'How could a man ever rise above the shackles of their predecessors? Do they accept their rule and remain inactive despite knowing an inevitable truth? Can one man alone make a change in order to save his entire clan?'
Those were the questions that filled my mind as the blue fires of my patron consumed me. The once foreign darkness greeted me with compassion rather than anguish on this occasion. Whether it was the initial rejection of the goddess Nezaphine or some other divine interference, I would likely never know. The Phoenix Goddess was a monster of fire and fury, unconscionable in her power. Yet, in those vacant eyes, I detected a flicker. A familiarity.
Occasionally, a spiral of flame would flicker in her eyes, and she felt that same flicker radiate heat within mine. I would consider that feeling the fire of change. It grew within me, flickering and dancing like a deep desire that I kept locked within. To the questions that buried themselves within my subconscious, I understood an answer through my brief time with the goddess.
'Yes.'
The answer is unequivocally yes. One man can rise above the shackles of his predecessors. With the breakage of his shackles, he begins to understand that not only is it morally bankrupt to stand by and remain inactive, but it is the antithesis of justice. The people of my clan deserve justice. They deserve a future, so the answer to my last question is just as simple. Yes!
One man can make a change. He can save his people from certain extinction! He needs to be the constant in their development. The constant in their protection, and he needs to be the one constant in their ambition. We can rebuild our lost kingdom- no, we can build another. We can build a new legacy, a legacy that would not be tainted by the cowardice of the previous generation. I can be the constant for my people, for my name is now Constantine!
Constantine
The flames had begun to subside, and I found myself opening my eyes in my new form. Fiery mana coursed through my veins, igniting a long-unkindled ambition within my chest. I felt more powerful than before, and for a moment, I realized the one thing I was missing to become active. I focused that energy and felt the warmth embrace of orange fire dance a top of my palms.
My hearing felt more refined. I could hear the subtle droplets of water overhead as they sprinkled from the hanging stalagmites. The heavy scent of ash was replaced with the rancid stench of death and decay. My eyes were better too, cutting the darkness that my flame didn't pierce. Darkness, while our kin had grown to see within it, was still troublesome. That wasn't an issue with me.
"Magic without incantation? The goddess's power is to be revered. I differ from my people in this regard. I must show them this method when I return to them."
My words came out with several coughs as I cleared ash from my pathways. The feeling was uncomfortable, more so than painful. I was interested in the changes that my body had undergone from my fall into the darkness. Spreading my fingers, I moved around the fire, dancing in my palms as I observed my surroundings. It was apparent to me that I was no longer within the throne room.
'So time has flowed in my absence. I pray that it isn't too late.'
There was no guarantee that the Great Beast would remain inactive for much longer, so our time to flee this wretched place is quickly ending. That means that I would have to leave this closed area immediately and move to rescue my people. I approached the nearest wall, and the familiar roughness associated with the stone walls was present. As far as I could tell, I was locked within a tomb.
'I must be in the burial chambers with my other kin. That would mean.'
To confirm my suspicions, I turned behind me and looked, but I found nothing. This room was empty, not even a stone coffin that I was placed within. That tells me everything I needed to know about my treatment post-death. They locked my body in a stone box for an eternity. That was a fate befitting traitors and murderers of our kin.
Azorth truly had forsaken our lineage and refused to bury me with my parents. That realization burned me to my core, igniting orange flames from my palms.
'I will never forgive this transgression. This serves as proof that he has lost his mind. I must show him the error of his ways.'
The flames on my palm called to me. They urged me to use them, so I denied them no longer. The stone within the cave was incredibly durable. It was slick with condensation, and the inherent cold temperature made fire of this size usually snuff out. However, as my palms touched the wall, a light sizzling piqued my ears.
Right before my eyes, the fire was beginning to bear into the wall, similarly to how I witnessed Nezaphine's fire decimate the throne room. The wall grew a bright orange and spread like a contagion. Stone began to dribble, and before I knew it, chunks of the wall had melted in on themselves and collapsed.
This was a level of power that I did not possess prior, and it made me smile. Power is the one thing that I needed to become active. The one thing that I was missing to truly get my message across, and now I had it. After several minutes of melting stone, a passage wide enough for me to exit presented itself.
Light filled my eyes briefly, and the staunch air began to circulate. The first thing I did upon exiting my tomb was inhale and enjoy the scent of home. The bitterness of the air and the acute shuffling of feet traveled down each branching tunnel. While I had expected to be placed with the decided commons of our kin, I noticed that I was not there. The area where I stood was foreign to me, as if I were dumped in a remote cavern away from my people.
My thoughts could place Azorth's intention as malicious in that design. Not only did he attempt to separate me from my family in death, but he also didn't give me the dignity of resting near my people. The damp darkness of the tunnel was only slightly held back by the light of a few aquamarine crystals. It wasn't much help, so I called upon Nezaphine's powers and ignited my palms once more, and began my journey.
My fire may have provided light and warmth, but it was my nose that led the way. I had been traveling for hours when the scent of blood stimulated my senses. The crunch of my boots was the only sound that I could pick up other than the faint rushing of water.
It was those defining markers that dictated which tunnel I had taken. With each turn, the source of the blood and the tranquil sound of the water grew closer. Finally, after another hour had passed when the visibility of the cave had drastically improved. That was when I knew I had reached my destination: a cavern.
The cavern that I stumbled across stretched before me like the hollowed-out chest of some ancient beast. It was damp and dark, smelling of earth and something far older. Unbridled stench of stale blood and recent death lingered like a cloud. Aquamarine crystals jutted from the walls, their cold light pulsing softly like each moment would be its last breath. Each step I took crunched against bones. Whether it was skulls and shattered claws, I was uncertain.
A chill hung thick in the air, but the fire flickering on my palms pushed back the cold, casting orange light that danced against the slick, wet stone. Mist curled low across the floor, swirling around the pools of water, tracing slow rivulets, their surfaces shimmering like broken mirrors. Somewhere deep in the tunnels, the steady drip of water echoed like a slow, patient heartbeat.
Above me, jagged rocks formed a ledge cloaked in shadow, which was perfect for a predator waiting in silence. I could almost feel eyes watching, hungry and sharp, hidden in that daunting darkness. Around the bones resides the corpse of a serpent with dark brown scales. Stone jotted from its figure, but it did nothing to protect it from whatever had slain it.
"They say the head of a true king reattaches itself once he is needed again. The same can't be said for that Slab Serpent."
As the words of the voice resonated with me, I came across said head of the Slab Serpent. The slayer of this dangerous beast had expertly severed the head of the creature and left it next to its body. Whether it was intentional or not, it didn't matter as the voice I heard was familiar; in fact, I recognized it immediately.
The mist over the water began to shift, and turned my fire in its direction. It moved with purpose, surrounding me in a swirl before rushing into the dark cover of the stalagmites. While normally it would have vanished, with my new vision, I witnessed the transformation of the one who spoke.
A figure emerged from the shadows, lean and sinuous. His pale skin shimmered with a subtle violet hue, cold and untouched by the warmth of my flames. Crimson eyes, sharp and piercing, locked onto me, filled with a mixture of caution and confidence. His silver-white hair, streaked with deep wine-red near the roots, fell in tousled waves around his angular face, tied back loosely with a frayed crimson ribbon.
Fangs peeked from between lips curled in a sardonic smirk, teeth sharp enough to rend flesh yet softened by the mirth in his gaze. His movements were fluid, predatory—each step measured, as if he danced on the edge of a knife.
A streak of crimson splattered across his lips, which he confidently licked without a care for elegance. This man was a hunter despite his kept clothing. Upon getting closer to me, he stopped in his tracks and tilted his head. His hand moved to the sheathed sword on his waist, and his eyes narrowed with unfamiliarity.
"This can't be. What is this trickery?!" he snarled. "If you believe I'd join him in death, then you're mistaken. You won't take me so easily."
That snarl was predatory, and his narrowed eyes told me that he meant what he said. He hadn't drawn his blade, but watched me with hesitation, then ferocity. His behavior struck me as peculiar. This vampire was stranger than most, but I had long accepted his oddities. He appeared on edge as if my presence itself was vying to attack him.
"Your bloodlust is eroding the air," I replied evenly.
"Your blood will be eroding the ground if you do not show me your true appearance, imposter! Nadivo was slain, so wearing his face will earn you no courtesy, but it will earn you this," The vampire replied, unsheathing his sword. "My wrath is not to be underestimated, Primordial. I am not as weak as my brethren."
"I know all too well about your strength, Vel, and I still respect it. A Slab Serpent is no meager meal, but one fit for an expert hunter such as yourself."
"I take it that your leader wants my head now?" Vel inquired, but before I could respond, he attacked.
The sword in his hand splintered into segments, working more as a whip rather than a traditional sword. The blades whizzed through the air, attempting to sever my head. His red eyes shone with power as he bared his fangs in anger. I crouched, evading his attack before leaping out of his range. Determined as ever, Vel regained his footing and pushed himself for another array of violent, sweeping attacks.
Vel's blades moved with great efficiency, but that was to be expected. Unlike a minority of his kin, who denied their thirst for blood, he embraced his with open arms. That pursuit of blood and embracing of himself is what makes this vampire a true marvel of his people. There was not another vampire in this pit that could match Vel in a confrontation.
He was as elite as they came, but that was an issue for him. Once again, I evade his flurry of swipes and watched with eager eyes to see what he would do next. He quickly realized that his current approach was fruitless, so he flicked the wrist with his sword. These eyes shone red once more as his blade rejoined into a proper sword. The scarlet eyes of the vampire flickered with a cold calculation.
"Are my eyes witnessing the truth?" Vel inquired. The man's expression was warped with his new curiosity. "You appear similar to Nadivo, but I was informed that he was no longer amongst us. His head was severed by the hands of his lord."
"It was Zokin, rather than my grandfather, who struck me down."
"No primordial can survive such a fate, so how could you possibly be standing in front of me?" He asked sharply.
Vel's eyes flickered with conflict as he slowly approached me. His fangs were hidden, and a smirk crept on his face. There is no longer curiosity, but amusement present in his features. The vampire stood before me and scrutinized me with scrutiny.
"No primordial can. Nadivo's fate ended at that moment. It was weakness that was his executioner," I replied.
Interest piqued by my words, Vel looked up at me with his scarlet eyes. His lips curled as he took a step backward to get a better look at me. The man shifted his gaze aside and sheathed his blade without hesitation. He turned his back on me and began approaching the corpse of the Slab Serpent.
Consumed by his desires, Vel reached a hand to caress the stone shell of the creature. Once satisfied, his fist balled and slammed into it. The body stirred as he punctured a hole in it. Blood oozed from the puncture, and Vel collected it with his hand. Much like a beast taking a sip from a stream, so did Vel quench his thirst with the creature's blood.
A sickly smile appeared as the man drowned himself in the pleasure of his desires. His eyes closed as he went for seconds, and then a third before he finally spoke, "I warned against weakness and words for years. A man who battled the great beast would never balk at a suggestion. His word as the strongest is his clan's common sense, and yet, Nadivo stubbornly walked the path of conversation."
"Conversation will always merit, but there was something he was missing," I said.
Vel tilted his head at my words and decided to approach me. Blood trickled down his chin as he vanished into mist, and then appeared before me. He stood on his toes as he looked at me. I matched his gaze as I waited for my continuation. I raised my hand, and his pupils caught sight of it. Within my palm, a fire was born. It was small, but potent. The heat from the ball of fire was enough to draw sweat from the man by its mere existence.
"No incantation?" He gasped as the fire traveled down to my fingertips. He watched as the fire slowly engulfed my hand.
I turned my body, and in an instant, the fire burst forth and consumed the massive body of Slab Serpent. The shell of the deceased creature was quickly incinerated, leaving molten rock to drip to the ground. The flesh underneath bubbled and burst, giving way to the beam of magical fire. Within seconds of amping the power, the flames spilled through the other side and engulfed the walls behind it.
"A goddess heard his plight, and she took mercy upon his people. She has granted the means to finally do what is necessary for my people," I explained when the roar of the fire died out.
The moment the fire flickered out of existence, we were able to determine the scope of the damage that it brought. Cooked flesh wafted through the cavern and mixed with the choking smoke of molten stone. Once the smoke had cleared, a rough hole could be seen through its body with scorch marks licking the wall on the other side.
Vel's fangs reemerged as the man recovered from his stupor. His scarlet gaze shifted in my direction as he tightly clenched his fists in unbridled excitement. His bloodlust radiated from him as he swayed with respect and admiration.
"I have tried fire against that beast before, and its shell was resistant. Since Nadivo is no more, why don't you tell me the name of the man I'll fight next to for the rest of my life?" Vel asked.
"You may refer to me as Constantine."
"Constantine." He asked, trying the name with his place. His face twisted with confusion before acceptance flashed in his eyes. "Would I be correct in assuming that you would be taking on my late comrade's fight on his behalf?"
I nodded at his question. The shorter man began laughing with mirth before seriousness returned. He looked back at me and flicked his lips with his thumb. The vampire's fingers caressed his lips, and his nostrils flared. If there was blood to be had, then Vel would have it.
"I've always told him to come to me when he's ready for a hunt. I have a feeling that I'll get to taste real blood if I follow your lead," Vel declared, licking his lips.
"My people could learn a thing or two from you, so that is why I welcome and need you. Velmont de Khaz, would you lend me your services in my endeavor? I assure you that the hunt will be worth it."
"I see Nadivo isn't completely dead after all," Vel chuckled to himself. "I kneel to no one, Constantine, but your path may lead me on a hunt that I couldn't miss for the world. I will join you and hunt those oppressors that you mentioned long ago. If we end up saving our people in the process, then that's a bonus."
His acceptance was not shocking to me, despite the countless rejections over the years. As I looked at him, I noticed a different gleam in his eyes. There was no more complacency in his gaze. Vel turned away from me again and vanished into the mist. In seconds, he appeared back at the Slab Serpent and began partaking in its blood again.
'Was my death a wake-up call for him as well?'
I didn't disturb him while he quenched himself, but I did notice the lack of restraint that he was displaying. Once the first drop stimulated his tongue, there was a frenzy to his movements. His movements were raw and uncontained compared to his usual elegant way of drinking. There was a change to him, one that I could detect, but not determine. However, in the end, that mattered little.
Even as he gorged himself on the blood of his fallen foe, I knew that he was serious about what he had said. He would assist me in saving my- no our people as long as he could hunt our oppressors. That is a deal that I would take. First, we shall save our people from the incompetence of our elders, and together we will carve a hole through the upperworld by the same means I did that snake.
A world where my people return to their rightful place of power and are ruled by their betters. That is justice, and if we have to shed or drink the blood necessary to accomplish that, then so be it. I watched as Vel vanished into mist before reappearing near the river. He crouched, dipping his bloodied hand into the water and pulling it to his lips.
I made my way to the crouching man and witnessed the river stain crimson downstream. He exhaled with satisfaction before peaking up at me.
"These creatures are weaklings despite their size, and their blood is tiresome. I suggest we make haste on our hunt."
I extended my hand toward the vampire, and he gripped it with a smirk. His hand was slick with blood and water, but I did not mind when I pulled him to his feet. Fire flickered in my palm as I clenched it from our hands.
"One man may be all it takes to fulfil a hunt, but we both know that prey is easier taken down with friends, but my heart aches for the largest predators around."
Vel's eyes widened briefly before a devilishly grinning. Blood dripped from his fangs as his scarlet eyes shone with power when I released his hand.
"You finally understand me. Prey is always too easy, so that's why I seek the blood of the predators. Promise me their blood, Constantine, and our desires will be fulfilled."
"With strength like ours, do we need to make that promise?" I replied, smiling knowingly.
"Correct answer," He barked in laughter. "You want the largest predator around, then you know where we should start."
"Yes," I said, igniting a raging fire on my fingertips. "We start by hunting the remnants of the past era of cowardice, and we burn them out of existence. Today, we hunt... Azorth!"