A/N
Sorry for not updating guys, I've been busy and the internet is not cooperating. I also almost stopped writing, but only almost. I am now continuing although my life is a bit busier than usual. Don't worry though, I'm not going anywhere. ;)
If you cannot bear the silence and the darkness, then do not go there; if you dislike black nights and yawning chasms, never make them your profession. If you fear the sound of water hurrying through crevices toward unknown and mysterious destinations, do not consider it. Seek out the sunshine. It is a simple prescription. Avoid the darkness. It is a simple prescription, but you will not follow it. You will turn immediately to darkness. You will be drawn to it by the chords of fear and longing. You will imagine that you are tired of the sunlight; the waters that unnerve you will tug in the ancient recesses of your mind; the midnight will seem restful—you will end by going down.
—Loren Eiseley
from The Night Country
Forgotten Memories
Chapter 24
The cave stank with the scent worse than a backed up sewer system. The smell hit them as soon as they dared to venture into practically forbidden ground. Even Cain had to plug up his nose in distaste, the vile smell hitting them much harder than it would if they were human. However, Cain was glad he was an elf and not a werewolf.
Gohan now saw why the guardian of Shoel was a snake, it could not completely smell the rank odor surrounding them. With one hand he plugged his nose while with the other he formed a ball of floating fire in his hand with his Jinn powers. Due to their canine counter-parts, Gohan and Séretur were not proud to be werewolves at the moment.
The deeper they went into the dark and damp cave the worst the stench got. The wet marsh-ness of the cave helped the faint-causing odor to take away the oxygen and replace it with its smell. To say that the three were overly disgusted at the will of the cave to destroy them by means of stench was an understatement.
Bubbles from the barely seen marshy ground popped around them, releasing even more of a stench into the air. Gohan and Séretur wanted nothing but to run out of the cave and breathe in the fresh sunlight. If Cain wanted to leave as well he didn't show it, just trucked through the unknown green dutifully.
The two werewolves glared at him through their burning orbs with envy. They could not understand how Cain could be so calm about a situation like this. However, they blamed it on his dark elf attitude and his missing ability to actually smell the stench in the air. In their own way they forgave him.
A hiss resounded in the caves, bouncing off every crevice and wall it could. After it finally faded the dark olive bubbles popped along their path and the mud lurched against the bottom of their boots. A large bubble popped onto Cain's pants and he grimaced, staring at it in absolute disgust.
"My pants!" he exclaimed with despair and the two canines winced as the dark elf's echoing voice reverberated against the walls, making him seem much louder than he sounded. Realizing what he had just done Cain chuckled and said sheepishly, "Whoops, sorry!"
Séretur rolled his eyes and yelped as he slipped on the rancid mud, his hands flying towards the slimy wall of the tunnel as he attempted to steady himself. Gohan blinked for a moment after he had stumbled out of the way. Of course Gohan was a nice guy but he'd be damned to his grandfather before he'd fall into the mud.
Cain on the other hand chuckled again at the halfling's close encounter with the rancid, murky mud and almost slithering walls. Séretur glared at him, although he could barely see the dark elf, and resisted the urge to show him his royal finger. Gohan just shook his head at the two and carefully continued on.
The tunnels were winding and hard to keep track off. All three knew they were completely and utterly lost. The disgustingly green sludge had risen to their knees and they now had to drag themselves through. No one said anything, not even the usually talkative Cain. They were too busy trying to breathe.
Gohan believed they were somewhere extremely far into the caves; they had to be. The stench was so unbearable now that his lungs felt compressed and his eyes watered as if he was crying. If he squinted behind him at the other two he could see that they had obtained teary eyes as well.
"Who the hell hid the Al-Nour all the way in this hellhole again?" Cain grumbled after he wiped his eyes and blinked continuously. The cave was slowly beginning to work its way into his nerves and he didn't like it at all. He was supposed to get on people's nerves, not the other way around.
"I told you," Séretur wheezed, sneezing when the scent of the unknown moss filled his nose. "Some strange Madrid named O-kyo!"
Gohan sneezed as well, blinking his eyes furiously. "How in Anubis' name did he get the sword in here?"
"Hell if I know." the halfling replied and rubbed his nose with a scowl. "Damn cave..."
Another sneeze echoed through the caves, but this time it was Cain. He growled this time and trudged through with purpose. "When are we going to get out of this godforsaken cave?"
Almost instantly they tripped on something and slammed face first into the hard dusty ground. All three sneezed at the same time and stared at their surroundings. The cave was filled with even more tunnels and slick walls, but the air was finally bearable and was slightly lighted by the flickering fireflies.
Looking behind them they could see the yellow mist trying to grab them and pull the trio back into the forsaken tunnels of Shoel. They could see why only the dead entered here. After all, who living wanted to actually go through the so called tunnels of hell? It was hard to see through and the stench was unbearable to all but the dead.
"Holy shit," Cain exclaimed suddenly, his voice not echoing off the walls like it had beforehand, "This is a complete turn of events. First we were traveling through the tunnels of hell and now we've arrived at the tunnels of purgatory."
Séretur rolled his eyes. "Oh would you just shut up! Damn, do you ever stop talking?"
Cain smirked. "Of course not! My job is to annoy people and obviously it's working, so why stop?"
The halfling snarled and was about to tackle the dark elf when Gohan held his hand up to silence them, accompanied by a 'shush' from his lips. "Quiet, there's something here..."
They were suddenly knocked back by a powerful force, all of them a ghostly white. Dazed, they scrambled up and looked at the approaching figures with astonishment. Three ethereal soldiers with glimmering great swords held tightly in their transparent hands.
Cain stared at it for a moment before laughing manically and gesturing to them. "Wow I didn't know that great swords could die!"
"These are the Warriors of Dis," Séretur began, drawing his sword with a determined look. "We won't be getting past them so easily."
"Why is that?" Gohan said quickly as he dodged an attack and tried to retaliate only for his sword to go right through the ghostly warrior.
"Well they're dead for one!" Séretur commented as he dodged an attack from one of the Warriors of Dis, nervous at how close the blade was to him. "Our blade's can't touch them since they are not the Al Nour or made out of energy! Secondly, if they touch us we're paralyzed long enough for them to take our souls!"
"Well I figured out most of that." Gohan replied coolly, dodging an attack from two of the Warriors of Dis and wondering how they were going to get out of this predicament until the dark elf laughed.
The two turned to the maniacal elf to see him parry the attack of a ghostly warrior and shoot an energy ball at him, turning him to a shower of shimmering confetti. He grinned evilly at them before attacking another warrior with gusto.
Séretur slapped a hand to his face, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before blowing one away with a ball of elvin light. Gohan wished he could do that if he only had all of his powers back with him. Due to his healing he hadn't had much time to recharge.
"Ah the light!" Cain yelled comically, shielding his eyes from Séretur's attack, "Séretur, don't go into the light!"
The Vargul rolled his eyes as Cain laughed once more while blasting what he thought was the last of the warriors. Unfortunately one final Warrior of Dis stabbed his sword through Gohan's back to his chest when something else had caught his eye.
The Vampire Lord winced at the slight pain of some of his soul being taken when Cain slashed through it with his ever-present grin. Gohan silently thanked the elf with his eyes before the dust faded away from him.
"Lord Vikram can you move?" the Vargul asked, concern in his voice while Cain watched with a bored expression, his sword finally gone and his eyes trained somewhere else.
The look in Gohan's eyes were enough for Séretur to realize that no, he could not move. He was embarrassed for asking such an obvious question and grinned nervously as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Well now that you're done with your love talk," Cain began, sending a fanged grin to the halfling while Séretur responded with a glare, "We have a stupid bumbling vampire in our midst. I do believe you remember your darling brother Victor, eh Gohan?"
The Vargul immediately had his sword out once more as Victor moved out from the shadows towards them, a smile on his face. Gohan sent a glare his way, still too paralyzed to do anything else, while Cain watched with a goofy grin.
"You never could keep your mouth shut could you Cain?" Victor hissed, a slight frown marring his usually cool features.
Cain responded with his famous smirk. "Nope!"
The Vampire King scowled at the Dark Elf and turned to face Séretur and Gohan, his smile slowly returning to his face. "I see the Warriors of Dis did their job."
The halfling glanced at both Cain and Victor as he stood with his sword out in between Victor and Gohan. "Are you two in league with each other? If so what was the purpose? I am positive Cain could have brought us out of our misery a long time ago."
"As tempting as that sounds wolf cub even I haven't sunk as low as to get into the boring dealings of a worthless vampire." the Dark Elf confirmed as he sent a dark sneer towards the said worthless vampire. "Isn't that right Victor?"
The Vampire King could only curl his lips up in disgust. "As pathetic as that sounds yes, Cain does not deal with any of my dealings. He prefers to plot ways of destroying other people's hopes, dreams, and ambitions. If you thought he was on your side wolf you're wrong. That disgusting dark creature is only in this war for himself…as usual."
Séretur looked appalled and turned his head so quickly towards the elf that he almost broke his neck. "Is that true Cain?"
"Of course!" the abomination chimed from where he leaned against the wall, his fangs in full view as he grinned before he looked at the paralyzed vampire. "Although I assure you that Gohan knew of my loyalty to only myself far before he sought my help."
Gohan said nothing since he was still in a paralyzed state but the look in his eyes said that what Cain spoke was true. The Vampire Lord knew about the elf's intentions but did nothing about it nor questioned his allegiance.
"Yes I had realized that too." Victor began, wiping imaginary dust off of his robes. "Of course Gohan was in for his own intentions as well, such as searching for this legendary Al Nour I overhead you three speaking about. I am here to prevent that."
"Try me!" the Vargul snarled, blocking Gohan's body entirely while Cain watched with another bored expression.
"Just get out of the way Séretur, it's not like you can stop forbidden magic anyway." the dark elf yawned, wagging his fingers at the halfling to move.
"No!" the Vargul vowed, "I will protect Lord Vikram with my life!"
Cain shrugged and brought out his energy sword. He leaned on it with a slight yawn and shrugged, his bored expression never leaving his face. "Your stupidity."
"Then why don't you stop Victor from using the forbidden magic you disgusting elf!" the Vargul retorted angrily as he cut his eyes toward Cain.
The dark elf sighed, his bored expression turning into slight annoyance as he began to chide the halfling as if he were an ignorant child. "If you were not so caught up in your stupidity you would have realized that the forbidden magic has already taken hold of Gohan. The Warrior of Dis paralyzing him gave Victor enough time to bind him to the magic. That is why Gohan was so distracted and did not see the appearing warrior. Besides, as much as I would love to rip out Victor's spine and use his rib cage as a musical instrument I prefer to see what happens first before exacting my boredom on him."
Victor felt a shiver course through his spine at Cain's statement. He may be the grandson of the Dark Lord, but that didn't stop Cain from killing him if he felt like it. Besides if Cain did kill him the Vampire King knew for a fact his grandfather wouldn't even blink.
In the days of yore when Lord Seraphim ruled the land and the realms were at war he had seen what Cain was capable of and what the maniacal elf could do. In fact he had stopped believing in angels when he realized that Anubis had accomplished one sick joke.
The only thing that elf was compassionate about was death, and Victor had a feeling that was the only thing keeping Cain living. The elf practically bathed in it. How the elf's mother fared was beyond the Vampire King. Even in his right mind Cain was ruthless.
Victor gulped as he turned from Cain and attempted to piece himself together. "Yes as Cain was saying the magic has taken hold of Gohan. It's only a matter of time before it takes effect. The only reason I'm still standing here is to say farewell. So Gohan when you relieve the days of yore relish it."
Gohan's shadow slowly began to consume him as the paralyzed Vampire Lord could only stare at Victor with hatred. The youngest brother sneered at him as he steadily disappeared while Séretur tried to drag him out only for his hands to go through him.
Suddenly Victor choked and spit out blood, his eyes wide in astonishment. Séretur just stared with a gaping mouth as Cain laughed, smiling gleefully as his energy sword was shoved through the Vampire King's chest.
"My, my, my you've gotten noticeably weaker Victor! Laying low far too long I see? Although you never were good enough to give anyone, even a child, a run for their money back in the days of yore!" the Dark Elf hissed, twisting his sword as Victor yelled in pain.
"You'll pay for this Cain!" the vampire seethed, blood spraying from his mouth. Séretur could only stare in horror.
The blood dripped like a faucet from the serious wound and the Vampire King felt like passing out from the lack of blood. Cain leaned towards him, chuckling darkly in his ear. "Relieve the days of yore eh? I would expect nothing else from that pathetic muscle you dare call a brain. Unfortunately I cannot have you killing off my benefactor. You see we have an agreement, Gohan and I. He gets the realms and I obtain the Underworld. Of course you weren't in the agreement but I'm sure that Gohan wishes to kill you himself so rest assured bloodsucker, you'll live. However I will go into the past to…help Gohan per se. I won't change the past, but I'll watch over him until he finds a way to come back to the present. He is family after all."
"We are family as well you two-timing abomination!" Victor spat with venom as he struggled to stand after Cain kicked him off his sword and onto the ground.
Cain just shrugged with a satisfied grin. "Well a family that grows up together doesn't necessarily stay together!"
"You asshole you'll pay for this!" the Vampire King spat before disappearing, the Dark Elf's laughter trailing after him.
The elf turned to the gaping Vargul and grinned evilly at him before turning away from him and began their long trek through the endless tunnel. Realizing that he was being left behind Séretur run to his side, but stayed a certain distance away from the grinning elf.
"Cain you really are insane." he stated and the elf just laughed again before bursting into a random yet interesting song.
I'm a rascal, a scoundrel, a villain, and knave
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
I'm a devil and black sheep, a really bad egg
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho, an evil life for me!
XX
He regarded the man standing there with a wary eye while the man stared down at him with a cool observant gaze. Ilfidril was not sure what to think of the man standing before him so he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Can I help you?"
The man eyed him with his good eye, the other one in an eye patch. It wasn't obvious as to who he was for Ilfidril could not tell for the life of him, even if he did study the different ways the vampires and lycans looked in their human forms.
"I am looking for Vincent," he began calmly and softly, the accent in his voice letting the elf know that he was not from Japan at all but Russia. "We have much matters to discuss, he and I. He had called me last night and I arrived as soon as I could."
"Well then please come in." the Elvin Knight stated calmly, although still looking at the Russian with suspicion in his eyes. "Follow me."
He led the man through surprisingly empty corridors that made him realize that just about everyone was at the meeting. The Russian glanced at the surprise in the elf's features but dismissed it without a word. He didn't care what the elf thought at the moment.
Ilfidril opened the door to the meeting and everyone became quiet. Azazel looked quite surprised while Vincent was pleased with himself. The Elvin Knight allowed the Russian entrance before coming in and closing the door behind him.
Vincent stepped forward with a slight smile and the Russian came forward as well. Both were smirking at the other's eye patch, although one bore a sign. It was a sign that Azazel had come to respect, although most who knew the sign feared it.
The skull of a wolf with two swords crossing behind it was the sign of the pirates of yore, or the pirates of days long passed. A clan of lone lycans who were also the most feared. It was the sign of the Vargul.
Many did not know it but the Vargul were neither on the side of good nor evil. Their leader, if one could believe it, was Cain who was once called Captain. He was still called Captain however, even if he was betrayed by half of his crew.
Those who stayed with him were ordered to Russia while the ones who had mutinied against him were scattered or never seen again. It was known that Gohan was acquainted with them, but no one knew how. Vincent on the other hand had once been a pirate.
"Arr if it isn't me pal Vincent! How fares ye, ya old sea dog?"
Vincent couldn't help but smile at the Russian's pirate talk and decided to answer with a bit of his own. "As good as it gets mate! How fares th' Captain's crew?"
"Wonderful!" the pirate answered happily, grinning at them all with amazingly white teeth. "Th' crew 'as ne'er been better! The Captain 'asn't been ter th' ship in a while, but 'e told us of yer situation and we 'bout stole Aeolus' winds to get our mangy flea-bitten asses down 'ere!"
"So th' crew is ready to help out are they Firs' mate Sergei?" Vincent questioned with a smile on his face as he extended his forearm.
Sergei grinned again and clasped his forearm firmly. "As ready as the sea! However I will confide mate that as soon as th' battle's won we're settin' out fer sea.
"Ay mate, I understand that ye and th' crew are ne'er happy till the ground un'ner yer feet are movin' like th' waves." Vincent let go of his forearm, Sergei doing the same, before turning to face his father while clearing his throat. "Father may I present to you the Firstmate of the Detinos, Sergei Baranov. Sergei, this is my father Lord Azazel."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Sergei." Azazel smiled, shaking the pirate's hand firmly while the onlookers observed with amazement at the turn of events.
"Th' pleasure be all mine Lord Azazel." Sergei quipped, giving him a rugged smile before bowing to him with his hands placed out.
From his spot Dimitri took in the pure Vargul with interest. Of all his years on earth he had never seen a real pirate and was quite curious as to their lifestyle since he now knew about their fashion sense.
Sergei's hair was long and surprisingly a beautiful shade of silver. Two front pieces were braided and decorated with red beads while the rest were brought together tied near the ends. A red headband sat around his head, the tails of the knot fluttering at the slightest breeze.
He was bare-chested with the tattoo of the Vargul on his left breast for all to see. No scar marred his body, but the mere sight of his hard-earned muscles caught the eye of nearly every female in the room.
In fact the only clothing on his body was his baggy black pants, the red sash to hold it up, and his red boots. A sword which many recognized as a double-bladed katana sat in a thick sheath at his side. His hand seemed to rest on it, but in truth he was being unconsciously wary.
"Um excuse me, Sergei." All heads turned to Dimitri who smiled sheepishly. Sergei waited with a smirk on his face and all the confidence of a dangerous pirate. "Um…well…I've always wanted to know about the pirate lifestyle…"
Alicia rolled her eyes heavenward with a sigh. "Dimitri love, this is not the time to be expressing your desire to become a pirate…besides, think of your family!"
Sergei merely chuckled to himself. "Well mate if yer thinkin' 'bout becomin' a scallywag like the res' of us ye can't 'ave a family waitin' fer ye at home. We bring our families wi' us in th' Detinos, but we'll talk 'bout yer interest after th' war."
Dimitri nodded in understanding with a wide smile on his face while Alicia shook her head with a sigh. Alana, however, looked quite interested and went up to the grinning pirate still instilled with her child-like curiosity.
She tugged at the ends of Sergei's sash and gazed up at the curious pirate with huge inquisitive eyes. "Mister Sergei can I become a pirate too?"
"Well of course ye can princess!" he responded joyfully as he swooped her up in his arms while she shrieked in happiness. "We'll save a special place fer ye in th' Detinos wi' me little son Dakar! He's 'round yer age or a little older in fact and, besides 'is ol' dad an' Captain Cain, he's the best pirate that e'er sailed th' seven seas! I think ye will get along fine together."
Dimitri looked as elated as his daughter while Alicia could only cry about how her child was going to become a ruffian and probably end up marrying Dakar. Temina comforted her while Alcander rolled his eyes beside his wife.
In the end Marianna wanted to come too and both Temina and Alicia began crying to each other. The Jinni Lucia and Rachel, both thoroughly embarrassed, comforted the two women as much as they could.
Azazel sighed and dismissed the public meeting as well as the two crying women who took their confused daughters with them. Finally only the important people were left in the room and they were the only ones the Madrid wanted to see.
Vincent took a seat near the head of the table while Sergei took the seat next to him. Dimitri, still wanting to know more about pirates, took the seat next to the curious Sergei. Meanwhile Alcander took the seat across from Vincent and Rayon took the seat beside him.
Duncan entered soon, murmuring his apologies for almost being late to the meeting and took the empty seat across Dimitri. His gaze eyed Sergei for a moment before turning to look at Azazel as he sat down. Ilfidril waited for all to be seated then sat next to Dimitri.
"Now," Azazel began as he placed a large scroll on the table. "Here is a map of the realms which I had received from a hidden source. I can't reveal the source to you yet as he desires to remain hidden with his companions. My little spy tells me that Lucius is bringing up his army from the four corners of each realm which means we must be prepared."
"What kind of army are we talkin' 'bout Lord Azazel?" Sergei piped from his seat, all seriousness etched in his handsome face.
"Well it seems he is recruiting the giants as well. The orcs are there by the hundreds and the skeleton riders by the thousands. He also has vampires which only account to about two thousand, most of which are humans turned into one or evolved fledglings. Lucius has really upped his arsenal since the last we saw him. My spy admits that there may be Primus, although he hasn't seen any since they were called back by the Dark Lord. Yet I assure you that we will expect the unexpected."
"Well I still have my vampire brigade," Duncan stated, his eyes a bit sorrowful, "But I have no more than that, although I wish I did. We are only but five hundred warriors. The orcs that were once in our group amassed to much more than we."
Dimitri waved his hand and all looked at him, giving them their complete attention. "Well together Alcander, Rayon, and I have about two thousand warriors awaiting our call. We used to have more than that, about twenty thousand in fact, but most had died during the Hundred Years War."
"I am sure Judas will send more vampires from Spain to help us, but there is a chance he may not. They say that Raphael's grip has spread even farther than before." Alcander added slowly, his brow creased in worry.
"Since I can't get anymore elves because of the barrier I am the only creature to account for from the elves, but I am willing to fight to the end." Ilfidril stated nobly from his spot, earning Azazel's smile.
Vincent cleared his throat and they gazed at him for what he had to contribute. "Although we do not have many Jinn, there are enough of us. The last I counted that had come since yesterday are eight hundred and fifty."
Sergei looked thoughtful before grinning, his fangs in clear view. "Well we've got only twenty in th' boat right now but we've got 'bout a 'undred more at home that are not little uns. I'm sure we can scrounge up some of them crazy dark elves from Captain Cain as well as a few 'undred 'ollow dogs. I can also get a mate of mine ter lend a claw or four."
"Good." the Madrid sighed in relief as he calculated the numbers. "We may be able to take on Lucius and his army, but if he has even fifty Primus we're in trouble. We'll be too busy trying to fight off the Primus to actually fight off the rest of the creatures plus those giants he's gathering up. I feel as though we've already lost."
"Don't worry too much 'bout it Milord!" the pirate began, standing up and placing a hand over his tattoo which was over his heart. "Allow yer new frien' Sergei ter acquire th' necessary mates fer this 'ere war. If I'm right me mate will come an' he'll make up some of th' difference fer sure so don't fret yer aging 'eart!"
"What are hollow dogs?" Dimitri blurted, his curiosity getting the best of him.
The pirate gave him a frightening gleam from his silvery blue eyes, making the vampire gulp long and hard. "Them 'ollow dogs are a frightnin' bunch of canines. They're like demonic skeletons of wolves long past. Dogs from hell are what th' 'ollow dogs are. Always 'ungry an' thirsty fer the hunt! If yer dealing wi' them keep all hands to yer sides an' yer third eye open. Feisty little things, they get so 'ungry from time to time."
Dimitri gulped again, his eyes wide in horror as he brought his hands to himself. Sergei laughed maniacally, fitting for the Firstmate of Cain, and left to gather his seafaring crew and head to the 'mates' he needed, singing all the while.
I'm a rascal, a scoundrel, a villain, and knave
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
I'm a devil and black sheep, a really bad egg
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho, an evil life for me!
"Can we trust him?" Duncan spoke, breaking the silence that had finally fell over the group as the pirate's song reverberated in his mind. The General glared at Dimitri when he started singing it too, silencing the vampire.
Vincent sighed in response as he heard Sergei's singing fading down the halls. "It's not him that I don't trust all the time, it's his sanity."
XX
Victor gasped for air as his wounds bled, praying to a God who would not listen for the pain to cease. His heart raced in his chest as he heard Cain's words repeating over and over again in his mind, sending fear into the very core of his heart.
"Well a family that grows up together doesn't necessarily stay together!"
Cain was notorious for killing off his family members, even if they were barely related to him or bore no resemblance. He had killed off uncles, aunts, cousins, half-cousins, step-cousins, half-brothers, step-brothers, half-sisters, step-sisters, all in the name of his own twisted sanity.
It was a wonder his mother loved him at all. It never bothered his mother about Cain's lust for blood, however she was dead and surprisingly not at his hands. Raphael even thought that Cain may have even cared for his mother, but shook the thought out quickly.
Cain cares for no one.
Cain's mother was in truth the only one not to die by the dark elf's hands. It was said that she even had her own grave erected by Cain and that he had secretly saved her soul from both being eaten by the Dark Lord and being lost in Shoel.
His blood squelched underneath his boots as he walked, using the wall as a support. Primus looked at him as he passed by but did not help him. They cared not for his misfortunes, only for the impossible fortunes of their own.
Groaning from the lack of blood, he dragged himself towards his grandfather's throne when Dyath sighted him. He clenched his teeth as the immortal Primus laughed at his misfortune, the yellow eyes easily seen in the eyes of the mask.
His guttural laugh was not without reason and neither was the mask he bore. They both hid a vicious secret that would make all tremble in the same fear Victor trembled from. Dyath cared not for the return of his soul or his humanity, he only longed for blood.
"Shut up you worthless shit!" the Vampire King hissed, earning more of the Primus' blood-chilling guttural laugh.
The yellow eyes looked downward at his injury, almost glowing in excitement. "So Cain has finally gotten to you yes? How fortunate is he to have shed your blood upon his blade! May I ask you to lend some for mine?"
"Piss off Dyath!" Victor hissed once more and went into the throne room, the Primus' laugh following after him.
Samael regarded him with cool eyes, his smirk shown clearly on his face as he observed his pathetic grandson. Victor walked up to where O-kyo and Videl were still tied up, trailing blood and standing as straight as he could.
"I have dealt with Gohan, Master."
"Oh?" the fallen angel inquired. "What did you do to him?"
"I used forbidden magic to send him to the days of yore. He will remember nothing of this present age" Victor spoke proudly, but the laughter he earned from Samael was like a slap to the face.
"Dark magic is for the weak Victor, do not forget that. I will let this slide, but do not think I am happy with the results." the Dark Lord spoke smoothly, making everyone in the room suddenly feel cold. "I have seen your battle with Gohan or more the lack of. Next time I expect you to fight fair so I can measure your pathetic weakness. Cain is right however Victor, you are weak and a family that grows up together doesn't necessarily stay together. You have seen Cain kill most of his family and I am all but ready to kill mine."
"Well what about Gohan!" Victor shouted, the anger in his voice as evident as his blazing narrowed eyes. "You are not so ready to kill him!"
"Watch your tongue Victor or you may lose it." Samael hissed coldly, his cold smile still sitting on his face as if ordered. "I hope next time you will come with a calm head or you may no longer have one at all. As you know Raze and Rail are always ready to feast. Now leave me I have things to watch, and do not forget to take this wolf cub and feisty vampire with you. I tend to like the overbearing loneliness that I have obtained over the course of the centuries."
The rope and chairs suddenly disappeared but Videl and O-kyo, who were not prepared for it, fell to the floor. Not able to control themselves, they began to walk robotically to Victor and were ready to follow him.
Victor scowled and turned only to freeze. Rail and Raze were lapping the blood he trailed with lust in their eyes. He gulped as they trained their gaze on him and even when he left the room with Videl and O-kyo behind him it felt as if it never left.
Samael sneered at his grandson's actions and trained his own terrifying gaze towards the orb that sat on a stand of bones next to him. It showed Gohan with a woman hovering over him, both wearing clothes that had not been seen for centuries.
So that fool did place Gohan in the past. Interesting…he unknowingly helped me. I suppose I will reward that pathetic vampire for this chance. I may now know who had ruined my plans to overthrow the four realms and, when I find out whom that insignificant ingrate is, I will torture him in ways that no one has yet to be tortured!
XX
A headache awoke him from his nightmare. Victor laughing at his face while his cousin Cain watched with disinterest. A creature who was both Vargul and Elf attempted to protect him but he was still vanquished nonetheless. He could not remember the halfling's name.
The seriousness and ridiculousness of this dream caused him to wake and feel the headache coming on. He decided to forget the dream and not bother to remember the halfling that protected him. Besides, what Vargul would mate an elf? They hated elves!
Although the Cain in his dream would most certainly watch and not help him due to his nature, he was sure that the dark elf would not allow him to fall into harm. They both had a history together. Victor's actions however were confusing, but he shook that away as well.
The moving of curtains and the sudden burst of light that covered his face caused him to groan before they were quickly moved back. His headache slowly subsided when someone brought a cup to his lips and a refreshing liquid went down his throat.
Slowly he opened his eyes and they began to focus on the person holding him up. He smiled at her as she bent down to kiss him and he relished the feeling of her love. Gohan slowly sat up and held his head as she placed the goblet on stand beside the bed.
"Arwen, what happened?"
The woman, Arwen, gave him a beautiful smile and kissed his forehead as she sat down on the bed beside him to explain. "You were sparring with Victor when I came to see you. I had called your name and blew out a kiss which in turn distracted you. I'm sorry to say that your sudden lack of focus earned you an unlucky blow to the head. Cain, who had been standing off to the side watching with disinterest, had laughed at your misfortune."
"Ah." Gohan replied as he felt the small knot hidden under his hair. "I had a dream that Victor was laughing at me and Cain was watching with disinterest. I suppose my demise was the cause of this ridiculous dream."
"Hush now Gohan dreams are sometimes a vision of the future." Arwen chided as she helped Gohan lay down and tucked the blanket around him.
Gohan shook his head. "I swear Arwen you have such astounding faith sometimes."
The elf just smiled and kissed his forehead. "Now sleep and dream. When you awake tell me the vision that you saw and we will make sense of it."
As the woman stood to go Gohan grabbed her hand gently with his. She looked back at him with astonished blue eyes as he looked at her with a softness one cannot describe. "Stay with me and rest Arwen?"
Her cerulean eyes lit up at the statement and she happily joined him in the bed. She snuggled in with him as he wrapped his arms around her, reveling in his warmth and scent. A few moments later she had finally fallen asleep.
However he could not fall asleep, even with the peaceful scent of Arwen in his arms. He was not kept awake by the dream, but the name that almost passed through his lips when he awakened to Arwen. He could not understand why he had almost called his wife Videl.
Ooh cliffhanger. Am I evil for this? Probably. This chapter is longer though so be healthy and be happy! I'm updating again but not as fast as I used to as you can thoroughly see. Gomen for this. I can only update as fast as my normal life can allow. To all those in school already good luck, for all those not in school yet enjoy the last days of your summer!