ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ʟᴏᴠᴇ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄᴇ | ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ
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You might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet
And nothing else is quite the same as how I feel when I'm at your side

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Too late. Too weak. A shower of ash. An ocean of blood. Smoking trees and a burning home. No matter how much he had trained in this lifetime, his heaven had burned as he resisted the tides of flesh and magical armor. Around him were the bodies of many who served with him, knights he once deemed as kin only for them to turn their weapons against his beloved when the crown had ordered them to. In front of him were an army of many more, each stunned by the resilience of his love. "Come. See what happens to those that deny us our peace."

In exchange for a second chance for her, Atlas had given up his humanity, becoming a creature of the night. Fangs shot from the opening in his helmet, revealing to the species in front of him that he was no longer a "pure" race. Hunted into hiding, the vampires of this realm were forced to take upon disguises to survive in this world. Though, where others masked their presence, Atlas had made his name known in the history books; Out of love, he became a kin slayer. His loyalty was to his beloved rose witch, the very same that had sacrificed herself to ensure an immortality of her own.

"Atlas, put down your weapon. Surrender, please." His commander's voice had struck through the crowd as the tide of steel parted, revealing the same man that took him into the knight's order in the first place. It was the man he treated as his father. One of the few that gave the king's order some pause. He knew of their relationship. He knew the woman that Atlas would never turn his back on, no matter how grim the circumstances were. For him, Atlas calmed his waves of hemomantic magic. If there was anyone he would listen to now save for his beloved, it was the man who helped aid in bringing the best out of him in the first place. "You know I can't do that. Not until her ritual is complete."

No matter how much he wanted to free her from the torment of the ritual of rebirth, he understood that this was something she had wished for herself. Their love was a priceless treasure, one that was worth the cost and risk. To have simply ended it there was to let fate dictate their ending a tragedy. To have accepted what was to come was to believe that their love had limits. "You know this more than anyone, Arturia. We never planned on turning against the kingdom in the first place."

Creating a wall of blood that separated them from the cabin in the woods where he grew up most of his life alongside the witch, Atlas used the magic she taught him to protect her, ensuring she would be uninterrupted with whatever reserves of power he had left. As if, whenever he recognized himself feeling weak, he bit into himself after the use of every demanding spell, ensuring that he had enough to continue the fight until he would breathe his last. "It was the king's fear of the unknown; Of what's different that had brought you all here to die."

Atlas' soul was too stubborn to let a single one of them pass. "Please don't give me a reason to kill you too. As much as I like you, Arturia, if you cross into this lake of blood, I can't make any promises that you will come out alive. No more of us have to die over his orders, I beg of you to listen to reason." Offering a warning and a plea in the hopes that it would dissuade him, instead of simply accepting things as they are, Arturia ordered his men back as he approached the corrupted knight.

"Then let me be your last fight. Men, if I fall. Turn around and leave. There is nothing more for you here but death. If I come out victorious, then the gods above had dictated your beloved's downfall as right in their eyes. Let's see what is stronger, your loyalty and love or the king's favor from the gods." Drawing his blade from his sheath, he commanded his horse to approach the crimson lake. Upon having the first step reach the dark solution, its hoof had sunk past the surface, revealing the extent of how much Atlas had killed before he arrived.

Through the reflection in the ground itself, Atlas knew that the ritual was near completion. All she needed was a couple more minutes. Noting that the commander had requested a duel, it seemed as though Arthur was also aware of this too; Buying time for her to escape. "I always treated you as a son and your beloved, a daughter, Atlas. It brings me great shame to be forced to fight against you like this." Coming close enough to whisper, Atlas didn't swing, affording him the respect of a last message. "Use my life as tribute. An offering for your escape. The kingdom I love is no more. Its king a corrupted pawn. You are the last good of this world that I know. Please grant me a duel befitting of my death." The vampire gave his chosen father a nod. "... And you were the one who helped make this love possible. I thank you... For everything. I will offer you no more than my best."

Tragedy was all they were given in this lifetime. Those he deemed his family, that he deemed his home, and the woman he wished to be his lover were all to be taken away from him. His soul burned in his chest, wishing yesterday for another tomorrow, but it seemed that this was meant to be no nightmare but his reality. He had yet to earn his happy ending. "Goodbye, Arturia. Thank you for all the memories."

Charging in, sparks of blade and the clashing of spells had garnered the attention of the knights as they watched in awe at the son taking both sword and magic to his father. Arturia was Atlas' greatest test, a forced question of whether he had outgrown the same master who taught him how to fight with his blade. Runes on armor had defended him against the slashes and strikes of mana-infused blood while footwork and splashes of solidified crimson used as shields had kept the young fighter safe from the calamitous strikes of Arturia's own. Only until the ritual had grown to its height, to a point where the witch's soul had escaped from this unfortunate reality, did their battle come to its climax.

Where her mana had escaped as a massive pillar that split the clouds in the sky, Atlas has struck a final blow, cleaving through horse and knocking down rider, only for his weapon, a divine-metal sword that Arturia had made for Atlas himself, to be pointed right at his neck. "Its over, Arturia. Our fight has concluded. You lost."

The knight nodded his head, smiling as his helmet rolled off to expose his face. "It is my defeat. You've bested me, Atlas. I'm proud of you." His final words were only motioned, whispered through vision in a way that only Atlas could understand. "I won't ever forget you." While the idea of keeping him alive had come to mind, it felt less merciful than to put him out of his misery serving masters he could never place his full fledged faith in. Unlike Atlas himself, Arturia wasn't given the right to fight for what he genuinely believed in. He died for a fruitless cause.

Instead of respecting his words however, as soon as he died, those he led had begun to surround the vampire, eager to claim the head and glory of those who took Arturia's life away for themselves. "At least, you didn't have to live to see how dishonorable your people were, Arturia." Turning his gaze up to the many that sought his own demise, the vampire prepared to defend Arturia's body from those that never cared for him in the first place.

"Come. Show me the strength of your greed. Show me how unfitting you were to be led by such a good man. Show me how pathetic your convictions are and I will prove every time that my love would put your lust for power and wealth to shame." A rain of blood had followed, of the slaying of rookies and mercenaries alike. Only until they broke ranks did this hell end. Only until he was left behind with the dead and dying did his fight finally resolve.

Reaching down into the bloody surface of his manmade lake, he took his father's body only to bury it beside the smolders of his home alongside the burnt remains of the woman he had intended to wed. "I'll find you again, my love. No matter how many lives it takes." Taking the matching ring off her decaying finger, he gave her hand a final kiss before giving her past life a proper resting place as well; Where their rose garden once stood, she returned to the earth to bring about new life. "I won't let either of your sacrifices be made in vain. I promise."

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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʜᴏᴍᴇꜱɪᴄᴋ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ
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I bleed, heaven knows
Or maybe I'll die 'cause I overdosed on you

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"Another dream." Ten thousand years had passed since that fateful day, yet every second of that final moment had been replayed in every agonizing detail. Not even in his dreams could he escape his failure. Over a thousand lifetimes had he found her again, only to be met by tragedy after tragedy with every single attempt at a happy ending. The world was a different place from what he was first born into. Gone was the times of old were knights and mage reigned supreme. In its place were enforcers and scientists, magical engineers and keepers of digital knowledge.

In his chase for her, the vampire had endured ages of change being forced to adapt to the current times while staying on top of his learning to ensure that with every lifetime, he was a step closer to being strong enough to keep her safe. With every year that passed since, he hadn't stopped improving himself, taking the advice she gave him in her past lives to better keep the promise he made to her since the beginning: To become a knight and spellcaster that she could be proud of. As a result of his dedication to his craft of combat, he had earned himself a position as a bodyguard for those who wielded high influence. It was nothing too different from what he was used to in his past as a knight, the only exceptions being the changes in warfare that came alongside innovations in combat and tactics.

"Still looking for her?" Given his current deployment handling escort work for the princess of a syndicate that dealt in corporate affairs, as his eyes came into clarity with his ears hearing the ambient air conditioning within the room, he spotted one of the guards that he was serving alongside: A roommate and fallen angel named Caelum. "Not many of you guys still left around in this line of work. My advice, Altair? Find someone with less baggage. You'd be happier." Walking over the vampire sitting up, he placed a hand on Altair's shoulder. "Besides, what are the odds of finding your soulmate nowadays? World's a big place. I'd say you should explore around a little. Have a little fun! Life's too short to not and you might find your girl just around the corner~"

Altair shook his head, blinking a couple times before getting out of be to don his suit and underlying armor for the day ahead. "You know that's not the kind of guy I am, Cael. My past won't allow it. My heart won't either." The vampire sighed, before noticing the bathroom door open, revealing a woman in just a towel. "Oh... You took one of your dates back home?" As Altair prepared to give her a wave, the woman gave a fresh sigh of relief feeling the cold air of the room outside.

"What? You expect me to just be bored around here? How often do you think we even get to come here out of all places?" Opening the blinds to reveal the skyscrapers outside, the vampire was met with a squinted view of the massive city. It was the capital of the country they were visiting; A major commercial hub for both the legal and illegal sides of the exchange. With the sun setting bringing way to night, neon lights had shined through the darkness, giving the world an artificial ethereal glow underneath its two increasingly visible moons.

"Besides, its not just a date. Did the alcohol you drink make you forget, Hana? The girl you recruited?" Once his eyes had finally adjusted to the brightness of the room, the human woman was now dressed in her ordinary dress; Something visually appealing that hid her weapons underneath the surface. Finally donning her glasses as the final piece of her ensemble, the vampire finally realized who it was, offering a bow with his apologies. "Oh, apologies. I barely recognized you without the glasses." It was his sort of respect that he learned as a knight that never deteriorated with time, a behavior instilled upon him over and over by both Arturia and his first love herself.

"Apology accepted. Though, it wouldn't hurt if you offered me a drink too, you know?" She mused, eventually tying her hair back before walking towards the door. "Come on boys, we can't keep the princess waiting. Its not a good look if you woke up late because of nightmares or sex." The two men looked at each other before offering a nod, eventually joining her on the way to the elevator. To Altair, these two were his new family for the moment, people that didn't need to know much about his past in order to value him for more than just his skills alone.

"Hey Alt." As she pressed the button to reach the bottom floor of the hotel they were staying in, Hana struck conversation. "Cael is right by the way. Overheard you both talking while I was in the bathroom. There's nothing wrong with moving on if its not working out. Sometimes, its okay to let go." While he did his best to hide much of his past, there were still parts of it that he felt comfortable with sharing, including a couple of his vulnerabilities.

"You know I can't." Brushing the arm that held his tattoo that bound his beloved to him, Altair remained stubborn in his investment. "Maybe not right now, but what I could see is a good man at the end of his rope. Don't push your heart too far, okay? Not for a woman that can't love you the same back." As soon as she finished speaking, the elevator notified its occupants that they were finally on the ground floor. "Everyone has limits, babe, no matter how strong. Don't force love that can't work out."

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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴛɪʟ ɪ ᴅɪᴇ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ & ꜱxᴍᴘʀᴀ
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Walk up out the door, left a note up on my dresser
They tell me everyday that life is on its way to better
But I can't seem to shake the fact that I've been getting fed up
That's why my mind is drifting to the thought of a Beretta

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10PM. That was when they were assigned to meet her in the parking garage. As the two made their way towards where their intended meeting location was, the three guards had found a car with blacked out windows sitting alone in the parking garage beside their own car, one that matched both model and color. In front of it was the smoking driver that was assigned to hand her off to them. "So what's the plan, Altair?" Awaiting their orders, as the vampire scrolled through his phone for any specific requests, he began to deliver his commands. "Cael, Hana. You both are going to be in our car. I'll send you the directions to the points we're going to reach during the trip. During the final stretch, I'm going to need you both to be on call with me so we could separate to avoid drawing too much attention."

With the two nodding their heads at his orders, they began to make their way to the car they were offered to drive for the job by their "benevolent" contractor, leaving Altair with the driver and the escortee alone. "I see you run a tight ship. Surprised that you don't have more with you." The vampire shook his head. "We are all we need. Its better to have a few loyal faces than to have many you don't recognize. Besides, I'm sure you heard a little of our past if you were willing enough to take her here in the first place." The driver seemed amused at the confidence he held towards the people he chose to lead, pulling out his keys from his pockets to offer it to the man that was soon to be responsible for her safety. "That's a lot of faith you're putting in them. I hope it won't be for waste."

Eventually entering the car from the driver's side, as he looked into the rearview, he noticed a familiar shade of eyes that made his own glow. His brand had felt warm, suggesting that the one who owned it was close. Looking around and finding none other than her as his cohort pulled out of the garage to secure the outside before he headed out, the vampire took a deep breath before starting the car to pull it out into the street. Now wasn't the time to explore the depths of who she was when they had a mission to undertake. Rain spilled from the skies outside, coming down in sparkles of neon light as other cars made their way through the street beside him. With his companions in his side view mirror, he felt safe enough to warrant a bit of conversation over his curiosity. "... Long day, princess? You look exhausted."

Given all he heard about her, he couldn't blame her. There was a chaos going on in her organization, one that came behind the ever shifting power dynamics of an aging father whose wounds were beginning to catch up to him. While he might've been incredibly capable himself, and likewise, herself too, they were only but two pieces in a game. It appeared that even now, no matter how many generations could pass, inter-political turmoil always followed the fall of an empire. "Its okay for you to be honest. Its just you and me here. I could give less of a damn about what's going on if you need an ear to listen."

"That's the car right?" "Fucking looks like it." Further away from the two cars, three more had begun to tail them using the coordinates given to them from a tracker on the car. Little did the two know that the driver had set them up for an ambush that was soon to come. With the bounty on her head being so vast, it was only a matter of time before certain key pieces within her organization had found the opportunity too valuable to ignore. "Name's Altair by the way. I'm here to keep you safe so you could put your faith in me. I don't go back on my promises."

With weapons loaded, as the vampire bodyguard spoke, those that were hunting her aimed their weapons towards the car's windows. "Time to get paid."