Vampire epic 1/5:
The Crusade
She has grown for the womb of her infancy.
From the fledging that I cradled,
she has become a potent killer.
My war,
My Crusade,
against the mankind,
she has so vigilantly taken up the cause.
If only she knew my darkest thoughts for this war.
The thought of the shadow of man,
the real terror that I may not speak of.
Survival.
In mine I see the potential to outlive mankind,
but for her I only see the crusade of death.
So alike are we that my child,
my daughter,
that I could not bear the thought of her death.
I could not survive another Andreus.
And that is the single thought that drives me.
Her survival.
Her continued existence is at the forefront.
In the spirit of Andreus I seek deliverance.
And with the guidance of his will,
I come to my decision.
The war must end.
Peace will ensure our survival.
So to the castle I venture and their I confront my enemy.
With weapons of modern architecture,
I find the one man that could end this destructive conflict.
‘I have taken your niece, turned her into one of my kind,
and killed her father, but now I seek peace.’
‘Even at the loss of more of my kin,
you are a monster of legend,
how could I make peace with you,’
said the Hunter.
‘Elisabeth is precious to me and I want her life to continue,
even if it means my own,’
Longinus replied.
‘Then her life for yours.’
My final thoughts as I write this,
will she remain in youth forever?
At dawn I saw the sun for the last time.
As it should have been,
at the point of the cross,
nailed and broken,
and for a final moment I saw her face.
Pristine and the essence of my own daughter long dead.
And as the sun dawned over the crest of the mound,
and the flesh of my body began to crack and burn,
the pain was incarnate.
But none of that I could feel, all I feel is her.
Finis.
