It felt as if time has progressed so much faster since that day.
The day I swore my allegiance to Rampiel's false king.
Nahka Aion.
.....
It was six... maybe seven years ago, when I first met the rising king of the East.
I had only just begun to reach a stump in my power, unable to figure out what it was that had been blocking me from honing my abilities.
It wasn't until he had shown himself to me.
At first, I thought he was just bluffing.
Other than being a royal, he had nothing to show for himself, nothing to show to me why he would be the king.
So that's what he did.
He, a man with nothing but a title, gave me, a warrior of royal blood, everything he had.
Nahka Aion, the man of virtue, the pride of royalty, showed me how deserving he was.
Not only had he beaten me countless times in spars, he had also taught me how to improve myself, both physically, and mentally.
In just the span of a year, my power had increased tenfold, while he had amassed a huge following.
Other than me, he had gained the power of three royals.
Cathitel Exanimus, Jyon Exanimus, and Gazardiel Tenebris.
.....
Cathitel had always been thought to be a ruthless, arrogant brute, yet, Nahka saw more in him.
The reason Cathitel acted the way he had, was due to the embarrassment he felt having to wake every morning knowing his entire face was deformed due to the Dead Forest, the one place vampires of royal blood should have the privilege of being able to endure.
Nahka, even though he was not able to fix it, was able to cover it, shielding Cathitel from his greatest disappointment, which had earned him his loyalty.
.....
Jyon Exanimus, Cathitel's younger sister, had always wanted what was best for Cathitel.
She would do anything for him, following him through any battle he'd have to endure, following him through any decision he'd make.
She believed, and still does, that her brother had and will always choose correctly.
Even though she isn't directly loyal to Nahka, she was loyal to Cathitel, and with her being gifted with the body perfectly fit to endure the most dangerous of tasks, Nahka has let it slide.
.....
Gazardiel Tenebris, the man of the east widely known for his intellect being absolute, always had one problem.
He had a god complex.
The worst of traits being paired with the greatest of gifts, Nahka believed it to be a cruel joke.
Yet, still, Nahka found a way to take him under his wing, sucking up to him if needed, treating Gazardiel as the god he believed himself to be.
.....
To this day I can still never figure out how Nahka could put up with disgracing himself in such a vulgar way in the face of our race, especially after meeting Cassiel Aeternus, the true rightful heir to the throne, and Rampiel's new ruler.
Despite it being just months ago, I still regret the shameless act I put on when meeting him for the first time.
.....
When I first got my order from Nahka to build the trust of Sebastian Stratix, I thought he had gone insane.
Besides the fact we could completely dominate Altanisar to claim as our own, allying with them would give Sebastian an equal footing alongside the king.
However, as I had done prior for years, I did as he asked.
Finding my way to the city and using my royal lineage to bypass the front gate, I followed the directions from the guard roaming around to find the path leading to the castle so that I may finally meet with Sebastian Stratix.
After what had felt like hours, I finally met him eye to eye.
Immediately, I understood why Nahka wanted an alliance with this man.
He had something about him that was just entirely different than any other, something that set him apart from everyone else, I just couldn't figure out what it was.
.....
Two months had passed before Sebastian trusted me enough to meet with the other royal under his guidance.
It was Elysia Nyx.
Seeing her for the first time, I was disappointed.
There was nothing special to her that met the naked eye, even after sparring with her a couple of times, nothing stood out.
We went on countless missions together, helping Bagnion, clearing out human camps, securing roads for easy access, and doing whatever else Sebastian had ordered.
Even though I despised it at first, working under someone else's orders, I quickly grew fond of both Sebastian and Elysia.
Sebastian treated me as an equal, the same as Elysia, and any other, both of royal lineage, and commoner blood.
He was someone deserving of the title of lord.
The only other thing that set him apart was his deranged mental state, but it was something anyone could look past after just days.
Time flew by as another two months had passed.
I was happy.
I believed that I was happy, but there was still an uneasy feeling, one that grew inside of me with each passing day.
With one more passing day, it finally came.
A new order.
Slaughter all in Altanisar, and to bring him Cassiel's head.
I was baffled, believing at first that there must be a mistake, that they would flush all of my hard work to get them into an alliance.
As a couple more days would pass, it finally set in.
After another week passed, I finally found out who exactly Cassiel was.
He was meant to be king.
I finally understood why I was given the order... Nahka felt threatened.
.....
It wasn't long before Cassiel had finally arrived in Altanisar.
I had been making my back from a recent purging mission when it happened.
Once I had made it back to the city, Sebastian had called for me instantly.
I still remember the feeling as I got closer to the castle.
My blood was pumping fast, but I hadn't a clue as to why.
As Sebastian explained to me what exactly was happening, I hurried over to the training room, ready to meet the man that threatened the existence of my king.
Opening the doors, however, my eyes hadn't met Cassiel's, they were instead drawn to Elysia.
Seeing the way she stared at that man... It enraged me.
I still can't remember completely what had happened, but I do recall being humiliated.
I was pummeled by a man I had unadulterated hatred for, while never knowing why.
.....
After training under Cassiel for a couple of weeks alongside Elysia, I gradually began to realize the sole reason I hated Cassiel.
It was because Elysia could not.
It was because there was never a reason to hate him, the true king of vampires.
Everything about him spoke perfection.
The way he fought, spoke, trained, commanded.
I paled in comparison, and perhaps that was why I hated him.
It was jealousy, jealousy in the way someone I unknowingly loved would look at a man such as himself.
.....
After my fight with Ecanus came to a close, I finally had time alone with Elysia, which had felt rare in the previous month.
But, for some desperate reason, not one word would come from my mouth as I carried Elysia to the hospital.
I felt weak, not physically, but mentally.
I always had pride in my fighting prowess, but I had never realized how little empathy I had.
I was weak for hating a man as great as Cassiel for something he had no intention of doing.
That weakness is something I shall never feel again, for I will redeem myself, even if it's in my death.
.....
With the sound of two loud thuds blowing through the halls, Kislev walks out of his room, leaving two vampires on the ground.
"Forgive me, Rudeus, Jorl, I hope you two will find yourself on the right path under our true king soon." Kislev mumbles, marching down the long corridor of the castle towards all the screams.