Guinevere's breath becomes ragged as her anxiety goes uneasy. The ominous coldness and silence of the halls made her clutched her baby tighter in her chest, her motherly instincts supposedly kicking in.
The ongoing panic fading in her hearing as she climbs down to the grand foyer where everyone has gathered.
Jane was talking to a group of servants alarmed with the current situation. "Thank goodness you found her, dear!" She says to her daughter as Guinevere approached her. The servants excused themselves to accomplish their given task.
"Where's Granger?" A gigantic smile is spread across Jane's face as she lightly brushed her sleeping granddaughter's head.
"He chose to left behind to push the demons back for us to flee so we better hurry!" Guinevere said shakily, her heart beating fast.
"We will leave soon once the carriages arrive. Will you stay and fight by him? If you will, I better bring Gwyneth to insure she is safe then."
Guinevere felt the need to help Granger, but also she doesn't want to leave her daughter in the hands of her mother. She might act so diverting in her and Gwyneth's presence, but if Guinevere were to choose whether have a painful death or have anyone (including Jane that is) take her child away, she would choose neither.
"My lover is the Death Chanter, mother. He can take down how many demons he wants." Including you, the redhead naughtily thought.
"I pray your faith is as big as his chances of surviving concerning he's not a mage. You see, demons from the Dark Abyss are more powerful than the ones in the surface. He might need more than bullets to kill even at least one."
"How do you know they're from the Abyss?" Guinevere asked in suspicion.
"The hints have been all over the news. They thought the breakage of the Shield of Justice-" A huge dome of a force field encasing the whole Moniyan Empire from demons. "-was the doing of evil wizards when really it turned out to be doings of the Abyssal Army with the entourage of Thamuz and his adopted son Dyrroth. They will rule and take over the whole Empire if Silvanna and her military don't take action soon."
"Lady Jane! The carriages are here!"
"Come along now, Guinevere."
Guinevere is towed outwards by her mother. Before hopping in the carriage, she threw a worried look over her shoulder to the direction of wherever Granger might be in the castle.
"The authorities should've made us evacuate days ago had they knew the filthy demons will be attacking." Jane muttered under her breath as she exhaled and fanned herself. "If only your father didn't leave for a business trip, he would've single-handedly swept the whole castle clean of them!" She told her daughter.
"The Empire's armed forces will do the best they can, milady. Rest assured, we will retrieve the Palace soon enough." Jane's trusted advisor said.
The carriages have set onward for travel. Guinevere frowned and stared longingly at the castle which shrinks the more it gets farther until it no longer is visible in the horizon.
⚜️⚜️⚜️
Granger roared in pain as the winged serpent pins him against the ground, her claws going deep into his skin like large needles.
"I will be the one to end you, Death Chanter!" The serpent shouted in anger as she removes the knife he has stabbed in her neck with her wing. Her thick dark blood fall to his cheeks and it somehow reeked. He never felt so disgusted.
Struggling, Granger looked around the floor to grab at anything significant to smash on the monster on top of him. He catches a glimpse of blonde hair on his peripheral and he knew his knight in shining armor had come for his rescue.
"Hee-yah!"
The serpent is thrown out of the window once again by strong blow of Alucard's sword, though this time he doesn't leave the demon just yet like what Granger had mistakenly done. Alucard jumped out of the window in a stance, his sword pointed to the ground where the winged serpent laid vulnerably.
Granger was removing the stench of blood on his face when he heard the dying scream of the serpent.
"No one is going to end the Death Chanter. Not on my watch, demon!" The blonde demon hunter exclaimed with gritted teeth.
Granger leaned out of the window, chuckling. "Thank you!" He said to him.
Alucard felt the need to cry tears of joy. "Did you just thanked me? Gods, I feel so blessed I could cry!" The 'almighty' demon hunter did cry.
Granger hopelessly sighed. "Whatever, man. Have you informed the Sanctuary yet?"
"Yep! I already placed a beacon to point out our location and Tigreal and the others shall arrive in about-"
Alucard gasped, feeling his lower body diminishing of strength. He looked down and he couldn't believe what he saw. A spear had went through his abdomen.
Granger blinked twice, trying to process if what he had just witnessed was real. "A-Alucard!" Granger felt like he choked the words out. He was about to jump off right when a horde of monstrous figure emerged from the garden's maze. It was no mistake it was the Abyssal Army. The white-haired spoiled brat of a demon up front who was sat in a heavy throne carried by his ogre slaves was none other than Dyrroth himself.
Ahead of them and only countable feet before Alucard was a hooded man carrying a spear. Granger scowled in disdain, recognizing him. He must be Moskov, the Spear of Quiescence, the lone ranger he met in the Heitala grasslands a long time back. Chest tight, Granger couldn't believe Moskov had joined the Abyss.
Alucard looked up to Granger with sorrowful eyes and Moskov does as well, with rather enraged glowing ones. "G-Granger, run!" The blonde said, perhaps in his dying breath.
Instead of doing so, Granger positioned his guitar case and launched triple steaming bullets to Moskov. Moskov dodged them one by one in a blink.
The winged demons of the Abyssal Army sped to the air, flying straight for Granger. One of them, an archer, shoots burning arrows to the demon hunter and the whole Castle later on becomes infested and invaded with demons with Dyrroth's command.
⚜️⚜️⚜️
The evacuees of the Palace have stopped by on a cafe settled in the highway of a small quiet town. The skies here are blue still, meaning the darkness must've not reached the Capitol yet.
Guinevere have just fed Gwyneth. She is now setting up bed for her to sleep in in their carriage. Jane and the rest were inside the cafe but Guinevere chose to leave behind so that she may put her to a relaxation of sleep. She figured Gwyneth needed rest after all that trouble they have had.
"Milady?" Gloria popped her head at the open carriage door. The place was heavenly quiet so Gwyneth was able to sleep immediately, making it easy for her mother.
"Yes?" Guinevere answered, turning towards her.
"He's here." Gloria said.
"Who's here?"
Behind Gloria, Granger appeared, making Guinevere step out of the vehicle to jump in her lover's open arms. Granger hugged her dearly, cherishing every bit of it.
"You look battered." Guinevere said as she frowned at the tears and scratches on his white uniform. "Do you want me to heal you for any major injuries?" She asked as she continued to scan his body thoroughly.
He shook his head, smiling warmly. "I'm fine, and I hope you and Gwyneth are too."
"We're safe, for now. There has been a report every Moniyan should head straight to the Sanctuary as soon as possible. Granger, I-I fear for the worst!" Seeing her frown deepening, Granger pulls her close once again and pressed his bruised lips against the soft skin of her forehead. "Where's Alucard? D-Did he..." She trailed off.
Granger tensed, the unsettled look Alucard last gave him flashes before his eyes. "He's gone, Gwen." Granger only muttered shallowly in her ear, making her burst to tears in his shoulder. Gloria's eyes fell to the ground as she began to pray for Alucard's soul.