Even one as impulsive and prideful as Vlad knew better than to risk the wrath of Targon. He did, he swore he knew, but–
How often was one afforded a chance like this?
Diana was wounded and weary, and the sun was rising - she was in no position to deny him as his magicks snaked into her veins through her open wounds. He called, and her blood responded, mighty and terrible, singing to him even as Diana screamed.
Visions danced before his eyes as he slowly drained her essence, and he sifted through them with the same airy ambivalence he would afford a merchant’s wares, carelessly casting aside memories of a lonely childhood, a perilous climb, a constant, unnamed yearning, until–
The very people that had saved her life, the elders that had given her purpose and taught her everything they’d known - every last one, lying lifeless at her feet, their blood dripping from her new armor; flesh rent and robes torn and such eerie silence where there’d once been vibrant life, their blood soaking her boots; the blinding light of a power she’d embraced when no one else would, their blood staining her hands–
He blinked, and his eyes were his own again - somehow, she’d managed to cast him out with sheer, furious force of will. He took an unsteady step back, nearly drunk from even that brief taste of her - such great power, fraught with such exquisite pain, and oh, that fierce defiance, all tinged with naivety–
“I didn’t think there were people like you outside of Demacia,” he chuckled, eyes slowly snapping back into focus as he grinned, dazed and utterly unconcerned even as the Aspect climbed slowly to her feet, baring her teeth in a snarl that was more promise than threat. “Idealistic, even when the world has given you no reason to be… But my, such a talent for slaughter! I’m not even sure that I’ve killed quite that many all at once–”
Even if Vladimir had been expecting the blow, there was no way he could have avoided it, glutted as he was on that exquisite Targonian life force. The curved blade bit into his shoulder, and his sharp intake of breath eased into hoarse laughter as he backed away, pressing a hand to the wound with something like wonder writ across his face.
“You know,” he said, locking his gaze to hers for a moment before his figure began to warp and melt. His voice continued on even as he sank lower, into a viscous pool of blood that lapped almost mockingly at her feet. “Noxus is always looking for talented warriors with chips on their shoulders.”
The last traces of the hemomancer seemed to evaporate in the early morning light, but his laughter echoed around the trees for what felt like hours.