Chapter 2

"Don't..."

From behind, the sound of several horses galloping their way resounded in the rain. 

"Sir!" Adrian, Delian's childhood friend and current Personal Assistant, arrived at full speed, followed by three knights. He looked distressed and worried. Julia had never seen him like that. He was known for his gentle and serene character. 

"Sir! There was an attack in the mansion of the Smiths, they requested assistance!"

"Go quickly!"

Julia frowned, today was the party of the Smiths and her father was there with her aunt. She was supposed to leave before they returned to the mansion. Something bad must have happened. 

"I will go with you!" Julia shouted and intended to grab one of the carriage horses. 

"No!" Delian mounted his horse quickly. "Stay here and wait! Don't you dare leave the town, Julia! If you leave, I will look for you no matter where! Mark my words!"

He turned his horse around and rode quickly in the middle of the rain, not waiting for her to say a word. Even if she left that day, he will look for her and bring her back. 

More and more rain continued to fall on the streets as thunders invaded the sky. It was not the usual weather in Medila. 

Julia had an ominous feeling. Adrian wouldn't come in person usually. After all, he was one of the strongest knights of the town and maybe in the whole country. Why would he leave the Smiths' mansion to look for Delian and ask for assistance. What was going on? 

She didn't ponder it any longer. That man was not her husband, not even her fiancée or family, why would she obey him? Even more, she had trained with her mother and her aunt for many years, so she wasn't afraid of trouble and fights. 

She grabbed her bag where she hid her gun and dagger and mounted the horse from the carriage. 

"Miss!" the driver shouted. 

"I'll be back, warn the others and send reinforcements to the Smiths' mansion now!"

She rode after Delian without turning back. Her heart was beating harder and stronger. Even if she disagreed with her father about her future and even if she hated his controlling and cold personality, she loved him. He was her father, after all, the one who taught her and cared for her after her mother died. 

"Don't die, please, don't die..." 

***

The heavy rain continued to cover the town of Medila in thunders. However, the sound of the drops hitting the houses and the nearby forest, didn't silence the shouts of people running for their lives. 

Several nobles in carriages, servants running scared and knights attending the injured surrounded an impressive mansion with white marvel sculptures. It was the Smith's mansion. 

Julia stopped her horse when a group of people dressed for the party ran towards her. 

"What's going on?!" she asked, looking at the smoke coming out of the mansion. "What happened? Where is my father?"

A young man stopped looking at her and frowned. "You... you are one of the Reeds... you..."

"Do you know my father? Talk! Is he inside?"

The young man nodded and pointed at the mansion. "He is inside! He was helping us get out with Madame Hilton, h-he was fighting that thing..."

"What are you talking about? What thing?"

Julia frowned, the young man suddenly turned pale and started trembling from fear. 

"I... I don't know what it was... that thing appeared and killed Mister Smith and... and... ate him," he looked at Julia and trembled, "that thing ate him."

Then he turned around and ran. 

"Hey! What is going on?!"

She frowned and drove her horse towards the mansion, but before she could get closer, the horse started to shake and fret. Before it threw her off, she dismounted and it ran away. 

Inside the mansion she could hear several gunshots, then shouts from the soldiers and knights and then... then a piercing scream. It was nothing like she had heard before. It was so piercing and sharp that she shuddered for a moment. 

"Run! Retreat!"

"Master!"

"Retreat now!"

She heard several steps moving towards her and then an explosion. 

"What on earth?" the sound of thunders became more strenuous, as if telling her that something terrific is going on. Then again the scream and the lights shut down. 

More steps coming her way, more screams and thunders. Then... nothing. 

"Alphonse!"

That was her aunt Monica scream. Julia's heart suddenly froze, then she ran towards the scream. She didn't care anymore about her safety or that stupid fight with her father, she wanted to be with him at that moment. 

Then she entered a long corridor, then another, then another till she reached the garden. However, what she saw almost made her scream in terror. 

In the middle of the garden a creature with long wings and a long figure, almost human, but with big teeth and piercing fangs and nails, surrounded in darkness, but red eyes had his long hands around her father. 

"Dad!" she went towards the creature with her gun in hand and her dagger. Then began to shoot, one time, two times, three times. "Let him go, you monster!"

More rain, more thunder, and terror. The creature turned to look at Julia, his red eyes brightened as if he were smelling something delicious, he dropped the body of the old man and with a fast movement, it appeared before Julia, but just when it was about to pierce her body with is long nails as sharp as daggers, a long sword went through it.

"Julia..." Delian's weak voice resounded. 

Julia was astonished, she didn't see Delian coming but then... then he was stabbed by those long nails instead of her, right through the chest. 

"No... no... no..." 

The creature was not dead, it was struggling, but Julia didn't waste time, and grabbed her dagger, the one her mother gave her when she turned sixteen, her last gift, a marvelous silver dagger. 

Julia stabbed the head of that creature making it bleed red and after a few seconds it finally stopped moving, and like ashes, it disappeared. 

"Delian," Julia held Delian's body, he wasn't breathing, he was cold. "Please... please..."

Even when she didn't like him, she didn't want him to die. 

"Master!"

"Sir!"

The steps from the soldiers and some knights arrived a that moment, but everything was over. 

Julia looked at Delian's face, it was covered in that monster's dammed blood, she tried to clean it, but it was too much, it was entering his mouth, his nose and eyes. 

"Delian..." she whispered, but the man in her arms didn't move. 

"Julia," her aunt's voice made her remember that her father was also in a terrible condition. However, for some unknown reason, she couldn't leave Delian. Tears suddenly formed in her emerald eyes as she cried. 

"How... How is father? Is he... is he alive?"

"He is alive, darling," Monica said as she was kneeling behind Julia. "He is fine, the soldiers already took him to the doctor. However... darling, the Count..."