The church's bell chimed, announcing midnight. Aside from the thundering sound of the brass vesper, a complete silence ruled over this district. One could have described the setting as peaceful. But it would not have the perfect description.

It was one of many neighbourhoods surrounding the city's outskirts. In fact, it was so typical that it would have been challenging to find something unique about it. Apparently, some people enjoyed these qualities as the streets were seemingly regularly cleaned with extra decorations covering the walls and doors. Yet, there was a clear flaw in the scenery. Nothing powered the street lamps tonight. Because of that, the pitch-black shadows were deterred only by scarce light from various windows. But considering the late hour, more and more of these lights faded away as the clock was inexorably ticking.

Underneath one of these dead lamps, a cloaked man stood, slowly smoking a last-day cigarette. His frame was perfectly still, not even slightly bothered by the all-consuming darkness he was surrounded by. A few moments later, he finished the cigarette, dropping the last ounce of ash onto the pavement with little to no care. But, the mouthpiece was methodically squashed before placing it in the man's left pocket. It was high time for the man to move.

The cloaked man stayed under the cover of darkness, passing through the light only if there was no other option to take. His movement was graceful, hastily, and soundless. Yet, this outward calm was but another mask he wore to hide the battle waged inside him. There was a hunger inside of him, a carnal desire that fed on him like cancer. It was a feeling so raw and powerful that it seemingly consumed both his insides and mind if not obliged.

As the man pushed forward, his fantasies already flooded his conflicted mind. It would not have been his first sin, and most certainly, it would not have been his last. Yet, there was a semblance of doubt invading his consciousness. It could have been compared to everyone's uncertainty before first sexual intercourse. But… this was much more defined, complex, and powerful. He feared that if he did not reach his prey soon, he would lose it, causing unnecessary problems.

So… with that carnal desire filling every inch of his mind, he sped up, so desperate to sin.

As he finally reached the designated door, he pulled out his old-fashioned pocket watch to check the time. Momentarily, a wave of anger flushed over him, for he realised how much time he had wasted virtually doing nothing. It was 3:45 am. What had happened, he wondered. But, his desires overpowered the anger, forcing him to finally commit the long-overdue sin. He stopped for a moment to calm down. After all, the time for mistakes had long been gone.

Finally, after another minute, he mustered enough control to perform what was bound to happen. The masked man quietly unlocked the door without hesitation, utilising the made-up key. For safety reasons, he checked all the locks, even though he knew his victim's tendencies and habits perfectly well. Nonetheless, he entered the spacious flat after a few moments, locking the door behind him. As for now, the doctor must not have noticed the intrusion and slept soundly in his king's-sized bed.

Now was a good time to decide the victim's fate. After all, all of his fantasies could not have been fulfilled here. No, the doctor's neighbours would have woken up, most likely calling RDT immediately after. So, he had only two valid options. He could kill the man here without making too much noise or kidnap him, placing him somewhere his screams would not reach the surface. Naturally, the masked man preferred the second option, but it was also imperfect. Knocking the victim would be the easier part of the plan. But then, he would have to somehow sneak his unconscious body, and it could pose some challenges.

"Choices, choices," the man murmured inside his mind, unsure what to do.

Still, there was one clear thing in all of this. The man's desires needed to be sate. So, with a low growl, he pushed forward, drawing a pistol in the meantime.

A single shot was fired a moment later, echoing throughout the flat.

…

Akali's POV:

The white-haired vampire could not say she was pleased with what had happened the last several hours. No, it would have been a lie. Yet, even though the mask of emotionless was preserved, there was a fury righteously ragging inside the woman. Given her position as the council's leader, she had a reputation and dignity to uphold. And it would be difficult to do so, considering how badly the whole matter with the mastermind was going.

A pile of loose pieces was everything that Akali, with all her power and resources, had managed to gather. At least for the time being, this was a massive failure in the leader's eyes. But giving up would not solve anything. The whole scenario was not a game where all the players had the ability to resign at any given time. No, as things stood, only the mastermind could decide whether the game should continue or cease to exist.

The vampire found herself in a hazardous situation. With as much evidence as they currently had, there was no telling how long the investigation would last. What was horrifying about this prospect was that the murderous mind that had planned it all was to be given the leading role. But… as massive as the issue seemed, it was not the confrontation the leader feared the most. Quite honestly, Miss Tepes doubted her ability to remain emotionlessly. Considering what had already happened, it was a well-placed concern. Apparently, after all these years, Akali started to lose her touch.

As the council's leader sped up through the underground tunnel, she found a glimpse of solace. Moments like this were appreciated by the woman because they stripped her from overthinking. The plague that Akali had wrought on herself was constantly flooding her mind with millions of ideas, concepts, and memories. Right now, she could not focus on anything else but the driving process due to her cruising speed. It would not have been an overstatement if she had said she would kill for more times like this.

Nonetheless, it did not take long for the drive to complete.

"Miss Tepes, please slow down," a man's voice sounded in Akali's earpiece. "You're going to reach the garage entrance in approximately a minute," he added. His English was perfect, yet his accent was far from ideal, revealing the soldier's origin. Considering that the council's guardians were only recruited from two nationalities, the choice was rather limited. However, his tone was not hoarse and heavy, so he must have been Japanese. Thanks to her photographic memory, she always strived to remember the face and the voice of everyone she was working with. So, before responding, she searched that internal list thoroughly, trying to remind herself who she was talking with.

"Tai Akamari, if I recall correctly?" the vampire responded with her own question.

"You're correct, Miss Tepes," the guardian acknowledged immediately. "Once you leave the vehicle, we'll park it deeper into the complex," he informed.

"Fair enough," Akali commented, slowing down noticeably.

Like the Japanese guardian said, the white-haired woman soon reached the entrance. It was a solid and thick wall of stone with an automatic gate. From her occupation, no window could be spotted. But, in reality, there were panels that allowed the guards to observe the approaching vehicles. On top of that, the whole area was under constant supervision of cameras.

The vampire allowed herself to hesitate for a moment before killing the engine and slowly exiting the car. But, as soon as she did so, the plague returned. Dozens upon dozens of thoughts or ideas started to bomb her mind. It was a bothering sensation that needed to be discarded. So, the leader tried to take a firm hold over her head as the gate opened, revealing two heavily armed agents.

"Miss Tepes," they both said, then nodded with respect.

"Good morning, I guess," Akali responded, returning a gesture. "Please, take the car into section C," she added after a brief pause.

"You're certain, Miss Tepes?" one of the guardians asked hesitantly. "After all, it's one of your personal vehicles."

"Yes, I am certain of this," the white-haired woman stated momentarily. "I believe it will be of more use there," she added cooly.

"As you wish, Miss," the other soldier commented. "Anything else we can do for you, Miss?"

"No, it will be all. Thank you," Akali replied, then headed toward the elevator.

…

Vayne's POV (15 minutes later):

Waking up had posed more of a challenge than Vayne anticipated. As Miss Tepes stated, the intense training session had drained all of her energy away, rendering her virtually useless toward their common goal. So, even though she disliked the vampire being right, she followed the order… no, a suggestion to rest. But solace did not come quickly. It had taken Shauna more than an hour to finally reach Morpheus's realm. And… by that time, she had been drenched in sweat. Some pieces of her memories mixed with something she could not correctly name, creating some truly horrifying scenes. Perhaps the last few days were more traumatising than Shauna had thought.

Nonetheless, it was far easier to lie down, slumbering dreamlessly, than muster enough strength to crawl out of the soaked bed. Even though the raven-haired officer knew she needed to do it, she simply found herself unable to. She struggled for more than 10 minutes, but in the end, she left the soft and warm bed behind. Then, the woman paced slowly toward the restroom, having a minor problem with carrying her weight on her dangerously trembling legs.

It took some time, but finally, Vayne made it to the bathroom. Once she stepped onto the marble floor, she realised it was pleasantly warm. But unfortunately, in her case, it felt more akin to an obstacle than a pleasant addition. It would have been lovely to lie down, warmed by the stone, but she could not do that. After all, her end goal was to regain complete control over her body. And… by succumbing to her frame's desires, she would not progress. So, the raven-haired woman continued her limp-like walk toward the shower stall.

It was an exhausting endeavour, but Shauna felt more confident with each step. At some point, she tugged off her shirt too eagerly, potentially damaging it, as she heard some ripping sounds. Still, Vayne did not care much, pacing forward whilst struggling to unzip her bra. A few moments later, she finally dealt with a problematic piece of fabric, throwing it to the side with no care. Considering the situation, it was a minor victory, but the struggle was far from concluded.

Before the officer entered the shower stall, she hastily dealt with her outfit's remnants. The long sweatpants and undergarments were tugged off simultaneously and thrown mindlessly, potentially outside the restroom. But… just like in the previous case, the RDT officer was far too preoccupied to care about her doing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the glass door was sealed behind Vayne. At the same time, the water started pouring down from the numerous tiny openings above the woman's head. At first, the raven-haired woman visibly jumped as the droplets turned out to be only slightly warmer than ice. Funnily enough, whilst trying to dodge these, Shauna forgot about her fatigue, apparently caught in the moment. Thankfully, after a few seconds, the temperature significantly increased. Even though the change was expected, it was welcomed wordlessly by the raven-haired woman.

For the next minute or so, she allowed the pleasantly warm water to pour onto her whilst she cherished the sensation with closed eyes. As time passed, Vayne started to relax and slowly clean herself. It was a nice feeling as the cacked sweat and other filth were slowly but surely removed from her hair and skin. But, the moment was killed when she heard someone knocking.

"Miss Vayne? I don't want to interrupt, but Miss Tepes wishes to have you in her office as soon as possible," a warm, slightly muffled feminine voice sounded.

"Thank you," the raven-haired woman chaotically responded, struggling to turn off the water and open the shower stall's glass door. "I'll be there in a few minutes," she shouted after a short pause.

"Fine," the woman's voice sounded again. "If you need anything, please contact Aria," she added.

The raven-haired officer waited for additional few seconds before exiting the shower. She felt much better, with her mind relaxed and cleared of bothering thoughts, but some stiffness remained in her occasionally aching muscles. Even though she did not heed the sound of the woman's footsteps, she deemed it safe to approach the wardrobe in all her naked glory. Though before proceeding with her plan, she towelled herself off as it would have been a real shame to damage an expensive-looking carpet the main floor was covered with.

A few moments later, a wardrobe was opened, revealing its neatly organised content. Considering the number of different clothing pieces the raven-haired woman found, only a tiny fraction of these were truly hers. Miss Tepes or someone she delegated must have pulled some strings, filling the container completely. Perhaps the officer would have been bothered by such an occurrence in the past. But currently, she had no time to pay it enough mind. So, without further overthinking, she started searching for something decent to wear.

It took Vayne the better part of the following 5 minutes to finish the task at hand. But after glancing at her mirror reflection, she was pleased with the result. In honesty, it was nothing special, a set composed of mixed pieces that matched in colours. A fitting-tight grey sports tee with a scale pattern covered her torso, emphasising her slender yet athletic figure. That being said, her dark-as-night trousers were on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Before leaving the room, the RDT officer picked up a long ashen coat stylised to resemble a man's trenchcoat. It was much thinner than the original design, but it should suffice if the temperature did not drop below zero.

…

The man could not control his twisted and carnal excitement. Occasionally, he paced around the spacious warehouse, not daring to turn on some lights. As the situation lasted for more than a few hours by now, his eyes were well adapted to a low luminosity level. Who did he want to fool? His sight in darkness was near perfect, only slightly hindered when he spent too much time in the light. It was a blessing that only a handful of the Master's followers had been granted.

Even though the room was covered in shadows, the man still wore his mask. At some point, it would be wise to ask some difficult questions regarding this matter. But… it was not the time nor the place for that. No… it was high time for him to continue sinning.

Aside from a ridiculously large table cluttered with various objects, the room was empty. No, once again, the man lied. There was something else here. An old wooden chair stood near the west wall. As the masked man reminded himself of that tiny detail, he unwittingly licked his dry lips. A primal longing rekindled inside him, a sensation that could not be controlled anymore.

With a low growl, the masked man turned around and switched on the lights. Within a few moments, several bulbs started flicking, slowly driving away the shadows. The said piece of furnishing was made of light wood, but something was smeared all over its frame. A quiet chuckle escaped the man's tightened throat. He knew exactly what it was. After all, the stain was partially his fault.

At first glance, the substance looked like a caked lubricant, a simple smear of black goo. But, in reality, its origin was far more sinister. The man nearly squeaked when the memories of that moment flooded his mind. It was a beautiful sin worth memorising. Still, his tonight's grand work was far from being completed. Oh… it was a massive understatement.

A few moments passed as the man continued staring at the chair, his mind occupied with daydreaming. It was a beautiful yet chaotic mess, his mind, that is. There were so many possibilities, so many ideas awaiting realisation, and so many ways to sin. Nonetheless, a seed of doubt was present, challenging him at every step of his remarkable journey and slowing him down.

A primal roar echoed throughout the warehouse. The man needed more than a moment to realise he made that noise. Clearly dissatisfied with himself, the masked man turned around again, leaving the spacious room immediately. Would he finally dare to take another step toward his salvation? It was a question that echoed in his head, buzzing like thousands of hammers forming iron. An utter cacophony of noises made him numb, but it changed nothing. With a clear goal, he was ready to ascend into a higher existence, no matter the cost.

Soon enough, the man returned, carrying a bag on his shoulder. Considering its size, it must have weighted its fair share, but he seemed unaffected by that tiny, irrelevant aspect. So… he continued on, swiftly reaching the old chair. Once near it, he gently put the bag down and knelt beside it. A slightly rusted zip posed a minor problem, but after a few tries, the container opened, revealing its content. It was a woman, most likely in her thirties, platinum-blond-haired and slender.

The man licked his dry lips again, trying to fight off his lust. He knew all too well that this fight was futile, yet he wanted to savour the moment till he still had a semblance of control. The tiny and fragile part of him that remembered his previous life pitted the woman's fate, but it had no power to overrule the already-made decision.

The plague ravishing and fueling the man was accepted oh-so-willingly many years ago. At first, all these years back, he could not foresee that by accepting this gift, he would wreak a demise over himself, sentencing himself to a life full of carnal and sinful sensations. Moreover, he did not know that his mind would be crippled, partially sacrificed for a new being to reside on its remnants. Did he regret it? Right now, he would not be able to honestly answer that question, as little of a true him remained.

Nonetheless, he never dared to cross some boundaries, fearing something he could not properly name. But… tonight, he intended to put one of these behind. It took the man a full minute of struggling to finally get the unconscious woman out of the bag. Then, she was gently put onto the piece of furnishing. She was undoubtedly a beauty. The man wondered briefly what fate had in store for her before their paths crossed by sheer coincidence. But… as things currently stood, it did not matter anymore. Her life was in the man's hands, and a mere whim could lead to its end.

Soon enough, the thick navy-like ropes entangled the blacked-out woman to the sitting. Even for the masked man, the effort was rather excessive. The threads wrapped the woman's skin so roughly, already painting it red. Perhaps, he should have loosened the ropes?

Shooking his head, the man tried to focus on his goal. Yet… the closer to its completion he was, the more conflicted and doubtful he became. Desperately trying to ease his mind, he focused on his victim. A low growl escaped his throat as he looked lewdly at the woman's clothing. Dark stockings matched a cropped thigh-long navy-blue skirt and an elegant light shirt. The 3 top buttons were undone, leaving a substantial cleavage for the man's peering and clearly hungry eyes. On top of her ample breasts, a small silver cross rested. Christian, the man murmured under his breath. The woman's dark lacey bra peered through a thin shirt's fabric. As far as the man remembered, she wore decent black heels, but they were long gone, lost during the transportation.

"So many possibilities, so many choices," the man whispered, seemingly unwittingly.

He could feel a wave of heat gathering in his loins. Well, he would lie if he said the unconscious woman did not turn him on. She looked like she had taken straight out of some pornographic fantasies of a secretary. His lust and carnal desires constantly urged him to push forward, to claim what was his. But simultaneously, he felt weak and exposed, incapable of committing the sin he had in mind.

The internal fight lasted for the better part of the next 15 minutes. It was an intensive conflict that, ultimately, the man's insecurities and remnants of humanity won. This, however, did not mean his frustration faded away. Quite the opposite, actually. As his rage continued flaring inside, he hastily exited the room, leaving the woman alone.

A moment later, he started running, sprinting even through a seemingly endless corridor. He wanted to scream off the pain caused by the internal hell wagging on in his mind. At some point, the man left the passage, entering a much smaller room. As a heavy steel door was shut close, furious chopping arose. These two sounds mixed for the next minute or so, making a cacophonic and creepy melody that echoed throughout the warehouse.

Author's notes section:

[2023-05-20]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.

[2023-05-26]: Hey, I have a minor update for you.

[2023-06-06]: Hey, I have another minor update for you.

[2023-06-14]: Hey, I finally concluded the chapter. Though, I have a piece of information for you. I realised that I swayed from the path in this story. So, I need to re-read everything I have written so far, and apply adjustments or rewrite some pieces.

Please, bear in mind that this story takes place in an extremely savage universe. Hence, I will inevitably end up mentioning rapes, mutilations, cannibalism, physical and mental violence, and most likely a lot more.

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-05-20]: A preview has been released.
[2023-05-26]: The previous revision was slightly adjusted, and some new ones were added.
[2023-06-06]: I applied some minor adjustment to the previous revision, adding additional new segments.
[2023-06-14]: Finished the piece. The final revision was released.

Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.

Schedule:
- Will you look past my mistakes? (finish the WIP)
- Exiled you say? (finish the WIP)
- The broken heart (finish the WIP)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
- Lifetime of war (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (rewrite chapter 4)
- The heart not so cold (rewrite chapter 2)
- The family tree (revisit the previous chapters and apply adjustments)

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?

References:
- Bullet for my Valentine - Hit the floor

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D

End of the author's notes section.