CHAPTER 22: STRUGGLES (2)

“Again…how many does it make this time?”

“Don’t know, I stopped counting after the first hundred.”

“three hundred and six.”

At the top of the tower Seraphin entered, and three people are discussing in the dark. Their eyes shining yellow the dark makes it seem like there are fireflies there.

“So who will get to eat this time?”

“Me, of course.”

“What?!! you ate the last one!!”

“So?!!”

“Calm down, my dears. We don’t want to make the same mistake as before, right?”

“That woman was a monster anyway. I am surprised she isn’t one of us.”

“Yeah, but we have seen her techniques. She won’t be able to defeat us if she comes back.”

“Then, prove it to me. Bring me the skull of the one who has dared to enter our home filled with his blood and marrow.”

“As you wish, my lord human.”

“As you wish, my lord human.”

***

After killing the dogs and children like monsters on the ground floor. Seraphin decides to rest. She goes outside the tower and establishes a little camp between three trees that are ideally placed to avoid being ambushed without any possibility of counterattacks. Then, she takes the bag on her back and brings out a piece of bread, some ham, milk, and an orange. Never miss your meals, that is Melka’s motto. She almost sounded like her mom sometimes.

Thinking about her mom, Seraphin is reminded of her father. Although he is just outside the forest. She never went to see him in those three years. She relied instead on Melka who provided her with all the necessities. Such as the coat she is wearing or even the leather armor. She even had some undergarments that thankfully fit Seraphin. Where did she find all this? only God knows.

The next day comes without incident. Seraphin wasn’t attacked during the night, though she stayed awake most of the time. As she tries to stand up, however, she can feel that something has changed. Her body is sluggish.

‘Was I attacked without noticing?’ She starts checking her body up and down but there isn’t any sign of wounds.

‘Then, wha…‘ As she is thinking, she looks at the ground and finally understands the problem. The snow. She didn’t cover the ground properly before sleeping and as a result, her body must have caught a cold during the night.

“Ah…This is going to be harder now.”

“Oh, really?”

Suddenly, a voice echoes. But it has no direction, like it came from the wind itself. Seraphin doesn’t panic and simply unsheathes her sword and then holds it with both hands. She also rapidly and frantically rubs her hands on the handle of the sword. Both to warm her hands and prepare for the fight incoming.

“Such a fresh and young prey should be delicately enjoyed. Right, sister?”

“Humm…Indeed. The gentle taste of a virgin maiden’s blood always brings me to the edge. I need a taste.”

‘There are two of them. And one is at my…’

While Seraphin is trying to locate her enemies, a shadow suddenly moves. Like lightning, it reaches her and all Seraphin sees is a hand with huge claws trying to grab her face.

“Untouchable- Uarghh!!”

Before she can unleash any attack, the hand scratches her face and the shadow disappears.

Slurp! Slurp!

“Humm…Hummm…” Slurping sounds could be heard from everywhere as the shadow is savoring the taste of her blood.

‘Fucking monsters.’ Seraphin is not scared. Although she couldn’t react properly, her eyes were able to see the attacker. A female-like dog with a long face and protuberant canines, Big pointy ears, and brown hair.

‘If I can see them, I should be able to hit them. The only problem is to time it right.’

“Hey, sister, did you see? The way she moved just now…”

“Yes! Just like that wretched monster. It must be her!”

“Yes!! Then we will have our revenge and our husband will be pleased.”

“Yes, sister. He will surely make babies with us again to reward us!”

“Make babies?”

Seraphin’s face reddens like a tomato. Because of the vampire’s speech, she is once again reminded of something completely unnecessary and out of place: her first kiss with Lekas.

‘B-B-But making babies means they have t-t-t-to…’

As her imagination reaches its peak, steam starts to appear in her head. Her ears turn incredibly red as well. But this is no place to be having delusions.

Once again, a shadow reaches her at high speed. But this time, Seraphin sees it coming. However, before she could counter…

Sweesh!!

“Argh!”

She feels pain in her back. She got cut by the second vampire. And since the momentum is perfect. The first vampire implants her claws deep in her left shoulder before disappearing again.

“Ah!! So good!! We need more!!! More!!!”

The vampires start an onslaught on Seraphin. If she tries to block the first one, the second one would strike. If she does the opposite, the opposite also happens. As she is gradually losing strength, Seraphin can feel her consciousness getting weaker and weaker, with the pain from the wounds she is receiving getting stronger.

Then, out of nowhere, she starts to see her family members in front of her: her brother, her mother, her father.

‘So, I will die here, after all. Oh, daddy, I am so sorry. I wanted to…’

Finally, Lekas’s face appears as well. The face of her husband, with a huge smile. She has never seen him smiling like this so why did he have to appear now with such a good face? The reason is simple to her.

“I didn’t even get to make him smile like that yet.”

“DIE!!!”

The two vampires pounce on Seraphin at the same time, they are going even faster than before now. They reach Seraphin from different angles and their claws spread wide, ready to tear her flesh to shred and make her blood spurt out. But at that instant, at that very precise moment when their claws are about to touch her, time stops. It isn’t actually that time stopped, but in Seraphin’s vision, everything becomes slow, like it is not moving. The snowflakes falling, her blood droplets in the air, the vampire in front of her smiling, with her ugly and disgusting face. Everything is laying bare in front of her.

What is that? What is happening? She doesn’t have to the time to think about it. She has to kill the enemies in front of her, or she will die. As if to answer her resolve, her sword starts glowing green, an emerald green, a glorious and noble green. Seraphin draws a circle while spinning around. The next moment, time restarts and a huge explosion resounds in the entire area.

BAKOOMM!!!

“Huff…Huff…Huff.”

Seraphin heavy breathing can slightly be heard after the explosion. She is trying to catch her breath in the snow mist that has risen from her attack. As the snow mist is dissipating, she can see the two vampire’s bodies, disintegrating.

“I-Impossible. A human… d-defeating us, with-without magic?”

“N-no, I-I don’t to d…”

They finally vanished as ashes in the air.

‘I won.’

She has won, yes. Without any help, without having to rely on anybody, she won, all by herself. She who was afflicted with the most undesirable fate, she who had to suffer even though she only wished to be happy. She finally overcame her fate, with her own hands.

‘Yes, now, I can finally stand beside h-‘

“How dare you kill my wives!”

Suddenly, behind her, another voice echoes like thunder. There was a third vampire, stronger than the other two, still inside.

Seraphin cannot fight anymore. Her hands have already released her sword and she doesn’t even have the strength to turn and face her opponent. Her shaking legs can hardly maintain her up. The attack she just used consumed all the strength she had and her wounds aren’t helping at all.

Just this once, just this once, she had hoped things would be different. But it seems that wasn’t the case.

‘This time, I will definitively die. If only you could be there…’

They say that the harder you wish for something, the faster it would happen. And for it was her hardest prayed-for wish right now, Seraphin’s wish got fulfilled.

BOOMMM!!!

She hears a huge and powerful explosion as she is fainting, together with a familiar voice.

“Congratulations.”