doing for the last couple of months. But it smelled so good and-no! Control yourself, Ryden! The rouge kicked himself mentally for letting his mind wander.
It was the eyes of this human that hooked him. They were blood red, like his own. And they were the reason that Ryden wasn't sure if this human was really, truly human. It didn't take long for him to figure out that he was in fact, human. He spent these last months fantasizing day and night(because it wasn't like he could actually sleep. That was one thing that the humans pinpointed on the 'imaginary being' called the vampire. They couldn't sleep.) about the taste of his blood(because if it smells good, then it must taste even better, right?). Unfortunately, he couldn't taste his blood, not even a drop. For one, the man never seemed to get hurt in battle, so he never bled. And another, he was surrounded by other humans(some of which...didn't smell as good as he. Then again, that little girl seemed...). And finally, it's hard to get what you want when you're being constantly searched for by the Grand Council of Jue's Castle.
Jue's Castle... His old home. The home of all vampires, controlled by the Grand Council, which is composed of the oldest vampires living on Auldrant. The story is quite simple really. 2000 years ago, humans were more...aware of the presence of vampires. The seemingly mythical race was constantly hunted down by groups who called themselves 'vampire hunters'. It was only when Yulia Jue herself stepped in that the killing of vampires ceased. People thought the vampire race extinct, but they were very far from it. Yulia used her power, along with the elite power of the fonon sentiences to create the castle which would be the home of vampires all over Auldrant for as long as the fonons themselves lived. The vampires themselves considered themselves indebted to Yulia for what she did (you can't just live in Jue's Plain and NOT be thankful. That's the whole reason the castle was named after the scorer.), but he didn't. Ryden didn't see why the vampires should worship a human of all things. That's why he was considered a rouge, and was being hunted by the Grand Council. In his mind, humans were food, that's all.
Ryden squirmed silently in his position. Each time his 'prey' moved a step closer to his hiding spot, to avoid a charging beast(which smell terrible, and almost ruined the scent that his mind was stuck to) or some action of the sort, it became slightly harder to control his thoughts-which were already running wild. The fact that Ryden hadn't drank any form of blood in the last few days was only making this worse. He should have prepared better. You can't properly stalk your prey when your throat is practically on fire. That, and the more time he spent with out blood, the more his body seemed to...degrade. His over all health was degrading the more time passed.
"Hey Jade, you haven't said much of anything! Aren't you happy that I'm back, or did you not miss me at all?"
Jade... Jade. Ryden liked that name, it fitted him so well. He could just see what the man would look like if he were actually a vampire. It wasn't hard, obviously. He already had red eyes-a mystery who's answer still evaded him. How could it be possible for a human to have red eyes? And he was already pale like paper, despite the fact that he lived in the Malkuth capital, Grand Chokmah. Just add a slight silvery sheen to his hair, it'd be perfect. That and some fangs(one of the famous traits of the vampire) and... Augh! Stop stop stop it!! Ryden shook his head.
Stop thinking about it! Get these fantasies out of your head! This isn't the best you've come across, right? What about that girl uh, what was her name? Oh, he couldn't remember. That was almost 100 years ago... It's just been so long since he had a good meal without the Council on his tail.
When Ryden finally looked up after rounding up his thoughts once again, he frowned when he saw that the group that he had been stalking-that Jade in particular-had gone ahead. He jumped away from his previous spot to follow them. A evil sort of grin spread over his face when they came back into view. His silvery-black hair fell over his eyes as he ran, only giving him more cover in the darkness. But soon, they would arrive back at the strange flying machine, and he'd be forced to run across the continent again in pursuit. Oh, how all that running made his legs tire...
"Think of the prize Ryden, think of the prize..." he whispered to himself. One would call him almost insane if they saw him. That's what a rouge vampire was, insane. Constantly thirsting for blood and pain, and dominance over the humans. Rules being the last thing on its list of priorities. Insane, out of control, rouge, Ryden. He was the last rouge on the planet. All others had been hunted down by the council, and executed. He wasn't going to be executed. He wasn't getting caught. Rem's power was hard enough just to think about. But actually having to stand in it? That was how a vampire was executed. That was why Jue's Castle was shrouded in eternal night.
"-actually I'm just happy to have my favorite test subject alive and well again!"
"O-oh okay... Heheh, er, thanks?"
Ryden listened carefully to the conversation. To Jade's teasing and that red-head-Luke was his name?- edging away from the other. Moments passed, and they got closer and closer to said strange flying machine. All of a sudden, everything just cracked and fell apart. His plan disappeared.
The first thing that happened: a wild beast burst from the bushed in front of the group, and charged. Jade jumped backwards in order to avoid the horn on the tip of it's nose. He jumped back, almost right in front of Ryden's hiding spot. Suddenly the vampire lost all control. He was so thirsty, and Jade smelled so good! His body seemed to act without thought or any form of mind, just instinct. The instinct to kill... He felt the ground rush away from his, his cover blown as he lunged for the man's neck. Despite it being covered by his military uniform, that could easily be taken care of.
"Colonel, look out behind you!"
"Jade!"
Damn! Ryden cursed in his mind. He missed! Jade jumped to the side just before Ryden could get his arms around him. He landed on the other side of the path on all fours, growling at the group. They were in his way! He didn't bare his fangs however, he couldn't have these people finding out about him. That would put the Grand Council on high alert, no doubt about it, then he'd really be in trouble.
"What's with this guy?!" A small raven haired girl cried. He watched for a split second as the doll on her back grew.
He lunged again, but the rapier of the blond swordsman blocked his path. "Hah!" He grabbed the sword, snapping it as if it were a stick. Ryden tried to kick his opponent, but he dodged just before his foot came into contact with his face, wheeling back and falling. Close enough.
Jade had stepped back from Ryden, and was charging an arte. Perfect! He wouldn't be able to dodge him again. Ryden launched himself towards the fonist with a wide grin. His eyes were wide and his hair was a mess. He truly looked insane.
"Colonel!" The girl on her doll cried out again as Ryden pinned Jade to the ground, ripping his collar away. Both Luke and his puppeteer friend lunged at him, but he jumped up, delivering a punch that knocked them both to the ground.
"Luke!" A brown haired girl ran to Luke's side, while another blond haired archer rushed to the other. Ryden grinned and turned to Jade again, pinning him to the ground once more.
His brown hair was in slight dissarray, with the same red eyes as Ryden glaring back. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
Ryden's grin took at turn towards the 'sadistic' side, showing his teeth. "Isn't it obvious?" Jade's eyes grew wider. "Oh," Ryden ran a cold finger along Jade's jaw line. "But I would hate to see a face like yours in pain..." he mumbled. Jade turned his head away, trying to avoid him, making Ryden laugh to himself. "Don't worry... It won't hurt...much." Without another word, Ryden leaned forward(screw being dramatic, he was dead thirsty!), and let his teeth sink into Jade's neck.
Luke watched in horror as this strange man who'd jumped out from the forest, leaned down on Jade. He couldn't see what he was doing to the Colonel, but he had a pretty good idea what was happening. Jade started to squirm under the vampire, trying to free himself. His eyes were shut and his jaw was clenched tight. Luke wanted to help, but the punch that the attacker gave him seemed to have paralyzed him and Anise. Jade's attempts at freeing himself were growing more frantic, and Luke could hear the man gasping for air. "Jade..." Luke tried to speak, but the pain in his stomach kept him from doing so.
"Jade!" Guy, even without his sword, took it upon himself to pull the insane man away from Jade, who was taking deep breaths, still trying to free himself while making strange noises. Guy soon recognized these noises coming from Jade's throat to be cries of pain. He couldn't bear to see the Colonel in such a position. Suddenly, he nearly fell backwards again when something tall and dark appeared in front of him. No, not something, some things. Three things.
They were people in cloaks so heavy he couldn't even see their faces. "Who...are you?" One turned to face him.
"It's too late now." His voice was smooth and cold like ice.
Guy stared at him. "What are you talking about? Let me through, I have to-"
"No." He held out an arm. "It's too late." the figure turned back to his companions. He nodded, and they were suddenly next to Jade, pulling his attacker away.
Everybody watched as the man struggled to escape, but both of the cloaked men held him with a firm grasp while the third knelt next to Jade. His uniform, neck and face were covered in his own blood.
They'd been attacked by a vampire, and Jade had been bitten.
"Blood! I want-I want his blood! Give it to me! Give it to meee!" The vampire struggled, thrashing wildly in their arms. Guy's brain tried to register what was happening as he watched the third cloaked man hold Jade's head in place. Suddenly, he stopped struggling and fell completely limp in the man's arms.
"What's going on here?" Natalia asked next to Anise.
"..." No one answered her. But the two men holding the wild vampire whispered to each other. Their third companion nodded, and they disappeared.
"Hey!" Guy approached the last cloaked man. "What's going on here? Answer me? What's going to happen to Jade?"
"...Some times," he lifted his head. "It's better not to know the truth." He laid on gloved hand over Jade's bleeding throat. They watched in silence as he brought his hand back to where his mouth would be, beneath the hood. Guy wore a face of slight disgust when the hand came back down, clean of the blood that was previously there. "Forget what happened here." He raised his hand again, but this time, he seemed to be healing them. Guy turned and saw that Luke and Anise were finally getting to their feet.
"Explain yourself!" Natalia too stepped off the ground, followed by Tear. They all wore extremely worried expressions.
"What's going to happen to the Colonel?" Anise asked, eyes fixed on Jade's face, getting paler by the second.
"I said forget. It is not a matter of yours." The man's voice remained smooth. He continued setting his hand over different parts of Jade's body, which seemed to be twitching still.
"Yes it is!" Luke exclaimed. "Jade's our friend! What could you possibly do that wouldn't be our matter?!"
Instead of replying, the man brought his arms under Jade's body and lifted him off the ground. He stood silently in front of them for a moment. "I am sorry, I could not prevent this... Please, forget..." Then, he disappeared just like his comrades had.
"Forget?! Hey, come back here!" Luke ran forward. "Where are you taking him? Jade!"
It was completely silent. Every one was still trying to work out what had just happened in the last few minutes. Luke stared down at the spot wear Jade was laying only seconds before. Only a small puddle of blood remained on the path. "He's...gone..."
"Wh-what was that?!" Anise burst out. "What just happened? Where's the Colonel? What are we supposed to do now? It's just one problem after another, isn't it!!"
"I think... We just had a run in with a-a vampire." Guy said, the words seeming impossible to him. Were they all dreaming? "I think..."
"...We should go to Grand Chokmah. We should tell Peony..." Luke said quietly. He turned and started walking to the Albiore again. Everyone else followed behind. Anise stopped, taking a glance at the puddle of red behind them.
"Anise?" Tear called to her.
"I-I'm coming..." He's gone... What's going to happen to the Colonel now...?