Seth Khons

Author Notes: This is a work of fiction, a vampire story, which is sort've a spin-off to the Gone From Daylight series done by Comicality, so, if you're unfamiliar with some of the terms, it's best to start at his series, or, if you're lazy, go search the Gone From Daylight wiki, and look up terms such as, for example, extra. An extra would be a power that a vampire has when he crosses over.

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A dark, unholy chuckle made its way out of my throat while a strong breeze picked up, rustling the nearby branches and leaves. I stood looking on with a gleam of satisfaction, my arms crossed in front of my chest, as I watched the boy in front of me struggle for his life. His soft brown hair laid in dark, wet strands that stuck to his forehead, while his young, wiry frame writhed in agony. My feet moved on their own accord, drawing me closer to the poor boy. A small trail of crimson leaked from my lips, which were stretched wide in a victorious grin. I slowly drug my tongue across the corner of my mouth, shuddering as the excess liquid made contact with my overstimulated taste buds.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, Nick." I whispered ominously to him as I knelt down next to his ear. His muscles tightened to their limit as his body prepared to run for its very life, while he thought he still had a chance, but as I activated my extra and sent him crashing to the ground, it finally began to dawn on him that he had no such chance for survival.

I could barely decipher his words as they flooded past his fast moving lips, but it was evident in his face, in his eyes, and in his chaotic mind, that he was scared to death. "Please don't do this," he whimpered as tears began sliding without remorse down his young face.

"Shhh," I hushed him, putting my index finger to his lips. I heard him whimper for God to save him at the very moment I latched my mouth onto his neck yet again, pulling more of his very life essence out of his giving body. I didn't stop, however, I grew even more vicious; a low, guttural sound emitted from me as I tore into his neck, biting at the skin and tearing a gaping hole into his soft flesh.

I hesitated only for the tiniest fraction of a second, just to let it sink into him, and then I thrust my left hand into his chest, breaking through the bone and, with my right hand, I split him open. A hail of curses and screams assaulted my ears as I began to tear him asunder. The earth-shattering scream that tore through him left me dizzy for the briefest moment, only to be quickly replaced by my growing bloodlust.

A fountain of red splashed through the air, speckling across my bronzed cheeks as his soul barely held the faintest of grips on his body. I kept my extra going into overdrive as I sustained his body with enough blood to keep him conscious of the staggering amounts of pain. I looked up, blood smeared across my face which still held a vicious grin; my eyes were piercing red, into the dark night, as a bolt of lightning shattered through the air.

With a start, I shot out from my rejuvenated slumber. A round of coughs came quickly as I fought my gag reflex, but failed as dry-heaves overcame me. My whole body shook and trembled from the very vivid and frighteningly realistic dream. I stayed still as the slick saliva spewed forth from my mouth and onto the floor of the RV. "Ugh," I grunted, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and shaking it out towards the floor.

I exhaled a shaky breath, then inhaled deeply while I shut my eyes, attempting to calm myself. A flash of Nick's mutilated body in my mind's eye brought bout of coughs and gags as I fought desperately to keep my stomach inside my body. Small streams of wetness trailed down my soft cheeks, and it took me a moment to realize that I was crying. Whether it was for Nick's death, the pain I brought to his family, or my abhorrent loss of humanity, I couldn't tell.

Swallowing, I moved myself out of bed and dressed in my normal attire. I only had one set, but it fit me. Why change a good thing? I made my way out of the vehicle and into the clearing of the small abandoned lot. I smiled and looked slowly up towards the sky. It was.... peaceful. I rolled my head back and forth, then took a lap or two around the lot to get my blood flowing. I then broke into my routine of advanced training that I followed every single day, except Sundays. Lasting for no more than an hour, I worked on handling a variety of situations, both parrying and taking the offensive against fake enemies, training my muscles to react and move even faster.

I took a quick five minute breather, refocusing my energies, both physically and mentally, and then prepared myself for the second phase of my training. I sat on the ground, relaxing my taut muscles and closing my eyes, taking large breaths of air through my nose, down into my stomach, then out through my mouth. I slowly sunk deeper into my meditative state, heightening my senses to the point where I could hear the grasshoppers chirping softly in the grass five miles away. I could feel the soft glow of moonlight that shown naked in the sky. I drew further inwards, focusing on a specific point in my mind and let it enveloped me, easing throughout my body and into the surrounding area.

It was like washing the whole world away. Nothing else mattered, just the unending focus inside, letting the nothingness envelope you, freeing you, from the earth. It allowed for a quick recharge in mind, body, and spirit; also, I suppose it was great to escape demons as well, even if they were lodged within your very soul.

Satisfied after the two hours, I hoped up onto my feet and patted the dirt off my clothing and jacket. I looked around the small dirt lot one last time. It wasn't sadness that filled me, leaving my only "home" since the cross over. I never really looked at as a home, just a temporary stopping point. It was just a means to an ends. The people there helped me grow strong, and once I outgrew them, they had no further use to me. Time to head out.

Pushing my muscles to their limits always gave me an indescribable rush. Maybe that's why I enjoyed sports so much while growing up? Whatever the reason, it was no different in this new life. I decided to trek down into Coon Rapids, a city with a population a little over 61,000, with a surprisingly decent-sized vampire population, for what you might imagine.

I slowed to a trot, and finally to a casual walk, my heart beating hard against my ribcage from the twenty-odd mile run. Immediately my senses picked up the multitude of vampires that were about in the city. In fact, if my memory serves me right, James used to be the leader of a very prominent vampire clan based in this very city. I remember hearing a few of his stories about how he rose up the ranks, becoming leader in his sixth month after his cross over. He increased their size, their power, everything. His strong leadership rose each member up in skill, made them a better vampire, at least, that's what he said.

He use to rule with an iron fist for the fifteen years that he was in power. Not so much with his members, although he did hold them on a very short leash, no, it was with his enemies that he was most ruthless with. He thought it was nothing more than a game, to show off his immense skill, until his lover - the one who was his sire - was brutally killed in his second year of rule.

The fallout of that was devastating. Him and his fellow clan members systematically dismantled four of the other top vampire clans in the area, including the one that was responsible for his lover's death. The other eight, plus the remnants of the four, banded together in fear to battle the horde. The losses on all sides were staggering. There was so much bloodshed that the running gag on the state's popular nickname was: the land of 10,000 crimson lakes.

The war became known as 'The Bloody Thirteen'. That's what they called it. That's what they still call it, dubbed from the number of clans - thirteen - that were involved, and the years in which it took to come to a resolution. At the end of it, James later admitted, he no longer knew what he was fighting for. His life was becoming warped from the violence, his mind swam with nothing but thoughts of death and destruction. He had no desire to stop until all had felt his wrath and fury. However, a particular night soon changed his life. Leafing through some vampire scripture that he had looted from one of the many corpses that littered the area he was in at the time, he came to a particular passage that talked about vengeance. The basic message he read was that hate breeds hate, and revenge brings about even more of the same. If one strikes another, their loved ones will strike out at the offender, and the other's loved ones will react, in a never-ending cycle of carnage.

That night bore him a revelation, and the following day he sent an invitation to each clan delegation, asking them for the opportunity to bury the hatchet. The details were sketchy, but the end result was peace. And, while tiny skirmishes have broken out in the past, the Thirteen are now stronger and more unified than ever before. The heads of each clan now residing in this very city, rich with vampire news, gossip, and the happenings of the community both here and nationally abroad.

I meandered my way through the streets, following my senses down to one of the larger parks of the city. Yes, there were a plentiful number of vampires mulling about. Perfect, I thought as I nonchalantly walked towards a trio, two guys and a girl, each one wearing red VII symbol on the back of their hand, signifying the clan in which they belonged.

"Hey, friendly faces," I began casually. "I'm Seth, how's it going?"

All three gave me a once over, and it annoyed me the way they looked at me so intently, it seemed like they could look into my very soul and expose all of my innermost secrets.

The guy on the left spoke up first, introducing himself as Jeff, and his clan mates, Tasha and Lew. Once pleasantries were exchanged, they allowed me into their group, and to my surprise, their topic of conversation was... me.

The other male of the group, Lew, who looked no younger than twelve, restarted the conversation before I interrupted. "So, I heard that James' little group was wiped out a little over a week ago. Rumor has it that one of the few newbreeds he brought in turned on all of them."

Tasha let out a bark of disbelief. "As if; there's no way James, the founder of the Thirteen, and one of the most strongest and respected vampires in the northern states, would lose to some stupid halfie."

"Forgive my ignorance," I began humbly, "but, while I've heard the stories about him, was he really as great as people made him out to be? By that I mean, if the Thirteen is as great as they say they are," I paused, having received strong looks from all three. Okay, not the best choice of words. "Uhm, no offense, but if they were, and he was the "Father", how would he be defeated so easily?"

"Who says he was defeated easily?" Jeff snapped.

"Woah, easy there, I just mean, I've heard some of the same rumors you all have. Some say a group of raiders took them by surprise, while others are putting forth that it was a single person, one who goes by the name of Odin." They furrowed their brows, and I all but had to bite down on my tongue to suppress my chuckle. " Odin is the name of the Norse god who presided over death. I hear he's hunting down vampires, by the masses, and that he won't rest until the last one is destroyed." I paused, gauging their reaction, and then added, "At least, that's what they say."

"They do, huh?" Tasha said. "Who do you hang with, Seth? You don't have any marking on you, except for the one on your chest, which isn't any clan symbol that I've ever seen. Either your origin isn't from this state, or you've decided not to join one of the clans. Not many choose that, but you don't look like a foreigner either. So, which is it?"

"Oh, I'd like to think that I come from a land down under," I said with a smile.

"Where women glow, and men plunder?" Lew finished, an equally big smile on his face.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "something like that. Anyways, it was nice meeting you all, but I'm afraid I can't stay for much longer. I suppose I'll see you all another time."

"I have a feeling we will see each other again, very soon," Lew said, while each waved me goodbye, and I was once again on my way to my primary destination, although, I'm not one to pass up the chance to spread the good word. In my opinion, the only word fitting for this accursed world.

Odin.

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An hour later, I found myself walking towards the building James had mentioned only briefly in one of his stories, said to hold the thirteen clan representatives. It was hard to find, hiding discreetly among the other buildings in the area. In fact, it was sandwiched between two other uninteresting buildings. Among further inspection, there appeared to be walkways up on the higher floors that linked the three buildings.

I had made up my mind to do much of the same that James had done many years ago, and that was to tear the world into chaos, albeit on a much larger scale. The decimation of the highly revered Thirteen would rocket the name Odin to legendary status, and the whole vampiric world would know that there was a hand of God out to judge them. And you know something? They all failed to measure up to my standards.

I smiled viciously, cracking my knuckles, ready to close the gap that laid in between myself and the headquarters, when, not even 100 feet away, a glimmer of light next to a bar caught my eye. I glanced back towards the building, eyeing it with contempt, then I took a deep breath, my curiosity getting the better of me. It'll be there later, right? I nodded at this, and turned towards the source of the light, which continued glowing softly through the darkness.

What I saw, almost surprised me. I say almost because, I've done a lot worse, however, there before my very eyes was a vampire. What was intriguing was the fact that he was currently bruised and bloodied, and seemingly unwanted, strewn out by the dumpster. He had dark black, curly hair, that stayed in a chaotic - yet fitting - mess on top his head, and chocolate-colored eyes. He looked young, and Nick's image flashed briefly behind my eyes, before I quickly pushed it away.

I poked him with the end of my shoe, nudging him ever so slightly. Earning a groan in response, I turned around, figuring that his attackers had left, and there was no further assistance needed. I could have killed him, but any chance of alerting the guards inside the headquarters to my presence, no matter how small, would become a hindrance to my ultimate goal.

"H-Hey," the teen croaked, "d.... don't leave me, please."

I turned around and looked at the crumpled figure. "Kid, your problems are not my problems. Deal with them yourself." I finished, turning my back to him a second time and proceeded to walk away.

"It was a band of raiders!" He shouted after me. I paused, slowly turning around and making my way towards him again. "When the sun first set, I didn't wake up right away, sometimes my cycle can run a bit over and-"

"Get on with it," I interrupted.

"Geesh, grouch," he grumbled, sitting up on his haunches. He began rubbing his sore muscles, and rotating each arm in small circles. I glowered darkly in his direction, and he quickly got the message. "Right.. sorry. I woke up to nothing, which is really unusual for our small group. I made my way out and saw a band of raiders sacking our homes. It didn't register to me at first..." he trailed off, a fresh stream of crystal tears sliding down his cheeks. He gulped and said an apology, then continued, "That.. the others could've been dead. I.. They were so ruthless, and once they caught sight of me!" His slender frame shivered at the memory. "They hunted me down quickly. I tried to fight back! God, I fought so hard. I managed to wound a few, but there were eight of 'em! I wasn't a match for them. And.... And then they said that... that I wasn't worth it."

"Wasn't worth what?" I asked, kneeling down to his level, his back now resting against the cold steel of the dumpster.

His eyes met mine. "That I wasn't worth... their time... to.... to kill. I've been lying here ever since."

My face went blank. Fucking raiders, who the fuck do they think they are?! I growled and stood up, helping the poor kid to his feet. It's my job to eliminate the trash in this world, and what better place to start then at the root of all trash. "You wouldn't by chance remember the direction they headed off, do you?"

He smiled softly, wiping the dried blood from the side of his mouth, then, taking his index, he thumped against the side of his head. "I can see the energies of everyone. Some are stronger than others, but I can find them. Why? You're not thinking of-"

"You just leave the thinking to me, boy. Lead the way."

He smiled and hugged me tightly around the neck before pulling away swiftly and taking off. "By the way, my name is Stevie. Now hurry up before you get left behind, kiddo."

"I'm older than you, damn it!" I yelled after him as I sped to catch up. If this kid keeps it up, I'm going to have to kill him. I smiled to myself, Maybe they're not all as bad as the bastards that turned me.

"So, tell me about yourself. Stevie, was it?" I asked teasingly, raising a slender questioning brow.

"You know my name!" He whined in front of me, his face turning towards mine and he briefly stuck his tongue out at me. "We're almost there, I can see their energy trails growing stronger by the second."

I grunted in acknowledgment, and he hesitated, but then asked, "Do you really think you can take them all?"

I smirked at his question. "Yeah, I think I can handle myself. When we get there, just stay back, I'll take care of them for you."

"Hey, I can handle myself! I can pitch in and-"

"No. Stay out of the way, I don't want to have to fight them and protect you at the same time, alright?"

I saw a look of hesitation in his large expressive eyes, like he truly didn't want to let me face this alone. However, he reluctantly nodded. He grew increasingly quiet as we made our way onward, with him pushing his young body even faster.

He held out a slender arm, stopping further progress as we came to a rather open grassy field, with a few trees scattered here and there. It looked like the park I was in earlier, maybe a different section, but it appeared deserted.

"Um, Stevie, are you sure that they're..." I trailed off, looking at him for confirmation.

"Yeah, they're really close by," he whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear. "Go ahead, just, be careful, okay?"

I smiled at him, then winked, earning a blush. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." I hopped out from our hiding spot and walked into the clearing. A very brash move on my part, but I highly doubted their skill level would match mine. I don't care how well they worked together. The strong always beat the weak.

"Welcome, fellow vampire," said a man who stepped out from the shadows, just as I had suspected. From the looks of him, I'd assume he was the ring leader. Five others appeared from all around me, their presence somehow hidden from me until they choose to unveil themselves. I studied them, and... the fuck?!

"W-What the hell?!" I stuttered as I came across the last three. The same three I ran into an hour ago. Lew, Tasha, and Jeff.

"Great job, Stevie," Tasha smiled behind me, and my eyes shot back at him. His gaze was locked on his feet, and I felt my blood begin to boil as everything began clicking in place. I could taste the bile rising in the back of my throat; it felt as if I had been punched in the gut. I don't know why, but I had trusted him. He was beaten, he needed help, so I helped him. And what'd that little fucker do? He stabbed me in the back! HE TOOK MY KINDNESS AND SHIT ALL OVER IT!

One of the no-named vampires piped up to my left, the cockiness just oozing from his every word. "Yeah man, we gonna fuck you up. Hey, let's see how much this guy is worth, eh?" I felt a strong surge in me, and I slammed my left foot down on the ground, creating a crack of unstable earth that lead to his direction, which he deftly jumped away from before he fell.

The three I had met prior to this moved to stand alongside their leader. I could already feel my eyes begin to glow red as my muscles twitched, waiting for the chance to just rip them to shreds. "This boy here," Jeff thumbed towards Lew's direction, "well, he can read minds. And not just any minds," he grinned, "vampire's minds as well."

"We knew who you were, what you are, what you've done, your intentions, everything." Tasha said smugly. "Did you know they've already dispatched hunters to find and eliminate you? If we got you first, the prize would be enormous. Our clan would be the envy of the five-state area."

"Who the fuck cares about your stupid clan?" I spat with distaste. "You guys are nothing more than fifth rank at best. What makes you think you could take me down?"

"Everyone has their weakness, an-"

"FUCK YOUR WEAKNESS!" I felt something deep inside of me snap, like a powder keg exploding from within; I felt a power surge through me that I had never before experienced. In an instant, I was side by side with Tasha, and it took everyone a full three seconds before they realized I had moved. With a swat of my forearm, I cracked it against the side of her skull, and sent her flying away. The unbridled speed and strength pulsated through me again, and I moved to where her body was flying towards. I dug my heel into the ground, acting as an anchor and pivoted, swinging my other leg up towards my head and down, making a sickening crunch as I made contact with her breast bone; her body smashed into the hard ground, sending the top soil up twenty feet into the air.

I turned towards them, a shower of dirt poured around me while a demonic smile played on my lips and long strings of saliva slid down my fangs. I pointed a single finger in the trio's direction, feeling the rush of immense strength tingle down to my fingertips, leaving me buzzing with something unexplainable, my hair stand stood on end, and, while I stood there, the two unnamed vampires moved in unison; they drove towards me, darting in and out behind the other with practiced skill.

For whatever reason, it felt like I was operating on a whole nother level, and as the two vampires ran towards me, it was as if they were moving in slow motion. I know they were not nearly as strong as some of the other clans. I've heard about the hierarchy of the thirteen clans, that each clan had six divisions, a leader in each, and a varying number members filling out the rest, depending on the size of the overall clan. These guys were division five at best. That being said, I knew they shouldn't be as bad as I was seeing them.

I hardly even pushed off, and I was already face-to-face with both of them, my fist making contact with the lead vampire's face, sending him flying backwards into his partner, who flew with him into a nearby tree. I leaped forward and hungrily latched onto one of their throats, while the other laid limp, his spine shattered from the impact.

A gurgled cry left his lips as I began sucking his essence from him, that ever-flowing red liquid, the nourishment of all life. It warmed me down to my core, stoking the fires inside me as his friends stood shocked, watching as helpless as the day they were born. I became so lost in the frenzy of stealing his life away, that I failed to notice Lew sneak up behind me, a shiv wielded in his hand, and he plunged it into the left side of my back. I reacted quickly, spinning around and kicking him away before it punctured my heart and chest cavity from behind.

Groaning, I removed the object without thinking, and fuck! That thing hurts worse when it comes out than when it comes in. His friends decided to take advantage of the situation, and I felt them rushing in to inflict further damage. A rule I learned very quickly in this world: do not rush into a situation without proper analysis, and never make a move until you had a good grasp on your enemy. They found out their mistake a little too late, as they all reached within the extent of my blood extra; their lower extremities got cut off, and they went crashing down to the ground in a pathetic heap.

Rule number two? Show no weakness, I thought to myself as I quickly and efficiently executed each of the last three remaining members. Their blood-curdling screams lasting mere seconds as I gave them a mercy of a swift death.

Speckles of red dotted my features as I turned ever so slowly to the spot where Stevie was rooted - frozen. I faltered, if only slightly. He stood with a look of horror locked upon his face, like he had just seen the devil or something similar. Who knows, maybe I was? I took long, careful strides, making my way over towards him, watching as his body posture shrunk further inwards, like he was trying to physically make himself disappear.

My hand shot out and grabbed him by the hair, jutting his head back against a tree, no doubt making his vision dance as I shouted angrily, asking him why he did this. I received no answer, which made me all the more infuriated, and flabbergasted. "W.... Why did you...?" I asked, my mouth gaping open as I struggled to formulate my words to express the betrayal I felt.

"I'm so sorry," he whimpered.

I stopped and fell to my knees, relinquishing my hold upon him. I buried my face in my hand as I sat there, hunched over, while Stevie took full opportunity to scurry away to a safe distance.

"Seth Khons, it's a pleasure to finally get the chance to meet you." A voice said from behind. I sighed and stood up. I felt so emotionally and physically drained, and they they just kept coming and coming... I just wanted to rest. For the first time since my birth into this world, I just wanted to lay down for awhile. However, rule number three: do not leave your back turned for too long, for that is surely the quickest way to find death.

I turned and took in the figure before me. He looked like a man in his early twenties, yet only came up to the height of my shoulders. He had short, spiked black hair, and dark, slanted eyes and a browned complexion. He looked like a miniature tank, not in the fact that he had an excessive amount of weight, but I could see his clearly defined muscles ripple underneath his skin, and his lower center of gravity just made it all the more apparent that he would be a very tough opponent to take down. However, I couldn't help but sneer at him as he looked impassively towards me. "Oh, what? Are you the captain of clan Seven? Come here to save your pathetic little friends? I'm afraid you're too late," I said, smiling, the taunt evident in my eyes.

"It matters not who I am, but I suppose it's polite to introduce yourself to the person you're about to kill." And although he said that, I could find no trace of cockiness, no smugness, in his voice. "My name is Fe'ai Yee. I am the former captain of clan Seven," he revealed, holding up the back of his hand, "and now am ranked with honor through the Elder's elite assassination group, although, I must say I'm still a novice compared to most of my brethren."

As soon as he finished, a large jet of flames burst from his mouth through the air, straight towards me. I dodged in time, only to find the heated air around the flame reached further than I anticipated, burning the flesh on my exposed arm and the right side of my face for my lapse in judgment. Of course he's going to be at a high level, he's a fuckin' assassin for the council of all vampires. There are no cream puffs, but fuck.. that was fast.

"Just straight to business, huh? I can respect that." I said, charging straight towards him in hopes to catch him off guard by the direct assault. Obviously, with his manipulation of fire, and the use of my extras, I needed to be in close proximity, which, in all likeliness, was his weakness as well.

I sent a flurry of fists and kicks towards him, trying to gauge my skill with him as the measuring stick in hand-to-hand combat. As he'd duck, I'd swing my leg out to knock him off balance, or to maneuver him back towards what I was trying to accomplish, and that was to rain my fists upon him. If I could work in through his defenses and just touch the back of his skull, I could re-wire his whole neuromuscular system and render him immobile.

I pressed him against the trunk of a tree, still not landing a punch or a kick; he dodged as I extended myself too far, leaving myself wide open for a counter, but he just rolled to the side and watched as the 40-foot tree I struck toppled over. I took the time to catch my breath as I eyed him with contempt. "What, do you think you're special or something?" I scoffed at him as I furiously wiped the sweat from my brow.

He just looked at me impassively as ever, his posture a complete opposite of mine. He held an air of stoicism; his breathing was calm and relaxed, ready for anything that might be thrown his way. A true warrior.

"Ready to conti-" Fe'ai stopped, a look of shock emerged on his face as I stared at him only a breath away, my hands on the small of his neck. He then dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground.

"Neat trick, isn't it?" I said with a smile, looking down at his prone form. "I fucked with your mind, to put it simply. You got within the range of my extra, I messed with your mind, made you see something that wasn't there. I used that advantage to mess with- guh!" I yelled out, small ribbons of blood and spit flew out of my mouth as he suddenly launched from his position, his fist finding its home in my stomach. Immediately my arms went to wrap around my midsection, and he followed up his attack with a round-house kick to the side of my head, sending me tumbling across the grass and crashing into one of the many park benches that lined the area.

My vision swam so violently that I had to shut my eyes. My mind reeled with the pain while my lungs burned, trying to recapture the lost oxygen that was forced out of them from the devastating punch that was delivered. It felt like I was blasted by thousand pound cinder bricks. I cracked an eye open, my vision still swimming; it was hard to get a handle on his exact location through the bloody haze. I felt my ribs burn as he landed a round of vicious kicks to my front side; I couldn't help but cry out as I helplessly laid there.

"You know," he said as he grabbed me by my hair and pulled until I stood up on shaky legs, "I was kind of hoping for more of a fight from you. I mean, I watched you walk through these guys, and everyone has heard by this point what happened to Chad and his small group." He paused, eyeing my battered form, and gave a shake of his head. "Pathetic," he finished, pushing me back down.

I could sense he already felt he won this fight, especially when I fell to the ground without striking out. "T-Tell me, how did you," I hesitated as I coughed, feeling a metallic tang in my mouth. "How did you.. recover..."

"So quickly?" He said with a quiet laugh. "I moved each part of my body only a minuscule amount while I was laying on the ground. You were too engrossed with your supposed victory. Are you following? It's like, well, take for example, telling my arm to bend now requires me thinking about flexing my foot downwards, but, I think I've already got the hang of it." He finished, moving around to accentuate his new mastery over his body.

I slowly got to my feet, surprised as ever that he let me, but as I did a quick assessment, I could tell why. Two bruised ribs, three fractured, two are broken, I paused as another coughing fit came upon me, resulting in more rivulets of blood seeping down my mouth. Most likely internal bleeding... ugh, fuck, I have to end this soon. I groaned as he launched himself at me, I barely managed to amounted a decent defense while he wailed upon me; I conjured up all of my mental strength, blocking out the pain as much as I possibly could, and even, surprisingly, getting a few blows in myself. He just shrugged them off though, like they were nothing. Like I was a mosquito and he was a full-grown man. Where was the feeling of immense power I felt earlier? Everything had slowed down, it was like I was super-human, even more so!

I was sent back again as he landed another strong kick to my midsection. My pulse strummed loudly inside of me, as I rolled onto a shaky kneeling position. I hadn't felt so helpless, so much worry and dread since I had met the demonic trio that night I was turned.

A glint of moonlight caught my eye as Fe'ai moved, wielding a diamond-encrusted shiv with expert precision, intent on piercing it through my chest. I cowered and screwed my eyes tight, tears streamed down my cheeks as I laid awaiting my fate.

A flesh-on-flesh sound resonated in my ears, and it took me a moment to realize that I wasn't dead yet. I meekly opened one eye, and balked at the sight I saw.

A large figure stood in front of me, his long red garment billowed gently in the wind, his auburn-colored hair wrapped in a ponytail down between his shoulder blades. The man gave off a strong sense of strength and authority, and looking past him, Fe'ai was gingerly holding his left wrist.

The large man looked down smugly at me. "Looks like you could use some help," he said lightly, his deep voice reverberating from his large chest. "Darren doesn't want you to die so quickly. He's quite pleased with your progression so far, however, it's quite obvious that you are still raw in some areas."

At that name I became enraged. Is that who he was? One of his lackeys?! "Fuck you! What do you know?! You haven't been watching me!"

He chuckled, "Oh, Seth, we're always watching. Now, the choice is up to you. Would you rather die at the hands of this man here?" He gestured, sweeping his arm out in Fe'ai's direction, "or do you want the chance for revenge?"

"And how do you plan to do that?" I asked, genuine curiosity, both in keeping my life, and the chance for revenge spurring me on.

"Well, I could kill this man here," he said with a smile, "and take you to someone who specializes in training Darren's people."

It's said in times of true desperation, a person's true colors are revealed. From the moment I was born into this world, my sole goal had been to get enough strength to kill those three. Maybe I had been too cocky to assume I could do it so quickly, and looking at Fe'ai, I knew I still had a ways to go. I knew that, but I really didn't want to accept that. On the other hand, what good is revenge if you're dead and can't exact it? The man who held the offer tapped his foot, and so, what choice did I have? I accepted.

Fe'ai must have grown impatient at the newcomer, because he sent strong fiery blast in our direction. With only a single hand raised, this... thing.. before me, blocked the blast without so much as a flinch.

"Are you that eager to die?" The man asked, settling into his fighting posture.

Fe'ai mirrored his movements, settling into a defensive stance of his own, and retorted from across the field that it was time for him to take things seriously.

"You won't have time," he murmured. I felt a tremor underneath the ground, and realized the immense power he was channeling was shaking the surrounding area, the air became abuzz with energy, and Fe'ai was locked, frozen, unable to move as a strong blue shining light began to form in front of the lackey in front of me.

"What are you?" Fe'ai grounded out through clenched teeth.

"I'm a nightmare for people like you." He said simply, unleashing the torrent of light, which pierced through Fe'ai's being, then dissipated as quickly as it came, leaving a gaping one-foot hole of destruction in his sternum.

I laid there in shock, my mouth open in amazement, and he simply chuckled as he looked back at my expression. "Tell me, what do you call yourself?" I said to the beast in front of me.

"Buluc. Buluc Chabtan." He responded, offering his hand, which I took hesitatingly, my body groaning in protest from the jostling movement of getting onto my feet. He placed his large paws on my shoulders, and his fiery red eyes locked on mine. A feeling of soothing warmth spread through my body, replaced by a tingling brisk sensation. It felt like icy-hot was pouring into my veins. I couldn't move though, he held me in that trance until it was finished, then he pulled away, smiling ear-to-ear.

Miraculously, my body didn't hurt anymore. The shooting hot pain, the burning strain I felt with the lightest intakes of breath, all vanished, replaced by a pool of dull warmth.

"Come, Seth Khons, take my hand," he said, stretching out the offering. "It's time to start anew."

I took it, but couldn't help but correct him. "You may call me Odin."

He chuckled. "By the end of your training, people will be calling you master."

"I'd prefer God," I said, lifting my gaze, staring into the dark night sky.

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Author Notes: Chapter two, wooooooooo, hopefully you enjoyed it. Expect chapter three to be a bit delayed, because, in this order, I'm going to update: Of Power, Glory, and Love, followed by A Physical, and then back to this. As always, comments are greatly appreciated.. because without you guys, I'm just writing to nothingness.

Another tidbit is: Buluc Chabtan was the Mayan war god, so that's where his name comes from.