The enemies of Nefaria had vanished. They left in their wake a wretched sight of brimming cataclysm. Houses were evicerated, countless lives were ceased, and dread clung deeply to the souls of those left alive. From the greatest of cities, to the smallest of towns, the citizens of Nefaria all shared a collective question, one that plagued their thoughts with fiendish force.
Was it all truly over?
Once the threat had been confirmed to have retreated, Lucien was swift in his judgement. Ordering the Moonlight Army, he had them go through the royal storehouses, bringing forth several gallons of bioluminescent blood to be distributed to the feeble public.
The blood flowing liquid was a product obtained from luminescent creatures that dwelled within the lightless world. They existed in varioud shapes and sizes, possessing various degrees of strength and lethality.
They were usually found outside the empire, but through the efforts of past rulers, a massive herd of them was subjugated and kept in a collosal enclosure within Dragon City, the very place where the royal castle was built.
They were the life force of the vampires. Without them, only the Supreme Sovereign knew what would become of the tenacious nightwalkers. Usually, the Darkhavens couldn't care less about the wellbeing of those further below the ladder, choosing only to care about themselves. However, considering the war that had just taken place, Lucien felt compelled to make an exception.
The storage space was beyond saturated, and those glowing creatures kept reproducing at a rapid pace. So, if they were to distribute a generous amount of bioluminescent blood to the populace, it wouldn't affect their own supply too much.
Sure, it was going to affect the economy to a large extent since those higher up the ladder usually charged high prices for the covetous resource. Lucien was basically giving out loads of it for free at this point.
Nevertheless, it calmed his nerves that, at the end of the day, it was much better to rule a living kingdom than a dead one. Greed was an odious visage that clouded the royals' judgement, but even they could decern were they were being foolish.
Moreover, it wasn't like the acting emperor had any intentions of distributing meat, as well. He aimed for controlled generosity, not absolute giving. This way, the citizens would not only be kept alive, but they would view him as their savior with lesser expectations than if he were to go all out. Even if those awestruck feelings were to dwindle with time, it wouldn't deter his main objective, which was keeping the citizens alive past this recent crises.
Sylvia co-ordinated her men. As various squads of soldiers traversed the tenebrous kingdom, they witnessed firsthand the calamity brought about by the Shadow Faction.
While the war was going on, many civilians had rushed out to the furthest reaches of the conflict, hiding within deep tunnels and pathways constructed by the vampires of the past for times such as this. There, they remained, waiting, praying to the Supreme Sovereign for the danger to pass.
Then, as an answer to their prayers, a figure was seen moving into the underground pathways, swiftly accompanied by numerous more. At first, panic spread, then a single individual brave enough stepped forward to check whether the intruder was friend or foe. It may have just been another helpless civilian desperately seeking reprieve. But then, the calm sound of multiple footsteps, the noise of clanking metal. It may be the vampire soldiers, or it may just be the enemy playing tricks on them.
As the figures slowly emerged, the people were more than relieved to realize it was the former. Many of them slouched back onto the hard floor, their chests moving rapidly as they calmed their nerves.
Sylvia's cold eyes scanned the surroundings, her voice carrying a wave of authority as she spoke:
"You all can rest easy. Help has arrived," and with that, she gestured to the barrels her soldiers carried with them. Immediately, they brought them further into the sizeable space and placed them on the ground. Then, she continued. "What has happened to you all was a great tragedy. Lives were lost, your homes were reduced to ashes, and it feels like you have nowhere else to go, no other means to sustain yourselves.
"That is why the emperor has decided to open the doors of his storehouses, and graciously share with you his precious resources. I know you all may view us as monsters, but even monsters have principles, whether you want to accept that, or not."
And with that, she turned around and left, her squad of soldiers trailing behind her. None of them spared the frightened folks a second glance, moving on to complete the rest of their tasks.
The noise of clanging boots grew quieter and quieter as the soldiers departed. Eventually, a few brave individuals from the terrified bunch inched closely to the abandoned barrels, their crimson eyes reflecting the avaricious curiosity that burned brightly within them.
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!" One of the vampires, who wasn't as enticed as the others, asked, his tone laced with fear and urgency. "Do you really trust the king's men? For years, those tyrants forsaked us while we suffered everyday just to remain alive! And on top of that, we have to pay taxes both to them and to the gangs ruling us! It's basically us living under two tyrannical kings!
"Yet now, just because those strange creatures attacked our kingdom, the emperor decides to show us compassion? You fools, are you really that moronic?"
The curious folks soon halted in their movements, one of them turning to face the one who spoke with a furious gaze.
"So what if the emperor and his people forsaked us?! For so long, they never had a genuine reason to step in, but now, now that we're clinging to our lives by a strand, they've come to help. That is the emperor I always knew. Whether you like it or not, he is the emperor I choose to follow.
"Also, are you blind? Didn't you see how the Moonlight Army fought against the invaders? If the emperor didn't care about us, do you think he would risk his soldiers' lives for our sake? Well, then, let me tell you. If I was in his shoes, and I was truly evil, I would let all the poor folks die and focus all my rrsources on preserving the rich and powerful. But Lord Kael didn't do that. He is a benevolent ruler that cares about everyone!"
And just like that, the once frightened townspeople erupted in raging arguments. One of them even said:
"The reason why the emperor doesn't step in to always help us is because of the rule of survival. Only the strong are allowed to live, while weaklings like us are meant to die out. Lord Kael is merciful by allowing us to live, choosing to make us pay tribute instead of our lives."
No one paid any attention to the forsaken barrels anymore, everyone choosing to defend their deeply held philosophies from being challenged by their circumstantial neighbours. They raised their voices, shook their fists, and soon enough, a fight broke out. Punches, kicks, jabs, bites, even spits flew all across the shadowy space. To some, the emperor was an uncaring monarch, one who didn't bother whether the less fortunate lived or died. But to others, he was a righteous figure who was both merciful and a paragon of what a true vampire should be. According to them, at least.
Still, as they argued and fought, they remained utterly oblivious of the fact that emperor Kael, as of currently, was nowhere to be found. The one who had currently taken the seat of power was Lucien Darkhaven, one of his cousins.
It was ironic, Kael fought so hard to keep the throne away from his cousins, only for another one of them to claim it not that long after he himself ascended.
Despite this, there was still one daunting issue that had to be settled. Two, if the Darkhavens chose to abandon their stubbornness for reason.
While all of this was going on, Sylvia and her soldiers had already departed from Wilson, the town they had visited, and were already making their way to its neighbouring town. As they swiftly traversed the terrain, her soldiers exchanged words with each other, keeping the atmosphere light and warm, but no one spoke a word to their leader. No one dared to.
Few in the army actually ever spoke freely with Sylvia, and none of the people with her currently were one of them.
They covered the distance, arriving at the forsaken town called Fluxton. They quickly went to work locating any living civilians, and sure enough, they found them. Some had chosen ingenious locations to hide, while others had remained within their enclosures, fortunate enough not to be in the midst of the fearsome battles.
*********
Ezeikel spared his father a sharp glance, his tone laced with irritation as he spoke:
"Father, you knew all this time that I had special powers, yet you chose to keep it away from me. Why? Why did you choose to remain silent? Why did you let me, let us, suffer all these years in powerlessness? If you had told me about this earlier, maybe there could have been a way to draw out this power. Maybe we would've been living better lives," his voice broke at the end, tears threatening to descend from his eyes. "Maybe… maybe mother wouldn't have been killed by that vile tyrant if I knew of this power sooner."
The noise of low sobs engulfed the tenebrous atmosphere. Kennedy slowly shook his head, heaving out a defeated sigh. His crimson eyes glanced through their pitiful surroundings, observing the sparce belongings they possessed—the marks tied closely to the memories of their shared past.
Those memories… it was truly a shame they were reduced to that.
Then, his gaze returned to his son, suffused with heavy burden as he spoke:
"My son… the answers you seek… I don't believe it is the right time for you to know."