Author's Note: Well...it looks like Walter isn't going to let Joachim off easily. This chapter is kind of violent. As you will see, even Walter has issues of his own. Has anyone figured out what Walter's deal is yet? Hmm...

Also, since I am starting university again this fall, I am not sure how often I will be able to update. I will do my best to add chapters as soon as I can but I apologize in advance for longer waits between updates. If anything in my story is unclear or doesn't make sense please be sure to let me know and I will try to fix it.

Part III of my story is the final part and needs the most editing/re-writing. I don't want to update anything until it is satisfactory. In the third part, you will also see familair LoI characters...and one plays an integral role for Joachim...as you will find out, eventually. :D

Special Thanks:

As always, thanks to everyone who is reading this story! :) I admit, reviews encourage me to continue with it since I know there are people waiting to read the next chapter. So, if you feel inclined, feel free to leave comments/suggestions. I want to improve as a writer and it's always nice to know what people think.

Extra Special thanks go to my awesome reviewers: Rahar Moonfire, LateNiteSlacker, AzariyaBelmont (welcome back! :D), & TheGhostisReal

Chapter XXII

A satisfied grin spread across his lips as he slung the stone's golden chain proudly around his neck. He chuckled loudly and gazed up at the stone angel behind him, savoring a moment he would remember for eternity. Joachim ran his sharp fingernails over the stone's smooth, glittering surface, his face a mask of reverence. I am tired of playing Walter's games. He made me what I am…he made me into this…monster. A loud, wicked laugh parted from his lips. Throughout his human life, he had been denied control over his own fate. Spending an eternity as Walter's servant was so beneath him that stealing the Ebony Stone was worth the risk. His eyes darted to the book hidden behind the statue. Without delay, he flipped it open and scanned the handwritten texts inside. In a few minutes he came to the chilling realization that it contained nothing about how to use the stone. "What? How can this be?" The young man jerked his head back and slammed the book shut in a manner not unlike that of an angry child.

Relentless in his search, he lifted the book's leather cover, looking for a hidden compartment or message underneath. After flipping through the text once again, his rage diminished when his fingernails scraped off a layer of dust on the last page. His long nails scratched at the dirt persistently until he uncovered a line of faded black ink scrawled across the page. He the book closer so that he could see the messy writing clearly, and within moments dropped the book on the floor at his feet. No… This can't be! Surely there must be another way, perhaps another method…but… He felt his lower lip tremble and his hand mechanically slide over the stone he once revered, but now dreaded. The Ebony Stone requires its master to be defeated before its power can be obtained. I would have to kill Walter myself. I will never be able to do that in this state!

He fled the small sanctuary and flew into the corridor with the swiftness of a bird. The vampire clutched the stone in his hand, to the point that if he held it any tighter the bones in his fingers would break. All was silent in Eternal Night, except for the air escaping between his lips, reminding him that he still breathed like a human. He will search for me. I can't return it or else face his rage. Yet, I am no coward…I shall not run …With a wild gaze, he levitated across the entranceway to the opposite door, destined for the teleport room. The realization stung him deeply within his silent heart, severing his hope and causing his hand to enclose tighter around the stone. He nearly forgot to motion for the door to open, and almost slammed into it until he waved his hand at the last instant. He would have to hide somewhere, anywhere, deep within the castle until he decided what to do with the stone. The garden was one of the largest wings in the castle, with many ideal places in which he could conceal himself from the other vampire. His hand clutching the stone trembled, for he knew he would not be able to hide for very long. Walter would find him, eventually. Nevertheless, his previous disagreements with the other lord had been minor up to that point. He had given himself to the other lord willingly, despite the fact his instincts warned him not to. I made a mistake stealing this stone. I shall tell him I was curious about it. I doubt he will punish me, for his affection for me has made him rather patient. If I beg for forgiveness, his anger will undoubtedly relent.

Walter burst through the door of the room. The vampire's cape billowed behind him, and his hands clenched into fists the moment they laid eyes upon him. His voice trembled on the verge as his dark eyes blazed with a fury the young man had never seen before. "You…how dare you defy me!" He roared. His once calm, eloquent voice was so thunderous the entire room trembled. Joachim fell completely still, his body unable to move as fear coursed through his withered veins. Walter approached him with the speed not unlike a bat flying out of hell. Within seconds, one of his gauntlet-covered hands snatched the stunned young man by the collar of his shirt. A terrible, angry snarl filled the other lord's voice whilst he seethed. "Did you really think you could deceive me so easily? I should have expected this! Return the Ebony Stone to me this instant, servant!"

Joachim didn't dare move except to whisper softly under his breath, infuriated by the demeaning manner in which he had been addressed. "Servant? I am not your servant, and I never will be!"

Tendrils of red hair cascaded against his pale visage, whilst his eyes blazed ever-more radiant. Before Joachim could attempt to squirm free, Walter slapped him viciously across the face. The force of the blow was so great that a bone in his cheek shattered instantly. A spurt of bloodied saliva flew from his mouth when Joachim wheezed, his head lolling sideways while bright spots of pain blinded his vision. A strangled cry escaped his bloody lips as Walter grasped him by the throat with a will to rip it completely out. Nearly mad with rage, the red-haired lord's voice deepened whilst he flung the pale creature against a wall. Joachim felt his armor nearly break apart under the force of the other lord's blow. Despite the steel encasement around his chest, his spine threatened to snap whilst Walter pinned him like a fly. "Hold your tongue, you insolent little wretch!" The vampire's vocal chords trembled in fury. The malice within the red-haired lord's eyes had a will to incinerate him. "It is time you recognized your true place within my castle! Then, and forevermore, you will address me as your master!"

"No…stop…!" Joachim managed to make two words sound from his throat, despite feeling it would tear apart under Walter's hold. "No one owns me!"

Walter's lips formed a malignant smile. "You are in no position to demand anything! Though I was willing to overlook your cheek initially-"

"I am a lord!" He rasped, barely able to form coherent words as his mind began to spin. A part of him did not even understand what he was saying, however, the returned animosity within his voice indicated he no longer cared. His lips formed a scowl of disgust whilst he replied. "You can own my body but you can never own my soul, Walter! Think what you wish, but it will not change that fact-"

Walter cuffed him across the face with the back of his hand. The force caused the back of his head to hit the wall. Within seconds, his once sleek ivory hair was matted with blood. The liquid trickled from the gash in his head, spilling across the front of his silver-lined armor in a river of red. An agonized scream escaped his lips as the vampire's hand yanked his head back by his hair, nearly snapping his neck as though he were a chicken. Walter's bright, crimson irises clashed against Joachim's cold, steely ones. Blood poured from the youth's mouth, strangling his attempt to speak whilst Walter's other hand grasped him roughly by the lower jaw and squeezed. He struggled to breathe, feeling air become trapped in his lungs whilst his lord's voice lowered to a deathly whisper. "Can you hear that rumbling noise?"

The red-haired lord paused deliberately, allowing the young man's sensitive ears to catch the sound of something moving deep within the walls. He forced Joachim's head to turn and look at the door on the opposite side of the room. "Those stairs lead into a prison of unimaginable torture. In that room dwells a 'pet' of mine…perhaps I should introduce you? Tis' a magnificent creature, though, if I decided to lock you in there with it, I doubt very much you would agree. I had to use my strongest magic to seal the door to its prison. Perhaps now, my dear slave, you understand the implication." The vampire locked eyes with him and grasped the chain securing the Ebony Stone. With lightning speed, Walter snatched the object from the around the youth's neck. He stared at the Stone until his lips formed a sinister smile. "At last it is within my grasp again – and so are you. This time, you will not be let out of my sight so easily. Though I will refrain from taking you to my 'pet', I have a punishment that will suffice. A lesson must be learned."

Joachim attempted to cry out, but his words were lost in his lord's rage. Very quickly, he realized he was at the complete mercy of the other lord. The cruelty burning in the demon's eyes was unparalleled. The blood in his mouth tasted bitter and sour, not unlike defeat. He struggled against his lord's merciless grip, though his attempts were feeble at best. There would be no escaping Walter this time. Indeed, the fury within the other vampire's eyes blazed hotter than the fires of hell. In spite of the agony reaping through his body, the words fled from his throat. "Forgive me, milord…for stealing your precious little rock. Pity I did not throw it away – for that expensive stone must have cost you a great deal. It seems, for you, even power has a price-"

An enraged roar erupted from Walter's throat. "Silence!" Before Joachim could even bat an eyelid, Walter's fist smashed into his face. Blood poured from his once sculpted nose, flowing over his lips and chin as he gagged and struggled to breathe. The vampire had almost shattered his skull. There was so much blood that he could barely see Walter's infuriated expression. The red-haired lord bared his teeth, exposing the razor-sharp points of his fangs. With a snarl, Joachim bared his in return and gnashed his teeth, his own rage enough to rip the other lord's face off. As though he were a puppet, Walter grasped him harder by the jaw, nearly crushing his face in his vice-like grip. "You will be silent!" His deep voice rasped, the power of his rage commanding the young man to fall still. "Since you are so eager to disobey me, I shall remind you of the fact your body and soul belong to me. You will soon discover you own absolutely nothing!"

A sinister scowl pressed across Walter's lips as a white light surrounded them both. Within seconds, the vampire lord transported him to the throne room. Joachim felt the other lord slam his back against the room's marble floor. A proud glint appeared within the vampire's black eyes as he lifted his armored boot and pressed it onto the young man's font, pinning him down like an insect. Walter's voice echoed throughout the room as if he was making a speech to a crowd of thousands. When Joachim struggled to lift his head, the red-haired lord tossed his gauntlets aside. The tips of his long, blackened fingernails were like knives whilst vibrant red shade in his eyes intensified. "You will submit to me." A malicious smile appeared across his lips as he dragged him over to the chains strung on the wall. Joachim shivered as Walter untied the binds securing the back of his armor and ripped it off. The demon slid his ice-cold fingers inside the youth's robe and skimmed them over his body, pushing one sleeve away from his shoulder and then the other. In a moment, the garment fell away, exposing Joachim's pale, heaving chest.

Walter's face pressed against his cheek. "You will soon understand, servant. Very soon indeed…" a bemused smile replaced the malicious one, but it faded just as quickly as it appeared. "Stealing my most precious possession was an unforgivable offence. Thus, I will enjoy watching you suffer. Perhaps, now, you will learn to obey me!" Walter moved wrapped his hand around his neck, skimming it across his prisoner's flesh almost tenderly. "Death is what a human would face if they tried to steal from me. However, since you cannot die..." He shivered to feel the vampire's fingers skim over his lips and caress his forehead, running across it in long slow strokes while he struggled to swing his body away from his touch. The moment he tried to move, Walter dug his nails into his ribcage to keep him still. Although his dark eyes glittered like black diamonds in the torchlight, with their focused irises scanning Joachim from head to toe, sense of despondency lingered within his serious countenance. "Evidently, you have not lost your humanity. Why bother keeping it? Your father, despite being human, could not keep his. Bloodshed and war drove him completely mad."

Joachim gasped and attempted to turn his head so he could look at the vampire's expression. "What does my father have to do with this?" his smooth face contorted into a frown that replaced the once tearful expression.

A fleeting smile played across the other lord's face. Joachim let out a sickened scream as he forced his head away, breaking the other lord's gaze upon him. He closed his eyes tightly and imagined he would awaken the next morning in his bed at his manor. Strands of his blood streaked ivory hair cascaded around his shoulders and swept against his cheeks. The blood was warm, thick, and stuck against his flesh. He kept his head craned upward to the ceiling, and tried to pretend Walter was not there with him, but the moment he felt an icy cold hand grasp his chin and turn his head to look over his shoulder, reality once again entered his mind. "You are like your father. His blood tasted as sweet as honey on my lips, and tis' a shame I never managed to finish our quarrel once and for all. Regardless, the outcome was better than I imagined!"

"Stop!" Joachim cried, feeling more tears cloud his vision but he held back and shook his head away from Walter's hold. His body quavered under the chains while never ceasing to tremble under the cold air surrounding his bare chest. Tears forced themselves from his eyes and he stared at the floor, whispering in a voice so low it was barely audible. "You…you killed him…!"

"I would hardly say I killed Lord Zaeviean…" Walter hissed, whilst a sadistic smile appeared across his fine lips. "Watching him suffer was far too great a privilege. Although he came to my castle to damn me to hell, little did he expect, he was the one who would be damned."

"What did you do to him?" Joachim croaked, barely able to form his whirling thoughts into words. As if the vampire lord's touch burned his flesh raw, he squirmed under the shackles in a desperate attempt to free himself from the entrapping iron. The realization of what the other lord implied stung him worse than the brutal beatings inflicted upon his body. A horrified gasp escaped his bloodied lips whilst his pale, unblinking eyes looked up at his tormentor's indifference. As if able look into the young man's injured soul, loud, cruel laughter reverberated from within Walter's throat. Joachim's skin drained of all color as if his mangled form was about to disintegrate.

"You know." Walter's once bemused smile faded as a dangerous glint reflected within his eyes."Ironically, your resemblance to lord Armster is one of your most accursed qualities. But it matters little, now. I made you immortal to preserve you forever. It pains me to see you are unappreciative of my efforts!"

Joachim gasped again and pulled back against the chains in refusal, feeling the cold iron dig into his flesh. Walter's eyes locked with him in an array of dancing gazes, holding his attention without even having to say anything further. "I owe you nothing!" A deep guttural growl filled his throat the longer he stared into the abyss that attempted to consume his soul and mind.

It was clear the vampire lord's patience was wearing thin when his demands received little consideration. "You owe me everything! You will submit to me, Joachim. One way, or another."

"I will not!" Joachim tempted his lord again, and gave Walter the iciest stare he could conjure under the circumstances. Although he knew resisting would not aid him in the least, the idea of submitting to Walter was out of the question.

A coy smile crept across the vampire lord's lips, and Joachim felt the earnest touches skim from his back to his chest, while a sense of fear began to etch within his lifeless heart. Once again a ruby glint returned within his eyes. Without blinking, he kicked the young man with his steel-clad boot, causing a torrents of pain to overwhelm his once defiant gaze. "I will break you," he snarled. "Though your disobedience was rather amusing, I have grown tired of it!" His hand lunged to the young man's throat, gripping it tightly, suffocating the air out of his lungs. Joachim's eyes widened as the pressure upon his jugular increased. Faintness overcame him to the point his vision began to darken. However, when it seemed he was about to be pulled into unconsciousness, Walter abruptly released him. He coughed as his lungs struggled for air. A surge of pain filled his throat as Walter rasped in his ear, his words almost incoherent with rage. One of his hands fled to the stone around his neck and clasped it, securely, possessively whilst his dark eyes glinted. "The only way you could ever obtain the Ebony Stone, is if you pried it from my cold, lifeless hands."

"Perhaps someday I will!" He spluttered and coughed up blood. The red liquid continued to gather in his mouth, choking the air out of him as his head lolled backward. He felt the intensity of Walter's rage as much as if it were his own. It was unclear which of them would break first. Although he was chained and beaten, Walter's rage was escalading. Not even he knew what the other lord was capable of once his anger took hold.

Walter's hand snatched him by the throat and his voice lowered to a deathly whisper. As he spoke, his other hand tenderly stoked the Stone. His eyes glowed such a fierce shade of red that Joachim found himself at a loss for words. "That day will never come." He hissed, eyeing the young man in disgust. "Though the Ebony Stone's power is immeasurable, I would treasure it even if it were merely a simple, black rock. Have you any idea how I obtained this stone? You know nothing of me, Joachim. Perchance, if you did, you would wish otherwise!"

Joachim's pale eyes gazed at Walter's face. Terror began to seep within their glassy blue spheres as a brief silence fell between them. He sensed the other lord was tempted to tell him something, yet he was eager to perpetuate the young man's pain and frustration. A sad, but ultimately, sinister smirk crossed the red-haired lord's lips. Then, as though he were possessed, yearning developed within his cold, black eyes. Joachim knew what that look meant instantaneously.

The red-haired lord slowly removed the youth's wrists from the shackles. Helpless, weak and beaten, he collapsed directly into his lord's open embrace. Walter's long, back cape swished around his crumpled body as he laid his captive down upon the cold marble surface. Joachim shuddered when he found himself pinned under Walter's heavier frame. The vampire's hands roamed to his white britches before they groped the tender region between his legs. The feeling was so startling Joachim arched his back, attempting to kick his lord away from him with his ironclad boots. A chill made him shudder violently the second Walter's hands massaged his organ."Walter, please…!" He gasped. He did not want the other lord to take him there, on the floor, as if he meant nothing. Although he had consented to his lord's desires, he could not bear the thought of being used and thrown away. He struggled again but his body seized when the grasp held upon his organ increased. Walter pinned him harder onto the floor, nearly suffocating him until he began removing the armor cladding his frame. Joachim gazed at him unblinkingly, his claw-like fingernails scraping against the marble as he tried to slide himself out from beneath his lord's heavy frame. It was nearly impossible for him to escape. In his weakened condition, his body would give in to the other lord's desires, despite his unwilling mind.

"Leaving so soon?" Walter asked. The cruelty in his eyes made the young man grimace. "I do not think so. Not yet."

The vampire lowered himself at a kneeling position next to him on the floor, and slowly grasped his neck again to hold him down. Joachim choked at the firm grip secured over his larynx the moment he was mounted. Walter ran the cold tips of his fingers against his groin. A wicked grin flashed over his lips, and he pressed his hips against the prisoner beneath him and locked himself in place. The red-haired lord pried his mouth open with his lips, and inserted his tongue into the depths, relishing the taste of his blood. Joachim attempted to turn his head away, but gasped to feel a jolt of pain seared in his mouth. The liquid dripped out of the corners of his lips, while his lord's tongue intertwined around his own. He let out a strangled sob when the demon parted, whispering in his ear. "Not even your body is yours to do with as you please."

Droplets of water streamed down his bloody cheeks as his tears washed away the blood staining them. He felt Walter's heavy frame press against him harder, ready to take him if he did not speak the terrible, humiliating admission. At first, Joachim gritted his teeth and tried to look away. It was too much for the young man to bear. With a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes and looked up at Walter's face until the accursed words fled from his lips. "Yes…you are more powerful than I. Do as you will with me. I can refuse you no more…"

To this, Walter said nothing. The vampire gazed down upon him, his dark eyes glinting whilst he wrapped his hand around the young man's back and pulled him into his embrace. Joachim was so weak that his head and arms fell back like a doll. The red-haired lord's lips skimmed the tender flesh of his neck – sickeningly, loving, and possessively unwilling to release him from his humiliation. Joachim's delicate lashes fluttered closed, for he did not need to look at his lord to feel the demon's eyes scanning his pale, naked form. Blood streamed down his body. The thick, red liquid slid down Walter's hands whilst he lifted Joachim's limp form off the floor. A pool of blood appeared in the young man's place.

Joachim struggled to breathe, his mouth gaping like a fish as he gurgled upon his own blood. The sour tasting liquid he had once coveted threatened to suffocate him. In a desperate attempt to speak, he choked and forced weak, and barely coherent words from his throat. "…Release…me…." Whether it was out of compassion or cruelty, Walter turned him gently until the liquid drained from his mouth onto the floor. His throat cleared and he coughed, expending the last of his strength as silence encompassed his whirling mind. Darkness consumed him at the realization he was not even in control of his own fate. If you want my blood, I shall give it to you willingly! With a tiny grin, he drew a heavy breath and spat a clot of the crimson liquid on his lord's face.

An enraged scowl crept across the red-haired lord's lips until he shook Joachim's haggard form with a violence that could have matched the devil himself. A horrendous pain flooded through him when Walter's knee collided into his chest. The steel plating on his boots slashed apart the skin like paper. A piercing scream broke through the youth's lips as a stabbing pain shot through his entire body. Walter grasped him by the throat, dangling him above the floor like a puppet. A long series of steel linked chains flew from where they hung on the wall and coiled neatly around his palm. The chains rattled while he dragged Joachim's broken body into the cold chill of the night. Despite the thin red carpet covering the staircase, it did not lessen the agony he felt when his body smashed onto the platform at the bottom. The stars twinkled faintly above while he lay on his back, recalling a time when he had looked at them with wonderment. As a human, he thought his life would be brief, and so he had often admired the beauty and mystery of the night sky. Yet, as a vampire, such things would never disappear. There was no longer that sense of urgency, or perhaps, the feeling that he must enjoy everything before his life slipped away.

Walter raised one of his great hands, his power lifting the hapless young man into the air. The red-haired lord allowed the creature to dangled there until he threw the limp form against the highest flagpole adorning the railing of the staircase. With barely a flick of his wrist, the chains bound Joachim's frail, broken body tightly against the flagpole. The young man screamed in agony as the cold steel ground into his already bloody and tattered flesh. The blood staining his mangled body gleamed under the red moon's hellish glow. He struggled feebly against the chains, even though he knew his resistance was useless. Though he could barely see amidst the blood trickling from his face, he could feel the other lord's eyes staring at him as if to pierce his soul with his rage and grief. The malice within them was horrific, though the fury on his face somehow relented. For a moment, he thought he saw tears falling from his lord's black eyes, their once cruel abysses softening under the strain of the emotions they concealed – a demon's lament. The vampire's hand trailed to the Ebony Stone and stroked its glittering surface. Walter's blood-red hair tumbled against his cheeks as he spoke, the softness of his words lost in the howling wind. He whirled and returned inside the throne room, his cape billowing behind him until he disappeared from sight.

Joachim stared down at the place where Walter had stood, expecting his lord's return within a short time. The icy cold wind whistled in his ears and blew across his bare flesh, sending shivers up and down his spine as he writhed and gasped. The chains were so tight that they crushed his lower ribs and threatened to crack the fragile ones that had managed to sustain Walter's abuses. His eyes widened when he gazed below him and saw the rolling thunderclouds covering the ground.

Hours, perhaps even days passed and he did not see the vampire lord once. Like Prometheus, he was bound and tormented by the lonely wind. With a heavy sigh, he released an agonized cry into the darkness. The terrified cries of a frightened young man who, in that moment, was afraid of the cold, pitiless, silence of the night. A fire, once burning brightly in his eyes, had been snuffed out. He tried to convince himself his father's fate was impossible. He remembered his father's face before he died, the coldness of his hand when he touched it with his own, and the silence that followed when Lord Armster drew his last breath. Tears streamed down his face but froze under the wind's icy chill. As his broken chest wracked with sobs, he remembered the day he buried his father. It was the loneliest day of his human life. The sky was overcast that afternoon, blocking out the glory of the sun's golden light. It had been windy and his robes fluttered around him like broken wings, unable to follow his father into heaven – or hell – for he did not know where God sent such a man. He had watched Father Genesio recite prayers as his servants lowered the casket into the ground. That day he vowed to shed his grief and pain over his father's death. Yet, he knew he had failed to do so. The man was a specter in his life – for he resembled his father so closely he could never forget his face.

Father, why did you go to Eternal Night? Surely, your arrogance would not have led you to believe you could defeat Walter. No man comes here unless he seeks to rescue the one dearest to his heart…

…but mother died twenty years ago…

If his soul could shatter, pieces of it would have drifted away in the wind like dust. He did not understand the last words he heard his lord speak. His hair was a bloodstained mess, but still managed to fall gracefully around his face and shoulders. His chest had claw marks ripped deep within his flesh that still bled fresh and seeped the crimson liquid over the chains. The cold chill from the wind already began to numb his swollen lips and cake the blood tricking from the corners of his mouth onto his chin and cheeks. He forced his head up and stared at the starry night sky, and at the crimson in full view above the throne room's tower. The moon loomed like a fireball in the sky, so large and full he imagined that if chains did not bind him he could reach out and touch it. It was as he looked at it that he held his head high and coughed to clear his throat, and without a care for the searing pain it caused his voice echoed into the howling wind. "Oh, if only the Ebony Stone were mine…" his voice gave out again and his coughs turned to ragged hacking, until his head lolled and sleep overtook him at last.