The First Born
“Darkness will fall once more on the first night of the First Born. They will decide the fate of Evangelica and its world.”
Once upon a not-so-great time, there was a kingdom overrun by evil entities and beings.
The kingdom was so unfortunate that everyday there were numerous reports of possessions, tortures, and, of course, deaths.
Gloomy and dark, as if the whole kingdom was trapped in a monochrome filter, this unfortunate Victorian-esque place was called Noir Kingdom.
But one night, everything changed. A bright light burst out of the castle-cathedral and shot towards the sky. In that light, an angelic figure appeared and vanquished all the evil in the kingdom with one stroke.
Once finished, it enveloped the kingdom of Noir in a holy shield that kept all evil beings from entering the kingdom.
Though it was a surprise, there was no mystery behind where the bright light came from. Among the last remaining handful of citizens that took refuge in the castle was a little girl. She was found cradling her lifeless mother who died protecting her from monsters. With her father missing and her mother now gone, the girl became an orphan of the kingdom. Her name was Evangelie Raviere.
Even though it was the most tragic night for the innocent young Evangelie, her noble actions, accidental as they were, saved the remaining people of Noir and gave them hope once again. Dawn finally came to the Kingdom. Colors filled the streets and homes; it was a sign of fortunate new beginnings. Noir had woken up from a very long nightmare.
Noir Kingdom and its citizens owed their lives to Evangelie. They made sure that the little girl would never feel alone. The kingdom was her family now.
The citizens took to the streets and rejoiced in their freedom. And so the Holy Spirit festival was born as a reminder of the day the light returned to their kingdom.
From then on, the kingdom was no longer known as Noir—a name that conjured memories of their past horrors—but Evangelica in honor of their hero.
Despite the fame and gratitude bestowed upon her by the citizens of the kingdom, Evangelie remained humble. She wanted to live a normal life; that was her only request to the people; one which they easily granted.
The years passed and Evangelie, who grew up to be a kind and generous young lady, fell in love. She married her childhood friend; a boy named Tim who, like her, had been orphaned during the dark days. Their love gave birth to a daughter who they named Ellie. Finally, the orphaned girl who saved a kingdom had a family to call her own.
Ellie grew up to be kind, generous, and brave like her mother. The epitome of the kindness of strangers, Ellie never hesitated to lend a helping hand, even if others were not so quick to do so. It was no surprise then that she fell in love with one such weary soul who crossed paths with her; a young, lone traveler named Harry Greyhound.
Harry was a troubled young man. Anyone who crossed paths with him could see that. After all, he was a Greyhound*. Anyone who lived through the dark days knew what being a Greyhound meant. It was only natural for the citizens of the kingdom, who all felt protective of their savior’s daughter, to be wary of him.
Still, Ellie believed that Harry was a good man, no matter what anyone said. Their opinions of him were unfounded as far as she was concerned, until Harry confided in her.
“I’m cursed.” Harry told her. “My entire family is.”
Harry told her about his family’s history and the curse of the Hound-blood* knowing that it meant he could lose Ellie. The last thing he wanted was to put people in danger, especially the love of his life.
Ellie confronted Harry. "I don't care what curse you bear. If your love is real, you'll stay. I'm ready for the challenges that we might face because my love for you is undeniably true."
Harry was convinced and his love for Ellie triumphed. He stayed.
Even though they knew the dangers of having a Greyhound in the family, Evangelie and Tim accepted Harry to their family.
Soon, Ellie and Harry married. Evangelie's family was growing. And despite her wrinkles and gray hair, it was truly one of those happiest moments in her life.
Life went on in Evangelica.
One evening, while Tim and Evangelie slept peacefully in their simple bungalow house in the western part of Evangelica a bright pulsing light stirred Evangelie from her sleep. Outside her window were flashes of light. As soon as Evangelie pushed open the curtains, what she saw filled her with dread.
Evangelica was burning! Its people screamed as evil beings roamed the streets once more.
"Follow me." A whisper passed through Evangelie's ear. A white glowing figure stood at her door and beckoned her to follow it into the streets of Evangelica.
The figure of light steadily glowed despite the chaos in the streets of Evangelica. It did not speak nor did it show any signs of stopping, not until they reached the cathedral. On the walls of the cathedral, it read—
“Darkness will fall once more on the first night of the First Born. They will decide the fate of Evangelica and its world.”
Tears fell from Evangelie's eyes. She heard screeches and low roaring noises behind her. Evangelie turned around and saw the evil entities surrounding her, with only the glowing figure standing between them.
The evil entities and the glow, while absorbing them, slowly moved forward to Evangelie. She stepped back slowly.
The glow grew darker and darker until it turned black. Corrupted by the evil it had absorbed, it became a new evil entity and was now three times larger than its former size.
Evangelie reached the wall, she was already cornered. The new evil opened its mouth, lined with sharp teeth, and moved to strike. Cornered, scared and powerless, Evangelie closed her eyes. Maybe it was her time.
The bells rang from the Cathedral.
It was just a dream.
Evangelie woke up to the morning sun in her eyes, the Cathedral bells ringing across the whole of Evangelica echoed in her room. Gone were the dark shadows that surrounded her, replaced by the dancing prisms of light that shined through her window. It was only a nightmare. But she felt something different, it felt more like a warning. A prophecy.
Evangelie tried to keep her dream to herself for several days but it kept bothering her that she finally decided to tell her family.
She arranged a family meeting that evening. Tim, Ellie, and Harry were all present. Evangelie told them her dream. Everyone was surprised.
"Maybe it was just the usual nightmare, mom. Besides, we have the barrier." Ellie told her mom. Trying to be the optimist.
"But my child, this feeling, I can't just ignore it. I haven’t felt this fear since Evangelica was still known as Noir." Evangelie replied.
"Okay, okay. I think there's no hurt in being prepared?" said Tim.
"Alright then. I'll speak to the King and warn him. My love, come with me and let's try to figure out the message in my dream." Evangelie replied.
"I'll reach out to my contacts and old friends just in case. Anything to protect my family and our baby." Harry added.
"Thank you, my son. As for you Ellie, get enough rest and don't stress yourself. Okay? We're only 2 months away until we see our little angel." Evangelie ended the meeting with a smile.
Ellie replied with a sincere but worried smile.
The next few weeks were busy for Evangelie and her family. She and Tim went to the castle-cathedral and told the King about the prophecy. Without any hesitation, the King agreed to Evangelie's request; Assistance from the Royal Guards, tighten the kingdom’s security, and access to the Room.
It wasn’t long until the rumors spread across Evangelica. Worry and fear struck every citizen's heart once more, but the King and the castle officials tried their best to pacify the people by holding all sorts of events; festivals, food parades, contests, and so much more just to keep them calm.
Evangelie and Tim began researching every lists and medical records for any babies to be born on the same day as their grandchild. And to their surprise, there were none. This result added more worry to Evangelie but even though stressed, she tried to keep a positive mind.
Tim tried to ease his wife’s worries as much as he could but Evangelie just couldn't be stopped. At night, she would sneak out of her bed and go to the Room. Tinkering.
Tim knew about his wife's late-night shenanigans but he didn’t want to stop her either. He knew and understood the stress that Evangelie felt. And all he could do was support her.
Several more weeks passed, and the baby was only a month away.
And just as expected, the stress took a toll on Evangelie's body. She wasn’t young anymore and her body had become frail, she realized. Evangelie got over fatigued and was advised to remain in bed rest to recover. Tim took care of his wife, advised her to take a break from worrying and just stay in bed.
One morning, Ellie told her father that she would be the one to take care of her mother while he sleeps. Sleepy Tim didn't refuse and slept in the living room.
Evangelie woke and saw her Ellie wiping her with a warm towel. Evangelie smiled.
"It's just 2 weeks away. Have you and Harry thought of a name for my grandchild?" said Evangelie
Ellie smiled and said "If it's a girl, we'll name her Mina. And if it's a boy, it will be Maximillian."
"Those are lovely names. And what a coincidence, they'll be born just in time for the Holy Spirit Festival." Evangelie replied.
"A blessing in disguise, perhaps?" said Ellie while she finished tending to her mother.
After a week more of rest, Evangelie was now back on her feet. She tried finishing the preparation and asked Harry for any updates on his contacts.
Harry told her that he had already sent a letter to them and they replied right away, agreeing to give assistance. Evangelie was happy with this news.
The day finally came, sunrise to be specific. Ellie screamed to Harry that her water had broken!
Harry, panicking, didn't know what to do. He called Evangelie and she shoved him out of their room.
Evangelie, a mother, and a trained midwife helped Ellie through her labor. And before they knew it, it was done.
Harry and Tim rushed into the room and saw not one but two beautiful babies cradled in Ellie’s arms. Twins! A boy and a girl.
Ellie, now a parent, smiled, "Welcome to the world, Maximillian and Mina."
Evangelie stepped out of the room then returned holding a necklace. It was small, silver circlet in the shape of a crown. On one side was the face of the sun, on the other the moon.
Evangelie held the necklace between her palms until a bright yellow light shone from within. She opened her hands and the necklace became two pieces. A sun and a moon.
Evangelie leaned towards the twins and said, "Hello my beautiful little angels, grandmama has a gift for you." She placed the necklaces on her grandchildren.
Later that day, a group of people knocked on the Raviere and Greyhound residences. Harry opened the door and was happy with what he saw.
Outside stood a group of strange-looking people who clearly weren’t from there. Leading the group was a large, long-haired scruffy, man. He wore a maroon trench coat over his black ragged shirt, faded jeans and boots. It was none other than Harry’s brother, Fenrir, and behind him were the Sacrifars.
Harry introduced Fenrir to Evangelie and told her about their story. Amazed and relieved, Evangelie thanked Fenrir and the rest of the Sacrifars for their assistance. Evangelie and Harry asked if he wanted to see his nephew and niece. Fenrir jumped for joy and agreed.
That night, the streets were quiet, even for Evangelica. The Royal Guards were everywhere. From the gates, to the streets, and of course, at the Raviere's. The Holy Spirit festival was cancelled that night.
It was already 10:45pm, The guards usually made rounds every 15 minutes to patrol and change location. Now it's already 11:00pm, it's time for the guards to exchange location.
On top of the wall in the western side of the kingdom, two guards walked towards each other. As the first guard approached, he couldn't resist to chat with the other one.
"Gloomy weather isn't it?" said the first guard.
"Yeah...can't wait for this night to end!" the other guard replied.
"Same here. Oh well, back to work. Drinks tomorrow?" the first guard randomly invited.
"Drinks tomorrow." the other guard accepted.
As they moved farther from each other, the other guard forgot to ask the location, so she turned around.
"By the way, where-" but her question was cut short when she didn't see the first guard and all the other guards on patrol in their location.
Cold sweat dripped from her temple. The eerie quiet was replaced by a soft rustling just before a swarm of shadows burst from the forest and moved into Evangelica.
Her shriek from the Western wall was heard across the kingdom.
Evangelie, got out of the room, trying to be as calm as she could be, and told everyone inside and outside the house. "They're here."
The Royal Guards, Fenrir, and the Sacrifars are now armed and ready.
12:00 mn.
It was chaos once again in Noir. Burning houses and screaming people were heard everywhere.
It didn't take long, the swarm of Vampires* were only a few meters away from the Raviere's.
The clash finally ensued outside the house, the Royal Guards and the Sacrifars tried to stop the invaders.
1:00 am.
It was a tug of war on both sides. Their skills versus the Vampires’ numbers.
The Sacrifars unleashed their feral forms. Some of the Royal Guards were confused, surprised, and scared but were quickly relieved when they saw that they were still on their side.
2:00 am.
They were finally winning until Fenrir noticed something.
Something wasn’t right. These kinds of attacks were always led by someone. “Where is their leader?” Fenrir called out in the chaos, before he realized… “the house!”
Fenrir ran towards the house. There was an exchange of red and yellow light coming from inside. And then a loud bang was heard from the house along with a fading red light.
Fenrir reached the house and smashed the door open and what he saw made a scar in the very fabric of his memory.
Bodies were scattered across the Raviere's house. Fenrir saw the lifeless Royal Guards and Sacrifars. And along with them was Tim who was lying flat on the floor while holding a sword. His neck and stomach were drenched in blood.
It didn't take long for Fenrir to find his brother Harry and his wife, Ellie. They were in a hallway leading to the rooms, lying on the floor opposite each other with their hands held.
Fenrir hurried to them, but it was too late. It was a total massacre. Fenrir wanted to mourn for his brother, but he knew that he still needed to find Evangelie and the twins.
Fenrir moved on to the hallway and stopped just outside of the only lit room, where he heard a pair of voices arguing. He crept close enough to the room to be able to listen but not seen.
Inside was a tall menacing figure with long hair that trailed down to its back. From the top of its head, bones sprouted in the form of a crown. Opposite the dark figure was Evangelie, old and frail in appearance and yet unwavering in the other’s presence. Her hands clenched at the crib behind her where the twins were crying.
"You've grown old, Evangelie. Your barrier has gotten weak. I'm sorry for the mess by the way. It seems like you have a lot of pests in this house. I have to-" said the tall figure.
"Who are you?! And what do you want?" Evangelie interrupted.
"Oh! Where are my manners. I'm Dalveth, ruler of all Vampires and eventually your kingdom. And in a few moments, your end." Dalveth mischievously replied.
"What do you want!?" Evangelie repeated. Fenrir saw movements in Evangelie's hand. She was stalling. She was casting a spell on the babies one at a time.
"We all know what I came for. The first borns! Now, I have no time for this and apologies for not knocking earlier but I'm in a bit of a rush. Hand me the babies now!" Dalveth slowly losing its temper.
"No! You won't take them from us! I won't allow you." Evangelie shouted.
"Try me." said Dalveth as it glowed red before launching himself at Evangelie. Evangelie threw her hands up in front of her, countering Dalveth with a holy shield, her enchantments on the babies disrupted.
Evangelie tried her best to counter Dalveth but its power was slowly getting through the shield. She also knew that this being wasn't using its full power yet.
Fenrir couldn't watch anymore, he finally rushed into the room while transforming mid-way to help Evangelie. Fenrir tackled Dalveth and for the first time, Fenrir saw its face.
Its skin was pale and grey; its ears were pointed like a bat; its red snake-like eyes had a gaze that pierced deep into the soul. Long sharp fangs came out its dark purple lips. But all of this led to the face of a narcissist. A terrifying beauty struggled to emerge from the horror.
Fenrir screamed "Get out of here now!" as he pinned Dalveth on the floor.
But Evangelie was already on her knees, she seemed to be feeling weaker.
"I see the cavalry has arrived. Got to give it to you. I didn't notice you there. I forgot to 'unhide' my presence*." smirked Dalveth before he unleashed his aura.
3:00 am.
Eyes wide open, Fenrir was shocked at what he felt. It was like death crept through every pore on his skin. It was so strong that everything around the house started to rot. It was indeed the presence of the King of Nightmares.
"Move." Dalveth's face shifted quickly from mischievous to vicious as he shoved Fenrir across the room. Fenrir hit the wall, now in his human state again but unconscious.
"Now where were we again? Ah the babies." Dalveth rose to his feet and returned his attention to Evangelie.
Still on her knees, Evangelie coughed and blood came out of her mouth.
"Aw your body can’t handle your powers anymore?" Dalveth teased, kicking Evangelie in the stomach.
Evangelie didn't respond. Tears rolled from her eyes as she struggled to get up.
Dalveth walked towards the crib. Evangelie held Dalveth’s foot to stop him but the evil entity effortlessly kicked Evangelie more to loosen her grip.
Dalveth was now standing in front of the crib. He looked down and was not amused. “Where is the other one?!”
Evangelie muttered “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...I couldn’t protect you...” as tears streamed from her eyes.
“Where is the other baby!?” Dalveth grabbed Evangelie from her neck.
“WHERE!?” Its eyes glowed red and its teeth were sharper than ever.
Evangelie looked at Dalveth and with pure courage, she said “Over my dead body.”
“If you say so.” and without hesitation, Dalveth plunged his other hand into Evangelie’s chest.
Evangelie let out a suffering scream and was then assumed lifeless.
It was dark. In an endless abyss, she floats.
“I know I’m not the one destined for you but please lend me your power, even for a little bit. I’m begging you, for my grandchildren.” Evangelie swam in her last thoughts, talking to something.
4:00 am.
In a miraculous moment, a pulse of energy made its presence to Evangelica. Everyone felt the force. The energy also woke up a dizzy Fenrir.
“Ah so you’ve finally decided to make your presence known! I’ve been looking for you.” Dalveth smiled as it recognized the violet aura that cloaked Evangelie.
Struggling in her breathing, Evangelie looked back at Dalveth. With its hand still pierced through her, Evangelie grabbed Dalveth’s arm.
“I’ll bring you with me.” said Evangelie. The last of her holy powers flowed through her until she glowed white. The white holy energy combined with the violet aura, rapidly spread throughout Dalveth’s arm until it began to rot.
Dalveth in panic, didn’t hesitate to chop its arm off.
“You bitch!” Dalveth spat at Evangelie who lay weakened on the floor.
Dalveth was about to strike Evangelie for the last time when beams of light hit Dalveth’s skin. The sun was rising.
Dalveth flinched, its skin burning where the sun hit it, and hurriedly grabbed the baby from its crib.
“This isn’t the end!” It shouted before leaving the room. “I’ll be back and next time, you'll be mine!”
Dalveth seemed not to be talking to Evangelie but to the energy it felt earlier. And in the blink of an eye, Dalveth disappeared. A siren suddenly resounded throughout Evangelica signalling the vampires’ order to retreat.
Having finally recovered from the blow, Fenrir rushed to Evangelie’s side.
Fenrir cradled Evangelie in his arms. "Evangelie! Wake up! Wake up!"
But Evangelie didn't respond. "No...no. No! Hang in there, Evangelie!" Fenrir started to panic.
With her last remaining energy, Evangelie smiled, pointed behind her, and spoke.
"The spell should be wearing off by now...The crib."
Fenrir turned his attention to the crib and saw the baby slowly appearing inside it.
The baby was in a cloaking enchantment after all.
Fenrir returned his focus to Evangelie as she struggled to breath.
"They will be back...take the baby...go somewhere far. Promise me. Protect...with life. When...time comes...old enough...tell the truth. I'm sorry...I couldn't...save...all." She said. Trying hard to speak while tears flowed from her eyes.
"I promise...but-" Fenrir worriedly replied
"Thank you. Fenrir" she said as her last remaining breath left her. Evangelie finally passed away.
"No! Evangelie, don't!" Fenrir screamed, hoping that she'll be back.
Evangelie slowly disintegrated into golden dust along with the body of Tim, Ellie, and Harry.
Fenrir watched the golden dust float up to the ceiling and to the sky, slowly disappearing from the world, and bid them goodbye. "Rest well. My friend."
In a vast pure white space. A voice was heard.
"Hello, my child. Are you ready to go home?"
"I think I'd like to stay for a little longer, Father." a familiar voice replied; it was Evangelie.
"You really love them, don’t you? Alright then. Let me help you." said the voice,
"Yes! Thank you. See you soon." Evangelie replied.
As the golden dust fully disappeared, a strong ray of light struck down from the sky and down to the Castle-Cathedral. The light from the sky stopped but then a new ray of light burst out of the Cathedral's roof forming a new holy barrier for Evangelica.
The sun had now fully risen.
At the foot of the crib, Fenrir held the baby in his arms and saw the moon necklace twinkling back at him. It was the boy, Maximillian.
He would keep his promise to Evangelie to take the baby far away, to keep him safe, and to protect him with his life.
So Fenrir wasted no time and gathered what was left of the Sacrifars. They carried their fallen comrades and made for home, trusting in the resilience of the people of Evangelica to rebuild what was lost that night.
While Fenrir, baby Maximillian, and the Sacrificars left Evangelica and made towards Camp Luna, in the opposite direction Dalveth and the vampires were also heading for their home base, Dracsylvanya.
Fully covered in hooded cloaks, the Vampires raced through the woods from shadow to shadow to avoid the sunlight.
Curious, Dalveth finally took a good look on the baby. It was girl and she's wearing a sun necklace. Dalveth tried to touch the necklace but it quickly burned its fingertips.
"Ah! Feisty little kid! You'll be useful to me. I shall name you, Lilith." Dalveth grinned as they continued their journey.
Midway in their travel, Fenrir looked at his nephew while remembering his promise to Evangelie. He thought of giving his nephew a new name to hide him from any troubles that followed his family's story. Max was hidden from the world and on that day, Ravien Sacrifar was born.
End.
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*The Greyhounds are the favorite targets of Werewolves for having their unique bloodline, the Hound-blood. Harry's family was killed by werewolves and only he and his brother survived. It is unknown if there are other Greyhounds left.
*Hound-blood is specific type of blood known for its effect on Werewolves. Drinking Hound-blood makes a Werewolf temporarily stronger but eating a Hound-blood makes the Werewolf permanently stronger. Werewolves who have eaten a Hound-blood are distinguished by their red back fur. In other cases, people who possess the Hound-blood and are bitten by a Werewolf will acquire the curse of the Werewolf but are stronger, more savage, and wiser than an ordinary Werewolf. Hound-Blood Werewolves have a distinct appearance for having white back fur. Now if a Red Back Werewolf eats a Hound-blood, this would make them even more stronger but will eventually lead to uncontrollable hunger and making them fully lose their mind. These Werewolves will grow red fur all over their body, a nature's way of distinction. These Werewolves are called Blood Furs.
*The Vampires. They have purple to grey pale skin, pointy ears, two sharp fangs, and yellow piercing eyes. They are fast, agile, and usually attack from behind. There are three types of vampires: The Roamers, the Stalkers, and the Elites. Roamers are vampires that can fly but are slower and weaker than Stalkers. Roamers can spit acid that can cause temporary to permanent blindness. Stalkers are faster and more agile than Roamers. They are also a lot stronger than Roamers. Major Vampire attacks are usually led by a more powerful Vampire, the Elite. Elite Vampires possess all major abilities of Roamers and Stalkers except for the acid spit. They are intelligent, faster, stronger and far more agile than the other types.
*Dalveth’s Presence, it’s one of Dalveth’s dark powers where it can hide its evil aura against all enemies to sneak up on them. The only catch on this power is that it cannot feel any foes’ aura back.
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“You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it.” - Neil Gaiman
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Thank you my darling, @moistlipwig, for being my editor and saving me from shaming myself. <3
