Aether : Calraem

Chapter 46: Coven of the Roses(4)

Two months later, rumours spread around that in the Greed Province-the country of werewolves, villages were being attacked. They were unable to find the cause of it but many witnesses claim seeing a "beast surrounded by evil shadows" that ruthlessly attacked any and all werewolves. It's been suspected to be a rogue vampire as an investigation into the bodies of the dead found all their blood drained and two holes on their necks.

The [Covenants of Five Flowers] denied any and all allegations, but committed to investigation their own race. Werewolves and Vampires had already been on bad terms because of of nature, but this incident only made the blood between the two worse.

What sparked a war was the death of a princess. A werewolves princess.

*

"What do you plead?" Roses asked, glaring at the young boy before him.

Covered in dirt, grime and dried blood, sat the young Damon with chains around his ankles and feet. His expression remained feral, and as a form of defiance he purposely avoided eye-contact with everyone.

All the other people necessary for a fair trial stood present for the accused. They all held contempt in their expressions, but somehow struggled to still believe such a horrid thing was possible.

The princess of the Werewolves had been murdered. Instead of having her blood drained, she was decapitated and had her body thrown in the streets. All had witnessed it being a group of vampires and some had escaped.

The group, whose remaining members were caught by The Shadow King's men, were discovered to be lead by none other than Damon-a seven year old child.

"..." Damon remained silent, listening to the murmurs around him.

"You created a group a killing vampires that destroyed thirty-three werewolf tribes and fifty-two villages. The princess was killed out in the open for all to see, and now we are in the middle of a rising war with werewolves that is impossible to subdue, let alone escape. These are crimes that cannot be cleaned with just a slap on the wrists. Tell me, how is it possible that a child was able to orchestrate all of this? Are you truly the one pulling the strings?"

Roses sounded astonished as he read the child's crimes. To him, such a thing should not have been possible for someone so young but sitting before him was exactly that. Damon kept proving that he was the child of The Lord of Vampires. An existence that was too dangerous for the balance on Graellum.

It made one wonder what exactly his twin brother, Draculla, was capable of when he put his mind to it.

The only two vampires that could traverse during the day.

The only two vampires that have beating hearts and flowing blood.

"I..." Bringing Roses out of his thoughts, Damon finally spoke up. "...have not been involved in any of these crimes at all! I was framed! How could you blame for things that I don't understand?!"

He yelled as loud as he could, looking up at Roses with tear-stricken eyes. At that moment, all one could see was the innocence of boy who awoke in the midst of confusion with blood and grime on him. The more one thought about it, the more it seemed plausible that the child was framed. But why would someone want to frame a child?

"I am seven years old! I have not killed or murdered anyone and the blood I received to drink was only part of my weekly rations! How could you all think that I am capable of something like this?!"

This little shit. So that was his game...

Roses turned to look at all the people present. Their faces displayed uneasiness around the situation. The more Damon pleaded his innocence, the more people who already harboured doubts started to believe that it was the case. It must have been the case, they started to believe.

If this continued, then Roses would eventually have to be forced to do a re-investigation and postpone the trial to find more damning evidence.

If that's how you want to play it...

"Considering the fact that you're a child, I cannot hold you fully accountable for your actions. It is simply the result of the adults nog giving you proper guidance." Roses crossed his arms.

Hearing his words, Damon looked up with a hesitant expression.

"... You believe me?"

Roses smirked. "Not in the slightest. Your words have less effect on me than moonlight."

"..." Of course, Damon thought.

"But celebrate. You won't be sentenced to death. Instead, you will be sentenced to life. A life committed to the Roses Covenant where I will personally see to your growth."

Making sure no one could see his scoff at being checkmated, Damon glanced at the ground again. But when he did, something caught the corner of his eye.

He turned to look.

"!" Shock enveloped his face.

Grabbing onto the long white garments of the Lilacs Leader in the far corner, Draculla was silently crying without looking at his brother.

The beating heart that Damon possessed, suddenly felt...darker. It felt go him almost as if the darkness of his experiences were beginning to corrupt his heart.

And because of that, he could not make eye contact with his brother.

*

Damon touched his neck to confirm the tattoo of a large rose imprinted onto his skin. It wasn't as painful as he thought it would be and it wasn't so surprising that the tattoo was made of actual preserved blood and magic.

"What next?"

"Repeat after me: Sacred is Blood."

"... Sacred is blood."

"Sacred is Covenants."

"Sacred in Covenants."

Damon continued, chanting the blood pact that forever bonded him to the Covenant. Without being aware of it, his subconscious would slowly be induced with a loyalty to the Covenant of Roses that changed his thought patterns. Unable to go against, Damon willingly accepted his fate, despairing at how he parted ways with his younger brother. His innocent and kind brother.

Roses approached and ran his fingers through his hair, rousing Damon out of his thoughts.

"Do not despair. You should celebrate that out of all the leaders, I am the one who was supposed to take you in."

"Couldn't you take my brother too?"

"Damon, you are smarter than that. Because of the speciality of you and your brother's existences, the world will not permit the two of you to be together."

"What's so special about us? I can't-"

"Enough with the childish act." Roses grabbed a clump of Damon's hair and lifted him into the air. "You'll win no pity with that from me. Don't forget we're in middle of preparing for war because of your actions."

"..."

"The war between Vampires and Werewolves were bound to happen. You accelerated the inevitable and tried to use it to as a distraction to escape with your brother, correct?"

Damon kept a straight face, not letting the slightest hint escape.

"You're wrong."

"Because of your actions, Draculla will be groomed for war. Raised to become the next Lilacs," Roses said, and carried Damon, shoving him against the wall.

"Ack-!" Damon coughed, then fell to the ground, grabbing his throbbing head.

"But you're different from your brother. I can tell from how much darkness surrounds you." Roses knelt to the ground, making sure his face was close to Damon's. "You have talent. That's why I'll use that for a new technique I'm working on. Do you want to use it to save your brother?"

"... What's the technique?"

"It's called [Coven of the Roses]. Master this for me, and we'll win the war."

One week later, an army of werewolves marched into vampire territory and destroyed four villages, leaving no trace of life.

The war between Vampires and Werewolves ensued.