"You mean you can find a way to kill Akotal for good?" Caius asked wide eyed.
"Yes." Sarai replied.
The group rejoiced and sighs of relief flew in the air.
Kylian hugged Christa close to his chest and kissed her forehead while she giggled at it. Even though she's a human, she's still intelligent and she knows what it means if Sarai could find a balance to Akotal's immortal existence.
That means they might be able to kill and get rid of the one enemy that's after her life and theirs.
Nothing could be more jubilant.
"So now what?" Hector asked, his face still graced with joy. "You cast the spell and we do whatever we can to help?"
"No, it's not like that." Sarai muttered, her eyes looked around like she's searching for something. "If there's a chance at getting to know what might balance up Akotal's resuscitated powers, it should be in my family spell book, the Armadi Registro."
"And where is it?" Heald asked, spreading out his arms and looking around the ruins of the building.
"It should be in my family's crypt."
"Your family's crypt?" Hector's face turned ugly at this. "Doesn't that mean you'll have to get out of here to get it?"
Sarai bit her lower lip at this. This is what they are all hesitant to do.
'Getting out of the protection the building has.'
This building and the land it's upon, being a property owned by a witch, it isn't a surprise that some protective spells had been casted on the place.
Akotal can't get in due to all the protective spells and this had made things better for them.
No one among them is willing to let go of the one protection they have against Akotal. Even though Akotal can still hurt them in there, his inability to enter is still a leverage for them all.
"Obviously, the crypt is nowhere near here. I'll have to get out of here." Sarai muttered, shrugging her shoulders, perplexed.
"Of course, we can't stay in here if we want to live. We have to go out of our comfort zone because salvation isn't gonna grow legs and walk to us here," Mei Li said, with her head lowered.
Kylian blinked. His hand subconsciously clutched Christa's shoulder the more as he muttered. "Mei Li is right, we have to get out of here if we really need to find a solution to our Akotal-hunted lives."
"If you are gonna go there I will come with you." Heald muttered.
"Me too." Mei Li lifted her head.
Caius sighed. "Well then, I will be on my way to get my coven here. We will need their hands in this fight."
"And I will be out too, maybe I can get a few allies on our side." Kylian clenched his dentitions as he let go Christa's shoulder.
Hector turns to Kylian, "I'll go with you."
"No, you stay with her," Kylian nodded his head towards Christa and then to Benzo's unconscious body as he added. "And him."
Hector paused. His eyes turned to Christa. The lump in his throat went down with a gulp and his gaze shifted to Kylian again. "I'm honored."
Kylian had a surprised glint in his eyes at this.
Caius sighed. "He meant you trusting him with your soulmate. It's more like trusting him with your life."
Kylian's eyes flashed with understanding and he nodded.
"This is my first ever task given by a Skull vampire, I can't explain how I feel with words." Hector arched his neck as he said, firmly, "I'll protect her with my life."
Kylian nodded.
"Now let's move. There's still a lot of holes to cover before sundown."
*********
Honks was all she could hear, everything else was a blur, a music that sang loudly 'your death is near'. Her steps were staggery and with each step she took, a pool of blood formed footmarks on the ground. Puzzled eyes of passersby ogled at her as she walked on by the road side, holding onto the structures for support as she struggled with death to live even one more second.
She swooped into an alleyway. Who she saw next made her blood run cold. She couldn't withstand the shock due to the immense blood she had lost and she collapsed, sliding down the wall of the building.
"Hehe! Look who it is. Anna, the dark witch."
Anna struggled to draw a breath as her blurry gaze lifted to look at the face which she knew so well but is not the same anymore.
It's burnt before but now, it's as fresh as dawn.
"L- lord Akotal, ple- please help me." Her lips trembled as she struggled to say.
"Of course I will." Akotal grinned, his shiny multicolored eyes glittering like a diamond. "Obviously, I can't let you die since you did what I wanted. Thanks to you, my former self is back."
Anna shook her head and sucked in a breath as she closed her weary eyes. Her dried lips pursed and a grimace crossed her face as she lifted her left hand, which had been on his belly, since.
Akotal's face brightened when he saw the bloody slash on Anna's belly. "Ha! ha!! You are wounded, I see. But no worries, dear. I will put you out of your misery."
Anna's pallid lips curved into a grin and her face flashed with joy. "Thank you, my lo…"
Her voice suddenly trailed off and her eyes glittered with realization at something.
Akotal grinned. "I like that, you might not be as useful as your ancestors, but you are at least smarter than them."
Anna's eyes flashed with plea as she shook her head, weakly. "My Lord, please spare my life. Please."
Akotal sighed. "I'm not so known for pity. But I was planning on mercy-killing you so that you can join that kid with blue flame and that English man with round glass on his eyes on their glorious deaths. I was planning on giving you a better chance to live."
"My Lord, please. Spare me. You can heal…" she took a breath. "Me with your blood."
"Of course. But not even a blood from a Primordial can heal a wound inflicted by the Chain of Dracula. Even we Primordials fear being injured by it, we might not survive it."
Anna's eyes widened at this. Her shoulders dropped and her eyes closed involuntarily.
"And since you decide that I shouldn't kill you, then you can die in peace." Akotal grinned, turned, and began to walk down the alleyway. Already at the end of the alleyway, he stopped and turned to look back at Anna. "Die well, dark witch."
With that, he left, leaving Anna to bleed to death.
********
The place boomed with music. The bar thrummed with life and darkness as the dim lightings struggled to illuminate the building well.
Businesses went on, over crimson drinks, discussions happened, lips moving from underneath dark cloaks that blended with the almost dark hall.
This bar is definitely no place for an ordinary person.
All of a sudden, something happened.
The banging music that made the floor and walls of the building went off. Murmurings brewed at this.
It has never happened before. 'Music never stops here'.
"I heard there's a group of vampires here called the Peruzzi's!"
A voice suddenly shrieked.
Every heads turned to the person.
Behold, it's Akotal. A humorless grin lingered on his flat lips as he muttered. "I'm curious to know a few things about them."
"Who are you?" Someone asked.
"I'm Akotal, that's all you can know about me for now." Akotal's grin never wavered.
All eyes were on him as he asked. "Can I see your leader here, if you have one?"
"Who are you?" A guttural voice asked. A man about six and a half tall and muscular in all sense came into sight. His extremely pale eyes that had a deep crimson glint was all you need to know that he's a vampire. A muscular one.
"Like I said earlier, I'm Akotal."
The others all stared at him, doused in confusion at what play Akotal is practicing.
"I'm interested in knowing a few things. I learned that you, the Peruzzis, are friends with Caius and the Casal vampires."
"Who are you to ask that?" The leader sneered.
Akotal grinned, exposing his dark thick fangs.
The dead heart of the leader of the Peruzzis banged hard. Fear coursed through his veins at the mere sight of the fang. Even the throngs of vampires, packed around the place, all moved back several steps before they felt a little safe.
"Yes, that's true." The leader replied with a gulp. "Why do you ask?"
"It's natural though. Afterall you all came from the same place, Italy. And that doesn't go well with me."
A vampire brave enough to face death stepped forward, "who are you to say that?"
Akotal gazed at the vampire, his eyes glinted strangely and he looked away like the vampire didn't bother him.
All of a sudden, a portion of a wooden chair in the hall tore from the rest and flew towards the vampire and pierced him from behind.
The vampire dropped dead, with his wide eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
The others gawked and sucked in cold breath. Their eyes were wide with terror as they gazed at their dead fellow.
"It is so unfortunate for him to be the one to die first here, today. But you all have to die. You might decide to join forces with Caius and thus, become a headache for me, in the nearest future."
They all moved back with fear visible in their eyes at this.
"Get set, brethren. Because what the next few hours will be about is catching up with you and one after the other, rip you all apart." Akotal grinned, exposing his fangs, dark and dense in its might. "Nothing could be more scintillating for a Primordial like me."
Terror flashed across every eyes present.
However, their terror soon became a reality as Akotal lunged at them.
Graaaaaaaa!
His mighty growl resonated off the walls of the building and what followed next was yelps and hollers of pain and agony as he unleashed hell on the Vampires.
********
Heald turned the wheels left, swerving into a road that led into a narrow road.
Trees with green foliages lined the sides of the narrow road edging over it and almost blocking it as it slapped hard at the car's windscreen.
Sarai was seating next to Heald who was driving the car and Mei Li was behind them.
Mei Li double tapped the screen of her Android the hundredth time, her pretty almond-shaped eyes shone with concern.
Sarai sighed and said over her shoulder. "Stop staring at the time, you are making me nervous."
"Pfft!" Mei Li scoffed. "Unlike you guys, I use phone since I am not always on the supernatural side of my life."
Heald shrugged his shoulders, his grim face still locked on the road ahead as he said, "If you were a vampire you would know that having a phone can be disastrous."
"Yeah I know. If the hunters get to know you are a vampire, your phone can be used to track you down. It's also the same for witches too."
"Werewolves are not spare either, every supernatural creatures has one faction that hunts them. Either for money or as part of a legacy." Sarai muttered, her eyes looking around the roadsides as Heald advanced further into the narrow.
Soon they got to a clearing.
"It should be here." Heald muttered.
"Yes." Sarai nodded and unfastened the seat belt.
Heald clicked off the door locks and they helped themselves with the door.
Mei Li sighed and clutched her sheathed sword as she asked. "Where is the crypt?"
Sarai faced the clearing by the left. Her eyes glistened as she exhaled, heavily. Then she motioned. "There."
Heald and Mei Li turned to look at the place and they saw a building, old and covered all over with overgrown grasses.
Heald turned to Sarai to talk but on seeing her teary eyes, he stopped.
Mei Li felt the sadness dripping off Sarai moved closer to her and rubbed her shoulder in a soothing manner.
"My mother. It's been over ten years since I last visited her here." Sarai sniffled.
Heald stood, not understanding the situation but at least knew well enough to keep his mouth shut and compose himself.
However, Sarai sniffled and cleared her throat. "Let's move."
The trio began to moved towards the building.
"So if we get the book, registra-"
"Registro." Sarai interrupted Heald. Then she added. "Yes. We might get what we need there."
"What if there's nothing to help us there?" Mei Li suddenly asked.
"Why can't you be optimistic for once, sword lady." Heald slurred.
Mei Li shrugged. "I'm only trying to bring us back to reality so we won't just be hoping for nothing."
"Shhhhhh!" Sarai suddenly placed her index finger on her lips and shushed them.
The duo kept shut immediately.
Mei Li's brows lifted. "What?"
"Someone is here." Sarai whispered.
All of a sudden, Sarai held up her hands and a magic circle appeared before them. It glowed deep blue and a semitransparent shield formed before them.
"Get behind me!" She screamed at the top of her voice.
Bang!
A huge red orb flew out of nowhere and slammed hard at the shield and it shattered on impact.
Wind blew hard and struck the three sending them all crashing away.
Sarai grunted as blood dripped down her nose and she shook her head to shake off the slight dizziness that struck her hard. Her vision cleared a bit and she saw a figure standing by the door into the crypt.
The figure began to walk towards them in long strides.
Heald grunted and sprung up to his feets.
Graaaaa!
He growled at the figure as his fangs erupted.
Bang!
A force slammed at him and he was sent crashing meters away as the figure swung it's hand.
Mei Li somersaulted and unsheathed her sword as she lunged at the figure but the figure turned to her, clearly unfazed by the blade that's heading for its neck.
Mei Li suddenly halt on her tracks. The sword in her grip fell down and she clutched her head as she screamed in pain.
"Melissa!" Sarai called, all of the sudden.
The figure stopped and turned to Sarai.
On seeing Sarai's face, the figure pulled down its hoodie to reveal a beautiful brunette lady in her early twenties.
"Sarai!" The lady, Melissa, called back.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sarai cursed loudly as dizziness flooded her senses hard.
**********