Crimson Dawn
An ear-splitting wail tore through the night – a distant siren echoing Ares's own throbbing headache. Metamorphosis, while vibrant, certainly lacked elegance.
The glittering city sprawled before him. Human refugees, ragged and desperate, scurried along overflowing gutters, their movements mirroring the frenetic pace of the actual rats darting between them. A sardonic chuckle escaped Ares's lips as neon signs bled garish reflections onto the polluted river.
Across the cityscape, a rhythmic thrumming pulsed – a reminder of humanity's fleeting attempts at pleasure amidst the growing darkness.
Oblivion was a dish best served cold, Ares mused, much like the blood of his meticulously chosen victims. Each kill was a work of art, each drain a carefully orchestrated performance. He preferred his prey docile, their fear a sweet symphony in his ears.
A cold whisper snaked into his thoughts. Ares whipped around, his predatory grace belying the unease twisting in his gut. With a low bow, he acknowledged the figure shrouded in swirling shadows.
"Omnipotent One," he rasped.
A pulse of golden energy momentarily pierced the night. A voice, serene yet laced with an undercurrent of menace, vibrated through the air. "Eydis has returned with a vengeance, wouldn't you agree, Ares?"
Shame flickered across Ares' golden eyes. "A decade spent playing the bloodthirsty fool," he muttered. "We were all deceived. And now, she builds an army of the damned."
The energy surrounding the Omnipotent One pulsed once, a calming presence amidst the storm brewing within Ares. "And the Celestial Council?" it inquired.
A frustrated snarl escaped Ares. "Whitlock and Sapphire are putty in her hands, and that damned Silver Moon Wolf... somehow, she's tamed the beast."
A flicker of amusement danced in the golden light. "There's another wild card, Ares," a voice purred, a hint of something predatory in its tone. "Not just a hunter... The Hunter."
"Hunters are nothing but gnats buzzing around a flame, easily extinguished." Ares countered,
"Our hope lies in Adrian's project. A creature immune to her thrall."
The light coalesced, revealing a single golden eye that glowed with an otherworldly power. It pierced through the night, focusing on a flickering image hanging in the air – a young woman with crimson eyes and midnight hair, drowning her sorrows in a dimly lit bar.
"She is the key, Ares," the Omnipotent One's voice resonated, a chilling promise. "Not just to breaching Eydis's defences, but to shattering her very heart. Poetic, wouldn't you say?"
A chilling laugh resonated from Ares, mirroring the symphony of despair emanating from the city below. "Yes," he agreed, a sinister hunger burning in his gaze. "But ultimately, a world restored under my dominion."
The image flickered and vanished. The golden eye pulsed once, then darkness consumed the scene as the Omnipotent One disappeared.
"A pawn with ambitions," the entity mused, a hint of something akin to pity flickering within its vast consciousness. "How very… human."
The silence stretched, broken only by the distant wail of a siren.
******
"Is free will an illusion?"
Eydis murmured, the question hanging heavy like the oppressive twilight settling outside the window. Her golden eyes, usually vibrant, were clouded with a melancholic longing as they traced the vibrant hues bleeding into night.
A lifetime. Trapped. A prisoner to an insatiable hunger that both fueled and tormented her. Bloodlust, a cruel paradox that stained her very being.
"Another philosophical musing, Eydis?" Athena chuckled, the sound like wind chimes dancing in a summer breeze. "Spare me the existential dread tonight. I've dealt with enough already."
Eydis's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Then humour me, Athena. Make your move. Quickly."
Athena's brow furrowed in concentration as she picked up a chess piece. Her knuckles whitened with the tight grip. "Are you purposefully setting me up for a three-move checkmate?" she finally conceded, her voice laced with disbelief.
A genuine grin, a rare sight these days, flickered on Eydis's lips. "At least you're learning something," she said, her voice a low rumble.
Athena sighed, resetting the chessboard with a practised flick of her wrist. "Well, at least I managed to beat Adrian the other day," she offered, a hopeful note in her voice. "I still can't get how you managed to win considering my… power!"
A slow, predatory smile crept up Eydis's face as she murmured, "Let's discuss free will, shall we?" Her smile widened further as an exasperated groan escaped Athena's lips.
Eydis jolted awake, a memory of happier times flickering from the depths of her past. A fleeting image, a sweeter scent – and then, the metallic tang of blood. She had succumbed again. Disgust clawed at her nostrils as her eyes snapped open to the grim reality.
Crimson dripped from the ceiling like a macabre chandelier, staining the cracked concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. Bodies, drained of colour and life, lay sprawled like discarded dolls amidst the rusting machinery.
Standing guard at the door was Orion, her emerald glare as sharp as the daggers strapped to her thighs. Her gaze swept the carnage before settling on Eydis, the Queen, slumped languidly in a dusty armchair.
Eydis straightened, a grimace twisting her features. She rubbed her temples, the tremor in her hands betraying her composure. "One damn drop," she rasped, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. "That's all it took."
A flicker of concern tugged at the corner of Orion's lips. "Something troubles you, Your Majesty. Did your little… puppy not suffice?"
"A mere indulgence," Eydis deflected. Her eyes narrowed as they fell on a hulking figure pinned to the ground by Orion's brutal grip. "And who graces us with their unwelcome presence?"
With a flourish, Orion tossed the vampire aside. A cruel smile played on her lips as she twirled a strand of her emerald hair, its vibrant colour clashing with her black, polished nails. "Seems the Watchers weren't above employing their own 'furies' to tail 'Amelia'," she purred. "Adrian's little attack dog, at your service."
Eydis's gaze flickered across Orion with indifference, a mere echo of boredom. However, a crimson stain blossomed on her ruined silk blouse, catching her eye. In a practised blur, the garment slipped from her shoulders, momentarily revealing a bare back as she draped a tailored blazer over it. The movement was swift, almost predatory.
A glint of desire crossed Orion's face for a fleeting moment before it was schooled back into professionalism. Eydis, however, seemed oblivious, murmuring, "Enjoy the meal."
The vampire, sensing an opportunity in Eydis' momentary distraction, lunged for her with a guttural roar. But before his claws could even brush against her back, he froze. A silent scream contorted his face as he hung suspended in mid-air, an invisible hand clamped around his throat.
"Are you not interrogating him yourself, Your Majesty?" Orion asked.
Eydis didn't turn. Her voice, devoid of emotion, echoed through the warehouse. "Let me know if there is anything interesting from your… investigation."
The Queen didn't wait for a response. She strode out of the warehouse. Orion watched her leave, a mixture of confusion and concern warring on her features. With a sigh, her form shimmered and reformed into a sleek cheetah. Her predatory gaze flickered between the lifeless bodies and the blood-soaked floor, a primal hunger warring with the unease gnawing at her.
As Eydis swung her leg over her motorcycle, the distant echo of a scream pierced the pre-dawn silence. The first rays of dawn painted the cracked windows in hues of orange and gold. Bathed in the ethereal light, she couldn't help but wonder - when would oblivion claim her, and grant her the peace she so desperately craved?
Perhaps the closest thing to freewill she could ever achieve was how to end everything in her own terms.
Everything.
Eydis parked the motorcycle underground with a mechanical screech. A tap on her ruby ring cast mesmerising tendrils of light, bleaching her hair to a cool platinum blonde. In her boot, a clean ivory dress materialised. She slipped it on, the silk clinging to her skin like a second thought.
A silent command activated the elevator, whisking her towards a hidden passage in the Spring garden. The flowers, bathed in early dawn's light, held a melancholic beauty. Dewdrops clung to their petals, creating a fragrance that warred with the fresh morning scent.
Eydis' steps faltered as she spotted a familiar figure sprawled on a weathered wooden bench, seemingly unconscious. Despite the self-control she fiercely guarded, her feet carried her forward. Each step felt like a betrayal, yet the sight of a dimple gracing Astra's temple sent a conflicting tug at her lips.
A cocktail of smoke and alcohol hung in the air, laced with the intoxicating scent of precious woods – a remnant of Astra's night. "Have you been out here all night?" Eydis murmured, her voice barely a whisper against the chirping of the birds.
A fierce internal battle raged within her. Finally, with a squeezed shut eyes and a conceding sigh, Eydis scooped Astra into her arms with practised ease. "Don't make a habit of it now, sweetie," she muttered, a hint of something akin to tenderness in her voice.
Eydis lowered Astra onto the firm mattress, a flicker of tenderness tugging at the corner of her lips as a soft snore rumbled from Natalia, sprawled on the other side of the room. Her fingers hovered for a moment, a whisper against the midnight strands of hair. A conflicted desire flickered in Eydis' eyes, a fleeting warmth at odds with the steely resolve that usually held them captive. With a silent sigh, she turned to leave, making a mental note to request a more comfortable bed for Astra – and perhaps a padded bench for the garden.
As the door clicked shut, Astra, or rather Callista, snapped her eyes open. Confusion and a flicker of longing warred in their depths. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
'Why are you treating me like this, when I mean nothing to you?' she thought, a single tear tracing a warm path down her cheek. It was the first in years, and it startled her.
Just what was this unfamiliar feeling gripping her heart?