Chapter 0
"The master", the female butler in a black suit called to the man sitting at the window with a book in his palm, "You insult this book everytime you're done reading it yet, you always pick it up to read again, why ?"
That grin took over his lips making it twitch to the left.
"You know", the man said," A wise man always anticipates the knocking of the fool at his door, do you know why he never gets tired of it ?"
"Why master ?" The female butler asked, pouring tea into the teacup placed on the table at the center of this room.
"Because to the wise man", the man's grin turned to a ferocious laughter, "the fool is nothing other than a fool."
*** *** ***
"It's so sad to see that the youngest master of the Balkyres has gotten to this point", the vampire sitting at the other end of this moving chariot said to his companion.
"You mean Balkyre Fang, father ?" Ornez asked his father, his purple eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yes", prince Magrez replied his son with his cold gaze, "I'm speaking of Balkyre Fang."
"The lad must have come to realize that he's no match when compared to his siblings and now, he's turned into a hooligan, living the life of an ordinary commoner, even though he was born to a duke."
That smile etched itself on Magrez's lips as he looked out the window, his fang glistening under the rays of the red moon.
"I don't believe that a man who has been cupped up in seclusion, studying all his life instead of getting himself into the dumb politics of the Vercan realm will be that simple." Magrez said.
"Why do you say so father ?" His son asked.
"I said what I said because I don't believe that Balkyre Fang is a man without ambitions"
"Isn't he just a common drunkard being protected by the authority of his father ?" Ornez interjected.
"What do you know vampling ?" His father chuckled, "When a fool has lived in a den of schemers all his life, I no longer fear those who are wise."
"Then who do you fear father ?" The young vampire asked.
"I fear the fool."
*** *** ***
That black horsewhip dangling from his left fist, his dark cloak fluttering with the passing gale and drizzling rain, within this dark realm he was the only being - the only outsider who dared to trespass these boundaries, who would commit such an act ?
"I am that fool" he whispered to himself.
*** *** ***
"I have always loved him", Ora said, her blue eyes gleaming from the rays of the candle, "I never cared if he didn't want to compete with his siblings for the position of the duke, but ..." She sobbed, her frail and ghostlike hands gripping her hair, " for Fang to have become like this ... Balkyre Fang what have they done to you."
***
"They didn't do anything in particular", the man in that dark cape said to himself, the heavy winds blowing by and those bats soaring from the roof of that tower, darkening the moonlit sky, "I was the one who changed my fate."
***
"Why do you speak as though he is the key to opening that door ?" Magrez's subordinate, Erman Felak said, the glass of Eevian wine dangling from his fingers.
"I'm not sure about it", the prince said, "but we can find out can't we ?"
That flash of lightning illuminated the room igniting that white and ghostly flame on the face of the vampire prince who's grin revealed his blade like fangs.
"Balkyre Fang, a fool ?" He howled with laughter. " I shall see for myself how much the puppy is hiding from the realm."
***
"The lord Raven isn't a being of astral density." The monk revealed.
"Then what is he ?" The fifth Core probed.
"Even Markeal's Sphere couldn't reveal it, how much could I, an inferior being even know."
***
"They say time is ever moving", Fang said deftly, ignoring the presence of Ora standing before him, "but to me it's just an illusion."
"Is that why you fool around all night instead of trying to make yourself a better and more respected man !" Ora screamed at Fang.
"Respected man", Fang laughed, his hand covering his mouth as he tried to prevent himself from vomiting all the wine he had drank, " respected ? Even if I was still that boy who's only hobby was a library, a paper and a pen, I would never be respected."
"I don't care", Ora defended.
"Neither do I" Fang replied.
"I preferred that man who's only hobby was reading instead of a drunkard." Ora moaned.
"Yeah", Fang replied, "I still prefer him", lifting his barrel of wine from the table and shouting at the top of his voice, taking charge of his position once again as the head of this bar, "but the drunkard is better, ain't so lads ?!"
"Ahoy master Fang !" His comrades replied.
"Instead of being sullied with petty ambitions of a power ridden family", he said taking a ravenous gulp, "I'd rather drown in my drunken dreams !"
***
"Yes", Magrez intoned, "if he's a man who wants to escape, he will find a way to leave the web, but if he's a man of ambition, he'll dominate the web."
"Why do you believe Balkyre Fang is that kind of man prince Magrez ?" King Vel Nor asked the second prince.
"I just fell it father", Magrez replied in his almighty way, "I just fell Balkyre Fang is capable of dominating the web !"
***
"His majesty", Fang burped, the bottle of alcohol still in his hands from when he had been dragged out from the bar by the prince's guards, "what brings you here in the middle of the night, or ..." Fang burped again, his cheeks getting more flustered, "you came for ..."
Prince Magrez snatched the bottle of alcohol from Fang and bringing out a glass cup from the chariots drawers, he filled it to brim.
"A drink your majesty ?!" Fang asked dazed, he couldn't help being surprised, even though he was a grandmaster of surprises, this was beyond what he could handle.
"Surprised ?" The prince said wiping the wine spewing from the sides of his lips, "you aren't the only one fit to take a sip from the seas of the arcane Balkyre Fang, I too am capable of such."
"What do you mean his highness the prince ? !" Fang cried in his hysterical way, "I'm just an ordinary man !"
"Cut the act Balkyre Fang", Magrez gave a cunning smirk, "you can fool everyone else, even his majesty", pointing at himself, the prince concluded, "but not me."
"What do you mean your highness ?" Fang asked with a drunken stare.
"I only have two words for you and you must choose one", Magrez revealed, "dukedom or death."
***
"Spoilt brat", the man in that dark cape with that horsewhip in his grip growled, "Who are you to command me Magrez, even before you had thought of it, I had already dominated the web."
***
"The centuries are filial like waves of frothing flames."
***
"And masters must burn the waves of the mane"
***
"Call them kingdoms, call them realms", Fang said roaring to the skies, "they shall all be mine"
***
"Call it time", Lord Raven said, "it's my wine, I am just a vampire who's blood is time."
***
"Who am I ? You need not know, I'm just a vampire who's beyond time."