DRAGOS.
A few moments after I stepped into my room, Azrael barged in like he had been monitoring me, livid with rage.
He had a knack for entering rooms unannounced.
"Have you completely lost it?!" He raged. "You've fallen for her! I saw you two in the garden and I watched you closely"
His eyes were fuelled with fury. "I saw the way you looked at her"
I was unfazed by my older brother's outburst. No matter how strong Azrael was, he was still no match for me.
"You spied on me?" I questioned angrily.
"You idiot!" He snapped "How could you fall in love again? How could you make the same mistake you did all those years ago??! Have you learned nothing?!!!" He smashed a balled fist into the wall. "Now is not the time for romantic entanglements, especially when you have a duty to your people! And it certainly mustn't be with Dawn. She isn't who you believe her to be!"
Azrael stopped talking, as if a thought crossed his mind. "I must ensure the Dark Order doesn't find out about this. They must not hear that the Alesul has developed feelings for a dangerous being in the guise of the girl"
"Dangerous being?" I scoffed "Stop this nonsense, Azrael"
I sauntered to my window unconcerned and stared out into the open. "I do not understand why you're this terrified for my sake. The Dark Order poses no threat to me. They are powerless against me"
"Fool!" He barked out "Your hubris will lead to your downfall! You have grown soft ever since Rose and even after her death, you have remained soft. That is what love does and now you fall victim to it once more with not just any mortal but a being who seeks out the destruction of our kind"
The statement arrested my attention and my head snapped around to face Azrael, my face contorting. "What did you just say?"
"The girl!" He repeated hysterically "She is what the books call the "Divine Purge", Dragos. It is not a myth. It is real and it has come in the form of Dawn"
He walked to stand beside me. "That is why she is immune to your hypnosis. It is why we were unable to tell she was a supernatural being from the very beginning"
I scoffed. "You utter nonsense. The Divine Purge is a tale told to frighten nightwalkers. It's a bedtime story"
Azrael fished out a small book from the inner pocket of his jacket and threw it to me. "Father wrote about her. That dream he once said he had, the dream he said he never understood was in fact, a prophecy. Petru had a similar dream too, you heard when he talked about it during dinner"
My fingers flipped through the pages of the booklet, my eyes scanning the words written in it.
Azrael continued, moving around the room "I visited the ancient archives in the coven of the Dark Order and I stumbled upon a scroll further explaining it. I don't believe it was merely coincidental that my eyes just happened to land on it"
He started to gesticulate lightly. "I was able to get Petru to tell me all he knew about it"
"What were you doing in the archives?" I questioned accusingly. "I remember stating quite clearly that I didn't need your help finding out what Dawn is, but you just can't help it, can you? Involving yourself in affairs that aren't your concern"
"Oh, this is my concern alright. This is more than my concern"
I continued to scan through the book and Azrael pressed on. "There must be a balance. Evil cannot be made to outweigh good ..."
I cut in "Is there a point you're getting to?"
"The population of vampires has increased significantly since the great cleansing, tipping the scale to one end and threatening humanity's survival. The Divine Purge has emerged to rectify that error... that imbalance"
"So you're saying Dawn is like a supernatural vampire hunter? A human protector?" My tone was doubtful.
"According to the books, she's more than that. She's like some sort of Messiah. A hand of divine retribution, far stronger than the average vampire"
Azrael's eyes glistened, his eyes hinting at the severity of the issue "Who knows, maybe even members of the Dark Order, and they've existed since the time of Dragavei!" He exclaimed. "Brother, this isn't just about hunting rogues. Her mission is to protect humanity from those of us who would threaten its survival and to restore the balance between our species. Whatever that entails, whatever the cost, she is the bane of our existence."
I threw the book to the table, nonchalantly replying, "If all this is true then we shouldn't interfere. As you said, the balance must be maintained. Besides, there's no proof this creature is Dawn. Father's prophecy was vague at best—just a dream he wrote down."
My brother's mouth gaped open "How can you even say that? Some of us could be at risk! Mother could be one of them. Rafael could be one of them. That thing dwells in our home. Who's to say we won't be its first victims?"
I sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of my nose. My brother was relentless. "Even if this being exists, Azrael, it could be anyone. Until we have concrete proof that it's Dawn, do not approach me with this nonsense again"
"What more proof do you need?" Azrael demanded, his voice rising. "She's immune to your compulsion! We are creatures of the darkness, she is of the light. A creature of divine purpose! That's why your hypnosis doesn't work on her!"
"Azrael, you have gone mad. All that lack of sleep is starting to get to you" I said. "There's no concrete proof. These are just baseless speculations"
"Sly as a serpent, it behaves, but it shall walk among you, hidden in the cloak of innocence!" He started to recite."Its powers, masked by secrecy, are unseen by the creatures of night, for they discern not its presence. Beware of the Divine Purge."
I stared at him, brow raised, unconvinced "I see you've memorized the entire thing. Is there anything else you'd like to enlighten me with?"
My brother groaned in frustration "She is the one the books speak of, and deep down you know it"
"Deep down, I know nothing" I snapped back. "I do not care about what some stupid, dusty archive or historical scroll says. You will do well to respect my wishes by staying away from the girl, Azrael" My tone hardened. "You will not lay a hand on her"
"Please, brother" he begged "Let me take care of it now before it's too late. Her powers haven't fully awoken yet, she's still very much vulnerable and..."
"Azrael!" I cut in angrily.
He pointed at me accusingly "History is repeating itself and you are letting it happen! This... all this is avoidable. If you would just let me!"
"No. You're letting your paranoia get the best of you" I pointed out "Your fear clouds your judgment. You're seeing threats where there might be none"
Azrael looked offended "Paranoia?" He scoffed. "Paranoia or precaution?"
"Find your way to therapy" I replied angrily. "You need it"
He went silent for a moment before speaking up. "Perhaps, I should take matters into my own hands like I did with Rose"
Every nerve in my body suddenly began to simmer with rage.
"You wouldn't dare" The warning came out in a growl, the welts on my eyes gradually surfacing.
"Oh yes, I would. I refuse to let your foolishness and lack of vision lead to the death of our kind when the solution lies right in front of us"
"You will not touch the girl, Azrael" I warned again.
"Watch me"
My patience thinned out, a terrifying hiss leaving my mouth. In the blink of an eye, I moved with a supernatural speed that was too quick for Azrael to react to.
Grabbing hold of my older brother's shirt, I flung him across the room with a strength that defied all odds, the force of the crash destroying a wall. Debris came crumbling down on him.
"Stand down!" I barked out "I don't want to hurt you, just do as you're told and leave Dawn alone. Why is that so difficult?"
"Do as I'm told?" Azrael guffawed, his tone expressing mockery as he rose from the pile of dust. "Listen to you sounding like the older brother when I have seven years on you. All that power must've gone to your head" he started to dust his shirt, his eyes turning red in hate. "Just forget the girl, Dragos"
"No," I said through my teeth.
Azrael hissed and charged at me, managing to land a blow to my chest. He raised his claws again but I was quicker and moved out of the way in time, sending a kick to his torso.
Just as Azrael slid down the floors, my mother came bursting in through the doors in a blur of vampiric speed.
"What is wrong with you two?!"
In a flash, she had appeared in between us, her hands spread sideways to prevent any more fighting.
"Azrael?! Dragos?! Are you two idiots forgetting we have a human staff working here??!!"