As the doors behind Cassiel slam shut, he walks out into a once forested area, walking beneath what used to be healthy trees.
With his eyes stuck forward and a cloak over his head that he had borrowed from Andy, he walks unbothered towards the capital he once called home many years ago, Kotor.
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After walking a great distance from the crypt that once held him prisoner, he finally finds himself facing a human checkpoint blocking the only bridge to the capital.
"These damned humans... what are they doing on Rampiel." Cassiel muttered to himself. With his eyes darting around from human to human.
Cassiel scoffs, finally finishing counting all the men there.
"A hundred men... is this some kind of joke? One hundred men set to guard a bridge to my capital. This is absurd." Cassiel says to himself as he walks out the trees and towards the human checkpoint.
"Hey, you there! State your business!" A man shouts at Cassiel from atop a watch tower.
"Do not mind me. I'm just passing through to get home." Cassiel responds to the guard, followed by abrupt silence for the following minute, before being fired upon by a hundred arrows.
"How harsh." Cassiel says as he disappears from the spot he was once at as the arrows hit the ground, before reappearing in the sky with the same red, gladius style sword in hand as before.
"Don't blame me for your mistakes, perish." Cassiel says as he swings his blade in a crossed pattern, destroying the checkpoint, and killing all within.
"Such insolence." He says, landing back on the ground.
"Although I'm glad I was able to stretch-" Before finishing his sentence, Cassiel coughs out a small puddle of blood.
"This... I suppose I haven't had blood in quite a while... I need to control my power." He would say, moving back on track towards Kotor, his home.
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"Finally, home at last." Cassiel says walking towards his kingdom's gates.
"Open the gate, fiends! The prince has arrived!" He shouts, calling out to the gatekeepers, only to be followed by silence.
"Why does it always get quiet when I speak." Cassiel mumbles to himself as he jumps up atop and over the gate, to only then be met with utter dismay.
His once beautiful, bright colored kingdom was now draught with blood and house fires.
"What... what in the Gods happened... my beautiful home... what has happened to you?"
With a shocked expression, Cassiel moves forward, traveling at high speeds, jumping rooftop to rooftop to try and find even a single vampire left on the streets, but to no avail.
Not finding anyone on the streets, he turns to face the capital building, The Castle of Cain. "You lot best be there." Cassiel says to himself, picking up the pace as he travels faster than before, beelining it straight to the castle.
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Upon approaching the castle, although strange, Cassiel is delighted to see a small army of humans outside, slowly making their way up the steps and towards the castle door.
However... he's displeased to see that there isn't even a trace of any vampires outside the castle, putting their lives on the line to defend it.
"These mutts. They dare hide away in my castle, allowing the enemies to swarm and take over our land... killing and pillaging us all..." He'd scoff.
"I've been gone just 200 years, and this is all my species has to show for it? We've digressed since I've last been here... I'm disappointed." Cassiel, finally finishing his self said speech, landing in front of the human army, with behind him being the castle protecting the last of Kotor
"All of you... I give all of you this one chance to step back and leave. I must sort things out here... and you're all just going to waste my time. I won't give you this chance again, so leave." Cassiel glares at the humans as he says this, releasing a small amount of mana from his body to give a better understanding of his warning.
Some of the men in the army start snickering at his comment, others ready their weapons, but only a few step forward towards Cassiel, before being stopped by the man leading their army, walking forward in their stead.
The man, towering over Cassiel with his muscular build and heavy iron clad armor, stops just 5 feet in front of him... before putting down his great sword and getting down on his hands and knees, making his army stop what they're doing to stare at him in disbelief.
"Please great sir, allow my men to leave... they... they don't possess the ability to detect mana like me... th-they can't see it like I can... they aren't aware of your prowess... they have families... take my life in their place instead if it allows them to live." The man would say.
The entire remark leaves Cassiel dumbfounded, staring at the man in disbelief of what he just said.
"...Never in my years of living on this planet have I heard someone say such a thing... What is your name, boy."
"I-It's William... Sir William... I am the captain of these knights."
"Take your men and leave at once. You have two months time to get off my continent or you will all cease to exist." Cassiel says, finishing their conversation as he turns around to enter the castle, allowing William to turn to his army to disperse.
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Upon entering the castle after breaking the door down, Cassiel walks down the halls, checking each and every last room before finally stopping at the throne room, the only room he hasn't checked.
"I do not wish to break the door down, so open it now. I know you're all in there, I can smell the scent of your blood."
Silence ensues for almost a minute until Cassiel grows too impatient, deciding that breaking down the door is the best option.
"Then I'll come in myself." Cassiel says, walking through the now broken door, only to be met by a thrown javelin headed straight towards his face, to which he responds by grabbing it last second by the head, inches from his face.
"Who... dares..."
Cassiel, visibly angry, crushes the javelin in his hand, disintegrating the javelin's head in his closed palm, letting the shaft fall to the floor.
"I return after 500 years... I save you all from being slaughtered... I search my own home for all who remain... only to be greeted by a javelin to the face. I pray you have a good explanation. Now, out of the shadows... ALL OF YOU!"
With the sheer force in Cassiel's voice, the castle walls shake as he finishes yelling, which brings out the vampires hiding in the shadows.
"F-five... hundred years..?" A curiously frail figure emerges from the shadows, looking at Cassiel in awe.
"Five hundred years... you... are you one of the lost nobles?"
"What kind of question is that? I am Cassiel, Son of Cain, the Vampire King."
"N-No... that's... that's not possible... Cain never had a second child..." Another vampire chimes in.
After hearing this, Cassiel stares at the frail vampire.
He was, for the first time in his life, left speechless in front of another vampire.
"You... you lie... I am Cain's second son, Cassiel Aeternus. Now speak, who told you Cain has had no children." Cassiel glares down at the frail vampire, leaving it too frightened to speak, which makes another vampire speak up, one who walks from the throne.
"I am Thain Noir, last remaining noble of the Noir family. Cain, before disappearing, said that he was taking his only child along with him to the great war. That the only one fit for the throne was any with noble blood in them." Thain says to Cassiel, glaring at him with suspicion.
"...Are you saying you're the king?" Cassiel mocks, glaring back.
"Yes. I am the last remaining noble in all of Kotor, and possibly even Rampiel, meaning, no one but me is fit to be king. If there's a problem, the training room in the castle is still in spotless shape." Thain shoots a sly smirk at Cassiel, seeming confident in his own abilities.
"You mean to tell me... that in the middle of our races devastation, you're more focused on showing off your power?" Cassiel sighs and looks down, before bursting out into a rage of laughter.
"You best not disappoint me, boy, or I will be the last face you'll ever see."