Chapter 3

A Proclamation for War

The town of Neibelheim was still. It remained undisturbed. From Meteor's destruction, Neibelheim grew silent. The inhabitants fled away in fear. There was nobody left. Not even the strange men with the numbered tattoos dressed in black.

Life, as it seemed, had perished from the town. Not even a single monster roamed its streets. The silence was deafening.

"…Mmm…"

Ruby lips moved into a subtle smile. She was close; so very close. She could almost taste him.

Opal eyes moved idly about the town, taking in the setting carefully. Slowly, it rested on the large manor perched at the very end of the town.

He was there…

She licked her lips in anticipation. "Mmm, I'll be coming for you…You won't escape me…"


The mansion was dark and empty. It reeked of rotting wood and dried blood. Mold was creeping up the walls and ceilings. Insects crawled along the wooden panels, scurrying about in a hurry. The curtains were drawn completely over the windows. No light seeped into the darkened halls.

A match struck against the wall, the sound echoing throughout the halls. A soft glow soon illuminated the walls.

There came an abrupt creak, and a door swung open. A figure emerged from the room, dressed completely in black. As he made his way out of the room, his eyes met the fiery glow of the flames and his eyes glowed a deep crimson.

"What's wrong?"

Vincent Valentine shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. There was nobody there. He was officially the only person left in Neibelheim. Only solitude surrounded him now.

But if that were so…Why am I awake? he thought to himself, moving through the halls cautiously. Instinct told him his solitude would soon be disrupted. Something was drawing near.

There was a soft rustle, and a breeze entered the mansion.

Vincent glanced quickly to his left and moved stealthily in the shadows. Pressing himself close to the wall, he felt for the doorknob, wondering if some creature had broken into one of the rooms. As his hand found the rusty knob, the door suddenly slid open, catching him by surprise.

Vincent peered inside the room and immediately spotted the source of the rustling. It was the open window at the very end of the room. Cautiously, he moved towards it, wondering how it had opened on its own. Nothing was supposed to move on its own.

Examining the open window, the brooding man found shards of glass littered on the floor. Curiously, he picked up a shard from the floor and examined it. There was no mistake. Vincent had company.

There was a loud thud, and Vincent immediately turned to the source of the noise. A book had slipped off its bookshelf and plopped open.

Vincent eyed the book with suspicion as he moved towards it. There was something scrawled in crimson ink across the pages. The handwriting was in a hurried script and the ink glistened from the candle's flame. It was still wet.

Blood. Vincent smelled blood.

Slowly, the pages began to turn by themselves. The blood scrawled onto the musty pages became clear:

There…is…no…hope…for…the…damned.

"Hello, Valentine."

Vincent dropped the book in his hands and rose up to his feet. Facing him was a woman perched against a small table. Her ruby lips curled into a smile and she brought her fingers up to her face. Her nails were dripping in blood.

"What do you want?" Vincent whispered quietly, moving to his feet. He stared at the pale face for a long moment. He knew that face. The entire Underworld did. "Why are you here?"

She smiled, her long, ruby nails dripping with crimson blood. Her tanned skin gave an odd glow from the candle. Rising to her feet, she slowly approached Vincent. "I've come to bring you hope."

Vincent never expected what came next…


"Hmm…"

The blood dripped down her forearm. But it was not her blood.

She smiled, pearly white teeth flashing. The man had been weak. Weakened by drowning in his self-pity. It was all too easy. He didn't even put up a fight, she thought to herself, licking her lips. Pity.

"Looks like someone's had a little too much fun here."

There was a rustle of wind, and a figure emerged from the dark.

The woman smirked, glancing at the newcomer. "Hmph. A bit late, aren't we, Crux? For a Judge, I would think you'd be a bit more punctual," she remarked, licking the blood off her claws. She moved towards the figure and sheathed her claws. "Pity…you missed a good killing…"

"That's enough, Astraea. How much more have to die before we find the Chosen? You've killed enough to prove your point," the figure spoke coolly.

"My point?" She grinned. "Hmm, my dear Crux. I'm not trying to prove anything." She turned and moved away, beginning to laugh to herself. "Believe me, Crux. This is only the beginning. Sacrifices must be made. You and I both know that. I'm just doing what God ordained me to do."

"Astraea, do not do this. You cannot do this."

"Really now?" The woman glanced at the figure and smirked, her ruby red lips streaked with blood. "Then try and stop me." And with that, she was gone.


The pendulum began to swing, its ticking sound echoing off into the darkness. It swung once.

A man in the darkness…

It swung twice.

A fight…

Three times.

…Blood…

"Astraea, don't!"

She gave a horrified shriek and jolted awake. Her hand was thrust forcefully into the air, as if she had been reaching for something.

The ticking stopped. The pendulum was gone. Again there was only darkness.

She had been dreaming. It was all a dream…A mere trick in her mind…She was safe. There was nothing to be afraid of.

For a long moment, she sat completely motionless in the darkness, relishing the silence. Her silver-green eyes gave off an eerie glow as she gaped out into the distance. Finally, she took a small breath and ran a pale hand over her head, sighing.

"It's just a dream. Just a silly little dream," she murmured softly, trying to still her trembling hands. "But…" She closed her silver eyes and inhaled carefully. "…they have never been wrong…ever…" She moved her hands to her chest and clutched them tightly together.

In the darkness, she prayed…Prayed for mercy…Prayed for a miracle.