Saturday, January 13th, Year 1 NW
Winter Manor, Springfield, Dukedom of Winterheim, Kingdom of Pentoria.
"My Lord, I suggest we give it another thought." Felix, once the Commander of the Knights of the House of Rayne and now the only knight remaining at the Manor, pleadingly looked at Amon, who stood by the window, gazing into the pale winter sky.
"You can stay here with your daughter, Ser. I won't blame you."
"My Lord, forgive me, but they might not be alive."
Amon closed his eyes, steeling his heart, and nodded slowly.
"I know. But I need to see for myself. My heart has been very restless this past week..." he frowned. "We cannot stay holed up in the Manor forever either. We need to go out and assess the situation outside the Estate."
"It's not yet time to go out, My Lord..."
"Stay here, Ser. It's an order if you still take them from us."
As soon as the words left Amon's lips, Felix dropped to his knees and lowered his head.
"My life belongs to you and your family, My Lord."
"Then stay here and keep the Manor safe. Do not let any of those creatures get in here."
"I will come with you..."
"It's an order."
Felix blamed himself in his heart as his eyes turned misty, but he did not speak again, fearing he would disappoint Amon further.
Amon turned and patted the knight's shoulder, then walked past him, glancing at the young girl waiting at the door, holding the Red Rain.
He took the sword from her hands and descended into the Underground Garage, praying to find someone from his family alive. Anyone, as long as they shared his blood.
Remus was already there, seated inside the Black Crown SUV, a sleek, all-terrain vehicle that was bulletproof, bombproof, and nearly silent thanks to its electric motors.
The garage door rumbled open, creating a brief noise, but by the time the monsters outside reacted, the SUV had exited and the door had shut again.
Amon stepped out, sensing the surge of hostile intent nearby. He waited until the creatures came close and lunged at him. Then he raised his right hand and unleashed a devastating Psionic Blast. The energy erupted outward, hurling the beasts dozens of metres back and shattering their bones.
Before they could recover, red Psionic Arrows shot out of his hand, piercing bodies and skulls, snuffing out lives in seconds.
One of the monsters, a wiry creature with regenerative abilities, struggled back to its feet. Amon narrowed his eyes and launched a second volley of arrows, impaling it in a dozen places before it finally stilled.
Those with abilities were dangerous, even to him. He had to stay alert.
Sylvia watched it all from the window above, clutching her small hands against the glass. Her gaze remained fixed on Amon until the SUV disappeared into the forest.
"Why are you scared of Lord Amon, my child?" Felix gently asked his daughter, who turned to look at him in confusion.
"I am not scared of him, Papa."
"You have been nervous and fearful in his presence." He frowned, searching her green eyes.
"I... am just sad for him. It... disturbs me that he has been so calm ever since he woke up. He did not even shed a tear when he buried his parents and family."
Felix studied her quietly and then furrowed his brows.
"Why do you lie to your father?"
She lowered her head, shying away from his gaze.
"I am not scared of him, Papa," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
The knight's eyes widened with understanding. He gently patted her head and then walked away to patrol the Manor.
Out on the road, Amon had to repeatedly use his powers to keep the monsters at bay. It wasn't until they merged onto the expressway that he was finally able to relax, if only slightly.
Remus remained vigilant, checking the mirrors and monitoring the 3D cameras as they sped toward their destination.
This expressway was only accessible to the Rayne family and officials of the Dukedom. Though they passed several ruined vehicles and signs of chaos, the road was thankfully not blocked.
That changed when they left the expressway and turned toward Spring Fort.
The SUV came to a halt. Amon immediately jumped onto the roof to scan the area.
He frowned, sensing a wave of approaching monsters. His perception had grown sharper. It felt like a radar now, giving him an impression of their numbers and strength.
Drawing a deep breath, he revolved his Psionic Energy. As the beasts emerged from the trees, he fired a volley of red arrows from his body, impaling the creatures with precision.
Not wanting to exhaust his reserves, he unsheathed Red Rain and surged forward. The dark blade, gleaming with a crimson sheen, cut cleanly through necks and torsos.
The sword glowed faintly as it drank in the blood of the fallen. Whatever had happened two weeks ago had changed more than just people. The weapons were tranformed too. The Red Rain had awakened.
Amon watched in fascination as the sword absorbed every drop, leaving behind shrivelled, dry husks.
Once done, he returned the blade to its scabbard and used his Psionic Powers to slowly move the obstructing vehicles, clearing the road ahead.
The process took nearly an hour, during which both men remained alert. Several more monsters attempted to attack, but Amon repelled them with surgical efficiency. None were allowed to close the distance.
He was cold. Precise. Ruthless. Yet Remus worried. How long could his young master maintain this pace? His face had gone pale, and his sapphire eyes now held a haunting, ethereal light that unnerved even him.
It was almost as if he was possessed. And he was possessed with the idea of finding someone who shared his blood alive.
By the time they reached the gates of Spring Fort, the sun hung low in the sky. The tall gate was locked. Amon and Remus exchanged grim looks. They could smell it.
They stopped the vehicle and leapt twenty metres to the top of the wall.
Amon closed his eyes, extending his senses. The Radar in his mind activated, but other than Monsters, there were no living signatures. Remus confirmed the same with a silent nod.
Below them, the battlefield was painted in blood. Corpses of monsters and humans lay scattered. Parts of the thick walls were collapsed, and the castle itself bore holes and cracks that stretched as high as twenty metres.
Spring Fort had once been both a noble residence and a tourist hub. Now it was a graveyard.
A nauseating stench clung to the air. Not even the cold could mask it.
He felt even more hollow in his heart now. His brother and his family here were dead too.
Tears brimmed up in his eyes but he held them back. He wanted to turn away, but then, faintly, he heard a voice in his head.
"Mama... don't leave me..."
There was only one person in the world who could enter his mind like this. Whom he allowed to enter his mind like this.
He recognised the voice... it was hers.
She was somewhere inside the Fort, subconsciously shielding her presence from the Monster.
Without a word, he vaulted off the wall and sprinted into the ruined castle.
Remus followed, dismayed by his speed. He was fast, ridiculously fast.
Death lined their path. Amon carved through monsters with terrifying momentum. He ignored wounds, gashes, and burns. Nothing would stop him.
Remus too released the beast within.
He grew to over three metres, transforming into a werewolf hybrid. With a shield taken from the wall, he barreled through lesser monsters, clearing Amon's path.
And to his dismay, his Lord left him to fight on his own as he used some strange power to turn into black smoke and appear on the other end of the hallway.
Fountains of blood sprayed up, more bodies fell, and in the end, Remus was just trying to keep with Amon's speed.
The ascent up the tower was brutal. More monsters appeared. Some had elemental abilities, others brute strength or ridiculous agility. But they were not coordinated. They lacked intelligence and strategy.
Steel met more flesh. Blood sprayed walls. Screams, roars, and wails echoed.
Together, they reached the top floor, panting, and in Remus' case, soaked in gore. The hallway here was already littered with corpses. The monsters had not dared enter again.
The last battle had likey happened this very morning. Fresh blood still streaked the walls.
Amon's heartbeat thundered in his ears as he approached a sealed door.
He knocked, his hand trembling.
"Freya?" he called out her name, barely able to speak.
No reply.
He touched the lock and focused his Psionic Powers.
A voice echoed in his mind. "Uncle...?"
A tear slid down his cheek.
"Yes. Open the door if you can."
He heard furniture being dragged with some great effort. Then the latch clicked.
The door opened, and a frail sixteen-year-old girl with sunken eyes collapsed into his arms.
Freya. His niece. His Fiancée.
She wept uncontrollably.
He held her close, but then his head jerked.
He smelled blood.
His gaze shifted to the bed, where a young woman lay bleeding.
She was his cousin. The Princess of the Carmilla Family. His Honoured Sister.
His throat clenched. A searing thirst overtook him. His sapphire eyes turned crimson and flared.
The Princess, his Honoured Sister, smiled faintly, but then her eyes widened in fear. She sensed the crisis.
He blurred forward, still holding Freya in his arms.
"Save her, please..." the girl begged through sobs, having not taken notice of his speed.
Amon gently released her.
He trembled, fighting the hunger. But the scent was overpowering.
A tear rolled from the Princess's eye as his hand reached for her.
But instead of pain, she felt warmth.
He gently pulled her up to helo her sit, and she winced in great pain as he did it.
"You are dying, Mer" he whispered, almost to himself. "The venom is inside you. It's killing you."
She nodded faintly. "Promise me, Amon... keep Freya safe..."
He closed his eyes, then opened them, now glowing red.
Suddenly, he leaned in and buried his face into her neck, sank his fangs into her skin.
The Princess gasped, paralysed. Freya screamed after her mind finally made sense of what was happening.
"Uncle...!"
Amon trapped her in a Psionic Cage to prevent her from interfering.
Freya pounded her fists against the red walls, screaming as her mother's life seemed to drain away.
Her powers exploded in grief. The cage nearly shattered but held firm.
At the door, Remus was stunned, and he wanted to rush forward, but his young Lord signalled him to stay in his place.
He decided to trust him.
A while later, Amon finally pulled back.
The Princess's skin instantly started to regain colour. Her wounds sealed, and her beautiful Sapphire eyes briefly turned Crimson just like his.
He felt it then. A bond. A link.
And without realising it, he smiled.
To him, nothing mattered more than the fact that she was going to live.
He had managed to save someone important to him. He had managed to save a kin...