Flashback
Adrian finally stopped, after running with the help of his vampire speed, for miles away from Sarai's house.
Christa leapt from his back. Her hands splayed and her eyes shone with anger as she stepped forward and swung her right palm at Adrian's face.
Paaaa!
The slap sounded.
Adrian's eyes flashed with shock for a flash but then he thought, 'she should be angry.'
Adrian had taken her, against her will, from the destroyed safehouse. Even went as far as poisoning Bellerin in the process.
"What do you think you are doing?" Christa shrieked.
"I'm only protecting you!" Adrian snapped.
"Isn't that what they were gonna do, uh?! Now you have bought me out of the protection of that place." Christa folded her arms on her chest. Her angry eyes flashing at Adrian.
Adrian stepped closer, his upper body leaned in towards Christa as he voiced. "So you trust they would find a way? That place is never gonna protect you forever, okay? And they were gonna do nothing so I had to do something."
"You had to do something? Like kidnapping me from the the one place that can protect me?"
"Now you see, that's the problem. You think that place can protect you?! That old man came there, trashed them all, levelled that building and you almost lost your life. Is that the definition of protection?!"
Christa kept quiet. Her brwtaing irregular. Her eyes deep with thought. She reasoned.
Adrian seeing this continued. "They want to protect you, yet, they stay in that devastated building because of some sort of protection it offers. Staying there with them will only make you more endangered."
Christa's eyes twitched. Her throat made a funny silent sound as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her cheeks reddened as she asked in a low tone. "What of Kylian?"
"Let's not just talk about it. Okay. He also thinks keeping you in that dead house will protect you. But in reality, they are only bringing death to themselves. They won't know it, until they die and get you killed too." Adrian's gulped. His eyes held concern as he added. "The best option is to lure that old man away that familiar place, away from familiar faces, away from them."
"Now how are you gonna do it?" Christa tightened her folded arms.
Adrian paused for a while. His eyes glinted and he looked away and drifting his eyes to the twinkling lights of the towering buildings and structures at the far horizon.
Then he muttered. "I know someone who might help. Even if we cannot kill the old man, we should be able to hold him down."
****
End of flashback.
Akotal's scream of pain was all that could be heard all over the factory buildings and structures. His agonizing hisses echoed in the hall.
Not that he hadn't felt such pain before. Without doubt, a Primordial vampire over a thousand years old will have been through a lot, seen a lot of tribulations, passed through fire and blades to get to where he is today.
Being someone, who despite being one of the Tribunals, has threaded alone in his path to death. His heart is as hard as rock and as bold as brass.
But that doesn't mean that he can't feel pain. But this pain is different. He could almost already know what might cause it. Yet, he felt the reluctance to accept it. Where could Adrian possibly lay his own on such a thing.
But he still wished he could find out. Thus, lowering his head, with great discomfort, his eyes found the hilt of the sword, that is the size of a grown up man's thigh I'm width and would easily weigh tons.The hilt, it had engravings on it. Runes, inexplicably crafted on the wooden hilt gave off low glows and Akotal could feel his very soul being affected by the sword.
No doubt, if it had been an ordinary vampire, and not a Primordial, that had been struck by this weapon in the chest, the vampire would be dead by now.
His eyes shone with disbelief. Albeit, he could see for himself. With his two eyes, he could see the terrifying weapon, buried whole in his chest, so much that the long weapon even stucked into the ground behind and below Akotal, making him bend backwards slightly.
As his head thrummed in jeopardy and agony, all he could think of was to get the weapon from his belly.
But how hooked he's right now, he can't possibly use his two hands to pull out the weapon. The weapon that could easily weigh tons. Not like this.
His telekinesis. That's his last hope, his one very pillar to get out of this predicament. Although, it might be strenuous, but it might save him from this horrific pain.
His hand, trembling, rose beside him and his palms positioned, facing the sword straight. His senses, jacked up by the pain that assaulted his essence, toiled to focus on his special ability as he struggled to focus his telekinesis power on the hilt of the sword despite the pain that threatened to overwhelm his senses.
And the result was indeed calming. The sword slowly began to rise, forced out of the hole it had been stuck in on the ground and then, began to be removed from Akotal's chest, as second passed.
On the other hand, Adrian grimaced and struggled with the inability of his heart to pump due to the stone grazing the soft organ. His face dripped with sweat and his eyes had turned even redder. But he's finally got breathing space. His eyes were vicious as he casted Akotal, who was struggling to get the sword out of his chest, a glance before turning towards the black circle. Like a toddler, he crawled to the edge of the Black Sand barrier.
Christa waited in anxiety. Her body shaking and her fingers fidgeting all over. "Be quick."
"I will. Just don't come in." Adrian warned. The edge seemed like a mile away. But with his drag, he drew nearer. As his body crawled over the floor, his blood stained it and creating an art of all red painting on it. His eyes blurred but he kept on going.
Soon, he was there, just beside the edge of the barrier.
Christa stretched her hands into the circle and her fingers trembled when it neared Adrian's bloody back.
"You can't do it?" Adrian's whole body was now drenched in sweat. His voice sounded impatient. He could feel his heart almost being pierced by the stone by now.
"I'm scared." Christa cried.
"You are a doctor's daughter. The badass girl who believed there were supernaturals when no one did." Adrian's breath was getting irregular.
Even though vampires don't breathe, not when they are near death. When their heart is threatened, or is under pressure, they will find it hard to breath or feel blood rushing through their veins and they will die of dessication.
Adrian is dying by every second that passes with the stone still stuck in him and it's evident. His skin was already darkening and his face was as white as a sheet. However, he sucked in a hard breath and continued. "You are strong, Christa. You can do it. Just dip your fingers in and search for the stone."
Christa's face was crumpled in irritation and fear for a while. Her heart was racing and she could feel the chills in her spine.
Adrian looked back at her. His eyes, dim in luster in comparison to the before, flashed with plea as he muttered. "You can do it."
All of a sudden, her eyes changed. It went all serious and her jaws clenched. Christa looked down at Adrian's back. She gazed at the blood, the red constantly oozing out. Her eyes remained still, unmoving. Then, she lifted her eyes to meet Adrian's wincing eyes.
"I can do it." She nodded firmly.
Adrian sighed and faced away as he braced himself for it.
Meanwhile, Akotal kept his focus acute. Pain lashed at his senses but he remained steady as he telekinetically lifted the sword from his chest. His eyes shone with wickedness as he glanced at Adrian with the corner of his eyes, watching as the descendant he so much wanted, search for the stone in Adrian's heart. Only a few more seconds and the sword will be out.
Adrian shut his eyes close. The pain hit and banged in his head as he felt a finger danced around his back and near his faintly beating, weak and dead heart.
He felt a tug near his heart. His red eyes widened and he groaned. Christa has reached the stone. The tugging so near his heart felt like it would cush it. His spine pulled and his breath stilled. But then the tugging went away as the hand pulled out of his back.
Finally,
Adrian opened his eyes in a flash. Pain was still visible in it as the opened wound in his back closed up. He gazed around, his eyes landing on where Akotal was earlier. But he's no more there.
Adrian's hair stood on edge and his soul screamed 'DANGER!'.
"Get back! No-" He tried to shriek but the words were caught in his mouth as he gasped.
Christa was quick to move back as she screamed in fright. Her eyes widened when she saw Adrian.
Akotal was right before Adrian, his fist in his chest, ready to crush his heart.
Adrian could only stare with wide eyes, like a sheep stares at its slaughterer. He was helpless. His heart is beheld. His life is no longer in his hands. One move from him, and he would crush his own heart himself. And that's the problem now. He can't move nor can he do a thing. A vampire's heart is their life. Clutching it alone weakens them by ten. They wouldn't even be able to move.
With his chest all healed up, though grimaces flashed on his face in slight twitches, Akotal gazed into Adrian's wide eyes. His eyes shone with venom as he growled. With his right claws buried in Adrian's chest, his left hand held the hilt of the sword that had pierced his chest earlier. The engravings on the hilt had stopped glowing and it looked dead.
"You wretched child. You dare use this on me. Your accomplice hiding in the shadows will have to show up to save you this."
Christa covered her mouth and her eyes became teary in a second. "Please, don't kill him."
Akotal turns his head to her. His eyes glinted as he muttered. "Get in here now and I will spare his life."
"N- n, no. G- get out of here."
"No! I can't. I can't leave you here. Adrian!" Christa couldn't hold it anymore as she cried out.
"Yes, you can, love." Akotal grinned. His eyes glinted with dark promise as he muttered. "You can either go out now and meet your soulmate who would be troubled by your disappearance by now. Or you should stay and save your old little friend. I had learned that you were both little friends in the past. He would tell you stories and you would shine out your white teeths, happy that alas, you have found one person who not only agrees there's supernaturals out there, but also tells you stories about them."
Adrian's eyes flashed with shock on hearing this. A bitter smile crossed his lips as his eyes dimmed in weakness.
"Please. Don't kill him."
"C- Christa. P- plea- please. Leave." Adrian spurted out more blood.
"That skull vampire. He's your soulmate, so why bother about this one. Go out now, love." Akotal grinned and his eyes glinted with menace as he pushed his hand dipped into Adrian's chest while the latter groaned and gasped as death neared his existence.
"No, he's my friend. Please don't kill him. I will do what you say. Please, just don't kill him." Christa dropped on her knees.
Akotal shook his head. "Sentimentality. Affection. Love. Still the same old, foolish feeling, just like the olden days."
"If you touch her, I will kill you." Adrian growled through bloody teeths. His eyes burned with the last flame as he shouted. "Now!"
"Here he comes. The other man. A witch or wizard, I presume." Akotal's eyes were calculative as he swung from Adrian's position, pulling his bloody hand from his chest. Flames flashed from thin air but Akotal was able to dodge, just in time.
The position the flames came from became known to Akotal.
Not only that.
The launcher, the helping hand supporting Adrian was revealed. It was the wizard who had an alliance with the Caius de Casal and the coven.
Launching, casting and breaking spells could be done without stopping the cloaking spell but the spell to conjure flames is much more consuming. So the wizard had to let go of the cloaking spell so the flames spell could work.
The wizard was standing on a second floor corridor that towered above the floor of the hall. His hand held his staff firmly, but his face was pale and his lips were beginning to get dry.
"There you are, wizard." Akotal bellowed.
The wizard tried to cast a spell but he realized he's near the limit. His eyes widened with shock.
Graaaaaaaa!
A deafening growl resounded in the hall. Akotal pushed his palms towards the shock stricken wizard.
He didn't even have the time to cast a spell. All he heard was a bang. All he saw was a flash. All he sensed was death.
Bang!
Half of the hall tore apart and a large chunk of concrete crashed right into the spot the wizard was standing.
Boom!
Debris flew everywhere, dusts imploded, and a resulting force swept through the entire hall.
"Noooooo!" Adrian shrieked.
The entire corridor tore apart due to the force and large stones flew everywhere.
One landed beside Christa and she shrieked, jumping and hopping to dodge the ensuing ones. Her heart was in her mouth by now. She blamed herself for coming here and following Adrian's plan in the first place. She should have listened to Kylian. Perhaps, he might have a much better chance to protect her without a loss like the wizard just now.
She didn't even know when tears fell off her eyes.
More stones blew around, falling like rain but she couldn't get into the invisible wall of the Black Sand barrier.
Of course getting in there is suicidal.
But she was just hopping, dodging and keeping herself from being crushed when, in a heartbeat, her step faltered and she fell into the circle.
"She came to me." Akotal grinned and appeared before Christa in a second.
"Noooooo!" Adrian shrieked with tears in his eyes.
Christa felt her heart stop. Her lips went ajaw and her eyes went still as she gazed up at Akotal's face.
"You are mine now, love."
"I doubt that." A calm, yet rage filled voice boomed from the entrance of the hall.
Adrian gazed but his eyes were blurry, nevertheless, he knew the voice. And as soon as he realized who it was, a bitter smile crossed his bloody lip as he whispered. "I failed. M- maybe… you can still save the day."
Akotal sighed in frustration. His neck tilted and he glanced back over his shoulder at the person. And when he saw for himself, that frustration wore away. His multicolored eyes glinted and he grinned. "Here he is. The Skull Vampire in shining armor."
**********