As the sun begins to set, Damien took a deep breath, his mind racing with possibilities.
This wasn't just about rescuing Jenna and the others anymore; it was about survival against the new powerful races and battle for the top of the food chain.
Feiyun approached him, she said with determination. "Damien, If the Sire's thralls are involved, they'll anticipate a rescue attempt."
Damien nodded, "We'll have to split into two teams. One will move to track the cloaked figures and launch the rescue. The other stays here to guard the coliseum. It's our only stronghold, and if we lose it, there's nowhere else to fall back."
Bruce grunted from nearby. "I'll stay behind to reinforce the defenses. We've still got some makeshift barriers to set up, and I can organize the survivors. I don't like the idea of waiting around, but someone has to hold the line."
"Good," Damien said, glancing over at Finch, who was already preparing his gear. "Finch, you'll lead the rescue team with me. You know the direction they went. Feiyun, you're coming too. Your skills will be useful if we run into more trouble."
Feiyun didn't hesitate. "I'm ready."
"And I'm coming too," the hoodie girl said, her voice firm, though her face remained obscured in shadow. "You'll need more firepower if those cloaked figures come back in full force."
Damien studied her for a moment and then nodded. Something about her unsettled him, but they couldn't afford to turn down help now. "Fine. But stick to the plan, no going off on your own."
She gave a quick nod, her eyes unreadable under the hood.
Within the hour, they were ready to move. The rescue team gathered at the doors, battle ready. Finch was still wincing from his injuries but showed no signs of slowing down as he led the way.
They moved quickly and quietly, through the darkened ruins that Dawnstar Academy had become. The desolate school grounds laid in ruins before them and the eerie glow of the three suns fading into the distance.
The only sound was the occasional rustle of wind through broken walls and debris, but Damien couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Finch," Damien whispered, "how far did they go?"
"Not much further," Finch replied with a low voice. "The last we saw, they were heading toward the old storage facility just at the edge of the Academy grounds. It's abandoned now, but there are plenty of places to hide in there."
As they approached the storage facility, a strange energy could be felt in the air, it was faint but unmistakable.
"They're here," Feiyun muttered, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the surroundings. "I can feel it. There's something unnatural about this place."
Damien raised a hand to signal silence, then crouched low behind a crumbling wall. Ahead of them, the entrance to the facility stood wide open, but faint torchlight flickered inside.
"We go in fast and quiet," Damien instructed. "No room for mistakes. Jenna and the others are our priority. If you see the cloaked figures, don't engage unless necessary. We retrieve our 'package' and we get out."
They moved as an organized group, slipping through the shadows and into the facility. The air inside was thick with dust and decay, but also something far more sinister—an overwhelming sense of evil energy that made the hairs on the back of Damien's neck stand on end.
Suddenly, a low voice echoed from deeper within the facility, it sounded distorted and chilling. "You're too late, slayer."
Damien froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The voice was unmistakably directed at him. He motioned for the group to stop, their breaths held as they strained to hear more.
"You think you can defy the Sire? You think you can save them?" the voice continued in a cruel and mocking manner. "They're already ours."
Damien's grip tightened on Nightshade as he exchanged a glance with Finch and the others. The air in the room seemed to grow colder as the voice reverberated around them, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.
"Stay focused," Damien whispered, forcing down the rising panic. "We need to move."
They pressed on, moving through the winding hallways of the facility, but the deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. It was as if the very walls were alive with dark primal energy, pulsing with the sinister presence of the vampires.
Then they saw them.
At the end of a long corridor, Jenna and Bryan were shackled to the wall, barely conscious and on the floor laid chunks of body parts and thorn school uniforms, most likely the abducted group members.
Beside them stood two cloaked figures, their forms almost blending with the darkness itself. One of them raised its head slightly, and a pair of glowing red eyes locked onto Damien.
"Welcome, slayer," the figure hissed, its voice filled with evil intent.
Damien wasted no time. "Now!" he shouted, and the group sprang into action.
Finch unleashed a flurry of arrows with Stormpiercer, while Feiyun charged forward with layers of ice primal energy forming on her body. The hoodie girl darted around the side with flames on her hands, her movements were swift and unpredictable.
But the cloaked figures were also fast—inhumanly fast at that. One of them deflected Finch's attacks with a flick of its wrist, sending him crashing into the wall. The other dodged Feiyun's ice shards, moving like a shadow as it closed in on Damien.
With a growl, Damien swung Nightshade in a deadly arc, the blade meeting the figure's arm and sparks flew upon contact. But the figure didn't flinch at all. Instead, it twisted its body, sending a pulse of dark energy toward Damien.
Damien barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as the energy blast scorched the ground where he had stood. The air full with tension, the sound of clashing steel and primal energy filling the room as the battle raged on.
"Get Jenna and Bryan!" Damien shouted to the hoodie girl as he parried another blow from the cloaked figure.
She nodded, slipping past the chaos and toward the prisoners. But as she reached out to free them, the figure closest to Damien laughed darkly, its voice dripping with cruel amusement.
"You can't save them, slayer. The Sire has already claimed them."
What!