Reign Of Fire

The moon, now hanging high in the sky, held the same significance for vampires as a sunrise did for everyone else in the world. Marienne stood atop the hill, overlooking the unguarded palace gates. The vampires felt no need to be on high alert, relying on the protection of their allied Dragon Lord to defend against any potential invasions.

Lazarus was in for a surprise tonight because his exalted Dragon Lord would not be coming to his rescue - Marienne would make sure of that. Visenya's intentions were straightforward: she planned to do as she had done years ago - free the humans from their enslavement to these vile creatures and, in the midst of that, reclaim her home.

"If I am going to do this, you need to relinquish complete control to me, Visenya," Marienne insisted.

"You're literally in my body. How much more control do you need?" Visenya questioned.

"Your emotions have always been your weakness. If I am to execute this plan, I need you to let me be free to do so," Marienne explained. "Your incessant brooding in the back of my mind makes it very hard for me to concentrate."

"Well, I see you haven't lost your memorable charm," Visenya snarked.

"Do you want my help or not?" Marienne rasped. "Because as far as my memory serves, you came to me desperate and pleading."

Visenya knew she couldn't do any of this without Marienne, or rather, she didn't trust herself without Marienne. Unlike Marienne, who had managed to master her abilities in just a few minutes, Visenya had the constant fear of losing control. It was in this realization that she made the decision to surrender fully to Marienne, granting her free and complete jurisdiction over her body and powers.

With a sense of resignation, Visenya allowed Marienne to bury her deep in the recesses of her mind, as if she were not present at all. An impish smile played at the corners of Marienne's lips, knowing that the real fun was about to begin. She approached the grand entrance of the palace, its towering gates standing as a formidable barrier.

With a simple wave of her hand, the gates swung open, capturing the attention of the humans standing watch at the palace doors. They made their way towards her, exchanging troubled looks among one another.

"You shouldn't be here, My Queen," one of them spoke. "It's not too late to turn around before our masters discover you."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Marienne shot them a mischievous grin, undeterred.

“Please, My Queen. We do not want any trouble for you.”

“Do not fret, today is the day that your queen reclaims her throne and grants you your freedom once again.”

Confidently standing in the moonlit courtyard, Marienne felt a sudden chill fill the air. Low, menacing growls echoed from the shadows, stirring the surrounding darkness. Figures emerged, their eyes glinting with a crimson hue.

Marienne found herself surrounded by an army of vampires, eager to get their hands on her and deliver her to their king. Their fangs protruded hungrily from their lips, their eyes radiating with hatred. It was a testament to the years of animosity they held towards Visenya and her kind in general.

They lunged towards her, their movements swift and synchronized, but she was faster. With a single motion of her hands, flames erupted from her fingertips, engulfing them in a blanket of fire. Their unearthly screams pierced the night, a symphony of agony and fury.

One by one, they fell, consumed by the inferno Marienne had summoned. Her eyes glinted with a mix of malice and satisfaction, the blaze in them intensifying, as she reduced these creatures to nothing but ash.

She looked onward and spotted Sebastian, the beloved of the Vampire King, frozen in shock. He did not recognize Visenya; all he saw was a silhouette of a woman on fire. The flames dancing upon her body, and her hair a blazing cascade of fiery tendrils that whipped around her face, defying the wind's attempts to extinguish its radiant glow.

The flames licked at her unscathed skin, and even her clothing remained intact, immune to the consuming fire. Her eyes, blazing like a endless furnace, possessed a mesmerizing power.

With each step towards the palace, she left trails of embers in her wake, exuding an aura of unwavering fearlessness. She was ready to face anyone who dared to stand in her way. Marianne knew she was a force to be reckoned with, an unstoppable adversary to anyone who challenged her.

The humans gathered around, bearing witness to their beloved queen's metamorphosis with a blend of curiosity and fear. Their queen, once revered for her love and compassion, now evoked an irrepressible sense of terror.

Marienne came face to face with Eleanora, and an unspoken recognition passed between them. As their paths crossed, a look of sympathy filled Eleanora's eyes, as if she knew a secret that nobody else did. Eleanora had one purpose to carry out: to lead her people far away from there, far away from Marienne, just as her dreams had foretold, and that was exactly what she did.

Marienne entered the palace, extinguishing her flames to ensure she didn't set the place ablaze. She had one sole mission in mind: to dethrone Lazarus and put an end to his reign and existence, fulfilling what Visenya was too weak to accomplish herself.

She was met with an expectant audience with Lazarus standing in the forefront, his eyes burning with a murderous rage that only enticed Marienne’s malevolent nature.

"Visenya?" Caspian called out, his gaze fixed on her burning eyes, desperately searching for the warmth that he had known his entire life. Yet, in the icy depths of her fiery stare, he found no trace of that familiarity.

“Visenya isn’t here right now,” Marienne announced with a sinister grin. “In all honesty, she doesn’t have it in her to do what needs to be done.”

“What do you want?” Sebastian's voice quivered with fear.

A maniacal laugh escaped her throat. “To kill you, of course… and eradicate your kind from the face of the earth.”

"Visenya," Lucian pleaded, stepping forward, "this isn't you. You're not thinking clearly."

“You be silent!” Marienne hissed at Lucian, her eyes filled with venom. “Your turn will come soon enough.”

"It's not her!" Caspian's voice rose in desperation. "This... this isn't Visenya! You marked her, Lucian! Reach out to her through your mind link!”

“I can’t…” Lucian confessed, defeat etched across his features. “She shut me out.”

“And rightfully so,” Marienne glowered.

“Get on with it,” Lazarus taunted. “You came here to end me, then do it. Just leave my family out of this.”

“Oh, you don’t get it, do you?” Marienne replied. “I want to watch you suffer. And what better way to do that than to hurt the ones you love.”

Marienne's gaze bore into Victoria's, a chilling intensity emanating from her eyes. Slowly, her hand rose in Victoria’s direction, a sinister display of power. Victoria's body began to defy gravity, her feet lifting off the ground, and a gasp escaped her lips as an invisible force constricted tightly around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Panic surged through her as she frantically clawed at her throat, pleading for mercy that Marienne seemed all too eager to deny.

“No!” Lazarus' voice filled with desperation, and he and Sebastian sprinted towards Marienne, determined to halt her terrifying assault. However, their efforts were thwarted as Marienne's telekinetic gaze paralyzed them, rendering them immobile and unable to intervene.

“Visenya, please stop!” Caspian's voice trembled with anguish as he pleaded, his heart breaking at the sight before him. “This isn't who you are! You don't harm people! Please, she's my mate! She's my mate, Visenya!”

Marienne's eyes flickered, momentarily shifting from their fiery blaze to Visenya's gentle, golden caramel hues. It was a glimpse of Visenya's inner struggle, her valiant attempt to regain control and emerge from the depths of Marienne's grip. Suddenly, Marienne released her hold on Victoria, and she fell into Caspian's waiting arms, her own breath catching in her throat.

Marienne redirected her anger towards Lazarus and Sebastian, her hands ablaze with fire as they remained trapped and defenseless. The fiery intensity in her eyes remained, and she brought her hands together, forming a ball of fire that grew larger and larger, resembling a scorching sun that began to burn their flesh. Their agonized screams filled the room until Lucian intervened, extinguishing her flames with his own hands.

"Stop this, Visenya!" Lucian's voice demanded, a tone Marienne despised. With one swift tilt of her head, she sent Lucian hurtling out of the nearest window.

Her focus returned to her targets. "Where were we?"

Caspian stepped forward, shielding Lazarus and Sebastian from further harm.

"We don't want to harm you, Caspian, but I will if necessary," Marienne threatened.

"Then I suppose you'll have to harm me if that's what you truly want."

Her fury intensified at his challenge. "Very well, then."