1 Prologue - Cold and Bloody

James held the jagged dagger by his side; allowing the blood to drain down to patter on the stone floor. The corpse of his sister was cast to the side, a maniacal smile plastered on her pale face. Her body was the top one in the pile, laying on top of grandpa, mother, uncle, you get the idea.

The pentagram inscribed on the stone floor of the castle's cellar was flowing with the blood of the same family. This very pentagram was the result of centuries upon centuries of rigorous effort on behalf of James' ancestors.

Now, it required the final sacrifice; himself.

Ironically, the very price of immortality was your mortality.

James lay atop the cold altar inside the blood pentagram and positioned the dagger above his heart.

"Sister. I am so sorry."

James' hands held onto the dagger, but they couldn't press down. His hands would shake and shake, but they were incapable of pressing down. James calmed his breathing and rested his head on the stone altar; dagger slumped by his side.

James tried to get his breath back, look at something distracting, but the only things in the room were corpses and blood. Corpses with very cold expressions. Right now they would probably be berating James, calling him the coward of the family.

In the end, it wasn't James strength that pushed the dagger into his heart, but rather the weight of his family's souls.

Seeing his own blood being pumped out of his chest, James wished he could simply lay there and wait until it was all over. But he couldn't, he wouldn't.

He had to see some sign that all this blood was worth it. Some sign that it would perhaps work. It was thus, that the mortal vessel of James Carter died, amidst the glowing anomaly of iridescent blood.