The Nightingale Sigil

A servant of the night...

Born from the ashes of day...

Seeking it's ancient blood price to pay...

Lyra's POV:

Tick tock... Tick tock...

Following the constant stream of blood seeping out of the cuts on my body, I could feel my life force slowly ebbing away with the passage of time

Closing my eyes, I willed myself to cling onto the border of life, albeit just for a few seconds...

If only I could have my revenge on the ones who did this to me

"If I were you, I wouldn't try too hard. It would only prolong your suffering." Out of nowhere, a deep, masculine voice rang out from the darkness.

My eyes sprang wide open, searching for clues to that mysterious, disembodied voice. My heart pounded against my chest as my apprehension grew. Legends surrounding this ancient mausoleum began to stir within my memories. Legends which spoke of an ancient evil lurking within its depths, and that of a blood sacrifice.

Struggling weakly against my bonds, I tried in a futile attempt to escape my fate. Slowly, a figure swam into focus, followed by a sharp pain near the nape of my neck.

"You do know that you are going to die, don't you? So, why bother living? Just give up..." Stroking the weeping wound that he had made with his nails, he slowly traced his finger downwards, as if enjoying the sight of my pain.

I figured this was it.

If I were to die, the least I could do is face my enemy head on!

With that, I raised my eyes and my gaze fell squarely upon the figure.

Eyes, the color of midnight blue; mesmerizing, yet dangerous, met mine. Silky, shoulder-length raven black hair fell lightly upon his shoulders, framing his chiseled face. He had the air and bearings of an aristocrat; haughty and arrogant, yet every movement he conveyed was filled with lithe and grace.

My breath hitched for a moment as I found myself tongue-tied by this mysterious, handsome figure.

Chuckling under his breath, he grasped my chin and tilted it upward.

"Perhaps if you cry or beg me for mercy, I may consider sparing you..." he drawled beside my ear.

Who does he think he is?!

"Never!" I rasped.

His grip tightened for a moment, betraying his true feelings as a potpourri of emotions stirred beneath those mysterious midnight blue eyes of his. His hands remained dangerously close to my neck, ready to snap it at any given moment. Judging by the intensity of his gaze, I guessed my end was near.

Finally, after several seconds, he said, "So be it. Any last words?"

Since these were my final moments, I decided I had nothing to lose.

"I curse you and all the people who did this to me! I will burn all your faces into the depths of my memories. Mark my words, I will bring all of you down to Hell with me!" Hatred burst forth within me like a volcanic eruption as I spat those words out with vehemence.

I hated all of them! How I wished I could give them a taste of the horrors they put me through. All those sufferings, the pain... My wounds throbbed painfully at those memories.

Silence ensued for a few seconds as disbelief, surprise and amusement flashed across his eyes all at once. Following that, he tilted his head back and laughed.

"You're interesting... perhaps..."

He traced his finger lightly over my neck, leaving a hot, tingling trail where his fingers touched as it made its way ever so slowly down the length of my slender neck, as if teasing me with my impending death.

"Go ahead!"

I closed my eyes and awaited for the sweet ending to all my sufferings.

Instead, I merely felt a stinging sensation near my lips. My eyes flew open in that instant, and I realized that he had bit me on my lips!

My eyes widened in shock as the strong, metallic taste of fresh blood filled my mouth. Struggling against him, I tried to spit out the warm liquid. However, the more I did that the more he tightened his grip upon the back of my head, forcing my head to arch upward, and thus sealing our lips together; and with that our destinies...

Cassius POV:

I could sense HIS hunger... feel HIS restlessness... as the hour of feeding approaches.

The clock struck midnight as I made my way across the moor into the dilapidated mausoleum where the blood offerings would be made every year.

Arriving at the entrance of the mausoleum, I sniffed the air, inhaling the sweet scent of prey within. The delectable smell of blood wafted into my nostrils. It smelled so good; unlike the previous offerings. No! This was a prey of outstanding quality!

Licking my lips, I proceeded to enter the compound. To my utter surprise, it turned out to be a human! The life force within her was strong! No wonder the smell was so delectable! Most of the humans that were made as offerings prior to this were either close to death or reeked of diseases. However, she was different.

Though scrawny looking at first sight, I could sense the tenacity of her life force even as her sweet blood slowly drained out of her body. Despite her malnourished appearance and wounds, she still had the makings of a beautiful woman. Flaming auburn hair with a pair of almond-shaped amber eyes to match her strong will, forming a stark contrast to her delicate features... It was truly a sight to behold.

Something stirred within me...

Strange... What exactly was this feeling?

I actually felt the sudden urge to approach her, something that I have never done to a prey before. Usually, I would wait till my prey bleeds out before devouring it...

I walked toward her, as if in a trance...

She looked much more vulnerable up close. I could sense her fear, her pain, her anger and her hatred.

I offered her a chance to escape her fate, something I did for all my prey. The thought of getting their hopes up and crushing them was a favorite ritual of mine.

I expected her to beg for mercy like most of them did. I reveled a little at the thought of seeing her close to tears. It was as if she was something novel to be toyed with. In a way, I was intrigued.

However, her answer shocked me. The way she looked at me with those amber eyes, which carried with it a hint of defiance. I knew in that instant that she was having none of it. She would rather die there than to endure the humiliation of becoming my plaything.

Pretty amusing indeed...

Lost in thought for a moment, a sudden idea flashed across my mind...

It would be a waste for her to die. Why... I have never met such an interesting 'thing' since the dawn of the century. The delight of teasing the reaction out of those defiant eyes; the joy of breaking a head-strong woman like her... Yes I wanted more of it!

I turned my attention once more to the woman in front of me as a smile played across my lips. Stroking the soft, supple skin of her neck, I resisted the urge to bury my fangs deep into that velvety heaven that awaited me. While whispering the words of the ancient tongue, I eyed her alluring lips...

I wonder what her reaction would be if I were to do this...

Holding the back of her head tight, I lowered my head and bit down on that rose-red lips of hers. I felt the instant gush of her sweet blood and the burning sensation of ancient power... I could feel her struggling against me which excited me more. I pressed my lips closer, enjoying the taste of her blood and the sensation of her helplessness. Finally, as the burning sensation faded away, a faint nightingale sigil was seen glowing across her cheek before it faded.

With that, the blood pact was made- that of a SERVANT and MASTER...

What I didn't know back then was the fact that the Wheels of Destiny had begun to turn...

Lyra's POV:

Where am I? The last thing I recall was me on the verge of dying, and then... that searing pain upon my lips.

My head spun as I struggled to stand up. Looking around me, I realized I was entrapped within a vast expanse of nothingness. It was as if I was within a black hole, where not a single ray of light could penetrate the space.

"Hello? Is anyone out here?!" I called out.

Yet, I was met with nothing but the echo of my voice.

Shrouded by the thick blanket of darkness, I got on all fours, desperately searching for a way out. A trap door, a secret passage, a window... ANYTHING!

My heart started to pound against my chest with each passing minute.

"Come on! Come on!" I cried out as I fumbled around the ground. It was then, my hands felt something warm and sticky. Raising my hands in front of me, I gave it a sniff, trying to determine the nature of this substance. Instantly, the familiar metallic smell assaulted my nostrils.

"Arghh!!!!"

Screaming, I tried desperately to wipe that filthy substance off my hands. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't come off.

"No! Oh god! Please no!"

All around me I could hear the whisperings of a strange, foreign language which grew in crescendo as the curtain of darkness started to close in around me. Although I could only see perpetual darkness around me, I could literally feel the air rushing out of my lungs, and my windpipes constricting as the fear of getting crushed within that enclosed space threatened to overwhelm me.

Servus tenebrarum vinculum aeternum...

Servus tenebrarum vinculum aeternum...

The whisperings repeated those words over and over again as my head started to pound with each breath.

"NO!!"

I woke up, drenched in a pool of sweat.

Was it just a dream? A nightmare?

"Rise and shine my little nightingale."

That voice!

My eyes widened in shock as I whipped my head around, only to be met with the sight of a man with a sickly grin on his face.

"YOU! What have you done?!" Memories from last night flooded back. That bite, that burning sensation... Subconsciously, I raised my hand to touch my lips. The place where he bit me last night still throbbed painfully, as if warning me of the dangerous encounter I had last night.

"I see that you are fondly reminiscing about the kiss we had together..."

SMACK!

I slapped him right across his face.

Stunned for a brief moment, his eyes widened with shock. However, it was instantly replaced with a predatory look as he slowly turned toward me with a smirk on his face.

"You're indeed a work of art!" he announced. Without warning, he suddenly launched himself toward me and pinned me against the wall.

"Ugh!" I grimaced in pain as his vice-like grip tightened itself around my wrists. His face was merely inches away from me, so close that I could see that swirling cloud of rage beneath those midnight blue eyes of his.

"If you want to stay alive, I would suggest you not to cross your MASTER like that ever again," he whispered in a menacing tone next to my ear.

"M-Master?" Despite crumbling slightly under his powerful aura, I couldn't help but blurt out my question.

With that, a grin of satisfaction crossed his face as he rested a finger against my lips and purred, "Yes, my little nightingale. You're bound to me as my servant as long as the contract lasts."

"C-Contract? What contract? I don't recall ever signing one with you!" Never in my wildest dreams would I think of signing a contract with a crazy guy like him! In addition to that, he gave off this otherworldly vibes which alerted me to the fact that he wasn't a creature of this world.

"Tsk! Tsk! Be patient my little one," he cooed. "Contracts are forged through a multitude of ways, and yours happened to be that of blood. Remember the mark I made yesterday?" Pointing toward his lips, he smirked.

My eyes grew wide in shock and horror. Realizing what I was up against, I knew I couldn't use brute force against him. As such, I decided to play it smart and try my best to learn as much as I could, in the hopes that I could find a way to break this 'contract'.

"What do you want from me?" I gritted my teeth and spat out.

Realizing I had given up on my retaliation, a slight look of disappointment crossed his face as he withdrew himself and leaned casually against the side of the carriage.

"Simple, entertain me... and perhaps you might get to live another day."

"I-"

I was about to question him further when the carriage came to a sudden halt.

"We've arrived, Your Lordship!" yelled the carriage man.

"Well, there's your first assignment," said the man opposite me with a knowing smile before he alighted from the carriage.

"Wait! How should I address you?" I called after him as I scrambled to get off the carriage.

Turning his head, he replied, "Lord Cassius."

Stepping off the carriage, we were greeted by a stench- so foul that it made my eyes watered and I felt the sudden urge to throw up all my stomach contents.

Struggling to control the wave of nausea, I tried my best to make out our current location. What was once the sprawling, bustling Town of Sitrom; famous for its beautiful canals and rivers, now lay in ruins. Home to tens of thousands of citizens in its heydays, it was merely an empty shell of its former self. Save for the occasional creaking of poorly-maintained hinges, only an eerie silence hung in the air at the moment.

"What h-happened here?" Closing my nose with a piece of rag, I asked Cassius.

"Something bad..." said Cassius with a frown on his face as he marched directly into the town.

"Wait up!"

Along the way, we passed rows upon rows of abandoned stores and dark alleyways. Rats and filth littered the entire streets, and what used to be the clear, translucent water of the Semaht River, once renown as the 'River of Life' merely held a murky, brown liquid at the moment along with the carcasses of dead animals.

After 10 minutes of walking, we finally reached the town centre, which was home to the mayor.

"You've come, Lord Cassius!" A man with a pot belly, who seemed to be in his mid 40's cried out as he flung himself toward Cassius's feet.

"Cut the crap, Alastair, tell me what's going on," said Cassius with a cold look on his face.

"Y-Y-Yes, of course," Alastair stammered before he stood up gingerly. With a grave look upon his face, he began, "It all began with that stench. In the beginning we paid no attention to it, attributing it to the negligence of our night watchmen who had the job of removing the filth from our cesspools. However, the stench got worse and worse over the preceding months. It got so bad that travelers stopped frequenting Sitrom. Then, the deaths started to occur..." At this point, I could see Alastair shaking visibly from head to toe as his hands started to tremble.

"Initially, it was a random person or two who dropped dead. However, the death toll started to climb to an alarming number. Tens... hundreds and eventually thousands started to succumb. Their symptoms were nearly identical. Initially, they started to pass out pale, watery, white stools in large quantities. After several days, they were reduced only to their skin and bones with horrible sunken eyes, as if their life force were sucked out of them... and then the terrible THIRST will start... Oh you should've seen them crying out for water to quench their insatiable thirst. However, it was as if their bodies were cursed... The moment they swallow any liquid, their bodies would undoubtedly purge it over and over again. Their deaths were horrible..."

Alastair took a few gulps of water to calm himself down before rummaging around his drawers. Then, he produced several scraps of parchment paper before he continued, "Most of the victims spoke of an entity during their dying breath. They recounted how they saw the devil with red eyes before their deaths... A serpentine-like creature with fangs dripping in poison. They called it 'Miasma'.

I peered down at the figure that was drawn on the parchment paper. It seemed there were several versions of it. Some drawings depicted it as a black cloud of gas with a serpentine-like body and ruby red eyes, while some depicted it as a slithery scale-like creature along with sharp talons.

"Y-You mean they were killed by this 'thing'?" I stammered.

"Quite right, my Lady-" began the mayor.

"She's merely my servant. No need for formalities," Cassius interrupted him with a wave of his hands.

I gave him a disapproving look.

Seemingly lost in thought, Cassius drummed his fingers upon the table, while the mayor sat down heavily on the moth-eaten couch and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Tell me, Alastair, these deaths... where were they most concentrated?" Cassius finally asked.

"They are mostly centered around Strasburg Street," said the mayor as he pointed toward a tiny place on the map, just southwest from the town center.

"Well, we had better pay them a visit then," said Cassius with a chuckle as he grabbed me by the shoulders and hauled me off.

Before we left, the mayor managed to grab me by the hand. With a haunted look on his face, he whispered, "Beware of the stench, for death comes to those who inhaled its toxic fumes..."