``The Final A s s u l t``

[Shin-sama]

//OOC: This is the account of Vlad's final hours, narrated by Radu, as he was chased up the Carpathian Mountains to the scene of his death. Oh, and this is Part I. Part II will be told in Vlad's perspective.//

All around the sky was draining of color, the air growing pale and bloodless, as the dying circle of the sun finally disappeared behind the crags. Beyond the castle, which now lay in ruin, the range of the Carpathian Mountains rose into the distance, like mighty clouds frozen into lonely monoliths below an infinite heaven. I could only gaze at the vast expanse of the snow-laden conifers that eventually gave way to the treacherous precipices of the summits with a sick heart the task I must carry out.

I had come here with a singular purpose in mind, which was to destroy the monster my brother had become. Our feelings of kinship and brotherhood had been replaced by intense hatred as the die had been cast and fate had severed our bond by setting us on different paths. We no longer acknowledged each other as brother, but enemy. There was nowhere for Vladislaus to escape to now, except the mountains.

But as I began my ascention, I experienced a great conflict in my soul. The person - the creature - that I intended to murder was perhaps the last known relative to me. But then I recalled with horror how savagely and brutally he had murdered my men, and thus my passion hastened my steps through the bitter snow. Slowly, evening was giving way to night, and I realized that this was Vladislaus's advantage over me as a child of darkness.

Nevertheless, I perservered onward with justice and vengeance in my heart. I was, however, not without fear. In the darkness of the night I could hear wolves howling, and my heart began to palpitate in a sense of dread.

But I must not fail. I cannot allow the Un-dead to escape. Gradually, the ground beneath the snow became hard and rocky, and I began to suffer from the elements as well as the effect of the high altitude. Presently out of breath, I stopped and leaned against a tall pine, gazing at this frightening world of ice and snow, moonlight and shadows. It had also become very silent.

Above me, the summits of the Carpathians rose ever higher and stood watch like malignant sentinals over the land of Transylvania, a land deeply rooted in superstition and myth. I shuddered with a fresh sense of horror at how real these nightmare stories were. The trees seemed to sigh their agreement as chilling winds stirred the top-most branches. My strength now sustained from the brief repose, I continued my pursuit in earnest.

*Note: WIP [will be finished later]