"Gahhhhhhhh!!"

Ezekiel was awakened by an immense amount of light magic purging the darkness magic coursing through him. The Vampire opened his eyes. A bead of sweat dripped down his face as he looked around frantically. The first thing he noticed was his location; Orias village. He was tied to a stake with rope that he couldn't seem to break out of no matter how hard he tried to. His strength seemed to be gone- not that he was physically strong anyway. A lot of other mages he took note of were far stronger when it came to physical strength- like Erebus, for example. Around the Vampire was a total of five shamans with the six one standing directly in front of him. The feathers on her head were more colorful, brighter, and longer so it was safe to assume that she was the one calling the shots.

"Such a beautiful, vile creature you are." She began. Her voice was shaky and raspy. Her eyes revealed nothing other than anger. She glared into the Vampire's eyes as if he had done something to her. Ezekiel frowned. One moment he was fighting masked assassins and the next moment he was here. He had no idea that the fighters of Orias village were so tactical. In fact, he had no idea that Orias Village had fighters at all. "I am unsure why I'm being held captive in your village but I assure you...if you don't release me now-" He began calmly. "You'll continue to feed on human blood? Slaughter innocent people? Destroy families? Tch. You are an evil that must be purged. The ancestors have spoken. My people will no longer bow to the Syndicate."

Ezekiel clenched his jaws. The shaman raised her hand and again light engulfed his entire body. "Gggrrraaaaghhhh!!" He yelled. When the light faded he dropped his head. "You wrinkled old wench... I swear to the gods, when I am released I will show no mercy to your village. You will NEVER know peace again. I will rip your people limb by limb and feed on your children. So help me gods, I will commit sins that I will never be able to atone for...and I will keep you alive to watch." Zeke lifted his head and hissed at the woman. His eyes flashed a vibrant ruby red color and he revealed his fangs. "And that is why you must die!" Her voice boomed. Slowly she moved closer towards the weakened Vampire, then placed her hand gently upon his cheek. "You are a disgrace to the elves. An abomination of nature. It is you who will never know peace. You gave up your peace when you decided to embrace this evil bestowed upon you. You are a danger to humans, you are a danger to yourself and you are a danger to your SON."

"...My son? ...Tahahahahahahaha! Have you lost your mind, human?" Ezekiel laughed. "I have never in my mortal life shared a bed with a woman." The Shaman smirked but didn't say a word. "Or perhaps you mean in my possible future. Will I adopt?" He snickered. Ezekiel was convinced that she was deteriorating from the inside out. Perhaps all that sacrificial magic was taking a toll. The woman merely laughed, lightly patting the Vampire's cheek. "I see... Someone has stolen your memories. I'll fix that." The woman began chanting in a whisper. The palm on Ezekiel's face began to glow a minty green color. For a moment the Vampire Lord felt no pain. It was as if the world came to a halt. The winds simmered down, the animals of the forest came to a hush and there was only...silence.  The brown headed creature of darkness glared at the ground beneath him as images of someones life appeared in his mind. Slowly he brought his eyes to meet the shamans.

"What is this." Ezekiel muttered with a frown. He was unable to believe that these memories were his own. He had no memory of sleeping with any woman before becoming a vampire. It was impossible that he could have a child...yet for some reason these images that had been flashing in his mind felt authentic. They gave him a mixture of emotions that he couldn't explain. There was a Bellan woman. He suddenly remembered her touch...her scent, her smile. He remembered the tender moments they shared and the pain they'd endure for each other. He remembered meeting her... and he remembered the moment they separated. Then, he saw the truth. The Vampire pulled his head away from the Shaman's hand. "Enough!" He boomed trying to keep the tears from falling. "This is impossible. I was beneath the ground for one hundred years..." Though he was talking to his new enemy, he was obviously only trying to convince himself.

But then it hit him. Normally when one emerged from the grand-rising ceremony, they were filled with an unimaginable amount of power but Ezekiel- when he awakened- was still fairly weak. "I don't know what illusions you have corrupted my mind with, but this means nothing to me." The Shaman was expecting him to breakdown so he had to stay strong. "Doesn't matter what you believe, you won't live to find the truth." Then, the elderly Witch threw her hand up using light magic to harm him. From the tips of his feet, golden light began to coat his body, slowly climbing up his legs. The Orias Shaman turned to face her peers and nodded. "It's time." The Shamans moved closer towards their shared enemy and chanted words from an ancient language unknown to even Ezekiel. The light turned from a crisp golden color into a blinding white and the pain was far worse then before. "Mmmph." He growled, trying to keep from screaming. He wound not give these bitches the satisfaction. Was this really the end for him? There was absolutely no way for him to escape.

The worst part about this was knowing that he'd never get to meet his son. Out loud it was hard for him to admit that these memories mattered. Although his memories were thrown back into his thick skull only moments ago, he remembered the excitement he once felt when he found out he was going to be a father. He wondered what his son was like today. Noble and righteous like he once was, perhaps. Ezekiel could only hope that humanity hadn't ruined him. Earthland was a cruel and cold place...it could turn even the most heroic men into bloodthirsty villains. The Vampire shook the thought out of his mind for now. He couldn't think like that. He fought this hard to stay alive against High Elves. These dying shamans shouldn't be too hard. The Vampires eyes zigged and zagged searching for a means to break free.

"With this magic, your power will be sealed forever. You will not be able to speak, or move ever again. What I am giving you is much, much worse then death. You will watch as the world continues on without you, unable to free yourself in life or in death, Unable to use your silver tongue to get your way." The elderly woman said. Her wrinkled smile filled Ezekiel with burning rage. He didn't understand why she chose him out of all of the Syndicate. "You are the price to our freedom...and our buyer will make certain that suffer for all of eternity."

So this was it huh? This was the beginning of the end for the Desiertan Vampire. Defeated and right when the vampire had finally accepted his fate, something happened. An arrow zipped through the sky from behind one of the shamans, shooting one straight through the back of their skull. The Elder Shaman and her peers turned quickly to see where the arrow came from. "Who's there!?" She shouted nervously. Did the fallen elf have a hero? Then, about four more zipped through the air and struck four more of them through their bodies. The shamans fell in agony, causing their spell to completely stop. "Haaaaaaaa!!" The sound of a madman came from above, belonging to an Elven warrior who had currently been falling from the sky. "If it's not one thing, it's another.." Ezekiel smirked.

The elf fell onto one of the shamans, and struck his blade into their back. The last remaining three shamans raised their hands towards the mysterious elf. He stood facing them bravely. He wore a long black leather coat but even then Ezekiel could see how toned he was. Yet his toned body wasn't the most amazing thing about him. You see, this elf wasn't any ordinary elf... he was "A High elf?" The three shamans stood together, only about 2 feet apart from each other. "I don't know who you are, but I can't allow you to take this beast." She stated in a shaken tone. The mysterious elf wasted no time in retaliating. He raised his hand and threw about six ninja stars towards the shamans.  

The Shamans braced, and lifted their hands to defend themselves against the weapons thrown at them. The emanated a mint green energy that created a small shield around their hands. Fortunately for them, they were the target. The ninja stars soared beyond, cutting the ropes that bounded the Vampire to the stake. "Hm." He smirked as he fell to his knees. The magic used on him was still climbing up from his legs. Soon it would consume his entire body. Even though his legs felt almost nonexistent he knew he had to act. Ezekiel dashed forward, throwing his hand into the backs of two shamans besides the grand shaman, gripping the hearts of his enemies. However, he didn't pull. Everything in him wanted to rip their hearts out of them, but now was the time for bargaining. The leader of the shamans; the woman who was keen on ending the life of the Dark One, slowly turned around.

"Leave them! It's me you want." Even as Ezekiel could smell the fear soaked in her skin, she stood bravely. It made him smile. It was no fun if he didn't have to break her. The elf who saved the bloodsucking fiend made his way over, watching the two interact. "Actually, it's all of you..." He began as his face straightened. "Today, however, I'm feeling merciful. So, remove this spell and I'll let you live." The woman glanced at her two companions. They were stuck with their mouths open in pain. A moment passed and she still hadn't decided. "The longer you wait, the worse it'll be for them." She shook her head with a frown. "You're lying."

Ezekiel scoffed. Well, since she thought he was lying... "Okay." he said as he ripped out the heart of one of the Shamans. With a devilish smirk he held the beating bloody heart in his hand. The woman gasped, then fell to her knees to comfort her friend in his final moments. "No!" Ezekiel rolled his eyes. "Make your decision, before I make it for you." The woman looked up at him, her anger magnified and rightfully so. Right about now she probably wanted to take the risk and attempt to kill him herself. Too bad Ezekiel had a High-Elf looking out for him for some reason. Speaking of which, the man stood with his arms crossed just watching. Zeke glanced over at him and nodded. Who was this person?

"Fine, fine! I'll release you from the spell." She finally said. "Good. Now, who is this person that you would so foolishly risk your life for? Who wants me?" The woman growled. She knew though, that if she refused to tell the vampire then she and her friend would perish.

The man with Ezekiel's arm in his back struggled to stand. His heart pulsed in the vampires's claws. One wrong move and he was dead. Although he didn't always enjoy violence, he was aroused to see that the Shaman regretted ever standing against him. There was fear in her eyes. Sure, he wasn't the strongest mage in Fiore, but he was an important person to someone. The gods were with the former elf. They granted him allies of the unknown and power. That alongside his talent for getting things done he was practically unbeatable in this game of life. "He doesn't have a name..." She muttered. The High Elf slowly began to move forward. He too, seemed interested in what the human would say. Zeke loosened her grip, then glanced at his legs. With a grunt she raised her hands and focused her energy towards his legs. In a matter of seconds, the magic vanished.

"Mmm, thank you. Much better. I advise you to continue, you're really running out of time now." He blinked. Quickly he glanced at the High Elf who had also been looking back at him. The two were trying to read each other. "He doesn't have a name, but he's just like you. You're both elf-turned vampires, or Sanaedhel as they would call it. I don't know what he wanted you for but chances are it was something important. So you see...even if I don't do my part he's still going to kill you." Ezekiel nodded. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see about that. Thank you for your time."

In all his years of living, Ezekiel had never lied on his word. Even if the promise would have been his own life, he would have happily died for his honor. Alas, now things were different. Unbeknownst to him, he was a father. Lying meant survival. Without a moments notice, he snatched the heart out of his enemy's body. Their body hit the cold grass cushioned floor with a thump. "N-no! You gave me your word!" The elder looked up at the predator, trembling in a mix of multiple emotions. Zeke clenched his jaws and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry..." He began as he slowly moved towards her. The hopeless woman fell to her knees, sobbing. "We are enemies, you and I. If I allow you and your people to live, who's to say you won't conspire against me again...and succeed?" He spoke softly. When he finally reached her, he lowered himself onto one knee.

The High Elf continued to silently watch. "Delivering you to death is the only act of kindness I can show you." The elder looked up with reddened eyes and soaked cheeks. With nothing more for them to say to each other, Ezekiel opened his mouth and latched onto her neck, draining her of every ounce of blood in her body.