One Life

  The man rose from the ground and looked at his own hands, the fur and claws that adorned them. The white hair, so distinctive, was the mark of his house, the Blackthorn, the leading clan of the Umbra Venatores. But Albus was not in the comfort of his home; all he had around him was damp and rock. As he rose, he realised that he was now a prisoner of the enemy. What a misfortune for a werewolf; it was better to die than to stop the march of the pack. And with these thoughts, the young man decided to work on his escape before he suffered the humiliation of being rescued by his own kind.

  Near his cage, he saw several knights in black armour guarding the entrance, not the cell itself, which offended the boy. They didn't think he was a serious threat like his fighting brothers. He would prove them wrong. He would make a ruckus, get their attention, provoke them with insults so that they would enter the cell to beat him. Instead, it was Albus who easily emerged victorious, taking their weapons and keys and locking them in the same cell he had been confined to before.

  The next step had to be taken with care; one small mistake and he would end up dead. It could even jeopardise the mission of his father, Tiberius Blackthorn, and the Inquisitors. His decisions could lead to the downfall of humanity if he was careless. But escape from the Dark Lord's castle? Abandoning the pack on the hunt? That was a fate worse than death. The mission was clear: find his comrades and join the crusade to which he was not called.

  Albus was no fool; he knew he had been taken. He also knew that he wasn't the only one. Several other important people had been taken to the castle, key figures in the Battle of the Night. Doubting the safety of his loved ones would distract them from the battle ahead, but he was close to the other hostages. If he could rescue them and reunite them with the main group, he might be able to help in the fight against evil.

  His feet moved lightly down the corridor, the silence deafening. Albus, like every Umbra Venator in history, had trained his entire life to save others from the dark night. He had dedicated countless days to the art of swordplay and dagger stealth. Now he found himself alone behind enemy lines. He couldn't afford to be discovered. Unlike the main party, who should be making a heroic frontal assault at this very moment, he had to rely on not being seen, not being heard, not being pointed out. Darkness, a shadow, was a free pass. The back of a guard, an opportunity to clear a corridor, the exposed neck of a general, the moment to disrupt the enemy's command, an unlocked armoury, the moment to steal their strength. Albus was no less capable than the men his father had carefully chosen for the war.

  In his search for souls to save, Albus found a room that seemed to be his target: a group of women chained to the wall, several guards watching. It was no problem for him to take control of the room and approach them to help them. A whisper, barely audible, brushed against the back of Albus' neck, making his blood freeze. He stopped dead in his tracks, his wolf ears straining like bowstrings. It wasn't the creaking of rotting wood under the weight of the guards, nor the distant echo of a war horn. It was something more intimate, something that spoke to his instincts.

  "You're lost, pup."

  The young Blackthorn turned quickly, his golden eyes scanning the shadows. The torchlight flickered on the damp walls, casting shapes that seemed to move of their own accord. But there was no one. Or so he thought. The scent hit him first. A mixture of wilted flowers, sweet spices and something metallic, like fresh blood. Suddenly the shadows began to take shape. In front of him, a figure emerged from the darkness, as if it had been there all along, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. It was her.

  She was tall, with a supernatural elegance that seemed out of place in this musty castle. Her pale skin glowed with a faint radiance, as if bathed in the light of a black moon. Fiery red hair cascaded down to her waist, framing a face that was a masterpiece of temptation: crimson lips curved into a mocking smile, intense violet eyes that seemed to look straight into Albus' soul.

  "How curious."

  "A Blackthorn cub, so far from its pack," the woman said, her voice a song of sweet poison.

  "Have the Umbra Venatores begun sending children to fight their wars?"

  Albus clenched his jaw, a claw already wrapped around the hilt of his short sword. His other hand subtly felt for a dagger hidden beneath his cloak. "Who are you?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. No one who could move with such stealth and radiate such power was a mere Guardian.

  "My name is Lilith," she replied, tilting her head with calculated elegance.

  "General of Dracula's legions. The most loyal and, of course, the most beautiful."

  Albus' heart raced, but not with fear. He had heard of Lilith many times, a succubus known for her ability to bend the will of the strongest men. She was a legend among the Venatores, a name spoken with caution even in the halls of Blackthorn. If she was here, it meant that Dracula had already anticipated the possibility of his escape. This was no accident. It was a trap.

  "Just an arrogant succubus, no different from any other common whore," the werewolf summed up.

  "So brave," she murmured, taking another step closer. Her smile widened, revealing perfect, gleaming fangs.

  "But don't mistake bravery for stubbornness. "

  You know as well as I do that you can't escape from here on your own.

  "And your friends, those other poor souls trapped in this castle... what do you think will happen to them if you insist on being a hero? Someone might end up dead because of you."

  "I'm not going to be the weak link in my clan."

  Suddenly, the succubus vanished in an instant. The room had changed. The cells were red with blood, the prisoners were on torture devices, the candles were spears of flesh, as if the shadows had devoured them. The Succubus had vanished into the darkness. Albus barely had time to react before he felt a searing heat behind him. He turned just in time to block with his sword a claw covered in black fire that was aimed at his neck.

  Lilith looked at him with an expression of pure joy. "Very well, pup. Let's play then."

  Albus blocked the black fire claw with his sword, feeling the impact reverberate through his arms. Lilith smiled in delight, relishing the challenge the young Blackthorn presented. The room filled with the echo of their attacks, the steel clashing against the flames and the succubus' mocking laughter echoing off the stone walls.

  With a roar, Albus launched a series of quick blows, trying to break through Lilith's defences. His movements were a ballet of strength and precision, the result of years of training at the Umbra Venatores School. Lilith, however, seemed to anticipate each of his moves and vanished into the shadows just before his sword could reach her.

  "Come on, pup, is that all you've got?" Lilith sneered, reappearing behind him and unleashing another black fire claw. Albus barely had time to turn and block the attack, feeling the searing heat graze his skin.

  "Don't underestimate me, Blackthorn," Albus replied through gritted teeth, using the momentum of the block to counter with a quick and precise strike. This time his sword found flesh, a superficial cut on Lilith's arm, who hissed in pain and surprise.

  The succubus stepped back, her smile fading for a moment as she watched the blood flow from her wound.

  "Interesting," she murmured, her violet eyes shining with a mixture of anger and admiration.

  "Perhaps you're more than just a puppy after all."

  "Too bad I'm a succubus."

  "Pain, passion, lust - that's why we exist."

  "If you like seeing people suffer so much, you'll go into orgasm of extasy with this," said a third voice.

  A dark and cruel blade appeared beside the femme fatale. In a single motion, her body was thrown backwards, her torso and head separated. The true demon of the place raised her head in front of Albus, her eyes black with an eerie crimson tint, curious and judgmental. A dark, diabolical woman, with horns on her head, beastly wings and a twisted weapon like the mind of such a creature. She was just another succubus, but Albus' mind refused to see her as such. Unlike the dead succubus, this one was different - terrifying, powerful, dangerous. She was to demons what a demon was to humans, the decapitated body made that clear.

  "What do you want?" asked Albus, gripping his sword tightly, but even more tightly his hidden dagger.

  The demon took a few steps back and examined the mutilated body, skilfully rifling through its pockets until she found a pair of keys. So great was her power that she simply turned her back on the werewolf, exuding a confidence that irritated the young man.

  "I don't have time for bullshit right now, monk boy."

  "I'm here to rescue someone in particular, and that's it."

  "Don't mess with me, I won't turn you into a skinned rug."

  "And why should I trust a succubus?"

  "Your companion's head is still staring at you as her light fades."

  "Do you think I'm on the side of the humans or the demons? Ha."

  "What can you expect from a monk boy?"

  "Betrayal isn't my thing, thank you."

  "......"

  "Someone I know got kidnapped by a stupid magic circle while we were watching TV."

  "I went with her but ended up in different places, some stupid wizard thought I was with the other inferior creatures of this castle."

  "Ha, if they only knew that the person I serve is superior even to the gods the Dark Lord rejects."

  "Never mind, I'm just here to rescue the girl and get out of here."

  "What happens between you and the demons is your business."

  "But get in my way and I'll destroy your whole puppy family."

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  "So you're just going to pretend to be neutral and ignore all this?"

  "Saying you're not on the side of the demons, despite your dark appearance?"

  "And that you don't care about the Light we serve?"

  "What the hell's going on in your head?"

  "Listen, boy, you're no one to talk about being on the side of demons when you walk on four legs and have a snout."

  "I don't care about all this shit, when the sun rises again the world will go on turning because that's what the true Lord wants."

  "......."

  "But none of this adds up..."

  "This is not the battle that should have been fought.

  "The kidnappings should never have happened..."

  "But it's not the first time... The same thing happened last spring.

  "They should have been more careful to make sure it didn't happen again..."

  "Unless they wanted it to happen... because it benefited them..."

  "........"

  "........"

  "Be careful boy, don't trust anyone no matter how they present themselves, watch out for their true intentions."

  "What are you talking about? Nothing you're saying makes any sense."

  "Do you have mental problems?"

  "......."

  "Actually, yes, but that's not the point, just be careful."

  "The angels aren't acting with the logic they're usually governed by, something else is going on."

  A phone began to ring loudly, and from some strange place, the succubus pulled a smartphone out of her little lewd outfit, which even had a small keychain in the shape of a cartoon bunny. It was strange to see such a creature with such a personal item.

  "Yes, it's me, Lisa."

  "......."

  "Yes, I know, I came with her."

  "......."

  "No, I don't know where she is, I'm working on it..."

  "......"

  "Eh? Where am I? Well, now that you ask..."

  "....."

  "Hey, dog boy, what country is this?"

  "Seriously? You don't know where we are?"

  "Transylvania, Romania."

  "Oh, thanks," the succubus said as she returned to the call.

  "Well, that's it, Romania."

  "........"

  "No, I can't find that on a map, why?"

  "......"

  "Oh... that explains why it's night..."

  "Yeah, I know, Caesar will be really angry, that's why I'm hurrying."

  "Well, talk to you later, I'll call you back when she's safe," Lisa said as she hung up.

  "What the hell was all that?"

  "Nothing to worry about, just a personal call, the girl's mother."

  "She's scared about the kidnapping and all, understandable really."

  "If you'll excuse me, I need to keep looking for her, so I'll see you later."

  Albus watched as the strange demon simply vanished, disappearing back into the darkness of the room, leaving the young Blackthorn with more questions than answers. It was frightening to witness the Succubus's ability to blend and move in such a way that made him doubt if he had really seen anyone or if it was just a mirage of his mind. All he knew was that this cruel demon didn't want him dead - at least not right away - for with the ease with which she could kill someone like Lilith without even noticing, it would only have been a matter of wanting his own neck in her place.

  But that didn't mean he could take a break from his mission. The strange girl might have been trying to save someone, but there were more people missing - it was his mission to find them. So, doubting the succubus but grateful to have one less enemy to face, he set out once more.

  Unfortunately, fate had other plans, calling the men to face a destiny that did not belong to them. Albus moved forward through the dark corridors of the castle, unaware of what was happening next to him, each step echoing in the deadly silence of the place. The presence of the enemies seemed to fade into the shadows, but something, a slight pressure in the air, told him he was not alone. The silence began to feel heavy, as if something else was lurking, waiting.

  As Albus rounded a corner, a bright light illuminated his path, a flash that cut through the darkness like an arrow. His wolf senses instantly heightened and he stopped dead in his tracks. Before him, on the threshold of a chamber, stood a celestial figure in all its splendour. Its wings, white as snow, stretched out majestically, while it was covered in an armour of light that glowed with an almost blinding radiance. The figure, clearly an angel, had an aura of light and wisdom, and a face even more beautiful than the two creatures of lust the werewolf had seen earlier that night.

  The angelic presence knelt before a pedestal, in the centre of which were strange artefacts, tablets, books and crystals. As if it were his weapon, the angel began to destroy them mercilessly. The Angel didn't seem to notice his presence immediately, concentrating on its task of destroying everything in its path in this place. A muffled sound echoed through the air each time the object emitted a flash of opaque light, as if each of the Angel's blows erased a part of reality itself. The sight of the celestial creature against the backdrop of shadows gave Albus a shock, a sense of alienation.

  Finally, the angel raised its head, as if sensing his presence. Its eyes shone with a heavenly light that pierced the darkness, but there was something in its gaze that was not as pure as its appearance suggested. The smile that appeared on its face was a mixture of sadness and benevolence, almost as if it had anticipated Albus' arrival at this very moment.

  "Oh, brave Umbra Venator," the angel's voice said, soft but charged with an energy that seemed to be trying to calm any resistance.

  "Your mission is over, young Blackthorn. You've done your part, fought for your own."

  "Now you can return home, a hero, as you have always dreamed."

  "The great army of heaven can attest to that."

  Albus did not move. The invitation in the voice was tantalising, but something didn't add up. A hero? No, that made no sense. His mission was not about honour or praise. It was about rescuing the captured, destroying the evil that threatened the world, and bringing justice, even if no one acknowledged it, as his clan's motto stated.

  And even though the young werewolf didn't want to admit it, he was thinking about what the demoness had just told him, about how something didn't add up in everything that was happening.

  "An angel, here? In the belly of the castle of the Lord of Evil?"

  "Without protection, without messengers, without identification, without presence."

  "What makes you different from one of the thousand monstrous illusions and magic that already flood this place?"

  "I am only here to fulfil my master's will," the girl replied from the safety of her armour.

  "And what exactly is that will?"

  "To burn books and records? Of what?" asked the intelligent Albus, unfortunately for his own good.

  "Just the destruction of dark information, nothing that should fall into the hands of mortals."

  "You have your mission, I have mine, so says the word of my Lord."

  Deep down, Albus knew something was out of place: a being of light in such a place, with no explanation, no companions, no alarming lack of blood or battle from the dark creatures that would have hindered the Angel's path to this place, just as it had happened to him.

  "You know, my clan used to do similar things in the past,"

  "To enter a place, destroy something, kill an enemy in the middle of the night,"

  "At first, we were blinded by our mission against the darkness, so much so that we couldn't see it when it formed around us."

  "This was the reign of the cursed Borgia family.

  "When they used their power for their own benefit, when the Inquisition became nothing more than a tool to attack political enemies,"

  "That was when we realised that blind faith would save no one.

  "Despite the way we fought, we were also taught not to be idiots.

  "We are tools to protect the weak, the righteous; it is also our duty to ensure the intention behind it."

  "What are you implying, little lost sheep?" said the angel, still smiling, eyes closed.

  "........"

  Then she opened them.

  "I have no more time for games!" roared the Angel, and the battle began.

  The Angel lunged forward, its wings flapping with such force that the air itself seemed to crack. Albus had little time to react. His sword rose in defence, but the Angel was already on top of him, moving at a speed that left a trail of light behind it. The clash was imminent, and when Albus's sword touched the angel's wings, the brilliance that erupted was so intense it almost blinded him completely.

  The battle erupted with a thunderous force, supernatural in its intensity. Albus, his senses heightened by years of training and his wolf-like nature, moved in the blink of an eye to dodge the Angel's first attack. The celestial creature's white wings sliced through the air like blades of light, and each blow seemed capable of splitting the room in two. But Albus didn't hesitate. With the skill of an Umbra Venatores warrior, he blocked the attacks with his sword, dodging the blinding flashes with quick, deadly movements.

  Each of the angel's blows brought an explosion of light that seemed to consume everything around it, but Albus, unstoppable in his fury, stood firm. The years of battle, the victories and losses, the discipline and sacrifice of his clan flowed through his veins as he dodged, attacked and countered in synchronised movements, challenging the celestial being with every step. The sound of steel against light was deafening, a clamour of forces colliding with immense force.

  The Angel smiled contemptuously as he dodged one of Albus's swift attacks, the glint in his eyes not that of a heavenly being in its pure essence, but of a being that had been touched by something much darker and deeper.

  "So brave, pup," he murmured in a melancholy voice,

  "But all this is in vain. Death means nothing to me."

  "What you call sacrifice is just another step in the cycle. I will always return."

  Albus was not intimidated. A fire burned in his chest like no other, a flame that was not fear but determination.

  "Perhaps, but by the time you return, I will have bought time for my people," he replied with controlled anger, his voice as hard as steel.

  The Angel looked at him, his face devoid of any human emotion, just a cold, indifferent expression. "Buy time? I don't understand. Your sacrifice won't change fate. What I seek to destroy is but a record, another cog in the machine that keeps turning."

  But then Albus understood; the intuition that came from his being, from his training, allowed him to see beyond the blinding light that surrounded them. The tablet. The one the Angel had tried to destroy. He did not understand its meaning, but he knew he had to protect it. Something in this story, in these words etched in stone, was vital. The angel did not want it to spread. He did not want the past, this hidden truth, to come to light. And that could only mean that it was vital to the future.

  Breathing heavily, Albus made an unexpected move. At the very moment the Angel lowered her guard, thinking she had won, he lunged at her, sword raised, but this time for a different purpose. With a guttural scream, Albus threw himself onto the tablet, his sword clinging fiercely to the pedestal where the ancient artefact lay. The Angel spun away, but in the same movement Albus leapt forward and with a ferocious roar blocked the next fatal blow with his own body, deflecting the Angel's sword in a final act of sacrifice.

  "Do it!" he shouted, the pain stabbing through his chest like a searing torrent. He knew this would be his last blow, his last act, but he couldn't let the Angel destroy the tablet. As he felt his body give way, his strength crumbling, the Angel looked at him, surprised by the anger still reflected in Albus's golden eyes.

  "So stubborn, boy?" the angel murmured with a sad smile as she watched her opponent fall to the ground, already fading from the mortal wound. "Death means nothing to me... but to you... it's the price of your foolishness."

  But Albus lifted his head with the last of his strength, his golden eyes shining with a determination that belied his condition. "If I die... it will be because I have fulfilled my duty, for... my... clan..." he whispered, releasing his breath, and then fell like a warrior who has done his part, knowing that the battle will not be won by his death, but by the time he has bought.

  The angel looked at the pedestal, her hand raised, ready to destroy the tablet, but before she could make the final move, a sudden presence of power approached with impunity. The dragon was near. The Angel's energy stopped and with a look of fury she vanished into the shadows, leaving Albus and his victim behind.

  The tablet remained intact, its message hidden, but still safe, just as the door opened as belonging to the great Emperor.