The sound of Azrael's steps was like judgment falling upon the field of death.
The air itself grew colder, and the flames seemed to bend away from his path, as if they feared to burn before him.
Freya saw him emerge from the mist.
The dark silhouette.
The tattered cloak.
The blade in his right hand was dripping with black blood—a sign of the dozens, or way more, of vampires he had already slain along the way.
And with every step... Freya felt the weight of a legend standing before her.
In some way , Freya felt a big sense of relief after seeing that he made it out safe.
Her heart raced—not from fear, but from awe.
The certainty that as long as Azrael stood, the night had an enemy and the humanity a hope.
Behind him, like shattered shadows, came:
Lysaria, still half-wounded, with her clothes still thorn, but she was walking normally, like nothing had happened.
She was standing very close to Azrael and her body was trembling, sign of her fear.
Kawara, armless now, unconscious, dragged as a prize torn from death itself.
Azrael had not left them behind.
Because Azrael left no one behind.
In a way, his soul knew that his goal was to save every human, even the most evil one.
Selene saw him.
And for the first time that cursed night, in probably hundreds of years, she felt true fear.
She did not know who he was.
She did not know where he came from.
But her body, her corrupted soul… recognized that kind of threat.
That kind of predator.
And so, without meaning to, she stepped back.
One step. Two. Three.
Then a big jump.
All she felt was a primal fear, like a human has a fear of death.
She didn't know why.
She had never seen him.
But Selene was not alone.
In her mind, like poison in her veins, came Maria's voice—sweet and cruel at once.
"Do not fear him, my daughter. Let me help you... let me give you the power to end this blasphemy."
A motherly voice spoke.
Selene's eyes widened with a sense of warm sensations.
"M-Mother...?" Selene whispered.
It was her.
Maria, the vampire Queen.
The strongest of them all, but for some reason , she didn't want to fight against the world.
Probably because of Azrael, who knows.
"Yes, my sweet princess... it's me... don't be scared. You're stronger than him. But you'll need my help, so just close your eyes..." Maria whispered.
Her voice was calm, peaceful... but terrifying at the same time.
Selene couldn't do anything else than obey her orders.
She perfectly knew what happened to disobedient children.
She didn't want to fight.
Azrael scared her way too much.
A wave of darkness filled Selene.
Maria gifted her a fragment of her abyss.
"This is my gift to you, my princess... now kill everyone. Every single living being there." Maria said, with a cold but motherly voice.
Selene swallowed some saliva and then a strange red wave made of magic surrounded her.
A magic circle appeared on the ground beneath her feet, and another one above her head.
Then, a strange light came from them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Selene screamed with all of her might.
A big scream of pain.
Azrael immediately noticed that something was off, but he didn't attack yet to make sure that the two people behind him were safe.
But he also knew that he had to act really fast.
He heard Selene's words.
"Mother...?" Azreal repeated. "So... it's Maria's fault..." he added, while tightening the grip on his sword.
Then, he gave a rapid look at Lysaria.
"Take care of him." He said, before disappearing with a dash.
"Wa-" Lysaria tried to speak, but Azrael had already disappeared.
Freya took other steps back, while the flames around her hands disappeared.
She knew that something bad was going to happen, but she had other plans in mind.
Meanwhile, Selene was being consumed by Maria's gift.
A glimpse of her power.
To be specific, Maria was giving a fragment of herself to Selene.
But with that power... came something else.
The part Maria could not control.
Her love.
Her hatred towards the humanity, the creation of God.
The memory of Mark.
Azrael, with his glowing blue eyes, dashed towards Selene, in order to stop her channeling and to kill the vampire in a single slash as soon as he could.
But as soon as he was at enough distance, Azrael immediately stopped his attack and jumped back, and his eyes met hers.
His survival instinct told him not to get close.
Something told him that Maria's magic was... dangerous.
Selene was still being consumed by the pain.
But when Selene's eyes met Azrael's... something inside her cracked.
The terror mingled with a feeling she could not understand.
A skipped heartbeat. A tremble in her hands.
Then, the channeling ended and the magic circles disappeared.
After that, Selene fell on the ground , breathing heavily.
She took a look at her hands.
Her nails had become daggers of obsidian, her skin became more pale, and her veins were very visibile and glowing.
She felt power flowing trough all of her body.
But along with the power, she also saw some fragmented images of a man, a smile, and a lyre.
And those memories brought a painful grip around her heart.
Moreover, she remembered one single name: Mark.
"Why... why do I feel this way...? MAKE THIS STOP!! MARK! MAKE THIS STOP!!" Selene shouted to herself, as the strength inside her became as heavy as chains.
Azrael still didn't attack her.
He took advantage of those instants of "freedom" to analyze his enemy.
One single mistake would've meant instant death.
The only thing he did was giving a rapid glance to Freya, before slightly moving his head , like he was saying "Go help the others."
Freya smirked as she saw his gesture.
She felt that Azrael would've taken care of everything.
And she knew what she had to do.
Azrael was probably worried about the children: Valtherion and Elarwen, and he "asked" to Freya to go check on them.
So, Freya immediately nodded and ran away.
There still were vampires in the other part of the village.
She dashed with an immense speed, but before that, she picked up her daggers and said two elfic words.
"Zyr. Shir. Thar." (Flame, Shadows, Light.)
A black aura of smoke and flame surrounded her, while her daggers started glowing with a white magic.
Her steps struck the earth with such speed and force that the friction ignited visible flames, tracing her path with fire as she dashed through the night.
With swift, deadly strikes, she felled two vampires that lunged at her.
One beheaded, the other pierced through the heart with such precision that no blood even sprayed.
Then she ran.
Ran towards the hut.
Where Valtherion and Elarwen waited, perhaps hidden, perhaps in danger.
With every step, with every blow, Freya fought not just for herself.
But for those two children.
For some kind of reason, Azrael saw something special in them.
For a future the night longed to devour.
Meanwhile, Azrael was grippind his sword very tightly, with his eyes fixated on the enemy in front of him.
Selene had finally calmed down, but her body was still trembling.
Then, she finally looked up at the slayer in front of her.
Selene's eyes widened.
And so, the field froze for an instant:
Azrael unmoving, blade poised, eyes locked on Selene.
Selene torn between the dark power flooding her and a strange but painful grip around her heart.
Freya cutting down monsters as she rushed to shield what was still pure.
The night held its breath.
And fate waited for the next move.