Throughout the halls there were footsteps. Some rushed while others remained steady on their basic stride, but there was reason for both. It was the difference between people who had more work to do than others, and no one felt it to be safe to remain entirely idle after letting one of their master’s possessions wander off. And yet, despite that hefty stress looming overhead, the calmest place happened to be the room where that very master dwelled. Within her own personal space she called a private room, Lilith could be found sitting with her legs crossed; applying a fresh coat of lipstick. It was an action she barely offered attention, as if it had been done billions of times by her very own hands, and as she did one man stood by her door. Eyes like crimson marbles just beneath the deep shade of a black umbrella.
“It seems that woman, DeVian, has managed to escape. If you command it, I can gather the others and have her returned within the hour.”
“I applaud your initiative, Monoterra, but that will be unnecessary. This presents me with the perfect opportunity.” He could tell almost immediately what was on her mind before the words ever left her mouth. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to cut loose and deal a defining blow.”
“I apologize, but I must advise against such things, my lady.” The words accompanied a bow. More akin to a plea, and for a reason that found itself immediately addressed.
“Interesting. Then I offer you a single chance, as you are not my advisor, to explain yourself. If your words are lackluster then you’ll die for daring to find it within yourself to oppose my choice. MY desire.”
“Thank you for your mercy, my lady. However, this will be a simple task for me.” He paused to clear his throat. “If you start a war on a whim like this ever again, I will personally kill you myself, if I’m remembering correctly?”
“Aha, yes… I forgot.”
“Indeed. I had assumed as much. Madam Kaya was adamant that you do not drag her family into another large conflict without her saying so. Especially after the losses her family incurred the last time.”
“Yes, yes. I remember. Then I’ll need to do something different, it seems. At least enough to keep me from involving those among us who are less than pleased with me.” She paused. Her fingers meticulously adjusting the final details of her makeup. Eyelashes fixed, ears messaged, hair straightened and left to flow down to her ankles as her tongue parted her teeth before sliding back to its place with a smile. As if she could taste the very blood in the air as she’d come to her conclusion. Rising to her feet and looking upon him as she stepped across the wooden floor with a gait so careful it was as if she’d stepped through even light itself. “Have my daughter handle it. It’s been ages since she’s had a chance to stretch her limbs, and it will easily put me in her good graces.”
“You wish for the princess to act? And what would you have her do?” Monoterra asked.
“It’s simple. All she has to do is what she thinks would be most fitting for the occasion. I don’t expect the others to get in her way, and when she settles on a path, I’ll allow her to run amok with everything behind her. No more is needed than that.”
“You make it sound as if you know for a fact that conflict will be brought to us.”
“Do I?” Lilith smiled as she leaned forward. Her eyes directly before his own. “If there’s one thing I’ve always known for certain since the very first day I touched this earth with my own hands and bled my own blood, I know the one thing no one can resist after their first taste… my body; my blood. She’ll come running. Both desperate and afraid and, if I know their roots as well as I know I do, they’ll both come running one after the other.”
It was always devastatingly beautiful to see their one true patron like this. Lilith Dimea was among the most influential and terrifying of her kind. While some chose the nature for themselves, for Lilith it was more like she’d been born into it from day one. Her character from the day she opened her eyes to the world had revolved around domination, desire and greed. She believed that everything she wanted was always within her reach. Whether it be through her voice or her violence, anything could find itself in the palm of her hand if she desires it. The patron saint of hundreds, thousands of bloodsuckers… and nothing made that more obvious than when she was pleased. A smile as sharp as knives, a stare with bloodlust in its every part, and laughter that could make still even the most courageous heart.
“So, you aim to bait them?” Monoterra questioned her motives, and her red eyes shifted downward to look upon him.
“I have waited long enough, but I will not concede with this. The girl is not her first. Not the one I would have once called an equal. Death’s vanguard, dying, and done. I’m surprised our intrepid king can even watch as his darling new life lords over her domain with flimsy fingers strumming at what does not belong to her, and all while I have been left to live through thousands upon thousands of years of shame and torment!”
“My lady!” He would call out to her as the room flooded with thick and forsaken darkness. Within it only her malice shined through as viscous crimson and bright red.
“When they come, if they come, then I will be waiting to show them what it truly means to lose a part of yourself. I will take something they can never replace… and then I will watch them suffer for the rest of their lives without it.” The blink of an eye was all it took, and the darkness was gone. The room cleared and his saint sitting back on her chair as if nothing had ever happened. “Go. Tell her to have her precious fun. And give the girl her mother’s regards and blessing.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
---
Descending the tower to reach the main hall was the same simplicity it had always been. The throne room where his peers would typically occupy had been emptied and left unmoving. A sign that the others had moved on from their lounging, but there was another place he would need to go in these halls. He’d look upon Lilith’s throne as he walked past it, almost like looking at an irreplaceable icon, and then his attention would turn to the doorway positioned directly behind that very seat. The door was large. At least large enough for ten people to fit through at once, and that wasn’t including its height which looked to be at least thirty feet tall. It didn’t take much force to push the doors open, where he was then immediately met with the scent of blood. He’d step through and, without a word, shut those very same doors behind himself.
Looking for the princess was both a serious and difficult matter, depending on the day. She frequented certain areas, but the issue was where those areas were located. His descent seemed to almost go on for too long, but once he’d rounded that certain point upon those stairs, he would be met with the familiar sight of home. The place where all of Lilith’s faithful thralls and vamplings called both their home and hunting ground. A massive cavern which looked as if it had been carved by dedicated hands; all thanks to the efforts of one Zorelle Kinoz. A dark abyss of a pit in a space beneath the earth large enough to fit an entire city. It was there, illuminated by the mimic moonlight glow of massive gems and crystal deposits lining the walls of this pit beneath the earth that it could be seen. Gothic spires at the ends of brick roads, restaurants and businesses, winding stone and dirt paths coiling to make alleyways and passages to and from all places. Homes for those who made homes, manors for those who made lineages, and at its center the castle which reached higher than any spire could hope to achieve.
A den of merciless bloodsuckers. A hole of blood-addled despots. A pit filled with crimson-fanged servants for the most dangerous of patrons and those who wanted to attempt surviving among them. It could go by many names, but Lilith named it Luminarios. The City of Holy Blood. The massive chains holding it suspended above the dark chasm below like their own saint’s hands keeping them in her cares.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” The Japanese accent caused his head to spin on a swivel. It had been ages since anyone had snuck up on him, but when he saw the face of the perpetrator, he sighed.
Tattoos covering terracotta arms, piercings on the face and ears, and ornaments scattered throughout his blonde locs. Hazel eyes sporting a soft red glow greeting him with an almost unnerving casualness. He wore a typical pair of black slacks, a black shirt, and a black vest. No tie and sleeves rolled up, but the ground surrounding them was still covered in large black feathers. He looked interested, curious, but also cautious and irate. As if the single slightest mistake would call for a death, but his lineage was cause for such stress even with a casual meeting. He was, after all, the son of the one he was looking for.
“Indeed. I have a message for your mother.”
“Truly?” The male responded. Stepping forward until he was clearly illuminated by the cavern’s subtle light. It was difficult to tell the difference between the glow and his own eyes, but his smile meant Monoterra had escaped with his life… today. “Then you’d best be on your way. Mother is in the black district. If you’re quick, you’ll get to her before she begins her blood hunt.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate your advice. I’ll put it to good use.”
“Hmph. Bye now. That’s more than enough of my air you’ve wasted.” As irritating as it was, the only thing Monoterra could do was bow. That is… if he was planning to go on living a normal life.
He leapt from the point he had been and raised his umbrella higher above his head. The careful descent he was now on could at least be considered necessary, now that he knew where his target was. Within Luminarios there exist three districts; all being vastly different from their counterparts. First, the white district where the castle exists. Only royalty and those considered royalty are allowed to even touch the grounds, and any trespassers are splayed and bled dry. Everyone entering the white district knows when all structures become made from quarts and diamonds. Second exists the red district and what makes up the majority of the city. Where homes, manors and businesses exist for day-to-day needs. Shopping and living take place in this district, but there is no rule against violence. Then there exists the black district. A purposefully lawless zone where those who call Lilith their patron may go to engage in the vilest behaviors. Guards are often sent to handle major problem people found within that certain corner of the city.
“Of course she finds herself here,” Monoterra sighed as his feet touched down on the roof of a building. He paused, sniffed the air, then stepped towards the edge of the building before speaking again. “Wallflower.”
“Yes, my lord?” A response from a woman dressed almost entirely in full black. The outfit clung to her skin as if she’d been sealed within, and her face remained concealed beneath a red mask which covered all but her eyes. It only made the blue of her eyes stand out even more.
“How have things been working?”
“The larger businesses have remained relatively unchecked, but it seems there may be some form of war between several of them. The gangs have settled again, but none of them seem particularly special outside of one.”
“I assume the reason is like normal?” He’d ask.
“Indeed, my lord. The hound is involved. However, the major change was the black district. We saw a heavy influx in crime rates.”
“Higher than normal? That’s already quite high.”
“Indeed. However, you came at a good time to observe.” She said while pointing to a building whose doors had been torn from their hinges and tossed to the ground. “Our saint’s daughter said she’d be hunting today, so the rates have already begun to drop.”
“Is she inside?” He confirmed.
“Yes. If you must see her, I will keep all others out.”
“Good. Kill anyone who dares to approach.”
“Yes!” Only a single word of confirmation before darting across the rooftops.
Monoterra would merely descend in the same method as before, floating with his umbrella until reaching the ground below. The closer his proximity to the open door, the more it felt as if open jaws would emerge from the darkness and swallow him whole. All he could do was prepare himself for what would no doubt be scenes of pure chaos and gore all around. It nearly made him crack a smile before he stepped through the doors and into the halls. A building which was clearly once a hospital of sorts, now repurposed into some hideout for the dreglings of their kind. And with each step he could see the story of a different slaughter.
A body which had been beheaded sitting slumped against a wall. Above it could be found a gash in the very wall where it looked as if a claw of pure fire tore across the wall and melted everything in its path. A body missing its lower half; its wound seeping with what could only be described as the bubbling mess you expect from decaying flesh. The most normal of them was a body pinned to the ceiling with its own severed arms. One through the heart; the other through the head. The most uncanny and disturbing of them was like walking down a hallway of nightmares. Several bodies torn to shreds, entrails hanging from the ceilings and blood covering everything. The way the stone walls had been carved made it look as if a drill had spiraled its way down the hallway and through everyone standing in its way. Each break in the wall filled with sizzling sparks of electricity, each step accompanied by the sickly and sticky mushing of blood… but all to reach his destination at the end…
…HER…
In a room which had yet to be touched by the storm of violent fervor behind the casually beautiful steps of their princess. A single, somewhat small room with only the glow shining through the windows illuminating her presence. There she began to speak, and he almost felt as if he could never interrupt her. It would be a crime to interrupt her, after all.
“You are quite the, how does he say it? Dreg! Ihr seid der Abschaum, und I will have you pay with your lives. One by one.”
It was almost magical in a way, seeing the way the woman smiled as she squeezed the very life out of the target of her ire. Her right hand wrapped firmly around his throat, the left retrieving a lollipop from between her teeth and tossing it to the floor, and a smile as wide as a child’s eyes filled with wonder along with the subsequent squeeze which resulted in the splattering of blood from between his lips. Red stains on her rosy cheeks and blonde hair. A single release having the fresh corpse fall to the ground in a satisfyingly cold thud. Only when her cyan eyes found him standing, watching and waiting did she approach with an almost playful superiority.
Looking at her face would lead anyone to make the mistake of believing her to be innocent. Blonde hair nearly as long as her own mother’s, just barely brushing past the backs of her knees. Despite her height being over two feet less than her mother, there was no doubting the way they both smiled the exact same way. As if there wasn’t a single thing they could not do that anyone could rightfully stop. Existing as if the very realm and all within it belonged to them if they so desired it. Her white dress lacked the length of her mothers, but the revealing nature of the clothing remained the same. Then, with her black fur coat adjusted over her shoulders, she’d speak with that same casual voice.
“Look at you! Finally walking among the beasts, no?”
“Apologies, princess. I have no interest in such things. I prefer tending to your mother’s needs before dealing with the trash of the Luminarios slums.”
“Good boy. Keep wagging your tail for my mother und eventually she may give you that love you crave.” She’d speak before turning and walking to the window. Her eyes scanning the ground below as if seeking out more prey. “Be quick, butler. I have appointments to attend.”
“Forgive me. I had yet to mention that I was here on your mother’s order. The saint of our people has given you permission to wander, but under the condition of dealing with the possible threat of a certain individuals in the future.”
“And these individuals are?” She could see Monoterra’s smile forming as he heard the question.
“The possibility of DeVian and Stasia.”
The following silence, short before being disturbed by a steadily rising chuckling, soon erupted into the princess’ laughter. Truly her mother’s daughter in every way that counted. Then she stopped. “To be given the courtesy of personally playing with my mother’s most curious adversaries. I could not have asked for better news!”
“I am pleased to see you in good spirits, princess.” Her eyes stuck to him as her smile became the same deviously superior thing it had been before.
“Perhaps I owe you an apology. A dog who wags his tail and does his duty well deserves a treat, yes? So then,” she started before slicing the tip of her finger on one of her nails and raising said finger only waist high. Each droplet of blood dripping to the floor acting like an alarm bell ringing in his head. “You may taste.”
“Yes princess.”
There were hundreds upon hundreds of millions that would call his actions degrading. The way Monoterra fell to his knees and raised his hands to collect that precious blood and guide it to his lips. This wasn’t just Lilith’s blood. No, it was something far greater. This was the brightly colored pink of the daughter of the saint, and something anyone who called her their patron would kill thousands to earn. The blood of their queen through a new vessel, and the vessel rarely ever choosing to offer it to anyone who does not satisfy her in some impossible way. And yet, when the wound closed and his reward had been completed, he would look up to see her eyes staring down at him with a fresh crimson glow within those cyan orbs. A smile so shameless it displayed her every urge and craving. Then, without a single stutter, she’d command him.
“You are permitted to show your thanks. You may use my name to thank me.”
“Yes,” he would start as he lowered his head further. “I humbly thank you for the gift you’ve blessed me with. You have my unadulterated thanks and endless service, Daughter of the Saint, Princess Cyva.”
She burst into laughter almost immediately. Hunching over and holding her stomach as if the sight of her own servant doing their job was too much to bear. “Okay! Okay! That is enough! How can you be so devout?”
“I am a servant of the saint. Follower, butler and caretaker of the saint. If she asked me to do so, I would burn every step behind her and walk through the flames to make certain the duty never ends. The saint has given me everything, and I need only offer the same in return. Of course, that means I would do the same for you as well.”
“Oooo~, you are so serious. Okay then. I will begin to make my preparations. Und before I forget to ask, am I free to do as I please?”
“Of course. The idea was to avoid a major conflict, so anything beneath that should be fine. You are best at making a scene, being the person in your position with you curiously divine blood. The holy blood of this city is fueled by you and your mother. Chaos flows through your veins. All you need to do is channel it. You were given the saint’s blessing, after all.”
Cyva smiled while dusting off her clothes. One of several chairs in the room lifted and tossed through the window, causing a shower of glass to rain down on the road below, so that she could approach and peer out at the castle in the distance. “I’m returning home. If I may do as I please, I have an idea in mind.”
“Truly?” Monoterra responded with hopes that she’d come up with a legitimate plan.
“Indeed. You will call my hot husband, und he will take me on a date. We will start by commemorating my permission to roam freely once again. I will have to see if the quality of wine has improved. From there everything will fall in place.”
“I see.” He was somewhat disappointed, but he also trusted the woman to do what needed to be done. And so, he bowed and relented without a fight. “I will see it done.”
“Please do. And have your scavengers clean up this mess. I prefer a clean city.”
He watched as she leapt from the window, from rooftop to rooftop, in a way which mimicked the act of floating from place to place. Graceful flips and spins as if attempting to dance across the sky. All he could continue to think was how alike she was to her mother, yet how different they were at their cores. Blood was the connecting factor, and yet blood was also the defining difference. The victim of the first baptism performed by their saint. An uncanny attempt at a ritual akin to torture performed by their patron. Cyva volunteered for it and that alone solidified her place among them, but Lilith personally wanted her as her own. Since they now shared the same blood in a way others could not compare, it served as the bond between the two, and there was no one more devout to Lilith than Cyva.
When she was out of sight, he’d ponder for a moment on how this might turn out. At the end of the day the choices were minimal, and he knew it. Lilith likely also knew it. She likely expected her daughter to fell her enemies without much effort, but these weren’t normal blood-fiends. The chances she’d end up dead were above zero, which was far too much, but he wasn’t the one to question their choices… not when Lilith was often the type to scheme. So, he’d lift his phone from his pocket and find the only number he needed to now know. The one who’d tear his own heart out to protect her.
---
Dark halls. Dark rooms. Dark skies. Within such a dreary place several humans cower and try desperately to hide. Hands trembling, eyes darting back and forth; every breath was like a shaky attempt at keeping their own heart beating at a minimum pace. As quietly as possible. They couldn’t even see a foot in front of themselves which made the dread linger in the air like the scent of vibrant flowers on a moonlit field. Steps echoing in the dark around them, first ahead of them and then suddenly all around them, as if a crowd had begun to swarm their location and then… the sudden and unmistakable sound of a ringtone drained a portion of that anticipation away. A moment of silence as the tone played; then a sigh as the chime ended, and a one-sided conversation could be heard.
“Yes?” A woman’s voice stilled their bodies. An accent reminiscent of the southern areas of Japan, both strong yet soothing, like flowers in the dusk. “Interesting. Now tell me why I should listen to you? I was busy. Your saint, my queen, instructed me to collect some new lives for the city. There can never be too many.” A pair of golden pupils examined them from the dark. Unenthusiastic, lacking care and drive, but then they suddenly lit up as if a fire had been sparked within them. “Well why didn’t you lead with that?! I’ll be on my way soon. Just need to wrap something up… yeah.”
A moment of silence as the phone cut off and the eyes disappeared. Then they sat as if expecting something more before one of them finally used their voice. “Did we just survive this?”
“What? Of course not.” The voice rose from the dark again. “I swear, interruptions like those are why I hate people like him. I can’t even relax for a moment.”
“Please just let us go!” One of them screamed.
“Ew. There’s no reason for that, alright? I’m here for only one person specifically anyway, and my time just got cut short so I can’t play with you.” She spoke as her eyes rested on a single person. As soon as they realized they’d been found out, they reached into their coat pocket to aim a revolver in his direction. Their hands weren’t steady; they were clearly on edge, but it didn’t stop him from firing off all six of the bullets in its cylinder. The ringing of the shots quieted to silence. Then a click of the tongue. “Really? You could have at least gotten a more stylish gun.”
They’d watch as the heavy steps of boots echoed in the dark before a woman emerged into the moonlight they had found themselves cowering within. As if Lunia were meant to protect them from their fears. Her eyes peered down at them with a golden glow against her saddle brown cheeks. As if a fire were constantly raging within her. She stood nearly a foot above even the tallest of them, dressed in casual black sportswear with a pair of same-colored boots. Tattoos reminiscent of Japanese design on her arms and face while ornaments adorned her head like piercings on her face and ears as well as decorations within her long mane of locs. The moment he noticed her completely unscathed, he’d attempt to reach for a blade, but before he could his head was simply kicked from its shoulders. One of the others screamed.
“Quiet before I kill you too. You’re an irritant.” She said before approaching the others and staring down at them with a bored gaze. “Phone?” She’d ask. It only took a moment for one of them to offer their own. Several presses on the screen later, and she’d hand it back. “There. That one was a dead man, but the offer still stands for all of you. I can bring you where I call home and you can live among your betters. Offer yourselves up to our saint and become something more. Now you have my number, and you can call me once you make your choice.”
“What the hell?” One of them spoke.
“I’m done here. I have a wife to please.” He’d respond with a smile.
“Who even are you?” One of them would ask. But the answer was simple. Obvious even. Unforgettable for anyone who knew him. Perhaps that was why he scowled as he stopped his exit to clarify. If there were anything in this world he knew for certain, it would be that he would take no disrespect to his name.
“I am the Red Prince of Luminarios and heir to the Chisuke family, Gahbrealla Chisuke. Never ask me something so stupid again or I’ll make you eat your spine.”