by Arantes
His arm feels like steel. Absolute could have sworn he heard his hand crack a little. “Oh my, you’re not half bad!” said Absolute as he blocked L’s punch. “If I was a normal Pureblood my arm would have been crushed by now!” Absolute was right, L’s arm felt like iron. It was like punching a steel wall. “How brave of you all to sneak into this kingdom; not only that, into our meeting.”
L at last said, “We have those with great talents.” He used his enormous strength to try and push Absolute back, but Absolute was holding his own.
“Mr. L how could you?”
L was baffled for a second, but said, “What so ever do you mean?”
“You come to my house and attack me without even hearing my answer. You don’t have too much etiquette now do you?”
Again L hated that happy smile, but L smiled a deviant one and his right hand was ready to finish Absolute off. With one blow to the head he could finish him off. His right fist was powerful enough to do so, just one good hit and he would amputate Absolute’s head from his neck.
“I’ve wanted to join for as long as I can remember. My father, the man that I hate, and the man that I aspired to be, was one of you.”
Damn! This was not the answer L wanted to hear, but he had to acknowledge it. He had to follow the rules or his head might get cut off. L slowly removed his fist from Absolute’s fist and moved back a little. He closed his big heavy coat and was ready to jump down from the balcony; he looked back and said with a dark smile, “We’ll be in touch.” He jumped down and made his way to the gate and left.
Absolute watched L walk away and felt a pain in his hand. The moonlight reflected L’s dark skin as he walked out the gate. Absolute examined his arm and saw it was bleeding. He gave an angry look as L was walking away; he smiled and licked his arm with blood running down from it. He laughed and gazed at the moon while his blood dripped on the balcony. “What do you know, things are finally getting interesting!” He opened the door that led to the kitchen and yanked his arm down, he heard it crack. L had actually cracked his arm! He wondered how strong this man was. If the society had strong members like L then Absolute wanted to be a part of it. Now Absolute needed blood to regenerate his broken arm fast. It looks like one of his servants is going to have to die tonight.
Chapter 16
First Mission!
“Why would Aleister go after Albedo of all people?” asked Angelione.
He and Sonia stood by the bridge and watched the water roaring as the waves circled around each other. He watched Sonia stuffing more sweets into her mouth as always, cake, cookies, candy anything with sugar. It was a good thing she wasn’t a human, because by now her teeth would have decayed away.
“He wants something from him. It’s as if he was teaching him something. Aleister is powerful and smart. Angelione, what if everything up to now was his plan? Think about it, before Vincent came into the picture, Albedo was just an ordinary boy, who thought he was a human. But seeing Vincent trying to kill me awakened something inside of him.”
This was something Angelione had to take into consideration. Sonia was right; it wasn’t until a few months ago Albedo thought he was a human. He also wondered why his master, Dragan and Cecelia, had not told Albedo about their past. He had remembered meeting Albedo once when he was much younger. It was a rainy day and Dragan had just told him he was leaving the organization. Angelione was upset and wanted to know why he would leave like this? At that moment Angelione saw a young boy hiding behind Dragan’s black cloak with curiosity. Dragan smiled a smile, one that Angelione had never seen before. It wasn’t a smile like when he was using his Elder to fight, when the adrenaline took over him. It was a feeling whole and peaceful inside, starting a family type of smile. At that point Angelione knew his master would never return to the finest organization this kingdom has to offer.
Angelione stopped day dreaming and said, “It’s very rare for a young man to possess the power of the Elder at a young age. But it’s not impossible, master Dragan had done it and so did King Victor also, even Cecelia. We have to take into consideration that Albedo wasn’t born to any ordinary Purebloods. At one point his father’s strength matched the King himself, a High King. Many Purebloods lived to pass a thousand years old, but only a few can achieve the Elder’s power.” He fixed the falling glasses on his face.
Sonia paced and moved around the bridge backward and forward with one hand on her chin thinking about what Aleister wanted from Albedo, what was the connection? Then her hand was back in the bag of sweets and she stuffed more into her mouth. Vincent was one of Aleister’s servants just like Dmitri is, so this was no coincidence. Aleister wants something more from him. Sonia wanted to tell Angelione about Albedo’s dream, but how would he react to this news?
“Maybe you’re right, Angelione. Albedo was born to two powerful Purebloods. Maybe somehow Albedo had inherited their power.” But even so it still didn’t explain him having nightmares of Aleister.
“Sonia, do you remember I told you that master Dragan once fought Aleister?”
She nodded and said, “Yes I do.”
“What if Aleister is after revenge?”
“That can’t be right, because if he was after revenge then Albedo should have been dead by now.”
Angelione rubbed his head, trying to make sense of all this. It’s true that Dragan defeated Aleister, but that was a long time ago. Does the mighty Aleister hold grudges?
“Let’s try not to think about it too much,” said Sonia who wanted to clear her mind.
***
Sonia and Angelione noticed how the friendship between the three warriors had grown. Sonia wasn’t too surprised, that’s what made Albedo special to her; he could make friends with anyone he met. They all crowded in Albedo’s room which wasn’t that big. Dante sat on the chair, with the chair turned backwards, resting his arms and chest up against the back of the chair. Axil stood by the window, Sonia was next to him with a man next to her that Albedo had never seen before. Albedo had heard stories of how brutal Angelione’s training is from Dante. In addition to the little details Sonia had given him about her having a partner. Albedo wanted to meet the guy, he had heard a lot about him, but never had the chance in the past. As he looked into his eyes, he tried not to stare. He noticed that he was taller than Sonia. He looked at his tall slim stature and tried to size him up as a fighter based solely on his build.
“You must be the famous Albedo I’ve been hearing a lot about; a pleasure to finally meet you.” He’s all grown up.
Albedo shook his hand, and instantly Angelione’s glasses almost fell off his face.
Angelione examined Albedo and thought he resembled his parents. He looked confident and plucky; he had those powerful arms like Dragan and those killer eyes like his mother. Deep down Angelione was kind of happy that Dragan had left the Organization. He wondered if he should go say hi to his old master but decided not to. He hadn’t seen him in a long time. Dragan had chosen to live a life of peace and happiness and he didn’t want to remind him of that old life.
“Master Angelione, Master Sonia, so how was the mission?” Dante knew it was top secret but he figured he would try anyway.
“I need you guys to be ready soon. You are heading out to your first mission,” said Angelione unexpectedly.
Dante and Axil looked at each other in astonishment and felt joy inside of them. How long have they been waiting to prove their strength and the hope of one day becoming one of the Black Reapers?
Dante was still skeptical and said, “A real mission? No babysitting or training?”
“That’s right, a real mission, and think of it as part of your training. You too, Albedo,” said Sonia who noticed Albedo wasn’t sure if he was part of the mission. “You guys are ready for a mission if you ask me, the Reapers’ apprentice finally heading out to the world,” she said in mocking tone this time.
Albedo was happy to hear those words; this was his chance to leave Inferno at last. He wanted desperately to se
e the outside world, to see this light bulb that emits light. He wanted to see castles and not just the imaginary one from hearing stories or reading a book, or the one close to the mountain, which was real old and small. A castle without a king is unauthentic to him. He wanted to meet a real king and see how the vampires’ and Purebloods’ world operated. There was so much he wanted to see and he wanted to leave now.
“Master Sonia, are we going after Aleister?” asked Dante. He knew what was on Albedo’s mind. Since they have been spending time with each other, Albedo had been telling Dante about his fight with Aleister.
“Sorry but no, that’s a high level mission you aren’t ready for yet,” said Sonia.
Albedo did not seem too excited about the news; he wanted to go after Aleister. Sonia told him Aleister was off limits for now. He had disappeared again, and no one could find him. He couldn’t be found unless he wanted to be found.
“What’s the matter Albedo? I thought you would be exited to hear the news. Don’t you remember you told me once you wanted to see the outside world? Why do you so suddenly want to go after Aleister?” Sonia could see it in his face; he wanted desperately to go after him.
Albedo remember that day, it was the day he and Sonia went to the beach for a break after a long day of training. “Yea it’s just---,” Sonia cut him off before he could finish. “The time will come when we get the call to go after him. Until then, try not to worry about him alright?”
Sonia didn’t truly understand how the he felt. He wanted to know why Aleister talked as if they had met before. It’s as if he knows him better than he knows himself.
“What’s the mission about anyway, going after criminals with bounty on their head?” asked Dante with enthusiasm.
“We don’t know yet, they will tell us when we get there,” said Angelione.
Sonia took Albedo to talk to him alone. “Listen Albedo, I don’t know what Aleister told you, but don’t let him get to you. You were amazing when you fought him! You were fearless. It will be an honor one day for me to welcome you fully as one of us.”
A wide smile came to his face. “You think so?”
“Yes I do, Albedo. As long as you stay true to yourself! One day everyone will know your name.”
“So when are we leaving?” said Albedo who now had his excitement back.
“Now, so pack what you need.”
***
Albedo was going to meet a King for the first time in his life. He had heard how powerful King Victor was, one of the High Kings. He had lied to his parents and told them he was going on a field trip. Of course they knew he was lying, school was the last thing on his mind. Albedo met with the others. A horse-carriage had come to pick them up.
Albedo had never been on a horse-carriage before, let alone rode a horse. The armored man guiding the horses was sitting in an individual plush cushioned seat including his own retractable roof for inclement weather. The horses were draped in gold reins. The stallions were huge and beautiful, one was bright white and one was dark golden brown. The carriage has enormous golden wheels and elaborate doors. It was fit for a king. It was a deep scarlet red with shimmering gold trim embedded with diamonds and jewels. Curtains coated the windows to the carriage for privacy.
“I thought we were walking there,” said Albedo as he looked at the carriage astounded.
Dante laughed. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been on a horse-carriage before?”
Albedo, Axil, and Dante got inside the carriage while Sonia and Angelione chose to ride a horse instead. Albedo thought Sonia looked like a princess riding her horse. She was wearing short white pants and a white top. Whatever she wore she look like a princess.
For some reason her and Angelione didn’t like the carriage too much, they always prefer just horses.
“She looks beautiful doesn’t she?” said Dante as he caught Albedo staring at her. Albedo blushed and didn’t know what to say, “C’mon! ---” With his arm around Albedo’s neck, “---It’s all over your face. We can all tell you’re in love with her. I wanted her to be mine, but for some reason, I wasn’t her type. That’s impossible right. I’m every girl’s type.”
Axil thought Dante was bragging again, “If you’re every girls’ type, then how come she said no to you?” said Axil.
He and Albedo started to laugh. Dante wasn’t amused, “That’s your problem Axil, you’re nobody’s type!” Albedo and Axil continued laughing, which made Dante more irritated.
Dante was now a bit uncomfortable and said to the man driving the carriage, “Are we there yet?”
“We haven’t left yet, master Dante,” said the man in front with a smile.
Albedo loved that Dante was called master; he wishes he could be called master also. The horse-carriage started to move and Albedo can now officially say he rode a horse-carriage. The carriage had come to pick them up just about a hundred feet from Albedo’s house. It made its way down by the cherry blossom and Albedo instantly smelled its rich aroma. He and Dante sat opposite side of Axil. There were glass windows on both sides of the carriage, as well as a window behind Axil where Albedo could see the man guiding the horse. The door was to the right of Albedo. The inside of the carriage had soft cushion that felt great to sit in. It was bright blue with a hint of black dots. Albedo looked at Sonia stroking her hair while talking to Angelione, she looked so elegant. It was the way the wind moved her hair and the cherry blossoms circled around her.
The carriage now move passed the market and Albedo could see his school from the other side. Under his breath he said goodbye to it, he knew that life was gone now. As much as he hated it he knew he was going to be missed it a little. They arrived at the gate and Albedo stretched his neck and pressed his face against the window to get a better view, in which case Dante shook his head with one hand on his forehead. He pointed out to Albedo that there was a knob that rolled the window down, which Albedo didn’t know existed. He was shown by Dante how to role the window down and he did and got a better view by sticking his head out.
Sonia and Angelione were ahead now, showing their papers to the Humans’ Special Division so they can open the gate. Albedo had once seen the gate with his father a long time ago. Dante told Albedo if he wanted a much better view he would have to open the roof of the carriage, and he was right, it was a much better view. He saw how tall and wide the gate was, real thick also. One of the humans opened a peephole and the vampires from the opposite side of the gate opened it. As it was opened Albedo’s eyes lit up with excitement, his cheeks hurting him from smiling too much. The carriage passed the gate and left Inferno, at that point Albedo wanted to scream in joy. But somehow he found a way to keep himself under control. The carriage drove pass the forest, a path that was created by Victor’s army that leads to the castle. All around Albedo were nothing but trees. Sometimes they would pass by a lake or see an animal Albedo only heard of in stories. The carriage passed by a mountain cliff, which made Albedo a little nauseous, so much so he had to stick his head back in the carriage and close his eyes.
Finally they made it to the capital and the guards opened the iron-gate to the city. The iron-gate was thirty feet wide and thirty feet tall, the bolts of metals were as big as Albedo’s head.
As the horses passed inside, he had never seen so many big beautiful houses before. They were different from the ones back in Inferno, these looked like they were fit for royalty. Each house looked as if it was built yesterday, the windows were spotless clear and shiny as crystal. The houses in Inferno were old and small. These houses had beauty to them. Even the street was different, in Inferno the streets were nothing but dirt. In the capital the street was made from something called concrete, explained Dante. Albedo watched the friendly people waving at each other. Most of them were vampires. The street was wide and long, with at least flowers and soup shop on every corner. He looked up ahead to see a long and wide bridge that led to the castle. The castle! It was enormously big and beautiful to look at. This was the first time Albedo had s
een a castle in its prime. The one back in Inferno was old; spiders made it its home and all kind of other animals. They rode on the bridge and Albedo could see better now. The castle was painted white and blue. Even the royal guard’s uniforms were white and blue. A line of warriors were up ahead, in front of the castle’s gate waiting to greet them. As they went over the bridge to get to the castle, Albedo could hear a roaring sound. Dante explained to him it was the water whirlpool. Albedo wanted to get out and go look at it, but he decided another time, he wanted to explore the city also.
“There it is, home sweet home,” said Dante with a smile. He hated the long ride that took them almost two hours.
They made it to the gate and the guards let them in. “Welcome Sir Angelione and Miss Sonia,” said the guards at the gate. He opened the gate and bowed his head as the carriage passed through.
The castle was heavily protected, Albedo watched the guards on the roof with their bow and arrows. At least a hundred guards were guarding the castle from the outside. It was a long ride and all of them were tired and stiff. It was getting dark now and Sonia told Albedo he would meet the King the next day. She took Albedo to show him his room. The inside of the castle was just as amazing! Shiny red marble floors, painted portraits along each side of the walls fed Albedo’s imagery. Albedo looked up to see a giant round glass hanging from the ceiling. Sonia told him it was one of those light bulbs that give you light. She took Albedo up the towering spiraled staircase. It was overwhelmingly breathtaking to Albedo. The stairs led to hallway, which consisted of many rooms. She showed Albedo which room was hers as they passed along. Albedo’s room was further down the hall, two doors away from hers. She gave him the key and told him from now on this will be his room at the castle. He opened the tall heavy door and was mesmerized at how beautiful and big it was. The window curtains had been left open to let the light in. His new bed was at least three times bigger than his old one. So was his room, which was at least four times bigger. To the left of the bed were a huge cherry wood wardrobe and a tall wide twenty-drawer dresser adorned with a mirror lined in brass. Albedo settled his bag down and thought he would need more clothes. There was plush carpet on the floor, which he had only heard about. He took off his shoes and felt the carpet massaging his feet as he walked. There was a big window in his room, and from there he could see the bridge. Sonia told him it would look more magnificent during nighttime.
