Chapter Twelve: Shiki

[Eva-Beatrice]

The sound of the large double doors of the Akorda Palace echoed through the halls as they opened. Kaname, Yuki, Maria, and Seiren had finally returned from their trip to Britannia. They were greeted by the rest of the council as they entered. “Welcome back, Lord Kaname, Lady Yuki.” Ruka said as she bowed. Hanabusa, on the other hand, was more relieved than welcoming. “It’s good to see you back in one piece. Lord Kaname, are you sure that was a good idea? So much could’ve gone wrong.” Kaname and the rest began to make their way through the halls of the palace. After a few moments, he answered Hanabusa’s question. “Yes. It went well. Lelouch and I spoke of many things.” They finally arrived at the throne room. As Kaname and Yuki sat down, everyone else simply stood around the room.

Hanabusa pushed a little further. “So, what did you speak about?” Kaname sat up straight, making eye contact with everyone. “As far as official diplomatic business is concerned, we mainly focused on our treatment of humans. Lelouch presented me with his concerns, and actively pushed to ensure that we treat humans with less aggression.” Ruka was the next to ask something. “What exactly does this mean for us?” Kaname answered. “It means that a few months down the road, Walpurgis will be changing its expansion policy to allow humans the option of becoming a vampire and joining us, or being sent to Britannia through the Meta Board.” Maria clicked her tongue and looked away, clearly upset about Kaname’s interaction with Lelouch. Kaname glanced at Maria before looking back to the rest of his council.

Everyone wore looks of concern on their faces. Hanabusa spoke up. “Lord Kaname, I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I object to this!” Akatsuki placed his hand on Hanabusa’s shoulder, silently urging him to calm down. Akatsuki then shifted his gaze to Kaname. “Hanabusa’s right. I also object to this, but if this is what you’ve decided, then we’ll obey.” “I know how you all feel. The deal I made with Britannia was a compromise. Lelouch insisted we put this policy into place immediately upon my return. However, I insisted that that was simply not an option at this point in time. Despite the actions that we have been taking these last several months, I’ve not lost sight of the pacifist ideology that I support. You remember it well, don’t you?” Akatsuki spoke again. “It’s been years since we’ve attended that place. I for one am tired of following that pacifist ideology. We may not require actual human blood to survive, but that isn’t true for them…” Kaname exhaled as he looked out the window. “I know that. And that is why there is no such law here preventing the murder of humans and the consumption of their blood. We shall see what happens what happens down the road. For now, Walpurgis will continue with its current expansion policy.” Takuma spoke up. “Speaking of which, Kaname, where will we be expanding next?” Kaname turned his attention to the map. “In addition to the capture of more Russian land, we will be capturing the capital city of Uzbekistan - Tashkent. I’ve already informed Tatsumi that the Shiki will be in charge of this expansion.”

As night fell over Tashkent, pairs of blood red eyes pierced through the dark all around the city. They swiftly and silently made their way through the city, targeting anyone and everyone they encountered. Large sharp fangs sank deep into the necks of their victims, rendering them unable to even scream as a result of the pain. As they finished, the body was passed to another until it was almost completely drained of blood. No one was spared. One by one, the population of the city dwindled until none remained. Tashkent, and soon the rest of Uzbekistan, would fall to these creatures. A type of vampire that only appeared at night, and could only thrive off the blood of humans. They were the Shiki.