SWNOVELS Chapter The Book of the Moon
Before they knew it they were under attack. The One-Eyed Reaper had come, alone, she assaulted the Association's Library. In the furthest section, hidden by a false shelf lies the Association's most valued and oldest records, some dating back to the organization's founding. Single-handed-ly she over-threw the entire security force and yet there was not a single casualty.
This demon who strikes fear into the hearts of even the strongest and cruelest of vampires, has become famous for not killing humans even among the Syndicate. The reaper stood before the pedestal, within its light sat the book, perfectly preserved, the reaper felt an aura hum from its bindings...it was just as the anti-vampire weapons. She lifted the book from its resting place, instantly catching a glimpse of a woman in a dress and cloak holding the book--a human? Speaking of them, more appeared each wielding weapons that could do no harm to her; she would not harm to Kira.
The humans saw the immortal walk from the room, holding the wrapped book in her palm she continued as if they didn't exist. The humans charged, but their weapons either would not fire or became dull. The Reaper threw them against the wall with ease and walked casually to the main foyer finally faced against the library's commander.
"I have guarded that book for years and will not allow some low-life to claim it." He holds an ax against her.
The immortal said when cracking her hand, "This book belonged to vampires, to the Nightraven family, you have no right to posses it."
Flames swirled around, engulfing the area around the commander and the reaper. This book has long since been away from an immortal's hands for far too long and the humans use it as a trophy, unable to see what it is meant for. The aged man brought out an ax, but the reaper did not flinch rather she raised a brow, believing if the others had no luck in touching her, why would he? Scholars are no warriors after all. The man jumped at the white-haired immortal, swinging his ax it hit the reaper's arm, but it simply sat in place. He was in shock--a vampire that was immune to Anti-Vampire Weapons?!
"She will not hurt me, i'm not a vampire nor human."
The hunter was thrown across the floor, his weapon lie on the opposite side of his location. They never learn.
"She?" The hunter said horrified, "That's not possible, you can't know that!"
The reaper's crimson eye returns to its sky blue color. No Vampires can know that truth, those who did were killed eons ago! Even then 'that woman' has not been conscious since that day--ten thousand years, the prophecy was unraveling before his eyes. It made sense--'In 9000 years one who stands on the boundary will fully awaken. In 900 years they will regain their mind. In 90 years they will regain their power. In 9 years they will regain their heart.'
The immortal glared, wicked-eyed, "She has been an irritation for me for the past two years and now I find myself looking for her. You..."
The reaper's eye shaded again--what do the hunters know? Clearly they know more than even Kira and now that she realizes it, the library's commander undoubtedly possess extensive knowledge about the weapons and their origin. Kira grabs the hunter, "Seem to know quite a bit--Tell me everything you know about the Anti-Vampire Weapons and her."
No one dared to ask where the one-eyed lived nor to make an attempt to search for it. They feared her as thy feared deaths and kept away, giving her the undisturbed time to have a 'talk' with her captive. First-Class Hunter David Roy, the commander of the Hunter's Association's Library as records keeper. Kira kept him fed with food of her own making, gave him drink, clothes and a bed. He was more a guest than a prisoner and certainly had the best captivator that one could hope for among the Syndicate.
The Reaper did not torment him, did not offer an exchange, she was waiting for something, for 'someone'. That someone arrived in the form of a man, a man none other than the turncoat himself. Adam, David, and the Reaper sat together, while the book lied on the immortal's lap she began the reason for their meeting. The woman in the Reaper's mind every time she touches an AVW--who, what, and why.
The second part would come later, rather it would be more of a historical debate than an interrogation. Though there was no confirmed name the records keep long thought that the same name mentioned in the book was the same woman who saved humanity. Sierra, the 'Mother of the Damned', one of the five members of the First Reign--a family.
The book began where all things must in the beginning of one, a lone wanderer who set out away from his father's grave shortly after the Great White has passed. He was the sole survivor of his clan--unaffected by starvation, by exhaustion; even the Great White could not so much as slow him down; he was different than the rest of his fallen clan.
In search of others like him the nameless man wondered the known world for years, soon discovering that while the people and places he visited changed, he did not. The no name soon learned that aside from obtaining the power to control the seas there was something he required to maintain his life force: taking the life force of another thru their blood. He no longer considered himself one of them, those who died of hunger, disease, battle wounds--he outlived all of those 'humans'.
Decades past and no one like him could be found--the future in his ageless body would be in dark isolation wishing death would come upon him. In the emptiness of the cold mountain a woman came to him, she hung over unafraid of his crimson eyes that held a great thirst. He had not the energy or will to move and thought that the woman before him was an illusion. She lifted him up and brought him to a cave where she cut her palm, dropping her thick blood into his mouth. In an instant all his energy had been restored and the demon within took over, grabbing her arm his sank his fangs into her hand and drank the thick crimson. The woman did not resist.
"It must have been hard, to be alone for so long." She whispered when stroking his thick silver hair as tears dropped from his eyes when releasing her hand. After a time the woman brought the nameless man to her village, a place where humans and their kin lived peacefully with one another.
"I feared I was the only one." Said the man in tears.
For the first time in his long life a sliver of light had broken through the darkness. There were other like him; they did not age; grow sick; immortals. At last this long endless journey had ended. The nameless immortal was then given a name, one that would echo throughout the ages with fear and a commodity of respect: Dracula. Their small village grew over the decades into a country in the mountains of Transylvania. There Dracula, Sierra, and his people ruled in the open over a utopia for humans and immortals alike. They raised a family together and each of their three children possessed a gift: their only daughter Amelia commanded wind, the youngest Natas brought to life flames, and the eldest Alucard broke earth. They were happy.
The family was all power and yet toward the weaker, toward humans, they did not abuse their gifts granted to them. They were gods and yet as gods there were those who saw them as demons; monsters disguising themselves. Immortals and humans alike who saw the other as an enemy, deeming each 'evil'. Humans were becoming slaves to their new masters and armies of un-volunteered rose up against the Reign. One neighbor soon turned against the next and in the furry of war the family was divided. Amelia, Natas and Sierra continued to see the humans as fragile, they were frightened who acted in defense of their own families.
It was their duty as gods to protect them, showing them the light even if it meant keeping themselves in the dark. In the end Dracula and his son did not see eye to she with the rest of their family. Humans were selfish, power-hungry animals who bite the hand that feeds them. They did not deserve the protect they cast away and should be taught a lesson never forgotten. This became the start of a long war, one that continues to this day. Despite the difference in opinion Dracula loved his woman no less and when he heard humans, calling themselves 'Hunters', had captured his wife there was not a single hesitation.
Dracula laid siege to his own castle however he was too late to save her. Sierra's body lied on the ground, a hole was in her chest where her heart once beat; gone. The immortal's cries were heard throughout the valley as ice and water poured into the courtyard causing death on an unprecedented scale. Nothing remained of their bodies. Fueled by rage over his familys' deaths, Alucard, the eldest of the three, took his father's place as king with the plan to turn mankind into the slaves they ought to be. Any who stood against him, immortal or human; family or friend would not be granted mercy. Those who betray their family for the sake of humans were traitorous scum that deserve a fate worse than death! Amelia and Natas stood against their brother, but after a time the youngest fell in battle for the sake of his sister, giving her the chance to flee from Alucard's grasp.
The one-eyed immortal continued to read the old-script to its conclusion. Most of it was riddles and old-speech, but she understood a great deal of it. It was not only the history of the First Reign, but tales and forth comings, only about them; myths and what David referred to as a prophecy. He was one of the few who believed in it--someone of human world and immortal would be born and they would make one of two choices: doom humanity or protect it. Their choice could dictate the future of the world, depending on their choices.
The Reaper shut the book--it was written by a human who had the gift of foresight; who they were however was of no importance to Kira at the moment. What became of the mother had been torn out and the first few pages, no doubt by the hunters to protect the secret of their weapons, but Kira had already made the assumption of their origin.
"That woman tore her own heart out and threw it into a furnace, after doing so she continued to walk around, giving her blood to the humans who became the first hunters."
David was not telling this to a vampire, but the person he believed to be the child of prophecy.
He continued, "Its a secret only a few of us know among the Association and now three of you are aware of that truth."
"You mentioned a third?" Adam tilted his head quizzically, "What vampire-"
"The son of course, the one whose been gathering Anti-Vampire Weapons." Kira knew for a fact, the Alucard in the book and the present one are one in the same.
"Alucard, an Ancestor? You cease to fascinate me with your presumptions my blue-eyed friend." Adam laughed writing in his book. Her comprehension of this knowledge is beyond any other he had met before, but with this knowledge comes a heavy price--whichever side she chooses she will lose something precious.
Whoever wrote the Book of the Moon clearly had no conscious of how their 'child of prophecy' would feel. That is what she still is, a child who has undergone this adult world's most cruelest experiences. One after the next and from Adam's point-of-view, if you looked at Kira's life, it certainly is a tragedy. Suddenly the Reaper smiled, then a small giggle turned into a hysterical laugh!
All this time, Sierra has been communicating with Kira to appeal to her human self--she wants Kira to choose humanity over vampires, of her own kind. What she wants is not peace! The annihilation of an entire species! I am not some puppet. The Reaper stared at David's ax that lie silently against the wall. Death, that's all the First Reign brought, their past continues to define the present and future--the Curse of the Nightraven.
"Reaper..." David breathed, "If you follow the Pureblood King why do you care about the past?"
It was an honest question.
"You have nothing to fear from me, I will follow you because I want to see where your choices will lead." Adam would rather pledge himself to a half-human rather than an arrogant Ancestor, "Honestly...if you asked of me I would follow you anywhere because I want to see how your story ends."
Kira cracked her wrist. "My dream is to create a world where no one has to fight anymore. For her, I will create that world."
"You can't know everything, and to be honest I can't even tell whose good or bad anymore." David sighed, is he sympathizing now? Yes this person is a vampire, but she hasn't let her define who she is. To himself he thought, I wonder if she noticed that the book was altered.