Blue Crescent

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

A long, long time ago when the world was younger, werewolves, vampires, witches, and humans once lived together in their own territories. The world was somehow a peaceful place to live in under the leadership of Alpha Lucian—the strongest lycan ruler born under the power of the blue moon phenomenon known as the Blue Crescent.

Blue Crescent happens once every fifty years when another boy of any supernatural kind is born. As the blue moon ascends, the predecessor steps down on the successor's sixteenth birthday. All expectant mothers gather under the moon at the phenomenal ceremony in the hopes of giving birth to a male child and take the pride of royalty. However, the children of the blue crescent moon can only come from the bloodline of werewolves and vampires. Witches don't even bother dreaming of having a sovereign from their lineage since they are humans too only made powerful by magic.

On the most awaited night, two boys were born: One was Lucian's child, and the other was Markus's, a vampire. Nonetheless, it was the first time that two future leaders were born, and there can only be one to rule.

Lucian and Markus agreed to train the young boys as warriors. On the boys' sixteenth birthday when their powers were awakened and unleashed, the two fought a duel. Markus's son came out victorious, but Lucian's son lost blood, gasping for breath. His body was covered with bite marks and couldn't fight back for being less powerful that the vampire's son. Lucian froze as he watched his son being slaughtered by Markus's son who transformed into a black-eyed vampire with a speed faster than light. His wife pleaded to stop the duel, but he couldn't meddle in the fight between the two who were fighting for dominion. As if the gods favored Markus's son, the young boy sped off around Lucian's son forming a whirlwind of fire and turned Lucian's hopeless son into ashes before their bewildered eyes.

"If I were you, Lucian, I wouldn't have let your good-for-nothing human offspring fight against a powerful vampire like my son. Please accept my sincere sympathy." Markus snapped his finger, making a white rose come out in between his fingers and threw it on the ashes of Lucian's son. He then ordered Lucian to proclaim the new ruler of the tribe.

The werewolves were struck with grief, looking at the heartbreaking scene while the vampires rejoiced to finally rule the earth after centuries of waiting. Standing in the middle ground, the new ruler demanded everyone to bow their heads before him. Lucian stepped forward and uttered his refusal. In his fury, the new ruler commanded the vampires to kill and behead him.

After witnessing Lucian's horrible death, an outburst of anger emerged from the werewolves that caused war between werewolves and vampires. The new ruler ordered death to anyone who would oppose him, and the runaways were marked as rebels. Lucian's wife was buried alive and died broken over her family's heart-wrenching fate.

When the next blue crescent moon was about to ascend, the expectant women were slaughtered to death by an unseen force that prevented the birth of their new ruler. Markus's son offered the souls of the unborn children to the darkness as a sacrifice to keep him in power.

Everyone was quiet while Arthur was telling the story. The forest was dark, and I was quite a coward so I pretended to be interested to ease my fears.

"Wait, so . . . Does that mean that Markus's son became immortal?" I asked.

"Yes and no. When the ruler made a deal with the darkness, he was told to create an essential in exchange for immortality," Arthur answered.

"An essential?" Everyone chorused.

"Shh! Careful. Mrs. Shaw might hear us. She will definitely put us all to sleep if we wake her up, and I might not be able to finish my story," Arthur said.

"What is an essential?" Olivia whispered.

"It's a mixture of all bloods. Humans, witches, wolves, and vampires. He killed them all and mixed their blood for him to drink," Arthur responded, and everyone gasped. "Once he drinks the mixture, that's when the darkness gives off its power and make the ruler immortal.

"Gross!" Hannah exclaimed quietly.

"Wait. If they were all dead, then he could be the only one who lived, right?" Adrian asked.

"No, because some have escaped. The rebels, remember?" Arthur answered.

"Okay. So, the ruler finally had all of the things needed to claim his immortality . . . What happened next?" Olivia asked.

"I have mixed all the blood as you instructed me to do," the ruler said, bowing his head on the ground with a wooden goblet in his hand.

"Drink," a deep thundering voice echoed.

The ruler closed his eyes and lifted the goblet slowly. When the rim touched his mouth, the goblet was suddenly snatched from him. When he opened his eyes, he was bewildered to see Lucian's wife, gulping the goblet's content like a thirsty beast looking at him with bright red eyes. His body froze in shock and couldn't even utter a word. When the goblet was empty, Lucian's wife dropped it on to the ground and sank her fangs into his neck in a blink of an eye.

"Gosh all Potomac. Didn't you know that the spell won't work without your blood? Well, you've been fooled, and I couldn't thank you enough for doing me the favor—for making me immortal," Lucian's wife spoke through her mind.

The ruler's eyes turned black as his power emerged, but he struggled to escape from her hold. Lucian's wife was incredibly strong; he couldn't even make a single move. Furious, he called for his power to release fire from his body and burned Lucian's wife slowly; however, pain made the latter's fangs sank deeper and deeper until the former's powers ran dry.

Her clothes were burned into ashes and left her naked. The ruler's body became pale and began to shrink into all skin and bones, popping his eyes. When his blood was completely drained, he fell on to the ground as Lucian's wife looked at him with intense hunger for vengeance. She knelt on her knee and looked at the ruler's tormented eyes.

"Did you really think I am dead, my king?" she said before catching a glimpse of her body regenerating at a tremendous rate than an ordinary human eye could see.

How did you . . .

"Live? Oh, I had vampire blood in my veins when you buried me alive, thanks to you."

She moved her lips close to the ruler's ears.

"Truth is, I know the formula of all essentials, and I can give you immortality without murdering every living creature that breathes and without murdering my family. But you have been cunning, ambitious, and evil that you killed my husband before my very eyes just because my son was wolf less, and you took the power when you are not worthy of such honor and respect," she whispered.

You will pay for this.

"Oh, there's nothing you can do, my king. Tonight, you shall die in my hands."

Lucian's wife snapped her finger, and out came a wooden dagger.

"Ecxessus," she whispered before stabbing him into his chest.

The ruler's body froze as his skin melted before morphing into a mummified statue. His eyeballs fell from its sockets as his presence dissipated, let alone the mind link.

"Vale, my king," Lucian's wife said in an ancient language.

Lucian's wife grinned devilishly and licked the bloodstain on the dagger and smirked before disappearing into the darkness.

"Wow. That's such an amazing story, Arthur," Olivia said, burning a stick.

An applause was heard as Arthur stood up. "Thank you."

"I hope it isn't true. I'm scared of the dark," I said, looking around the woods.

"Really? Then why did you join this camp?" Adrian moved closer to me with a flashlight illuminating under his chin.

When I saw his face, I screamed at the top of my voice. The campers were awoken from their slumber and went out from their tents.

"What in the world was that about?" Mrs. Shaw asked angrily, but no one answered. She must have been awakened from her dreams in her pajamas. "Who was it? Leaders, come to me, now!" she shouted.

Every one of us looked at each other as silence clothed the air. Connie, Arthur, Rea, and Jeanna walked slowly towards the displeased Mrs. Shaw. Their faces seemed to reflect in her glasses even in the dark of the night.

"Who was it? I am so disappointed in choosing you as leaders of your groups when you can't even control your team. Have you forgotten the rules in this camp?" she said as she took her steps towards each of them. "What is the first rule, Connie?"

"Stick together and help everyone in need."

"How about the second rule? Rea?"

"Respect."

"The third rule. Jeanna?"

"Sleep before midnight."

"And the last rule? Arthur?"

"Honesty," Arthur replied, lowering his head. "Mrs. Shaw, we were just telling bedtime stories. I think we got carried away . . . Please forgive us."

"Bedtime stories?" Mrs. Shaw chuckled. "Arthur, who broke the third rule?" she asked, but Arthur didn't respond. "If silence is the answer, then who broke the last rule?"

"Mrs. Shaw, I—" Arthur couldn't finish his sentence.

"It was me, Mrs. Shaw." I stood up. "I'm sorry. Ah . . . a m-mosquito bit me, and I screamed. It won't happen again."

"A mosquito," Mrs. Shaw asked in a confirming tone.

"Yes Mrs. Shaw. A mosquito. I know it's stupid, but I'm sorry," I said, fidgeting.

"Really? Does a mosquito bite make you scream like a banshee?" she asked which made the campers laugh loudly.

"Quiet!" Mrs. Shaw raised her voice before looking at everyone who froze to silence. "And what is your bedtime story all about, Arthur? The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Little Red Riding Hood? Hansel and Gretel?"

The campers chuckled silently.

"No Mrs. Shaw. It's about the . . . uhm . . . the supernatural beings who were thought to have lived for centuries and . . . was assumed to be alive until now," Arthur answered.

"I mean, ah . . . I just read it in the library that this town used to be occupied by werewolves, vampires, humans, and witc—" he stopped when he noticed the others trying to prevent their laughter from bursting by holding their stomachs.

"Seriously Arthur? I thought Grandmas are the only ones who loved to tell stories," one of the campers interrupted before giving him a smirk. Murmurs and soft laughter could be heard from the other campers.

"Yeah, my grandma used to tell me bedtime stories about Santa Clause even if it's not Christmas." Another camper chuckled.

"That's enough!" Mrs. Shaw moved towards Arthur. "I admire your love for research, Arthur, and thank you for sharing a fantasy bedtime story to your team. But for now, all of you, go back to sleep, and never get out until I say so!" she shouted and pointed her forefinger at everyone before marching towards her tent.

"Arthur, what happened next?" Olivia got up and whispered.

"Go to sleep," we chorused.

Olivia looked at us before rolling her eyes.

As the night deepened, I heard a tiny voice from afar that seemed to be crying in pain. I looked at my friends, thinking it was from one of them but they were all sleeping like a log. I could even hear the boys snoring. Unable to tame my curiosity, I crawled slowly and went out of the tent.

Despite the cold air, I followed the tiny voice leading to the deepest part of the woods. When I reached the darkest part of the forest, my heartbeat started racing.

"Oh my god, why am I here? How did I get here?" I panicked.

I moved my feet backwards and looked around. Without thinking which way would lead me out, I entrusted my life to the moonlight as my only guide and ran as fast as I could until I found myself catching my breath. I rested against a tree to grasp for air. When I was ready to move again and run, a pair of huge black eyes popping out of its sockets met me. Frightened, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was terrified that all I could do was close my eyes and squeal uncontrollably.

"Madison!" Olivia slapped me in the face, making me stop and open my eyes.

I looked at Olivia, Adrian, Hannah, and Arthur who were looking at her. "You're dreaming," they chorused.

"What in the world is happening!?" Mrs. Shaw's irritating voice was heard outside.

"Ugh. Not again," Arthur uttered while the others facepalmed.

***

"You should thank me for saving your life, father," an invisible female voice said. "You must be celebrating, I suppose. I lost count of how many blue moons have passed and nobody has replaced you. You're still the same ruler whom the creatures submit themselves and bow their heads to even in your disgusting form. Ah, I wish I was born male. I could have lived as the most powerful being in this world. How shameful of you to die in the hands of that awful witch. But don't worry, father. That witch Ambrosia shall die in my hands, and I will offer her blood to the darkness as a sacrifice for your homecoming. Then you shall acquire your revenge."

The ruler's hardened corpse floated into the air as if someone was carrying him and was placed inside a wooden coffin with his name carved on it: Gorgon, The Immortal.



"You shall live again, father," the voice said before the coffin was closed and locked.