8/n: Ah... A warning to those who are kind of religious... this story technically is something like a love story between a devil and an angel, meaning, i'm turning something holy and godly into uh... something dark and vampiric. if you donót like these kind of stuff. please don't read.
some might take offense on how i'm turning the angel into something quite dark as the story progresses.
this is a four part story and this is part one. part two should be up sometime next week.
the main character actually comes from one of my very old works called 'vampires point of view'. so know the general background of my main character's past, please read that. But you don't need to, actually (but it would be great if you do) since it's not co-related with this story... sort of.
ANYWAY! here's Masquerade of Innocence for you!
They say that a romantic relationship between a human and a vampire is one of the worst things that could happen to you. You'd be the outcast among vampires and it is said that a vampire that is shunned by his or her clan will fall into solitary depression and just die off. Slowly, the solitariness would drive them mad and when they've finally reached the brink of total madness, they will become an empty vessel and their body will rot until nothing of them is left except for their bones.
I've witness it. I've experienced it. I was close into becoming an empty vessel, my soul literally eaten away by the demons of despair. It wasn't because I was shunned. It was because I could not come to terms with what I have become and kept myself away from the others. Stupid me. But that's not what I am here to relate to you about.
Here's the question: what's even worst than falling for a human? Are there anything else than could be done that is far more worse than falling for a human? What's far more worse than having the knowledge that you'll go into a world where everything is in spirals and you'll keep on spinning until you drop dead?
Vampires, even we are afraid of death. Vampires especially, are afraid of being alone. We need to be in groups, to be in clans so that our misery and despair can be shared. But when you've fallen for an angel from heaven… now that is far more worse than falling for a human. I can vouch for that.
Angels… They are the beings of light - pure, holy, righteous. Something that all vampires yearn to be but never will and that made us hate them. They are also what vampires fear of the most - especially the ones we called the archangels. Sometimes they come down to earth in armies by the order of the heavenly God, with their holy swords and arrows in hand, ready to kill our kind, to 'rid the world of vampires' - the bringer and symbol of everything evil and sinister. To cleanse the world of the shadows of the dark.
To fall in love with an archangel, that was exactly what had happened to me.
It was during one of those sudden attacks and many vampires were killed in the process. Of course, I had my share of kills. Now being one of the oldest vampires among my clan, it was my responsibility to protect the young ones or as we call them - fledglings.
Truth be told, it was fun to kill those archangels. The pure ecstasy and rush of excitement just flows through my veins. The deeper I got myself into the perils of life and death, the more livid and alive I would feel. To feel the searing pain on my flesh as their sword sliced through my flesh was exhilarating. However, nothing can be compared to the sight of the angels dying by my hands as I thrust my long claws into them and watch their glowing silver blood covering my hands.
When all vampires had fled and the archangels had retreated, I was left standing alone amidst the piles of scattered dead bodies. Wiping away the blood from my face, I was ready to leave as well before the fire of hell and heaven come to engulf the bodies making them disappear into thin air. I wouldn't want to be caught up in the fire especially since I was still alive.
All of a sudden, and to my utter surprise, I heard a cough coming from the scattered bodies. Hoping that one of the vampires may have survived, I searched through the corpses, grimacing slightly at the sight of a few mutilated faces. My heart ached for them because they, despite being one of the most beautiful beings on earth - vampire or angel, it doesn't't matter - they died so morbidly and they look utterly horrendous.
Alas, I found the survivor. It was not a vampire, no, it was an angel. A female angel. Barely alive, almost dead. She was, however, still breathing and thus; I knelt down beside her. I brushed away the hair from her face and looked at her quietly with icy cold red eyes.
When she opened her eyes, I was immediately mesmerized. There was something about her that set her aside from the other angels that I had met. In her eyes, I saw pain, hatred, sadness and perhaps, the terrible urge to die. What an odd feeling to be radiating from an angel, I thought to myself and yet, it was because of these feelings that I was ultimately drawn to her.
Her dried lips parted and her voice was hoarse as she spoke, "How ironic is it? I'm the one hoping to die in this battle, and here I am, still alive."
I blinked at her in astonishment and she laughed - or rather, croaked. "Surprise that an angel would say that?"
"You're different…" I pointed out which earned me another croaking laughter.
"I guess I am." she muttered. "Never mind. The fires of heaven and hell are coming. Hurry up and kill me, then be on your way. You look like an elder. You still have fledglings under your care. They would be lost without you."
I couldn't help but let the corner of my lips quirk upwards but I knew that she must die and I could not let her live. If anyone was to know about it, especially my men, I would lose their respect and power of total control over them and that, I cannot afford to lose.
"If we had met under different circumstances, I'd make you my lover. You interest me." I said and she smiled in amusement.
"Ah… yes. That would have been great. An angel and a vampire. I wonder how would things turn out." she looked into my eyes and again, I was captured by the deep sense of darkness that I see in her soul.
After that, we said nothing. I raised my hands above her as my claws came into view once more. When she closed her eyes and held her breath, I plunged my hand down towards her neck for a fatal blow. Then, something really funny happened. Once the tip of my claws touched the soft dirtied skin on her neck, I stopped. My hands couldn't move or should I say, I couldn't bring myself to kill her.
That made me utterly annoyed. I cursed as I tried again. I still couldn't bring myself to kill her.
A second or two passed and the angel opened her eyes. This time, I could see anger radiating from her beautiful gorgeous blue eyes. "What the bloody hell are you waiting for? Kill me damn it! Kill me! Is it so hard for you to kill?! You're a vampire for god's sake! You LIVE to kill!"
She grabbed my hand and tried to force my claws into and through her neck. She was, however, terribly weak and I easily overpowered her and withdrew my hand. I allowed my claws to shrink back into normal white nails.
"You are hopeless…" she muttered and I shot her a glare.
"I thought you should be pretty much dying. How can you talk so much?"
"Sorry to burst your happy bubble. But I doubt I'm going to die. I just feel lethargic… give me half an hour and I'm back to my full bright happy glow." she spat at me, her words dripping with sarcasm.
I looked ahead and saw that one of the bodies has already begun to burn. Panic rose from the pit of my stomach. I bit my lower lip and started debating against myself whether or not to save this little wretched angel or to let her die as she wished by the fires of heaven and hell. I looked ahead again and saw that more bodies were beginning to burn. If I don't leave soon, the same fire will engulf me and it's not something I'd want to experience - being burnt alive. Taking in a deep breath, I quickly picked the angel up, ignoring her fiery protests. She wasn't heavy; then again, angels are pretty light.
"What are you doing, you spawn of the devil! Let me go and fulfill my last wishes! .DIE!" she gasped trying to steady her breath.
"On the contrary, you're too interesting. I can't let an angel with darkness in her heart die just like that. No, it'd be such a pitiful waste." I said in a clipped voice once we were far away enough to be safe from the fires. I looked her as she rested her head on my chest. She was still in my arms, an angel carried by a vampire - bridal-style as a matter of fact. I wondered what I should do with her and decided that clearly, I could not bring her back to my group. So instead, I brought her to a hotel - expenses paid by me of course. (I'd have you known; we vampires are pretty much filthy rich)
As I laid her down on the soft white bed, only then did I notice the sound of her steadying heartbeat, which was growing stronger by the minute. I started to regret having saved her for she might very well kill me once she's fully recovered and I was still exhausted from the battle and the whole running-away thing from the fire - might I add that I was carrying her while I ran? Clearly, if a fight occurs, she could easily kill me within minutes.
Figuring that it was best to leave her alone and get the hell out of there, I hurriedly walked towards the door. The moment I laid my hands on the doorknob, the angel spoke form behind me, "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I honestly don't give a damn about the whole 'cleansing the world from the seeds of evil' thing. I just joined the army of archangels, hoping that I could probably die quicker this way. Looks like I'm wrong."
I turned around and stared at her. "Are you really an angel?" I asked, eying her suspiciously.
She shrugged. "I have white wings if you want to see them. I do have the glowing light around me, although humans can't see it - but I'm sure you can right? I live in heaven and my blood is silver in color. So yeah, technically, I'm an angel."
Her attitude sparked more interest in me. Letting go of the doorknob, I walked towards her and sat down by the side of the bed. "An angel with darkness in her heart…" I whispered.
She let out a mirthless laughter. "I wouldn't exaggerate it till that extend. Maybe it was because I got fed up with all the pretentious heavenly beings up there. Or maybe it was because after observing your kind, I was unconsciously drawn into your world and perhaps, the spirit of darkness that is so heavily tainted in your kind just seeped into me."
"So you're saying it our fault?" I frowned at her.
"Indirectly, yes."
I sighed and stood up. "Whatever it is, I don't bloody care. I've already went against the Laws of Darkness by saving one of the beings of Light. I don't think it'd be wise for both of us to stay close to each other any longer. I suggest that once you've recovered, you should return to heaven. I've already paid for your expenses in this hotel. After tonight, lets hope that we'll never meet again. Goodbye."
Once again, I tried to leave. Before I could do anything or even noticed what was going to happen, the angel was on her feet and quickly, she grabbed hold of my arm with both hands. Startled, I looked at her and my eyes widened at the sight of the tears. Do angels even cry?
"What are you doing?" I questioned her in a monotonous voice.
"I-I don't want to go back to heaven…"
"You're insane."
"Please! Let me stay with you!" she begged.
She was beautiful - this wretched angel. Again, the yearning for her filled my heart. I tilted her head up by her chin to take a better look at her. "You would have made a fine vampire if you weren't an angel." I found myself commenting. Both of us knew what was the definition of a 'fine' vampire was. The beauty and magnificence of a vampire was determined not so much by his or her outlooks but by how much darkness and evil was reflected in her eyes. It's the sorrow that radiates from a vampire that makes him or her beautiful.
This time, she was the one who was startled and for an instance, I could feel that she was afraid. Abruptly, she released my arm and took a step back. I smiled inwardly. Although she was different, she was still an angel nonetheless and the idea of an angel being related to a vampire in whatsoever sense was still a terrifying thought to them.
"I-I'm sorry. You're an elder and that's too much to be asked of you."
Looking at her distraught figure, I gave in. "I have an apartment somewhere nearby. I don't usually live there since I'm always with my clan so I guess you can stay there." The angel looked up at me with wide hopeful eyes as her soft lips curved into a beautiful smile. For the love of Satan, I had to suppress my terrible urge to taste her lips. "I'll pass you some cash once in a while and I just presume that you'll adapt yourself to the ways of human life. I don't intend to save you if you end up in any kind of trouble."
She nodded her head and threw her arms around me neck. I was literally caught off guard and stumbled onto the ground. "Get off me." I said angrily and shoved her away.
She fell backwards, threw her head back and laughed. "Don't worry. Just give me a place to live and some cash. If you give me those two, I doubt you'll be hearing from me anytime soon."
I let out a grunt and pushed myself up on my feet. "Just stay here for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow when the sun sets. I need to return now for the sun is rising. Again, goodbye."
The angel smiled and just before I closed the door behind me, I heard her say, "My name's Ariel!"
So, her name's Ariel… I thought. I made no gesture to indicate that I have heard her and once the door finally clicked shut, I buried my face in my hands.
I am an elder, the leader of one of the strongest vampire clans. Now here I am, saving an angel and to make matters worst, I think I've bloody fallen for her…
A/N: uh... reviews?