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Description
A beautiful woman with raven hair and a blood red dress sits on a picnic blanket beside her husband who also has ebony hair. Her name is Veon; her husband, Cain. They laugh as they watch their daughter Ophelia spin in circles, her ink-black hair and pale blue dress flowing around her. They sit in a clearing in a bright, sunny forest. Ophelia sees a butterfly and begins to follow it towards a river just out of sight, her laughter echoing through the trees.
Veon brings a jumbled heap of wool from the picnic basket. Knitting needles stick out of it as she attempts to create...something. Cain looks at her in amusement.

"Veon, my dear...what on earth are you doing?" He asks smiling. She raises an eyebrow and laughs.

"I'm knitting, Cain. I'm attempting to, at least," she says, looking in despair at her attempts. Cain laughs.

"And why are you trying to knit?" She smiles shyly and holds out her work for him to see. What she has been trying to create is a tiny little dress for a baby. Cain stares at it for a second before his face lights up and his mouth falls open.

"Veon? You're...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes. Ophelia will have a younger sibling soon." Cain laughs with joy and throws his arms around his wife. She grins as she hugs him back.

"Oh, my love, this is just wonderful news!"

They laugh and happy tears glisten in their eyes, but suddenly a scream rips through the air. They stare at each other for a heartbeat, both of them thinking the same thing; Ophelia.

They jump to their feet and run in the direction of the scream. Reaching the river, they grab Ophelia and hold her as she points fearfully to the middle of the river. Far out on the water, a dark shape is forming, and shadows spill from its depths and infect the sky, which churns and darkens. The shadows begin to creep slowly across the surface of the water, seeping towards the three people on the bank. Veon's eyes narrow, then widen immediately as she realises what it is in the dark clouds. Her face turns pale, her eyes fill with dread, and she turns to Cain quickly, who is staring with horrified fascination at the centre of the lake.

"Cain..." she whispers. He doesn't hear her over the wind, which has suddenly become a howling, screaming gale around them, whipping at their faces and tearing at their clothes.

"Cain!" she shouts. He turns to her and sees the deep fear in her eyes. "Cain, take Ophelia and run! Get out of here, now!" He stares at her, shocked she would ask him to do such a thing.

"What? Don't be ridiculous Veon, I'm not leaving you!" he shouts. She puts her hands on his face.

"Cain you must, please! It's Krovos!" she shouts, and his eyes widen. He knows much about Krovos; Veon has told him of his evil ways. He had murdered many of Veon's friends in the past, purely because he loved to watch people suffer. Cain wants to help her, he can't bear the thought of leaving her to fight this monster. But he knows she is immortal, and he knows if he stays he will be killed. As much as it breaks his heart, he nods, his jaw tight. Veon kisses him lightly and quickly brushes Ophelia's face, smiling weakly into her terrified eyes. She turns to face her oldest enemy, who is slowly walking across a billowing cloud of shadows towards them, a psychotic grin on his face. Cain grabs Ophelia's hand, and runs back towards the trees, trying not to think of what might happen to his beloved wife. He knew she could not die, but that just meant she could suffer more greatly. Ophelia cried out, yelling for her mother. Veon turns but cannot bring herself to smile and the trees soon obscure her view.

As Veon looks away from her sobbing daughter, she has to fight back tears of her own. She had prayed that this day would never come, so now she only hoped with all she had that she could protect them. As she watches Krovos come steadily closer, she willed her family onwards with all her might. Moments later Krovos alights from his carpet of darkness, onto the riverbank. They stare at each other for a moment, before Krovos speaks.

"Well well Veon, it has been a long time."

"Not long enough," she replies through gritted teeth, her hands in fists beside her. Krovos chuckles.

"Don't sound so angry, Veon. If anyone should be angry, it should be me." Veon looks at him, confused.

"Well, you never even invited me to your wedding! Or the christening of your beautiful little girl," Krovos laughs at Veon's obvious distress.

"Quite frankly Veon, I'm insulted. And I get angry when I'm insulted, and I may just have to take my anger out on them..." Veon glares at him for another moment, then suddenly falls to her knees, the tears she held back now pouring freely from her eyes. She clasps her hands and holds them out to Krovos.

"Krovos please...please, I beg you with all my heart, please don't hurt them, oh god don't hurt them, I swear I'll do anything, everything, anything you want, just please don't hurt them...please..." she sobs. Krovos stares in disbelief at her shaking, begging form. Never before has he seen her become so upset, and it surprises him, but does not change his mind. Instead, he begins to laugh, and Veon slowly raises her tear stained face toward him, anger now boiling in her eyes.

"You want me to spare them? Veon my dear, you are quite insane. Why would I do such a thing?" He laughs some more as Veon gets to her feet, desperation turning to rage.

"You cold-hearted bastard," she spits.

"Well of course. You didn't honestly think begging would work? How ridiculous," he smirks, and Veon's anger spills over and she blasts a beam of energy at him. He is prepared for it though, and easily dodges it.

"Now now, Veon. Watch your temper," he says mockingly. She fires another blast at him which he counters with a beam of his own, and so, their battle begins.

A little way off, Cain is running through the trees, his heart aching at the sound of Ophelia's cries, and at the thought of his wife, pregnant, and battling her greatest enemy. Suddenly he stops, his head down, tears falling silently. He did not know how much more he could take. Ophelia stands beside him, scared by her father's tears. She has never seen him cry before, and her worry and confusion grow.

"Father? Father what's wrong?" she says, forcing the fear out of her voice. Her father is upset and her mother is gone; she must be the brave one. Cain looks at her, admiration and pride swelling in his heart. His brave little girl, trying so hard not to show her fear. He kneels on the ground and throws his arms around her, shaking with sobs. She hugs her father back, trying to blink the tears from her own eyes.

"Ophelia, my darling Ophelia, you're so brave my dear. So very brave," he whispers, holding his daughter close. He pulls back and holds her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes of liquid gold. Her eyes were his, but the beauty of both her parents had shaped her face, and she was so lovely that already, before she was even thirteen, she was catching eyes and turning heads.

Cain could hear the noise of the battle between Krovos and Veon. He could hardly bear it. He wanted nothing more than to run back to his wife, to protect her from the evil power of Krovos. He would happily give his life for her, again and again. But he knows he cannot. He knows that if he did, then his wife would only suffer, and she would undoubtedly blame herself. He knows he must run, for Veon and Ophelia's sake. He looks again at Ophelia, and the thinly veiled fear in her eyes echoes his own, but enforces what he must do. He stands, letting go of Ophelia's shoulders for the slightest moment, but that moment is all it takes. Suddenly, dark shapes swarm around them, snaking around their bodies. Ophelia cries out in alarm and Cain yells and tries to grab Ophelia's hand. But it is too late. The shadows twist between them, pushing them apart. Cain struggles against it with all his might, desperately trying to reach his beloved daughter and throw the darkness off of her. Ophelia turns around, crying as the dark shapes form swirling faces around her, with crooked grins and burning red eyes. Her father's voice is drowned by the manic laughter pouring like a thick fog from the evil mouths. The shapes get closer and tighter until she can hardly breathe. Cain is losing sight of her, and he frantically rips at the black cloud around him as the shadows surrounding her begin to fade away. He calls her name, struggling even more to get to her. But his struggles stop in horror when the darkness ebbs but nothing is left. His daughter has vanished.

"No!" He screams, over and over, his fight returning as hopeless desperation sets in. The clouds around him deepen for a moment and lift him in to the air, then drop him. He crumples to the ground but doesn't feel the pain of his awkward landing. His mind is full only of thoughts of his family, his daughter, taken by dark forces and all alone. He starts running back into the trees not knowing or caring which direction he was heading, desperate to find his daughter. He yells her name until his throat hurts, but the pain does not stop him. He can feel his tears slipping down his face as the darkness in the forest grows, but on he runs. In the trees he can see the glowing red eyes of horrible creatures, hear the malicious laughter and feel the hot breath of the demons around him. Growing more and more scared he begins to shout for Veon, hoping against hope that she can find Ophelia and then him, and protect them as she always does. He hates himself as he thinks this. He can never protect her or keep her safe, but that is what he should do and what he wants to do. As he thinks this he becomes angry. He cannot be the husband she deserves and this monster Krovos is part of the reason. His rage builds and fuels him onwards into the forest.

Back at the riverside Krovos and Veon's battle is becoming intense. Beams of light sear across the clearing as each tries to outdo the other. Veon puts everything she has into fighting him, using her powers in a way she never has before. Her magic is tinged with fear, her attacks barely conceal her desperation. Suddenly she hears an awful sound. The laughter of demons begins to snake its way from out of the trees. She whips round in fear. They were chasing her family. Krovos begins to laugh.

"You didn't think I would come alone, did you?" Veon spins suddenly, a beam of energy bursting from her palm more powerful than any she'd ever used before. Krovos flies backwards into the river but Veon does not wait to see the splash. Immediately, she turns and runs into the trees, her only thought for her husband and her child.

"Ophelia! Cain! Cain, where are you?! Ophelia! Ophelia!" Veon sprints faster than she ever has in her life, tears streaming down her face, hopeless desperation dragging her heart down and turning her feet to lead. She looks wildly around, desperate for a glimpse of the blue dress Ophelia was wearing, or a flash of black hair or the sound of them calling her, anything at all. The laughter of the demons comes closer and closer, following her, their eyes always watching her but never there when she turns round, the voices pressing in on her trying to break her, trying to hold her, tearing at her pulling at her scratching at her...blue...yanking her hair...blue dress...dragging her all over the place...bluedressbluedressOphelia!

"Ophelia! Ophelia my baby, I found you oh my baby!" There stands Ophelia, across a clearing, tears in her eyes.

"Mother! Mother I can't move mummy they've got me!" Veon runs toward her daughter. Her heart pounds an unceasing drum beat against her ribs. The world goes silent. Ophelia's hand reaches for her. Then red. Veon's heart stops dead but she keeps going. Her eyes widen with terror. Ophelia's eyes glaze over. Her mouth is open in a silent scream. A demonic claw protrudes from her chest holding her still beating heart. And the world is drenched in red.

"Ophelia! No! No Ophelia no no no Ophelia!" Veon's desolate screams pierce the air and the demons laugh. Ophelia crumples to the ground as the demon disappears. Veon catches her, her tiny body collapsing into her mother's arms. Blood stains Veon's dress. The grotesque hole in her daughter's chest gapes at her, mocking her for being too late, too late to save her daughter, too late to save her only child. Veon shrieks with disbelief and rage and grief. She holds her daughter tightly to her, her sobs echoing around the clearing, mingling with the constant wail of "Ophelia, Ophelia, no...no, Ophelia!" Over and over she calls her daughter's name, refusing to believe that she will not answer, refusing to accept that her beautiful girl could be covered in so much ugly blood. Death was ugly and did not suit Ophelia. It could not be.

Veon's cries drew another to the clearing. Despairing at the thought of having lost his daughter, Cain hears his wife's sobs and fears the worst. They first hit him as he runs through the trees frantically calling Ophelia's name. Hearing Veon's voice elates him, but it soon becomes apparent she is far from happy. His heart plummeting he sprints to the source of the noise, praying to anyone, everyone, anyone who would listen, that his daughter was safe, that everything was alright. Bursting through the trees into the clearing his mind goes blank at the sight that greets him.

Red...blood, so much blood...Veon...crying...holding...blood...Ophelia!

"No...no it can't be, Veon tell me...tell me that's not her, that's not our little girl..." His voice breaks as his wife turns to him, cradling his beloved daughter in her arms, both of them covered in blood, a wave of tears flooding Veon's face. Numbly he walks to her and falls to his knees. He places a hand on Ophelia's head and breaks down. Tears fall from his eyes to her face.

"Ophelia...I should never have let you go, not for a second, what have I done Ophelia..." he chokes on his words and Veon wordlessly shakes her head. She forces her mouth to work and her voice comes out broken and shaky.

"No Cain, I was too late, it's not your fault don't you dare blame yourself Cain..."

They look into each other's grief-filled eyes and see no blame in them as they both lose the will to speak. But Veon seems to crumble and falls forward, her head on Cain's chest, one hand gripping his shirt tightly. He embraces her and his daughter and together they cry for her, holding each other tightly, relying on one another, knowing they must do so to get through this. Veon tilts her head to the side slightly. Suddenly more red fills her sight. In shock she leans back.

"Cain? Cain! No Cain, no not you no I can't lose you too Cain, no!" Cain's wide eyes look into his wife's and his mouth tries to form words as the red stain blossoms across his chest. The cold tip of the knife glints menacingly out of his heart and Veon stares in disbelief.

"Veon...I love you...my wife..." He brushes a ghost like touch on her dismayed face before falling back onto the ground. Krovos' laughter fills the clearing for a moment, before he and the glaring red eyes of the demons leave. Veon kneels, the body of her daughter still lying across her lap, staring into her husband's glassy dead eyes. Unbelieving, unseeing, she collapses to the cold ground, her husband and her daughter beside her. She lies unmoving for a few moments, her mind unable to comprehend. Then it hits her, and the silent clearing is filled with the broken sound of her desperate sobs.

Description
A beautiful woman with raven hair and a blood red dress sits on a picnic blanket beside her husband who also has ebony hair. Her name is Veon; her husband, Cain. They laugh as they watch their daughter Ophelia spin in circles, her ink-black hair and pale blue dress flowing around her. They sit in a clearing in a bright, sunny forest. Ophelia sees a butterfly and begins to follow it towards a river just out of sight, her laughter echoing through the trees.
Veon brings a jumbled heap of wool from the picnic basket. Knitting needles stick out of it as she attempts to create...something. Cain looks at her in amusement.

"Veon, my dear...what on earth are you doing?" He asks smiling. She raises an eyebrow and laughs.

"I'm knitting, Cain. I'm attempting to, at least," she says, looking in despair at her attempts. Cain laughs.

"And why are you trying to knit?" She smiles shyly and holds out her work for him to see. What she has been trying to create is a tiny little dress for a baby. Cain stares at it for a second before his face lights up and his mouth falls open.

"Veon? You're...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes. Ophelia will have a younger sibling soon." Cain laughs with joy and throws his arms around his wife. She grins as she hugs him back.

"Oh, my love, this is just wonderful news!"

They laugh and happy tears glisten in their eyes, but suddenly a scream rips through the air. They stare at each other for a heartbeat, both of them thinking the same thing; Ophelia.

They jump to their feet and run in the direction of the scream. Reaching the river, they grab Ophelia and hold her as she points fearfully to the middle of the river. Far out on the water, a dark shape is forming, and shadows spill from its depths and infect the sky, which churns and darkens. The shadows begin to creep slowly across the surface of the water, seeping towards the three people on the bank. Veon's eyes narrow, then widen immediately as she realises what it is in the dark clouds. Her face turns pale, her eyes fill with dread, and she turns to Cain quickly, who is staring with horrified fascination at the centre of the lake.

"Cain..." she whispers. He doesn't hear her over the wind, which has suddenly become a howling, screaming gale around them, whipping at their faces and tearing at their clothes.

"Cain!" she shouts. He turns to her and sees the deep fear in her eyes. "Cain, take Ophelia and run! Get out of here, now!" He stares at her, shocked she would ask him to do such a thing.

"What? Don't be ridiculous Veon, I'm not leaving you!" he shouts. She puts her hands on his face.

"Cain you must, please! It's Krovos!" she shouts, and his eyes widen. He knows much about Krovos; Veon has told him of his evil ways. He had murdered many of Veon's friends in the past, purely because he loved to watch people suffer. Cain wants to help her, he can't bear the thought of leaving her to fight this monster. But he knows she is immortal, and he knows if he stays he will be killed. As much as it breaks his heart, he nods, his jaw tight. Veon kisses him lightly and quickly brushes Ophelia's face, smiling weakly into her terrified eyes. She turns to face her oldest enemy, who is slowly walking across a billowing cloud of shadows towards them, a psychotic grin on his face. Cain grabs Ophelia's hand, and runs back towards the trees, trying not to think of what might happen to his beloved wife. He knew she could not die, but that just meant she could suffer more greatly. Ophelia cried out, yelling for her mother. Veon turns but cannot bring herself to smile and the trees soon obscure her view.

As Veon looks away from her sobbing daughter, she has to fight back tears of her own. She had prayed that this day would never come, so now she only hoped with all she had that she could protect them. As she watches Krovos come steadily closer, she willed her family onwards with all her might. Moments later Krovos alights from his carpet of darkness, onto the riverbank. They stare at each other for a moment, before Krovos speaks.

"Well well Veon, it has been a long time."

"Not long enough," she replies through gritted teeth, her hands in fists beside her. Krovos chuckles.

"Don't sound so angry, Veon. If anyone should be angry, it should be me." Veon looks at him, confused.

"Well, you never even invited me to your wedding! Or the christening of your beautiful little girl," Krovos laughs at Veon's obvious distress.

"Quite frankly Veon, I'm insulted. And I get angry when I'm insulted, and I may just have to take my anger out on them..." Veon glares at him for another moment, then suddenly falls to her knees, the tears she held back now pouring freely from her eyes. She clasps her hands and holds them out to Krovos.

"Krovos please...please, I beg you with all my heart, please don't hurt them, oh god don't hurt them, I swear I'll do anything, everything, anything you want, just please don't hurt them...please..." she sobs. Krovos stares in disbelief at her shaking, begging form. Never before has he seen her become so upset, and it surprises him, but does not change his mind. Instead, he begins to laugh, and Veon slowly raises her tear stained face toward him, anger now boiling in her eyes.

"You want me to spare them? Veon my dear, you are quite insane. Why would I do such a thing?" He laughs some more as Veon gets to her feet, desperation turning to rage.

"You cold-hearted bastard," she spits.

"Well of course. You didn't honestly think begging would work? How ridiculous," he smirks, and Veon's anger spills over and she blasts a beam of energy at him. He is prepared for it though, and easily dodges it.

"Now now, Veon. Watch your temper," he says mockingly. She fires another blast at him which he counters with a beam of his own, and so, their battle begins.

A little way off, Cain is running through the trees, his heart aching at the sound of Ophelia's cries, and at the thought of his wife, pregnant, and battling her greatest enemy. Suddenly he stops, his head down, tears falling silently. He did not know how much more he could take. Ophelia stands beside him, scared by her father's tears. She has never seen him cry before, and her worry and confusion grow.

"Father? Father what's wrong?" she says, forcing the fear out of her voice. Her father is upset and her mother is gone; she must be the brave one. Cain looks at her, admiration and pride swelling in his heart. His brave little girl, trying so hard not to show her fear. He kneels on the ground and throws his arms around her, shaking with sobs. She hugs her father back, trying to blink the tears from her own eyes.

"Ophelia, my darling Ophelia, you're so brave my dear. So very brave," he whispers, holding his daughter close. He pulls back and holds her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes of liquid gold. Her eyes were his, but the beauty of both her parents had shaped her face, and she was so lovely that already, before she was even thirteen, she was catching eyes and turning heads.

Cain could hear the noise of the battle between Krovos and Veon. He could hardly bear it. He wanted nothing more than to run back to his wife, to protect her from the evil power of Krovos. He would happily give his life for her, again and again. But he knows he cannot. He knows that if he did, then his wife would only suffer, and she would undoubtedly blame herself. He knows he must run, for Veon and Ophelia's sake. He looks again at Ophelia, and the thinly veiled fear in her eyes echoes his own, but enforces what he must do. He stands, letting go of Ophelia's shoulders for the slightest moment, but that moment is all it takes. Suddenly, dark shapes swarm around them, snaking around their bodies. Ophelia cries out in alarm and Cain yells and tries to grab Ophelia's hand. But it is too late. The shadows twist between them, pushing them apart. Cain struggles against it with all his might, desperately trying to reach his beloved daughter and throw the darkness off of her. Ophelia turns around, crying as the dark shapes form swirling faces around her, with crooked grins and burning red eyes. Her father's voice is drowned by the manic laughter pouring like a thick fog from the evil mouths. The shapes get closer and tighter until she can hardly breathe. Cain is losing sight of her, and he frantically rips at the black cloud around him as the shadows surrounding her begin to fade away. He calls her name, struggling even more to get to her. But his struggles stop in horror when the darkness ebbs but nothing is left. His daughter has vanished.

"No!" He screams, over and over, his fight returning as hopeless desperation sets in. The clouds around him deepen for a moment and lift him in to the air, then drop him. He crumples to the ground but doesn't feel the pain of his awkward landing. His mind is full only of thoughts of his family, his daughter, taken by dark forces and all alone. He starts running back into the trees not knowing or caring which direction he was heading, desperate to find his daughter. He yells her name until his throat hurts, but the pain does not stop him. He can feel his tears slipping down his face as the darkness in the forest grows, but on he runs. In the trees he can see the glowing red eyes of horrible creatures, hear the malicious laughter and feel the hot breath of the demons around him. Growing more and more scared he begins to shout for Veon, hoping against hope that she can find Ophelia and then him, and protect them as she always does. He hates himself as he thinks this. He can never protect her or keep her safe, but that is what he should do and what he wants to do. As he thinks this he becomes angry. He cannot be the husband she deserves and this monster Krovos is part of the reason. His rage builds and fuels him onwards into the forest.

Back at the riverside Krovos and Veon's battle is becoming intense. Beams of light sear across the clearing as each tries to outdo the other. Veon puts everything she has into fighting him, using her powers in a way she never has before. Her magic is tinged with fear, her attacks barely conceal her desperation. Suddenly she hears an awful sound. The laughter of demons begins to snake its way from out of the trees. She whips round in fear. They were chasing her family. Krovos begins to laugh.

"You didn't think I would come alone, did you?" Veon spins suddenly, a beam of energy bursting from her palm more powerful than any she'd ever used before. Krovos flies backwards into the river but Veon does not wait to see the splash. Immediately, she turns and runs into the trees, her only thought for her husband and her child.

"Ophelia! Cain! Cain, where are you?! Ophelia! Ophelia!" Veon sprints faster than she ever has in her life, tears streaming down her face, hopeless desperation dragging her heart down and turning her feet to lead. She looks wildly around, desperate for a glimpse of the blue dress Ophelia was wearing, or a flash of black hair or the sound of them calling her, anything at all. The laughter of the demons comes closer and closer, following her, their eyes always watching her but never there when she turns round, the voices pressing in on her trying to break her, trying to hold her, tearing at her pulling at her scratching at her...blue...yanking her hair...blue dress...dragging her all over the place...bluedressbluedressOphelia!

"Ophelia! Ophelia my baby, I found you oh my baby!" There stands Ophelia, across a clearing, tears in her eyes.

"Mother! Mother I can't move mummy they've got me!" Veon runs toward her daughter. Her heart pounds an unceasing drum beat against her ribs. The world goes silent. Ophelia's hand reaches for her. Then red. Veon's heart stops dead but she keeps going. Her eyes widen with terror. Ophelia's eyes glaze over. Her mouth is open in a silent scream. A demonic claw protrudes from her chest holding her still beating heart. And the world is drenched in red.

"Ophelia! No! No Ophelia no no no Ophelia!" Veon's desolate screams pierce the air and the demons laugh. Ophelia crumples to the ground as the demon disappears. Veon catches her, her tiny body collapsing into her mother's arms. Blood stains Veon's dress. The grotesque hole in her daughter's chest gapes at her, mocking her for being too late, too late to save her daughter, too late to save her only child. Veon shrieks with disbelief and rage and grief. She holds her daughter tightly to her, her sobs echoing around the clearing, mingling with the constant wail of "Ophelia, Ophelia, no...no, Ophelia!" Over and over she calls her daughter's name, refusing to believe that she will not answer, refusing to accept that her beautiful girl could be covered in so much ugly blood. Death was ugly and did not suit Ophelia. It could not be.

Veon's cries drew another to the clearing. Despairing at the thought of having lost his daughter, Cain hears his wife's sobs and fears the worst. They first hit him as he runs through the trees frantically calling Ophelia's name. Hearing Veon's voice elates him, but it soon becomes apparent she is far from happy. His heart plummeting he sprints to the source of the noise, praying to anyone, everyone, anyone who would listen, that his daughter was safe, that everything was alright. Bursting through the trees into the clearing his mind goes blank at the sight that greets him.

Red...blood, so much blood...Veon...crying...holding...blood...Ophelia!

"No...no it can't be, Veon tell me...tell me that's not her, that's not our little girl..." His voice breaks as his wife turns to him, cradling his beloved daughter in her arms, both of them covered in blood, a wave of tears flooding Veon's face. Numbly he walks to her and falls to his knees. He places a hand on Ophelia's head and breaks down. Tears fall from his eyes to her face.

"Ophelia...I should never have let you go, not for a second, what have I done Ophelia..." he chokes on his words and Veon wordlessly shakes her head. She forces her mouth to work and her voice comes out broken and shaky.

"No Cain, I was too late, it's not your fault don't you dare blame yourself Cain..."

They look into each other's grief-filled eyes and see no blame in them as they both lose the will to speak. But Veon seems to crumble and falls forward, her head on Cain's chest, one hand gripping his shirt tightly. He embraces her and his daughter and together they cry for her, holding each other tightly, relying on one another, knowing they must do so to get through this. Veon tilts her head to the side slightly. Suddenly more red fills her sight. In shock she leans back.

"Cain? Cain! No Cain, no not you no I can't lose you too Cain, no!" Cain's wide eyes look into his wife's and his mouth tries to form words as the red stain blossoms across his chest. The cold tip of the knife glints menacingly out of his heart and Veon stares in disbelief.

"Veon...I love you...my wife..." He brushes a ghost like touch on her dismayed face before falling back onto the ground. Krovos' laughter fills the clearing for a moment, before he and the glaring red eyes of the demons leave. Veon kneels, the body of her daughter still lying across her lap, staring into her husband's glassy dead eyes. Unbelieving, unseeing, she collapses to the cold ground, her husband and her daughter beside her. She lies unmoving for a few moments, her mind unable to comprehend. Then it hits her, and the silent clearing is filled with the broken sound of her desperate sobs.