The God of calamity’s wife book 2: return of the 13th

The Vampire King Alastor stood before the roaring fire, his crimson cloak and armor catching the light of the flickering flames. 

In his hand, he held the bag of the ashes of his son, the last remnants of a lineage he once hoped would carry his legacy. 

With a sharp flick of his wrist, he tossed the bag into the inferno. The embers hissed and crackled as they consumed the bag, the fire seeming to roar louder, as if echoing the king's fury.

A frown deepened on his face. His son—a weakling, a fool—had defied him in every way. He had dared to turn his back on his birthright, running off with that werewolf wife. 

Alastor's grip tightened on the parchment in his hand, the edges crumpling beneath his clawed fingers.

"But now," he murmured to the flames, his voice low and venomous, "he's nothing more than dust. Fitting."

Disappointment churned in his chest, but it was quickly overtaken by something far darker—anticipation. He uncurled his fingers, revealing the stolen letter. On the aged parchment was a map marked with the location of the werewolf clans. His son's foolishness had led Alastor to this gift, and for that, the king almost felt a glimmer of gratitude.

Almost.

He traced a claw along the envelope, his eyes gleaming with malevolent delight. "The time has come," he whispered, his voice like the hiss of a blade being unsheathed. "Their kind will kneel before me. I will strip them of their pride, their loyalty, their pathetic notions of pack and freedom."

The firelight danced in his eyes as he envisioned his plan unfolding. "I will make them mine. Their claws will become fangs, their fur will burn away, and their savage instincts will yield to bloodlust. The werewolves will no longer howl at the moon. They will thirst for it."

He would make them all turn to vampires. 

A low chuckle escaped his throat, rising into a deep, echoing laugh. The shadows of his castle seemed to tremble with his malice. The Vampire King Alastor was ready to unleash a darkness unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Then suddenly the ashes turned golden.

He stood up.

"It can't be." He muttered in astonishment. "Yes! Taz is alive!"

He scooped the ashes from the fire that had now turned to a golden claw. All he needed was to obtain the bones of the rest of his son from Hel and he would have his second chance to currupt his son. This time hopefully taz would have more control than Sirius.

———————

In a dark space below, as the embers above burned, particles of light filtered in and out of view. In this space there was silence. An endless night and weightless whispers. The particles were caught in flight in a place where everything was alone. 

No breath, no life, no heartbeat, no sound. 

They twirled in the darkness, the cold, in cosmic stillness, where shadows were sleeping. 

Each particle was like a spark, a dancing flame that had never been named. 

With no gravity to pull them down,

No winds to stir and no sound.

They floated like dreams that never ceased,

In the vast, eternal peace.

Time stands still forever. 

Yet the particles circled in a quiet ballet and they formed a story that was unseen and untold. 

Suddenly a light appeared and out of the darkness a voice steered the direction of the particles and coaxed them to come to him. 

He gently guided them through the darkness and took ahold of them. 

"Sirius, now is not the time for sleeping." The man said as he formed the particles together and gave them a shape of a boy. He hugged the boy tightly and eventually the boy hugged him back, though he was sleeping and didn't know who he was. 

He opened his eyes and looked up at the man. He had black hair and calm eyes. His smile was gentle. He had long golden horns on top of his head like a goat, but more dramatic. 

A green cape flowed behind him and his body was lean but strong. The man emanated with power, mystery, craftiness. 

Sirius didn't know what to think of him, but he had an aura that he could be trusted. 

"Who are you?" He asked in his mind. And the man answered back. 

"I am Loki." The man said. 

Sirius looked at the man and recognized his name slightly. "I think I have been looking for you." He answered. 

"Very well." Loki said, "come with me, it is time I take you to your wife.