"Ma..."

I was perplexed at the feeble sound that had still managed to echo in all our ears despite the insane storm brewing right behind us. Deli looked horrified and lost as she stood between the corpse of the mutant at her feet and the hurricane behind her.

"Chopper-san, what did it...?", I looked at him but he was focused solely on Deli right now. He had a concerned look on his face as if he knew a disaster was about to hit us.

I looked back at Deli who looked like she had lost all her senses. She was a wounded beast and there was nothing more dangerous than that right now, neither for us nor for herself.

I think Chopper took a step, heading towards her before something crashed close to us.

We all looked at it.

"Man...for real?!", Lady appeared from the crash site as the dust settled a bit. We were soon joined by her opponent.

Deli looked sternly and wildly at him.

"Ah, so you've taken it down?", he spoke in the most intimidating voices you could possibly imagine, "It wasn't yet perfected...what a sad sight it is in now."

He had sharp features but I must admit, he was charming despite clear signs of age on his face. His appearance was the most graceful I'd ever seen. His gray hair slicked back with a stray strand dancing with the air, his enormous dark cape-like gown that covered the sky behind him, the unbelievable sinister glint in his clear golden eyes, his broad tall stature and his entire composure was indeed something to behold.

He slid down the stairs in the air and closed the distance between us, though he never touched the ground and maintained a little height above us.

"My daughter...", I realized he was addressing Deli, "I see you've committed the final deed. How does it taste...your own blood and flesh?"

I'm sure we stayed stuck in time for centuries after that. Lady was still on the ground. Sight stood behind all of us, I wonder what kind of expression he was wearing. Chopper knew of the calamity awaiting us. I stood watching Deli as she was tormented by tumultuous barrages of emotions. I didn't think I'd ever see something so conflicted. A war waging between sanity and hatred, revenge and anger. I wished...like I'd never wished before, that Deli hadn't heard it. If only that wish could be granted, I'm sure we could save Deli from losing everything in that moment. But that moment lasted for years on end and for years on end, I kept wishing the same thing.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"Sight!", it was Chopper's voice that broke through that never ending vacuum of time.

He and Sight moved into action but were paused when Deli made no move. She stood still, emptily staring at Magnus who himself was slightly confused as to why his provocation hadn't worked. I suppose sanity had won the war. But Deli was lost somewhere.

"I suppose your blood does fare pale now", Magnus spouted before springing into action. He seemed to have lost interest in Deli and went forward to attack her.

His attack was barred and repelled by Lady.

"Get back", she told Deli who was still making sense of everything.

I looked to my side. Chopper was breathing heavily. He had probably had enough for one day. Sight hurried over to him and began healing him as best he could. Magnus and Lady had engaged in battle. Magnus was engaging her with his countless magical weapons, while Lady tried to protect both Deli and herself.

"Deli, get back!"

"Wrong!", Magnus howled, "She isn't listening to anything right now. That's the power of superiority. No vampire can win against me!"

Lady was thrown off guard but still I could tell that both Magnus and her were on par with each other.

"Seraph", Chopper called me, "You have to get her back. Lady will-"

Lady came crashing once again as she struggled to shield Deli. He managed to separate all of us from Deli. When the smoke settled he was standing right alongside her, looking at us as if provoking us.

"Deli!"

"This was a good fight and it will continue to be pleasing to me, however, I've no time nor intention to waste my time with you lot."

Lady quickly got up and headed for him but he stopped her.

"Don't bother. She is within my teleportation field right now. I'd rather not have to escape so stay where you are", Magnus said arrogantly.

"What do you want from her? She can't fulfill your dreams for you, bastard", Lady clenched her fists.

"Wrong. She can indeed fulfill them. Yet, she chose not to. Instead she committed atrocities of the vilest nature. She broke the code of the house of Vlad. It saddens me that my own daughter should bring such disgrace to us. Regardless, I suppose that just means I shall have to take the legacy of Vlad upon myself. I shall see to it that we don't perish. Hold your lives close, humans. They might slip right when you least expect them to."

Before we could understand what this meant, he turned towards Deli.

"I'll welcome you soon", he whispered before impaling her chest.

Blood dripped and gushed down his mouth and his eyes stared in disbelief into hers.

She had impaled his chest and his still beating heart rested in her hand. Trails of blood found their way down her mouth too.

"You spoke of superiority, did you Father? I took that away from you a long time ago, didn't you know?"

We stood emptily looking at the two dying or perhaps fighting in their own realms. None of us had the courage or the strength to breathe a word.