chapter 2: Serana

He breathed in deeply, channeling his sorcery to its limits. Then, as if a dam had burst, he let it all out in one explosive moment. She was hurled across the chamber with such force that her body contorted and folded over itself upon impact. With a dull thud, she lay motionless on the ground.

Zellrid raced through the night with a surge of energy, away from the vampire. The solid ground thundered beneath his heavy steps as he ran further into the depths of the woods. Meanwhile, the vampire lady burst through the window like a black wave, dashing to an unknown destination.

Spurred on by a blazing fury, Zellrid tracked down the vampire to her cursed castle on the outskirts of town. With reckless abandon, he charged in, smashing traps and mowing down hordes of undead while he rampaged through its treacherous passages.

As he sauntered down the hall, zellrid felt an impending sense of danger. He was moments away from bringing this nightmare to a close and tasting sweet justice. But when he reached the chambers at the end of the hall, zellrid saw her—the cause of all his suffering. His nemesis stood menacingly in the room, sneering with contempt. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he rushed towards her—this was it; the final confrontation that would determine his fate!

She seemed to sense his presence and stepped forward, her fangs bared in a menacing snarl. Zellrid felt a surge of power course through him, and he stood ready to face her. He knew this would be the ultimate test of his abilities, but he was not intimidated any longer--instead, determination and courage coursed through his veins as he prepared to fight.

He stood tall with his hands raised high, and a blinding bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips. She threw up her arms in defense, but the light showered her body.

As they fought, lightning-like flashes of energy crackled in the air around them, power radiating from each spell cast. The air was thick with desperation as he shouted that this would be the end of her tyranny.

She laughed with a wicked glint in her eye as if she had some hidden knowledge. Then, like lightning, she whipped out her arm and lunged at Zellrid. He managed to dodge the attack just in time and retaliated with a spell that tossed her across the room with force. She collided with the wall, but before he could move again, she was back on her feet and sprinting towards him once more. Zellrid knew he had to end this battle soon.

He took a deep breath and started to recite an enchantment he had been practicing for ages. A malevolent aura sprung up around him as he muttered the incantation. Suddenly, the room shook intensely as dark energy blasted from his hands, striking the woman and causing her to fall back against the wall.

Once she had seemingly gone still on the ground, Zellrid cautiously stepped closer to make sure she was truly defeated. But just as he reached out to inspect her, she leaped back up alive, fastening onto his throat with amazing strength.

"Do you truly think you can beat me?" she snarled menacingly at him, her fangs close to his face. "I am invincible! I will always triumph!" Zellrid widened his eyes in fear, attempting to wriggle out of her grip. He could feel her fingers squeezing tighter around his neck, making it harder for him to breathe.

Panic clawed through Zellrid as the vampire woman's cold fingers bit into his flesh. He could feel her breath on his face, see her fangs ready to sink into his neck and drain him dry.

"You humans are so weak," she taunted, a smirk playing across her lips. Fear and desperation gave way to blind rage and with a fierce cry, he threw himself at her. She was taken off guard by his sudden ferocity and he managed to land some wild punches before she regained her composure. Despite his efforts, she still seemed to be enjoying herself, laughing at his desperate attempts to overpower her. But Zellrid refused to back down.

He kept coming at her, driven by an intense burst of energy that pushed away all other feelings and ideas. Despite the vampire woman's best efforts, Zellrid's onslaught was too much for her to handle. She started to move slower and more erratically as she tried frantically to dodge his attacks.

Finally, with a desperate cry, Zellrid drove his blade into her chest. As the vampire woman looked up at him in horror, it felt like time had frozen. Then, with a soft sigh, she crumpled to the ground, defeated.

As Zellrid saw the life force of his foe slowly slipping away, he felt a wave of relief wash over him and dulled the pain that had been consuming him. But his moment of triumph was short-lived; soon after, a jolt of agony crashed through the entirety of his body, reminding him how fragile his own life truly was.

He desperately tried to move his limbs in an effort to try and push himself up from the ground but nothing seemed to help - he was completely drained before even being able to fight any more opponents. He lay there on the cold ground, breathing heavily until eventually fatigue overcame him and dragged him into unconsciousness where darkness seemed never-ending.

As he slipped deeper into unconsciousness, Zellrid's mind was filled with horrific images from his past. Memories of his past when he was a kid who had been born with a mysterious ability to control lightning and the pain his family had endured they tried to keep him from harm. He remembered how he used to escape into the nearby forest, where he would find solace in wildlife, picking up wild strawberries for sustenance.

But what he remembered most was his mother. He thought back to her long black hair and that special shade of yellow in her eyes, the same color as the sunflowers that grew around their home. She would hug him close when danger was near, just like she had done during a fierce thunderstorm years ago.

In those fleeting moments with his mom, Zellrid felt safe—safe enough even to defy the darkness approaching them from all sides. But soon, the scene transformed from his old memories to something darker. He remembered clearly now: It was a beautiful day; the sun shone brightly in the sky, and the village of Zellrid sat on the border between Xerise and the Great Island.

The village was made up of small, humble homes built with wood and stone, surrounded by lush green fields and tall trees. The villagers were simple folk, living off the land and tending to their farms. They were all familiar with Zellrid's secret ability, but they welcomed him with open arms nonetheless.

Zellrid returned as an observer to the memory he was witnessing; none of the others seemed to notice him, yet what held his attention was their old house.

He spoke quietly to himself, wondering if he was in the afterlife. "Am I dead? Is this heaven?" As he walked through the village, memories of the people he'd once known flooded his mind. He trudged down the familiar street, passing each house with a heavy heart. With every step, he saw their faces and heard their voices in his mind, until the fleeting warmth of nostalgia was replaced by icy fear.

His stride stopped abruptly as reality crashed into him like an avalanche of ice. "No," he pleaded, desperation clawing at his throat. "Please don't do this to me. It can't be true!" Zellrid watched, his father strolled by with him when he was a kid.

His father was an unassuming man, pale-skinned and brown-eyed, with the same hairstyle as Zellrid. What's more, he was ill with a disease that robbed him of energy and caused him to cough violently at times. Kid Zellrid wore a vibrant yellow shirt with shorts; his hair was disheveled from playing outside. Zellrid remembered that day; it was the last day of his father's life.

As he followed his father and younger self down the road, Zellrid couldn't help but think of the happier times before that tragic day. He remembered the way his father would take him to the fields and teach him how to tend to the crops, the way his mother would sing to him as they cooked dinner together, and the way his younger siblings laughed and played.

But the most important lesson his father always imparted to him was the one he taught him on that very day:

" Choose the path of kindness and compassion, and you will find that your heart holds no space for enemies, only opportunities for reconciliation."

Zellrid watched as his father and younger self stopped by a field where a fellow villager was struggling to carry a load of hay.

Without hesitation, Zellrid's father joined in to help the man carry the bundle of hay. Kid Zellrid, following his father's example, also lent his small hands to assist.

They all worked together to get the job done, their efforts making the task much easier. When they finished, the neighbor showed his appreciation. "Thanks, Markul. You deserve this meat; take it home and enjoy it." Zellrid watched with a twinge of longing as his father and younger self walked away, carrying the meat that was their reward for their kind actions.

He wished he could turn back the clock and relive those moments again, to savor the shared joy that came from helping others. Zellrid was cognizant of what would happen as soon as the rain came and the villagers rushed for cover.

Except for young Zellrid, who was sneaking away with his wolf into the woods so they could pick the red strawberries like they usually did. As Zellrid followed his younger self into the woods, memories of that fateful day flooded his mind, and his heart grew heavy. He saw the way his younger self's face lit up with excitement as he and his wolf came across a patch of ripe strawberries, eagerly picking them and stuffing their faces with the sweet fruit.