"What do you mean, sister, by saying this is bad? You don't really think it's true, do you?" Helen asked, her voice tinged with concern.
"Well, the thought that our lord is dead will surely cause some of the men to lose their motivation to fight," her sister replied, a frown creasing her brow.
"Who says that our lord Leonidas is dead? This could just be part of that snake's plan. He knows how our lord is viewed and loved by the people here. Spreading the lie that Leonidas is dead fits perfectly into his scheme, especially since he knows the humans can't easily kill our men," Helen argued, her disbelief evident.
She struggled to accept what Decker had announced earlier; it was their worst fear come to life. She remembered how her husband, Markus, admired his father, striving to be as strong as Leonidas. Even after all these years, Markus had never unlocked his innate abilities like his brothers had, but his father's presence was his greatest motivation to become stronger. Now, she couldn't fathom what he must be feeling at the thought of losing his father and idol.
As her mind raced, she felt a desperate need to shut down and deny Decker's words. The very idea of Leonidas dying would send shockwaves through their family, creating a ripple effect that could shatter everything they held dear.
Reina looked at Helen with watery eyes. "Sister, I don't think Decker was lying." Her head dropped, sadness filling her chest.
"Why do you believe our lord is dead? Do you have a reason?" Helen asked, her heart aching for her sister.
"Because our lord and John traveled with Decker for a business meeting. But Decker returned and attacked the castle while our lord is still missing. You can do the math," Reina replied, her voice trembling. Tiny droplets of tears began to fall to the ground. "I can't even imagine what he did to little John. He was training so hard to make Leonidas proud, to earn his acknowledgment, and now the boy is gone."
Helen glanced at the vampire knight, Paul, and noticed he also wore a defeated expression at the thought of their lord's demise.
Her heart ached for her sister. She had heard that Reina was training John and must have cared deeply for the boy. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around Reina in a comforting hug. "Listen, this is not the time to be weak. If you give up now, then Decker wins. I feel sad too, sister, but we must be strong and support the family. You knew this kind of thing could happen before marrying Zeno; you signed up for this many years ago. Now is the time to step up."
"You're right, sister. You're absolutely right," Reina said, her voice heavy with emotion. "Let's go send them to the afterlife."
====
While Elena and Haven raced down the hallway, they heard Decker's chilling announcement echoing throughout the castle: their lord was dead. Elena came to an immediate stop, her body frozen in shock as she leaned against the wall. "No, this can't be! Please say it's not true! What happened to young Master?" Tears streamed down her cheeks, a torrent of grief overtaking her.
Haven came closer to Elena, she then reached out her right arm and gently placed it on Elena's shoulder. "Elena, are you alright?"
Elena shook her head lightly, struggling to speak as if something were lodged in her throat. "I…I…I loved him, Haven," she managed to say, each word strained by her immense sadness.
"I know," Haven replied softly. "Young Master John was so young, caring, and innocent. He had a great personality and a full life ahead of him. I feel this loss deeply too. Our lord is gone, and even if we win this battle today, our clan will never be the same."
A heavy silence enveloped them as Elena tried to collect herself. Haven understood they didn't have much time, but he also recognized how much Elena loved young Master John. Their moment of stillness was abruptly shattered when two mercenaries clad in light leather armor appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, look! Two vampire bitches. Let's kill them!" one of the mercenaries sneered.
"Haven, please let me handle this," Elena said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.
"Are you sure?" Haven asked, concern etched on his face.
"Yes," she affirmed, determination replacing her shock.
Elena walked down the hall with a sword in her right hand. Tears crawled down her cheek with sadness and fury crammed in her heart "I hate you…I hate you all".
One of the mercenaries loosed an arrow, aimed directly at her skull, but Elena effortlessly swiped it aside with her sword, continuing her advance.
"What? How is this possible?" the man stammered, bewildered. He fired two more arrows in quick succession, but neither found its mark. A flicker of fear crossed the faces of both men.
"Forget the arrows; let's finish her off with the sword," one suggested.
"Look the other bitch is not even helping her friend"
"She's probably scared," he laughed, a cruel glint in his eye
They could not have been further from the truth. Haven was just as angry as her friend Elena, but she understood that at this moment, Elena was in a place of profound hurt and likely needed to vent her emotions.
The first mercenary stepped closer, swinging his sword with reckless abandon. Elena deftly deflected his heavy attack to the side, the sound of their swords grinding against each other ringing in the air. Seizing the opportunity, she swiftly sliced at his abdomen, causing him to fall to his knees. Without hesitation, she gripped the middle of her blade with her left hand and drove it through the man's face. Blood dripped from the tip of her sword as the man crumpled.
The second mercenary, witnessing the speed and ferocity with which this vampire girl had killed his friend, could hardly believe his eyes. "You bastard! I'll kill you!" he screamed, rage boiling over.
Meanwhile, the sword Elena wielded remained lodged in the first man's face. With a brutal yank, she pulled the blade free, splitting his skull in two. The second man, in a desperate attempt to retaliate, slashed his sword at her head, but she evaded the attack by ducking under it. Elena showed him no mercy; she held her sword in a reverse grip, ready to strike.
In one swift motion, she slashed the blade across his face. Everything happened so quickly that it was as if the man didn't realize his face had just been sliced in two. Moments later, his body collapsed, the upper half of his face severed from the lower, blood gushing everywhere and painting the floor crimson.
She then turned her head around to look in Haven's direction "Let us continue Haven, my anger has not subsided. Young master John is dead, but I will make sure he has enough people to keep him company"
"Then I suggest we head upstairs; I think there are still more vampires who need our help. My gut tells me that most of them are not as angry as you. They may have lost their fighting spirit due to the news of our lord's passing," Haven proposed, indicating their next move.
"Then let us go help our family members," Elena replied, determination burning in her eyes.
====
As the flying boat was soaring through the sky, Leonidas was busy meditating and trying to gather spiritual force, hoping that he could regain his ability to walk.
"Wow, mister, I still can't believe you're the same person I tried to rescue back in that alley," John said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
The bald-headed man stood at the helm, enjoying the cool wind brushing against his skin. "Please, young master, call me Tony. My name is Tony Bricksman, and I am deeply ashamed that a young boy like you took pity on someone like me."
John chuckled, leaning against the boat's railing and taking in the breathtaking landscape around them. "I was just a stupid boy back then, but I'm glad you're safe, Mr. Bricksman. And please don't feel ashamed; I have no regrets about helping you that day. Besides, if I hadn't tried to help, my grandfather and I would still be stuck in the middle of nowhere."
"Wow, I can't believe I am in the presence of the great lord Leonidas." Tony then looked at Leonidas. "Please my lord, if you need anything, just let this one know"
Leonidas slowly opened his eyes. "Then drive this boat faster. It's urgent that we reach my castle as soon as possible."
"As you wish my lord". With a firm grip, Tony yanked the flying boat's throttle lever upwards, unleashing a surge of energy that roared through the flying boat's engine. The flying vessel then propelled forward at a breakneck pace across the boundless sky.
"Woah!" John exclaimed, gripping the railing tightly, surprised by the boat's sudden acceleration.
John then walked over to where is grandfather was sitting "Yo old man, we are so lucky right? I am so glad that things went our way for once. We were going through a lot of unfortunate events but now things are looking up, right?" John said, his face beaming with a huge smile.
Leonidas looked at John, his expression stern yet softened by the happiness he felt at seeing the boy smile, especially given the suffering he had endured in recent days. "Stop calling me old man… and you're right, things are looking up. We are fortunate that someone arrived to help us."
A cheeky smile spread across John's face as he moved closer to Leonidas. "Even if he is a human?"
Leonidas narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze onto John. But John met his stare unflinchingly. After a moment, Leonidas let out a light sigh. "Yes, even though he is human."
John clasped his hands together. "Old man, you like to look down on humans, but can't you see how life is showing you that even the great vampire lord sometimes needs help, even from someone weaker than you?"
"Nonsense. I don't need help from anyone," Leonidas replied, crossing his arms defiantly.
"I knew my grandfather was an asshole, but now I see he's ungrateful as well. It's cool," John said, walking over to the railing of the flying boat to take in the scenery below.
Leonidas watched John for a moment before a faint smile crept onto his lips.
"Have you figured out how your lightning ability works?" he asked
"I don't know how it works just yet, but I remember the reason I was able to tap into that kind of power was that I was trying to protect you, old man," John replied.
Leonidas's eyes widened, not knowing what to say, so he decided to stay quiet.
"But why do you care? You're probably disappointed in me again because it's lightning and not a fire ability, right?"
Leonidas wanted to say it's not true but then Tony cried out "My lord, benefactor, we are almost there, just behind that mountain we will be near Carmine town which is very close to the Crimson castle" He had a cheerful expression on his face
John then looked ahead "Old man, are you ready?"
Leonidas's eyes slowly turned crimson red "Yeah"