Chapter One: A New Type of Enemy

Within the walls of the city of Byzantium Elma felt as though she could leap for joy, but where she was still recovering from her recent mishap with Terina, she would just have to settle with tears of happiness and triumph.

"I can't believe it! I honestly can't believe that I'm finally home!" She sank down to her knees and clutched at the earth beneath her with trembling hands. "It's just as I remember it. So quiet, beautiful and full of color!" She sniffled as she bowed her head and began to pray. "There's no doubt in my mind that this wouldn't be Terina's next target! She's here! I can feel it!"

Offering her a hand, Abel muttered remorsefully, "Then it shall be brother verses brother, and sister verses sister."

"Yes...That is how this battle shall be...but..." Now on her feet Elma closed her eyes and began to pray even more.

"Elma...Do you not also have the same darkness within you that has also overpowered your sister?"

Her eyes snapped open, and looking up at Abel, Elma whispered with much fear in her voice, "How do you know that?"

He sighed, "Elma..."

Opening his mouth to speak again, he was drowned out by Esther's scream.

"FATHER!"

Abel wheeled around so that he was facing the opposite direction, and what he saw was far worse than anything he'd have ever imagined.

A small army of creatures clad in oxygen helmets, and thick black cloaks, with a giant war ax in every hand, the blades were stained with crimson blood.

Some of the blood was still fresh enough to drip down the axes' blades.

Behind him, Elma gasped, "Father, do you remember what I told you when we met each other officially? Do you remember that conversation?"

Abel thought back to the morning where he'd woken up. It had been after Cain's attack on the Vatican...

So they'd talked about...Noelle, about the stuff that he'd said while asleep, and...

"Trust me, I would know. It was the same exact story for me when my parents were murdered. They were killed recently by the monsters...Monsters called Death Hunters or Auto Jägers..."

"Death Hunters!" Abel gasped and then pulled out his ancient percussion revolver, "RUN! Those creatures are dangerous! Get out of here!"

Everyone in the group slowly began to inch away from the beasts.

Tres, however, the only one to hold his ground, stood where he was. Both of his M-13 Jericho guns in his hands, ready for combat.

Abel caught hold of one of his arms and began to pull him back. "Tres, now is not the time for a suicide mission! We've got to get somewhere and regain our strength and ammunition. Not to mention getting Elma someplace safe! We will come back and deal with these guys later!"

"Positive." Tres turned around and headed in the direction of the nearest exit.

Abel picked Elma up in a single swift motion, and carrying her over his shoulder, set off at a fast pace. He knew that the Death Hunters would follow them, but he didn't know how fast it would be that they travelled.

The reason that he kept urging everyone to keep moving a little faster.

Taking a chance, Esther peered over her left shoulder as she continued to run, and saw the creatures begin to brandish their axes. The light from the sun glinted off of the blades.

The pursuit was on!

The Death Hunters took off at an amazing speed, dragging their blood stained blades along the sides of the brick alley way. Sparks emitting from the friction of blade against brick, and a screeching worse than nails on a blackboard sounded.

Witnessing this pushed Esther to move faster.

While the foreign visitors all made their escape, two silent watchers stood atop a building just thirty feet above.

"Well what do you make of them?" A man with a boyish face whispered as he idly began to smooth his shoulder length light brown hair out. "I mean, Mein Herr said that the one priest will cause trouble, but other than that..."

The second man sneered, the ashes falling from the end of his lit cigarette. "But other than that, nothing!"

"I wouldn't go getting in over your head, Flamburg!"

"Don't you worry about me, Puppet Master." Flamburg dropped the finished cigarette, letting it fall to the ground below. "If I were you, I'd just forcus on worrying about myself."

He began to walk away, reminding Puppet Master of one more small thing, "Oh, and don't forget your job, get through to the Empress. Once her grip on this nation fails, the world will be as good as ours."

The man called Puppet Master wore a stone cold face, "As you've already informed me, don't worry about my duties. Worry about your own."

Flamburg laughed, "Well we'll just see what your Mein Herr says."

With Asta in the lead of the group fleeing from the monsters, she suddenly jumped high into the air. Glancing all around, looking to see if their followers had lost their scents and given up on the chase.

Even if they gave up for just a moment, a moment would be all that they'd need.

Back on her feet, Asta looked at Abel, and with a half-convinced expression whispered, "I think that we've lost them. I couldn't see them, even with my keen eye sight."

"Well, we're safe, and that's all that matters, Asta."

She didn't even bother to roll her eyes at Abel's sentimental ways, and quickly addressed what worried her the most about the creatures. "Priest, I smelled the blood of Terrans on them! But I also smelled rotting flesh! I don't know what kind of Hell these creatures were spawned from, but if we allow them to be much longer, we could expect an epidemic of mass killings!"

Everyone in the group, even Brother Petros and Sister Paula, all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Father..." Esther whispered as she neared Abel. "What exactly are those things?"

Abel noticed her trembling, and kindly placed a hand on her shoulder "I don't know yet, Sister Esther."

"I see..."

Leon plopped heavily to the ground. "So what now, Four-Eyes?"

"We get somewhere safe..."

"And then what?"

Everyone turned to look at Elma, who up until this point, had remained silent.

"Father, the Death Hunters are blood ccraving creatures! They will kill to no end!"

Petros scowled at Elma, "So what do you suggest?"

"We get to the Empress' Palace within the next few hours!"

"That's a tall order coming from one who can't even walk!"

"Petros..." Abel began but was cut off.

"Put me down!"

"Elma..."

"Do it, Father Nightroad." Her eyes were closed, and her golden hair swayed in a breeze of salty air from the sea.

Abel knelt down and Elma gently jumped to the familiar ground beneath her.

Petros taking an offensive stance, swung his gleaming Screamer from his back, and a chorus of screams echoed in the small, enclosed area.

"PETROS!"

"TERRAN!"

"ELMA!"

As the echoes faded, and the dust began to settle, everyone saw that both Tres and Leon had Petros restrained, and that a small crater had been made in the ground where Elma had been standing.

Abel was fumming. "Petros! What the hell have you done?"

"Father..." Asta placed a hand on Abel's shoulder. "Look..." She guided his gaze up towards the sky.

"What the..." He sighed in relief, but his eyes grew wide in wonder, for floating in the air about seven feet above them, was a creature much like the one he'd seen Terina transform into in Venice.

But in the eyes of the creature before him now, there was a major difference, instead of evil intent, there was sadness.

"Elma...?"

Nodding her head, Elma spoke with a slightly distorted voice, "Yes, Father, it's me."

Her golden hair, normally hanging straight over her shoulders, now formed a halo above her head, and her eyes, as golden as her hair, were now a fiery red. A pair of skeltal wings allowed her to remain suspended up in the air. And her skin, once a light peachy color, now was a light ashy grey.

"You were right, Father. I do harbor the same darkness within me, that Terina does..." Her eyes closed, and a single tear fell. "I'm sorry..."

Pity filled Abel's heart.

Re-opening here eyes, Elma looked down at her fellow companions, there was no fear, no hatred, or doubt in the eyes of those before her.

Just honest curiosity.

"Elma...what exactly are you?" Esther asked stepping forward, her Lapis Lazuli eyes shining.

"I'm a monster, created by human hands. Designed to feed on the flesh of Terrans, Methuselah and..." She looked at Abel, who nodded knowingly. "I am a Kresnik...or a manufactured soul..."

"Manufactured soul?" Esther whispered, the expression on her face was horrified.

"Yes." Elma replied, slowly descending back to the ground, here wings fading away. "I was once human...but that was a long time ago."

The fire was draining from her eyes, and her hair no longer a halo. Her skin once again returned to peach.

"So now you know...what I really am..." She averted her eyes from those around her, but could still feel the stabs from the stares. "I've lived for many hundreds of years...and not once, have I ever told anyone my secret."

"And your secret will remain safe with us." Abel whispered comfortingly.

With her doubt not entirely abated, Elma calmly stated, "We've got to hurry...Father, Terina won't waste much time. She'll head directly for the Empress! And as much as I hate to say this, time is absolutely not on our side!"

"I agree!" Abel said, and walked to stand next to Elma, "But how are you, Sister? Can you continue in your condition?"

Laughing lightly, she whispered, "Never been better..."