God Rising: Battle of Atela

After another day of intense training, Vincent made his way back to his room. He stumbled across a figure in his room and he smiled. He still had energy to have a little satisfaction that night, and he wasn't going to miss it.

"You're prepared this evening, aren't you Felicia." Vincent admired the made-up face slave under the blanket. For the first time he met her waiting on the bed for him.

"Yes, master" She watched him undress and soon he was by her side.

"I like your face." Only curses and lies came out from that mouth of his, but she had to pretend as if she believed his compliment.

The second he flicked her over, she buried a knife into his stomach, but stopped at the hilt. Her eyes met with the surprised look on his face, and when he groaned, joy and satisfaction overwhelmed her.

She had been ready with the weapon the whole time, and after planning so long it actually worked.

"Freedom!" The first words that came to her mind as she shoved him aside. It was hard to get him off her, but a little more pressure rolled him to his side.

Her heart was pacing fast. She heaved as her hands met with the handle of the door. She expected it to open, but she realized he'd locked it before walking in.

"Keys, keys, keys—" she repeated to herself as she looked back at the corpse on the bed. "I just have to get the keys" Simple as it sounds.

She turned him over, and her stomach twisted the moment she noticed he wasn't bleeding even though the knife was in him.

She slowly moved back as tears escaped her eyes and ran down her blanched face "Just what are you?"

Vincent wiggled his toes as soon as his feet contacted the rug on the floor. He stood up afterwards and did a brief stretch before turning his bloodshot eyes to the trembling slave by the door.

He pulled out the knife at his abdomen then hurled it away "Felicia..." he cooed as he approached with a malicious smile on his face.

The girl clawed at the door, banged it, and screamed for help, hoping someone or something would come to her aide.

"Quiet!!!" She heard that boisterous voice from the side of the wall and it made her heart sink. "No one's coming to help me." Great tremor overtook her and she covered her face with shaking hands.

He pulled her into his arms and pat her head delicately, "It's okay Felicia. It's okay" She turned to look at him, and she tried to read what was going on through that calm and understanding expression he plastered so easily.

He wiped her tears away "I like you, Felicia."

"W-what?" Her voice wavered, induced from the tension between them.

Even with her tears pouring down like raindrops, he seized the moment, and moved his head closer to kiss her. Her heart pounded, and she folded her arms over him.

He pulled away and stared at her in silence. It was as if he took every ounce of breath from her lungs as kept on gazing at her wet face. He wiped the last of her tears on her crimsoning face, then he traced her lip lightly with the tip of his finger.

"I said I like you" After those words, she felt something strange. It was dangerous, so frightening and confusing. She wondered what had gotten into Vincent. Had he forgotten that she tried to kill him a few minutes ago?

"But I tried to kill—" he placed his finger over her lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. "Shhhh" He winked.

***

"Sir Vincent," Monica thumped against the door and opened it once Vincent gave her permission to enter.

She covered her mouth as soon as her eyes settled on the amount of blood on the floor and walls. Then her iris shot to the roughly cut up corpse lying on the Prince's bed.

Darren turned to look at her "What is it?"

"S-sir" Monica stammered as she endeavored to compose her shuddering self "Demigod Marcellus wanted me to inform you about the family breakfast." She pinched her nose, unfit to bear the stench of freshly butchered animals, aka humans.

"Leave!"

"Yes, sir Darren." She bowed, complying with his order.

Monica left him in the room that had turned to a place for slaughter. He rocked the head in his arms, plunked down on the bed and ran his fingers through the thick brown hair covering the scalp.

"I really liked you Felicia. That's why I made your death painless at first. But you struggled too much, and now my room is a mess." He got up and moved to the crackling fire he started "You were good while you lasted."

He tossed the head into the fire and gathered the parts he'd cut up before throwing them into the furnace.

"I'll miss you" He moved to the door then turned around to look at the fireplace one more time "On the second thought, I won't."

*

"I came here to see Darren!" Cabrera was making a fuss in the dining-hall.  It should be family breakfast, however Darren, her preferred cousin was nowhere to be found. She lost hunger to eat, and to exacerbate it, Vincent joined the table.

It was clear Cabrera didn't like him, but he didn't care. She scowled at him the entire time, and he grinned at her.

"Fake" She said, and her mother pinched her cheeks "Stop giving your cousin attitude. You promised you'd be on your best behavior" She chastened, yet Cabrera's loathe for her cousin could never show signs of change.

"Don't worry aunt. My feeling for Cabrera is Mutual."

"Stupid son of a —" She was about to stab him with a fork when Marcellus slammed the table, and the items on it faltered.

"Forgive me uncle" She stood up, and bowed, but she would not apologize to Vincent. She plopped back on her seat before switching her gaze to Darren's mom, Veronica.

She was just like her son, timid and unable to communicate properly amidst others. Cabrera found it to be very cute.

'She must really miss her son' Cabrera thought to herself. Whenever Darren was on the table she was relaxed but, now that he's gone, she's more tense than ever.

Vincent got up once he was full, and he called his uncle aside. He wanted to inform him about a decision he'd made on his own.

"So have you consented to my proposal?"

Vincent shook his head, and his uncle pulled a face.

"I wanted to tell you what I've decided on. I'll carry on with my plan to have my brother killed, and not my father." He was still liable to change, but killing his father won't be easy.