Gefallen Feller

Chapter 2

Titus Bloodstain
A well-experienced vampire from one of the four ruling families of vampires: Aurelius, Bloodstain, Lethalis, and Nightrose.

The carriage from the human kingdom was finally leaving, carrying the vampires and preparing for the war that was about to come.

Vampires were never blessed by gods-not because they were unloved, but because they were gifted by nature itself. Arrogance breeds pride, and pride leads to individuals who bow to no one. Thus, no god gazed upon them.

The carriages had now started leaving the kingdom's gates, heading toward the North, toward the hive of vampires.

In one of these carriages sat Titus Bloodstain with his wife, Viola Bloodstain. She was originally an Aurelius until she married Titus.

Viola leaned her head against the glass window of the carriage and spoke in a somewhat tired voice.
"That king is truly desperate. I still can't believe such an arrogant man would ask for help from other races."

"Well, times have changed for the Rogues. They no longer run. Everything shifted after that so-called Rogue Messiah, Desmond Abhainn, appeared," Titus replied, his arms crossed as he leaned back.

"Desmond Abhainn... Is it true he gained the favor of a god and became the champion of Machzor?" Viola asked.

"No one worships Machzor like the Rogues do, so it's no surprise that god granted his wisdom and strength to those creatures," Titus replied.

"Both sides are desperate, it seems," Viola said, maintaining her usual calm demeanor, though there was a hint of unease in her tone.

After some time, the Bloodstains' carriage reached their castle, nestled deep in a dense forest, seemingly isolated from the rest of the world. The castle itself looked ancient, as if it had stood for centuries. The forest surrounding it was nearly impassable to anyone unfamiliar with its paths.

The castle had no guards, but two maids dressed in white stood at the gate to welcome the Bloodstains.

"Welcome back, Master Titus and Lady Viola," the maids said in unison, their voices synchronized.

"It's good to see you two again," Viola said as she stepped down from the carriage.

"Snow didn't cause too much trouble while we were gone, did she?" Titus asked in an amused tone.

"No, she didn't-just a few broken vases," one of the maids replied calmly.

"That *does* count as causing trouble," Viola muttered.

"Well then, let's go check on our little girl, shall we?" Titus said with a chuckle. Viola nodded with a smile, and together with the maids, they walked into the castle.

The first thing they saw was a little girl, about six or seven years old, leaping down the stairs while a few maids tried to catch her. The child had paper-white skin and long, curly white hair that almost touched the ground.

"What a sight-I missed this," Viola said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Mother! Father! What took you so long?" the young girl asked. Titus patted her head.

"Just some business," he said.

Viola scooped the little girl up in her arms.
"Little Snowball," she said, gazing at her daughter with adoration. The girl laughed joyfully.

"I thought you hated that nickname, Snow," Titus teased.

Snow, the little girl, grinned.
"I'll allow it this time because I missed you both."

"But why are you still awake? It's late," Viola asked, to which one of the maids replied,
"That's exactly what we were trying to resolve. She's been resisting sleep for a while now."

"Naughty girl, always causing trouble," Titus sighed, though he was smiling.

"I was excited!" Snow exclaimed with a big grin.

"Ah, you really missed us, huh? Well then, let's get you to bed and tell you a bedtime story," Viola said as she carried Snow upstairs to her room on the third floor.

After tucking her in and reading to her, Viola saw that Snow had fallen asleep. She blew out the candlelight and quietly left the room. Outside, Titus was waiting for her.

"She's asleep?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, she is," Viola replied with a sad, melancholic smile.

"It's alright, Viola. We'll win this war without much trouble. Even if things get out of control, the humans should be more worried-after all, the Rogues have bigger issues with them," Titus said, trying to reassure her.

"Even so, it's hard to leave Snow here without telling her we're going to war," Viola said, placing her hand on her chest.

"She's just a child. It's better for her not to know, I believe," Titus replied.

"Yes, that's what we both agreed on. For now, let's just prepare," Viola said.

The two of them walked through the castle's moonlit corridors until they reached a chamber door. Titus unlocked it with a key, and they stepped inside-the chamber of weapons.

The next day, early in the morning before sunrise, both Titus and Viola left the castle on horseback, clad in armor and carrying weapons, while Snow remained asleep in the castle.

As planned, they reached the Valley of Machzor, a sacred place protected by the God of Repetition.

The valley was shielded by a mystical veil spanning 80 to 120 kilometers. It served as a sanctuary for the Rogues, who found refuge under the god's gaze. At the center of the valley stood a floating castle, home to Desmond Abhainn.

Outside the veil, a vast assembly of soldiers from various races-dwarves, humans, and vampires-awaited the signal to enter the valley.

Titus and Viola had just arrived at the scene.

"There must be around 12,000 soldiers here," Titus remarked, observing the combined size of the armies.

"Yeah, let's find the others," Viola replied.