(Currently Discontinued) The End is Only the Beginning [A DBL Fanfiction]

The Old Switcheroo

Warning! This chapter contains gruesome events and may be a little extreme. Read at your own risk!!!

     Realizing time was of the essence, the group approached the island swiftly yet carefully. The fog surrounding the island was made worse by the sour, revolting smell of rotting meat accompanied by screams of various pitches both near and far. They focused their attention on the disturbing, tar-like creatures that whirled around the fortress. Reiji turned to his brothers with a sigh.

"These are tormented souls being controlled to think anyone their master hasn't cleared is responsible for their torment. They show no mercy and feed off of screams and true terror. They have only one weakness: Their center. It can only be broken by sheer force, anything not strong enough will be consumed by the soul, making it darker and more difficult to destroy. Our only chance is to stick together and fight them off. Be smart, their strength is shown by their color and size. Know your strength, arrogance can get everyone here killed and will leave Alex to the mercy of our father. Don't mess this up." He says seriously as he adjusts his glasses and starts slowly moving towards a large piece of land. The others, scared but determined, followed and prepared to fight.

     The second they stepped out of the light, every beast turned towards them with their blank, featureless slate of a face. A buzzing sound filled the air as the beings flocked to the males. Knowing defeat was simply not an option, the boys stood with their backs against each other in a circle. If you had blinked, you would have missed most of the battle, as it was swift. The speed of the newly restored vampires paired with the speed of the tormented souls made the encounter rather short, but not short of casualties. Subaru had a shattered ribcage, Shu was unconscious and bleeding heavily, Kanato was laying in a heap of his tattered clothing vomiting from the pain, Yuma had multiple broken bones as well as an obvious concussion, and last, but not least, Laito, in an effort to protect Azusa, lost his left pinky. Likewise, every vampire had gashes and bruises, though they remained mostly mobile.
 
     Reiji, after examining the outcome, sighed with a smile. "We won this battle. Unfortunately Shu, Subaru, Kanato, and Yuma need my immediate medical attention. Laito, you seem to have taken care of your finger. How in hell did you cauterize your wound?" He asks as he tends to the wounded.

"There was a torch a ways off. After it was over, I grabbed it and lifted Subaru's knife off him. I heated it up and well....here we are." The emerald eyed male groaned as he showed his wrapped wound to his elder brother.

"Thankfully, you did fine. You will go with the others and keep going. I'll try to catch up if I can and tend to whoever I meet along the way, should they need it. Now go, we need to hurry before more, stronger souls appear." Reiji replies in a hurried manner. The remaining boys nod and enter the stronghold of their target, prepared for the worst.

      The males followed the massive surge of energy through a strangely calm castle. The fact they had not met a single foe since the souls was troubling, yet slightly relieving. Miraculously they reach a large room with chains swaying to and fro in unison. As they moved rhythmically back and forth, droplets of pure red blood decorated a new spot on the never changing floor, for as each drop hit, it was swallowed into an abyss of teeth and eyes. The boys realized rather quickly the floor was not a floor at all, rather an illusion. It was a sea filled with creatures they had only ever heard of in ancient tales of the old times, when vampires freely killed whomever they pleased. After some chatting and planning, they decided their best bet would be using the chains to cross over the sea. They didn't know how well it would work, but they knew they had to try. For Alex.

    Ayato was the first to try. He examined the chain and touched a nearby one gently. The chain was normal, however it was slippery from the blood. They would have to be precise if they were to make it across or they would fall to their demise. With a deep breath, Ayato grabbed hold of the chain tightly and swung with them, moving from chain to chain until he reached a platform on the other side that was used for the feeding of flesh. The brothers, thankfully, made it safely across after him. As they were about to progress through the door, they were startled by a scream. They turned to see Alex being devoured by the sea beasts. In a fit of confusion and panic, Kou dived in to save her. Ruki, seeing right through the illusion, grabbed him tight and said loud and clear. On the contrary, he let Carla dive right in. He ignored his pleas and calls for help and rescue to explain to the favored ones.

"This is not real. This is another illusion designed to have us destroy ourselves. We need to move before the rest of us fall victim." He says as he rushes them through the door. Hard as it was, they ignored the agonizing screams behind them and pressed on, Kino dragging a frantic Shin with him.

     They had finally reached it, the source of the energy. Or so they thought. Rather than the powerful vampire they were expecting, the steed sat upon the throne barking orders at shadows. Confusion riddled them as they approached the being.

"Ah yes, the bastards who destroyed my precious souls and denied my children their food. How are you abominations doing this fine evening?" It hisses as it sucks up some sort of entrails.

"What is this? Where is your master the vampire of old?" Ayato snaps, annoyed with all the bs they had endured.

"Oh I think you were misinformed, I am the master of this castle. That vampire is my minion, someone I enslaved and infused with a heart made in the image of my own so I could feed off of his power. He stays in the shed where he belongs." It laughs in a sinister fashion. The boys wanted to scream, Shin in particular. They could have avoided all of this and secretly stolen the vampire from the shed. They should have expected things wouldn't be as black and white as they seemed, but THIS was beyond anything they could have ever imagined.

"That......that is just so fucked up." Ayato growls as he locks eyes with the beast. The being only lets out a grumbling sound, its laughter resembling a dying grizzly bear who is maiming an also dying bobcat. The boys could NOT take a talking horse seriously, they just couldn't. How could a HORSE do anything like THIS?!

"Are you sure you're a horse? You seem like more of a jack ass to me." Laito chuckles as he gives a frightening stare. The horse, no longer amused, slams its hoof on the arm of the throne, smashing it off.

"HOW DARE YOU! JUST FOR THAT I'LL NOT ONLY TAKE YOUR OTHER FINGERS, BUT YOUR LIFE AS WELL!" The demon-like creature roared as he charged at the brother. Laito tried to dodge but fell into a table, smashing the glass tableware that had adorned it. Despite the bleeding from his newfound cuts and gashes, the vampire rolled off the table and forced himself to his feet. 

"I'd like to see you try!" Laito scoffed through clenched teeth. "I won't be taken down so easily." Before the beast could charge again, a piece of wood burst though its chest. The distracted abomination had let its guard down in its livid state, leaving a perfect opening. Its blood sprayed all over the fedora adorned male, startling him. He tasted a few drops and gagged. "This.....is NOT blood. This is some kind of oil..." Laito gurgled as he tried not to throw up. Kino used his foot and pushed the corpse off the chair leg he had grabbed, a disgusting grin on his face. He kept the expression as he shoved his hand in the wound and grabbed the heart. With a squelch and the noise of tearing flesh, a strange blue and gray box humming with energy was obtained. Kino held the box high and examined it as the grey blood-like substance dripped steadily into a puddle on the floor. He closed his eyes as the power ran from the cube to his body. It made the raven haired vampire feel rejuvenated and stronger just by touching it. Before he could relish the feeling for too long, Laito snatched the cube and glared at Kino. 

"As if we would let you carry it." Kou growls as he wraps Laito's left arm around the back of his neck for support. "You are the reason we're in this fucking mess in the first place!" Kino was very displeased as he was spat upon by the angry blonde. He simply wiped the saliva and shrugged. 

"You would have done the same, trust me." He mumbles under his breathe as they head towards the exit of the room, planning to destroy their next target: The Vampiric Minion.