Edit: WHY IS THIS ALMOST 10K WORDS

~
Why is it whenever there's trouble, Erwin calls for you? Levi's his right hand man, and Hanji is very trust worthy and highly ranked, too. So why you? You were only recruited a few hundred years ago. Compared to the veterans, you're a damn baby. To be fair, though, you were one of the highest ranked vampires in terms of power, only being outranked by Erwin who was granted the powers of the Count. Levi was just below you and Hanji was below him.

"Honestly, Erwin," you sighed, walking into his private chambers. "If you're going to rely so much on me, then give me your powers already." You crossed your arms when the blond man let out an amused chuckle from his desk.

"That wasn't a joke." You deadpanned.

"My apologies." He immediately cleared his throat. He turned to face you, his pale skin shining from the moonlight outside his window. How cliché. "We settled our dispute with the Wolf Tribe centuries ago, but there have been problems regarding the House of Demons. Ones that could lead us to a war." He cleared his throat again which sounded awfully dry.

"What exactly did we do to piss them off?" You inquired, already knowing it's going to be a dumb reason.

"One of our Newborns had killed a human in their territory. Leader Ruby's Second in Command is demanding us to give that Newborn to them in exchange for us infringing our agreement," he briefed, red beginning to overcome his crystal blue eyes. From excitement or thirst, you couldn't tell.

"Then just give them the Newborn. It's not like we need them. It's not worth going over to war because of that." You shrugged lightly, not really seeing what the big deal was.

"That's the problem..." He trailed off with a sigh. "The Newborn that had killed the human... was a part of Alpha Group 104." Your lower jaw dropped slightly.

"Isn't that the last group of Newborns that are able to turn for this generation?" You questioned, slowly warding off the shock from your face.

"Yes. And it'll be fifty years before the next generation are mature enough to turn," he replied, his eyes suddenly narrowing into a glare. "Of course, taking into account the amount of vampires you've killed, I would like to say you've screwed us over." His eyes turning to slits. You felt your blood pump harder through your body, your veins darkening and showing through your skin like roots.

"Are we going to ignore the hundreds of thousands of vampires that you led to their deaths during the War of 482?" You challenged, the whites of your eyes slowly turning black.

"They sacrificed their lives so we could settle our foreign affairs. You killed needlessly," he argued, slowly standing from his seat, his eyes now bright red. You could hear the blood flowing through his veins. More so because of how worked up he was.

"Are you saying this is my fault?"
A clap of thunder sounded off in the distance. Erwin heard this and took a deep breath in before exhaling. His shoulders dropped and his eyes returned to their normal hue. His blood pressure also went down. He must remember the only thing differentiating you and him was status. You could very well pulverize him if you wished. He turned to the window and looked out of it, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm sending you on a diplomatic meeting to talk with Leader Ruby. She's agreed to negotiate if we are reasonable enough," he explained, his previous persona gone and replaced with a more pleasant one. Much like him, you also calmed down. The smoke clouds cleared away a few miles in the sky.

"Why can't you go? You're the Count," you sighed, swiping your tongue across your teeth.

"Ah, yes, that... well, Leader Ruby and I don't have that good a relationship. It's rather strained. I figured she would listen to you better than me," he replied, sitting back down at his desk. You stared at him. He didn't say anything after that.

"I have no choice, do I?" You inquired, but you already knew the answer. Erwin just smiled, the tips of his fangs just barely peeking from behind is lips. Your lips pressed into a firm line. "Better watch your neck when you sleep." You turned around and walked out of his room. Erwin just watched you go, the smirk stretching further across his lips. You made your way down the dark corridors of the castle, your destination being Levi's chambers.

"Seriously, what's the big deal about it? It's a worthless human," you heard someone say. You turned the corner and saw three of the newly turned Alpha Group 104.

"We violated the agreement we had with the House of Demons. It's only natural they'd be upset," one of them quietly explained. The taller male scoffed.

"So? We have plenty of manpower. We could take them. We should just kill them."
You pressed your back against the wall and waited.

"And get into war? That's... dangerous and stupid," the meeker one argued while the third member stayed quiet.

"And? We have three of the most powerful vampires on our side. That Ruby chick has nothing on us." Even though he didn't laugh, you could tell from his voice that he thought it was a huge joke.

"You are Newborns who turned barely a month ago." You turned the corner, eyes blazing bright red. The three of them, mainly the biggest one, jumped in alarm. "How dare you underestimate the House of Demons so easily. Do you understand who you just insulted?" You backed them against the wall, your eyes turning a deeper shade of red.

"Leader Ruby Akuma has been alive for thousands of years. She could kill all three of you without even moving a single muscle in her body." You leaned in closer than they would have liked. "Do not dare look down upon her when you are nothing but fledglings who haven't seen anything past these castle walls." The red hue died down in your eyes as you slowly turned away from them, your message getting across loud and clear. No way were you going to allow some lowly, piece of shit Newborn to talk shit about a respectable woman. 

You finally made it to Levi's chamber, not even bothering to knock. Why would you need to? He was sitting on his two-person couch, reading an old book. Without a word being exchanged, you sat down next to him. You placed your head on your closed fist and closed your eyes for a moment.

"... you're thirsty," he spoke up, never taking his eyes off of the pages. You peeked open your eyes to look at him.

"Exactly how do you know?" You inquired.

"I can sense it. I also sensed your irritation with Erwin earlier," he replied, grey eyes meeting yours. You let out a sigh and looked away from him.

"It'll pass. I can last a little bit longer," you assured, not anticipating Levi sitting up and pulling his collar away. "Okay, what the hell did I just say?"

"I don't care," he quickly retorted. With a sigh, you leaned over him and placed your head near the crook of his neck. You gave it a short lick to soften the bite, which also earned you a soft grunt in the process. You rolled your eyes.

'Of course Levi has a kink for his neck being played with.' You thought, allowing your fangs to emerge. Without even looking, they pierced through his skin and into his carotid artery. You felt his throat vibrate from the hum he let out.

'If he pops a boner I'm going to be really pissed.' You thought, swallowing in small amounts to help control yourself. You see, the ranks of vampires is like a hierarchy. The superior one has to feed on the inferior one. Erwin uses you, you use Levi, Levi uses Hanji, and Hanji uses whatever Newborn she can get her hands on. There are others of the same rank as Hanji, but sometimes it would be counterproductive. Instead of feeling satisfied, they would be left with a greater hunger than before. It was a 50/50 chance, really.

When you were done, you gently popped your fangs from his neck and backed away. You wiped the blood that dripped down your chin. Levi covered the two bite marks with his hand. Vampire bites were the one thing you couldn't regenerate quickly.

"Thanks..." You said quietly, swiping your tongue across your teeth to set them back to normal.

"Yeah," he replied, going back to reading his book. You sat there in silence for a minute, taking the time to build up the peaceful atmosphere before breaking it.

"Erwin's sending me on a diplomatic mission to speak with Leader Ruby."
Levi's eyes snapped up to you, book now completely disregarded.

"What?" It was one word, but it held so many emotions in it. No wonder he was so emotionally constipated.

"Yeah. He can't go himself because their relationship is strained, so he's sending me into the lion's den," you explained further. His silver steel eyes flashed a deep pink, his torso shooting up toward you.

"Do you understand who you're going to deal with? The House of Demons have been around for thousands of years," he said, "We're just a downgraded version of them." You rolled your eyes slightly.

"Yes, I know we are, but we can't afford to get into a war with the species that basically rule this world," you countered, turning your head to look at him. His eyes, now tinted pink, stared into yours.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, slowly raising his arm to place his hand against your cheek. His hand was cold. Like always.

"What choice do I have?"
His mouth closed.

"Erwin is the Count. What he says goes. For now," you added. Levi let out a sigh and sat back, retracting his hand from your face.

"Don't kill him."

"I didn't even say that."

"You were implying it."

"Piss off."

~
The day after that, Erwin had given you more details about the meeting. You were meeting at the Demon Palace, where their military resided, much like yours. You would go alone. Unarmed. The moment you were suspected of using your vampiric powers, you'd be attacked. There weren't only rules for you, though. If Leader Ruby declares war on the Vampire Clan, the Wolf Tribe will ally itself with the aforementioned, and fight against the House of Demons. You were neutral about going to the Demon Palace. You weren't excited, nor were you dreading it. Leader Ruby is not irrational and thinks before any decision. If you played your cards right, you'd work out a negotiation. 

Standing in front of the palace made you think of a couple of things. If a building could be any edgier than your castle, this was it. Like a haunted mansion, almost. The power it held inside it was immeasurable. You felt all of it.

"You must be NightMaster Y/n," a voice spoke up. You looked over to your right and saw an androgynous demon who stood a few inches taller than you.

"Yes, I am," you replied, straightening out your back, even though it was already stiff as a board.

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Xaia. Queen Ruby is expecting you." They led you through the tall doorway. You did not focus on looking at your surroundings. Mostly because you felt the chilling sensation of being watched closely by different leveled demons. So you stared at Xaia's back instead, matching their long strides and being able to keep up with them quite well. Once they went underneath a doorway, they slowly pushed them open. You did not make any turns, and just went straight back.

"Queen Ruby is on the balcony," they instructed, the large doors opening wide enough for you to fit through. The outside air welcomed you along with a large veranda. The large, round table was the only thing that sat in between you and the woman near the railing. You exhaled quietly.

"Queen Ruby," you spoke out, "I am NightMaster Y/n L/n. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to meet with me." You bowed to her, torso bending at a ninety degree angle. You must show the utmost respect to the person who basically helped create your entire race.

"I was informed of your arrival. Was Erwin afraid?" She inquired. You straightened up.

"I was told yours and his relationship was strained. So he sent me instead," you explained.

"I see." She turned and began to walk over to the table in front of you. "Please, have a seat." She sat down in the grand chair. Stiffly, you walked over to the ordinary chair across from her.

"One of your Newborns trespassed the border into our territory, killing one of the humans we were harvesting," she briefed, narrow eyes never leaving yours.

"Yes, I was notified of that," you confirmed.

"The agreement I had planned was you giving that Newborn to us in exchange for us dropping the violation of the treaty," she offered, holding out her hand. Black smoke arose from her palm before dispersing, revealing a light blue orb. Swirling inside of it was a black substance. "We managed to salvage the soul before he died, but it lost much of its purity. There's nothing much left." The soul disappeared like someone blowing out a candle.

"Humans are not common in this monster infested world. So we have to wait for them to reproduce. Killing them needlessly is dangerous to not only us, but for you as well," she explained further, leaning back in her chair. "Are you willing to compensate for your Newborn's actions?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Well, I—"
A caw echoed through the air, alerting both you and Ruby. She stood up, walking over to the balcony and looking down. The faint smell of smoke entered your nose and no doubt hers.

'There's a fire.' Manners thrown out of the window, you shot up and sped walked to where she was standing. Off in the distance, through the dark trees, were wisps of black smoke rising into the air.

"My Queen!" Xaia appeared on the balcony. You turned around at their arrival, but Ruby seemed to not of acknowledged them. "The Human Plant has been set on fire!" Your eyes widened at the sudden news.

"How many are damaged?" Ruby questioned, her calm exterior never faltering.

"Most of them. Four are dead, including one child," Xaia informed, suddenly aware of their stance before they fixed themselves. Ruby raised her arm and stuck out her pointer and middle finger. With a swipe of the two of them, the smoke in the air disappeared.

"Retrieve what you can. I'll be down in the morgue to help the healers," she ordered. Not a second later, Xaia disappeared. The demoness turned her head to look at you. You did not meet her eyes. "I do not want to assume, NightMaster, but if it is one of your Newborn's, then I'll have no choice." She turned her body to walk off of the balcony in a flurry of red and black. You growled when she disappeared, placing a foot on the stone ledge and jumping into the air. In a flash of black smoke, you were gone.

~
Your hand stung from the earlier contact to his cheek. Pale skin now bright red, the Newborn was collapsed in front of you.

"What have you done?" You questioned, your voice eerily calm, yet that was only the eye of the storm.

"I... I didn't think he would actually do it..." He replied quietly, silver eyes cast down to the stone floor.

"So you knew he was planning something. Real or not," you countered, taking a step forward. He scampered back slightly. "Who else knows?"

"No one. He only told me."
You flashed in front of him, face dangerously close to his.

"Are you lying?" You inquired, your fangs bared. Just the sight of the three inch canines made his eyes shoot up to look at yours to avoid staring at them.

"No! I'm not! No one else was there! At least, to my knowledge..." He confessed, letting out a yelp when your hand wrapped gently around his throat.

"You will be punished for this, you know?" You informed, brushing your lips against his ear. He shivered from under you. "You would be lucky if you had to deal with Thrall Levi instead of me. Would you rather that?" Your hot breath heated up his cool skin. He shook his head, white locks tickling your forehead.

"No! I... I mean... he said after he was done... he was going to take refuge at the border of the Wolf Tribe in the mountains," he admitted, his body stiff from you being on top of him.

"Near the Mountain Tribe, huh?" You repeated, slowly moving away from him. "This information is valuable. I'll vouch for you if they decide to burn you at the stake." You letted your fangs retract. You smelt the fear roll off of him in waves.

'Count Erwin. Hidden in the borders of the Wolf Mountain Tribe.' You walked away from the pitiful fledgling and to his chambers.

'Levi, Y/n, Hanji, get here now.'

'Already on my way.'

~
"Demonic forces are preparing for a battle somewhere along the river on their border. We've estimated about one thousand demons will make their attack."
The four of you were huddled around the round table, looking down at battle plans and strategies. Erwin's idea was for the Wolf Tribe to rendezvous and meet back up with the Vampire Clan behind the moving enemy. Levi's idea was to take them head on with the Wolf Tribe providing back up. Hanji's idea was to take them out using modern weapons, or use religious means to kill them.

Your idea wasn't to kill them, but subdue them. If you subdued enough demons, then they'd have no choice but to surrender. One problem is, though, that Ruby is the Commander-in-Chief of the army. She calls the shots. Besides, reciting the Bible from front cover to back isn't going to get rid of her, or make her explode into dust. She's far too powerful—and old for that trick to work. She's probably older than the Bible itself.

Erwin's plan seemed to be the best out of all four, but a few things can go wrong. The Wolf Tribe is good at maneuvering through forests and mountains, but their territory is the only one like that. The moment they step past their border, it's a whole different world. They could get lost— or injured. Not to mention, the Pit of Fire that the House Of Demons rests on is not that easy to move around. Especially for wolves whose home is earth, and not hell.

"They haven't even properly declared war on us, though. Do they really want to fight us when we're allied with Jack and his kind?" You questioned, eyes flickering up to the blond Count.

"We're issuing an emergency summit meeting with Alpha Jack before sunset. He is a genius when it comes to battle strategy," Erwin announced.

"Or we could surround our borders with crosses," Hanji piped up, shrugging lightly.

"We're not going to needlessly brandish religious objects, Shadow Hanji," Erwin scolded, sharp eyes glaring at her. She just, once again, shrugged nonchalantly.

"Worth a shot," she said. You rolled your eyes slightly at her.

"When do you think they'll strike?" You changed the subject, gazing down at the map below you.

"We predict sometime in two days. Could be sooner than that, so we need to prepare," he replied, snapping his fingers. The map disappeared from in front of you before he stood up from his chair. "The Newborn who set the Human Plant on fire is being hunted down by the Mountain Tribe and will be delivered to us when Alpha Jack arrives." His gaze turned to you, red eyes glowing.

"I'm leaving them in your care... or rather, your maltreatment."
A smirk stretched across your face, fangs glinting dangerously in the low light.

"I'll be waiting."

~
You stood at the entrance of the castle right next to Levi who was standing next to Hanji. Erwin stood in front of you, hands behind his back. Off in the distance, you heard the crunching of frozen leaves. You turned your head and saw three large figures running towards you. When they got closer, there were three pack members. Jack, the Alpha, the largest wolf in their Tribe, his Alpha Female, Kyra, and a beta female, Micah. Jack's wolf formed slowly disappeared, leaving him shirtless in the cold temperature. The same thing happened with Kyra and Micah, but they didn't seem to care.

"Alpha Jack," Erwin greeted him, walking up to him to shake his hand. "The last time we met like this, our kind were at war with each other while the demons watched." The blond smiled, his charismatic side shining through. While they were exchanging pleasantries, Kyra walked up to you, her brown hair covering her chest.

"NightMaster Y/n," she said, nodding at you slightly.

"Alpha Kyra." You nodded back.

"Count Erwin informed us you were bringing the Newborn back. Where are they?" Levi questioned from next to you. Kyra seemed to only realize the vampire was not with them. How, you didn't know.

"Micah!" She snarled, snapping around to the female. "Where is the Newborn?" Micah looked around at all of you before turning and running. She turned into her wolf form and ran off into the distance, stopping at a small stream.

"What an idiot," Jack sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"This is what happens when we bring a Pup to an important meeting," Kyra grumbled, crossing her arms. She still had no shirt or bra on, and Jack's eyes were trailing.
Micah trotted up to you all, dropping the Newborn's unconscious body in front of you.

"Why is he unconscious?" Hanji questioned, leaning over yours and Levi's shoulders.

"Juniper. Since we live in the mountain ranges, it's pretty common," Kyra replied. You felt Erwin's stare on you. With a sigh, you bent down and picked their body up, hauling them over your back.

"Thank you for finding him," you said.

"I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget." You disappeared and reappeared in the dungeon of the castle. You threw his body against the opposite wall, flicking your wrist and locking any and all doors in the dungeon. No one would enter or exit. You twisted your wrist and your claws extended to sharp points. This Newborn was about to get a rude wake up call.

~
Ruby walked past the operating tables which had four bodies lying on top of them. Each of them burnt so badly that they were unrecognizable.

"Three males, one female, which was the child," Xaia said, walking up to Ruby's side. Ruby hummed, hovering her hand over the dead child's foot. The charred skin slowly began to sizzle, before steaming. Xaia watched on, their eyes only slightly wide. The muscles, skin, blood vessels, everything that was burned slowly began to restore itself. Dark skin now was visible through the blackened remains. She continued up her body, restoring it cell by cell. When she got to her head, she lifted her right hand and stuck out her finger. A white wispy ball of light materialized.

"Is that...?" Xaia trailed off.

"This is her soul. We managed to save it," she confirmed, letting the ball drift its way to the girl's head. It slowly entered through her nose. Her eyes lit up through her eyelids before she sat up with a gasp.

"You're alive," Ruby said flatly, walking over to the other bodies. The girl looked around, eyes wide.

"Where am I? What happens? Whirr en I hasa ail dhair fresa!?*" She cried, backing up on the table, but almost falling off in the process.

"Eluirh*," Ruby ordered, switching to her mother tongue. Xaia glanced nervously at their superior. When she switched to Ruejaduni* that meant that Ruby was mad.

"I heya sayaiyan irrui llus dha rainfra saerul ull irailr irrui*." She walked up closer to the child, dual colored eyes glowing softly. "I nu lud sesa llus dha udhasr. Tu fa hulard, I nul'd laan e rassad waeful, fid... fsafesedaiulr esa ernurd sunfrada. Yui'sa dha nairrailr faiasa*." Their eyes locked together. Thick, black blood slowly trickled out of the child's eyes, head lolling to the side. The veins under her skin began to show, black overtaking blue. The two of them watched the newly awakened demon jump off of the table. Blonde hair slowly began to turn dark. Eyes pooling in black.

"Preirr dha yaisdain. Bar du fa sarsian. Ezfruaid dhaais waeclarrar*," she ordered. Completely bent to her will, the child nodded.

"Yar, nirr Qiaal*," she replied, bowing. Slowly, she began to disintegrate into a pile of ash. Not a single trace of emotion on her face. Xaia glanced at Ruby who looked rather pleased. Her face didn't give it away, but her eyes did. They shone more brightly than usual.

"That's dirty, my Queen. I thought you didn't care for underhanded tricks," Xaia said, watching Ruby turn her head to the remaining bodies. With the snap of her fingers, the bodies were gone. Lost forever, never to be recovered.

"I do not favor them, but I am still a demon." She turned back around to face her loyal right-hand. "Demons are supposed to be tricky. At least once in their unending lifetimes."

{Conversation translator}

*{Child} Why am I here in this place?

*{Ruby} Enough.

*{Ruby} I have revived you for the simple reason of using you.

*{Ruby} I do not care for the others. To be honest, I don't need a secret weapon, but... preparations are almost complete. You're the missing piece.

*{Ruby} Play the victim. Beg to be rescued. Exploit their weaknesses.

*{Child} Yes, my Queen.

*Ruejaduni -- Rue-yàh-uny - The demon language that Ruby created over five thousand years ago. However, only those who are direct descendants, or demons she has created, can learn the language.

~
The dawn of a new day came sooner than you'd like. You weren't done with the Newborn. Not even close, but with war drawing near, you would have to sacrifice your fun. The Newborn was propped against the wall, arms hanging limply above his head. His whole body was sagged like a ragdoll. You managed to get answers from him the moment you began. The reason why he set the Human Plant on fire was because his parents were killed by the demons in the War of 482, which was a conflict between the Vampire Clan and the Wolf Tribe who had a Demon Unit siding with them.

The main forces of the House of Demons did not enter the war, as it was only between the Vampires and Wolves. However, Kye, who was the Alpha at that time, requested assistance from the demons. Ruby sent a small squad of eight low-level demons. That turned the tide, and forced Count Keith Shadis to use you, who only turned three months before. The war lasted six months. Ultimately, the Vampires won, but Alpha Kye did not want to lose anymore of his kind, and a truce was signed. The fighting stopped only a day after that.

The Newborn's parents were involved, and were killed as a result. You were not blaming him for feeling the way he did, but he also broke the law, the treaty, and started a war in the span of one day on his own. You hoped this would not turn out to be a bloody and gruesome battle like the last war. You've been at peace for the last three-hundred and forty-four years(344). The amount of bodies you had to burn and bury was immeasurable. You lost close to ten thousand, which in turn, forced you to turn more humans at a quicker rate, and forced the previous Count to create Fledglings which led to his retirement. Of course, with you now being a few hundred years old, along with Levi and Hanji, you should be good. So long as Ruby doesn't enter the fray. She could clear the battle field with a snap of her fingers.

"Are you done, Y/n?" You heard Levi's voice echo down the stone stairs. You turned around, seeing his silhouette behind the cell door.

"Yeah. I already relayed the information to Erwin, though," You replied, walking away from the Newborn.

"Tu Dunar Asnil uhr ar suuhs zi'ail usu*," their voice hissed out. You turned around to look back at them. Yellow eyes greeted you back from the darkness. "Ya si'ar's ui'as sun. Tuil'su saa rssarph*." A smile slowly began to form.

"Tur zil suhs ilai rus su Hini'ar Psi'ars ar uhsu*?" You inquired, switching to Ianic*.

"Ta huhss ilai i'ass*," they replied, a spark lighting before their entire body caught flame. Levi reached through the bars and pulled you back against it. Their manic laughter soon died out when their body was nothing but ash.

"What in the hell was that?" Levi asked, slowly letting go of your arm.

"Spontaneous combustion," you sighed, phasing through the metal bars. "He was a ticking time bomb." 

{Conversation translator}

*{Newborn} The Demon Army is on their way here.

*{Newborn} You can't beat them. They're too strong.

*{Y/n} Then why did you set the Human Plant on fire?

*{Newborn} To kill you all.

*Ianic -- Ày-yàn-ec - The vampiric language that's been around for hundreds of years. It's only used by vampires who are Ascendants, Elders, and Ancients. Those are the only ones who are able to learn it.

~
Alpha Jack stood in front of his kind at the base of the mountain near the river. Alpha Kyra was next to him. The amount of tribe members ranged from one hundred(100) to two-hundred and fifty(250).

"Wo aeuo klo Warg Tu'do, ir'kob kasoklou dv draab aerb darbt*," Jack announced, his normal hazel eyes now glowing a soft blue. "Arb vo v'rr rak tkaerb dv 'brv aet aiu aerrv 't x'rrob dv klo'u orodv!*" Hums of agreement echoed throughout the crowd.

"Wo daev laeqo door tvaur orod'ot dogauo, dik kl't 't klo baevr ag ae rov aeso. Wo v'rr g'slk, aerb lorv klo arot vla laego door v'kl it gau klo raetk kluoo lirbuob voaeut!*"
This time, cheers was what greeted him before they all harmonized together. Long, melodious howls echoed through the air, signaling their determination.

{Conversation translator}

*{Jack} We are the Wolf Tribe, united together through both blood and bonds.

*{Jack} And we will not stand by idly as our ally is killed by their enemy.

*{Jack} We may have been sworn enemies before, but this is the dawn of a new age. We will fight, and help the ones who have been there with us for the last three hundred years!

*Kaetan -- Kè-tán - The mother tongue of the Wolf Tribe, everyone, including Pups, learn this as their first language. It hasn't been around for nearly as long as Ruejaduni or Ianic, but it is recognized as the third official spoken language. The fourth one being English, which is internationally known.

~
You and the rest of the army stood on the border of your territory, the marsh, and into the area which is not owned by anyone, the river. The river separates all of your territories into three areas. The mountains and the forest, which the Wolf Tribe reside in, the tundra and marsh, which the Vampire Clan reside in, and finally, the dark forest and pit of fire that the House of Demons reside in. The Mountain Wolf Tribe should be making their way through the river and should break through the demon's borders in an hour. The main unit is rendezvousing with you.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Levi said from next to you. You let out a light sigh in response.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to settle this with a treaty," you replied, biting the skin off of your lip. Levi leaned over to you and placed his head in between your shoulder and neck. You felt him breathe in your scent.

"Stay alive, please," he murmured, hair tickling your chin. Raising a hand, you gently caressed the back of his neck, hearing him hum in contentment. He liked being pet, as kinky as that sounds.

"I could say the same thing to you," you shot back, resting your head on top of his.

"Soldiers!!" You heard Erwin exclaim. You two quickly pulled apart, fingertips brushing against each other. "Word has been received that the Demon Army is making their way across their territory at this moment. Right now, we are not only fighting for ourselves, but we are fighting for our allies, as well!!" His eyes were now completely red. Shouts and cheers came from the vampires behind you.

"NightMaster Y/n will lead Squadron 103 through the marsh and is our first line of offense. Next will go Thrall Levi with Squadron 104 for our first line of defense," Erwin instructed. His eyes turned to you. "I wish you luck, NightMaster." His head inclined to you. You briefly squeezed Levi's fingers before stepping forward.

"Squadron 103!" You exclaimed.

"Yes sir!!"
With a step, you disappeared with a flash. The nine of them followed after you. You landed in the middle of your territory. Feet splashing in the low level water, you looked over the tall grass. Deep red eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any signs of your allies or enemies.

'Stupid Newborn. This wouldn't of happened if he wasn't a dumbass.' You thought, a scowl present on your face.

"Vynn, create a thick layer of fog that spreads past the river. Try to corrupt their vision as best as you can," you ordered. Vynn stood up, grey steam beginning to roll off her body. It thickened, and turned opaque. You could no longer see her body except her head. With a motion of her hand, the fog dispersed from her, sweeping the ground. For as far as you can see, the fog travelled miles quickly and thoroughly.

In terms of strength, a Newborn Vampire and an Awakened Demon are on par. However, if you put someone like Hanji against an Ancient Demon like Ruby, Hanji would lose miserably. Age and experience is the difference between life and death.

"NightMaster..." You heard one of your squad mate's say. You turned your head and saw him practically drooling. Eyes glowing a bright pink. "I smell blood." Taking a whiff of the air, you smelt the strong metallic scent of blood through the moisture. Of course, what a perfect plan.

"That scent is demon's blood. Do not make any irrational moves," you ordered, ignoring your own bloodthirst which was rising. The difference between vampires and demons is that the latter are able to control their bloodthirst/thirst for blood quite easily, as it is not vital to their survival. It took you a few decades to force your thirst into submission by will and not by pill.

"It's getting stronger."

"Ignore it." You could sense your squad was beginning to become riled. Why your squad of all people? Nine pairs of glowing eyes now stared at you, awaiting the order they were anticipating. They were practically shaking with excitement and thirst. You let out a sigh to calm yourself. Of all the idiots Erwin assigned you, you couldn't believe they were the ones.

"Commence attack."
They were off like bullets, taking off so fast the fog didn't have time to part for them. You stood up. You could feel the skin on your back stretch out. It didn't hurt, but it was extremely uncomfortable. With one push of your wings, you shot up into the air above the marsh. Out in the distance, you could see the glow of the Pit of Fire. Levi and Squadron 104 was supposed to ambush near there to the East. You hoped he wouldn't die from the fire. What a stupid way to go out. You could see sparks ignite far away, which signaled the vampires had found demons or vice versa. Fangs bared, eyes red, wings out, you broke the sound barrier. You flew past the remaining marsh, past the border, and skimmed over the river that separated you and the House of Demons. You skid to a stop at a shallow end of the river, beating the water droplets off your wings. In the air and near the pit, you saw your squad fending off winged and non-winged demons. Letting out a growl, you raised your hand in the air and to the sky. Black clouds began to spiral downward to the ground like a tornado. Gusts of wind began to pick up speed and strength. The calm river you were on began to become torrent.

Purple embers began to burn through the clouds, igniting themselves. Raising your other hand, clouds of black smoke began to form out of the ground. It spiraled around itself, growing in both size and power. With the rising waves behind you and the wind picking up speed, you clenched both hands. Both the fire and smoke snaked towards one of the demons at incredible speed. The demon turned when the heat hit them, but the two substances entered their nose. Within a few seconds, they combusted into dust, collapsing to the stone below. A quick flash of purple through your blood red hues was all you needed for you to snap both of your fingers. The fire cloud and black smoke dispersed, sending waves of air. You would've been knocked off of your feet had you not of been anchored to the ground. The clouds and smoke entered each of the demons before combusting them down to a molecular level. Simultaneously, black glowing orbs exited their dust piles. All eight of them flew off past the Pit of Fire. It took a few minutes for the wind to die down and the water to calm.

'They must've been Awakened Demons.' You thought, only noticing how weak they seemed. You appeared next to Vynn, who suffered a slit throat.

"Are you alright?" You questioned. Vynn nodded, the wound slowly stitching itself back together, except it left a prominent scar.

"It must've been silver. That's a burn mark," you commented, noticing the color and texture of it. Vynn's tongue clicked in annoyance.

"No wonder it hurt more than usual."

'Erwin, they're using silver against us. One of my squadmate's got hit, but it's not as bad as it could be.' You thought, checking your surroundings to make sure there are no traps. You did not see, hear, smell, or sense anything that is your weakness.

'It's only obvious. Maybe we should've taken Hanji's idea.'

'I highly doubt that would've worked on Ruby and any high ranking demons.'

'We're never going to find out now.'

"Tch." You turned to your squad which reassembled next to you. "Rendezvous with Squadron 104. They should be on the other side of the river."

"I'm meeting up with Alpha Jack. Report to me if there's any complications."

"Yes sir!!"

~
"My Queen." Xaia appeared behind Ruby, down on their knees. "NightMaster Y/n has slain nine of our soldiers." Ruby's eyes were drawn to the dark orbs heading their way to her.

"Yes, I assumed," she replied, holding out her hand. The nine souls hovered over her hand, all dyed pitch black. "These were newly Awakened Demons. It's not hard for a vampire as strong as her to kill them." She rotated them around.

"Did you use the humans from the fire?" Xaia inquired, not looking up.

"Yes, but they proved useless."
Xaia flinched for a brief second, hoping that Ruby did not notice.

"Xaia."
She did. Xaia looked up, seeing the queen looking down at them with her usual neutral expression.

"Do you still remember how you felt when you were human?"
That question was not unexpected, but it still made Xaia's brow twitch slightly. Not out of annoyance, but out of guilt.

"... I do, yes..." They replied quietly. When you are awakened as a demon, you remember your life as a human, but you do not remember the feeling of being one. Which had great advantages. Some demons, however, can tap deep into their memory and recollect what it felt to be human. It is widely unaccepted by demons of high ranking, while lower ranking demons are neutral.

"You sympathize with them. You don't like me turning them into demons," Ruby spoke.

"Not at all! I..."
The look she gave Xaia was enough for them to silence themselves.

"I know you are lying, Xaia," Ruby said, letting the souls slowly die out. "I can sense it. Deep inside of you, there's a piece of your human soul that I didn't remove. You are aware it is there." She walked up to Xaia, looking down at them.

"I've allowed you to keep that piece to see what you would be. Becoming my right-hand was not unexpected, but I did not anticipate you doing so well, despite feeling human emotion as much as you do." The queen walked past them into her chamber, leaving Xaia on the balcony kneeling. "You've impressed me, Xaia, but now is not the time to grow sentient." They heard before her voice faded out like the souls did.

~
"NightMaster," Jack greeted from his hiding spot. He poked his head up. You walked up to him when he stood.

"Alpha." You nodded back, eyeing the wolf who was currently assessing you.

"How is the situation?" He inquired.

"I killed some Awakened Demons. She must've prematurely turned them."

"We haven't run into any demons yet, oddly enough," Jack said, sniffing the air. Your brows furrowed.

"Are you sure? We're in their territory. There should be thousands of them," you commented.

Levi's Squad was not doing terribly, but when demonic reinforcements arrived, that's when things began to turn for the worst.

"Thrall! Two demons are summoning a pentagram!" The raven haired male looked up, and indeed there was. A bright pentagram whose rings and lines were blazing with fire.

"Everyone, back up!!" He ordered, jumping away. The other followed suit before the pentagram burst, sending red flames sweeping to the ground. The fire glided past the ground before flaring up. Levi and his squad used their wings to protect themselves from the scorching heat. Some were not so lucky. Screams came from two of his comrades, their bodies burning rapidly.

"I wanna go home..." Sasha whined, tears leaking down her face.

"Now's not the time!" Connie scolded. Levi ignored their banter.

"... please help!"
It was faint, but he could hear it. Off in the distance. A cry.

"Everyone, hold your positions!" Levi flew off without another word.

"Thrall Levi!" Jean called after him. Levi landed near the Pit of Fire, looking around the scorching inferno.

"Help!!" That cry echoed again. Out on a ledge of the pit, he could see a tiny hand holding on for dear life. He ran to there, looking over the edge and seeing a small girl dangling over Hell. Without a word, he hauled her back over by her wrist, backing her away a few feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking around to make sure there were no demons.

"Yes, thank you..." She replied quietly.

"Good. Then, go back past the river, there should be someone there to help—"

You sensed something. It wasn't anything you've sensed before, but you knew what it was. Jack sensed it as well, but couldn't decipher what it was. You were frozen for a second, but soon after anxiety replaced it. In a blinding flash, you were gone from sight. You travelled past the river in a quick second, landing on the east side of the pit. There, in front of you, was a sight you didn't ever want to see. Shock washed over you, clouded your mind.

"He was harder to kill than I thought," she said, rotating a silver stake in her hand. Eyes completely black, void of emotion. Void of human feelings--no... she wasn't human anymore. Her humanity--her soul, was long gone.

"What... what have you done!?" You exclaimed, flashing in front of Levi, but the point of the silver stake greeted you instead. You looked down where it pierced through your midsection. It began burning immediately, but you were too shocked to process it. Your body went numb.

"Queen Ruby said to exploit your weaknesses... so I did," she explained, twisting it slightly. Only then did the pain register. You fell to your knees over him, the burning intensifying with every movement. You looked down at his closed eyes, your jaw quivering in anguish you couldn't cover up. Arms tingling, the ache you felt was worse than the burning.

"You never change, do you...?" You inquired, eyes gazing at the stakes stabbed through his body. For a brief moment, you no longer felt the burning of the silver inside of you. The despair inside of you was replaced with something greater. Something stronger. It burned a thousand times more that the silver. The whole battlefield shivered at the power you emitted at that moment.

A deep purple took over your red irises like a flame, igniting the anger deep inside of you. The stake began to melt from the heat coming off of you, dropping to the ground, flames attached to it. The child looked on, not able to express what she was feeling. Locking your eyes to hers, you let the fire consume you before it fanned outwards, disseminating well past the Pit of Fire.
The child got caught up in the flames, going out with them. Levi's body, however, remained untouched. The heat spread past further than the flames, drawing the attention of the heat sensitive vampires. Your back slouched, a deep breath leaving you, even though you don't need to breathe.

You gingerly pressed your hand to the wound, already knowing your regenerative abilities will not heal it quickly. You held out your other hand towards Levi, slowly flexing your wrist. The stakes followed your movements, pulling out of his body steadily. When it was fully removed, you threw your arm to the side where it followed. With the sudden drain in power, you collapsed to your stomach, head resting next to Levi's.

"Idiot..." You strained out, cupping his cheek with your hand. "You were... supposed to stay alive... and you got slain by a child." The words you said were harsh, but the way you said it was not. You will recover, but right now, you had nothing left inside of you.

"She certainly went further than I expected her to."
You didn't even look up. You didn't need to. You knew exactly who it was.

"Why him...?" You questioned, "Why Levi? You could've picked anyone else... why him?" Ruby looked down at you. She was impressed with the power spike she felt from you, but now she was disappointed. You had so much power inside of you, and the fact that you could only use it once was dissatisfying.

"The War of 842 was a clash between the Wolf Tribe and the Vampire Clan." Ruby began, "The House of Demons was thrown in there too."

"What does that have to do with anything?" You inquired.

"The unit I sent to help assist Alpha Kye at that time all died at the hands of your kind. One of the demons that died was someone I knew. Someone I had considered... a partner. She was not a pureblood demon, but half," she explained, composure as regal as ever.

"So you killed Levi to get revenge?" You hissed out, eyes flashing red, but that was the most threatening thing you could've done.

"I do not believe in revenge," she stated, "I think that's an excuse for someone to kill and have it justified. No, I killed Levi for another reason." She looked down at you. Ruby was a proud being, but she was not the kind to gloat, or undermine her opponents.

"What was it?" You pressed, eager to hear her reasoning.

"The power you just released was incredible. That was on the same level as high ranking demons. If you could learn to control that level of power, you would be able to fight Xaia and stand against them."

"So that's it?! You killed my husband because of power?!" You exclaimed, anger now flowing hot through your veins.

"Perhaps, but it will be worth it." She turned away from you. "When you come back here for your revenge." She disappeared through a flock of crow's feathers, leaving you there.

~
Of all funeral services you wanted to be at, this definitely was not one of them. After Ruby visited you, she ordered her demons to fall back and retreat. She got what she wanted. There was no need for her to fight anymore.

Coffin after coffin were lined up in rows. One-hundred bodies. At the front and center of them all, however, was Levi's. It was a custom for bodies to be burned, but you didn't want any of their bodies burned. You did not know if there were any causalities on Alpha Jack's side. The war lasted three hours. It definitely was short time wise, but it did not feel it.

Hanji has been by your side ever since. Never letting you out of her sight, and constantly talking to you, even though you didn't reply half the time. Everyone in the clan was affected by someone dying. No one could top your grief, though. Hundreds of years spent together, while those fledglings only knew each other for a few months.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, NightMaster Y/n." Sasha bowed at you respectively. The others in Squadron 104 followed suit.

"Don't be," you replied, empty eyes gazing at his coffin.

"We have our weaknesses. Our enemy exploited that. It's to be expected." Your flat tone concerned them, but they didn't comment on it. Instead, they just slowly walked away, leaving you alone with yourself. You didn't know if you were grateful or not. Feeling a presence behind you, you just turned your head behind you slightly.

"NightMaster."
You did not recognize that voice, but you recognized that soulless being.

"What?" It came out quieter than you intended.

"I... heard about your husband, and I..." Xaia trailed off nervously.

"What's it to you? Aren't you one of Ruby's henchmen?" You asked, tone defensive. They hesitated.

"Well, yes, but... I saw you... and him... how you guys acted around each other," they said, cautiously walking up to your side. You didn't say anything. "I think it's really shitty to have a relationship like that go to waste. So..." Xaia walked up to the coffin and laid their hands on it.

"What do you think you're doing?" You growled, eyes beginning to tint red. They didn't respond, and instead, their hands began to glow an aqua color. Unlike other demons, this ball of light felt... purer. You were confused. Why would a high level demon like Xaia be able to perform something like that?

"Vampires, unlike demons, retain their souls," they spoke up, "Yes, they're dead, but their souls remain in their bodies until they are destroyed." Something phased through the wooden coffin. It was a bright ball, a mix of a light blue and deep green.

"Is that... his soul?" You questioned. Xaia nodded.

"Yes, it is."

"Why is it that color?"

"The hardships of his past tainted his soul. Ruined his innocence."
 You raised a brow.

"How would you know so much about that?" You inquired.

"When I was human, I was very religious, but... something strayed me off that path." Xaia didn't elaborate and you didn't push it. "Open the coffin." You walked up to it and slowly raised the top, exposing his body which was turning even paler than the moon.

"I'm not as good as this as Queen Ruby, but..." They slowly placed his soul back inside of his body. His veins lit up in a bluish color before restoring his complexion back to its original color. Xaia backed up a bit, and let you stand next to him.

"Levi?" You called, placing a gentle hand on the side of his cheek. With a stir, his eyes slowly opened, silver steel locking onto e/c and black.

"Y/n...!" With a startled gasp, he shot up and wrapped his arms tightly around you. "I thought I..."

"You did, Levi..." You interrupted, softly playing with the ends of his hair.

"Then how am I...?"
You pulled away just enough to look at Xaia.

"They resurrected you, I guess. I don't know how," you replied. Xaia inclined their head slightly at you.

"I just couldn't stand to see your relationship go to waste," they said, eyes soft.

"But why? Why help us?" Levi questioned. Your brow twitched at his inquiry, but didn't say anything.

"I witnessed someone losing their lover once. I never want to see it again. The pain in their eyes was... unbearable for me," Xaia replied quietly, deep in thought.

"Who was it?" You pressed. They shook their head gingerly.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." A sheepish smile rose to their face. You and Levi glanced at each other.

"Alright." You backed down, eyes softening just enough to let them know you're grateful.

"Thank you, Xaia."

~
Ruby sat in her chambers, sitting on the side of her bed. She knew Xaia had brought back Levi, once she felt his life force and soul. One of Xaia's strengths was their compassion, as weird as that sounds. Gaze trailing off to the frame that sat on her dark night stand, her eyes lowered into a half stare.

"I couldn't bring myself to bring you back," she said quietly, fingers brushing the dust that had collected. "You were at such peace with yourself, it almost seemed wasteful to ruin it." Two rings sat buried in one of the drawers, one of which was engraved with three letters.

"But I suppose I'll see you someday, Kori."

~
With a sigh, you allowed Levi to lean against your back, head rested over your shoulder.

"So we technically won, because Ruby retreated, right?"

"Does that matter?" You groaned, looking at him from the side.

"Yeah. One more win for us in the column," he pointed out. You rolled your eyes lightly. How many wins or loses you had didn't matter.

"I still don't understand how that works, but whatever you say." You gave up, turning your attention to the book in front of you.

"I love you," he declared suddenly, eyes closing even though he wasn't tired and didn't need sleep. With a snap of your fingers, the fireplace in front of you both lit up in purple flames.

"I love you too." You turned and pressed a soft kiss on the top of his head, feeling his face scrunch up, but made no comment. "Stop bitching and let me love you."

"I didn't even say anything."

"Saying and thinking are two different things."

"You insufferable woman."

"You undead douche nozzle."

Happy late (by 22 days) Halloween~!

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}