Beauty From The Grave

It was a vague feeling. A mere hunch that I felt, one that caused me to look back. That instinct was the reason that I saw it, something akin to a miracle.

There were cracks in the ground.

When I put it like that, they really sound quite mundane don't they? But these were unique, unlike anything I'd ever seen in all my life. They were blue, again not my best use of wordplay.

The cracks extended from the midline in the road toward beyond the edge of the sidewalk. Cracks in the concrete emanated a wonderous light-blue hue toward the sky. The sight seemed so unnatural to me that I couldn't look away. I had to confirm to myself, over and over again, that what I was seeing was real. 

It was times like this that I wished I had a friend or two to share experiences with. I mean, something like this must've been a once-in-a-lifetime sight to behold. It was with that thought, that I took my first step toward that odd light. I understood the danger, normally I would avoid something this mysterious and risky, but I couldn't help it. As I walked towards the crack, I couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be no one else around. It was as though they'd all gotten an evacuation notice and I was the only one left in the dark. 

Closing one eye, I plunged one foot into one of the glowing cracks.

...

...

Nothing.

Simply touching either the cracks or the light that they emitted didn't seem to have any noticeable effect. 

That was when I got the bright idea to follow the cracks and find their origin point. They all seemed to be spawning from a single direction after all. I couldn't have imagined the sheer chaos that simple idea would bring upon the world. 

The walk to the cracks' origin point lasted around twenty minutes, as more time passed my resolve got stronger and I refused to turn back. Though it was a weakling's resolve so take it as you will. 

Either way, this downtime is a perfect chance to tell you more about myself. I am Dark King Veri, ruler of all that the night sky touches! Since the beginning of time, I have existed in one form or another, but as of sixteen years ago, I have taken this form. With the body of a dark-skinned teenager of very slightly below-average height, I attend Shores Charter High School as a Junior. Of course, this is merely my most recent guise, for at the moment I must hide from my greatest enemy, the Holy Union! Wait... was it Great Holy Union, or Union of Justice... something along those lines! The name is currently still pending.

Sadly, I don't have time to go into the many creatures that I have slain, though I can say that the very extensive list does include dragons, werewolves, witches, and much more! That's why it's such as shame that the me of the present has reached the origin point. The root of all the cracks was a graveyard, or to be more specific, someplace in the graveyard. 

The graveyard itself seemed quite old and unkempt. It was surrounded by bushes and thick foliage, it seemed as though no one bothered to properly remember those who were laid to rest in this place. Surrounding the graveyard was a brick wall overgrown with vines and crawling with small insects. The only entrance into the graveyard was a large rusty gate, it seemed to be something right out of a nightmare.

All the resolve that I'd built suddenly went flying out the window as I looked at the desolate graveyard. The fact that the sun had nearly completely set didn't make the situation any better. While it may have been my imagination, I swore that the silence was interrupted by a quiet groaning. At that moment, my heart could've jumped right out of my chest, and took a long month-long vacation in the finest resort in Sweden.

Truly, the resolve of a weakling is such a fickle thing. 

At that moment, god himself must've been watching on with a devilish grin stretched across his face. Just as I planned to abandon my plans and turn back, I could hear something rustling in the nearby bushes. Without a doubt, judging from the sound it was marching straight towards me. Without a second thought, I ran straight through the graveyard's rusty old gate. If I'd just held my ground a moment longer, I would've found the sweetest little puppy jumping out of the bushes without a care in the world.

As I ran through the graveyard, I was filled with even more fear than before. As I looked at the gravestones to my sides, they'd all been desecrated by the blue cracks. The sheer volume of cracks had increased compared to when I first noticed them, likely due to my being closer to the source. 

Then I reached it, the origin. A small shed near the back of the graveyard. The wood it had been constructed from was rotten and old. Whatever color it had when it was first constructed had long faded into a murky dark red that blended in perfectly with the early night. Exercising as much caution as humanly possible, I opened one of the shed's doors. What met my gaze was an unexpected sight, for a second time that day, a sight that one could only hope to see once in their entire life. This time, it was a coffin.

Crafted from the darkest wood, polished to an alluring sheen, it radiated the grand esteem of an enigmatic sovereign and stands as a testament to elegance and power. Its sleek, elongated structure is adorned with intricate carvings of gothic beauty, depicting swirling vines, dragons, and serpents, symbolizing both grace and mystique. Within, blood-red velvet lines the exterior, embroidered with ancient sigils. Ornate fittings of blackened silver and wrought iron, featuring motifs of bats and roses. At the center of the coffin was a crest—a bat crowned with a blood-red jewel. 

The coffin was laid on the floor of the shed and from the ground it was laid upon, the blue cracks spread out like the roots of a tree. Inching closer, I was overcome with the mystique of the coffin. I examined it and looked over it until I'd admired every detail that was etched on it. 

"Amazing." 

That was the only word that came to my mind. 

In the game of life, humans stand out due to our gift of higher-level thinking. While we may not be the fastest or the strongest creatures in the animal kingdom, we are by far the smartest. That is why to act without using your brain is an act that disrespects the very nature of our species. Yet, I committed that exact sin. My hand, without any rhyme or reason, reached out and touched the coffin.

The instant that my skin made contact with the finely crafted wood of the coffin, black sparks flew out from the point of contact. 

"What the-!" I exclaimed, recoiling instinctively from the unsettling display. My body reacted with the agility of a startled cat, muscles tensing in response to the primal warning signals echoing through my mind. I fell to the ground a few feet away from the coffin.

The once dormant red jewel crowning the coffin ignited with a fierce brilliance, casting a crimson glow that seemed to sear through the gloom of the shed. Strange, otherworldly sounds reverberated off the walls, filling the air with an eerie cacophony that sent shivers down my spine.

As though responding to some sort of otherworldly summons, the edges of the coffin began spawning fierce winds. It would be incorrect to say that the winds lashing out from the coffin were simply manipulated from the air. The vortex seemed to be taken from some point in the past. Winds of a long-forgotten era. 

With each passing moment, the air grew heavy with the weight of centuries-old secrets, a palpable aura of history unfurling like a tattered scroll. 

Despite the chaos unfolding before me, an inexplicable pull drew me closer, my senses intoxicated by the maddening blend of danger and intrigue. With bated breath, I watched as the lid of the coffin began to creak open, unleashing a torrent of energy that crackled and surged, as if eager to escape its age-old confines. Black lightning meekly darted out from the coffin and all of the otherworldly madness completely ceased to be. 

Once the lid of the coffin had been taken off, a beautiful woman sat up in the black box. My eyes, no, any mortal eyes graced with the honor of seeing her would find themselves absolutely smitten. There, nestled within the confines of the ancient sarcophagus, lay a woman of unearthly beauty, her porcelain skin bathed in an ethereal glow that seemed to emanate from within. Her firey red hair cascaded down her body in a messy brilliance, paired with the most dazzling scarlet eyes. Her naked figure was also the thing of dreams, perfectly enticing to anyone, man or woman. Awestruck, I couldn't take my eyes off her, it was as though she radiated some divine royal glow.

As she stirred from her slumber, her lips parted, she spoke, but I simply couldn't understand a single word. The language was unlike any that I'd ever heard before. As her lips opened though I noticed something unusual, sharp fangs were placed where most people had their canine teeth. In truth, they hinted at the true nature of her inhuman being.

Finally, she looked in my direction. By all means, she seemed unimpressed and uninterested. In her eyes lay an anger, perhaps one that had found itself nestled in her heart for as long as she'd been in that coffin. 

"Katsuak tlakatl." 

"Wha-" 

The woman extended her right hand toward me, and all at once, a primal feeling of danger flooded my body. Even still, I was unable to move from my position, sitting on the floor watching her. Her hand seemed to radiate an odd energy and soon some power not of this world swirled at her fingertips. I could only tremble as that power compounded and coalesced into a large fireball. Its searing heat could even be felt from where I was sitting.

In her eyes was every intent to burn me to ash, but just then, the fireball flickered and faltered. Soon it completely dissipated. Seeing this, the woman looked down at her palm with quite an annoyed face. Whatever had just occurred, I couldn't help but be glad. 

Before I could ponder these questions further, the woman rose from her resting place with an eerie grace, her movements fluid and unhurried. Effortlessly, she pulled me up from the ground. Then, in one fell swoop, she pressed me close to her naked body. A jumble of emotions bounced around inside me, but any form of excitement would disappear once I looked at her face. Her mouth was opened wide and her shimmering elongated fangs were on full display. 

Then I understood her true nature. As she plunged her fangs into me, I understood. 

"A vampire."

As her fangs pierced my neck, I could feel every drop of blood being pulled out of my body. There was an odd chilly sensation that swept the tips of my limbs and an odd bliss from where her fangs punctured me. As she held and fed off me, I was locked into a trance-like state. At that moment, as the world around us faded into insignificance, I knew that my fate had become inexorably entwined with hers.

When she pulled away, I felt like I was halfway to death's door. Much of my energy had been extracted from my body and I may have wandered onto the other side if it weren't for the warmth of her vampiric embrace. 

"Human. What is your name?" 

Looking up, I was shocked. It seems that she took more than just my blood in our exchange. Due to a mixture of my drowsiness and nervousness, I answered with the first thing to come to mind.

"I am Dark King, Veri! Of all humans that exist in this era, I am by far the most brave, the strongest, and most elegant. Vampires like you don't scare me in the slightest. I've got thousands of the most powerful men in the world at my beck and call!" 

"I see... Well, Veri, I shall ignore your insolence on this one occasion. Any who dawn the title of 'king' or anything of the sort in my presence is nothing more than an ignorant fool. This is my land and I shall be reclaiming it soon."

"Yeah... Well, what's your name then?"

"Cacophony, the Vampire Empress."