Chapter 28: Vampire King

(this chapter is incredibly long[10k] and the end of the arc of the vampires, I hope you enjoy it and sorry for the delay)

(also the names of some abilities changed to be easier to understand, at the end I will leave a summary anyway)

-after Tom's announcement-

all the assembled people soon stopped cheering and applauding once Tom stepped off the podium, everyone dispersed around the ship with smiles on their faces that reflected the hope of a new life in another place away from all dangers.

everyone had the idea to organize a farewell party now that the sun was at its highest point

one last big celebration to commemorate their departure as they were going to leave the next morning

each group went their own way to look for what they needed, one group went to look for the leftover meat and vegetables that could not enter the refrigerating room of the ship

another group walked to the camp to bring the tables and seats that they planned to leave at the camp since they were unnecessary due to the dining room inside the big ship

but since they wanted to eat on the wide deck of the ship while the sun was still in the sky, they planned to put those old tables to one last use.

little children were carrying tablecloths and kitchen utensils as they ran to their families too with smiles on their faces

no one could stop smiling while they put everything in its place, if it weren't for the animal hats and the clothes now worn by time it would seem like a typical family reunion

all this was being watched by Blanche with a small smirk, looking at all the remaining humans enjoying a carefree little party at the end of the world made him happy, let him know that he had made the right decision in helping them

His eyes remained on a small family of 3 members, a couple and their little son who was handing them their dishes while jumping around in impatience.

This situation caused brief memories of his two lives to flash in his mind.

"a family" he speak whispering a word barely distinguishable from a murmur

Feeling his eyes a little cloudy, he took Simon's old round blue glasses out of his pocket and put them on to hide his eyes.

Taking his eyes off the family, Blanche walked to the side of the ship and leaned down to look out at the ocean, ignoring the partying around him.

the memories brought up something that every young man wants to ignore, his emotions and his thoughts about the future

this sudden emotional slippage prevented Blanche from noticing something important in the humans around him, a much deeper problem.

It may be that the humans of this tribe seem to have gotten used to and even overcome this post-apocalyptic situation full of vampires, mutants and wild animals waiting to kill them.

but deep down they all live in fear every day

fear for their children, brothers, mothers and fathers, a fear so ingrained in their hearts that it would be passed on to the following generations and that could only be alleviated with a key element present in the stories that would be passed on from generation to generation.

the descendants of the tribe, motivated by fear and inspired by the stories in the records of a guardian who, saving the last of humanity, would create a protector for their islands.

a protector for the entire human race who would start the story of another hero a thousand years in the future

-5 minutes later-

the place was already fully set up, everyone was sitting in their places happily chatting about the future while waiting for the food that was being cooked in the ship's kitchen

all this was also being observed with a smile by Marceline who was sitting on the roof of the captain's cabin

'this brings back a lot of memories, Simon setting up the table while I carried the utensils wobbling under the weight right behind him, with Blanche obviously cooking, me and Simon really had no cooking talent or maybe those 3 ovens caught fire spontaneously without no reason, I guess it will always be a mystery'

Marceline turned her gaze away from the happy humans and searched the deck for Blanche's striking white mane.

when she finally found him he was standing away from the small crowd, he was looking out at the open sea with his arms over the railing of the boat, she noticed that he was now wearing the round blue glasses that belonged to Simon

'I wonder what's wrong with him, I can't see his eyes behind the glasses, should I go talk to him? something like this? hey do you remember when we were about to kiss but were conveniently interrupted at the last second'

'Yes, why not?'

just as Marceline was about to approach, she noticed a certain human with a brown hat and rectangular glasses approaching Blanche

It was Tom

maybe he wanted to talk about something important

*sigh* 'well, I can wait'

-boat deck-

Tom approached walking at a slow pace towards Blanche who had his back to him looking at the ocean, his arms crossed with his body leaning forward and his eyes were hidden by blue glasses hiding any emotion they might reveal.

Tom didn't know if Blanche noticed his arrival but he still walked over to his side and copied his pose leaning in as he gazed at the ocean.

they both looked at the ocean in silence for a few seconds

"What's on your mind kid? Why don't you enjoy the party?"

Tom asked calmly, using a slightly curious tone that hid his slight concern, his teacher's instincts were tingling, a curious ability he developed in his teaching days.

Blanche kept looking at the ocean, a few silent seconds passed as Tom patiently waited for the answer.

finally Blanche spoke

"I know what you're thinking Tom and I can tell you right now that I don't have a problem, I'm just thinking about the future, nothing really important"

the blue glasses on Blanche's face covered any movement in his eyes, making it almost impossible to tell if he was being sincere, but Tom's instincts kept alerting him, it was clear that Blanche has troubles.

what kind of leader and teacher would he be if he couldn't help a young man even a little

Tom closed his eyes for a few seconds in the once again silent environment.

when he opened his eyelids again, his eyes looked lost while he continued to stare into space, then he began to speak

"When I first saw you I was really terrified, we had already had some encounters with vampires and we had the vague hope that you weren't a monster, imagine my surprise when I found a little boy with white hair and an icy look, so we started to work together, the years passed and you grew little by little under my eyes, now I consider you along with all the humans on this ship my family"

"That's why I'm going to tell you a story"

"When I was a teacher, before all this started, I had a great friend, he was a philosophy professor, you would know just by looking at him because he was a walking stereotype, I remember meeting him on my first day of work"

"I was sitting inside the school waiting near the entrance for classes to start, I remember that my body was tense and even trembled a little from nervousness"

"It must have been quite noticeable since he approached me, I never noticed his arrival, it really scared me, but he sat near me and talked to me, I still remember his relaxed voice, he always seemed half asleep" *laugh*

This story seemed to catch Blanche's attention, his head turned to look at Tom who seemed lost in his memories.

Tom went on with his story.

"I recognized that he was a teacher very quickly, I thought he would give me some advice or something, but he just sat next to me and introduced himself as Farid Dieck"

Tom looked at Blanche who was listening to him carefully.

"Do you want to know what he told me?"

Blanche just nodded his head.

*laughs* "he just asked me, how was your day? how are you feeling?, my brain paused for a few seconds after hearing that question instead of the advice I expected from a more veteran teacher, my body unconsciously relaxed and I answered him instinctively, it's been a long time since anyone asked me those questions and it seems that I had a lot to say because when I realized the students were already entering the school"

"When I finished rambling he just got up and left, I was confused but then I noticed that my body was relaxed, my hands weren't shaking anymore and I don't know how to put it into words, but I felt better, so even though I still didn't understand what It happened exactly, I put it aside and I was able to give my class without any problem"

"We formed a friendship quite quickly and over time talking about our day after work, this became a routine, I always felt better after talking"

"After several years working together we were already like brothers, but even so, he never told me why talking about our day with someone helped so much, now whenever I think about it I realize that it was quite obvious, It's a shame I only solved it after the end of the world."

"what happened to your friend?"

Blanche asked this question knowing the answer

*sigh* "he died at the beginning of the war, after his death I spent time surviving the aftermath of the war, still wondering what the secret was, until one day I found another person just as lonely as me, he was a young man who was hiding in a small house in ruins"

"His body was tense and shaking with nervousness, just like me on my first day, he didn't have much strength left to fight due to hunger, so he just stood there shaking, I remember quickly approaching him with some of my food"

"I sat in front of him and watched as he devoured the food, he reminded me of me, so I asked him just to remember the old days, how was your day? how do you feel?"

*laugh* "my question must have surprised him because he stopped eating to look me in the eye with confusion, but just like me, he answered unconsciously and didn't stop talking for hours, *laugh* that's when I understood"

Tom looked directly into Blanche's blue glasses as if he could see through the glass and see his hidden eyes.

"Talking about our problems transforms what we suffer. Talking about what bothers us is observing, understanding and comprehending what we have had to live. Each word expressing our problems silently releases a little of the weight in our hearts, it's like a sigh of relief or an invisible hug, our hearts find comfort in the echo of words, that's what I understood"

"That man was one of the first members of this tribe, since then we formed a group and helped each survivor that we came across on the way, without stopping at any time, until we found a large ship in ruins and later even an incredible white-haired child"

"So I'll change my questions, after telling you this, how was your day? How are you feeling Blanche?"

a silence fell on both of them, Tom waiting for an answer and Blanche was thinking with his eyes lowered

After a few seconds Blanche's hand went to his face and removed his glasses revealing his cloudy eyes with moisture to Tom

*sigh* "your friend was a great person, it's a shame he's no longer with us, if it's any consolation he's probably in the fiftieth world of the dead, don't ask what it is or how I know it, sadly you'll understand it yourself in a few years"

"Okay~, that didn't sound sinister at all, but thanks anyway, now if you don't mind you can talk to me."

"Yes yes, I'm sorry, how was my day? If I sum it up in one word it would be relaxed or calm, that would be a good thing if it didn't remind me that almost every day of my life is worrying, I always think about the future and even dream with it, I think about my father and how I couldn't help him or how I abandoned Marcy for fear of losing her too, I think about destiny, do I want to change it or just go along with it to get to where I need to be?"

Blanche looked Tom in the eye.

"I think of every vampire I kill and the last words of the Hierophant, am I really a monster for ending an entire species? At this moment I know that I am not, I am only protecting my own species, I know that they are not necessarily evil, we are just on different sides, but what happens in the future? If now I am willing to extinguish an entire species to achieve my goals, what else will I be willing to do in the future?"

"When the time comes to decide between the right thing to preserve my humanity or the wrong thing to protect the ones I love, will I choose to be a human or a monster? I am afraid to face that decision, not because I don't know what to choose"

"I already know the answer, I'm just afraid of what I will become"

Tom listened in silence, listening and thinking about every word that came out of Blanche's mouth, it all reminded him of the hero's dilemma, a hero would let you die to save the world, but a villain would let the world die for you, ignoring the flaws. in the sentence, he seemed to understand a little what Blanche was thinking

"You seem to operate under the belief that being a monster is a bad thing, but what makes a monster bad? and what makes being a human good? why is a monster a monster and why is a human a human? what makes them be what they are?"

"All I know is that as cliché as it sounds, all that matters is knowing who we are on the inside no matter how people on the outside perceive us, because we are constantly changing and no one knows exactly how we will end up.

As long as your decisions are true to your inner self then it really doesn't matter who or what you are, at least that's what I think."

Blanche did not make any sound while listening to Tom's words, his pupils kept moving restlessly as he looked at the sea, he seemed to have a little internal struggle, Tom's words contrasted with his idea that being human was being someone empathic and good, he knew that there were bad people, but he did not consider them human after they lost all empathy towards others

After a few tense moments in silence, his pupils finally stood firm, looking forward.

Blanche turned to Tom now with the slight smile he always has on his face, his green eyes steady looking at Tom

"You're a great leader Tom and an even better teacher, I'm better now, thank you"

"It's nothing, it's my job, plus I'm going to need your help and Marcy's to rebuild everything after the trip, I hope you'll replace me after I die, I can't think of anyone more qualified for the position, Chemy could do it but in a few years and as for Marcy, she's a bit violent, I'm afraid heads will roll if there's a disagreement"

Tom told him something about his future fulfillments with a nervous laugh.

*sigh* "I'd really love it Tom, but I don't think I can go with you, there's still a lot I need to do here, my dad still needs help and I think…"

images of various tragic moments that awaited some characters from the original series flashed through his mind

"There are still people in this place who need my help, but I still think Chemy would be a great leader, she already has the attitude" *laugh*

"Are you sure about that? Do you remember the seismic readings we received with the equipment we built together? The entire planet is going to undergo a reorganization, everything will change and if my predictions are correct this will also activate several powerful weapons that were inactive or did not reach be used, this could destroy part of the entire planet!"

(origin of the great crater on the planet of this universe)

*sigh* Tom sighed after slightly raising his voice, he was genuinely concerned for this child that he watched grow into a young adult.

"We've already talked about this, and what about Marceline? Do you know what she wants?"

Blanhe's pupils moved slightly

"I...I'll try to convince her to go with you, I know it was wrong to walk away for fear of losing her before, but this is different, I really want to protect her from all the crazy things that happen *sigh* I just don't want to condemn her to accompany me on a very long journey that only I should take, I couldn't do that to someone I love"

(he forget that Marceline has a long life due to her being half demon)

Tom turned his eyes from him to the happy families now enjoying food at the tables, memories of every interaction he has witnessed between Blanche and Marcelin flashing through his mind.

"Well, you've always been a very smart kid for everything so I'm sure you know she won't agree, whether you like it or not, you and she are connected and can't be separated anymore."

*sigh* "I know"

"I guess you'll have to talk to her anyway so enjoy the party after that, see you later"

Tom walked away after talking to Blanche, all the people smiled at him as he approached the tables and chatted happily.

Blanche looked at Tom's back as he walked away.

"should I send her to the humans to have a relatively normal life? tell her about my plans? discuss how we're going to live long enough to save Simon? so many important questions, each one something that should be discussed slowly and calmly"

Blanche mumbled to himself.

"Just so you know, if you try to run away from me or mail me somewhere else, I'll haunt you like a ghost until the end of the world."

"SON OF--!!" Blanche put his hand on his chest and cried out in surprise.

"hey there are children nearby!, have some manners"

Marceline who came out of nowhere interrupted Blanche's scream with a scolding.

"God, Marcy, don't scare me like that! How long have you been here!?"

Although Marceline remained relatively calm, her eyes showed a slightly reddish tint and her teeth sharpened slightly, signs that the demonic part of her was showing, something that happens when she gets upset.

"Don't be a crybaby, also I listened enough, don't even think about trying to leave me again! Because if you haven't noticed, apart from my soul-sucking demon father, you're the only thing I have"

Marceline's voice rose enough to attract the attention of some nearby humans who were now looking at the situation curiously.

Blanche noticed this so he quickly approached Marceline and drew her to himself putting a hand on her shoulder to speak to her in a low voice.

"Okay okay, lower your voice a bit, I can explain, it's something I wanted to talk to you about more calmly but I guess you won't give me more time, will you?"

Blanche finished speaking with a slightly hopeful question.

"speak. now"

his hopes died in that instant

*sigh* "okay, but let's go somewhere else, follow me"

Blanche did not give Marceline time to react and dragged her into the now empty interior of the ship under the mocking gaze and smiles of the adults on the ship.

'it's good to be young'

-inside one of the ship's rooms-

Blanche took Marceline to one of the passenger rooms and closed the door (not what you think)

The room was quite common, it consisted of a bed, furniture to store clothes or personal belongings, a small television and a sofa for one person next to the bed.

a Marceline with a slight line of blush when remembering the looks they received spoke with slight annoyance

"Your explanation better pay off, or I'll kill you."

"Okay then have a seat, this is going to take me some time"

Marceline sat on the edge of the bed while Blanche sat on the sofa, both of them sitting facing each other.

"Okay, let's put some context first, do you remember my mother Betty? Simon and I went on a journey looking for her when international tensions were at their highest.

The crown was Simon's guide, giving him visions where he would see Betty again and warning him about the arrival of the bombs."

"following the clues of the crown we arrive at places that are empty or slightly different from Simon's visions"

"We didn't understand what it meant until everything changed when we came to a certain green valley full of grass that was practically the same as the visions, everything was exactly the same if you only looked at the shape of the land, we couldn't tell the exact difference until it occurred to me to plant a seed on a whim, that was the first time Simon's visions underwent a change"

"Simon saw how the previous vision of him was modified and a huge tree was now where I planted that seed, he said it was the biggest tree he had ever seen, it was definitely at least a few hundred years old"

Marcelines eyelids opened slightly as she reached a conclusion

"That meant that the visions where Betty would be would occur in at least a few hundred years, the idea of time travel was not something unknown to Simon, he even had a book on how to theoretically make portals between the past and the future that he wrote with Betty, that meant that Betty had traveled to the future"

"But there our luck ran out, we didn't have the resources or the necessary technology to try to open a portal, so we quickly discarded the idea, without hope or explanations of how to see Betty again, we kept wandering until we found you and well, you know the rest of the story"

"Okay ~ that's the craziest thing I've ever heard and I've lived with the lord of the Nightosphere for a few years, but I still don't understand what he has to do with you wanting to get away from me again"

"That's what I was getting to, it may not seem like it but Simon hasn't aged since he put on the crown, his body changed but his cells didn't degrade, only his mind, so we came to the conclusion that as long as he wasn't killed he would live to see Betty, his crown had not exactly lied to him, the problem is that he would not be the same when they met again"

"I tried to tell him that I could freeze us both so we could hibernate for several hundred years, but he flatly refused this idea, so he gave up, he'd rather be in his last years of sanity with us than risk never waking up again. from hibernation"

"So we stopped looking for a way to see Betty and we just lived comfortably with you until Simon lost his sanity, now he's doing who knows what trapped in his mind without being able to die of old age, but I know he will meet Betty again in the future "

"so I have to live long enough to see them together again, I have to get immortality"

"mmh I think I see where this is going, but keep going, I'm listening."

for some reason Marceline visibly relaxed, it seems she understood why he wanted to leave her with the humans

"so that brings me to the final point, I love you Marcy"

"I couldn't bear condemning you to spend an eternity watching everyone you know slowly fade into time, it's something I must do for my family and I don't want you to suffer by my side, that's why I wanted to send you with the humans, I want you to be happy "

The room fell silent after the unnecessarily long explanation.

(more detailed lore of this story)

"Okay first of all, I'm half demon, I don't age like normal people, I'll certainly get older but that will take a few hundred years according to my dad, so even if you let me I'll still watch everyone die, did you forget?"

(Marceline from the dimension where Simon avoided the Lich's explosion was not a vampire but she lived over a thousand years)

everything was left in an awkward silence

"I may have forgotten about that piece of information."

Blanche sighed in relief, that was one less problem.

"then only the problem of my immortality remains"

"Stop there cowboy! Do you really think I would ignore that 'I love you'? Start talking, don't be shy"

Blanche, who had hopes that she had not heard that part, was interrupted by Marceline's mocking voice, who did not let that slip of the tongue go by, crushing that vague hope.

'is it really a big deal just saying it? I mean, we're going to be together for at least a thousand more years and I practically already confessed at the campfire earlier, I'll get this over with quickly'

*sigh* "okay you win, I love you Marcy, I thought it was obvious there's no need to repeat it"

Blanche spoke in a low tone, almost whispering under Marceline's gaze.

*chuckles* "it was obvious that you totally fell for me, who wouldn't? I'm so cool"

Blanche watched Marcy now hovering slightly above the ground she had a smug attitude that did nothing to hide the smile and blush on her face.

"Okay, now it's my turn, come here!"

He took the unsuspecting Marcy by the arm and brought her closer, putting her face a few centimeters away.

"So tell me, do you love me?"

Marceline's eyelids widened in surprise as Blanche's green eyes stared at her waiting for a response.

"well i don't dislike you"

a short whisper left her lips

*laughs* "I guess that's enough for me"

Blanche closed those few centimeters that separated them and joined his lips with hers.

They seemed to merge into one as they embraced and lost themselves in the incredible feeling.

This kiss sealed a deal that would keep them together for eternity.

soon they had to separate due to lack of air but they continued to embrace each other in a comfortable silence

Marceline was the first to break the silence.

"I would rather live an eternity of misery by your side than live a single minute without you, I love you Blanche"

"I love you too Marcy"

(I want to remind you again that I have no experience in love other than unrequited love, so I don't know how to write romance, I hope it is well written, I also wanted to interrupt this kiss again so that it would be at the end of the chapter, but I felt that this was a good timing, not everything has to happen at special times)

*knock Knock*

both were startled by the sudden sound of someone knocking on the door

"Blanche! Marcy! Tom wants you to go get something to eat!"

it was Chemy who had been sent by Tom, they were easy to find because they were in the bedroom closest to the entrance

Blanche broke away from Marceline and opened the door, Chemy was standing waiting to go with them.

"Hi Blanchie! I wanted to open the door but Tom forbade me, he muttered something about causing some kind of trauma, anyway, the food is almost gone so you have to go eat something"

*laughs* "thanks Chemy"

'I'll have a little talk with Tom tomorrow'

Marceline and Blanche left the room and walked to the deck where the humans were finishing their meal, each holding one of Chemy's hands.

"hey Blanche, when we get to our new home, can I live with you and Marcy?"

This question surprised both of them, they looked into each other's eyes trying to think of what to say but they did not know how to tell Chemy that they would stay here and that they would not go with them

"Why do you want to live with us? We're boring teenagers you know?"

Blanche tried to divert the subject but he was somewhat curious about the girl's request.

they were already about to reach the outside while having this little talk

"Well~, you and Marcy are the closest thing to a family I've ever had, I've been with the tribe for as long as I can remember, but I never had real parents, I think you and Marcy are the closest thing to a family I've ever had "

(you want to know something funny? after this chapter I was planning to separate the mc and Marceline from the human tribe, but after writing this dialogue from Chemy I didn't have the heart to deny her a family, seriously I'm not good at writing tragedies)

Blanche and Marceline's hands closed a little more tightly around Chemy's, neither of them knew what to answer, but Marceline made a decision after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"Chemy, I would really love for you to live with us, why don't you go eat something while I and the nerd talk about it"

"Seriously! Yeah, family!"

Chemy let go of both their hands and ran out under the eyes of Marceline and Blanche to gorge on the food that was left on the tables.

Blanche looked at Marceline next to him with a curious look.

"live together on the islands? It's not that I don't want to, but it is necessary to stay here"

"Ahh come on, isn't there a few hundred years left? Plus we'll be immortal, it'll be like a little vacation and then we'll be back, it's not a big deal, plus she reminds me a bit of me, what do you say?"

"I.....I really can't see why not, I guess a few years of home life will take a break from vampires."

Marceline took Blanche's hand and looked into his eyes, remembering those happy years in the cabin in the woods.

"I can't wait"

-several hours later-

the sun was getting closer to the horizon and the sky was turning an orange color

the humans filled part of the deck with old lights and cleared the place to form a makeshift dance floor

They also installed basic sound equipment to play music and the dj was Tom who had temporarily replaced his glasses with dark sunglasses, I guess to fit the character

"Okay, this one goes to all the couples in love, I hope you enjoy it"

Tom spoke into his microphone to the people on the track

(Elvis Presley-Can't Help Falling in Love starts playing)

the kids ran off the dance floor at the thought of romance which seemed corny to them

Soon couples formed, from young to old, they got together and hugged while dancing to the slow rhythm of romantic music, forgetting all their worries.

Blanche and Marceline were both watching everything from the roof of the captain's cabin, they had their hands intertwined as they enjoyed the warm scene they helped create, their heads slowly moving to the rhythm of the music.

Marceline looked away from the party and towards Blanche who looked back at her.

""You want to dance?""

both spoke at the same time

-dance floor-

they both walked slowly to the center of the dance floor with their arms linked, all the couples moved out of their way as they looked at them, almost all the humans wanted to see them together a long time ago, except for some teenagers who felt a little more than admiration for Blanche and Marceline, something inevitable considering that they are both good-looking and heroes of the human race

already in the center of the place Blanche placed his right hand on Marceline's lower back and linked his left hand with hers, Marceline's free hand resting on his shoulder

"Have you ever danced or have you only read about it?" *laughter*

Marceline asked laughing as they both moved slowly to the rhythm of the song.

*laughs* "you'd be surprised, there are many things you don't know about me"

"so you know how to dance"

silence was his only answer

*laughs* "I knew"

At first they both danced a bit clumsily due to inexperience, but as time went by their bodies seemed to get used to it so they started to move almost synchronously.

they danced until the sun almost completely disappeared on the horizon, there were a few minutes left until it got dark

Marceline rested her head on Blanche's chest and him on her shoulder, they seemed to be whispering to each other.

"Do you know what's going to happen Marcy?"

"Yes, he's going to attack and we'll both face him, no arguments this time."

They both kept dancing as if they didn't care about the fight that everyone knew was coming.

all the humans were aware that they would not let them go so easily, they were all aware that there was still the vampire king and tonight would be the last chance he would have to attack them

*sigh* "it's okay, but this is something personal between him and me, after all I'm the main destroyer of all his species"

"and remember that the Vampire King cannot be underestimated, his abilities make him almost untouchable, if I fight using everything I have it will be an even and very dangerous fight"

She seemed reluctant, but she understood that she could become an obstacle if she got in the middle of the fight, if the Vampire King had all the abilities that Blanche mentioned then he could only be hit if he wanted to.

(teleportation, telekinesis(elementos inanimados), telepathy, flight and hydrokinesis, pretty broken)

"Okay, but you better be careful, I don't want to lose you"

"everything will be fine, I love you Marcy"

"I love you too"

they both looked into each other's eyes and joined their lips

the sun finally set completely

and all the humans could feel how the place slowly lost its joyful atmosphere and was slowly replaced by an invisible tension

soon they all dispersed and took refuge inside the ship as planned, all without exception looked with concern at the couple who did not move from their place, although they had faith in them, this time it was a fight with the most powerful vampire, They couldn't be 100% sure.

The last to enter inside was Chemy who entered with an indisposed look.

soon everything was silent

everyone was watching from inside the ship waiting for the confrontation

several minutes passed in total calm as both of them stood in the middle of the deck in total silence with their hands joined

the normally inaudible sounds of the forest were now incredibly noticeable

It was like that until everything was silent, the sounds of the forest suddenly stopped

Blanche's spiritual power was already active since the sun went down, always scanning and sensing his surroundings for danger.

He felt like a solitary presence appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the forest and scared away all the animals and insects.

"he is here"

Marceline, who also noticed the abnormality in the forest, took out a perovskite dagger (google it) that Blanche gave her a short time ago, the dagger was enchanted to absorb and release solar rays, it had Marceline's initials engraved on the handle

They both could see and hear how a silhouette slowly approached from the dark interior of the forest with heavy steps.

the silhouette came out of the shadows and was illuminated by the moonlight revealing its appearance

He had the shape of a large and muscular man dressed in an elegant white suit, a long wine-colored cape along with a crown that seemed to be made of wood, he had various animal features, his head resembled that of a lion, scaly and green hands like a reptile, he had no shoes so you could see his huge feet that looked like bird claws

he was the Vampire King

It was the first time they had met face to face, but Blanche stared into his eyes and he could feel a certain familiarity, almost like old acquaintances.

The Vampire King could feel it too, but not only that.

looking in person at those green and somewhat dull eyes that seemed to be able to see through his soul

He finally understood what his subordinates felt when they met this human

Those eyes that looked at him contained a small amount of anticipation that the hunter himself did not seem to be aware of.

The more he looked into those eyes, the louder a small voice resounded in his mind that seemed to whisper that he was going to die tonight.

It was something he had never experienced, he never imagined that a mere human with simple powers could generate this feeling in him.

For the first time in his entire millennial existence, he had doubts about his victory.

as expected of the destroyer of his kind

truly scary

Putting an end to his thoughts, the Vampire King was the first to speak.

"Finally we meet, hunter, it's time for you to pay for your crime, I won't have any mercy for you"

The thick and decisive voice of the King resounded throughout the silent forest and its surroundings.

"You know, if it was before tonight, I would have just ignored you and destroy you, but I've changed a bit, so I'll give you one last chance, if you leave this continent you could continue your species and no one would have to die"

Blanche's young but firm voice traveled from the ship to the vampire king's ears, his words forming a frown on the king's face.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? I can read your partner's mind, she wants to decapitate me, I don't know why I can't read yours but that doesn't matter now"

Blanche could sense that something wanted to form a link with his spiritual power, but he ignored it since nothing could enter without his permission.

the Vampire King rose slowly into the air

"I'm not going anywhere, either you die or I die, you have to pay the price for your crimes against all my kind, so prepare yourself coward!"

"First of all, she thinks about cutting off the heads of almost everyone who bothers her so don't take it personally, and second, before start this I have a question"

"What do you want to know, hunter, I will grant you that last wish before your death!"

"Why didn't you attack me before? If you united with your entire court a few years ago you could have finished me, but you let me kill them one by one, I never understood why"

"mmmh, me the King of Vampires teaming up with all my subordinates to kill a little boy? Do you have any idea how weak I would look in front of everyone?"

I AM THE KING OF THE VAMPIRES! And no king would stoop so low, you would never understand"

*sigh* "okay, thanks for answering, are you sure you still want to do this?"

While he finished talking with the vampire king, Blanche took out of his pocket a pair of round blue glasses.

"enough! now that I have answered your question I will finish you off"

Blanche bowed his knees a bit and prepared for the final battle, Marceline had mysteriously disappeared while he was talking to the King.

"I really thought we were going to have a battle of beliefs and have one final talk you know? I feel like you're rushing!"

"Silence!"

The Vampire King traveled through the air at great speeds with his expanded lizard claws pointing directly at the neck of the hunter who was waiting for him on the deck of the ship.

the hunter remained perfectly still as if he could not see the claws aimed at his neck

it only took a couple of seconds for the king's claws to arrive to pierce his neck and continue on his way with little resistance

The Vampire King landed heavily behind the hunter who hadn't moved at all and calmly looked at his hand now completely covered in ice.

"so it was true, you can really ignore physical blows, I just wanted to be sure"

The king clenched his fist and the ice crystals that wrapped his hand broke with great ease.

The hunter finally moved, turning to face the king face to face.

"Can we go somewhere else? I don't want to ruin the boat, why don't you help me with that, Marcy"

A hand holding a dagger appeared out of nowhere and attacked the king from behind, the attack missed by inches as the king rose into the sky easily dodging the sneak attack.

The attacking hand did not expect to be dodged so it froze in midair giving the king time to take the dagger from his hand and push the attacker onto the deck of the ship.

the king in the sky threw the dagger into the ocean

"I can read your mind girl, you can't hide from me"

Marceline slowly became visible on the deck of the ship.

"I had forgotten about that"

A slightly disappointed Marceline shook her head.

The vampire king looked away from Marceline and turned her attention back to the hunter, only to see an empty space before feeling a great force behind his back that sent him flying into the forest.

"but I can!"

the hunter took advantage of the king's distraction and his immunity to mind reading

He transformed into snow to approach and attack him from behind using gravity in his favor, he created an ice hammer that hit the King's back, he did not have the physical strength to wield it

but it was not necessary when the weight did all the work

The Vampire King's body traveled into the forest through several trees and finally crashed into the grass creating a small crater.

Blanche quickly followed him transformed back into snow and Marceline flew right behind him.

They arrived just in time to see the King rise from the small crater, he was unharmed.

the king shook the earth from the white suit he calmly looking at his opponents

"That was a good hit, hunter, but you'll need more than that."

"How about a sword then? Does it suit your preferences?"

a large sword of ice resembling that of a medieval knight slowly materialized from Blanche's hand.

"I don't know, I'm more of a fist person"

The vampire king slowly raised a hand and pointed it in Blanche's direction, the hero went on guard expecting a telekinetic attack.

but nothing happened, or so he thought

*crackack*

His sword suddenly cracked into several parts, it seems unusable

"ice is also water hunter"

"shit"

Blanche released his sword of ice that instantly broke into several parts when it hit the ground.

"I was hoping your hydrokinesis wouldn't work on ice"

"you shouldn't underestimate me human"

"I didn't, that's why I created this after I got rid of my old enchanted stakes."

Blanche reached for something that he had tied around his waist and wrapped in a black sheath.

it was a long and sharp dagger that seemed to absorb the surrounding light

"perovskite dagger, I made two just in case and slightly enchanted them to absorb and release sunlight"

"Hey, don't give him information, idiot!"

Marceline who was silently watching the confrontation scolded Blanche for his slip up.

"It doesn't matter, he was going to find out anyway, besides presenting your weapons sounds great"

"he's right girl"

"see? he understands"

*grunt* "could you two try killing each other again?!"

"okay, ok, are you ready?"

"always, human"

'Well let's summarize the situation, several of my ice powers don't work in the presence of the King, that leaves me with my spiritual powers and my abilities in close combat'

'I can dodge it as many times as necessary but I don't have infinite resistance, that leaves me with assassin tactics' 'I'll let Marceline be the main attack while I try to damage him with my dagger'

he had all these thoughts in a couple of seconds

"Marcy, do you think you can handle him? I'll be your support"

An excited Marceline transformed into a huge monster that looked like an amalgamation of various animal monsters.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

Marceline took off with her wings in her monstrous form and approached the vampire king to start a hand-to-hand fight, the king's great physical strength and stamina made him even slightly superior to Marceline who only surpassed him in regeneration, they could be fighting for hours without stopping if nobody intervened

Marcy's huge fist collided with the king's reptilian fist that seemed small in comparison.

the force of the impact almost equalized created a small shock wave that lifted part of the earth that came out of the crater

the two exchanged blows like professional boxers as they moved further into the forest leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, every tree or rock that crossed the path was completely destroyed or ripped from the ground.

Blanche followed close behind, waiting for the opportunity to attack.

soon both stopped moving and exchanged blows in the same place

The vampire king flew around her to dodge Marceline's massive fists waiting for an opening that came as she was carried away by the force of her own blow.

she staggered leaving her side unprotected from her against the Vampire King.

The king did not miss that opportunity, slamming into her ribs with an uppercut that knocked Marceline's air out and forced her to her knee.

The vampire king wanted to continue his assault on him, but an unexpected attack came when an extra arm reached out from the monstrous body and grabbed him with its claws.

"NOW!"

the voice distorted by Marcy's transformation gave a signal

Blanche, who had been waiting at the top of a tree, leaped landing on the wrist of the monstrous arm and plunged his dagger between her fingers without hesitation.

The strange thing was that he didn't feel the dagger piercing clothing or flesh, as if he had stabbed into the air.

when he understood what had happened it was already too late to dodge

The Vampire King materialized out of nowhere right above him with both hands clasped together imitating the use of a hammer trying to smash his head in.

fortunately or unfortunately Blanche elementalized causing the king's joined hands to pass through her body without resistance

her ending up directly impacting Marceline's extra arm breaking it with an ugly sound

"Argh!"

If there is something that is rarely mentioned about being able to regenerate from any injury, it is that you still have to suffer it with all the pain that this entails.

and this was the first time Marceline had broken an arm cleanly.

The pain was such that Marceline detransformed and fell to the ground keeping her arm attached to her body, though she would heal in a few seconds as she was unable to move from the crippling pain.

And that was all the Vampire King needed.

The king teleported behind Marceline with his reptilian right claw raised, he seemed to want to cut her into several pieces, an injury that would take her out of the fight indefinitely.

but before lowering her arm, the King looked at Blanche that he was thinking about how to get Marcy out of that situation

Because everything happened in a few seconds when Blanche reacted the King was already behind Marceline with his right claw raised

teleportation makes him almost untouchable if you don't know where she's going to be, not to mention the enormous mobility this gives him, this is perhaps his scariest ability because it allows him to be everywhere instantly

"Hunter, I'll offer you some wisdom before you take out your partner, when someone becomes untouchable, they also become unable to touch, if you know what I mean."

Blanche understood what the King wanted, he was offering him a choice.

he let Marceline take the hit or do it himself, if he elementalized then Marceline would still take the hit so he had to suffer if he wanted to protect her

"It's your choice"

The King did not give him time to think and under his arm

the world moved slowly as his claws got closer and closer to Marcy, it looked like she was going to be cut to pieces

but a strange swirl of snow instantly began to form between the claw and Marceline.

forming in a second a Blanche holding a shield that cracked just from being close to the vampire king, it seemed that only would withstand a blow

but that was just what was necessary

the claws collided with the cracked ice shield and shattered it into pieces that flew like shrapnel in all directions, the good news is that the initial impact pushed Blanche and Marceline back several meters out of the reach of the claws

well, almost

a bright red liquid stained the floor where our protagonists were

blood was coming out of the Hunter's chest, the cause?

3 large and deep cuts now graced his chest, the claws pierced through the shield and cut deep, narrowly missing his internal organs, the initial impact knocking them down saved his life.

*drip drip*

but he did not leave without leaving a gift

Droplets of black blood fell from the Vampire King's hand, the hunter's dagger sinking deep into his scaly palm.

The King could feel how the dagger burned and eroded him inside

The pain and erosion soon ran down his right arm and he lost all feeling, leaving that arm completely limp.

Alarmed by the situation, the King took the dagger in his left hand and violently tore it from his right hand.

he threw it deep into the woods

but his arm didn't heal, he couldn't move it anymore

*laughs* "ouch, you really cut deep, but here's some human wisdom, before seeking revenge dig two graves"

the hunter emerged victorious from this confrontation

"Blanche! We need to end this now to heal you"

Marceline finally snapped out of her stupor when her arm healed completely, since she broke her arm it really didn't take long, everything was almost instantaneous so it was hard for her to process the whole situation.

but it was the first time she had seen Blanche injured and her concern quickly overcame her desire to destroy the King.

"Don't worry Marcy, he didn't touch anything important, just my ego and my beautiful body, this is going to leave an ugly scar, but he lost one of his arms, this is coming to an end"

The Vampire King who finally got out of his trance looking at his limp arm finally looked at Blanche

"You're right Hunter, I must admit that I was careless, my desire to see you suffer outweighed my desire to win, it won't happen again"

*laughs* "I'm glad to know that, Marcy I need you to do me a favor, can you go get my knife? I really need it if I want to end this"

"No! Of course not! You're hurt and you can't attack him with your powers. You go get him and I'll keep him busy."

"Listen to me Marcy, he can appear anywhere besides reading your mind, before he was just playing, but I can entertain him, just go, the faster you go the faster we can go"

Marceline seemed reluctant, but she understood that this was the best way, so she flew away after leaving a few last words.

"do not die"

The King observed all the interaction with curiosity, he never understood the feelings, before merging with the vampiric essence he was just a wild lion, he wondered what it would be like to return to those days of peace in nature, it is a pity that that ship is already there sarped

"Are you sure you want to face me alone? Without your ice powers you're just a skilled human, but that won't be enough"

"aww do you care about me?, you don't have to think about it so much, it's more interesting that way"

"I just wanted to be sure"

'Okay, I'm left with my basic melee abilities and my spiritual abilities, I can feel his presence so I can't lose sight of him, I can feel his emotions so I can predict when he's going to attack and I can sense that he's still trying to form a bond with my spiritual power, he's trying to read my mind'

'Besides, I can't transform into snow anymore, I tried, but my physical strength is severely depleted from blood loss.'

'so it all comes down to dodging so as not to die and try to damage him'

The vampire king snapped him out of the thoughts of him flying towards him at full speed with his only functional arm pointing at his neck, he's really trying to kill him now

Blanche's body moved with agility dodging his claws by rolling to the side, his wound was still open and losing blood so he tried to minimize each movement.

but the king did not give up so easily

Blanche could feel negative emotions along with a presence appearing behind him instantly, knowing it was the King Blanche placed both hands on the ground and raised his lower body into the air to deliver a double kick to the king's chest.

He didn't expect such a quick reaction, it didn't do him any damage but allowed Blanche to use it as a support to get out of his reach.

The vampire king didn't chase him, he just looked at him curiously.

"mmh, I knew you could feel my presence, but not my emotions, I'm kind of curious, what am I feeling now?"

Blanche was breathing a little more heavily, the blood loss was beginning to affect him too much.

*gasp* *gasp* "surprisingly just a little bit of spite mixed with emotion and a whole lot of boredom, you must be tired of being immortal"

"You are right hunter, immortality is boring after more than a thousand years, and soon your friend will understand, I will kill you and turn her into a vampire, so that she suffers for eternity, I feel that this would be the worst punishment for both of you, you Without being able to do anything else that will see your beloved suffer in the other world is much better than simply condemning yourself to eternity"

"okay that earned you a dagger in the heart, I really thought you were more cool than your subordinates"

"I am, but I am still a King and a King must take revenge on the enemies of his kingdom"

"Yes, I understand, you know what else I can feel? That the next confrontation will be the last one"

"on that we can agree human"

The Vampire King fully focused on his enemy, still trying to read her mind.

He no longer tried to teleport since it was useless, Blanche would just dodge it, this had to end with a direct confrontation

they both inched forward closing the distance little by little until they started to accelerate running towards each other for a final crash.

the last confrontation between two races

the distance between them ended and both collided raising a cloud of dust that covered them

The cloud of dust slowly dissipated to reveal the final result.

Blood trickled down the Vampire King's usable arm that was embedded in the hero's stomach.

Blanche had already lost too much blood, his skin looked like a totally white sheet of paper, one of his hands was holding the arm that was across his stomach and his other hand was raised in the direction of the forest, as if he wanted to grab something that wasn't there.

"You were a good opponent, human, but your partner failed you and you lost, this is the end"

*cough* *cough* "yes, this is the end"

A black dagger flew out of the forest and landed perfectly in Blanche's hand.

Marceline had arrived

*cross*

The dagger plunged deep into the Vampire King's stomach, instantly paralyzing him.

A panting Marceline sped out of the forest just to witness this scene.

"BLANCHE!"

She came flying at full speed trying to hit the King away but she was stopped by Blanche's weak voice.

"stop Marcy, it's over, his body can't move anymore, the dagger is eroding his interior"

The King fell to the ground sliding his arm that was embedded in Blanche's stomach

"But what about you?! We have to take you to the ship!"

*cough* "don't worry, I'll be fine once I claim my prize"

"hey Vampire King, I know you can't move or talk so I'll just tell you, I plan to become a vampire, so open your mouth, wow that last sounded worse than I thought"

Blanche approached the King lying on the ground and took his jaw, opening it and revealing his fangs

finally without hesitation Blanche approached his neck and inserted the King's fangs into his skin

The King's body transformed into a dark colored cloud that slowly entered Blanche's body through the orifices in his neck and finally leaving two small scars on his neck that showed his new status as a vampire.

now there were only the two of them left in the silent ruined forest

a Blanche still bleeding to death and a tired Marceline

Marceline looked at all the blood and the pale complexion of her beloved companion, she knew what she wanted to do.

"Blanche, I want you to bite me"

He looked into her eyes, Marceline's eyes were deeply dark in color but you couldn't hide the natural shine they always had.

those eyes were determined

"If I bite you we will be together for all eternity, are you sure?"

Marceline did not hesitate

"just bite me idiot"

*laughs* "I can't argue with you"

He slowly approached Marceline's neck revealing his new sharp fangs.

"I love you Marcy"

"I love you too"

-end of first volume-

PS: ok, that was longer than I thought it would be, I really wanted to give you a great season finale so here it is, maybe there will be a few mistakes throughout the chapter so you can tell me in the comments, don't forget to Comment on suggestions of anything you want (songs, arches, etc.)

By the way, I opened a patreon, all the content is free, it contains few things because it's just done but in the future it will have more behind the scenes and various surveys that can influence the story if you want to go look at it I already uploaded a survey to determine what the arc of princess bubblegum will be like, donations are only optional!

patreon.com/Ims420

Here is the summary of the current abilities of the protagonist before being a vampire, it is a little different from the previous summary but I think this one is better adapted and written, I took away some little things that don't really affect anything and left the most important here

the protagonist was not nerfed, but I took away some things that were never really used or are going to be used, really nothing important

(stop using the name haki or using names for the special moves because I feel it looks better that way)

powers:

_manipulation, creation and transformation in ice/snow:

-manipulate: lower the temperature of everything within his reach (basically freeze), manipulate ice and snow even if he did not create it, in addition to water in the air or his enemy's body (he can cover his wounds for a limited time, not heal)

-create: clones (snow/ice), weapons (melee or long range), tools, shields or barriers

-transformation: turn into snow or ice to ignore physical damage, change shape or move parts of your body unnaturally (grants incredible agility), move around your environment turned into snow (allows you to float small distances)

_spiritual power:

- incredibly improved memory capacity (great concentration needed)

-feel the presences in your environment

-feel the emotions of living creatures (aggressive emotions)

-predict your opponent's actions (by combining the previous two)

_talent for magic: (of all kinds, currently unavailable)

-enchant objects with specific magical effects

-Currently it can only enchant some objects with not very powerful effects due to the fact that magic on earth is incredibly scarce-

_skills:

-basic use of cold weapons (daggers, swords, etc) (prefers to use long range ice attacks for safety)

-advanced use of long distance weapons (bows, guns, etc) (he was a hunter for most of his life)

-basic martial arts (no teacher, still prefers to freeze things)

_knowledge:

(remember the improved memory and that it reads everything it finds)

(several cannot be applied due to lack of teachers, it is like using the internet, just because you have the knowledge does not mean you know how to apply it)

_books or experience:

-hunting and survival(applicable)

-sewing and elaboration of clothes (barely applicable)

-mechanics and repair (only the most basic as maintenance and assembly of parts)

-medicine (basic first aid)

-several languages (Spanish, English, Korean and Latin) (he already knew Spanish and English in his previous life) (Latin for incantations)

-theoretical knowledge of biology and physics (not really interested in learning scientific stuff)

-cooking and pastry (he is the one who cooks in the house)

_Enchiridion:

(inherited from Simon)

-knowledge about gods or cosmic entities

-alchemy(not applicable)

-knowledge about magical creatures (ghosts, monsters, vampires, etc)

-knowledge about other dimensions and interdimensional portals (barely applicable with enough magic and correct materials)

-Rituals of great power to invoke entities or manipulate various concepts (time, space, etc) (not applicable, there is not enough magic)

_equipment:

-custom dagger (enchanted to absorb sunlight)

(all his clothes are enchanted to blend with his powers: if he turns into snow or ice his clothes will too)

-black hooded trench coat

-White shirt

-Black pants

-black boots

-round blue glasses

-motorcycle

(currently kept on the ship only used to travel long distances, something not very necessary at the moment)