All for you…
Albus's bloodlust called again. Kevin Regnard knew that December night he could not wait any longer to satisfy the dark desires of his chain.
Kevin prepared for going out. He looked at the sombre white-haired youth that stared at him on the other side of that blurry mirror hanging in the filthy walls of the old apartment he rented for a few days in a city whose name was unknown for him. The name of the place did not matter; he was nothing but an outlaw, a wandering red-eyed ghost who travelled from town to town, slaying those poor souls that crossed his insidious path.
As Regnard saw his own reflection in the mirror, he noticed a silhouette forming behind him. He remained immutable; when he prepared to kill, so did Albus, and the last servant of the Sinclair house always sensed the excitement of his chain before a murder. A grave shadow was deployed upon his countenance. Kevin hated Albus, for it was the constant reminder of how the twisted paths of merciless fate dragged his once bright life to the bottom of a dark pit. However, Albus was necessary; its cruelties, its brutality and all those despicable cravings of the chain were needed to fulfil his final aim: meet the Will of the Abyss so he could change his past…
Before leaving, Kevin stared at the sepia photography of a blonde girl whose radiant smile contrasted with the gloomy dust that time poured on her vintage portrait. "Miss Sinclair, this is all for you…" he whispered while he turned to face Albus. It was time to go.
The empty streets were covered by the white incantations that winter casted upon the city. Dancing snowflakes started to fall from the night skies when Kevin found the perfect spot to commit his sinister duty. The illegal contractor and his chain were hidden in such a narrow alley that it was difficult to be seen by any pedestrian coming from the sides, so a person would not even suspect the possibility of a surprise attack. Regnard decided that his victim would be the first soul to cross the alley.
He put his hand on the sheath where he kept his sword and waited… He waited for almost an hour. Albus was raging; he could hear its exasperated howls echoing in his head.
"Blood! The Will of the Abyss longs for blood! You want to meet with her, don't you, Regnard?!" the White Knight shouted with a hasty and perverse voice that did nothing but unsettle his owner.
Unexpectedly, a voice crystallised from within the depths of silence. A girl was singing an infantile song about knights in silver armours fighting for the love of a beautiful princess. There it was the long awaited victim. Kevin drew his sword, Albus prepared itself to manifest through his contractor. Nonetheless, before attacking, the contractor peeped from behind the walls of the alley to see how close his victim was…
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
The girl must have been about nine years old. Even though she could not be attacked yet, the distance was enough to reveal her features. She was pale, fair-haired, and brown-eyed; her dirty face and battered clothes revealed her humble origins; she covered herself with a sewed green shawl and a wool bonnet. Apparently, she was sent to an errant, for she was carrying a hamper with some bottles –that would explain why she was walking alone in the middle of the night. Kevin felt the blood in his veins freezing slowly as he realised how similar this girl was to Miss Sinclair, especially when, while singing, the girl smiled…
Alas! She could be the twin of Miss Sinclair!
"This is the time!" exclaimed Albus beside him, eager to end such an innocent and pure life.
"No…" answered Kevin, "We'll wait for another one… This girl… She's not appropriate".
"Appropriate? Don't be fooling around, Regnard" said the chain chuckling maliciously, "You didn't said that about the five-year-old of last month".
"I said no, Albus!" his contractor snapped fiercely.
Kevin noticed that his hands were shaking. He looked at the chain defiantly, only to hide his confusion due to the chaos of thoughts and feelings conglomerating within him. Albus did not alter for some seconds. Nevertheless, soon after, it burst out laughing. Its laughter was dyed with the nuances of wickedness, sending shivers through its contractor's spine.
"Just remember your priorities, Kevin Regnard" it said with a deep, spooky voice.
The girl was approaching. Kevin Regnard stared at the blade in his hand. Again, he met with the gaze of that grim, red-eyed youth in the silvered surface of his sword. His interrogatory glare asked him "What will you do now…?" Suddenly he understood the White Knight's words. This is all for you, he promised to Miss Sinclair.
A dismal smile appeared in Kevin's face. This monster, this dreadful creature I've become, is all for you, my dear Miss Sinclair
There was nothing more to be said. Kevin looked silently at his chain before closing his eyes. Albus understood immediately the decision of its contractor. So it vanished in the air. However, it was never gone.
Kevin opened his eyes slowly; they had adopted the light red tone of a demon born in the flames of Hades. An enormous, half-moon-like grin was drawn in his face. The contractor and the chain were one single being… The red-eyed ghost had woken.
The girl sang one last line of the song before her voice was silenced by a pale hand that emerged from darkness. The last thing she saw was her scared face reflected on a blade and the scarlet shine in the eyes of her murderer.
The death was silent and gory, as the red-eyed ghost liked.
The snow was sprinkled with crimson stains. Red drops fell from Kevin's sword. His eyes shone amidst his dark countenance. The red-eyed ghost licked blood from his lips, the blood of that girl that lied motionless beneath his feet.
All of a sudden, he fell on his knees, stifling a cry of pain. He was stricken by a painful throb in his chest. Kevin Regnard returned to being himself. Albus was gone. He knew that pain and knew what was happening. He unbuttoned his shirt to find out that the needle on the seal of his illegal contract has advanced, reaching the half of the circle…
Feeble, Kevin Regnard leaned his back against a wall. The time was approaching. He would meet the Will of the Abyss soon…
"Miss Sinclair" he whispered, "… this is all for you…"