TBATE | Blood and Wine [HIATUS]

Introduction [DELATED]

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No one could move from where they were as they witnessed what I did, what I've become in just a fraction of a heartbeat. Their gazes were all on me, watching me, analyzing me as if I were another beast.

I snorted. Probably smirking too... I was too drunk on this feeling, this raw power flowing through my veins.

I could see them cowering in fear, trembling in anticipation and gasping in horror at just who I was. Even Sylvie seemed wary of me...

Closing my eyes for a moment, I let my senses take a hold of me. Dozens of heartbeats resounded in my ears, the smallest of the movements sounded as if they were amplified hundreds of times and were beside me. The sudden changes in air and the variations of temperature around the area. Heightened senses... Far superior to those of a dragon, better than those of the beasts. When I opened my eyes I glanced around, shifting my attention from my terrorised classmates and professors to the tiniest of the speckles of dust and ash.

I could hear, feel, smell and taste much better... It was almost hypnotical watching how even the hair stand from their arms in primal fear.

This was power.

True power.

And it belonged to me... Arthur Leywin... The quadra-elemental mage that saved everyone from Lucas Wykes. The former A-class adventurer 'Note', that took revenge against the worm who let us die at the Dire Tombs. The... former human... who made a pact with a demon for this eldritch power.

She warned me about it. She never tried to make me hesitate or make back from my decision... She just warned me about what could happen and should happen if I accepted this power. That tiny voice in the back of my head tried to change my mind, to make me see through the emotions that plagued me at that moment, but I did not turn back. I happily welcomed this opportunity as any other... And now, I don't regret it.

Licking the remaining traces of blood from my lips I smiled at Lucas.

"W- W- W- What are y- you?" He asked, trying to cover the bleeding wound on his neck with his hand.

I clicked my tongue, feeling the sharpness of my fangs as a new wave of hunger overwhelmed me. Although his blood wasn't tasty, I couldn't ignore the need to feed. It was as if I have never eaten something in my entire life and this moment provided me with the opportunity to finally quench my need... A predator's need.

"Y- You're a monster!—" Lucas screamed, his blood-shot eyes trying to evoke the fury he didn't have. "—Y- Y- You're no better than me!"

Oh~ silly goat.

I laughed. First, it came a guttural laugh, low and deep. Soon it turned into something I would have considered evil, devilish even, as I threw my head backwards chuckling.

"M- My brother!" He added desperately. "H- H- He will kill you, y- you monster!"

But I ignored him. I was so drunk... I needed more. I wanted more! Trying to hold my laughter I gazed back at him and he shrank in absolute horror. His mouth agape as his face seemed to lose more of its colour as the blood seeped from his deadly wound. I took a step closer to him —Lucas tried to crawl away from me.

Before he could get away from me, I sped before him in a mist of dark shadows. His eyes widened and just as he opened his mouth to say another round of sickening words, I grabbed him the neck and rose him without any effort. He felt weightless... as if I was carrying air. Lucas coughed while punching my arm with his only arm, desperately trying to free himself from my iron-grip grasp. Without wasting any more time I closed the distance between us, feeling my mouth watering in anticipation of the so-needed food.

Bloody tears rolled down his cheeks as he finally understood that resisting was futile.

"Much better..." I whispered into his ear, licking away a salty and bloody tear from his cheek. Its flavour is more like a drop of wet sand than the sweetness I had tasted. "Don't worry, cattle. I promise you to make it the swiftest possible... just for you."

"P- Please..."

I smirked evilly.

"On second thoughts... I'll just hurt you as much as I can, Lucas."

And before anyone could feel their heartbeat I opened my mouth as wide as I could and sank my fangs into his neck. Eliciting a guttural growl from Lucas as he struggled to plead for his life... His weak punches that once held a childish strength, now became weaker and weaker until he stopped fighting back. His heartbeat became slower and slower. With my eyes wide open from this frenzy I watched as the audience —many of them— averted their gazes, others could only watch in absolute horror as I drained the last bits of life from Lucas Wykes.

And with a strong tug and gasp for air, I stopped feeding, no longer feeling the blood coming from his veins.

More...

I wanted more... much more...

I felt the rush of more power in my body — the thirst seemed unquenchable. The air shifted around me and I noticed something. Sylvie had a worried and shocked expression on her... I could feel —hear— something she wanted to say, but this maddening frenzy didn't allow me to hear her.

That's when... I saw her.

Her emerald-green eyes widened, a hand cupping her mouth while a torrent of tears flowed from her eyes. I felt something... A clarity from this moment of bliss.

"I..." What could I say? What should I say? "I..."

Tess. She was awake... injured, hurt, but awake. How?

I...

Glancing around as I took some steps back, my feet touched something. Quickly I followed the movement of the sword as it skidded to a stop. With a sudden urge, I jumped at the dropped weapon and took it by the handle. It was damaged and I noticed the cracks on its surface... That's when I saw my reflection.

Or what I thought was my reflection.

Gone was my auburn brown hair. Gone were those ocean-blue eyes I came to hold dear. The traits I inherited from my parents were gone.

Now...

A stranger looked back at me. With cold and sharp red eyes and its pupil contracted into a thin line —like that of a viper. Silvery-blonde hair that reflected the golden light from the fire around me. And the two long canines are now longer than what I remember... What?

"I- I... Sylv?"

'Papa...'

I glanced around, feeling sobber as an unnatural fear and panic flooded through me. What have I turned into?

"Art?"

"Sylv...?"

'Papa!'

"What have I done?"