Valac has been in a comatose state for the past week ever since his incident with Sparrow when she forced him to drink her blood. The vampire blood that is now floating around in his system has caused him to become incredibly weak while his body starts to go under a metamorphosis, one that no one can stop and just has to let run its course. Maria had been sitting next to his bedside every day, making sure that he is okay and healthy until the moment that he finally awakens. She ran a hand through her best friends hair, and the only reaction she got out of him was a small flinch when her hand brushed against his ever freezing skin. "Come on Valac, wake up. You're scaring everyone you know… The kids are wondering when you're going to play with them again. You don't want to keep them waiting, do you?" She said as she started to cry, but upon hearing the door open she swiftly wiped her eyes. "Any changes yet?" Said Father Pierce who pulled up a chair next to her and took his sons cold hand to hold in his own.
"No, Father Pierce. He is as still as ever." Valac in his sleep, scrunched his brow as he started to pant almost as if he was reacting to a bad dream. Maria then rewetted the rag that was on his forehead in the bucket of warm water that she had placed at her feet before she reapplied it to his head. "How much longer will he have to endure this Father? I don't think I have any more strength to watch him suffer like this anymore." Father Pierce sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering the exact same thing. "I'm not sure myself. The vampire blood in his system is changing him at a rapid pace. He was the first of his kind to ever have their powers sealed as far as my knowledge goes, so my only guess is that the vampire blood is starting to react with the blood that's been lying dormant inside of him. From the looks of it, he's still very much human which means that the seal is still intact if at least partially, which is a good thing."
For the entire time that Valac was asleep, he found himself in a dream world where there was no escape. He could feel every crack of his bones and every ache in his muscles as his body in the real world continued to morph. And while he dreamt, he tried to outrun the pain but it always caught up with him in the end. In the dark void of his mind, Valac sat in a huddled ball as he clutched his head in agony. "Make it stop! I don't want to feel like this anymore!" As he held his eyes shut tightly, he felt a gentle hand rest on the top of his head. When he looked up, he saw a girl with slick looking black hair and dark brown eyes who also wore a black robe that hid her figure; it was none other than Sparrow herself. Despite the pain he felt, Valac mustered all the strength he could and stood on his feet before he tackled her to the ground with hatred blaring in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?! I thought I killed you!" Sparrow didn't say anything even when he brought his hands up to her throat, threatening to strangle her if she refused to answer. "You did kill me. In the real world, I am dead. But you drank my blood, and blood is life. So I guess you could say I'm the last remaining piece of her soul. I'm here to help reveal the truth to you, if you'll allow me."
With curiosity written on his face, he was intrigued by her response but that didn't mean he trusted her, especially when she was the reason he was in this predicament to begin with. "What truth?" He asked cautiously as he started to relax his grip on her, giving her enough space for her to sit back up. "There was a reason that I was sent to find you. I cannot tell you much, but I can help access the memories that have been hidden from you with the help of my blood that now flows in your veins. Will you accept my help?" It is true, he was always curious about his past. He arrived at the orphanage when he was eight years old, but beyond that he had no recollection of who he actually was and where he had come from. If she really could help him to learn more about himself, then he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by. "My hidden memories? Just what are you talking about?" Without saying another word, Sparrow leaned forward and placed a warm kiss on his forehead, and soon the black void around them started to change settings as her figure disappeared before his very eyes.
He was now standing in a forest with snowfall around him, the floor at his feet covered in a thick blanket of snow as a blizzard stormed around him. "This looks like Byron, but when exactly? I don't remember this at all." He turned his head and saw a small boy trudging through the snow behind him with pale skin, slightly pointed ears and silver hair. It was an adolescent vampire. The little boy wore only a brown cloak which he held tightly to his body as he tried to fight the strong winds that could blow him away if he weren't being careful. "Who the hell is that?" He said as he walked over to the boy who wasn't aware of his presence at all. The little boy fell to his knees, exhausted after his long journey and he had barely any strength in his legs to carry him farther. "Mama, I can't do it anymore. I just want to sleep. It should be okay if I rest for a little bit, right?" The little boy then went on his hands and knees with his bangs still covering his eyes. From behind him, Valac heard the clicking of a gun which caused him to turn around.
In front of him stood a younger version of his father back when he was still in his prime and the proud commander of the Rosen Black Guard. In his hand, he held the same guns that Valac found himself wielding today, which he had aimed right at the little boy. "Dad? What are you doing here? You know this kid, but you never told me about him. Just what is going on here?!" Father Pierce glared at the little boy who was still too weak to look him in the eyes, but a vampire was still dangerous no matter how young they were. He cocked his gun before he continued to speak to the child. "You're a long way from home kid. What business you got being all the way out here? I don't even know why I'm asking; I should just kill you right now. You vermin are a scorn on humanity enough as it is. I don't care if you're just a child, it doesn't change what you are." The little boy looked up at him and revealed his piercing red eyes with slitted pupils almost like a cats. Valac had never seen a vampires eyes look like that before. They were normally a regular color like brown, blue or green and only glowed when they used their powers or were hungry. But this kids eyes were naturally red.
"I just want my mama. Please sir, I'm scared! I'm all alone now! Everyone I ever cared about is gone! I just want to go home, but mama told me I couldn't stay there anymore!" The little vampire boy started crying as he brought his balled fists to his eyes and continued to cry his heart out. Father Pierce didn't know why he felt pity for this creature, but it was probably because it was actually his first time ever meeting a child vampire. He had killed many grown vampires before, but never a kid. So maybe it was for that reason that he took pity all those years ago. He then lowered his guns, before he took a precautionary step closer to the young blood sucker. "So you ran away from home? Is that what you're telling me? But still, I can't just let you go. I'm sorry kid, but I have to do this. I'll be praying for your soul." He cocked his gun and pointed it at the child once more, but after seeing the tear filled eyes of the pitiful child, he couldn't bring himself to go through with it after all. Which was very out of character for him who was someone who was trained to slay vampires.
With gritted teeth, he holstered his guns and stood right in front of the child and started rubbing the top of his head. "I'll take you in, for now anyways. I can't just let a monster like you walk around my hometown. So I'll watch over you until I figure out what to do with you next." The little boy sniffled as he wiped his nose which was dribbling with snot. "Th-thank you mister." Father Pierce smiled at him as he knelt down to eye level with the little boy who flinched back in fear, scared of the imposing stranger who just tried to kill him. "My name is Aaron Pierce, can I ask what your name is?" The little vampire sniffled again before he spoke. "My name is-" Valac listened intently, but before the silver haired boy could finish speaking, the world around him started to shatter like fractured glass as the earth trembled. The gray skies above him started to break like glass and chipped away, revealing the black void that lied behind it. Before too long, the entire scenery was breaking apart and the floor beneath his feet was gone as he started to fall back into the nothingness. What was that kid about to say? Just who was he, Valac screamed to himself before the darkness swallowed him whole.
"NO!" Yelled Valac as he sat up in his bed with a sudden jolt, shocking both Maria and Father Pierce who were still seated next to him. Maria, after seeing her best friend finally wake up, brought her hands to her mouth as she allowed the tears she had been holding back to erupt like a geyser before she jumped on Valac and hugged him tightly. "You're finally awake! I was so scared!" She said as she buried her face into his chest, but he still had a pounding in his head as he gripped tightly at his hair with squinted eyes. "I'm awake? How long have I been asleep for?" He said as he tried to regain his bearings. His eyes were still covered in blur from having just woken up. "You've been asleep for an entire week. It's good to hear your voice, son." Said Father Pierce who smiled warmly at his son, but seeing his dad's face made those fresh memories come back to his mind as he was reminded of the little vampire boy whom his father had encountered all those years ago.
"Old man, I need to ask you something." Upon hearing his son's question, his father scooted closer in his chair as he took hold of his son's hand. "What do you know about a little vampire boy with silver hair and red eyes? I… I dreamt about him. I don't know how he's relevant to me. But you were there too. So don't even bother lying to me. I need to know. Just what have you been hiding from me?!" He said as he glared at his father, feeling a swelling anger inside of himself that he had never felt before. He was feeling incredibly hypersensitive and was finding it hard to control his emotions. With a deep sigh, Father Pierce knew there was no point in trying to avoid the subject any further. "Maria, can you please leave us alone? We need our privacy." Maria jumped up after feeling the strained atmosphere between father and son before she promptly took her leave. Valac then crossed his arms, waiting for his father to answer. "Sparrow said she was also looking for me before she forced herself onto me. I saw her in my dreams too, and she said she wanted to help me rediscover my past. So I need to know everything. If you try to lie, then I will never forgive you."
Father Pierce stood up from his chair and walked to the window with his hands pressed behind his back. "I should have talked to you about this a long time ago. I was just scared too… But you have every right to know. The truth is Valac, you are not a human being." Valac's eyes widened in shock as he felt his heart beat quicken. "If I'm not a human, then what am I?" But he didn't even have to ask. He already knew, he just wanted to hear it come straight from his father. Father Pierce looked over his shoulder to stare at his son with dead serious eyes. "You are a vampire. At least, you used to be. I sealed away your powers after discovering a ritual that was supposed to suppress your demonic blood. And it worked, you've lived your life without ever knowing the truth and I hoped that it would stay that way." Valac clenched his fists before he stood up from his bed and stomped over to his dad, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. "And you never thought to tell me?! How could you hide something like that from me?! I've lived a lie my whole life! You know how important it was to me that I became a hunter like you, but you neglected to tell me that I was the same beast that I desire to kill?! How could you do that to me?!"
Without even flinching, his father stared down at him with that same serious expression, but Valac could detect the hint of regret that lingered behind his piercing gaze. "I did it so that you could live a normal life. If I had let you stay the way you were, then I would have been forced to kill you. But I just couldn't… It was my duty to exterminate you, but I fell in love with you the minute I met you. I knew that I wanted you to become a part of my family. If I ever told you the truth, then that all would have been destroyed." Valac raised his fist ready to punch his father in the face, but before he could swing his arm forward he let him go, knowing that venting his frustration out on him and hurting him wouldn't make him feel any better. "It's already been shattered father. I don't even know who I am anymore. Who was I supposed to be? Where did I come from? Who the hell am I?!" He said as a dark purple energy started to swirl around his feet without him even noticing.
"Calm down son!" Said Father Pierce as he tried to pull his son into a hug, but the force of his energy kept him back. "DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO TOUCH ME!" Yelled Valac as his energy grew more intense causing the window to shatter. After hearing the sound of the window breaking, the energy he was exerting started to calm down as he stared at his trembling hands. "I-I'm a monster. Am I even human anymore?" He said before he fell to his knees, clutching his chest because his heart was starting to ache from the sadness he felt. His father knelt down beside him and pulled him into a hug, even though he knew his son still didn't want anything to do with him. But he wasn't going to just sit back and let his one and only son loathe himself. "You are still human, Valac. The seal I placed on you hasn't completely broken yet. There's a tear, but otherwise it's still intact. The vampire blood in your system has only begun to awaken your latent abilities, but I promise that you are still human. As long as you don't…." Father Pierce halted on his statement as he couldn't bring himself to say it. "As long as I don't what?" Asked Valac, who was now starting to have an even worse feeling. "As long as you don't drink human blood. You're somewhere between a vampire and a human now and drinking human blood would completely break the seal. If you ever did that, you could never go back to being human ever again."
Drink human blood? Why would he ever even think about doing something like that? "Are you saying I'm going to start craving it?" Valac said as he stared at the ground and started to laugh. This situation wasn't funny at all, it was the exact opposite in fact. This was all just a cruel joke that god must be playing on him. "I'm not sure exactly. This isn't an exact science, I'm just telling you what I know from the information I've gathered over the years so I could prepare for this moment." Valac pulled away from the hug he still found himself wrapped him and turned his back away from his father. "Do you think you can give me some time alone to myself? I just want to be alone. I need time to think." Father Pierce understood exactly where his son was coming from. This was a lot to take in, and it definitely wasn't easy to accept a revelation like this where your entire existence isn't what you thought it was. "Of course. If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to call on me." The priest said as he extended an arm out to touch his son, but stopped before he did. He was the last person Valac needed comfort from, he told himself. "I'll be seeing you then." He said before he left him alone to contemplate by himself.
Soon the sun had set, and in the outskirts of Byron in an abandoned home, were two noble vampires. The smaller one of the two wore an elegant white suit with a rose in his breast pocket. He had silky blonde hair that went a little past his ears and gorgeous emerald, green eyes. His companion that was with him was a larger fellow who stood a good eight inches taller than him, a true giant of a man. He wore silver armor over a black bodysuit with a red cape that draped over one shoulder. He had messy looking black hair that went past his shoulders and tan skin, as well as eyes so dark they looked almost black, and he also had a large scar that went across his face. Both the vampires who were biding their time until nightfall came, felt a rippling of dark energy shoot across the land from somewhere in Byron. The energy was so potent that they were still able to feel it even out in the boonies. The blonde smirked as he arose from the stool he was sitting on. "Do you sense that, Dongo? This malicious energy? There's no doubt about it, our little Sparrow completed her mission. At least she did one thing right. After all these years of being missing, we finally found our target."
Dongo, the knight who accompanied the gentleman in the white suit, knelt before his superior and waited for him to give out his orders. "It appears so, General Faust. What will you have us do next?" The man known as Faust started laughing as he ran his white gloved hand through his hair. "What else do you think I'll have us do? It's been a long time coming, but it's about time we stopped waiting around. Come Dongo. We have a bug to squash." He said as he pulled the rose out of his breast pocket and held it delicately against his lips, the moon now high in the sky and shining brightly through the window behind him, casting him in a halo light that brought out his princely charm even more. But behind that beautiful exterior, was a monster who was known for his insatiable blood lust. General Faust is the third highest ranking officer in the Vampire King's army, and for good reason. It was because of his status that he was entrusted by the king himself to fulfill this duty. He and his colonel had been on the search for the last eight years, and after painstakingly searching, he was finally going to sink his claws into the brat that had kept him away from home after all this time.
Back at the orphanage, Valac sat on a bench in the middle of the courtyard underneath the grand angel statue in the center of the plaza. While still staring at his hands, he had a vision that they were covered in blood which caused his eyes to widen as he grabbed tightly at his head yet again. He still hadn't completely recovered from his transformation, and still felt incredibly sick as well as being haunted by the visions that were plaguing his sight. He couldn't sleep, especially when his mind was still buzzing with thoughts. How could his father have lied to him like that? If he had just known the truth, it would have hurt for sure, but at least he wouldn't be losing faith in the one person he trusted the most. "There you are. I went to check up on you in your room, but you weren't there." Valac looked up from his lap and saw the angelic smile of Maria who was now standing in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to smile back at her. "How can you talk to me so casually like that? Aren't you afraid of me?" Maria tilted her head in confusion and then giggled before she took a seat next to him and leaned her head against his arm.
"Now why would I be afraid of you? Human, vampire... You're still you. Does your species change what kind of person you are?" Valac stared at her in disbelief that she was handling this better than he was. But she did have a point, whether he was still a human or not doesn't change who he was on the inside. "Does learning about your lineage make you want to change your goals in life? Do you not want to join Rosen Black anymore?" Valac stood up and with a serious pointed gaze, faced her. "Of course not! I still want to protect the people I care about! I've wanted to be a hunter since I was a kid! I will become stronger so that all of humanity can be saved! I want to become the next hero!" Maria continued to smile, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "Good. Keep that mindset Valac. Because as long as you know what you want out of life and never give up on your ideals, then you will still be a human on the inside. No matter where you came from. You are Valac Pierce, through and through. And don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise." Valac felt a hot blush form on his face as he averted his gaze from her. Why did she have to be so damn cute all the time? He sighed as he finally willed himself to smile and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Maria, I really needed to hear that."
Outside the gates that led into the monastery, Faust and Dongo made their way to the entrance that was secured closed. Faust reached his hand out to push it open, but as soon as his fingers touched the metal gate, he was greeted by an electric shock which caused him to pull his hand back as he shook the jolt out of his hand. "Heh, a barrier. I expected as much. But it won't keep the likes of us out. Dongo, you know what needs to be done." Dongo walked in front of his superior with his demonic aura flaring around him and his eyes now glowing with a red luster. "As you wish… Special ability, CARNIVOUROUS CLAWS!" The energy that was surrounding him then gathered around his arms and solidified into his skin, enhancing his muscle strength as his arms grew three times their normal size. The energy engulfed his hand and took the form of a giant clawed figure with extended talons. With both of his brutish arms raised in front of him, he relentlessly started pounding at the barrier that surrounded the property, which started to chip away.
Valac and Maria who were in close proximity to the front entrance heard the commotion as they ran to the source of the noise, and Valac forced Maria behind him as he withdrew his guns from their holsters when they witnessed the two vampires trying to break inside. "What the hell?!" He exclaimed loudly. On the other side of the barrier, Faust smiled sadistically as he looked at Valac with a deep rooted darkness lingering behind his emerald eyes. "There you are you little pest! How kind of you to meet us here. It won't be long now before your weak barrier breaks apart!" Valac could tell just from looking at them that they weren't any regular vampires that he's killed in the past, but they were in a whole other league of their own. With his new ability to sense demonic auras, the hunter in training could feel his hands and knees shaking from the murderous intent the two individuals before him were exerting. Valac started backing away, bringing Maria along with him. "This isn't good. Go get my father and tell him what's happening. I'll try to hold them off here as long as possible while you and the others get to safety."
Maria grabbed tightly onto his arm, fear and worry for her best friend written all over her face. "But Valac! You can't take them on by yourself!" She stopped talking when Valac cut her off. "But what choice do I have?! Listen to me, I know what's best! Now run away before they break in! Hurry!" Valac yelled out as he pushed her back, aiming his guns at Dongo who was only a few strikes away from bringing the barrier down. Even though she didn't want to, she knew there was no point in arguing with him when his mind was already made up like this. She quickly turned on her heels and ran in the opposite direction towards the monastery and to Father Pierce's office so that she could alert him about the attack. With her at a safe enough distance, the barrier finally broke which caused a loud booming sound as the metal gate came off its hinges and fell onto the ground from Dongo's last blow. The two vampires then invited themselves onto the church's grounds. "Is this how you greet your guests? And you humans call us savages." Faust said as he sarcastically flipped his bangs out of his face.
Valac sucked his teeth as he cocked his gun. "If you don't want to meet your doom, then I suggest you leave immediately. Your kind isn't welcome here." He held his finger over the trigger ready to shoot, when the blonde disappeared in a flash and reappeared beside him, grabbing ahold of his shoulders to pull him down and deliver a devastating knee to the stomach which caused Valac to lurch over and cough up some of his blood. "If we aren't welcomed here, then what does that say about you?" Valac strained himself to look back up as he glared at Faust with hatred burning in the reflection of his narrowed brown eyes. "I'm nothing like you! You monster!" Faust then kicked him again, sending him flying as he crashed into the fence surrounding the church. "That's where you're wrong. You can keep trying to lie to yourself, but you're more like us than you realize. You still technically might be human right now, but there's a darkness inside of you. Don't think we didn't feel that wave of energy you made earlier. It was like you were begging us to come and find you, you worm." Faust then strode over to him and grabbed Valac by his hoodie and pulled him up, blood dripping from a deep gash on his head.
"Honestly, I was hoping for more out of you when I dreamt of this day when I finally put you in your place. But you're so weak it honestly makes me feel bad for you! Like come on, you're making this way too easy!" He said as he lightly smacked Valac in the face to wake him back up, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. Valac regained his focus as he clutched onto Faust's wrists, who was surprised that he could still muster up even this small amount of strength. If he wasn't a normal human, he would be dead by now. "Just what the hell do you want from me? I don't even know who you guys are!" Faust rolled his eyes as he dropped Valac, who was lurched over from the pain that still resonated in his stomach. "Isn't it obvious? We came to kill you." With his foot placed on top of Valac's back, he turned to face his colonel. "Hey Dongo, I'll take care of this one. Go have yourself a little fun. The smell of fresh young blood is lingering all over this place. I'll come and join you when I'm done with this disgrace." Dongo nodded as he split off from his superior in search of the other humans who were still on the premises.
With a weak hand stretched out, Valac tried to crawl in the direction of Dongo who was almost out of sight and heading into the building but screamed out in pain when Faust stomped on his hand. "Geez buddy. Just lay down and die already. It'll make it easier on all of us if you just gave up." Faust raised his hand in front of him and pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun, his eyes now also glowing red as he accessed his powers. "Special ability, blood bullet!" The end of his finger gun started glowing in a bright red light as he conjured up a magic bullet made from his own blood. "Say goodnight." Valac closed his eyes and braced for the attack. Faust launched his bullet straight for Valac's head, but out of nowhere, Father Pierce arrived just in time as he used his sword to cut the bullet in half, with the fragmented pieces splitting off and barely hitting its target as they lodged into the ground. Valac opened his eyes when he felt the pressure lifted off of his back when Faust jumped out of the way of Father Pierce's sword who swung at him once again, barely grazing his stomach as his white suit started to get stained in the color of blood.
Faust rubbed his hand over his vest as he tried to flick the blood off of his suit but to no avail. His expensive clothes were now ruined. "Do you even know how much this jacket cost me you stupid old man? It's going to cost a fortune to get this stain out!" He said annoyed, more preoccupied with his appearance than the seasoned veteran in front of him. "Can you move, son?" Father Pierce said as he helped Valac to stand up while still cautiously keeping note of Faust to make sure he didn't make a move. "Barely. But I can still fight. Now that you're here, we can take him on together!" He said as he lifted his guns, but Father Pierce placed a hand on top of them and pushed them back down. "No. Your fight is not here. I need you to pursue the other one. The civilians in our care are more important right now. Currently, everyone is being held in the Chapel. It's the safest place in the whole compound. I made sure to place some extra wards for protection but I don't know how long those will last. The other vampire is a berserker type, so he can easily break through our lines of defense." Valac then grunted in frustration. "But what about you?! This guy's strong dad, maybe even stronger than the other one! He seems to be the one giving orders." Father Pierced smirked as he glanced at his son from over his shoulder. "Don't go insulting me. I was the commander of the Rosen Black Order for over twenty years, you twerp. Now go."
Valac gritted his teeth before he started taking off running to follow Dongo towards the Chapel. "Oh no you don't! I'm not done with you yet!" Faust yelled as he tried to chase after him but was blocked off by Father Pierce who took another swing at him, making the General jump back and glare at him with an annoyed expression. "You're not going anywhere. I won't let you." Said Father Pierce as he readied himself for an all-out brawl. Valac continued to sprint to the Chapel, which was getting closer, and saw Dongo standing in front of the door and gasped when he saw him break down the door as easily as he did the gate. "He already made it through the protective barrier?! Just what is this guy made of?!" Said Valac as he quickened his pace, and felt his heart stop when he heard the sound of screaming children. "NO!" When he entered the Chapel, he saw a horrific sight. Dongo was hunched over with a nun in his arms as he had his fangs buried deep into her neck, greedily sucking away at her blood. The children were all huddled in a circle behind Maria near the alter, who used what little knowledge of holy magic she knew to conjure a protective barrier around them. "Valac! This guy is dangerous! Please be careful!"
Valac aimed his guns at Dongo and fired two rounds from each hand, each aiming for his heart and chest. Without even looking back at him, Dongo activated his ability once more and used his arm as a shield to deflect the bullets which clanked on the ground after not even making a scratch on him. After being interrupted from his meal, he looked up at Valac with an evil glare and charged at him like a bull. However, Valac was able to roll out of the way which caused the enraged vampire to crash into the wall and made the entire building shake. Valac sprinted over to Maria and the children while Dongo was still in a daze and lifted a candle near the alter which was actually a hidden switch to a secret passage way for them to escape from. "Maria, take this path outside of the building with everyone. I'll be right behind you when I'm done with this guy." Maria reluctantly nodded as he followed his orders and directed everyone through the tunnel while Valac watched their rear. Dongo quickly recovered and slowly started making his way towards them.
Valac glared at him and started shooting more but Dongo deflected them all. "Stay back you freak!" He said as he continued firing but heard the clicking of his guns when he ran out of ammo. Without any time to reload, he had no choice but to dodge yet again when the vampire swung his giant claw down upon him. When he thought he was in the clear, he yelled out when Dongo used his other arm to grab him by his leg and swung him in the air before throwing him back down onto the pedestal. Valac coughed up more of his blood when his body made contact with the hard wood and could feel as his consciousness was starting to slip away from him again. He looked at the tunnel and saw that all the civilians had safely made it through the passage, with the door to the passage starting to close, sealing it away from anyone who would attempt to follow. Valac smiled to himself when he realized that he completed his objective. Even if he died here, he wasn't going to die in vain as long as he knew that he was able to help protect everyone. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate when Dongo prepared for another attack. "I wish I could have stayed with you guys just a bit longer… But this is all I could do for now. I'm sorry."
Dongo stared down at him with his glowing red eyes and brought his claw down with a great force, but before he could make contact with the young hunter, a small barrier separated Valac from Dongo's attack, to which the barrier was able to absorb the force and save him from the killing blow. Valac opened his eyes and stared around confused when his eyes widened when he saw Maria still inside the Chapel with a glowing white light surrounding her hands, breathing hard as that last barrier completely tapped her out of all her holy magic. "Valac! Thank god you're alright!" Valac didn't know what to say as his heart was pounding hard in his chest from the adrenaline. "You idiot! I told you to leave with everyone!" But Maria just defiantly glared at him. "And leave you here alone to die! No way was I going to do that!" Dongo turned his attention to the beautiful fifteen year old after smelling her delicious blood and started walking towards her. Without any strength left in his body, Valac forced himself to roll over with his body slumped weakly on the ground. "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!" He screamed as he raised his hand towards her, praying to god to give him more strength so that he could make it to her in time.
Maria backed herself into a corner, with terror in her eyes as the giant vampire loomed over her. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" He said desperately with tears building in the corners of his eyes. Maria, who was still trembling, looked at him and smiled even in the face of danger. "If anyone needs to survive Valac. It's you. I've always loved-" She said but couldn't finish before Dongo sunk his fangs into her neck, draining her of her life. Valac couldn't do anything except watch as the woman he loved was being killed by the beast in human form. After Dongo was done feeding, he crudely dropped Maria on the ground who laid motionless on the floor, seemingly dead after he drained her body of all its blood. "You… How could you?" Valac said with grief stricken all over his face. His mind was breaking apart. It felt like his entire being was screaming in agony and he was about to lose control. He was angry, no. Angry couldn't even begin to describe what he was feeling inside. He was down right blood thirsty. And this vampire was about to pay for what he's done.
The same purple aura that he exuded earlier started to swirl around his body as he rose onto his feet. Unlike last time however, the force was much stronger and whipped around his body like a hurricane that swelled and craved for destruction. With Valac's bangs covering his eyes, Dongo turned his attention back to him and stared at him with an emotionless expression. "How intriguing. You're still a human, but yet you can summon forth your vampiric powers. You are a fascinating case that's for sure. Are you getting serious now? It's a shame it took seeing your friend dying to finally go all out." Dongo raised his claws in front of him before charging at him again with breakneck speed. But even with his fast movements, time had slowed around Valac as he was able to see everything. When he looked up, his warm brown eyes were gone and they looked like his child self's, now being the color of a ruby with cat like slitted pupils. A true vampires eyes. "Special ability activate; copycat!" His eyes started to glow as he copied Dongo's technique and just like Dongo's transformation sequence, his energy encapsulated his arms which caused them to bulk in size as he grew claws.
Dongo's eyes widened in shock when Valac's clawed fingers clashed with his own. "So that's your special ability. My, my! You are full of surprises!" He said as the two pushed against each other. But even though the colonel was larger in stature, he was starting to get pushed back as Valac began to overpower him. Dongo yelled out in frustration as he put more power into the attack, but the young hunter wasn't even close to giving up. "AAAAAHHH!" Yelled Valac as he crossed his arms and pushed forward, launching Dongo back as he crashed into the wall, breaking it and exposing himself to the outside. Dongo coughed as he tried to sit up, but Valac jumped at him and landed on top of him, pinning him down with his strong legs. Valac's fierce glowing red eyes caused the once overpowering vampire to tremble beneath him as he could no longer match his energy. Valac, in the fit of his rage had far succeeded him in terms of strength. "I admit my defeat." Dongo said as he deactivated his ability, and raised his arms above his head signaling to his surrender.
"I don't give a damn if you give in. I want you dead. You're done after what you did. You won't get an ounce of mercy out of me!" Valac said as he raised his claw into the air and slashed across Dongo's face, ripping off his jaw. He continued to brutalize the vampire underneath him, clawing at him and tearing his body to shreds until he was nothing more than a disgusting pile of meat. After the deed was done, Valac stood up and stared down at the figure that once called itself a vampire, taking in sharp intakes of breath as he was still fueled with rage. "Valac… I'm starting to get cold. Are you still there?" He quickly turned his head towards the sweet sounding voice and saw Maria's body shuffle as she rolled over to face him. She was somehow still alive, much to Valac's delight. He ran over to her after deactivating his claws and scooped her up in his arms. With tears streaming from his still glowing red eyes, he cried as he held the dying girl close to his body.
Maria weakly smiled at him as she brought a hand up to stroke his cheek. "Wow. Those eyes really suit you. I think they look really cool." She said as she started to cough and her hand dropped, but Valac caught it. "Stop joking around. And stop talking… Try to save your strength." He said with worry on his face. Her hand was freezing cold and rigid compared to her usually soft warm hands. "You know I've loved you since we were kids? I never said anything, because I was always waiting for you to say it first. But you never did. " Valac's eyes widened at her confession as he only started to cry even more, pulling her hand back up to his face so he could nuzzle it. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! If I didn't exist, if you had never met me! You wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Maria shushed him as she continued to smile. "It's not your fault. I chose this for myself. I wasn't going to just let the man I love die when I could have done something to help. And I did it. I was able to help you… " She said as her eyes started to flutter, she was close to running out of time.
Valac hoisted her up into a sitting position as he rested his forehead against her own, comforting her until the final moment her heart stops beating. "I love you too, Maria Anderson. And I always will." Maria started crying herself, but not from fear. But from pure joy at those three little words she had been waiting for him to say for the last eight years. She leaned forward and puckered her lips, waiting for him to kiss her. Valac hesitated but gave in and kissed her, something he had always wanted to do. He just never thought that their first and last kiss would happen at the same time, and under these circumstances. They locked lips for a good moment, before he pulled away. His red cat like eyes had changed back into their regular brown shade as he placed another small kiss on the top of her head. While still smiling, Maria took her last breath and finally died, her resting face looking like a sleeping angels. Valac could sense that she was gone and lifted his head into the air as he released a bellowing shriek. His first love was gone.