Endless Night

The Dark Sun enveloped the sky in an endless night. Soren, the commander of the Bloodthorn army, sharpened his senses to analyze the battlefield. Screams, the clashing of metal, and the violent fireworks of vampiric magic enveloped what people called the Valley of the Frost Giant.

The army of the Vampire Empress Thalia Bloodthorn, with their pure black heavy armor, fought against the army of the Darksun Theocracy: vampires with silver armor and clothing that were a combination of that of a knight and a priest.

Soren considered all the possible moves he could make to break the stalemate. The noble clans of the Theocracy had inherited the magic of the Patriarch Vampire, Olren the Saint, who could heal vampires. The Patriarch Vampires' magic had been born from the traumas they suffered as humans, and the clans inherited it down for generations. Magic was trauma, passed through generations of vampires. 

We definitely don't want to transform this into a battle of resistance. If we do, the Theocracy will win. I can't allow that.

Soren was located just at the back of the battlefield. He ran and mounted his loyal steed, Sombra. A vampiric horse that had been given the blood of the queen herself. It was fully black with red eyes. Contrasting with Soren's long white hair and red irises.

“Let's go!” Soren said, ordering Sombra forward toward the battle.

Sombra galloped forward at full speed. The Theocracy soldiers who had the misfortune to be in his path were sent flying or crushed.

Veteran vampires from other clans of the Theocracy pointed dark magic towards them. Soren cut his wrist, opening a wound, and then created a bow made out of blood. He created an arrow and shot it at the Theocracy vampires. With each arrow, he opened the way to reach the back lines.

Soren activated the blood flow magic spell, which enhanced his body by controlling his blood. His body emitted steam, melting all the snowflakes that touched him. He sprang out of the horse and landed in front of the file of priests that were casting healing spells. Soren put his hands to the ground, letting his blood drop onto the snow; in the same breath, thorned stakes made of blood emerged from the ground and impaled the healers.

The battle stalemate came to an end, and the Bloodthorn army dominated the Theocracy. Soren commanded the army efficiently, supporting by jumping from battle to battle with a spear made of blood, and skillfully killed the vampires of the Theocracy all over the battlefield.

Soon enough, the bodies of the Theocracy army lay scattered through the snowy valley woods. Soren held his head high and raised his right fist to the sky. The army erupted in celebration of the victory.

But then, a sharp pain assaulted his back. He turned around to discover a human girl with red hair holding the knife that had just pierced through. Soren vomited blood. He collapsed to the ground.

Impossible, even if I was stabbed, one stab shouldn't be enough to take me down.

It was a Death Blade, made out of wood from the Death Tree. It cursed the target with guaranteed death. The girl shook as she held the knife with her hands.

“I-I—” she stuttered, unable to gather any words.

***

When Soren woke up once more, he was welcomed by the sight of one of the black Bloodthorn tents' roofs. It didn't take long to discover a weight pressing against him, and a sharp pain that invaded his neck.

He glanced downward to discover a woman with silky, black-tinted hair, naked on top of him. Her skin was pale as the moon and as smooth as silk. She stopped biting his neck and then positioned her face just in front of his.

“What are you doing?” Soren said, trying to maintain his always inexpressive face.

It was Queen Thalia Bloodthorn. Her beauty was enhanced by the strand of hair that traveled diagonally across her face and her red eyes.

“I'm saving your life. My husband's life. So let me do my magic,” she said as she bit his neck once more.

Thalia was the matriarch of the vampires of blood magic. One of the first vampires and the creator of blood magic. She was now using it to remove the death magic curse. Being naked was more like a personal choice of hers…

Soren sighed. “Be careful, alright? I don't want you to get affected by it”

“Shhh, you look prettier without that worried face, darling,” she interrupted, putting her index finger on Soren's lips. “The curse of the death tree is no joke. It was created from the corpse of the Lord of vampires. His magic ruled over death. But don't underestimate my rule over blood. Like him, I’m a founder of this vampiric world.”

Soren relaxed his body, surrendering.

“What happened after I passed out?”

“Your sexy and beautiful queen came to your rescue.” She smirked. “As for the girl, it seems she had been trained since childhood to become an assassin. She must’ve been tasked with waiting in the darkness and assassinating you at the perfect time with the Death Blade.”

“What did you do to her?”

She smiled. “At first I was very angry that someone had dared to hurt my darling in such a way. But once I saw her…I don't know, but I had a good feeling about her. So I decided to keep her alive. Despite your brother's complaints to kill her on the spot.”

“Keep her alive for what?”

“For her to become your thrall, that is,” she said proudly.

“What?!”

***

After that day. The girl with red hair, Ikisa, became his thrall, and he often sent her on missions of scouting and target assassinations. Over the following three years, they fought many battles on their way to the Theocracy capital. Both of them became extremely close, to Soren's surprise.

When they reached the capital, the siege lasted around one week, but eventually they managed to enter the capital and head to the main castle at the top of a hill, with its characteristic silver round domes that made it look like a mix of a church and a castle.

They blasted open the doors. Inside, the council of the five vampiric priests waited for them. After a day of fighting, only one remained: Sirius the Enlightened. He used a staff that emitted powerful beams of sunlight, a relic of the extinct vampire hunters.

Soren had already been wounded by it, and so had the queen. The priest smiled, looking at how spent they were. The blood in both of their bodies was running out; the magic spells they were able to use were rapidly declining.

“This is the end,” the priest said, lifting his staff.

But then, from the shadows, Ikisa emerged and stabbed the priest. He tried to use the staff on her, only to realize she was no vampire. She stabbed him with the knife made of the wood of the death tree right in the chest.

Sirius widened his eyes and screamed, looking at Ikisa's face as if recognizing her. Ikisa kept stabbing him again and again until his body turned into ash.

Her eyes were bloodshot. Thalia rushed and hugged her. Soren approached her and patted her on the head. This finally made her breathing steady, and smiled at him.

Thalia raised her gaze to meet Soren's.

“Now we're gonna be—”

In that same breath, a ray of sunlight pierced through her chest, leaving a massive hole.

“Thalia!”

She collapsed to the ground. She extended her arm towards him. Soren held her hand. But then her eyes went blank.

Soren violently glanced around, only to find his brother, who was now holding the staff with a face filled with shadows.

Ikisa screamed and rushed towards him, but he swiftly disposed of her, sending her flying towards the wall.

Soren didn't waste any time and charged too. But then his brother used the staff, shooting a beam of sunlight headed towards his chest. Soren managed to dodge it, but just barely. He fell to the ground.

With bloodshot eyes and foam spitting from his mouth, he looked at his brother.

“You bastard! Why did you do it?!”

“So I could become Emperor.” He smiled as if the answer was obvious. He tried to use the staff one more time, but it ran out of charge. He clicked his tongue.

He pondered for a few seconds.

“Yeah, I won't kill you here. That would be too easy.” His brother knocked him out with the pommel of the staff.