At the Eastern part of the castle.
Sarai remained there, silent, as she casted spells upon spells.
Her lips paled and her body became drenched in sweat. Her eyes flashed with exhaustion as she went on casting spells, with her eyes closed.
Outside, she's calm but inside, she's in another realm.
A realm made up of her subconscious mind.
Sarai was standing in the middle of nowhere, looking around with a frown on her face.
Just as she had presumed, the air behind her churned and she paused.
"Here she is. The Armadi witch."
Slowly, Sarai turned back. Her face was fierce as she faced the woman behind her. Her lips twitched and she muttered. "Anna, the Dark Witch."
"Humph! You Armadi witches and your strange spells." Anna grinned in a sinister way. "Why have you summoned me here in your filthy mind?" She clutched her scepter more and gritted her dentition.
"To persuade you to help me in helping my friends."
"Tsk! A vampire who has been the nemesis of many in the past, among which there's a whole clan of witches, is the one you want to help?" Anna tilted her head as she asked with a deep frown.
"Not really helping him though. I have something to benefit from it. But I'm also helping me and my friends. If Akotal does the ritual successfully, he'll kill me and my people."
"Oh, I see." Anna grinned, dryly, then stamped her scepter on the ground as she yelled at the top of her voice. "But you chose wrongly, young witch."
Bang!
The black gem at the top of the scepter released a dark aura towards Sarai direction but a magic circle appeared in front of Sarai and took in the attack.
The imaginary air around the two of them in the subconscious world trembled as the protective shield magic shattered into fragments after taking on the attack.
"Impressive! Well, let's see how long you last."
Bang!
Magic energy exploded through the imaginary air as the two witches battled in Sarai's subconscious mind.
********
Kylian watched with his red eyes blazing with rage as Heald writhed in pains.
Akotal pursed his melted lips and moved closer to Kylian as he muttered. "Things don't have to get this dirty. Surrender to me now and apologize for trying to challenge me for your mate's life and then, you live."
Kylian's eyes blazed with rage as he gazed at Akotal. "You will pay for tampering with my people."
Akotal grinned. It was hunourless. His piercing crimson eyes glittered as he said, "the stubbornness of a Skull. You took it after your maker, Lead Skull."
Kylian watched as Akotal walked away from him. He could only glare. He knew, if he let his rage right now blind him and if he attacks Akotal, not only is he courting death because Akotal is countless times faster than him but he will also be inviting Adama's claws to his head.
So he stood still, with his entire body trembling with rage. Rage which has an underlying feeling of helplessness.
"Lead Skull had quite a lot of signatures. The things that added up to his strength." Akotal placed his right hand on the altar as he continued. "His chain weapon, the Chains Of Dracula can cut through a rock and can slice to bits even a Primordial vampire within seconds."
Bang!
The air trembled as a red hot chain appeared on the altar.
Merely looking at it alone sent chills down the spine of everyone present.
The witches. Kylian. Adama. Even Akotal had a slight change in his eyes as he gazed at the chain.
The Chain Of Dracula.
However, Akotal grinned.
A red Skull appeared on his palm and he dropped it on the altar. Then he continued. "His red skull having the terrifying ability to manipulate even a Primordial and turn them into puppets. And finally, his dark flames had the power to diminish the soul, power and flesh of any supernatural, even gods and goddesses."
Akotal's pallid hand lifted off the altar as his melted lips lifted on the side. "Yet I broke through."
"But you paid the price." Kylian struggled to whispered, grimacing in pain on the ground.
"Everything has a price." Akotal's eyes glinted as he said, "Now, everything are part of the things needed to do the sacrifice every three hundred years."
"Dropping to the lowest in terms of power, every three hundred years. Such a high price to pay for fighting a fellow Primordial." Kylian lifted his head and said with a taunting smile. "And you cheated to defeat the Skulls."
"Yes. Aro helped me. But, there's nothing like fairness amongst supernatural creatures." Akotal grinned with zero humor as he added. "But I'll still be fair enough to kill you all quickly without pain."
"Is that a promise?" Kylian grinned, showing his bloody teeths as he slowly got on his feets.
Bang!
A slap sent Kylian crashing to the ground. His jaw was all crushed and his face was bloody all over.
Adama stood, towering above Kylian, as he writhed on the ground.
Akotal blinked and continued.
"I annihilated the Skulls, I paid the price but I never regret what I did or what happened to me." Akotal's eyes glinted a bit as he muttered. "Everything has a price."
A silent chuckle echoed in the room.
Akotal paused, then his eyes glinted as he grinned. Then his disfigured features twitched all together in disgust as he began. "As a Primordial, I haven't seen much resistance. But the little I've seen, yours have been the most personal and most iconic." Akotal shook his head bitterly. "You dare to rise up against a Primordial. So brave!"
Kylian grunted in immense pain as Akotal lifted him off the ground by his chin with his cold, pallid hand. "You are not to be blamed, since it's about your soulmate, the bond will make you even want to walk in fire just to save her."
Kylian dropped on the ground and spat heavy blood.
Akotal's eyes flashed with anger as he growled. "But what about these kids? Coming to stop me! What an insolence!"
A piercing sound emanated.
The next second, Hector's body which was laying limp across the room had a hole dug in his chest as his previously weak eyes now opened wide with disbelief flashing through it.
Kylian's eyes widened in shock.
However, Akotal's silent chortle emanated around.
Kylian couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Adama twirl his bloody claws in the air.
"Will he die?" Akotal raised a brow. "I don't think so. He didn't crush his heart so he will heal. And that's the beauty of being a vampire. But challenging a Primordial, that's the worst thing a vampire could ever try. Because we, the Primordials, are the genesis of vampires."
Kylian stare with wide eyes as Akotal snapped his index with a grin.
A bright flash of light erupted and the next blink, Mei Li appeared.
"Watch her die next." Akotal grinned the more. "Caius only sent you all here to die."
Kylian blinked in shock. He couldn't believe his ears.
'So Akotal knew Caius sent them.'
"Oh, no!"
*********
In Sarai's subconscious mind.
Bang!
There was an explosion as two magical energy collided.
The air trembled and a fierce wind blew.
But soon, it all calmed.
Anna was a bit surprised. But then her lips curled, "as expected of an Armadi witch. But let me tell you. You can't last long even though you hosted me in your subconscious mind."
Sarai was about to reply when she felt a warm liquid trickling down her nose. She touched the liquid with her index and was taken aback to see red.
Blood. She's bleeding. It meant that she's overusing magic and her body can't handle it anymore.
Any further use of powerful magic could kill her.
Yet, she gritted her teeth. Her eyes shone with resolve as she said, "I want you to stop helping Akotal with the sacrifice. We are both witches and we can talk this out."
"No. We are different from you. We are the dark witches and we serve Lord Akotal just as our ancestors did. You and your mates will die for trying to stop the ritual which our ancestors has dedicated their live for."
"You are supporting him?!" Sarai snapped in frustration.
"That's been the obligation of we the lineage of the dark witches for centuries. Our ancestors, Geeta served him and we must serve him too."
"That's wrong. He's only using you guys to do what he wants."
"Well, we never complained about it." Anna shrugged, raising her scepter a bit. Then her eyes flashed with warning as she said, "now get me out of your little subconscious mind."
"No. You are not leaving until you give me your word not to further help Akotal."
"And then, I will have to kill you, regardless whether you are a witch or not."
Bang!
A huge dragon made of fake energy materialised and lunged at Sarai as Anna pointed her scepter.
Sarai gritted her dentition, despite the exhaustion that flashed in her eyes, she clenched her fists and prepared to continue the battle.
********