leYAY!! I updated!!! looks around the room, everyone stares blankly Okay then, let's just get this story rolling…
Imprisoned
"How long has he been unconscious?" asked the man, voice thick with impatience.
"About four hours, sir. He hasn't budged since we brought him here," spoke another. "Do you think he's-
"Dead? Of course not. If one thing's for sure, the vampire lords cannot be taken down so easily. A little tap on the head shouldn't have done much." Zephon's eyes twitched upon hearing unfamiliar voices, demonic and vile like those of a nightmare. He swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his lips. They felt cracked and dry against his tongue and he bit them in revulsion. Coming back to his senses, Zephon carefully opened his eyes. In doing so, they met a dim light that caused him to blink repeatedly. Once focused, he surveyed his surroundings. There were no signs of vampires...only humans…Sarafan humans. Seven knights stood guard, talking amongst themselves, they had barely noticed Zephon. They seemed to be caught up in words that the vampire lord had time to think without being observed. He tried to move freely; alas, his limbs were in chains. His body was dirty and fairly weak. The vampire made an attempt to wiggle his wrists free, but the chains made a sound that had attracted attention.
"Ah. So the vampire lord awakes from an eternal slumber. Was it well?"Zephon smirked. It was the general that invaded his Cathedral and, without a doubt, brought him here.
"I wouldn't exactly call it well. Not in this position at least." Zephon took a breath of air and hindered a cough. The room tasted of death and the air was bitter.
"Humph. Still a sarcastic beast aren't you? Even in chains you still retain your charm." Chuckles erupted but quickly died down when Gargas closed the gap between him Zephon. Burning green eyes stared into cold, uncaring yellow ones. Neither blinked for some time. The general put an arm against the wall, the other on his hip.
"Why are you not begging for freedom? Do you enjoy being in captivity with your enemies?"
"I do not beg!" growled Zephon. His outburst caused the other knights to reach for their swords. Gargas quickly put a hand up to prevent unnecessary actions. "I never have and never will, human!" The vampire released his held breath and regained composure. His head throbbed all over. He did not want to be here, that was obvious. What kind of fool did they take him for? "Freedom is not free. It is pointless to beg for it. I've learned that lesson many times before. And I don't need reminding." Gargas sighed.
"I see. You have insight, I'll give you that. But I loathe your arrogance." The general stepped away from the wall and crossed his arms. "You seem confident of yourself that anything considered "weak" by your standards will never come about."
"I will not permit myself to fall so low, as to beg like a coward. However, you have misunderstood. I never said that anything human like will ensnare me. But, I have yet to find out." Zephon inhaled deeply and coughed this time, failing to cover up his weakness to the atmosphere. The general smiled.
"Is our air not good enough for your standards? How pathetic." He raised an eyebrow. "Yet another flaw I despise. You speak of weakness and humans when you, a vampire, cannot even breathe without coughing up your lungs."
"Be quiet! I will hear no more."
"You are in no position to speak in that kind of tone. I suggest you calm yourself, vampire." Zephon gathered up spit and shot it in the general's face. The human stepped back to wipe his eyes, almost tripping on his feet. Another Sarafan knight came forth and back handed Zephon several times across the face.
"That's enough!" yelled Gargas. "The Sarafan lord wants him unharmed!" The enemy knight hesitated to obey orders but eventually gave in. He snarled at Zephon and backed up towards the rest of his comrades. The vampire cursed under his breath at the pain of continuous slaps. Being slapped was one thing; being slapped by a hand with heavy gauntlets was another. Zephon winced from the sensitivity from the fresh smacks. He could feel his cheeks heat up and leave a lingering burn.
"That was a bitch slap, fool," mumbled Zephon.
"What? I'll teach you vampire-
"Calm yourself!" growled Gargas, irritated because his orders were disobeyed. The other Sarafan knights held the nuisance in place. Gargas walked towards Zephon again but stopped midway. He stared at Zephon's cheeks, which seemed to have steam coming out; barely enough for the naked eye to see. Gargas squinted and seen the redness of Zephon's cheeks slowly disappear until it completely faded away. The soldiers grew wide eyed; they had never before seen a vampire heal up close. It was one of many great abilities that vampires had, that separated them from the humans. And because of these abilities, or gifts, they would always reign supreme over humans.
"Impressive, Zephon. What an honor to see a vampire heal himself…and right in front too." Zephon's eyes remained glued to Gargas but he did not reply. "Tell me: Since you are a vampire lord, does that mean you can heal faster than your fledglings?" The vampire smirked.
"Are you obsessed with me or something?" His question was only half serious. Gargas smiled. "You all may leave and go to your posts. I will call if needed." The knights gave confused looks but obeyed, regardless. The confined room was opened; the door creaked as the heavily armored humans departed, leaving Gargas and Zephon alone. The vampire raise a brow, watching the door slam shut. He used this as an excuse to keep his eyes on something other than Gargas, who was giving him an unusual look.
"What if I am?" Zephon's eyes shot back to the human in disgust and confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"Obsessed. You asked me if I was obsessed with you and I said: what if I am? Does this shock you?"
"What the hell do you think? Having human worshippers is one thing, but to have an enemy general admire me is a whole different story. What's the catch, Gargas? Are you trying to butter me up so that I may tell you information? Let me tell you, it's not working. I may be an arrogant fiend, but I am no idiot. I am the master of strategy. Your poor plan is destroyed." Gargas leaned against the wall once more and smirked.
"Really, Zephon, there are no hidden plots or traps in my sleeves or in my pockets. You must trust me. I do not intend to get information by "kissing your ass." No, your interrogation session has not been scheduled yet. I shall have to inform my lord when that will be. Until then, no one will hound you for any new knowledge. I'll make sure of that."
Zephon rolled his eyes. "I feel special." The chains were once again wiggled; Zephon's wrists and ankles became weak and raw in the grasp of the metal. The vampire lord sighed in frustration as his efforts to get free were in vain. "Blasted chains," he mumbled.
"It doesn't feel too good being in the human position does it? Hm. And now you see what it's like on the other side of the fence, eh?" Zephon did not reply; he was too tired to argue. This man gave him a run for his money; he never had an argument where he really had nothing else to say back.
Gargas gently brought a hand up to Zephon's face and held his chin.
"What do you think you're doing?" he spat. "How dare you touch me?"
"Relax. I'm checking to see if any more damage was brought on to you earlier." Zephon couldn't believe what was happening to him at this moment. Hell, he'd rather be physically tortured than have this annoying human here, questioning him to the point of oblivion.
"How thoughtful of you to do so," he replied sarcastically.
"You have such a pretty face, you know. It's so clean and flawless. No pores, blemishes, scars, nothing. You must have a way with the ladies, eh?"
"To answer you question plainly, no. I only have one lady, a very beautiful one, waiting for me at my brother's house. When we die and become reborn as a vampire, our skin no longer produces natural oils, and our pores shrink to the point of disappearing. Please, tell me why you ask foolish questions and receive obvious answers? Is this how you torture vampires? Hmm? Do you question them to death until they submit themselves to damnation and commit suicide?"
"Actually, no. I never handle "common" vampire affairs. They do not interest me in the least. I was given this task because I heard we were handling one of Kain's sons. You are not a "common" vampire. You're a vampire lord; one of the most powerful creatures in Nosgoth. Only a fool would pass up an opportunity to be face to face with you."
"You sound like a fan boy. Pathetic. This has all gone to your head, human." Zephon shook his head, just realizing he was shirtless. Damn them, he thought. The Sarafan must have removed his armor and tunic he'd worn earlier. The good thing was that he had pants on. Thank God.
"As pathetic as you may think I am, don't you feel the least bit satisfied that someone actually pays attention to you and your efforts? Even if I am human, you must give me credit for acknowledging you at least."
"Whatever. I don't care anymore. You can fantasize about me all you want; I still won't give in to you." The general grinned. He was slowly getting the vampire to trust him. Perhaps then, his interrogation would be simple. His eyes wandered down Zephon's muscular chest, down his abs, finally stopping at his waist. The vampire lord was very toned, yet slender at the same time. His height was at least six feet.
"What? Do you want to see my dick now?" growled Zephon, frustrated at the human's wandering eyes.
"Why must you assume things? No, I was looking at your build. It differs from mine. You are more slender and I am more muscular."
"You know that is quite an observation. I loathe your curiosity." Zephon closed his eyes, feeling a migraine coming on; he let his head hang down. The Sarafan general chuckled.
"In pain again?" Zephon did not reply, only sighed. Then it was silent. For once the vampire was actually happy to feel alone, to feel at peace. But those few moments of serenity did not last long. The general spoke to him again.
"What did you look like when you were human?" The vampire sighed once more. Was this still going to continue?
"I looked like you," joked Zephon, chuckling at the general, who gave no reaction to the insult.
"That's very funny, vampire. But, I'm being serious here. What did you look like? A lot of us were not even born when you were a human."
"Humph. You didn't even have a Sarafan lord, let alone soldiers." Zephon paused momentarily, digging deep into his thoughts. It had been a long time since he remembered himself as a young fledgling. It was a millennium ago. "Which parts, I will tell you. Except for a few things, my face and body remained the same."
"Alright. What was the color of your hair?" The vampire rolled his eyes; he hated remembering that. As a fledgling, everyone would make fun of him, including Kain. After many years, his hair finally changed to black, like most vampires. He was thankful for that.
"Red," he mumbled.
"I-I'm sorry I couldn't-
"Red! Red, red, red! Are you happy now?" Gargas gave a confused expression. By the look of Zephon's face, he could tell that he never liked his original hair color. The general smiled.
"What's wrong with red hair? You should be proud. Not very many people end up with red hair, it's a rarity."
"Not when you get teased about it."
"And your eyes?"
"Green. Like yours but lighter. Most vampires today have yellow eyes. You'd have to be lucky like Raziel, Rahab, or Turel to keep beautiful ones. But, those are really the only traits that have changed over time. My ears obviously did not form points. My fingers and toes were not like this at first. And finally, my lips, were not black as night as they are now. Gargas nodded in understanding.
"Lord Kain has yellow eyes too, eh?"
"Evil, yellow eyes. I'm afraid at times to look at him dead on like that. Those eyes alone judge you, picking apart each flaw until nothing remains. Sometimes I get anxious when he speaks to me. Of course, I really don't fear him as much as most might. He is my father. And like one, he has always watched out for me, no matter how much I hated him one day or praised him another." The human general made a frown.
"I see. I suppose it must be hard…to face someone that powerful. From my point of view, the Sarafan lord speaks to me just like I am speaking to you. But Kain…that's on a whole other level. We're talking about the vampire who single-handedly brought the pillars to their destruction. The Kain, who easily defeated the Sarafan lord centuries before you and your brethren, came about, before I came about…"
"I don't need your sympathy. That is my own problem, not yours." Zephon brought his head up and spoke. "Gargas. Why are you treating me like somebody? You-you're treating me like I am no vampire at all, but a…friend or companion or whatever term you humans use. Why am I not being tortured, brutally beaten or sentenced to death? Why am I even allowed to speak to you?" The general sighed and rubbed his shaved head. He licked his dry lips and smiled.
"Because…you are my friend and my savior. You…saved me…" Gargas leaned forward and kissed Zephon's forehead without warning. Zephon began heating up, both from embarrassment and rage. He shook his head to prevent any more kisses or whatever might be coming towards him.
"What was that?" he growled, gritting his teeth. Gargas did not reply right away. He stood and made his way to the door.
"I will be in tomorrow to check on you. Have a good day, Zephon." With that, Gargas closed the door without looking back. Zephon hung there, dumbfounded and confused. What the hell just happened? The general had kissed him on the forehead. And for what? The vampire lord remained in his still confusion for mere moments before giving up. He couldn't think of a reason why the human had pulled a stunt like that. Perhaps, he would never know. Freeing his mind of everything, Zephon slowly drifted off to sleep.
Well that's it guys!! I know it sounds funny and a little cheesy but I had some fun writing it. Just thought everyone might be a little interested in Zephon's past. There is more to come. The next chapter explains the gaps in here. LOL I hope no one is thinking this is going to be yaoi. I doubt anyone would want that. XD. Well you are the readers, so any suggestions, comments, opinions or reviews will be really helpful. I appreciate it!!! Thanks. Your pal, Lil V. :D
