Bone popped from the fading skin on Rathburn’s cheek. He knelt with his hands clasped around Vlad’s and a smile on his face. “Is there nothing I can do?” Vlad asked. The time he had spent with the man was minimal, but blood is a deep running bond. To see him as he was, fading away now that the pact had reached its purpose, was a harsh reality.
“There is not. The magic tied to a pact is powerful. My duty was to remain in this castle until the day you arrived. Five hundred years…it’s been five hundred years since the pact was formed. In all those centuries, I haven’t been allowed to set foot outside, that’s how powerful the pact is,” Rathburn replied.
“But…it’s me. You said I’m the man destined to rule over the vampires. Can I not save such a loyal servant? What master am I if all I can do is watch you fade to nothingness after all these centuries of loyalty?”
Rathburn patted Vlad’s hands, the smile on his face growing smaller and somber. “We all have our time to go. Mine was centuries ago—I see no wrong in devoting the extra years I was given in this way. It is an honor to know my life’s purpose was to usher you into the world.”
Vlad went to speak but stopped himself. What could he say? Nothing he said would benefit either of them. It would just be his complaints about how this isn’t fair, about how Rathburn deserved to see the vampires rise once again, about how he was powerless and a failure. None of those things would be of help. Not when the old man stared at him with such resolution in his eyes. Vlad swallowed his pride. “We all have our time…” Vlad said. “You’ve done your duty ten times over, Rathburn. I will not forget who gave me this chance. All of my glory, all that I succeed…is because of you.”
There was a slight quiver in Rathburn’s dark lips, but he smiled through it. “There is no greater honor than hearing those words.”
The wind howled through the open door and shattered windows. The cold of the mountain peaks rushed in and filled the room but its chill could not dilute the warmth Vlad felt. To be respected by someone like Rathburn was his greatest honor. And he couldn’t even save someone like that…
Vlad stood and faced away. There was so much he lacked: power, knowledge, respect, companions, yet he was going to have to venture off into this hate-filled world regardless.
“I would have liked you at my side, Rathburn. You would have made this perilous journey a lot more manageable,” he said. And he was on his way. If he stood and watched Rathburn’s final moments, he’d only be left with a greater feeling of powerlessness. Forgive me…
“I would have liked that too…” Rathburn said. His voice was barely audible. “To stand by your side as the world learns your name…to bear witness to your triumphs and aid you where needed…that is truly what I would have wanted.”
Vlad turned to look at him, the man’s face now half bone. Rathburn still managed a smile as a single tear fell down his cheek. “I guess I’m selfish, my Lord. In my final moments…I regret not being able to fight by your side. If only my time could last a little longer…that would be nice.”
The wind howled like a wolf, and deep inside his chest, Vlad heard a howl of his own. SAVE HIM…TEARS…SAVE!
The blood still pooled on the floor whipped up in a frenzy, gathering towards Vlad and spinning around him like a tornado. A passion like none other burned deep within his heart. It was smoldering, searing his body from within, refusing to go unnoticed.
I WILL save this man, Vlad thought.
[Tear Activated]
The words appeared in front of his face but his eyes stared through them, failing to notice them as they focused on Rathburn alone. The blood that spun around Vlad gathered at his chest, bulging and merging into a tear-shaped gem. It shone with crimson light. Threads of blood emerged from the tear, stretching through the air and attaching to Rathburn’s body. They began to glow as light passed through them, almost like they were veins carrying the crimson glow from the tear.
“No!” Rathburn shouted. “You cannot. You mustn't! The tears are far too valuable to use on someone like myself. You must save them for when you need them the most!”
Vlad finally noticed the crimson gem hovering in front of his chest and the threads attached to Rathburn’s body, bringing life back to him. Is this what the tears are capable of? Giving life to those without it? Vlad thought. His eyes narrowed at his servant. It was at that moment he got his first taste of anger.
“Please, my Lord! Take the tear back. Remove its power from me, you must!”
“You’re wrong. You’re wrong, and you’ve wronged me. Do you know what your mistakes were, Rathburn?” Vlad said. The command in his voice chilled even the freezing air that blew in from outside. “Your first mistake was lying to me. You told me there was no way to save you despite clearly knowing the tears could do just that.”
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“Because…”
“Your second mistake, Rathburn, was assuming I will do what I must. You are wrong. I am your master. I am the man destined to rule over the most powerful creatures of the night. There is nothing I must do. There is only that which I want to do. And saving you…is what I currently want most.”
The tear shook, the light within growing harsh and filling the room with blinding light before it burst into blood, absorbing into Rathburn’s body and healing every wound on him completely.
Vlad smirked and turned to face the door. “You will not be leaving my side. Your purpose, from now on, is to fight beside me as I bring our race back from the dead. You are my loyal servant, Rathburn Seevin—no, Rathburn Tepes. And I will not have it any other way.”
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For the first time since waking, Vlad Tepes stepped foot outside. The mountain tops of Celin were eternally wintered, forever snowing and bombarded by the harshest of winds, but the coldest blood ran through his veins—no amount of nature’s chill could affect him. Rathburn neither. His tight knotted hair slowly filled with snow as the two of them walked out into the great expanse that was the castle's courtyard.
“Five-hundred years…” the old man said. His voice was deep and raspy. “I have not set foot outside those rooms and halls for over five hundred years. So this is what snow felt like.” He reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. It stayed unaffected in his cold hands, showing no signs of melting due to his lack of body heat. The only reason his body had kept moving when all his masters had passed was because of the blood pact he made with Lord Seevin. It bound him to the castle with dark magic, making him immortal in a sense. But a thrall without a source of blood is supposed to fade away, and after avoiding that fate for centuries, the world tried balancing his payment by taking from him what he should’ve already lost. But the tear put a stop to that. It filled him with the blood he was missing, turning him into a full-fledged vampire; not a turned-human, but a true creature of the night on par with any old vampire lord. That was the power of the Tears.
“So it is a first for us both. If I was formed in that coffin all those years ago, then this too is my first step outside in five hundred years. Though I suppose they’re my first steps outside in general. How does it feel, Rathburn, finally free to walk where you please?” Vlad said.
“Magnificent. I spent those years expecting you to never arrive, knowing that if you did I would have to leave shortly after. I am forever in your debt, master. Though I may no longer be a thrall, I am at your service as if I still were. Nothing will ever change that.”
“And I’m grateful for that. There is too much we don’t know about the world to try and fight against it alone. Too many vermin after our necks. We need information—knowledge. If we blindly force our way out there we’ll be hunted down before we know it.”
The two walked through the shattered courtyard, passing overgrown hedges and broken statues as the snow fell. They were both dressed in black, one breathtakingly pale-skinned, the other a beautiful shade of mahogany. And they were the first of what was to come. They were the first of the Tepes.
Staring over the cliffside, Vlad gazed into the dark-covered land below. His eyes were strong, as he was a king of the night, and he could see smoke rise in the distance. If he focused hard enough, he could see the blips of a settlement beneath the smoke and hear the sounds of the sleeping. There would be other villages just like that one scattered across these lands. After traveling for a while, they might even come across a city. That would be an unwelcome happening.
“We need a place to make our home. Somewhere we can hide out in and have a constant supply to feast on, but go unnoticed while doing so,” Vlad said.
“Why not Veloma? It was shelter to our kind many centuries ago, and in all my years after the Conquest, I’d only come across a handful of human travelers. It seems the best choice for a base of operations.”
Vlad looked back at the castle. He had only seen the mausoleum where he woke and the foyer where he met Rathburn; there was a whole castle left for him to explore. But look at it. The place was a fading remnant of the past. Walls caved in, roofs peeled back from battering storms; it was not a place to make a home in. “Veloma is in ruins. It is a ruin. A relic of the past. We need someplace new. And to find the right place, we’ll need information. There is much I don’t know about our surroundings. Can I rely on you to bring me intel?” Vlad asked. Rathburn was overlooking the edge, already scouting the distance with his newly powered eyes.
“I take it you’d want me to do so inconspicuously? Without drawing any attention to myself, yes?” he asked. Vlad nodded. “Then that may take some time. If I’m to gather information on our surroundings without being noticed, I’ll need upwards of a week. No more. Most likely less. I cannot leave your side for that long.”
Vlad chuckled. “But you must.” He walked along the cliffside, heading down the mountain path. “We cannot move out into the world before we know what shape it has taken. Besides, I have much to learn about myself and my powers. I’d be of no help to you in my current state, and you’d be of no help to me only staying by my side. I will be in the mountains when you return; do not fret. This will be essential to our future.”
Rathburn lowered his head. “I understand. The night is still young, so it would be best for me to start posthaste. What exactly will you be doing while I’m gone?”
“The Power of Lords. It is something I’ll need to understand inside and out if we’re to take back what’s rightfully ours. I’ll try to understand it in the meantime. I can’t be relying on my servant all the time, you know?”
“It’s my honor to be relied on by you, my Lord.”
“I know it is. But I’d rather let you rest when possible. You’ve had five hundred years of unfaltering duty. You deserve your just dues. Now on with you, and be careful. I will not accept you bringing yourself any harm.”
Rathburn bowed before flicking his coat and leaping off the cliffside to the paths below. Before long, he had disappeared into the dark of the night. Vlad turned to the open field to his left, gazing at the forestry beyond and the mountain peaks beyond that. “Now…Let’s find out what I’m capable of.”