Chapter 21: 20 - Crimson Requiem
When the crowd finally disperses, only we remain, encircled by about twenty hooded figures draped in blood-red robes that brush the ground. Beneath their hoods, they wear matching red masks shaped like fearsome demons, complete with sharp, elongated fangs and two narrow slits for the eyes. Each one is armed with a long dagger, except for a single figure wielding a menacing halberd that radiates authority.
Shit... this reeks of an ambush! And who the hell are these people clad entirely in red?!
«We have no reason to kill honorable soldiers like you!» proclaims the hooded figure wielding the halberd, her firm, resolute voice unmistakably female. «Surrender your weapons and hand over Princesses Ayra and Daphne without resistance. I swear on my honor that your lives will be spared if you comply!»
«Watch out, that’s the Silver Fury!» exclaims one of the soldiers, visibly worried.
«Don’t fall for that terrorist’s words!» another adds, addressing his comrades with firm resolve. «We swore to protect the royal family with our lives, and we won’t back down!»
«Honor...» Daphne mutters, her voice laced with irritation—it’s the first time I’ve seen her lose her usual composure. «What would you know about honor?! You betrayed your family, denied the blood that gave you life, killed our beloved sister, and joined those terrorists! Don’t you dare sully words like ’honor’ with your filthy mouth ever again, Silver Fury! Or should I call you by your real name... Vespera Valakys!»
The hooded woman raises a hand to her mask, which dissolves into red smoke, unveiling her face. She is a breathtaking woman in her early thirties, perhaps younger, with long silver hair and a perfectly straight fringe framing her forehead. Her features are soft and delicate, almost angelic—a stark contrast to the harsh accusations Daphne has just thrown at her. Beneath her right eye is a red mark etched into her skin, resembling a raised tattoo. It depicts a highly stylized inverted Christian cross entwined with a serpent biting its own tail. The serpent is instantly recognizable—it’s the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of cyclicality and rebirth, one I’ve encountered before in the human world.
«Ayra... what’s happening?» I ask, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and concern.
I turn my gaze to her. Her face is twisted in a mask of rage, teeth clenched and grinding, her eyes narrowed into terrifying blood-red slits. Her fists are bleeding, nails digging into her palms from how tightly she’s clenching them, consumed by a fury that could erupt at any moment.
«My sister... no, that bitch, is Vespera Valakys. She was once the third daughter of Drakhul, but now she’s nothing more than a filthy traitor. My beloved sister, Karol Valakys—the fifth daughter—had long suspected Vespera of being tied to the CrimsonRequiem, a terrorist group bent on exterminating the vampire race in the name of absurd, self-destructive ideals. But no one believed her. She lacked concrete evidence and was even disdained by our father for making such outrageous accusations. Karol was always the smartest and most perceptive of my sisters, but in the end, her brilliance cost her life,» Ayra’s face, besides rage, is now streaked with tears of grief cascading down her reddened cheeks. «One night, Vespera left the castle without authorization. Karol, who had recently begun secretly tailing her in search of proof, followed her. Karol’s diary, where she wrote her suspicions, ends there. The next morning, her mutilated body was found in the clearing near the castle, and Vespera had vanished without a trace.» Ayra’s voice, broken by sobs, grows more bitter and despairing. «Karol, if only we had listened to you... but today, I will avenge your death. I promise you!»
«Wretches like you don’t deserve to live!» Vespera shouts, her voice seething with rage. «I will rid this world of the tyranny of vampires, a cancer that must be wiped out as soon as possible! We are a vile, ruthless race that oppresses all other races in this world and beyond for our selfish will. We don’t deserve to exist a single day longer!»
«You’re utterly insane...» Daphne remarks coldly, her disgust evident.
«No, I’ve simply opened my eyes to the truth. You consider yourselves the masters of the worlds, reveling in your selfishness and thirst for power, which compels you to subjugate more peoples and expand your dominion through endless bloodshed! You are the true mad ones, and I will end this madness once and for all!» Vespera raises her halberd high. «Kill them all!»
At her command, the hooded figures, led by Vespera, rush toward us. Their bodies radiate an intense aura of red energy, but the soldiers defending us prove to be equally formidable.
The clash of weapons and powerful magic is devastating, tearing apart the ground beneath our feet and the nearby buildings, as if a violent earthquake had struck. Bolts of red energy rip through the sky and ricochet across the battlefield, met by equally powerful defensive spells. Everything unfolds so quickly that I can barely process it, leaving me frozen amidst this catastrophic chaos, powerless and unable to act.
A powerful energy barrier, created by the combined magic of Ayra and Daphne, momentarily shields the four of us. However, the strain in their eyes is evident, and I’m unsure how much longer they can maintain it. Daphne quickly explained that teleportation magic is unusable in this situation. The immense energy released by the combatants causes interference that would destabilize the spell, and attempting it under such conditions would mean certain death for the caster. We have no choice but to rely on the skill of our bodyguards; our fate lies entirely in their hands.