'Blood...'
Luciel started to think that maybe he would be better off dead.
After all, he knew what the hunters meant when they proclaimed his death on the battlefield even if he was still standing here.
It meant that he, as a human being, had died and had been reborn as a vampire.
He might still look the same, kinda, but not even one hair of his body shared the similarity with the humans, he is a completely new being.
The crowd finally stopped to approach Luciel as one man walked forward with a sword in his hand.
He had long blonde hair, heavy armor, and a white, dirty cape that was full of holes from all the fighting falling down his back.
"Vampire," he started, removing the cape and letting it fall on the ground. He even refused to call the man in front of him by his full name, knowing that the man he once knew was gone.
The hunter that was playing knight didn't even know why he was speaking to this beast, after all, he had seen many times what happens to a human that drinks vampire's blood - they become mad, driven by instinct.
He heard about cases in which some humans managed to stay sane, but he has yet to see it with his own eyes.
"Stay still and I will quickly put you out of your misery." The hunter approached, now right in front of his target, raising his sword, getting ready for a fast swing.
Luciel stood there, looking toward the ground, a small smirk escaping from his lips. He could recognize that voice anywhere.
It was his dear old friend, Alex, and truth to be told, he wouldn't mind dying by his old friend with whom he laughed and had fun for as long as he can remember.
Luciel could hear a sword cutting through the air, heading towards his neck, but soon, images of his dear wife, Helen, started to flash through his eyes, making him remember why he fought so hard.
They have known each other for four years now and they got married just recently.
Suddenly, at the last moment, Luciel raised his head and quickly went to grab Alex's hand by the wrist, stopping the sword right before it made contact with his neck.
"I'm sorry Alex, but I'm not ready to die yet," Luciel said, staring into his friend's eyes. It felt like staring into the ocean, but his gaze quickly fell onto his neck.
"Luciel?" Alex asked, widening his eyes in surprise, he did not expect this turn of events. He admits that it was odd that the vampire was calm after taking its first victim and didn't go to search for the next.
He expected him to try and rip his throat out the moment he got closer, but this…
"Luciel… Are you still... In there?" Alex asked, letting go of his sword and going to touch Luciel's face while staring into those crimson red eyes that were glowing slightly.
Alex could hear his own heartbeat, not being able to comprehend what was happening. Just how could this be?
Continuing to stare into Luciel's red eyes that used to be brown, he could still tell that his friend was still in there, even if now slightly different.
Luciel backed away a little, grabbing Alex's hand that was about to touch him as a small growl escaped from his lips.
"Don't touch me." He ordered, fighting to stay in control, he didn't want one more body in his collection.
Before the two friends could even get a moment to talk, Luciel saw an arrow going towards the two and with its trajectory, it's more likely it will hit Alex than his head.
"Duck!" Luciel screamed, placing his hand on the back of Alex's head, pushing it down.
The arrow that had been shot went straight past Luciel's head, making a small cut on his cheek that looked like it was burned, but it didn't take long for it to start healing, not leaving even a scar behind.
"Come on Alex, what's taking you so long, kill the vampire already!" Someone from the crowd spoke.
Luciel tried to search for the person who dared to take this risky shot, but he couldn't pinpoint who did it.
He hissed at the crowd, feeling a wave of intense anger like never before, spreading around his body.
'I'll tear apart the body of whoever did this and then I'll suck him dry' Luciel thought in spite of anger, but had to stop in his track, processing what was going on in his head, an hour barely passed and he already started to think like a full fledged-vampire.
Alex raised his head, looking back at the crowd, "What was that for? Luciel, he's still in there!" Alex shouted at the top of his lungs, making hand gestures, but deep down, he had a feeling like all was in vain.
The crowd started to talk among themselves before they finally started to shout. The scene was something like from medieval times.
"Cut his head off!"
"He has Alex under his mind control, kill him!"
"Silence!" Finally, someone from the crowd walked up, with her head up high and her red hair falling down, all the way to her lower back.
"Alex," She started, "you know that what you have just said is nonsense, look at him," she pointed towards Luciel who was already staring at Alex's neck again, with saliva appearing from the corner of his lips.
"Luciel is no longer with us, even now he is thinking about digging his fangs into your neck." She said, trying to reason with him.
"But commander," Alex started, taking a step forward.
Luciel stayed quiet and observed the situation for now before letting out a sigh.
What Scarlet said was true, he really was thinking about ripping his friend's throat out, but there was another problem.
Scarlet might sound calm and reasonable right now, but if someone finds out that Alex decided to defend him of his own volition, there will be consequences, maybe even a death sentence.
The Church had a strict rule about siding with the demons. Luciel could use this moment and just run away, but he didn't want to take any chances with his friend's safety.
"Luciel- He saved me right now!" Alex shouted right before Luciel got right behind him.
"A vampire took control of your mind, being aware of what was happening, you couldn't help but follow its commands," Luciel whispered into Alex's ear, breathing heavily, preparing himself mentally for what he was about to do.
"That's ridiculous," Scarlet said, laughing out loud. She did notice the unusual act, but there had to be an ulterior motive to all of this or just a remains of Luciel's past self. She was well aware that those two were friends.
The intense energy got broken once Luciel started to laugh like a madman, raising his head in the air and covering his eyes with his hand. "That's right!"
He smirked, putting his fangs on full display before giving a cold stare towards the public.
"I saved him for one reason. After all, the food tastes the best when it's freshly ripped." He said, preparing to take a bite.
"Alex!" Scarlet shouted, rushing towards the two, wanting to save the hunter who fought for her.
"Luciel, what are you-" Alex felt scared and confused at the same time, not being able to comprehend what was happening exactly.
Before taking a bite, Luciel prayed to the gods for a miracle for what he was about to do.
Alex could feel a heavy breath on his neck and before even having a chance to defend himself or say anything, there was a sharp pain in his neck, followed by numbness in his whole body, not being able to do anything as Luciel started to feast.
Luciel could feel a warm, thick substance going down his neck, being an absolute music for his taste buds, but this time it had a completely different taste. Instead of a dark chocolate syrup, the closest he could describe it was orange juice, being sour and sweet at the same time.
Luciel could feel his mind slowly slipping away while trying to fight for control, trying to not kill his friend finally release his friend before he kills him. The only one who stood up for him when no one else did.
Seeing Scarlet rushing towards him, ready to cut his head, Luciel tried to let go of his friend, but he wasn't even sure if he could do that. The instinct to feed was running rampant. This was indeed a stupid and risky plan.
Luciel already saw himself dead until his last prayer got answered and he finally managed to let go of Alex."I'm sorry, my friend."
Hissing, he threw Alex towards Scarlet, throwing her off her balance before finally making a run for it.
"After him!" An order had been sent and the hunters are ready to finally finish their final hunt.