The crescent moon hung high above, barely shedding light onto the chilling damp night.
A figure under scarlet cloak emerged from behind an alley and stopped before a building squatted between other normalcy.
A snort erupted from the figure under the cloak- the person living inside is not normal at all.
Adrian careened into the duplex. His red eyes scanned every corner from under his scarlet cloak and hoodie.
He got into the living room and stopped. It was dark but he could see clearly. The red rug under his boots threatened to swallow his feets but he's not shaken in any way.
"I know you're in there. It would be better if you come out to me." Adrian said, with a growl.
"What do you want again?"
Adrian turned to the door leading to other rooms in the house. Behold, a man with a sinister staff emerged.
The staff had a snake head on the top and it released a sinister aura.
It was the wizard of the Casal coven.
The wizard continued. "I don't want the coven and the administrators knowing that I helped you."
Adrian looked away, his eyes wandering around the room. "I lost him."
Adrian's mood was down as he muttered that.
The wizard felt it too. He replied, "but you said you have another way to get him?"
"Yes, I can use the woman. But I won't. But I might."
"Then why are you here?"
"You located him once, you'll do it again."
"You're being a naive, young leader. Locator spell isn't that easy. The last time you had no clue, no belonging to the vampire and that cost me a lot of energy. Now you want me to do it again."
"No worries, wizard. I brought you a gift." Adrian slipped his pallid hand under his scarlet cloak and into the chest pocket of his outfit underneath.
He pulled out the hand and it was with something. A shredded cloth. Tainted with pale red.
He stretched it to the wizard. Reluctance flashed in his eyes before he collected it.
The wizard smelled it and his incredulous eyes lifted to Adrian's. "This is his blood?"
"Yes. Now you'll find him for me."
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Over a dozen cloaked figures flashed across the dark marble floors.
They were walking, but their natural speed made it seem like they were disappearing and appearing.
As they passed through the dark waves of energy that coursed through every structure of the building, their bodies constantly released a terrifying aura that claimed dominance.
They are all vampires, but their essense is so different from an ordinary vampire's, vividly superior. Doesn't matter if it's a born vampire or a turned one. The aura this one's exuded easily surpassed Caius'.
They are not ordinary vampires afterall. They are the Tribunals, most of which had Primordial blood running through them, being turned by one.
However, at their head was a true Primordial Vampire of the Tribunals. Born as a Primordial. He's Lord Akotal.
His face could be seen clearly. Disfigured and burnt, his features were melted into one another.
If a human saw him like this, they would have thought, 'how is he still alive?"
But he's a Primordial. If the thing that made him like had happened to any vampire out there, they would be forgotten. It doesn't matter if it's a born vampire or not.
It was nine centuries ago. In his memories, Akotal could still remember clearly how it had happened that day. It was like hell.
His red eyes wandered to the pot of flames that lined the long passageway. The flames were black. It reminded him of what made him like this.
However he looked away as they got to a wide hall.
A circle of stairs that led up to an altar reflected in his eyes. The same dark flames lit the hall, illuminating it as though the flames were white.
Akotal looked over his shoulder back at his men. "Stay." It was more like a murmur. But the heightened senses of the vampires let them hear.
Akotal's steps were light as he scaled the stairs. It was nine hundred years since he had been here last. So long years but very short to immortal creatures of the night like the Primordials.
On the altar. All one could see is black.
A blocking spell.
However as Akotal got to the last step, and was right before the black veil of magic, something swept a portion of the veil away and made way for Akotal.
He advanced into the altar.
Three women in black gowns were there. A circle of dark ink was around their eyes and their lips were painted black.
"Lord Akotal." They bowed.
Akotal took his time to look around the altar. "It's been a while."
He turned to the one in the middle. She had a black scepter in her hand. "You're the new High Witch?"
The woman, probably in her forties, replied, "yes, my Lord. I'm Anna the new High Witch."
Akotal paced the altar as he began, "It's been a while now. Nine hundred years ago, I was here. Geeta the High Witch then was who I met, may her soul rest in peace. She was intelligent and vocal in the magic world. The dark magic world." Akotal seemed to be immersed in his memories as he recalled.
"We shall serve you as our ancestors did." Anna the High Witch said as she bowed.
"Lord Akotal."
Someone called. The Witches turned to the voice. Their faces paled when they saw the owner.
On the other hand, Akotal didn't move. His red eyes remained on a dark magic lantern at the North edge of the altar. It released a dark aura that could make even a Primordial creep.
"My dear witches, fear not. He's with me." Akotal's red eyes glinted slightly as he said. "Aro, how was your hunt?"
"Not blissful."
Akotal heard footsteps and the next second he felt Aro's presence behind him.
Akotal frowned at the reply and turned around to behold the green cloaked figure of the hunter.
"What is it?" Akotal asked.
"The skull vampire. I know him. I've hunted him in the past. Over seven centuries ago."
Akotal had an unreadable expression on this. He seemed to be pondering but he's not. He's calculating.
Aro saw this without effort. He has lived as Akotal's friend and partner for centuries, even before he became a Lord. So he knows him, almost completely.
"Akotal." Aro addressed him by his name directly, being probably the only one, apart from the Tribunal elder ships, who could call him like that. And he could do it probably because they are on par in terms of power and they are also friends from a long time.
Aro continued. "Trully, I've hunted him in the past. But he always got away. He usually goes rogue and kills a lot of people. I had to hunt him down. But no one was able to. The vampires, the hunters, and me. We couldn't get him until we suddenly lost track of him."
Aro never knew about the curse. Akotal saw to that and he preferred it that way. Because if Aro knows about it, he wouldn't be helping him now, it's not in order with the ethics of the hunters. "Now what is it? Is he a dead man or not?" Akotal asked.
"No, he isn't. And Akotal, you're not being honest with me. This vampire was actually fighting for a lady whose life is threatened by the organ snatchers you sent."
"Well, I don't find that disturbing for you." Akotal smiled, humourlessly.
Aro stared at his red eyes for a while. His eyes gave no emotion. 'this is weird.' Aro thought to himself and his eyes glinted.
As Akotal gazed into the emerald eyes of his friend, he could see it clearly. The hesitation.
"You don't need to be, Aro. The lady is a sacrificial lamb for my redemption and her blood shall wash away the damnation on my essense soon."
Aro sighed. He said no word as he turned his gaze to the dark floor of the altar. Then he pondered. "When I was about to kill him, I saw something."
"What did you see?" Akotal asked.
"The red skull."
"The Lead Skull?" Akotal asked again to be sure.
"Yes. And it had wings. Which means only one thing. It's active."
"How come?" Akotal frowned deeply. He waved his right hand in the air and a flash occurred.
By the time the flash disappeared, something was in the mid air before his face. A crimson skull. A silver blade with dark runes engraved on it was stuck in the middle of the skull.
Aro lifted his gaze when he felt the aura in the air. The Witches paled and their eyes trembled when they saw the red skull.
They could feel their chest banging. How will they not be scared? After all, this head belonged to a legend. A demon in the vampire world. It belonged to the Lead Skull, leader of the Skull Vampires.
The Skull seemed to simmer. The simmer would get brighter then in the next second would return to normal.
"Somebody tell me how a skull Vampire was bred centuries ago despite the complete annihilation?" Akotal asked, his red eyes glinting.
"I'm confused. When the skulls begin to go crazy, they don't bite to turn, they bite to kill." Aro wondered.
Aro's eyes glinted as he gazed at the simmering red skull, watching it with keen eyes. Then he said, "The Skull followers are having a festival in his name tonight, it's the reason it's simmering."
"They are getting nothing afterall." Akotal's red eyes glowed more as he turned to Aro. "One skull vampire can do nothing. Even if it turned humans, he won't have the army enough to challenge me in centuries."
He waved his hand and the red skull vanished into thin air. "The girl will be brought and the ritual will be held under the moon, soon. No stopping it."
"Yes my Lord." The Witches chorused.
Aro nodded too.
Akotal's head tilted and his gaze slowly went to the dark Witches. "But I want to know how a skull vampire Aro had hunted in the past is now under Caius. And how he even became a skull in the first place."
"Yes, my Lord," Anna the High Witch bowed.
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