In a great castle, atop the mountain ranges of the South, a young woman strides through the empty halls. The cold pinches at her skin, her short dress proving an ineffective barrier. 'Even summer's heat couldn't warm this stone prison' she thought to herself.
Arriving at an old staircase she breathes a small sigh. 'Finally, I have managed to produce the poison and feed it to him!' the woman felt as if she was spring that had been released. The tension from years of planning had just been released. 'Venom from a grand arachnid, so potent that the magic in your veins runs wild trying to escape; blood from a mermaid, a single drop can shut down your organs; and the acid breath of a green dragon, this was by far the hardest to get, the monster was terrifying' having collected the materials herself so knew how potent each was. However, even with the assurance of man who had told her about it and seeing the effects in action, she was unsure if it would work on her target. With her siblings gone for the day, she took her chance, having laced her father's food with it. The pungent smell of the potion seemed to eat away at her nose as she rushed to her destination. Like an arrow in flight, there was no turning back.
Exiting the long staircase, she arrives at the lowest floor, the castle's dungeon.
"Aunty Teresa" she calls out, as the slight thud of her heel's echoes through the stone pathway. Whilst she passes numerous cells, all of them so far have been unused. The prisoners who had occupied them long since dead.
Having found an occupied cell, she stops. Peeking through a small slit near the top of the door, she spies a woman inside. The figure is bound by heavy shackles on each of her limbs. On her neck lies a thick collar. Identifying her as her target she takes a step back.
"Aunty, just wait one second" as she speaks, the black petals that form her dress begin to glow faintly. As they begin to peel off one by one, they start gathering in front of her, floating. With the top of her dress gone, her two cherry red tips on her small snowy mounds harden from the chilly temperature. Wanting to quickly redress, she commands the petals to form a solid plane. Flushing magic through it, a shimmer appears.
As her snow-like legs step through the shimmering wall, she disappears. A second later she arrives on the other side. The petals quickly reattach themselves to her dress. Now in the cell, she looks at the captured woman. The tall beauty looked to have lost some of her lustre, the many years of dungeon life had worn away at her soul. Her once powerful look had changed to that of a frail woman.
'I must hurry, if the poison isn't enough father will be sure to kill us' she thinks in a rush. Pulling two of the petals that cover her thin arms, she makes them hover in the air. 'Fly!' with a thought the petals zoom forward and dent the mechanism of the collar.
"Teresa, can you hear me?" the young woman calmly asks as she tries to nudge her awake.
"Ugh" having been roused Teresa looks to the woman in front of her, somewhat surprised. "Who are you?" she asks, unable to remember the last time she had seen a fellow human. Since she had battled and lost against the demonic monster Aemon, the End of Hope, she couldn't remember any other face but his.
"I am Carmilla, daughter of Jasmine. She told me she was your companion before she died and I didn't have anyone else to turn to." As she fought back the sadness that sought to overcome her, she quickly continued. "Should I break the chains first?" somewhat flustered on what she should do.
'So, my friend is dead? Damn him, how long has he kept me here' rage burned deeply in her eyes as her strength began to return. The meek, bound woman was no more, instead a powerful aura exuded from her body causing Carmilla to let out a gasp. Bring her hand to the collar, she rips it off. The brittle metal shattering from the force. Carmilla steps back as the woman stands up. Pulling with great force, the chains pop out from the wall one by one.
"Carmilla was it, come here" at the woman's insistence Carmilla walks forwards. Once she is close, Teresa wraps her hand around Carmilla, pulling her face into her bosom. "Tell me everything" she whispers to her.
"My mother said you were a great warrior and a kind friend. That I should find you when I need you" she speaks quickly with sight sobs.
"Calm down and speak slowly" Teresa rubs her hand on Carmilla's back, settling her.
Before Carmilla can continue, the ground beneath their feet begins to shake.
'No, I need more time' Carmilla laments. She had hoped, that she would have enough time to escape far away with Teresa.
"He is still here then?" Teresa's face tightens as she speaks.
"Sorry, I really thought that we would get more time" tears caught up in her eyes, she sobs.
"I will hold him off, while you escape" she ekes out, the fear preventing her words from carrying the weight she wanted.
"No, I will battle him here, you can escape here with your ability can't you?" Teresa countered. She had unfinished business and couldn't let her friends daughter die while she escaped.
"But if I leave, then how will you get away? Also, while I might be able to get out the castle, he will find me in no time" her purple eyes now enlarged as her fear begins to take over.
"That is fine then. Take this with you, wear it once you portal. Your magic will be sealed while you wear it, stopping him from following you" Teresa pulls a golden ring from a small portal and hands it to her.
Carmilla quickly removes her petals and forms the portal from them. As the portal forms, two thick dark tentacles invade the cell. As they attempt to bind the pair, Carmilla lets out a cry.
Before they can reach their targets, they are instantly disintegrated. Carmilla watches as the once frail woman now flows with power. Her long golden hair lifts from the magic pressure radiating off her body.
"Go now, his main body will be here any second" she turns around to face the enemy.
"Carmilla, please protect him until he is strong enough" with her final words she sends a gust of pushing her into the portal.
Carmilla watches as the portal closes behind her. Teresa's back glistens with all manner of gems, as they light up, a flash appears before her eyes just as it closes. She sees the castle that was her home split in two from her single slash. The mountain peaks in the background falling down.
With the portal closed, Carmilla is immersed in a grand field of white. The world around her, devoid of all else. Carmilla jumps into action. Her legs traversing the emptiness as she heads northwards. The further she gets in this blank environment the better chance she has of escaping. The distances in this world is heavily condensed. A slight glimmer of hope arrives on her face as paces a hundred steps.Still running she turns her head as she hears the sound of glass shattering. Panes of white fall down from the ceiling and floor as the tendrils invade the space. Seeping through the holes, they lock themselves on the small woman. Having sensed her, they barrel forth. The endless dark void, hidden within the white space, grows as the tentacles thrash through. The hundred metres she had on them is halved in only a few seconds. Overcome with panic she puts on the ring.
Her magic is sealed. Instantly she loses control over the space. White tiles that form the floor lift up. With no floor beneath her feet she falls through the space. Exiting it, she continues falling until she hits a blanket of snow. She isn't able to rest for long as the powerful waves caused by the battle happening beyond her sight hit her. With her magic sealed she can only roll away from them. With a short break in the attacks, she quickly runs through a crevice. The mountains to her sides now absorbing the brunt of the force.
With a small sigh she falls to the ground. 'I must pass the great frozen lake and traverse the eternal forest before I can reach him.' Unable to use her magic she feels depressed at the great task ahead of her.
---
"Leon, run now I will hold them off" the voice of a woman calls out to him.
"No, Valecia, you have to come with me. If you don't it will just be me" the sadness in the boy's voice felt overwhelming.
The woman looks back deeper into the cave, seeing the shadows rush towards them.
"Sorry Leon, I can't come with you" her voice full of remorse.
"Then I will fight them together with you" the boy answered with conviction, he had already lost everyone else and didn't want to be the last survivor.
Seeing the boys firm stance, she makes a drastic decision. With great force she rips out the giant red stone embedded into her forehead. Tears start to drip down Leon's cheeks as he watches, unable to stop her.
"Take my crystal with you so you never forget me" she hands it to the boy before heading back to the cave.
The boy knew, she had chosen death. A person would naturally die within the hour without their gem. She however, Leon knew, would not last more than five more minutes. Here in this cave, as Leon ran away, the vampires would cut her to pieces before giving chase to the boy. However, in the great expanse of the eternal forest, they would never find him.
The horror and pain of the scenario proved too much for Leon causing him to quickly sit up.
"Ahh!" the painful memories awaken Leon from his sleep. His heart pounding from the nightmare. It was an inescapable one. The pain four years later still felt fresh. Leon clutches the ruby red gemstone tied round his neck, as he tries to calm himself. Having woken him up late into the night, the touch of the stone slowly soothes him back to sleep. 'Grandfather said we will be travelling tomorrow, best I get back to sleep'. As his eyes once again close he unknowingly utters "Carmilla".