Fatum Periculum

  The Old Guardian looked at the photos the soldier had handed him, a red envelope with a classified logo next to it. They had just been taken by a brave pilot in a spy plane. He didn't live long enough to return; the curse in his body had already taken its toll, the price to be paid to extinguish the evil. Not wanting his life to be in vain, the Centurion studied the photographs with fear and passion, searching for the flaw. A single tower rose from the dense forest in the image. Checking the records was the next step; the ancient books revealed the truths learned from the past, along with other displayed signs, and there was no longer any doubt.

  Despite his age, the Old Guardian ran through the corridors at full speed. The emergency was already late and the threat was great. In his hands, the folder with the photos was now black, attracting only glances in the corridors. The signal that something was wrong spread faster than the old man could move. He hurried to the meeting room, but the soldiers at the door stopped him. The Guardian drew his medallion and displayed it; the terrible warriors lowered their weapons and instead entered the room to escort their visitor under the threat of falling under the edge of their blades. Once the room was secure and free of any worthy presence, the doors were closed and sealed with golden chains from the outside, and more guards joined to watch the doors with their weapons already primed, ready to shoot to kill at the slightest sight.

  The Guardian placed a black folder on the table in front of the most important man in the room, Pope Franco II, the highest leader of the Christian Church, but more importantly to the folder in front of him, the leader of the oldest demon-hunting organization on the planet, a duty inherited from ancient Rome before the time of Jesus Christ himself, handed down from the Persian Empire, inherited from the Greeks, and a legacy from the Egyptians, who in turn inherited it from the Sumerians and the unknown others before them.

  "What level of threat are we talking about?" asked the religious leader.

  "Dies adversum advenit, homines fortium in periculo est," said the guardian with the weight of such grave words. The words in Latin were a call to history, for whatever they did now would be etched in stone for future generations as a lesson or a warning.

  "...."

  "Et hominum virtus duritia respondebit," the man at the table replied, fulfilling his duty to answer the call.

  The leader of the hidden military forces opened the black folder and saw a series of photographs, some of which seemed abstract enough to understand their meaning. The guardian, an expert in the legends and magic of the hunters, began to explain the gravity of the images shown. The first of them was a strange black cloud over the forests in the mountains.

  “A pack of ravens never before seen in Scandinavia”

  “The ravens of Odin presaging the darkness that calls forth evil”

  “They are moving from the fields of the Continental War to the East”

  The following image was a type of solar wheel mounted on a stone mosaic in a room.

  "The original black sun of Wewelsburg Palace has moved 35° to the south."

  "Same direction as Odin's ravens."

  "Commissioned by Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler to search for powerful cursed artifacts to dominate Europe."

  "A new evil object has appeared in the world."

  The following image was one of a comet in the night sky.

  "Comet X/2025G7-Draconis passed over Europe last week."

  "As it passed, two tails erupted from it, green and red lights."

  "According to NASA, the comet's composition was carbon monoxide, and its color should have been blue."

  "Instead, the colors indicate an anomalous source of nitrogen and diatomic carbon."

  "The comet changed its composition; a signal was sent from the sky in an obscured manner."

  "According to the message, it was confirmed by divine providence."

  A huge red Moon was shown on the paper that followed; the silhouette of a gigantic mysterious creature did nothing to diminish the sense of danger.

  "The Blood Moon of Hunting

  "Appears frequently during the hunting season, usually in October."

  "What is not normal is the frequency with which it appears in the forests of the Carpathians."

  "The Blood Moon prolongs its visit because of the call to hunt that comes in the month of hunting."

  A photograph of a long line of people with candles in procession carrying a mysterious coffin in the dark of a moonless night.

  "In the Súlov region, one of our hunters took this photo during his mission."

  "They were last seen heading southeast."

  "The procession of souls, spirits seeking redemption to end their eternal suffering for their transgressions in life, led by the treacherous Death itself, the dead are restless."

  "If a living person interacts with them in any way and does not refuse to carry the cross, claiming that they already carry their own, they will be cursed with death in seven days."

  "Three people have already died from malnutrition and extreme exhaustion from accompanying the cursed procession.

  Pope Franco continued to look at the pictures in silence, quietly accepting each threat and remembering some of what he had experienced in his life. He had spent his youth in Italy, in the streets of Naples during difficult times. His encounter with God changed his path when a strange, unknown person reached out his hand to save him from poverty and the Mafia. In his formation, he decided to combine his faith with his desire to save humanity, becoming known more for wielding a shovel and a hoe than for praying. He became a missionary and was sent to the poorest regions of Africa to teach and rescue the most needy, providing guidance as well as food and water. He faced death a thousand times as the warlord who persecuted him tried to gain his support by using the Bible to justify his revolution and execution of opponents; a thousand times more he saw the poor die under the yoke of men who had become demons of power amid malnutrition and lack of medicine. He knew the fine line between measuring every spoken word and the certain death of a rifle. He never feared for his own life, but for the lives of others. But time passed, and the young years became old, along with his ability to continue his dangerous adventures. He was relieved of his perilous position by someone new, after teaching him how to survive. In the years that followed, he spent much of his time telling stories in Latin America, where he met powerful, unknown people who would become important much later. When the time came to retire, he was called back to Italy to enjoy his homeland, but the call to serve continued, as did he answerd. In his characteristic strong way of facing problems head on, like the warrior of humanity he had been in his time, he was more than ready for the next call; he was the right man to lead a dangerous crusade against evil.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "I've had enough, begin to summarize."

  The Guardian pulled up another image, a dismembered man in a horrific inverted pentagram of blood, branches, and the entrails of a black goat, attempting to poorly create a Baphomet.

  "Gideon Belmont was found dead this morning in the courtyard of the Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest.

  "The current head of the best clan of vampire hunters is missing and murdered; the people responsible for this act are both powerful and dangerous."

  "The message is clear: Satanists have a power comparable to our best warriors."

  "They are working for someone with a clear agenda."

  "And do we have any idea who?

  "It's in the last photo."

  Mr. Franco looked at the latest photo on the table, the castle tower standing proudly between the mountain forests.

  Mr. Franco looked at the latest photo on the table, the castle tower standing proudly between the mountain forests.

  "We have a match, much to the dismay of many, one that is very well documented to the end."

  "The clock tower was created by the magical clockmaker Mikulá? of Kadan in collaboration with a dark lord to punish the king who had taken his sight for his work."

  "It is an unmistakable sign of the castle of Vlad III, also known as the Impaler, Dracula to his friends."

  "It seems he has been successfully resurrected by the satanic cult known as the Vox Baa in response to the events in France and the vampire's own followers."

  "Dracula has risen from his grave again?"

  "Wasn't he defeated by Gideon's father in '99?"

  "The problem is not Dracula; it is his damned friend Death who refuses to take the damned soul to the furnace where it belongs."

  Eyes shifted to the third person in the room, the man who hadn't said a word until now, another of the best hunters besides the Belmont family and the Morris, the leader of the Van Helsing clan, Mr. Valerious, who continued his explanation.

  "Dracula has been resurrected every 100 years due to his war with the Belmonts, but it is believed that the last time his soul should have been banished after that battle."

  "The problem is that he somehow escaped from paying his soul to the demons."

  "The real question is, who let the bastard escape from the hell he belongs to?"

  "Who is preventing the damned like Dracula from being punished with the severity they deserve?"

  "Is it some treacherous demon, death, or perhaps someone else?"

  Franco was not intimidated by Valerio's words; he was a man of actions rather than words, and right now those actions were what was needed.

  "The why or how of his resurrection is not important; what is important is to seal the evil again before the situation gets out of control."

  "We must deal with this before the innocent find out."

  "Sir, the governments of Romania and Hungary are ready to start a war to cover our movements."

  "What we must do is prepare the group... of martyrs."

  "By papal order, I summon the Hunting Pack to the sacred duty as stated in the Ancestral Pact."

  "Also, light the weapon forges; more silver swords and spears will be needed"

  "We will also need sacred armor; summon the mages, but be discreet; we cannot alert the enemy with suspicious movements."

  "Also get in touch with the VDV, we will get in touch with some of your troops, especially the Mobile VDV Unit 01b, It is about time that such an out-of-the-box idea was put to good use."

  "......"

  "The question is, who will take on the task of fighting the vampire himself..." Franco said, trying to think of brave and capable people.

  "With the death of Gideon Belmont, the next successor of the house would be his son Sebastian Belmont; unfortunately, the boy is only 13 years old."

  "The Belmont clan cannot answer the call until he is fit to take over his family."

  "The Morris clan, on the other hand, is still dealing with what happened in China; the death of Xian Fang is still unsolved, and we don't even know if it's related."

  "The death of such a wise and capable magician is undoubtedly a severe blow to our fighting power," the guardian reported.

  "Then we have to get creative in calling new warriors."

  "There are still a few options; Alejando del Toro is still available."

  "He has an equally successful track record and an exemplary life of service.

  "I've also managed to contact the Gurkhas to take care of the supplies."

  "Samurai, the heroine from another world, is also eager for a historic battle; I have no doubt that she will join us in the fight against evil on her own accord," the hunter reported, thinking about how to form a defense against the threat despite the challenges.

  "But will it be enough power? That is the real question."

  "I'd like to have at least one more big name there," Franco said.

  Hearing the Pope's doubts, Van Helsing, with his well-known sharp mind and cunning, saw a golden opportunity to finally set his plan in motion; it was the ideal moment to attack.

  "I have a name."

  "How about Cacique for this hunt as well?" the veteran hunter said maliciously.

  The other two men looked at each other for a moment, doubting what Van Helsing was referring to, so he decided to continue with his idea.

  "After Divine Providence confirmed his presence in Costa Rica, I took it upon myself to search in my spare time."

  "I think I have the right idea of who this elusive person is who has eluded us for centuries."

  "She currently lives in Japan, but he is not human." Van Helsing put another photograph on the table, where a white girl was more than enough evidence.

  "The white kitsune? That is the territory of the Onmyōji."

  "This girl, however, is not Japanese," the hunter interrupted again, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

  "The girl in the photo is Adelis' personal guard; you probably know her, the coordinator of the Alliance, the one who always appears among the presidents but never in the newspapers."

  "I checked the announcements of Adelis' appearances and the travels of her bodyguard team; they match one to one."

  "Alejando del Toro is already somewhat close to her; perhaps he could contact her and convince her..."

  While Valerious Van Helsing talked non-stop and developed his plan, another one was already in motion in Mr. Franco's head. The name Adelis was ringing in his ears. He looked at the photo of the woman on the table and managed to remember why - he knew her from his time in America, when he was nothing more than a simple priest in a poor but hard-working neighborhood, and she was just a mother of children at the school. He remembered the pain with which the poor mother had sought solace in something after the death of her beloved. The woman's wounds never healed, but time parted their paths when he was called back to Italy. From that day until now, he had heard nothing from her. For some reason, perhaps intention or revelation, something inside him told him that it was the most right decision he could make: to make his confession to the Adelis he had known in the past, the one who had conquered the world, to call this strange white girl into the ranks, and to see the result flourish.

  "No need for details, just try calling her, she will answer," Franco said with a prophetic certainty that was strange even for him.

  "But she is a kitsune! We can't risk..."

  "I'm sorry, but I agree with Mr. Franco on this plan."

  "We really need experienced warriors, and this girl is one." Said the hunter.

  "She has battle experience; the Onmyōji have tried to get rid of her several times, but to no avail."

  "It is necessary to summon her. A fierce monster is needed when it comes to hunting beasts."

  "We can negotiate with something like a promise to leave her alone if she helps us deal with a greater evil," the hunter said, seizing the perfect opportunity for his dishonest plan, unaware that he had little weight in the actual decision.

  When the meeting ended, powerful letters on sacred paper were signed and distributed with the papal seal, a special call to save humanity from the dark evil. A call to warriors to a battlefield of hell that would never be recorded in the history books.