Under the pristine light of the cursed blue moon, the Crimson Keep stood in all its majesty, the subtle silence of the night, broken by the sounds of glasses clinking together, merry cheers.
Alas, it was a night of celebration. A night of slaughter.
Alucard sat on his throne, his gaze pierced the multitude of Vampires before him. It was the celebration of his thousandth year rule. Alucard Nosferatu, the King of Vampires.
His gaze wandered above, beyond the walls of the keep, towards the dark skies. There stood a blue moon. It felt so odd. Seeing a blue moon, not that this was his first time, neither would it be his last... Presumably.
His gaze lingered at the cursed moon, once every three hundred years, the skies of Nihthelm. The realm of Vampires was encompassed with the cursed blue moon. A remnant visage of a long forgotten Deity. Although that god was dead, his grudge remained, cursing the land of the Vampires for all of eternity.
On the night of the Blue moon, it seemed as though, the moon itself imposed its will upon the Realm Of Vampires, upon Nihthelm. Repressing the power of the Pure bloods. The stronger the vampire, the weaker they became. It was safe to say that Alucard, was at his weakest.
Alucard sighed, forcing his eyes away from the moon, facing his subjects. Something was amiss tonight, a certain wrongness that Alucard couldn't quite describe.
Alucard rose to his feet, a glass of dark red blood in hand. "A toast" his voice resounded through the depths of the keep, every head turned at the sound of his voice, raising their glasses in unison.
"To eternity!" Alucard shouted, his voice as deep as the abyss, coaxing his way through the hearts of his subjects.
"To eternity!" The voices of the Vampires filled the hall, Alucard's expression darkened. Not all of them had risen to the toast.
A few of the Royal Pure bloods looked around, avoiding matching gazes with Alucard. They melded themselves into the shadows, amongst the nobles and the likes, interacting as though nothing had happened.
Alucard smiled tiredly. This was the third attempt on his life. He chuckled silently, the night of the cursed moon was the only night he could be attacked and fatally wounded. But killed? Preposterous.
His eyes darted around the room, eager to discern the traitors amongst them. He knew a high ranking noble had to be amongst them. Unless these fools were much too timid to form a coup.
Alucard sipped the red liquid from his glass. The rich iron taste of blood, the variety, he felt a certain exhilaration. Of course not all bloods tasted the same, some were richer than others. Especially the O group.
Dropping his glass, he rose from his throne, watching the crowd, there was a certain disturbance somewhere to his right. It seemed like a distraction, a trap to let him lower his guard. But his curiosity won.
"What seems to be the matter? Lord Caster?" Alucard asked, walking into their midst. Alucard was a tall man, roughly about seven foot five inches. His imposing figure stood amongst them, a clearing was made for him as he walked towards the disturbance.
"My Lord. I mean no disrespect" Caster turned sharply, bowing to Alucard.
"Speak" Alucard waved a hand. His cloak flowed to the floor behind him, dyed blood red.
"He... He spoke against your name, my lord. Sullied your Honor. And as such we had a little discourse" Caster confessed, turning to the perpetrator.
Alucard knew who the man was, a lesser noble by the looks of it. Although he had not bothered to learn his name. Alucard thought of how best to punish the defiant lesser Vampire.
"You are no God, Alucard. Just a Vampire like the rest of us. Your reign shall end, your life shall wither away, your throne shall crumble to dust. You will end, Alucard!" The nameless man shrieked in anger, baring his fangs.
Alucard looked at him disappointed, he had expected more, perhaps he was imagining things, perhaps nothing would happen tonight... He sighed and turned around, walking away from the scene.
"Don't ignore me Alucard!" The nameless man shouted, lunging at Alucard. However, before Alucard turned. Caster had intervened. Blocking the nameless Vampire while his fangs sunk deep in Caster's Arm.
"My Lord. I apologize, I don't feel at my strongest" Caster strained visibly. The nameless Vampire slowly but surely, was overpowering Caster, biting deeper into his arm, drinking tremendous amounts of his blood.
'Why do I have to entertain such nonsense?' Alucard sighed. He took a step, then suddenly appeared behind the Nameless Vampire. With a swift motion, his fingers ripped through the man's back, twisting, Alucard ripped out his beating heart, throwing it to the floor with visible disgust.
He wiped his hands clean of the dead vampire's blood and looked at Caster. His smile was genuine, loyal, honest, that same smile still remained on his face as Caster's head fell to the floor.
'What?'
Alucard coughed blood, looking down, he saw a silver blade protruding from his chest. A silver blade? Alucard smiled.
'Fools the lot of you.' Silver could never kill him, nothing really could that he knew off. Even if his heart was ripped out, he could still resurrect after a time. Alucard turned around, locking gazes with the man who backstabbed him.
"What a pleasant surprise, Lucius" Alucard smiled. Something was wrong!
Lucius smiled deeply at Alucard, driving the silver blade even deeper.
"Indeed it is my Lord. My last respect to you and yours" Lucius responded. He waved his hands, signalling to others who allied with him. All hell let loose.
Indeed it was a night for celebration, a night for slaughter. Alucard watched as his most loyal subjects were slaughtered by his most trusted subjects. What an eerie feeling. Even more so was that Alucard couldn't move.
He stood there transfixed, his eyes darting left and right, watching the horror unfold before him, heads were ripped off, body parts flew about, blood rained as a fountain wound, dyeing everywhere crismon.
His eyes darted back down to the tip of the blade protruding from his chest. Something was wrong with this blade.
He watched slowly as the blade turned a dark hue, as though the weapon itself drank his own life force. Feeding off his blood. Alucard's mind was in disarray, desperate to release himself from whatever this was.
"You seem surprised, Alucard" Lucius calmly approached Alucard. His hands and feet dripped with blood, he licked the blood smeared over his lips and stared at Alucard for a brief moment.
"The man whose heart you pulled out." Lucius began, brandishing another blade, identical to the one in Alucard's chest.
"Was a dear friend of mine. He also believed that your tyranny must come to an end" Lucius took a step forward, ramming the second blade into Alucard's heart. Alucard fell to the ground. His eyes facing the ceilings of his Keep.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel pain, not that he was immune to it. But these blades, they were cursed. He knew it to be true. His eyes sharpened.
A silver blade that cut through flesh, drank the blood of it's host, ripping them off their life force.
"Eldrin..." Alucard forced himself to speak.
Lucius smiled. "As expected Alucard. These are indeed Eldrin blades, although I know nothing of their origin and purpose. I do know that they can kill a Night born. And you, are far inferior to them" Lucius smiled darkly, his hands reached to the hilt of the blade, he began carving out the flesh of Alucard.
All the while, he felt no pain, but neither could he speak nor move. He watched Lucius slowly carving out his heart. When he was done, Lucius brought Alucard's heart to his face.
"Thank you for the meal. And I bid you farewell. Alucard. The last Nosferatu" Lucius stood and slowly drank the blood flowing from Alucard's heart. Thereafter, he began gnawing on the heart itself. Eating it in chunks till nothing remained.
By this time, Alucard had understood his folly. His vision slowly dimmed as the watched the silver light of the cursed moon, reflecting onto his throne. His blood seeped away from his body, slowly but surely, Alucard was being drained of his essence, his life force.
But Alucard had known this would eventually happen, as for when and how, he hadn't known. It was a pleasant surprise to know that he very own adopted son. Lucius had betrayed him in such a way. He felt a sharp pain twist in his chest, he would have thought himself heartbroken. But he had no heart.
He chuckled weakly, the effects of the cursed blade were wearing off. He could move again, but what was he to move for? The blades had completely turned black by now, he lay helpless amongst the countless slaughtered in the throne room.
Weakly he turned his limp body, facing towards the throne, he saw the throne slowly drinking his blood, it glowed a soft red. Almost unnoticeable. But Alucard saw it.
'Aah, that Damn Throne finally had what he wanted' he sighed and fell back.
He slowly felt his life fading, turning into nothingness. Would he really die? Or would he come back in a few months, or perhaps years. He wasn't sure.
'Damn that witch' he cursed as he heard the distinction words of something... Sentient.
[REINCARNATION INITIATED].