He fired wildly at the darkness; the blood, the sweat, the fear, and the pain all clouding his vision and judgement. Tears flowed freely from his ruby red eyes, making lines on his bleach white skin. The darkness was closing in on him, he was on his last leg, there was no way he was getting out of this, and he knew it all in the moment he heard from behind him;
"Are you ready for the eternal Musical of Blood?"
The blood froze in his veins at those words, but unfortunately for Red Ringo, not in a literal enough sense as it started to run down the length of his body, spurting from two bite holes in his neck. A scream of pain, wet with bubbling blood, erupted from his lips as he sank to his knees.
He could feel the vampire blood racing through his body as it began to convulse. He watched helplessly as, one by one, his memories were consumed by darkness; a terrible darkness in which not even death could bring relief.
His earliest memories with his parents, the final pure Solar Children left alive.
The first time he'd ever held the Solar Gun; the pride he'd felt to have this legacy.
Learning to use the Gun del Sol from his master, the Gun Smith.
The chaos of his first battle, the pain of his first wound, the elation of his first victory over the Undead.
Meeting Otenko, Messenger of the Sun and his strange companion; the mysterious young maiden, Mani.
His marriage to Mani, and the discovery of her Lunar heritage.
The loss of the Sun in San Miguel on the night of his sons' birth.
The birth and supposed death of his first son, Sabata.
The birth and boyhood of his second son, Django.
All of these memories flashed through Ringo's mind as his soul started to slip into darkness. The golden Solar Scarf, now stained crimson with blood, began to fall loosely from around his neck. He feebly reached towards the memory of his family; his beloved wife, his promising son. He saw in his distant mind his old friend, Otenko. He remembered the power of the Sun and how to summon it.
Through bloodstained lips he breathed one final word.
"Taiyoh!..."
The scarf reached the ground and the sound of dark laughter filled the air.