Castlevania Nocturne: A Sneak Peak

Sneak Peak: Recurrent History

Richter tied his headband, his hands glowed with power as he readied to confront their ultimate foe. Erzsebet crouched among the human corpses she slaughtered, feasting on a heart like a beast. She raised her head with a primal snarl, more animal than vampire.

"We walk the Earth again. It trembles beneath our feet." her voice held a thundering growl.

Sekhmet, in full possession of Annette's body, reached forth her hand and siphoned Erzsebet's stolen souls. Erzsebet screamed and roared, stumbling on her clawed feet clenching her head in resistance. "No! We will not listen! It is our destiny to walk the Earth!"

"Why are you in this realm?" Sekhmet demanded, struggling to keep hold.

Erzsebet snarled like a beast. "You do not belong here. You do not belong in that feeble mortal vessel!"

"We do not belong here."

Richter unfurled his whip alighting it in blue flame.

In the Duat Annette struggled against Ammit. She reverted to defense, blocking the Devourer's attacks with her great shield. The beast kept pushing her towards the river, intending to drown and devour her. If she fell in, that would be it. Annette swung her shield sideways hitting Ammit square in the jaw. She swerved round the bestial goddess racing back towards the temple. Ammit pounced in front of her, roaring and snapping her great jaws. She swiped her great paws, goading Annette toward the water. Annette held her ground, pushing back. She would not be herded to her death.

.....

Paris was a city on fire.

The smoke watered my eyes and burned my nose and throat. Yet I kept beating my wings. My brilliant ivory feathers shone against the darkening eclipse, stirring the dust and ash. I shifted to my Seraphim vision to get a better scope of things.Lights dotted the Paris landscape from the bright souls of humans to the dark smoke of vampires. Many snuffed out before my eyes. Here and there I caught the shining spires of my people, waging war against Erzsebet's army.

Emma you did it...

"There!" I caught sight of a blazing inferno distorting the air around it. It nearly snuffed out a small human light and that of an equal power. Erzsebet, but what was the other light burning just as brightly?

I banked on, commanding my party to follow. Lyudmil flew on his enlarged bat wings with Maria hanging on by the talons of her phoenix. Juste and Mizrak raced across ice platforms.

Landing in the wide square like setting foot in an oven. I flared my wings letting their light reflect over the cobblestones before dissipating them away. "About time you showed up! I could use an angel right now!" Richter called me. He gripped the burning vampire killer in his hands, his wrapped bandanna flared in the wind.

The phoenix cawed as Maria let go of its talons. She literally hit the ground running and crashed into Richter's arms. Richter embraced her tenderly

"Lots to tell you. None of it good." Maria said tearfully.

"Yeah, same." remarked Richter. Juste raced to my side on platforms of ice with the elemental glow between his fingers. Mizrak and Lyudmil followed

"It's a long story." I told the gaping Richter

The ice evaporated when Juste flicked out the light. "Turns out. I'm not old for magic after all. Life in the old dog yet." A feral scream startled the daylights out of me. Looking behind Richter I saw the source of the two divine lights. It was my turn to gawk.

"By the Light of the Sovereign....." My glyphs burned. "That's not Annette....." I held Lyudmil back when he went for Erzsebet. The thing that looked like Annette broke her focus and stared Lyudmil in the eyes, but only for a moment before continuing her focus on the leonine creature crouched miserably before her. It must have said something telepathically to Lyudmil, for he flinched blinking in confusion.

"It isn't." explained Richter. " Annette found the third soul of Sekhmet in the spirit world, and it's possessed her. But something's wrong with Erzsebet. I think this third soul has confused her." the leonine monster cringed growling in disoriented pain.

"Good." Maria said. "Then now's our chance." She summoned several portals as her bird familiars attacked the vampire cult members. They swarmed together in a flock, amalgamating into a great dragon. It wasn't the dark beast that spelled the abbot's doom, but a creature of light and confidence, roaring to the clouds and stirring the air with its wings. Maria smiled at me with a thumbs up.

I gave her a nod, turning my head.