Chapter 8 - Aftermath of evil

The air grew and put a hellish pressure on all visitors, so Aiwen didn't feel bad that he stumbled away, creating a distance between himself and the blinding mix of silver and gold.

He wasn't the only one, multiple vampires took a step back and some vanished all together. He prided himself not in power but knowledge, he felt intriqued with eyes as wide as could be he took everything in, the pale Aethelstan, his mana and Adrian's swirling peacefully together. It was out of this world.

Magical properties brimmed into the room until it didn't.

Peaceful dance of silver and gold got rudily interrupted by a third mana source, not a peaceful light colour but a deep green. Everything good vanished as the green kept eating away at the silver, until nothing was left.

"That's...what's caused all this!" Angesi's frantic voice had called out, gathering everyone's attention for a mere second before it became evident that the gold side was in a war of pull and tug, silver no longer in sight.

"That's...the power of the marquis of hell.'' He heard his own voice echo around the room, he hand't realised his mouth even opened. There was too much to look at, to see and take in.

''Impossible! There is no way he would go after Aethelstan!"

Princess Elvira spoke, sparking various mutters. Her cold, calculating demeaner didn't allow her to speak so suddenly, a few glanced at the crown prince yet he was devoid of any emotion. Staring blankly at the rising evil, that took apart the gold piece by piece until suddenly ,like a light got swithed off, th eroom got pummeled into darkness.

_\*Prince Damon\*_

Crown prince Damon of Aesteamore kingdom.

That was who he was, future leader of thousands of vampires and their burdens just as heavily upon his schoulders. He wasn't even king yet but his mother ,the Queen, and his father ,the King, educated him since young.

Made him rethink every possibility, every slight change in demeanor and every little mishap would leave him in a though position as their eyes would glow with dissapoint.

He tried his best but the position of king scared him, he didn't want it.

It felt like a bottomless pitt only growing deeper the closer it pulled him, a hopeless situation.

But he was the crown prince and no matter what he had his duty, the tears that had dripped down his face in moments of silence vanished as soon as he left the confines of his room.

Yet the hopeless situation had seemed to get better the moment it was revealed that a baby waas to be born.

A pure blooded vampire.

It was impossible yet months later it proved to be true, Adrian Amdis Acheron.

His single existence brought light and hope to the kingdom.

Yet the light had dimmed and with a flash of green, an ominous laugh silence descended back to the room.

They could feel it, whatever happenend was bad as the breath of Aethelstan faded away.

There was nothing they could do as heartbroken eyes inhabited the once so interactive vampire child.

Stoic and small was the only two words needed to describe the funaral of the elf Aethelstan. It was all he would have wanted or atleast that's what they thought.

After a while they had left, darkness once more appearing in the sky. Damon had seen the unsure gazes of the child's parents. They didn't know what to do so they stayed by his side. Supporting him without a singly word leaving their dried out mouth.

His eyes where still heartbroken but they looked more dead then alive, his body a skeleton and his core filled with tears.

It was an extreme reaction to the death of a different species. Damon only understood when word reached him of the bond. They where closely linked together and the day Aethelstan died, was the day a part of Adrian had died.

It only worsened after that.

Angesi had been the first to leave, with bags at her side she told him that she made a promise to herself. If anything ever happenened to the elf she would raise hell on earth. She would find the marquis of hell and personally destroy him for Aethelstan.

She couldn't stay longer, everything reminded her of him and so she left.

The second to leave was the hope of the kingdom itself. He hadn't eaten in ages, didn't use magic, didn't move...he didn't do anything so it came to no surprise that he had passed on.

Another funeral, one that left Emiris more broken then the first.

His little child had died and the joyfilled vampire was nowhere to be seen as he withered and fell apart. With every day that passed his black eyes dulled ven more until Dakaria couldn't take it anymore.

The death of Adrian had struck her hard but she couldn't deal with his loss and her husbands.

It was the blood they smelled first, it lingered on the walls and would never leave. The sight had not been pretty, a stake through Emiris hart. It was obvious he didn't find back...maybe he didn't even notice his wife staking him and seconds later staking herself with a tear streaked face.

They buried them with Adrian, it's what they would have wanted. Their hands thightly cluthed together, as thight as they had lived. In the middle Adrian, always together even in death.

but on the side of the (somewhat) living everyone kept falling apart.

Aiwen, a human doctor and researcher was yet another that left.

The only reason he had stayed was that Aethelstan would have wanted him to take care of Adrian. Now that the boy was no longer here and neither his parents he couldn't bear to be reminded of his failure. With him went Cole ,the royal's very own vampire doctor and specialist.

Damon understood, his parents did too, otherwise he wouldn't have been allowed to leave. Cole was the boy's godfather, one of the first to hold him when he was just born.

His sister Elvira didn't understand, strong willed she demanded we take action or we would forever lose that option.

Mom and dad didn't want that, it had been a difficult, tiring time for everyone and all they wanted was to return peace to their kingdom.

Stuck he could only watch as Elvira left in a frenzy, dragging a silent Dawn behind her.

Vanished just like all the other he had grown somewhat close with over the five year period.

Nothing would ever be peaceful again and he could feel the resentment rising up inside him towards his parents, it was like bile forcing his way out.

Before his mouth had even openend the Queen and King where summoned by all the other species.

They went and he was left with only a crown on his head and no one on his side.

And no one would ever be as news came that the Queen and King had perished at the hands of the other species. Rumours flooded quickly within the wall that an artifact had been used, one so strong and evil that they demanded the life of a hundred ranked warriors.

He gathered his reigns as quickly as he could but quards informed him of vampires running away, nothing could convince them to stay. A king with no experience wouldn't save them.

Yet neither tdid they save themselves as he knew everytime a vampire died, dozens became hundreds and hundreds became thousands until only the capital was left with his castle.

The main factor in the destruction of the districts was the supposed peacefull race, the elves.

Word had reached them that Aethelstan had died in his kingdom.

Overtaken by rage it didn't take long before roped figures appeared all around them. It had taken them a while but nonetheless the forcefield protecting them soon failed.

They where too strong, too powerful and it didn't help that the other races soon followed.

Surrounded he waited, taken advantage of their watchfull eyes to gather his breath.

"Tch, see how low they have fallen? And all because of that love struck wench."

"It took a while before we managed to force her to speak."

"As expected of the princess of this fallen and rotten kingdom. She even managed to hurt one of the supreme leaders."

His ears had picked up the words on it's own, implications clear it didn't take long before he stood behing the trio and it took even less as their blood glimmeren on the floor and their heads rolled.

He was surrounded form all sides now, the rest of vampires wouldn't live for much longer.

A hopeless situation yet for the very last time he carried the crown proudly, fear of it's weight no longer a significant fear fo his as a green glow glittered on the surface of the blood.

It didn't take long before he went all out for the very last time, a familair ominous sound following his rushed steps