I'm back again! It didn't take too long this time, did it? Let's get straight to the point; I NEED HELP! I need you, my faithful readers, to go back to the first chapter of this fic, look at the list of themes, and tell me any idea that pops in your head while reading any of the words written there! Please! You can PM me what you find, or leave it in a review, I don't mind, really, but I'm definitely going to need a bit of help. It can be any kind of idea too. It could be a whole story, or it could be simple things like, I don't know, the theme Skull makes you think of halloween! Or maybe Vampire would make you think of nobles! Or Joy makes you think of a party! Anything, really, and I swear it's gonna help me! xD
Of course, I'll update the information on the list, to be sure you don't waste your time on themes that have already been written and planned...
Anyway, this is the 16th theme, VAMPIRE! It is a tiny bit slightly longer than the previous ones... ONWARD!
The brat was no normal child. He was not human. He was a monster. The man always thought that, but his wife insisted on protecting him from harms. She had always loved her son, and he knew it, but he couldn't make himself have the same feelings toward the boy. He was a blood-sucking demon. The man was so sure it was the cause of his lover's sudden death. It must have drank all of her blood, and he resented it for that. It didn't deserve to live. It was meant to be dead.
His father lead him into the forest, constantly promising games and fun. Luffy was trotting comfortably at his side; he didn't mind the branches, roots and rocks posing as obstacles. After all, he was used to wander in there, searching for hidden caves filled with gold and a dragon to kill like in fairy tales. He loved those. They were so filled with action that it made him dream of adventures each time he read one. He bumped into his father when he abruptly stopped. The boy observed him as he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a rope.
"What are we going to play?" Luffy asked in complete innocence. His big owly eyes didn't falter the older man's resolve, and he proceeded with deceiving the monster.
"A fun game, really," he said with a disgusted smile, "I'm going to be an evil guard, and you are the prisoner. Your goal is to free yourself from those ropes by yourself." The demon seemed to be thinking for a while, before he beamed at the older man while nodding excitedly at the idea.
His father blindfolded him before tying the rope tightly around his body, hands in the back with both his wrists and ankles solidly put together. The child was a life-eating demon and such a death could even be considered as a really soft punishment; being eaten a live by wild beasts. Innocently, Luffy giggled all along, and once everything was done, waited for the start signal.
It never came.
The boy hesitantly pulled on his restraints, wondering if he could start the game, then struggled a bit more when no scolding ensued. He thought it would be really fun, some kind of adventure, but it was harder than he expected.
"Father?" He tentatively called into the silent air of the evening. No answer was given. "Father?" He tried again, hoping that the older man would understand that the ropes were too tight and the knots too hard to untie. "It's not fun anymore," he complained, a pout coming over his features. Still nothing. He waited for a bit, for what seemed like hours, before fear filled his guts. There was an eerie silence in the forest, not so silent to the boy; the wind rustling the leaves made a low whistle comparable to the sounds a ghost was rumored to make. Luffy startled when he heard branches break from behind him, before freezing completely when he heard a deep growl from the same direction.
After a few minutes of complete silence, he let out a relieved breath he didn't even know he was holding in. It didn't last long. He hears the distant howl of a wolf, soon followed by several others. The wolves weren't so far. Panic settled in fast, making the boy struggle hard against his restraints. As he pulled and pushed in an attempt to break free from the ropes, the child lost his balance and fell head first into the dirt. His face hurt all over, especially under his left eye. He felt blood trickle down slowly on his cheek from the cut caused by a pointy stone on the ground. He fought more to free himself, desperately wanting to run away from this dangerous place. However, all he accomplished was to grow tired, more hungry and sweaty from the effort of it all.
Still, he didn't give up. He found a way to wriggle his body through the dirt and made his way, slowly but surely, to the foot of a big tree which, much to his immense relief, has some kind of dark hideout between its huge roots, forming a comforting cave big enough for his small body. Once he made sure he was in security for a while after having listened to the nature, he succumbed to his exhaustion, falling into a deep dreamless sleep.
A human entered his territory, unknowing of the dangers lurking around. The beast felt too lazy to attack, and considering the setting sun signaling the birth of a new night, he simply waved his companions to watch the lowly being and chase him out or kill him if they felt like it was needed, before returning to a light nap. Hunting hours were near and he wanted to get his energy fully replenished before heading out.
About an hour later, a warm friendly paw on his cheek woke him up. He sleepily sat up, and noticing the sun not set still, wondered why his sleep had been disturbed. The white-haired man looked deep into his companion's yellow eyes, frowning slightly then his mouth pulling into a small smirk.
A vampire, huh?
A few minutes later, he was back in his lair with a small child cradled in his arms. The Grengel was not one to care about other species, or even other vampires. Heck, he'd be lying if he said he cared about his own clan! But this child smelled different. He smelled peace, kindness, wildness. He smelt good, a lot better than everything.
This child was a gift, and the older vampire eagerly accepted this present.
The King fell into slumber. This was a huge change for the clan, but although it brought a bit of disorganization, the elders were fast to bring everyone back to order, reminding the other vampires of the Scroll's sayings.
This revered scroll had been part of the clan for many generations. Its writings contained all of the rules and rights for the members along with the punishments fit for specific crimes. It also had instructions for slumber and deaths, and a whole ten feet about the King and his descendants. With clarity, it said that if the King dove into slumber, one of his sons had to substitute him until he recovers, by bearing the black dragon mark. Only one. So if several sons exist, they all have to duel in the Sacred Room, with the Ouroboros graveyard as judge. Only the winner who has won fairly against all of his siblings can receive the mark.
This is what led the only prince in front of the snake biting its tail sculpture in the wall. As the sole son, he rightfully had to receive the black dragon mark. However, nothing happened. The Ouroboros refused to activate in his presence, and this would stir a lot of questions. Since he definitely was Roger's son, it could only mean one thing; Ace had at least one sibling unknown to him...
The teenage boy stormed off in a fear-filled fury, heading to his father's resting place. He desperately wanted to awaken him and demand answers, but Roger was in slumber for a good reason. Having received a fatal wound during a fight against Lassumbra, the only way to survive, heal correctly and regain his strength was to rest for about a hundred years.
Ace stared at his father's non-living body, knowing his blood had stopped flowing and his lungs fill with air and his heart beat with life and his mind floating in knowledge of his ancestors. The boy knew he would kill him if he tried to wake him up, and instead focused on the white winged snake sleeping motionlessly in the wide chest skin of the King. He had to find his other sibling, duel him, and bring the clan back to order. It didn't matter whether he wins or losesm as long as the other takes his responsibilities seriously. First, he had to identify and locate him, but so far, he had no idea how to do so.
The blond had come of age a few years ago, and although it never really bothered him, unanswered questions always crept their way into his mind. He was different. He knew he was the same specie, but something was off about him.
Sabo wasn't dumb. He knew he should have gotten that shadow controlling ability when he had come of age. He knew he should have been able to summon dark beings, and make himself disappear from view on his own. But he couldn't. He was not an Umbra, that was for sure.
That's why he went to his godmother. The very old vampire was the one who had raised him since he was a child. She always took the form of the young black-haired woman she had been a long time ago. He made his presence known by knocking a few times on her private chambers door before entering at her approval. She was sprawled on her wolf fur couch with her black tiger's head on her lap while she pet it affectionately. To Sabo's surprise and relief, her servants weren't there.
"What's wrong, child?" The Queen crossed her legs, expecting a clear answer. It was no use going around the bush with her. The blonde bowed before her, showing her respect before going straight to the point.
"Lassumbta, what clan am I really from?" His voice held no hesitation. It was a fact that he was not an Umbra, he was just stating the truth while hoping to find his origins.
"Right." She petted the couch beside her, inviting the boy to join her. "It might be a somewhat long story."
To make the long story short, Sabo was from the Golden clan. Both clans were and are still at war, although they have long since forgotten the original reason. The Queen had planned an invasion on the main manor of their enemy, where a spy assured housed the Sacred Blade, the sword that was once wielded by the Archangel Gabriel. The weapon was a real killer of vampires. One who received a blow from it could only succumb to darkness and never wake again. They would go into Eternal Slumber.
That's why Lassumbra invaded. She wanted it. However, by some kind of strange events, she found herself into a woman's room. A dying woman. She was holding her newborn child protectively and never let go all the while the Umbra queen interrogated her on the sword's whereabouts. When she heard warriors approaching, she wanted to make a run for it, but the dying woman, right before she shadow teleported, shoved the child into her arms and cast a curse on her. When she reappeared outside the manor, she could not harm the child and had no choice but to raise him until he came of age. The newborn was Sabo.
The child was no Grengel, that was for sure. Still, he had the surprising skill of understanding animals like his kind naturally did. It was not entirely the same, for he could not communicate, only comprehend, but it was still something to be amazed at. Maybe he had developed it by necessity.
The old man's thoughts were interrupted by the teenager's goofy smile appearing in front of his eyes. There was a spark in his black eyes that reflected his own happiness. Who would have known that having another vampire's company could be so good?
"Uncle Rayleigh, I'm hungry." That was nothing new. The white-haired man rose an eyebrow, inquiring the boy to give him a good reason. "The wolves are restless; they need to do more exercises. Besides, Winter is coming, so we should head out more often to make provisions." Well, the boy had a point, for once.
As they were lurking around the woods, Luffy kept looking around, as if searching some kind of specific spot. For a few months already, the teen kept having different dreams, but always similar. There were some recurring things and he couldn't help but feel they were not normal dreams. He would see two completely different worlds, depending on the night, but always from someone else's point of view. He didn't know who, bu he knew he was simply living, non, watching that person's life. Now he was only curious; he wanted to find them.
Ever since he had come of age, he's had had a few dreams of living in another boy's body a couple of times a month. However, these days it became much more frequent, every day, in fact. He would always see a similar scene; a forest of dead trees next to a small abandoned village with rundown buildings. It had obviously been through a bad fire. He figured the dreams were his real clan's natural skills.
After some time, his curiosity took control over him, and he received Lassumbra's approval to go on a personal quest; a quest to find his own kind and possible answers to yet unanswered questions. She even lent the portal necklace to the blonde, so he could return home safely if the need made itself urgent. Sabo was thankful to her, and offered a rapid farewell before heading out.
As the prince, his skills were always superior to the others'. He was able to control his dreams almost perfectly and could even spiritually wander the Earth by himself without the use of a container, like most of his clan needed. However, since a few months ago, he couldn't help but dream of a dead forest, filled with white and gray wolves working together in harmony. Also, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't control his container's actions. Either the other boy was stronger, or he was of equal ability. In whichever case, Ace had no doubt this boy was his lost sibling. The other prince. He had to bring him back to the manor.
Two days later, he found himself in the much familiar forest, following the imprints in the freshly fell snow. The prince had never left the manor by himself before – it had always been under his father's orders – and much less without a guard or two. Still, he felt confident in his skills; he was a prince after all. Besides, he did have an important mission to achieve.
When he reached a more open space, he finally met his long lost brother. He had the exact same traits as he imagined. There was no doubting it, this teenager was definitely the other prince. Now all he had to do was bring him back with him. However, a blond man stood next to him, a firm hand on the boy's shoulder and the other holding a skull necklace. He smiled down at the lost prince, and before Ace could react, a ball of shadow engulfed the couple then disappeared into nothingness.
The prince could only stare ahead, his previous surprise rapidly morphing into anger. The Umbra just kidnapped his brother. There was no way he was going to let that happen.
2 years later
Finally, the remaining prince of the three stood before the Ouroboros' statue. Today, he would not receive the black snake or replacement. No, he was here to be crowned. This coronation had a very important meaning for the vampires watching the ceremony. It would be the day both clans became one, the day when the past will be left behind; the day of the revolution.
The man deposed his open palm on the Ouroboros' center. The snakes immediately awoke and dug their way into the prince's skin. It traveled all the way up his arm to stop upon his chest. The design carved itself into the flesh, and although it was very painful, Luffy stood straight and proud, before turning to face the now fused clan. The golden-crowned dragon hid the X-shaped scar of the prince to stand as a mark of a new beginning.
The mark of a vampire King.
Okay, I know what you're going to say; What the hell is that ending!? Well, it's kind of a game. I know what really happened, but you don't. ;P So here's how it's going to be: You're going to tell me, in your review, what you think could have possibly happened during those two years. If I get something like, I don't know, maybe three of your guesses resembling what I've planned, then you'll get the full story as an independent fic. It's going to be a multi-chaptered fic, definitely not as long as the completed Dark Ages, but only a 5k words fic either. And, of course, it won't be written in small blocs like that... it's probably going to be a whole chapter for each things written up here.
So, if your guesses are about right, you can consider this theme as an extensive summary of the whole fic!
And don't forget to let me know what you thought of it, too! I know I ask a lot, but I don't think that's anything too difficult...
With that, see you next time!
MemoriesOfVoxei