AN-In The Darkness Of Night

‘The darkness of night, it’s not as bad as people think actually…’

A wolfs howls echoed through the small city of Alena, nothing but snow coating the place in a lovely white, covering all of the dark parts that surrounded that city. Children running around, playing in the snow, throwing snowballs and making snowmen while their parents kept a close watch on their loved ones.

‘There are always the type of people that would think “Just because they were born in the darkness they’ll cause nothing but chaos and destruction wherever they go” That’s not always the case…’

The moon towered above the clouds, its light slowly being swallowed by the gray blankets; there were no birds out, no animals that dared venture out into the freezing cold darkness of night.

‘There are some creatures, even if it’s not a lot, some creatures of the night just want to live a peaceful night, it’s not that they can’t or anything they would surely have the power to devour a human or kill them with out mercy but the thing is…as I stand here looking over the city as the snow slowly swallows it whole…’

Ash stood there, his coat swaying in motion of the wind, he stood there looking over the city on top of the clock tower building, he had just finished coming back from a grave site where all his friends and members of his family have fallen prey to ‘The Wars On Hells gate’

‘That not all monster and creatures, would even want to harm them…’

“Ash” called out Kite who sat there beside him, this trip was mostly for Kite than what it was for himself, Kite had to get out of the castle for a while, the poor boy looked like he was about to lose any sense of humanity if he stayed in that labyrinth where they stored all of the humans and monsters souls.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just thinking” came the pure blooded Necratos’ reply, Ash settled himself down beside his little friend, wrapping his arms around the small Halfling.

“What’s up with you lately anyways?” Kite looked at Ash with innocent golden eyes that were almost hiding behind strands of black hair.

“Huh? What you mean?” Ash narrowed his eye, a little smirk creeping on to his lips, he pointed his right index finger and jabbed it into Kite’s left cheek.

“You’ve been wondering down to the Labyrinth lately, I’m getting worried…” Kite darted his eyes down to his knees, he tightened his arms around them, snuggling his head into Ash’s chest while the wings that were on his head pointed downward. “Plus Eclipse is getting on my nerves”

“Sorry” Kite whispered

“You don’t need to tell me that, you need to tell ‘him’ that before he takes his frustrations out on me!” Aldith would kill Ash never mind Eclipse. Kite closed his innocent eyes, some people and demons would mistake Ash and Kite for being brothers or something even more however that was nothing but rumours.

“I’ve just been hearing a lot of voices lately…” Kite muttered grimly, the wings on his head fluttered.

“Voices” Ash now understands Kite’s situation there would be times when he would hear them, the voices of the spirits and the demons that reside in that place and there are times that they would even make Ash lose his sense of self and humanity.

If he had any…

“Crying, screaming, like their in pain” Kite placed his hands over his ears, remembering it all, remembering all of the horrifying sounds that echoed through the castle walls into the rooms and attacking his ears. “And some are even laughing”

Ash never heard any voices that were laughing so he was kind of worried when he heard that part.

“Laughing? Like a funny laugh?” Kite shock his head widely, shutting his eyes more tightly.

“No, nothing like that, something that a monster would make” Kite spoke in a trembling whisper that was followed by tears.

“Kite…its best not to go there but if you hear them again then you should really tell Eclipse that before he really starts to worry you, you know?” Kite reopened his eyes, his hands slowly coming off his ears, he looked at Ash. “You didn’t tell him did you? Those nights when you heard them you would just curl up into a ball and pull the covers over your head”

“H-how did you?”

Ash released his hold over the Halfling, slowly standing to his feet again and looked over Alena with stern eyes.

“Eclipse told me that when he was going to your room one night, you should really talk to him”     

Another wolfs howl echoed through the night.

“Fangs calling us back” Kite pushed himself off the clocker tower and flapped his wings. That did not sound like Fangs to Ash, his eye narrowed, staring into the city once more before he made his decision.

“You go one ahead, I’ll follow you later!” Kite looked at his companion before he nodded and took flight towards the castle. Ash flew the opposite direction, gliding through the snow filled skies before he landed into the woods that were slightly outside of the city limits, this was a place where only demons may enter.

Humans never bothered exiting the city through this entrance in fear of them being attacked by the many wolves, monsters or demons that lay in wait out here.

Ash made sure he was very careful not to lose his way, he had been in these woods many times before but that was only when a child or another mortal lost their way.

‘I know it came from here, it wasn’t Fangs but it did sound familiar’ Ash thought to himself, he wondered down the woods until he halted at the little ruin of the house he used to dwell in before moving to the palace. It hadn’t changed a bit except for the fact that all the stuff that was in there originally was well stashed in Valentine Palace.

The howls came again, this time they sounded a lot closer, Ash ran to the east of the woods, making many footprints in the snow. He was certain now; he knew who owned those howls, that voice.

‘But it couldn’t be, when she died, then…’

Another howl echoed through the woods, it was getting really cold, especially when the snow continued to smother all the fine wood and greenery in its wonderful colour. Ash quickened his pace until he reached an opening that was surrounded by the trees, a little opening that travellers could rest if they ever lost their way.

Waiting for Ash, was a black wolf, its eyes were gray and it had an old scar that slashed by its right eye.

“I knew it was you” Ash huffed; the wolf twirled round and made a dash for the tress again.

“Wait! Dust!!” The Necratos continued to follow the wolf; Ash got himself attacked by numerous tree branches, nettles and thorns, one scraped across his cheek, leaving a trail of blood that dripped on to the snow, staining the white powder making it turn crimson.

“Dust! Where are you going? Wait stop!”

There was something odd, something strange, Ash stopped in his tracks and realised that his wings and tail had gone missing. He looked at his back in shock, his eye going wide open, he remembered this power, Ash hated and dreaded it whenever it was used.

It just brought back some bad memories.

Dust howled his howls were enough to make the heavens tremble before him.

“Dust I’m really not in the mood for this!! What are you doing anyways?” Ash ran after Dust until he reached the cliff side, Dust had come to a halt and sat there waiting for Ash to catch up.

“Damn, you haven’t changed a bit have you Dust” Ash snarled. The wolf did not respond but then began to glow in a dark blue light, a figure began to appear.

A woman with light skin that looked like pearl when the moon shone off it and her eyes were like glass, long light blue hair and wore a dress of silver satin with designs of leaves and flowers, a hood covered the woman’s head with fur at the end and fur at the bottom of the dress.    

Ash’s eye went wide open; he felt a wave of shock coursing through his body.

“R-Rosa…” his voice stuttered.

“Ash” The woman began her eyes soft and tears dripped off them. This wasn’t the Rosa that Ash had known; she no longer existed in this world.

“If your getting this, then it means I’m no longer here” Ash turned his head down, he didn’t want to go through all that again.

“I’m sorry” Ash threw his gaze back at her, another wave of shock slamming into him like a brick wall.

“I didn’t mean to let them do that to you, I didn’t want them to put you through that again.” Ash raised his hand, covering his eye that was behind the patch, an unconscious move.

“Ash, before I die, I always wanted to tell you, I always thought of you as a son, a child I could call my own” There was a smile on Rosa’s lips, a loving, motherly smile.

“I’m so proud of you, I’ve always been proud” A little tear made its way down Ash’s cheek, he stared at Rosa for a moment, she was in tears as well.

“I love you my little Ashie, good bye, Ashie”

++++++++++
‘Rosa!’ cried a little Ash, reaching his hand towards the older woman, she grasped his gently, a smile on her lips, one of happiness and innocence.

++++++++++

Just like that, Rosa vanished, Dust made one more, last mighty howl before disappearing into the night, jumping over the cliff, his duty already done, his life closing full circle.

“G-Goodbye…” Ash stuttered, slowly turning round and making his way back to the city, his feet slowly wondering through the snow.

One footstep after another, he made his way back through the paths he once ran down, it didn’t seem long ago that he was chasing Dust down these pathways. It had gotten more cold than it had before, Ash just wanted to get back to the palace so he could forget about it all.

Ash didn’t know why but he couldn’t get rid of the tears that continued to flow down his cheek, the emotions that swelled inside him, one of grief and pain, the Necratos just wanted them to go away, he just wanted them to disappear.

He just reached the opening among the woods again, Ash stopped in his tracks, his lavender eye looking down on to the ground until it slowly rose, seeing a familiar face waiting for him.

“Ash” Aldith spoke, his crimson eyes staring Ash down.

“Aldith” Ash fell forward, the vampire gasped, rushing over to him and caught him in his arms, Aldith knelt down on to the cold ground, looking down on his little servant who just cried his heart out, snuggling his little chocolate brown head in to his lover’s chest.

“Ash!”

‘Aldith feels so warm’ Ash thought to himself, his tears were all that Aldith needed to know that something had just happened. The Vampire held on to the Necratos for a few more minutes until he tucked his arm under the boy’s legs and lifted Ash into his arms. Ash snuggled his head into Aldith’s long black coat.

“What’s gotten in to you?”

++++++++++++++++

Kite placed his hands over his ears, he could hear the sounds again, the voices that raced inside his head, the cries, the screams, the laughs that echoed through out the palace but they were sounds that only he and Ash could hear.

Eclipse continued to stare from the door of the Necratos Halfling’s room, his icy blue eyes trailed towards the bed, the Curse demon slowly crept into the bedroom, he’s done it millions of times before, Eclipse tip-toed over, placing his hands on the bed, then his knees.

‘You think I haven’t noticed Kite-kun’ Eclipse looked at the little boy that coward on his bed, the tightly shut eyes, the tears that squeezed out of them, the way his knees were tucked up to his chest. The Curse demon sat there until he reached his hand out and ran it through Kite’s hair.

‘The way you would shiver at night, it was obvious but you didn’t come to me at all’

“Kite-kun” Kite didn’t respond; Eclipse laid down on the bed, his eyes staring into Kite’s face, his hand slowly moving from Kite’s hair to his hand that was placed tightly around his ear. Eclipse grasped it and pulled it away, bringing it up to his lips as he kissed it gently.

“Kite-kun, don’t cry” a pair of golden orbs slowly looked into icy blue diamonds “It’ll be a very dark, cold night if you cry” Eclipse pulled Kite closer to him, his lips touching Kite’s.

“E-Eclipse, I…I have…something to tell you…” Kite whispered, a small smile flew on to Eclipse’s features, he rested his forehead on to Kite’s, he eyes looked into those gold orbs that he adored so much, his hands wrapped around the young Necratos Halfling’s softly.

“Go on”

+++++++++++++++++

“Rosa? You mean that woman that was like a mother to you?” Ash nodded, snuggling next to the vampire, tears still falling from his eye. Aldith pulled the bed covers over his little servant. “I thought you said she died?”

Ash closed his eye as he whispered softly, his voice sore from crying “She did but she gave Dust a message that she wanted to give me, I never liked that dog, he’d always bite me…” Aldith placed his hand on to Ash’s shoulder, he felt cold, the Necratos was freezing cold from the amount of time he spent in the woods.

“Your freezing, we’ll have to warm you up” Ash felt Aldith’s warm strong arm’s wrapped around him, giving him piece of mind and chasing the cold that crept over his body away.

“I…” Aldith turned his crimson eyes down on to Ash “I was always a brat when I was with Rosa…there were times I felt guilty”

“You were only a child back then, you couldn’t have known”

“When I saw her lying there that night, I just froze, there was so much blood, I remember running after that moment…” All the memories of that night came flooding into his head like a tidal wave or that of a raging tsunami. “I ran from the metropolis and made an escape through the forbidden doors, I remember being chased by someone, he was very frightening…”

Aldith cocked an eyebrow “Chased by someone?” Ash nodded

“Yeah…at the time I felt a horrifying presence, it was like one that would swallow you whole, like a viper snake, all I could’ve done was run”

‘I wonder who that was anyway?’

“That’s in the past though” Ash looked up at Aldith, a look of cluelessness showing on his features that was a shock for the vampire, he never saw Ash make a face like that before but he made sure to hide it “He can’t hurt you now”

“Aldith”

“That was more than a hundreds years right? I mean if that person did come back he would’ve destroyed us by now wouldn’t he?”

“But it can’t be as cut and dry as that can it?” Aldith had a cold smirk on his lips, he slivered his hand under the covers, a gasp escaped Ash’s mouth, his cheeks shaded in a bright pink.

“It can be as cut and dry like that though, you’ll learn”

“W-Wait Aldith we can’t! We’ll wake up Ki-“ all of a sudden there were numerous of banging noises coming from the room next door.

‘E-Eclipse!!’

‘Damn it Kite, so much for you helping me…’ Ash thought in bitterness, Aldith on the other hand looked a bit amused, he loomed over Ash like a lion about to devour his prey at any given second, which is about to happen now.

“We’ll not wake him up, he’s already got something occupying him, now where were we?”

Ash made a shriek when Aldith pounced on him.

Tonight was going to be another sleepless night…