Chapter 4: The Night Children

Magicians were not just angel’s descendants - they're from demons as well. Just as there were good Magicians, there were bad as well. However, demons' descendants, known as the Night Children, were not all terrible, just as angels' descendants were not all benign.

Beauty could be deceiving. And the demon children were incredibly attractive. Their beauty was out of this world, just like they were. They lacked the inborn magical abilities that their counterparts possessed. They did, however, have a claim to the sphere of power. That's why they could use rituals to summon and conduct magic.

They found it difficult to make magic. The Night Children, as they were known, could, however, morph into any animal they wished during the night. Clans existed, but only a Constant should be in charge of them for Constants were Greater Demons' progeny. By birth, the Constant should be a vampire or a werewolf. Their transformation would be seen in their blood, and it would be permanent. They can, however, morph at any time, unlike the others. During the day, the Night Children may be just like any other person.

There were, however, limitations. They were well aware of the presence of the angels' offspring, as well as the fact that they were being pursued. The Night Children, unlike the Magicians, lacked powerful clans such as the Arium and the Zircon, except the Constant. They only had one leader, and they held leadership in high regard. Albert, as their leader, was solely concerned about their survival, which Los Barrios took care of by concealing and providing for them. The location was a forest, and it provided all of the meat they required.

They did, however, have a cursed day once a month. Albert dreaded it, not because he disliked it, but because of what he expected to do with it. During the full moon, the Night Children hunted for human blood. They danced and reveled in the brilliance of the moonlight while they conducted the rite, then shared the blood of the poor humans. Blood gave life its enchantment, and demons could only exist because of it. Vampires gained immortality and all Night Children gained their beauty. Their skin was wrinkle-free. As a result, when their lack of aging piqued the interest of others who didn't know them, they went into hiding for a while before reappearing with new identities. They couldn't change their faces, even though they could transform into any animal.

Los Barrios had been their home for thousands of years, and they had been safe there. Animals were as sacred to them during the day as they were at night.

Yes, they went on a hunt. But only for food, and only after such a long and exhausting ritual. Because of this one cursed night a month, Albert had to build pubs in cities or surrounding areas outside of Los Barrios to lure people to come inside. They would hunt humans. It ached Albert but he had to do it. The sacrificed humans would be covered up in a tragic accident causing their deaths. Their made-up bodies would be delivered to the intended families to mourn for. 

For more than a century, the Night Children have been in this kind of business. It had been that way all along. Since Vampires were line rivals, Albert was the only Constant who remained. Constants were the ones who defined the Night Children's Law's borders. Vampires also hunt on their accord regardless of the rules. Unless on official business, no Vampire was allowed in Los Barrios. However, a Vampire could challenge the leadership since they were Constants. But no vampire had been a good leader. So, Albert had to be alive. 

He could still remember her in her white dress, standing amid the garden with lilies on her toes, smiling when she noticed him staring at her.

That was a long time ago, yet it was a priceless memory. She walked up to the pond and used a charm to attract fish to it. Her grins and giggles astonished those befuddled fishes, prompting him to approach her.

The scene then shifted. The Ballroom, where the Night Children and the Magicians had their first communion, was filled with music, and he recognized it.

He searched the crowd for her, but she was nowhere to be found. She isn't one of the regular clans; she is unique. He dressed up in his normal black suit and blue tie to impress her, but he had no idea where she was in this throng. So he went to the balcony to look around and see if he could find her. Nonetheless, he discovered her there, standing on the balcony, sorrowful eyes observing. He just watched her from a corner. It’s so uncommon for her to be sad - she’s a happy being. 

He'd wait for her as long as he could if it wasn't for the approaching strike of midnight. Even so, midnight was approaching, and he needed to get her. As a result, he went over her. He was perplexed when she stated something he didn't understand. But he saw that those were depressing words. He did recall her leaning over him, though. The scene then shifted.

He's as naked as the rest of them. They went swimming in Selena Lake. Then they emerged. On their skins, the moonlight glimmered. He had noticed her. Her radiance shone brightly and was unlike everyone else's. The goddesses chose her because there was something about her. He would bargain for eternity to see it again, but the moment came and the Festival began - the exhibitions of Celestial Wings.

The feathers on her back began to line up like scales. Her spine looked carved out by the bones of her wings. Then something amazing happened: everyone had wings, black and white, demons and angels alike. But it was hers that sparkled the brightest. When he saw her face, he realized she wasn't the same anymore. The scenery changed again before he could describe it.

He's not in the same upbeat mood as he used to be. This was quite dry. He could see trees, but none of them were lush. He got a whiff of charred flesh. He tried to find it, but all he could see was a vast expanse of dry land. Then he noticed her. On that sad face on the balcony, once more. She took a step alongside him. They were attempting to stretch every minute of it as if time could be stretched. Then she came to a halt.

He fixed his gaze on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and darker tones appeared under her eyes. She has been crying. She'd told him now. But she didn't say anything; she just hugged him.

"Promise me, Albert," she whispered. "Please, no matter what. Promise, me."

"Don't go," he said. She released him. Then, just that, she's gone.

Albert awoke with the same dream he had the night before. To him, her features did not even get hazy. She's just as beautiful as she was when he first met her in that garden.

"I promised," he muttered again. 

Albert walked through the pavement of broken bones and skulls from the remnants of the last dragon where a seat was placed at the end of it for the leading constant.

The rite was in full swing. Humans trailed him, as the Night Children danced and sang along to the drums' beat. The humans were all dressed in white, and they were all in awe of what was going on. They had no concept of what the language meant and assumed it was part of the program. When Albert reached his seat and sat, the humans were ushered to line up on his left side.

The music then changed. The Night Children who wore black marched through the pavement of bones while the drums rolled slowly and hauntingly. Their lovely faces radiated the moon's radiance. In their victorious days, their beauty glowed with it like gods. They have no expressions of sadness on their faces. The other Night Children had formed a ring around the pavement. No one said anything, but everyone could feel the Night Children's joy as they strolled to their graves, waving their bittersweet goodbyes and hellos to the other world, like a pulsing heartbeat on a rush. Everyone bowed as they approached Constant's throne at the end of the sidewalk. Then, the dressed Night Children stood at Constant's right place. 

The backdoor opened around midnight. Only then did they react when the humans realized what was about to happen.

The Night Children turned to their birthright form as soon as the constant signal. From all types of animals, large and small, aggressive and non-venomous. Witnessing these alterations, people didn't take long to realize what they were being mingled with. Screams echoed down the corridor, and they could be heard from the Hall of Sacred Bones. The Night Children, on the other hand, relished it and were overjoyed when they began to hear petitions to whatever gods these people believed to be delivered. But on that dreadful night, when devils were allowed to be demons, all hell broke loose.

The Night Children shouted with delight as they drank, exchanged, and celebrated human blood. Albert witnessed everything for more than a century, every month. On the Constant's left side, one human was spared to keep an eye on things. He'd be dragged in the middle of the Hall once his human buddies were all dead. Every time, Albert could hear the prayers of these humans but necessity was a necessity. When the time was right, he would consume his blood until all his life force was drained inside the Hall of the Sacred Bones.

The Constant had one human left on his left side who was spared to watch everything. When his human companions were all dead, he would be dragged in the middle of the Hall. When it’s done, the Night Children would stop and wait for the Constant to bite and drink the blood of the remaining human. Those Night Children who walked on the pavement and who stood on his right were given one last chance. 

Albert planned to wait till the human's life had run out. He might avert death by sharing human blood with a Night Child. No Child of the Night, on the other hand, would risk making such a decision. It was tough to go three full moons without drinking human blood. Those who walked the pavement of bones every month in the name of the moon goddesses wished for death and the end of their earthly existence. For many who had lived far too long, death was a source of hope. Albert wished he could already execute the rite.

After the night, the Night Children who did not drink would wait and starve in the Hall of Bones until death came to them. They were not going to wait for another full moon. Their flesh would rot until their bones joined those who came before them inside the Hall. Human flesh and bones, on the other hand, were not allowed to degrade inside the Hall. It would be taken outside for the Night Children's pleasure. Then normal life began again until the next full moon.