Chapter Text
It was purely fascinating how a creature of the night sought to keep on living despite the boundaries that they had to cross in order to maintain their existence. They lived secluded from society in their own abodes like prisoners of their own skins, kept distant from humanity through threats and desperate attempts to stay alive — because some creatures of the night fed on their meat, and blood.
Through the years, Themis had seen it all, and had buried friends and relatives because of failed attempts of survival. It was heartrending at the beginning, but he was disgusted at discovering just how dull he felt after a while, now simply lowering his gaze on a tombstone and paying respects. Revenge wasn’t a term that suited a Night Hunter, but Themis grew to despise the creatures of the night, and fighting them seemed to be his lifelong resolution.
He was certain to have glimpsed the silhouette of a monster entering the castle, and he was here to simply investigate and walk out the gates with a sample of his victory to redeem the reward connected to the bounty. He wasn’t afraid to have stepped into the wolves’ den on his own; while Night Hunters hardly hunted alone, Themis wasn’t afraid of anything and embraced risks and consequences with open arms — a behavior that his mother, Venat, didn’t tolerate. He was stubborn, yes, but he was also a fearless and skilled magician hunter.
Themis advanced along the corridor with a slow walk, his feather-light steps softly echoing across the wide walls and high ceilings. The curtains of the huge windows were open, looming over an unkempt and presumably abandoned garden, and then the woods. If it wasn’t illuminated by the moonlight, Themis would be staring at a pitch dark landscape. The castle was illuminated by magic candles that never burned out, hanging on the wall and ceiling to give enough light to the huge corridors and rooms.
His heart was pounding, yet Themis was completely calm. He held his spear tightly and advanced carefully, at the same time trying to listen to every single movement; he could only hear his own breath and his own steps.
There were large paintings on the walls — some of them depicting a story, some of them simply portraits. Themis tried not to delve too deep into the lives of these creatures not to distract himself in the middle of his work, but a particular painting caught his attention: it was the portrait of a young looking boy, not older than eight, holding a book and staring right into the observer, with tangerine locks, dark skin, and big vermillion eyes. The painter didn’t trouble much with adding details to the book, therefore Themis could hardly tell what it said, but it wasn’t important. A plate below the painting said: Erichthonios , followed by the boy's age and date.
Themis inevitably thought of how human the boy in the painting looked, of how innocent his life was. Themis had yet to meet a monster child, and he hoped he never had to; it was one thing fighting an adult monster, but monster children? the sole thought made his skin crawl. Reading the plate once again, Themis discovered that the boy in the painting was now an adult — possibly the same figure he caught walking into this very castle a few days ago.
“Hm.”
He turned away from the painting, and when he did, a loud sound of a door closing echoed at the end of the corridor and Themis jumped slightly, inevitably shifting his attention to the door in question. He gripped the spear tightly in his hand and advanced again, this time at a quicker pace. He kept his guard up in the chance that it was a trap, but, when he opened the door, an empty main hall greeted him.
Great…the main hall . A gigantic main hall with numerous doors that led to every corner of the castle, decorated with statues of ambiguous creatures, even more paintings, enormous windows, candelabras, and so on and so forth. Long carpets decorated the marble floors which served as paths so as not to get lost. Stairs led to the upper floors, but Themis was unwilling to venture further. It was already too much if he found himself in the main room…a novice’s mistake. It was foolish to fight a monster alone in the main hall, and Themis was about to turn back and exit...if it wasn't for the sudden voice breaking the silence.
“I do not wish to hurt you.” the mysterious voice echoed throughout the hall, but there was not even the shadow of its source. “But you shouldn’t have come here, and I advise that you do not return if you decide to leave now.”
Themis raised his gaze and looked around himself in a way to spot the source of the voice, but he saw no one. He gripped the spear tightly and set himself into position to initiate combat.
“I do not wish to fight, either.” The voice continued, presumably noticing his stance. “Please, leave now, before they return.”
“So, you are not the only one.” Themis replied, his eyes rolling around at every corner of the main hall with the chance of spotting the source of the voice.
“I am the only one with a kind heart, giving you the chance to leave.”
“A kind heart, uh?” Themis scoffed, his voice sounded as if he was growling. “Remember that kindness next time you feast on the blood of an innocent.”
There was a moment of silence after those words, alarming Themis as if he was expecting a sudden attack. His heart was beating so loudly in his chest that he thought he could hear it amidst the silence.
“Like you, I must survive.” The voice continued, its words causing Themis to scoff once again.
“Why don’t you show yourself? What good does it do to hide in the shadows?”
"You will kill me without hesitation, were I to reveal myself."
Themis’s heart began beating faster in his chest, as if sensing the tension in the air growing more unbearable — almost threatening. His intuition had yet to disappoint him, therefore his stance only readied up more. The voice seemed to have taken note of his stubbornness and sighed.
"I see that no matter what I say, you will not listen to me. They will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb."
"I am not the one hiding in the shadows."
"You will. You are but a mouse in this castle. There will be no way out for you when they return, nowhere to hide. So, tell me, Hunter: do you not have someone dear to return to? A warm place you call home? Do not break your mother's heart with your death. Leave this place, now. I beg of you."
Themis growled under his breath, his heart trembling from the multitude of emotions raging in his chest. His fingers curled tightly around the spear, his eyes rolling here and there to spot the source of this mysterious voice. Not even the sound of its steps could give it away, but then Themis glimpsed at the fabric of its mantle flapping from behind a dark corner and immediately smirked. A pair of vermillion eyes glowed in the shadows, opening wide at the realization that their gazes met. It all happened within a second, not giving the vampire the chance to react swiftly enough.
"Found you."
Themis quickly threw the spear right at the shadowed figure, which the latter dodged hastily and moved away. He finally stepped into the light, giving Themis the chance to spot his movements and find his whereabouts. He didn't stop himself from studying his opponent, but he recognized the tangerine hair from the painting. The creature's mantle flowed behind him as he moved, his movements hasty and agile as he sought another corner to hide into; but it was futile, as Themis could see him now.
Although unequipped with his strongest asset, Themis had other aces to play: he threw a ball on the ground, which quickly released upon contact a particular gas that was effective against vampires: it weakened them, but it wasn’t really that dangerous in large spaces — like the main hall of a castle, for example. The gas quickly dispersed in the vast walls and ceiling of the hall and lingered in the air, making the vampire feel particularly nauseous.
"What…What is this?"
With the vampire under such a weakened state, Themis bought sufficient time to reach for the spear. The vampire's intentions were not harmful but he couldn’t win against a stubborn hunter; in a situation such as this in which he wasn't given a choice, it was either his life or the hunter's. Although the gas weakened him, the main hall was large enough to disperse it quickly; the gas sucked some of his aether from him and it kept doing so as it lingered in the air, although weaker and weaker. It led to Erichthonios feeling the strong desire to feed in order to replenish what was lost, and the hunter was his only source of food right now. He glimpsed at him scurrying to the spear in the shadowed corner and the vampire quickly acted to stop him from his goal; he quickly darted at the hunter, his fangs unleashed like some sort of ravenous beast about to feast after months of starvation.
Themis didn't value the gravity of the situation, much was he too blinded by the desire of having his spear back into his grasp. He didn't pay much attention to the vampire's frenzy and, in the moment, he didn’t even consider that the gas could possibly even trigger it. He listened to the vampire's movements as he ran to the shadowed corner, thinking that he had enough time to have the spear back into his grasp and answer to the vampire's attack with a defensive swing; he was plotting a few combinations of moves he could make once regained control of his weapon, thoughts that were turning into reality the closest he got it. Right when his fingers touched the metal, a strong, unbearable pain sunk deep into his nerves and forced him to halt every and all movements as the realization to have been caught settled in, together with regrets and curses. His eyes widened as his pupils moved and trembled towards the source of such pain, glancing just slightly at the vampire sinking is fangs into his neck and draining him of his blood.
No…it can't be…not me!
Themis’s heart still beat fast and strong in his chest, but it wasn’t a good sign. His groans were all he could spit out as he tried to stretch his arm and reach for the spear, as if he was certain that he could save himself from this situation. He didn't know how but he had to…he had to…Giving up wasn't a term he was familiar with. He couldn't...not him!
I can't die…not me…!
His body was growing weaker and weaker by the second and Themis watched, with disgust and resentment, as his arm dropped to his side, his body growing heavier and unresponsive to his commands. If it wasn’t for the vampire holding him, he would have dropped to his knees for sure. His sight was getting fogger and the thought of closing his eyes tormented him relentlessly.
Don't close your eyes…I must remain conscious...but I'm so tired. I want to sleep…
Themis’s breaths were loud, labored, heavy. He was clearly clinging on to dear life, but he was losing grip fast. He didn't want to let go but he was so tired.
Oh, how could he die a miserable death such as this? In the arms of a monster with blood trickling down his neck and staining his clothes, while said monster feasted on him like some sort of delicious dinner shared during a festivity at a table with the warmth of your family.
Family…It was all Themis could think about at this time, the thought of his mother barging into his mind as his heart tore in half. Don't break your mother's heart with your death. His mother...yes, she was everything he thought about while losing balance on a thread between life and death. He thought about her smile, her delicate touch — about her eyes filling with tears upon discovering that her precious child had perished in a foolish attempt at clearing out a castle by stepping directly into the wolves den. Themis knew better than that, and yet...and yet his mother was going to live with a broken heart.
Even if his body fell into certain death, Themis still found the courage to smile. The vision of his mother being so crystal clear right now that he swore he could touch her. His mother was right in front of him.
"M-mother…"