Hima issued orders to prepare Minavere for war immediately. Borya and Katya were to draft as many able-bodied men as possible into Minavere’s new army, then to train them to fight against exorcists. Carmilla and Annabel wasted no time sending out a radio and television broadcast to Yakutsk’s population, summoning them all to the front of the hotel.

All of Yakutsk stopped to either show up in front of the hotel, or tune in to what was happening. All they knew was that Carmilla had urgent news that concerned every vampire.

As a massive crowd began to form like a blood clot outside, Osamu remained seated at the now empty conference room. The lords had all gone out to do their duties and prepare Yakutsk to be transformed into the heart of Minavere. That left Osamu with time to think and to observe what was happening in the rest of the world.

He had turned on the wall-mounted television and flipped the channel onto the news. Taeko walked in at the same time a breaking announcement was being made.

“Breaking news this evening!” the female newscaster said. “The Japanese government has announced that they have captured and detained one of the masterminds of the attack on Kyoto just days ago. Manami Akiyama, a former, high-ranking exorcist was responsible for acquiring the bombs used in the attack, as well as gathering the men who carried it out.”

“…What?” Taeko gasped. “Manami was caught? How the fuck did they find her?”

“As far as we know, the Exorcist Program didn’t have permission to enter Italy, right?” Osamu asked.

“As far as we know.” Taeko answered, stepping closer to the television. “But I don’t understand how they found her! Her location was perfectly hidden. The only people who knew were us and…”

“Her subordinates.” Osamu said, turning his concerned gaze towards Taeko.

“You think one of them betrayed us?” Taeko scoffed. “But all of them agreed to our plan. They’re the ones that helped us carry it out.”

“Maybe they couldn’t live with what we did. Or maybe they got cold feet once they saw other countries were getting involved.”

“This is bad, Osamu. If one of her men betrayed us, the whole plan is in jeopardy. The world might mobilize their forces faster, depending on what they learn. Shit. We have to tell Yoko, too. They’re going to kill Manami for what she did.”

“We’ll tell her once we get back to Wales. For now, we focus on preparing Minavere for war. Looks like Hima’s going to reveal herself to the city soon. I’ve also asked Carmilla to bring the Shoku Twins here when she gets a chance.”

“Shouldn’t we go back right now and tell Yoko?”

“And what good would that do? Do you have a plan to break Manami out of prison? Do you even know where they’re holding her?”

Overwhelmed by it all, Taeko took a seat next to Osamu, sweeping her hair behind her head with a heavy sigh. “Fuck. Depending on what they know, Minavere might be screwed. This country won’t be prepared in time for an invasion, especially not if the world gets the drop on us first.”

“That’s exactly why we’re bringing the Shoku Twins here. As long as they’re here, they can’t touch this city. It’s the deterrence we need in case things get out of hand.”

The same ominous feeling that overcame Taeko in the Underworld returned to her now as she looked into Osamu’s eyes. Yet again, he was strangely prepared for something he shouldn’t have been able to see coming. He wasn’t phased or panicked at all by Manami’s capture. It was as if every victory and supposed defeat was all part of some script that only he could read.

Instead of saying anything, Taeko got up from her seat and left in silence. Her footsteps disappeared down the hall while the thunderous cheer of a budding nation deafened all other sounds.

“Sounds like it’s time.” Osamu said, standing from his seat.

Hima, Carmilla, Annabel, Taeko, and Lord Anya marched through the lobby as the whole city converged upon the hotel. The orange light of the setting sun was refracted by the snowfall, painting the entire sky in its color. Street lamps automatically turned on as darkness approached, as did the hotel’s interior lights.

“My Queen, I strongly discourage this!” Anya cried. “We can address the people from one of the balconies! It’s not ideal, but it’s safer than going out to meet them in person!”

“My people have waited centuries for the return of a true heir.” Hima said. “I will not greet them from some balcony coward princess. They need to see my face and pick up my scent, especially if I am to ask them to fight in a war for me.”

“She’s right.” Taeko said. “When you go to war, your title earns you respect, but only your actions can earn you loyalty.”

Hima snickered with her hands behind her back. “Taeko would know! Speaking of which, where’s Osamu?”

“He should be coming down soon. I’m sure he heard all the commotion outside.” Taeko said. “How could you not? It’s a god damned sea of people out there…”

Hima opened the glass doors of the hotel entrance and stepped out to the top of its tall staircase. Taeko’s words were no exaggeration. There seemed to be as many people gathering in front of the hotel as there were snowflakes in the sky. Hima scanned the eyes and faces of Yakutsk’s men, women and children, seeing the old and the young, the tall and the short, all of them united by their shared, vampirical heritage.

Stolen story; please report.

The only thing separating the sea of onlookers from Hima were two lines of Yakutsk policeman and a barricade stretched along the bottom of the hotel staircase. The crowd’s chatter snowballed into a deafening, white noise that overpowered even the blaring car horns on the street.

Carmilla stepped forth with a hand raised skyward. “Attention, all!”

And just like that, the massive crowd fell silent. All heeded Carmilla’s command.

“Every word I said to you on the broadcast was true.” Carmilla said. “My final duty to Lord Dracula was to hide his heiress from the world until the time was right. That time is now. Today, Yakutsk is no longer a safe haven protected by the Council. Today, it is the beating heart of a new nation that was founded mere hours ago. That nation shall be called Minavere, in honor of Lord Dracula’s beloved wife and the mother of your new, true-blood queen!”

Hima stepped forth, looking at the thousands of pairs of eyes gazing back at her, snow sticking to their eyelashes. Just as she took in a breath to speak, Osamu sauntered past Carmilla and the others, joining at Hima’s side.

Hima smiled as she took Osamu’s hand into her own, her heart aflame with pride and joy. “My name is Hima Chinagaregawa. I’m sure you can all tell by my scent that I am the true heiress of Lord Dracula and Lady Mina. Beside me, carrying a strong scent of his own, is Osamu Ashikaga. Though not a vampire, he carries within him the blood and heart of Inari Okami, a Shinto goddess felled by her own countrymen. Inari entrusted her blood and heart to this man, but in doing so, set the stage for the Third Great Holy War.”

“Inari had an extremely unique ability called Bloodcraft.” Osamu said. “It is the ability to control all beings, be they human, animal, or even a god, without them ever realizing it. Used on a mass scale, this power could be used to brainwash the entire world. It could be used to strip away freedom and free will itself, to force all beings on this earth to adhere to the wielder’s philosophy or ideology. That’s exactly why the Shinto pantheon sought to take that power by executing me.

“But I will not let them. Me and my companion, the renowned Taeko Akiyama, have been working closely with Lord Annabel, Lord Carmilla, and Her Majesty to lay down the groundwork for the Third Great Holy War. That vicious attack on Kyoto just a few days prior was our work. Japan and the Shinto pantheon are desperate to take this power, and I agreed to help found this nation because I recognize the danger their want poses to the world and to your race.”

“Amaterasu’s nation is filled to the brim with serpents.” Hima said, taking over. “It is engorged with the schemes of usurpers, the machinations of subversive agents. If she or one of her duplicitous gods attain this power, there can be no doubt it will be used to eradicate their enemies, which would include our race. This threat has been brewing for seven years, but you’ve all remained ignorant of it.

“We can remain ignorant no longer. The future of our race, of the very concept of free will, is in danger. Without it, my father and mother died in vain. Every lord who has ever built a kingdom or country did so in vain. We will not allow my race to be wiped from this planet.

“You have all waited centuries here, slowly piecing together all you’ve lost from the Second Great Holy War. Many of you still lost friends, lovers, family, limbs, or even your peace of mind. Many of you never got to bury your loved ones, for their bones rest in Japanese soil, and the Shinto pantheon refused all pleas for their safe return. The tombs of our heroes erode, their crypts empty, and their souls wandering foreign land.

“Yes, you’ve all waited centuries for a true heir to sit the throne. You’ve waited so long that some of your forgot what you were even here for, and so you’ve resigned to make this frigid city your final resting place. But our kingdom once stretched from the jagged shores of Denmark to the Silk Road of China. Our people once knew the cool shade of forests, the warmth of islands, and the oasis hidden in the desert.

“Our race was never meant to stay confined in one place like livestock in their pen. Our history was built by explorers, conquerers, and intellectuals. It was built by the bold, the brave, the strong, and the insatiably curious. Right now, the world we once ruled gathers their armies to destroy us. But they have not yet found our city. We have time, but not a lot of it.

“I call upon you all to lend your strength to Minavere. Once again, our race needs your brilliance, your bravery, your patriotism. Once again, our race finds itself threatened by the violent wants of another nation, and once again, we must answer it with violence of equal measure. Answer their calls for our destruction with a furious scream, so that all the world may know that we exist!

“Answer their calls for our enslavement with your vicious scream of nationalism! Thaw yourselves from this ice! Recall the spirit you had when my father raised his kingdom for you! Stand and fight! Our existence depends on it! While your king and queen stand, Minavere will not fall today, not tomorrow, not ever!”

After centuries of waiting, of existing just to cling to life, the vampires finally found a reason not just to live, but to die. It was the same thing Osamu discovered when he met Inari, and it inspired the same passion in the citizens of Yakutsk as it did for him seven years ago. Some were moved to tears by Hima’s speech, for she spoke directly to their pain and humiliation during the Second Great Holy War.

At long last, Dracula’s true heiress would set all those wrongs right, all while saving the world from its greatest threat.

“As my dear king likes to say, Fight together! Die together!” Hima screamed.

The massive crowd roared in response, their screams crackling like thunder in the sky. “Fight together! Die together! Fight together! Die together!”

Their chants of that hallowed phrase took Osamu back to that airport where he fought alongside Inari, to their bloodstained days and tender nights of respite. He wondered if Inari ever knew that her mantra would become the battlecry of a nation, the words that would stir an entire race to go to war.

Hima leaned into Osamu ear as the crowd continued to shake the very foundation of Yakutsk with their patriotic screams. “To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.”

“Lucky for us, we have both of those things.” Osamu said. “I can buy this nation the time it needs. But we’ll need to go back to Wales to get Izanami, then we’ll need to go to Fukuoka.”

“And as promised, Izanami will send out some of her demons.” Hima said. “That should keep our enemies preoccupied for a bit.”

Hima then turned to Carmilla, beckoning her to her side with the wave of her hand.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Carmilla asked with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Osamu and I are going to buy you some time. I need you to oversee the country’s militarization.” Hima said.

Carmilla nodded, the smile fading from her face. “I understand. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll take you back to Wales. Good luck, you two.”

With Minavere’s preparations underway, the Third Great Holy War was only just beginning. But while the monstrous cheer of Yakutsk flooded Hima’s ears, all had grown quiet for Osamu. There he was, standing at the heart of a nation that would follow his every command, yet all he heard was Inari’s heartbeat in his chest, her blood being pushed through the veins in his head.

His long-awaited dream of a world plunged into an endless night and an eclipsed sun hanging like a halo in the sky was close at hand. He turned around, seeing Omagatoki and Akatsuki standing next to Taeko. He nodded at the twins and the twins nodded back to him.

Without words, they both knew it was time for the Dark Dawn and the Endless Night.