Of course he is. Because what else is he good for? His life is nothing more than a madman's mess. As anyone would expect, our hero is a broken monster that can do nothing more than kill because that's all he has left.
What would Father think if he saw you now?
Glorious victory and pleasure unlike anything he had ever experienced. She screamed and he easily silenced her with his teeth digging into her neck. They both fell to the marble floor, her body weakly squirming beneath his as he took more and more of her blood.
He wanted to kill. That was the whole damn point, wasn't it? He wanted this. He couldn't care less about her safety. Who the hell cared if she was dead? That wouldn't help him at this point, caring about some human who willingly stood by him, knowing how much danger she was in. She was bound to die from the start, and nothing would stop him from taking every last drop before she did. Humans were frail and useless in a monster's world.
Searing pains drove him out of his stupor, repeatedly punching against his back until he stopped. Like pulling multiple shards of metal out of skin, his fangs released her throat, bathed in red, heavenly blood. He grinned at the dripping crimson that landed on the still body beneath him. How curious. She looked so pale.
"Alfendi!" He sprang to his knees, the fiery blast of magic demanding he move off his dead victim. At his feet, he rubbed at the wound on his side, its immediate healing startling Hilda to step back. "How could you, Alfendi! You killed her!" The vampire tasted the blood left on his lips, disgusting her with his satisfaction in the kill. This beaten up beast couldn't have been happier seeing Hilda upset. She knew he practically rejoiced at her annoyance.
He cackled, practically tasting the power coursing through his body. "I did, didn't I?" His golden eyes appeared distant, unable to focus on anything other than the energy in each jerky movement he made. There was something he was supposed to be doing with this strength. Surely this girl's sacrifice wasn't meant to be in vain. What was happening again? Where was he? The castle, yes. There was another soul here, watching him with as much merriment as his own.
The distracted and confused stare irritated Hilda, who had encountered the same expression two thousand years ago in the tides of battle. "You're drunk off that power, aren't you?" She knew she was right on the mark with her question; there was no point in asking other than to grab his attention again. He seemed so far off in space, she wondered if his swaying would eventually land him collapsed on the floor in a giggling fit.
"Oh? Yes. Of course I am. It's just enough, as well..." He lingered on finishing his statement, licking his fangs as he wondered and wandered his eyes to Justin. A vague sense of anger toyed with his dizzy spell, flicking his head to the left as he watched the jolly man bask in a victory Alfendi sensed he wouldn't enjoy. Why, the blood wouldn't tell. There was something about being out of the loop that didn't sit well with him, for some reason. He couldn't bring his smile down to inquire such. He would then have to learn on his own, since this hidden power refused to cooperate with him. "What has you so cheerful, Justin?"
Realization hit the man in question. Surely, this couldn't be more perfect. His day could possibly not get any better than this. It was striking to believe, but here Justin was, facing an opponent more confused than he had ever seen. He wondered if it had something to do with the energy surging through Alfendi's body, and if he would experience such a feeling soon enough.
A jab at his side shocked the vampire. "Alfendi," Hilda hissed, a menacing glare biting at his insane thoughts, "focus on him. Remember what you were doing before this." Her orders hit glazed gold and barely made a dent. She observed the confused expression, the cock of the eyebrow, and the search for answers.
Well... He was obviously bickering with his friends. No, that wasn't what this witch was implying. Fighting those Makepeaces? Too far back. It had something to do with the girl lying on the floor there, just a couple inches away. She was bled dry, thanks to him. Was she important to him? She was, if he thought through it long enough. Her name, something he should have obviously known, escaped his tongue. He moved on from the subject with a grunt, sensing a tug in his mind to look at Justin. The man was rubbing his glowing hands together, aiming to accomplish a task he felt in the back of his head.
MOVE ALREADY.
His spine snapped at attention, and he suddenly sprang forward, taking on his wolf form before his paws hit the floor. Although attacking Justin sounded absurd to him, the blood arranged him into a ready pounce. Alfendi had never sensed this before of his calmer side, distress and desperation clamping onto his brain until perturbation laced the drive. There was whining in his ears, his apparent own, and he winced at the flood of thoughts not his. There was fear in this blood, coupling his madness and itching at him to actually-
ATTACK HIM. KILL HIM. PLEASE. END. HIM.
Justin grinned at the blind frenzy the vampire was in, snapping crazed canines at him in an attempt to murder him. His plan was going so perfectly; it was only a matter of time before Alfendi obeyed and he became the all-powerful being his spell had promised. "Hilda," he called to the woman standing as far away from the battle as possible, "take Lucy! Prepare the spell! There's no time to waste!" Justin was confident he'd have Alfendi under control by then. This mutt was nothing he couldn't handle, and whatever else the bloodsucker had to fight him would be child's play to deal with.
All at once, the lanky hound was knocked across the floor, skidding towards the door to the living room. It whimpered, curling up into himself until it was back to Alfendi. What hurt him so much? Justin had barely struck him, much less used his magic. There was nothing to account for this confusing pain, yet he scrambled to his hands and knees, entering the dusty room to hide. He was supposed to be fighting, had all this power to, but here he was running with his tail between his legs, almost literally.
"What's wrong, Alfendi?" Justin asked, leaning against the open door as the vampire in question scurried away from it. His sarcastic inquiry was more for show, since he knew by the adrenaline fueled actions that the magic was working its way through that blood faster than before. "You're looking a bit under the weather there, chum."
"You... Did something," Alfendi stumbled to speak, eyes darting around the filthy room. "You've already done..." His search found the couch, with an uneven silhouette forming in the layers of unclean dust. His mind calculated the layout of the castle. Before he hardly knew it, Alfendi darted towards the old piece of furniture, jumping onto it only to immediately knock his head through the hidden passage in the ceiling. There was a snap of mechanical parts, but the scene was discarded in seconds. Perhaps he was thankful for the blood of that girl, whose name he still held on the tip of his tongue and riding his train of thoughts. Something in her memories matched his path, busting through the immediate door in front of him.
Every door in the hall would be useless to him, so he rushed to the turn, left now, and found the stairs that lead up to the second floor. Wavering at the top, he growled at the cycling confusion forced upon his instincts. In one moment, he had no idea where to run, only to suddenly remember things he had never experienced, and act as they did.
T-The master bedroom. Go. Move!
He growled again, this time to that frightened second voice. With slight, passing hesitance, Alfendi ran to the desired room. Despite the door being seemingly locked- and knowing better- he shoved the chair jammed onto the knob out of the way as he opened it.
No! No, no! There's another room. You know the one.
Why couldn't that damn voice quit pestering him like a child and make up it's mind already? He wasn't going anywhere else. This was a dead end anyway. The only significant room left at the end of this hall was the one across, the old servants room. This would be the end of the line for him, no matter what asinine advice this voice spat out to further the wild goose chase.
Speaking of which, he could hear Justin's laughter, sounding at the stairs and coming closer to his location. Alfendi shook away the pest in his brain as punishment for having him run away in fear. This was absolutely ridiculous. He didn't have to flee, but something in his blood brought him here, wanted him to find some special room he was apparently supposed to remember from sixteen years in this god forsaken place. Two thousand years of living, and for some reason this castle was supposed to mean something to him. What a waste of time!
He stared at the useless open door, listening for Justin's footsteps before swerving around and backing towards the untouched window at the end of the previously used bed. Oh, now he remembered this room. This was where he placed... That was how many months ago, exactly? Almost two, right? How on earth was he supposed to know all this information at will?
"Interesting that you chose to stop here," Justin commented as he stood at the doorway, holding a glowing hand out towards Alfendi, "Too bad you chose a dead end."
Hilda held a dead hand up, struggling to find any indication of life in this girl. She couldn't be gone; Hilda just wouldn't accept that fact.
Alfendi had changed, hadn't he? Surely two thousand years was enough to finally teach that arrogant imbecile something right. Apparently not, since he had the absurd notion to attack this helpless human. So much for being the vampire's keeper. Now she had to take into account Justin's mistakes as well, but in all honesty, the Mayor of London had already prepared a deep hole to bury himself in. There was no saving Justin, it seemed.
The same could be said for the pale thing lying lifeless on the cold floor.
She referred to the thing as such out of fear. It wasn't a definite sentence, being turned by a vampire after being drained. While she doubted the coin toss chance of its survival would land in her favor, Hilda knew whatever happened to the girl was lost in Alfendi's veins. What she was holding onto was an inevitable monster she hoped would keep some shred of humanity to save them all. Some shred of kindness in the twitching fingers in her hand. A favorable consideration in those blinking, blood red eyes.
Hilda let go of the body that stirred in her arms.
It shook its head, clearing out muddled senses, and peered at the woman sitting beside her. That's right. That... That was what she remembered. This woman was a witch, and she could sense the magic ready at her fingertips. There was another magic man, lumbering about the castle. That's who she was looking for now. This man was important to catch. She, who knew nothing else, needed to find this specific person now.
What are you sitting around here for?
Bouncing up onto her feet, curious eyes followed the steps, wondering if that's where she was supposed to go. This place was big, she knew that. Corridors and trap doors and secrets in the walls that should talk and tell of where she needed to be. Every door held a mystery, a subject she enjoyed the more she thought about it.
No where to go but up, I'm afraid.
She shrugged away an ache in her neck, then maneuvered around the witch to speed up to her destination. Her body traveled through the hallways, but her mind was sporadically seeking anything involving memories. They had a muddy touch to them, the more they raced through her brain. It was almost as if she had dreamt them and kept them closer than any other actual occasion. There was some similarity in them, two constants that reflected some strange hidden intent to them.
When she caught a memory, she saw the name etched into the side, Alfendi Layton. Let it go, and a soft chime echoed in her ears. As she went through a couple, that sound became less of a bell and more of a call. The voice was recognizable, but what it said wasn't. What he spoke felt foreign, inhu... No, this was different now. It was a name, human to her ears.
There you are.
The man- correction, Justin- stood at the doorway, speaking to someone inside. He was distracted, and she crouched down to listen and observe. If she maneuvered herself just right, she could catch him off guard and stop his attack. His magic flickered, whether in her eyes or from use, she couldn't tell. With careful steps and every bit of focus on him, she crept closer. Why did this feel fun to her? Was it something she often did, catching criminals in the act of possible murder and stopping them? She liked it, that was for sure, and as she jumped onto his back, she thrilled in hearing his surprised snarl.
A fist connected with the side of her head, doing little to deter her from scratching at his collarbone. The firm hand grabbed hers, holding her still as the magic Justin had prepared aimed at her instead. That wasn't good. She hissed, ignoring the threat and sensing the closed door behind them coming closer.
Make him stop before he hurts more. Bite him.
Bite him? Oh, yeah. She giggled, realizing then that she had that option.
"Lucy!"
The slam into the door barely registered in her mind. In fact, she was much more focused on his struggling and the hits to the top of her skull, which didn't want to end at this rate. She tasted the blood pooling on her tongue, a fine yet bitter flavor. For her own amusement, she laced cuts along his neck, catching the grunts, curses and screams as he fought. Her ears felt that name, twitched with recognition. That was the chime, the sound of her memories. That name had to be hers, right?
Alfendi hesitated at the doorway, watching Justin fling Lucy by the hair towards him. She licked her teeth, tiny yet sharp fangs gleaming as she stared up at him. There they were, those malicious blood eyes he wasn't sure if he longed for. He watched the curious anticipation dissipate into deadly desire, and he caught her cringe of fear as he crouched down in front of her, sensing something in the fog.
The little exchange didn't go unnoticed. There wasn't a more perfect moment for these plans to fall into place, align so amazingly, it was as if his godly powers had touched the opportunity from the future and made it so. He would have his spell, control reality itself, bend the fabric of the universe at his touch. It was all his from the start. He would command all existence to do his bidding. "Alfendi," Justin grunted, a hand hiding the bites to ease and distract himself from the pain, "kill her. Do it. Now."
Kill, kill, kill. Die. Tear.
You... You can hear me.
Yes? I think so.
Agonized screams tumbled down the steps, collapsing in a bloody heap before being picked up and thrown again down the other set. There was a crunch of bones, ribs blending together with organs. The mangled mess groaned, weak and near death as strong arms lifted it up and tossed it down in one last final measure. The body hissed, the feeling of pain a complete understatement to what Justin actually felt. It all hurt so much, and he could only see out of one eye, since the rotten bastards had scratched at it. He tried at least sitting up, his results utter failure. All he could do was barely roll his head to the left, his one good eye following a blurry yellow figure that drew closer.
"Hilda, I wouldn't do that." Giggles added to the suggestion, and Lucy sprang towards the defeated body, greedily digging sharp claws into the skin. Alfendi watched from the top of the stairs, satisfaction evident in his arrogant grin.
Despite the cold, cruel advice, Hilda noticed that Alfendi was calm at the moment. His hunger was quelled, obviously, and Justin was already... Accounted for, but she couldn't understand why. Why was he proud of what he had done here? Why was he proud of turning Lucy into just as murderous a monster as he was? Why was Alfendi so calm in the face of death by his hand? She relayed these questions to him, shying herself away from him, apprehensive to this devil.
"Why? You're asking why after all you've seen?" His eyes flickered to the other vampire feeding from their now dead opponent. He grabbed some of her brunette locks, presenting Lucy as she growled and griped and clawed at the hand tugging on her. "This is why. The untapped potential in our protected little Lucy can finally be free to do as it wishes. We're all sure she can handle herself since she's survived so damn long as a human. Isn't that right, Baker?" She snarled in response, snapping her sharp fangs at him until he released her to return to her meal.
Hilda tensed, suddenly fuming at his words. "This was not the way to save her, if that's what you're implying! Alfendi, you had a choice to attack Justin first and you didn't." She stabbed a delicate finger at his chest, not so much to harm him, rather threatening, to emphasize her position.
"Then what? Justin would have had you prepare the spell or turn Lucy with your magic. You know for an absolute fact that hurts more than what I did to her. Just as long as she was a vampire for a mere moment, he would have gotten some mystical power that we don't even know if it exists. And it's better off that way, never to be spoken of again."
"You don't know any of that for sure."
"Do you?"
"No, but-"
They both froze, sensing something off as they bickered with each other. They gazed down at the mess of blood, bone, and flesh on the floor, which a hungry Lucy would have been eating at as they argued. She wasn't there. Oh, the large front doors were open, and dawn wasn't even close yet. "No. No, no." Alfendi gulped, shoving Hilda out of the way as he ran out. Lucy shouldn't be out on her own, especially in such an excited state as she was in.
There she was, at the gates, bouncing up and over without a second thought or care. She turned back to watch Alfendi race towards her. Her eyes lit up in anticipation as he screamed for her to come back. There was so much more of the world to see, though. Why should she be limited by what he told her to do? If she had so much potential, then why should she be shut off behind some gates, suffering in some filthy castle? Lucy wasn't bound to the land, but by the panic and dread in those glittering gold eyes, she knew he was.
The metal bars bent under the pressure of his fingers. Something was still stopping him from breaking out of this stupid castle and its curse. He couldn't still be trapped here; they had killed Justin, and all was- No, it wasn't all forgiven, he killed Justin. The curse was supposed to be lifted by the person who casted it. "No! Lucy! Don't you dare!" He could see the reckless curiosity in her gaze, a twinge of pity sprinkled in as well. Not just that, he could sense it in her, the impertinent thoughts of freedom, ideas he had unintentionally planted in her mind. She was tricky, and she knew her capabilities from watching him. "Lucy!"
Unfortunately for Alfendi, she was already gone, a tiny mischievous speck of a shadow in the distance. "No, no, no, no!" He screeched, twisting the lock on the gate until it burst open. He fought against some barrier that wouldn't allow him the solace of opportunity. Of course he couldn't leave. He had given up that for the monster's sake. He'd give up anything for Lucy.
But Baker were already miles away.
Apathy was the last thing on Hilda's mind as she watched Alfendi stand quietly at the open gates. She could no longer forgive him, especially now that he had let loose that immature scourge on London. Why couldn't he quit standing around thinking so much and actually go after the lass? She sighed, walking along until she passed him. He fell to his knees in defeat as she did. "It's over, Alfendi. This is what you chose."
"N-No. H-Hilda, please," he begged, attempting to reach a hand out towards her. He knew what she would do, and all his work would have been for nawt if she went through with it. "Change this back. Please."
"You said it yourself. There's no other way." She crossed her arms over her chest, pivoting on her heel to the same direction Lucy went.
"... There isn't..." The vampire trembled, holding onto himself, feeling the two warring states within him. He would never be able to leave here, to find Lucy and save her from herself, to be free from this curse. He whined as Hilda's heels clicked against the asphalt, softly setting against the night. "I had no other choice... I didn't... I'm sure there wasn't..."
Alfendi's whimpers gained no response, and for that moment, after two thousand years, he felt human again, as tears formed in his eyes.
"I'm sorry... I should have done something... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Father..."
Lucy.
"Anyone..."
BAD END.
