CHAPTER 2
The Church Of Blood
Brother Blood was proven to be right on that fateful day. The shawl that Rasputin constantly wore was indeed not heaven sent. Sometime shortly after Rasputin's murder, Blood uncovered some ancient manuscripts which confirmed that the shawl was not blessed by Christ, but by a son of Satan before his banishment. Blood also learned that although he now had a great deal of power due to the ancient garb, he stood to gain a lot more if and only if he was successful in freeing the creator of the shawl from his imprisonment. Wanting to be able to wield such power, Blood began to delve into the world of magic and dark arts to uncover the key, and with his newfound powers of persuasion and mind control, he began to enlist others to help him in his endeavor. His small band of eight grew like wildfire over the course of years and within the very mountainside where Blood was in essence born, a vast secret community was created deep within its stone walls…
Rebellious Rasputin however was also proven to be right on that fateful day. Not long after Blood's cult began to grow, Delphina, one of the cult's female members caught Blood's eye. Blood fell and fell hard for her– quite understandable since the previously devout man had been celibate all his life – and before anyone knew it, she was with child. A son, Corbin, was born to the couple, and Blood hoped that he would be able to eventually pass his legacy down to his son. However Blood's dream was cut short when Corbin murdered him in a fit of rage nineteen years later. Corbin Blood then became the new Brother Blood and the deadly cycle of son-murdering-father would go on and on for the next seven hundred years…
The year was 1978, and across the Atlantic Ocean and far from the frigid Zandia was Gotham City. Gotham City, New Jersey was an eastern port city that served as both a major economic and cultural center to the U.S.A. Gotham unfortunately was also very well known for its rampant crime and corruption. Those of the local law enforcement of the city did their best to keep evil at bay, but there were still many that suffered from the plights of Gotham City and there were even more who knew how to work and exploit the system. Such was the case of the people at a seemingly innocent cathedral near the outskirts of the city. The cathedral itself was large –almost six stories tall, and it was built of red brick and clay with huge multi-story stained glass windows and surrounded by a tall black wrought iron fence. On the sign that hung near the fence were the words "Faith through Scath Christian Tabernacle" painted in red. Inside of the 'Christian holy place', a man who appeared to be in his fifties with blue eyes and graying hair stood in front of a roaring fireplace in a dark, musty, and seemingly windowless room. Standing off not too far from him was another man who bore a great resemblance to him and who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties...
"…Do you understand the seriousness of the matter?" asked the older man.
The younger man sneered as he turned to look away. He clearly was not interested in what the older man had to say.
"Sebastian!"
"What?" replied the younger man coolly.
"Do you understand the seriousness of this matter? You are my heir apparent. I've only given you the best in life. I even got you into Oxford, a secular school, to further your studies and better your advancement. However, by your deliberant absence at our most recent Homecoming Ceremony, it is becoming very apparent that you no longer have any interest in the Church of Blood. How are we to fulfill our destiny if you continue to behave this way?"
"Honestly, father, it's your destiny, not mine, and I do not know why you even bother with all of this."
The older man's eye twitched.
"…What?"
"Our family has been trying to bring back this banished demon since practically the beginning of time, but no one has been successful, and I for one, am tired of living cooped in this dingy little castle while trying to do so. I am aware of all that you've given me, and for that I am grateful. However from my time in college and from travelling abroad those six years, it also opened my eyes to something even better. We have such immense power already, Father, and we could be out in the world using our powers to take over things and to live as we please."
"And that's where you are wrong, Sebastian," sighed his father. "The only way to truly have power and success in this world and in this life is for us to bring Trigon – the one whom you have the gall to just dismiss as simply 'a banished demon'- back to his rightful home."
"And that is where you and I disagree. The only reason why I've put up with these stupid ceremonies and rituals for all my life is to not be cut off financially. But I can't any more. I'm a type of person who's meant to live in the spotlight high upon a pedestal with the world at my feet, not sulking about in the shadows and taking orders from someone else."
Sebastian then turned his back to his father. "It's not fair for me to stay somewhere where I'm not happy, Father…and it's not fair to May."
Sebastian's father chuckled. "So now I finally see the true cause behind your change of heart," he scoffed.
"I speak and act for myself, Father," snapped Sebastian, walking over to him. "And I find it very hypocritical that you, of all people, would say that I am being governed by others given your own obsession with Trigon, which was planted into your head by our ancestors. May is the light of my life, and as long as we stay affixed to this place, I will never be able to enjoy life fully, nor will I ever be able to give May everything she could ever want or need."
"You are a fool and a disgrace to your family namesake. May Bennett is a conniving witch: always has been and always will be. She's only using you to elevate her own interests, and just because the little whore turned a few tricks f …"
Senior Blood never got the chance to finish the sentence as he suddenly fell into a trance. Sebastian's eyes were now glowing a radiant red and he smirked devilishly.
"You obsess so much about keeping with tradition and fulfilling ancient prophecies," he stated. "And while we had our disagreements, you are still my father, and I only want to make you happy. So please, allow me to help keep up with tradition…"
Sebastian's face and mood quickly turned dark. "Go jump off of a building…" he uttered as he exited the room.
A half hour later, Sebastian was sitting in the mess hall with several other members of his congregation while drinking what appeared to be hot tea of some sort. Suddenly, the air was filled with the hysteric scream of an older woman from outside. Two young men – identical twin brothers to be exact– were up in a flash and headed out to investigate, while an older man with a hunched back, gray-white hair and small beady little eyes followed after them in a slower pace. Another younger man in his late teens was almost ready to race out of the room too, but a heavy hand on his shoulder made him stop and he turned back to see Sebastian shaking his head.
"Why are you keeping me from going, Brother Sebastian?" he asked. "Something is wrong. That was your mother screaming!"
"Calm yourself, Rhys," replied Sebastian casually, sipping at his tea. "I think that between Logan and Landon and Xavier, one of them can see to her. Besides, Mother's just a little bit upset right now… understandably so."
"Why is that?"
Sebastian casually glanced up from his cup as he took another sip. "…Because my father is dead."
Rhys' s gray eyes widened and the remaining people in the room: two young woman – one with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes and the other with long black hair and black eyes – and an older woman with hazel eyes gasped. Rhys then nodded and cleared his throat.
"I, I understand…Brother Blood."
Sebastian nodded. "Good. Now, if you don't mind, I wish to retire for the night. I will speak with you all in the morning about the future of the church."
Everyone nodded in submission and remained seated as Sebastian slowly rose from his seat and exited the room. He made his way throughout the numerous corridors of the monastery until he finally arrived in front of his room. After unlocking the door and entering, Sebastian stepped into what was more like a small apartment. Numerous candelabras lined and lit the windowless foyer, and Sebastian passed his parlor and private bath to enter into his bedroom. He was just starting to disrobe when he heard the distinct sound of his chamber door unlocking, opening and closing again, and Sebastian smiled to himself. He continued to undress as a soft set of footsteps followed him into the room.
"I know that this was going to happen eventually," said a female voice. Sebastian then turned to find the younger woman with raven hair and eyes standing in front of him.
"…But why did you do it, Ian? Why did you kill your father?"
Sebastian's face softened as he could clearly see and hear the concern in her. "Because I was tired of trying to fulfill my father's dreams and not mine," he answered, slowly approaching her. "Because I was tired of existing and not living."
He then stopped short of her and cradled her face in his hands. "Because he had the audacity to insult you."
May smiled slightly as Sebastian kissed her forehead. "Because he didn't understand you," he whispered, kissing her again. "Because he didn't love you."
May smirked as Sebastian now began to cuddle her. "So what is to become of us now?" she asked softly. "I know your heart is no longer into bringing Trigon back to Earth. Where do we go from here?"
"I had been thinking about that," replied Sebastian, who was now slowly undoing the buttons to his lover's scarlet gown. "Our brethren know that they are supposed to remain loyal to the head of the church no matter what, but the more senior members here - especially Xavier- I know will not take kindly to me abandoning our quest to bring back Trigon in favor of my quest for world domination."
"So brainwash them. Out of all of the descendants of the Blood family line, you were the only one to actually inherit your powers naturally and without the need of the Shawl of Scath. Surely to brainwash the minds of a few subordinates is nothing for someone with talents like yours."
"True," laughed Sebastian. "Very true, but our fellow brothers and sisters are – at least for the time being very useful for our purposes, May. While they tend to all the financial and messy matters here, we are free to go wherever we like and do as we please. We can travel just like we did back in college, exploring the finest this world has to offer. Then once we've established our new lives in the place of our choice, we'll dispose of these simpletons and then the world will be at our feet."
Sebastian undid the last button and loosened his hands, allowing the crimson garb to slide off of May's form and onto the floor.
"Now, enough small talk, my love," he purred. "Care to join me in the bath?"
May in response to this, flashed him her trademark crooked smile.
