The skies were covered by dark grey clouds, leaving no place for light to shine upon the lurking and sinister shadows that swallowed every ounce of hope she could've possibly had left. The rain poured violently against the earth while the ferocious sound of thunder roared in the back round ; they sounded like war drums , awaiting the final strike and judgment impatiently before ceasing their charade at last. Two injured and shady people standing at a spacious distance at the ends of the barren and lifeless wasteland not too far from the palace that represented all that was evil in the world. Extreme tension grew in between them as they peered into each other's hollow eyes as if though they were speaking to each other in a maddening silence, but instead their lips were unmoving ; there wasn't a single sound other than the roaring thunder , neither of them flinched ,twitched or moved a muscle ; they were too focused starring into each other very own souls while one's eyes reflected insanity and victory , while the other's empty and pained eyes mirrored inner torment , knowing that death was just around the corner. They both knew what was coming, they both knew that the outcome of the battle rested in one single blow and that one of them would walk away victorious and alive while the other would remain lifeless and cold ; dead in the rain. For a moment, the vampiress felt a sudden rush of fear in her, a fear of dieing , a fear of dieing alone and failing. The elderly lycan who stood a distance away from her – her adversary, her rival , the one person who could take everything away from her – glared down at her with malice, yet his lips twitched into a slight sick smile ; she very knew that he actually smelled the fear right off of her, he enjoyed it , loved it, cherished and adored it since it gave him strength. Lucrecia knew this from the very start but she refrained from showing any signs of fear, agony or distress since the beginning of their battle …Until just now. As the eldest lycan's eyes shimmered with insanity , glinted with a dire want to torture her and mirrored the fact that he knew he was going to come out victorious in the end, Lucrecia had actually begun to think for a mere moment that all of her efforts were to be in vain and pointless , utterly useless to the point that her near and possibly death would've meant nothing at all to the eyes of her friends, family….everyone else.

That's when she suddenly remembered the reason why she insisted on being defiant, the only reason why she had survived so far from all the chaos and agony that life had thrown at her , the only reason why she was here , fighting till her very last breath even though she knew it was a losing battle. That reason…was Zander. Luce had made a promise to him from the very beginning that she would always stand by him and be there for him until her heart turned black and blue. She made an oath that she'd protect him until the end , until her heart was torn, shredded , crushed, eaten and spitted out. He , and the everlasting and beautiful memories she had with him, were worth sacrificing herself over. Lucrecia had told him once that he would be the death of her ; she was deadly right. Nothing else mattered to the vampiress other than her love, and him only. She didn't care if she had already lost the battle from the beginning, she didn't care if Fenrir would kill her mercilessly, she didn't fear death ; she already felt, and was, dead inside. All that mattered to her was to see Zander safe and sound, to see him unharmed from his crazed father's wrath. He gave her life and a meaning to live again , the very least Lu could do was willingly give up her life to save and protect his because it was the most precious thing in the world to Lucrecia. She literally gave her everything to him , not the expression, but the real deal. If Zander was the one to lose his life in the outcome of the battle, then Lucrecia wouldn't be able survive without him ; she'd probably remove her own life because the pain and agony would be too heavy and consuming to bare. She simply wouldn't allow herself to let him fall…No, he had paid enough for her foolish mistakes , it was time for her to make the ultimate sacrifice and she refused to see him shed more blood for her and their sincere love. The stench of his blood remained suspended in the air, but luckily the fierce rain was slowly washing it away from her sensitive nose and the air around her.

"Defiant till the very end I see…Brave, yet incredibly stupid and disgusting. Why are you throwing your life away so carelessly for him?"

Long, silky and wet locks of midnight black hair plastered against her dripping ghostly pale skin, most of them shielding her eyes as she glared razor sharp daggers at the man who stood before her . Her right hand was still tightly clutching at the deep gash on her stomach that was still trying to heal little by little – he had dealt many strong blows to her in which some had drawn out her blood, but her healing factor had quickly tended to her wounds ; yet her healing ability was growing weaker thus slower by the minute-.Luce kept silent for a few moments before a bittersweet smile drew itself across her pale and lightly bruised lips. The sudden smile on her part caused her adversary to snarl and scoff like the mutt he really was, frustration welling up within him as he was dieing to know just what she was smiling about when she was between the line that separate life from death. " Because…I love him. That's enough of a reason for me to give my life in order to protect him from you, though I doubt someone like you would understand ; you're a monster after all.". She didn't to justify her intentions and reasons in front of a fowl creature who's only true desire and purpose was the wreck havoc and cause more pain and suffering to everyone around him. She had channeled all her pain, suffering and anger towards him and there was no turning back or changing her mind now ; she had come down to a decision that could determine everything for her, and that was final. Nothing was going to be able to change her mind, not death, not life, nothing. Luce had been scared one too many times already and she was tired of cowering behind a faceless and lifeless mask just to hide who she truly was, she was tired of trying to fix herself when there was no need for fixing in the first place. She tore her heart open and managed to sew it back up again because she cared too much about what others thought about her ; her scars always reminded her that the past was real …She tore her heart open, just to feel again. Well, it all ended tonight weather they liked it or not. Lucrecia finally had something, or more preferably someone, to believe in and she was sure as hell not going to let that wither away like a flower petal right before the sheer cold of the Winter.

A loud laugh broke the solemn silence that grew between the two , the elderly lycan barely having the decency to contain his humor in the midst of combat as he continued to mock Lucrecia and her little love declaration. After a few moments, Fenrir finally stopped laughing and regained his solid and intimidating composure and that crazed glint in his eyes , a large twisted grin appearing across his features. " Please, spare me your mediocre speeches about love. Foolish little girl, you're pathetic. Puny feelings such as love are for the weak! Only the strong and determined will rise victorious! You're humanity and conscious shall be your downfall". Even when he was speaking to Lucrecia, she could feel that he was still trying to stop himself from laughing out loud again. He could mock her all he wanted for all she cared, she believed in what she felt and stood strong and tall to back her opinions and thoughts up. She believed in her love for Zander, but most importantly, she believed in him more than anything. He had helped her wash away the things that she had done, he helped her face herself and cross out what she had done , he helped her let go of the things she did in the past and made her see how beautiful life could really be. He was always there for her and now it was up to Lucrecia to keep the promise and vow she made to him. She wouldn't back down and she refused to give up , Luce would cling to the sweet memories she cherished and cared for the most while falling down into the deep and dark empty abyss of that of death – in which she was surely to face really, really soon. She could feel it deep in her bones-. " It ends here tonight…"

Lucrecia removed her freezing hand from the wound on her stomach and then placed herself in a readied stance, awaiting the next, and probably final move for them both. All this time, there was love burning to find her , and it ended up finding her in the end. Now, it was time to put an end to this dreaded nightmare once and for all. Just like in those fairytales , or in epic love stories, it would all rest in one final attempt that would decide everyone's fate ; but instead or Romeo and Julliet both dieing , Lucrecia was going to be the one to probably give up her life for the one she loved most…There was no sadder story than that of Julliet and her Romeo….

"I would have to agree with you, my dear…I would have to agree with you entirely…"

In one blurry and swift movement, the elderly lycanthrope withdrew the wand he had hidden within his black trench coat and pointed it straight towards Lucrecia " CATEN!". Before Lucrecia had the time to react , chains spurred out of nowhere and wrapped themselves uncomfortably tight around her limbs , pulling her down with a force as the vampiress couldn't do anything but grunt in light pain as she knelt down on to the muddy ground, the chains binding her to the ground so tightly that the sharp chains were cutting deeply through her pale and ghostly skin. She tried pulling herself from the binding chains, but to no avail , there was nothing she could do except futilely and forcefully try and break free. Meanwhile, Fenrir slowly started to make his way towards his victim, each footstep making slouching noises because of the wet earth beneath his boots while a twisted grin full of malice and darkness drew itself across his lips. He stopped himself in front of the vampiress, scowling lightly at the sickening smell of death and blood from her as he then pointed the tip of his wand towards her torso. Lucrecia knew what was coming next, her mind screamed it at her while she readied herself for the absolute worse, not even flinching or tearing her gaze away from him. It was at that very moment that many, many memories started to flash right in front of her eyes like some life slideshow. Luce recalled pleasant memories she kept of the time she spent with her mother, the times where she had spent with Ree and actually couldn't help but crack and smile now and then at her pleasantries and her funny whimsical nature , then came the times she had spent with Zander…Those golden times where time had seemed to stop, where her heart couldn't have felt more complete , where her life actually seemed to have a purpose and the shattered pieces of her broken heart were all put together again…

"Now, it ends…Dagae Flujja!"

Her body remained completely stiff as her eyes widened , feeling many razor sharp daggers plunge into her and tear through the delicate porcelain skin, suddenly strongly feeling cold as her body soon became limp and her eyes emptied of all emotion ; they became hollow and lifeless just like her soul. The unforgiving blades pierced through her fragile heart and it was all it took for Lucrecia to simply fall limply against the ground as the rain continued to pour hard against her rendered body. Her eyes felt heavy as they were slowly starting to close, darkness consuming her vision little by little. At that very moment, she could've sworn she heard the angelic and warm voice of her guardian angel cry out to her from the distance as the echo soon lost itself through the roaring thunder. It caused her to smile slightly, reassured and happy to know that she at least had the chance to hear her lover's voice before finally letting go at last…

And like the last rose petal remaining on the bud before the first day of autumn, her life slowly withered away into nothing, her mind completely turning blank as her vision turned to darkness.

"Ah…Right on time my boy!". He grinned victoriously as he watched his son's traumatized and pained expression at seeing his lover die right in front of him. Well, technically he knew she wasn't dead…yet. It took a lot more than blunt weaponry to kill a vampire ; he knew better. Laughing in a sinister tone, he glared down at the limp body of the vampiress.

"I'm not done with you yet…"

Her mind, her conscious and soul completely left her body, wandering aimlessly in the cold, deserted and barren land of total nothingness and maddening silence where the lost souls all gathered and weep silently in the murky and inky darkness. They all grieved for the life they lost so unfairly ; their agonizing inner cries shattering every bit of hope that could've remained as emptiness and eternal misery followed with loud and earthshaking footsteps. It was time for the nightmare the end and the dreamers within it ; Time and Death being the Reaper. There was no light that pierced through the living and shrouding shadows that corrupted every pure and innocent soul in its wake, there was no purpose left or meaning ; everything was lost, they had all given up as every tormenting moment seemed like an eternity. They yearned for completion – they were waiting for the end of their broken hearts , waiting for a savior and their own silver light to save them from forever wandering the world of the dead. In complete silence and sorrow, they spoke the names of those they loved and mourned for the most , their own voice mirroring their inner torment. They wanted someone to seek them for comfort and call them through the endless darkness for beautiful solace…Those lost souls wanted to find life again.

Better to have lived most of her life miserably than not at all…