Eduardo
Nogales town,
Sonora city
Zellux region,
Kingdom of Ashtarium
September 25th, 3414
11:45 Pm
The town of Nogales was still as beautiful and alien as I could remember. Although it had been a while since I returned to my mother's homeland, I still remember how the city looked especially when the night crept in. I had never gotten used to the eerieness of the night sky in Ashtarium which was unlike the one back home. Music was breaking out from all over the city, and the smell of pastries and human food surrounded everywhere. People were laughing and smiling, the opposite of what it was back home. I always had the habit of comparing the Kingdom of Xibalba with that of the Kingdom of Ashtarium. There was a great big difference between my home and this part of the world. The entire north of the continent of the New World had become united under one rule after the Long War. And it was by the Ashtarmel family. That said family had managed to maintain order and peace throughout the land, no matter how the regions were separated from one another due to radiated lands. That goes to show how powerful the family was. That they could create a lasting civilization after all the destruction and chaos that a three-hundred-year war could unfold. Unlike the South, which had barely survived the war. After the Nuclear strike and the war had ended, gangs had spurted out of nowhere controlling what little resources that were left. Each gang had gained territories for themselves and it was from these territories that the Kingdom of Xibalba- a splintered kingdom-had risen out from. A kingdom ruled by fear and strength. A place where the weak could never survive. Once Xibalba had been separate kingdoms but over the years, the Warlord Juarez Gomez, one of the leaders of the gangs, had managed to conquer other territories for himself. He had brought them together through the only thing that worked there: Might. And now there was a cold peace, a cold peace that was under threat if my mission here in this strange land did not go as planned. I stopped by the plaza of the city, the open space was filled with so many people. In the middle of the plaza were two monuments. One of them was a tribute to a former leader of the place during the Long War. I didn't care much for it because it reminded me of Father. What drew my attention was the second monument. It was a statue of a naked being with wings with a missing head, fighting against a winged creature. The monument looked to be older than even the first one, the structure of the monument looked to have weathered some bad storms due to how tattered and beaten down it looked. No one knew who made the monument or what the monument was meant to represent. The missing head had been destroyed, though why the rest of the body wasn't,...Well, I guess it wasn't for anyone to know. The only thing I knew about it was the little secret mother had told me a long time ago. The monument was a tribute that once belonged to them... the Children of Light. The moonlight from the sky reflected off the statue showcasing the rusting color that had dried off over the years. The light was strong even for one that was artificial. I stared at the moon that was in the sky. A facsimile of the real one that was covered by the dome that surrounded the region. It was a marvelous invention, the dome that covered the entire region. I still did not get why King Rafael had commissioned domes built around the thirteenth regions of Ashtarium. I guess it was one of the ways in which he maintained order in the kingdom. Make the world look like it was before the Eternal Night. Make life comfortable for the humans who live here. Give them a life that is similar to the one their ancestor used to have. And he would have them admiring and respecting him. Rafael Ashtarmel was a wise and great king. It was too bad what had happened to him and his family. A coup d'etat. I guess that's what happens when you have so much power. People become attracted to that power and desire it for themselves. I stared at the burnt hand that was covered by a silver-colored glove. I was tempted to scratch away at the damaged flesh within it, a reminder from dear Father of what it took to survive back home. But I resisted the temptation. I was reminded that I was not alone and could not let my vassals see me as the weak man that I was.
"My lord, your cousin seems to be back." Carmen Acosta, one of the two entourages that I had brought with me on this journey. I tore my eyes from the moon to see Rafael Mircalla pass the street to where we were. He was my mother's sister's son, one of the few of my cousins that I could stand. He was around the same age as me and didn't seem to have that haughty look about them because they lived in a place like Ashtarium and I live in Xibalba. Rafe was the only one in the Mircalla family who knew that I was here in Zellux. I had written to him about my arrival and the secrecy that I needed. And sure enough, he had come to my aid.
"So normally the gate is supposed to be on lockdown," Rafe said. "Under orders from the Countess. You know what with the situation going on right now." The situation that he spoke of was the tension that was building up between the Zellux region and the rest of the other twelve regions. The Mircalla family was one of the great seven noble houses that had a good relationship with the Ashtarmel family. Rafael Ashtarmel was a Mircalla from his mother's side. Zellux had only been annexed to the Kingdom through the relationship between both the Ashtarmel and Mircalla House. With the death of the King and the coup d' etat, the Zellux region had been the only one to fight back against the current King. They had declared themselves independent as they once had been, and were making attempts to become their own Kingdom. The other regional leaders had supported the New King. So long as he was a member of the Ashtarmel family even if he was a New-blood Vampire- they had no problem with who ruled them. Another reason why I was on this mission.
"So, what now," I said.
"I've spoken to the gatekeeper and he's aware of the situation. There's a transport bus leaving in fifteen minutes through the border. The transport normally smuggles in humans who are leaving other regions to here. But I've arranged for it to take you to the Ardonia region. From there you can continue the rest of your journey." He led us through the crowded streets. There was a grey van located by one of the pastries stores. Rafe stopped by it. Inside the driver's side was a brown-skin human with a bald head. I approached the van cautiously sensing the silver paint that had been done to the vehicle. It was more than silver though. There was the smell of verbena coming from the inside of the van. I turned to Rafe with one eyebrow raised.
"What's the meaning of this," Carmen spoke out. "How do you expect Lord Gomez to ride in this."
"It's OK, Carmen," I said.
"It's for protection," Rafe said. It was just as I figured. "You'll be crossing through the radiated lands where the rabid Demonic Beasts run rampant. The silver and the verbena are the only things that will keep them off your trail. As I said, the transportation is mostly for smuggling humans in here. And the humans are the ones behind the business. This is Tonto, your driver. And his partner, the lovely Brenda." He pointed to the female human beside the balding human. She was dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt, her black hair was tied in a bun. She appeared in her thirties though even with the few wrinkles, she did look quite lovelier than the bald man.
"Are you sure about this, Lord Mircalla." the human Tonto said. "The order was clear that driving outside the gates during this time was prohibited."
"Suraj is aware of your delivery. He'll open the gates for you." Rafe said. He turned back to me, a shy smile on his face. "Well, I guess this is it, huh cousin." I nodded as Jose-my other entourage opened the door to the back of the truck for me."
Thank you, Rafe. I know it wasn't easy." I said. It hadn't been easy for me either. Having the guts to even leave Xibalba was something I never once thought I could do. But there were things worth risking..things worth fighting for and I knew... I knew that she was worth it.
"I hope you find her. It would be a shame if most of the Old-blood family of the Ashtarmel were gone for good." Rafe said. "Rumor has it the girl can be found in the Perium region. That is if she truly is alive."
"She is," I said. I was sure of it.
"I'll be careful going in there," Rafe said. "The region is mostly populated by humans and they are not feeling particularly warm towards Vampires. May the great mother watch over you." He made the sign of the upside-down cross as he blessed me. I nodded and entered the truck. I was grateful for his blessings for I was sure that I would need the Great mother's guidance while in this journey. Though I was prepared for whatever calamity that would come my way, there was a chance that I may not survive this journey. That was how difficult and dangerous my mission was. Failure was not an option that I could accept. Rafe closed the back of the truck sealing them in a room of darkness.