Dear Journal,
               A minor fault of this new form is my impulsion. I get these impulses that are not triggered by feelings, but by fate.

- 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
                (1605)

Changing out of his tattered clothing, Elias quickly dressed in the new garments left inside the chest by his bed.

Sporting the classic white linen shirt, black doublet and black hose, he ran his fingers through his obsidian black hair as it fell onto his face. It had gotten longer since his rebirth, which was surprising to him since he was now undead. Now falling past his shoulders, he believed he was in desperate need of a haircut before his mane became unmanageable.

Opening the door to a woeful Syrus, he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him as their eyes met each other's.

"I have come to fetch you for King Koren" Syrus spoke, his voice doleful. "This way"

Walking in silence, they descended the staircase together, neither of them giving the other so much as a glance.

"Just a moment ago, you could not stop talking" Elias spoke, finally breaking the silence. "Now, you are as quiet as the still night"

"There is not much to say anymore" Syrus said sadly.

"Hmm" Elias sounded before speaking again. "You are quite muscular for a young boy"

"Working in the armory has done me a great kindness" Syrus said with a subtle smile.

"The armory?" Elias reiterated, looking at the juvenile.

"Yes" Syrus beamed at him, his face falling into a frown a moment after as he looked at Elias's left arm.

"Yes" Elias avowed, answering Syrus's unasked question whilst mimicking his answer from before.

"We are here" Syrus announced after a while , stopping at an ornately carved wooden door.

"Excuse me, Eli" He declared, pleasantly dismissing himself.

Knocking on the door, Elias watched in curiosity as the lad strolled out of sight. He wondered if the death of his mentor had weighed heavily on his mind. Additionally, he also wondered what exactly would be discussed at this meeting and how much they would disclose in his presence.

The council room was a large expanse with a single bay window on the left wall that irradiated the room.  A large, horizontal table centered the space, gleaming in the sun's light from its exquisite polish as scrolls of paper, quill pens and ink pots sat on its surface. The regular tapestries and paintings embellished the walls along with small book shelf located on the right side of the room adjacent to a fireplace.

As Elias entered, he was greeted with silence and  looks of incredulity from a plethora of faces. Twelve men perched around the large table headed by King Koren, their leader. Spotting Zelda standing with her hands folded behind her by the bookshelf, he made his way over to join her.

"Is this the beast?" A middle aged man questioned. His gray hair was a wispy cloud on his head as he dressed in a brown and gold tunic, his face blighted with warts.

"I had no idea it was I that would be discussed today" Elias said smugly, gazing at all the men.

"Now Lord Dane, please refrain from using insulting words. Eli is an ally, not an enemy. He was sent here by Baltazaar, my son and your prince. He is only here to help" Koren told him firmly, glancing at Elias.

"I am in agreement with Lord Dane, if he really is a beast then he must know of Selvally's agenda. He was probably sent to spy and report back to their new leader" an older man let out from the end of the table. He was dressed in gold livery, his face sagging from old age as he scowled at the vampire.

Rolling his eyes, Elias whispered to Zelda while the men bickered about his attendance at the meeting.

"Should I really be the discussion at hand when there are monsters on the prowl in their Kingdom?" He asked rhetorically.

"I don't understand your statement, are you not a monster?" Zelda said, glancing up at him.

"I'll make sure you find out" Elias retorted, his left eyebrow twitching in a fit of pique.

Giving him a smug smile, she turned her attention to the council men once more.

"As of now, Prince Baltazaar is working on building an army to combat the forces of Selvally. It will take time but it is being done. It would not seem as if they themselves are fully prepared. Infact, I believe these monsters are probably failed creations. They could just be first batch created and sent out to test our military power and frighten us into surrendering" Koren said.

"Well, it is quite obvious we failed their tests. Willowry is in ruins and the King of Gandalwell is dead. What we need is more men. We should contact Fenrir Company and put together funds to purchase more soldiers" the man called Lord Dane said.

"Fenrir Company? The sellsword company in Pretvar? That would cost us a fortune!" stated a blonde haired man that sat beside Lord Dane.

"You think mere men can fight against these beasts?" Elias butted in.

"He is right" Koren agreed. "Baltazaar's plan seems to be the only sensible solution. Yes we need an army, but an army of the supernatural. We have already began the preparations for this" Koren admitted.

"You're not going to say anything?" Elias whispered to Zelda, raising his eyebrows.

"It is not my place. Let men figure out what men want to do" she shrugged.

"That is interesting" Elias said, regarding her more keenly.

The smell of blood caught Elias's nose as the men continued to discuss their plan of action. Uninterested in the discussion, he excused himself from the council room whilst ignoring the talks of 'good riddance' and sighs of relief that were uttered as he made his exit.

Following the familiar coppery smell to the outdoors, the men of Castle Asphal froze as they saw him, each staring and whispering words of wonder and disgust.

Elias followed the smell towards a large wooden house in the left corner of the courtyard. Entering the building, a wave of nostalgia and heat hit him inside the familiar housing.

Dozens of battle weapons including swords, battle axes, halberds and crossbows were hung neatly on the walls as a blast furnace stood to the side of the room. He watched as the men moved about with unfinished weaponry, their faces and clothing dotted with sweat and dirt from the labourous job.

The familiar smell of molten metal and black smoke bombarded his nostrils as the sounds of hot iron being beaten into shape plagued his ears. It had been a while since he had been in a workshop and though he was in a different kingdom, it still felt the same.

Following the scent, he found Syrus hammering a piece of metal against an anvil, his face oily with sweat and grime. The young boy was so focused on his task that he did not even see Elias walk up to him.

Elias was a little surprised that his once fluffy brunette hair was now tapered at the sides, the hair on top slicked back and wet.

"Are you bleeding?" Elias asked as Syrus finally noticed his presence.

"Oh, Eli! I did not see you come in" he said with slight smile on his boyish face. "It is just a small scratch, nothing serious" he said after, showing Elias a small gash on his elbow.

Ignoring his animalistic urges, Elias turned his attention at the billet of steel Syrus had heated to an appropriate red-hot level and was previously pounding into shape. He noticed inconsistencies in the metal as it burned orange from the heat of being in the blast furnace. This often happened if you were not hammering the metal, which consisted of iron smelted with carbon, efficiently.

"May I?" Elias asked, extending his hand for the 3-ball peen hammer.

"Oh you've done this before? Sure! Take it away" Syrus said with genuine enthusiasm.

Elias took the hammer and began to pound the metal. A person could get a good idea of what kind of steel is being used based on the sparks produced. Elias knew that it was high carbon steel because the sparks it produced separated off into several branches.

With his extra strength, Elias carefully applied blows consistently along the length of the piece, flattening the bumps in the iron to achieve a uniform thickness on the steel. The next step would be to grind it into the desired profile.

"Wow Eli! You did it so well. You must teach me your technique" Syrus said in amazement.

"Eli!"  Zelda called from the door, beckoning him to come outside.

"I must go" he said to Syrus. "You did well"

Beaming with pride, Elias watched Syrus give the metal to the mastersmiths to finish, a job that he could also do if he had the time.

Meeting Zelda outside, she began to talk his ear off about his sudden disappearance and disinterest in the important matters at hand.

"King Koren has gotten word that an enemy camp is set up out in Rill Forest. I'm asking you kindly to accompany me" she said nicely, dropping her gaze from him.

Looking inside the armory, he watched as Syrus wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, taking another billet of iron to the blast furnace for heating.

He saw so much of himself in the young boy that he could not help being intrigued. He felt as if he were watching his younger self live a regular life and it made him feel gratified.

"I'd like for him to join us" He told Zelda.

"Who? The squire? Why? He is not of much use. Koren said his time with Sir. Alex was short so he still has much to learn" she answered.

"I do not care" Elias said, turning his attention back to the witch.

"Fine. You are responsible for him though" She told him as she began digging in a small satchel that hung from the waist belt of her dress.

"Syrus! Come here" Elias called him.

He gave the iron to another worker before making his way over to the vampire. Elias informed him of what they were about to do and he happily agreed to accompany him. Glad to finally be of service, the young boy ran off towards the castle to change his garbs and fetch his sword.

Waiting for him at the outer gates, Elias watched in surprise as both Syrus and Emma made their way across the moat. Syrus's face wore a look of discomfort as he walked alongside Emma. Her face however, was beautiful and daring. With her lips as pink as a carnation, her dark brown hair laid behind her back into a single plait.

"Where do you think you are going?" Elias asked as they came closer.

"To scout the area for enemies" she said courageously.

"Princess Emma, I'm sorry but you cannot come. There is a possibility that this will be dangerous and you are too important" Zelda reasoned with her.

"I do not need the likes of you to tell me what I can or cannot do. Do not mind me, I will not interfere in your lover's conquest" she said to them.

Slowly, Elias and Zelda turned their heads to look at each other, boggled by Emma's words.

"Lover's conquest?" Elias repeated, his face twisted in the disdain.

"Princess, I believe you have it wro..." Zelda began to say but was interrupted.

"I need not to hear your lies! Let us go, shall we?" Emma said, pushing past them both as she walked away.

"I tried to stop her" Syrus said after, his face red with embarrassment.

"I will try to reason with to her" Zelda said, running off to catch up with Emma.

Together, Elias and Syrus walked behind them. Rill forest was only half a mile walk from the castle and the sun had began to set in the sky.

Finally, Elias thought.

"What happened to your hair?" He finally asked Syrus, watching Emma and Zelda bicker as they walked ahead of them.

"I had one of the other squires cut it. This was how Sir. Alex wore his. I wanted to honor his memory even if it is something as small as this" He beamed at the vampire.

Elias was riveted by Syrus's fearlessness. He spoke to him as someone he respected and saw as seniority. He did not ask invasive questions or press him for answers nor did ogle and observe him like a magical specimen. This was how he had had admired his father. It was a wonderful thing to witness firsthand.

"It suits you" Elias glanced at him.

"How old are you?" he asked afterwards.

"Seventeen! Though, working in the armory has made my body look as if it were a grown mans'." Syrus frowned.

Giving him a closed mouth smile, Elias shook his head at the boy.

"You are close to my age. I am 18." Elias said as he watched as the two women stopped to engage into a heated argument.

"Eighteen? Wow Eli! I mean, you do look young but there is something else about you that makes you seem old. Perhap it is the fangs... or the hair!" Syrus said exuberantly.

Elias rewarded this statement with a laugh. It was difficult to not see the similarities between their mannerisms. Before his life had ended, he too was youthful, inquisitive and enlivened.

"Everyone calls me Eli, but my name is Elias. I want you to remember that" He told him seriously as they were nearing the bickering girls.

Syrus looked up at the vampire. Though Elias towered over him by several inches, that was not the only reason he seemed intimidating. In no way did he look like Sir. Alex nor was he anything like him, but he found solace in their presences. It was obvious Elias was not human but he did not care. He spoke to him like a comrade, an equal, a friend even.

"What is the matter here?" Elias said soberly as he interrupted the ladies' quarrel.

"You have alot on your plate with this one" Zelda said angrily, storming off down the dirt road.

Slightly turning to Syrus, Elias used his head to point towards Zelda, silently instructing him to check on her.

Giving him a closed mouth smile, Syrus nodded, running off to catch up with the angry witch.

"Walk with me Princess" Elias said, stepping past her.

Her footsteps could be heard as she walked swiftly to catch up to him.

"What is the problem?" Elias asked, his eyebrows raised at he looked at the beautiful woman. Her eyes sparkled in the light of the sunset making her look divine.

"There is no problem. It was just strange that you would fancy a witch" Emma said, avoiding his gaze.

"She is not my lover, Emma" Elias told her.

"I saw you two kissing in your chambers" Emma said stopping, finally looking at him.

"What you saw was Zelda helping me regenerate my arm and prevent me from going on a blood thirsty rampage" Elias said seriously.

"By kissing?!" Emma exclaimed her, her voice raising a few octaves.

"Not kissing. I was just drinking from her" He said truthfully.

"That is even worse!" Emma shrieked, flinging her hands in the air dramatically as she stormed off.

"Are you jealous?" Elias squinted at her.

"Me? A Princess? Jealous of a witch? Never! I just cannot understand why you would ask her for something like that! I told you not to trust Baltazaar, that includes his associates!" She argued.

"What am I missing here?" Elias asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought I was an angel of death?"

"You are" Emma said as she calmed down. "But I have just realized that it is only by your hands that I would want to die" she said softly.

Concurrently gazing at each other, their mouths stretching into closed mouth smiles.

As they caught up with Syrus and Zelda, the four of them descended a steep hill into Rill forest. Night had began to fall and using the coordinates from the informant, they were nearing the location of the alleged enemy camp in no time.

Elias's skin had finally stopped burning from the sun's light as he was greeted with the pleasant kisses of the night air. The cicadas clicked against the barks of the trees and the fireflies dodged their visions as they scattered beautifully across the foliage.

Finally arriving at the location, they found the area empty. It was at the edge of the forest with nothing to see but a large perimeter of grass sitting by a waterfall that flowed into a river, separating the lands as another collection of trees could be seen across the body of water. Elias hid his annoyance as he could not help but think he had wasted his time to investigate for people he did not even like and would soon have to destroy. All in the name of acquiring information on his enemies.

"I guess they were wrong" Zelda stated, irritation laced in her voice.

"Well, we've come all this way. Do you see that wonderful river? I'm going to have a swim" Syrus said.

Before anyone could protest, he dropped the scabbard with his sword and cannon balled into the river, still donning his clothing and splashing Emma and Zelda in the process.

The women scoffed as they froze in place, their cloaks dripping with water.

Stifling a smile, Elias watched Syrus swim up the river towards the waterfall and then back to the edge of the river bank.

"Come in, Eli! The water is great" Syrus beckoned him.

"No thank you" Elias told him. "Get out of there now"

The boy pulled himself up, his clothes drenched with water as it dripped on to the grass. Shaking his body like a hound, he flashed the two women once more, laughing as they gasped in horror.

Elias smiled at the their reactions as they began to spew profanity at the him. His smile soon fell as webbed hands circled Syrus's legs, pulling him back into the water.

"No!" Elias shouted, rushing over quickly as he jumped in after him.

Diving into the water, his hair floated above him as his golden eyes glowed in the darkness of the river's abyss. Swimming further down, he could see Syrus's hands flailing violently as his eyes widened with fear, screaming as he gurgled bubbles of carbon dioxide.

Elias swam down further, grabbing his hand as he tried to pull him from the depths of the river. While Elias did not need to breath, it wouldn't be long until Syrus ran out of oxygen or took in too much water as due to panicking. It was difficult to use his strength in the river and the creature would not go of Syrus's ankles.

Letting go of his hand, Elias swam down to the creature. It resembled both a man and a fish as its black beady eyes focused on dragging Syrus's body in to the depths. Its skin was blue and scaled and it had fins on its bald head, webbed hands and a tail which swayed in back and forth as it kept itself afloat.

Using all the strength be could muster, Elias forcibly extended his fingernails and swam over to the creature, slitting its throat. It released Syrus as it clutched its bleeding wound, swimming away into the darkness of the river, leaving only an ink of blue blood floating suspended in the water.

Grabbing Syrus, Elias swam back to the surface, holding the unmoving boy in his arms.

"Elias!" Emma shouted as he broke the surface, tears already streaming down her face.

"I'll help pull him up" Zelda said urgently, extending her arms to accept Syrus.

She hauled him out of the water with the help of Emma as Elias hurriedly climbed out of the river, his clothes soaking wet as his black hair dripped down his back.

Dropping to his knees over Syrus's limp body, Elias desperately tried to wake him up. Slapping his cheeks before performing compressions on his chest. He had seen a few fishermen do it to their mates when he was younger so he tried his best to remember and mimic their movements.

Checking his breath, Zelda realized Syrus was no longer breathing. She watched as the vampire desperately tried to revive the boy to no avail, his skin cold and blue as he laid lifeless on the wet grass.

Emma cried, covering her mouth in disbelief at the scene before her.

"Eli.." Zelda said lowly but Elias ignored her, still trying to restart Syrus's heart.

"Eli he's gone.. his heart has stopped" Zelda said a little louder. It was nightfall now, the only source of light was the full moon shining down on them.

"No" Elias said with frustration. "He can't be"

"Eli..stop. He's gone!" Zelda exclaimed sadly.

Stopping the compressions, Elias stared at Syrus's dead body. His entire body frozen in disbelief at what had just happened. The boy had just been alive, speaking to him, asking questions, creating swords. Had he not invited him to come along, he would still be alive. Though he did not use his own hands or fangs, Elias believed that he had killed him. It was just as it was 7 years ago, a young life wrongfully taken by monsters. Remorse and dread rattled the depths of his soul.

Then, be remembered the scrolls Emma had shown him. How to make more... more of him.

"He doesn't have to be" Elias said lowly, causing Zelda to frown.

"What are you saying?" She asked in confusion.

Tearing off Syrus's livery to expose his bare chest, Elias used his fingernails to slice it open. He then slit his own wrist and began dripping blood inside the boys dead body and into his mouth.

"Wait, Elias! No! You can't do this. He's a child! Do you understand what you are doing?!" Zelda said, her voice shaking with worry.

"I cannot let him die" Elias said seriously as he bit Syrus's neck, not drinking his blood but letting his fangs linger in his skin to release his venom.

"Elias no! You must choose carefully! Did Odelina not tell you what will happen? He will be your lieutenant! You do not know him or know of his loyalty!" She tried to reason but Elias did not listen. He did not care. He was going to save this boy tonight.

Withdrawing his fangs he chanted the simple five word spell that was written on the scroll.

"Elias, Please! Think about this"

"I already have" he said solemnly.

"resurgemus ego pater" he chanted. This translated into a single command. It meant:

"Rise, I am your sire"

———————————————————-

Sorry for taking so long to update! I hope you guys haven't given up on this book. I won't take so long next time.

Please stay safe and be well❤️