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The dark, cool night descended quickly upon the city.

Vincent stood at the palace entrance, staring out into the inky blackness of the night. His eyes scanned the path ahead of him, searching desperately for any movement, any sign that his sister was coming home.

Without even thinking he began to pace back and forth, like an impatient cat waiting for its owner to put food into its dish. “Where the hell is she? Doesn't she know how dangerous it can be for a noble to be walking around at night!?” he thought angrily. Vincent’s body stiffened and he stopped pacing when he spotted someone running in the distance. His muscles relaxed a little when he saw a familiar set of blue eyes looking at him.

Lilith walked casually up to her older brother. "Hehehe, sorry Vince. Guess I lost track of time," she said, slightly out of breath and smiling sheepishly.

Vincent fought the urge to shout at her and ran his hand through his silver hair to calm himself. "Please stop making us worry so much. I thought something terrible had happened to you."

Lilith scowled and folded her arms against her chest. "Oh jeez Vince! It’s not that dangerous out here. What makes you think I'd be in any trouble?"

Her brother didn’t say anything. Lilith looked at Vincent closely, noticing the mix of agitation and relief in his body. Something seemed...different. Like there was something really bothering him that night.

Lilith cocked her head to the side. "Okay, you usually get pretty peeved when I stay out too late, but something feels off with you. Did something happen at the palace while I was away?"

Vincent leaned against the palace’s pale stone wall and buried his hands in his trouser pockets. “I’m afraid so.”

The young princess’ face grew smug. “That’s right; you can’t hide anything from The All-Knowing Princess Lilith Nightroad! Hahaha!”

Her brother scowled. “Whatever, can we please discuss more important things? Like the current state of our home?” Vincent was almost starting to wish she hadn’t come home. He couldn’t take much more of her carefree attitude.

“Alright, Alright,” Lilith said, “So what’s the deal?”

Vincent looked up at the night sky. “Well, I’m not exactly sure. It’s just that…everyone is acting strangely. They're even starting to tighten up security around the palace," he said, "I think it might have something to do with the meeting Mother and Father went to today."

Lilith cupped her left elbow in her right hand and tapped her chin in thought. "Huh? You mean the one about the terrorists?” Her eyes went wide with panic. “Wah! You don't think there are terrorists trying to kill us, do you?!" Lilith yelled.

Vincent shrugged, his eyes never leaving the stars. "I have no idea, but I think it'd be best if you kept near the palace for awhile, alright? That means no more secret outings to see Sister Jillian."

Lilith scuffed her shoe against the ground. "Aww…okay," she said.

The young princess walked up the steps and joined her brother against the wall. Neither of them said anything; they were content in watching the stars in silence. The music of the crickets and the gentle breeze visibly relaxed both of them.

Finally, after several long minutes of quiet, Lilith decided to speak. “Hey, Vincent, can I ask you a question?”

Vincent looked over at his sister. “Sure.”

"Why do you keep calling her Sister Jillian? Can't you just call her Jill, like back in the old days?"

Vincent's eyes clouded over, a million memories flashing through his mind. A small smile could be seen on his lips for a moment. But as quickly as it had come, it vanished. "Because her proper title is Sister Jillian,” he muttered coldly, “She is a member of the clergy, remember?"

She cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the prince. "Yeah, I know that. I’m not stupid.”

“Could have fooled me,” Vincent mumbled.

Lilith whipped her head around angrily to face him. “Hey!” She shouted at him. Vincent smirked.

The young girl huffed and turned her head away from Vincent. “You’re just being an a** to avoid the question.” She grew tired of standing and decided to sit on the floor cross-legged, her back against the white wall.

Vincent’s blue eyes narrowed. “I am not avoiding the question,” he said sternly.

“Prove it!”

His mouth opened, as if to speak, but he closed it and stayed silent.

Lilith grumbled, but didn’t press any further. Neither one of them felt like going inside yet, so they remained outside. After another few moments, an interesting thought occurred to Lilith. She grinned and began to laugh.

Vincent had a bad feeling about that laugh. He looked down at Lilith. “What are you laughing about?”

The girl continued to grin. “Oh nothing, it’s just that I get it now.”

“Get what?” he asked.

“You still have a thing for Jill,” Lilith said in a sing-song voice.

The young man’s face turned beet red. "Wh-what!? What are you talking about!?” he shouted, “I never had a thing for her!"

Lilith stood up and pointed at Vincent. "Oh yes you did! You were completely smitten.” She came closer to her brother. “No, correction, you're still smitten with her! You just call her that so it sounds like you don’t like her.”

Vincent walked past her. “I’m just treating her with respect.”

She followed behind him “Bah! Don’t give me that crap Vince. You know you like her,” Lilith said, smiling even wider, “You two can still get married! Mom and Dad got married, even though Dad’s a…well, you know.”

"I am not in love with Sister Jillian!” Vincent snapped.

"Yes you are!" Lilith snapped back.

"No I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No. I. Am. Not!"

"Yes. You. Are!"

Vincent had had quite enough of his little sister. "Grrr, c'mere you little twerp!"

"Ah!" Lilith screamed as Vincent chased her into the palace.

--

Lacey Jordan walked the long, twisting hallways of the Orden's new hideout, an abandoned mansion in the Germanic Kingdom. They had to select a new location, because the battle between Cain and Abel had destroyed the last one. It killed many of the Orden's old members, and nearly killed Isaak, Helena, and some of the other high ranking Orden members.

Lacey finally came to a very old and large oak door.

"Come in, my dear friend. Mein Herr has been expecting you," a voice said coolly from inside.

Lacey took a deep breath, smoothed her short, blonde hair, and opened the door. Inside were Isaak, Helena, and the Orden's leader, Cain. Isaak stood facing a window, gazing at the long dead garden in the courtyard. Cain was seated in a faded, overstuffed arm chair. Helena was in her usual spot; sitting in Cain’s lap with her legs dangling across the side of the arm chair, her head resting happily on Cain’s chest.

"Ah, so good to see you again Miss Jordan," Isaak said as he turned to face her, blowing some smoke from the cigarillo in his hand, "I trust that everything went according to plan?"

Lacey bowed slightly. "Yes, I've succeeded in creating a coup among some of the royal guards. We should be able to infiltrate the palace tomorrow night."

"Excellent work," Helena purred, "Yet I shouldn't expect any less from the Methuselah known as Snake Charmer. Those eyes of yours really do come in handy!"

Lacey had to prevent herself from sighing in disgust. Helena once again had herself draped over Cain while holding her creepy dolls. Today she had one that looked like Cain and one that looked like her late father Dietrich. How she despised this woman!

"Yes, excellent work Lacey," Cain said, rising from his chair and earning a whine of protest from Helena, "It’s finally time to tell you all what I have planned for my dear brother and his family.” He began to pace around the room slowly, stretching his white wings. “As you all know, during my last little scuffle with my brother, my body was severely damaged once more. Even Isaak is unable to repair it. So, in order to fix this broken body of mine, I must merge with Abel."

Helena gasped sharply. "Oh, Mein Herr!" Helena cried, rising up from the arm chair, "The last time you tried to capture Abel, he almost killed you! I don't think I can bear the thought of losing you again!"

Cain laughed. "Hush, calm down my pet," Cain whispered, stroking her cheek, "I promise you that this time will be different. This time, we shall have quite the bargaining chip…Abel's two darling children, Lilith and Vincent; my niece and nephew."

Isaak nodded approvingly. "Ah, I see. So we shall kidnap the two children and threaten to kill them if he does not merge with you?" the dark haired man asked.

"Yes,” Cain replied, resuming his pacing, “I doubt that he will refuse, since my brother can be such a kind fool sometimes. And, should he refuse…”

“Then you could merge with the children instead,” Isaak said, “They may only be half, but their nanomachines should be sufficient.”

Cain smiled.

"Ah, another wonderful plan Mein Herr, it can’t possibly fail!" Helena cried happily.

"Very well then, I will go make the final preparations," said Isaak, walking out of the room.

"Yes! Come, my Snake Charmer, let us prepare for tomorrow!" Helena shouted excitedly, tugging on Lacey's arm. Helena waved to her lover. "Goodbye, my darling Cain!"

Helena pulled Lacey back into the hallway and shut the oak door. "I must say Lacey; I'm quite surprised you managed to pull this all off. I hear the royal guards are quite the loyal bunch!"

Lacey snorted. "Please, all I had to do was promise them wealth and power if they helped us. All Terran, no matter how loyal they may be, still succumb to petty promises of money and power."

Helena laughed. "Yes, I suppose we do!” Helena began to tug on the blonde Methuselah’s arm again. “Now, come friend! We have Autojäggers to create!"

Lacey sighed and scowled. How she truly despised this woman! Autojäggers were dead Methuselah, reanimated using Lost Technology. "Proud warriors turned into pathetic, undead, unthinking slaves!" Lacey thought angrily.

Helena, sensing her distress, turned to her and said, "Don't be that way, my friend. Besides, if all of this goes well, I think I may return your younger sister to you."

Lacey tensed. Her sister had been captured by the Orden years ago and was forced to work on Lost Technology. She hadn’t seen or spoken to her in years. That was the only reason Lacey joined the Orden, to get her sister Sarah back.

She began to walk down the hallway with a slight spring in her step.

--

Lilith sat in a fairly large flag room that had been converted into a school room with a textbook in front of her. “Oh, I hate algebra!” she thought, rubbing her head to soothe her aching head.

Lilith’s tutor stood stiffly in front of her desk. "Now, turn to page 324. Solve problems 1 through 30. Remember to show your work," the tutor said.

Lilith turned the page and stared at the book. The problems required very complicated equations that she had just begun to learn. “Man, she must still be mad at me for yesterday,” Lilith thought.

She was taught math by the same tutor that taught her etiquette and other various royal things. In short, she taught all the classes Lilith skipped the most.

After about an hour of horrid math problems, Lilith completed the assignment. By the time she was done, the sun was setting.

"I hope to see you tomorrow, Miss Lilith," the tutor said dryly.

"Yeah, yeah…" Lilith muttered. Maybe she would skip tomorrow. But then she thought about the talk her father and her had had, and decided against it.

After dinner, she headed down to the bathroom to go ready herself for bed. When she turned the corner of the hallway, she noticed a group of guards whispering to each other. She recognized one of them and decided to say hello.

"Hey, Marcus!” she said happily, “What are you guys all whispering about over here?"

"M-Milady!" Marcus replied, startled, "Uh, nothing you need to worry yourself over! Have a good night, milady."

Lilith cocked her head to the side. "Umm, okay," she said, confused. She turned away from the group and began to walk to her room. "Jeez, what's up with them?"

"Psst, over here Lilith!"

"Hmm?" Lilith looked back around the corner. Her brother was motioning her to come over. She went over to him to see what was wrong.

"I think something bad is going to happen tonight," Vincent whispered, a worried expression on his face.

"Bad? What do you mean?" Lilith asked.

Vincent glanced at the group of guards, who were still huddled together in the hallway. "Something's up with some of the palace guards. They're being really jumpy tonight."

Lilith nodded. "Yeah, you’re right! When I went to go say hi to Marcus, he looked like he’d seen a ghost when I spoke to him! Did you tell Mom and Dad about this?"

Vincent ran his hand through his hair. He did that often when he was irritated. "Yeah, they already know. But they think it’s probably nothing."

Lilith’s scowled and crossed her arms against her chest. "Bah! They're probably not telling us if something's wrong because they think they might scare us."

"No, not us, you would freak out if you heard anything was wrong," Vincent corrected.

"I would not!" she shouted.

"Shhhh, keep it down twerp!” He peeked around the corner to check if they had been spotted, then turned back to Lilith. “You'll alert the guards!"

"Oh, sorry Vince," she said, covering her mouth.

"Also, it’s dangerous alone. Take this," Vincent whispered as he handed her a small knife.

Lilith hesitantly took the knife. "Vince! I've never used one of these before! Besides, if anything bad happens, the guards would come and save us…right?"

Vincent sighed. "Lilith, it’s the guards I'm worried about."

--

Lilith laid in her bed, snoring peacefully.

Growl!

Lilith groaned. Her stomach was growling again. "No matter how much food I stuff into this stupid stomach, it never seems to get full,” she grumbled. She got out of bed, put on a robe, and slipped on her fuzzy slippers. She was just about to walk out of the room when she remembered the dagger hidden under her pillow.

“Lilith, it’s the guards I'm worried about.”

Lilith twirled the dagger idly in her hands. "Well, I guess I'll take it with, just in case,” she said, slipping it into her pocket.

She walked down to the palace's large kitchen. She would come here on many nights, and on many occasions she would see her father there as well. Both had huge appetites. Sometimes, even her brother Vincent would be seen roaming the kitchen for a midnight snack. It drove the kitchen workers insane because they would eat so much.

She opened the fridge. "Hmm, what to eat, what to eat…" she whispered to herself. As she decided on a large piece of chocolate cake, she heard a noise from the other end of the kitchen.

"Eeep!" Lilith squeaked and spun around towards the source of the noise. "Wh-Who's there!?"

She put the cake back in the fridge and peered nervously into the darkness. Then she looked on the floor and saw a small brown mouse scurrying across the floor.

Lilith put a hand to her chest and sighed in relief. "Man, I'm freaking out over nothing," she said, turning back to the fridge. She felt a hand clasp over her mouth. Lilith let out a muffled scream.

"I suggest you keep still milady, or I’ll have to kill you."

Lilith stopped moving. She managed to look back at the person grabbing her. The woman looked young, maybe about 18 to 20 years old. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and wore a strange looking black suit.

“The hell I will!” Lilith thought. She whipped the dagger out of her pocket and slashed the young woman across the arm.

"Ack!” the blonde woman yelled, removing her hand from Lilith’s mouth.

As the woman was shouting, Lilith made a break for the door. She was almost there when the woman appeared in front of her again.

“She's so fast! Is she a Methuselah?” Lilith thought frantically.

"Okay, now you've just pissed me off," the woman said darkly. She grabbed Lilith by the throat, lifting her slightly off the ground. "Now be a good girl and go to sleep."

The woman stared directly into Lilith's eyes. Suddenly, Lilith felt very sleepy. She was slipping into a deep sleep when a crash and bang resounded nearby. She woke up as she fell on the floor. The woman was clutching her hand and screaming in pain.

"Damn! Those are silver bullets!" she screamed.

To Lilith’s horror, she could smell blood. Lilith stumbled and almost fell to the ground again. “Oh God, not here! Not now!”

Vincent was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was holding a pistol in his hand. "Lilith! Hurry up and get behind me!"

Lilith groaned, and her vision began to blur.

“Crap,” he muttered. Vincent dashed to his sister’s side, looping an arm around her waist to keep her steady. He stepped quickly back to the doorway. “Did you see the blood?” he asked her worriedly.

“N-no…only smelled it,” she said weakly, pressing her face against Vincent’s arm, “I’ll be fine in a minute. Just gotta keep my eyes closed so I don’t see any. Where are the guards Vincent?”

"Sleeping. I think some of our own guards put a sleeping drug in their food. If I had to guess, I'd say we might have a coup on our hands.” He pointed his pistol at the Methuselah. “Now tell us, little miss vampire, what the hell are you doing here? Or would you rather I shoot you again? I've got plenty of silver bullets."

"b*****d," the woman growled.

A cold laugh echoed in the kitchen.

"My, my, my, gotten yourself into a fine bit of trouble, haven‘t you, my dear Snake Charmer."

Another woman, this one with short brown hair and holding a blonde doll that looked like an angel, appeared. The woman was wearing the same clothes as the vampire. She was followed by seven armored men wielding giant axes. They wore helmets with gas masks that concealed their faces, so Vincent was unable to tell if they were Methuselah or Terran.

The doll woman surveyed the kitchen, then looked over at her injured companion. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to use my Autojäggers, but it would appear that things aren't going quite as planned."

"Who the hell are you? Another vampire?" Vincent asked, pointing the pistol at the new assailant.

She smiled and shook her head. "Oh no no, my dear boy. I am Terran, like you and your sister.” The doll woman began to tap her chin like she was deep in thought. “Yet then again, I suppose some might not consider you Terran like me, my precious little half-breeds..."

Lilith and Vincent gasped softly. Lilith finally gained the courage to look over at the strange young women. “How does she know about that!?” she thought.

"Your uncle has told us so much about you two. He desires nothing more than to see his niece and nephew. So, if you could please come with us," the woman with the doll said, extending her free hand.

Vincent glared and narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have a clue what you‘re babbling about. Our parents don‘t have any brothers. We don’t have an uncle.”

The doll woman looked shocked. “You mean they never told you that you have an uncle? What terrible parents you have!” She put her hand on her hip. “Mein Herr will be most displeased with Abel. Well, no matter, you‘re coming with us regardless.”

"When hell freezes over!" Vincent shouted. He tried to pull the pistol's trigger, but found that he was unable to move his fingers, or any other part of his body for that matter.

"What the-?" he whispered.

"Oh, and I must tell you, you both won’t be able to move any part of your bodies at the moment. My strings have seen to that." The woman held up one of her hands and moved her fingers. "Right now, your bodies are under my control. You're now just a couple of adorable puppets."

Lilith struggled to move, but found that she was unable as well. “Damn, she's right. I can't move. Just who is she?” She looked more closely at the mysterious doll woman. “Wait...I remember Mom telling me a story once about a man who could control people like they were puppets. But that was back when the Rosenkreuz were still around...No, they couldn't be!” Lilith thought. She decided to find out.

"Hey!" Lilith shouted, "Your name wouldn't happen to be Dietrich von Lohengrin…would it?"

The doll woman stopped smiling. "Dietrich von Lohengrin? No miss, you are mistaken.” She frowned and looked down at the white and maroon tiled kitchen floor. “Dietrich von Lohengrin has been dead for years,” she said sadly.

“Well, who are you then?” Lilith asked timidly.

The oddly cold, cheerful smile returned to the strange woman’s face. “Of course! Where are my manners?” She bowed deeply and said, “My name is Helena von Lohengrin, I'm his daughter.” Helena gestured to the blonde vampire, who was still clutching her bleeding hand. Lilith was careful not to look at it. “And my good friend here is Lacey Jordan. I prefer to call her Snake Charmer, however. I gather you've seen what wonderful eyes she has?"

"Hypnotism," Vincent muttered.

"Yes, quite the marvelous gift she has. Now, enough chit-chat, you’re coming with us!" Helena made a flicking motion with her hand. The siblings tried to fight it, but they were unable to resist the urge to go towards her.

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the hallway. "There they are! Stop them!" A man's muffled voice yelled from the other side of the door. Suddenly, a large group of people swarmed into the kitchen.

"Virgil!" Lilith cried. “We’re gonna be saved!”

"Let them go, or we'll take them by force," Virgil said. Behind him were 20 palace guards, all of them well armed.

Helena groaned in annoyance. "Oh drat, it seems as though things are about to get messy. Kill them!”

The Autojäggers behind her began to move. Helena disappeared into the darkness, along with Lacey. The creatures began to swing wildly at the guards, but were mowed down by gunfire before they could harm anyone.

"Are you two alright?" Virgil asked, rushing over to the siblings.

"Oh Virgil, thank God you came!" Lilith shouted, hugging him. Virgil sighed in relief and pat her head soothingly.

"I thought all the guards were asleep," Vincent said, joining his sister and Virgil.

Virgil let go of the frightened princess. "Yes, most of them, but we caught word of the coup in time to rally a small group before the Rosenkreuz arrived. I assume the traitors must have left along with those two women.”

"So it’s true then, those people back there were really from the Rosenkreuz Orden?" Lilith asked.

Virgil nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Vincent shook his head in disbelief. "Wait a minute, I thought that the Rosenkreuz Orden dissolved years ago. No one has heard or seen them in 25 years.”

Virgil’s face took on a worried expression. "So did we. Anyway, come with me. Her Highness and Lord Abel are waiting for you. Best not keep them waiting."

--

"Hm, did a couple of palace guards prove to be too much trouble for you, Helena?" Isaak asked, a small smile on his lips.

The three were standing in an empty alleyway deep within the city. Helena was seething while leaning against a brick wall, while Lacey was sitting on the ground beside her bandaging her hand. Lucky for her, the bullets had gone right through her hand, so she didn’t have to worry about removing anything. But the wound would not heal for quite some time. Isaak was standing casually in front of them, as if nothing had happened.

"Hmph, one of the stupid cowards must have gone and ratted out the coup," Helena huffed, crossing her arms. She glared hatefully at Lacey. "I thought you said that you had everything worked out Snake Charmer!"

"I thought I had the suggestions planted deeper!" Lacey spat, flexing the fingers on her injured hand.

"Well apparently not!" Helena screamed, moving away from the wall. "It’s true that manufacturing Autojäggers takes little time, but that’s no excuse to make me waste them because of your incompetence!”

Isaak sighed and placed a hand on Helena‘s shoulder. "Now Helena, there's no need to fret. Don't all great minds come up with a plan B?"