This cannot be real... I have never believed in witches, vampires, or anything of that sort. I have never believed that there could be a person who cannot die or similar things.
"Christians of Targoviste, you wanted to get rid of me so much that you burned my wife? What kind of people are you? You, especially you, the devil's judge!" said the vampire.
"In the name of God, I command you to leave this holy cathedral!" I replied, like a true martyr of faith.
"You? In the name of the Lord? I should kill you for that, don't you think?"
"You cannot do such a thing... I am a servant of the Lord, and the devil has no power over me..."
"Do you believe that? God has abandoned you, Antonio!"
Wait, what? No, it cannot be... This cannot happen. I took one of the crosses from the altar and threw it toward him, hitting him in the forehead. He fell, and I thought he was dead. But, no... He became even stronger, and after flying over the gathered crowd, he reached the front of the altar, just three meters away from me.
"Now, what do you say, Antonio?"
"This is a mockery of the Lord. You deserve to—"
"Why talk about mockery now? You would have been willing to sleep with my wife just to let her live, and now you speak of mockery towards the Lord?"
"No... I did not condemn her. The Lord himself did!"
"Are you sure? Do you want me to quote what you said yesterday?"
"Hahaha, you're just a demon who wants to take an innocent soul like mine... You are worthy of pity..."
"Speaking of innocent souls... I believe the only innocent soul here is Marcus, don't you think?"
"Do not dare to utter his name, or I will turn you into ashes like your witch wife, Ana!"
"Fine, do it... If you can!"
I approached him, the stigmata reopening just like yesterday. I touched him and invoked the name of the Lord, but... Nothing happened... What is happening?
"It seems that you have power only over demons, don't you? I am not a demon, Antonio... I am a vampire!"
"It cannot be... If even this cannot kill you, then what?"
"The lack of human blood, obviously... Not even the sun or other things of yours can kill me..."
"Then, our faith will do it... Pray, brothers, for Satan to be crushed beneath our feet."
People started praying, but nothing happened. It seems that I cannot kill Vlad no matter how much I want to.
"Antonio, your time has expired. Hm, it seems you wanted to become a bishop, didn't you?"
"I-It's none of your business. Even if I wanted to become a bishop, that will be decided by God through the Holy Father."
"How lovely... Well then, I shall grant your wish. I will kill you on the bishop's seat. It would be nice for you to sit on it for at least a few seconds, don't you think?"
Then, he approached me and pushed me into the episcopal chair, forcing me to sit. I felt all power leaving me, and I remained as I was before. Besides that, I felt myself aging 50 years in a second and could hardly move at all.
As soon as he saw me sitting comfortably, he took a sword from the hand of a soldier standing there and raised it above my head. That's when I shouted to the people in the church to leave.
"Brothers and sisters, I command you in the name of the Lord to leave. And Your Excellency as well..."
"Antonio, what will you do?" the bishop asked me.
"I will fight this demon until my last breath..."
"How wonderful... Come, Ignatius, leave. Leave just as you did 9 years ago when I killed your beloved sister."
The bishop ran away, even though I had to force him to do so. The only one who didn't leave was Marcus.
"Marcus, leave... Don't stay here, it's dangerous."
"I cannot let people continue to die because of this demon. I cannot let you be killed just like my family..."
But it was too late. Vlad had made a deep cut in my throat, and I had no chance but to choke on my blood. But that wasn't all...
"L-Leave Marcus," I shouted with my last strength.
"Are you sure? You know, you should experience the same as me, shouldn't you? To see your loved ones die before you die... How wonderful!"
Then he sank his fangs into Marcus' neck, who groaned in pain while that monster greedily drank his blood. At some point, everything turned black. It seems that now I have truly died... And with me, my power as a judge.
I am calm. I feel a sensation of calmness that I cannot describe. Everything has become clearer than ever before... A bright light is in front of me. It seems that I am returning to the 21st century after all, and everything will end here...
"Antonio, you have deeply disappointed me!" a voice echoed from that blinding light.
"W-Who are you?"
"I am your master... Power has made you someone else. The Church has changed you for the worse, and it's all your fault."
"I-I'm sorry... I know there may not be another chance, but I want to talk to Ana... To apologize for killing her."
"That will depend on her choice," the voice said.
Immediately after this conversation, a young woman appeared in front of me. I recognize her... It's Ana, the 'witch'...
"A-Ana... Your husband..."
"My husband was cursed by the Church to never find peace for his crimes... You know how just he was with the helpless and how much the Church hated him for it, don't you?"
"I-I know, but..."
"But you wanted the rank of cardinal, didn't you? Don't you know that if you had stayed in Rome, you would have received it anyway? Don't you know that if you had gone back to Rome and met with the Pope again, everything would have been resolved already?"
"Yes, but... I wanted to forget about Rome and..."
"Besides that, did you ever think about me for a second? Did you not know how much good I did for the elderly and the sick with my remedies? Did you have to kill me for that?"
"N-No... Forgive me..."
"Ha, after you killed me and stabbed me while I was burning, now you want forgiveness? Fine... I forgive you... But I wish for you to have the fate of my husband! To never be able to return to the 21st century, or only when you have finished doing the evil you set out to do..."
"Wait, how do you know-"
"That's enough, Antonio... Rejoice... Now you are immortal, just like Vlad..." the voice from the light said before I woke up on the floor of the altar.
I woke up. I was on the floor, with Marcus beside me, blood around his mouth. Wait, is he to blame for turning me into a vampire? Did he become a vampire himself?
"Marcus, what's happening?"
"A-Antonio... I thought you were dead... Look, you're alive."
"Why did you do this? Why did you bring me back to life?"
"Because you were the only person who ever wanted to be my friend, and I didn't want... No one ever wanted to befriend me because I was an orphan, and even the bishop hates me, even if he doesn't show it..."
"Marcus, calm down... It's not true. You look good physically, you're morally strong and spiritually speaking, you're an angel... Who wouldn't want to be your friend?"
"That doesn't matter... What matters is the status you have, and that's why..."
I can't see him crying... It reminds me of myself... I have turned for the worse, so I can't allow Marcus to become a demon like me... I hugged him and stroked his blond hair to calm him. I remember how, when I was sad, I had someone who was by my side before betraying me.
My stigmata disappeared, and in their place, two cuts like rose petals appeared... It seems I am no longer worthy of them. I am no longer worthy of anything... I have become a demon, and there is nothing I can do to redeem myself.
"Marcus, you should have let me die... Anyway, I am no longer in favor of the Lord. I have lost my stigmata, the seal of my service to God..."
"No, it can't be..."
"Yes, it can... And it has happened... Come, let's go home..."
We headed towards the bishop. Luckily, today was the feast day of a martyr, so the liturgical garments were not heavily stained, being of red color. When the bishop saw us, he froze.
"H-How did you escape? Antonio, what happened to your neck?"
"It's nothing... What's important is that we escaped... This is what happens when we anger divine power..."
"What? D-Divine power? Antonio, have you gone mad? Weren't you the one saying it was the devil himself?"
"Then why didn't the crosses have any effect? Why didn't my stigmata have any effect and I lost them because of him? How could he enter the Cathedral?"
"Antonio, are you saying it's my fault?" the bishop said, visibly annoyed.
"Your Excellency, what Antonio means to say..."
"You, be silent, Marcus. Do you think I saved you because I care about you? It was because your mother begged me before she died..."
"Y-Your Excellency... How can you say something like that? Marcus is..."
"He is no more... From now on, you are my secretary, canon, exorcist, judge, parish priest, and whatever else you want..."
"I refuse... I've realized how malevolent you've become and how bad I've become because of Your Excellency..."
"So what do you want to do? Do you want to go back to Cesare and ask him to make you his secretary? Do you think you'll get away with that easily? You know how possessive Cesare is, don't you?"
"I know, and I won't go to Rome... I will request a transfer to another diocese... Maybe even to the Diocese of Milan, where Your Excellency's former lover is the bishop..."
"Go... Anyway, Dominic hasn't been in touch with me for 20 years... Maybe he's even dead, who knows..."
"Your Excellency, I apologize... I can no longer stay. And Marcus can no longer stay either... The important thing is that I must tell you the truth. I have informed the Pope of all the misdeeds you commit, and he will send a replacement in a few days... Who knows, maybe I will be chosen."
"Impossible! You cannot do this to me. I trusted you. Well, if I can no longer be a bishop, then neither can you-"
Before he could finish the sentence, the bishop attacked me with the sword he had with him and stabbed me in the stomach. Oh, the pain... That's what I would have said before, but now it only tickled me a little.
"Is that all you've got? You know, you should go deeper, who knows?" I taunted.
"H-How? Don't tell me... You've become a demon just like Vlad... Curses!"
Marcus, without me having told him anything, attacked the bishop and began to drink his blood... Blood. No, why do I feel so bad? Why do I crave blood?
"Marcus, save some for me too!"
I can't believe I'm drinking the bishop's blood. Luckily, the two elderly priests were asleep and couldn't be disturbed by the powerless cries of the bishop. After I finished drinking, the bishop was nothing but an empty shell without blood... I have an idea...
"Marcus, go and tell the people around us that we were attacked by the vampire in the cathedral. But first, wash your face, there's a little blood left on the left side."
After Marcus left, I went and took a cold bath, enjoying the fact that I can't catch a cold if I'm a vampire, because logically, I'm dead.
Suddenly, the bathroom window opened, and the most odious character in Wallachia entered: Vlad the Impaler.