Archive of Our Own ^beta

“You know we could help you, right?”
Aesop looked up at his friend, blinking in confusion as if he didn’t completely comprehend what he just heard.
“Help me?” if he was a more sociable person, he might have laughed at that. “You should be aware that I don’t work with others”

“You work best alone, yeah yeah.” The exorcist watched as the man in front of him leaned back against the wall before they both raised their heads back towards the sky. “I just thought I’d offer it. Just in case.”

Aesop merely nodded in acknowledgement, only muttering a small “Thanks, Eli…” once a short moment of silence passed. Even after such an awkward reply, Eli still offered him a warm smile in return, which marked the end of their current conversation.
Comfortable silence settled in once more, only the distant chirping of birds and the soothing crackling of the fireplace from the other side of the room to keep them company. It made it easier for the exorcist to finish packing his case with different tools for the upcoming hunt.
Soon, the sun would rise and that meant Aesop would depart to the seemingly abandoned castle just outside of town.
According to the locals, his target -a so called "count" has been staying there for decades, if not centuries. People would've gone missing frequently for just as long. And as other exorcists arrived and failed to fell the beast, the reward for the death of the vampire would rise just as much.

His hand paused a little just before he reached for the wooden pike. This would be the first time he would be facing off against a vampire this powerful if the villagers’ reports were anything to go by. Perhaps, this would be his last hunt. Perhaps, Aesop would face the same fate as all of the exorcists before him.

An unexpected touch on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped towards Eli’s hand on his shoulder before moving his glance over to said male’s face.

“It’s going to be fine” he uttered with the same kind of smile he offered him earlier. Of course, Eli would know what plagued his constantly worried mind.
“I know” Aesop replied.
“You’re the best exorcist in the land. Even if that vampire turns out to be an ancient, he will stand no chance.”
A short break. Eli usually knew what to say to cheer him up but this time, Aesop just couldn't bring himself to actually believe him as he replied. And he was almost certain that Eli was aware of that fact.
“...I know”

Finally, Eli removed his hand from Aesop's shoulder, letting it limply fall to his side as he watched Aesop taking the pike and securing it on his belt, double checking whether his holy sword, as well as the rest of his tools, were all on his person before he closed his case with a sigh.
Eli should be right. Aesop was the best exorcist in the land. He had a clean record with only successful exorcisms. He's dealt with countless vampires over the years, yet none of them were ancient. None of them were the lord of their respective bloodlines.

He lifted his case into the air, his hand tightly gripping onto the handle while he tested the weight of his luggage before nodding to himself and turning to look at his friend again.
"If I'm not back in three days, you're free to look for me." he said, mentally adding 'though i advise you not to do so'.

The movements of his friends ceased for just a moment, his head whipping around to stare at the exorcist. Due to the blindfold covering the upper half of his face, Aesop couldn't read his emotions but knowing the seer it was probably something along the lines of surprise or worry.
After opening and closing his mouth not just once but twice, Eli eventually nodded.
"I'll do that then…" Judging by the thin line that was his mouth, he most likely must have been frowning as he reached up to softly pet the owl that sat perched on his shoulder.

Another long moment of silence as they both stood there, staring at nothing in particular but acutely aware to not stare at each other.
They often spent the nights before one of Aesop's jobs together, yet none of their previous rendez-vous’ has been as tense as this one. And despite all the courageous words Eli has been spouting earlier, Aesop knew just how worried and afraid he must be for him. You don’t often hear stories of ancient vampires getting killed after all. Thinking about it, Aesop’s never heard any stories of that sort. Well, that was just peachy.

But even if he truly would die tomorrow, he at least would make sure to take the bloodsucker with him.

Heaving a sigh, Aesop blinked as the first rays of sunshine for today tickled his skin. Both of them knew what followed now and quite frankly the exorcist might actually feel fear rise as he let his gaze wander over the table one last time, checking that none of his utensils were left behind on this quest.

“I will be off then.” he said, willing his voice to remain in its usual monotone state. He’d have plenty of time on his way to his target’s lair to contemplate his fear and his anxiety.
Eli nodded, pushing himself off the wall with a weak smile. “I’ll see you this evening then?” he asked as if this was just a casual encounter on the street.
“I suppose you will.” Aesop replied, purposely keeping the possibilities of not surviving this hunt out of his thoughts for now as he turned around to leave for his possibly most important job yet.

Together, they walked to the edge of town. Eli had insisted he would at least accompany Aesop for a little and as they walked through the empty streets of the small town, he was actually thankful for the company. Talking about mundane things while grabbing a quick breakfast on the market did wonders to his strained nerves and Eli stuck around with him for long enough to know what exactly would calm him enough to be able to face the upcoming challenges.

The apple the exorcist has been munching on was quickly reduced to just its stem before he carelessly tossed it aside and the rows of houses quickly thinned out until they finally reached the last row to inform them of the end of their company.
“Stay safe out there. And I know you don’t want to admit it, but if you need my help? Just call for Brooke or Fiona. One of them will definitely notice.”
Aesop nodded. This was a normal conversation for them to have before parting ways. It felt… kind of like he wasn’t on his way to get killed by possibly one of the most powerful beings known to him so he supposed it was good enough to lighten the mood.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t let her talk you into some demonic ritual to summon her god again, alright?” Aesop responded with a smile that would never see the light of day behind his mask.
“Hey! It wasn’t my fault, alright? You know I have a soft spot for her big puppy eyes when she’s asking me for something!” Eli laughed lightly before his expression morphed into something more serious. He gave Aesop a curt nod, as if to allow him to leave.
"Seriously. Take care" he said and gave a small wave. This was the cue for Aesop to take his leave. He gave a small wave in return and started walking off into the forest.

It took him a couple of hours before he finally was able to spot the castle through the trees. lThe yellow-painted walls seemed to give the building a golden glow and the pearlwhite pillars framing the main entrance were covered in greenery, though it was well maintained and only added to the air of perfection that surrounded the building. The windows were recently polished and reflected the sunlight, allowing Aesop to take a look at what lies behind those walls. Or so he thought, since the only sight that awaited him was the sight of drawn curtains. Of course, a vampire wouldn't want a single flicker of sunshine to penetrate their home.

As he stood there, observing the castle, he couldn't help but to notice the feeling of familiarity this place gave him. It was almost like he's visited here before, yet he couldn't recall even knowing this castle existed before taking on his current job.
Slowly and a little hesitant, he approached the building further as silently as possible. He wasn't sure just how powerful his opponent was but he didn't want to make the foolish mistake of underestimating his powers.
As he stood in front of the beautifully ornamented door, the exorcist couldn't help but lay his hands on the golden vines curling around the edge of the door. He couldn't explain why this place felt so… comforting to him nor why he was so excited to open that door and to step inside to fall back into the arms of--
He quickly pulled his hand back. What was he thinking? Falling back into the arms of who exactly?
Holding his head with a shaking head, the exorcist took a few steps back. The vampire must have already been aware of his presence. Possibly, he's fallen victim to one of the vampire's deceits already.

After a moment, Aesop took a deep breath and shook off the confusion. The sooner he got rid of that vampire, the sooner these confusing feelings would go away. So he pushed the door open and watched as sunshine flooded the main foyer. It was lavishly decorated with golden pillars lining the hall and a huge chandelier with thousands of crystals hanging from the ceiling. The curtains covering the windows made this room look even more royal with their rich red colour.
However, what attracted his attention the most was the turned painting at the center of the grand staircase.
Tentatively, he stepped inside into the room (mentally noting that the inside was just as tended to as the outside). Before the door behind him suddenly slammed shut by itself. A loud THUD now echoed through the grand hall, making the exorcist flinch and stiffen as darkness engulfed him.
Taking a deep breath, he instinctively reached for his holy sword, choosing not to unsheath it as he wasn’t used to the darkness just yet.

Once his eyes got used to the darkness, he frantically observed the foyer until his eyes landed on a pair of glowing red eyes. His hand made contact with the handle of his sword, the two orbs of red seemingly approaching him.
Once they appeared to have reached the railing on top of the grand double stairs opposite of the main entrance, the chandelier’s lights came to life with a flicker.
If the hall looked amazing before, then it looked almost heavenly with bright light flooding the grand hall.

"Who dares to disturb me?” A voice suddenly rang out, pulling the exorcist out of his admiration for the architecture.
“Do you foolish exorcists truly believe you can defeat me?"
Aesop stiffened, his eyes finally moving up to narrow at the man standing at the top of the stairs. One of his hands was resting on the white railing, while he raised the other to his head with a sigh as if he was nursing a headache.

The exorcist watched in amazement as the stranger swung himself over the railing in one swift motion, landing on the floor a few spaces in front of him. As he stood up from his crouched position, he pulled a sword from the ground with a chuckle, seemingly out of nowhere.

Like this, the exorcist was able to take a better look at the vampire. He looked almost unreal with white locks draped over his right shoulder and a black high collar to frame his beautiful face. Long ruby-red robes hugging his waist and long, slender fingers gripping the handle of his sword. His eyes were closed as he rose from the ground as if to accentuate his already flourishing entrance.
"Well then, shall we have a look at the face of the exorcist who will soon join my collection of--"
he stopped talking abruptly after opening his eyes to take a look at the man who had just broken into his house.
His expression changed from a self-assured, yet incredibly endearing and charming smirk into something akin of disbelief. The sword, which was held with so much confidence before was now hitting the tiled floor with a loud clatter to echo through the hall.

For a moment, there was silence until the vampire spoke again.
"Aesop…?" he whispered, disbelief lacing his voice. As he took a careful step forward, his hand slowly reached for said man
“You’re back.”

The exorcist stiffened. "How do you know my name?" he questioned, his hand was tightly wrapped around the handle of his sword as he finally unsheathed it and pointed it at the vampire. The beast however didn’t seem to be threatened by that, hurt written all over his face at getting a sword pointed at him. And Aesop couldn't really explain why he felt guilty for that.

"Right... you don't remember, correct?" the vampire spoke again. His tone was entirely changed as well. He sounded so gentle and loving when he called out the exorcist’s name and Aesop found himself actively struggling to not get pulled in by that man's magic. 

This entire situation was starting to overwhelm him as unknown emotions began to surface. His grip on his sword wavered and Aesop’s breath quickened with each step the count took towards him. One step forward from the vampire meant one step back for the human as his mind was screaming at him to keep the beast at a distance. That this was nothing but the work of the vampire’s magic and if he got too close he would end up dead like all the other exorcists. But whenever he opened his mouth to tell the vampire to back off, he seemingly forgot how to form words.

Apparently, hitting the entrance door with his back also helped little to calm down. His sword dropped to the ground, similar to the count's sword just a moment ago, as Aesop lost all focus. His eyes met with the vampire's for a second and in the next, the remaining distance between them was gone as the man took hold of his hand, holding it so gently in his as if they both weren’t just holding swords a moment ago.

Aesop widened his eyes in shock. He didn't like how close the vampire was, he didn't like how he apparently knew his name nor did he like how kind that supposed beast was treating him, muttering things in a language he didn't understand.
Each gentle touch from the vampire made his body stiffen in discomfort and before he knew it, he felt tears dripping down his cheeks. His voice was rendered to nothing but mere sobs as his chest tightened and all air escaped his lungs. It became near unbearable once he got engulfed by the rosy -and yet again familiar- smell of the vampire's perfume. "Get…" he gulped, his voice was small and shaky, barely a whisper "Get away from me".
he gripped onto the count's sleeves tightly in a futile attempt to keep himself grounded.

The count gently picked up the intruder, carefully pushing aside the bangs that covered half of the exorcist’s face as he softly urged Aesop to rest his head against his well-dressed chest. However, where one would suspect a heartbeat, there was no sound. A grim reminder that this man was not alive. Though, in the midst of his panic attack, Aesop couldn't help but to find it somewhat comforting. It made it easier to focus on his own breathing, using the echoing sound of the vampire's footsteps as his metronum.