The capital was in ruins. Fountains ran red with blood, and others were so clogged with bits of flesh, guts, and other viscera, that no liquid ran from them. The battered, broken bodies laid about, in various states of dismemberment. Blood literally ran through the streets, carrying bits of gore about. 

Caleb stood, thigh deep in blood. Night's broken body hung from a tree branch, the tree limb impaled through her chest. Prince Liam laid dead a few feet away, his now stone body frozen in horror. Little Arthur stood about a foot away, tears pouring from his eyes as he held his severed arm in his hand. The bleeding had long since stopped, thanks to Caleb. 

But Caleb cared little for anyone but the girl he had loved. His Soul Blade was in her hand, because she believed she could kill the creature Caleb could not, due to his long list of injuries. She got within a few feet of the thing when it slammed its fist into the already battered girl, impaling her on a tree branch.  

The creature itself still stood, about 300 feet away. It bellowed triumphantly, the sound slightly muffled by the body of a nobleman in its mouth. 

Caleb let out a ragged, pain-filled, heartbroken scream. It lasted for about thirty seconds before it became a wet gurgling noise, and Caleb coughed up whatever blood he'd swallowed when he had been thrown into the fountain. 

When he looked up again, there was nothing but pure hatred in his eyes. Caleb's hair and eyes began to glow, and all the blood in the area coalesced into armor of the deepest crimson. The armor flowed over Caleb like liquid, and a large polearm rose from the ground in front of the boy. 

Caleb grabbed the weapon, and raced at the monster, screaming Night's name as he charged. Memories flashed through Caleb's mind, and tears blurred his vision. Still, the boy charged, and the weapon in his hands became charged with his anguish and rage. 

Right as Caleb reached the creature, he remembered Night's smile. And in an instant, all of his hate reached a critical point, and as Caleb's magic swelled, he knew he would not survive this encounter, one way or another. 

Caleb savagely hacked at the beast, every strike severing a piece of flesh, a tendon, nerve, vein, or artery. Caleb made only the savage noises of a boy who had been pushed too far, and knew he had nothing left to lose, so he gave everything. 

Caleb's heart gave out, but his body forced the organ to continue its work. His lungs couldn't keep up, so his body simply mutated so Caleb could get more air. His muscles tore irreparably, and his body knit them back together. Bones snapped, and were melted back together. Blood was shed by both combatants, and Caleb's body slowly absorbed his armor to feed his body's growing need for blood. 

After an hour of savage hacking, the creature fell, throwing Caleb into a house, which collapsed in top of him.

Arthur raced to help the boy, his arm forgotten. A few guards who had survived the events of the last few hours assisted the new prince, and eventually, Caleb was pulled from the remains of the house.

At this point, the boy was nearly unrecognisable due to his rapid healing, mutations, the layer of blood and dust, and the remnants of his shattered armor clinging to him. His chest now had several openings, covered by thick bone filters, which helped the boy breathe. 

Caleb stumbled over to Night's body, and gently pulled her off the tree. He held her body, collapsed on the ground, and wept for the first time in his life. Arthur hesitantly placed his hand on Caleb's shoulder, feeling the older boy stiffen in response. 

After some time, Caleb stood, holding Night's body. 

"You are the only person left. Arthur, I name you Arthur Tepes, and I welcome you to the House of Tepes. I will serve as your guard, your sword and shield, and your brother." Caleb intoned, kneeling to Arthur. 

Arthur smiled, and together, he and Caleb walked back to the ruined palace to begin the long process of rebuilding the ruins of the once fantastic capital city. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caleb sat up in his bed, covered in sweat from his dream. He fumbled about, looking for his blindfold, his empty and ever-bleeding eye sockets seeing everything and seeing nothing.  

Shortly after he slipped the grey fabric over his eyes, the boy felt a delicate, cool hand slide onto his back, and Caleb stiffened in surprise. 

"Is something wrong, Caleb?" Night asked sleepily. 

Caleb said nothing, but turned and enveloped the woman in a tight, loving embrace. 

"Wow, honey. I know you love me, but you act like you just watched me die." Night said jokingly. When Caleb's grip tightened slightly, Night realized why he was acting odd. 

"Oh, Caleb. It's just a nightmare. I'm still here, Caleb. Remember, I promised I'd be here forever, didn't I?" She asked, and Caleb felt the wedding band on his finger. Remembering that day, Caleb relaxed, and flopped back onto the bed, his wife settling down on top of him. 

Night placed her head on Caleb's chest, having long since grown used to the absence of a heartbeat of any sort. She kissed Caleb's jaw, then fell asleep, a little smile on her face.

"I love you, Caleb Tepes. Don't you dare forget that, or I'll hurt you." Night mumbled sleepily, before passing out entirely. Caleb chuckled. 

"I love you too, Night Tepes." 

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Hello, everyone!!! So, I wanted to write this little thing bc I was in the mood to write something hella dark, but realised I wanted a happy end to this little thing, in honor of Valentine's Day! (Trust me, these two deserve it.)

So, this will not affect the main storyline. I just felt like writing a lil story, that started all KINDS of fucked, but then ended on a peaceful note. I hope you all like it!