Year 1607 - Bohemia (current Czechia)
It was around 11h30 a.m. and the two sorcerers had just reached the Occult Realm. Their breaths were short, and they kept on looking over their shoulders. The Sun was high in the sky, but the six vampires were not their main concern.
Their coven housed much more than vampires. Not only their familiars lived there, but also the intermediate species: humans that, when bitten by vampires, were not transformed into one. Instead, their fate was worse. They went through a slow and painful transformation and came out the other side as all sorts of magic creatures. Demons, faeries, elves and mermaids.
The two sorcerers were part of the "lucky ones" that ended up in this intermediary place - stuck with vile creatures who, under Duke's leadership, only saw them as a status symbol.
Other than them, there was one more intermediary: Andrej, the demon. If the chase had already begun, he'd be the one coming after them.
The vampires were not only asleep but they'd never be able to hunt them down during the morning - they'd be reduced to ashes way before catching them. Familiars were easy enough to control, and one simple spell from Matthew kept them dazed enough to forget about the duo.
Andrej, on the other hand, was strong and smart: older than Matt and Milo combined, he knew the land around the castle very well and he'd be very happy to capture them. Maybe even offer to apply their punishment. Death would be the best-case scenario if they got caught.
His green eyes seemed to see everything, to scan their souls for fear. The sorcerers spent days wondering if the man could see their sins. Up to that moment, they were unsure if they would even be capable of casting a spell on him.
With all that, the pair opted for the most humane solution of all. They ran.
Matt was older and more experienced, while Milo had just been turned around 50 years before. He was so young in the vampires' eyes, so inexperienced and weak, that Duke, the head of their coven, still didn't trust him to leave the house by himself.
So, the night before, the older sorcerer came to his leader's office.
- Hey, Duke. I was studying the last book you gave me and I want to try and make a power potion. - Matt knew that the idea of power would always entice the older man, always make him pause and listen. He needed a solid lie if he would trick Duke.
The vampire was smart, old as dirt, and had been through everything. Not only Matt could not give any signs of how deeply terrorized he was, but he needed to allure Duke enough so his greed would overpower his suspicions.
- A power potion? What for? - The vampire's eyes rose from the documents he was reading to Matt's face, beaming with interest.
- It seems this recipe is meant to help new sorcerers come into their full powers quickly, and not have to spend as many years in preparation. Right now, Milo is too weak to aid me, so I want to try that on him.
- Okay, so why are you here asking me instead of working on that?
- I'm missing a few things. I was thinking about going to the Realm in the morning and bringing Milo, so I can teach him how to choose the best ingredients. It'll be good training for him.
As expected, Duke turned his nose to that at first. Yet, the man pondered for a few more seconds, in silence, comfortable with the idea of organizing his own thoughts before answering. He liked those small showings of power, and the anxiety it usually caused on his interlocutors was just a bonus.
- Okay. Take him, but remember to ask Damien before testing anything on Milo. He will kill you if anything happens to that kid.
---
Milo was a young man - not only as a sorcerer but as a human as well. He was told he was in his early 20s when Damien turned him - as he himself was unsure about it.
He had no memories of his previous life. Everything he knew, he was told by his clan. It was one of the worst parts of the whole ordeal - the emptiness of not knowing. The lack of knowledge about himself, the permanent feeling of a void in his mind and chest.
After the transformation, the sorcerers lost all memory from their human life, and he was just recently turned - if you can call a century ago a recent period - so he was still struggling with not knowing who he really was. His "youthfulness" as a mage had its price: his powers were still kicking in, and he was incapacitated for almost 50 years due to his turning.
Everyone in the clan treated him as a child. At the same time it drove him insane, it gave him the space to learn without the suspicious eyes of others. Milo quickly learned that you can have access to important information, as long as people don't think you're capable enough to use it.
He was weak, indeed, but he was smart and resourceful. He had spent weeks looking and practicing spells for protection, invisibility, memory-altering, and transportation. He drew a plan inside his head on where they'd need to be, how, and for what. As he'd still be incapable of performing many of those spells, he had to teach Matt how to cast them and what to look out for.
Matt, who was older than Milo and guided him through his new life, was much more powerful - but way less applied to learning about magic.
They went through the portal into the Occult Realm, their hands sweating and hearts pumping fast.
- Ok, so now what? - Matt asked, looking around to see if he saw any familiar faces that might hinder their plans. They were safe, from what he could gather.
- Now you cast those on me, and I'll cast it on you. - Milo gave Matt a piece of paper with the spell circles the man should draw on his skin. He, as always, was focused on the plan he had created.
Both began to draw on each other's left arm simultaneously, reciting enchantments as they went along. The black, blurry marks slowly turned into tattoos, and their looks slowly altered. When they were done, no one would be able to recognize who they once were. They were finally protected.
So they opened a second portal. This time, to the furthest place they could think about.
When they arrived on the other side of the continent, both were trembling with terror and adrenaline. They looked around. Each face, voice, and accent, was different from everything they had ever known. Yet, the younger man looked over his shoulder all the time, his hands sweating with the possibility of seeing Damien's red eyes behind him.
He could feel his skin burn under that gaze, the hair on the back of his neck standing with only the thought of his creator. His blood ran cold in his veins, his bones chilling.
His creator liked control. He wanted to possess every part of Milo's body and mind like he was a doll made for his contentment. The sorcerer just destroyed that illusion.
He was terrified of the wrath he'd cause when Damien realized that control was shattered. Thankfully, he wouldn't be around to see the reaction to their departure.
---
Shoutout to StaceisWrite for helping me with super insightful tips on this chapter!
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Bad Blood (MxM)
Vampire[COMPLETE] For centuries, the sorcerer Milo tried to run away from his old coven and the creatures that were waiting for him there. The memories of pain kept him focused on his disguises, and when he finally thought he was safe, the possibility of w...
