Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

When Raegar heard this, he stood transfixed, staring at the Vampire girl, approaching the fiends. As she got close, the air suddenly felt like icy dread descended onto the battlefield, just as a quiet storm does.

Her green eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, her deathly aura weaving around her like a veil, transforming the battlefield into a grim stage. The Devils faltered; they shrank back as an unknown power pressed against their instincts.

A scornful curl of her lips, Dominique's voice sliced through the stillness as she pointed at the undead figures the fiends summoned. ''You think these pathetic zombies bother me? You think you can fight me!'' She calmly said..

He watched her smile turn evil, as her aura suddenly flared beyond anything he felt from her since their meeting. ''You fiends have no understanding of Death and all its machinations like I do, I've experienced that special touch and lived it for years.''

Raegar felt her power skyrocketing to Tier Five, but there was something behind her that was much worse, something that made him shiver. Drusilla quickly flew into his pocket to rest while Selene supported Zahara as she trembled in fear.

''What's that horrible feeling?'' the blonde questioned. ''It feels like I'm standing in front of a predator.''

Before anyone could reply, Dominique stopped walking. ''Now let me show you what true Death looks like.''

Her tone dripped with venom as she raised a hand, her fingers tracing intricate runes in the air that blazed powered by necrotic energy. Raegar's eyes widened, his voice a hushed murmur of awe. ''She's a powerful Necromancer, a master of the dead!''

The earth shuddered, fracturing beneath her as a black portal ripped open, its churning depths swallowing all light. Dominique's smile broadened. ''With the greatest respect, I present my Death Knights.''

Raegar felt the air grow heavy thanks to the aura of Death as the portal pulsed. His breath caught, his pulse hammering as three figures emerged, each radiating an aura that made his skin crawl.

The ground trembled beneath their steps, the necrotic Aether crackling like a storm about to break. First came the Death Knight, a towering figure clad in blackened plate armor that seemed to drink in the light.

Its helmet glowed thanks to its twin embers where eyes should be, and the massive runeblade slung across its back hummed. Each step caused the earth to groan under its weight, as if the world itself recoiled from its presence.

Next was a Banshee, her form ethereal yet chillingly vivid. Her body shimmered with a sickly green glow, her gown trailing like mist. Her face, beautiful yet twisted into a silent scream, and her hollow eyes locked onto him, sending a shard of ice down his spine.

A wail seemed to echo in his skull, promising torment. Last was a strange Maid, and Raegar's gut twisted at the sight of her. She looked human, almost. Her skin was too flawless, her movements too precise, like a marionette guided by unseen strings.

Her dress, pristine and black, and her serene smile held a wrongness that made his instincts scream. Her eyes, flat and unblinking, betrayed no soul, only an abyss of dark intent, causing him to think. 'Is she a zombie? I don't know.'

Dominique's warm tone cut through the oppressive silence. ''Behold my Tier Ten champions, Raegar. Death's finest instruments and three of the closest people that have ever cared for me.''

Raegar's mouth went dry. He couldn't tear his eyes away, knowing he was staring into the heart of her power. 'No wonder she's the black sheep,' he wondered. 'There's nothing wrong with using Necromancy; this power is amazing.'

His eyes widened when Dominique's undead unleashed their wrath. The trio moved, carving through the enemy horde like a scythe through rotten wheat. The Death Knight led the charge, its runeblade a blur of dark steel that sang.

A wave of zombies lunged, their decayed limbs clawing mindlessly, but the knight's blade cleaved through them, severing torsos and heads in a spray of blood. Moments later, a Devil roared and hurled a bolt of hellfire.

The knight didn't flinch; it raised a gauntleted hand, and the fire dissipated against a shimmering shield of necrotic energy. With a single stride, it closed the distance, impaling the fiend through its chest.

Raegar smiled as the creature's scream died as the runeblade twisted, and its body crumbled to ash. The Banshee glided above, her wail now unleashed, a piercing shriek that shattered the minds of the undead.

Zombies froze, their hollow eyes bursting under the sonic assault, collapsing into heaps of lifeless flesh. A Devil tried to flee, but the Banshee's ghostly claws raked through its essence, shredding its soul.

The Banshee's laughter echoed as the Devil's body plummeted, before it hit the ground. Her eyes glowed brighter, feeding on the despair she sowed. Following that, the Maid unnervingly wove through the chaos.

A pack of zombies shambled toward her, but her hands flicked outward, and thin, razor-sharp threads of shadow erupted from her fingers. The threads sliced through the undead like wire through paper, reducing them to quivering chunks in seconds.

''What the fuck is she!'' he muttered in shock at the three Death Knights.

A Devil charged, its claws aimed for her throat, but the Maid's smile never wavered. She sidestepped with inhuman speed, and a needle-like blade materialized in her hand, plunging into the fiend's skull.

It fell, twitching, as she wiped the blade clean on her dress, her expression unchanged. The Death Knights didn't just fight, they dominated, their movements a brutal symphony of destruction.

The zombie horde, once numbering in the hundreds, was now a field of dismembered remains. The devils, arrogant in their infernal might, were reduced to cinders and broken husks.

Dominique stood at the battlefield's edge, her arms crossed, her smile one of cold satisfaction as her champions painted the ground with death. As the last Devil fell, its body bisected by the Death Knight's blade, the Banshee's wail faded, and the Maid's threads retracted.

Following that, the trio turned, their deadly gazes locking onto Raegar for a fleeting moment. His blood ran cold. This was no mere victory, it was a statement, a glimpse of the unstoppable force Dominique wielded.

They moved to confront him, but the Vampire's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. ''Leave them alone. Anyone else is yours to hunt.''

As Raegar watched them disappear into the distance, seconds later, the chilling screams of devils pierced the air, snapping his gaze to Selene and Zahara, the blonde who had collapsed, overwhelmed by the otherworldly horror they'd witnessed.

At that moment, Dominique materialized before them, her presence altered, radiating an unsettling aura. Raegar's instincts screamed of danger, yet her voice, low and haunting, cut through the tension. ''Do I repulse you, Rae?''

His gaze locked onto hers, blinking, he shook his head and answered honestly. ''No. You captivate me, Domi.''

Dominique softened, a faint tremor betraying her waning strength as she came down from the peak of her power. ''May I… drink your blood, Rae? This ability drains me.''

Raegar didn't hesitate and summoned his dagger, its blade glinting as he sliced his palm, grimacing as his skin sliced open, causing the girls to yelp. Selene went to stop him, but he reassured them. ''I'm fine, ladies, this is nothing to me now.''

Extending his hand to the Vampire, he met her gaze. ''Biting the neck feels too intimate. Will my hand do?''

Dominique's eyes widened, a mix of hunger and restraint, lingering on the blood pooling in his outstretched palm. The air around them crackled thanks to the unspoken tension, and the distant shrieks of the Devils finally faded.

Her grey fingers twitched, hesitating, as if wrestling the primal urge deep inside her while biting her bottom lip, which he loved. Slowly, she reached for his hand, her touch cold yet gentle, like moonlight on frost.

''Rae,'' she murmured. ''You offer this freely?"

Her gaze flicked up to meet his, searching for any trace of doubt. Raegar nodded in confirmation. ''I do. You need it. I trust you, Domi.''

With a slow nod, Dominique brought his palm closer, her lips hovering just above the offering. Her breath brushed against his skin, sending a shiver up his spine as she pressed her mouth to it, her eyes fluttering shut as the first taste of his blood touched her tongue.

A soft hum escaped her, a sound both grateful and ravenous, as her strength visibly began to return. Raegar watched, his heart pounding, not from fear but from the strange intimacy of the act.

He glanced at Selene, who was caring for Zahara, still unconscious on the ground, the blonde's chest rising faintly until her grey eyes fluttered open as she mumbled. ''What happened? All I heard was a horrible scream that knocked me out.''

Dominique pulled back after a moment, her lips stained red. She licked the last drop from her mouth, then pressed her thumb gently against his wound, as if to seal it with some unspoken magic.