Out on the courtyard, a figure stood out. Dressed in black robe with red lines, not too disimilar to veins, white wild hair and a blade to the side, Snow looked into the window. Before anyone could move a muscle, Victor jumped out and landed about ten meters away from Snow.
"Well if this isn't a suprise." Said Victor with an inviting smile. Snow did not react. She stared at him with disgust in her eyes.
"Might i ask, what is the meaning of your visit?"
Silence befell the area. Not a word uttered, yet breathless they stared.
Luna and Solara looked very surprised, but Raven seemed almost...afraid? His face went pale as he looked at the visitor, something no one has seen yet. Siren looked at him.
„What's wrong."
„I feel something wrong here. Being close to death, one can sense when someone brings it along, be it in form of bloodlust, revenge or simple corpse. But this...what i felt is a homicidal rage I have not felt since..." he went silent. Luna looked at him, she somehow understood what he meant.
„Let's go down, we can solve this without any agression." Said one sister to the other.
Together they began to move out, Siren followed, but Raven stayed, still looking intently out the window.
Victor took a deep look at her. He saw rage, a deep rage at that. But he also noticed a will of iron that held that rage from exploding.
„Snow...what's going on, why are you he-„
„Where are they?..." she asked quietly.
Victor cocked his head to a side, right as he was about to ask her to specify the question, she immedietly apperead next to him and looked him dead in the eye.
„Where...are...they?" she asked again, this time, the rage was felt in her voice.
Now that she was this close, Victor sensed the pressence he felt once before. Back when he battled Supesu, that protective urge. She was here for a reason, and she definetly wanted answer.
„I don't know who a-„ before he could finish that sentence, she quickly slashed at Victor with such an incredible force that he went flying for about three meters before standing his ground again. Were it not for his reflexes, that strike would have beheaded him, fortunately he blocked it, but not entirely.
„My kingdom is dying due to some...thing..." she said as she walked closer. Preparing for another swing.
„I don't know what you a-„
Another strike, this time Victor evaded, he could have attacked back, but decided not to. Instead, he walked beside her.
„And right as I look what you are doing, I sense the same thing in this castle...so I ask again..."
She cocked her head in his direction, maddening rage in her eyes: „Where is the one who is killing my people."
Victor understood the situation. Vlad, who took her, was said to be an administrator of a kingdom. A kingdom that Snow was now a ruler of. Now that the blight has affected Radia, it would be fair to asume that the same blight affected her kingdom. And since Raven summoned the dying blood of the blight, she sensed its presence here, in this castle.
She slashed again, this time however, Victor locked his rapier together with her sword. Sparks flying away as metal pressed againts metal.
„Listen, we did not summon it."
„LIAR!!!" she shouted as she punched him in the stomach. The punch wasn't strong, but after it landed, an incredible force pushed Victor another 10 meters away. She seemed to master her abilites of space manipulation. This is bad.
Again, out of nowhere, she appeared behind him and slashed, Victor evaded it and tried to talk to her.
„I'm not lying, we don't know what it really is or who created it, people are dying here too."
The words fell upon deaf ears as a flurry of strikes, slashes and punches was unleashed upon the servant of the Goddess of Moon.
Victor knew that in terms of swordsmanship duel, he would win, but with Snow mastering her own abilities, she had clear advantage. But not if Victor used his own.
He did not intend to kill her, she was however trying to kill him. He needed to disarm her.
As the wind around them started to slow down, Victor exhaled deeply. Snow, or rather Supesu, already witnessed that ability. Victor was progressively slowing down time around them to a near standstill, so he can disarm her. She picked up speed but with her slowing down, it was no use. Her movement was slowing down. As Victor was about to finish his own spell, the area around them became bitter cold. The breath that both exhaled was now visible.
From the ground, a series of icy shards erupted and launched the unexpecting Victor to the side of a tree. This broke his concentration on the spell and time was beginning to quicken and return to normal. As Victor was starting to stand up, at the corner of his eye, he saw Vlad with his hand holding a white crystal with fog around it.
Another blow from Snow, Victor, who was getting tired, barely dodged it but jumped right into another attack coming from Vlad. This one pierce his leg and wounded him. Right as Snow was about to strike again, a black feather fell slowly before her eyes.
A screeching sound echoed throughout the courtyard as Vlad was guarding againts a giant scythe. Wielding the scythe was Raven, with almost empty expression. Vlad turned the blade to the side, but another attack was coming. For such a heavy weapon, Raven was wielding it like it was nothing.
With Raven making sure that Vlad does not intervene and Snow being confused as to who that combatant is, Victor was about to strike her in the stomach.
„THAT'S ENOUGH!" someone shouted as two arrows went flying throught the air. One hit Victor's sword so that it missed his target, the other did the same to Raven's scythe.
As the four looked at who shot the arrows, there they saw Luna with a beautiful bow in her hand and another arrows ready to fire. The voice that shouted was definetly hers. Besides her was Siren with her wings spread and arms to the side. A beautiful golden axe landed in the middle of the field and next to it, Solara stood with a resolute look in her eyes.
„We do not wish to harm you, Snow and Vlad. We did not summon that beast into your realm and we did not cause the suffering of your people. We need to talk...calmly." said Siren.
Even though Vlad hated Solara with passion, he knew that this battle was pointless. He but his arms down. Victor was already sheething his rapier when Luna shouted. Snow was looking at Solara with rage in eyes, but she also sheethed her sword as she grunted to herself. The only one who did not sheethe his weapon was Raven. He was still looking at Vlad, entirely ignoring everyone. Siren looked at him, same did Victor. The God of death raised his scythe one more time, but before he could land a blow, Victor and Solara both grabbed the handle of the scythe, one from behind and one from the front.
„Raven...calm down. We need to talk to them."
Raven was not listening he flapped his wings and released a wave of wind that knocked Vlad, Victor and Solara to the ground. Snow was reading to strike again with a quick slash with her katana. Even if it was for a moment, it was enough for Raven to strike again...
But the blow did not land, as Siren stood between Raven and Vlad. Arms spread, like she was protecting him.
„Out of my way, Siren."
„No..."
„You don't understand, he is a vampire, an immortal. My duty is to eradicate all of them...A filth, a disgrace to live and death, I thought you understand."
„We NEED to talk to him, Raven. I'm not saying to let him be, but we need them...think about the death you will prevent if you let him live. For just a little bit longer."
Raven thought to himself. The scythe dissappeared into a shadow being Raven as the black-haired god walked into the castle, passing Luna and Solara.
„Now then," said Luna. „Shall we talk this over some tea?"