Chapter 1

1998, October 15th, Fairhill

     A flash of lightning struck the earth.  The sudden blast of light revealed the solitary mansion on Fairhill for a few seconds, then everything went back to complete darkness.  Followed by the blazing white light was the deafening  sound of thunder that made the earth itself shook violently, as if threathening to destroy the planet itself.
     "So that's the haunted mansion."  Firefly stood a mile away from Fairhill and high up on Mt. St. Claire.  Her dark hair seemed to glow in the dim light of the campfire.  Her big, dark eyes that was shaped like a pair of almonds sparkled with a purple tint.  Holding the Sword Of Light in her hands, her face was unreadable to her companion -- Varien the Vampire.
     "That mansion is not only haunted by ghosts."  Varien supplied.  "Zombies, goblins, and other creatures also inhabited there."
     "Including vampires."  Firefly finished for him.  She sat down by the fire right beside Varien.  "You sure you can handle them?"
     "I've handled creatures far worse."  Varien looked away.
     "With a narrow escape."  Firefly added immediately.  "Varien, leave those vampires to me.  Pick on all those wimpy goblins and demons you like.  You don't have to fight those of your own kind for me."
     "It's not just for you, Firefly."  Varien said softly.  "It's for the peace of Earth, remember?"
     Firefly looked at Varien for a while, then said, "When I took the Oath of Immortality, I had vowed to destroy all evil.  And you were the only one who stood by me.  My parents, my friends, my relatives, they all left me, scared to death that the Sammi Firefly they knew had turned into a monster.  Why?  Varien?  Aren't you worried that I would kill you too?  You are also on my list among those creatures I'm supposed to execute for the good of Earth, after all."
     "I know you won't.  Firefly, you're kind and generous, and you'll never do any harm to your friend.  I believe in you."  Varien looked into Firefly's eyes.  Their gazes were locked together for a long time.
     Varien was the first one to break away.  When he turned back to look at Firefly, he looked like nothing happened, as if the gaze never took place at all.  "Well, I still haven't asked you.  Why did you take the Oath?  Why did you choose to live your life as an immortal when you already have a normal and happy mortal life?"
     "I don't know."  Firefly said thoughtfully.  "It was just when Ouna offered it to me, it seemed so......irresistible."
     They fell silent.  Then Firefly glanced at her watch.  "Less than an hour till midnight.  Shall we go now?"
     Varien nodded and doused the fire.  They proceeded to the mansion in silence.  When they finally reached the mansion half an hour later, it was already near midnight.  Rain started to pour down heavily as they went up to the huge mahogany door.  The thunder and lightning contributed to the hideous aura that surrounded the mansion.
     "Ready to battle?"  Varien grinned at his friend and companion.
     "More than ever."  Firefly replied, and pushed open the door as she took a deep breath.
     The mansion was empty and quiet.  A couple bats flew out of the door as Firefly and Varien entered.  Firefly did a double take and backed away a step.
     "Just normal bats."  Varien assured her.  "Are you sure you can handle my kind with your nervous system on the verge of explosion?"
     "Very funny."  Firefly sneered at the vampire as she went in.  "Just in case you have forgotten, this is my first night.  So stop picking on me if you will."
     "Didn't mean to tease, sweetie."  Varien chuckled.  "But as far as I have noticed, you forgot your Protection Spell."
     Firefly cursed under her breath for her carelessness.  Her lips moved, and a glow of purple light surrounded her instantly.
     "Don't touch me from now on."  Firefly warned Varien.  "Unless you want yourself burned to ashes.  Your Soul Crystal will be the last one I'd want to take."  Then, she corrected herself.  "I mean, I'll never want to take your Soul Crystal."
     "It's okay, dear, I understand what you mean."  Varien smiled at her, his eyes sparkled with something unreadable.
     They entered the living room, and found it completely empty, except for two odd objects sitting in the middle of the room -- two coffins.
     "Is there any......thing in those coffins?"  Firefly whispered to Varien.
     "Definitely."  Varien nodded grimly.  "I can smell their bloody breath all the way from here.  Two blood thirsty bastards!"
     "Any others?"  Firefly asked.
     "A goblin nearby, probably a ghost or two in the attic, a bunch of zombies out there in that garden at the back, or should I say graveyard?  An invisible demon staring at us right now on the second floor, while another visible one is hanging around in the living room.  A walking-skeleton in the basement, and......I think I can sense three more of my kind down there as well.  So, are you ready for your first assignment?"
     "Don't think it'll do much good if I tell you I'm not?"  Firefly glanced at her watch and grimaced. It had just struck twelve midnight.
     "Nope."  Varien grinned.  "And no one told you to pick one of the most haunted houses to start your Vampire Slaying career."
     Firefly laughed dryly.
     A shudder on the earth, and the lids of the coffins in front of them flew open.  Two vampires stood there, eyeing Firefly with blood-red eyes, a hungry expression in their faces.
     "B-l-o-o-d!!!"  The first vampire roared.
     "F-o-o-d!!!"  The other echoed.
     Firefly drew her sword out and struck.  She had no time to find out what Varien was doing at that moment.  The two vampires dodged her attack and charged back.  One touched her on the shoulder and screamed in agony.  A purple fire had consumed him and burned him into ashes.  Firefly slayedthe other with her sword and he burned up in the same purple fire as well.  Two Soul Crystals floated in the air where the two vampires had been.  The were glowing ruby red and lighted their surroundings to a pale reddish color.  Firefly grabbed them and put them into a special bag she was carrying with her.  She turned and saw Varien battling against two shadowy figures.  His eyes were blood-red, which meant he was using his psychic powers.  The first shadow exploded while the second one grabbed Varien's shoulder with his claw.  Firefly hurried up and slashed the shadowy figure in two.  It exploded and disappeared in the light of the sword.
     "LOOK OUT!"
     Firefly turned to see another three vampires charging towards her.  She whirled the sword back and cut the first vampire in two.  The remaining two stopped abruptly at their companion's tragedy.  One vampire's eyes started to glow.  Firefly felt a chill on her body, and realized that her Protection Spell was gone.  The vampire had put a counter-spell to it!  Without thinking, she thrust her sword at the red-eyed vampire and stabbed it through his heart.  The vampire was burned up in purple fire with a agonizing scream in less than a second.  At the same time, the remaining vampire charged at Firefly with lightning speed.  His teeth was about to sink into Firefly's neck.
     "NO!"  Varien shouted in horror, but he was battling an invisible demon and was too tied up to help Firefly at the moment.
     But Firefly was faster.  She twirled her sword backwards and stabbed it into the vampire's stomach just before he bit her neck.  He was consumed in purple fire immediately.  Firefly grabbed the three floating crystals and put it into her bag as well.
     Meanwhile, Varien's eyes started to glow fiercely.  The air in front of him seemed to twist and turn like a tornado.  It finally exploded in a red glow -- Varien's magic.
     "Are you alright?"  Varien hurried up to Firefly as soon as he was free.
     "Yeah, I think so."  Firefly nodded with a smile and winced as Varien gently put a hand on her shoulder.  The last vampire had slashed a cut on her shoulder with his nails before it died.
     "You're wounded!  Let me tend to it."  Varien said, concern in his eyes.  His hand on her shoulder glowed pink, sending warmth from it to the wound while his eyes started to glow as well.  Firefly's shoulder was back to normal before she knew it.
     "Did I know you can do that?"  Firefly asked Varien, her purple-tinted eyes dancing with amusement.
     "No, I don't think so."  Varien grinned, then he froze, as he heard footsteps approaching the mansion from outside.
     "Who would be here at this hour?"  Firefly gasped.
     "I'm afraid it's not a matter of who, but a matter of what."  Varien corrected her.
     "Then what is it?"
     Varien listened for a couple seconds and then replied, "Zombies.  I can smell their decaying flesh.  The goblin had probably woken them to come against us."
     "The goblin?"
     "The one you killed with your sword."
     "Oh.  What about the walking-skeleton in the basement?"
     "Speaking of that......"  Varien's voice trailed off as the creature they were talking about appeared from the stairs that led to the basement.
     "Then what's the other two creatures you killed with your powers?"
     "The invisible demon that was spying on us, and his kin."
     "What about the ghost in the attic?"
     "We'll deal with that later, WATCH OUT!"
     The skeleton struck from a distance as they talked, and the bony hand left the skeleton's figure and flew across the air, charging towards Firefly.  Without hesitating, Firefly slashed at the hand, using her baseball skills in high school.  The hand flew across the room and hit the wall before it exploded.
     "In the Name of the Light, Gods and Goddesses, lend me the power against this evil!  Power Of The Light!  Strike!"  Firefly pointed the tip of her sword to the skeleton and shouted.  Purple fire roared from her sword toward the skeleton, consuming it completely, burning the pile of bones into ashes.
     Firefly released her breath in relief and turned to Varien, "And you just said zombies are coming?"
     "Don't forget the ghost in the attic."  Varien grimaced.
     "Thank you for reminding."  Firefly bellowed.  "I don't think I can survive the first night of my immortality."
     "Zombies are the hardest to destroy.  You'll have to hack them into pieces.  Or maybe use your fire to burn them into ashes.  But that would be too energy-draining."  Varien took a deep breath.
     "Carry me home after this?  I don't think I'll have the strength to walk after."  Firefly looked up at Varien.
     "Sure."  Varien smiled weakly.  "If we're still alive after this, for lack of a better word."
 The zombies were roaming in as they talked.  Firefly didn't know who said zombies were mindless, but they seemed to be intelligent enough by circling them and blocking out their escape as they entered the mansion.
     "Varien, shield yourself."  Firefly whispered.
     Varien nodded, a red glow the color of his eyes surrounded him instantly.
     Firefly pointed the tip of her sword at the ceiling and took a deep breath, "In the name of the Light, Gods and Goddesses, lend me the power to destroy this evil!  Power of The Light!  Strike with a Vengeance!"
     Purple fire surged upward toward the ceiling, forming a sparkling purple bubble in the air.  The power-ball struck downward, burning all the zombies at once.  Varien winced beside Firefly.  Although he had a shield on, the power of Firefly's purple fire was still hurting him terribly.  He would have been burned out of existence if Firefly hadn't reminded him to put on that protective shield.
     When the purple fire finally disappeared, Firefly sat down hard on the floor, her strength drained out of her.  Then she spotted the ghost floating down from the attic.
     "Oh, no!"  Firefly stared at the ghost, but couldn't find any strength left to lift her sword.
     "I'll take care of that."  Varien volunteered, although his whole body was aching terribly from Firefly's attack, he was still able to use his powers.  His eyes glowed blood-red.
     "NO!"  The ghost shrieked in agony.  "Don't kill me!"
     The blood-red color faded from Varien's eyes as he and Firefly looked at each other with puzzlement.
     "Please don't kill me!"  The ghost begged.  "I didn't harm anybody!"
     "You're telling me you live in this house with all these evil creatures and you didn't harm nobody?"  Varien's brows crossed.
     "They don't belong in this house!"  The ghost said angrily, in a girl's voice.  "I've been living here for centuries and they invaded my place!  But I was too weak to fight back.  They threatened to kill me if I don't let them live here."
     "What's your name?"  Firefly asked weakly.
     "Alicia.  My name was Alicia, before I died."  The ghost replied.
     "How......did you die?"  Firefly asked again.
     Alicia's expression saddened.  "I was sick, very sick.  And no doctor could cure my illness.  Everyone was afraid my illness was contagious.  They stayed away from me as if I was associated to some kind of evil and deserved to be burnt on a stake.  Actually I was surprised they didn't.  They left me, one by one.  My friends, my relatives, my parents finally.  They left me to die in this mansion.  And when I finally died, no one even knew.  Or actually they knew, they already assumed that I'm dead the day they left me here in my final days.  I dreamed I'll get better again, then I'll be able to get out of this big, fancy prison and go to the world outside.  But I didn't get better.  I got worse.  And finally I died, and I'm still stuck in this house, forever."
     "No, you won't."  Firefly assured her.  "Come with us, Alicia.  We'll leave this place together."
     "You want to take her with you?"  Varien eyed her with skepticism.
     "Why not?"  Firefly eyed him back.  "She's so miserable in here!"
     "Fine."  Varien shrugged, then winced.  The goblin had sliced a cut on his shoulder before it was killed by Firefly.
     "You're hurt!"  Firefly exclaimed.  "Are you alright?  Let me tend......uh......how do a vampire's wounds get cured?"
     "We cure it ourselves."  Varien smiled.  He put a hand on his shoulder while his eyes glowed faintly.  The cut disappeared slowly.
     "Let's get out of here right now."  Firefly shivered.  "This place's getting creepier by the minute."
     Varien sneered at her, "You got rid of all the evil creatures roaming about this place.  Then you find it creepy here?"
     "I didn't have time to take a good look at the place before!"  Firefly retorted.  Then she turned to Alicia, "No offense intended to your house, ghost-friend!"
     "It's okay!"  Alicia smiled.  "Where are we going now?"
     "Home."  Varien and Firefly replied in unison, just before they collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.

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