…The Mutilator's hideout, the basement….
The large, rusting metal door of the basement barged open and the Mutilator fell in. The strong putrid stench that dominated the basement greeted him.
The reason for the scent is still vivid as, despite the dim lighting, one could still see the dried bones that littered the cold floors of the underground workshop of the Mutilator.
His eyes were weak, but his hands clutched his bleeding head like his life depended on it.
His fate depends on it though.
He had hit his head hard on the floor when Kylian and Hellsong collided with him. Their supernatural strength made it this severe.
Just like the saying, when two elephants are fighting, it's the grasses that suffer most.
He was unconscious for several seconds, before he could stand up, and when the duo were busy thrashing each other, he crawled out of the place.
The Mutilator grimaced hard. Grunts escaped his lips as he struggled to his feets.
He staggered to the table at the extreme end of the large basement hall. With his other hand, he drew out the drawer in the table and ruffled through the dusty items in it.
"That cannot save you."
The Mutilator jolted as a gravelly voice said behind him. His eyes trembled with fear.
He could guess who the owner of the voice is, but he tried to reassure himself that it's not the person. He isn't sure if he can face the person, right now.
Unfortunately, reality is quite disappointing.
"L- Lord Akotal." He bowed with his body shaking with fear.
Lord Akotal emerged from the dark, like a shadow coming out of a shadow. On his lips was a grim look that told the Mutilator 'you are so going to die tonight.'
"I can see your day hasn't been so good."
The Mutilator trembled with every step Akotal took closer. He lifted his head to talk but he couldn't. His face crumpled in a cry as he fell before Akotal's feets and wept. "Help me, my Lord."
"I surely will help you, Lucas." Lord Akotal muttered, an unreadable smile was on his disfigured face. He lifted his pallid right hand to his lip and bit his wrist. A pale blood with slight white tints oozed from the punctured wrist.
Akotal offered the hand to The Mutilator, who readily grabbed it and sucked like a baby sucks his mother's breast.
Lord Akotal snatched his hand from The Mutilator after a few seconds. He caressed the wrist, the bite marks. A peculiar glint was in his red eyes as he watched the wound.
The Mutilator sucked in breaths and relaxed as he felt his body being nourished and the pain on his head faded off.
The joy that clouded his existence was overwhelming as he's now sure that he'll live. But then he remembered Hellsong.
'With the way that fight is going on, it seems Hellsong might lose.' he thought as his gaze lifted to Akotal's.
"Even the brightest star in the sky falls at a point." Akotal was in his thoughts.
The Mutilator frowned deeply as he heard this. He can't seem to understand that.
"Something you want to say?" Akotal asked.
The Mutilator was brought out of his reverie as he quickly said. "Hellsong. He's losing."
"Yes, he will. And after all that, he will die." Akotal smiled. It was a knowing smile but it tinged with bitterness as he lowered his gaze down to his right wrist, he bit earlier.
It hasn't healed yet.
"Uh?!" The Mutilator gulped in confusion at what Lord Akotal meant by that.
"My blood was meant to strengthen him. And it did. But what happens when the blood itself is weak? The blood of a Primordial gives power to the powerless. But what happens when the blood has lost almost all its power?"
The Mutilator blinked and readjusted his butts which were on the cold ground of the basement. "If I may ask, my Lord, but what does that mean?"
"My blood is too weak right now. And when It's consumed by a body, it will fight to strengthen the body, but it'll fail eventually and the body will die." Akotal smiled bitterly as he watched his wrists, which were now healing, in a very slow pace. He smiled bitterly as he added. "I need the sacrifice to get back to who I used to be."
The bitterness dripping off Lord Akotal right now is immense. The fury he's feeling right now is immeasurable. Like how could a whole Primordial vampire get too weak to the extent of not being able to heal from just a bite for over thirty seconds?
Even an ordinary turned vampire cannot have a bite injury up to two seconds before it'll heal without a trace, talkless of a mighty Primordial vampire, the peak of all vampire creatures in terms of power.
The bite on his wrist shouldn't have taken up to a second to heal but now, it took up to thirty seconds. The difference is colossal and it made Akotal sad, if not desperate.
He's right, he's weak. His blood is weak, and if consumed by anybody, will kill the person. The sacrifice he made, three hundred years ago, is out of work, and a new one is to be done tomorrow night.
The Mutilator couldn't contain his shock as he got the revelation. His face crumpled horribly. "That means-"
"You're going to die." Akotal completed it for him. "But don't be scared, your death will be glorious. You died for me, Lucas."
The Mutilator, Lucas cried loudly as he heard this. "My lor-" he made to speak but a torrent of blood spurted out of his mouth.
"Here comes the end, now." Lord Akotal turned from him and faced the door. "Like I said before, 'even the brightest star falls from the sky at a point'."
"I should get going, Hellsong will be at the castle by now. I need to hear his last words, at least." The stake breeze of the underground howled as Akotal's figure vanished from the basement.
The Mutilator held his throat as he felt it burn, his face grimacing in the horrible pain that bit every bit of his body.
The death was faster than Hellsong's because he's just a human with no power.
Hellsong was able to hold up for a long time without the pain kicking in, given that he has supernatural powers.
The Mutilator's jaw was dropped and it dripped with saliva as the gleam of life in his eyes dimmed with each passing second.
Soon darkness clouded his existence and he couldn't even fight it as he succumbed to eternal darkness.
***********
Dessert Castle.
Located at the middle of a large water body somewhere in New York, the castle stood erect, its mighty dark stone structure enthralling.
Inside, a large hall wreathed with pure gold and black stones came on scene. Figures under dark cloak loomed around.
Amidst them was the bearer of the Tribunal staff, the metal staff with a wooden three-eyed bat on the top.
All of the sudden, there was a howl of wind and a presence appeared.
All the figures lurking in the hall stopped and bowed their heads. "Lord Akotal!"
The dark cloak of the Vampire Lord waved behind him as he approached his men.
"Once upon a time, a star shined, wholly. But now the star needs an external light to become luminous." Akotal stopped before the man bearing the Tribunal staff. "Everything under control, Viktor?"
The bearer of the Tribunal staff, Viktor, lifted his head to look at Lord Akotal's red eyes then lowered his gaze again. "Yes, my Lord."
"Here comes the dying man." Lord Akotal said.
Viktor and the others raised their heads and gazed with confusion on their faces as they heard this. But their confusion was solved as they turned to the entrance of the large hall.
Just then, the sound of staggering foot thuds approaching permeated the silent hall.
They all turned to the entrance.
Lo and behold, it's Hellsong. In his hands was the unconscious Christa. His sapphire eyes were weak and the blood dripping from his body formed a trail behind as he approached.
Lord Akotal's marred face had a grin on it as he scented the air. "As I live and breathe, another descendant of the Traveller of the Thousands Star is here."
Hellsong grunted and collapsed on the cold darkstone floor of the castle, Christa's unconscious body fell fret from his grip.
"L- lord," he struggled to say and blood spurted out of his mouth. The blood was black.
The others in the hall had different expressions on their faces when they saw the black blood. But Akotal had a slight smile instead.
A breeze whistled and Akotal was right before Hellsong. He gazed down at Hellsong's dimming sapphire eyes. "You did well even though you couldn't defeat the Skull Vampire." Akotal nodded to himself as he added. "And it's natural, a skull is a skull afterall."
Hellsong gagged on his own breath as he held onto Akotal's feet. "Save me."
"You'll die. But it's a glorious death, you died for me."
Akotal took a last glance at Hellsong's chest. He could see the five claw marks, that's about five centimeters deep and the dark blood that oozed out of it. His red eyes glinted peculiarly, then he turned from Hellsong, snatching his feet from his grasp.
He took a glance at the unconscious Christa, his eyes glinted strangely and he thought. 'this girl looks familiar.'
The feeling was so strong. But then he wondered, 'where could I have known a human girl this young?'.
Then he turned away from her.
"Lord." The three Dark Witches bowed to him.
The witch in the middle, their leader, Anna the High Witch tightened her hold on her scepter as she said, "here we are, at your service, my Lord."
Akotal had a reminiscing glint in his eyes as his melted lips parted. "Geeta served me. She did it well. To her I owe my victory against the Skulls. And I won't let her effort go in vain." Akotal frowned a bit as he repeated. "I won't let it go in vain." He lifted his gaze to Anna's. "The ritual?"
Anna beamed, assurance visible in her eyes as she glanced at Christa's body sprawled across the hall. "With the descendant in our possession now, the ritual will be done tomorrow night." Her ahndi clenched around her scepter as she said with a firm gaze, "no stopping it."
Akotal gazed at her for a while, admiration in his red eyes unconcealed. "So much like Geeta. I will give you a present if you finish this successfully with me."
Anna grinned and bowed.
All of the sudden, the expression on the faces of the High Witches crumpled horribly as an aura permeated the air.
Akotal sighed, perplexedly as he muttered. "Always the one to make entrances." He turned slowly as he said, "Aro, where have you been?"
Aro had a troubled look on his face as he came into sight.
It didn't matter if it was the vampires or the High Witches, everyone present shifted uncomfortably as they felt the unsettled aura of the troubled Hunter.
Akotal had a frown on his melted face as he asked. "There's definitely something troubling the mind of Aro."
"The Skull Vampire-" the frown on the face of Aro deepened as he continued. "The overwhelming murderous intent exuding his body, what do you know about it?"
Akotal flinched, almost unnoticeable, then the side of his lips curled. "When I was fighting the Lead Skull, it wasn't as if he's a vampire just like me. He was wild, savage and he was… out of his mind."
"There is something I haven't even paused for a second to think about. The Skulls aren't saints among other Primordials but they certainly aren't that violent." Aro ruminated, thoughtfully. "Pure wildness and ferocity. No bloodthirstiness related to a rogue." The questioning gaze of Aro's, made clear how disturbed he is.
"That's who they are. They are not vampires, they are beasts that shouldn't be in existence. You and I made the heroic risk of eradicating them. We made them extinct, Aro. I paid a severe price while doing it but thankfully, there's a solution. Soo I will be back to full might again." Akotal tried to explain.
Aro gazed intently at Akotal's red eyes as he listened to what he said. He ruminates on it while watching Akotal's every emotion, keenly.
All of the sudden, sensing what's going on Aro's mind, Akotal asked.
"Why do you ask?"
Akotal watched Aro. Then he knew at once. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "Perhaps, my hunter friend is having his doubts."
Aro said no word. His emerald eyes only gazed at Akotal's, deeply. This went on for more than a minute, before Aro looked away.
Without a word, his cloak billowed and he vanished.
The High Witches kept their eyes down and everyone in the hall was quiet as Akotal ruminate within himself. 'He's finally having his doubts. Fortunately, everything is set already.' He gritted as he thought. 'I will have to kill him, if he proves to be a roadblock.'
"L- Lord." A dying voice called, making Akotal come out of his thoughts.
Akotal said without looking in the direction, "die, Hellsong. It will be glorious, I repeat."
Hellsong's sapphire eyes slowly closed as he succumbed to death.
Akotal turned to the Witches and his vampire minions. "Take the descendant inside and get ready, everyone. We are making history tomorrow night."
"By all means, my Lord!" They all chorused.
*******