A Fall From Grace
Hemophobia - The Fear of Blood
The Creator - Essentially a god
Serthal was slammed against a wall by a force that completely overpowered him. The wall cracked under the assault and threatened to bring the silver dragon to unconsciousness. His pupil-less amber eyes looked at the figure that attacked in fear, his eyes widening. Nothing he did would shake his grip. His golden horns were stuck to the bricks.
"Aww, how cute. I like it when you struggle..." A terrifyingly insane voice said as he looked into the red eyes of a black wolf with long, vampiric fangs. The wolf was wearing a long leather overcoat with pants and boots of the same making. A large glowing scar crossed his chest from his left shoulder to the right waist.
Serthal found it hard to breathe. His heart pounded and he could feel his lungs constrict. The fact that the wolf had his paw gripped around his neck didn't help. This was the only creature Serthal could ever fear; a vampire.
"You know, I was thinking of just outright killing you," The vampire, Krucifi, said. Serthal's vision was fading and all he could see was this large, nightmarish version of the wolf. The alley filled with blood and threatened to drown him. Serthal tried to scream, flapping his gold membrane wings to escape. No sound escaped him; his throat was tightened.
Suddenly, he was thrown to the wall behind the wolf and he slumped down it. His legs gave out on him. All he could do was simply stare at the looming Krucifi. The way that he looked was just too much. His already damaged heart couldn't handle this and he felt it literally stop. No part of his body worked. The spine on him rose and fell within seconds.
"No, I am going to make you in hell," Krucifi slapped his shoulder with the back part of his claw, leaning on the wall next to him, "I think it is fair. You stab me with a sword, I turn you. How about that? No?" Krucifi falsely whimpered, "But I wanted to be friends. Think about it. Thinking done, biting now."
Serthal felt the fangs pierce his neck. Even then, no sound came out. He was just gurgling on his own saliva. Flashbacks kept jumping out in front of him and he felt himself slipping away...
"Come on, how hard can it be?"
A younger Serthal was following a black dragoness and was followed by a blue dragon. He shared a lot of similarities with the blue dragon and a lot of differences. Serthal didn't have a blotchy star on his forehead, muscles, and blue scales. In addition, the blue dragon's horns were branchy and made of coral with underwater vegetation growing on it. Serthal's tail spike ended in a blade, but his ended in a fin. Finally, the gold on Serthal was contrasted by Zy's pink.
The dragoness in front of him had white horns that made almost a demonic 'C' and crystals growing on her shoulder. Her tail ended in a trident-like shape with the middle spike growing at the tip while the other spikes grew at the side a few inches down. Her eyes were a jade color and actually looked quite beautiful for her age. Serthal himself even admired that and he actually wanted her more than he would let on.
"Yes, how hard can it be to sneak in to a creepy old house with traps everywhere and no flying. Zy, does this not seem easy? It seems easy to me," Serthal whipped around, facing the blue dragon.
"It sounds like fun!" Serthal almost choked on the charcoal stick he was holding in his mouth, "Maybe there is a playhouse inside and the outside is just a scary thing!"
The black dragoness now shot a questioning look at Serthal. Serthal stood on his hind legs and made a swing motion before pointing to his head. "If you know what I mean, Virith," he added.
"Yeah, I do. Explains a lot," Virith's jade eyes met Zy's light green ones before focusing on the trail.
"Come on, you gotta admire his optimism," Serthal, being the taller of the trio, patted Zy on the head. Zy crooned to the touch.
"Ignorance is bliss, they say."
They were investigating a haunted cavern that was supposed to act like a home to a family. Rumor has it as three whole families were brought to that place all in the same week to be butchered. No one could find anything more than blood on the walls. Serthal wasn't all that comfortable around blood, but so long as he didn't have to touch it, he was fine.
So Virith, being herself, dragged him and Zyrnoth (Zy was a nickname) to the place. At least, that was her plan and for some reason, she didn't want to fly. She wanted the exercise, she said. Serthal couldn't disagree with her and Zyrnoth would go anywhere if anyone told him it was a fun adventure.
Soon, on top of the hill they were climbing, the cave presented itself. When the trio walked up to the cave, Serthal thought it looked like a mouth. Wonderful. The only thing he hoped wouldn't happen was being swallowed. He'd rather be crushed instantly and not feel anything. Still, the entire scenario sent shivers down his spine.
"Looks pretty boring," Serthal blew out a puff of smoke, looking at the dead trees and land around the cave.
"Maybe once we go inside, there is a ball there! I miss mine. I shouldn't have bitten down on it that hard..." Zy exclaimed hopefully. It was no secret that that Zy had an adoration for rubber balls as he could be seen balancing it on his nose, playing catch, and simply rolling on his back like a canine and holding it in his mouth while wagging his tail. For some reason, the last one kept him entertained for hours.
"Zy, if I buy you another ball if there is one inside, you promise not to bite down on it?" Serthal asked. Zy's eyes shone and he nodded vigorously.
"I promise!" Tail wagging, Zy bounded into the cave.
"Hard to believe he is the older brother..." Virith commented. In the four years that they were friends, she was still getting used to Zyrnoth.
"I'm still trying to figure him out personally..." Serthal shrugged, following his brother inside.
Inside was dusty and absolutely reeked of blood. The rumors seemed correct so far. Some paintings littered the wall. In the corner, Zyrnoth was reading something. Considering that it was in large letters, Serthal could read it from where he was standing:
I AM SUPREME. I HAVE FIGURED OUT BLOOD.
"Right...that's not crazy at all..." Serthal muttered, perfectly fine from across the cave. Virith, for some reason, kept getting closer to him. She was not very subtle. Normally she would hit him if she got close enough. Serthal wasn't going to oblige her.
Moving away from striking distance, he instead walked up to the wall. Looking down, there was a stained trail that led behind this wall. Glancing around, there was no sign of a secret special button or lever. So what was the point of this? To break it down? That actually seemed likely, and Serthal didn't want to do it. He was afraid of what was behind this door.
The sound of running water could be heard. Checking to see if he wasn't the only one who heard it, he took note that his brother and Virith heard it as well. Again, she was close to him. Why was that? Her change in behavior was starting to spook him.
"Serthal, would you stop moving for a second?" Virith hissed aggressively. There was the Virith he knew.
"So you can play bondage with me? Except with you, there is no fun in it," Serthal replied, but stopped regardless. He had gained immunity to her attacks. In fact, he could barely feel them.
She suddenly pressed her muzzle to his.
Serthal felt like a rock had been thrown into the gears of his brain. He literally froze. He could feel her tongue wrap around his. Stealing a glance at Zyrnoth, he was too busy reading some scroll to notice. What was going on?! No matter how many times he demanded his body to move, nothing worked!
Eventually, after Serthal flailed around a bit with his wings, membrane, and tail, Virith pulled away. "I was trying to get you alone, but now was a better chance than ever," her voice was barely more than a whisper, "I didn't know how to show my feelings for you, so I just beat on you to see if you would stay. I'm still learning these things. I was scared of rejection and how I would look like a fool to you. I'm....well, not sorry. You stayed. The times you ran were because you were playing, right?"
Serthal just made a small noise, not knowing what to say. This was as close as Virith was going to get to admit her feelings. She didn't believe in the three words, saying that it was impossible to get emotion in them. To a point, she was right. But now, what was he going to say? The next thing he said could completely trash their friendship or bring it to the next level.
"I...I....yes..." was all Serthal could muster. The rock had not faded.
"I had a feeling you would act like that," Virith smiled gently. For her rough and dominating features, it was a sight that he would have to see with his own eyes. Was this a dream? "I am no poet, so I don't know how to better express how I feel. Consider it a thank-you as well. Had you not stopped me from straying into anger, I would never be here and be...well...happy."
Serthal dropped the stick, his jaw no longer working. At the same time, Zyrnoth called them. When Serthal finally turned around, he saw that Zyrnoth had found a hole in the wall. How he found it, Serthal didn't care. It was now the center of his interest.
The sounds of someone whispering could be heard echoing from the cave. The whispers were jumbled and nothing could be understood. Still, despite it being a foolish idea, Serthal climbed inside. For some reason, Virith's revelation made him braver. Opening his jaw slightly (he had closed it when the whispering started), Serthal created a small flame that illuminated a few yards around them. Zyrnoth was in last while Virith was in the middle. Zyrnoth was strong enough to punch something in the face and Serthal would flame the thing in front. Either way, Virith would immediately attack as well, being the strongest with her element and the swiftest.
Eventually, there was a thud at the end of the hall and the whispering stopped. Serthal blinked but kept moving. Now his curiosity was really making his heart pound. Maybe it was because he was actually on the verge of mating with Virith. Either or was a possibility now. He loved doing the latter...
_Oh damn it, now I am chained..._Serthal thought grimly.
Caught up in his thoughts, he didn't realize that he was in a chamber until the water noise was almost deafening. The room was still dark. The other two stood next to him, making him the center. That was when a chilling laughter came.
"Oh wow, three young dragons came. Brave. I wonder, though, what brings you here?" A wolf appeared in their field of vision. It was quadruped and very large. Black fur dripping with blood made Serthal's membrane stand on end. The red eyes scared the living hell out of him.
"Do you have a ball?" Zyrnoth asked. The wolf, Serthal, and Virith stared at him. He didn't notice.
"No. But I have something else," The wolf cackled, suddenly transforming into a bipedal version of himself wearing some sort of leather clothes. He vanished and then appeared with a bloodied corpse. "I wonder, do you like blood?"
Krucifi touched the corpse and it exploded like a sack of water. A claw kicked Serthal in the head, but even though he was afraid, it was nothing compared to what also hit him. It was if all of the blood in the corpse gushed at his face. He lost control of his fire and unleashed a fireball. Two seconds later, the fire came right back at him.
Serthal screamed his lungs out as the fire scalded his eyes and chest. By everything he knew, he couldn't see anymore! Blood was everywhere! Fire! A sharp pain came from his chest and the wolf's laughter echoed through his head.
"I also put a virus in your heart. Congratulations, you are dying! How does that make you feel? Good? I really hope so. I will be forever in the shadows, watching you. I will be your fucking nightmare..."
--
"Happy dreams, are we having?"
Serthal awoke to find himself in a dark room with dim lighting. In fact, it looked like some sort of gothic nightmare. Black curtains draped from the walls, sharp blades in the corner, and the fact that he was literally chained to the ground. A dull noise that resembled a heartbeat could be heard around him, but nowhere in sight. Too busy trying to figure out where he was, he didn't realize that he was now bipedal.
Once he regained his senses, Serthal found himself face to face with Krucifi. The sudden appearance of him made him struggle against his bonds and try to get away. He wasn't breathing! Why wouldn't Krucifi just leave him alone now?! He was dying! Did he get off just watching him freak?
"Now, now, no use holding your breath, Serthal. You have no air to breathe! You are quite dead, meaning no more sex for you," Serthal's body suddenly froze at his words. The sinking feeling in his stomach rose. What did he mean, dead? No, this cannot be happening! His vision began to paint Krucifi as a nightmare again: which was what this was. This wasn't real. That was it.
"Y-you are lying..." Serthal replied, fear lining his voice. What if this wasn't a nightmare? What if this was reality? Dear Creator, how would he get out of here and home?
"Am I?" Krucifi appeared next a mirror, grabbed it, and brought it back, showing it to Serthal so that it would reflect his face.
The very first thing that Serthal noticed was the dark and wild look on his face. Fear was overwhelming them both. He wasn't doing a good job bluffing. The next thing he noticed was that he had eyes exactly like Krucifi's. What had happened to his amber eyes? He knew the answer, but didn't want to admit it. That was, of course, until he took note of the long fangs...
Serthal screamed.
"Ah, the truth eclipses you now," Krucifi made Serthal's head face his, "You are Dracula, Nosferatu, vampire. Whatever you wish to call it. This is your hell. I turned you due to your phobia. It wasn't hard to guess from the way you react around me and blood. Oh, and since you have a lesser fear of dead things, it is ironic that you are. How about that?"
Serthal barely heard him. He was no longer screaming, but was so far in to denial that he was blanking everything. If he had pupils, they would be dilated. If he could breathe, he would stop. If he had a piece of wood, he would fashion it into a stake and stab himself. How could he return to anyone like this?
Krucifi vanished for the moment, and Serthal simply sagged there. Maybe if he just pretended if he didn't exist, he would cease to be. He couldn't face being near Virith or Zyrnoth now. He wished he said his goodbyes at least. They were likely looking for him now. There had to be a way to contact them.
"Hey, I know why you are so boring now," Krucifi suddenly appeared with a bucket. Serthal could see blood dripping down the side. Oh no, anything but this! "You are hungry! Maybe when you are done, you will stop being emo. Seriously, it is getting annoying when every single vampire I see now being emo and glittering. So put on a smile and make the best of this. I do. Then again, I enjoy being a vampire. So I am happy, happy, happy. Did I mention happy? NOW SMILE!"
Serthal just kept staring at the bucket. There was no denying that his body wanted it, but his mind was freaking. The lust for the blood and the thought of preserving his will clashed. If he had a pulse, it would be racing. His mouth was open. Suddenly, he clamped it shut and turned away. If he had tears, he would cry.
Krucifi smiled, "Aww, don't be like that. This is just food. It's not going to hurt you..." Krucifi dumped it over his head. Serthal, who happened to be looking, clawed at his bindings. He could feel Krucifi vanish and come back. The scent of blood was overpowering.
Warm liquid was dumped on his head. The blood went into his mouth and he tasted it. Panicking, he shook himself and tugged at the restraints. Part of it came undone. More blood was dumped on him and he screamed again.
Visions of drowning in blood came to mind. Serthal was not a good swimmer, and the thought of being overpowered by bloody waves and dragged under. Blood in his mouth. His eyes. Yet, despite all of the visions, he didn't blackout. It was as if something didn't want him to go out.
Eventually, everything stopped. He was now in a puddle and couldn't move. He had no strength to even pull or resist anymore. Serthal didn't have the energy to flinch when Krucifi roughly grabbed him. His will failed him in the time he needed it most.
"Come on, it isn't that bad," The wolf held a goblet. Blood lay tranquil inside. "Drink up. You will need your strength. We are going to have guests soon," Krucifi pressed the goblet to his muzzle and forced him to drink the liquid...
Virith and Zyrnoth walked into a dark chapel. They received a note from Krucifi written in blood. Normally, Virith wouldn't have come, much less bring Zyrnoth, but it was said that they needed to come or else Serthal would die. It would explain why he was gone for a day.
As soon as they reached halfway to the chapel, Krucifi appeared. He was wearing a bloodied priest's robe, "Ah, children of the light. Have you come to donate your children and gold so we can give you false hope? If you don't, I will call you a heathen and send the Creator's will down on you despite it not doing anything."
"Shut up, Krucifi. Where the hell is Serthal?" Virith shot lightning out of her crystals. Krucifi dodged by dancing to the side, spinning at the end.
"Oh, you are no fun. May the Creator frown down on you. RIGHT?" Krucifi turned to a head that was sitting on the balcony. "WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME? I GAVE YOU LOVE!"
Zyrnoth blanched and coughed as if he was about to vomit. Virith couldn't blame him. This was sickening. Then again, they had to deal with him previously. It was a hard thing to get used to him. She prayed that he would end tonight.
"Anyway, if you want your boytoy, then he is in the other room. Oh man, was it fun to break him. Oops, I gave exposition. OH WELL, GO THROUGH THE DOOR!" Krucifi did the exact opposite and melded through the wall.
Virith hissed. What did he mean, breaking him? Fear gripped at her heart and with a nod to Zyrnoth, they both walked through a door to the left. Virith went in first, scanning around. Thankfully, it was not dark. In fact, dull white lanterns illuminated a trail of blood that lead to a throne.
Seated on the thrown, drinking from a bloody goblet, was Serthal. He was bipedal for some reason and wearing stereotypical vampire clothes. A black robe tinged red, a leathery cloak that had blood painted on the inside, and a weird as hell weapon. It looked like an X with blades at the end.
Krucifi appeared from the blood and laughed, still wearing his priest clothes. "Oh sorry, when I said I haven't killed him, I lied. He's undead. His will is shattered and he has drank blood, as you can see. There is no way for him to turn back. All it did was dumping a few buckets of blood on his head before he gave in. His fear must have been quite severe to be affected in that way."
"You bastard!" Virith shouted, shooting Krucifi with lightning. Her attack was cut shot, however, because Serthal's weapon. She looked at the throne to see Serthal standing up, a dead look on this face. It was as if nothing remained of her lover except his shell.
"Well, it looks like Serthal wants you to die. I have no will to stand in his way, so I will watch and laugh as he dispatches you," Krucifi vanished, leaving Serthal to back his weapon.
The cold gaze he gave off left no room for emotion. He was Krucifi's slave in both mind and body. Fear had broken him in and now he was lost. There was no way to cure him, Krucifi was right about that. Glancing at Zyrnoth, she saw him trembling.
"Brother...why are you doing this...?" Zyrnoth whined. Virith was about to motion him to stop when a cold smile crossed Serthal's muzzle.
"Because you didn't save me," Serthal replied, his voice significantly darker than before, "Now I am going to repay your 'friendship and brotherhood' by giving you your greatest fear, like what Krucifi did to me. And I know what both of you fear..."
Serthal started to run forward, throwing the weapon at Zy. Zy caught it, but it turned into blood, slipping from his grasp and traveling back to the master, who was fighting Virith. The cape fell around his body when he got up, so he blew it open to unleash a large dark fireball. Virith easily dodged it, but as she ran up to attack Serthal, the cape moved and cut her chest.
Zyrnoth caught him in the face with his tail, crying. He didn't want to do this! Serthal growled and grabbed his tail, throwing him across the room and through a hidden wall. There was a passage inside. Seconds later, Virith came inside as well.
"Damn it, every time I strike at him, he magically dodges! It's as if he knows our intentions! You got lucky, but I think it was because he didn't think you were there..." Virith dodged an attack that Serthal threw.
"So what do we do?" Zyrnoth watched his brother advance towards him.
"We move away. It is the only way. Plus, even if we bring him down, we have to kill him," Virith choked on her words. This was the worst possible outcome. If he was at least dead, he wouldn't be suffering. Although, they made a pact to forever be with each other and die the same day, "Come Zy, I have an idea. I'll explain it when we get further ahead."
--
Serthal followed their tail until he found himself in a crypt. White marble walls surrounded him and rain was pouring against the window outside. Lightning cracked and he turned around, but found nothing. Serthal, in life, was weak against electricity, but now that he was dead...he didn't know.
In fact, he knew nothing. There was no emotion; just apathy. He was locked within himself and his body was being driven by Krucifi's influence. In he was in control, he would be attacking Krucifi instead of them. However, he gave up. He gave into his fear and allowed this. Even though they were long gone, he could feel the dead stir in their coffins. They were disturbed by his presence.
And yet, Serthal found it hard to care.
All he existed to do now was to drink his fear. He also had necrophobia, so this was just hell. If he gave in, it wouldn't hurt so much. There was insanity gripping at his mind and dark lust growing in his heart. He just wished that he could break free somehow. There had to be a way.
Serthal hoped his brother and mate had run. He prayed to never find him. He would kill them. Then, he felt something behind him. No, he didn't want it to be them! He shouted in his mind for them to get away. It didn't matter if it was the two, but anyone. He didn't want to do this anymore.
He was...scared.
Turning around, he swiped with the weapon and caught Virith in the chest. The blade stuck through her body. His body laughed at the blood that escaped her body. Serthal was scarred forever by it. The remainder of his consciousness started to sprout gibberish. He didn't even realize that his body had also just killed Zyrnoth.
Then, a light happened. Whether it was his imagination or not, he was in control. Looking down at the corpses of the ones closest to him, he let out a loud wail and collapsed, punching the ground. No, this cannot be! How could they fall so easily? Why did he turn? Why couldn't he fight harder?
Serthal knew the answer. Denial forbid him from seeing it. It was just too much. Grabbing Virith's body, he dragged it to Zyrnoth's and held both close. What had he become? Krucifi's influence just faded as soon as he killed them. Was that his plan?
Liquid ran down his face and when he touched it, he pulled away with blood. His tears were blood. Vampire could cry. His soul was rent in pieces. The pain it caused him caused the summoning of his weapon and pointing the blade at his neck. He didn't want anymore. Serthal just wanted it to end. For this nightmare to be over.
Just as he was about to stab himself, something stopped him. Looking at his claw, he saw Virith's claw on his. Zyrnoth's was on his other. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, then when he saw the transparent features the claws had, he knew what this was; their spirits were still here.
"If you do that, you defeat the purpose," Virith's voice said.
"What purpose? I killed you and Zyrnoth! I swore not to do it, and I broke that promise! What kind of mate am I? What kind of brother am I?" Serthal stared at the spirits of them. Why were they stopping him? Did they want him to suffer as well?
"That was the goal," Zyrnoth replied happily. Serthal stared at him, "We both knew that we were going to die. Even if you were dead and not a vampire, we couldn't take Krucifi. So when we saw you were actually a vampire, Virith came up with an idea. Dying...it didn't hurt. It was over in a second."
"Serthal, turn us into vampires. You still have time," Virith stroked his face with her claw, "We will never be separated again. Together, we will stalk the night until a Belmont or something kills us."
"No...I don't want you in the same hell as I am in," Serthal fought weakly. In truth, he really wanted to do it. But he couldn't do that. This was their chance for everlasting peace.
"Brother, when I am near you, I am never in hell," Zyrnoth smiled, "You don't have to be afraid. I am not. So long as I am with you, I will be happy. Plus, with the Creator, there is no guarantee of a ball being there. I want to feel one with my own teeth. Please, let me have another chance of playing..."
Serthal's will faltered again and he made his choice. Opening his mouth, he sank his fangs into Virith's still warm neck. He was going to give them a second chance. To live without them would make this worse and he would kill himself. Defying their wishes was not something he wanted to do. If they wanted to be like him so the pact can be unbroken, then he was not going to say no.
After giving the bites to the both of them, Serthal slumped back. After a moment, both started to stir and opened their eyes. The eyes matched his. The fangs were long and needle like. A question of how Zyrnoth was going to play with a ball without popping it crosses his mind. Oh well, he had an eternity to find out now.
"Was that so hard?" Virith rolled on her stomach and took his claw in hers. Zyrnoth did the same with his left one.
Serthal cried again, but this time, tears of joy. They were still bloody, but at least he had a good feeling bubbling inside him. Never again would they be separated. Never again would he have to go through what happened in the past day. Maybe now he could stop being emo for the rest of his life.
He was going to be terrified of blood for a while, but with the help of them, he would get over it. The question now was; what were they going to do? He was so elated that he could do anything not care what it was. Krucifi wouldn't bother them now, would he? The three of them now had a chance.
"Serthal, we need to figure out how to get you back to your quadruped form," Virith tugged at his robe, "As much as I like the whole Count look, I'd much rather you be on all fours. Or teach us how to switch forms."
"Don't know how to do that whole switching thing," Serthal stood up, "Plus, I've lived my life as a quadruped. I want to be a Count for the next few days. Plus, it is the season of fear, so no one will really notice."
"Oh fine. I'm hungry though, so let's go rob a blood storage cave. And then we find a castle."
"Isn't stealing wrong?" Zy was feeling his new fangs.
"Zy, we don't live anymore," Virith pointed out. Zy looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded, "Plus, you don't want to kill anyone so this is the alternative."
"Ok, settled," Serthal suddenly announced, "We rob a bank, go find some castle, and then we hit a nightclub. I don't know about any of you, but I am praying that I can still mate if I..." Serthal, if possible, paled more, "drink...enough to get a blood circulation going."
It was a legitimate concern for him. Bringing them back or not, he would stab himself. Plus, females were very into vampires. Seducing one shouldn't be hard so long as he didn't have to dress like a douche or put glitter on. Even then, he may do it.
There was no real reason to rush any of this. They quite literally had eternity to figure out what to do. They would venture the world and see what the vampire body can or can't handle. Prove myths. Serthal really was looking forward to it. Even if he had to drink blood.
Never mind, the first few weeks were still going to be torture.
Happy Halloween. Had you fooled about this being another grim ending? Well, I decided to make it a brighter one. The whole emo part of Serthal was supposed to make you roll your eyes and zen go 'oh'. Main theme of this thing was fear/Phobia; specifically, hemophobia. Ironic how one who is scared of blood turns into a vampire.
WHICH WAS WHY I DID IT.
ALSO, COOKIE TO THOSE WHO GET THE 3-4 CASTLEVANIA REFERENCES.