The Sharpest Blade (My Vampire System Fan-Fic)

The cold sterility of the room pressed against Vorden like a vice. Smooth walls of darkened metal enclosed him, no visible seams, no vents, no security cameras he could see—just a featureless cell. The only breaks in the monotony were the faint blue lines of energy pulsing along the floor and walls, a quiet hum vibrating beneath his feet. The cold metal of the walls pulsed too with a faint blue glow, his eyes traced the lines like veins across the surface. Vorden sat on the floor, fingers tapping against his knee in a restless rhythm. His mind worked quickly, cataloging every inch of the room—the seams where panels met, the lack of any visible door handle, the almost imperceptible hum of an energy field coating the walls.

He shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders as he took in his surroundings. His wrists and ankles weren't bound, which meant either his captor didn't see him as a threat, or there was something about this containment that made restraints unnecessary. The Celestial who had taken them clearly wasn't worried about him escaping. 

They should be worried, he thought. 

He exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing as he considered his next move. 

Phasing was an option, but a dangerous one. If they were in deep space, one wrong move could send him straight into the void. Phasing would be a stupid risk. Without knowing what lay beyond the walls, he could phase himself straight into the vacuum of space. He might be able to test it, but if he phased and his feet didn't immediately find solid ground, he'd have fractions of a second to correct before it was too late. No, he needed more information first. 

His fingers curled into fists before relaxing. He still had Cassidy's ability, but no fire sparked at his fingertips. A quick internal check confirmed what he already suspected—his abilities were locked down. Either suppressed by the room itself or by something his captor had done to him. 

Alright he thought, pacing a slow circuit around the space. No abilities, unfamiliar terrain, unknown captor, and no idea where Raten is.

A flicker of frustration flared in his chest, but he buried it beneath the calculation. Raten wouldn't go down quietly. He'd fight until he couldn't. Which meant either he was in another containment unit, or— 

A sharp hiss cut through the quiet as a seam formed in the wall, widening into a doorway. Heavy boots echoed against the floor. Vorden turned just in time to see a figure step inside. But it wasn't the celestial that caught his attention first. A moment after the door opened, Raten was shoved forward, his usual cocky smirk in place, though there was a slight hitch in his step as suddenly he was dragged in rather violently by an unseen force, Raten's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, his face twisted in irritation rather than pain. His hands pressed against the floor as he pushed himself up, shaking his head like he'd just been sucker punched. His sharp eyes darted to Vorden's before a smirk twitched at his lips. 

"Well," Raten drawled, cracking his neck. "Miss me?" The door was sealed behind him. 

Vorden stood, eyes scanning his brother. "You good?" 

Raten stretched his shoulders, rolling his neck like he was warming up for a fight. "Been worse. Celestial's confused as hell, though. Doesn't get why we're weak compared to what he was expecting." 

Vorden frowned. "What does he think we are?" 

"Some sort of multiplication ability," Raten said, plopping onto the ground across from him. "Of Sil's." He shook his head. "Guess we do have his dna." 

Vorden leaned back against the wall, thoughtful. "Makes sense. Sil's power loss wasn't exactly public knowledge. If I recall correctly it was intentionally kept quiet. It was a secret deal between the messenger of the ancient ones and Quinn himself, made entirely for the reason that they did not want to start a panic. He probably thinks he's dealing with a security measure, part of Sil's ability, not his..." He paused, considering. 

"Brothers," Raten finished for him, smirk widening. "I know it's really complicated but for lack of any better description, at the end of the day we were brothers to begin with, Vorden." 

Vorden rolled his eyes but didn't argue. He shifted his focus back to the room. "Did he say what he wants with Sil?" 

"Not yet. Just a lot of staring like we're some kind of puzzle he can't figure out. I think he's trying to decide if we're worth keeping alive." 

Vorden's jaw clenched. "Then we need to be ready." 

Before Raten could respond, the door hissed open again. This time, their captor was standing there just beyond the door. 

The Celestial was as tall as Vorden had remembered. Still clad in a dark, form-fitting material with metallic playing that remained silent as he moved. The hollow eyes of the mask he wore glowed with barely restrained energy, a mix of calculation and frustration wafted off of him in waves

Vorden's gaze flicked past him to the room beyond the doorway. He couldn't see anything however past the alien. Tall, imposing, his expression was unreadable, because his face was hidden by the mask that looked like it was moving at all times. However the lingering glare the he held while glancing between the brothers was rather telling. He also tilted his head slightly—like he was working through a puzzle that didn't quite make sense. 

The celestial studied them for a long moment before speaking again, more to himself than to them. "You are… his children. Yet, you are not. This makes no sense." 

Vorden kept his expression neutral, but inside, his mind sharpened. He thought he was getting Sil. "I've seen you make many versions of yourself before, but never this corporeal. So much more advanced. Yet, weaker. Is this the price for lasting copies? Is it the same ability?"

Raten let out a low chuckle. "Oh, you're one of those dumbasses who think we're just extensions of Sil, huh?" He tapped his temple. "Hate to break it to you, but we're the real deal." 

The celestial glare didn't waver. If anything, he looked more perplexed. "You share his energy signature, but your strength does not match." He stepped forward, tilting his head slightly as if inspecting them in a new light. "Why would the Godslayer create weaker versions of himself?" 

Vorden's jaw tightened. He really doesn't know. Sil's loss of power hadn't spread beyond those involved. The celestial thought he was still hunting down one of the strongest beings in the universe. 

Raten snorted. "Yeah, why would he do that? Man, he must be crazy, right?" 

Vorden shot him a sharp look—Raten wasn't subtle, but he was buying them time. If their captor was confused, he wasn't certain. And if he wasn't certain, he wouldn't act yet. At least... That's what Vorden was banking on.

"You are not what I expected," he said, his unsettling demonic-like voice , smooth but edged with irritation. "Your energy matches the Godslayer, yet you lack his strength. But you are not simply mundane. I have seen that one wielding fire with a female. Explain." his hand pointed a slender finger towards Raten. Who for once, looked speechless, all the color having drained from his face.

"You saw me? Wielding fire? With Cassie? You were watching us? You sick bastard!" His pale face turned bright red and his voice raised until he had a vein bulge on the side of his neck. He looked like a coiled spring, ready to strike. Vorden quickly placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to remind him that they were not in the position to start anything, the alien had the advantage in every way. Feeling his hand, Raten visibly restrained himself, pursing his lips, his fist pulled back and with one swift motion he turned his body and landed it on the wall of the holding cell. A small muffled groan emitted from his chest as he tried to alleviate his frustration with the reverberating of the metal beneath his might.

Vorden remained silent, measuring his options. So he had been to the Blade complex, tracking Sil. He had apparently been able to breach their defences undetected. A cold shiver washed over Vorden's body. The combined power levels of Cassie and Raten were probably quite impressive. No doubt leading the celestial to feel confident that he had in fact found the correct Sil. Cassie, being a descendant of the Sunshield's, one of the big four, was immensely powerful. Those previous four families that were the leaders of the world after the first Dalki war. Then Raten, while not as strong as the actual Sil, was still quite powerful when compared to an average human.

All of that power concentrated in one spot, it would have been hard to differentiate the two. Just one giant blip of power on the map. After seeing the same face and having matching DNA it's very understandable how this being had made the mistake. When he came to retrieve Raten, thinking it was Sil, he must have been confused when seeing two of them and just decided to grab them both for good measure. Whereas the actual target, the real Sil would have looked unimportant by comparison with no powers anymore.

The celestial grew impatient. In a more forceful tone he exerted his power, pressing down upon them with his energy as there was an uptick in his voice. "Explain."

Raten, of course, took a different approach. "You tell us, buddy," Raten drawled, lounging back against the wall like he had all the time in the world. "You're the one who dragged us out here. If you were expecting the big guy himself, you really screwed up." 

The Celestial's gaze sharpened. "You share his energy. You are a part of him." 

Vorden folded his arms. "We're not just arbitrary copies. We're individuals. If you were expecting Sil, you made a mistake." 

The Celestial stepped forward, regarding them like specimens under a microscope. "A mistake... or something else?" His fingers twitched at his sides, golden light flickering around them like restrained fire. "If you are not extensions of his ability, then what are you?" 

Raten shrugged. "Annoyed." 

The Celestial's patience thinned. The air in the room grew heavier, pressure building like a storm. "You are connected to him. That means you are leverage." 

Vorden's stomach dropped, but he kept his face neutral. "You think we matter that much to him?" He attempted to keep his voice level trying not to betray his true emotions.

The Celestial's presence darkened. "We will see." It straightened. "No matter. Answers will come in time." He lifted a hand, and the energy in the room pulsed in response. 

Vorden braced himself. Here we go. Without another word however, he turned swiftly and left, the door sealing behind him once more. 

Silence stretched between them. 

"Well," Raten finally said, stretching out his legs. "That could've gone worse." 

Vorden exhaled through his nose, staring at the door. "Yeah... at least we're alive to fight another day. For now." 

He didn't say it, but they both knew what was coming next. The Celestial was trying to figure out what they were worth. And if he decided they weren't worth keeping alive... 

Vorden needed a plan. Fast.