“The case before the Elders”
He was watching the sun as it set, for what would be, for him, the last time as a vampire. The lower the sun dipped below the horizon the more he began to transform back into the creature he had been for the past six hundred years. With his fangs now evident, once again, he carefully placed his green Volta Baroque mask over his face as he readied his offering of wine and rare gold to the elders upon their feast day. With the sword tucked away underneath his long coat, he stood patiently in the place once known as the 'Forest of Sorrows', now a part of a rather lengthy public park in the city of Whurs. Soon, he began levitating in midair; a sign that his offering to the Elders had been accepted.
They appeared like ghosts underneath the darkness of night, dressed like monks, with their faces obscured from view underneath their cloaks.
“What is your name, and to what matter have we been summoned?” one of the three asked.
“My Lords, I am Prince Darben, the matter involves the unfair act of aggression against the Lucians that was overseen by the House of Sayers and their allowance of a Myathian to commiserate with the Twellers; lending them his powers to defeat the Lucians.”
“We are puzzled,” one said. “Are not the Lucians all but gone from the earth?”
"No, my lords, I am the only Lucian that now remains.”
“I see. Why have you waited so long in presenting this case?”
“Because I wanted to have the proper evidence at hand before I brought such an accusation against the House of Sayers.”
“Very well, you may proceed.”
Darben laid out his case, piece by piece. In another life, he would have made an excellent attorney of law. He spoke of how once the Lucians became separated from their kin, the Twellers, they had no such ideas of seeking aggression upon them. How it was the Krethans who were the sole enemies of the Lucians, not the Twellers. He argued how they both were equal in power and strength but somehow, the Twellers strength and power had exceeded the Lucians, mysteriously.
“Their new found strength and power was something I witnessed from Queen Karlise with my very own eyes,” he said. "It was the power of the Talek," he reminded
them; a ritual of the Myathians making those who partake in it half Myathian and half Stellar.
However, the Myathians, he argued, had no right to offer such power to the Twellers, being that such an act was against the laws that governed them.
“No Warrior Priest was ever allowed to make such concessions for a group of mortals, yet even after this fact was known by the House of Sayers, they did nothing to correct it.”
The Elders spoke amongst themselves for a moment. “Prince Darben, a Myathian Warrior Priest was punished for this crime and disregard for the rules that govern them long ago.”
“Yes, I am aware of this, my lord,” Darben stressed. “However, the Lucians were still the innocent victims of his actions. Had the Twellers not been so powerful, Queen Karlise would not been so brazened to seek after the wrongful destruction of over four hundred Lucians without just cause.”
“You have presented a case worthy of the ears of the Elders. However, after so long of time there is very little that can now be done to offer you justice. So may I ask what is it that you seek?”
“I seek nothing more than the right of Ascension.”
Curiously, the Elders began to confer one with the other. “Prince Darben, please be advised, that although you have presented a very strong case against the Sayers, no vampire has never successfully achieved Ascension. It has been well over four thousand years since the house has even changed hands. However, your case has merit; perhaps it would be wise if you would allow us to choose for you one who shall stand in your place among them. Being that you are the last of the Lucians, if you should fall, then the
matter shall totally be ignored by the annuals of time.”
“I am truly humbled by my lord's kindness, however, the matter of the Lucians, shall be settled by a Lucian.”
After a small debate, the three Elders were now in agreement. “Very well, it shall be as you wish. Before sunrise, you shall ascend to the House of Sayers; you will
then have seven days to defeat or cause the surrender of all seventy-five Sayers of the house. If you are successful, you shall stand over the house as a Warrior Priest.
However, if you fail, your soul shall be absorbed into blackness. Do you wish to proceed?”
Darben slowly nodded his head. “Yes!” he said, swallowing hard. Soon after, they were gone, leaving him standing alone in the park.
This was the moment he had lived his entire existence for, but now he was nervous. He even began to question his skills as a warrior.
As he walked away, he knew that he must feed well off of blood tonight. There would be no rest offered once the Ascension began. Although he was feeling
unsure of himself, he was sure about one thing. The House of Sayers were in for a big surprise.
