Blood and Madness

The new era’s purple moon overcame the stormy clouds. Its light illuminated the battlefield.

Vampirism? The rarest Abysmal concept. How did he get his hands on such power?

“What on the God of storms are you?” Argus couldn’t hide his shock over the blasphemy he had just witnessed.

“Nothing but a filthy heretic,” replied Thaniel.

Argus materialized the glorious lightning spear with his right hand. He removed his white cape and left it float away on the ash-choked air.

“Let’s end this quickly.” He smashed the bottom of the spear to the ground causing it to shake.

“Roger.” Thaniel loaded his gun.

After few seconds of staring at each other—FWOOOSH! Thaniel leaped into the air shooting successively at Argus.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

PZZZZT! Argus teleported through lightning exactly behind Thaniel aiming to slice off his devilish wings.

BANG! 

Without even turning, Thaniel shot Argus’s right shoulder before swinging his claws so fiercely in an unnoticeable speed.

PZZZZT!

Damn It, this gun technology. I took a bad hit…

After teleporting to the balcony of a nearby building to recover from the bullet that deeply pierced his shoulder, Argus questioned the secrets this organization kept away from the world.

Squeak… Squeak… Squeak

He recognized the sound of rats echoing in his eardrums, but Argus was mistaken. What he had heard wasn’t the sound of rats, it was the sound of bats.

Flap… Flap… A herd of bats appeared in front of the building's balcony. The only barrier between Argus and the herd was the rusty metal fence.

Something doesn’t feel right. The herd of bats began flying in a circular motion before stacking up, they made a human figure-like shape.

Argus Volgen sensed danger, but that feeling reached its maximum the moment he saw a familiar revolver’s muzzle appear from inside the bats shaped figure.

Fuck—

PZZZ—BANG!

Argus managed to teleport, ending up on the top of the building.

Drip… Drip… Drip… Drops of his own blood showered the dark clay rooftop. The gunshot effectively ripped through his right shoulder before he fully teleported. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

“That bastard…” He struggled to keep his balance as he pathetically attempted to walk away.

The sound of flapping wings echoed behind him.

“The next one will blast through your skull.” Thaniel stood in the air, flapping his devilish wings, “Be sure of that.” His crimson eyes glared under the purple moon’s faint glow.

“Though before that happens, answer my previous question,” his smile vanished before asking with a scowled expression, “How did you find this place?”

I and Liselotte made sure nobody figure out our identity. Even if Volgen caused the mercenary attacks to fail, how come he find this place? Thaniel’s gaze remained fixed on the Seraphic Knight before him.

“You will get your answer soon.” Argus arrogantly grinned.

Could it be that they got Kanya and Drik…. I see. Thaniel clenched his fists, his demonic claws cutting through his hands.

“In that case,” An enormous herd of vampire bats roamed around the destroyed burning battlefield.

Their red eyes struck Argus’s spirit with fear. “You left me no choice but to guarantee your demise.”

For the first time since Ogon met him, Thaniel’s face was covered with anger.

The purple gleam of the moon hid behind the dark stormy clouds.

A sweep of strong wind struck the battlefield, carrying away Argus's terrorized expression. The look of fear that had gripped his face moments ago twisted into an exaggerated, arrogant grin.

“Heheh. You’re finally getting serious— !!!!

PZEEEW!

What… A brutally fast thunder arrow tore through Thaniel’s left wing.

Where?! His crimson eyes hysterically looked around for Argus that vanished suddenly.

From above!!

PZEEEEW! Argus sent a thunder arrow towards Thaniel.

The black-haired vampire leaped up as he evaded the fast arrow. His wings flapping rapidly.

“Testing how far your organization’s technology has reached pleased me. You can die now.” Argus stepped out of the dust fogs as the building collapsed behind him. His luminous thunder bow shining in the dark.

I made the same mistake of underestimating him, he’s a Seraphic Knight after all. If I lose now, the secrets he discovered could cause the downfall of The Heretics.

I have to kill him no matter the consequences.

“What did you do to Kanya and Drik?—

PZEEEW!

“I guess you won’t tell me.” Thaniel dodged the lightning arrow.

The countless eyes of the bats emitted faint red light to the area. Thaniel took off his black short hat and threw it to the ground. He then ripped off his blouse, exposing his torso to the suffocating cold breeze.

“Oh Nocturne Wraiths Of The Witching Hour…” Thaniel chanted, his eyes closed.

Terrifyingly, the endless sea of vampire bats surrounded Thaniel, they covered his body tightly in the air, consuming his blood.

A sweep of violent winds sent the grounded dust flying. Blood gushed from the flying vampiric pack, drenching the earth below them as they fed on Thaniel.

A waterfall of blood.

“What on the heavenly Pantheons am I seeing.” For a moment, the look on Argus Volgen’s face was ridiculous, he struggled to grasp what he had gazed upon.

As the little vampires fed, their black fur grew white.

“Unweave.” It took Thaniel one word for the herd of bats to obey him and scatter around roaming above the bloody Oakleaf street. Their crimson eyes fixed on one target, Argus Volgen.

Thaniel stood hovering in the air. His wings flapping on a slower rhythm, his torso covered in blood and bite holes, as if his skin color was red.

“Unleash.”

The sea of bats spat countless crystalized blood shards at Argus.

Are you kidding me.

SPT! SPT!

The herd followed him around the collapsed Oakleaf street, successively shooting the blood bullet crystals.

PZZZT! 

Argus desperately teleported from a rooftop to another.

He aimed his thunder bow at the still Thaniel, preparing to send a series of lightning arrows.

Crystal blood shards ripped through his legs and arms.

How many are they for Heaven’s sake.

BANG! The soaked in blood Thaniel shot the injured Argus in the stomach.

From that distance?!

“So you can still shoot even in that pathetic state of yours—

The blood bullets came flying from above towards Argus interrupting his speech.

PZZZT! A thin lightning bolt struck Argus carrying him away.

He desperately teleported to the top of Oakleaf Street Church, three buildings away from the street’s tavern.

In the blink of an eye, the dusty battlefield was no longer covered in dust. It was dyed in crimson red.

“I didn’t anticipate this nightmare.” The intimidating sight of red eyed white creatures approaching him in high velocity almost made Argus Volgen tremble.

Argus charged his right hand with overwhelming light energy that gleamed yellow. He pointed his luminous thunder bow to the sky and unleashed a thin, very faint yet powerful light arrow to the sky.

Now it’s a matter of time.

Standing on the sun cross of the church, Argus looked at the approaching sea of vampires one last time. They surrounded him from every corner, there was nowhere for him to teleport.

For one of the fewest times in his life, Argus Volgen tasted the true flavor of despair. He gave up on escaping the attack.

The blood shards penetrated his body and the rooftop of the church. The sun cross was no longer golden, it was covered under blood.

Argus fell inside the church through the shattered rooftop.

The old church walls trapped him in darkness, though even that wasn’t enough for him to reflect on his sins. As long as this man gets what he wants, he never cared what his actions had caused.

Being the one to destroy the street and cover the moon’s light with thunderstorm, the Seraphic Knight realized it was not the church walls that imprisoned him in darkness, but himself!

…

Argus Volgen’s ascent was a masterpiece of deception.

Starting his adulthood as a priest, combat was not meant for him, yet he managed to ascend through Celestial ranks smoothly becoming a Seraphic Knight at the age of twenty eight.

In order to advance, Celestials and Abysmals had to be believed in by living creatures to be the manifestation of both their orthodox choice, and the Divine concept they had chosen. That system served social influencers a lot, such as Argus.

Argus Volgen wasn’t a hard working Celestial warrior, he was a manipulative mastermind of a politician, deceiving both the foolish Ostyrans that were blinded by their belief in Utopia, and the naïve cathedral of Ostyra.

The Celestial who fooled his kind, but not the Gods. Despite having access to many abilities and miracles due to his high grade, Volgen’s combat experience and energy channeling skills didn’t live up for the glory he claimed.

That was the only thing he reflected on inside this dark cold church, his struggle to defeat the Funeral Ravens captain opened his eyes to his only weakness.

This is the story of self deception.

Squeak… Sque… Sq… The sound of bats slowly stopped echoing inside the destroyed church walls, hinting at the end of the battle.

On top of the ground flooding with his blood, Argus stood, barely able to stay on his feet. His silver hair covered in red, his jaw torn open.

His entire body was brutally wounded, punctures and holes everywhere.

Barely able to step forward, he headed towards the last remaining light in the church hoping it would lead him outside this madness.

Despite being the one to order the city guards to surrender and evacuate civilians, he wished to meet at least one guard to save him from his inevitable death.

The red eyed vampire bats flew around the battlefield retreating to their master Thaniel.

Is it over…? His temporary vampiric traits have regenerated a portion of the blood he lost, that did not mean his well being.

The little white-furred vampires retreated into the dark and vanished. Thaniel’s vampirism characteristics were fading.

There is no trace of him… I guess I won—

ZAP!

A faint yellow light seared Thaniel’s brutally injured body, cutting through his torso. His left shoulder and arm were no longer attached to his body.

W-Wh..ere… The strike wasn’t fast or vicious, it was completely calm, unnoticeable.

Tap… Tap… Tap… Another enormously injured man approached from the distance, he fell to the ground with every couple of steps. It was Argus Volgen, he had almost forgotten about the previous faint light arrow he sent to the sky waiting for it to land.

On the verge of escaping like he had always done in the past decade of his worthless life. The Seraphic Knight decided to face Thaniel.

Realizing he was going to eventually die from blood loss, he made a decision. For at least once, he wished to face the consequences of his actions and confront the man who had opened his eyes.

With every stumbling step, Argus’s body collapsed. Meanwhile, the corpse looking man stood still in front of him. His body not quivering once.

The scenery told so much about the difference between the two.

The wounded Celestial finally managed to stand, directly facing Thaniel.

Argus pressed against Thaniel’s bloody dissolved shoulder, causing him to fall on his back.

The act was hardly a push, he barely touched him. After all, Argus himself had no power left on both his body and spirit.

“Are you already dead?” Argus’s lips barely moved. His mouth was unharmed, but the idea of inevitable death made speaking a difficult task.

Speech was the only mirror that made this man reflect on his actions, it made him visualize talking faces of those innocent lives he’d ended for his own ambitions.

“L-Lisa…” Thaniel whispered, barely able to open his mouth. The monstrous fangs he had moments ago vanished slowly. The temporary vampire traits the red syringe allowed him met the time limit.

“I see.” Argus Volgen grabbed Thaniel’s covered in blood revolver.

“I lost this fight, I shall not claim your life, your weapon will.” Argus struggled to handle the weapon in one hand due to his injuries. He used both hands.

Tightly, he held the weapon and raised his hands aiming at Thaniel’s bloody face.

He prepared to shoot, fingers on the metal trigger.

“Rest in—

!!!

KRUNCH! 

A clawed hand that was covered in ash-choked red flames tore through Argus Volgen’s chest.

Thump-Thump-Thump

The final sound Argus’s ears captured was the sound of his own heartbeats.

And the final sight his eyes gazed upon was the sight of his own malicious heart resting on the palm of the flame hand, as it crushed it turning to black filthy ash.

Argus’s worthless existence met its demise.

The sight of flames was familiar.