[Vampire] 122. Execution - END OF BOOK 2 (Patreon)

As Vanity's fist connected with Prince August's ghoulish face, a sonic boom ruptured Damien's eardrums and filled his ears with a ringing sound. The force of the blow caused all the windows in the room to shatter, showering everyone with shards of glass. Damien watched as Prince August's face caved under the impact of Vanity's punch, sending him flying backward into the wall with a loud crash. While embedded into the wall, surrounded by pieces of brick, the prince's head hung low, blood pouring from his injuries.

All the Death Knights in the room seemed to pause, standing frozen in place like statues. Then, one by one, the six nobles who had been possessed by Prince August crumpled to the floor, their faces still missing. It was as if the strings that had been controlling them had been cut, leaving them lifeless on the ground.

Despite the severe damage to his body, Prince August's face began to regenerate, with strands of muscle writhing together like worms to repair the damage. However, it was clear that his injuries were too severe. His neck was broken, his face was smashed in, and he was missing the entire left side of his body, including his arm. The two green whisps in his eye sockets had dimmed and flickered in and out of existence. Damien was surprised that the prince was still alive in such a state.

Everyone paused, unsure of what to do. Vanity stood calmly in the middle of the room, shook the bits of brain and blood off her hands, and wiped her fingers clean with a handkerchief. Her face was stoic as she ignored the destruction and nobles staring at her.

Jannalor stood up, brushing off shards of glass from his clothes with an irritated scowl. Duke Hyde gave him a provocative smile which Jannalor ignored.

As everyone moved aside, the King walked toward his son, flanked by sentinels. Queen Kaylessa followed close behind, with Princess Emilia in tow.

"Maids, move that piece of desk and a chair in front of my son." King Edward said as he strolled forward. "And someone bring me a noble decree!"

As the maids cautiously approached Prince August with a surviving piece of a desk and a chair, King Edward turned to face all the still-standing nobles with a haunted expression. "As you have just witnessed, Prince August is an evil man and a practitioner of the dark arts. Therefore, without a doubt in my mind, I will disown my son and then have him executed for his crimes."

Edward raised a hand to silence the murmuring nobles. "The crimes include the murder of six nobles." Edward pointed to each of the corpses that had been puppets moments ago. "Instigating a werewolf attack that resulted in the death of Duke Ferdinand and Akna Yaeldrin. And finally, a death sentence for being a necromancer."

As Edward was about to sit at the desk, there was the noise of running knights down the corridor. A commander poked his head around the damaged doorway and announced. "Queen Elizabeth has been murdered!"

Edward paused mid-stride, and his hand started shaking as his face went pale. "She... My wife... is dead?"

The knight nodded solemnly. "Aye, my King. She was found in the last cell of the prison."

"Who killed her?!" King Edward roared. "Who dares?!"

"Prince August, my King." The knight bowed. "He was the last one seen with the Queen before she died."

Edward clenched his hands and gnashed his teeth. Then, he turned to the rest of the nobles and shouted, "I hereby disown my son. All those in favor, raise your hand."

One by one, everyone raised their hands in agreement. Even with everything that was happening, Duke Hyde seemed hesitant, but with everyone else's hand raised high, he eventually shrugged and raised his hand as well.

Edward hastily sat in the chair, and a maid approached, offering a blank noble decree. "Here you are, my King," she said, placing it carefully in front of his shaking hands.

Ripping a pen from the maid's hand, Edward angrily scribbled his son's disownment on the blank paper. Tears streamed down his face, blurring the ink and smudging the paper, but he didn't care. Apart from the King's heavy breathing and the sound of the pen scratching against the paper, the room was silent. Minutes passed as he furiously wrote until finally, he placed the pen down with a resounding thud. Standing up, he positioned his noble seal ring over the wax and punched down, sealing the document's contents and his son's fate.

Edward picked up the paper, cleared his throat, and loudly read the contents to everyone in the room.

"With this Noble Decree, I, King Edward Greentail, hereby disown my son, the First Prince August Greentail of Kassinki. He is banished from the Royal Family and will be forever an outcast."

King Edward's voice rang out through the room. "All those in favor of the execution of the now-disowned Prince August by a noble blade, let your agreement be known by a raised hand." He declared, his eyes scanning the crowd as he awaited their response.

Without hesitation, everyone's hands went up.

Edward's shoulders slumped as if a great weight had been lifted from them. Before continuing, he nodded slightly to Jannalor, the Princess, and Damien. "Naturally, with the execution and disownment of my son, Princess Emilia shall be proclaimed the crown princess." Apart from a few that gave a light smile, most of the nobles seemed greatly dissatisfied with this decision. But what could they do? Their faction leader lay almost dead on the floor, not even able to respond to their death sentence.

Damien carefully noted the dissatisfied nobles, especially Duke Hyde. When the Princess took the throne, he would need to carefully remove these individuals so she could rule in peace.

A group of sentinels surrounded Prince August, metal chains designed to stop magic were in their hands.

"Proceed," King Edward said, nodding to the sentinels. His eyes were red from tears, and in the span of just a few minutes, he had learned of his wife's murder and sentenced the killer—his own son—to death by a noble blade.

The sentinels obeyed, practically mummifying the half-dead prince in chains before carrying him off. The knights from the prison that were waiting outside went with the sentinels.

"The Prince will be executed tomorrow morning," King Edward said with a mixture of sorrow and relief. "That will be all. You are dismissed." He waved everyone away and began to leave, with a group of maids falling in line behind him. Some others rushed ahead to prepare for his departure. Princess Emilia followed closely behind, and Queen Kaylessa put a comforting arm around her husband, trying to bring him some solace.

After the King had left, a few nobles whispered amongst themselves, but Damien had no interest in their petty affairs. Instead, he turned to his sister with a barely-contained smile. "Shall we go?" he asked.

She silently nodded, her eyes never leaving the hold in the wall where the prince's body had been. "Weakling." She muttered as she strode past, a step behind Damien.

***

The following day, the streets were bustling with activity. Damien's face was set in a frown due to his restless night's sleep, and he struggled to suppress a yawn. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at his reflection in its polished gold surface. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, he had been looking at this very mirror with fear, unsure of how he would survive in this new world with no allies, no funds, and no one to rely on but himself and Fay. But now? He had amassed enough wealth to rival a kingdom, been promoted to Duke of Kassinki, and transformed Blackthorn into a town he could be proud of.

And today would be the end of a chapter. With the prince executed, the final loose end in the tutorial area would be tied up. Damien felt a mix of emotions as he set out on this fine morning, but that was alright. Sadly, due to the bright sunlight, Vanity and Olympia had chosen to remain home, so Damien would be the only one to witness Prince August's execution.

The bells had been silenced, despite the continued threat of the nonexistent werewolf. The King had decided to go ahead with his birthday celebrations anyway. As a result, Damien could see hundreds of Plague Doctors filling the sky, scouring the area for any sign of the werewolf.

"Perhaps this is the Kings plan to lure it out?" Damien muttered to himself as he tapped his chin in thought. He had the secretary and a small group of guards leading, but none reacted.

As Damien turned the corner, he was confronted by a packed city square. In the distance, the castle loomed, and on a pedestal, King Edward stood with the now-disowned prince beside him, bound in chains.

King Edward stood tall and resolute, his face set in a stern expression as he waited for the sentinel to approach. The sentinel, clad in gleaming armor, carried a silver sword in his hands, the blade glinting in the sunlight. He knelt before the King, offering the sword with both hands.

The King accepted the sword, his grip firm and steady. He turned to Prince August, who was still bound and kneeling at his feet. The prince glared up at his father with hatred in his eyes, struggling against his bonds.

The crowd roared as the King's voice was amplified by an artifact.

"Prince August, you have been found guilty of the murder of your mother, Queen Elizabeth, and have been sentenced to death," the King said, his voice carrying across the square. "Do you have any final words before your execution?"

"You will pay for this, Father," the prince snarled, his voice filled with venom. "All of this is your fault for trusting those vampires."

The King's face hardened, and he raised the silver sword above his head. "You were a foolish son to stand against me," he said, and with one swift stroke, he brought the blade down, slicing through the prince's neck in a single, swift motion.

The crowd roared as the prince's head rolled free from his body. The King stood stoic and silent as the sentinel disposed of the prince's remains by burning them with hellfire until nothing was left.

"Let this be a lesson to all who would seek to betray their family and their kingdom," the King said, his voice echoing across the square. "Justice will be served, no matter the cost."

With that, the King turned and strode away, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

Damien snapped the pocket watch closed in his hand with a heavy heart, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia wash over him. It was hard to believe that over a month of planning, and countless schemes had led up to this very moment, and now it was all over. As he gazed down at the watch, he couldn't help but wonder what the future held and whether his sacrifices would ultimately be worth it.

***

Deep in the woods between Kassinki and Oshal, inside an abandoned and run-down log cabin, a black gem glowed with an eerie green light. It was placed on a pedestal in the center of the cabin, surrounded by a pile of human bones. The gem pulsed with power as a human soul in the form of a tiny infant appeared within it.

The infant's soul grew in size, filling the gem until it eventually shattered into many pieces. The green light spilled out, and the bones around the pedestal started to rise and move. They came together, forming a human body as the green light flowed over them, morphing into flesh and blood. Finally, the skeleton transformed into a living, breathing person. The person took a deep breath and looked around, confused and disoriented.

As all his memories came flooding back, the young man with blonde hair and green eyes clutched his head. Viciousness filled his eyes as he remembered his execution and the vampire standing at the edge of the crowd, who had led him to a fate worse than death.

"Damien Nightshade..." The now exiled prince snarled. It took a while for him to compose himself and formulate a plan. Luckily, despite his mother's death and disownment, he still had a distant ally he had prepared for such an occasion. Asmodeus Henson, the third Duke of Oshal. With their strength combined, they could take over Oshal and then invade Kassinki to claim back his rightful throne.

"Just wait for me, Damien Nightshade." August grinned as he grabbed a travel bag that was stashed nearby and headed for the exit of the cabin. It was time to reclaim what was taken from him.

~ End of Book 2 ~

I will take a break from this series to work on my other two books for a while, so book three will start sometime in January! Thank you all for reading, and have a Merry Christmas! :)