Red Serpent: The Falsifier (6 page)

The final battle was at Drakim Castle, the main headquarters of the Empire on Migra. It was to be the battle which made Argos Nyrax I the hero of the Revolution. The Markian Armies were valiant and would not give up easily. However, equal bravery was to be found in the Nyrax Armies. Finally, the armies infiltrated the castle, and Argos led a small group of soldiers into the Throne Room, where the emperor awaited with his guards. A swordfight followed and Argos was able to get to the emperor. With one final slash, he cut off his twin brother’s head. He carried it to the highest tower in the Castle, and declared victory for himself and his armies. The Revolution was over and after three weeks of discussion, a Constitutional Monarchy was established with Argos as the King of all Migra and its system. The Nyrax Monarchy was established, with each king serving a reign of one thousand years. The coronation of Argos I took place in 1 N.D (Nyrax Dynasty). A thousand years of Golden Peace reigned. This further continued into an Age of Knowledge, Peace, Unity and Bliss that lasted for the next 150000 years. The latter years of this period were, however, besmirched by some war and ravage.

In about 10000 BC, the Migrites came to the Earth and passed on their knowledge to the Humans. It was at this time that signs of internal deterioration within the Kingdom were duly noted. They learned the secret of necromancy and were able to raise the dead. Politics took place inside the Courts and soon another war broke out, this one ending with Anaxagoras XXIX. It was known as the War of the Eight Kings and began in 142000 N.D, lasting about 7000 years. The war was ignited by a disagreement between father and son. It spread to future generations all the way to Anaxagoras, thus making it one of the longest wars ever fought in Migritic history. Finally, Anaxagoras XXIX won the battle in 149000 N.D, when he learned a secret way of defeating the other Seven Kings. He summoned a man named Johesham, who was a powerful practitioner of the forbidden Black Arts. Johesham told the King to go to the Earth along with the other kings to sign a secret peace treaty at Antarctica. When they arrived there, they entered a hidden cave. It was said that the magician cursed them and cast them into the Abyss where he presided over them as their gatekeeper. From then on, there was no king but Anaxagoras. His reign was more terrible than that of Markos I and not surprisingly, another Rebellion took place in 150000 but was garnered no measurable success. In 151000, Anaxagoras was to die, but the Red Serpent saved him.

This made no sense. How did Uncle John learn so much about the history of the vampire kings? He concluded that he must have had help from the Rebels.

Alexandros
. That name rang through his head. Could it be that there may have been some connection between him and the vampires? Was he himself one of them? It certainly made sense but it shocked him to think so. His own name was Alexander III. So did that mean he was the continuation of that race? He wanted to know more. Was he really a vampire? If not he was sure that he had some part to play in all of this. He went through the book once more. Something fell out from behind the back cover and landed on the desk. A letter:

November 11th 3328

My Dear Son Alexander,

Today is your birthday, and as I am writing to you, I see your face. Your emotions are conflicting. On one hand your soul is at peace because you have been born into this universe and know your place in it. On the other hand something irks you. Today is the Last Battle, and we have lost. The reason I am writing this letter, which should have been given to you by your guardians at the right time, is to let you know the things you have always have wanted to know. I must tell you that after I finish this letter I shall die.

I am holding on to my last breath so that I may tell you this. You are my beloved son, and your father told me many things about you before you were born. His name was Aidan Nyrax, the son of Anaxagoras Nyrax XXIX. That’s right, you are a descendant of the Nyrax dynasty, but it isn’t mentioned in any of the books. Even your father’s name isn’t mentioned in any of the books. That’s because your grandfather believed he disgraced the dynasty. Because of this, he was cast out. Alongside his cousin Nikolas, your father started the Rebellion. And now, Anaxagoras has killed him.

Your father was no ordinary vampire. He was born after the conversion of your grandfather. Now, vampires cannot procreate, but they can turn other races, especially the human race, into their kind. Anaxagoras wanted a direct heir to the lineage of the Nyrax family, but this was not possible. Therefore, he created your father out of pure energy. He used the energy of the stars and quanta and molded it into your father’s form. So he was born as a grown man, having had no childhood. At first his only thoughts were an extension of Anaxagoras’s. It was after some time that your father became independent and started to think on his own. He learned all the great secrets from Anaxagoras. After the Rebellion, he taught them to Nikolas and John and later used them against his father.

But you, my son, are quite different. Your father prophesied earlier for Anaxagoras, and later he spoke of the Prophecies of Ardemis. He had visions about you and foresaw your coming. You are the one who will be known as the Falsifier or the Equivocator. You are both human and vampire. You may wonder how that’s possible. Your father did as your grandfather and created you out of energy. You were made the same way Christ was made. Your father never touched me. So he put pure energy into my womb, with a single cell of his blood and you were conceived. You were born to avenge us. Your grandfather is afraid of you, I know that. And your father still has many things to tell you. He left some discs for you, which I gave to your uncle. There is a code for all of them. Ask him and you will know everything else you need to know.

I know you will not fail in anything you have to do. You are destined for victory. Your father could not foresee what will happen after you go to battle with Anaxagoras, but he knew that you are the salvation for all races.

I shall forever be with you in spirit and I will watch over you. I remain your loving mother eternally, and I address you by your true name: Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax III.

So he was the Falsifier and a vampire. A half vampire at any rate. He whispered the word to himself. Suddenly, he felt it in his blood and his heart. Somehow, he had always known. Was that why he had achieved so much? Because he had such powers and came from such a noble lineage?
I am a vampire prince
, he thought.

He returned to the shelf to look at the other books in the library. Next to the shelf was a full-body mirror. He walked over to it and glared at himself. Even his reflection seemed different now. It disturbed him. The more he scrutinized himself the more his reflection distorted until he saw himself as a monster. He jumped with fright.

“I can’t be a vampire!” he cried out, suddenly horrified by the notion. He felt now that he could trust no one. It hurt him that Uncle John and Grandma had not told him before. He went to sit on the sofa and looked into the pool of blood and the waterfall. His senses electrified seeing it once again. He got up and touched the pool, swirling his fingers in it and lightly skimming the blood. He tasted his finger. It tasted...good! It was so different, unlike anything he had ever tasted before. It was sweet, but not like sugar.
This must be the taste of Ambrosia, the food of the Gods,
he thought.

As Alex drank more of the blood, he felt more at peace. There was a soothing humming sound in his head. It was the sound of the universe and it pleased him. His face was a picture of serenity like one who had attained nirvana. “This is the missing piece in my life,” he whispered.

Suddenly he felt something pop in his left ear. He took out his hearing aid and whistled. It was incredible! Sound had entered his left ear! It was just like before the football accident; in fact it was even better.

He was immediately addicted to the red liquid. With a splash, he thrust his whole head into the pool. Suddenly, he could feel his gums expand as his canine teeth grew. He felt them with his tongue and laughed. He felt more powerful than he had ever felt before. He found himself speaking in a very strange language. Fire seemed to glaze over his pupils and two red energy beams shot out of his hands.

He yelled at the top of his lungs and collapsed.

Alex had fallen into a dreamless sleep. When he woke up, he felt as though he had been hibernating for a thousand years. He stretched his arms and yawned. A huge smile spread across his face. He opened his eyes and blinked. He was on the living room sofa. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the figure of Uncle John.

John smiled at him as he sipped some black coffee. “Good morning,” he said. He came closer to Alex and placed his hand on his nephew’s forehead. “Well, the fever’s left you and you seem better now. You gave us quite a scare last night.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as if nothing had happened last night. Alex tried to remember last night, but his head ached as if he just swallowed an ice cold drink.

Suddenly he saw a vision of an emerald cross, and a serpent, red as blood, crawling towards it. He saw a rift between him and the cross and in that rift was a white light. The previous night came back to him. “Anaxagoras!” he shouted. He paused, catching his breath, and said much softer, “I didn’t have a fever last night.”

“You did. Right after you fell unconscious.”

His grandmother hurried out from the kitchen, sat down in a chair next to him and said, “Alex, you’re okay. We were so worried about you last night.” She gently wrapped her fingers around his hair.

“If you hadn’t drunk the blood, everything would have been fine,” his uncle added.

“So am I one of them?” he said weakly.

John took his time before saying anything. “Well you’re half vampire, half human.”

“Okay,” Alex said, trying to make sense of it slowly. “So I wasn’t dreaming after all. So, what does all of it mean? Am I some sort of messiah?”

“You are the Falsifier. According to the prophecies, you are a vampire in every way but you do not share their curse. Ultimately you are the enemy of the Anisaei.”

“Anisaei?” Alex asked.

“Vampires, in the ancient tongue of the Red Serpent,” John said.

“Please tell me this is all a joke, you guys.” He looked at John, then at Grandma, searching for the slightest hint that they were pulling his leg.

“Think about it, Alex,” said John, raising his right eyebrow. “All this time you had a feeling.”

“What? That I was a vampire?” Alex thought about it and realized that in his heart of hearts, it was true. “So what’s my true name? Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax?”

“That’s right; you are a royal prince. Your name means Alexander son of Aidan Nyrax. Like in the Hebraic traditions.”

Then it hit him. “Wait a minute! So then Anaxagoras is my grandfather! He killed my father, didn’t he?”

John looked at him solemnly, but said nothing.

“So now I’m supposed to kill my grandfather?” he said, as he got up wide eyed, from the sofa.

“Alex,” said John. “I think we should go back to the Inner Chamber, where you were last night.”

“Are they ready?” Lord Julius asked the President of the Vampire Confederation.

“My lord, they will be shortly.” Daniel bowed slightly. He had never liked the Twelve. They were a Council of Elders that Anaxagoras had established before he left. They outranked Daniel and came between him and his chance for ultimate power over the Earth.

“That is all?” asked Lord Julius. He was part of the Twelve. Although the majority of vampires on the earth wanted a democracy, Anaxagoras had always preferred a dictatorship. Nevertheless, he listened to the people, and a Confederation was established. They were responsible for making important decisions to do with the rule of the king, the keeping of the Ancient Covenant, and of course top-secret war plans. The Covenant, made to the Red Serpent by Anaxagoras on behalf of the vampires, was something that was hidden under the ancient inscriptions in Anaxagoras’s diary. The only thing the vampires knew was that they were supposed to keep the humans alive, though they were the enemies. Many speculations arose from this controversy including that they were to be made vampires later when the Red Serpent came, that they were to be placed under the rule of the Red Serpent and made slaves for the vampires, or that they were food for the Red Serpent. However, no one understood why the Treaty of New York was approved by Anaxagoras, and why the humans were to live so freely with only the necessary restrictions. These, including Anaxagoras’s sudden departure, were only the beginning of the numerous speculations the vampires conceived.

Nobody knew what the Twelve looked like as they always wore dark cloaks and hoods over their heads. Rumors had it that they symbolized the Twelve Elders of Migritic Mythology. No one knew their real names for they were lost when Anaxagoras hypnotized the entire race and bestowed upon them new names. These names came from the great emperors of Rome. Anaxagoras had a passion for this history, and so he named them after the Twelve Caesars.

“No, my lord,” said Daniel with a reluctant tremor, “I wanted to ask you about the project.”