The Darkness In The Void

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: 2016

She swept her long red hair back, pulling it out of the way once more... Her hair had always been unruly, and was quite possibly one of the only unruly aspects about her. Lylith is very well mannered, she keeps herself clean and groomed to the highest possible standards, and she keeps her mind sharp with books, and studies, when possible. As for her unruly hair... Pins, brooches, and ribbons can oft be seen containing the blood red locks, thick as a horses mane...

On this night, the occasion called for a lovely Emerald brooch, acquired specifically for a ball nearly 200 years ago for a masquerade ball she hosted, celebrating the acquisition of her estate... The piece was priceless, and still quite lovely, but it simply didn't do a satisfactory job of holding back the mounds of hair she possessed...

Lylith re-pinned her hair, locking it in place, where it would remain for the next ten minutes or so...

"Ohh the things women do for beauty... " she whispered under her breath...

She leaned over once more, and once more her hair pulled against the metal tines of the jeweled brooch, but it held... For now... She smiled a little, satisfied that she wouldn't have to mess with it again for the next few minutes at least. She turned her attention from the tedious job of maintaining her beauty and returned it to her guest, who was lying, head in her lap... The man had been a gardener, tending to the mountainous estate she and her family now occupied... But he had grown too curious and greedy, and had tried to blackmail the Countess...

Lylith flicked his hair aside, arranging it as he lay dying in her lap... She imagined he felt little pain as his limbs trembled and refused to work for lack of blood and oxygen. His mind would slow, and his sensory functions would dull... Eventually he would fall asleep, and never wake... At least that's how Lylith imagined this kind of death felt... She hadn't experienced it before, though some of her family had explained it that way.

Finally, the mans last fighting heartbeat ended and she stood, leaving the body where it lay... Someone would tend to it. She had more important things to do than clean corpses from the halls of her own home. She had done enough of that in her younger years...

Lylith looked out a massive bay window of the multi million dollar estate, as she passed it... The tinted, UV proof, glass allowed her the luxury of being in the sunlight without burning... Something she hadn't experienced in years and years... She found it actually helped her think, and most of her family commented that it improved her mood, somewhat...

She stopped as she looked out at the setting sun. It was later in the day and most of the hired help was already gone, after preparing for the nights event... The gardener wasn't supposed to be working at all, when he was caught sneaking around the house by one of the newer members of the family.

She watched as the unlucky gardener was loaded into his own car and pushed off the cliff adjacent to the main driveway... She imagined the scene the investigators would find after the car exploded, incinerating the body inside, and erasing the incision in the neck, and hiding the broken bones he suffered when he struggled against the Countess' deathly embrace.

She smiled.

"Time for the party... "

 

[Amberlin]

Emily Campbell
Table Rock - Mount Claire Mall


"Aaron?" Emily called from inside the tiny dressing room, spinning around to check her figure in the mirror. Her brown eyes followed the curves of her hips in the reflection with a frown. I look like a whore in this dress, she thought, glaring at herself.

"Yes, darling?" she heard Aaron's lilting voice float over the door of the dressing room.

"Be honest," she began, opening the door to expose the latest dress he'd picked out for her. It was tight on her, and uncomfortably so, but Aaron's bright, blue eyes lit up like fireworks as he looked her up and down.

"You are so gorgeous," he said, covering his lips with a finger and shaking his head. "If I was a girl, I'd be so jealous of you."

"Do I look like a French hooker, Aaron?" she asked him, unaware that she had drawn attention from a pair of giggling teenagers nearby picking through the clearance rack.

Aaron gasped, but it morphed into an open-mouthed smile at her choice of words. "No," he said with a snort. "You look sexy, not whoreish. There's a difference."

Emily stepped back into the little dressing room and looked at herself again, turning from side to side. "I can't do it. I don't like it." She put her hand on the edge of the door and leaned forward a little. "Could you find me something less slutty? It's a fancy party, not a nightclub."

Aaron pursed his lips and gave her the stink-eye. "Meh-meh, fancy party," he mumbled in his worst imitation of Emily.

"I'm sorry!" Emily called after him as he headed left, toward the cocktail-style dresses. She shut the door and peeled out of the skimpy dress, adding loud enough for him, as well as half the store, to hear, "You know I love you, right?"

Aaron did not respond, but Emily was too concerned about the party tonight at the mountain estate to care right now. She had to get in. Aaron's hurt feelings would have to wait.

She checked her phone and groaned. The digital display on the front of the screen read 7:24pm. She wasn't exactly sure when the party would start, but it did not matter, so long as she was able to figure away inside well before it ended.

"Here," she heard Aaron say from behind the door. Emily looked up at the new dress he had slung over the top of it. Her head tilted slightly as her eyes drank in the color. It reminded her of red wine and sophistication. She pulled it down and carefully slipped into it, then zipped it up in the back as far as her flexibility would allow and looked at herself. The dress was strapless, but simple. It wasn't too tight or too loose, it didn't show off cleavage that she didn't have, and it did not scream for attention, while still standing out with the rich, silky wine color.

She opened the door again, this time with a grin. When Aaron looked up from his iPhone, his face went from bored to excited. "Is that the one?"

"It's the one," she agreed. "I have the perfect heels to go with it, too."

"We should find a black or a nude-color shrug for it," Aaron added. "You might get cold."

"Okay," she said, going back into the dressing room. She pulled the zipper on the dress down, imagining how the nights events would play out. She had a plan. There was a guest list, and thanks to a very quiet, yet helpful guy on campus, her name was on it under an alias. She could get in, mingle, ask the right questions, sneak off to see the rest of the estate, and be out of there before anyone would know she was ever there.

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

The house itself was a modern marvel... Sitting atop one of the crags in the mountains, overlooking the small town of Table Rock, sheer cliffs on either side, and a peak, looming over the roof like a black spire from some ancient castle. In the mornings, the sun rose up from behind the house, and the cliffs, leaving it in shade from the black spire above it... And in the evenings, the house bathed in sunlight before the mountains on the other side of the valley hid the sun from view, prematurely, due to their height.

This night was special, however... And the sun circled around the valley, hidden from view, but still giving off enough light for visibility. It was later in the year... The end of October, beginning of November, and the sun (rather than rising and setting) hovers along the skyline, never truly allowing a morning or a night... Only a perpetual dusk or dawn... But only for a few months... But that's not why this night in particular was picked to host the party...

Lylith drew her thoughts back in from straying so far from her purposes... She smiled at guests that passed, giving a familiar and pleasant smile as they walked her halls and dined on food that she used to enjoy. Generally, they smiled back, recognizing her as the matriarch of the family... But some didn't care who she was. Most of these people were liars and cheats... Lylith could tell, after living so long among them, who they were. Generally, the rich or well off were corrupted by their own status and wealth... And that's exactly what she had given all of the guests.

"The guests are all here... Every name is marked off, besides the Fraudrich family..." she heard, murmured from some distance away. The figure had avoided detection, per the usual, and her first childe, Alexander, stepped from the shadows into the dim light of the hallway.

"Good!" Lylith turned and replied, cheerful and upbeat, as she feigned enjoyment and happiness for the occasion. She put on a smile, and extended her hand to her oldest and most faithful companion, and he took her arm in his... She felt, for a moment, like time had stopped and they were back in their old estate, hosting a similar event, long before he fled on her own horse from the knowledge of what his wife was... But that was so long ago, and time resumed where it had left off...

She smiled as she passed a couple she knew... They owned a small chain of restaurants in town that Lylith had helped grow into a chain that spread into the US. Beside them, the head of the local constabulary... The elected governor, as well as his family...

"Look at them all... " she whispered, maintaining her smile as she passed by... "They're all here because they have power, and money, and influence... But they want something more... And they think I'm going to give it to them..." she waved at a lone man, the curator of the childrens branch local hospital. He ducked his head, and blushed profusely... (It wasn't power he wanted)

Lylith found herself in the main living room... It wasn't quite large enough to be considered a ballroom, but it was large enough to hold all eighty six (Minus the Fraudrich family) of the richest and most influential people that lived, or did business, in the small town of Table Rock...

She was greeted by fake smiles as she entered... Most knew who she was... A few did not. Soon they would all know...

 

[Amberlin]

Emily walked up to the tall doors of the house - whether it was a large house or a small mansion, she couldn't be sure - and stopped to smooth her hair and readjust her bra. The price tag of the dress was still attached and was tucked just under the lining, directly beneath her armpit. She was going to lose her mind from it by the end of the night, she was sure, but this pretty little eighty-three dollar and twenty-seven cent dent in her wallet was going right back to the mall tomorrow. She made a side note to watch out for waiters with platters of food and drink as well as people who might run into her and spill the contents of their wine glasses all over her.

Emily knocked on the door, then took a small step back and waited, feeling the reassuring curve of her camera in her purse under her left arm. The long, white price tag beneath her right arm did nothing but poke and dig into her skin.

The doors opened and a very handsome gentleman in his early thirties stepped out to stand on the threshold. "Name?" he asked.

"Stevens," she said. "Maria Stevens."

Emily watched the man's dark eyes roll down the list, then he looked at her with an apologetic smile. "No, I'm sorry. You're not on the list."

"I -" she started, but the man promptly stepped back and shut the doors.

Damn it, she thought, trudging back down the short set up steps onto the asphalt of the curved driveway. Her shimmery silver heels clopped on the hard surface, then came to a stop as she spun around to look at the mansion's face, studying the structure, the windows, everything. She had to find some way inside... Whatever secrets were inside that house could make or break her future career as a journalist.

She started off toward the right side of the large house, digging inside her purse to make sure her camera was still there and ready to go at a moment's notice. She winced and gasped as her naked toes met the cold, wet grass. Strappy heels were already somewhat of a challenge for her to walk in, but being in the grass made the task even more difficult, the result being her having to keep her arms out like a tightrope walker to keep herself from falling and twisting an ankle.

Emily made it around to the other side of the house and went to one window after the other on the lowest floor, peering through each one before trying to push them up to get inside. With every failed attempt, her determination grew.

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

She watched as the people settled in, getting comfortable in one of the most dangerous places to do so... Her family members were spread out around the house, mainly crowd controlling and socializing, making sure no overly curious guests decided to go on a deadly adventure through the unlit hallways and rooms of the gorgeous urban estate... She watched as one of her younger, more handsome, childer distracted a middle aged real estate agent from sneaking into one of the vacant bedrooms which held only window drapes and neatly organized bookshelves, and a large freezer which held bodies until they could be disposed of properly...

She smiled as the woman was led off, back into the crowd, where she would remain until the night ended...

"I see Simon is implementing his charms in a beneficial manner, today..." Alexander mentioned, having noticed the same incident as Lylith.

"Ohh, I'm sure he has his own agenda... " she suggested, knowing Simon too well to imagine he was looking out for the family, or the young woman...

Alexander chuckled, most likely remembering the last time Simon invested his affections in a young, lovely, human... And the bloodbath that ensued. In fact, the reason Simon was part of the family today was because of a relationship gone awry. Lylith remembered all too well the unfortunate love life of the young Simon Aiore'...

Lylith sighed at the harsh memory, and refocused her attention on the party, as it slowed to a crawl... She decided it was about time to address the main event, and the purpose of the evenings gathering.

"Shall we?" she whispered to Alex, even as she took his arm in hers, once more... Allowing him to lead the way, for her...

 

[Sammael9216]

Ruins of castle Regenstein:

What is this noise... scratching and scraping. Has the devil's hounds come to collect their due? John thought to himself as he sat patiently in the dark of his tomb. So long has he waited in the dark. So long has it been since he had filled his lungs with air. As the rasping grew louder he grew more impatient, he had lingered in the black for far too long. His hand began to twitch slightly as he thumbed across the edge of his sword. He laid it across his waist as he sat and waited. He began tapping his foot, a habit he developed during long hours in court. Oh how the peasants would plead to him on bended knees. He remembered one such man coming to him seeking aid. This farmer had the audacity to ask his Count to lend troops to search for his daughter. "She has not been seen for days m'lord, I worry she has been taken by bandits or lost in the woods," The man sobbed. How lovely it was to remember the look on the mans face as John delivered to him what he asked. "Worry not good man, I know of your daughter," John said as he gestured to two guards. Two guards standing across the room bowed and left. They returned shortly coming from the adjacent room walking side by side, between them they dragged a ravished corpse. The peasant looked at the corpse as it was flung to his feet. The man was speechless, his mouth quivered and gaped as he looked at the corpse and then to John. A ragged dress stained red with thick crusted blood barely covered her privates. Nearly every inch of her was flogged leaving long gashes wherever the whip met flesh. Her arms and legs were broken at the joints allowing the bone to protrude. The fingers on her right hand were missing all but the thumb."Do you not recognize your own flesh and blood peasant?" John asked in a stoic tone. The peasant brushed his hand through his daughters hair. The face was unrecognizable, everything but the girls hair was untouched. "why?" the peasant whimpered. "Her hair... it appealed to me." John answered no longer amused.

John was shook from his daydreaming by a loud thud that shook his tomb. A beam of light poured in through a crack in the ceiling. Instinctively he ducked back into the shadows. The sounds of men talking in a queer tongue he did not understand could be heard outside. Suddenly the crack widened and the ceiling caved in flooding his dank room with light. Ahhhh fresh air, he sighed. Other than blinding him the light did no harm to his flesh. Lurching from his tomb like a blur he swung his sword with amazing precision. Each swing left a red haze of blood drifting lightly in the air as he cleaved through flesh and bone. The smell of it made his mouth water. He stopped only to drain a man dry, taking large gulps of blood in a matter of seconds then moving on to the next. "Stop!" a man cried in Old Dutch, a language John was familiar with. John allowed himself to stop his frenzy long enough to enjoy the last few drops of his most recent victim. He let the body drop to the ground, his sword dripped red droplets from its tip. Pulling a white cloth from his coat he dabbed at the blood from around his mouth. He strode over to the man, walking over corpses as he went. The man was froze by fear, but to his credit he did not look away from John. "Do you know who I am?" John asked casually. The man began to stammer but finally found his voice, "Yes.... you're the last of the Regensteins. We were excavating what we believed was your tomb." The man looked around him in horror. "Oh God... you killed them, all of them." John grabbed the man by the throat lifting him clear off his feet. "God isn't here.... God can't save you, but the devil has been set loose, and he is very thirsty." John bit into the mans neck and savored the warm blood that sloshed into his mouth. Suddenly a sensation over took him, memories that were not his own flooded his mind. Memories of the men whose blood he drank and this man. Knowledge was being given to him, languages, history, understanding of the world around him. Things were so very different now, man has done wonders since his burial. Which explains the miracle of these lights in the absence of the sun.

 

[Amberlin]

Emily groaned, frustrated. Every window was locked on that side. There was no way in.

She made her way around the corner of the huge house and backed up a bit, looking for an alternate way inside. There was a back door, but that obviously would be locked or watched. Her eyes followed the lines and curves of the building, looking over windows and corners and...tree limbs? A great tree was near by, and though the limbs were too thin and small near the window to actually make it over and into the house, the tree would at least make a good vantage point to peer in and see if she could find anything worthy of a story. Her camera had a great zoom feature on it; she could use it to get a better look inside.

There was hope for her front page article, after all.

Emily undid the straps on the sides of her heels and slid them off, inhaling sharply in both pleasure and discomfort. The ground was incredibly cold on her bare feet, but it was so wonderful to be out of those damn heels finally. She made her way over to the base of the tree, checking all around her to make sure no one had spotted her yet, then set her heels down by it. She circled it, looking for the lowest limb, which was still too far for her to reach. She resorted to jumping for it, and on the second try, she latched onto the limb.

Unfortunately, Emily's upper body strength left much to be desired. When she was younger, tree-climbing was as easy as taking a stroll. Now, however, with a longer, heavier frame, she could not lift herself up. She placed her feet on the trunk of the tree and walked up it, in a sense, still holding onto the limb, until she could swing her leg over it. Now, she was hanging with her hands and legs around the limb, but it was easier now to grab onto the next closest limb to pull herself up and into the tree.

With a sigh, Emily took a moment to regain her strength and composure. She now had a sinking feeling that her dress would not be returnable by the end of the night. She just hoped that it would be worth the price to get to the bottom of what was going on inside that house.

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

She began her presentation once the room had quieted down... She had taken her glass of wine, that she hadn't even touched yet, and tapped the glass with her fingernails which was loud enough to silence all the rest that hadn't been silenced by her beauty or imposing presence... "Lylith, you little devil..." she thought to herself... "Holding captive an audience, at your age?"

She set her glass down on a nearby slate tabletop, the grey a stark contrast to the quartz crystal and the red of the object now sitting on it...

"My dearest friends! Most of you know me, and some of you are only familiar with my name, appearing on the checks used to buy stock in your respectable companies... However, I feel it is FINALLY time to introduce myself properly!" she said with a bit of a flourish.

"My name is Lylith, and I am the matriarch of house von Black, and have been for quite some time... " she added a hint of sarcasm to the end of that sentence, drawing laughs from oblivious guests that just wanted to seem knowledgeable, and laugh along as if they were aware of what she meant... She saw that most of her family smiled at that, noticing the humans were playing along quite well...

"I've brought my family to this quaint little town, for various reasons, but mostly because I noticed quite the business opportunity here, and I've invested vast amounts of my families fortune into all of your businesses... This is why I invited you all here. Each and every one of you has accepted support from my family in one form or another... Mostly monetary, of course... " She paused to smile at the curator of the childrens hospital. He blushed once more, bright red flowing to his already rosy cheeks...

"I've put much consideration into investing in this beautiful little corner of the world, and I've decided that I'd like to... Well... I'd like you all to retire, and live long happy lives, far away from here." she smiled as she said the last part, knowing it would confuse the simple humans... There was a general murmur spreading through the crowd at this point... "I've written each of you a check, matching the value in the remaining stocks of your companies, and it will be issued to you upon your departure... If you do not wish to sell, I must inform you that all of your financial support from my family will end, and without my support, so will your company. " She looked, in particular to a group of people who ran 'family owned' institutions... They were talking frantically to each other, discussing what they were going to do, of course... Little did they know, they had no choice...

She smiled, refocusing on the party as a whole, and waved her arms in a courtly gesture... "I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening here... If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Anyone in my family will be happy to converse with you... "

Lylith led herself away from the frantic crowd, followed by Alexander. The crowd parted for her, most still shocked by her proposal...

"I think they took the news rather well... Don't you?" Alexander chimed in, his silky voice drowning out the clamor of the humans in the background...

They began their way towards a roped off area of the house, simply because... Lylith smiled as she imagined the threats and the presses for lawsuits they would follow tonights announcement... They knew, though, as well as she, that their businesses would have failed years ago without her aide. She had only recently decided to invest in purchasing the businesses over simply supporting them because she saw the involvement, month to month, as an unneeded distraction from more important matters...

"What is your plan once you own all of the major businesses in the Rock?" Alex asked, the news as new to him as it was to the humans below...

"Well... Most of those silly businesses are doomed to fail anyways... " she said, matter-of-factly... "I intend to cut my losses, as well as theirs, sell a few patents, close down the businesses, and re apply the old facilities to allow the companies that actually make a profit, to move in... This is Natural Selection... Survival of the fittest... I'm only accelerating it, and turning a profit in the same motion..." She waved her hand, imagining disposing the old trash metal, and recycling it into shiny new coins...

She sat in a plush chair in a dark roped off section of the house... The room was cold, but Lylith didn't feel it... At least not until Alexander opened a curtain, allowing the dying light of the evening to flow in, bathing the room in a dull, cold, light... Like winter on your skin in the early morning, teasing you awake despite your protests...

"I think I love the sun even more now, than I even have... Each day it becomes more and more beautiful... More and more tempting..." she said, imagining walking out and feeling the suns warm touch, once more... Even if only for a few moments, until the end... She envisioned the warmth enveloping her body, allowing her to feel once more, before incinerating her, leaving nothing but ash behind.

Alexander simply stared out the window... He nodded once, though Lylith knew he would never let her do such a thing. Beneath their blank faces, and icy cold demeanor, they still loved each other.

"We will find a way... " he whispered against the glass...

 

[Alexa Ray]

Ivana Johnson; Ruins of Castle Regenstein; Romania

The castle appeared to be much more than Ivana had expected, despite the dreadful smell of human corpses that lay around and the rats that scurried across the cracked stone floor with undesirable plants weeding their way through the walls and wrapping themselves around old, antique furniture. Rubble and dirt covered just about every inch of the area, every corner piled up with it. She walked silently across the large room, letting her fingers slide amongst the dusty wooden chairs, eyes landing on a peculiar book, or perhaps a diary of sorts. She approached the end of the table, took the small, leather bound book gently into her hands, and blew on the cover, making her turn away and cough from the sudden dust particles that filled her throat and nose. The taste was unappealing to her, that was known for sure.

Pushing her silky, light brown hair to the side, she flipped through a few pages in the book, skimming it and squinting, trying to make out the words, but being unproductive in her research. She took it, shoving it in her small satchel that she carried around, then went to explore more inside the ruins of the castle that was many centuries old. Some hours seemed to pass by, but it may have only been minutes, or even a few seconds. Ivana was sure she'd find her answer here; she just wasn't sure where. The castle hadn't been excavated until now, which was why she had decided to invest in the ruins for financial purposes, as well as seeking out her own father. It gave her more freedom in a way, allowed her to travel as much as she wished, and her mother had agreed to let her do so, as long as she received half of the finances.

Ivana didn't understand why her mother would want half of what she gained when she already had so much wealth. That thought was something Ivana kept to herself, though. Sharing them was something she wouldn't condone, especially when she knew of the consequences in talking down to her mother, or about her. Inside the ruins, there was supposed to be a passage of some sort, the young gray eyed woman recalled. Somewhere amongst these walls...

"Stop!"

"Do you know who I am?"

Ivana did stop. Her heart pounded in her chest like a stampeding group of African black-skinned bulls. She could hear a conversation through the other side of the wall. It was faint, but she could make out most of the perceived revelation between what sounded to be like two middle-aged men. She felt a stone drop in the pit of her stomach. So many questions entered her mind, each and every one waiting to be answered. Ivana hadn't realized there were others already here, but she'd also wondered distinctly if someone had already made it here before her and already freed her father. It truly sounded like that, considering the statement made by one of the men. She silently sank down the wall, ears eagerly listening for any information that might be easy to withhold.

Ivana closed her eyes, concentrating lightly on the world around her, blocking out all unwanted sounds, tastes, or anything of any other sort. If she was able to get into the mind of one, particularly the man who had sounded quite fearful of his situation, she'd be able to understand what was going on without getting caught. A few moments in, she found herself in the mind of a man who was of Dutch origin. He'd seen his friends slaughtered by another... a vampire. Ivana held her breath, throat constricting tightly. Her father was alive and they'd gotten there first. It was, without a doubt, the first she'd ever seen her father and watched how vile and nefarious he'd become.

What made him become so? Her mother was so kind to her... Why was he the complete opposite? Ivana stood up, a little shaken by the thoughts and memories she'd endured by that man of that particular event. He was a human. Didn't he know how dangerous it was to be here? That question was incomprehensible, in a way, although he now knew what he was dealing with. The Dutch man would not be able to deal with him. No matter the weapon or skills he'd acquired throughout his lifetime. He was human. Her father was a vampire. Ivana had to approach the situation; she had to do something.

She had to know why...

 

[Sammael9216]

At first the mans thoughts were lucid and frantic, they poured from his mind like water slipping between gaps. The whispers of his life were like a fog drifting through the span of a lifetime flickering through images and memories. John pushed them back and felt the fog lifting. In that moment he felt a pull back to the present. Looking around him he felt sadness overtake him. His home was a ruined shell of its former glory. The palace of his father and his father before him was ravished beyond repair. Nature and looters had claimed all that he loved. His sleeping quarters had been concealed behind a secret door and even this place had not escaped time. John took his time walking around the desolate room. How could a Regenstein allow this to befall his home, we endured war, famine, and plague but nothing can stand against time. John traced his fingers around a leather bound book half burned. The recordings of every member of his House and the acts they achieved in life. He found his fathers name and the passage he left behind.

Markus Regenstein​

A man can be a ruler, a king, but nothing will ever compare to the joy of being a father. My life had been ever devoted to the glory of my House and to the prosperity of my people. But the pride I felt when my son was born could not compare to any other achievement in my life. I give all to you, my son. John Regenstein, first of his name, I leave you one last advice from father to son. Love God, and honor your family; for a man can claim much in this world but none of it will last. All will return to the dust from which it was created, but the love you leave behind will endure throughout the ages.....

The rest of the passage was burned and illegible. John closed the book and let it drop to the floor. He cared not for the words of a long dead man. A still silence befell the room, all except the soft breathing coming from behind the wall of his room. He was not alone he knew, yet his keen senses could not hear the faint patter of a heartbeat. This thing lurking behind the stone wall was not of the living. Someone not so much unlike himself. John walked about the corpses paying no mind to the slick red blood that stained the ground at his feet. He quickly found what he was looking for, a large backpack that he proceeded to empty its contents onto the ground. He returned to his tomb which before he was buried held many of his own personal treasures. John rummaged through a old chest, the iron lock had long rusted away and crumbled to his touch. He wrestled free the rust on the hinges that squealed in dispute when he began to open the chest. Inside gold and silver shimmered from the light pouring into the room. John had not wasted time during his rule, taxes, mines, and trade had made him wealthy beyond measure. Then John found it buried under the gold, a necklace made for his mother. A string of silver and rubies. He had only seen his mother wear it a select few times and only in the presence of royalty. This one necklace was desired by all who looked upon it. A wealthy count from a neighboring land desired the necklace so much that he nearly started a war when he offered to purchase the jewels. John poured the contents of the chest into the backpack he found earlier and exited his tomb. Across from him was the entrance to his chamber long sealed shut. He could easily leave the same way or he could take the entrance the excavators had made when they stumbled across his chambers. However curiosity compelled him to find out who lurked behind those stone walls. John found the crease in the wall where the stone door would slide open, no doubt the mechanism that controlled it had withered away. He dug deep into the stone with his right hand and with a little effort the door began to slide open. At first it jumped and skipped breaking free of centuries of rust. Eventually the door slid open far enough for John to walk through. To his amazement the hidden creature did not flee, even more so that it was a woman. Her upper body was hidden behind a veil of shadow. "Step into the light girl, let me look at you," John said stoic as ever. He had no intention of harming this girl for he had his fill of blood for one night. When she stepped forth into the moonlight he felt a sudden ache in his chest, almost like the breath was knocked out of him. John stepped closer to the girl and when she did not move he continued to walk forward. "Your eyes.... they have the baring of someone I once knew." John reached out his free hand and swallowed the lump in his throat, "I have dreamed of you for a thousands years, haunting me in the shadows of my endless sleep. If you are real... please, tell me your name."

 

[Amberlin]

Emily was getting...upset. No - she was just plain pissed. She was frozen to the core, shivering from the cold winds blowing through the tree she was currently in. To make matters worse, the battery on her camera was just about spent, and she could see nothing through the windows. They were either all dark, or had drapes over them.

She groaned, aggravated, and tucked her camera back into her purse. She would not give up. There had to be another way.

As carefully as she could, Emily made her way back down the tree. When she got to the last limb, she lowered herself until she was hanging, then dropped. It wasn't the most graceful fall, but she managed not to hit the ground on her back end, at least. She gathered her heels and looked up at the back side of the enormous house once again. There's got to be a way, she thought. There's always a way... I'm just missing it-

Just then, she spotted her way in. There was a drainpipe at the far end. If she could climb it and get to the second story, perhaps the window would be unlocked?

Lady Luck, don't fail me now, she thought, heading for the farthest corner of the mansion.

Get up the drainpipe was not an easy task. Emily couldn't do it in her high heels, so she buckled them around her purse strap and headed up barefooted. Unlike the tree limbs, the metal was ice cold, and grabbing onto the plates that bound the pipe securely against the house hurt her hands and toes. When she reached the second story window, she almost slipped on the pipe as she tried to push up with her left hand. She made sure her hold was strong before trying again, this time pushing in spurts. It opened an inch, then another, then another, until finally there was enough room for frame to fit through.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of the ground below and she hesitated, hugging onto the pipe like a lifeline. What was she doing? Risking her life? For a college paper, of all things? She jerked her head back toward the window.

No, this wasn't about the paper. This, whatever "this" was, would give her an edge in her future journalism career. There was something strange going on inside, and it was her job to find out what. That, and she'd made it all this way. She couldn't give up now.

Emily held her breath and reached for the window sill. Once she had a good grip, she stretched across the pipe with her right hand and held on. She fought to pull herself up, using her legs around the drainpipe to push herself higher until she could bring her left foot against the side of the house. Her feet dangled once she was halfway in, and for a moment, the fear of slipping and falling came back to her. She used that fear to fuel her, pushing herself the rest of the way through the open window.

Her hands touched the floor. She brought one leg down, then the other. She was in.

The room was dark, but Emily could make out the shape of a lavish bed and a wardrobe closet in the corner. Opposite the bed, on her left, was a desk with a comfortable looking chair. Two large paintings hung on the walls, one of a snowy mountain with what appeared to be a river cradling it, and the other was of a person she did not recognize. The face looked hauntingly back at her, deepened by the shadows.

Emily straightened out her dress and brushed off her feet before getting her heels back on. Her hands were sore and painful, and looking at them in the dark, she could make out small cuts and scrapes. She made a note to keep her hands from view if in the event she were caught snooping around. She was planning to explain that she was a guest whom had slipped away to use the restroom and gotten lost, and if they saw her hands, they would wonder. She also made a note to avoid the doorman, because if he spotted her, she would definitely be caught and escorted off the premises before she could uncover the truth.

There was a voice speaking while she prepared to continue on, and as she made her way to the doorway and out into the hall, it got a little clearer. It was a woman's voice, very smooth. Emily followed the sound of the voice to a long stairway that led down onto the main floor. She hid with her back against the wall, just out of site, and poked her head around the corner just enough to see everything below with one eye.

"I've written each of you a check, matching the value in the remaining stocks of your companies, and it will be issued to you upon your departure... If you do not wish to sell, I must inform you that all of your financial support from my family will end, and without my support, so will your company. " The woman smiled after a moment and waved her arms. "I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening here... If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Anyone in my family will be happy to converse with you... "

That must be Lylith von Black, Emily realized. She'd never seen the woman's picture or even knew much about her until she started researching about the house. It has to be her. And she's buying out local business? But...why?

It wasn't the story she was looking for, but it was still a story.

Emily darted back behind the corner as the woman made her way through the crowd, followed closely by a bearded man. She waited a few beats, then slowly peeked around the corner once more. Lylith was gone.

Emily swore under her breath. She needed to find out more, if not by tailing the woman, than by mingling with the crowd and speaking with the locals. The trick was getting down the stairs without being seen.

She put on her best game face, an embarrassed smile to show she'd simply gotten lost from the crowd, and made her way carefully down the staircase. Through the chatter ahead, she could hear the woman's voice somewhere below her.

"...silly businesses are doomed to fail anyways... I intend to cut my losses, as well as theirs, sell a few patents, close down the businesses, and re apply the old facilities to allow the companies that actually make a profit, to move in..."

Emily's breath caught. She tried to single out the woman's velvety voice from the rest of the background noise and slowed her pace a little.

"This is Natural Selection," the woman went on. "Survival of the fittest... I'm only accelerating it, and turning a profit in the same motion..."

The game face Emily was struggling to keep on was slipping. This woman is insanely rich already, she thought to herself. Why does she want so much control?

Emily was just reaching the last step when she heard, "I think I love the sun even more now, than I even have... Each day it becomes more and more beautiful... More and more tempting..."

 

[Alexa Ray]

Ivana Johnson; Ruins of Castle Regenstein; Romania

She'd planned to enter the room with the Dutch man and her father in it, but that plan was spoiled. The human had thudded to the ground, and in that moment, Ivana knew her father had killed him. By what? She wasn't exactly sure, although she was confident that he had drained him. The smell of crimson liquid was catching up to her, sifting through her nostrils. She could taste that metallic substance on her tongue already and the thought made her mouth water with hunger. Hearing an object being tossed to the floor from the other side of the wall, then something picked up, she listened quietly, her soft breathing slowing down.

Ivana could hear her father pacing the room, his leaning down towards the floor, the crumbling of a rusty lock, and the many jewels and coins being picked up and held in his grasp. She felt a pang of sympathy stab through her chest. However many years he'd had to survive that tomb, Ivana had to wonder why he was so cruel and heartless to the innocents. Had something gone wrong? She didn't know, but she was willing to find out. Her eyes flitted around the area she was currently in. This castle, this place... If it was where her father was supposedly resided all those years, did that mean that she was supposed to live here too?

She couldn't keep the endless strings of questions from bombing her mind, but that was no concern right now. Ivana heard her father's footsteps leisurely approach the door to her right and abruptly, she heard and saw the stone wall begin to move. Fleet-footed, Ivana dashed away from her space without a second thought, hoping to hide away for the time being, then approach him herself. However, she was caught dead when she turned around only to see her father enter. Silly move, Ivana scolded herself, as her lower body was now partially visible to him. She fought back the disappointment, the tears, the anger. That was him.

When he'd asked her calmly to step forward, she held back a moment or two before reluctantly coming out of the shadow veil she'd hidden in, then into the moonlight that cast down upon her face and the rest of her body. Ivana's grey eyes observed her father from head to toe; the immediate change in his facial expression when she'd stepped out, his body language, and the words he verbalized. He looks and sounds like he'd just seen a ghost, Ivana noted quietly inside her head. As much as wanted to speak, as much as she wanted to move, she found she couldn't. Ivana's lips were compressed together and her feet were glued to the floor.

I want to say something, she thought tiredly. I do, father. Please believe me but, I- I just can't.

 

[Sammael9216]

John must have looked a dreadful sight for the girl was petrified in place. She neither moved nor spoke. John calmly ran his fingers through his hair pulling it back into a more regal look and straightened the long black leather coat he wore over his armor. This girl reminded him so much of Avalene, but her eyes reminded him of his mother. John could barely speak himself, he feared this was just a dream. "You have no reason to be afraid, I will not harm you." John casually walked closer to the girl till he was just feet from her. She smelt of lavender and rain, the same as the woman who fooled him so many years ago. Looking more closely at her he could see it, she was a child of the temptress herself. She inherited her mothers beauty for certainty. The way her face and smile could ease you into a dream. She was like the soft breeze that pulled you home at the end of a tiresome day.

Her eyes however were different, they spoke of fury and defiance. This girl looked like her mother, but deep down she was a Regenstein. The eyes of a Regenstein danced like wildfire, and like wildfire they devoured everything. She was not dressed like the men he slew moments ago, he knew then she was not a researcher looking for lost artifacts. She was here for him... "Your mother finally told you how to find me did she?" John said lazily. He walked ever closer to the girl and pulled back a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "You look so much like Avalene, but you are a Regenstein inside." John said as he towered over the girl. "I do not know how much Avalene has told you, but I'm sure it can't be much for we only knew each other for one night." John grimaced as he remembered how much of a mistake it was to be fooled by a pretty face. John sighed as his nature began to show again, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask but I'm afraid you may not like the answers little dove."

 

[Alexa Ray]

Ivana wasn't afraid, no. She couldn't be- this man, h-he was her father after all... right? She watched him silently as he ran a hand through his hair, styling it naturally into a more sophisticated look, and straightened his leather coat. Her eyes met his with mixed emotions tunneling a way through her heart. Fear, anger, disappointment, confusement. What reason did she have to not be afraid of him? He said he wouldn't harm her, but Ivana held her suspicions otherwise, her shoulders tensing slightly when he approached her, filling in more space between both.

Ivana wasn't sure what to go with at this point in time- what she should or shouldn't believe. Her mother must have made some sort of mistake in telling her the truth. This wasn't the outcome she'd expected at all. Her wariness to this man was starting to show by her body language, especially when she couldn't help but cringe as he reached forward to push a lock of silky brown hair out of her face. Gulping, she anxiously took a step back from the silver-haired vampire, eyes keeping direct contact with his golden ones, trying not to appear as some weakling. "Wha- what are you talking about?" she inquired, anxiety tapping on the ends of her tone. She couldn't believe this. She didn't want to. This was impossible. "How do you know my mother? Who are you?"

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

She closed her eyes for a moment as she sat... The chair was a velvet Victorian style, with mahogany arms and elegant carvings along the flowing frame. The scroll work had etchings of faces, shapes, words. It had been made long ago, just for Lylith, and she had memorized nearly every aspect of it over time... She smiled as her finger tips trailed over the last portion of a phrase in latin...

"... Giving me the strength to face them..."

She slid her fingers along the words, reading each one as if by braille... She was nearly done with that section of the scroll work when she heard the faint, excited breathing. It was quiet, just barely audible beneath the clamor in the adjacent rooms and hallways from her visitors... But that meant it was closer.

Lylith opened her eyes and let them slowly pan from the wall across from her to the stairwell... She smiled as she discovered her quarry... A young girl, not much younger than Lylith was when she was changed. Her hair was dark and she was dressed for the occasion, as if she had been invited, but Lylith knew most of the families of her visitors... This girl didn't belong here.

"Come... " she motioned with her finger for the girl to join her... "Come here, child... What are you doing here? Are you lost?" she asked, seemingly concerned about the welfare of the young woman, who was trespassing into the roped off areas of the house... She knew without a doubt that the girl was not lost, but was much more interested in the reason for her intrusion. And she knew that if Alexander or Simon found her here before Lylith, she wouldn't have the opportunity of leaving with the rest of the guests...

 

[Sammael9216]

John was growing ever so tired of these games. Perhaps Avalene had not told this girl the full truth? No matter, John would find out soon enough just how much this girl knows. Avalene was such a deceitful creature, it was possible for Avalene to lead her daughter here without her truly knowing the motive. The fact remained that he was free from his tomb, which he imagined Avalene had some reason for it. Perhaps she longed for another night bound by chains, John smirked at the thought. Whatever her reasons, whatever her motives were, Avalene always sought to increase her strength. Either by wealth or influence, that much was clear to him. And that is were the similarities between them ended, where Avalene would use her own flesh and blood to further her goals John would not.

"Little Dove, it was your mother who first gave you the notion to invest in these ruins, was it not? Look around you, what wealth do you see here? I am the only thing of value in this dismal place. Your dear mother, she turned me into the thing that stands before you and buried me under earth and stone. Now here you are, my own daughter come to seek that which she has always sought."

John allowed the sack of gold and silver to drop from his shoulder. In one fluid movement he pulled his sword from his sheath. He flicked it this way and that allowing the light of the moon to shimmer off the blade.

"My father gave me this sword, a commemoration of my first victory on the field. After that day I had never lost at anything. My father gave me a great many things, he was a generous man. I still have the scars etched into my back were he had me whipped for telling a lie. After that day I always spoke the truth. I'm not my father, the next time you lie to me... I will split you from belly to brains, and that is truth."

John allowed the tip of his sword to touch the ground and used it as a crutch to lean against. His face was stern and unforgiving. In a moment he could lash out with his sword and that would be the end of it. "Now Little Dove, put two and two together. You know who I am... Now say it." John stared at the girl with burning yellow eyes. He was begining to feel a twitch in his hand, a bad sign. He steadied himself by clasping one hand over the other and resting them on the hilt of his blade.

 

[Alexa Ray]

Little Dove... She couldn't help but be irritated that he was addressing her that way. She was his daughter, not some injured pigeon with a bloody wing on the side of the road. Ivana knew fully well who he was, she just didn't want to admit it because of what she was truly seeing in front of her eyes- a ruthless man with a taste for innocent blood. How could her father become such? Her eyes fell slightly, lidded under the moonlight. "There's plenty of jewels I can take for endowment, much less find you of value," she replied smoothly, a hint of distaste in her voice. She didn't want to portray herself this way towards him after they'd barely rejoiced, but she had a different way of reasoning, probably not considered moral in a way, and definitely not considered to help solve problems, especially when you were stuck in a situation like this.

You only get what you see and receive what you get.

Ivana could hear her silly logic bouncing around inside her head, damaging her brain mentally. She had a way out, if it were possible enough to be considered the "right" way of doing things. She stood there, the nervousness all melted away, and what replaced her expressions was that of a girl indifferent to the situation. She was barely listening in on him as he talked about the sword his father gave him. To hell with it all- if he wanted to split her open, she didn't care. That would just prove even more how much of a horrid man he was, and after that seemingly gruesome statement, she knew for a fact that she wasn't afraid of her father at all, even if he had turned into some evil 2nd generation vampire much more powerful than herself. It'd prove he would never be committed to a life with daughters or sons.

Her gray eyes held no emotion, as she lifted her head slightly, appraising him as a whole, especially with the way he held himself, using the beautiful sword as a crutch to lean against. When her eyes glanced back at his face, she was not in the least bit intimidated by his stern facial expression. He was her father and she had every right to deny what she saw was true in every way. Ivana couldn't grasp the fact that even a father could be this cold. She saw them as otherwise, because that's how she saw through personal experience, stories, and thoughts. This man was not anything of a father dear to her. "Why should I?" she mocked.

 

[Sammael9216]

John couldn't help but feel a hint of pride. Her defiance was like looking into his own past. I must seem like a monster to her? John thought to himself. What you see and what you choose to see are not always the same. John put his sword back into its scabbard, seeing as he wouldn't need it anymore. John studied her for a moment as if wondering what to do next.

"Well, if your eyes didn't give it away your spirit did. That spark of defiance, you didn't get that from your mother," John said in protest. John bent down on one knee and rummaged through the pack he let drop moments ago. A few tiny ingots had bounced out of the pack and scattered around his feet.

"If it is jewels you're after I have some here I think might find suitable for my absence in your life. No doubt you must expect something from me. I would if the roles were reversed." John found what he was after. The silver of the necklace burned his hands but he didn't care. Such trivial pain amounts to little when you're immortal. John hid the necklace behind his back and tucked it in a silk cloth so not to burn his hands. He then turned to face his daughter, his face still stern and hard.

"You and I are more alike then you want to admit, and that is fine. However to deny me, is to deny yourself. It is from me that you get your strength." His daughter had taken a few steps back from him and so he closed the gap between them in a few short strides. The ringlets of rubies clinked together as he walked. John put out his hand as if to show her he meant no harm. Although at this point he was sure she knew he had no intention of harming her. John moved around the back of the girl slick as a cat. He didn't bother brushing her hair aside, instead he lowered the necklace around her neck and pulled it back slightly so he could buckle it.

"This belonged to my mother, it is worth more to me then all the wealth and power the world could offer. This necklace was meant for a lady of House Regenstein, and seeing as you're the last lady of our House it is only fitting that you keep it," John muttered under his breath. He circled around to face his daughter, the rubies hung heavy from around her neck. He remembered then how his mother would complain about how they made her neck stiff when worn for too long.

"You can choose to disown me as your father, that is your right. I ask though that you keep those safe, and never forget who you really are," John said pointing his finger at the girl, like a father scolding his child. Although he hadn't had any practice at being a father, he felt like he was doing well enough. Better then most actually, truly what father would give away a fortune to a child. He was half tempted to take them back for a moment, but decided against it. John then shouldered his bag of gold and silver made for the exit. He passed by his daughter without so much as a glance. His heavy stride pounded at the ground, echoing through the great hall with each step. Suddenly before he rounded the corner he stopped. "I can tell you of stories that have been forgotten even by time. I can teach you the legacy of House Regenstein the likes of which you will not find in any history book. If you truly want to know who I am, this is your last chance. Come with me... Ivana. Ivana is such a beautiful name don't you think? Your mother had a gift for looking into a soul and seeing the desires that they themselves were blind too. You see, Ivana is the only thing your mother gave to me that I truly wanted."

 

[Alexa Ray]

The young vampiress observed her father without a word from her rose-colored lips. He'd suddenly put his sword back into its sheath- she honestly thought that he was going to challenge her further, as she had already been mentally prepared for it. Her mind had been going through the process somewhere along the scenario of her telling him to split her open if he wished, then nothing happening because he knew who she was, and she knew who he was.

Quietly observing him as he rummaged through his bag, she noticed a few jewels had fallen out, but she didn't make an effort to snatch them up because she hadn't truly meant what she'd said about the jewels being of more value to her than him. She'd noticed that there was some silver burning his hand a little, but he didn't seem to care, so she didn't make the effort to approach him and take it away. His intellect and explanations were truly stunning to hear. It made her less hostile towards him, but the sudden change in demeanor had her bringing up another question about why he was suddenly acting this way when he'd just been cruel to her a few moments ago, talking about slicing her in half because she wouldn't straight up accept the truth.

Ivana didn't move when he stepped forward, but her ominous-colored eyes followed his every move. A plaintive face watched him with no sound uttered as he then placed a ruby necklace around her neck. His sickly kindness was truly annoying her to no point, because it was making her feel guilty and shameful of what she'd portrayed herself as to her own father. Her face contorted into one of a painful smile and expression at his words. She wanted to speak out, tell him that she hadn't meant to make it seem that way, but that it was just so hard to take in everything she saw now and everything she heard from his tomb a while ago.

Ivana felt her negativity growing continuously on her like a weed as he passed by without so much as a glance. She knew he was standing at the exit without even glancing back at him. "So she gave you my name before I was even born?" she inquired tentatively, her voice rising to a decent level of normality.

 

[Sammael9216]

"The name itself is not what is important, it is the person whom it belongs too." John began to dig under his fingernails attempting to remove the dried blood there. Patience was not one of his virtues. John called out to his daughter like a scolding father, still focused on grooming his nails. They had grown pointed, almost like talons. "Little Dove, there is much to do and little time to do it. I would like to leave this place before dawn, or would you prefer to muck about some more? Perhaps converse with the dead maybe?" John did not wait for a reply and simply turned on his heels and rounded the corner. John considered his next plan very carefully, he had a century to perfect his stratagem. So many options... so many outcomes, John muttered to himself. War and conflict had been his best friends since childhood. When it came to war and killing there was no one better. The devil himself could not instill so much fear as John could. And he would need that fear in the days to come. John walked at a steady pace deep in thought. He didn't even listen to see if his daughter was behind him. John turned left around a corner then a right. Most of the castle had been burned and the walls crumbled away, however there were still some places left intact. Mostly the lower levels that were carved out of the mountain itself. He knew every inch of rock and mortar in these long halls, he had played in the lower levels many times as a child. The lower levels were a host of rooms, dungeons, and intersecting corridors. John had moved his living quarters down here to be closer to the dungeon. This allowed him to dispose of the bodies much easier and out of sight. Some women would even be kept here, tortured until he was no longer amused. John eventually made his way to the surface, the upper level of his castle was in even worse condition. The moon however took his breath away. The sight of it almost made him leap with joy. Total darkness was no place to spend most of your life. Being free John was now able to do as he wished, to go wherever he wanted. He desperately wanted nothing more than to continue his life, partaking in the joys and pleasures of the world. Despite that, John could not forgive and he could not forget. He lusted over vengeance, to see Avalene brought low. John would have his vengeance, one way or the other. Avalene was an old and powerful vampire. John wasn't even sure she truly was a vampire. No doubt she had spent her time amassing strong allies and increasing her own influence in the process. She had spent decades preparing for every contingency, placing countermeasures in the event she became threatened. He knew her well enough to know that his daughter was one of these countermeasures put in place to sheild herself from him. If she could turn his daughter against him then she would have the advantage. For what daughter would not kill to protect the one who brought her into this world? As monstrous as he was, John could not harm someone who shared his blood. The terrible truth was Avalene had planned this, his revival, the researchers, even having his daughter there to see him as he was. As clever as he was, John knew he would need allies if he brought the fight to her. Strong vampires similar to himself. If only he could find them... If only his daughter would help him, guide him to the right coven.