บท 18: Sorry

"I've heard that drowning is an incredibly frightening way to die, however once the hard part is done, it is a pleasant send-off." *Grgrgg* "Tell me, are you currently at the frightening part, or the pleasant part?" Vlad questioned Katherine.

He stood before her bound form, her body impaled by shadows in several places, holding it steady, only allowing for the seemingly random spasms that would erupt.

He looked into her bloodshot eyes. Eyes that pleaded for release, as he navigated a razor thin shadow through her lungs, not allowing them the chance to heal, as she constantly chocked on her own blood.

Naturally, there were simpler ways to go about torture, but Vlad had never claimed to not be creatively sadistic, when he wanted to be.

He knew she could feel the shadow tearing apart her body, over and over, as it tried to heal itself. Only to slightly heal, provide an idea of relief, and then tear again.

Manipulating blood is easy for him.

However, the feeling of actively having oneself torn to shreds is far more nerve-wracking than simply boiling blood or reversing its direction.

"I can feel you attempting to recede into yourself." He said, as he sat down, his throne composed of the darkness of the forest surrounding them. "It will not work. Your mind, body, and soul are stuck in this moment, until I release them. There will be no escaping into your psyche, or subconscious. You will exist only in your drowning state. How does it feel, to know that you cannot escape, even into your own mind? Do you still feel powerful?" He asked as he looked down at his loyal one.

"I know you must have your reasons. Reasons that go beyond simply not wanting to lose your position, or whatever you and your council call your titles, however none of it matters. That is not why you will die." Vlad watched his most loyal servant, and one of his oldest friends chocking on their own blood, as he gave his monologue. His face, calm and relaxed, without a hint of emotional fluctuation in his eyes. "You will die," he spoke his voice eerily calm, until, "because YOU HAVE GONE AGAINST KEIKAKU!" He shouted, his voice not escaping beyond the two of them, as the shadows that impaled his loyal one expanded rapidly, bursting apart every inch of her body, except her head.

"Admittedly, there were some aspects that I may have been making up as I went along, however the plan was always for Wednesday to solve her mysteries, have her fun, and then, when it was time for vacation, I would invite her to my home, and take her to the location where my crypt once sat." He spoke, his voice melancholic as he looked at the head being held up by a shadow hand in the place where Katherine's body once knelt. "It was going to be incredibly romantic, and she was going to be shocked and unable to not acknowledge the fact that I pulled one over on her for so long, however THAT IS NOW RUINED!" He finished, once again shouting.

He took a deep breath. His black and red eyes never once faltering from their sharp, piercing state, even when he yelled. They seemed to maintain constant focus. A focus that allowed him to do anything, no matter what the circumstances.

"Now then," he gracefully stood from his chair, "while I am sure you have your reasons, and your death is a certainty, I will at least do you the honor, for your years of service, to speak your final requests." He spoke as he stood, looking down at the floating head. The floating head held by a shadowy hand that was opening and closing its mouth.

*Chuckle*

"Have you forgotten," he asked as he gave a slight chuckle, "you have no throat to speak, my dear." He stroked her head, as he looked down at her. His face calm and relaxed, his eyes decisive and resolute. "Its too bad. Now we will never know what you wanted to say." He lied, he had been walking through her mind, from the moment they appeared in the forested area surrounding the town of Jericho and Nevermore Academy. He just did not let her know that. Keikaku forever!

As he watched the face of his former loyal one, the sadness, helplessness, and fear in her eyes, he could not muster a shred of emotion.

The ice that flowed through his heart would not allow it.

The shadow hand that held the head lifted it, until it was level with his face, and then he placed his finger on the center of the forehead. A darkness pierced from his finger and through the head. Then, it expanded, crushing the head from the inside, as it grew larger, until pop. The head exploded. However, not a drop touched him.

He stood there for a moment, staring straight ahead, off into the distance, his finger still in its same position.

Then, from where that finger rested, a light began to emit from it, as his black eyes shone a purple light. Bathing the entire area.

"Aaahhhhh" A scream echoed throughout the forest, sounding both near his location and far away.

A suction force, like a vacuum began to swirl from his finger, as the purple light was drawn into it and as the last amount of purple was withdrawn into his now spread out hand, a face attached to a body appeared to be held in his palm.

The figure appeared to be ethereal. Both present, but also not, fading in and out of existence, however, it was still held firm in his palm, a look of true terror on its face.

"For so long I wondered. Wondered why I was betrayed. How I could not have seen it coming. It never truly made sense. Not only because following me was the highest honor one could ever achieve, but also because my instincts never warned me. It was not until the last moment that I even felt anything was wrong, even as my former followers were about to attack. From some, I felt the killing intent and bloodlust that they must have used to fuel their false courage, however there were a few, that seemed to simply be there. As if they were going through the motions. As if they were not betraying the one that they had pledged their life to. No false courage on their faces, no smell of bravado with an aftertaste of cowardice, nothing. I did not understand. That is until I was buried amongst the dead." He spoke to the figure clenched in his palm. His face calm and relaxed. His voice steady. However, his eyes were different. There was no more pupil or iris. Only the color purple existed in them, as if they were painted over with a beautiful purple brush.

"When one spends years, with their very lifeforce interacting with the energy of the long-passed and the recently deceased, they can gain an understanding. An understanding of the energy that constitutes that which binds one to this world. The soul. Now, when one such as myself spends years doing that same exact thing, they gain not only an understanding," His once calm voice rising, as his eyes glowed purple light once again, which when it touched the ethereal being, it began to scream once again. "they gain an absolute domination of that which thought it could bind their lifeforce and they make it their bitch!" His voice deep and nearly demonic, as he bared his fangs at the flowing figure in his palm.

"However, now I understand." He spoke, his voice once again steady. "There were some who were led to rebel. However, those cowards just followed along. The true source of the rebellion, came from those which could not be seen and those which could not be heard. It came from the very spirits that roam this world and the very once that interact not only with the world of the living, but the plane of the dead. Don't worry, this area is enclosed. As far as any who were watching could see, you disappeared, right along with my loyal one. They will not see what happens next." He pulled the face of the figure closer, so it was looking directly into his now steady purple eyes. "This part is only for you and me." And with those words, he opened his mouth, wider than should have been possible and swallowed the figure whole.

"Aaahhhhh", Vlad let out a bellow that should have spread for miles, however no one outside of himself could hear it.

His body shone with purple light emitting from cracks that were not visible until that moment, as they seemingly mended and closed up, until the only light spreading from his body was coming from his eyes, ears, and mouth, until his screams stopped.

He closed his mouth, his eyes, and the light began to dim from his ears.

He stood there unmoving.

*Hoooo*

He blew out a long breath. A purple gaseous substance flowed from his mouth.

He rolled his shoulders and flexed his neck.

His eyes opened, back to their previous normal golden brown state.

He raised his hand and looked at it.

Then, he straightened his arm forward and pointed his finger ahead.

At the tip of his finger, blood began to gather from the surrounding area.

The blood pooled until it was a liquid blob.

At the tip of his finger, a slit opened, and a purple light shone out for only a moment, then receded, then a single drop of blood exited his finger. It flew straight into the swirling blob of blood and upon contact, was absorbed into it.

Then, where the blob once floated, a figure began to form. Arms, legs, head, all took their proper place, and solidified into the lithe form of a woman.

Her body floated, becoming more human by the second, until a beautiful figure stood in mid-air where the blob of blood once did.

Upon the figure gaining all its humanoid features, it opened its eyes. A purple light emitted for a moment, and then dimmed and receded to show red pupils, looking straight ahead at the Majestic individual in front of them with his finger no longer pointed.

A look of sadness once again appeared in the woman's eyes, along with shame and regret.

The figure slowly fell to the ground, and upon their feet touching, gracefully dropped into a kneeling position, one knee on the ground and head lowered.

"I have failed you, Sire." Katherine spoke, her voice solemn, but also fragile.

The eyes of Vlad that once showed no fluctuations slowly changed.

His face still calm and relaxed, but his eyes showed contentment.

"Of course that is the first thing you say." He spoke. "That morning, you were not shadowing me. Instead of questioning your presence upon your arrival, I instead accepted it as such. It took me 15 whole minutes of sitting there, with my thoughts going through my mind, before I sensed the soul that occupied your body." Vlad lowered himself to one knee. Katherines head snapped up. Her eyes, pleading, however he would not listen. His gaze level with her own, "I am sorry, I failed you."

He spoke the words that, in her opinion, he should never say, however he knew that he was not just speaking to her. He was speaking to all those who had their bodies occupied and had no choice but to act against him. He spoke those words that could not bring them back, but like all apologies, it could be used as a promise. A promise to never repeat the mistakes that made the words necessary.

He stroked her cheek. His thumb wiping one of the tears that fell from her eyes.

He knew she was heartbroken. He knew that she would be for a very long time. She acted against him, even if it was only her body. For her, it was more than enough and also too much. He knew that he needed to give her something to occupy her until time did what it did best. So, a purple light spread from his eyes once again, as the same followed from her eyes. The lights met and interacted for a few moments and then receded. The fangs in her mouth elongated further than they ever had and she leaned forward. His hand behind her head guiding her. Her teeth sunk into his neck. Memories and emotions poured into her. A mere moment stretched lifetimes in her mind as she processed what he showed her. She pulled back, not a drop of blood on her mouth.

He looked into her eyes, as she looked back into his.

"Go hunt."

Once, that was the only command he used to give to his most loyal assassin and it was the only command he gave her now.

He knew she knew her targets.

The spirit may have tried to deceive him and give him pause to strike his loyal one with its nonsensical prattle, however it was not lying about one thing. It did inform others. Upon consuming the soul, he saw many things. All of them, he had just given to his loyal one, along with her mission.

The various emotions faded from her eyes.

He could see the ice spreading through her just as it did him.

And then, like she was never there, she disappeared. Her hunt only just beginning.

Vlad stood. His posture erect, solid, yet relaxed.

A small smile appeared on his face.

He looked at the sky, what sights caught his vision, only he knows.

The forest took on its peaceful, natural ambience once again.

All denizens woke from their slumber and continued their varied existences, with only one knowledgeable about the events that just transpired.

Vlad lowered his head and looked forward.

He knew Katherine had her work cut out for her.

As far as the ones connected to that spirit knew, she was dead. Tortured and gone, however along the way, the monster destroyed her body and soul, which resulted in the destruction of their comrades soul as well.

They would not be ready for her to strike.

As far as he knew, so very few actually grasped the spiritual plane, let alone were capable of interacting with them in a tangible manner.

He gave her the ability to do so. Now, he could only wait. Of course, he could do more, but he had other matters to attend to. They knew of his weak point. A weak point that, while had the potential to be incredibly formidable, and had spirits of her own on her side, would still be vulnerable should they possess one of the ones around her and act in that manner.

He would have to stay close and ever alert.

Luckily, that was easy.

After all, he was her stalker.

Vlad Dracul once again looked at the sky. The smile on his face grew a little wider, a slight hint of savage, and with no forewarning, his body dispersed into a swarm of bats as they all took to the sky and made their way towards Nevermore. He had a sweep of the entire town and school to conduct. They were hiding, but not for long.