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A sight of majestic indifference; the proud, crested neck and bold, glamorous facial expression. This is the beast with the flaming breath which took my lover to the dark pits of Hell. His great golden horns naught but another weapon to strike fear into the hearts of men. The turquoise wings with a pearly sheen flap so gracefully, yet with the power of a thousand oxen.

I do not falter in my steady pace towards the monster; my horse having long since fled in terror. My armour glistens in the sun, and the sword at my belt hums, waiting impatiently to be drawn into battle.

I can feel the pride glowing from this arrogant creature, he emanates power and royalty. His flaming red eyes trail me as I impressively stalk into his domain.

Up close, he is gigantic. He must be over three thousand feet long at least. The tip of his tail, adorned with the silver spikes of an ancient, twitches in amusement.

Fearing this beast never crosses my mind, it is the simple fact that my body just does not register. This being as it is, my next advance takes me to the middle of the clearing and a rumbling fills the air.

"IF YOU HAVE COME TO DESTROY ME, I CAN SHOW YOU YOUR FATE SO THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT CHANGE YOUR MIND."

Calmly and coolly, I scan the piles of bones at his feet.

"This will not be necessary," I confidently put forth, "as I already know my fate, and yours."

"IS THAT SO?" The entity enquires, "SO BE IT!"

His wings stretch up to the sky, seeming endlessly large, and a roar tears up his throat.

Tail lashing, he prepares to stand.

"Wait!" I put up a hand. "Do not think that I am here to challenge you. I have come only to see my love."

He frowns, contorting his glamorous face into a mask of scorn.

"SHE HAS GONE FROM THIS WORLD, WHAT COULD YOU WANT FROM ME?"

I draw my sword, and a growl begins to rise from his belly. Throwing the blade down, I begin to remove my armour.

"I wish only to join her," I state, letting the chest-plate fall to the ground. "Take me to her."

"YOU WOULD SUFFER THE BURNING OF A THOUSAND SUNS TO BE WITH HER?"

"I would."

He closes is eyes, nodding. "SO BE IT."

And with that, I walk forth into the gaping cavern that is his mouth, ready to burn for the rest of eternity to be with the one I love.

Once there was a man who committed a terrible crime. He shed the blood of an innocent child, in an act of anger and spite. And so the Gods cursed him and his children with an eternity of stalking the shadows in the earth's darkest hours, feeding only from the drunkards and murderers, and to mark his horrific deed the Gods stained their eyes with the blood of his victim.

Now this man had two sons. The first, upon awakening to find he had become like his father, was not displeased. He made a game of tracking and hunting his prey and this suited him greatly. The second son, however, was a quiet and recluse character, taken to learning and literature, instead of hunting and fighting as his brother so enjoyed.

This young man did not enjoy the thoughts of hurting innocent, although intoxicated, people. Where his brother was shrewd and cunning, the second son was compassionate and sensitive, and he loathed these new crimson eyes, which naturally warned any human or beast in the other direction.

So he segregated himself from the world of men, and lived many years in the forest. He found that by feeding regularly from the animals that dwelled there, he could stand to be around humans again, without the strong desire to slaughter them. And if it weren't for his crimson eyes, he would have been able to live amongst them.

The Gods watched him for a long time and they wished to reward him. They could not remove the curse, but doing their best they softened his eyes, and promised him that so long as he remained true to himself and abstained from human blood, his eyes would lighten enough to walk among the humans without causing a riot. He could also walk in the day again, but would have to live where it was cloudy and overcast so the direct sunlight never touched his skin.

His children would still be born with those evil eyes, but if they chose to follow their father's lead, their eyes would also soften. Yet if they or their father so much as cause a drop of human blood to fall, their eyes would again turn that evil, blood red, forever.