章 18: The Devil You Know
The vampire pulled back, gasping in pain, as he cradled his smoking arm.
"Oh! You filthy, little-!"
Something in the villain snapped. The man suddenly lunged with an open mouth, his eyes glowing a horrifying red as he lost all reason. Alabaster knew what this was. The vampire had officially lost his mind; he had gone feral with blood lust. Though, he knew that every vampire in his kingdom was granted an allowance of blood; this shouldn't have happened.
'Unless-'
There was no time for inner thoughts or conspiracies, however. He had mere microseconds to react before the other supernatural creature reached the tailor! He quickly put himself in between the two and readied for a bloody skirmish; one that would never come.
Suddenly, a hand cut through the dimming light. A horrible, squelching sound reached their ears as the combatant's head was ripped right off his shoulders. Simon gasped, before burying his face into Alabaster's chest with grit teeth.
'W-Why does everything have to be so damn messy?!'
"Malakai!"
Ignoring how his younger brother lit up like a firefly at his presence, he turned his back on him, issuing a simple command.
"Go. I'll hold them off."
The Crystal Vampire nodded with a serious expression so rarely seen on his features before he took Simon's hand in his own.
"Let's go, Simon, while we still can!"
They raced out of the castle as fast as their legs could carry them. Their steps lead them straight to the diamond studded carriage that brought them, only to be met with a sight most macabre. The diver was slumped over, his cooling heart beside him on the leather seat and the footman was no where to be seen; but the implication that he might have suffered an even more appalling fate could be construed from the entrails strewn about ever so carelessly.
Simon stumbled back, raising a handkerchief to his mouth as he attempted not to retch. The way his mother and sister went could certainly not be called merciful by any means. But, the tailor couldn't help, but to think in such a moment that at least it was cleaner than this. Just then, the shouts of some of the monsters responsible for this gruesome scene could be heard as the two of them were spotted. Alabaster wanted to be sensitive to his human companion's needs, but this was no place to mourn nor dawdle.
"Forgive me for this, dear tailor."
With that, he lifted the shell-shocked gentleman into his arms, before racing off at a speed unfathomable to most humans. Simon gasped, before wrapping his arms around the Crystal Vampire's neck, holding on for dear life, as the world blurred around him. If anyone asked him later, of course, Simon Hart would adamantly blame the air rushing passed his head for the pearl droplets escaping his eyes. Yes, it was just the wind; nothing more.
Once they were finally in the clear, with the castle under siege looming in the distance, Alabaster carefully set Simon down on his own, two feet. He brushed some of the other's endearing, chestnut hair out of his face, doing his best to ignore the tear stains fresh on his cheeks. Mentioning them would only make the other man even more upset, if he knew anything about the tailor by now. But, there was one question he couldn't help, but to ask.
"Are you alright, Simon?"
The human took a few moments to take stock of everything, his heart, his body and his mind, before swallowing his feelings down and nodding.
"Y-Yes. Yes, I do believe I'm alright."
Alabaster gave a gentle smile that didn't reach his eyes, before standing up straight to gaze back at the castle where distant screams could still be heard. Simon looked at the vampire's solemn expression, before coming to stand by his side, observing the castle, himself; it seemed so far away now. Still, he was not naive. All of that had really happened.
"I'm not one to feel pity for the gentry of society. But, no one deserves to die like that."
"Indeed," Alabaster spoke softly.
"Are you worried about your brother and father?"
"No. I'm more concerned about the other vampires," he confessed with a sigh.
Simon looked incredulous for a moment. They had risked life and limb to get out of there in one piece and the other man was worried about the ENEMY!?
"What on Earth are you babbling about-"
"There's a reason why the three of us were sent on such a perilous mission in the first place, dear tailor. It's not because we are simply from the noble Stone family. It's because we were the Emperor's best choice. The best ones for the job. Especially if something went wrong; something just like this."
Simon mulled it over for a moment, before the realization crushed him under its hulking weight. He resisted the urge to take a step back. Because he finally realized that if the vampiric Emperor sent only three of his family members here to make peace with the humans, all the while knowing that something like this was likely to occur, that could only mean one thing. That he had been right, all along; that one of the real monsters had been here with him this whole time.
クリエイターの想い 
YUKANO
YUKANO Hello, my dear readers! I hope you enjoy this installment of Crystal Stitches! (^^) If you liked this story, please comment, share it with your friends, add it to your collections and vote to help this fic reach new heights! Thank you so much for all of your support and I hope you have a wonderful day! =D
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