Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Vampire Knight characters that would be appearing in this story. This fanfiction is only done for fun and entertainment. =)
Story Summary: AU. Countless of battles fought. Dreams shattered along the way. The path to victory is a long, treacherous journey. Twelve unique individuals. Only one victor. As the wheels of fate turns towards their final destination, who would manage to stand at the top?
Paradise of Light and Shadow
00
Tangled Threads
"Dark origins bring about appreciation for life."
Anonymous
Survive.
Individuals whose lives were stained by the darkness of this world are going to fight for victory. All for the sake of a wish that can only be fulfilled through a god's power…
Relics.
Tools with special powers created by ancients and magicians, or objects that have absorbed their owner's grudge or natural spiritual powers after long exposure…
Every person had most likely heard of such things, as they appear in countless of stories and rumors. Most people consider these objects as mere fantasies and believe that events caused by relics are nothing more than coincidence. However, relics are real, and more common than people think…
Twelve.
The twelve most powerful relics are now in the hands of the chosen participants. Among them, only one can emerge the victor in this so-called Carnival of Nightmares…
- xXx -
'Your weakness is a disgrace to our noble family name! How can I make you my heir when you keep on embarrassing me with your actions? Have you no pride! They are commoners, undeserving of your friendship. Cease stooping down onto their levels. If things keep on being like this, I would make your cousin the heir and you would be placed in the branch house!'
He closed his eyes in pain as he recounted the harsh words spoken to him by the man he called his 'father'. Of course, the truth was that man wasn't his real father. He was taken into this household when both of his parents were murdered years ago. Not once had this man ever shown that he loved him and he was left wondering if he would be better off leaving the mansion and never coming back. It wasn't as if his 'father' would care if he disappeared.
"I don't want this life anymore," he whispered tiredly as he lay down on his bed and closed his garnet-colored eyes. This room was his own private solace where that man's words and actions wouldn't hurt him. "I want to be free from this cage and be someone who I want to be."
- xXx -
'Our job is to complete the mission given to us. We have to bury our true emotions for the sake of professionalism and ignore all weaknesses that could become a liability in the field. Success means everything. Leave behind your morals and your principles if you want to keep on surviving in this world.'
His late father told him those words when he first began his training and ever since then, he had learned to live by them. He had to kill his heart in order to keep on surviving in such a dangerous place. He had so many brushes with death and he wondered how long was left until he ended up six feet under like his dad.
He lived a life of solitude, unable to connect with someone. He could count on his fingers the number of people he could trust and all of them were adults who were connected in some way to his father. There were times he was tempted to run away and forget everything and start anew. But one thing he learned from experience, there was no going back.
"You were right, dad, there is no escape from this hell," he whispered bitterly as he placed flowers on his father's grave.
His silver-amethyst eyes gazed at the dark skies and somewhere deep inside him, he wished that his life could've been different.
"I want to leave behind this burden and be normal for once."
- xXx -
"I love you! I truly love you! I can't wait to finally call you mine," she said boldly as she gazed at her newest work of art. It was a painting of the young man she decided to devote her whole heart and soul to. Even with her eyes closed, she could picture his image clearly. She especially loved his eyes. So pure… So majestic… So endless…
He was so different from everyone she knew and she loved him the more for it. He was her only reason for existing and he was the only light in this never ending darkness. And she thought about what it would be like to have him all for herself.
Her thoughts suddenly took a darker tone as she remembered a girl hanging on to him like a barnacle. Stupid slut!
He's mine. He's mine. He's mine!
"No one gets in the way of our love," she stated coldly as she flipped her long chocolate brown hair. Her russet-colored eyes narrowed with hate. "I'll make sure that no one would ever come between us. Everyone who does deserves to die…"
- xXx -
"So close… So damn close to finally apprehending that bastard…" he muttered as he paced back and forth inside his office, running a hand through his ash-brown hair. He couldn't believe that he lost the damned trail and he was so close to finally catching him.
The man who murdered his family in cold blood. The man who ruined his life. The man who was also his older brother.
He would never ever forget the details of that tragic night.
There was nothing more important to him than avenging the family he had lost. He would never forgive his brother for that sin. He would make sure that he would be the one to finally deliver justice to that monster. Even if he had to sell his soul to the devil, he would gladly do it.
"I swear to God that I'll be the one to kill you!"
- xXx -
"Watch! This is my finest art! The beauty of my explosions!"
She watched with unrepressed glee as the building explodes in a shower of dust and debris. Only with these explosions could she see the beauty that this twisted world had to offer. This was art at its finest! She didn't care if she was called a terrorist. A monster. The mad bomber. Seeing the fleeting beauty of her finest art would always come first in her agenda.
She would prove to that damned painter bitch she called her sometimes friend or sometimes rival that her art was the best!
She twirled a long strand of blonde hair on her finger as she thought of another plan. Now if only he could find something worthwhile she could test her newest explosions on…
- xXx -
"Dogs are far better than human beings," she said as she stroked the white fur of her favorite dog. "At least, they love you and would never betray you. They're loyal and wouldn't abandon you."
She stood up and closed the door of the pet store. "The same couldn't be said of humans."
She ruffled her short orange hair angrily as she remembered how her so-called friends left her behind one by one. How her boyfriend cheated on her not once but many times. How her mother and sister never called or even visited her.
People are all the same. They betray you and abandon you when they deem you are of no use.
"I don't need those people…"
- xXx -
"Everyone's gone… Every one of them left me…" A silver-haired woman murmured to herself as she held a glass of whiskey on her left hand. Her only comfort in this sad and desolate world. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered to keep on living when there was nothing else left. What was the point of living like this?
"They promised to stay… yet they're not here anymore… They're gone…"
A lone tear drop fell as she gazed at the single cherry blossom petal in front of her.
- xXx -
'There is no cure… He doesn't have much long… He'll die soon… The only advice I can give you is to make the most out of the time he has left… I'm sorry…'
The room was spinning and he couldn't hear a damn thing as the words kept on repeating itself like a broken record.
He slumped down heavily on the floor as the weight of the words spoken by the doctor hit him fully. He didn't want to believe that his beloved was going to leave him soon. They were supposed to have a family together. Just the two of them. Their dreams were finally within their reach.
Why did this have to happen? Why was fate trying to tear them apart?
"How can I save you from this terrible fate…?"
- xXx -
"That thrice damned piece of shit!"
He couldn't believe the nerve of that fucking bitch. How dare they fire him! Anyone with half a brain could see that little bastard was a liar and cheat. The lowest of the low. How could they believe the brat's words against his? He should've known better than to trust those scums.
"Money is everything in this world. As long as you have it, nothing can touch you," he said angrily as he grabbed his battered flute case and stomped away from the classroom.
Ever since he was little, he was always teased and bullied just because he wasn't born wealthy. He made do with second hand clothes and he spent most of his time, trying to save money to pay for his schooling. He tried so hard and he worked his ass off to get a teaching license. But because of a rich brat who sure as hell didn't like him, the career he always wanted ended in disgrace.
"I'll show them. I'll show them all one day!"
- xXx -
"Change is needed! Only with it, can this city rise to be the greatest of them all…"
A dark-haired man stood behind the large glass windows that overlooked the city. He had always watched from the shadows as the city he had fought and sacrificed for began to lose its strength and beauty. He had always disagreed with his brother. Pacifistic approach would never be enough. The proof of it was the rise of crime and death within the city.
"Everything needs to change and unlike what the others think; force is needed in order to bring about that change."
- xXx -
"I can't wait to see that brat once again. He showed so much potential but that meddling bastard had to ruin everything," a light-haired man said as he lounged on the hard bed of his prison cell. "The question is: does the kid still remember his dear old uncle?"
He laughed as he remembered those frightened silver-amethyst eyes. "As soon as I'm out of this prison, I'll be paying the kid a visit. And this time, he won't get away from me."
- xXx -
"I don't need anyone else. It's better to be alone. Loving myself is the only way to keep on living."
He closed the door his apartment and headed towards his bathroom. He watched with morbid fascination as the blood in his hands mixed with water, turning it to a dull pink. Another assassin sent by his father was dead by his hands. He had always known that his family disliked him. His siblings certainly didn't hide the fact that they were frightened of him.
It didn't bother him in the slightest. He didn't need anyone after all. As far as he was concerned, he had no family.
"I'll prove my existence… I'll show everyone else that I have the right to exist…"
- xXx -
Live or die.
Kill before you are killed.
And claim the throne of god.
These twelve will set the stage for the grandest battle in history.
Remember…
Only one will win this game.
-chapter 00 end-
Author's Notes
Hello to all readers! You guys might be wondering why the heck am I posting another new story when I haven't even finished the others? =)
Well, this story had been sitting in my laptop for a really really really long time. I reckon it was written at the same time as Destiny's People and that was probably the reason why its a bit angsty... Anyway, I decided to post the first chapter of the three I had written so far. The others need a bit of editing so it would be posted a week or two later. The update would depend on whether or not you guys would like this one as well. The world is very different from the ones I've written and as you've noticed there are no vampires on this fic despite its rather supernatural element.
On a side note, if I continue this story, it would probably my shortest (probably lasting about 15 or less chapters) and the opposite of Immortal Guardian which would be my longest story.
Hope you guys would like this one!
Please Read and Review! =)