They all fall down. -Matthew's end-

“Blair!” Matthew shouted from the thousandth rooftop, his rain soaked body glistening in the streetlights of Arcane city. This was a treacherous place, every second here put him but more importantly put Blair in extreme danger. He couldn’t believe she’d slipped past him, he was distraught looking for her, his mind reeling through the worst case scenario again and again as he drove himself insane worrying over the broken love of his life. How could this be happening? Why would she run into the city? How would he find her? The questions pounded through his head, his pale blue eyes frantic as he scanned the streets and rooftops for her, but there was no use, he couldn’t smell her, couldn’t even sense her, it was almost as though she’d vanished into thin air, once again leaving him lost and alone in a world he no longer knew how to navigate without her.
She was vulnerable out here, probably frightened and definitely at risk, he couldn’t bear the thought of her being alone out here for another second, but this was pointless, he was risking himself for nothing, he needed to get back- to get home. If he could talk to the others they could come up with a search strategy, or they could have other ideas on where to look. He needed help, and he needed it quickly.

After having one last desperate look around Matthew moved away from the rooftops at speed, hoping to get out of the city unseen, but unbeknownst to him Matthew was already being tracked by several drones that hovered just above a low cloud bank- something anyone else would have heard, but not Matthew. He’d been working closely with Cass for the last year, the woman trying different things to help him with his hearing, some had worked and some hadn’t, yet Cass has been a lifeline, returning Matthew’s hearing at a low level, it was still poor but it was a damn sight better than it had been before her help, and in the process he had become close friends with the human, Cass’s was able to have more compassion and understanding of his situation with Blair with more empathy than anyone else, he’d grown to love her like family, and wanted to find her now, to hear her words of wisdom, knowing she would be able to help him come up with a plan to find his love, or at least help him to control his anxiety long enough to come up with a better plan of his own.

He slowed as he approached the city border. There were more outposts here, and many more soldiers, he wanted to approach with caution to avoid being detected on his way through, and he was just about to do that as he slipped down from the roof into an area behind a large shopping court when one of the cyber suited soldiers stepped out from behind a black van. This one was alone, but he wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate them, he’d seen what they could do in the aftermath of the attack that destroyed the BlackWoods, Matthew was out gunned, and he was at an immediate disadvantage. The drones lowered, their weapons pointed at him, ensuring he couldn’t escape upwards again. He was trapped, and had no choice but to go through the soldier that stood between him and finding Blair.

Their fight was wordless, and quick. Matthew rushed the soldier, slamming their bodies together in an effort to pin it’s arms down to the sides, trying to render it incapable of drawing a weapon. He body slammed them to the floor, the sound of the cyber suit cracking from the force reverberated through his head, and he knew he’d done damage, especially when it sparked, but there was no use, the soldier was twisting, fighting back and would soon have the upper hand when bullets painfully ruptured Matthew’s lower back, one of the drones aiding the soldier just enough for Matthew to fall backwards, his body arching against the ground as he tried to twist off of the injury, only to have a much worse pain capture his attention.

The soldier was crouched above him, one hand pushing his chest down, the other holding some kind of glowing metal cylindrical injector. It slammed against his lower stomach with enough force for reinforced needles to puncture his skin, an unknown dose of something quickly administered before Matthew had a chance to retaliate, which he did by swinging his now free arm up, his fist slamming into the side of the soldier’s head without an ounce of restraint as panic surged through him, adrenaline aiding him the impact which knocked half of the soldiers helmet clean off, sending him sprawling to Matthew’s side, unconscious.
The vampire didn’t have time to finish his attacker, he didn’t even have time to think, the only thing he could do was grab up the soldiers firearm and shoot down the drones before he sped, darting off into the night, hopefully unfollowed.

Matthew ran quickly, the adrenaline keeping him going for long enough to get clear of danger, before he tripped, stumbling to the ground with an awful groan. Something was wrong, very wrong. He lay on his side for a second, attempting to control a sudden radiating pain that washed through his whole body, his nerves feeling as though they were ripping and fraying beneath the skin in a type of pain he’d never known, not even when Ox had implanted those God awful bomb like devices into him- no this was different- this was worse.
He waited, hoping he could breathe through it, but he couldn’t, if anything it was getting stronger, the pain more severe and he knew what was happening, he could feel it. This was the exact thing they’d been fearing. Ox had developed their ultimate biological weapon.

He couldn’t go for help, he wouldn’t risk exposing anyone else in the fear that he was somehow contagious, but he didn’t want to die alone, he’d felt alone for so long now, looking into Blair’s cold eyes. So he climbed up to his feet, and he stumbled, and eventually he crawled for what felt like years, until he fell tumbling roughly down the stairs into what was left of the Death crypts.
He landed with a roll, dust billowing up around him as he trembled violently, his limbs uncoordinated, skin covered in an ice cold sweat.

It was going to end where it began, beside Ajax Matashina. His Sire, His Father. “I..i’m coming,” his fingers clawed into the stoney ground, Matthew using his remaining strength to drag himself down the crypts, past all of their fallen until he came to the well kept resting place of their former coven leader.
He was deteriorating quickly now, the damage becoming visible as areas of his skin started to blacken, death’s blood pooling beneath the surface, his trembling becoming more violent until they became vicious spasms that had Matthew weakly crying out, his agony echoing through the tunnels of his kin. “I..i’ll be seeing you so–soon father,” he rasped quietly, grimacing as the taste of foul old blood filled his mouth. “It’s..been a long time.”

H O P E . D E A T H - R E I G N - M A T A S H I N A Vampire || Wraith Profile ​ Hope wasn't just running, she was moving between realms, crossing through space and time as the flower on her vine tattoo wilted. ' Don't you fucking dare Matty, I'm coming. ' She sent the message through the familial bond but got no response. ' Gods damn it. ' She thought as she pushed herself further, faster. It had been some time since Hope took on her wraith form, her closely held concerns hindering its use but today wasn't a day to hold back. It had been six years, six years of no one dying, it was the longest time that Hope could remember in her life. She couldn't let it stop today, she wouldn't let it. If she had to take Matty's body and keep his soul tethered like Marcus's till he could heal, that's what she would do, no matter the cost to her. She appeared before the entrance of the crypt and could sense Matty below. Hope wondered why he had come here and where his pain in the arse fledging was. They were inseparable, Matthew had become a recluse, his world revolving around the forced fledgling. Hope hadn't appreciated the bond till Nik had been born and she had been more tolerant because of it. But Hope would be lying if she hadn't thought of putting Blair out of her misery more than once. No one should have to go through what that girl was going through. Hope descended the stairs, she looked at the flower dying on her arm. Her eyes glowed as she tried to prepare herself for seeing Mattew's soul and trying to tether it before he had the chance to move on. " Matty! Matty, I'm here," she shouted as she approached the door that was slightly ajar. From the look of it, Matthew had crawled not walked into the crypt. ' Give me strength Ajax ' she thought, as she tried to brace herself for the worst as she took her first steps into the crypt and the smell of blood, tainted wrong blood she had smelled only once before six years ago, when Marcus almost died. Memories of that day hit her like a truck, but she wouldn't allow herself to get sucked into those thoughts, those feelings. Her eyes met Matty's and there was some initial relief that she had made it on time but it didn't last long. Something was very wrong. His skin was disintegrating, blood was oozing from open wounds and holes. He had laid himself beside Ajax, Hope realised why he had come here, he had come here to die. " Matty! What happened? " Hope asked as she began to take more steps towards him. " It's ok, you're ok. I can fix this," she said not sure who she was trying to convince, herself or him but either way she had to believe that she could get him to the clinic and he would be ok. He had to be ok. Word Count: 497

He’d gone from being propped against Ajax tomb to lying beside it as a series of savage muscle contractions tore through his body, the severity of them tearing the muscles free from beneath his skin, fissures forming over his body, streaming the tainted blood into the dusty floor surrounding him. He was helpless against the slow death that was claiming him in the most physically tortured moments of his life, the pitiful sounds he made soon giving way to trembled gasps as blood started to trickle from his ears and nose, his face twisted into a grimace that displayed dark blood stained teeth.
It was hard to move now, it was even harder to think, but the ancient was cruelly still conscious for it all, so much so that he could hear Hope calling to him now, though the link was growing weaker by the second. He didn’t reply, he didn’t have the energy, yet even if he did he wouldn’t have. As much as he didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want her here, he didn’t want to risk Hope being exposed to something that could potentially harm her. He had no idea whether he was contagious or not. And he certainly didn’t want her to suffer the trauma of seeing him dying in such a horrific way. No it was better this way.

Another spasm rolled him onto his side, frothy blood like vomit clogging his throat until he managed to expel it in a ragged wet breath. He was panicking then, not knowing what would happen to Blair…thinking of her being lost in the world or worse, it was worse than the pain, but he couldn’t fight to stay, he was too far gone, he was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it, there was no saving him, not this time.

Blair was on his mind, as was Enya, and all those that he loved and had loved. He tried to focus on them instead of the pain that ravaged through his body like the fires of mayhem that were now so loud he could nearly feel them. Is this what Marcus had felt? Was it the same thing? He couldn’t think of that as his stomach ruptured, curling him violently in on himself, more blood spraying from his paling lips as he gurgled in complete misery, feeling himself ripping inside and out.

His hand splayed on the ground in front of him, Matthew’s bloodshot eyes watching it with a detached curiosity as the skin started to melt away from it, exposing the veins and muscle structures beneath, all of it moving in spasm, dying and withering before his eyes until his fingernails dropped off.
That’s when Hope arrived, her voice was loud, yet the echo of it in the crypt made it sound far away as he managed to lift his eyes to her, the movement breaking a dam of blood that trickled from his tear ducts as he tried to move his hand, trying to stop her, his throat constricting with effort as he rasped for her to stop, begging her not to come any closer to him, until he managed to cough enough blood to enable him to talk.

“No..n..” he broke off in a gasp his lungs collapsing as the free blood in his chest crushed them. He had no choice but to switch to their mental link, focusing all of his remaining energy on it, the strain obvious as pain slammed through his skull, the blood from his eyes thickening and filling them as it spilled down his face. “Stay back Hope..it’s not safe..no can’t fix it,” he begged her “Please..i can’t die thinking i’ve killed you please stay back..they need you alive, please,” he urged her to see sense, not knowing how long he’d be able to communicate for as his body began to deteriorate more rapidly, his organs rupturing one after the other in a pain that he couldn’t even scream through. “Blair..I need you to find Blair, she ran..i need you to find her..and end it.. Hope, do what I couldn’t,” he was desperate, the image of Hope’s distraught face starting to fade as the pressure in his eyes grew, this was it, he wouldn’t be strong enough to talk to her for much longer. “I’m sorry Hope, thank you for trying,” the link was weakening his thoughts to her, no more than a strained whisper. “Don’t watch anymore.”

H O P E . D E A T H - R E I G N - M A T A S H I N A Vampire || Wraith Profile ​ It was happening again, Marcus's face and Matthews became one and the same. Only it was different this time, Matthew was decaying in front of her. Whatever those Oxen bastards had done, this was a new low. " Jesus... " she muttered her usually stoic face unable to hide the horror she felt. His voice was failing but he finally responded to her mentally when she took another step forward. Of course, he was begging her to stay back, that he was a lost cause but Hope never took no for an answer but he knew her weakness. ' They need you alive ' The words were enough to stop her in her tracks. Nik and Mori. She had no idea what Ox had done to Matthew and although she would risk her own life, she couldn't risk theirs. Her jaw tightened in evident frustration as her hands curled into fists at her side. She was helpless, there was nothing she could do and it made her want to scream. She could hear his organs essentially exploding inside him, what kind of fucked up torture was this. She didn't know how he had to strength to even communicate right now but he found the strength for a final request. Blair, he wanted her to kill Blair. She'd have been relieved if he had asked her this a day ago but now, now she hated him for asking. " I'll take care of her. " Hope said out loud and through their link. She wanted to make sure he died hearing her promise. He apologised to her.. she sighed folding her arms across her body. He didn't want her to watch, if she was honest she wanted to turn and run from this sight. But she couldn't leave him here like this, she couldn't let him suffer like this. She couldn't save his life but she could save him from the pain. She turned her back to him and hung her head. " No, I'm sorry Matty, but I'm going to take care of you too. " Before she had finished the sentence, she had taken on her wrath form once again. Whatever Matthew had, she was betting that she couldn't contract it in this form. She moved quickly, not wanting Matthew to know what was happening till it was done. In a moment, Matthew was dying and the next, Hope had passed over his body and taken his soul with her. Standing behind the corpse, Hope stared at his soul, giving him a moment to adjust to the reality of his death but they didn't have much time. Keeping him here was no small feat, not when she also had to keep Marcus tethered too. " Matty.. " her voice was soft, sad but firm. She had to keep him orientated. " We don't have much time, I need to know what happened. Tell me what you know and then I'll make sure you pass on but I need to know what they did, please Matty. " Word Count: 507

Hope was stubborn and he’d half expected her to ignore his request and risk herself anyway, she’d never done as she was asked, but she seemed to listen to him as her arms folded across her chest, her words confirming that she would look after Blair before she turned away from him, Matthew’s mind feeling relieved that Hope would do as he asked, as heartbreaking as it all was. His death was an awful one, and she was doing what she could to allow him to pass with at least some peace that she would respect his dying wishes.
He wanted to thank her but he couldn’t anymore, his ability to communicate vanishing as another debilitating pain consumed his consciousness, plunging him into sheer pain as the remaining nerves blazed out in rageful fury, the virus ensuring that Matthew would feel every second of his death until there were no nerves left to detect the body that disintegrating body around him. He couldn’t scream, but his soul did, his pain shaking through the crypt and into the afterlife in the form of a rumbling groan of the earth around the once powerful ancient, the power of his agony shaking the crypts foundations with a despair that his ancestors would feel.

It was never going to end, the scream was becoming a wailing pressure which threatened to crack the walls of the crypt and sink them into the earth, but then it suddenly stopped. Matthew’s soul was torn free from his form abruptly ending his torment, in a very disorientating way as Hope separated him from his body, leaving his soul standing before her, beside his dead and decaying body.

He was confused and was struggling to orient himself, the remnants of pain still clouding his thoughts like an after shock when Hope’s voice demanded his attention, his friend standing right before him in a wraith-like form he’d seen before. “Hope,” he muttered, his brow creased as he realized he could talk again, his eyes darting down to the shimmering body-his body, as he pieced everything together. He was dead. Hope held him, but only for so long. He forced himself to concentrate, blocking out the shrieking calls from the spirits all around them, they were waiting for him, wanting to take him from her.

“I don’t..” everything was confusing here, he was scattered, broken by the pain he’d had to endure, but he forced himself to focus- to remember, his furrowed brow darkening before he looked up to her again. “Blair ran from me, into Arcane. I followed but I couldn’t find her. I was coming back to find you all to help when I was stopped by a Ox soldier. He jabbed me in the stomach with something,” his hand pressed his now unfeeling stomach, “It wasn’t the vaccine..it was something worse, much worse..” He gasped “H-Hope everyone is in danger, they’re going to kill you all,” he was distraught, Ox had the ultimate weapon, they were going to win, he was only the first of many. “I’m sorry..fuck i’m sorry, if they never caught me they wouldn’t have been able to make this..this is all my fault, jesus i’m sorry,” he didn’t deserve her guidance into the after life now, he deserved this fate, he had damned them all. “You need to run, all of you”

H O P E . D E A T H - R E I G N - M A T A S H I N A Vampire || Wraith Profile ​ Matthew looked almost normal now he was dead, he was no longer disintegrating before her eyes and the pain seemed to have subsided. Of course, now they could both hear the screams coming from the depths of Mayhem. It had opened up to allow his soul to pass through but Hope would sooner die than send anyone she loved there. No, Hope was going to make sure Matty found peace but she needed to know what she was fighting first. " Matty focus on me. " Her hands squeezed his which seemed to help ground him enough for him to sort his thoughts. A weapon, as if the vaccine wasn't bad enough, Ox had gone and found a way to make it into a fucking biological weapon. Hope's mind was racing with all the information she had learned thanks to using her brother as a s guinea pig in the clinic but it had been too slow. They were always a step fucking behind. Matthew began spiralling, apologising, begging them to run. It was a natural part of dying but Hope wouldn't have their last encounter end like this/ " Matthew! Stop it! " she barked, tears in her eyes that she never let fall. " None of this is your fault, if it hadn't been you they would have found someone else okay and no one is going to die. I'm going to take care of it, of everybody alright? " Her voice was full of false conviction. Hope had no idea how she was going to handle this situation but she didn't want Matthew dying thinking he was responsible for the doom of all Immortals. Her eyes had been staring deeply into Matthews till she glanced past his shoulder. " Turn around Matthew. " Hope said softly as she watched him turn to see the portal opening behind him and waiting was a friend, a happy-looking Knigh who was extending his hand. Hope blinked, the tear finally falling as she saw Knigh beaming at her. It was a strange sight to see him so happy but it softened the blow to know Knigh and Matthew would be together. " Go Matty, be happy. I've got this," she said, the words goodbye not able to leave her lips so they went unspoken as she watched Matty move on. Knigh lingered for a moment, a simple nod was all he gave her as her hand reached for him and then they were both gone and she was alone. Alone in this empty crypt full of people she had failed. Hope concentrated, really concentrated to get back to her physical form and when she did her legs almost buckled beneath her. Her hand reached out to Ajax's tomb as she steadied herself as a small sob escaped her chest. " UGH FUCK! " she shouted, her hand slamming down and cracking the stone monument Hope had put in place to protect Ajax. She didn't know whether to scream or cry or just run like Matthew told her to do. But she wouldn't have time to mourn because as she wiped the tear from her cheek, she realised she wasn't alone anymore. Word Count: 530

Hope raised her voice to him, silencing his panic even though it didn’t die down as he looked back to her, holding her gaze, the rest of their interaction calmer as it dawned on him that this would probably be the last time he ever laid eyes on his friend, a woman that he had loved in more ways than one.
He listened to her with a nod, seeing the emotion that she tried to hold back from him as she spoke. But he trusted her, he knew that she would do her best to keep everyone safe, she always had done, and even though she blamed herself for every death he knew that she had succeeded, they all would have been dead a long time ago if it wasn’t for Hope and the hard decisions she’d had to make over the last few decades. The coven’s continued survival was down to her, and her alone.

He tried to calm himself, not wanting her to be left with the memory of him broken in a panic. His fingers curled into her’s squeezing them until they let go of one another for the last time.
“Alright,” he nodded with trust. She would do the best she could, and fight until there was nothing left to fight for, that was the best she could do, and no one could ask for more.
There was a lot to say, but no time to say it in, and Matthew didn’t want to make this moment any harder for either of them, his eyes remaining firmly on Hope, refusing to look down at what was left of himself.

Time stopped until Hope broke her gaze, to look at something behind him, directing him to do the same, and when he did he saw a friendly face. Knigh. The sight of their friend eased some of the anxiety that lingered about him passing, and in a strange was it eased his anxiety about what he was leaving behind, in the hopes that if everything went wrong that they would one day be able to find their way to this version of the afterlife to find their way to him and to Knigh and what ever else was waiting for him behind his peaceful looking friend.

“OK..this is it,” he breathed to himself, looking back to Hope as she urged him to go to Knigh. He held her gaze for a few seconds, feeling the pull for him to pass, and the pull to let him know that her time with him was coming to an end. She’d held it together so far, for his sake, so he said nothing now, allowing her to keep up that illusion of strength despite the tear that fell. He brushed his hand against her arm in a final goodbye and he left their world behind.

E L I Z A B E T H  .  B L A C K Blood Witch Profile " Sorry to interrupt. " Eliza's sweet voice filled the cavernous crypt as she sat atop the now-broken tomb containing Ajaz Matashina. His little protege was reeling from the death of her blood brother, although she was almost doing well enough to fool Eliza. But Eliza had been playing that game for far longer and played it far better. " Ah ah little soul sucker, let's not let your temper get the better of you now. I'm here to help. " She tried to reassure the ferocious-looking girl. How Cassandra of all people had mothered this creature she would never know. Eliza was certain that Hope took after her father. But having seen the act of mercy the girl just performed, she was beginning to see more similarities between mother and daughter than either was likely to admit. But her admiration for the girl's spirit wasn't why she was here. She had work to do. Sliding off the tomb, Hope went to move to follow her but she put her hand up to stop her. " I wouldn't touch the floor if I were you, that blood will kill you and ruin those fabulous shoes. " She could see Hope stop and take a step back onto the stone base. At least the girl wasn't as stupid as she was reckless. Eliza walked around the corpse, examining it from different angles. " Poor boy. " Eliza said as she elegantly crouched down and dipped her fingers into the blood. Eliza smirked as the vampire tried to warn her. " Don't fret girl, I have nothing to fear from blood even if it is as poisonous as this. Now, don't interrupt me and I may be able to give you something or in this case, someone that can help. " Hope's interest was peaked and she nodded hesitantly. Eliza knew that Hope didn't trust her and nor should she. The girl had a good head and spirit but she was young, too young and overwhelmed to be dealing with the survival of the entire Immortal race. No, it was time for the adults to step in now and Eliza had a promise she was blood-bound to keep. Two of Eliza's blood-stained fingers began swirling in the air and for a moment, it looked as though nothing was happening until blood began pooling around Matthew's body and moving toward the crypt. " Don't be so precious girl. " Eliza warned as Hope got defensive of the now empty body. " I'll spare you some to bring to your clinic but the rest is needed. " Hope asked more questions but they went unanswered. The girl would learn she didn't answer to her. A small stream of blood pulled away from Matthew and began travelling up the stone tomb until it found the newly formed crack and it seeped into the crevice and disappeared. It only took a few moments before Matthew's body and the ground beneath him was dry of blood, except for a small amount that Eliza had pulled from the stomach of Matthew. She pulled a vial from a pocket within her dress and allowed the blood to make its way in. She rose again and held the vial out for Hope to take. " Direct from contact site. " She closed her palm around the vial stopping Hope from taking it, much to the girl's frustration. " Under no circumstances should anyone, with any trace of immortality in them come into contact with this blood unless you want a repeat performance of what happened to Matthew, understand? " Hope nodded. " Good, " she uncurled her palm and allowed the vial to be taken. " Now we wait. " Hope asked what they were waiting for but Eliza only answered her with a smirk, she would have her answer soon enough. Word Count: 642

Body and mind had betrayed the powerful creature with an ancient plight that had been forced back for as long as even the likes of Ajax Matashina and his powerful friends had been able to push back. All had eventually crumbled until there was no more than fragments of a spirit trapped inside a statue-like form. Ajax Matashina had fallen into the curse that claimed the ancient ones, and there was no saving him, there was no redemption and very few potential cures, the main one being time- centuries. He’d been forced to go to ground, and there was no telling if he would be one of the few to return from it, or whether he would be lost in his marble tomb for eternity. Should he return there would be no telling how much of him would remain, or whether he would be some twisted monster like many of the ancient ones became, the ones Ajax had systematically killed centuries ago.

Less than a decade had passed when Ajax’s slumber was disturbed. Fringes of his consciousness were being pulled and pushed until some semblance of thought filled the atrophied mind. Ajax stirred in a abyss of blinding and swirling lights, trapped as a auditory prisoner, tormented by the screams and moans of a dying man, a man that stirred his mind so violently that cracks started to shatter little rivers into Ajax’s solidified veins until his life force surged beneath the frozen solid body he was to be forever encased in.

It was Matthew, he was dying. Ajax could hear him, then he could feel him, the boy’s pain, his fear, his miserable guilt- Ajax could feel all of it, yet he could do nothing. He was trapped, not even able to reach out with his spirit to try and ease his son in any way. They were one in their suffering, and Matthew couldn’t even be granted the kindness of knowing that Ajax was with him through it all, he would have to die without feeling Ajax beside him, his father trying to reach for him with a loving embrace as he so terribly left his living plain. There was nothing the ancient could do, and in those moments Ajax knew that this was his very own personal hell. It was unimaginable to lose a coven member in such a way, worse still that Matthew was his son.

The pain was all encompassing, until it ended as abruptly as a door being slammed. Leaving Ajax trapped in the tomb of himself in silence, his thoughts scrambled and raced as his spirit tried to push and prod for any weaknesses in the form that encased him, yet he found none. He was doomed to remain trapped like this, or fall back into the darkness once more, only now he knew no peace would await him there, not understanding what had happened to his child.

Defeated he waited, hoping to fade from consciousness again, yet that was not what was to be. An immeasurable amount of time spanned in the emptiness before the world seemed to turn crimson, shaking his very soul with the ferocity of an earthquake, Matthew’s blood seeping all around him, the poison burned from it, leaving the blood purified as it soaked onto his shell, the hardness of it cracking, greedily absorbing the blood until Ajax began to feel himself- his hands, his feet, then the rest of his limbs, until he ached, long disused muscles burning into life until he felt his surroundings pressing in on him.

His son’s gift in death would be the renewed life of his father, an impossible feat were it not for the skills of a powerful blood witch.
Ajax was thrust back into the world with a dramatic shudder, the hardness of his body shattering as his eyes flew open, his metallic orbs searching the dark until he sat up at speed, obliterating the tomb top, sending the rubble flying throughout the crypt, a heavy gasp forcing air into dust filled lungs as Ajax was instantly upon his feet, yet to get his wits about him.

The transition was beyond disorientating for their kind with ample rest, yet Ajax had been disturbed centuries too early. His eyes were wild, his movements too fast, as he jumped out of the remains of his crypt, initially unable to see Hope, Eliza or Matthew’s body, his mind still reeling from all he’d felt since being disturbed from his slumber.

H O P E . D E A T H - R E I G N - M A T A S H I N A Vampire || Wraith Profile ​ Hope had watched the witch work reluctantly. If it wasn't for the grief she was enduring right now she would tear that condescending bitches tongue out before she got anywhere near Matthew's body. But Hope was reeling from what just happened and the veins on her arm were tightening around her, trying to hold her back. Fucking Ajax, where was he a moment ago when Matthew needed him and now Ajax wanted to intervene? Fuck, what would she tell him when he woke up? Would she even be alive to tell him what really happened? Maybe this new weapon would spare her the agony of having to face him and his disappointment. She stared down at the vial of blood in her hand. Was this going to be the thing that ended them all? What about the kids? The thought of Nik or Mori going through what Matthew just went through made her want to vomit then and there. There was no way she was going to let her kids go out like that, she didn't care what she had to do or how many people she had to kill. Her thoughts were interrupted by a strange pulling sensation on her arm. Her vines had weived their way out and were trying to penetrate the stone. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she felt the vibration coming from underneath her. She stepped back off the stone just in time to feel the connection to Ajax come alive and then she was showered with rubble. Dust filled the crypt but there was no mistaking his figure as he rose from his resting place. ' It's too early.. fuck it's too early. ' she thought as she remembered the husk of a man he had been before she put him to the ground. She had no way of knowing if the Ajax she knew and loved had awoken or some kind of madman. " What did you do you crazy bitch? " Hope asked accusingly to Eliza who looked very proud of herself. " Ajax... Ajax! " Hope called out, her vines racing across the ground careful to avoid Matthew's body. They reached up to wrap around Ajax's wrist and pull him toward her. She had no idea if he would recognise, fuck knows he didn't; 't know her that last time she saw him but she also knew she couldn't take him in a fight and the best she could hope for was to lure him deeper into the crypt and try and lock him in. " Ajax, it's me, it's me, it's Hope. " she was almost pleading with him to remember her but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears before and she dared not believe this time would be any different. She had already lost Matthew today and now she feared she was going to have to lose Ajax all over again. Once she had Ajax secured, she was going to kill that damned witch. Word Count: 497

E L I Z A B E T H  .  B L A C K Blood Witch Profile Things were calm for a moment as Eliza watched the blood on her fingers be absorbed by her own body and then she spent her time examining her nails. It would only be a few moments before Matthew's blood had the desired effect and Hope seemed content on spending them in silence staring at the vial of blood. She was no doubt pondering her future or possible lack of it. It must be a hard reality to face for someone supposedly gifted with immortality to face although she had a feeling it wasn't the girl's own immortality she was concerned with. That's when she felt the slow rumbling beneath her feet. " Ah right on time. " she smiled as Hope began panicking and cursing her for waking Ajax too early. Ordinarily, she would be correct. Waking a vampire up this early into their slumber would usually result in a bloodthirsty, crazed monster. But they didn't have her on their side and she was now in control of at least a portion of the blood flowing through his veins. Hope managed to leash Ajax and stop him from escaping but her pleas were falling on deaf ears. It was time for Ajax to wake up. " All these dramatics, now really. " Eliza cut the palm of an elongated sharp ring and placed her finger in the wound. " Time to wake up Ajax. " Eliza spoke the words with power as her magic coursed through Ajax. She was bending the rules of their little agreement, she wasn't supposed to use her magic against him or his kin but this was for him and she was certain when his mind was his own, he would agree. She glanced over at the little vampire who struggled to control her adopted sire. " Your thanks is not required. Let's just say I owed Ajax here a favour," she smirked as she pulled her finger out of her palm and licked the blood away as it sealed itself back up. Word Count: 337

It was too dark and too light all at once, flickers of shadows were bursting in the ancients' disused eyes as they attempted to focus. Sounds were excruciating, feeling like anvils going off inside his skull as those around him called a name that he was struggling to recognise as himself. He was looking for a way out, scanning the walls for any weaknesses, as he squinted towards a light corridor, seeing that as his immediate escape. He moved then, body flickering in the light, his movements fast and erratic, but something snagged his wrist, yanking him into place as he twisted against the opposing force, ready to yank his arm up, dragging Hope a few steps closer to him, though yet to actually see her. He would have torn her apart then, yet he faltered with a flinching shudder, his arm staying taught as thousands of years worth of information flooded him in a tidal wave overwhelming enough to crumble mountains.
Recoiling he shook his head roughly, his eyes jamming closed as every memory he ever had smashed through the insanity.

When he opened his eyes again the feral creature was gone. Ajax had returned, and he stood frozen for a long time, letting his senses settle as his mind scrambled to piece together what had woken him.
" Your thanks is not required. Let's just say I owed Ajax here a favor,"
“Eliza?” he muttered with obvious confusion, his eyes drawn towards his wrist seeing vines there that did not belong to him, or to Sauri. “Hope,” finally his eyes drifted to the two women, questioning in his gaze as he looked at two people he never imagined that he would see together. That's when the memory of the screams and cries of pain sank in, Ajax inhaling a sharp breath that carried Matthew’s awfully twisted scent into his lungs.

“No,” he whispered more to himself than to anyone else as he stepped around what remained of his tomb, easily crushing the rubble beneath his feet, ignoring the constricting vines that now dug into his wrist in warning as the tainted smell of his son overwhelmed him. “No, this isn’t right, this can’t be right- what kind of trickery is this Elizabeth!?” he gasped as Matthew came into view, or what was left of him. His son lay there coated in sores and welts, his body gray and empty, his eyes nearly black with bruising as they stared sightlessly into nothing. The sight was a sickening one, it was one that Ajax could not look away from as he questioned the witch, unable to comprehend that what he was seeing was the truth.

Elizabeth’s reply came, and Ajax flickered a pained glance towards her, before his eyes returned to the shell of his son, “Progress..Humans,” he whispered his voice cracking as the pink hue of tears filled his eyes, the orbs suddenly becoming a portal to Ajax emotions, displaying pure desperate heartbreak as he realized that this was no trick. Matthew was dead. He was too late. He heard his cries all over again, suddenly understanding what happened when he woke in the crypt, that he had been a witness to Matthew’s death without being able to offer him a second of comfort. He’d failed him, again and again, but this was his ultimate failure, and one of the worst moments in his extraordinarily long life.

“Fix it…Fix it now Eliza, I will pay any price. Fix it,” he almost begged, the shake in his voice unmissable as he took a step towards his son, watching to scoop the horror of his body into his arms and cradle him in a way he should have been able to do in his worst moments. But Hope and Eliza were warning him to stay back, yet their word were hollow, empty, and Ajax didn’t care. He wanted his son, he needed him, he’d always needed him, Matthew was the glue that had held his family together for centuries, even when he was hundreds of miles away. When everything else burned, and all was lost Matthew had been there long before the Death’s, long before anyone else, and Ajax could not accept that he would not still be there when everything would eventually end, standing by his side.

He moved as close as they’d allow him, Ajax’s arms stretching out towards Matthew, trying to reach for him as Hope’s vines, shot out, wrapping around his body to restrain him, though Ajax pulled back against them, snapping one after the other, the tension whipping them across the room, obliterating them against the walls as he all but dragged Hope from her spot, deaf to her pleading. “It doesn’t matter!” he snapped back when told it wasn’t safe. He didn’t care, Matthew needed him, he needed his comfort, and he felt almost possessed by that.
That’s when his legs gave out, Eliza doing some awful spell to bring him to his knees, Ajax dropping heavily, though he kept moving, his outstretched hands now grasping at the floor, his nails embedding into the stone as he tried to drag himself free from them, getting closer and closer as he slowly overpowered their attempts. “He needs me..free me now!” he roared in frustration, his voice trembling the earth around them, showering them with dusty debris.

He called his own vines then, the twisting tendrils rupturing out of his skin in the form of brittle thorny branches that dripped with blood as though they wept with him. His grief was going to destroy them all, the foundations of the crypt cracking. Then as suddenly as it started it ended. Ajax slumped over, suspended by Hope’s vines as Elizabeth stole the light from his eyes.

E L I Z A B E T H  .  B L A C K Blood Witch Profile To say Ajax's return to consciousness wasn't going smoothly was an understatement. He had regained his senses well enough but that only resulted in the realisation that his first son was dead and he wasn't taking the news well. " It's no trickery Ajax, it's an escalation but the humans would call it progress. " Eliza replied knowing that Ajax wasn't capable of sense or logic in this moment. Emotions were high and there was a highly contagious body in the middle of the room. Perhaps she should have removed the body before waking him. Then, a pathetic sight, Ajax pleading for a life that he had already passed on. " I can't bring souls back from the afterlife Ajax, especially not from where your little protege put them. " Eliza explained, the truth only adding to his anguish and the chaos in the room. More and more vines emerged from Hope as she tried to restrain her father figure. But Hope wasn't strong enough to stop Ajax no matter how hard she tried. " I'd stop if I were you Ajax. " Eliza warned him before taking more extreme measures. But she was left with no choice as Hope's vines snapped and Ajax was dangerously close to the true death. Sighing, she flicked her finger and the blood left Ajax's legs, making them collapse beneath him. Hope was still desperately trying to plead with Ajax to stop but it was evident that he had lost control of himself and the adult in the room had to take control. " You'll thank me later Ajax. " Eliza muttered as his vines came racing toward her. Fortunately for him, he would lose consciousness before they reached her. " Well, I see dramatics run in the family. " she sighed looking at Hope. The girl was exhausted but trying to hide it, Eliza almost pitied her. " I will call Coran and have him send some humans to collect the body. They will be safe from the side effects and they can deliver him to your clinic. You want to study this I assume? " Hope was clearly torn between burial and study but Eliza didn't believe the girl was sentimental enough to pass on the opportunity to gain an advantage and she was right. " I will keep Ajax unconscious and safe until, well, until he sees reason again and you Miss Hope, are going to go home. " Hope went to argue, wanting to know where she was bringing Ajax. " Trust me, little vampire, he will be safe, we have an understanding and even if you don't trust me, we both know you aren't strong enough to stop me. So, take your vial, leave your instructions for the body and go home to your children and that God you're bedding. " Darkness flashed over the girl's eyes, Hope's children were a closely guarded secret as well as the father of the boy and the girl was clever enough to read between the lines and see the threat in her words. Eliza didn't usually stoop as low as threatening children but she knew the words would force the girl to obey, at least for now. Defeated and furious, Hope left pulling out her phone to call Coran she presumed. Eliza walked over to Ajax's body and shook her head. "You really are a fool for lost causes Ajax," she said softly before pulling out her phone. At least, she would enjoy herself infuriating Coran for a few hours while she dealt with this mess. Word Count: 594