The Red Gardens was a location used to grow food for the Noctaris Vampires.
It was the main reason Draven built his palace here roughly two thousand years ago.
From its soils grew red flowers that could be boiled and turned into blood.
The beautiful red field was acres wide and was located on the west side of the Noctaris Estate
And Draven stood there, unarmed, with Dracula by his side, enjoying the view of the farmers tending to the flower.
A couple miles west of the field was The Whiteyes Estate. It was large, but not quite as large as the Noctaris, and they were both built on the southern outskirts of the Velhalla.
"Does it bring back memories, my brother? Of the battles we fought on these fields?" Dracula asked him, and Draven couldn't help but smile.
"Of course, of course. And to think, a thousand years later we would end up here once again."
A few moments later, the Nocturnal Knights and the Eversleepers arrived, all armed with whatever weapons they liked to use.
Some eversleeper forces were told to stay behind, to defend against potential attacks from other clans, but Draven was not worried about them.
He knew that this would not take long.
Draven watched the vampires that stood out to him.
Serena, who wielded a large scythe on her back. 2nd ranking Nocturnal Knight.
Florissa, the blue-haired vampire whom he had slept with, wielded a staff for healing. 18th-ranked Nocturnal Knight.
Vespera, the number 1 ranked vampire of the nocturnal knight's. Her weapon was covered by her large robes. But Draven guessed she used daggers.
There was another that stood out to him amongst the twenty knights, and judging by her demeanour, he was sure she was one of the higher ranks.
Her hair was a bright green and was kept in a neat ponytail. She wore a loose skirt and a tight t-shirt that seemed as though it were about the burst from the size of her breasts.
She seemed incredibly cheerful and even had a small heart tattoo beneath her eye to add to her charm.
"Who is the vampire with green hair," he asked Dracula quietly enough so that no one heard.
"That, Is Maya Heart. Though of course, she now takes on the Noctaris name. She is ranked 6 amongst the nocturnal knights. Do you remember the leader of her former clan?"
Draven thought for a few moments before the memories came rushing back to him.
"Ah yes. Matriella. Did you not bed her once?"
Dracula let out a bellowing laugh, causing the vampires to look at them, wondering what they spoke of.
"Yes... But did we not do her both at the same time?"
The best friends stared at each other for a few moments, before both falling into a fit of laughter.
"I think I'll bed Maya too someday," Draven said afterwards. "You know how much I love large-breasted women. But you won't be sharing this one with me."
---
After everyone had settled, Draven turned to address them.
They all stood in the large red gardens, with Draven and Dracula at their heads.
Once upon a time, there was more than just us two leading the forces...
Alicante. I must ask Dracula what happened to him, or if he even still lives.
"Finally we are all here, and I will not waste time with a long speech. Simply make sure that you keep up your pace at all times. Knights will stick behind me, whilst we wait for Dracula and the Eversleepers to create an opening for us."
The sun had set, and night had arrived. Perfect for a vampire.
"Now then, let's get moving!"
Dracula dashed ahead through the fields, and the Eversleepers followed as close as they could.
It was only half of their forces, the others were told to stay behind. Which left Draven alone with the twenty knights.
He wondered whether he should have left any behind with the Eversleepers, but ultimately decided not to.
He wanted all of them to witness him in battle against Odalys so that they could see his true power.
That was if Odalys was strong enough to force him there.
He doubted it.
After the Eversleepers had all passed, Draven dashed after them with the knights following close behind.
They travelled fast, with great strides and leaps over small rivers and between trees. From afar they would simply look like blurs.
To the untrained eye, it might even look like they were teleporting.
It feels good to use these legs properly after so long...
He pushed his foot off of the branch of the tree and propelled himself meters forward.
The wind blew against him, granting him a feeling of relaxation.
Even better was the fact that he knew he was on his way to battle.
Just like old times.
---
[Dracula]
After half an hour of travel, they spotted the borders of the Whiteyes Estate.
Past it, they saw the large palace that Odalys resided in.
Dracula's lips twisted into a smile as he saw the border guards noticing the large force of vampires heading towards them.
Their faces showed true fear, as they called for help. There were only ten of them and probably low rankers.
It was over for them.
Dracula summoned a ball of concentrated blood from his hands and waited until it grew to the size of a man's head.
Afterwards, he sent it flying from his hand, and towards the fleeing Whiteyes.
They were a pale race of people, skin practically translucent, earning them their name.
Their hairs were all white like Draven's, and their eyes a bright pink.
Some saw them as weaker versions of vampires, which left them feeling as though they had something to prove.
But it didn't matter.
BOOM
The ball of blood hit them, creating an incredible burst of energy in all directions, and leaving a crater in the grass of the field.
Whiteye bodies went flying, not fortunate enough to escape its radius.
Only two were so lucky, as they sprinted towards the buildings of their estate.
"Eversleepers, finish them off."
The young vampires charged ahead of Dracula, who led them and whizzed past the two Whiteyes, slashing their necks so that blood sprayed into the air.
As the droplets fell from the sky, the Eversleepers opened their mouths to devour the food.
Dracula looked at them with pride.
Oh, how I missed battle.
---
Draven watched the chaos go on ahead of him and laughed as they continued with speed.
Serena was close by him, keeping up well.
"Isn't it wonderful, oh beautiful Serena?" He said over his shoulder to her. "The glory of battle."
Serena remained silent for a few moments, not seeming to be enjoying it as much as he was.
No wonder she was a poor leader. A king or queen must love war.
"Yes, master." She said bluntly as they passed over the crater and began to enter into the estate and past the buildings.
Dracula and the Eversleepers trickled into the homes, engaging in battle with the Whiteyes, whilst Draven and his Entourage continued ahead towards the large staircase leading towards the palace.
Two Whiteyes were standing there with greatswords in their hands and wearing armour.
Oh? These ones look strong.
Not strong enough to earn themselves a battle with me though.
"Ranks 19 and 20, deal with them."
Caught by surprise, two vampires of the Nocturnal Knights looked at him, realising he was talking to them, before answering in unison.
"Yes, Master!"
The two women charged towards the men with great swords, instantly drawing their own weapons and clashing.
And an opening was created for Draven and the 18 others to enter the palace and make their way towards Odalys' Chambers.