The crack of Orion’s tiny neck popping resonated behind Lucilius, not hearing as he stared intently at his prize, the one thing that he lusted for, day and night for what once seemed an infinity in length. He had to take her, and now. That was before the claws of the cloaked, lying figure clutched his right ankle with it’s disfigured arm, digging it’s claws into the flesh of his leg.

“I must…slaughter all that is precious to him…His stench is on her…”
These fevered words were followed by the banshee-like screech of Orion’s second voice, and his quick rise to his feet. Keeping his madness-stricken face hidden inside of his cloak, the phantom walked beside Lucilius, his scythe propped at his side, towering over him. He shivered visibly as he tried to restrain his mad urges, and his eyes skittered back and forth between the vampire angel and Lucilius.

“Come to me, you pitiful hag. I shall enslave your flesh, and break your spirit.” He said this calmly, and his invisible pheromones wafted from him, calling to her in their silent, siren-like hypnosis. Mariana felt herself pulled violently from her feet by wretched, invisible will, praying to her God to let this nightmare end.

**

Max sat somberly on the bluish grass of the mountainside plateau, facing away from the island and off into the endless sea of fog. He had been lost in reflection for hours, his thoughts thick with two ominous figures: the ruthless Nediryo and the insane Orion. Both wrought disorder, death, and pain where ever they went, only the Rep’tal King’s method was oh-so-much stealthier. Hiring other people to take the blood upon their hands, while misleading and manipulating the ones who would never go along with such sinister plots willingly.

But, he was done thinking of such things for now. Mariana might be worried that he’s taking so long. Maximilian loved her to death, but at times, she seemed rather insecure, which was a common trait of someone who has experienced trauma. Getting slowly to his feet, and dusting off the knees of his leather pants, the founder of the Heruka family name ran a finger through his long hair.

It was then that a discordant wave of negative emotion crept through his body like a shock, raising the hairs on the back of his neck and causing his pupils to grow in size. Something was wrong. He tapped into his telepathic link with her, listening hard for any sort of message.

He received only two words as the fruits of his perserverence:

He’s here.

An image of emerald light flashed before the vampire’s eyes. That was the only encouragement he needed as he twisted immediately around, flinging himself into the air, and rocketed over to the other side of the mountain, where the first thing to enter his view was the little island where he and Mariana had lain together just a night ago. Two menacing figures were added to the equation, and Max himself was removed, but he wouldn’t be for long. Just as he reached the island, a disquieting calm fell over everything, and Max wasn’t sure, but on the other side of the tree, it sounded like Mariana was crying.