Pain and suffering was what she thought awaited for her in that darkness. The feeling of complete defeat was what came first, then the agony. The agony was swift, but it did not last. In fact, it had ended too soon, she thought. Then again, maybe that is what its like to be consumed by the great and dreaded Azathoth? How could she possibly predict what was going to happen when she was thrown into that darkness? No that it mattered. She went in with her long life flashing before her eyes until there was nothing but silence.
In a room of alien stonework was a bed. Under the covers of that bed was Remilia. The vampire lay there under the impression that she had been destroyed, that all was lost. But when the sound of her beating heart made its way to her ears, her eyes flew open. She immediately went to sit up, but it was as if rigor mortis had settled in her entire body, stopping her in her movement. She winced in pain and groaned loudly when the pounding migraine in her head made itself known.
"What the flying fuck," Remilia snarled as her hand went to her aching head.
Her head fell back to the pillow as she tried to get a hold of the pain wracking her body and mind. The ceiling spun in her sight, making her nauseous, but it slowly came to a still. She controlled her breathing in order to control her racing heart. Once the shock of the sudden pain and the nausea subsided, she started to think straight. The pain remained but she endured while she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Was she not thrown into the pit of a terrible abomination? Was she not consumed, body and soul? It appeared not to be. She sat herself up in the bed, slowly this time. Her eyes scanned the room, finding it to be a little small and claustrophobic even. The bed itself was just big enough for even her small frame. A sudden fragrance hit her nostrils, a fragrance she knew all too well. Next to her was a tiny little table and on that table sat a glass of a crimson liquid. Her hand immediately shot straight for it before stopping. Did she trust what was in that glass? Hell no. But then a voice came and by all that was holy did it make her spine shiver with anger and rage.
"It's okay, my dear Remilia. That's real human blood and it is as pure as you," a man said.
Upon hearing his voice, she knew straight away where she was now located. She didn't even want to say it, but she did it anyways. "Joseph..." she said lividly.
She did not bother to even look at the robed man now standing in the doorway to the small room. Her eyes was fixated on the glass of blood. Against her better judgment, she grabbed the glass and started chugging, finishing it in one fell swoop.
Joseph chuckled, his eyes hidden under his hood as always. "I hope that is enough to get you moving, Miss Scarlet," he said.
Remilia glared at him. "Do I even need to demand that you explain yourself? Are we not at that point where you can practically read my mind?" she said.
"Please, dear Remilia, do not give me such a look. I have told you before that I would be devastated if something were to happen to such a beautiful vam-"
Joseph was cut off when Remilia chucked the empty glass at him, forcing him to duck. He was quick and managed to avoid being hit in the forehead.
"Enough of your shit! Start explaining!" Remilia yelled.
Joseph chuckled under his breath. "Is there even a need for me to explain? Of course I saved you moments before you were destroyed by the great Azathoth," he said.
Remilia, now revitalized by the blood she drank, was able to move fast and swiftly. She had sprinted up to Joseph and grabbed him by the neck, pulling his face down to her level.
"You could have saved my friends' souls! You could have stopped the summoning of the Crawling Chaos! You could have prevented the Unspeakable One's return! You could have saved my sister! You could have saved Max!" she screamed in his face vehemently.
"You know all too well that I have eyes only for you," Joseph struggled to say as his throat was squeezed.
"I don't care, you fucking occultist!"
Remilia, with her great strength, shoved the robed man, sending him off his feet and out of the room. He hit the stone floor hard and skidded across the hallway before coming to a stop. He laughed as he got back to his feet.
"Goodness! Your anger is as fierce as you are beautiful, my dear vampire," he said.
Remilia stormed back up to him, her body quivering from the intense rage she was feeling. "I know I have said it before, but I should have killed you the day I met you," she said.
The grin that formed on the man's face nearly made her snap again. "Now we both know you don't mean that," he said.
Remilia was slowly getting her anger under control. After all, there was a certain Outer God that was far more deserving of her anger's attention than some mere occultist. "Take me home. Now," she demanded of Joseph.
"I refuse," he said as he turned his back to her and started walking.
The vampire's blood was already at a boil. "What did you say to me?!" she yelled as she ran after him.
"The Earth is doomed, Miss Scarlet," Joseph said. "There is nothing you can do now."
"How dare you defy me, Joseph. Take me back to Earth right now!"
"You know better than to raise your voice here in the Great Hall of Celeano, Miss Scarlet," he said as he continues to walk, his long strides out pacing Remilia's, forcing her to nearly have to jog behind him just to keep up.
"I don't care. You MUST take me back to Earth," Remilia demanded.
"And let your soul be consumed by the Crawling Chaos after I just saved you? No, my dear. I will not."
"Damn you Joseph!" Remilia loudly cursed the robed man.
"You should have taken my offer when you had the chance," Joseph starts. He and Remilia then entered the library section of the Great Hall. "You should have taken my offer to stay here in the Great Hall with your select friends and family. But now they will either lose their souls to the Crawling Chaos or Unspeakable One or be utterly destroyed by the Daemon God Sultan. Which ever comes first."
Remilia went to curse him out again, but when she notices many of the library's robed inhabitants sitting around a number of tables, a string to her curiosity was plucked. She walked over to one of the tables to see what their eyes were gazing upon and what she found startled her. At the center of the table sat a large crystal ball. What was shown within that crystal sphere made her heart ache. All the inhabitants of the Great Hall were watching as the events of the Earth were unfolding with a crystal ball. Remilia clenched at her chest as she watched a number of her comrades fight a losing fight against Nyarlathotep. She gasped when Max suddenly appeared on the face of the crystal ball, showing that he had escaped from the Unspeakable One's grasp. But his burning red eyes hurt her so much in that moment. She continued to painfully watch as her comrades fell one by one against the soul-consuming monster until only Max remained. Then she watched with great sorrow as the abomination cruelly tormented him. That's when her rage reignited. With a mighty roar, she grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it over, causing the crystal ball to go crashing to the floor.
"How dare you all watch as my world is torn apart!" Remilia bellowed, her voice echoing throughout the Great Hall.
She runs over to another desk and flips it before going to another and flipping it over as well. Those who were watching the events on Earth backed away from the wrathful vampire. Joseph laughed loudly as Remilia's anger went unchecked.
"Miss Scarlet. May I remind you what happens to those who disturb the library?" he said.
Remilia turns to the occultist, her teeth clenched tightly as crimson sparks snapped and popped all around her, her energy growing with her rage. An aura of crimson color rises from her feet and surrounds her. It then flows down her arm and into her hand before solidifying into a large spear. She grips the handle and points the spear at Joseph.
"I will tear this library apart if you do not send me back to my world," she threatens.
Joseph sighs. "I'm afraid the librarians will have you sealed away in a book where you will anguish for eternity before then, my dear lady," he said.
"You will die before that ever happens, Joseph!" Remilia proclaims at the top of her lungs.
With her rage fueling her power, Remilia leaps into the air, points her spear downward towards Joseph. Her jumps backwards to avoid being impaled. The spear's blade penetrates the stone floor, unleashing a blast of energy. A noisy whirlwind was created in a wide area from the blast, causing the residents of the library to brace themselves or scatter. Joseph merely grinned at the vampire glaring at him with hate.
"I'm not above defending myself, Miss Scarlet. That's the kindest warning I can give you," he said.
"Good. I'll finally have you screaming for forgiveness when I'm peeling your skin from your body!"
Remilia unleashed a vampiric screech, one so loud it made the very library tremble. With a burst of speed, she raced towards Joseph then thrust her spear, his heart her target. The spear's tip, upon striking something, sent out sparks of energy that crackled in the air. Remilia gasped when she noticed that her spear had struck something invisible mere inches away from the occultist's chest. Joseph lets out a bellowing laugh.
"Yes, that's it, my dear Remilia! Let me see what a vampire of your experience is capable of!"
Remilia snarled. "Your existence alone has tormented as much as those eldritch abominations, Joseph. All of the aid you have provided me has done nothing but aggravate me."
"That hurts, Remilia Scarlet. I have put in my all just to see you safe from the horrors you are hellbent on throwing yourself in front of. Can you not see that I merely wish to preserve your beauty?" he replied. "Face it, vampire. You cannot kill me. You kill me and you lose your chances of getting back to your doomed world."
"I do NOT need you! I never needed you! And I will destroy that delusion of yours here and now! I will find my way back to Earth no matter the cost!"
Joseph's laugh was dark a foreboding. "Miss Scarlet... Your foolishness is beyond even my comprehension. How many times must you be told that you cannot hope to go against the will of the Outer Gods?" he said.
"The Outer Gods' will is nothing but trash before me ready to be burned by my hand!" Remilia readies her spear once more, ready to jab it into Josephs body as many times it was needed to end his life.
"You have already lost, my dear," Joseph said.
Finished with words, Remilia goes to thrust her spear at Joseph's chest, but a sudden blast of occultic magic strikes her in the back, exploding on contact. She flaps her wings to blow the smoke away then turned around to see where the blast of magic had come from. She sneered at one of the residents of the library. The robed individual had his hands out in front of him, his palms pointed forward at her. He was the offender and he was about to die. But then another magical attack was unleashed by another member of the library. This time, Remilia swung her spear at the energy blast. The attack was knocked back at the one who shot it, hitting him in the chest and engulfing him in an explosion. The individual let out a cry as he was consumed by magical flames.
But that wasn't the end. Far from it. Many of the inhabitants of the library had come to put down the rampaging vampire. They had no idea what they were truly dealing with.
Remilia let out a roar as multiple attacks in the form of alien spells was fired at her. She jumped into the air and into a spin, the blade of her spear pointed outward. She landed on the floor, decapitating two of the attackers. Several energy attacks were launched at her and she evaded each one flawlessly. She danced between the magical attacks with great speed, puncturing an attacker in his heart before slicing another across his stomach, spilling his guts.
Several of the attackers started chanting in an alien language and that's when the massive bookshelves began to tremble. Books floated out from where they rested before opening. Once they opened, strings of alien words materialized then flew towards Remilia. She flew into the air to avoid the string of alien words, but they flew after her and were quickly reaching her. She stopped in the air then swung her spear downward, cutting one of the strings of words down the middle and causing them to explode in sickly green flames. To Remilia's surprise, the flames came alive and surrounded her, encasing her in a burning sphere. The other strings of alien words then wrapped themselves around the burning sphere and squeezed it. The vampire was now sealed inside, but she already had a plan to get out.
Remilia pulled out a spell card and called out its name. "Nether Sign "Scarlet Netherworld"!" she proclaimed.
The spell card erupted in scarlet fire, unleashing a horde of small red danmaku. The energy bullets slammed into the insides of the burning prison, causing it to expand. The alien seals tried to contain the burning sphere, but they were not strong enough to hold out forever. Soon, the alien words began to crack and crumble and before long they shattered. The sphere of green fire exploded, unleashing the horde of danmaku that had filled its insides. The red bullets rained down on the occultists who tried to chant another spell, but they were struck down by the curtain of bullets, shredding their bodies.
Remilia's scarlet eyes glowed with powerful energies as she readied herself for another attack from the library's residents. But that's when the library grew dark and a terrible presence was felt. Remilia remembered this oppressive feeling all too well. The librarians had come.
The entire library was blanketed by a cold darkness that chilled even the vampire to her bones. Remilia's eyes scanned the area around her as she looked for the coming librarians. It wasn't long before they started to materialize all around her. The librarians wore robes that covered their alien physique. Their heads were uncovered, showing their rather human-like appearance. But their faces had no features to speak off.
Remilia held her spear in both her hands, ready to put down the dreaded librarians. Strange mumblings came from the librarians. "Come for me then, you alien monsters. Come for me and die!" Remilia shouted.
The vampire took her spear, held it above her head and threw it at one of the librarians. The spear flew through the air like lightning. But the librarians were about to show the vampire why they were feared. The spear punctured a barrier made from alien magic, getting stuck in it with the tip of the blade inches from a librarian's center. Another mumbling from the librarians and the barrier shattered along with the spear. Shards of her own spear flew at Remilia, forcing her to dodge.
An alien hum resonated from the librarians and spheres of a blazing white formed all around Remilia. Once formed, the white balls of energy began to let lose white, cackling lasers at her. Again she was forced to dodge and weave. Remilia was quick and agile in the air, but the storm of white lasers only came faster and faster. One laser caught her in one of her wings, going through it as if it was made of paper. She winced from the pain, but kept on moving.
As Remilia evaded the ocean of white lasers, she went on the offensive and engaged one of the librarians head on. She balled her fist and threw it towards the librarian's head, but yet another barrier of energy blocked her punch. She kicked off the barrier to avoid more laser attacks then pulled out a spell card.
"God's Punishment "Young Demon Lord"!" she declared and from her center a wave of blue energy spheres followed by her own energy lasers was unleashed.
Her spell collided with the ongoing spell of the librarians', creating multiple explosions that rocked the Great Hall. Even as she maintained one spell, she declared a second.
"Certain Kill "Heart Break"!"
Remilia raised her hand above her head and pulled all of her hatred into the palm and from that hatred formed a large spear of maddening power. She grasped its handle, its power causing her skin to crack. With the mighty spear, she aimed it at one of the librarians and threw it with all of her murderous rage.
Another spell barrier formed in front of the librarian to protect it, but it was no match for the power of the vampire's spear. The spear crashed through the barrier, shattering it to pieces before tearing through the librarian. The librarian howled in a grotesque voice before burning up in scarlet fire. This ended the ongoing spell of the librarian. The white spheres ceased firing at the vampire and dissipated. Remilia readied herself for their next attempt at stopping her. But she was not prepared for what came next.
She was torn from the air and thrown down to the floor by an invisible force. She landed on on fours with such force that the floor cracked beneath her. The invisible force continued to try and push her into the floor, but she persisted in resisting. A book was then pulled from one of the bookshelves and floated in front of her face. It opened and suddenly she found herself being pulled into its pages. She groaned and grunted as she resisted its pull.
Another horrid chant came from the librarians and a magical dome formed around Remilia. From the insides of the dome black sparks of energy struck her in the back, causing her to wince in pain. The dome then began to slowly shrink, causing Remilia to be pushed further into the open book.
Joseph was laughing hysterically as he watched Remilia struggle from meeting a horrible fate. "You poor vampire. After all you have done. After all you have been through. Was this all you could muster against the librarians of the Great Hall?" he said. "If this is all you could do then you truly never stood a chance against the Crawling Chaos or the Unspeakable One."
"Shut... up!" Remilia struggled to say as she resisted both the pull from the book and the pressure building up inside the dome as it shrunk. Black electricity continued to pound her back, causing her to shriek in pain.
"Perhaps I have wasted my time trying to preserve at least one piece of beauty from the Earth before its destruction," the occultist said with the shrug of his shoulders.
"You damn human... I will not lose to these creatures. I will not lose to the Outer Gods. And I certainly will not ever, EVER, lose to the likes of YOU!" Remilia screamed with all of her might.
With her scream came a powerful blast of energy from her body. The book that tried to suck her into its pages was incinerated in scarlet fire and the dome of magic shattered to bits. The blast pushed the librarians back and caused many of the spectators to go flying into the walls and bookcases. Joseph held onto his hood as wild winds were formed.
His laughter was like that of a madman. "Yes! That's it, Miss Scarlet! Show why even these fools should fear their own darkness!" he exclaimed.
Remilia's fierce power gushed out from her soul. Her demonic eyes radiated with it. Her fangs were prominent and her nails had become like that of a monster. The wild winds made from her vampiric might showed no signs of letting up. She was letting herself be consumed by her rage.
With a scarlet aura burning maddeningly all around her, Remilia took off into the air and towards one of the confused librarians. She slammed into the magical barrier that was meant to protect it, but it could not withstand Remilia's ferocious attack. The barrier shattered like glass with a single punch. Remilia then slashed the librarian with her claw straight down the middle. The thing howled its last breath as it was shredded to bits. The other librarians quickly mumbled terrible words in their desperate bid to stop the vampire. But their mumbling was silence when she let out a nightmarish shriek.
Remilia floated in the center of the librarians, a stern expression on her face. Her lips quivered with the intense energy flowing through her. With that built of power, she unleashed it all in one mighty attack.
"Scarlet Sign "Red the Nightless Castle"!" she howled.
All of her stored power was set loose in one raging attack. Her aura exploded into a pillar of scarlet fire. The librarians tried to shield themselves with their alien magic, but even the barriers they created could not stand up to Remilia's spell. The barriers dematerialized the moment they were formed from the pressure of her spell.
The librarians, try as they may, tried to back away to avoid the scarlet inferno, but they were sucked in by the wild winds. They screamed a hellish scream as they were consumed by the vampire's rage. In mere moments, the librarians were no more.
With a gentle sigh, Remilia ended her awesome spell. The winds died down and the Great Hall ceased its shaking. She then floated down to the floor in front of Joseph, his grin ever present. She looked up at the robed man, her eyes narrowed.
"It is time that you sent me back," Remilia said, her voice filled with power.
Joseph slowly shook his head. "Never."
"Then die," she said.
"You cannot kill me, Miss Scarlet. Without me then you would be stuck here in the Great Hall all alone. Admit it. Without me, a mere human, you are nothing," he said.
"You truly are delusional if you think I need a human like you," Remilia said. "You are completely blind to my power."
Joseph's grin became twisted. "Blind?" His hands went up to his hood and they slowly unveiled what was hidden underneath. His eyes were closed, but when he opened them, an otherworldly power of a multitude of colors flowed from his eyes. "Witness my new pair of eyes, Miss Scarlet. They allow me to see all of your fears, your weaknesses, your doubt and your end."
Remilia was not about to let this man's newfound alien eyes scare her. She was not about to stand down to a human regardless of his hidden power. She was not about to lose when so much was riding on her shoulders. Regardless of the consequences, it was time to end this once and for all.
Joseph must die.