Rome. The imperial city, seat of the government of the Roman Empire, was a bustling melting pot of all kind of cultures. From the far reaches of northern Europe and the fringes of the great Sahara; from the western edges of the continent and the Middle East people came to do business in this metropolis.
The two vampires with their flaming red hair did not attract any attention whatsoever. Many noblepeople dyed their hair red as in the latest fashion. Merchants made a fortune importing the pigments from the Near East.
The streets of the city were mostly narrow and the vampires kept to the main road. It was the first time the younger one saw so many people and smelled so many different scents. If her father had not dragged her by the hand she surely would have gotten lost in this crowd.
The scenery changed a bit as they approached the Palatine, one of Rome's seven hills, on which the Cesar's residence stood. The people wore richer clothing and even trinkets and jewelry. They looked cleaner and some were even obese!
The guards quivered as the man approached them. One of them was brave enough to aim his spear at the vampire. Vlad Tepes didn't even blink. He could have walked right into that house, but sometimes a little bit of courtesy was better. "I wish to see the Emperor."
One of the guards scurried away and returned soon to take them to the ruler of the Roman Empire. Cesar Nero recently came into power. The people were happy with his reign, although after some chalices of undiluted wine people started slandering the emperor for 'being a mommy's boy'.
Agrippina, the Cesar's mother, was also present, but it was Nero himself who welcomed them: "Salve, King of the Night! It seems you have found what you were searching for. And who is this adorable person?"
Nero even squatted to meet the child on eyes level and she thought that he was quite young for a ruler. In her village the white-bearded elders and the priests had governed. Nero looked barely older than her best friend.
Vlad Tepes introduced her and she could not keep the scowl of her face as he said her name. "I still have matters to take care of until I can introduce her to my people. So I implore your help. Please take the girl in for a bit."
Nero smiled. "Of course. Your daughter is welcome in my house."
Years had passed. The imperial family had been dismayed to learn that she, a noble, could neither write nor read and so they employed the best teachers. Even Seneca taught her. The Cesar was quite happy with 'his daughter', as he called her. Finally there was a person who would listen to him practice the kithara-lyre hours upon hours. She did not mind his singing and if he asked her, she'd sing with him.
She didn't need to sleep and more than once Nero found her sitting at the window and staring at Rome. Her room had the best view of the luminescent Temple of Luna just below Domus Nerone on the Palatine.
When Nero called her she whipped around and scowled. So he asked: "Why do you hate your name?"
She straightened her back. "Because that man made me abandon the name my parents had given me."
"I thought he was your father."
"He might be responsible for my conception, but he is not my father. We don't even look alike." Bathed in the silver light of moon and stars she looked more like a sculpture than a living being. Cold, lonely. But her statement had been a lie. She resembled her birth-father greatly, not so much by stature or face, but by the way she carried herself and that exceptionally reddish-purple hair.
The Cesar scowled. It had been years since the little vampire came here. He understood that vampires had a different understanding of time and it was easy to notice, since the girl did not grow at all. Still, why had her father not returned yet? Why would a father abandon his child, who he had so desperately searched for? Maybe … had he died? It must be a very lonesome existence. Nero had tried his best to keep her busy and surrounded by people, but in the end they were not her family. Was this what she needed to be 'alive' again? A family?
Nero knew that vampires did not get cold, but he still wrapped a blanket around her. "Then may I offer you a name?"
She looked at him wide eyed. Then she broke eye contact and fiddled with her fingers. "If you so wish."
"You don't need to accept if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine. … I just don't want a Greek name. I have trouble with the pronunciation … says Seneca."
Well … that was a problem for Nero, since his entire list of beautiful girl names was made up of Greek names. Of course he could follow Roman customs and mix up some of his female relatives' names, but maybe the 'King of the Night' would be offended … if he ever returned.
"Luna." The word was out of his mouth before he even realized. He scolded himself. Mortals shouldn't carry the gods' names. Then again did vampires classify as 'mortal'?
The vampire laughed. "You! You came up with that just now!"
"Oh please! I was kissed by a muse to give you this name," Nero said to save a shred of his dignity.
The little vampire only laughed harder. Obviously there was no muse of 'giving names'. "It's fine, it's fine. I like it! Thank you!"
Nero puffed up his chest in pride. If the King of the Night did not want this child, then he, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, had just acquired a lovely daughter.
All vampires have been called to the harbor to welcome a high-ranking progenitor. Officially no announcement has been made about who this person might be, only that they are going to take over the vampire forces in Japan. Crowley stood flanked by Chess and Horn in the fourth row. He could have had a place more in the front, but he'd rather stayed with his aides. Chess was wriggling on her spot and occasionally jumping up to see over the other vampires' heads.
"Calm down, Chess," Horn chastised her friend. "The boat has not anchored yet. Besides, we are going to see the commander later anyway."
"But I don't want to miss anything," Chess whined.
Crowley smiled. "I'll lift you up a bit so you can see."
"But then you won't be able to see. Can I sit on your shoulders, Lord Crowley?"
The man laughed. "Why not?" He lifted the grinning girl up and placed her on his broad shoulders under the judging stare of Horn.
"This is highly inappropriate."
"Come on. Let her have a bit fun."
"Yay," Chess called out and Horn sighed.
The ramp was set down and all eyes were on the man who walked down. Ferid always had an exceptional flamboyant air about him. This part of him had never changed in the 700 years Crowley had known him, and showed up in every step he took or move he made.
With a sweeping gesture he pointed up to the top of the ramp and said with an audible voice: "I announce the new commander of the Japanese forces, the First of Tepes, older sister of our beloved Queen Krul Tepes, Keeper of the First Trumpet, Luna Martina Tepes."
Crowley felt like his blood had suddenly turned to ice. Horn must have noticed something, probably his expression, because she had softly called his name. The male didn't answer. His gaze was locked on the vampire, who had just stepped on the ramp.
Almost 200 years had gone by since they last seen each other. 'I will see you in Beijing,' was what Crowley's letter had said, but she never arrived. Then the message came that she had taken over as the First of the Tepes Clan and was currently unavailable. Crowley had tried to find her, but he was only a 13th progenitor from a different clan. Ferid had only shaken his head and when he had mentioned Luna to Krul the little vampire had looked like she was going to rip his head off.
Crowley had assumed that they were good friends and hoped that whenever she would wake up she would come looking for him. But she never came. Crowley found it hard to believe that the council woke her up because of the situation in Japan. That meant that Luna had been awake, but never tried to contact him.
She had changed a lot. The others wouldn't notice, but Crowley certainly did. The past Luna had been a curious person, always on the move. On some days it had looked like there were tiny bolts of lightning running over her skin as she raced around to see and learn more. The present Luna looked very much the same, but there was no openness to be felt anymore. Her air of authority pressed on all present vampires. She was like a storm in a bottle, waiting for someone to challenge her so she could show off her terrifying powers.
So he had missed the first half of her speech. "… In the end her short sighed way has gotten herself captured. I will not stand for this! I will not allow the JIDA to exist any longer! They will not use our brethren for their weapons! They will not be allowed to fool around with curses they don't understand! And most importantly, they will not be allowed to take away our much needed livestock for themselves! Therefore, I have come to lead the complete conquest of Japan! We shall wipe out the human army until there is not a trace of their existence left!"
Cheers erupted in the crowd. Crowley was stunned. She certainly had a way with words and he wondered whether Ferid had written that speech for her. For all their battle prowess, Tepes' were not known for their speeches.
While Luna and the other high-ranking progenitors left for a war meeting, the low-ranking progenitors gathered in a hall and waited for their orders. The atmosphere, his comrades, the anticipation; It stirred a memory in Crowley. A memory from way back then when he still was human. The only difference was that his fellow crusaders had been much more emotional than his fellow vampires now.
Although it looked like Chess was set on making up for this lack of emotion. Since the speech she could talk about nothing else than the beautiful powerful perfect First progenitor and how she would lead them to finally wipe the floor with the pathetic humans.
"That's enough, Chess," Horn said. "The Lady Tepes is a vampire like us, not a god. Don't put her on a pedestal."
"Eh?! How can you say that, Horn? She's not like us at all!"
Crowley chuckled. "It sounds like you have a bit of a crush, Chess. Do you like her even better than me?"
"No, no, it's not like that at all," the short vampire vehemently denied while Crowley started laughing. Horn sighed. All of them were older than any human alive, but these two were still determined to act like children.
Luna sighed and flopped down in the cushioned chair in her office. Meetings were necessary for a war, but that doesn't mean she had to like them. Hours and hours spent talking about strategy and assigning the vampires to whatever their best suited for. It grated on her nerves. The repetitive "How about this?" "The humans can counter this." "And if we do that?" "That won't work either."… What good was it to be trained in tactics when one had to rely on the advisors anyway?
It felt like they were tying her down. 'Don't do this; Don't do that.' Luna only wanted to rescue Krul. Why was everyone being so difficult? She should just walk into JIDA's headquarters and free her sister. Eventual human resistance would be futile, after all she was the strongest warrior alive.
But she had promised to end this war, one way or another. Soon Urd would arrive with additional equipment and soldiers. Until then they only had to hold Kitakyushu. It was closest to Honshu. The JIDA still had no naval force to speak of and smaller boats, even if there were an armada of small boats, would be sunk by the vampires' navy. The humans could only travel over land and cross the sea by using their helicopters. And helicopters, compared to ships, only had a short range and needed a lot of fuel, so the JIDA would use them sparingly.
There was a knock on the door.
"Yes?"
"Good evening, Your Majesty." It was Ferid, who entered the room. "You called for me?"
Luna wiped the fatigue off her face and replaced it with an emotionless mask. "Yes, Ferid. There is something I want you to do for me in my capacity as General."
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"I want you to write Guren Ichinose a letter … or give him a message in whatever medium you use to communicate."
Ferid's trademark grin widened. "And what would you like me to tell Guren?"
"Tell him that a First Progenitor is here and prepares to go to war. Tell him when Urd's troops are going to arrive and the equipment they bring."
"I'm sorry?" Ferid's face froze halfway between smiling and disbelieve. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
Luna blinked. "You don't need to understand why. Feel free to embellish your report with additional information, but do not refer to me by name. You have your orders. Now shoo."
Ferid stumbled out of that room as fast as he could. He had heard stories about wars led by a Tepes and he had once seen Vlad Tepes in action. The warlords would use the terrain to their favour, lay traps and use every battle strategy known to humankind. Spying, sowing rumors and manipulation of enemies by information, fake or not, was more of a Bathory move. Ferid wondered whether he had underestimated her or at least misjudged the First. She was not only taking after her father, but after her mother too.
"Haven't heard from you in a long time. I thought they killed you for high treason," Guren said to the person donning a dark grey cloak. "So? What have you called me out for?"
"Aww, you were worried about little ole me! How nice of you! But not to worry. I just had to babysit a First progenitor."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, since they sleep all the time someone," Ferid pointed at himself, "had to get them acquainted with modern technology."
"You guys can use pigeon mail or fax for all I care. So what's this about a First progenitor? If you're joking Ferid, then it's annoying."
Ferid held both of his hands up. "It's not a joke, I swear. I brought the First here. They assumed control over what's left of our army and are dead set on destroying your organization."
Guren huffed. He didn't really believe the silver haired vampire, because he's also got a silver tongue. "A First, huh? And why are they not attacking? If your pal Geales' powers are anything to go by, they shouldn't need a lot of support to wipe us out. Don't tell me … they don't want their precious livestock to be harmed."
"Correct. The higher-ups are fickle like that."
"And why should I trust what you say?" Guren asked. "This is what you always wanted to have. A strong progenitor to acknowledge you. Why would you care about the JIDA?"
Ferid smiled. "You are right and I do not specifically care for the JIDA. But it will be delightful to see my dear daddy struggling to avoid the inevitable." He turned around and the cloak fluttered. "In two weeks reinforcements from Russia will come. The First will have a complete army at their fingertips. Missiles, planes, tanks and what else your kind came up with in the last few millennia. I just popped in to give you a fair warning."
Kureto's face did not betray his thoughts. "Do you believe him?"
Guren had just finished passing on Ferid's news. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't think that he was lying to me. A First Progenitor came to Japan and their army will arrive in two weeks. I don't know why he told us."
"It doesn't matter. We have to conquer Kitakyushu anyway."
"Don't be foolish, Kureto! Let them come to us!"
Kureto's eyes blazed with anger. Guren was serious. He had not spoken with the almost playful disobedient tone. He meant it. 'Foolish. How dare he!'
"I'm afraid waiting is not an option."
Guren whirled around to face the source of that voice. In the shadows stood an unassuming man clad in a suit. Guren knew him. "You! What the hell is the meaning of this?!"
"He is working with us, Guren. Calm yourself," Kureto said.
"Calm myself?! To hell with that! This guy was with the Hyakuya sect!"
"Exactly." Saito smiled softly. "Was. The sect was wiped out by the vampires and I did not get to finish my experiments. So I offered my research to Lord Kureto in exchange for some resources for my great work."
Guren blinked.
"It doesn't matter why we are working together now, Guren. You have seen what our new enchanted gear can do at Hiroshima. This was the result of our cooperation," Kureto said.
"And you didn't tell me?"
Kureto shrugged. "It did not seem important."
'Not important'? What the hell? Guren thought that acquiring a new ally was an important thing, especially if said ally was not exactly trustworthy. Guren had told Kureto about Ferid, so why wouldn't Kureto tell him about Saito.
"What did you mean with 'not an option', Saito?"
"Well, there are not many Firsts to choose from. They like to stay asleep, you see."
"So there are multiple," Kureto said.
"Indeed. There are seven in total. Considering that the Hyakuya sect and its allies took care of two of them, there should be five left."
'Seven Progenitors,' Guren thought, 'and seven trumpets. That can't be a coincidence.'
"The new Chief in command should be First Progenitor Vlad Tepes, of the Tepes clan. He is known for, how to put it, his unusual nap-times. Also it is said that an army under his command in nigh undefeatable."
Guren scoffed. "Great."
"Currently we still have the advantage. The vampires' army is severely weakened. Attacking before the Russian reinforcements arrive is our only option."
"The vampires have better knowledge of the terrain," Guren cautioned.
"Well, if your informant is right and Lord Tepes has been asleep for a few centuries, then he won't know how to use the terrain to his advantage." Kureto stood up. He was still unsure. Too many lives depended on him making the right choice. He should go to R&D. Maybe Seishiro had a new toy ready.
'The Hyakuya sect's allies' refer to the organization in Europe, that has been experimenting on the Seraph (ONS Chap 39).
Saito is not up to date with the vampire's 'high society'.
Are there any young people here? Do you know what a 'fax' is? No? Google it, 'cause I feel old and need to lay down for a bit.
The flashbacks are all over the place (and time). I need to take care of that in the rewrite.
For Ryo: I am so happy that you are back! Thank you so much for all your comments! There will be more Mika-Luna interaction in Chap 18, but probably less than what you are hoping for.
I did some light editing in Chapter 16, nothing major though. I don't know when Chapter 18 will be up. I want to finish it by the end of April, but my entire scedule went to hell, because of Covid-19, so I'm unable to make a promise.
Speaking of Corona … To all my readers, stay safe. Stay healthy. Eat some fruit. Wash your hands. We'll get through this together.
