Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an AU version of the Osaka Arc with differences from the original. Please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank by beta readers and editors, xLightningToki and Falchion1984 for their help in making this fic possible. On another note, I am always looking for more beta readers so if interested, please shoot me a message on or Archive of Our Own. I post this story on both sites. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 6: Fate of the Condemned
As was expected of all soldiers, Yuichiro, Mikaela, and the rest of the Shinoa and Satoshi Squads understood the importance of keeping their emotions in check if they wanted to survive on the battlefield. But, this had often proved much easier said than done. Especially when someone they had been forced into a temporary alliance with had seemingly betrayed them.
Not that anyone in the two squads ever trusted Ferid Bathory to begin with, of course. But now that they were in the presence of vampires even more powerful and unpredictable than him, both squads had no choice but to follow his instructions and let him do all the talking.
Had she not known it would be unwise to open her mouth at this moment, Yuichiro would have demanded that Ferid explain himself and what was going on. Judging from the look on his face, she could tell that Mikaela was struggling to control his own mixed emotions. However, neither of them could deny that they were also curious to see what Ferid intended by bringing two squads of teenage humans, not to mention one recently turned vampire, to meet his superiors.
Yuichiro had an uneasy feeling that they were about to find out real soon. And it probably wasn't going to be anything good.
Giving his usual cheerful and carefree smile, a bold move considering whom he was speaking to, Ferid greeted Urd Geales, Lest Karr, and the rest of the Progenitor Council as though they were merely casual friends of his. Even Crowley, who normally cared very little about what Ferid did, found his behavior alarming, though he was far better at concealing his thoughts and concerns than the humans and fledgling vampire they were traveling with.
But like everyone else, Crowley chose to remain silent and allowed the other vampire lord to speak, hoping that Ferid would be the only one to face the brunt of the Progenitor Council's displeasure if he made a slip of the tongue.
"Thank you so very much, my lords and ladies, for graciously making such a long journey from Russia and the rest of Europe. I trust your trip was plea—"
But before Ferid could utter another word, Lest quickly lashed out, faster than even Ferid's own eyes could see, and plunged a hand into his chest cavity, startling him as well as his unwitting allies, and pulled out his still-beating heart.
Being in closer proximity to Ferid than the others except for Mikaela, Yuichiro got an unfortunate close-up view of the silver-haired vampire lord's heart being ripped out of his chest in an almost gleeful manner. Somehow, the gruesome act was made even worse by the fact that outwardly, the vampire lord who committed it appeared only as a frail child.
Ignoring the blood that now stained his white gloves and dripped onto his pristine 19th-century-style clothing, Lest playfully squeezed Ferid's heart like it was a rubber toy and gave a child-like yet sinister smile.
"Well, look what we have here! I always thought you didn't have a heart, but it looks like I was wrong! But now that it's no longer in your body, you should be turning into a demon real soon; I just wonder how long it will take!"
For the first time in his life, Ferid found a joke unamusing, especially now that it was on him. He doubled over in pain and clutched his chest tightly, attempting to quell the flow of blood from the gaping hole in it.
Out of instinct rather than genuine concern for the silver-haired vampire lord, Yuichiro found her hands darting to the hilt of her sword. Crowley quickly noticed and gently, but firmly, placed a hand on her sword arm.
"Still your hand, Miss Hyakuya," he warned quietly. "This is just a game he plays. Ferid will be all right, trust me."
Yuichiro gulped but obeyed, forcing herself to relax and hoping that Crowley was right. Even though neither she nor Mikaela bore any love for Ferid, they still needed him to reveal Krul's whereabouts and provide the drug she needed to keep her demon and seraph under control.
"A very sporting jest, m'lord! Might I ask why?" Ferid gasped in pain, his skin becoming even paler than usual from rapid blood loss.
Lest's smile vanished and he became serious as he quickly got to the point. "Because you're an insubordinate pain in the ass," he answered harshly, ironically repeating Kureto's words to Guren prior to the attack on Nagoya.
Though it was a far cry from his normally refined speech, Lest Karr decided to add insult to injury by denying Ferid the courtesy of a more polite scolding for his flippant attitude towards his betters.
"Now, tell me where Krul Tepes is. And choose your words wisely, Ferid," the child-like vampire lord warned.
Struggling against the pain in his chest, Ferid managed to answer in a raspy voice.
"At.. my manor, Lord Karr…"
"And where is that?" Lest asked in a less-than-patient tone, ignoring the fact that losing his heart made it difficult for Ferid to speak coherently.
"Nearby…," he managed to gag.
Lest gave Ferid a look of disbelief. "Is that a joke? You are only a seventh progenitor while Krul is a third like myself. She would have torn you to pieces before you could even get near her."
Ferid said nothing, but everyone noticed demonic markings appearing on his face and his eyes glazed over, blood leaking out of his mouth, rendering him unable to speak even if he wanted.
Urd also noticed as well, and decided to put an end to his subordinate's games.
"That's enough, Lest. Ferid is becoming a demon. Return his heart," the blond vampire lord commanded. *1*
Knowing better than to disobey his liege, Lest complied with a sigh of disdain and roughly shoved Ferid's heart back into his chest, knowing that Ferid's vampiric healing would quickly re-attach it to his body.
However, such a feat was not without its after-effects. As soon Ferid's heart was back in his chest and the hole over it closed and mended itself, the silver-haired vampire lord felt a ravenous thirst come over him and quickly turned to the human closest to his reach.
Which, unfortunately, was Yuichiro.
Before she could react, Ferid quickly grabbed Yuichiro and sunk his fangs into her neck just as he had back at the seaside village. And like before, it had happened so fast, Yuichiro practically felt it before she even knew it was coming.
This time, it was Mikaela who found himself reaching for his sword, feeling the uncontrollable urge to rip out Ferid's heart himself and let him become a demon now that he knew how the silver-haired vampire lord could be harmed. It wasn't bad enough that the bastard had put his hands on, (and fangs into), the girl Mika loved—and in front of him, no less!—not once, but twice.
As he had done with Yuu earlier, Crowley quickly placed his hand on Mika's arm, albeit a bit more roughly, to stop him from doing something stupid since he knew Mika was far more concerned for Yuu than she had been for Ferid when Lest attacked him.
"Don't move, Hyakuya," he warned. "Or you may end up getting us all killed including your dear 'sister'."
Mikaela glared at Crowley, but forced himself to calm down because he knew the maroon-haired vampire lord was right. He also knew that Ferid wouldn't kill Yuichiro. He probably couldn't anyway, due to the seraph's power inside her. But that didn't mean Mikaela liked seeing her violated like this, and the blond made a silent vow to deal with the bastard later once it was safer to do so.
As soon as he made sure the younger vampire would not act rashly, Crowley finally released him. Like before, Mika thought he could see a look of sympathy in his eyes. *2*
By now, Yuichiro herself was used to getting bitten, so she was able to recover from her shock quickly and shove Ferid away. Everyone watched in awkward silence as Ferid finally released her, even having the courtesy of placing Yuu back on her feet since she was conscious this time. Were it not for the strength and stamina her seraph and demon's power had granted her, Yuu might have passed out from the sudden loss of blood. Especially since Ferid hadn't exactly taken just a few sips due to the energy his body required to re-attach his torn-out heart.
Placing a hand on her neck where she had been bitten, Yuichiro felt the holes from Ferid's fangs healing and the pain subsiding fast, but the mental blow was still present.
"Fuck you, bastard!" she snarled, glaring at the silver-haired vampire lord as if her gaze alone could rip him apart.
As usual, Ferid was unoffended by Yuu's words, as though he was so fond of her that nothing she did or said could offend him.
Instead, the shameless bastard gave Yuichiro a teasing grin now that he was back to his usual self.
"I know you would, my dear," Ferid chuckled. "But I doubt little Mika would be happy about that."
Both Yuichiro and Mikaela gave Ferid a look of disgust, and were it not for their current situation, both Hyakuyas would have turned on him, with Yuu cutting out his vulgar tongue and Mika cutting out his heart so they could enjoy watching him turn into a demon together.
Urd, who had witnessed the entire spectacle in silence, rolled his eyes. For he was a man of few words and did not like wasting his breath unless he deemed it necessary.
"Ferid, who're these children?" he inquired calmly, pointing to Yuu and Mika while ignoring the rest of their friends in the Shinoa and Satoshi squads. It was quite apparent that Urd was curious about why Ferid paid more attention to Yuu and Mika than the other human teens accompanying them.
"Why, they're my lovely little pets!" the silver-haired vampire lord answered in a light-hearted tone, obviously not learning his lesson after just having his heart ripped out of his chest by an irritated Lest Karr and nearly turning into a demon himself.
Taking Ferid's words to mean that the blond vampire youth and raven-haired human girl were his personal concubines, Urd frowned in slight disapproval.
"Did you somehow forget that it is illegal to drink blood directly from humans, Ferid?"
Ferid merely shrugged his shoulders. It was no secret that vampire nobles often took humans as well as weaker vampires as concubines, and even Urd knew this. He was simply irked that Ferid had the gall to openly brag about having human pets and not at least pretend to obey the laws of their people.
"Yes, that's true, my lord, but only in the capital. And, since Sanguinem has fallen, the law isn't exactly enforceable anymore, don't you think?"
Lest shot Ferid a dirty look. "The capital fell because you were incompetent! How you lost Sanguinem to a bunch of inferior humans, I will never understand!"
Ferid raised his arms in mock apology as if daring the child-like vampire lord to attack him again after Urd had strictly prohibited it.
"Please, m'lord! I did my best considering that the humans had a seraph-possessed human on their side as a weapon, isn't that right, Crowley? I tried ever so hard!"
Ferid turned to the vampire lord in question as if asking for his confirmation. Crowley said nothing but gave him a smirk as if telling Ferid that he wasn't going to cover his ass. As far as Crowley was concerned, if Ferid was going to try this ploy, then he was on his own.
Urd was about to open his mouth to chastise Ferid yet again when his powerful vampiric senses picked up the faint presence of one as ancient and powerful as himself. That, and he could smell the blood of one more yet to be known to him. Lest and the other lower-ranking nobles failed to notice, but the child-like vampire lord was sensitive to his liege's moods, however subtle and controlled they were, and gave him a look of concern.
"Is something the matter, my lord?" he asked, genuinely curious to know what had suddenly caught Urd's attention, and was startling enough to make him forget his displeasure towards Ferid and shift his gaze towards the city ruins in the distance.
Urd said nothing but allowed his far-reaching gaze to pierce the distance towards Ferid's luxurious Osaka mansion.
Which also happened to be the prison of a certain vampire queen. And she wasn't alone.
As if sensing the other vampire lord's presence, Saito gave a nonchalant look towards Urd's direction. And despite being weakened and restrained, Krul felt it, too.
"Damn," she cursed under her breath. "They're close. It won't be long before they find this place."
Although his calm expression did not change, Krul could tell that Saito was, in fact, in agreement and concerned with the near-presence of their fellow vampire progenitors. Particularly the one who now led vampire society in place of the first progenitor who had mysteriously vanished over a millennium ago.
"Indeed," Saito agreed before turning back to Krul and finally bringing something to her attention that she had failed to notice earlier due to her irritation with him. "However, there is something else that requires our attention."
Confused, Krul stared at Saito and could not help but repress a shudder as she felt his fingertips brush against the side of her neck. Although he was gentle, his touch was even colder than ice.
"You're bleeding, my queen," Saito pointed out as he pressed a finger to a cut on the side of Krul's neck. Drawing back his hand, she could see that, in addition to her blood, there was a transparent gel-like substance on his fingertips as well.
"I see…" he said with wry amusement. "Under normal circumstances, any injuries you sustain would be healed instantly. Yet this wound refuses to close. It looks like some strange ointment has been rubbed onto it to prevent that."
Had he been a human or a weaker vampire, and if Krul had not been restrained, Saito's head would have been sliced clean off his body for daring to touch the pink-haired vampire queen without her permission.
Not that Krul hadn't been tempted to try it anyway, despite her predicament as well as the fact that Saito was stronger than herself.
"What are you getting at?" she demanded as she tried, unsuccessfully, to move away from the former second progenitor.
Saito said nothing but inched his face closer to her neck and, without warning, licked the blood mingled with the strange ointment, right off her neck.
Krul grimaced, her expression a mixture of shock and disgust at the feeling of Saito's rough, cat-like tongue against her skin. While the stinging sensation wasn't bad, she mentally reeled. Had her hands been free, the fallen vampire queen would have slapped him across the face as hard as she could for his audacity. The fact that Saito had been a higher-ranking progenitor would not have mattered. Even Lest Karr, Krul's most hated rival, would not have violated her personal space in this manner.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she hissed.
"I simply licked the ointment off, since I don't have a handkerchief on me at the moment", Saito answered humorously as turned his gaze towards the Osaka Bay Port. "But it seems I'm too late. He knows we're here."
Meanwhile, at the port, the vampire lord in question narrowed his eyes and finally turned in the direction of Ferid's mansion.
"I smell blood," Urd finally answered. "But the scent suddenly vanished. No matter, however. I already know where they are."
The child-like vampire lord was confused at his liege's answer.
"I beg your pardon? Whatever do you mean, my lord?"
"Never mind that, Lest; I've no time to explain. Just come with me," Urd commanded.
And without another word, Urd Geales vanished from sight, dashing towards Ferid's mansion with a speed that made Crowley Eusford look like a turtle by comparison when he left Ferid to chase down the Shinoa and Satoshi Squads at the seaside village, moving faster than even Lest's eyes could see.
Not that he needed to actually see Urd to know where he was heading. Ignoring Ferid's smug grin, Lest wasted no time obeying the blond vampire lord and made his way to Ferid's mansion with haste.
SSSSSS
Saito's nose wrinkled with distaste as he realized what had just happened. He had always been dismayed by his "son's" constant scheming and this time was no different. Except that Ferid had really outdone himself this time, if he was able to manipulate even the other vampire progenitors into targeting Saito himself.
Including the one who had most reason to despise him.
"I see. It seems this was a trap meant for me after all. Really, it's been centuries; my 'son' really needs to learn how to let go. Now then, what to do? Should I leave or allow it to play out?"
Although unsure of what Saito had meant, Krul knew that whatever it was, it wasn't anything good and she needed to get out of this prison as soon as possible. The pink-haired vampire queen may have loathed having to ask anyone for help, especially from someone who had just violated her personal space, Krul knew that she had little choice.
Gritting her teeth, Krul gave Saito a pleading look, swallowed her pride, and begged.
"Hey, please don't leave me here! Take me with—"
But before she could utter another word, both Krul and Saito heard the loud shattering of a window and saw none other than Urd Geales forcing his way into the hallway of Ferid's mansion. Glass flew everywhere but the blond vampire lord ignored the shards that cut into his flesh, including one that barely missed his left eye. Not that it mattered, since any injury he sustained healed instantly. Right now, Urd's attention was focused on one thing only: Saito.
The former second progenitor seemed unimpressed by the cold look of contempt on his rival's face and braced himself for the attack he knew was coming.
Instead of drawing his sword right away, Urd drew back his fist as if to strike Saito, but his rival was just slightly faster and caught him by the wrist in a grip that would have easily and effortlessly crushed the bones of a human or common vampire.
"Tsk, tsk, dear brother!" Saito teased with a smirk. "You know, some people would just come in through the front door after knocking!"
Urd glared at Saito, un-amused by the other vampire lord's condescending remark. Even though they were supposed to be equal in power as second progenitors, Saito had always been able to do everything Urd could but better, even if only slightly. *3*
And they both knew this fact irked him more than anything.
"Cut the bullshit, Rigr Stafford!" Urd snarled, calling Saito by his true name and finally letting emotion show on his face for the first time in the centuries since they had last exchanged words. "It was you behind all of this, wasn't it!?"
Were it not for the anger marring Urd's handsome features and his contemptuous words, Saito would have thought his "brother" was here to greet him. Nevertheless, Saito couldn't resist the urge to push Urd's buttons further.
"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about, Lord Geales!" he answered in a mocking tone. "And to think that, after all this time, you would be happy to see me!"
Had it anyone else, the blond vampire lord would not have taken the bait. But since it was Saito, and the fact that old grudges die hard, Urd fell for it, hook, line, and sinker, finally jerking his wrist out of Saito's grip and reaching for his weapon.
If he had wished it, Saito could have made that quite inconvenient for his "brother". Instead, he smiled and chose to humor Urd by letting go of him without a struggle.
"My sword, drink of me…" the blond vampire lord murmured as he reached for his trusted weapon, a beautiful jewel-adorned shamshir *4* that was, ironically, gifted to him by their "father", the first progenitor.
Instead of being intimidated, Saito found the gesture rather amusing.
"My, I see you're still hanging onto that rusty thing despite your grudge against dear old dad. But then again, you always took pride in the Persian half of your human heritage even if you like to pretend otherwise." *5*
By now, Urd was done talking and took a swing at Saito. The other vampire lord quickly moved to dodge it but wasn't fast enough this time and Urd felt a small twinge of twisted satisfaction when he saw that he had succeeded in slicing Saito's right arm clean off his body.
"I'm disappointed, Rigr. You've become slower than I thought," he mocked.
Were he still human, Urd would have smiled in pleasure for he was sure that losing an arm would finally wipe the smug grin off his rival's face.
But, he was wrong. Dead wrong.
"Have I?" Saito teased, the mocking smile never leaving his face. "It's not like I actually required that arm. You may have it if it pleases you, my brother."
Urd was about to ask Saito what he meant when he finally noticed long chains with sharp blades bursting out the stump of Saito's severed arm and flying in his direction. Forgetting his rival for a moment, Urd was forced to defend himself against the unworldly projectiles, batting some away with his sword and slicing through others.
But even he wasn't fast enough to fend all the chains off as one managed to pierce and embed itself in the side of his neck, drawing blood and causing Urd to grimace in pain as he felt the curse marks spread from his neck to his face.
Not wanting to find out what effects this unknown weapon could have on his body, Urd quickly tore the blade from his neck while ignoring the pain from whatever poison it was coated with, another alarming oddity since vampires were normally not susceptible to human vulnerabilities such as poison. Even though the injury wasn't fatal for him, it was not lost on Urd that the wound took slightly longer to heal than it would have if he had been injured by a normal weapon.
"What the hell was that?!" Urd demanded as he flung the cursed chain and blade away and watched as the chains that had burst out of the stump darted towards the arm he had severed from Saito's body, dragged it back to its former position, and the limb reattached itself.
As if that weren't shocking enough, Urd spotted his rival, not hanging upside-down from the ceiling, but rather standing on it through another pair of chains that seemed to have burst from his feet and fastened his body to the ceiling as though he was standing right-side up.
"Oh, do you mean this?" Saito asked, waving at Urd playfully with the arm he had sliced off just moments before after it had reattached itself to his body. "How do you like it? It's a curse that I've been working on for centuries with the help of humans."
Urd's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you getting at, Rigr? Even when I sliced off your arm, I couldn't smell your blood. What exactly are you now?"
Saito gave Urd a nonchalant look as if he couldn't care less that the blond vampire lord's words weren't meant as a compliment.
"Me? I'm clearly not the problem here. How long do you plan to continue bumbling about as a vampire? You do realize that's why 'father' abandoned you, no?"
Urd scowled. "So? He abandoned you as well in case you haven't noticed," he shot back coldly.
To that, Saito threw his head back and laughed. But it was a mirthless laughter that told Urd that he had struck a nerve with the other vampire lord.
"Ha, ha! Nothing gets past you, does it, Urd? Then I guess we're both orphans, are we not, 'brother'?"
For as long as he could remember, Urd Geales always hated it when Rigr, or "Saito", as he now called himself, uttered what he perceived to be utter nonsense.
"What are you really after, Rigr?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
Instead of answering Urd's question, Saito posed one of his own, another habit of his that Urd had always hated though he refused to admit to such.
"The real question here is what do you want, my dear brother? Are you content to live pointlessly, century after century, faithfully upholding the rules set down by a father who carelessly abandoned us as well as our vampire brothers and sisters? Surely even you must be tired of it by now."
For the first time in centuries, a look of uncertainty married Urd Geales' stoic expression, and he hesitated to answer.
"I…" he began, not sure of what to say, doubt being another emotion he had spent centuries suppressing.
Not moving from his spot, Saito gave Urd a look of amusement the way a child would with his younger and naiver sibling instead of the ancient immortal vampire that he was.
"You seem to be struggling, dear brother, so I'll be gracious enough to save you the trouble. After all, we are children of the first progenitor. So, just like real siblings, why don't we just make up and stop poking our noses in each other's business? If you insist, I'll leave you to carry on with your meaningless existence. You can have the rest of the world; I couldn't care less. Just leave Japan to me, all right? This land is my playground."
Urd wasn't certain why his so-called brother was so fixated with Japan of all places, but he also knew that whatever it was, nothing good could come of it. So, in good conscience, he couldn't just sit idly by and allow the other vampire lord to do as he pleased.
"Sorry, Rigr, but I don't trust your word and will not listen to any requests from you," he replied frostily as he drew back his shamshir to attack again.
Saito smiled coldly as if expecting such an answer from the other vampire lord.
"I'd thought you'd say that, Urd. As I suspected, you haven't changed one bit since the last time we exchanged words. But aren't you forgetting something?"
Before Urd could answer, Saito reached out and another cursed chain burst out from his hand. But instead of going for the blond vampire lord, the chain suddenly changed direction and wrapped itself around Krul's neck before jerking her out of the wall she was embedded in with such force that pieces of it flew out everywhere as though a bomb secreted in the stone had gone off.
With his vampiric reflexes, Urd batted away the flying stone fragments and caught Krul in his arms, holding the pink-haired vampire queen close and shielding her as if she were the fragile young girl she appeared to be, not realizing that this was exactly what Saito was counting on until he saw the former second progenitor making a break for the door.
Lest, who had arrived just slightly after Urd and now stood in the doorway, watched the entire exchange in silence without intervening, found himself confused when he saw Saito heading in his direction.
Feeling the unfamiliar sensation of what he assumed humans call "panic" rising in his chest, Lest frantically looked towards his liege as if asking what he should do, and Urd didn't waste a second telling him.
"Lest, stop Rigr! Do whatever it takes!" the blond vampire lord shouted, knowing he was hindered by having to keep Krul Tepes safe. Or, rather to ensure that she didn't get away, since the pink-haired vampire queen had a lot of explaining to do.
Having seen Saito's abilities firsthand and how even Urd Geales struggled against them, Lest hesitated at first, but eventually obeyed and attempted to block Saito's escape.
However, the former second progenitor was not to be deterred. Saito did not even see Lest as a serious obstacle or threat, and it was not simply due to his child-like appearance.
"You're in my way, child, now move along!"
Before Lest even had a chance to decide whether to move forward or retreat, Saito made a quick swipe with two of his fingers and created a gust of wind that easily sliced through the third progenitor's torso, cutting him in half from his right shoulder down to his left hip.
With Lest Karr completely incapacitated, if not dead, Saito easily got through the door and made his escape, causing Urd to curse under his breath.
"Damn, there's no catching him now."
Were it not for the fact that he had Krul and now Lest to worry about, Urd would have gone after Saito himself. Lest seemed to have sensed his lord's displeasure and did his best to pull himself, quite literally, together again. Urd could do nothing but watch as the younger vampire lord willed his spilled entrails back into his severed body before using his vampiric healing abilities to close the wound once his two halves were close enough.
After taking a few exhausted breaths, Lest finally sat up and gave his liege a contrite expression.
"I apologize for my failure, Lord Geales. It is my fault that…thing got away."
Instead of being angry, Urd gave Lest a sympathetic look. "No, do not blame yourself. I am the one who should apologize for sending you after Rigr when I struggled against him myself," he admitted.
Relieved that Urd was not displeased with him, Lest turned to the other one present to demand an explanation.
"So? Are you going to explain yourself, Krul? What was that thing we saw just now?"
Unsure of how to answer since she didn't know herself, Krul remained silent and merely gazed in the direction of Saito's escape.
SSSSSS
Saito slowed to a halt when he was sure that Urd, Lest, and Krul were not going to pursue him, at least, not for the moment. Looking around, he found himself in what appeared to be a beautiful courtyard with an exquisite marble fountain that appeared to be as well maintained as the rest of the garden around it.
He also immediately noticed that he wasn't alone; there was someone there waiting for him. It was a tall and elegantly dressed silver-haired vampire lord with the build of a high-fashion runway model, and this vampire was one he knew very well.
Ferid smiled at his sire, the one who had lured him into the existence of the damned all those centuries ago.
"Greetings, 'father'. How many centuries has it been since we last met? I must say that I really like your new look, that black hair and those gray eyes suit you very well. It reflects your own colorless and marble-like heart to a 'T'."
Saito found himself amused at his "son's" remark.
"Oh? I find that to be quite ironic coming from you, Ferid. Have you seen your own reflection in the mirror lately? In any case, I am in a bit of a hurry and don't have time to chit-chat, so kindly move aside and let me through."
Ferid grinned, knowing very well the reason for his sire's haste, but decided to play dumb.
"Why? What's the hurry, 'father'? We haven't spoken in so long, so why can't you spare a few moments for your son?"
"Feigning ignorance will not work with me, Ferid," Saito replied impatiently, a look of genuine annoyance crossing his features. *6*
"Then why don't you kill me, then?" Ferid dared. "You have slain others for much less."
"And if I try, it will simply trigger another trap, will it not?"
Ferid shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? You may, however, regret not getting rid of me when you had the chance. So, are you going to take it or not?"
As if in answer, Saito made the same gesture with his hands that he did before slicing Lest Karr in half to see how Ferid would react. Unlike what he had expected, his so-called son did not even flinch and stood his ground without a trace of fear in his eyes.
"I see…" the former second progenitor said when realization dawned upon him. Ferid had wanted to see if he had cared enough for him to not end his life. Or, rather, it was the opposite. But either way, Saito couldn't spare the time.
Instead, Saito smiled and gently patted Ferid on the head as though he was a child, much to the surprise and dismay of the younger vampire lord.
"Well, I certainly chose an odd one to turn into a vampire. I've decided to let you off easy today, my son. Next time, I'll not be so forgiving to your little pranks. Understood?"
Without even waiting for Ferid's reaction, Saito simply walked past him as if he were nothing more than an insect beneath his notice. Ferid, on the other hand, frowned in disappointment, but said nothing and allowed him to leave. For even he wasn't brazen enough to think he could hinder, much less harm his creator.
So distracted was he by his thoughts that Ferid failed to notice Crowley approaching until the other vampire lord cleared his throat to catch his attention.
When he had finally noticed Crowley's presence, Ferid resumed his cheerful demeanor. Though, this time, his companion could tell that it was forced and not genuine.
"Why, hello, my friend. I'm sorry 'father' couldn't stick around to meet you. What a disappointment because I was looking forward to introducing you two!"
Crowley, however, wasn't sure he shared the sentiment. "So, the blood you fed me was from that monster?"
Ferid laughed. "Yes, that was our 'father'. Are you sure you shouldn't have said 'hello'?"
Crowley shook his head. "Uh, no. I'll have to pass on that. Whatever he is now, killing him would be nigh impossible for the likes of us."
As he always did, Ferid brushed off Crowley's concerns like they were no big deal.
"Are you sure? Weren't you the one always saying you relish a challenge?"
Crowley looked in the direction that Saito had left and even he had to repress a shudder. He may have been a proud warrior but, like Ferid, Crowley knew better than to think he would stand a chance against the vampire who sired him. Especially if even Urd Geales and Lest Karr also struggled and failed in that department.
"I'm afraid that monster would be too much of a challenge, even for us," he admitted.
Instead of being annoyed that Crowley didn't take the bait, Ferid merely suggested what he thought to be the next best idea.
"Not to worry, my friend! All we need first is a bit of practice. We can start by killing fifth progenitors and work our way up! By the time we can take down Lord Karr and Lord Geales, we should be able to handle father as well!"
To that, Crowley rolled his eyes even though he knew that this wasn't the first time Ferid had presented a hare-brained scheme to him.
"And how, pray tell, do we do that?" he asked.
Ferid smiled before his expression became serious again. "Oh, that's easier than you think, my dear Crowley! All we have to do is ask the humans for help. They are, after all, experts at killing things far greater than they are, after all."
SSSSSS
"Are you all right, Yuu-chan?" Mikeala asked in concern as he gently placed his arms around her shoulders to steady her.
Fortunately for them, with both Urd Geales and Lest Karr absent, the other vampire progenitors and their soldiers left them to their own devices so the two squads retreated to the bus that Ferid and Crowley used to transport them to Osaka Bay. As for their vampire escorts, both had quietly slipped away themselves as soon as they were sure Urd and Lest were too distracted to mind what they did.
"I'm alright, Mika," the girl in question assured even as she leaned into his gentle embrace from where they both sat at the end of the bus. Their other companions remained on the lookout in case Urd, Lest, Ferid, or Crowley returned. "If Ferid's assault didn't kill me the first time, I'm sure it won't kill me now. I do, however, feel a bit hungry. What have we got to eat around here? Meat would be preferable."
Were they taken out of context, Yuichiro's worlds would have alarmed everyone present. Still, an awkward silence hung in the air as nobody knew how to answer her inquiries about food.
Kimizuki gave Yuichiro an incredulous stare. "I can't believe you're thinking about food now, of all times, Yuu..."
"Well, we haven't brought any snacks, and I don't see any restaurants around here, Miss Hyakuya…" Satoshi began before looking to Narumi for suggestions since he was the elder and more experienced squad leader.
As if the brunet sergeant needed to be reminded of that. Without Guren and his friends, the responsibility of guiding the junior squads fell to him.
"Well, now that Ferid and Crowley have practically abandoned us, the most logical thing to do would be to get the hell out of here," Narumi answered with a roll of his eyes.
Shinoa scowled as if his suggestion was anything but logical. "Sure, Narumi-san. But how do you suggest we do that when there are so many vampires around? The only reason they're ignoring us is because their leader is absent. But, if we were to make any sudden moves, who knows how they'll react?"
"But Yuu is hungry," Yoichi reminded them. "Ferid did take a lot of her blood. Why don't you all stay here while I go find something for her to eat?"
Everyone stared at Yoichi as if he were crazy.
"Are you nuts, Saotome!?" Takeshi hissed as he pointed out one of the bus windows. "Go out there alone and you'll be the one that ends up as food!"
Yoichi was about to argue but Mitsuba cut him off. "He's right, Yoichi. It's just too risky, not just for you but for all of us."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Risa asked nervously. "It's going to be risky for us no matter what."
"Yeah," Riku agreed. "That vampire lord, Urd Geales, I believe his name was, seemed nice enough not to order his minions to kill us outright, but we have no idea if that might change when he returns."
As soon as he was sure Yuichiro would be fine for the time being, Mikaela finally stood up and offered his own suggestion for their current predicament.
"It's alright. I'll speak to the other vamps to better assess our situation and what we should do next. For now, it's best that you all stay here and not draw attention to yourselves."
Since no one else had a better idea, everyone agreed to Mika's plan and Satoshi opened the bus door to let him out.
"Good luck, Hyakuya. I really hope you know what the hell you're doing," the blue-haired squad leader told him quietly.
Mika smirked, knowing that Satoshi had spoken the same words to Shinoa back at Nagoya when he chose to side with her against the rest of the Demon Army.
"If you trust Shinoa, then you can trust me," the blond said coolly. "Just look after Yuu-chan and make sure she's all right."
"Of course, you have my word," Satoshi promised before letting Mikaela exit the bus and closing the door after him.
"Hey, Sato, do you think Hyakuya will be alright?" Daisuke asked worriedly, his brows furrowing in concern as he looked out the now-shattered windshield of the bus and watched the blond vampire in question approach two other vampire soldiers that he seemed familiar with.
Satoshi could not help but smile at his red-headed friend. "Concerned, Dai? I thought you didn't trust the guy since he's a vamp."
"Well, yeah, I didn't have a very high opinion of him at first, but he's proven himself far more trustworthy than that Ferid dude," Daisuke confessed. "And he's the only one we can depend on in this situation."
Satoshi said nothing but nodded in agreement. All they could do for now was watch over Yuichiro as promised, and trust that Mikaela would be able to get the information they needed.
Although Mika heard every word exchanged by Satoshi and Daisuke with his sharp vampiric hearing, he paid them no mind as he approached Lacus and René, whom he had not seen for the last few weeks since he chose to abandon the vampire army and flee with the Shinoa and Satoshi Squads.
Normally, that would have gotten him branded as a traitor. But, at the moment, the vampire progenitors and army had more pressing concerns than hunting down one lone deserter.
Even if he was the adopted son of the fallen vampire queen, Krul Tepes.
Lacus, chatty as always, smiled and waved to catch Mikaela's attention.
"Hey, Mika! Long time, no see, buddy! How ya been?"
Although he sounded cheerful enough, Mikaela knew that nothing that came out of the other vampire's mouth was sincere or genuine. Especially where Mika himself was concerned.
As always, René chose to remain silent and allowed Lacus to do all the talking even though Mikaela could see a hint of concern in his ruby eyes.
"Never mind that, Lacus. What exactly is going on here? I'd like to know what's happening."
Lacus grinned. "Straight to the point as always, eh, little Mika? Well, if you must know, we're going to retake Sanguinem, that's what!"
Mikaela frowned slightly at the news. Of course, he wouldn't know since he spent the last few weeks hiding away in a deserted seaside village helping the Shinoa and Satsohi Squads care for Yuichiro until she finally awoke from her seraph-induced slumber.
But Lacus failed to notice as his expression became solemn after giving Mikaela the news. "I still can't believe it, though. Who would've thought that the humans would succeed in taking Sanguinem of all places?"
Meanwhile, back inside the old bus, Yoichi quietly left Yuichiro in the care of his other squad mates and joined Satoshi and Daisuke out of curiosity to see what Mikaela was up to. Curiosity turned to shock, and worry when he caught sight of the blond speaking to a familiar lavender-haired vampire soldier.
Yoichi's reaction did not go unnoticed by the other two boys, and they looked at him with concern.
"Say, what's wrong, Yoichi?" Daisuke inquired. "You look kinda pale."
Following Yoichi's gaze, Satoshi caught sight of Lacus as well. Although he had never seen this particular vampire before, he could tell by the other boy's reaction that he recognized him.
"Do you know that vampire, Saotome?" Satoshi asked, turning back to Yoichi.
The brunet boy did not answer right away. Instead, his mind wandered back to the past, on the night of the apocalypse…
SSSSSS
"Yoichi! Don't come out from under the bed, no matter what, okay!?"
Eight-year-old Yoichi Saotome wanted to protest as his beloved elder sister shoved him under the bed. But before he could say anything, the door to their room burst open and a vampire soldier with shoulder-length lavender hair burst in and grabbed Tomoe before she could even scream. It took less than five seconds before he sucked her dry and dropped her lifeless body to the floor. From his hiding spot under the bed, little Yoichi witnessed everything and prepared to die himself since he knew there was no way the dangerous intruder wouldn't eventually notice him as well.
Fortunately for him, another vampire soldier called out to the one who had just killed Tomoe, diverting his attention from potentially turning to Yoichi.
"Lacus! Stop messing around! We're being summoned to HQ!"
"Tsk, fine, Rene! You're such a killjoy!" the vampire named Lacus shot back in irritation but obeyed and left without realizing that there was indeed a witness to his vile act.
And that witness had survived to the present day…
SSSSSS
"Ahh…so Lacus was his name, yes? Looks like you do indeed remember the one who killed your dear sister, after all, Yoichi…"
Despite the unpleasant memory, the brunet boy knew his demon was trying to bait him and he resisted the urge to give in.
"Stop, Gekkouin!" Yoichi growled, using all of his mental strength to suppress his demon, forcing the curse marks that began to appear on his skin to vanish.
Like all demons, Gekkouin was not easily deterred, and Yoichi quickly found the real world fading around him. Before he knew it, he was back in his old home, in the very room where his sister had perished, and where he barely managed to escape death himself due to a stroke of luck on his part.
And Yoichi quickly realized that the wasn't alone. A demon with the appearance of a well-built young man in his late teens or early twenties clad in black leather garments that reminded Yoichi of American biker gangs, sat upon the bed facing him. Were it not for his fangs and the long horns jutting out of his temples, Gekkouin would have looked like any ordinary young man.
The demon looked as though he was about to say something, but Yoichi beat him to it.
"You can't fool me, Gekkouin. I know this isn't really my house, that this isn't really my room, and that's not really my sister's body that you were inconsiderate enough to make an illusion of," the brunet boy said harshly, making a gesture toward the fake corpse of Tomoe on the floor in front of his bed where Lacus had tossed her that fateful night after sucking her dry.
"Oh, so it looks like the little puppy boy has some bite after all," the demon chuckled. "Has it been so long that you've forgotten that your sister was murdered by that Lacus fellow over there? You should be filled with rage and wanting to kill him on the spot!"
As irked as he was, Yoichi forced himself to stay calm and not give in to his demon's goading.
"No, I haven't forgotten. And I never will," he said without emotion.
The demon grinned. Even though he was loathed to admit it, his human contractor was more feisty than he had originally thought.
And he liked that.
"Oh, really? In that case, just let me take over your body and I'll happily tear that Lacus bastard apart for you."
"How stupid do you think I am? Even if I allowed you to take over my body, it would be pointless because even you can't beat all those powerful vampire nobles at once."
"Oh? Is that what you're worried about? If that's the case, I can just get some help from those squad mates you're so fond of."
"No," Yoichi replied sternly. "I'm not getting my friends mixed up in my quest for revenge."
"Ok, well if you don't wanna ask them, let me take over and I'll…"
"This is my problem, not theirs," Yoichi shot back with a finality in his voice that dared Gekkouin to challenge his authority.
Which, unsurprisingly, he did.
"Well, what about that Hyakuya girl and her dear brother? They seem just fine and dandy using you and the others to get back at the vamps. Turnabout is fair play, after all."
Yoichi blinked and gave his demon a blank stare before his angelic face, as Yuichiro liked to call it, broke into an innocent smile.
"Well, that's completely different."
The demon raised his eyebrows at his human contractor's unexpected answer.
"Oh? How so?"
"Because, while Yuichiro may try to act tough since she thinks everyone underestimates her for being a girl, she is really the sweetest and kindest person there is. Even if the whole world is in shambles, she refuses to give up and does her best to protect those she cares about, including me. If I hadn't met her, I'm sure I would have been consumed and destroyed by hopelessness and despair by now."
To this strange answer, Gekkouin tilted his head to the side and gave his human contractor a curious look.
"Uh, huh… so are you implying that you aren't as nice as this Yuu girl you speak so highly of?"
Yoichi shook his head. "Me? Oh no, I'm just the opposite of Yuichiro. I may act all nice and sweet but I'm actually quite vile and can't ever let my friends know the truth."
The demon gave Yoichi a suspicious look, as if unsure whether or not to believe him.
"Really? Do tell…"
"Well…" the brunet boy began but paused to take in his demon's expression.
"Go on…" he pressed.
Yoichi's innocent expression vanished, and his seemingly innocent and angelic expression twisted into one of pure malice that even Gekkouin didn't think he was capable of making.
"When I finally get my hands on that Lacus bastard, I won't allow him to have a quick and clean death. I will see to it that it will be as slow and painful as possible, much so that when I'm through with him, he will beg me to allow him to die. But I don't want my friends to know that, especially Yuu. It will shatter the illusion they have of me being so pure and innocent. That's where you to come in, to help me maintain that illusion while I eliminate my target."
Gekkouin blinked at his contractor's startling confession before breaking out into laughter. He wasn't sure if the brunet boy was genuine or if it was all just an act, but either way, Yoichi's words impressed him. *7*
"Haha! You got it, Saotome! It looks like hanging around you is going to be fun, after all!"
SSSSSS
"Hey, Saotome! Earth to Yoichi! Are you there?"
Yoichi was snapped back to reality when he heard the concerned voices of Satoshi Hiwatari and Daisuke Niwa calling out to him.
Irritated, the brunet boy wanted to tell them to mind their own business when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Turning, Yoichi was surprised to find Yuichiro herself looking into his eyes, her own showing concern for him.
"Hey, Yoi, are you okay? You looked like you spaced out for a second there. Is your demon bothering you?"
As much as Yoichi disliked lying, especially to someone he grew to like and admire so much, he couldn't let anyone know of the conversation between Gekkouin and himself that had transpired only moments earlier.
Putting on his usual optimistic and cheery demeanor, the brunet boy laughed and did his best to assure Yuichiro and their other friends that he was just fine.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it's nothing. We've all been on edge so much recently that I think it's taking a toll on me. I'm not as strong as the rest of you, after all."
"Hmm… well, you do have a point. Ferid has been causing us all so much stress as of late. If you're not feeling well, maybe you should sit down for a bit and relax since we are safe for the moment. From what I've seen so far, these vamps will only act if their leader orders it."
Seeing his chance to get out of this awkward conversation, Yoichi happily took it.
"Yes, I think I will. Thank you, Yuu."
"Don't mention it, Yoi."
After seeing Yoichi off, Yuichiro turned her attention to Mikaela, who was speaking to two vampire soldiers she presumed to be his former allies in the vampire army. As Yuu had recalled, Mika told her that their names were Lacus and René, but he was not close to either of them nor did he consider the two his friends.
"Worried about Mika?" Shinoa asked quietly from behind Yuu.
"Always…" the girl in question replied without turning around to face her squad leader before changing the subject.
"Hey, Shinoa…"
"Yes?"
"Sorry for getting you and the others mixed up in all this."
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Shinoa asked curiously.
"Don't play dumb, Shinoa. You know that all Ferid is after are Seraph of the End guinea pigs like me and Mika. He couldn't care less about the rest of you."
Shinoa rolled her eyes. "I believe we've already been through this, Yuu…"
"Yes, we have. But now that we're trapped here with a horde of vampires…"
The purple-haired squad leader returned to her mischievous self and grinned as she finished the sentence for her unsuspecting subordinate.
"Then, you better take responsibility for getting us out of this, Miss Hyakuya!"
Yuichiro turned and scowled at her squad leader with Mitsuba rolling her eyes upon witnessing another ridiculous exchange between the two from where she sat a few seats down on the bus.
Not wanting to get involved in the awkward conversation between Yuichiro and Shinoa, the others pretended to be wrapped up in their own thoughts until something else finally caught Shinoa's attention.
"Everyone, look!" she exclaimed, pointing at the shattered windshield of the bus where something unexpected by all was unfolding outside.
Even Mikaela, Lacus, and René were surprised and stopped their conversation when they saw the missing vampire leaders return, but not in the way they had expected.
As they came closer, everyone could see Urd holding Krul by the scruff of her neck like an animal while Lest dragged Ferid behind him as though he were a sack of potatoes. The latter was a bit more degrading since Ferid was being dragged along the ground by his long silver ponytail. The unbecoming scene was a bit shocking to everyone present, humans and vampires alike.
"So, she did survive…" Yuichiro muttered as she leaned slightly over while taking care to avoid cutting herself on the broken glass of the windshield of the bus. Although Yuu had not heard Mika speak of Krul much during their time at the seaside village, she knew he still worried for her just as she had worried for Guren.
"Let me guess, that's the vampire queen Mikaela spoke of, right?" Satoshi asked, slightly adjusting his glasses to get a better view. "This is my first time getting a good look at her."
"Well, now that she's here, I guess that saves us the trouble of going to look for her," Daisuke half-joked. That comment got him a glare from Mitsuba.
"Yeah, fat good that does us! In case you haven't noticed, the queen isn't exactly in any position to help us now; she's obviously got problems of her own!"
"Not now, Mi-chan…" Shinoa warned quietly. After making sure her blonde subordinate got the hint, she turned back to Yuichiro, who was eyeing the fallen vampire queen with more concern than she had expected the other girl to have for a creature she was supposed to despise.
"What the hell's going on?" Yuu asked quietly, more to herself than anyone else.
"I haven't the slightest idea," Shinoa answered. "But whatever it is, it doesn't look good."
Yuu was about to reply when she spotted Ferid giving her somewhat of a mischievous look out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, I'll be damned…" she muttered. "I can't believe that bastard has the guts to wave at us."
"Nice of you to notice, Miss Hyakuya," Kimizuki commented with a roll of his eyes. "Are you thinking of waving back?"
Under somewhat more normal circumstances, Yuichio would have glared at the pink-haired boy and made a snarky reply to his idiotic question. Especially since he knew how she, as well as Mikaela, felt about Ferid. But (at the moment), Yuu's curiosity as well as concern for Krul Tepes, outweighed any annoyance she might have felt towards Kimizuki.
Unfortunately, there was nothing any of them could do for the moment but watch the situation unfold. Not the smallest reason for this being that the most likely reaction of vampires to humans butting into their business would be… unpleasant to say the least.
If there was one thing that didn't surprise anyone present, it was Ferid attempting to talk his way out of trouble with his silk tongue and honeyed words.
"Um, if I may, Lord Karr?"
The child-like vampire lord turned slightly to glance at Ferid. Although Lest didn't exactly voice his permission to allow Ferid to speak, the latter took the opportunity to do so anyway.
"If it pleases you, I'd like to say just one thing. I had nothing to do with any of this. Really. It was all Queen Krul's doing."
Lest, however, wasn't buying it. "You expect me to believe that? Even the humans and lower vampires know better than to trust your words. Furthermore, you are the direct progeny of that traitor, Rigr Stafford. There's no way you aren't involved somehow." *8*
Ferid smiled, knowing very well he was playing with fire by challenging Lest Karr's assessment.
"Oh? Then, by that logic, is it appropriate to assume that you and Lord Geales still maintain connections with the first progenitor, my lord?"
Upon seeing Lest hesitate, Ferid pushed his luck and went on. "No? Then it is the same for me. I haven't seen my 'father' for a thousand years," he insisted, purposely neglecting to mention that he had, in fact, seen Saito, less than an hour ago.
Despite Ferid succeeding in planting a seed of doubt in him, Lest continued to regard the silver-haired vampire lord with suspicion.
"I don't trust you," he growled. "I know there isn't anything you won't say or do to save your own skin, including throwing your allies 'under the bus', as humans put it."
Knowing that Lest was right, Ferid tried pleading his case to Urd instead. Despite being dragged by his hair, Ferid managed to turn his head to look in Urd's direction. Even though the blond vampire lord's back was turned to him, Ferid spoke up, knowing that there wasn't any way he wouldn't be heard by the second progenitor.
"Lord Geales, you understand, don't you? My 'father' isn't the sort to concern himself with the likes of me. If you'll kindly…"
Unfortunately for Ferid, Urd was not in the mood to listen to his ramblings.
"Lest, silence him," he ordered.
Lest did not hesitate and was more than happy to carry out Urd's order if it would get Ferid to finally shut his mouth. Releasing Ferid, he drew back his fist and struck the silver-haired vampire lord in his chest, placing enough force behind the blow to knock the wind out of Ferid, yet holding back just enough to not kill him.
Everyone, at least in the Shinoa and Satoshi Squads, cringed at the sound of Ferid's bones cracking. But they also knew that if he could survive being thrown out a bus window and landing on the asphalt, he could survive an assault by another vampire lord, providing that Lest's intent was not to kill.
Not that Krul's handling was much better despite being smart enough to keep her mouth shut, as Urd had demonstrated when he roughly shook her and made his announcement to the rest of their vampire brethren.
"As you can see, both traitors have been exposed and captured! I hereby sentence them to torture by sun exposure! Begin the preparations!"
It had been centuries since the pink-haired vampire queen had felt genuine fear and even longer since she expressed it. But there was no mistaking the terror on Krul's face when she heard her sentencing. Even the vampires as well as humans present were shocked by Urd's announcement.
"What!? Torture by sun exposure? Was the Queen of Japan's crime truly that great?" the vampire soldiers as well as other progenitors whispered among themselves.
After tossing Krul to the ground next to Ferid, Urd regarded both of the accused with a cold stare.
"First, both of you will be exposed to the sun's light for ten days. After that, I will give you a chance to plead your case. If I do not like what I hear then, it will only get worse for you both. So, think about it and choose your words wisely."
If vampires could sweat, even Ferid would be sweating buckets because he knew that this was no joke. But as always, he still refused to keep his mouth shut.
"W...why wait until then, my lord? I'm quite willing to talk now!" the silver-haired vampire lord insisted and this time, there was no mistaking the fear and desperation in his voice.
Urd ignored him and turned to one of his subordinates, a male noble vampire of average height and a rather delicate build with auburn hair, olive-toned skin, and a splash of freckles on his nose and cheeks.
"Ky Luc, I place you in charge of carrying out their sentence," Urd said calmly as he nodded toward Krul and Ferid.
The noble in question stepped forward and made a bow to his liege. Like all vampire nobles, Ky Luc was elegantly dressed and much older than the twenty-odd years his outward appearance might suggest. Unlike Urd and Lest, who favored late 19th-century European attire, the fifth progenitor favored early 20th-century fashions of the wealthy American elite.
"Your wish is my command, Lord Geales. I can handle Ferid with no issues. But Her Majesty, Queen Krul, might be another matter as a third progenitor…"
"You need not worry, they will be bound," Urd assured. "Besides, if my brother, Rigr Stafford, is the one pulling the strings, these two should know nothing. They are no more than pawns in his schemes, so there should be no trouble."
Ky Luc relaxed a bit upon hearing Urd's words. "I see. Very well, my lord, I shall proceed to carry out your orders."
In a final desperate attempt to change Urd's mind, Ferid spoke up once more, a part of him hoping the blond vampire lord would finally lose patience and kill him outright so that he wouldn't have to endure what he knew was to come.
"Um, excuse me, Lord Geales? If you already know that, then what is the point of torturing us?"
Knowing exactly what Ferid was playing at, Urd suppressed the slight urge to decapitate him then and there. Glaring at Krul and Ferid, Urd Geales gave them his final warning.
"You allowed Sanguinem to fall into human hands. Such gross incompetence must be punished. As for the rest of us, we will retake the city and clean up the mess that you two allowed to happen. We will return in ten days. If you fail to justify your actions, your sentence will be transmuted from exposure to eternal torment. Should that happen, you will wish I simply had you executed; it would have been far more merciful."
After Urd and Lest had left, Ky Luc turned to his prisoners with a look of mock sympathy in his eyes and whistled.
"Yikes, that was harsh! Imagine surviving all these centuries only to end up getting sentenced to eternal torment! I'd hate to be in either of your shoes now, but I must confess that I'm curious as to how it must feel for you?"
As a third progenitor, Krul was appalled at being handed over to the mercy of a lesser noble like Ky Luc. She glared balefully at him but said nothing; the proud vampire queen refused to give the fifth progenitor the satisfaction of knowing that she was, in fact, terrified, and put on the bravest and most defiant expression she could muster.
Ferid, however, was considerably more shameless, if not more honest, in his response.
"Oh, me? Well, frankly, if I were still human, I feel like I might wet my pants right now…"
The annoyingly cheerful and freckled-faced vampire lord could not help but laugh at Ferid's answer. Like Ferid, Ky Luc was one of the few vampire nobles who still retained much of his human emotions as well as the ability to express them, something that Urd Geales himself admitted that he envied.
"Oh, really? Ah well, let's, as humans like to say, 'get this show on the road', if you don't mind. After all, the sooner we begin your sentence, the sooner it will be over, right?"
Turning to his soldiers, Ky Luc gave the order: "Bring the restraints! This should be interesting!"
The fifth progenitor's subordinates moved to carry out his orders and, not too long after, both Krul Tepes and Ferid Bathory found themselves bound to wooden crucifixes with enchanted restraints that even they could not escape, Ky Luc had seen to that. Not only that, Krul and Ferid were also being closely guarded by the fifth progenitor himself as well as his minions.
It was approaching late afternoon and would not be long before sunset, so the doomed pair took slight comfort in knowing that the first day of their ten-day sentence would probably be brief.
Although the proud pink-haired vampire queen hated having to ask anyone for favors, especially Ferid of all people, she was at a complete loss as to what to do and hoped that her unwitting companion would have an idea.
"Hey, Ferid…" Krul began, making sure to keep her voice low.
"Yes, my queen?"
"Tell me you have a plan to get us out of this since you're constantly scheming with that brain of yours."
"No more than you, Your Majesty," Ferid countered sweetly. "But unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't have any great ideas to get us out of this particular predicament since I didn't see it coming."
Krul scowled. "You're a fucking useless idiot, you know that?"
Were his arms not bound to the wooden cross, Ferid would have placed a hand over his chest and feigned an expression of hurt.
"You wound me, my queen. I said that I don't have any ideas, but I do have friends now, ones that can help us instead."
Like Crowley before her, Krul gave Ferid a look of disbelief when he spoke of having "friends", knowing how much Ferid was disliked and distrusted among humans and vampires alike.
"You gotta be kidding me. Someone like you actually has 'friends'? So, where are these so-called friends of yours hiding now?"
Ferid smiled and nodded towards the direction of the bus where he knew the Shinoa and Satoshi squads were hiding out. So far, they have been ignored by Urd and the other vampire nobles and soldiers and allowed to their own devices.
Krul followed his gaze and gasped when she finally noticed Yuichiro for the first time since seeing the raven-haired girl at Nagoya Airport.
But this time, the pink-haired vampire queen felt the presence of another. One unmistakably familiar, and she knew that she wasn't the only one.
In the distance, Yuichiro also sensed a strange feeling of familiarity emanating from the vampire queen that she had only seen a few times and knew very little about other than what Mikaela had told her.
Unsure as to what this could mean, Yuichiro closed her eyes and willfully met with her demon contractor in the world of her mind.
SSSSSS
"Asuramaru…" Yuu began when she saw the demon's form taking shape in her mind's eye.
"Yes, Miss Hyakuya?"
"I sense a strange and unsettling sensation deep within me, but I do not believe that it is my own. I believe they're actually your emotions I'm experiencing."
Asuramaru was startled at Yuu's words, but he was unsure as to how to answer her inquiries.
Seeing the uncertainty on her demon's face, Yuichiro regarded him with a bit of concern.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Asuramaru shook his head, refusing to meet her eyes.
"I don't believe it's anything you need to be concerned about, Miss Hyakuya. After all, demons aren't supposed to have emotions."
Yuichiro narrowed her eyes in suspicion, unsure of whether or not to believe Asuramaru's claims. Especially considering how the demon boy had delighted in tormenting her with illusions and fantasies of her handsome guardian and mentor in the past.
"Are you sure?" she pressed.
"I… I don't know…"
SSSSSS
Ky Luc gave a cheery smile as he slowly approached Ferid and looked up at where the silver-haired vampire lord was bound to the wooden cross.
"Ready, Bathory? Shall I start by breaking the ward on your UV guard?"
Ferid laughed nervously. "Well, if I say I'm not ready, can we stop?" he asked in a hopeful tone.
The other vampire lord gave him a cheeky grin and laughed as he slid his sword from its sheath with his thumb.
"Nope! 'Fraid not! Lord Geales' orders!"
Before Ferid could try once again to convince him not to go through with what he was about to do, Ky Luc destroyed the UV guard that rested upon Ferid's left shoulder with a quick swipe of his blade.
Once the pieces of the sun-blocking hit the ground, Ferid began to feel a slight discomfort on his skin as well as in his eyes when he noticed that the sun had suddenly become brighter than he had seen in centuries.
"Ahh…how beautiful the sun is. I haven't seen it look this bright since I was human…"
However, before he could voice his thoughts on the fiery ball of light in the sky further, Ferid felt the discomfort in his body gradually increase to pain and let out a scream of agony when his entire body finally burst into flames.
Footnotes:
1. One of the way OnS vampires could be killed is by removing or destroying their hearts. However, once their vampire lives end, they become demons instead if this method is used.
2. As someone who had also been a victim of Ferid's sadistic cruelty, Crowley sympathizes with Yuu and Mika's situation, both in my AU and the original story.
3. Vampire progenitors of the same rank are not always absolutely equal in power but often very close. The manga implies that Saito is slightly stronger than Urd and possibly second only to the first progenitor.
4. A shamshir is a type of Persian/Iranian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from two words, sham (fang) and shir (lion). The shamshir is part of the curved scimtar sword family that also includes the kilij, talwar, pulwar, and nimcha.
5. Urd and Saito's ethnic background has yet to be revealed in the manga but my guess is that they were foreign slaves brought to Greece and purchased by the first progenitor, Sika Madu, when they were human. Judging by his dark skin tone, I guessed Urd to be of Mediterranean descent.
6. The longer vampires live, the less they can feel and express human emotions unless interacting with other vampires they have a history with. Exceptions so far are Ferid Bathory and Ky Luc.
7. Demons are normally very good at reading and finding out everything about their human contractors as in the case of fem!Yuu and Asuramaru. But there are humans who can hide their true nature and intentions even from their demons such as Yoichi, who is implied by Sayuri Hanayori to have a strong resistance to demonic temptation.
8. It is not made clear why Lest does not apprehend Crowley in addition to Ferid since they are known to be accomplices by the other vampires. My guess is that Crowley managed to get away from Ferid after their conversation about Saito before Lest arrived to take Ferid away.