《Grim Fairy Tales: Beauty & the Beast》


 Prologue: The Gift

    Once upon a time, ten years ago, in a world called Perrault, a man lost himself to his work, along with his assistant, and on his table laid a monstrosity that they were working on. The monstrosity was their latest work, lying over a table of gold, and the table was so beautifully wrought that it must have been of immense value. The curtains and upholstery of the chairs, sofas, and even the hangings of the room were made of the costliest and most beautiful of fabrics and must have been of fabulous value when they were made, for they were centuries old, though in excellent order. There were red banners hanging from the walls with a golden Dragon Head that was the very symbol of the Dragon Empire, a vast empire that stretched its very reach throughout the universe, all thanks to adopting human technology and spaceship travel. It was then that the doors to the man¡¯s laboratory opened and another stepped in.


    ¡°My lords, we¡¯ve loaded the cargo into your carriages as you¡¯ve instructed and we¡¯ve sent it on its way to Blackwood.¡±, one of the castle¡¯s stewards spoke to the two. ¡°Let me see the list¡­¡±, the man he addressed was Victor Frankenstein, who was dressed in his brown attire at the time, that was bloody due to the many corpses he finished sowing together for days.


    His brother, William, wore white attire and it was all bloody as well. He, however, wore what appeared to be a welding mask and this is because he welded all the metal pieces together. In fact, he was still welding and his brother was there to hold his tools and the body at bay. Victor Frankenstein raised his left hand while his head gazed forth towards the creature on the table and the steward then nodded before he would step forth to present the list to the lord that would take a look at it while one of his hands remained on the creature¡¯s body.


    ¡°Clothing, jewelry, dresses, toy swords and shields¡­¡±, Victor read it while the servant would observe the monstrosity they had built with great mechanical augmentations to the creature¡¯s own shoulders, legs, hips, wrists, feet, the top of his body and even his head.


    All the mechanical augmentations served to hold the creature together and it seems that they were finishing at welding the creature¡¯s right leg. The steward also noticed a couple of books of black magic, of necromancy, and then he turned only to see the gaze of Lord Victor. The man gazed into the servant eyes and he wasn¡¯t pleased that the servant was gazing at their creation.


    ¡°You need not worry, my lords, we made sure we prepared the finest dresses for the little orphan girls that I am certain will be overjoyed by our charitable gifts once they receive them.¡±, the steward explained, hoping that the lord¡¯s gaze would shift to something better or that his mind would be distracted but the lord remained displeased and emotionlessly gazed at the steward.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Clerval. That will do.¡±, the lord said to the servant and then just turned to look away before he would add. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡±, he ordered and the castle steward then took a bow before he would leave the room, leaving the men to their work and their thoughts.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re ready.¡±, said the welder. ¡°Then it is time, William, begin the reanimation.¡±, Victor said to his brother, the welder, than then bowed his head before he opened his spell book. ¡°Seven souls for seven vital parts bound and twisted together by our will!¡±, the brother raised his voice and his eyes began to glow purple while his hands began to glow with dark magic of the void.


    It was then that the door opened once again but Victor did not hear it for his brother¡¯s spells and chanting had distracted him. A bloody red claw reached in for the handle of the second door and then a little elf, a gorgon, stepped into the room that walked quietly and nearly toppled over due to the blood she was losing. It seemed she was harmed and yet the two men faced away from her.


    ¡°Pull the lever, Victor, let us make history!¡±, Victor would then do as his brother asked after they both put earmuffs over their heads, and he pulled the lever while the little elf called his name.


    The elf¡¯s words drowned into the sounds that the now new electrical currents were making that spread all across the room as the creature shook rapidly. William took joy, laughing maniacally like a mad scientist would, while Victor was the opposite. He was very cautious, very observant and waited patiently for the end result. He took no chances and every single precaution while his brother, like always, was a wild man who was a risk taker. The body of the creature shook as if it was being electrocuted and the little elf with three tails, whom were as much as part of her as she was a part of them, hit a nearby wall as she saw flashes of light before her eyes that blinded her.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±, she called for her father and looked back frightened towards the door, it seems that something was unsettling her and her ears were lowered as a result before she kicked the door to close behind her, intending to get their attention in any way that she could but it was pointless.


    The electrical currents coursed through the creature and William shook his brother¡¯s shoulders with joy before the power suddenly shut down. The brothers then stood there confused and William was the first to approach the creature¡¯s body, gazing towards it and grabbing his head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the power? What happened?!¡±, William questioned everything as he walked over to the other side of the table and looked through the controls. ¡°Maybe the breakers had fried.¡±, the man speculated at what could possibly go wrong before the little elven gorgon then dropped to the ground, her fall sent small vibrations on the ground that Victor stood upon.


    ¡°Bellindia!¡±, the man said her name and took his earmuffs immediately off as he crouched down to reach for his daughter, thinking it was her who caused the blackout.


    However, it was then that he would turn her over and notice that his hands were soaked in her blood. Victor would then raise his head and hear the screaming of men, women and children from beyond the doors of his laboratory. In that moment, his adopted daughter reached for his arm and he turned back to call for his brother.


    ¡°William!¡±, he called for him and they both didn¡¯t notice the hand of the creature twitch all of a sudden. ¡°William!¡±, he called for his brother again that took his earmuffs off only to shout.


    ¡°What?!¡±, before William then noticed his brother was out of sight and moved to the other side of the table only to see Bellindia lying over on the ground. ¡°Belle is hurt!¡±, Victor shouted back and then William heard the moaning, groaning of people that sounded like were being killed beyond the doors of their laboratory that frightened him to the very core of his being.


    ¡°White¡­¡±, the elf could barely muster her sentence as she was bleeding out. ¡°Lycan¡­¡±, she was trying to desperately finish her sentence and she was unable to as she passed out in her father¡¯s very own arms as the brothers then looked at each other before gazing once again at the doors.


    They heard furniture breaking, people screaming, gunshots firing, and steel clashing as well as falling. They knew that whatever was happening beyond the doors of their laboratory spelled disaster for them Victor had already placed the rich silk cloth over his daughter¡¯s wounds to soak the blood, to attempt to close the wound from bleeding any further while the brother opened their emergency reserve closet where he reached for his rifle and revolvers. Both men rushed through the doors of their laboratory that was located in the basement level off Castle Perrault only to see the dead bodies of men, women and children everywhere over the floor.


    ¡°Merry mother of god¡­¡±, William whispered under his breath as they approached the staircase that lead to another which would take them to the main hallway that lead them to safety only for a lycanthrope to leap down over a man that tried to run up the stairs himself.


    The lycanthrope bit and chewed at the man¡¯s neck, ripping his jugular veins out and even the flesh from his very own neck. William immediately signaled for his brother to hide behind a column with his daughter and so they did. The black lycanthrope had its meal but then another stepped forth that was visible to both men and William shot at it immediately that signaled the other. Petrified and terrified for the life of his family, William took out a revolver and shot it at the white lycanthrope that leaped over to one of the columns and then he turned to successfully shoot the other lycanthrope directly into its forehead that caused the creature to topple over, roll and hit William that dropped to the ground off balance. The white lycanthrope then leaped its way back towards Victor while William laid beneath the dead lycanthrope¡¯s corpse, and upon a sudden a miracle happened as the doors of the laboratory broke open and a hand reached out that grabbed the white lycanthrope by its neck before pushing the creature into a column as a ceiling collapses above them while they both went through a wall. It was then that Victor knew that the creature he sought to animate to life did, indeed, come to life and then he rushed over to William with his daughter still in his arms only to see his brother¡¯s eyes opened, his body crushed under the weight of the black lycanthrope he had killed. Victor then turned the opposite way and ran up the stairs only to feel massive vibrations before he turned to see the creature he had created. The monstrosity had a burning skeletal-like face with burning eyes and teeth, its chip that was its very core built to control the creature was in the center of its forehead and its burning heart was just beneath the creature¡¯s large thick neck. The creature then raised its hand towards Victor, as if a child desperately clinging for the attention of its parent, and suddenly Victor stepped back as he pulled the elven gorgon¡¯s head to his chest. It was then that the creature had lowered its hand and looked down to the elf that Victor was carrying before gazing back into its creator¡¯s eyes. It then saw what Victor saw in the creature; a hideous and repulsive creature with thick demon-hide skin and despite it saving Victor and his own daughter, the professor fled and the creature¡¯s eyes widened sank after what it had witnessed. It then heard the roar of the white lycanthrope that leaped out of the room and over the creature, pushing it back and hurling it through the laboratory doors where both of them would crash into the room. Victor ran up the stairs until he got to the main hall where he saw dwarven riflemen fire towards lycanthrope that easily burst through their ranks like they were bowling pins. There were knights that waved their cybernetic saw-blades that succeeded to cut some of the flesh from the creature but did not last long when they quickly overwhelmed them in packs. Victor gazed towards the doors that could take them to their freedom and despite the danger he ran through the battle raging all around them. The castle steward, Clerval, was lying on the floor against a column at the door with his head split in half like a watermelon. Victor looked away and burst through the doors as he then saw lycanthropes feasting upon the flesh of knights and marksmen alike. Victor then saw a horse and quickly ran to it as he immediately mounted over top of it. He then whipped the horse that neighed and then raised its front hoofs that nearly caused Victor to fall off balance only for the horse to kick one of the lycanthropes in the head that sent it flying forth. It was then the horse¡¯s front hoofs landed on the ground and its back hoofs then kicked another lycanthrope in the head from the rear. Victor then looked down at his daughter and saw that her eyes were open while her three tails snarled and growled, they spoke to the horse and commanded it what to do before she passed out. The horse then neighed once again and rode off through the harsh winter cold as Victor held on.


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    ¡°Hold on, Belle, hold on¡­¡±, Victor¡¯s eyes began to tear as the horse rode down the mountain and there were soldiers dead along the main road leading to the castle.


    That is when Victor would take one last glance at the castle that was at the very edge of a terrific precipice and one of the human bodies was then hurled through a window along with one of the savage creatures that chased after it. Victor knew that both the human and the lycanthrope would die together for they could fall a thousand feet without touching anything. Victor knew that what lay before him were the Grimm Woodlands as far as the eyes can reach for it was a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Victor could hear the rushing waters of the nearby rivers, the wind of the deep gorges throughout the forests. The horse then galloped its way into the forests that became misty and foggy the moment he had entered, and for him this was an ominous bad omen and he was right for he would soon discover why. There were elven malfhi, creatures that resembled modern elves of human fiction, that leaped out from the forests on all fours like cougars that growled and snarled at them. This caused the horse to raise its hoofs only to once again neigh but this time the neigh was not that off a brave horse but a terrified one. The horse backed up and the elves surrounded the father, the daughter and their horse like a pack of wolves happily waiting to devour their prey only for one elf to then step out of the woods. Victor noticed that she was not like the rest who wore simple loincloths and vests of leather and that walked like feral animals. This elf, this malfhi, had her face painted in blood and she wore blood, dark red attire consisting of a vest, two golden pendants imbued in a bead of elven and lycanthrope teeth she had collected, a small dark choker and a crown, a tiara, of razor sharp fero¡¯saur, that the humans also called dinosaur, teeth. There were vines and branches growing from around her arms that seemed to be overgrown flora and fauna of nature. When the elf approached, the other elves took a few steps back with their ears lowered and their voices getting quiet with each second that passed. Victor noticed the blood in the snow and a few bodies that were lying face down in it, realizing that these elves could have been potentially responsible for this invasion for they are able to communicate to the beasts much like Belle was able to speak with the horse that he rides. This elven malfhi approached Victor with a smile while she held on to what appeared to be a blood red rose that she seemed to be loving much to her delight, which left Victor puzzled as to why. Victor then went to reach for his back pouch for his revolver and one of the elves then roared from the nearby walls that it held onto.


    ¡°My, my¡­¡±, said the malfhi. ¡°What a lovely elfling you have¡­¡±, who then observed Bellindia and commented only for Victor to stare at her defiantly. ¡°The one that makes me a better man with every passing day and that I will not allow you to take from me.¡±, Victor replied and the malfhi looked into his eyes, seemingly with passion before she smelled the rose yet again.


    All types of elves had something in common and that was their tails. The gorgon was a pure-blood of the elven species and therefore she had three while the malfhi had a singular tail that could eat, drink and breathe as well as consume. Each elf had a natural Glasgow-like smile and once they smiled they could spread their cheeks open to reveal the horror that lay beneath the very beauty of their appearance; the razor sharp teeth drenched in blood off their victims. While the ears of a gorgon were cat-like or bunny-like in nature, the ears of a malfhi were human-like as well as very long and slender like that of a bunny with natural human-like skin.


    ¡°Goodness, what a loving father you are¡­¡±, the malfhi commented as she began to encircle him and the other elves surrounding the horse began to cackle like hyenas. ¡°Then you know better that I will fight to the bitter end.¡±, replied Victor and the elves, who naturally had seismic senses, felt that his heart beat fast but that he did not quiver with fear, instead he faced them bravely.


    ¡°And what a brave spirit you have.¡±, the malfhi commented and continued to smell the rose and then Victor looked down to Belle, his mind sharp as ever as he realized what had to be done. ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me then kill me¡­¡±, this time he spoke not defiantly but in desperation and hope that he had lost. ¡°But please, save my little beauty¡­¡±, he then looked down to the little elf and began to shed tears as he saw her getting pale due to the cold environment they were in.


    ¡°Please, I beg off you, save my little girl.¡±, the father then broke into tears and this only caused for the malfhi to smile as she lowered the rose down. ¡°And then suddenly the spirit submits, gives in just like that?¡±, the malfhi pack leader smirked and Victor then nodded his head.


    ¡°I would die a thousand times over if it means that she can be saved. She is not of my blood, she is of yours, but she is family to me, like kin, and I love her. I will pay anything or any price if it means I can save her life. This I swear.¡±, this comment intrigued all the elves, especially the pack leader, that then smiled with a grin on her face before she turned to face him.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, the pack leader asked and Victor nodded. ¡°Did I stutter?¡±, he bravely responded and the elf gazed deep into his eyes, studying his emotions. ¡°No, you did not, and this is rare indeed¡­¡±, she commented before she once again took one last sniff of the rose before raising it and placing it over the body of the gorgon that Victor held in his arms.


    Victor then noticed something about this rose for it was unlike any other. It had a glow that was unique and yet otherworldly. The rose carried warmth that even he could feel and it began to heal Bellindia¡¯s wounds, warming her body and then she suddenly began to cough.


    ¡°Remember this kindness, human, and remember it well¡­¡±, the pack leader said to Victor as she gently reached for the horse¡¯s head and petted it, staring deep into its eyes. ¡°For one day she will have to repay this kindness when death finally finds you.¡±, the pack leader then stared into the eyes of Victor before the pack leader¡¯s tails then snarled and growled as the horse then neighed.


    It raised its hoofs and the pack leader stood aside before the hoofs hit the ground only for the horse to gallop away deep into the woodlands. It kept galloping and galloping away as Victor held on for dear life for it was as if the horse had gone mad. The horse would not stop for anyone or anything, not even the master that grabbed and pulled desperately onto its reins. Victor then witnessed the savagery of the elves in full force as they devoured humans on the road. There were elves kissing each other¡¯s mouths, sharing their blood. There were others who kept ripping and tearing deep into the organs of the deceased, devouring the meat with all their mouths, that off their tail and their jaw. There were elves that pulled on the flesh off humans from one end to the other and they enjoyed listening to them scream. There were those who set their gaze upon the rider and his daughter, growling and snarling as they prepared to charge only for a large roar to cause their ears to rise and their tails to lower. They backed down as the roar echoed through the mountainous pass that the horse fled through. The horse would gallop for an entire day and gallop its way towards the ¡®River of Acheron¡¯ that worried Victor for he, like all others, knew that horses were deadly afraid off deep waters. It was then that Victor witnessed a miracle as the river froze and every fisherman that helplessly found themselves in the water began to freeze along with it and every boat that found itself above the surface was frozen to the surface as well before large spires of ice erupted that penetrated through them. The horse then galloped upon the thick ice and made its way to the other side as Victor then looked back only to see a large storm, a blizzard of hailing ice and snow that engulfed Castle Perrault from afar, and then Victor felt the very touch off his daughter before he lowered his head, pushing the rose to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay¡­¡±, he said to her. ¡°I promised you a rose, didn¡¯t I?¡±, he was in tears of joy for she had survived. ¡°All the others asked for earthly tethers but all you asked for is your father to be safe, remember?¡±, he caressed her cheek and raised his head as he looked on.


    The horse was still far from its destination for the River of Acheron was long and wide¡­


    ¡°I had to insist, time and time again, to buy you a present¡­¡±, Victor talked and cried for he wanted to bring her home to safety, for this nightmare to be over and her to be safe.


    All Victor wanted, however, was for his daughter to understand just how much he loves her and being nearly faced with death reminded him off that, off what life is and why to cherish it.


    ¡°You were the only one who wanted nothing but a rose as none grow in our part of the country.¡±, he reminded her off her wish and then looked down into her eyes that were barely open. ¡°And now you have it.¡±, he nodded as he gazed towards his little beauty.


    ¡°Do you know what my greatest gift was in my life, little beauty?¡±, he caressed her cheek again and leaned his head down as he held onto the reins. ¡°It was finding you in these dark and grim woodlands all those years ago. You are the greatest gift that fate has bestowed upon me just as it has bestowed this rose upon you.¡±, he assured her and wished to encourage her, and she listened to him as her ears were risen before they suddenly lowered down that caused him to doubt.


    He grabbed the reins and raised his head, yelling and doing everything in his power to make the horse ride faster to the Town of Blackwood, the only human refugee off the world of Perrault. It was a pleasant and yet shady place under trees with many gardens surrounded by the woodlands. The walls themselves were black due to a history stained in blood and darkness that gave this place a gothic-like appearance after it survived a terrible forest fire. The guards patrolled the large walls until they spotted a horse in the distance in the darkness.


    ¡°Who goes there?!¡±, one guard shouted from the top of the town¡¯s wall and then another raised a lantern that stood before the gates. ¡°Open the gate!¡±, it sounded like he was roused by what he saw and the guards from within immediately opened the gates as others rushed forth.


    The horse that rode for many nights ventured into the town and Victor, relieved, was finally held by the arms and hands of others who came forth with torches to help him off the horse. The man would finally fall down, starving and parched, along with his daughter that held the rose. A man with a black tuxedo that was richly embroidered approached and saw the rose being held in her hands to which he took immediate notice to. He then reached for the rose and took it from her.


    ¡°See them to one of the taverns and make way! Get these people medical supplies, fresh food and water immediately!¡±, the mayor ordered the guard to do so and so they did while he stood there, holding the rose and another stepped forth. ¡°This rose, what is it?¡±, the men asked and then the mayor looked to the gate. ¡°Seal the gate immediately!¡±, the mayor shouted and continued to observe the rose, noticing a dark and yet light magic about it unfamiliar to this world.


    ¡°I do not know, but whatever it is¡­¡±, the mayor said as he then looked to the environment ¡°We must keep it safe and study it¡­¡±, he implied as the forest within and surrounding the town was renewed, blooming with new life, and the two men looked at one another.


    It was then that they observed the rose and knew that it would have to be kept safe, forever¡­

 Chapter One: The Royal Ball

    The town of Blackwood is where Bellindia Frankenstein would continue to live her life under the watchful eyes of her beloved father and live in perpetual harmony. The town was divided into three sections; South, West & North. Blackwood South was referred to as the slums of the town in which most common folk resided along with the orphanage that was run by the Frankensteins. During the day, Bellindia would hunt those that dare to endanger the town and at night she would rest with her many cats and dogs that resided in her room, and on most mornings the sounds of the children that lived in the same household as hers would start knocking. It was this knock that interrupted the beauty¡¯s nightmare that was of dreaming of the rose last held by the mayor who would then turn his gaze to her with wondrous and confusing sight.


    ¡°Bellindia?!¡±, one of the orphaned boys called. ¡°Wake up, it¡¯s well past noon!¡±, said a girl. ¡°Ready or not, here we come!¡±, the children then burst through the door and rushed to the elf as the dogs started to bark and the cats scattered as the children leaped over on her bed.


    She covered herself immediately and the children began to laugh as they started to pull her own blanket down from her while another would start hitting her with a pillow.


    ¡°Children!¡±, it was then that an old man¡¯s voice called. ¡°Stop torturing your sister and for heaven sake, beauty, get up from bed already. It¡¯s half past noon!¡±, it was Victor and Belle sighed as she was clearly annoyed as well as cranky due to the rude and sudden awakening.


    One of the boys then saw Victor slowly walking over to the window before he would rush ahead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it, father!¡±, the boy said as he then pulled the curtains open to let the sunlight in that then blinded beauty who then once again covered herself. ¡°Come on, Belle!¡±, said one of the girls. ¡°Go away and let me sleep!¡±, Belle replied back to the girl who seemed sad.


    ¡°Children, let father take care of it from here.¡±, he said with a smile before he clapped his hands together with his cane. ¡°Off you go then.¡±, the children then sighed themselves and got off from the bed as they then made their way out off the room before two servants walked in.


    ¡°What is this?¡±, Belle then raised her head and looked confused for the servants seemed to carry what appeared to be some sort of a box. ¡°I have a gift for you¡­¡±, replied Victor and then the servants would open the box to reveal an attire that caused the elven gorgon to quickly rush out of bed to grab hold of it at once, observing it and then taking it into her arms, hugging it.


    ¡°Oh, father, is it?!¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±, he lowered his head and looked into her eyes before giving his reply only for her to hug him so tight. ¡°Well, go on¡­¡±, he gestured with his head towards the small booth in the back. ¡°Try it.¡±, he suggested and she nodded her head excitedly and then one of the children ran back into the room, pulled Victor by his pants.


    ¡°Pa, there is someone here to see you. He¡¯s waiting for you downstairs.¡±, said the boy and Victor nodded before bowing his head to leave his little beauty alone to get changed while he ventured down the stairs towards what appeared to a woman that he recognized and smiled to fondly.


    Her name was Lucy Murray, a malfhi born and raised among the human population, and she use to be an orphan at Blackwood Orphanage before her departure from it.


    ¡°Victor!¡±, she called his name and Bellindia¡¯s ears twitched as she raised her head. ¡°Lucy!¡±, she then heard Victor call her name and rushed out of the booth immediately as the boy¡¯s eyes would then widen at the beauty and the new beautiful red attire that she wore as she rushed out.


    ¡°Lucy!¡±, Belle called for her dear and closest friend. ¡°Belle!¡±, Lucy called excitedly and Belle got on all fours as she ran down the stairs and past her father who chuckled at her excitement.


    The two friends, who didn¡¯t see each other for a few days, then embraced in a warm hug that made Victor smile. Lucy was known for her white attire and Belle for her red, the colors that radiated more with their natural elven beauty at birth.


    ¡°How are you, sister?¡±, asked Lucy. ¡°Better now that you are here.¡±, Belle replied. ¡°Spill the tea, darling, what happened last night that you so urgently wanted to see me?¡±, Lucy asked.


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡±, Belle then reached for the hands of Lucy and looked deep into her eyes. ¡°Three men have proposed to me last night; Lord Harker, the mayor and the dark ranger.¡±, Belle replied and Lucy then raised both of her eyebrows as she was quite surprised.


    ¡°The Dark Ranger?¡±, especially by that one. ¡°Abraham Van Seward?¡±, she said his name and Belle nodded her head to confirm. ¡°So who did you choose?¡±, asked Lucy. ¡°None, of course, I don¡¯t have any interest in any of them!¡±, Belle raised her voice before staring back to her father and then pushing her friend away only to whisper into her ear.


    It was then, in that moment, that Victor would lean against one of the columns of his staircase and it seemed he was in pain before an elf approached him, a malfhi, which reached for his arm.


    ¡°Is everything alright, milord?¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes, Justine, I am quite alright.¡±, he assured her. ¡°Milord, how long have we¡¯ve known each other?¡±, she asked. ¡°Since I was a little boy.¡±, he smirked and gave his reply as she helped him stand once again to regain his footing.


    ¡°And how long will it take for you to finally realize that even if I am blind that you will never be able to lie to me?¡±, she asked and then he sighed. ¡°Yes, nanny.¡±, replying in defeat. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get you back to the dining room for lunch.¡±, she implied and then set out to do so.


    ¡°Three men have asked for my daughter¡¯s claw in marriage, hah, and all three of them shall never have my blessing for I deem them to be unworthy.¡±, Victor explained. ¡°Ah, yes, and two of them have something in common; they¡¯re rich and their wealth could save the orphanage.¡±, replied Justine and Victor grunted. ¡°No, my little beauty is better than that.¡±, he implied.


    ¡°The Dark Ranger is a professor, a doctor, a huntsman, and hell, sometimes, he¡¯s even a lawyer. Have you forgotten that one time he helped you out in that one particular case?¡±, Justine pointed out the benefits and perks of the other potential partner. ¡°Yes, but he too shares that which he has in common with the other two candidates and that¡¯s wealth and status but he too, like them, lacks to see the beauty for what she is from within. They see her beauty and nothing more. I want them to love her for who she is, not social status and so that they can parade her around.¡±, the old man explained to the nanny, the malfhi that was a hundred years old, and yet she appeared like she was in her early thirties with gray eyes for she was blind, a consequence of her old age.


    ¡°Your daughter has received an invitation to Blackwood Manor.¡±, Justine revealed. ¡°What?¡±, Victor replied. ¡°Yes, the mayor has invited her to the royal ball, most likely to shower her with gifts and praises to win her over.¡±, the nanny replied, giving the old man some ideas.


    ¡°No¡­¡±, Victor said as he briefly paused for a moment. ¡°He will try to tempt and with her over with the promise of the rose.¡±, he added. ¡°Yes, and I have no doubt that the other two that wish to have her claw in marriage shall also be present at the royal ball for they are nobility after all.¡±, the nanny explained and Victor sighed before placing his right hand over his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you overheard her saying that she would accept the invitation, nanny.¡±, said the old man who then turned to face his nanny that simply smiled at him. ¡°Damn¡­¡±, cursed Victor and the nanny then shook his shoulder. ¡°Oh, relax, Victor, for it can¡¯t be all that bad. You see, Belle is not stupid and you should stop treating her like a cub. She has a good friend that will accompany her and both you and I know that the white ranger is a good lass.¡±, the nanny calmed Victor down after she had explained what both of them already knew and he calmed down.


    Later that day, the rangers would make their way to the Blackwood Mansion that overlooked Blackwood Quay and Blackwood Lake. The mansion was nestled between hills, its massive bridge made of stone that lead to the five stories building with a slanted rooftop on the fourth floor while the fifth floor consisted of a small rectangle like quarter with guardsmen at the top. The manor was located in Blackwood North where the most wealthiest and lucrative people resided. It was home to wealthy and successful merchants, rangers, guards, politicians, nobles and the skilled huntsmen. It was for this reason that the mansion had many heads of stuffed lycanthrope heads hanging from the walls for the mayor took great interest in purchasing them.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±, said Belle the moment she laid her eyes on the interior of the ballroom. ¡°Hey, I hate to break it to ya, Belle, because the dark ranger and Lord Harker are already eying you top to bottom.¡±, Lucy warned her friend as she stood before her and dusted off her scarlet-like robe.


    ¡°Shit, are they both coming this way? There¡¯s so many footsteps, I can¡¯t tell one from the other, you know?¡±, Belle asked and Lucy pretended to smile. ¡°Unfortunately, they are.¡±, Lucy replied. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me.¡±, requested Belle and Lucy chuckled as she reached for her friend¡¯s claws.


    ¡°You kidding?¡±, asked Lucy. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this for all the money in the world.¡±, she added.


    It was in that moment when both Lord Harker and Professor Seward arrived, both men took their bow just as the red ranger turned to face them and then she bowed her head in return.


    ¡°Lady Frankenstein, it is lovely to see you again.¡±, Lord Harker was the first to speak, a young man with a black tuxedo and a black bowtie who was easily distinguished by his slicked back short black hair, a tattoo on the right side of his cheek and his red cybernetic-like eyes.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes, I must say that I wasn¡¯t quite expecting to see you here, milady. Are you here for some matters of politics?¡±, the other man to speak was Abraham Van Seward that wore a black tuxedo with a black bowtie with a bronze gadget hanging from his upper left pocket.


    Abraham had blue cybernetic-like eyes, short black hair that he kept combed along with a short goatee beard and twirled mustache. Abraham also wore a cybernetic monocle over his left eye and appeared rather serious compared to Lord Harker that appeared calm and calculated.


    ¡°I invited her.¡±, it was then that the third suitor, the mayor of Blackwood, spoke up and stepped in between two men before taking his bow. ¡°Mayor Goldalming.¡±, Belle addressed him and she would bow her head to the black human male along with the others present.


    The mayor was a man who wore a black and golden embroidered tuxedo with a dark red bowtie. He was in his forties while Van Seward was certainly in his late thirties with the youngest being Lord Harker who was in his mid twenties that was the closest to the twenty five year old Belle. The mayor also wore a golden chain while he kept his hair short with his mustache and beard well trimmed. All three men looked at Belle with their eyes mesmerized by her beauty.


    ¡°It is an honor to be here, thank you.¡±, Belle spoke politely and the mayor smiled. ¡°May I have a moment, milady?¡±, the mayor asked and gestured with his hand before Belle bowed her head. ¡°Lord Harker, Mr. Seward...¡±, Belle would look to the two other suitors and say their name before turning to her friend. ¡°Lady Murray.¡±, she said her name and bowed before finally leaving to excuse herself with the mayor that requested her to accompany him.


    ¡°I was wondering if you gave some thought to the proposal I made to you?¡±, the mayor wasted no time and got directly to the point with Belle sighing. ¡°In all fairness, mister mayor, I have to decline. You are too old for me and I am the type who is into men around the certain age that I am.¡±, she replied and this response caused the mayor to stop who then sighed and looked aside.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±, he was surprised to say the least in his response. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s what I get for making a proposal in the form of a letter. Something tells me I should of made the proposal with that enchanted instead.¡±, he chuckled as he commented and then Belle shook her head.


    ¡°No, mister mayor, that wouldn¡¯t have helped either.¡±, she said to him and this response would then surprise him. ¡°The key to my heart does not lie in lavish gifts or some enchanted rose, and besides¡­¡±, Belle spoke her mind at once and then paused briefly before she continued. ¡°The rose is what brings life to the nature of our here town and I would not selfishly take it away from the people of Blackwood that need it as a wedding or proposal gift, and I hope you didn¡¯t just invite me to this ball in order to ask me whether or not I thought about your proposal?¡±, this is what made the mayor admire her more and he simply smiled, smirked and then replied.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±, clearly lying to her, not understanding that this just made his chances lower. ¡°May you enjoy the ball and you have my word that the rose will be in good hands. May you have a splendid evening, red ranger.¡±, the mayor bowed and clearly had his pride hurt from being declined as he walked away from her and the red ranger turned to see Van Seward.


    ¡°This ballroom is filled with so many trophies of mine, all which I carved and stuffed myself to present to the mayor of Blackwood and its people, and the moment I laid my eyes upon you I knew you are a natural huntress.¡±, he spoke about their past while she immediately got to the point with him as well. ¡°I know why you are here and it¡¯s regarding my proposal.¡±, she replied.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mention anything about that¡­¡±, he said. ¡°But you¡¯re thinking about it.¡±, she replied. ¡°Well, of course I am, who wouldn¡¯t be after making a proposal to a huntress such as you?¡±, he asked and then she took a gander to the trophies surrounding her before sighing.


    ¡°Trophies do not interest me, Mr. Seward, and I do not care what type of foe you have defeated or what kind of wealth you may provide. I do not care what kind of reputation you have built throughout Blackwood and the only reputation what matters is what we have built between each other, and I hate to say it to you like this but I do not wish to build any relationship with you with the exception of the one between associates, between two skilled hunters that fight to protect this town and her people from any potential danger that may befall them.¡±, she shared her thoughts to him and he stood there, impressed and nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°So that¡¯s a no?¡±, he said and she shrugged her arms as well as shoulders. ¡°I am afraid so.¡±, she replied to his question.


    ¡°The moment I laid my eyes on you, Lady Frankenstein, I hunted you in order to show you the appreciation and love I have for who you are, but you always kept yourself distant or secluded. You always gave me mixed signals.¡±, he explained. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want us to get involved so that our hunts and nights spent together don¡¯t become awkward. I still want your friendship, Abraham, but I don¡¯t want your love. I am sorry.¡±, she replied to him and he nodded.


    ¡°Belle, there is no need to apologize, I totally understand everything and at the end of it all it is your decision, and I will respect that. I appreciate your sincere honesty and I¡¯d rather you be honest with me than you lying to my face. Now, if you would please excuse me. I must converse with Lady Murray and I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±, Abraham finished expressing himself and took his bow before he took his leave as then Lord Harker stepped forth, staring at the man leaving.


    ¡°Arthur¡­¡±, Belle said his name and he bowed his head. ¡°Belle¡­¡±, he replied even though Belle noticed that the man was acting unusual and rather uneasy. ¡°How are you?¡±, she asked and then he reached for the back of his head, scratching it and looking towards Lucy that they both saw was being approached by the dark ranger who engaged in conversation with her.


    ¡°About my proposal letter¡­¡±, he said and Belle sighed. ¡°I must admit, it felt like it came out of nowhere, Arthur, and I never expected that you had those types of feelings for me.¡±, she replied and then stepped forth. ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t.¡±, he said clear as daylight and this surprised her.


    ¡°Say what?¡±, she looked so confused and why wouldn¡¯t she be? ¡°Look, you read the letter and do you know how it references angels a lot and the heavens in it?¡±, he replied to her and she nodded but she was still confused. ¡°The letter wasn¡¯t mean for you.¡±, he said to her and then Belle would lean her head back as Arthur stood there, hoping he did not hurt her feelings.


    ¡°Then who was it for?¡±, Belle leaned over and asked him that question as he then gestured his head towards Lucy which then put formed all the pieces of the puzzle together in Belle¡¯s head.


    ¡°Oh, that would explain why you also happened to mention the altar and mass¡­¡±, said Belle. ¡°Are you disappointed?¡±, he asked and then she turned her head, shaking it. ¡°Of course not, I don¡¯t have those type of feelings for you.¡±, she replied by telling him a truth and a lie at the same time for she did not have feelings for him but she did show some interest after reading the letter.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods¡­¡±, Arthur said before he placed his hand over his head in relief. ¡°You have no idea how awkward all this is for me.¡±, Arthur added before he approached and reached for Belle¡¯s own claw. ¡°Once again, I am so sorry, so sorry!¡±, he apologized and she smiled back.


    Arthur then turned and walked away from Belle. The gorgon stood there all alone and she looked at Lucy talking with Abraham before Arthur had approached the both of them, interrupting them and somehow managing to squeeze into their conversation to talk to the both of them.


    ¡°Scarlet Robe¡­¡±, it was then that Belle heard a soothing voice addressing her and stating one of her titles she had earned throughout the years. ¡°The Red Ranger, the Slayer of Lycanthropes¡­¡±, she turned to face an elf, a malfhi, wearing a white dress. ¡°You¡¯ve come far from just being a Little Red Riding Hood.¡±, Belle wasn¡¯t surprised that the elf knew about her past for many within the town of Blackwood knew off her history for it was a small community and people do talk¡­


    ¡°Times change.¡±, said Belle. ¡°Indeed.¡±, then another stranger spoke and Belle turned to see a tall gorgon wearing a black dress. ¡°The town, yourself and your father truly changed once the rose was brought to Blackwood and yet the mayor keeps it locked all to himself.¡±, the elf spoke her mind at once and Belle agreed with what she said but did not dare to speak out against her own.


    ¡°Tell us, have you ever thought about seeing it again?¡±, a third stranger then spoke out and Belle turned to an elf, the youngest of the trio, with rested and yet focused eyes staring at her. ¡°The rose?¡±, Belle asked. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±, she added and then the stranger smiled.


    ¡°Liar.¡±, this comment annoyed Belle. ¡°Excuse me?¡±, Belle asked and then the gorgon would speak once again. ¡°The path to the rose is clear and there is no key that you require for the man that fancied you left it open for you.¡±, the malfhi spoke yet again and Belle turned to face her. ¡°And how would you know this?¡±, Belle asked and the three elves chuckled that spooked Belle.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±, Belle finally asked the important question. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who we are.¡±, the second stranger then walked past Belle who turned to face her. ¡°It does to me for I have never seen you in Blackwood before in my life.¡±, Belle explained and pointed out the mysterious.


    The trio seemed to speak one after the other and always seemed to finish each other¡¯s sentences. Elves were natural in their beauty but the malfhi was white skinned tone, the second gorgon stranger that introduced her first was ebony and the other seemed to be brown. The gorgons had long raven hair and the malfhi had long blonde hair that was braided at the back, and the malfhi had gray eyes for she was blind which meant she was over a hundred years old.


    ¡°Observant, are we?¡±, said the brown gorgon. ¡°You are right, little ranger, for we are not from these parts.¡±, the ebony implied. ¡°We are strangers to you but we are no strangers to Blackwood for we are responsible for its foundation.¡±, said the malfhi and Belle smirked with disbelief.


    ¡°It¡¯s foundation? The founders were the nobles of the once renowned House Dracula and what remained of them died over a decade ago.¡±, Belle said what she knew and then brown gorgon replied. ¡°Did your father tell you that?¡±, Belle looked to the elf before giving a serious look. ¡°No, I was there on the day that they died.¡±, this reply did not even seem to move the three elves.


    ¡°And on the day that the rose was brought to Blackwood by your father as it were.¡±, the ebony one reminded Belle before the malfhi then added. ¡°The rose that was not rightfully yours, but of House Dracula itself.¡±, Belle then looked to the ranger general from afar for she sensed danger.


    ¡°Ah, yes, you have every right to be suspicious of us and that is why we will give you a choice.¡±, said the brown gorgon. ¡°Call for your ranger general and your father will die without a moment¡¯s notice. He will lose what little time he has left to cherish.¡±, the malfhi assured Belle that was paralyzed by what she heard until the ebony gorgon spoke up next with another choice.


    ¡°Or you could go home to him now and protect him from the evil that is coming to Blackwood. So you must ask yourself. Will you trade three lives for one or one life for three?¡±, and then the brown gorgon would add. ¡°The choice is yours, Belle of House Frankenstein.¡±, the three elves then stood side by side while Belle looked to the ranger general and he looked back towards her.


    Belle looked around to see Lucy Murray and Arthur Harker that were no longer present, and she was trying to desperately find Lucy Murray for help. She saw the mayor conversing with the crowd, sharing drinks with the ranger general who kept his eyes on her. Belle, not wishing to appear suspicious, then decided to make her choice and bowed her head to the elves before she took her leave from the ball without an excuse to anyone as to why she is leaving.


    ¡°How long will I suffer this dreadful disguise?¡±, asked the ebony gorgon. ¡°A little while longer, my dear sister.¡±, said the brown gorgon. ¡°Right on cue, here comes the general.¡±, said the malfhi and the brown gorgon then leaned to whisper to her gorgon sibling. ¡°Now is the time to shed that horrible disguise, don¡¯t you think?¡±, both gorgons grinned before the ebony one walked away¡­

 Chapter Two: The Family Reunion

    The ranger general approached the two elves in the ball while the third walked onto the balcony. The moment that she stepped out it was night time and the moonlight was concealed by dark clouds that concealed its natural and beautiful light. The ebony gorgon shook her head and then from her back protruded wings that were ethereal and moth-like in appearance as her cat-like ears also took this form for she was an harlefi, a creature of half elven and half harpy blood, and she smiled to finally be rid off her disguise for she looked to the balcony of the mansion to where she knew the holding of the rose may be found. The rangers on the rooftop of the mansion were on patrol, back and forth, keeping a keen eye on any potential danger that might come their way. What the rangers failed to notice, however, was one of the statues on the rooftop turning its head and gazing towards them as a hunter would its prey. At that same time, Bellindia would arrive back home in a hurry only to see Lucy Murray conversing with Arthur Harker and nanny Justine.


    ¡°Belle.¡±, Lucy called. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left the party, I wasn¡¯t just feeling it.¡±, she explained and then the gorgon shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, neither did I. Justine, where is my father?¡±, Belle got to the point quick and her stress worried Lucy before Justine focused her eyes on Belle.


    ¡°You sound nervous and your heart beat is different.¡±, said Justine. ¡°Justine, where is he?¡±, Belle asked and then the elf raised her head. ¡°He¡¯s in his quarters.¡±, the nanny revealed and Belle then quickly rushed towards his quarters while Arthur looked confused at the notion.


    ¡°What the bloody devil is going on?¡±, asked Arthur. ¡°I sense a terrible evil in our midst, one that is also making its way to Blackwood.¡±, said Justine. ¡°What evil? What do you speak off?¡±, asked Arthur and then the nanny turned to face him. ¡°Sir Arthur, I need you to inform the Gate Guard to be at their out most attention, full alert for anything that even twitches throughout the night.¡±, Justine explained before Arthur and Lucy looked at each other only for them both to look back.


    ¡°Justine?¡±, asked Lucy. ¡°Go, now!¡±, Justine raised her voice towards Arthur and then the man raised his right hand before runes appeared underneath his feet only for his body to be transferred via teleportation outside of the orphanage for he was a Arcan¡¯nar Magi, one of the arcane.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±, asked Lucy. ¡°Lucy, I have raised you as one of my own since you were a little cub. I have always recognized your scent until now. I have always felt your heart beat and now I feel none, and you¡¯ve never lied to anyone until now.¡±, the two elves exchanged a serious look between each other but then Lucy suddenly smiled for she realized it was over.


    ¡°Full alert for what?¡±, said of the Black Guards. ¡°For fuck sakes, I said she sensed a terrible evil coming our way! So obviously something not good?!¡±, Arthur replied. ¡°Do you know how very ridiculous you sound? We face evil every day outside these walls every day, Mr. Harker, I apologize if we do not look that surprised for such a simple warning.¡±, a ranger captain replied as the fireworks of the nearby mayor¡¯s mansion lit up throughout the night.


    ¡°Father!¡±, Belle burst into her father¡¯s office who was sitting on his chair. ¡°Belle, what¡¯s the matter?¡±, he replied. ¡°Barricade yourself in your office.¡±, said Belle who reached for one of the closets where the old man kept his rifles and revolvers. ¡°Are we under attack? I didn¡¯t hear the bells sound.¡±, her father replied as Belle quickly reached for the guns in a hurry to arm herself.


    It was then that one of the rangers saw a flame lit up from afar followed up by another and then another as a signal was being lit from all the towers that were close to Blackwood. These posts were of outside watchmen, sentries, which patrolled and watched over Blackwood from afar. They dealt with threats for years and when one signal was lit there would often be a patrol sent out to assist them but they were being lit in rapid succession that frightened the gate guards.


    ¡°It was that obvious, huh?¡±, said Lucy. ¡°So how did you figure it out?¡±, Lucy asked and then Justine turned her head to the right before patting a spot over her neck to gesture towards the same spot where Lucy had two marks that she then felt with her own claw as she smiled.


    One of the gate guards rushed to light up one of the bonfires and then another reached for a rope line located in a tower as it sounded the town bell that signaled an attack that was soon followed by one after the other throughout the town. This was heard by the Frankensteins themselves and then Lucy reached for her revolver that was struck by Justine¡¯s arm as the gun misfired through the hall that was heard by Belle who then turned to face her father.


    ¡°Do as I say.¡±, she said. ¡°No.¡±, he replied. ¡°I might be old but I am not hopeless.¡±, he moved her aside and reached inside the armory. ¡°Father!¡±, shouted Belle. ¡°Belle!¡±, he shouted back towards her and they both looked at each other. ¡°You have known me all your life, you know arguing or protesting with me will do you no good.¡±, he looked at her and then raised one eyebrow as he smiled, and then this caused his daughter to roll her eyes and they both proceeded to get ready.


    The guards on top of the mansion roof then gazed towards the gates and those within the ballroom soon rushed to the windows to gaze towards the walls. The ranger general and his ranger core rushed to the balconies quick as the two elves that he spoke to then walked away quietly, away from sight from anyone that was left behind. One of the rangers on the rooftop was then impaled through his neck by a needle-like tail followed up by another and then a few others as the statues came to life. The ebony harlefi then landed on top of the roof top before she moved in between the gargoyles towards the sanctum where the rose was kept as she marveled at the lives that were being taken and at that same time other harpies, harlefi and haru alike, descended down upon the walls with their claws and tails that resembled statues of their own. The rangers would then scream as they were taken from the walls and raised into the air only to be dropped down into the town¡¯s streets and/or rooftops. The gargoyles threw explosives onto the rooftops of town walls and they also dropped elves off their backs that ran on all fours only to leap and attack the humans like the feral monsters they were naturally born to be. They clawed, ripped, tore, bit and carved out flesh with the jaws of their own tails and their own mouths, ripping the flesh of their victims with their own teeth. They drank blood from those that they pinned to the ground and would slit their throats if they needed to move onto the next target swiftly. The harpies dropped down a few elves on the walls, particularly gorgons and malfhi, which ran on all fours towards the bell ringers that fired their own arrows and shots from their rifles only to be swarmed by the elven packs. It was an attack that all of Blackwood was unprepared for and then lycanthropes climbed over the walls with elves mounted on their backs that used their crossbows, grenades or even their magic to attack their enemies while their pets clawed and tore their enemy to shreds. Lucy and Justine fought each other with their claws and tails as they leaped against each other before landing over the ground, biting and tearing at each other¡¯s flesh. Arthur cast magic of ice to freeze a few elves in their place as they growled and snarled at him only for him to blink out of existence and re-appears further inside of the town walls for the walls were fully swarmed and he knew it. He then gazed towards the gates that were being pushed, slammed and bashed into only for them to break open and then to his horror he saw smoke along with the elves and lycanthropes that emerged from it that attacked anything in sight. He blinked and appeared someplace else only to see kazari emerging from the waters of the Blackwood Quay that stabbed and brutally attacked anyone in their way. He turned to see humans run into the town that then used their magic and also fired their guns as well as used their cutlasses to attack anyone in sight.


    ¡°This was not any ordinary attack, it was planned and calculated. They¡¯ve come to kill us all.¡±, Arthur thought and he would be right to assume so for this attack was personal.


    ¡°Justine!¡±, shouted Belle and the two elves then split from each other. ¡°Lucy?¡±, Belle saw Lucy stand and then the malfhi pointed to the other. ¡°Justine is trying to kill me! She attacked me!¡±, shouted Lucy and then Belle turned to face Justine. ¡°She is lying, Belle, she is the aggressor and she is no longer that same Lucy that we both know and love!¡±, Justine replied and Belle was puzzled as she aimed their rifle at the both of them only to shout. ¡°Stand down, the both of you!¡±


    Arthur then looked to the gates as he placed his hand to his mouth and started to cast a spell only to see the same monster that Victor had created all those many years ago. The creature stepped inside of the walls and dragged behind with itself a large claymore as lights emerged from the skies that were blue in color as they descended into the ground only for skeletal hands and claws to burst through the ground. They then emerged and quickly attacked anyone they could find as the monster then swung its massive claymore that tore through the wall of a house and cut down several humans at once for how massive, sharp and heavy it was. Arthur then teleported into the orphanage where he saw Belle pointing the rifle towards the two elves and was puzzled himself.


    ¡°Arthur, thank the gods, Justine has gone mad and she¡¯s trying to kill me!¡±, shouted Lucy. ¡°The both of you, stand down!¡±, shouted Belle. ¡°I¡¯ll stand down but I won¡¯t allow her to get close to you or towards to Harker for she is a Nosferatu!¡±, Justine revealed and Arthur turned to face her.


    ¡°A what?¡±, Arthur asked and then Victor stepped in to the room. ¡°The lot of you, head down to the basement, now! Go on, get!¡±, he shouted towards the caretakers and the orphans that were spying on the exchange between the four as they quickly rushed to the basement.


    In that moment, Mayor Quincy Goladming arrived with his human guard towards the sanctum where the red rose was held but now it had turned black when the claw of a harlefi reached for its branch that then loosened its roots from the dirt it sprouting from. For the first time in forever, one of its petals fell and at that moment Victor grabbed his chest as he felt an immense pain only to fall to the ground that startled Belle as Lucy stepped forth to Arthur and Justine leaped toward him only for the magi to cast a spell that pushed and threw her back as she struck one of the very columns with her back, landing to the ground and getting stunned by such a hit. The mayor then reached for his revolver and took aim only for the brown gorgon to bite his neck as his revolver misfired.  It was then that the white malfhi bit him next as their claws pulled him down to the ground, biting at his flesh and draining his blood as the Black Guard watched and showed no signs of assisting their leader. The ranger general and his ranger core shot their rifles, revolvers and even launched their projectiles with their bows and crossbows. They fought anyone that dared to come to the rooftops and the only time their weapons would be affective was when they used explosives either through magic and/or through means of engineering. It was then that several grenades burst through the windows of the orphanage and Arthur turned to see them only to grab hold of Lucy and teleport them both away. Belle reached for her father¡¯s arms and would drag him towards the back as the grenades exploded before lycanthropes broke through the doors along with humans and elves that swarmed the halls. Arthur and Lucy appeared outside as he then looked to his love one last time before deciding to teleport away yet again. Belle leaned down to reach around her father with her arms and the harpies burst through the windows before approaching the ledge of each balcony and climbing its fence. Arthur appeared before Belle and then leaned down to reach for her father only for a whip to surround his chest, electrocute him and pull him up towards one of the ledges where he would hang and be held by one of the many harpies that were there. Belle would stand up and raise her revolver, aiming it towards the harpy that held him and the monster would then enter into the orphanage as each step it took would shake the ground beneath everyone¡¯s feet, hoofs and even paws. Justine then started to slowly wake up and she shook her head as Belle looked helplessly as the monster approached her. The blind elf then turned and saw the monster gaze down at her as it simply raised its massive leg and foot before stomping down on her, crushing her like she was a bug to the ground. Belle started to tear up while her father lay there and held onto his chest for death was coming for them all.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Belle¡­¡±, he desperately called and her left ear twitched as he knew that she then heard him. ¡°They¡¯ve come for us and the rose.¡±, he said and then she turned her gaze slightly to gaze towards  him. ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡±, he apologized and then she knew that all those that stood before her were those of her past, those she had once known of the once famed Castle Perrault.


    ¡°Bless my soul¡­¡±, the monster spoke and then stepped forth as it raised its claymore over one of its shoulders. ¡°Could it be?¡±, he asked and then he seemed to smile. ¡°I could recognize that scent anywhere. Yes, it is you.¡±, he took a few more steps closer as he talked and she raised the rifle.


    ¡°What is it, little red riding hood, don¡¯t you recognize your own brother?¡±, asked the monster. ¡°You are not my brother, you¡¯re an abomination¡­¡±, she stated before adding. ¡°A monster.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all monsters here, dear sister, and we¡¯re both abominations of nature¡­¡±, the monster spoke as it approached her and she kept her rifle firm and steady. ¡°Have you ever wondered why your father who is in his sixties behaves like he¡¯s in his twenties or thirties? Why he is so full of energy? Why, it is because of the rose¡­¡±, he chuckled and she remained silent as she watched.


    ¡°The same rose that saved your life on the day that Jack Dracula himself slit your stomach open and left you to die. It was on that day that our father brought me into this world and abandoned me for none other than you, dear sister, and here I am today. It is the rose that had brought us together yet again as a family¡­¡±, the monster continued to speak and the ranger general rushed through the hallways of the mayor¡¯s mansion only to see dead guards at every turn.


    He and his rangers were making their way towards the sanctum while Belle was still conversing with the monster that her father had created while Lucy was approached by elves.


    ¡°You¡¯re no family of mine.¡±, Belle hated the monster for what it had done and all the slaughter it had committed in its twisted means of a family reunion. ¡°I am so sad to hear that you see me this way, dear sister, I truly am but there is still time, I am sure, for you to change your mind about your dear brother.¡±, he then swung his right arm and opened his hand as he struck the tip of the rifle from her claw that landed onto the ground as she stepped back and the he stepped forth.


    Belle then did the unthinkable and pulled out her revolver that she aimed towards her neck which surprised the elves that were ready to pounce on her from behind and the harpies that had just prepared their whips to grab her. She could not see the monster¡¯s expression for her had none through his cybernetic reflection of his face-like skull but he did not move and he was silent.


    ¡°Put the revolver down, sister, there¡¯s no sense of you to be doing this.¡±, he said to her. ¡°Or what, dear brother, you¡¯re going to kill father or me? Wouldn¡¯t be much of a family reunion if I blew my brains all over the pavement of our dear house, would it?¡±, Belle replied and then this angered the monster that turned its head on the side before giving its heartfelt reply.


    ¡°If you do this, I will put every child in this place to the sword and end their miserable mutton chop lives!¡±, it raised its voice and then Belle removed the safety trigger. ¡°No!¡±, he shouted and stepped forth as did the others that were now terrified and Belle looked coldly at his face.


    ¡°You will leave every woman, man and child of Blackwood alone. You will cease all hostilities at once and never come back.¡±, this caused every single individual in the lobby to laugh and the monster was the only one that did not as it stood there, and this made the others go silent quickly.


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±, the creature asked. ¡°Then you won¡¯t have a dear sister nor a father to attend your little family reunion.¡±, once she said that a pin fell to the ground and in her left claw she raised a grenade that she held clenched firmly at the top in order for it not to explode.


    The ranger general made it to the sanctum of the rose with his rangers and saw the curtains that were moved by the wind, back and forth, as the moonlight shined within to reveal that the rose was now gone and the body of the mayor that was leaned against the pedestal it once stood upon. Mayor Quincy Goldadming was still alive and still breathing, and he looked up to Abraham Van Seward that observed the wounds that he bled from. The mayor was ghastly pale, he had lost all color in his cheeks and lips, the bones in his face were extremely visible. The mayor struggled to breathe and Abraham noticed red marks over his jugular veins on both sides where there were two punctures as if he was bitten by the fangs of elves. It was then that the ranger general stood up and the mayor looked up to him, continuously struggling to breathe. Abraham then raised his right hand towards one of his rangers that handed him a stake that the ranger then used to impale into the heart of the mayor that was shocked by this action as he desperately grabbed and held onto Abraham as he pulled on his clothes but the ranger general looked in pity and yet coldly. He rammed the stake deeper into the man¡¯s heart and pierced it deep as the mayor bled out from his mouth before finally succumbing from his wound, dying before the pedestal and the ranger stood up before turning his head towards one of his lieutenants.


    ¡°Burn his body and scatter his ashes before the next hour.¡±, he ordered and his lieutenant bowed his head as the ranger general then looked through the window to see the moonlight. ¡°This siege is far from over. The rest of you, come with me.¡±, he ordered and so they followed him.


    Back at the orphanage, the monster stood before the one he considered to be his sister and then looked down to his father as it had to make a very difficult choice. The monster turned and then looked up to harpy holding Harker before he nodded his head and the harpy then swung the magi over on the side as two others raised their claws only for the magi to be teleported elsewhere. Arthur then appeared on one of the balconies of the mayor¡¯s mansion and rolled over on the ground several times as tables and chairs fell over him. The monster then turned its head and set its gaze to his sister before kneeling down to reach for her father with both of its arms. It then stood up and turned to hand it to a lycanthrope that looked at its master with confusion.


    ¡°Bring him home.¡±, said the monster and the elf on top of the lycanthrope grinned. ¡°Yes, master Rendfield.¡±, the elf replied and then the lycanthrope raised the human to her as she grabbed him and placed him over the lycanthropes back where she proceed to tie him with a rope.


    ¡°What are the rest of you waiting for?!¡±, shouted the monster. ¡°Sound the horns, we¡¯re leaving!¡±, the monster shouted and every harpy then turned before they reached for horns that they carried in their pouches as they leaped out through the window and flew upwards.


    They sounded the horns that their master had ordered them to do and the lycanthropes as well as the elves were the first to look to the skies as well as the harlefi that then snarled and growled before staring to the harus that they called for. The grenadiers in the skies were disappointed that a retreat was sounded but they obeyed their master¡¯s orders and did so. The kazari carried wealth and rolled their eyes before they looked to the humans that they didn¡¯t finish off as one of them intended to do so only for another to stop him, kick him and smack him over the head as they then left at once. The humans that invaded the town then rose up and began to run to the gates as they climbed the backs of lycanthropes to join the other elven riders and the harpies that came down to carry them away on their backs. Belle then lowered her revolver and dropped it down to the ground helplessly as the monster reached down for her with its hand that she declined as she turned her head only for the creature to walk away from her and she followed him. It was then that a few kazari, elves and even humans on the balcony of the mayor¡¯s mansion teleported away as Arthur emerged from the rubble that fell over him. It was then that he saw Lucy Murray that looked at him with a few of the Black Guards and he smiled.


    ¡°My love¡­¡±, he called and stood up as he looked at her. ¡°Arthur¡­¡±, she opened her arms and approached him as he ran towards her to hug her. ¡°How did you get here?¡±, he asked and she smiled before adding. ¡°The same way you did, I suppose, through teleportation.¡±, she replied.


    ¡°I am afraid I no longer have the manna to do so. I am spent but I already feel better with you in my arms.¡±, he said to her and Lucy continued to smile before whispering. ¡°Kiss me, Arthur.¡±, she requested and he leaned his head back before he kissed her over her lips only for him to notice that her teeth appeared longer and sharper while her voice was less frail and seductive.


    It was then that two rifles fired and struck the heads of the members of the Black Guard that fell over to the side as Arthur turned while Lucy pressed against him with her body. It was then that the ranger general and his rangers surrounded them both by aiming from the rooftop and from the doors of the balcony as Abraham leaped down only to land on the balcony that surprised Arthur for he thought Abraham would surely break his legs from such height. Abraham Van Seward then looked to Arthur Harker before then looking to Lucy Murray.


    ¡°Not for your life, not for your living soul and hers.¡±, said Abraham and Arthur then asked. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±, as Lucy looked to her surroundings before looking to Arthur and reached for his cheeks with both of her claws, and then she stepped forth to Abraham.


    ¡°It is like a dream, Mr. Seward, a nightmare I relive and I cannot seem to wake up from. I¡­¡±, she paused and then looked down to the ground. ¡±I betrayed my friends, my family and even my loved ones.¡±, she looked to Arthur once more who was shocked by her sudden change of heart before she reached for the hand of the ranger general before adding. ¡°Please¡­¡±, she begged.


    ¡°Please watch over Arthur.¡±, she asked and the ranger general bowed his head. ¡°You have my word.¡±, replied Abraham and then Lucy turned to approach Arthur. ¡°Lucy, I do not understand.¡±, he said to her and then she smiled. ¡°The Lucy you knew died. I am but what remains.¡±, she said to him before she reached for his head with both of her claws and leaned it down to kiss him.


    After she had kissed his forehead, her body began to dissipate and slowly turn to ash as she closed her eyes to accept her fate. When her body fully dissipated is when a blue glowing light had remained where she was once stood and in that moment Abraham placed it in the container that once held the rose before he looked to Arthur. It was then that he approached Arthur with the container and reached for his shoulder to bow his head to assure him it¡¯s going to be okay.

 Chapter Three: Legacy of the Damned

    It appeared as if a rift had opened throughout the skies that very faithful night when the swarm of harpies emerged from the heavens. They flew through the clouds and among the stars towards the castle that was high elevated to the heavens while more rifts opened from which humans and elves emerged. The humans and elves alike cackled and laughed as their lycanthropes brought with them the bodies of many deceased elves and humans along with them. Belle looked back as she saw the three elves that she spoke to at the ball standing behind her.


    ¡°Where is my father?¡±, asked Belle at once. ¡°You shall be reunited with your father shortly, little ranger, for the master wishes for you to see the glory that you had once left behind.¡±, the brown gorgon explained and Belle turned to face the castle once more.


    The castle had many levels of hills and cliffs on which sloops of waterfalls fell into river beds one after the other. The castle had one large path leading through the very same mountain pass that her father fled on with horse that she fondly remembered due to the sound of waterfalls and the galloping horse. The many stone walls of the castle structure were in a bad sorry state as well as disarray with water moving and traveling, making its way through its many open cracks. On this faithful night there was thunder that could be heard from the heavens and lightning that seemed to signal the coming storm as bats returned to the many cracks and openings within the mountains that the castle sat upon. There was a great tree whose roots grew throughout the castle structure that was hidden by the waters of the waterfalls and its many lakes as well as rivers, and finally there were branches that reached from the tower to the heavens. It is then that the harlefi stepped forth and her claws reached over the shoulders of Bellindia Frankenstein that felt an immense cold before her body as well as soul was transported through space and time. At that same moment, an elven gorgon walked into a room with a pool in the center surrounded by a garden of red roses and in the center there was a pedestal where the black rose was placed as its roots then reached deep into the soil as Victor took a deep breath as life once again breathed into his body. The old man coughed and turned over as he then stood up only to see that through his cell¡¯s door was the rose that levitated above its own garden pedestal, and before the pedestal stood an elf that then lowered her right claw upside down as the water itself moved around her that took on the form of a what appeared to be a creature with horns that placed its chin over her claw. The elf appeared to be happy to see him before she looked to the cell and Victor himself stepped back, turning his head and gazing away from her as he worried deeply for his daughter. Belle appeared in a room and then she was pushed forward.


    ¡°Your brother will be expecting you shortly for dinner.¡±, said the malfhi. ¡°We¡¯d hate for you to miss it and therefore we insist you are properly dressed.¡±, said the ebony harlefi before they then walked through what appeared to be a mirror that had no reflection of them and only reflected the image of none other than Bellindia Frankenstein herself.


    Bellindia looked to the mirror to see her green eyes and long blonde hair that hung down to half her waist on both sides. She felt the collar around her neck that was a belt buckle for she never could afford a real one and she smiled before she lowered her head, placing her right claw over her face and covering her eyes as a tears poured from her eyes that she wiped immediately. She then opened her eyes and to her horror she saw a man standing behind her.


    ¡°Good evening, little beauty.¡±, the man said and then smiled before she immediately turned only to see that the man was gone, nowhere to be seen and nowhere to be heard.


    She then turned to look back to the mirror and raised her right claw to touch it but there was nothing magical about it, it was just another ordinary mirror. She took a few steps back from it and kept gazing at her own reflection as she kept wiping her tears away. It was in that moment that she then heard something and her ears twitched to see a white lycanthrope crawl over the ceiling above her as she then screamed only for the creature to turn its head only to roar before it let go. She got up from the bed and it landed before her as it then stood tall in front of her and approached her to sniff her as she was pushed against a wall. It then proceeded to lick her cheek and appeared to like the taste as her tails then snarled and growled to communicate with him.


    ¡°Stay back, beast.¡±, they said to him and he then growled loudly before the tails translated. ¡°My master said I am to do with you as I please, little beauty, and do with you I will as I will.¡±, the beast said to her before grabbing her neck and her tails then bit at his arm while she growled.


    He then clenched his left claw and punched her so hard that her tails dropped. He then pushed her over onto the bed and grabbed her little red cloak he pulled down from her head. He then pressed up against her from behind and pulled her by the hair as he then licked her once again over her cheek as she then opened her jaw. All elves had an extended jaw hidden behind their cheeks that they naturally concealed from others and this time she exposed it in order to attempt to bite the lycanthrope that instead placed his right claw between her teeth that she bit on.


    ¡°Try that again, little beauty, and I will make sure I slit your father¡¯s throat myself.¡±, the beast said to her and she then looked into his eyes with desperation as she could see nothing but anger coursing through his eyes, the glare that he gave her was personal and she recognized his fur.


    The memories he had repressed had came back to her. The white lycanthrope was the one that had slain her uncle, William, and that the monster was left to fight when her father escaped the castle with his daughter in his arms. The white lycanthrope then reached for her robe with both of his claws and pulled on it from both sides as he ripped it in two to expose her body. He would then proceed to grab her by her breasts and squeeze them together, continuing to lick her and he then reached down between her legs before he would press over top off her. He pinned her down over the bed by pushing her down before tearing her leggings off. It was in that moment that she tried to push herself away but he had none of it as he roared towards her head.


    ¡°Beast!¡±, the white lycanthrope then turned his head and Belle slightly turned her eyes to see the three elves. ¡°The master is expecting her for supper and she should have been dressed by now.¡±, the malfhi implied and then the beast breathed in and out heavily. ¡°Can¡¯t he wait?!¡±, he asked and then the brown gorgon said. ¡°No.¡±, followed up by the ebony harlefi. ¡°He can¡¯t.¡±


    The white lycanthrope then pushed Bellindia down but got off from on top of her. He then made his way someplace and the three elves looked to the gorgon that was so relived.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±, said the malfhi. ¡°Let¡¯s help get her dressed?¡±, said the brown gorgon. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±, added the ebony harlefi and that¡¯s exactly what they did.


    They dressed her in a fine velvet dress, removed the belt from around her neck and replaced it with fine jewelry, combed her hair and all the while they did so she could not see their reflection in the mirror that petrified her. It was as if they were ghosts and her heart beat fast because of it. It was then that the brown gorgon and the white malfhi stood beside the mirror that she had faced and the ebony harlefi leaned down to whisper into her ear.


    ¡°Go on, the master awaits you.¡±, she whispered and then Bellindia stepped forth only for her body to enter the mirror this time, once again moving through time and space, as her body and soul were then transported into a large round room surrounded by columns.


    It seemed to her as if she was located in a giant Ancient Greek temple of sorts and there was a tree behind it along with a massive garden where there were many lakes. The tree had two blue eyes of its own that peered into the field below and there was a particular blue light shinning across the entire room. The temple was overgrown with natural flora and fauna that grew and entangled all over the structure of the room. There were torches set before each column and a large round table in the center surrounded by chairs with only one that stood out from the rest that was nestled in between the mighty tree¡¯s roots. The throne was made out of stone and its seat was imbued with a blue glowing crystal upon which the monster sat holding his claymore beside him. It was upon her arrival that he raised his left hand to gesture towards the table.


    ¡°Please, my esteemed guests, take your seat.¡±, Belle stared towards him before two women walked past her right with another woman and a man then walking past her left side. ¡°Father, just in time.¡±, said the monster and then Belle turned to see her father whom she immediately ran to as they both rejoiced in their reunion as they embraced in each other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Father, sister¡­¡±, the monster called as he pushed himself up to stand while the claymore lay impaled in the ground with the malfhi and the gorgon flanking his throne while the harlefi sat upon the top of his throne with her legs hanging over on the side as she enjoyed a drink.


    ¡°I have the honor to introduce to you Lady Talia Carabosse and her niece, Briar Rose, and the niece¡¯s husband, Jour Spriggins.¡±, the trio that he introduced all turned and bowed their heads with a smile on their face as both Frankensteins noticed something unusual about them. ¡°They too are a family like our own that were divided for far too long.¡±, explained the monster.


    ¡°But they are relatives by blood, you¡¯re just a monster that my father had created.¡±, Belle spoke out at once and a silence ensued while the lady in red smirked at the table but covered her mouth. ¡°Ah, yes, how could I forget¡­¡±, said the monster before raising his hand towards her. ¡°May I also have the pleasure to introduce Lady Rose Red.¡±, the lady turned her head and smiled toward the Frankensteins before she too would bow her head. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±, she replied.


    The Frankensteins noted that every individual at the table was pale while Belle not only observed but felt that she could not hear their heartbeat and she could not sense or hear them breathing. Jour Spriggins reached for a pocket in his jacket for a pack of cigarettes and then offered one to Briar that had declined it before he placed it in his own mouth. The monster then stepped forth¡­


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    ¡°I am Rendfield Frankenstein, my friends, and before you is my family. My beloved sister, Bellindia, and our father, Victor.¡±, Rendfield spoke yet again and Belle then spat on the ground. ¡°You mean your creator, you murderous abomination.¡±, she couldn¡¯t hide her hatred despite how much she thought what sort of punishment may await her once she returns to her room.


    ¡°Belle¡­¡±, Victor whispered as she grabbed her by her arm and she shrugged him off. ¡°Please, take your seats¡­¡±, Rendfield took a brief pause before saying that and Victor sensed that what Belle was doing would only serve to anger the monster despite how stubborn Belle is.


    Victor and Belle both grew up to be observers. Victor grew up to be a professor and scientist while Belle grew up to be a ranger that always kept cautious and aware of her surroundings. They both observed that the figures that were in the room cast no shadow and how the humans at the table had sharp teeth that protruded over their lips, which were a vibrant red, and their hands were also strange as they had long nails sharpened to a point. If they would exhale, such as when Jour did when he exhaled smoke from his cigarette, their breath was rank and caused them to feel nauseous. The two quickly deduced that what must be standing before them must be the undead or necromancers but they did not know. All they had was that uneasy feeling and that feeling grew once they were served only bottles that the human guests reached for to pour into their golden chalices that had a skeletal like hand holding them.


    ¡°There is no need to stand on ceremony to impress anyone. You both must be hungry and thirsty.¡±, said the monster as the waiters wearing a black tuxedo served raw meat that wasn¡¯t even cooked. ¡°Is this a joke?¡±, asked Belle and Rendfield smirked. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±, he replied. ¡°Dig in.¡±, he added and Belle looked down to the meat while Victor stared uncomfortably.


    ¡°So it is true¡­¡±, said Talia Carabosse. ¡°You are a civilized little elf, aren¡¯t you?¡±, she asked. ¡°If by civilized you mean that I didn¡¯t grow up among my savage and wild kin, then yes, I am.¡±, she replied and then Jour Spriggins chuckled while Briar seemed to look at her aunt rather unusual.


    ¡°Do you mean to tell me you¡¯ve never eat raw meat from the flesh of another or tasted their own blood while or after killing them?¡±, Jour asked and Belle smirked. ¡°No, did you?¡±, Belle replied, asking the question in the form of a joke. ¡°Of course I have.¡±, this response disturbed Belle.


    ¡°By the gods, Rendfield, you brought the living to our table and yet we expected one of them to at least share our ways with us, but instead she is no better than we were when we were alive.¡±, Jour added and Briar then punched his shoulder as he didn¡¯t even seem to flinch. ¡°I beg your pardon, did you just say ¡®when we were alive¡¯?¡±, Victor immediately asked the very important question that was on the mind of both Frankensteins and Jour turned to face them.


    ¡°By the gods, Sir Victor, you must of suspected something considering your son is not of the living but rather the dead.¡±, Belle¡¯s ears then raised as she turned her head to face her father. ¡°Oh, he did not tell you?¡±, said Rose Red as an evil grin then formed on her face. ¡°I suppose you will learn a lot the longer that you remain here in this castle and I cannot wait.¡±, said Lady Red.


    ¡°This is all nonsense. I have hunted undead as well as lycanthropes for as long as I am able to remember. The undead are nothing but ghouls, skeletons, zombies, wights, spectres, and wisps but none of them and I repeat, none of them, are like you. And while some do retain a mind of their own, they do not appear among the living as you do.¡±, Belle shared her thoughts and Briar Rose then reached out with her right hand over Belle¡¯s left claw as she felt an immense cold, Briar¡¯s touch caused Belle to shudder and she immediately withdrew her claw from the table.


    ¡°Have I ever told any of you about the history of Castle Perrault? No? Well, then allow me to begin¡­¡±, asked Rendfield while Briar kept staring coldly towards Belle. ¡°A century ago, there was a man called Vlad who hailed from the renowned House Dracula that were the first human settlers of the world of Perrault and founders of the castle of the same name that they would only discover later that they had built over top of ley lines.¡±, Rendfield would tell them about the history of the castle but Briar, Jour, and Belle were seemingly confused as to what ley lines were.


    ¡°Ley lines are the source, the center, of all magic of a particular world, my beloved niece, I had hoped that your mother would have taught you better than this.¡±, said Talia. ¡°Maybe she would of if my aunt hadn¡¯t cast a curse that involved me sleeping through most of my childhood years that I wasted away inside of a coffin.¡±, replied Briar and for the first time Belle could see some kind of emotion coursing through her eyes as the two had a brief heated exchange of words.


    ¡°The members of House Dracula soon discovered that they would bear witness to dreams and nightmares that would show them the past, present and even the future that was so far and yet so very close to being. In one of those visions, however, Vlad saw that his house had all but died out and their legacy came to an end. He knelt down before this very tree and begged for the tree to grant him and his house immortality and in exchange he and his house would do anything that the great spirits of the tree asked of him.¡±,  Rendfield stood before the tree where he told the tale of the castle and the legendary house for all to listen before he would turn to face Belle.


    ¡°It was then that Vlad and House Dracula became first of the undead, the first of the vampires, with an unending hunger for souls and unquenchable thirst for blood. They were bestowed with the gift of undeath and therefore immortality, and they were handed the gift of necromancy and therefore the members of their house would forever be eternal. The Draculas soon realized that the more souls that they stole that their drink, other than that of blood of their victims, would not satisfy and that food soon turned to but mere ash in their mouths, and that all of the pleasurable company in the world could not slake their lust and in their greed they gave birth to the greatest plague that had roamed this once great world until there was nothing left to consume other than themselves.¡±, this gave everyone the thought of the dark fate that befell House Dracula and for this reason Jour would then reply. ¡°The same fate that awaits all of us here, with the exception of the living, should we run out of things to consume. Is that why you brought us here? That still doesn¡¯t explain why you brought them.¡±, he gestured to the living as Rendfield then smiled.


    ¡°For the same reason that I had brought all the others that are still alive and lingering within these castle walls; fresh souls and blood for all of us to consume.¡±, Rendfield then looked to the Frankensteins as Briar then looked to her aunt and vice versa as she was then the first to stand.


    It was then that Victor stood up and impaled a stake into the heart of Briar Rose herself. Belle could not believe her eyes as Briar simply stood there with a smile on her face and saw how shocked Victor was before she then leaned her head down to grab the wooden stake that she pulled out from her heart. She then held it up and the fresh blood could be seen coated on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious. After killing me what is it that you are planning on doing next?¡±, she asked before winking towards him and Victor ran to the opposite side only to grab Belle by her claw.


    Victor then pulled on Belle before he leaped through the same mirror that they came through. Belle then appeared on the other side to wherever her body and soul were transported, but her father was no longer there and she nearly fell as she was then horrified by what she saw. She saw zombies with their mouths sown shut playing violins before she saw statues that turned their own heads to gaze towards her before they quickly turned and hurled themselves towards her like a swarm of bats as they knocked her off the walls of the castle. Belle soon found herself falling to her death only to be rejoiced once she fell into a lake below and then she opened her eyes under the water only to see the kazari that appeared to take on the form of wights as she screamed under the water when one of them swam towards her. The wights underneath the water seemed to be feasting on the living as if they were piranhas underneath the waters of the lake while beside them there were a massive piece of stone tied to a rope line, and then Belle was lifted by one of those rope lines only to soon discover she was being lifted by a crane that the skeletons were controlling by spinning a large wheel. The wights then emerged from the water and one of them climbed the stone only for her to kick him down before she saw a nearby cliff where she leaped onto only to stop yet again when she saw the elven present there who appeared as pale aberrations with the skin over their cheeks missing and fully exposing their Glasgow smile while their tails appeared to be skeletal in nature rather than being covered by any fur or flesh. They leaped towards her with their claws upward and she turned to attempt to leap over the stone that was being craned up behind her only for a female haru, a harpy, to snatch her. The gargoyle carried Belle all over the open field where the elves leaped and attempted to snatch her as they bit and clawed at the air only for the gargoyle to drop her off on top of a wall where she would then proceed to run only to see a human skeleton that seemingly appeared to observe her without any ill intention to harm her. It pulled out a cork from a wine bottle and then spat it out of its mouth before lifting it to its mouth as the blood red wine poured down its throat and over its exposed skeletal parts that horrified Belle to her very core. She then turned to run only to see the now pale vampires before them whom the moonlight shinned upon as it then enlightened the wounds on their bodies for how they died. For Jour it was a wound in his heart, for Briar it was the prickle on her finger, for Talia it was the bite mark on her neck and for Rose Red there was nothing but a radiant glow that symbolized she died by electrocution. Belle would then turn to see the three elves that she had first met at the ball whose teeth were exposed by the moonlight along their eyes that turned gray that symbolized their eyes that had died a long time ago. The three elves held their father on both sides with their claws while the harlefi held him by his neck.


    ¡°Look¡­¡±, said Rendfield and Belle turned in fright to see him. ¡°The moonlight shows them for what they truly are. They, like me, are not among the living and so we cannot die, but neither are we dead. For too long have we been parched of thirst and we haven¡¯t been able to quench it. For too long have we been starving to death and we haven¡¯t died.¡±, Rendfield said to Belle before he stepped closer and closer. ¡°We feel nothing; not the wind on our face or the spray of the waters of the lakes, nor the warmth of another¡¯s flesh.¡±, the moment that Rendfield had finished his sentence he dragged his right hand over his sister¡¯s cheek, revealing to her it was for naught.


    ¡°It is only by the consumption of blood and the unending hunger for souls that we are able to feel anything. I shall make you understand how this feels, my dear sister, so that you also may truly understand our plight.¡±, he then grabbed her by her hair and turned her to face Victor who was paralyzed by the harlefi before Briar and Jour leaned in to bite Belle¡¯s neck from both sides.


    Both vampires then drained Belle from her blood while Rendfield held her. The vampires kept draining Belle off her blood and then Victor raised his head, shouting.


    ¡°Enough, that¡¯s enough, monster, you are going to kill her!¡±, shouted the father. ¡°Rendfield! My name is Rendfield, say it!¡±, the monster shouted back like a son wanting his father¡¯s recognition. ¡°Rendfield, please!¡±, Victor then raised his voice. ¡°I beg you, they¡¯re going to kill her!¡±, Victor stated and then thought quickly before he would add. ¡°They¡¯re going to kill your sister!¡±, the father¡¯s words worked as then Rendfield looked down towards Belle who was passing out.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±, said Rendfield but the vampires were consumed by bloodlust. ¡°I said that¡¯s enough!!¡±, he pulled on Belle so hard that he threw the vampires away and then hurled her towards a mirror as her body and soul were once more transported through space and time.


    She appeared once more in her head but this time shaking rapidly and out of control¡­

 Chapter Four: The Big Bad Wolf

    ¡°Ranger General, permission to speak, sir?¡±, Arthur Harker addressed the ranger general who was looking through plans. ¡°It is Lord Regent and Ranger Lord now actually, Lord Harker, for the mayor is dead and in times of crisis we need a leader. The nobles have all agreed and they have declared a state of emergency, and with their blessing they have placed upon me a task of vast importance.¡±, Abraham Van Seward replied and Arthur swallowed before lifting his head.


    ¡°So does that mean I have permission to speak, Lord Regent?¡±, asked Arthur and Abraham lift his head. ¡°Is it about your beloved, isn¡¯t it? You wish to know what had happened to her?¡±, said Abraham and Arthur simply nodded his head while the other rangers in the room looked uneasy.


    ¡°I am afraid I do not have the time or neither the place to explain. Rest assured that your beloved will be avenged. Now please, leave my quarters and we will spoke some other day.¡±, said the Lord Regent and then Arthur stepped forth. ¡°I know that the nobles have redirected most of the taxes to aid you in your hunt for the monster that had done this to Blackwood and my beloved, and I, like the many other lords of this region, offer you my donation on the condition that you tell me what a Nosferatu is.¡±, the many rangers then set their focus back to Lord Harker and the Lord Regent eyes focused on the man that stood before him as he then smiled.


    Meanwhile, at that same time, Belle lay in her bed and after she shook she could not move. The beast then approached her bed and looked down upon her as he bared witness to the elf that had transformed before his eyes. She had become paler, her bones were more visible now than ever, and her body was nearly drained of all blood as she lay there in the bed with her blood staining the blankets and the very sheaths she lay upon. The beast saw her green eyes gazing into his own before they turned a shade of gray and then she breathed heavily for she felt death¡¯s grip upon her very soul, and she felt this was to be her last moments as she could not see. The beast turned away and looked to the mirror where he could see his own reflection and upon looking he saw a man there staring back at him. The man gave him a serious glare and the beast growled, showing its very teeth and the man stepped forth as he held his hands crossed behind his back. The beast then roared and punched the mirror that shattered before he would turn only to approach Belle that was lying on the bed. The lycanthrope raised his left claw and he dragged it over his right wrist to cut it so that he may bleed, and the mirror¡¯s fragments then began to transform into liquid that gathered together. The white lycanthrope then raised his right claw above the elven gorgon whose life had left her body and whose breath had ended. The blood dripped down her mouth and upon all of a sudden she breathed in new life before reaching upward to grab him by his arm. She then pulled on his arm, she sucked and drained him off his blood, and the white lycanthrope allowed her to for a while until he growled and then he snarled but she did not obey. It was then that she was consumed by a vision of what she had seen and it felt as if she could see through his eyes of a memory he had once lived through. She saw him running through the forest as he heard the howls of other lycanthropes and then one attacked him only for his right arm to take on a new form as it expanded and got covered by white fur. The white lycanthrope, in present day, then roared and pushed her down to the bed where she remained lying with her mouth covered in blood and this ended the vision. Belle had long razor sharp teeth at the front, almost like fangs, and she began to smile for she felt pleasure and relief, but she also felt a satisfaction she could not explain and that she had felt for the first time, and she also felt a particular curiosity about the white lycanthrope that had slaked her lust. This satisfaction, she felt, fulfilled her and she did not know why. All that she knew was what she wanted and all that she desired could only be said in one word and one word only that she would share with him¡­


    ¡°More¡­¡±, the white lycanthrope then looked down upon her with anger while she spread her arms open only for her body to lift as it was possessed all on its own while she smiled.


    She then set her gaze upon the mirror where she could no longer see her own reflection. She raised her right claw to her lips and then looked to her fingertips before she licked the blood from her fingers. She then looked at him and he continued to glare at her without saying a word¡­


    ¡°Come, my love, kiss me¡­¡±, she said to him and the beast then growled. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to use me, abuse me, make me your own?¡±, she licked her lips upon asking him that question and even though he was enticed do so he did not and for good reason. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter? You think cat is going to bite your tongue? I could always turn around and you could force my head down into the bed like I am some sort of plaything all over again, right?¡±, she continued to seduce him and he looked at her as he felt pulled by her advanced, especially when she crawled to the edge of the bed on all fours and then started to pull her dress down to expose her beautiful body.


    ¡°What do you say?¡±, she asked as she placed her right main finger in her mouth and bit on it only for him to step forth and grab her by her neck but she was no longer the same fragile elf he had encountered in life but rather she was something different now, she was a Nosferatu.


    ¡°Heed me, little elf, and heed me well. I am not your plaything nor will I be your chewing toy. If you want blood, be a good little vampire and go find your very own blood bag.¡±, he pushed her and she would not stop smiling at him but he looked at her with disgust and spoke as such. ¡°If it was up to me, you would off already been dead long ago but the master has grander plans for you and I don¡¯t know what he possibly sees in you. Should you take blood from me again, I will sever your head from your body and devour your very soul.¡±, her smile then turned to one that was seemingly impressed by his threats rather than fearful of it and he then pushed her back.


    The white lycanthrope then turned away from her and she got up once again on her knees before she let out what sounded like a meow which caused him to close his eyes to conceal his rage.


    ¡°I am kidding.¡±, she said to him. ¡°But please, don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±, it was a strange request for a Nosferatu to make and he turned his head on the side, believing it was to be a trick. ¡°Teach me.¡±, she said. ¡°Teach me, please, become my master¡­¡±, she requested and he turned to face her.


    ¡°No.¡±, he denied her instantly. ¡°Go back to your brother; let him teach you what you truly are and what you were always meant to be. I am only instructed to be your guardian and that is all I am going to be while you are in the compounds of this castle.¡±, he said to her as he then leaped up towards an opening in the ceiling and crawled through it while she sighed disappointingly.


    She then turned her head to the mirror once more and this time she did see someone in the mirror again but this time when she looked to see if they were there she looked as if she was a child. She seemed surprised and yet she did not care, it was amusing to her. She turned her head back and the human was still there as she leaned her head on the side like an observant dog.


    ¡°Hello, Bellindia, it has been a long time since I have last seen you.¡±, he said to her. ¡°Huh, do I know you?¡±, she looked unimpressed and looked down upon him. ¡°Why yes, you do. I am your uncle, William.¡±, he revealed and she then gave the most childish response. ¡°Oh?¡±, carelessly.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve died and became a mirror, hmm?¡±, she closed one half way and looked up with both of them to show how ridiculous that sounded. ¡°Well, more like a spirit trapped inside of a space between fabric and time.¡±, he replied. ¡°Ohh, that sounds so much less ridiculous.¡±, she stated, clearly toying with him and mocking him while she got up to stand as she stripped herself down from her velvet dress that she ripped apart with her own claws before ripping the jewelry as well.


    ¡°The white lycanthrope saved your life by giving you his blood. Rendfield was a fool to think that the other two hadn¡¯t nearly dried you out.¡±, explained William while she began to dress in a new uniform that she found fitting to herself and she then shrugged at him. ¡°How come I didn¡¯t transform into a lycanthrope then rather than a so called vampire?¡±, she asked and he sighed.


    ¡°It is because elves cannot transform into lycanthropes.¡±, he said. ¡°How convenient.¡±, she replied and rolled her eyes. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have mattered anyway. The vampires were the ones that bit you first and therefore their infection had long spread throughout your body, but what they did not provide to you was the blood that helps to sustain your newfound curse.¡±, William explained. ¡°You mean my blessing?¡±, she replied and he turned his head with disbelief.


    ¡°Look, I know this feels new to you and must be quite exhilarating. You have all this confidence and this sudden feeling like you are untouchable, and¡­¡±, as he went to explain how she felt she interrupted him. ¡°Does this robe make me look fat?¡±, she wore a robe that was the same exact replica of her previous one she wore in life and she placed the belt buckle once again over her neck but this time her robe hung beneath her breasts that were exposed and covered by armor.


    ¡°You look like a whore¡­¡±, he said to her. ¡°That is just a matter of opinion.¡±, she replied and he looked on the side, sighing once again. ¡°Look, I¡¯d like to stay and chat but as the white wolf said I need to get out there and find my brother. I had a taste of blood and I need to keep my very adrenaline. I am one addicted bitch.¡±, she then poked at the mirror and wanted to go through it.


    ¡°Would you stop that?!¡±, he asked due to her poking. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go through you?¡±, she asked.


    ¡°Ugh, that sounded so kinky and yet so right.¡±, she stated and then he looked horrified. ¡°No, that sounded wrong, little beauty, it sounded wrong!¡±, he shouted at her. ¡°Oh, so you think I¡¯m a little beauty?¡±, she asked him as she moved her hair for him. ¡°No, I mean yes, but not in the way that you think! You are my brother¡¯s daughter!¡±, he shouted back towards her until she shrugged.


    ¡°Um, I am his adopted daughter, not related to you guys in any way. If you let me in, I¡¯ll play with myself in front of the mirror for you one night?¡±, she said to him and he yelled before he would reach for his head and turn around only to fade from existence.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    She then poked her finger through the mirror and this time she smiled as she then stepped inside of it entirely before her body and soul were once more transported through space and time.


    ¡°Oh, you got to be shitting me¡­¡±, the white lycanthrope said as it seemed she had emerged into a forest where he was. ¡°Oh, hi there. Long time no see¡­¡±, she mocked him and he growled. ¡°Go back through that portal or I swear to god I am going to rip your eyes out of your sockets!¡±, he threatened her yet again and then just smiled. ¡°You really can¡¯t have enough of my eyes, can¡¯t you?¡±, she replied and he grabbed his head as he screamed out loud while the nearby settlers heard him that were then alerted by his presence as they rushed into what appeared to be houses.


    ¡°Ugh, fresh blood bags, is that why you are here? Is this how you hunt?¡±, she questioned him. ¡°Why, why did your foolish uncle had to send you my way?!¡±, the lycanthrope was frustrated and clearly angry as he always was, she noticed his mood never changed. ¡°Why are you always so grumpy and negative? Why don¡¯t you just lay back and relax?¡±, she asked and this caused him to slowly turn his head as he proceeded to slowly raise his claws as he wanted to choke her alive.


    ¡°Ugh, please, daddy, grab me by my neck and choke me, daddy.¡±, she said to him and he then lowered his claws as he then roared before he leaped into the air towards the house. ¡°You, in the house made of hay and straws, you know I can easily run through it and run you through so open the door and let me in!¡±, he shouted and she looked on with confusion as she stepped closer.


    ¡°No, not by the hair of my chinny chin, chin!¡±, the human male, seemingly sounded like a boy, replied and then Belle seemingly shook her head. ¡°Are you going to let him talk to you like that?¡±, she asked and his claws clenched yet again as he truly wanted to suffocate her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll huff, and I¡¯ll puff, and I¡¯ll blow your house in!¡±, the white lycanthrope did as he said and then roared towards the house along with the human that was located inside of it that was knocked down over on the ground as it appeared to be a fifteen year old boy.


    The white lycanthrope¡¯s eyes turned red the moment he saw him and he was ready to pounce before he got suddenly slapped. In that moment, the white lycanthrope turned his head and she could tell that he was ready to castrate her as the boy fled into a wooden house.


    ¡°We¡¯d have to fight for it, but with two bodies we can share.¡±, she said to him and then he leaned his head forth. ¡°And what makes you so sure I want to share with you?¡±, he asked. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alone for a while if you share, I promise¡­¡±, she leaned her head down and placed her arms behind her back, moving left and right in her place as he got immediately excited by the notion.


    He then rushed to the wooden house that was made from twigs and sticks. The little beauty saw clearly that it was probably the home of yet another child that happened to be in there.


    ¡°You, in the house made of twigs and sticks, open up or you shall share the same fate as your fellow sibling from before!¡±, he yelled and then a eighteen year old female replied by stating. ¡°Um, not by the hair of my chinny chin, chin?¡±, clearly knowing she would be at a loss and yet she still had the courage to respond in such a matter. ¡°Oh, I like her.¡±, said Belle. ¡°Then I¡¯ll huff, and I¡¯ll puff, and I¡¯ll blow your house in!¡±, the white lycanthrope repeated his words from before and once again he did the same thing he did to the previous house as he blew even the one made from twigs and sticks away with ease as he knocked a child and teenager down this time.


    The white lycanthrope was so eager to seize them but then he was struck once again and this time over his nose like some dog that only made him turn once again giving that same look.


    ¡°What is your deal?!¡±, he shouted before Belle leaned her body and head down, her claws were placed gently on her knees. ¡°Go on, children, the Big Bad Wolf won¡¯t hurt you, for now¡­¡±, she smiled after finishing her sentences and the eyes of the children widened. ¡°Off you go now.¡±, she waved her claws, gesturing for them both to leave and the lycanthrope looked on in anger.


    ¡°What, why¡­?¡±, he was at a loss for words. ¡°You!¡±, he looked back to her with rage and then she went to strike him again as he grabbed her wrist but then she was distracted by a house.


    This house was different than the previous two for it was one made from brick and stone. It had a firm foundation build from cement and it was also one from her past. There was a memory that briefly flashed back to her mind when she was but a mere little red riding hood that knocked on her grandmother¡¯s door and the lycanthrope looked back as he wondered why she seemed so out of it, so distracted, and when he laid his eyes upon the house he knew why but he did not say¡­


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you blow this one down.¡±, she said to him. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to and you know it.¡±, he said to her. ¡°And so what is the point in even trying?¡±, he asked and she smirked. ¡°Half time entertainment.¡±, she replied and then he looked away. ¡°Go find your own entertainment, bitch, and leave me be.¡±, he walked over to the brick house where there appeared to be only one window and that was on the top where a woman aimed her rifle towards the lycanthrope.


    Before she could make the shot, however, another sounded and the lycanthrope was then struck in his right shoulder. He quickly fell on all fours and looked behind only to see Belle shooting at him and then she threw her revolver before taking her bow and arrow. The white lycanthrope then fled and she let lose an arrow that struck a tree as he then disappeared into the woods. The woman on the top then looked surprised and Belle continued to aim down the sights before the woman moved back into her house and her husband opened the door for Belle to welcome her.


    ¡°Thank the gods that you came, ranger. Quick, the lycan could be back at any moment.¡±, he said to her and then she turned only to launch the arrow into his body that impaled him to the wall.


    It was then that Belle and the lycanthrope heard the screams of children but not just two children and rather there were now seven. Belle threw the bow on the side and then stepped into the house as the sight of blood had enticed her and her demeanor changed. It was as if an uncontrollable fury had come over her as she reached for his neck and she gazed at his neck before she looked back to his eyes with what appeared to be passion and some form of desire. The man, however, was dying and she could hear his heart still beat and his breath fade away ever so slowly. The white lycanthrope ran to the house and then ran inside as the six children were screaming. He then looked at Belle and then towards the children before she leaned over and whispered¡­


    ¡°I want you to see this¡­¡±, she told the human and the lycanthrope over heard before the woman suddenly opened the door only for Belle to throw a knife that impaled her through her heart.


    The woman then fell back and landed in a full pot of boiling water above a fire. The children were now screaming even more and those that saw the opening ran up the stairs. The lycanthrope wasted no time and he then roared as he swung his claws around and slew the children one after the other. He had slaughtered them with no remorse, no shame and no pity. He butchered them as if they were a flock of chickens that he could care less for and he even ran up the stairs where he bit the neck of the teenage girl that once hid in the house only to snap her neck before he would devour her whole. Belle turned to the male human and then whispered once again¡­


    ¡°Shh¡­¡±, telling him in her own twisted way to hush for it was over and then she bit his neck, particularly at his jugular veins, and she feasted upon his blood before she tore out his flesh.


    She then raised her mouth up and rejoiced an unending hunger and unquenchable thirst came over her. She bit again and tore through the flesh for more blood as she kept draining the human that now closed his eyes and died as she kept feasting upon him. The human was long dead but it did not matter as she kept feasting upon his remains, not giving it rest. The sound of the children that screamed soon turned to silence and while she was devouring the flesh of the man her ears twitched as she heard sniveling and crying. The white lycanthrope was distracted and he huffed as well as puffed while he devoured two bodies that were lying on the ground upstairs. Belle turned and then walked to the center of house after she pulled the arrow from the human male¡¯s body that fell to the ground. She did not do this to retrieve the arrow but rather lick the blood that was over it for she wanted none of it to go to waste and then blood dripped on her head before she looked up only for a few other drops to fall over her face. She then opened her mouth and extended her tongue as the drops of blood seemed satiate her thirst even further. The sniveling and the crying calmed down but she could still hear the breathing as well as sensed the warmth. She stepped forth to what appeared to be a grandfather clock and leaned her head on the side with a smile on her face as it once more reminded her off the time when she visited her very own grandmother so many years ago. She remembered looking at the grandfather clock as she spoke to her for she was running late and she felt ashamed that she was. She then opened the clock and inside she saw a little girl who was the youngest of the children. Belle looked down and saw what appeared to be scissors, a needle and some thread. She then remembered that zombie she saw back at Castle Perrault when she was introduced to the curse for the first time and then she raised her right claw over the little girl¡¯s head, caressing her cheek.


    ¡°You will make for a fine little zombie one day, little blood bag.¡±, she said to her and the white lycanthrope then raised his head before he quickly ran down the steps only for his eyes to glare as his lower jaw dripped with drops of freshly coated blood from his previous victims.


    ¡°Shh¡­¡±, said Belle and the white lycanthrope then stepped closer. ¡°No!¡±, she raised her voice and he looked towards her. ¡°No?!¡±, he raised his voice and then she sighed before she looked at the girl only to touch her as the immense cold then knocked the child unconscious.


    Belle then proceeded to close the grandfather clock¡¯s door before she then stood up. She then faced the white lycanthrope that huffed and puffed before her with fury in his eyes.


    ¡°I said no, you big bad wolf.¡±, she said to the lycanthrope that then growled. ¡°What? Are you going to huff, and puff, and blow me in too? I would certainly like that¡­¡±, the moment that she said that the lycanthrope swung his arm and struck her face as she turned her head.


    The white lycanthrope stood there as she then faced him once again and she continued to smile at him before she leaned her head on the side to reveal her neck. The white lycanthrope breathed very heavily upon noticing this and stepped closer as if he was given a prize. He sniffed her and then he licked her lower lip to taste some of the blood from her lips. Belle then grabbed him by the fur of his chest and pulled on him with her claw as he then opened his jaw over her neck, his teeth dragging over her skin and leaving their mark that seemingly both enticed and excited her. She then leaned her head in close and kissed his neck that caused him to press against her as he then reached for legs and lifted her up against the wall that he pinned her against. She then kissed him ever so slowly down his neck as he huffed and he puffed, and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore as he didn¡¯t wish to submit. He struggled to control himself and then she bit onto his neck, driving her fangs deep into his jugular veins as the lycanthrope felt him losing his blood. The big bad wolf then grabbed her and bashed her against the wall but she didn¡¯t let go. He bashed her again and moved away from the wall but she remained. He looked to his surroundings and saw a nearby mirror that he ran to as then ran through it along with her and they re-appeared back at their room. Belle drained the wolf¡¯s blood and the creature tried to desperately shake her off as she pressed her claws deep into his fur and through his skin that it caused him to bleed. The wolf grabbed her head and tried to pull but he was extremely weak before her tails spoke¡­


    ¡°Be a good boy and roll over.¡±, he breathed heavily and did as she asked, and now she was over top of him. ¡°You belong to me now, you big bad wolf.¡±, she whispered to his ear as she let loose of his neck. ¡°I will do with you as I please and you will be a good boy, won¡¯t you?¡±, he breathed heavily and she raised her body upward as he grabbed her waist, and then she licked her lips¡­

 Chapter Five: The Dark Lady

    ¡°It is Belle¡¯s fault! It is because of her that they came for Blackwood!¡±, the adopted orphaned daughters cried out before the adopted orphaned sons shouted next. ¡°We¡¯ll fight to avenge those that have fallen due to that which our father has created; we will right his wrong by putting an end to that monster!¡±, and the many caretakers agreed as they sat at their chairs around long and wide rectangle-like tables back at the Frankenstein Orphanage along with the grown orphans.


    ¡°Then we must journey to the castle and destroy the beast!¡±, declared Abraham Van Seward and everyone cheered as they raised their hands in agreement while Arthur Harker remained isolated in a room with a lantern that contained the soul of his beloved and lost Lucy Murray.


    The human felt the glass in which she was contained and he could feel her warmth. How he missed her and how he longed to be with her but it was over for she was taken from him. The man knew what she was before she died and for what she is now; a spirit that lingers that is but merely a wisp, a whisper upon the wind, and a soul of one that has been lost that remains bound to this world. Arthur shed tears almost every day whenever he was with her and he leaned his head against the glass, tearing up for her loss even though he knew there was nothing he could do and yet he wished that he could of. He then raised his head firm and strong before stating.


    ¡°I will find her, Lucy, and I will set her free. She will not share your fate, this I promise you.¡±, he swore to her despite being unsure if she could even hear him or understand him. ¡°I shall avenge you and all who perished underneath that monster¡¯s plight.¡±, he declared and nodded his head.


    ¡°Good morning, sister.¡±, said Rendfield upon sighting Belle in his throne room with her paws lifted upon his table as she lay in her chair while petting her newfound pet. ¡°I see that you made a friend?¡±, Rendfield was confused and she kept petting the big bad wolf as if he were a dog.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s quite the little adorable specimen, isn¡¯t he?¡±, she said while gazing into the big bad wolf¡¯s eyes and snuggling his nose. ¡°More Bloodwine, milady?¡±, a servant asked and Belle then smirked before she looked at the servant. ¡°Really, is that even supposed to be a question?¡±, she asked and then Victor was brought into the room as Belle turned to see her father.


    ¡°Oh, hey, pa, do you like my new pet?¡±, the big bad wolf then growled at Victor only for her to smack his nose. ¡°No, no, bad boy!¡±, she raised her voice at the lycanthrope that then lowered his head. ¡°We do not treat our family like that, don¡¯t we, Rendfield?¡±, the monster could not believe what he saw and simply stepped over to his throne while Victor shared the same thought in mind.


    ¡°Belle, are you¡­?¡±, he approached the table. ¡°Are you drinking blood?¡±, he asked and then she turned her head, nodding. ¡°Ugh, yeah?¡±, she replied as if it was nothing. ¡°What have you done to my daughter?¡±, Victor asked and Rendfield chuckled. ¡°I did nothing to harm my sister, father. I helped her.¡±, said Rendfield and then Belle laughed at this statement that startled both males.


    ¡°Helped me?¡±, she looked at Rendfield with a smile. ¡°You idiot, you nearly killed me. It was the big bad wolf that saved this little beauty, wasn¡¯t it? Yes, he did. Yes, he did!¡±, she snuggled the nose of the lycanthrope once more and Rendfield observed the interaction closely between them.


    Jour Spriggins, Briar Rose, Talia Carabosse and Rose Red were also present that observed this ¡®new Belle¡¯ that had came to be after the vampire couple bit into her flesh and infected her.


    ¡°I beg your pardon, dear sister, but it was I that ordered that the curse be bestowed upon you¡­¡±, Rendfield spoke but then she interrupted him. ¡°Blessing!¡±, by raising her voice. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing, you god damn idiot, and yes, while you did order it bestowed upon me you forgot one very important detail. If I am fully drained of my blood, then I cease to be by fading into nothingness, am I right guys?¡±, she turned to the other vampires that agreed with simple nods.


    ¡°And I am pretty sure I was well drained that night, no thanks to you two, but no hard feelings, alright? Because I now understand how the blood can be so exhilarating especially when they run and the blood pumps faster.¡±, this comment shocked Victor but also surprised the vampire couple that it was pointed towards.  ¡°So¡­¡±, Belle added and then looked back to Rendfield. ¡°When you threw me back into my room, brother, I became ¡®blessed¡¯ as you see before you and yet I was dying. It was only by his blood, by his will alone, that I survived my full transformation into a Nosferatu that night. It is by his will that I am now here and therefore it is now by my will that he is here.¡±, the vampires remained silent for none of them spoke to Rendfield as Belle did and none ever dared to do so in his presence but Belle seemingly did not care.


    The three elves that also present at the Royal Ball at the mayor¡¯s mansion seemed to smile and take a liking to Belle that didn¡¯t sit well with Rendfield at all. The white lycanthrope, the leader of all the lycanthropes in his castle, was under Belle¡¯s will and this concerned him greatly.


    ¡°Belle¡­¡±, Victor called for his daughter than then turned her head. ¡°Huh?¡±, she replied like a child once more and then he sighed before he leaned forth. ¡°It is not a blessing, it a curse, and it is draining you from everything that made you a righteous force of reckoning. Think back, Belle, think back and try to remember the proud woodlands that surrounded Blackwood.¡±, he tried to reach into the depths of his soul and she raised one eyebrow before replying.


    ¡°I do and they were rather ¡®Grim¡¯. I was a killer then as I am a killer now. I am no different back compared to what I am now. Well, that¡¯s not entirely true. I do enjoy feasting upon the flesh of my victims and the taste of their blood in my mouth for it entices me but that¡¯s not the point. Back then I was a withdrawn, secluded, and coddled little kitten but now I am true to my nature and to who I always wanted to be without fully realizing it until now¡­¡±, the way that she spoke caused all the vampires to observe her closely while this both satisfied and yet disturbed Rendfield for he was glad his father was tormented for what she had become but¡­


    ¡°What exactly did she become?¡±, was the question on everyone¡¯s mind at the table. ¡°And make no mistake, father, I am a still a righteous force of reckoning but only by my own merit for I shall no longer serve those that take what is rightfully ours or place the lives of others after some form of currency or object. I no longer serve fools nor will I suffer because of one as I did in the past life. From this moment on, my will is my own, father, and you do well to remember that fact.¡±, the way that she spoke at the table this time was different for her childish demeanor dissipated for a moment that was replaced by a rather cold and heartless display of cunning.


    All the vampires that sat at the table observed this behavior. Briar Rose then looked to her aunt for the first time without any hatred but rather a look that searched into the depths of Talia¡¯s very soul, and Briar saw the same thing that Talia saw and that was ¡®worry¡¯ and ¡®doubt¡¯.


    ¡°So!¡±, she then broke the mood before looking to her brother. ¡°I was wondering if I could have a tour of the castle for I¡¯ve heard many great things about it. I was curious if we could see the, um, Scholomance, is it?¡±, when she said this they wondered how she knew about this and Rendfield then smirked before nodding his head. ¡°Of course, my dear sister, after all I wished to show our dearest father his old laboratory today.¡±, Rendfield looked to Victor before Belle then suddenly clapped her claws which caused the monster to look back at her as she seemed so excited.


    ¡°Ugh, goodie, beastie, we get to see my brother¡¯s birthplace!¡±, she said out loud and Rendfield looked on as she stood up. ¡°Shall we?¡±, she smiled and Victor looked down hopelessly as they were then both taken down the flight of stairs to the underground lower sections.


    These places were truly forsaken and where no light ever reached. It was decrepit and inhabited by dark undead beings, primarily skeletons that searched the piles of bones that they harvested from failing test subjects to imbue into their own bones or construct new skeletal monstrosities from. The ghouls in the area, the elves, eat the bodies of the deceased and others harvested blood or drained it from the corpses. Belle observed everything ever so closely and now knew well how everything functioned around here, how they all got their free goblets of blood and then she turned to see the bodies of the family that she and the wolf had slaughtered the day prior.


    ¡°Impressive¡­¡±, she commented. ¡°Impressive, are you mad?!¡±, Victor replied. ¡°This is inhumane and inhuman!¡±, he declared and then Belle turned to face him. ¡°Yes, father, but not mundane.¡±, this response only served for Victor to see what Belle truly was as the three elves chuckled.


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    ¡°Skeletal constructs, abominations, and aberrations galore! The beauty in their design is far too great to behold and I can¡¯t wait to create my own! Ugh, I am so excited!¡±, Belle stated and the monster smirked while Victor looked on with horror. ¡°Home sweet home, ey, father?¡±, Rendfield said as he showed Victor his old laboratory that was exactly the same as he left it.


    ¡°I made sure that none of it remained undisturbed.¡±, he then pushed Victor inside of the lab and Belle looked around. ¡°And I brought the last member of our family for us to reunite with.¡±, it was then that Rendfield patted the coffin only for the spirit of William to appear in the mirror.


    ¡°Leave me be, Rendfield, in peace so that I may rest!¡±, Belle turned and looked with curiosity.


    ¡°Oh, uncle, nice of you to join us!¡±, she raised her arms excitedly and the three elves had a grin on their face from ear to ear. ¡°Father, look, it¡¯s your long lost brother and one of my saviors! I think he¡¯s also a pervert. He¡¯s sort of everywhere in the castle and spying on people.¡±, Rendfield then looked towards William who placed both of his hands on the mirror.


    ¡°We shall leave the both of you alone to then to catch up while I show my dear sister around, yes?¡±, Rendfield asked and Victor looked down hopelessly as Belle then just walked out of the room on her own to observe her surroundings to which she saw what appeared to be wights.


    The creatures were sowing the mouths of other deceased individuals and they also sown flesh together from many different body parts to create abominations. There was a body on the table that was still at the works with its chest opened and on one of the nearby tables there was a head whose one eye moved back and forth. There were humans in the laboratories below that seemed to augment these abominations with all kinds of metal plating that served as their armor as well as imbued cybernetics. Belle leaned over and studied closely for she had learned that is how they controlled the undead; through the means of technology of mankind.


    ¡°Lord Rendfield!¡±, a human then called and stepped forth. ¡°What brings you to the school of necromancy?¡±, the man had his arms crossed in a robe and bowed his head. ¡°It is bring your family to work day.¡±, replied Belle and the human leaned his head on the side, smirking.


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±, he asked and she then raised her right claw. ¡°I am Lady Bellindia of House Frankenstein and Rendfield¡¯s dear sister, and you are¡­?¡±, the human looked down towards her claw and then looked towards Rendfield whom he hoped would explain.


    ¡°I am Hester Nikola Zank, I am in charge of the apothecaries of this fine establishment and I am one of its instructors. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Frankenstein.¡±, the man replied and then as she lowered her claw he reached for it that surprised her, and then he leaned down and kissed the back of her claw which is something that no one ever received from the scientist before.


    ¡°A tour, you say?¡±, he then said with a smile and spread his open. ¡°The Scholomance is a school of the dark arts, necromancy and demonology. It is through nature that these undead rise and we have experience in sowing their bodies together and combining their souls as one but what we lack is the understanding on how your brother was created. For you see, he is the first creature with free will.¡±, the apothecary explained only for Belle to put her right main finger over her mouth in thought. ¡°Abomination, you mean?¡±, she asked and he once again looked at Rendfield as he avoided that word purposely and yet Belle just flat out said it like it was nothing.


    ¡°You do not need to worry about my dear brother or how I word myself, Mr. Zank.¡±, Belle said to him as she took one step forth and got into the human¡¯s face. ¡°For you see, if he cannot accept what he is then we will never advance in science, won¡¯t we? We will be held back, restricted, put on hold and we cannot afford that, now can we?¡±, the three elves found Belle to be excited by how she worded herself and how she talked, and the human simply then smiled at the situation.


    ¡°I fully agree, Lady Frankenstein, and I must apologize. I was just being considerate and polite.¡±, said the apothecary. ¡°Considerate and polite is for the living, human, are you telling me you still have a heart beat after all that?¡±, the human looked towards her and for the first time appeared to be uncomfortable but this time he did not dare to look towards Rendfield.


    ¡°My heart still beats, milady, and it still gives me reason but it does not hinder me in my tasks.¡±, he stated and then she leaned her head back seemingly surprised. ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t?¡±, she asked and then placed her right claw over her chin. ¡°In that case, I am going to give you a new experiment, one that I will specifically put you in charge of.¡±, she poked his nose as she said that. ¡°Forgive me, m-milady¡­¡±, he stuttered as he looked nervous. ¡°But I only obey the command of Lord Rendfield and none other.¡±, he stated and then Belle sighed disappointingly.


    ¡°Reny.¡±, she said as she turned to face her brother. ¡°Please, oh, please, Reny!¡±, she jumped up and down like a child, grabbing onto Rendfield¡¯s arm. ¡°Please, oh, please tell the apothecary to start a new and far fascinating experiment for your little sister, please!¡±, Rendfield looked down at her and saw this other side of her, but he considered it psychopathic and disturbing.


    ¡°Why, of course, dear sister, but only if father also joins in on it.¡±, he said as a joke, thinking she would decline. ¡°Okay!¡±, she then surprised him and then walked over to the human again. ¡°So, here¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do. You and your apothecaries are going to make a giant, a very tall and wide abomination sewn together by flesh parts and heavy machinery! It is going to be the grandest and tallest monster I have ever seen and I will be so delighted when you¡¯re done.¡±, she then patted his cheek and he looked at her before he would give his reply.


    ¡°Forgive me, milady, but such process in order for that kind of an abomination to fully function would require at least over a hundred or even two hundred souls depending on the size of the very abomination we are to make.¡±, he explained and then she sighed before grabbing him from both sides of his head. ¡°And, what is the problem?¡±, she asked and he paused, unable to speak.


    ¡°Use the souls of men, women and children for all I care. Just make it happen, okay?¡±, she said and then he mumbled before saying. ¡°Children?¡±, he asked while she turned around and she looked annoyed by his questioning that caused the big bad wolf to growl.


    ¡°You want us to imbue children into an abomination¡¯s corpse? Are you mad? We would require far more technology for that and not to mention resources, and why on earth would we do that to children? Adults souls are way better to use for that process.¡±, she then turned around and looked at him with a serious but yet cold look he had never seen before. ¡°All these questions, all these little and petty concerns¡­¡±, she stepped ever so closer to him and he felt her cold.


    ¡°The souls of children are far easier to control than adults and you know this, but it is your heart that is getting in the way of your experiments and its incessant drumming disgusts me¡­¡±, she raised her voice and now it sounded like she was disgusted with him. ¡°Allow me to silence it as they did my own.¡±, she then placed her right claw over his chest where his heart was and then he felt a an intense cold as his entire heart froze into solid ice, and in that moment all emotion left his body and he could not feel it any longer before she let go off him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back for results, Mr. Zank, and you best not disappoint me, okay?¡±, she said to him and he did not yet respond for his heart was frozen and he still adjusted. ¡°Igor.¡±, she called and then the white lycanthrope approached, staring at her. ¡°I need you to bring me fresh corpses. Go out for a hunt and bring me as many bodies as you are able, okay?¡±, the big bad wolf nodded its head and then turned as it left the Scholomance on its own before she looked to a mirror where she saw the soul of William staring at her while she showed no emotion whatsoever.


    ¡°And someone get a great mind out of those mirrors. He could make for a fine lab assistant.¡±, she said only for Rendfield to turn but not before William ran out of sight and bounds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother, he can run and hide, but he¡¯ll be back.¡±, she said to Rendfield that had difficulties of his own for he tried to understand why she adjusted to this new life so quick.


    The three elves did not hide their likeness, the human walked away with his heart frozen to an icy husk and stepped forth inside of his laboratory as the other apothecaries looked on. Belle walked and then snapped her fingers before pointing to Rendfield.


    ¡°What other beautiful sights do we have left to see?¡±, asked Belle and then the ebony harlefi stepped forth. ¡°Lady Frankenstein, I would like to show you what I have been working on.¡±, she said and Belle looked as the harlefi pointed to a glass that looked inside of a room.


    It was then that dark green gas poured into the room that created clouds of the plague that started to suffocate the humans inside. It caused the humans to become very nauseous before they would vomit and start to violently cough upon inhaling it. Their muscles convulsed, they bled from their eyes and their skin blackened that revealed a form of necrosis but their skin also burnt as well scaled. All the while Belle observed she noticed how the humans would claw at their own flesh and their eyes melted away before they spat blood out of their mouth. They then collapsed and fell down with their death occurring before some could even hit the ground.  The harlefi observed Lady Frankenstein¡¯s face and she felt as if she was horrified by what she had seen but the harlefi couldn¡¯t have been far from wrong. Belle was entranced, she was amazed, and she was very perplexed. She was overjoyed at what she had seen and for the first time her cold heart warmed to actually feel a beat and she stepped forth to the glass after the process only took but a mere ten to twenty seconds. She then smiled and placed her claws over the glass¡­


    ¡°Magnificent¡­¡±, she said those words with all the dark and twisted love that she could muster before turning to the harlefi. ¡°But not yet perfect.¡±, this confused the three elves. ¡°Death is but mercy, true death is a gift. I want you three to call me when the plague does not destroy the vital organs or damage any of the flesh, but savor it and raise the dead as one of our own. I want you to inform me when you perfect the Plague of Undeath.¡±, the three elves then smiled before they took their bow and in that moment they became the chosen of Lady Frankenstein that walked away as she whistled for her brother to follow for she wanted to see more of the castle¡­

 Chapter Six: The Beast’s Curse

    The white lycanthrope knew what was best for him and so did they all. Each night she drained him off his blood until it satiated her thirst and each night he made love to her body as her moans of satisfaction mattered to him. She would often give him orders and the lycanthrope would slaughter anyone or anything that she merely pointed or gestured to. He was a good obedient dog and he submitted under her authority entirely. One day, however, he felt something in his heart and he could not quite explain. There was a beat, a warmth, that he had hoped would go away and yet was present. He had felt this way once before but that was in a past life and yet the closer he got to the spire, the center of the castle, is where he saw the grand tree leading to the heavens but what he also felt was unexplainable, and so he decided to follow the source. One day he had found himself moving up the steps and into the ¡®Monster¡¯s Tower¡¯ where he found the garden of roses but this time Victor was not present for he was taken to the laboratories. There he stood, the beast, staring at the black rose that was retrieved from Blackwood and he did not know why.


    ¡°Igor!¡±, called William and the wolf turned to see a spirit, a blue glowing ball of light that took on the form of a wisp. ¡°You gave me your word that you would protect her and shield her from harm, and instead you allowed her to become a monster.¡±, said the spirit and Igor growled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dare impure my honor, human, I swore that I would protect her and that no harm would come to her but my own!¡±, he shouted back at the spirit. ¡°If only that was the case, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t behave as she does now if someone else harmed her.¡±, the spirit replied.


    ¡°She said it herself; her will is her own, William. I do not dare to intervene.¡±, said Igor and then the spirit turned into the apparition, the form, of the man he once was in his life that walked over a small lake of water upon which the pedestal and the garden of roses were located within.


    ¡°Why have you come here, Igor? Why are you not with your mistress?¡±, William asked and Igor gazed upon the rose, his heart felt like a stone. ¡°She is on a tour of the castle¡­¡±, he nodded before he would add. ¡°While I am left to the silence of the cruel reminder that is this accursed rose!¡±, as he proceeded to shout at it and then William realized that this rose was somehow the reason that the white lycanthrope was here but he could not put his finger on it.


    ¡°And what is it that you¡¯re feeling?¡±, asked William and then the white lycanthrope raised his head, staring into the rose as he heard the screams and wails of his past. ¡°I feel¡­¡±, he placed his right claw over his heart as it was difficult for him to say. ¡°The emptiness where my companions once stood for I took them for granted and now I have nothing. My first surge of emotion in years¡­ for as long as I can remember¡­¡±, he seemed to snivel and turned away from the rose.


    ¡°And it¡¯s¡­ loneliness.¡±, he looked to his surroundings as he heard the echoes of his past through the voices of joyous people that once dwelt within the castle, people he missed. ¡°Do you see? Having these emotions is just pain...¡±, said Igor and William shook his head. ¡°No.¡±, he said.


    ¡°Pain is being alive, Igor.¡±, William said. ¡°I would pay anything just to feel alive once more.¡±, said William and the wolf chuckled. ¡°Really?¡±, asked Igor who then turned around. ¡°It must take¡­ incredible strength.¡±, the wolf remembered the pain he once felt in the past, a pain that resurfaced and William looked on in silence before the wolf suddenly spoke out.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this pain since¡­ I last laid my eyes upon her.¡±, said Igor. ¡°Upon Belle?¡±, William asked and Igor nodded his head. ¡°But that could only be a decade ago when you came across in the woods.¡±, William implied and Igor nodded his head, seemingly confirming what he implied.


    ¡°Yes, I can still remember it like it was yesterday for that is when I first laid my eyes upon that accursed rose.¡±, the beast turned to look at the rose as a petal fell from it and memories of his past returned back to him, haunted him at that moment. ¡°What happened, Igor? What happened in the Grimm Woodlands that very faithful day?¡±, William questioned the wolf at his weakest.


    ¡°I was harvesting lumber and then upon all of a sudden, while I was out chopping wood, I saw little red riding hood. She carried a basket to deliver food to her sickly grandmother and I said to her, I said¡­¡±, the wolf was reliving his past as William stood back and listened.


    ¡°That the woodlands are grim and full of terror.¡±, William helped and Igor turned, nodding his head. ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±, he nodded and looked so broken. ¡°I pleaded with her not to go for I said the angry wolves could already be stalking her. I tried to distract her by having her pick some of the flowers and I tried to talk sense into her but she insisted she had to go see her grandmother.¡±, the beast explained and then William truly understood what made him who he was today.


    ¡°You followed her to the cottage, didn¡¯t you?¡±, he asked and the beast nodded his head as he dragged his claws over his head in frustration. ¡°So I escorted her to the cottage and I did not trust our surroundings at all times. She went inside to greet her grandmother and right from the start Belle was an observant one¡­¡±, explained Igor only for one of the mirrors nearby to show the very reflection of the memory of the past that he long wished to forget.


    ¡°Granny, are you okay?¡±, asked little red riding hood. ¡°Of course I am, Bellindia. How are you?¡±, an old woman asked but the little red riding hood noticed something was unusual.


    William turned to see the reflection fading away before another appeared on another mirror.


    ¡°What a deep voice you have.¡±, said Belle to her grandmother who seemed to look uneasy and sad. ¡°The better to greet you with.¡±, replied granny as little red riding hood placed a basket over a nearby table and opened it to prepare what she brought her dearly beloved grandmother.


    The memory of that past then faded from that mirror as the beast held onto his head and he seemed to be tormented by the memory. The voices were too much for him to bear. It was then that William heard the pouring of wine inside of a glass along with a dish moving for Belle prepared a slice of delicious cake that which placed on a plate that she would then put a wooden platter to deliver to her grandmother. Belle noticed that her grandmother looked even more unusual when she approached her and William wondered why the mirrors showed him these memories that the beast was about to explain to him only for the rose¡¯s petals to fall again.


    ¡°Goodness, what big eyes you have.¡±, the little elf thought it was her granny¡¯s glasses that made them appear so when she looked into her eyes on the mirror. ¡°The better to see you with.¡±, the grandmother replied as she took a fork and it seemed her body lost all energy to even lift it as she could barely cut a slice of her cake, and Bellindia seemed to notice.


    ¡°And what big hands you have!¡±, the little elf said and the grandmother looked to the little elf before saying with a smile on her face. ¡°The better to embrace you with.¡±, and this caused the little elf to notice that her grandmother¡¯s eye iris were now pale as if she were blind.


    ¡°What a big mouth you have.¡±, said the elf for she had noticed that several things about her granny seemed to be off and then a knock could be heard on her door that caused the wolf to tear into his own fur and skin, dragging his claws over his body in frustration.


    ¡°The better to eat you with.¡±, said granny that then looked down and closed her eyes. ¡°What?¡±, asked the little elf. ¡°What do you mean, granny?¡±, she continued to question her as the huntsman seemingly knocked yet again. ¡°May I come in, little red?¡±, Igor¡¯s younger self could be heard and Granny then opened her eyes as she tried to snatch the little elf


    Belle could be seen stepping back from her grandmother for this was truly unlike her behavior. Every muscle within the grandmother then began to expand; her jaw and her nose began to take a different shape. Her hands turned to claws, her feet to paws, her eyes widened, her ears became long and wide like a dog with fur growing out of her skin that soon overwhelmed her entire body, and she began to snarl and then roared at the little elf whose tails hissed back in retaliation for they sensed an imminent threat. The lycanthrope, also known as the lycan, is what many cyberpunks referred to as were-wolfs. Those who are infected by lycanthropy transform into lycanthropes and it seemed that granny was one of those, which now explained why she held a rifle. She burst out of bed, leaped to attack little red and then the huntsman kicked the door in as he immediately fired his own rifle. The lycanthrope was struck and he fired again, aiming for its head that he had missed and reached for his saw-blade that he activated that functioned like a chainsaw that he gutted her with. The lycanthrope, however, surprised him for she burst forth and he raised his rifle that she bit on and bit on as she clawed at him and tried to penetrate his armor. Little red riding hood was screaming as she watched the horror unfold in front of her very eyes and she realized now what the huntsman warned her about. The huntsman fought desperately against the lycanthrope that bit his neck and he screamed for her knowing that he was done for until a shot was fired, a bullet struck, and the lycanthrope fell down and over the huntsman who then pushed it off himself only to see that it was dead. The huntsman turned and stared to see little red riding hood holding her granny¡¯s rifle in her claws, it seemed she was horrified by what she had to do and the huntsman stood up as he held his neck with his right hand before the vision ended before William¡¯s very eyes. The spirit of the uncle would then turn.


    ¡°I told her to flee for I knew what was to come. That roar called the rest of the pack and I told her that I would hold off them, and that¡¯s the last time I ever saw her again. And so I ran¡­¡±, the beast told his tale as he stared at the waters beneath his paws and suddenly William saw the very reflection of the day that he ran away, a memory that Belle saw over and over again already.


    The beast outran them all and faced all lycanthropes with his rifle. He kept shooting until there were no bullets left and when they finally attacked him he half-way transformed into a beast. In his fury and his unwavering bloodlust, he had slain all those around him, even his own kind, and then when this bloodlust had finally faded away is when he saw what he had done. He killed not only lycanthropes but humans and elves alike. It was then that he saw an elf before him that did not appear like the rest of the woodland elves and before her was a black rose blooming¡­


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    ¡°How does it feel to finally understand the lust for blood? How does it feel to finally be able to hear the blood that pumps faster when your prey begins to run away from you or fear you?¡±, she asked the beast these questions because all elves could understand this and could hear this with their ears, and because she knew what he was transforming slowly into and Igor fell down.


    There were roots that entangled around him and she approached him in the rain. It was then that she leaned down and turned her claw towards the rose whose roots themselves came to life and entangled around her claw. She stood up as the human was held and his mind was lost to a state of insanity he could not explain. The veins in his body became far more visually able to be seen. The blood that was coursing through his veins affected him even more and he was being transformed ever so slowly but certainly into the monster he did not wish to become. Jack¡¯s hands clawed into the earth beneath him as he pulled on the grass that he ripped from the ground as he tried to fight it and then he ripped from his roots only to attack her only for her to disappear in a second, out of sight and out of bounds. He then grabbed his head and fell with his body to the ground due to the amount of pain he felt, the pain he could not control as he screamed. The vision then added and William then looked at him as he recognized the elf in the vision.


    ¡°My brother was given a black rose by the enchantress, the same rose in that vision and that is before us now. But I do not understand, what does it all mean, beast? What does it all mean?!¡±, the spirit shouted and then the wolf shouted back. ¡°Igor!¡±, he said his name. ¡°My name is Igor!¡±, he reminded him and William could then feel his pain as the wolf took a few steps back.


    ¡°My family was convinced that you two brothers could save me and you did, for a while¡­¡±, he revealed and William remembered that well. ¡°Your medication kept the curse at bay but it only prolonged my suffering. I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone, William, anyone.¡±, he reminded him.


    ¡°The enchantress visited me once again in the garden and she carried the rose, and then my jaw felt like someone was ripping it a part. My teeth felt like someone was pulling down on them. The children in the garden covered and why wouldn¡¯t they? They had every right to fear what was to come and so did the rest of them. The enchantress said¡­¡±, he was forever haunted by these words and the petals of the rose fell as then they both saw a memory in the waters again.


    ¡°I am not going to kill you, little human, for that would be mercy.¡±, said the enchantress much to the past Igor¡¯s horror before she reached for the vine that sprouted and grew from her clothes that she wore. ¡°This rose I bestow upon you, little human, as my gift to you.¡±, the enchantress explained and lowered the rose in front of his face that began to glow in a bright orange light.


    ¡°This rose¡¯s light shall represent one¡¯s light, that is the essence of the good that is within their soul but wait¡­¡±, she leaned her head on the side. ¡°What is that, we see? Is that a darkness taking hold of the soul?¡±, there were other elves in the field that cackled like hyenas as the curse of lycanthropy took over Igor¡¯s mind and as his body began to be surrounded in white fur.


    The enchantress wore a uniform made from the barks and natural flora as well as fauna of nature with it appearing bloody red. She wore jewelry with orbs of red blood being held by them, orbs of real blood she had gathered throughout the many decades of her life. She wore a crown of thorns over her head with a blood red pendant built into the center of it that beautifully displayed above her nose, giving her red eyes a beautiful matching appearance. She had long white hair that reached down to her hips and her arm sleeves appeared green compared to the rest of her natural uniform that were surrounded by red thorns and natural vines that moved lively around her arms. There was a rose that sprouted from the top of her right shoulder with many others.


    ¡°A winter setting in?¡±, the enchantress seemed to wonder as Igor¡¯s veins became dark, his hair started to turn into fur, the iris within his blue eyes turned into a blood shot red.


    His bones began to crack as his entire body endured the pain of the transformation and she would just look on with a smile after he howled towards the skies on that very faithful day.


    ¡°A winter that is drowning out the summer that is one¡¯s soul?¡±, she stated as she stared at the rose and the elves stepped back into the woodlands behind them. ¡°It seems to make a life of its own, a life that wishes to snuff all others and when it does the last petal will fall.¡±, she then looked straight towards the eyes of Igor and the wolf glared at her back then as he roared.


    ¡°But fear not, human, for the longer that this winter remains the longer it will prevent this rose from withering away and as long as the lover¡¯s rose continues to blossom in this fashion¡­¡±, the rose turned to darkness and transformed into a blackened rose as a winter then set in.


    There was a darkness that took over the woodlands, transforming it into an eerie and grim place.


    ¡°You shall forever remain a beast.¡±, those were the enchantress¡¯ final words to him as the then stepped back into the woodlands and the white lycanthrope marched to Castle Perrault where he had done the unimaginable, the unthinkable, and the very thing that haunts him to this day.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±, said William. ¡°She said as long as the lover¡¯s rose blossoms that you shall remain a beast but her petals seem to be falling, but¡­¡±, William turned and looked to the beast. ¡°Don¡¯t you love her?¡±, he asked and the beast shook his head. ¡°How could I possibly love a monster such as her? How could I love a beast?¡±, it was then that William understood what was at stake.


    The beast then landed on all fours and ran out of the room as William called for Igor but he did not respond, and it was in that moment that he knew that the beast needed some time alone¡­


    ¡°So this is the aviary?¡±, Belle, on the other hand, was someplace else. ¡°Seems quite dark to me, dear brother, and full of lifeless statues.¡±, she knocked on the head off one and Rendfield chuckled. ¡°My dear sister, they are gargoyles at our service.¡±, he replied and she looked excited.


    ¡°Oh, are they? Then why aren¡¯t they serving us?¡±, she questioned him and he smirked. ¡°Well, because this a grand library of ancient knowledge first founded by the founding fathers of this castle and the first civilization of this world.¡±, he explained and she then stopped in her tracks. ¡°Boring!¡±, she declared and then turned to face him. ¡°And that still doesn¡¯t explain why they are not servicing right at this moment.¡±, she replied and then she heard a faint voice.


    ¡°Shh!¡±, in the distance and then she turned her head. ¡°Don¡¯t you shush me!¡±, she shouted. ¡°Shh!¡±, the voice then got louder and the gargoyle heads all rose towards Belle and the others looked down the hall towards the voice that shushed the elf from before.


    ¡°Remain quiet and stay silent like the dead when you are here, little elfling.¡±, she then saw a lantern move on its own and she wondered whether or not it was some sort of spectre, a wraith or a ghost as then the light illuminated a harpy, a gargoyle, who was taller than all the rest.


    ¡°Ah, dearest sister, may I have the pleasure to introduce the High Matron and the Keeper of the Library of Perrault; Gloryana of the Brood of Deathwing.¡±, Belle smiled at what she had seen for nothing frightened her and before her was a beautiful haru, a half-harpy and half-human.


    She appeared like obsidian stone much like the other gargoyles and her wings appeared to carry two lanterns on each side that emanated a blue light. The haru leaned over and her stone-like eyes observed Bellindia Frankenstein closely that just had that same smirk on her face.


    ¡°I am¡­¡±, Belle went to introduce herself. ¡°I know who you are, Bellindia Frankenstein.¡±, the haru¡¯s voice then sounded like an echo before she stood up tall. ¡°And I know why you have come.¡±, the haru implied while Belle just stood there, shrugging her arms and claws.


    ¡°So why have I come? Enlighten me?¡±, the blue lights then turned to that of an orange flame and this light shed brighter that revealed bookshelf after bookshelf, shelf after shelves, ladders after ladders and so many gargoyles that appeared to be perched all over the ancient library.


    This light illuminated Gloryana herself whose shape started to form color and the beautiful haru could be seen with long scarlet hair, a golden crown, her long slender ears surrounded by armor, a blood red pendant hanging from around her neck and two red tattooed markings underneath her fiery-like eyes. In her gargoyle form she was blind and in her living form her eyes were pretty much alive. Gloryana was unique as most female gargoyles were born with feather-like wings at birth but she was born with bat-like wings that were common among male harpies. It was then that the tip of her wing to the left gave the lantern to a gargoyle that took it from her and another that took it from the right tip of her wing as the lanterns turned blue that once more concealed everything in darkness. Once the sight of all the bookshelves had disappeared, Belle appeared to be very disappointed for she wished to see more of it.


    ¡°This library was founded by the first of the vampires, my dear sister, and all sorts of books called Necronomicons can be found among its shelves that contain knowledge of ancient spells that are used to this day. Should you wish to expand your knowledge on necromancy, this is the place to go.¡±, the librarian stepped on side as Belle stepped forth along with Rendfield. ¡°What about knowledge of a historic nature?¡±, she asked and Rendfield leaned his head.


    ¡°Well, yes, of course¡­¡±, said Rendfield. ¡°But history is in the past, dear sister, why bother with it?¡±, said Rendfield and Belle then turned towards the librarian. ¡°Is there anything in this library that contains the history of the first vampire and I mean the very first vampire?¡±, asked Belle. ¡°Yes, Lady Frankenstein, and his name was Vlad Dracula.¡±, Belle¡¯s eyes widened the moment that she heard the last name of this deceased individual and her brother noticed her surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to read this book.¡±, said Belle and then Rendfield wondered why she was so curious. ¡°I am disinclined to acquiesce your request.¡±, said the haru and Belle smiled. ¡°It means no.¡±, stated Rendfield and then Belle raised her right claw to smack his chest that confused him.


    ¡°I know that.¡±, she said to him with a serious look before turning to once again smile to the haru. ¡°She knows that.¡±, she added before she stepped forth towards the gargoyle who was once again discolored and in her black obsidian storm as she looked down to the gorgon.


    ¡°But what I do not know is why you are disinclined to acquiesce my request?¡±, Belle told the librarian that then raised her right claw as chains appeared from the void that were tied to a book that was so ancient and so heavy that it felt like a burden to all who would carry it.


    Belle stepped forth to observe it to see a skeletal face that was a part of the book¡¯s front cover and she placed her claws on both sides of the book, trying to open it only to find herself unable to and she thought they were the chains that held them tight but they would not freeze to her at all to her icy touch. Belle then looked up towards the eyes of the gargoyle.


    ¡°The book¡¯s knowledge belongs to the very bloodline from whom it originates and should the last of this bloodline fade from existence then it shall forever be sealed in memory. Only the blood of one of its relatives or even its descendants can unlock the ancient knowledge stored within this book.¡±, the librarian explained and then Rendfield chuckled. ¡°Well, tough luck, sister, because the last of the Dracula bloodline died a century ago.¡±, he commented and Belle smiled.


    ¡°That is where you are wrong, my dear brother, for I have tasted the blood of this bloodline and it is here underneath our very noses where it resides.¡±, she revealed and then Rendfield could not believe it as he stepped forth. ¡°There is a descendant of the great House Dracula that is still alive?¡±, Rendfield was in shock. ¡°Who, dear sister, who is it?¡±, he asked and Belle grinned¡­

 Chapter Seven: The Last Dracula

    It didn¡¯t take long for Bellindia Frankenstein to summon none other than her pet, the big bad wolf, who arrived only to see Rendfield standing alongside her. Bellindia then approached and reached for the arm of the white lycanthrope that she smiled towards.


    ¡°My love, I am so happy that you came.¡±, as she said those words the rose withered away within the sanctum and William¡¯s spirit looked on for he knew the beast¡¯s time was running out. ¡°How can I serve you, my love?¡±, he asked his beloved immediately and she looked deep into his eyes before she reached for his claw that she turned over only to slit it open.


    ¡°You are thirsty again, love?¡±, he asked and she smirked. ¡°No, but you will be soon, my love, for the knowledge that was kept hidden from you for all these years shall come to light.¡±, confused as to what she was saying, she lifted his claw towards the same book that the librarian carried.


    The few drops of blood dripped within the skull¡¯s mouth as its eyes then came to life and shined a bright red light while blood poured from its mouth. The white lycanthrope what he was seeing and then Belle went to reach for the book only for the librarian to pull it back with her chains.


    ¡°No.¡±, she said. ¡°Only I can open this book and some knowledge is to die for.¡±, she stated and then she opened the book a bright light shun across the entire room only for Belle and Igor appearing before the great tree within the castle along with Rendfield and Gloryana.


    ¡°We are the heart and yet it looks¡­¡±, Rendfield commented. ¡°Different?¡±, as he noticed the lights were bright and the halls were rather lively than dead. ¡°We¡¯re not reading the book, are we? We are merely experiencing the past?¡±, Belle asked and the librarian bowed her head.


    ¡°I beg of you, great tree, give me the power of life and death.¡±, they saw a man who was knelt before the great tree that was still alive to present day. ¡°Grant me and my family immortality so that our house may live for all eternity, and in return I promise that our house will pay anything or any price if it means we are immortalized for all time as legends.¡±, he begged the tree and beside him, surrounding him and around him were members of his house that all kneeled.


    ¡°The tree heard their whispers but did not answer on that day.¡±, explained the librarian and Igor turned to face her while Belle observed the face of Vlad himself. ¡°It was only when they woke the morning that they realized that the tree had granted their wish and the price they had to pay was dear for in exchange for their immortality they became the first vampires.¡±, explained the librarian as Igor then turned to hear the scream of a man whose body dissipated into ash at the sight of the sun while another attacked a human shortly after for it seemed he was consumed.


    ¡°Blood after blood did they consume for their unquenchable thirst knew no bounds and the more they consumed the more their unending need for souls grew. They created vampires from their need to feast and drink, and the more vampires that they created the more blood they consumed like the parasites that they were.¡±, Gloryana explained as the vision then shifted to the lands that surrounded Castle Perrault where townsfolk were bitten, eaten and drained off their blood on the castle¡¯s walls and many terraces while the villages below became under attack by the vampires.


    ¡°There were those who tried to free themselves of this curse but to no avail and those that were cursed by good memory soon chose to rather starve themselves until they turned to stone. Vlad, however, knew no end and in his cruelty he became sadistic as he not only tortured his victims but he impaled them on spikes as well to allow their blood to drip down so that he may gather it for he found he only he enjoyed drink when it was blood and none other.¡±, explained Gloryana as the vision showed Vlad staring down the terrace of his castle as the screams and wails of men, women and children alike did not deter him but rather they made him happy.


    ¡°Food turned to tasteless ash in their mouths and any other drink would not satisfy, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake their lust.¡±, Belle repeated the words told to her by Rendfield. ¡°Yes, dear sister, yes, that¡¯s it.¡±, he replied. ¡°You remember.¡±, he said.


    Igor then saw humans that appeared to be fleeing to the woodlands where the beasts of the wilds as well as the lycanthropes had attacked them only to rip them apart. He then saw the humans flee until they ran into the elves that did the same and then one tribe in particular came across a elf that he had recognized and his jaw dropped the moment that he saw her.


    ¡°Please, I beg of you, Naya of the Bloodclaw Tribe, do not kill my family and my people. Please, let me pass across the great river and I promise that we shall never return again.¡±, the human was determent to do what he had to do to save his family for he was on his hands and knees. ¡°I do not know where we will go but anything is better than staying here.¡±, he explained and then Naya, who was lying down in a bed made of sticks and hay, simply tip toed her way to him.


    She then leaned her head down and observed him. She leaned her head on the side like a curious pup and looked closely into his eyes as she saw the desperation and the fear in his eyes.


    ¡°The lands to the south-west of here are quite lively compared to the lands of the north-east that seem to be dying, and why is that I wonder?¡±, she questioned him but she knew why. ¡°It is our fault, milady, humanity¡¯s fault.¡±, he confessed. ¡°We put our trust in House Dracula and they chose instead to turn on their own kind to become the monsters that they are. Please, find the forgiveness in your heart and if you cannot then let our children go, please, I beg of you. They are innocent.¡±, the human begged and shared his thoughts only for the elf to stand up.


    ¡°Innocence is an excuse.¡±, she took no remorse and no pity upon him, and she simply looked disgusted. ¡°Now go, leave this place and never return.¡±, but she showed mercy and the human then got up quick to rally his people as the elves allowed their guild to pass.


    ¡°Day after day the vampires sought the living¡­¡±, Gloryana explained and Igor looked at her.


    ¡°And so they turned their attention to the elves.¡±, Gloryana explained as Vlad Dracula then pointed to a map of what appeared to be a forest before he gave his order. ¡°Find them!¡±, he shouted and the members of his house did as he commanded as they searched the woodlands.


    ¡°Mother.¡±, one of the elves called. ¡°Should we kill them all?¡±, asked the other. ¡°No, why would we do that?¡±, asked Naya Bloodclaw. ¡°Well, they are trying to find us to kill us and drain us pf our blood?¡±, asked the previous elf that called. ¡°So?¡±, replied Naya and the elves looked to each other with confusion as the mother then sighed before stepping down her throne.


    ¡°My darling and sweet little cubs, let them come¡­¡±, Naya said as the others raised their ears. ¡°For we will do nothing but run and let them starve one after the other while the wilderness takes care of them and has its due. It¡¯s been a long time coming.¡±, the mother explained and then the elves appeared to be disappointed as one of them then stepped forth.


    ¡°But mother, we wanted to play with the vampires!¡±, the elf said and the mother turned to face her with an evil grin on her face. ¡°Oh, do you, little cub?¡±, she asked and the elves grinned. ¡°Then do as you please as long as you keep your distance and they never catch you.¡±, the mother passed her orders and the elves cackled like wild hyenas that ran into the forest. ¡°Yes, mother.¡±, the elven child that she spoke to then replied and joined the rest of her pack as Naya looked on.


    The viewers of the past saw the horrible events that had transpired when the vampires made their way into the forest. There were cougars that pounced and attacked them. There were elves that knocked down old trees that squashed them and there were roots that reached from the soil of the earth itself that wrapped themselves around the ankles of the vampires that were pulled beneath the earth. The vampires chased the elves and anything that they could find but the elves were always one step ahead, and they even laid out cruel practical traps that caused the vampires to fall into holes only for them to be impaled on spikes. The vampires that died this was dissipated into ashes and Vlad looked on in horror as he saw that his own methods of execution, of fear, were now used against him and that is when he saw the enchantress¡­


    ¡°You know, I pity you, vampire, I truly do.¡±, she said to him. ¡°I will kill you for this.¡±, he said and she smirked. ¡°You are more welcome to try but underneath it all you¡¯re still only human.¡±, she said to him while he noticed elves that were surrounding him with their claws and teeth at the ready, their tails ready to feast as cougars emerged beside them and they were no different.


    ¡°I have a gift for you.¡±, she said. ¡°What?¡±, he replied. ¡°Well, you desperately want a piece of me, don¡¯t you?¡±, she asked. ¡°And therefore I bestow upon you a piece of myself.¡±, she said and then reached for her shoulder from which she pulled on a branch of a rose that then turned from red to black as it immediately lost all life once it was disconnected from her, and Igor recognized the rose as did Rendfield and Bellindia for it was the rose that tied them all.


    ¡°A rose?!¡±, he shouted. ¡°What am I to do with a rose?!¡±, he continued to shout. ¡°This rose, little human, is your salvation for it is my gift and blessing to you and your family.¡±, she stated.


    ¡°As nature cursed your bloodline due to its greed so too shall it give your bloodline a chance to redeem itself.¡±, she said before stepping forth with the rose. ¡°Should one of your bloodline fall in love with another and that other love you in return as the beast, the monster, that you are then your curse shall come to an end.¡±, she then sniffed the rose and inhaled before exhaling into it that gave it new life as she the threw it towards him only for him to catch it.


    ¡°And should all your emotions fade, should your heart turn to stone, then this rose shall wither and die as you have.¡±, the elf then turned and walked away as did all the other elves that left the vampire be as he looked down to the rose, pondering if he truly did make a horrible mistake.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Tensions grew within the House of Dracula for members of its own family turned on each other for without blood they would not be able to sustain their family line, and one of them chose to experiment on himself thus becoming the first apothecary of the Scholomance. It was through his action and through his search to end his curse that he transformed into the first lycanthrope.¡±, the vision showed the vampire who tried to cure himself only to transform and he took his rage upon the entire castle, ripping curtains to shreds and breaking furniture wherever he went.


    He left a trail of blood and ash in his wake as he escaped through the doors of the castle. Vlad himself could be seen in his study for he heard the vampires throughout the castle kill each other, family turning on one another like wild beasts that was no different than the lycanthrope that one of their relatives had just turned into. Vlad¡¯s dream for his house to remain forever immortalized and eternal seemed to be failing. He could be seen wrapped around in his research but then he broke all sorts of flasks and alchemical devices for there was no means of salvation.


    ¡°Even Vlad turned on his own family, becoming the monster he had hoped he would never become¡­¡±, Gloryana said as another vision showed him biting the neck of a female family member as he consumed her blood and then he heard the howl of a lycanthrope.


    The man rushed to see a small settlement destroyed and a cottage where a woman was lying on the ground, her eyes seemed to be taken from her. The vampire came and reached for his sword, he then battled the beast that was once his relative only to notice he called for more. He took the woman into his arms and fled with her back to his castle where he helped her and he thought about biting her at first but then he was entranced, almost as if he was possessed by her radiant beauty. It was then that this woman heard the vampires scaling the walls of the castle and they too cast no shadow, but she could not see. No one ever joined her for breakfast, lunch and dinner except for Vlad that asked her questions, hoping she reveals where the other humans are but she did not know anything at all and she was cautious of tricks. The woman felt his hand and how cold it was, even commenting on it, with hair growing on the back of his hand. She then also heard screams throughout the night that sounded like adult screams and that is when the vampires of the family house Dracula consumed one another to appease their bloodlust.


    ¡°You go first and we will follow.¡±, said one of the female vampires. ¡°This one is young and strong, there are kisses for us all.¡±, the other female vampire said as they leaned over the very entranced woman that Vlad had brought to the castle only for one of them to press their teeth against the woman¡¯s neck but before she could press them in they all felt the presence of Vlad.


    ¡°How dare you touch her?!¡±, he shouted at them before he grabbed one of them by their neck and flung her across the room. ¡°How dare you lay eyes upon her when I had forbidden it?!¡±, he shouted and with his arm he motioned the three ladies back and away.


    ¡°I promise you when I am done with her that you may kiss her at your will!¡±, this terrified the blind woman that was on the bed before the blonde vampire stepped forth. ¡°Are we to have nothing tonight?¡±, all three vampires asked their master who then handed them a bag.


    The four, along with the blind woman, heard what appeared to be the moaning of a baby child and one of the ladies opened the bag only to smile. The three women surrounded the bag before they left the room and the shock as well as the horror was too much for the blind lady to handle as Vlad Dracula turned to her, felt her shoulder and told her it would be alright.


    ¡°Take this.¡±, he said to her and he handed her a ring. ¡°For when there are no mirrors, it shall be there to serve you.¡±, he placed the ring on her index finger and the woman was wondered. ¡°Turn it three times around your finger and you shall appear within one of the many towers of the castle where I have placed enchanted runes to protect you, I promise you.¡±, he said to her and Igor saw the look in his eyes once he turned to face away, and in that moment Vlad placed his right hand over his heart as he felt something at that very moment that he could not describe.


    ¡°Give me back my child, brother!¡±, another vision appeared of a woman, a vampire, calling out in hatred and rage towards Vlad himself from the courtyard of the castle. ¡°Bring me the only good living thing that I have left in this world or I shall kill your brides!¡±, the lady shouted and then one of the brides came forth that was the blonde one, and in her arms she carried the child.


    ¡°We were expecting you.¡±, said the blonde vampire and the other two chuckled. ¡°Where is your master, where is Vlad Dracula?¡±, asked the mother of the young child. ¡°Our master is busy with his new soon to be bride but we do not need to summon him for the threat that you¡¯ve just made, do we?¡±, one of the three brides replied as they surrounded the vampiric mother.


    ¡°So let¡¯s see make a deal. You win and we¡¯ll let the boy live. You lose and, yes, you guessed it, little dove, we¡¯ll devour you both.¡±, the three brides laughed in unison before the mother pulled a blade from her sheath as she sliced through the neck of all three brides that grabbed their throats.


    All three of them struggled as true death was now to befall them and the one holding the child dropped it only for the vampire mother to blink to reveal she was a powerful mage. She grabbed the child, stood up straight and walked away as the three brides turned to ash, and as the brides turned to ash there was a storm that engulfed the entire vision that then displayed the inside of Castle Perrault. Vlad Dracula was shown to feast upon one of his family members and then he let them go only to lean over one of the columns. He looked petrified for thirst overcame his mind once again and he feared how he would control it but then he saw her. It was the blind woman who was being served by the castle¡¯s many undead servants. She lived in luxury within Castle Perrault, having every whim catered to, with no end of riches to amuse her and endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Vlad then steps down the stairwell of his castle towards her and reach for her hands that she grabs in turn only to kiss them before she placed them over her cheek.


    ¡°You do not fear me, you do not shudder at my touch?¡±, he asked. ¡°How can I shudder at the touch of the man that I love and who loves me just the same?¡±, she replied. ¡°That is because you do not know what I am, who I am¡­¡±, he said to her and then he looked away before she smiled.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re a vampire and I know that you¡¯ve shed blood to protect me.¡±, she said to him and then he turned to face her. ¡°But if one day I do die, I wish to be left with the peace of death for you have already given me all that I could ask for and more. We¡¯ve shared many wonderful lengthy conversations and those are the simple things in this life that warm my heart and yours, I can feel it.¡±, she raised her right hand and placed it over his heart as for the first time he exhaled.


    ¡°You know where the village is, don¡¯t you?¡±, he asked and she nodded her head. ¡°Of course I do, why?¡±, she replied. ¡°Do you trust me?¡±, he asked. ¡°What?¡±, she replied. ¡°Do you trust me?¡±, he asked again and she looked uncomfortable before he reached for her chin, lifting her head.


    ¡°I wish to do what is right, my love, not what is wrong. Please, tell me where it is so that I may make up for some past transgression that still weighs heavily in my rekindled heart.¡±, she smiled and nodded her head to his words before she leaned in and whispered to his ear.


    ¡°Hello, brother.¡±, the female vampire greeted Vlad in his own castle. ¡°Dear sister, I did not send you an invitation to lure you into a trap or to bear you any ill will. I¡¯ve brought you here to ask you for your help.¡±, he said to her. ¡°My help?¡±, she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You expect me to trust you after all that you¡¯ve done?! You expect me to believe you?!¡±, she shouted at him.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±, he said to her before the blind woman walked into the room and stood beside Vlad before reaching for his arm. ¡°I know the location of the village, dear sister, and I know that our bloodline can only be saved through your son, but our blood lust shall consume us both one day after we have no members of our family left to feast upon.¡±, the female relative looked down in thought as Vlad then approached her and placed both of his hands over her shoulders.


    ¡°This is no life for your son, for my nephew, and he deserves better by us. Come next day I shall begin a purge unlike any other for the good of this world and all that I ask of you is to bring most of my wealth, most of my fortune that we stole back to those whose lives our house has ruined. I beg of you, please do this for me, for us, and give your son the future we never had, a future that we had taken from ourselves by choosing this accursed life, unable to die and unable to forget our horrible mistake.¡±, the way that Vlad spoke to her was unlike anything she had thought or seen, that she could ever believe that would and could happen, and that¡¯s when she looked towards the blind woman that stood in the back that patiently stood by waiting.


    ¡°And what will you do when it¡¯s all over?¡±, she asked. ¡°We have decided to greet the morning sun, together.¡±, he smiled and reached for his sister¡¯s shoulders, patting them and she bowed.


    ¡°I do not understand. He chose to give all of it up, his immortality and his power, for this blind woman, this frail thing?!¡±, Rendfield could not understand. ¡°He viewed our blessing as a curse, dear brother, nothing more.¡±, said Bellindia and the beast chuckled. ¡°You are both wrong.¡±, he said and both the monster as well as the vampire turned to face him.


    ¡°Vlad knew that he would be eternally left to wander the earth, unable to die, nor forget his horrible mistake. Don¡¯t you see?! It is a curse!¡±, he shouted back at the both of them. ¡°It was their love that made him see reason!¡±, as Igor shouted the vision shifted to the woman who was with child and who was kneeling with her son in arms before she placed him down.


    The mother of the child then leaned down to kiss her sun before caressing cheek as he began to wail due to her cold hands. She raised her head to the morning sun and closed her eyes as her body dissipated and faded into ash that was carried away by the wind. The baby was left wailing for all to hear that soon found their good fortune that it was lying upon and ever since then the last living relative of the Draculas remained¡­


    ¡°Vlad did as his sister promised and the vampires came to his castle¡­¡±, Gloryana explained and the vampires that appeared Vlad had slain one after the other even though he was outnumbered.


    He was surrounded but he continued to fight but the rising tide of rage within him grew, Vlad was then pushed to the brink and in the heat of battle blood lust claimed him. He killed anything that had moved and anything that had dared to even approach him, even his undead servants were not spared his slaughter, and he butchered to no end. He fell to his knees at the sight of his beloved and hugged her, cursing without end and in pain.


    ¡°It was only when the blood lust faded, when it had stopped, that he would see just how terrible the curse he bore was.¡±, explained Gloryana and then the vision showed Vlad falling to his knees at the sight of his beloved that he had hugged, the same beloved he had butchered and killed.


    ¡°And even though he shed blood to protect her, he had become the very thing he swore to protect her from. In his final moments, he had become a beast¡­¡±, this struck Igor to his core and Belle silently observed from afar while Rendfield smirked as he expected nothing else. ¡°Serves him right.¡±, said the monster and Igor, for the first time, shed a tear that he then hid from the others.


    ¡°None shall bare my curse any longer and from this day let it die with me.¡±, Vlad said this as he then lay in a coffin with the rose in his hands that skeletons then sealed shut from above before they lowered the coffin down into a pit where they proceeded to bury him alive, and when the morning sun rose is when the magic in their eyes faded with their bones collapsing to the ground.


    ¡°What a fitting end¡­¡±, said Gloryana. ¡°They wanted to be immortal and in the end most of them turned to stone, immortalized for all eternity¡­¡±, this was the fate of House Dracula in the end¡­

 Chapter Eight: Bloodlust

    After the final vision was over, Igor did not say a word and he left the aviary. Gloryana stood where she was and Belle looked at her in silence. The elf now truly understood the curse that the gargoyle bore; the haru¡¯s soul was bound to be the sacred keeper of the knowledge of all of the souls that lay in the service of the damned. However, Belle knew that it was only a matter of time before she would have to address the beast and soon some old friends that were already on their way to the castle as they already crossed the frozen river¡­


    ¡°How is it that you knew that Lucy would show us the way?¡±, asked Arthur. ¡°Because her soul cannot rest until the beast is dealt with and neither can ours.¡±, replied Abraham. ¡°But why is it that when you carry the lantern she does not show us the way?¡±, Arthur asked and then Abraham turned to face him, reaching for his shoulder. ¡°Because she trusts you and because she can still feel your love, and because your soul is pure.¡±, replied Abraham which confused Arthur.


    ¡°Are you implying yours is not?¡±, asked Arthur. ¡°All will be revealed in due time, young Arthur, for now let us focus on the road ahead.¡±, replied Abraham as they crossed the frozen river with a caravan that carried the bodies of lycanthropes that they had slain and rangers following behind.


    One of the gargoyles that blended in with one of the nearby glaciers saw the rangers make their way and gestured its head to another that then bowed its head. It flew to the skies for it would leave to inform its master of the danger that is coming while the other looked on to see riders on horses that were the Black Guard that also joined the ranger core, warriors ready to fight. There were fully grown adults that were conscripts from the orphanage that had also joined their cause and many of them carried backpacks as well as shovels and mining picks along with them. They each had cooked meat in their bags and some of them placed on sticks that they chewed on while making their way that was all made from the lycanthrope meat that one of their chefs was now in the process of butchering to prepare the meat for the men and women had to be prepared for the great battle that was soon to come while Abraham reached for a ring dear to him¡­


    ¡°Master Rendfield¡­¡±, Gloryana appeared in the throne room and it was unlike her to do so. ¡°High Matron, it is quite rare to see you anywhere else besides the aviary¡­¡±, he replied but was cut off short when she interrupted him. ¡°An enemy approaches, guided by a soul that use to be one of ours, a whisper in the wind¡­¡±, Gloryana explained and Rendfield raised his head.


    ¡°Let them come¡­¡±, he said. ¡°We could use the fresh meat and blood, as well as the new souls that they provide, for my sister¡¯s new abomination.¡±, the monster implied and the High Matron stood there for she knew that he was going to say something else. ¡°I have already summoned your sister, my master, and told her what is coming our way. She has gone to see the apothecary; Hester Nikola Zank.¡±, Gloryana told her master who then raised his head to face her.


    ¡°I know that you already know what is on my mind, High Matron.¡±, Rendfield shared.


    ¡°I know that you can see the future even though it is so far from being but for you it is like as if it is already here, it is as if you are living it now at this very moment.¡±, he explained and then she coldly stared towards him. ¡°No, master, I cannot tell you the fate of the Last Dracula.¡±, she stated and then Rendfield got up to say something only to be interrupted. ¡°Do you fear death, master?¡±, she asked and this caused the monster to chuckle. ¡°What?¡±, he then laughed in reply.


    ¡°True death.¡±, those words made him pause, not say a word then. ¡°That is the fate that awaits all the keepers of the lost and the damned should we share their secrets without permission. This is the curse I bear and the fate that awaits me should I break my vow to her¡­¡±, Rendfield did not understand who the gargoyle meant when she mentioned ¡®her¡¯. ¡°I have already dispatched my gargoyles to prepare for the assault, master, and make no mistake¡­¡±, Gloryana added.


    ¡°I fear true death more than I do you and all the evil that exists in this world and all others could not possibly compare to our Mother Nature.¡±, these are the final words she said before she chose to walk away from the monster who for the first time in forever felt some sort of fear.


    ¡°Magnificent¡­¡±, Bellindia once more marveled in the plague that the three brides had created and this time they had perfected it to not only to kill their victims but also to bless them with the same curse that she bore, the same curse that she found to be a great blessing¡­


    ¡°Do you have means in distributing the plague?¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes, mistress, we have already given the order to prepare it for the coming battle.¡±, said the malfhi. ¡°It will be magnificent¡­¡±, said the ebony harlefi with a smile. ¡°Yes¡­¡±, said the brown gorgon with passion.


    ¡°Ah, Grand Apothecary¡­¡±, it was then that Belle noticed the man whose heart she froze. ¡°Ah, Lady Frankenstein, you have returned.¡±, he bowed his head and greeted her. ¡°How goes the task I set upon you?¡±, she asked and he then raised his hand, gesturing for her to see for herself.


    Belle then walked inside of a grand chamber where there were many piles of bones being extracted by undead skeletons and close by there were wights that worked on moving the meat that they harvested from the many bodies the lycanthropes had gathered onto wood wagons. The zombies used their thread and needles to sow body after body part of the abomination that they were ordered to construct as the Dark Lady wished for. The humans that were present focused on the construction of the abomination¡¯s plating and armor while also working on the cybernetics as well as its programming that would be implanted within the creature. They instructed where the wires were to be placed carefully and the organs as they managed the entire process. The wights finished sowing the creature¡¯s two arms as well as its head and most of its upper body together, impressing the Dark Lady that looked on to continuously admire their work.


    ¡°I trust my father was of great help to this process?¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes, my lady Frankenstein.¡±, replied the apothecary. ¡°I wish to see him, now.¡±, she said. ¡°But he is already here, my lady.¡±, this response confused Bellindia who would look around to see if anyone resembled Victor, and all that she was were wights as well as zombies in the room that further added to her confusion.


    ¡°Here, my lady¡­¡±, the scientist then pointed to the abomination¡¯s head and Bellindia looked to the table, and it was in that moment that she felt a certain loss but not of love but of power.


    She lost control and for the first time in a long time did her heart make a beat as if it had felt something. She was always so confident, so cheerful, so childish and playful but this time that entire flicker left as she coldly stared to the head of the monster before her.


    ¡°You killed my father?¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes, milady, and he was quite easy to carve for his bones and flesh were rather old as it were.¡±, the apothecary replied. ¡°Why did you do this?¡±, she asked and he turned his head to face her without fear, without emotion, for his heart was cold as ice.


    ¡°Because you and your brother commanded it.¡±, he said. ¡°What?¡±, she looked at him enraged. ¡°My brother specified that my brother is to join in on the process, not to be butchered!¡±, she then raised her voice and the human did not even flinch. ¡°Yes, he did, and I asked the master later to clarify if he meant as an assistant or to join in for spare parts, and he said the latter.¡±, this reply then made Bellindia¡¯s eyes lower down as she turned to face the abomination¡¯s head.


    ¡°Do you wish for me to perhaps assist you in easing your burden, my lady Frankenstein?¡±, the apothecary asked and then she turned to face him. ¡°Perhaps then these emotions will not hinder you the same way that they have once done to me? Do you want me to silence them as you did my own?¡±, he questioned his lady loyally and yet coldly, no emotions could be found in his eyes.


    ¡°No¡­¡±, she said to him. ¡°My heart is not like yours and I am well in control of my emotions, the passion that burns deep within my heart does not hinder me or sway me from my path unlike yours once did. You will continue the construct and I will return to oversee the process. I will be watching you, Grand Apothecary, and I will expect a deal of great many things from you.¡±, she explained to him and most would feel honor at this moment but the apothecary felt nothing. ¡°Of course, my lady Frankenstein, in this life I serve you.¡±, he replied and she then stepped forth.


    ¡°Do you wish for your work not to be hindered by any means? Do you wish to have total control out of anything that you construct, no restrictions and no chains?¡±, she asked. ¡°That would be the best for my line of work, my lady, but as long as master Rendfield is in command there will be restrictions.¡±, the Grand Apothecary replied and then Bellindia lowered her claw.


    ¡°I want my father to be at the forefront of it all, of everything. I want him to both hear and see, to feel, the suffering, pain and anguish of all the wailing souls after you are done with it. Do you understand?¡±, Bellindia told the apothecary her wishes and although he could not feel he could think for himself, and in that moment he wondered why she gave such an order before he bowed.


    ¡°And in return I shall ensure that your work goes undisturbed for all time as long as you report back to me whenever you deem necessary. Do I make myself clear?¡±, she said to the apothecary who did not say a word and simply stared into her eyes before she would walk away from him.


    In that moment, Bellindia Frankenstein better understood the path of the damned, and her father. He had a created a monster and he understood his mistake, and the apothecary once understood that as well only for his heart to be frozen only for him to not feel anything afterwards.


    ¡°If the apothecary only had a heart beat left, perhaps then her father would have not died?¡±, Bellindia thought but in that moment, as she stood in those halls, she realized that she does not care anymore, that her father and all others mean nothing to her as he now knows what she is.


    In that moment, she would then proceed to approach the three elves and they looked at her before she gestured for them to follow. That night all four of them would share a bed where kisses were exchanged between them and new blood spilt as a new surge of memories rushed all over. They made love throughout the night, the following day until tomorrow night. She inherited all of their memories, all of their love, all of their passion and desires that she inherited just as she once did when she put her mark on the beast that also left his very own mark on her. The following day, the Dark Lady and the three elves would join the Council of Vampires and Lord Rendfield¡­


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    ¡°Ah, dear sister, I am so pleased that you came.¡±, said Rendfield. ¡°Please, sit¡­¡±, he gestured and she then walked over to the other side of the table, past her brother before she took her seat on his throne where she proceeded to cross her legs in front of him, and the three elves smiled.


    The council that sat the table was surprised and Rendfield was baffled while the three brides of the Dark Lady Frankenstein placed their claws over their mouths to conceal their smile.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±, asked Rendfield. ¡°Meaning of what?¡±, asked Belle. ¡°You sit on my throne.¡±, he replied. ¡°Your throne?¡±, she asked. ¡°Do you truly understand the dead, brother, as you so claim?¡±, she questioned him and he smirked. ¡°Of course I do.¡±, he implied.


    ¡°In death we are all brothers and sisters, we are all family and one of the same. We are equals. There are no lords, only souls of forsaken that wish to find some kind of meaning in this afterlife and you¡¯ve held them back for far too long. You failed to notice a feeble minded apothecary holding back his research due to the still beating heart and the very gift bestowed upon your concubines who make for far better apothecaries compared to all others, but the greatest insult of all is that you allowed spies among our ranks.¡±, this last comment would then confused the monster but cause the council to be nervous. ¡°Spies?¡±, he chuckled. ¡°There are no spies among the damned and there never will be. Who would dare to¡­?!¡±, Rendfield fought by words but in his response he then realized who she could have possibly meant were the spies.


    He turned to face the council of vampires and saw Lady Carabosse as well as Red stare coldly towards Lady Rose and Lord Spriggins. They each appeared to have an eye for the other.


    ¡°My esteemed council, is this true?¡±, Rendfield questioned them and the four knew that they could lie but the brides knew well that everyone feared the Dark Lady just as equally. ¡°It is, my lord.¡±, it was Lady Talia Carabosse that was first to respond to reveal her treachery.


    ¡°My aunt and I do not see quite eye to eye, and therefore I have no part in this.¡±, said Briar Rose.


    ¡°My niece is not wrong in this matter and we are not spies as much as we are observers. We were sent by another party that is¡­¡±, Lady Carabosse paused. ¡°Interested in making an alliance with you, my lady Frankenstein.¡±, she added only for Rendfield to smirk yet again. ¡°You mean an alliance with me.¡±, he replied. ¡°No.¡±, Rose Red then spoke up that surprised Rendfield.


    ¡°Our mistress specifically requested an alliance with Lady Frankenstein, not you. As Lady Carabosse said, we were sent to observe what is in our best interest and hers, and she has deduced that the Dark Lady is her best option. No offense, Lord Rendfield.¡±, Lady Red would explain to all present and Rendfield was shocked at such a revelation.


    ¡°On that note, I¡¯d like to add, that I must agree with the Dark Lady on the topic that she had once mentioned beforehand.¡±, Talia Carabosse commented before she looked to Briar Rose. ¡°My dear niece, what I have done to you will never be forgiven nor will I ever seek your forgiveness, but we share a common curse that the Dark Lady has revealed to me in the form of a revelation to be, in fact, a blessing that both you and I bear. In life, we were enemies. In death, let us be allies and should you not wish that is fine with me¡­¡±, she explained as they all observed and Talia then placed both of her hands on the table before she leaned to closely look at her niece.


    ¡°As long as you do not cause any harm to me or my friends, I will not cause any harm to you and yours, and as a sign of good will I have ordered my forces to abandon Teyvat. That is all I have to say.¡±, Talia then proceeded to look towards the Dark Lady who waved. ¡°We will talk later.¡±, she said to the queen that took a bow before  she would be seated once again. ¡°Our world was never yours to give.¡±, commented Briar. ¡°Nor was it our families to rule in the first place.¡±, replied Talia and both relatives looked to each other with a scolding hatred in their hearts.


    ¡°And finally, dear brother, you let emotions get the best of you.¡±, said Belle and the monster turned to face her yet again. ¡°You wanted our father¡¯s love and you never got it, and because of that you wanted him to suffer by giving me this wonderful blessing. I also wanted to toy with our father, Rendfield, although not for the same reasons and you robbed me of that pleasure. He was far more useful to us as a wight or even a skeleton¡­¡±, she chuckled at her last sentence and shook her head as she was very disappointed for she knew her father was intelligent.


    ¡°You squandered a great gift, a great mind, that was hacked to pieces to be used for scraps for my abomination and why? Is it because you wanted your father¡¯s attention, is it because you never had it? Oh, poor you. Bo-hoo-hoo¡­¡±, she then behaved childishly to mock him. ¡°Or was it to spite me, was it all done in order for you to see me break as well?¡±, Rendfield then stepped closer to her and looked down upon her, he towered over her and yet she did not move an inch.


    ¡°Or was it all of the above?¡±, the tension was there and then she smiled. ¡°So you have a choice, brother, stand by my side and rule or stand aside and rot in the ground. The choice is yours.¡±, the moment that she offered him the choice, all members of the council stared towards him.


    Rendfield held his claymore firm and the three brides observed him ever so closely and cautious. Their tails moved back and forth, their ears flickered and listened intently to any possible sound that his heart would make and they felt the vibrations in the earth with their seismic sense. It was then that Rendfield took his claymore, raised it and placed the tip of the blade on the ground. He then kneeled down before her on one knee and bowed his head, and now she had truly become the Dark Lady that rules all lost and the damned of Perrault. At that same moment, the ranger core and their recruits had finally arrived to mountain pass leading to the castle road. They could hear the howls of lycanthropes in the distance and the hysterical laughter of the elves among the many trees of the woodlands surrounding them. Their warriors prepared their shields and blades as well as passive spears while their rangers had already prepared their crossbows and guns. Arthur held the will of the wisp within the lantern still before Abraham turned to face his army.


    ¡°Defensive formations!¡±, he gave the order and every warrior then slammed their rectangle like shield on the ground to form a wall with no clear opening as the baggage animals, most of the rangers, and even most of the cavalry shifted to the center of the large wall forming around them.


    The rangers stood side by side along the oblong, curved, cylindrical shield wall drawn up around on the outside, making a rectangular figure. The wall faced outward and holding their arms at the ready, they enclosed the rest. The others, who have flat shields, formed a compact body in the center and raised their shields over the heads of all others so that nothing but shields can be seen from every part of the phalanx alike and all men and women by the density of the formation are under shelter from missiles. The rangers prepared their explosive arrows for their crossbows and their rifles to fire upon anyone that would dare to attack them as Arthur saw the blue light of his beloved flicker as it seemed to be getting dimmer when they all heard the march of the damned. It was then, to Arthur¡¯s horror that the moonlight shun among the cursed ones who transformed into the living skeletons, ghouls, wights, and the many terrors that the moonlight revealed them to be. The lycanthropes were the first to charge only for the explosive arrows to hit them and shatter their bodies to pieces but that did not stop the onslaught that they sought to wreak upon the living. Arthur then heard the shrieks of the gargoyles that descended down from the heavens and the shield wall spread a part from above as a gun was then aimed into the air. Arthur then heard the sounds several Gatling guns opening fire upon the damned that got shredded by the bullets and their explosives ignited into the air before they could drop them. The shield wall pushed forth and between the cracks large spears protruded out that stabbed several wights and ghouls that threw themselves against the wall. The tip of the spears would then begin to spin like drill bits that shredded through the flesh off their enemies and this way the soldiers would pull several undead back to their wall where the riflemen would proceed to shoot through their heads. Arthur witnessed the effectiveness of the Black Guard and Blackwood Rangers at first hand. They were both vital in their survival and in holding back the monsters.


    ¡°Hold the line!¡±, Abraham Van Seward ordered the guard. ¡°Keep firing, keep firing!¡±, Arthur passed on the order to the rangers as gargoyles fell from the skies, one after the other. ¡°Ready!¡±, one of the dwarven volunteers stated and then Arthur grabbed the handles of one of the Gatling Guns to open fire himself, opening fire upon any gargoyle in his sights.


    At that same moment, Bellindia Frankenstein stepped through a mirror only to appear on the same balcony where she was first bitten and surrounding her were the Vampire Council along with Rendfield that gazed into the field below as more soldiers began to arrive into the battlefield from the mountain pass below. Bellindia observed the battlefield carefully and focused her eye sight on where the heart of the enemy army was located only to spot them. She looked to the brides and gestured with her heads as the brides grinned before turning to the apothecaries. It was then that Bellindia spotted a lycanthrope that threw a large stone into the line formation that knocked back several soldiers. The stone toppled the lantern of Lucy Murray and broke her free as her spirit then ascended into the heavens. Arthur saw this and then aimed his gun for a moment at the lycanthrope that charged towards them in order to infiltrate their line but the second line behind the previous formation quickly grouped together. They surrounded him, blocked him off and stabbed him with their many spears one after the other. They struck his head and it was in that moment that Abraham Van Seward stepped forth. Arthur then noticed that Abraham¡¯s right hand began to glow and quickly deduced he was more than what he appeared to be. He waved his left hand and then his right hand that launched balls of fire that struck the lycanthrope that fell to his knees before he raised both hands that incinerated the entire body of the lycanthrope. It was then that one of the rangers, an elf, would shout out in a warning¡­


    ¡°Wisps!¡±, the ranger lord turned immediately and the Black Guard were suddenly distracted by the arrival of a massive wave of wisps that flung their spirits into the bodies of the deceased and seemed to also make their way underground to possess those buried there for far too long.


    The dead bodies of the deceased Black Guard then opened their eyes as the living quickly stabbed them in the head to prevent them from rising and those that they could not reach in time was because of the lycanthropes that caused such a deafening roar at the Black Guard that fell back but held their ground. One of the lycanthropes raised both arms and bashed down over a shield formation. It grabbed one of the guards and bashed him against others as many other lycans then charged along with the nosferatu and ghouls that threw themselves over the walls. The Gatling Guns kept firing but then Arthur¡¯s own gun ran out of ammunition as he shouted.


    ¡°Reload!¡±, and to his horror he saw none other than Gloryana Deathwing herself whom simply spread her arms open to the gargoyles lying on the ground below whose bodies began to shake.


    The hands and arms of the dead then emerged from the ground behind the shield wall of the guards that turned in panic only to stab them with their massive spear-drills. Reaching for his sword, Arthur charged into the heat of battle and stabbed any undead whose head first rose from the ground. Bellindia Frankenstein observed the field of battle as the spears kept stabbing through flesh, as the corpses kept falling, as the explosives kept sounding off, and the rifles kept firing throughout the night that caused flashes and smoke everywhere. Abraham Van Seward knew the battle would take its toll and turned to face Arthur whom he saw stabbing the undead. Abraham then approached him, grabbed him by his wrist and pulled on him. He then looked down and Arthur saw him turning a ring three times over before they both disappeared¡­

 Chapter Nine: Love & Death

    The two men suddenly appeared within the magical confines of the tower of the castle and it is here where Arthur looked puzzled for he had many questions, questions only Abraham could answer and no other. However, the view from the balcony pleased the Dark Lady¡­


    ¡°All this want and destruction, and yet the living are falling with ease.¡±, commented one of the three Brides of Frankenstein, the malfhi among them. ¡°Like lambs to the slaughter.¡±, it would be the harlefi who commented next and in that moment the Dark Lady¡¯s expression changed.


    Her ear twitched, her eyes shifted right for a moment and it could be seen a thought had entered her mind that seemingly did not wish to leave, and she gazed back to the battlefield.


    ¡°Like cannon fodder.¡±, the gorgon commented among the brides and in that  moment is when the Dark Lady turned, her eyes gazed forth in realization that she might just be deceived¡­


    It was in that moment when the Dark Lady truly realized what these Brides of Frankenstein were and she looked at the gorgon that she could see was smiling rather delightfully, and the other two simply stood by waiting for their mistress to speak. They were once the Brides of her brother but now they were her brides and to an extension they were her thoughts and her very own voice. It was then that the Dark Lady turned to her brother, Rendfield, and gestured with her head¡­


    ¡°Go back to the castle and ensure that there are no interlopers wandering about.¡±, the three brides turned to face Rendfield and the council that seemingly looked to one another. ¡°Now!¡±, the Dark Lady raised her voice and the council dispersed immediately as she ordered.


    The Dark Lady stood her ground and then gazed towards the brides before reaching for the very gorgon that stood before her, kissing her on the lips in order to show just how appreciative and very grateful she was to have her brides, and then the Dark Lady took her leave.


    ¡°The plague is ready, yes sisters?¡±, asked the gorgon and the two brides nodded their heads. ¡°Yes, sister Nilofar. Shall we proceed with distributing the plague?¡±, asked the malfhi. ¡°Of course, Liss, death to the living.¡±, replied Nilofar and the harlefi bride grinned.


    At that same moment, Arthur and Abraham moved through a large hallway. Arthur knew where they were and so did Abraham. Arthur felt something was wrong due to the sound of many of Blackwood¡¯s finest facing death itself. He could hear their screams as the plague barrels were launched at them and those that were struck by them had their bodies melt away, starting from their very eyes and then their entire bodies. The damned that were fighting them dispersed and those that were unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire were also killed. The Brides of Frankenstein were merciless feline-like creatures. There was no room in their hearts for mercy and their souls were icy, deadly and cunning. They enjoyed every moment of slaughter.


    ¡°Abraham, I feel like there¡¯s something that you are not telling me.¡±, said Arthur. ¡°Like what, Arthur?¡±, replied Abraham. ¡°Well, that ring would be a good place to start.¡±, implied Arthur.


    ¡°Yes, it is the ring of the famed Vlad Dracula, the First of the Vampires, and the founder of this castle.¡±, revealed Abraham and then Arthur grew further puzzled. ¡°First of the Vampires?¡±, Arthur wanted to inquire about this Vlad Dracula but Abraham did not have time for such things.


    ¡°Yes, a long time ago he was the one who ruled this castle on his quest to destroy humanity as a whole. It is he who gifted my great descendant, Jennifer Van Helsing, this ring. I journeyed to her sacred tomb to retrieve this ring and to access our family¡¯s library. It is there where I had discovered her true fate; she was butchered due to the elves that had starved the vampires and he killed her in order to sustain his thirst. Afterwards, he continued his onslaught and seemingly disappeared¡­¡±, explained Abraham Van Seward and this only raised more questions.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±, said Arthur. ¡°Van Helsing?¡±, he asked and Abraham turned his head slightly but not to face Arthur. ¡°Show yourself, spirit, for I feel your essence!¡±, shouted Abraham Van Seward.


    ¡°Vlad Dracula did not continue his onslaught, he tried to put a stop to it.¡±, said the spirit that revealed itself to be none other than William Frankenstein. ¡°Lies!¡±, shouted Abraham. ¡°These are all lies made to deceive me!¡±, he dismissed the words of the spirit who shook his head.


    ¡°These are no lies but you are too blind by rage to see it! The Draculas strove for eternity but instead they faced damnation and their family bloodline is all but facing near extinction. Vlad realized the mistake he made. The blood frenzy that you speak of is true, yes, and Vlad could no longer live with himself. He could no longer live an eternity wandering the earth, being unable to die, nor to forget his horrible mistake. He loved Jennifer Van Helsing with all his heart. That is why he gifted her the ring, it wasn¡¯t to toy with her!¡±, the spirit shared the truth but Abraham would not hear it for he believed more in his family¡¯s scrolls then he did this wretched undead.


    ¡°Silence!¡±, Abraham then raised his right hand and a darkness enveloped him that appeared as if it nearly consumed him, dark tendrils and dark green flame rose that consumed William.


    Before Arthur¡¯s very eyes he witnessed the spirit of William Frankenstein being erased from the very plane of existence. Abraham Van Seward was not the huntsman that Arthur and the others were lead to believe but rather he was a warlock, a dark and twisted magician filled with rage.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±, asked Arthur after witnessing but a shard that was held by Abraham, a shard that contained the soul of William Frankenstein. ¡°I am Abraham Val Helsing, Arthur Harker, and I¡¯ve come to bring hell to the very doorsteps of House Dracula.¡±, the warlock would close his hand and shatter the shard into many fragments that crushed William¡¯s soul, sealing his fate.


    ¡°I am vengeance incarnate.¡±, he revealed before he turned to Arthur. ¡°Stand by my side or stand aside, the choice is yours.¡±, he had warned the human who took a deep breath. ¡°I am with you, Abraham, or did you forget that I too am driven by vengeance?¡±, replied Arthur and this very response pleased Abraham Van Helsing that looked to the human with admiration, and it was in that very moment that the warlock would proceed further into the castle along with Arthur.


    However, Igor Dracula stood before the pedestal of the rose and he observed the flower whose petals were deteriorating and falling apart, bit by bit. There was sorrow in his eyes and yet he felt her cold presence standing behind him, a cold and yet commanding presence¡­


    ¡°What do you want, Bellindia?¡±, Igor asked. ¡°I want you, Igor, and you have been avoiding me for some time lately, why?¡±, replied Bellindia. ¡°What have we become?¡±, asked Igor. ¡°Undead.¡±, she replied with such simplicity in her words and Igor smirked at such a comment.


    ¡°Monsters.¡±, Igor added. ¡°Yes, that too.¡±, and she seemingly agreed. ¡°You have no remorse, no shame, no pity, don¡¯t you? For all that you¡¯ve done, for all that we¡¯ve done!¡±, he raised his voice and she could tell he was furious, angry, with himself and her as a whole.


    ¡°Really, Igor, self pity?¡±, she asked and Igor turned his head, snarling at her. ¡°All that is good within me has died, Belle, and all that is good within you has also died. I can¡¯t wait for the last petal to fall.¡±, explained Igor, revealing that he¡¯d rather lose his mind to forget all emotions.


    ¡°So that you finally become a beast consumed by feral instincts and animal-like thoughts in order to forget rational thoughts, in order to forget everything that is circling around in your mind?¡±, she asked. ¡°Yes.¡±, replied Igor as he stared at the rose. ¡°Including me?¡±, she asked and Igor then paused for a moment as the last petal barely clung on to its branch. ¡°Yes¡­¡±, said Igor.


    However, that response only garnered a smile from Bellindia Frankenstein that stepped forth.


    ¡°Liar.¡±, she said to him and Igor was shaken as eagerly awaited for last petal to fall. ¡°Let the last petal fall, my love, it means nothing to me.¡±, she said to him and he turned to face her. ¡°All that it represents is how you¡¯re lost and how you cannot feel warmth within you, like a cold and very harsh winter¡­¡±, Bellindia stepped closer to him as she explained this to him and the lycan remembered the words of the elf witch that had cursed him, the words that she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re trapped in a vicious storm, my love, and no matter how long this blizzard lasts I shall love you always.¡±, she raised her right claw and touched his chest just where his heart was, but unlike the scientist here touch was cold and yet he felt a warmth he could not explain.


    The rose¡¯s petal that once withered then blossomed and the branch started to blossom with new petals as the beast stepped back, and he couldn¡¯t find it in his heart to deny her.


    ¡°Be a wretched beast, be a damned undead, be merciless¡­¡°, she smiled as she dragged her claw over his body. ¡°Be cold and ruthless, be apathetic...¡±, she dragged her other claw over his body and the rose kept on blooming, it was a dark and twisted love that they had but it was love.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care which.¡±, she gritted her teeth and looked at him with anger. ¡°No matter what you become I will always love you and you will be only weakness.¡±, she declared before him.


    ¡°Touching¡­¡±, and then the voice of the dark warlock destroyed that passionate moment that caused Bellindia to sigh, rolling her eyes. ¡°Ah, the deceiver has arrived and yet at the most very romantic of times. Could you, I don¡¯t know, make like a banana and split?¡±, spoke Bellindia who turned her head to see the warlock step out of the darkness and then her ears arose in excitement.


    ¡°Arthur!¡±, she smiled and called his name out loud as the beast growled at the two arrivals. ¡°Belle¡­¡±, said Arthur. ¡°What have they done to you?¡±, he questioned her and she smirked.


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    ¡°Done?¡±, she asked. ¡°My dear Arthur, the Belle that you knew has died and a new one stands before you. In life, the living were my brothers and sisters but in death the dead are my brothers and sisters. I have no quarrel with you or your brothers and sisters. I simply ask that you both leave this place immediately and never return or else you¡¯ll both die here.¡±, explained Bellindia to the warlock and the huntsman, and Arthur could not believe what he saw.


    ¡°Yea, right, the moment we turn our backs you will send the dead and the beasts after us.¡±, said Arthur. ¡°That would be a fitting punishment for all those lost souls that you have deceived.¡±, she replied and this confused Arthur while the warlock approached the rose that stood before him.


    ¡°Where is he? Where is Vlad Dracula?¡±, asked Abraham. ¡°Vlad Dracula?¡±, Bellindia laughed. ¡°Why, he¡¯s dead. He¡¯s history, ancient history in fact. Don¡¯t tell me, you are here to claim your vengeance? Aww¡­¡±, she toyed with him and the warlock then raised his head, pointing at her.


    ¡°You are a liar!¡±, he shouted. ¡°And you sound like an angry little child.¡±, she replied and this humiliated the warlock. ¡°What did you mean by that, Belle?¡±, asked Arthur. ¡°Hush, Sir Arthur!¡±, shouted Abraham. ¡°About what, this pathetic little excuse for a human here wittingly leading the very people you both swore to protect to damnation in order to get his revenge?¡±, she replied.


    ¡°Enough!¡±, shouted Abraham and in that moment all hell would break lose for fire and darkness engulfed the room. ¡°Ugh, touched a nerve, didn¡¯t I?¡±, asked Bellindia. ¡°Is this true?!¡±, asked Arthur and the beast then charged forth towards the warlock only to suddenly stop.


    A mighty hand turned into a claw, the mighty warlock had turned into a demon, and in this form he took on what he really was. Beneath the attire of a hunter, the beneath the fa?ade of a human, lied a magician consumed by dark magic and sorcery; lied the real Abraham Van Helsing. The demon¡¯s claw raised the lycanthrope as his flesh began to mold and shift, transform and grow that shocked Arthur while Bellindia simply smiled while her love kept clawing at the demon.


    ¡°By the gods¡­¡±, said Arthur. ¡°A demon¡­¡±, he could not believe it and Bellindia rolled her very eyes. ¡°Let me guess, he¡¯s going to¡­¡±, the demon threw the lycanthrope onto the table that held the rose and its glass container fell over that exposed it, and suddenly the immense heat and smoke that had gathered within the room started to choke and snuff out the life of the rose.


    The warlock stood there and glared towards Bellindia, there was so much pent up rage within him that use to be directed towards Igor who the warlock once suspected was Vlad. All that the warlock wanted and that he desired was vengeance, but the warlock is dead and now he is left with one of his descendant and an elf that dared to humiliate him despite all his power. Igor Dracula then began to growl and snarl, his mind began to wither as the rose withered before the eyes of the warlock and Bellindia. It was then that the warlock, the demon, knew that this rose was tied to the lycanthrope but he also wondered why Bellindia allowed it to burn.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to him?!¡±, shouted Arthur. ¡°A summer set in but it has no place in the soul of one that is damned, of a heart that is no longer among the living. A new life has set in, one that shall snuff out all the others and when the last petal burns so too shall whatever humanity once remained.¡±, before Arthur stood a rose that blossomed on the ground and he did not understand why but he could see its very petals burn away as Bellindia spoke to them both.


    ¡°His winter could only remain for so long to prevent this rose from withering away, a symbol of our love, and the darkness he once forsook he welcomes with an open mind for he knows the truth now¡­¡±, explained Bellindia but Arthur did not understand. ¡°What truth?!¡±, Arthur shouted. ¡°That our love surpasses life and death. That I am his beauty and he is my beast.¡±, the moment that she said that he was her beast the monster had roared so loud that it shook the entire castle.


    Arthur just witnessed a union between a lycanthrope and his beloved vampire, a love that was unlike any other and unexplainable. The warlock had witnessed it too but he was disgusted by it as much as the living huntsman was. He decided to end it and the beast charged at him only to claw him but the demon struck him and bashed his head into a column that broke asunder. The Dark Lady, however, placed her right claw over her mouth and exhaled air that was so cold that the fire around her struggled for air as an arrow of black ice suddenly formed in her claw. It was then that her two tails came forth, one formed a shape of a bow and one of a sling before the third arrow grabbed the back of the arrow. She took aim carefully and the demon turned, and she launched it as the demon moved a few inches to his left as it struck his right shoulder. The very demon had then growled and grabbed hold of the arrow that he broke in half that melted away.


    ¡°Claim your vengeance, ranger!¡±, Abraham shouted and Arthur then turned to the beast, and in that moment he took aim with his rifle just as the beast rose from the debris.


    It was then that a wisp flew by like a whisper and all the sounds around him had seemingly faded away. The gorgon, Bellindia, ran on all fours as he three tails already prepared her next arrow and the beast ran towards the warlock that he grabbed hold from behind, started to climb and claw at relentlessly as the warlock grabbed him and threw him away only to charge at the wolf and kick him in the head, time and time again. The warlock raised both of his arms and elbowed the lycanthrope down but then he got shot in the leg by the gorgon. The warlock turned and threw a ball of fire that suddenly struck the ground near the gorgon but she avoided getting struck by it. He turned to strike the lycanthrope but the beast had struck him in his jaw. The wisp, however, was the only innocent light in the room and Arthur could feel a familiar presence. It was then that the wisp took the form of none other than Lucy Murray that reached for the hunter. She grabbed hold of his hand and lifted it as the other hand slowly lowered his rifle. He saw in her eyes that she cared for him, even after she died, but then she turned her head towards the warlock and he could see the seething anger, the fury, in her eyes. The warlock¡¯s flesh began to deteriorate and he held the beast down. The beast¡¯s body was plagued by all sorts of diseases and curses that seemingly drained the very essence of his soul. The gorgon¡¯s arrows struck the dark magician but they melted away simply by the touch and the heat. It was then that Lucy Murray touched the rifle of her beloved Arthur and in that moment the ranger lifted it, took aim and fired at the warlock that got struck through where his heart normally would be but it was long gone. The warlock turned, stood up and raised both of his mighty claws that incinerated the incoming arrow off Bellindia. He would throw three shards towards her that each spawned a demon, a hound, that ran towards her with their mighty jaws opened and she ran throughout the room. The warlock, however, stomped and made his way towards the human that kept firing at him.


    ¡°Vile insect!¡±, the warlock insulted the human. ¡°You dare betray Abraham Van Helsing?!¡±, the warlock proclaimed. ¡°Whatever you are, demon, you are no Abraham Van Helsing!¡±, Arthur shouted in defiance and fired shot after shot after shot relentlessly until his rifle ran out.


    The demon stood before him and raised its skeletal like arm as Arthur saw a large skeletal with his whole body burnt away, a man that did not even resemble the living Abraham before him. As the demon swung his arm down and fist first, he did not know what awaited him. Arthur knew this was his end and had pulled the pin of two grenades earlier to meet his end. As the grenades exploded, they blasted Abraham away and Arthur was no dead. The demon fell to the ground and the beast showed no mercy as he climbed him, clawed at him and attacked him relentlessly. The beast bit at him, he clawed at the demon and showed no mercy. He did not feel the demon¡¯s very flame for all he could feel is his own seething in anger and rage. The demon struck the wolf in the head, then proceeded to grab him to set his fur on fire and head butt him. The gorgon¡¯s tails then snarled, growled and roared. What the demon did not know, however, is that they were communicating and the demon was then struck by arrow after arrow. The demon turned and then swung his arm as he struck Bellindia that flew across the room as stone fell all around her. The hellhounds that the demon had summoned earlier then turned and ran towards the debris.


    ¡°Is this all that the descendant of the famed Vlad Dracula has to offer? To think that you were once a threat to my people!¡±, the demon scoffed and grabbed the lycanthrope by his neck as the beast growled, snarled and roared defiantly at him, clawing at him despite being raised up.


    ¡°I will take great pleasure in sacrificing you and adding you to my collection of souls!¡±, the warlock was delighted and then from the debris a claw emerged that grabbed what appeared to be metal that was once built within the column of the castle.


    ¡°Say bye, bye, beast!¡±, shouted the demon and then Bellindia emerged from the debris as the lycanthrope had clawed the demon in the head that caused a piece of his bone to rip, particularly his jaw that had dislodged, and in that moment he dropped the beast.


    The beast clawed at him again and the demon waved his right arm as he struck the beast back but not before his other hand shaped like a claw reached for his jaw, noticing that it was missing. Bellindia, however, wasted no time and launched the arrow of metal and stone with a sharp end at its tip that was like that of a spear just as the hounds leaped towards her. Abraham heard a roar and then the demon turned to see the lycanthrope before him, and then the diabolical warlock used his magic with his arms and raised his mighty claws to strike the beast that suddenly stood aside. The demon did not have eyelids nor could he display his surprise in the end but his mind knew he had made a fatal mistake. The arrow had an enchanting glow, one of ice and death. It was made from metal and stone, one from the many ruined columns he had knocked over and destroyed. He knew that his mighty flames would not burn it away and in that moment it struck his skull, right through his nose and impaled him into the wall. The demon roared and grabbed hold of the spear as the hounds landed, clawed and began to chew on the gorgon who¡¯s tails would surround her to protect her. The beast, however, approached the demon that could no longer speak but he could see the rage in the lycanthrope¡¯s eyes as he stared into his very soul.


    ¡°Bye, bye, demon!¡±, the sudden response from a lycanthrope that could speak shocked the demon before the lycanthrope grabbed him with his bare claws over his skull.


    The demon roared and reached for the beast¡¯s arms, setting fire to them, but the lycanthrope did not care. The lycanthrope welcomed death and despite his arms being set to blaze nothing would stop him from crushing the diabolist¡¯s head in, caving in his skull into pieces. The hellhounds then became weaker and fell over; their bodies began to shake as if experiencing a heart attack or some sort of spasm. The gorgon¡¯s tails looked nothing like flesh but rather bone and marrow. The diabolist¡¯s flames dispersed and his hellhounds eroded away, the souls of those that were contained within them were now free and could return to the heavens. The Diabolist was dead and his skeletal-like burning body turned to that of flesh and bone, and all that remained were human remains of Abraham Van Helsing as blood poured over the ground. The lycanthrope then turned, slowly stepped away and made his way. Bellindia breathed in and out, she was weak due to the many blows inflicted to her and then she saw the legs of the lycanthrope. She looked up and saw him breathe in and out repeatedly. She could see the rage in his eyes and then his claws reached for her that pulled her up to stand. The beauty was grabbed hold by her neck and she was made to look into his eyes before he grabbed her, raised her into his arms and pulled her head with his right claw towards his chest. The lycanthrope then looked around the room and roared out loud as she grabbed onto his fur, and she could see what he saying for all to hear.


    ¡°I am yours and you are mine.¡±, she said lovingly to him and the lycanthrope then walked out of the room with her, leaving nothing but ruin behind them as two wisps circled inside of the room.


    It was the souls of Lucy Murray and Arthur Harker. Both of their spirits took on form of ghosts that grabbed each other¡¯s claw and hand as they leaned their forehead against each other. They both felt each other¡¯s cheek and kissed one another in a warming embrace before a bright light overwhelmed them, both of them found peace with each other as their souls left to the heavens¡­

 Epilogue: A Dark Omen

    The same night after the incident, Rendfield walked the battlefield and noticed that no remains were present from the deceased individuals and he pondered as to why¡­


    ¡°Who do you serve?¡±, asked the ebony harlefi. ¡°The Dark Lady, I am hers to command.¡±, said a former Blackwood Legionnaire that was risen into undeath and who¡¯s mind was twisted to serve. ¡°Simply magnificent¡­¡±, said Nilofar, the brown gorgon, who looked on with joyous pride.


    Their new plague had work as they intended and the Grand Apothecary had used whatever dead corpses were dismembered, unfortunately, in the battle to form his abomination.


    ¡°It¡¯s alive¡­¡±, he seemed satisfied and the abomination then stood up, the largest of them all just as the Dark Lady had dreamed. ¡°Magnificent.¡±, it was for the first time that the scientist smiled and only for a short moment as he raised his right hand over his cold heart.


    ¡°Shall we inform the Dark Lady, Grand Apothecary?¡±, he was asked and the Grand Apothecary waved his hand, dismissing his assistant. ¡°Make it so.¡±, before giving him the final say.


    ¡°Apothecary¡­¡±, the Grand Apothecary, however, called him. ¡°Yes, master?¡±, the apothecary replied. ¡°Tell the Dark Lady that I wish to see her. Tell her that I wish to improve onto the school of necromancy. Tell her I wish to add more curriculum.¡±, the Grand Apothecary shared.


    ¡°For what point and purpose, master?¡±, the apothecary asked. ¡°That should not concern you, but considering that we are both men of the science¡­¡±, the Grand Apothecary was already sorting through the remains of the deceased brought to him. ¡°I want the Dark Lady¡¯s dream to blossom, to grow, further and I have a vision of a great army, a great scourge that could ravage this world and so many others. Tell her that I wish to ensure our workload improves a hundred times over and a hundred times again.¡±, the Grand Apothecary explained the apothecary bowed.


    Barrels after barrels were being designed with the intention of new catapults being constructed for war, and these catapults would serve as living monstrosities that would hold the great plague. The Brides of Frankenstein were satisfied with their work and they drank goblets of blood, and then they shared that blood with their mistress that was lying in bed. There would be licks, kisses and touches galore. There would be heat and chains rattling as claws marked the brides and their Dark Lady. The council, however, was told to wait and waited they had.


    ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡±, asked Briar Rose and her aunt smirked. ¡°Not at all, my little niece.¡±, replied Talia Carabosse. ¡°I thought I killed you.¡±, said Briar. ¡°You did¡­¡±, replied Talia. ¡°Then how are you here among the damned? How is it that you bear the same curse as I do?¡±, asked Briar. ¡°For the same reason that I have decided to abandon Teyvat, for the same reason that I am here¡­¡±, replied Talia. ¡°And what is that?¡±, asked Briar and Talia smirked.


    ¡°Because she wills it, my niece, and no, not the Dark Lady¡­¡±, Talia revealed to her niece what she did not know. ¡°Then who?¡±, Briar raised an eyebrow as she asked that question. ¡°And please don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that bitch, Bloody Mary, I hate that sorceress with all that¡¯s left of my heart.¡±


    ¡°No, my dear niece, it is not Bloody Mary. Although her and I get along exquisitely, she is like an uncontrollable ticking bomb waiting to happen and the gorgon has plans for her as well.¡±, it was here, for the first time, that the aunt revealed that this mysterious figure was a gorgon too.


    ¡°The Dark Lady is a gorgon as well.¡±, said Briar. ¡°Yes, but this gorgon is far different. Everyone absent-mindlessly rides the wave of fate and she puppeteers their little strings.¡±, replied Talia.


    ¡°Huh, sounds like someone I know.¡±, Briar smirked as she then took her seat at the table with her aunt. ¡°I assure you that this gorgon is not like me and nothing, nothing like the monsters loose inside this castle.¡±, the look that Talia then gave her niece was one of confidence and also fear.


    Briar Rose knew her aunt pretty well and she knew, for a fact, that Talia Carabosse never feared anyone until she rose from her coffin to kill her once upon a time ago¡­


    ¡°Rose Red, is it?¡±, Jour Spriggins, on the other hand, would approach the step-mother of Snow White, and question her near a window. ¡°Jour Spriggins, is it?¡±, she replied by pretending to get formal with him although they were both well aware of who they are.


    ¡°I heard that you were a great and powerful queen once, a tyrant, who betrayed her own family and ended up here. I guess that¡¯s something you and Talia have in common.¡±, Rose Red smirked at the comment that Jour Spriggins made. ¡°Our families betrayed us first, Lord Spriggins or is it Lord Rose? Although that would sound weird for my name is Rose.¡±, the two human vampires spoke and they both carefully looked into each other¡¯s eyes, searching carefully.


    ¡°Lord Spriggins is fine or simply Lord Jour, whatever it is you prefer. Now out of curiosity, if I may, how did your family exactly betray you first?¡±, Jour questioned the vampire lady that then rolled her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t come here to talk about my past with you, Lord Spriggins. After all, we might be allies but that does not mean I trust you entirely. Now is there something else that you perhaps wish to know?¡±, Rose Red gave her heartfelt reply or what she could anyway¡­


    ¡°How did you become a vampire exactly?¡±, asked Jour. ¡°I bit on an apple before my adopted daughter fried me to death, hence why appear I burnt and severely withered in the moonlight.¡±, Rose Red replied and turned to face Jour Spriggins with a smile on her face.


    ¡°That does not still explain how you became a vampire.¡±, stated Jour. ¡°I guess you are right.¡±, replied Rose. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite.¡±, she added and then turned her whole body to face him. ¡°I was approached with an offer I could not refuse; my own kingdom, my own army, my own treasures and most of all vengeance for all those who wronged me. However, my sister was quite¡­¡±, Rose Red paused for a moment and turned her head right as she placed her fingertips on her lips.


    ¡°Better?¡±, asked Jour. ¡°Loved more than I.¡±, her reply astonished him. ¡°She was able to muster a grand army, an army far greater than that made from my treasures and those unwillingly made to serve me. She had the loyalty of her people and I did not, and when those people came knocking at my door so did my own step-daughter whom I tried time and time again to kill.¡±, she explained her story to Jour who found her and consider her to be a wicked evil woman at once.


    ¡°I deserved it, of course, to be killed by one such as her in the end but before I was killed I was told that they knew it would happen, that my death was expected all along, and that the promises they made are slowly bearing fruit¡­¡±, when Rose Red explained this is when Jour Spriggins realized that there was something more at play here. ¡°And speaking of bearing fruit, that is when they gave me the apple that carried with it a blessing unlike any other, a gift¡­¡±, as she further went into detail, a sinister grin formed on her face and this time Jour saw a different person.


    The three brides were lying in their bed, naked, as they kissed and licked one another, they felt and touched one another, and the beast did not bother with them. All that he focused on was his beauty for their love was unlike any other and it is she that commanded his heart. It is her that holds sway over his soul. They tried to pull the beast and their tails kept surrounding him. He would shift back and kiss one of them, but at the same time he would focus on his beloved. The brides were jealous but they knew their place in the hierarchy and the beast¡¯s claws felt the tails of his beloved little beauty, touching the very bone and marrow that remained after the flesh and skin burnt off. In his human form, the long raven haired man was just a human and his lycan-like arms transformed into human arms just so that his hands could better feel her touch.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, little wolf.¡±, the beauty said to her beast that looked to her with passion. ¡°But kitty¡­¡±, he replied, it sounded like he was disappointed. ¡°I know, I know, but our little subjects await.¡±, she felt his cheek and reminded him off their duties, duties he wished they could just abandon.


    He then pushed himself up and pulled her by her arms as she laughed. They both continued to kiss for they celebrated that they have conquered everyone within the castle, that their evil is the one that reigns supreme and that the curse of the rose has come to an end despite never talking or even worrying about it. The beast would keep touching and feeling the gorgon as he helped her to dress up in her red uniform. The brides held her rings, her collar and her belt that they would generously and voluntarily place around their mistress. As the ebony harlefi, Lalu, and the white malfhi, Liss, waited for the beast to straighten up her collar, the brown gorgon turned her head and her ears would rise upward as if she was at alert. There was something she felt and she could not quite understand just what that is, but it felt like it was coming closer.


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    ¡°Lord Rendfield!¡±, it was then that a wight would salute his master, the abomination that was Rendfield. ¡°What is it, little wight?¡±, Rendfield replied. ¡°Forgive me, milord, but there are visitors¡­¡±, the wight implied before gesturing out into the distance.


    Lord Renfield himself saw a gorgon in a black robe accompanied by a sorceress wearing what appeared to be scarlet colors and a pale lady that came in the company of an elven pack. Lord Rendfield then took a walk along with the wight and several other undead that would then accompany him. However, what he did notice is that the elves did not wish to accompany him.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±, Lord Renfield raised his voice. ¡°State your business here.¡±, he demanded to know at once and then the gorgon in the black robe raised her head, and all that he could see is her smile that was so sinister and yet so playful at the same time.


    ¡°We are here to see the Dark Lady, Lord Rendfield.¡±, the gorgon revealed. ¡°And you come in the company of the living? How bold¡­¡±, the abomination commented and the elf leaned her head on the side observantly, and Lord Rendfield found something strange about her.


    ¡°Lord Rendfield, are you going to allow us entry or do you wish to disturb the Dark Lady¡¯s alone time?¡±, this question puzzled the abomination even further. ¡°Lady Frostclaw.¡±, but the sudden tension was cut short by the arrival of none other than Gloryana Deathwing herself. ¡°We are pleased that you came.¡±, Gloryana seemed thrilled and Lady Frostclaw stepped forth.


    ¡°She is here¡­¡±, Nilofar commented and this caused the beauty to slightly lean her head back. ¡°Who is, my dearest Nilofar?¡±, asked the beauty. ¡°True death¡­¡±, she replied and this caused the beauty¡¯s thoughts to stand still for the moment before she turned to face the gorgon.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±, she questioned the gorgon only for the belt to tighten around her waist. ¡°Worry not, our love.¡±, said Lalu. ¡°It is just Lady Frostclaw.¡±, Liss revealed to her but what the beauty could not understand is how the brides knew that it was the gorgon they were expecting.


    At that same moment, Gloryana Deathwing and Elina Frostclaw smiled to one another and one could notice the fondness they had to each other, the closeness of their fellowship¡­


    ¡°Ah, Lady Deathwing, it has been centuries since I¡¯ve last laid my eyes upon your beautiful soul. I hope that we could have some much needed alone time later?¡±, the way that the gorgon spoke reminded Lord Rendfield of the Dark Lady but at the same time he wondered. ¡°Centuries?¡±, in his mind before he huffed and puffed for a moment.


    ¡°Of course, Lady Frost, I would be delighted.¡±, said Gloryana who then looked to Rendfield that she saw approach Lady Frostclaw, and she looked down to see his arm and hand reaching out.


    ¡°Now hold on for just a second here, Lady Frostclaw, I don¡¯t know who you are or what you¡­¡±, Lord Rendfield did not shy away to share his thoughts and suddenly his words were cut short¡­


    Lady Deathwing¡¯s gaze shifted towards his hand that held onto the gorgon. Rendfield did not have regular eyes for he was a construct made out of metal, wire and flesh of many victims. What he saw for a moment was the pale and red robed women display a sinister grin. He was considered to be an abomination of nature by the living and a wondrous design by his makers, and yet with his direct vision, with his direct sight, he looked into the eyes of the very elf that stood before him as she focused her gaze upon his head while the sight of everything else around him became so blurry he could not make out the figures anymore. In that moment, the vampires of the council felt the same presence he felt mixed with an ominous silence throughout the air. In that moment, Talia Carabosse and Rose Red smiled¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±, Talia and Rose spoke at the same time, as if they were linked. ¡°The entertainment has arrived.¡±, both stated with a delightful tone while Jour and Briar were left puzzled. ¡°Who?¡±, both Briar and Jour tried to ask but they found that they were unable to speak.


    The arm that Rendfield had reached for was unable to let go and it was as if all of his will had abandoned his body, it was as if his spirit fled and all that remained behind was an empty husk, a host for any wisp to consume. The elf, however, remained where she stood and did not say a word, her eyes gazed into the very depths of his soul and he saw nothing at first until a sudden glow, a glimmer, would appear in her eyes. It was then, that for a mere moment and that in that brief pocket of time, it was as if something willingly allowed for the soul of the abomination to return and gave him just enough energy to express what he felt in that moment. Rendfield¡¯s head shifted slightly backward and every undead that stood nearby turned for they felt a dark presence unlike any other. The blizzard on that day subsided and the wind seemingly stopped, and all the denizens of Blackwood were unnerved by the sudden silence and it felt as if all life in the air disappeared for a moment. The elves surrounding the castle lowered their heads and their ears, and the Brides of Frankenstein suddenly lowered themselves down along with their ears as well.


    ¡°What is it?¡±, asked Bellindia Frankenstein and in that moment the beast placed his arms around her until she too felt the presence she could not possibly explain. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±, the beast then replied as he too was baffled and confused as to what was going on.


    The power that once gave Rendfield his strength, which made him feel so powerful, seemingly vanished. Lady Deathwing shifted her gaze towards Lady Frostclaw, it was as if she knew what Rendfield had done was wrong but she ignored his presence. The monstrosity kept looking at the elf that shifted her head to her right as if she were a curious little cat, a child observing a small toy, and in that moment of silence it felt like even his soul was being ripped, bit by excruciating bit. There were a few among the damned that displayed an evil grin on their faces mixed with joy, delight and pure satisfaction. What Rendfield did witness was the smile that formed on the elf¡¯s face, a playful and sinister one that mocked his very existence and saw him as nothing more but a mere plaything. The abomination felt unimaginable horror and terror that caused him to quiver. Strength would finally return to his arm but he could not move or command it. The elf looked downward at first, displaying a look that was merely curious still but that was merely a means of how much she enjoyed manipulating him by feeding him hope, and then she shifted her gaze back into his eyes, into the very windows of his soul and the air slowly returned to the lands of the world of Perrault. The abomination¡¯s body seemingly had its full strength returned to him and the grip of his hand suddenly let loose of the gorgon¡¯s arm that shifted away very slowly for it just regained its power. Rendfield, in that moment, took his bow and then stepped aside.


    ¡°My sincerest apologizes, Lady Frost.¡±, said Rendfield and then he would raise his right arm towards the castle, and he did not dare to lift his head anymore. ¡°Welcome to Castle Perrault.¡±, he did not even direct her and he kept gazing downward because he felt fear unlike any other.


    ¡°What was that?¡±, asked the beauty just as the beast let her go, and the beast did not know. ¡°She has arrived¡­¡±, said Nilofar and Bellindia turned to face her. ¡°She, who is she that you speak of, Nilofar?¡±, and she questioned the elf immediately that responded with. ¡°Lady Frostclaw.¡±


    ¡°I told you¡­¡±, said Talia and Briar looked to her aunt, and for the first time after a long time of becoming one of the damned could she feel fear. ¡°The apple contained a small piece that was but a taste of the things to come, Lord Spriggins.¡±, said Rose who then turned to look to Jour. ¡°We are all but instruments in the long absent-minded ride upon the waves of fate, fate easily woven by Lady Frostclaw.¡±, that would be the last words that Rose Red said before she would venture back to the council¡¯s chambers with Jour following after her.


    Bellindia Frankenstein would then leave her chamber in the company of her brides and the beast. They would make their way towards the imperial chamber and what they did not see is how each watcher within the castle bowed their heads as well as placed their hands and claws over their own hearts. Hester Nikola Zank, the Grand Apothecary, saw the gorgon in a black robe walk through the very halls of the castle through the monitors of his camera and felt his presence. It was as if a rush of emotions suddenly came back to his heart only to disappear just as quickly as they had arrived. Briar stood up from her seat upon witnessing the gorgon entering the room.


    ¡°No need to stand on ceremony, little vampire.¡±, Lady Frostclaw said to the vampire that then sat back down and immediately recognized the scarlet sorceress as well as the pale lady.


    The pale lady took her seat right next to Briar¡¯s aunt while the scarlet sorceress reached for the back of the chair that stood closest to Jour Spriggins who immediately recognized her.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡±, the scarlet sorceress asked. ¡°If I said yes would it really make a difference, Bloody Mary?¡±, Jour questioned her and he looked at her with spite while she just pulled the chair backward, sat upon it and then placed both of her legs over on the table.


    At that same moment, the doors of the throne room burst open as the beauty had arrived with the company of the brides, the beast and even Rendfield. The Dark Lady looked around and in her field of view, and that of the beast, stood another figure with her back leaned against the wall that they both recognized. It was an elf in red tribal garment, a malfhi that was the same elf who once upon a time placed a curse upon the Draculas. Belle¡¯s focus, however, was on the great tree and the seat of the throne that was nestled between its roots. Is there that she saw the legs crossed of Lady Frostclaw and her blue mesmerizing eyes that simply took the Dark Lady¡¯s breath away.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡±, only one word did Lady Frostclaw had to say with a sinister smile that made everyone in the room feel as if they were nothing after all that they¡¯ve been through in death¡­