How long can it last? Will there be an end? Those were the two most fearful, painstaking questions that have been revolving in Izuku's mind. It seeps into his brain - marinating or festering? It comes and it goes like the pain throughout his body. One moment, he cries out to a silent God to break free from this bondage. To break away from these shackles. Where was this God? The same God that has written in the Bible for whom the son sets free is free indeed? He hated to think this way. What would his mother think? Was his mother in search of him? Was anybody looking for him? Was his mother still alive? Thoughts of peril filled his exhausted mind.

He was tangled, shackled in the more purest of iron. From the lining of his wrist to his ankles, laid down and trapped like a caged animal. How long will it last? How long can it last? Will there be an end? There were now three questions added to the fray. He was an overthinker. Time was his oyster or was it the pearl? Would he call this tiny, finite space of a cell his oyster and was he the pearl? He digressed the latter for a pearl was an item to be cherished and to be safely secured. Not to be treated as a cheap and tawdry object. Those were his current feelings - feeling cheap and used, tawdry, no sense of control.

"Those damned bastards!" He cursed at himself for placing himself into this position. He should have not been careless, letting down his guard. He should have never allowed such entrancing beauty to hypnotize him. What glitters isn't always gold and what is always gold doesn't glitter. It was something the head member of his guild, Shouta Aizawa, had told him on the first day on duty. He must be persistent, vigilant, mindful, tactful, cautious, and stoic. The latter word, stoic, penetrated his heart. Toshinori could already tell that Izuku wore his heart on his sleeve. That would explain why he was too merciless to the boy. Love was absent in the guild as it was love that got his colleagues killed. When combating with vampires, demons, and fellow monsters, one can't allow love to enter into the fray. Even the coldest of vampires can say anything to enter into the heart. They were once friends, family, loved ones. In the midst of the hell Izuku was put through by his mentor, he had told himself that he wasn't going to allow anyone or anything to deter him or deviate him from their mission, their objective, their creed.

It was useless. The more he fought the shackles, the more it dug into his skin. The scent of iron filled his nostrils. A sickening scent as he grew accustomed to his line of work. The more he struggled, the more it seeped, creating a tiny river onto his dampened, naked porcelain skin. No matter how much he winced or felt the excruciating pain, he wanted out. He wasn't going to have his final moments of his life to end like this.

Sixteen years! Sixteen years of life to be ended by the hands of demons who looked at human life like a crumpled piece of paper? Just utterly senseless waste. It made him wonder if his frailty was enough to even make Satan weep.

He bit into his lip. He tucked his eyes tightly. He felt powerless. He actually didn't know what to do. No way to contact the others. Everything he had was either taken or destroyed. The only thing that they haven't taken away were his thoughts. At least that was one weapon that he felt responsible to keep. But God knew how long that could last.

A headache was brewing. Fighting to break free from their shackles could make a person feel famished and depleted. He hasn't eaten or drank for quite some time. He lost count of how long he has been a bondage. The darkness of the cell causes him to not decipher day from night. Was it night time or was it the day? The natural salt of his body was his nutrient as he allowed tears to gather around his lips to take in. The agonizing pain of tilting his head to lick his chest to obtain salt so he could have sustenance. It was amazing about the littlest of things that people have taken for granted. Just to have a taste of salt from his own flesh was now a luxury in his current state of duress.

At any moment, they were coming back for him. Time was steadily approaching as the demons were calling his name. Tantalizing laughter was heard faintly in the distance. They were here. In his short life, fighting vampires became a mission, if not a purpose. His original purpose was to become a Pro Hero. The days of running through the playground, looking at the sun-kissed sky, emulating his idol was exchanged for stakes, garlic, and various assortment of weapons to combat the demons of the night. A not-so-hidden battle at that.

Despite his personal war with God, he still wanted mercy on the souls that were lost before him. Many great leaders and those with potential that fought for the war on vampires that were crushed. As he blessed the dead, he blessed those that were captured. The poor, wretched souls that were forever in the bondage of the vampires that were forced at their bidding.

How long will it last? How long can it last? Will there be an end? More reasons for being solution-oriented before becoming enslaved or joining the dearly departed.

The sounds of the heavy iron doors opened. The sounds of footsteps filled the once silent halls. Izuku had reservations to not say a word or to make a sound. Any sign of resistance was pleasurable to the vampires. Seeing their victims squirm, gnashing their teeth, even breaking their teeth for the glimpse of freedom was greater than anything orgasmic. Although he never witnessed it, he was told by members of this coven about those who were strong-willed, resistant, and determined were crushed. Skulls popped, clavicles smashed, brain matter and eyes squished like jelly. Slow and painful until they heard their final agonal breath before being cracked open as a coup de grace.

The footsteps stopped at his door. Even in the darkness, he could recognize his captors. They were easily recognizable by their size and their armor - and their distinctive scent. The woman who smelled of lilac, they called her Velvet, used the keys to open the thick door. Standing beside her was another woman who had a faint scent of coffee, Coco. She was one Izuku recalled dragging him to his cell. It was the marks on his back that served as a welcome gift as he resisted throughout the ordeal.

Upon opening the cell, Coco entered the darkened room. Carrying the shield made of heavy wood on her back, she was known as the enforcer of the coven. A low-ranking position, but still the deadliest. Judging by the expression on her face, she was a walking time bomb. He remembered the slurs she had for him - the hatred of humans.

"Izuku!" It was the savory sound of Velvet that spoke up. In a different light, one would think she was one of the sweetest girls in the world. She particularly is the reason why the saying, "looks can be deceiving" comes from. "Izuku!" She spoke again, only this time in a harsher tone.

Izuku didn't speak. He didn't have any words to say.

"I think Sister Velvet has spoken to you and you need to make a response, boy!" Coco stood attentively beside her sister-in-arms. Her shield on standby and the withdrawal of her weapon. He never studied anatomy in school, but it didn't take a genius to know what kind of bones assisted in creating such a brutal weapon - bones made with spikes.

"Does it matter," muttered Izuku as he hissed and looked up at the brunette. He stared into the windows of her soul, displaying his uncaring and defiance, especially with her. "No matter what I say or how I feel, it doesn't mean a damn thing to you." He spat in front of Velvet. "Or to you!"

Coco rushed with her weapon and slammed it against Izuku's bare foot. He cried out to God as the spikes implanted with his soft sole. "Bitch," he shouted as he gnashed his teeth. He was stuck once again on his other sole. "Aaugh!"

Coco remained unmoved as Velvet covered her soft lips to contain her laughter. "I strongly suggest speaking when spoken to, boy." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Or else there will be softer spots she can crush." She clicked her tongue. "And you know how easily angry she gets when it comes to humans." The brunette walked and kneeled in front of Izuku's eyesights. "So, I suggest you speak," she whispered. "Or else!"

"Fuck you both to the ends of the Earth," shouted Izuku as he spat out again. "It doesn't fucking matter what you guys do. I heard you! I am aware of what you are going to do to me. You can take away my body, but you sure as hell are not going to take my mind!"

A crazy, deranged kind of laughter was emitted from the vampiress' mouths. "Oh, Izuku," said the smiling Velvet. "I wouldn't dare defile you. At least not yet," She cackled. "Mistress Yang wouldn't like that. No, no, no!"

Izuku kept his guard. Words, just like his finite stay in this prison, was conditional and uncertain.

"Mistress wants to see you in her quarters," said Velvet. "But first, you need to be cleansed." Velvet waved her hands. Her nose twitched as she whistled loudly. "I wouldn't like making love to a foul human with the scent of death and fermented ham in the baking sun."

He spat again, only this time to hit her face. He watched as his spit soaked onto her eye, drifting as it cascaded down her cheeks. Velvet remained unmoved. She kept her smile. The spit dropped to her lips where she used her tongue to partake on his 'offering.' The vampire snarled. "I love the taste of hate. It is something about you why Mistress wants to keep you alive." She gripped his hair, tugging it around her soft fingers and hit it against the wall.

He took the pain, already familiar to the abuse of the girls. "She did say you are a tough nut to crack." She returned the favor by spitting on his face. "Enjoy as this is your dinner." She lowered her lips next to his ear. "And the next time you do this to me, boy, I will give you a reason to spit on me." She licked underneath his ear.

"Velvet," interjected Coco. "Do not deviate from Mistress' orders."

The Faunus vampire turned to her colleague. "Of course!" She whispered into his burning ear. "When it is my time, I will show you no mercy!" She snarled, showcasing her fangs. "It will be then that I will give you the reason to hate me."

The lilac-smelling vampire pulled herself away from the imprisoned Izuku. Using her keys, she unlocked the chains. Izuku felt the heaviness of his arms dropping to his side. Even if he had the means to escape, he was too tired and depleted. Relying on one's salt could only do so much.

"So, what's going to happen to me?" It was the first time that his voice wavered. In his heart, he knew what was going to happen. It was the very words that the blonde told him on their first meeting.

I will turn you into my familiar.

Coco and Velvet didn't immediately answer. Each took him by his underarm and picked him up to his feet. He felt like gelatin. He felt like an infant taking his first steps. As they took slow, steady steps, the more their grins were creating a crescendo as they were stepping out of his cell. The pain of his soles along the stickiness of his blood was apparent. Nevertheless, he took the pain.

"We are going to take you to the baths where we will bathe you," answered Velvet after the prolonged silence. "We will clothe you and escort you to Mistress' quarters."

It was Coco that spoke next. "Until then, you are on a need-to-know basis." She forcibly nudged his back. "Now, shut it!"

Despite his pride for resistance, he must keep mum. Even his mentor, Aizawa, had told him that even under the most immense pressure, one must remain focused and grounded. Listening to the sound advice as if he was the owner of those words, he followed their orders. Even in the midst of the storm, he must abide by the rules of the enemy. Survival was a must before retaliation became a factor.

How long can it last? How long will it last? Will there be an end?

Pertinent questions that were now becoming answers. And with each step, he must be cautious. Especially if he wanted to survive another night.

To be continued….