DEMON'S FATE

CHAPTER ONE [NO ACCENT EDITION]

| Alucard |

A flurry of vermillion flames spewed through the rain-soaked streets in pursuit of a speeding black carriage. The stallion pulling its weight whinnied and panted, the crack of the coachman’s whip echoing through the sleeping city.

But not even a horse could outrun a demon.

The entangling flames raced at the carriage’s right side. With the sound of a cocking gun, the carriage’s red curtains parted, the window fell, and the arm of a white-robed man reached out with a pistol in his grip. He fired at the flames, but they dispersed before his shot could land and swiftly curved over the carriage’s roof to the left side. A pale, clawed hand holding a shimmering golden colt extended out from the fire, and when the trigger was pulled, a whirring bullet fired and embedded into the carriage’s front wheel. Before the white-robed man could attempt to fire another shot, the embedded bullet exploded in a flash of blinding light.

As the carriage wheel blew off, the coachman tried to steady the panicking horse, and the white-robed man inside tried to dive out, but the carriage swerved under the weight of its missing wheel and rolled over onto its side, tumbling down the soggy cobblestone street.

The carriage came to a shattering halt. At the end of the road, the mass of vermillion flames landed and twisted together to form the shape of a man. And from the smoke, a pale, crimson-haired vampire emerged.

Alucard.

The faded flames rematerialized the ankle-length fur-trimmed cape he wore over his shoulders, and in the lamplight of the street he stood on, his eyes shimmered like hellfire. He fixed them on the broken, crashed carriage ahead and scowled cautiously, waiting for his enemy to face him.

The carriage roof cracked as a force from within crashed against it. Several thumps came from inside, and after one more, the roof shattered outwards, sending a flurry of splintered wood towards Alucard. The vampire held up his cape, keeping any loose splinters from scathing him, and when the white-robed man climbed out, Alucard holstered his golden colt and stood ready for whatever his opponent was about to throw at him.

With an irritated growl, the blonde-haired man shook the dust and wood from his robes as he stood up straight and glared down the street at him.

Neither of them waited for the other to speak.

The white-robed man immediately held out his hand and fired a beam of blinding white light toward the vampire. Alucard dodged as he summoned a shard of shimmering luciferium from the ground; he launched in towards the man, who dived to his left to evade it. The crystal hit what remained of the carriage, sending it up in flames with a ground-shaking explosion.

Before the man could comprehend, though, Alucard disappeared into vermillion smoke and reappeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. The vampire snatched the man’s throat, but when he swung his other hand towards the guy’s face, he grunted and grabbed the vampire’s wrist. They both growled and snarled, struggling against one another’s force.

“He sent you, didn’t he?” the man uttered through gritted teeth. “You’ve gathered up my brothers and sisters like cattle—where are they, demon filth?”

Alucard tightened his grip on the man’s throat, focusing his ethos on the incantation he uttered under his breath. And as the man scowled in dread, the vampire told him, “They are where you are going.”

The man tried to spread his clenched fist to summon another ball of light, but the ground beneath his feet cracked and split, crimson light oozing onto the cobblestone street. His silvery eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to beg, but the cracking ground gaped and pulled him down to whatever hellish fate awaited him in Damien’s world below.

Alucard stepped back, watching as the crimson gateway sealed itself, repairing the cracked cobblestone road it had parted to form. It left the faint smell of sulphur in the air and twisting, vine-like scorch marks on the brick.

Silence.

The vampire sighed quietly, and as rain started falling over his face, he tilted his head back, embracing the bitter wet. It was over. That man was the last he’d come to hunt…and now he could go home.

But the pained whine of the horse which had been pulling the carriage snatched his attention. He hurried over to where the beast lay, discovering it had become enthralled within its straps and bands. The dead coachman lay not too far away, but Alucard didn’t care about him. He rushed to the horse’s side and snapped each strap with his hands; he tugged on the backband, pulling it apart with ease, and when he pulled the coachman’s seat and remaining front wheel from the horse’s back legs, the beast shrieked and scrambled to its hooves.

Alucard backed off and watched the horse race down the road. The doors of houses and shops lined up the street started opening, lights began flicking on, and the sound of loading weapons stole the serenity of the falling rain. Alucard wasn’t going to stick around. He dematerialized into vermillion smoke and raced up into the sky, disappearing above the clouds.

He sped over the city and through a vast, foggy valley, and he didn’t stop until he reached a small mining town on the other side of a towering black mountain.

The vampire rematerialized once he touched the ground and followed the dirt path towards the tavern ahead. He wiped the ash from his shoulders and tidied his hair, and once he stepped into the bustling pub, he made his way through the crowd and up the stairs.

A happy bark greeted him when he got into his room. Sabazios, the pony-sized wolfish hellhound raced over and jumped up at him, oblivious to his immense size. But he wasn’t strong enough to knock Alucard off his feet.

“Yes, Sabazios, I’m fine,” Alucard mumbled as he patted the dog’s head and locked his door with his other hand.

Sabazios barked again and followed him to his desk, where a pile of black-enveloped letters lay. The vampire slumped down in his seat and looked over each of them, but there wasn’t any new mail among them. He glanced at the standing mirror by his miserable single bed, but a deep, empty darkness swirled around inside. He wouldn’t hear from Zalith until much later tonight.

With a quiet whine, Sabazios curled up at Alucard’s feet.

“We will head home soon,” he said, scratching Sabazios’ ears. “I just need to rest for a moment.”

His mission to find angels for Damien was finally over—at least in this world. It took him much longer than he would have liked, but time was different in Tengetso. It had been years for him, and back home in Aegisguard, he calculated that just over eight months passed. He stared at the math scribbled on a crumpled piece of parchment in front of him, and when he glanced at the clock, he sighed quietly.

“All right,” he said, standing up. He hastily gathered all of his papers, envelopes, and trinkets, which he packed into a leather shoulder bag. He then moved towards the mirror and reached behind it. Once he deactivated the linking spell that let him see through other mirrors as if they were windows, the blackness inside faded, and the mirror returned to normal.

He stared at his reflection. In his effort to get the job over with as soon as possible, he’d let his hair grow uncomfortably long. He’d ensure to fix that when he got home.

“Let’s go,” he mumbled, glancing back at Sabazios.

With a bark of acknowledgement, the hound followed Alucard to the door.

The vampire pulled it open and stepped outside, and once he closed it behind him, he headed down the hall and back downstairs to the bar. He handed his room key to the barmaid, and as she called her goodbyes, he led Sabazios outside and up the path towards the town’s exit. It was going to be a tiresome journey home, but the thought of his own bed and clean clothes helped him get over the fatigue weighing down on him. Not only that, but he’d finally be able to talk to Zalith while they were both in the same world. That thought had kept him going much longer; all he had to do now was get back to Aegisguard.