Shade: Good evening, my little ones... Are you ready? Welcome to the final chapter of the Witchcraft Saga. I want to thank you for having continued with us.
WARNINGS: +18. Here we will be extremely explicit even in punctuation marks (?) Witchcraft and occultism. Gore and bloody scenes. Nakedness. Extremely strong Lemon that includes sodomy and group sex (For the record, we warn you: Please, don't lynch us XD)
Playlist: "The Sacrilegious Scorn" (Dimmü Borgir) and "Moonchild" (Adrian von Ziegler).
Lost III
Witchcraft, part 3: The Howling
(...to howl will learn")
"The ritual starts, (So...)
dimly lit bodies (...do...)
drink from other mouths (...my)
and get aroused."
Mago de Oz, "Coven".
.
—Heeeeey, I don't see any women around here! You lied to me!
—Of course not, could you please close your mouth?— Len snapped him, panting under the weight of the beggar.
—Yeah, yeah, how whiner you are, kiddo (hip)—Andy laughed, pulling a bottle of liquor out of the lapel of his filthy suit and drinking it in big gulps.
Len sighed and looked up at the sky, noticing that it was finally night. They were practically walking at a snail's speed, because the beggar was almost falling from time to time. The roofs of the Church of Asmodín had long since ceased to be seen, and there was only an endless succession of red trees and withered foliage in front of them. His heart beat more and more violently, and despite the cold there was he was feeling his face very hot.
Finally they reached to a small clearing that was surrounded by oaks. To one side they could hear the faint sound of a small waterfall that fed an arm of the river that crossed the village, a few meters away there was a great limestone rock that had the strange shape of a face... It was the most disturbing of the place, because the vines that were falling to the side of the rock seemed like hair and a long crack that went through it seemed like a opened mouth.
—Strange place to make a party, jejeje... Are you sure that the party is here?—Andy asked, letting go of Len and observing the place—. Hahaha, looks like a person, hip—He laughed pointing to the rock and approaching it—. Hello? Helloooo...? (hip)... Can... (hip)... You... listen... (hip)... To me?—He snorted and threw the empty bottle—; What a idiot, he doesn't want to talk to me! Hey... (hip) do you have more liquor?—He shouted to Len, turning his head back...
And he fell unconscious to the ground the next second, thanks to the blow that Len gave him in the head with a rock.
...
"Gakupo…"
The Duke Gakupo of Venomania turned around, smiling at the sound so familiar and so... warm. He approached slowly to the large mirror with the golden frame that was in the center of his room. Without any fear, he rested his palm on the cold burnished glass, sliding it all the way, as if he was caressing one of his slave women... As he lowered his gaze more, he found a pair of scarlet eyes staring at him. Those eyes swirled among dense black clouds, without revealing his true form, like the mirror servant of Snow White's stepmother. That was how he had appeared the first time...
"I am Asmodeus, the prince of carnal sins, the being who is responsible for leading men into the murky waters of lasciviousness. I snatch the beauty of the virgins and I corrupt their hearts... I transport men to the lapses of the madness the desire "
As the young Duke of Venomania had not left running, the strange being had politely continued: He had seen his sadness, his pain and all his rage... and he could help him: He would give him a unique, divine face, that any mortal wouldn't be able to imitate or to resist; a face more beautiful than the legendary King of Iron of France (1), a face superior to any God, that would seem sculpted by the angels... a face for which no woman, princess, bourgeois or even the last laundress of the kingdom, couldn't ever resist... It was just a matter of closing the deal with him... giving him a power that he had never imagined, or even dreamed...
What a strange thing was the power that he possessed! Something strange and the same time wonderful. Something that had put an end to his old, ungainly appearance, which had only managed to have a cold... It didn't mattered how noble or rich he was, not even the most humble peasant woman in the street had noticed him. Even Len had surpassed him in beauty, with those blue eyes and yellow hair, he had looked like a cherub beside his ugly master! And when he had tried to approach some of the noble women of the town, they had only laughed in his face... Gumi, Gumi, the one he had loved most... She had treated him like an old shoe.
Duke Gakupo had blinked, dazzled... "A power he had never imagined, or even dreamed..." And that power was... Having Gumi... One moment, only Gumi? If with this he could have any woman he wanted...! For a moment, doubt had assailed him, would all this be right? But this one had vanished as soon as it arrived: If trying to be kind to them, he received only mocks and contempt... With this power, everyone would dance this eternal dance with him ...
And as if it were another of those dances, Gakupo finished opening the string of his robe, letting it slide down his shoulders to the ground, showing himself completely naked before the demon in the mirror...
...
—Are you okay?—Len asked, staring at him when he had woken up. Andy blinked, trying to get up from the floor.
—Ugh, friend, hip! I feel as if an elephant had sat on me, hip!—The beggar muttered, rubbing the bump on his head, apparently not even noticing that he was facing the person who had knocked him unconscious in the first place...
By focusing the view better... He noticed something different in the environment: A big bonfire burned brightly in front of them, wrapping everything in a warmth feeling... But most surprising were the two small wooden tables that were in front of an oak, where moments before there was nothing, and these were full of... food !: Cakes and roasts. A cake of apparently five pounds. Water pears, apples and bergamots. A duck and a hare confited... And the best: wine and beer! A lot of beer! He rubbed his eyes, hoping it was some hallucination because of his faint... And he only focused on a naked woman with long red hair, offering him a big glass of beer and the wide and generous view of her turgid and round breasts... No, it wasn't a party, this was heaven!
—Welcome, dear friend... We were waiting for you—She whispered in a velvety voice, laying a hand on his dirty, shaved cheek.
—Oh, my heaven... Len, if this is a dream, I implore you for the love of God that you don't wake me up, (hip)... —Andy whispered to the servant, licking his own lips without dissimulation. Miki giggled and moved closer to him.—. Thank you, gorgeous—. And he took her glass, taking a long drink... and almost immediately spat it out a little.—. It tastes like shit! What is this…?—He started to wobble—,why... what do I feel something strange, huh? It must be this beer, sure...
—Don't worry honey, it's just... a little effect—Miki said, leaving him paralyzed (and excited) with a sensual French kiss—. Now that you're here, the party can start...
Through the trees, emerged Taito, Sweet Ann and several more characters that Len only knew by view as Piko, Oliver, Prima, Bruno and Clara... All were dressed in their ceremonial black robes, with the hoods down, all staring directly to Andy. He blinked, surprised.
—Hey... you didn't tell me that was going to be more men here, Len—He muttered annoyed, turning to see him... and then he felt scared: Len's gaze was completely cloudy and was smiling strangely. He heard someone let out a spasmodic laugh and gasps:
—Finally... fresh blood, hehehe—Bruno had said. However drunk he was, Andy didn't like that phrase at all... He tried to move, but then some hands grabbed him by the arms, holding him tight...
—What the hell, Len ...? Hummmph...!—They put a gag in his mouth, silencing his future cries.
And then Len said: —It's time for the party, Master—He whispered, letting his carnivorous animal teeth glimpse between his smile.
…
—Welcome, my brothers and sisters, to this wonderful night!—The Master of Ceremonies exclaimed, opening his arms wide, showing everyone present his macabre smile with his broken teeth. He took out an iron glass and filled it with wine—. We came here this Sabbath night in October to celebrate the initiation of our young brother Len... To your honor, lad.
He raised his glass in the direction of the blond servant, who was sitting between Miki and Clara at the opposite end of the circle they had all formed as they sat on the floor, surrounding the large bonfire in the center. All responded with the "Itaerit illud!" that Len could already say to perfection.
Bruno and Piko had placed the plates of food and drink among those present. Len extended his hands to the nearest source and began to eat avidly... Until now he had never had as much freedom to eat whatever he wanted, without having to ask his master for permission or fearing a reprimand on his part... He just ate. And the food was delicious indeed! Most were seasoned with spicy and strange flavors that made him jump the taste buds and also burned his throat... making him want more and more... And making him lose his sense more and more.
This 13th century Coven was eating as if they were Celts in Ancient Roman times: they ate with their hands, so there were no spoons or forks, but small daggers to cut the difficult pieces. Soon, with the running of the wine, the hubbub was rising... and the decency was losing: In some moments the food was thrown at each other, as if they were naughty children: In a moment, Len threw a piece of sausage that landed just inside of Sweet Ann's neckline... making her laugh in a lusty way as she sank her fingers inside it looking for the sausage and finally eating it, while Taito chewed voraciously the confit duck, devoured even the bones... The Master of Ceremonies was the only one (apart from Len) that ate normal between all... well almost, because when he was eating, the juices slipped from between his lips, looking like draining blood... And finally Andy, tied in the oak in front of the circle, was trying in vain to scream, because the gag had his tongue stuck.
In a moment, the Mentor took out from his clothes a glass bottle that had something inside that was moving... When he untied the cork, a huge warty toad of intense green color came out... which he brought to his lips and licked all over the back . The old man sighed and looking up at the sky, smiling... And so, in a macabre game of "give and take", the toad was passed from hand to hand among the attendees, whom kissed and licked it between the horrible moans that the animal made; some in the back and others sucking the tongue and drool of the frog...
When finally the amphibian came to Len, he hesitated a moment, looking perplexed the bulging eyes of the animal and its disgusting open mouth... He swallowed... And finally Len slipped his tongue throughout animal, until he finally dropped it. Almost immediately he felt like vomiting. He covered his mouth tightly, fleeing with all his strength the nausea... until... a sensation that he had never felt before, began to seize him by the spine, like a kind of delicious tingling that penetrated his blood, bones and flesh... It was a flaming sensation like fire, that blurred his reason and exalted his senses to the maximum: he felt that he could perceive, smell and taste everything around him... It was a complete ecstasy. (2)
—We thank you, oh Mother God, for this food and this ecstasy so sublime that you give to us—The old man whispered with a spasmodic laugh, chanted by the rest of those present, who were as gone as he was.
Len's head was spinning; his chest and throat burned as if there was fire, his breathing felt stony and whistling... and despite that, he felt so... alive, like never before... He turned his head to the terrified Andy, who widened his eyes to see Len approaching him, so appalled by everything he had seen now, that the whole effect of the drunkenness had already passed, peeing himself.
—Len, Len, please help me—the beggar whispered as soon as Len freed him from the gag—. For God's sake, don't stand there like that, help me!—He said desperately when he saw that Len didn't move, or even blinked, as if he didn't understand what he was saying... —ARE YOU A FUCKING DEAF?! I TOLD YOU TO HELP M...!—And suddenly, Sweet Ann put a huge red apple in his mouth, silenced him again, laughing mockingly with the others, Len included.
...
Once again, the Duke Gakupo approached gently until facing the mirror. He rested the tips of his long fingers on the cold, polished surface, in a long, sensual caress from the top to down, as if he is caressing the furry leather of a coat or the bare skin of a woman... Or rather, the soft skin of his own shoulders.
His eyes darkened with dark pleasure as he slowly traced the silhouette of his own reflection, which seemed to him like a Deity, sculpted to the chisel by one of those ancient Greek artists... His fingers stopped in the center of his chest, where there was his heart, completely obscured by the power of Asmodeus' Lust... He was never going to find another creature more beautiful than the one in front of the mirror; yes, his rotten heart was beating for Gumi... but even so, his eyes didn't move away from that divine reflection that was in front of him.
His power of Lust was so great, that even he himself fell enthralled by it, like a Basilisk or Medusa that kill themselves before their own gaze of reflected death... or rather, like Narcissus after he rejected Eco's love and he had leaned in a lake to drink water he had been spellbound by his own beauty... Like the golden-haired hunter, Gakupo bent to kiss those perfect lips that he saw in front, placing his hand on his cheek... letting himself be carried away by the sensuality of the frosty lips of the demon.
...
—Lift your arms up, sisters and brothers, let us celebrate the arrival of the Harvest, which our Great Mother has given us.
Len and the other attendees raised their arms as high as they could, as if they wanted to fly away and reach with the tips of their fingers the twinkling stars that studded the infinite blackness of the sky, where the red and orange sparks of bonfire were floated to there, until lost. The clearing was fully illuminated and the fire dyed in orange tones the skins and dark clothing of those present. The moon, spectral and lying down, looked like an immense and macabre smile... Midnight had arrived.
"Luna dea potens sum. Domina omnium magica. Ventorum,
et folia movens cantáte nomen meum. Uti in lunatam
frontis et pedes sidera pacem. sum
adhuc reconditis mysteria, recenter iter suscipitur. ego sum
intactum agrum aratro. Gaudete in me et scitis
pleno iuuentutis" (3)
The constant bubbling against the rocks of the little waterfall, the sharp whistle of the wind and the crackle of the flames covered the Canticle dedicated to the Great Goddess a little. The beggar, now tied headfirst in tree that was in front of the bonfire, moaned with terror before all the diatribe that he couldn't understand at all. He couldn't raise his voice anymore, because of so much trying to scream through the cloth that he had in his mouth, clinging to the ephemeral hope that someone would listen to him and go to help him... in the end he was aphonic for the effort.
—We are here, oh, Great Lady of the Night, so that you can protect and fulfill the desire of your son, who has come to you, because his useless God, of who he rebelled and rejected his tyranny... —the Master of Ceremonies whispered—...has failed to him miserably. Finally he understood that the God of the Cross is inferior to your benevolent and infinite power... Free us to Arioch (4) one of your offsprings from the Dead Sea, so that in your beautiful name he may fulfill his wish...
Slowly, the servant of Venomania got up and walked through the expectant faces of the others, until he stood in mark that the Master of Ceremonies had made with a branch in the ground: A pentagram of sixteen points (5), staying close to the ardor of the flames, which plucked red flashes from his yellow hair, letting himself to be penetrated the heat of the fire... A fire that penetrated his veins and turned them into burning ashes... Closing his eyes, Len raised a translucent hand to the starry sky and he moved it in a gesture of anathema, to condemn forever the crimes of his owner, Duke Gakupo, to exorcise the four damned years where he had suffered the unspeakable... to punish to the depths of the Hells the horrible torment of his beloved Rin.
Opening his eyes, Len cried out to the skies in a hoarse and almost animal voice:
"Listen now to the words of the Great Horned God,
The guardian of all wild and free things,
The one that every call must answer.
I am the fire within your heart, the living desire of your soul.
I am the one who maintains myself in the darkness of light;
I am the one they have called from death.
Come to me, Arioch, God of Vengeance,
To whom so many before me you have fulfilled their desires of retribution,
Flagellation and passion, sword and blood... These are my gifts to you! "(6)
At the same time, Len drew from the lapel of his cloak the two knives blessed by the terrified sacristan a few hours earlier and which flashed terrible before the fire's light. Len gathered them side by side on his head, making a full turn over the pentagram, feeling as if the power of Arioch was manifesting within him, giving the will he needed to face Duke Gakupo and Asmodeus... He lowered them to both sides of his sides, keeping his eyes closed for a moment... He opened them abruptly, nailing them... in Andy. The beggar began to kick with desperation, while he felt increasingly dizzy from the blood that began to accumulate in his head. He let out a strangled scream of terror as he saw Len slowly approaching, staring him straight in the eyes... Eyes that, perhaps because of the flames or something else... They were not blue, but yellow, like a black panther... or a demon. In the eyes of this Len "possessed" by the ecstasy of Arioch, the rage and the pain... the terrified, milky, reddened eyes of the beggar were none other than those of the Duke of Venomania himself, looking at him with mockery when he was embracing his battered sister in the floor of the master bedroom...
—Hummm…. ¡AAAAAHHHHHH!—The beggar shouted with all his might against the the apple, feeling the tip of the first dagger penetrate his belly and slide down in a long vertical deep cut, which made the blood flow in torrents, flooding all his chest until reach his mouth, making him swallow his own blood between horrible sounds and convulsions, because of the shock had his mouth open, hanging it... The second dagger penetrated the hole that had made the first, cutting cleanly the bowels of the beggar who was shaken by the convulsions, which left his intestines out of his body as if they were small and pink snakes until they reached the ground ... Len narrowed his eyes almost placidly, which were left with a large part of his face dyed red by blood: All it was like he was just preparing a fish by the belly for the dinner.
—Accept this offer that your son gives you, Great Mother!—The old man exclaimed showing a cheerful smile before the show.
Len turned his back on the corpse to look up at the sky and start spinning around as if he was alienated for a few moments, breathing agitatedly, feeling Evil taking over more and more of his being... Finally, he would be heard, finally, he would be protected.
Len Kagamine cried out for Justice... Len Kagamine cried out for Revenge... Len Kagamine cried out for Blood.
...
Gakupo was also spinning himself, completely wrapped in an absolute ecstasy that was intoxicating him...
"They never wanted to accept me for what I am... Even when I was kind to them, they treated me badly... Now, with this power, they will look ecstatic when they see me, as if they truly loved me...
As he said that, black shadows slid all over his skin, like black snakes that lodged all over his body in circles, segments and shapes, as if they were tattoos... Black bat-like wings emerged from between his shoulders (7) , stretching upwards in a guttural scream that resounded throughout the castle...
"...Now, with this power, who will dare to resist me?! I am the most beautiful and powerful man in this world! No woman can resist me! I am his lover, I am his husband, I his his all... I... I AM HIS GOD! START TO SUCK MY COCK, WOMEN, BECAUSE I AM YOUR GOD!"
...
Piko and Prima had begun to play the drum and the flute respectively, filling the clearing with a frantic, almost primitive sound... It was nothing like the carolas dances (8) of that time, too rigid and formal, but everyone got up starting to move freely to the sound of the music, some alone and others holding on to another, spinning and jumping.
—Len, Len, dance with me!—Miki invited him between giggles, but the servant tried to reject her with a embarrased gesture: He didn't know how to dance—. Come on, don't be shy. —She grabbed his wrists and began to circle around the campfire with him. Len at first almost fell, because he was dizzy (his head was still spinning, but still with that pleasant sensation) but soon emerged from his tired face an small smile while turning with the redhead that ended with the two falling to the ground, laughing loudly. Then, Len, the Master of Ceremonies, Miki, Sweet Ann, Taito, Oliver, Bruno, Clara, Kiku and Rinto came together as the music of Piko and Prima became faster and more frantic. Like the "train" game that many children like to play, they all were dancing one behind of other, forming the symbol of the serpent that bites the tail.
...And what at first was a somewhat coordinated dance... Soon it began to get out of control: The old man, who danced very well despite his age, opened his tunic and began to remove it, revealing the skin of his chest sunken and stained, his arms covered with a gray fuzz... and finally until everything falls, being naked in front of everyone.
Len watched everything that happened with puzzlement... and with more perplexity to us that he wasn't even scared... But also the servant had begun to let go of his clothes, when Miki's hands had touched his shoulders and always with a enigmatic smile, she had begun to pull out his yellow tie... His old clothes (stained with blood) was sliding through his skin to fall to the ground in a dry sound. The same thing had done the rest of the attendants (except Miki, who was already naked) and she had come closer to Len and without shame kissed him on the lips, tasting the bitter and spicy taste of the blood... Len, completely stunned by the ecstasy, closed his eyes and sunk his hands in Miki's red hair, returning the kiss with some clumsiness, which only managed to excite the young witch more.
Around him, the others had also begun to give themselves in different sinful games, no matter a shit if it was a man or a woman whom the other was kissing and caressing: In a corner, Piko and Oliver had become entangled in a kind of "Greco-Roman wrestling" on the ground, tearing their clothes and biting their necks with passion, tearing moans and screams. Bruno took turns between Clara and Kiku, in which while one kissed him passionately, the other had lifted his tunic, to start kissing and licking all along his penis, between muffled moans of the black-haired warlock, and as if they were their opposites, Taito and Rinto had cornered Prima, making her drop her flute, Taito was slightly passing the sharp tip of his ice pick in the snowy skin of the woman's breasts, who writhed between laughter and pleasure, while Rinto was rubbing himself with hoarse sounds behind her, as if he was an animal in heat. And the Master of Ceremonies observed everything with a smile, as if he were a happy spectator.
—Are you ready?—Miki whispered against Len's lips and licking it with malice, after several minutes of suggestive kisses and caresses... The redhead looked down and looked back at him, showing one of her sparkling smiles—, ... Hum, I see that your little friend yes, hehehe—And she was sliding his hands down Len's abdomen with torturous slowness, provoking giggles and gruff grunts to the blond; Miki was biting her lower lip and when she had just left his lower abdomen... Hands grabbed the redhead by the shoulders and gently pulled her away from the exalted young man—. What the fu...? Sweet Ann!
—I'm sorry, dear... but he's mine—The blonde witch replied with an indolent air that made Miki raise an eyebrow—. Hehe, I saw him first... Hey, don't be spiteful, we'll pay attention to you soon...—And she grabbed Len roughly from the flushed cheeks and kissed him deeply, sliding her tongue inside of him. Miki for her part snorted and went to snuggle in the wrinkled and stained arms of the Master of Ceremonies in search of a passionate "comfort."
The truth is that if he hadn't been completely out of mind, Len would have been very hesitant to do this... However, his reason had long since fallen silent and his body seemed to be working on its own. If at some point, the innocent and beautiful image of his beloved Rin landed in his mind, it was something ephemeral like fog, because the "magic fingers" of Sweet Ann masturbating him rhythmically was tearing him loud moans... It was the first time that Len experienced something like that (if he wasn't wrong, he was the only "virgin" of the Coven), and his face reddened more, his breath choked and a delicious sensation slid down his lower belly, as he felt caressing all his body through their fingers, their lips and their tongues, leaving marks all over his body... And then he felt a breath on the back of his neck and a lips biting his neck: He was none other than the Master of Ceremonies, who had stuck to his back, accompanied by Miki... The servant let out a muffled scream when he felt a sharp and penetrating pain when he felt the old man's member slowly penetrating him from behind and start ramming him, while Miki and Sweet Ann took turns to "ride" him like a horse... He felt a mixture of piercing pain and a delicious and sinful pleasure that enveloped him in a diffuse spiral... And for several minutes he continued like this, clinging to whatever was in front of him, even it was a woman's breast or a virile member; on his knees ramming ferociously like a complete crazy; with his mouth sunk in any fragrant and exuberantly hairy female garden as he was "skewered" from behind, letting out maddening squeals like he was a dying pig; being moved like a rag doll to the hungrily lustful jaws of his companions. From one moment to the next, Len was breathing rhythmically on the cold floor, smeared all over body from his feet to his hair with semen and other bodily fluids, with practically all the members of the Coven around him, especially with Sweet Ann and Miki curled around him, purring with satisfaction. It was a suffocating heat, but still pleasant... So pleasant, that the servant fell into a delicious torpor.
...
"Lenny… Lenny…"
Len opened his eyes, before that hoarse voice. He only saw the diluted blue darkness of the early morning in front of him, that leaden color when the night has gone, but the dawn hasn't arrived yet. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a strong headache piercing his skull and a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, as if he had eaten something repulsive, like dog shit or... or... or the butt of a frog. He let out a moan of horror, covering his mouth and tried to sit up, noting that he wasn't naked, but full dressed, as if someone had put his clothes back on him... He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind stuck in a thousand questions, among these, the most obvious one:
What the hell had happened last night...?
—Wake up Lenny, we have to go—Then he felt a freezing hand slaping his shoulder: It was the Master of Ceremonies, who was looking at him with an ironic smile—, did you sleep well, young man?
—Uh... I think so—The servant muttered, getting up slowly, feeling a slight nausea. By focusing the view better, he noticed that only Miki, Piko and Sweet Ann were there and that the food and drink items were gone —; Where are the others? What... what happened here?
—Believe me, Lenny, it's better you don't know... —Piko murmured with a grimace, and almost instantly, Miki gave him a strong kick, making him jump in pain.
—Everything's over, Len. The ritual is complete and now you're one of us—Miki said with a placid smile—.Believe me: you were amazing... you did it and in a spectacular way, even being a Neophyte.
—You only have to... execute what you have agreed with Arioch—Sweet Ann said with a condescending tone, while she was picking up her long golden hair—, on the part of us, we're leaving: It's already going to dawn... You'd better return to your home and prepare for what is coming—She added. Len nodded, staring at the ground in distress: All the feeling of power of ecstasy was over, and now he was only afraid and uncertained...
Noticing, the Master of Ceremonies rested a stained hand on the shoulder of his disciple, looking at him with a soft and paternal gesture... The closest look to a friendly one that Len had received from someone in all these years...—Len... I cannot secure what luck will bring you and your sister when this finally ends, but I can only tell you one thing: In spite of everything you have suffered... you reached the end of the impossible puzzle that was your life; Maybe one day you mess it up again to solve it, Len... because life was never said to be easy, and less so for creatures like you or me... —He squeezed gently his cheek, making Len look at the gray and watery eyes they seemed more alive than ever—Never again low your ears or hide your tail, little wolf, do it for you and your sister. Did you understand?—He slapped him gently, without leaving his enigmatic smile.
—Yes... I will, Master—Len whispered still feeling stunned. Slowly he stepped back and started walking towards the path he had taken a few hours ago with Andy... Andy! What... What had he done to him?! As much as he tried, Len could barely remember what had happened after the lavish dinner... He shuddered to remember the bitter and at the same time spicy flavor of blood scurrying down his face to his lips...
He shook his head sharply and turned his head back one more time: The rest of the Coven was gone.
He had returned to the village and recover Innovator after leaving him tied up in the ring of a paddock near a bar. The horse neighed anxiously, as if he was guessing the multitude of feelings that now pierced the mind of his human friend. Quietly, both left the town to go into the dark grove that took them to the castle of the Duke of Venomania.
Len let him walk through the forest almost on free rein, absently watching the bare branches of the trees and the fallen leaves that floated over the frozen ponds. All the feeling of euphoria, joy and ecstasy that had seized him in that confused night had been replaced by an almost unbearable nervousness that was running down his spine... The bug-eyed frog... The prayer to the Lord of Vengeance... The edge of the dagger cutting the human meat down, as if he was preparing a fish for the belly... The warm blood sliding down his skin and staining his clothes... The bodies of the other attendants joining closely with his body...
"Lenny… Lenny"
It was the same voice he had heard before... Len automatically pulled the reins of the horse, making him stop in the middle of a clearing where there were only bushes and rocks. Fearing that he had gone already insane, Len asked loudly:
—Who are you...?
"Who are you…? Who are you…? Who are you…?" It bounced like an echo around the clearing until it was lost in the surroundings. For the first time in several days, Len again felt afraid, like a small child when he is separated to his mother in the middle of a crowded street... That kind of fear that paralyzes you and leaves you in blank... Then, the voice... Arioch, the Lord of Vengeance, returned ti be heard this time to the depths of his mind:
"Go ahead, don't look back... Because when all this is over, your clock will stop and you will never see the light again: Evil is inside you, where you can only see a long corridor of eternal darkness... This is how is satisfied the hatred of men: It's part of each of us, as well as the air we breathe to live... Who fights against the monster, in monster will become...
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Len shouted inside his mind again and again, weighing his hair, trying to silence that voice, which continued without mercy:
"...Don't deny who you are and what kind of horrendous hyena you became, Len Kagamine... Open your eyes and look."
Abruptly he opened his eyes and looked ahead of the saddle... and he let out a howl of horror: It was the beggar, lying in the middle of the clearing, with a huge bloodstain that started from a long and tremendous cut in his lower abdomen and that went up by his neck, where his intestines, already dry, were showing crearly. His eyes, completely white and turned, stared at him, while in his mouth stained with blood, was formed a macabre smile...
Innovator let out a shriek of dismay, because the servant had slipped from the saddle and had fallen to the floor, as if he had been struck with a lightning.
He was lost... Completely lost... Because, although there was the remote possibility that finally all this Hell that Duke Gakupo had made him suffer during these four dark years finally ended (maybe or maybe not, nobody could assure him), Who could assure him that precisely that same Hell, those same feelings of accumulated rage and pain would persecute him and his sweet Rin forever, preventing him from being finally happy...? The old man had been wrong: He would never be free... Free of himself and his darkness and his demons...
...A howl made him come back to reality.
Len opened his eyes and rubbed them to see better what he had in front: Among the large rocks that bordered the small hill that presided over the path in order to reach Venomania's castle, he was stared at by a completely white wolf... or almost, because his white and fluffy fur was spattered with large patches of blood, as if he had had a horrible fight; his neck was surrounded by a thick iron chain, crossed by a broken rope... However, the most enigmatic thing of the animal were his eyes, a pale blue, that looked at him tirelessly... and almost as fearful as him.
The sudden appearance had made Innovator lose his temper, who reared up with his front legs in the air, bellowing deafeningly. Len feared for a moment for his life: That wolf could easily kill them both in one bite, he thought as he saw the white fangs of the beast he showed while panting... Even so, his sense of survival didn't seem to work: on the contrary, it was like if that was calling him... And that's what Len just did: Slowly stood up, still looking face to face the animal, who suddenly began to make pitiful noises and move his head, as if something was hurting him, the servant noticed that the chain tightened his neck, leaving red marks that penetrated the hair and skin...
With great caution, Len approached the wolf, who remained undaunted and looking at him not with hostility, but with curiosity, like him when had returned to look at Kaito when he had told him that he wanted to be his ally... His trembling hands rested on the animal's beautiful fur, feeling through his neck, looking for the closing of the thick chain... until finally hearing a dry snap and the metallic sound of something falling against the ground...
Animal and servant stared into each other's eyes... "I was like you, a chained dog, tied and mistreated by his masters..." he seemed to say to Len with his beautiful blue eyes, "...but nobody in this world can deny what one is and what one was meant to be... You can believe that your life will be sad, rainy and gray, but after the rain the sun always comes in. Be free... be free, brother Wolf, so you can breathe and run, love and protect your she wolf and take care of your puppies... as the Great Mother dictates to all of us. Only this way the punishment you will carry on your shoulders will be bearable, for asking for your freedom and that of your beloved. "
Len nodded slowly, as he stared unblinking at the blue eyes of the White Wolf, which were, strangely, familiar...
—I'm... I'm you, am I?—Len asked him in a whisper, and almost at the same time, he slapped himself mentally: "Baka Len, animals don't talk" The wolf looked at him panting... As if he was... smiling at him.
Waving his long, hairy tail, the animal nimbly jumped to the highest rocks, turned his head once more towards Len, let out a short, piercing bark and then vanished into the mist. Len stared at the spot where the animal had disappeared, until the light of dawn appeared on the hill, painting of gold the autumn forest. He approached to Innovator and stroked his long neck with affection.
—It's time, buddy— He whispered him, causing the horse to make an energetic neigh of an answer.
Len smiled and pulled him from the rein, they ran up the hill to run without stopping to the courtyard of the castle, where, nestled between five pots of vanilla ice cream with empty sprinkles, the Count of the Blue Kingdom, Kaito Shion, dozed waiting ...
…
—Master, Master... we have to leave—Miki whispered, shaking the old man who was dozing in the chair. The man woke up abruptly and growled.
—Calm down, my child, your heart is going to come out—he replied with a placid smile; At that moment Taito and Sweet Ann came in panting, and the latter, for the first time, didn't have her typical mischievous smile, but a face of affliction—, what's the matter with you, guys?
—Master, don't you hear the noises from outside? Sweet Ann said with an almost hysterical tone. The old man strained his ears... Indeed: There were distant screams, like people shouting. Resolling for an old rheumatism he had, the Master of Ceremonies came out of the small house with Miki and led by Sweet Ann and Taito to the small hill where you could see better the view of the entire valley...
There, in the high part of the hill that dominated the whole town of Asmodín... there was a great wall of fire rising towards the sky, dyeing it with orange colors that contrasted with the dark blue of the evening. The flames seemed to be devouring a kind of stone tower... Now, the only house in this whole place that had a stone tower like that was the one of...
—...Yes—Sweet Ann confirmed , as if she had read his thought.
—The little servant did it...—Taito said with a grimace—, did you see? In the end he listened me: "Exploit your master's house, and problem solved" hehehe ...
—Damn it, what now? It's dangerous to stay here—Miki muttered nervously.—, They can come and find more accomplices or what do I know...
—Calm down, Miki, I've done it before... and I've already had a hunch that sooner or later this was going to happen...—The old man whispered turning around with the intention of calling the rest of the Coven to organize a quick escape from the town (it was something natural, with such a tragedy, he thought) when... He heard a scream brought by the wind, which made him stop.
—Master?
That distant cry... that had come to them through the fire... No, it was not the altered villagers... He recognized it, it was Len's voice.
But it hadn't sounded like a simple scream... but rather like the howl of a Wolf.
The End (Again?)
Author`s Note:
(1) It refers to Philip IV, mostly called "The Fair" or "King of Iron", King of France between 1280 and 1314.
(2) In the confraternities or witch meetings, it was very important, before starting a session, for the participants to achieve the ecstasy, and this was mainly achieved by coming into contact with toxic substances or certain drugs that were capable of "altering" the senses and make them available to perform the rituals. It was usually achieved with ointments or certain animals, such as frogs and toads; from there to its connection with witchcraft.
(3) Prayer of the Great Goddess.
(4) Arioch, is the Demon of Revenge, according to demonology. It is different from Alastor, because Arioch is only vengeful when he is hired by what is known as the "Knight of Swords", his ritual must be executed with such elements (or knives). Item Six (6) corresponds to his summoning.
(5) The pentagram of sixteen points, or also known as "Two Octets" is much more powerful than the known five-point pentagram, as far as black magic is concerned; it's generally used to "cancel" other previous spells.
(6) See Item Four (4)
(7) Inspired by the fanmade/parody video "The Madness of Duchess Venomania", where Luka starts to see shadows on her skin.
(8) Carolas: Medieval dance form where a circle of participants is holding hands and dancing while singing.