Victor looked at his adopted daughter, his expression holding something that approached genuine warmth. The air in the elder's chamber was cold and still. "In the memories you transmitted," he said, his voice smooth, "besides your valid concerns about the werewolves and Kraven's... deceptions, there was something far more important."
He held out his hand. "Can you show me?"
Selene reached into the pockets of her black coat. She produced two orange spheres, perfectly smooth and feeling strangely warm to the touch. She held them out on her open palms, the low light glinting off their polished surfaces.
"Father, these are the Dragon Balls I found. Three-star and five-stars. Once we collect all seven, we can summon the dragon and make our wish." Her voice was steady, filled with conviction. "Eliminating vampire weaknesses and triggering our evolution is within reach."
Victor already knew Selene's intended wish from the blood memories. He approved. Getting rid of their vulnerabilities was a sound strategic goal. As one of the two most powerful vampires in existence, enhancing his own capabilities and removing weaknesses could change everything. Perhaps they could even abolish the draining sleep cycle. The world had certainly changed dramatically during his last century of rest.
Though the wish could perhaps be worded more precisely. More specifically.
Victor took both Dragon Balls from Selene's hands. They felt heavy, solid. He turned them over, watching the red stars gleam from within. "Do you have leads on the others?"
"We've contacted a black market buyer. He arrives tomorrow evening for a meeting. He's collecting Dragon Balls, so I suspect he has at least one." Selene's tone was all business. "As for the remaining balls, John Wick in New York reportedly has two. I plan to visit him personally once we finish here."
Victor's smile widened. Three Dragon Ball leads in one night. "Excellent. You certainly didn't disappoint me."
He closed his fists around the spheres. "We'll mobilize the full strength of the vampire coven for this collection effort. Every resource we have."
His smile faded, replaced by cold authority. "As for Kraven, I'll give you the explanation you deserve. If he truly deceived me, he'll face the cruelest punishment imaginable."
He raised his voice, the sound echoing off the ancient stone. "Bring Kraven here."
Moments later, the heavy chamber door opened. Soren entered, pushing Kraven in front of him.
"Kraven," Victor said, his voice flat. He didn't rise from the steps. "Is Lucian dead or alive?"
Kraven dropped to his knees immediately, his eyes wide and shifting. "Master, Lucian died long ago. I brought back his brand mark myself. Have you forgotten?"
Soren stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. "You're lying. I saw a werewolf wearing Lucian's necklace. The same distinctive pendant. All you brought back was a piece of skin."
Kraven's mouth opened, sputtering a protest. Victor cut him off, his patience gone. "Don't waste my time. Let me see for myself."
Victor moved with a speed that defied physics. One moment he was on the steps of his throne, the next he was in front of Kraven, his hand locked around the man's arm in an iron grip. Kraven didn't even have time to cry out before Victor bit down hard on his wrist.
Blood flooded into Victor's mouth. Kraven's memories erupted in his mind, cascading backward through time like a film reel in reverse. Victor saw it all. Kraven meeting with Lucian, just recently. Their conversation. The alliance. The lies stacked upon lies for over a century.
Victor's expression went cold as death. He released the arm. When Kraven had brought back that scrap of skin, Victor had chosen to trust him. He had given Kraven authority over the entire coven during his sleep. And this was how that trust had been repaid.
Victor's hand lashed out. It wasn't a punch, just an open-handed strike.
The sound was not a slap, but a wet, catastrophic crack.
The blow caught Kraven's head with devastating force. His skull exploded like an overripe fruit. Blood and brain matter sprayed across the stone floor and splattered Soren's boots.
Even with vampire healing, you couldn't regenerate from a missing head. Kraven's body collapsed, twitching once before going still. A dark pool of blood began to spread beneath the corpse.
The chamber door burst open, slamming against the stone. A squad of Death Dealers entered, weapons raised. Their leader spoke, his voice urgent.
"Master, an Elder has been assassinated."
Victor went rigid, his gaze snapping from Kraven's body to the Death Dealer. "What?"
"Amelia. They drained her blood completely. Kahn and his entire support team are dead."
Victor and Selene exchanged a look. The implications were staggering.
Victor's face twisted with a sudden, profound rage. "Damn Kraven! One slap was too merciful for that traitor!"
Through Kraven's memories, Victor had seen it. He had seen Kraven leak Amelia's travel plans to Lucian. The werewolf attack had been perfectly timed because of that betrayal.
Selene's voice was low and thoughtful. "What would they want with elder blood?"
Victor shook his head. That information hadn't been in Kraven's memories.
"Father," Selene continued, "one of the Dragon Balls came from Michael. The werewolves were hunting him desperately. I assumed it was for the Dragon Ball." She paused. "Do you think the werewolves might have Dragon Balls of their own?"
Victor's eyes blazed with a new, sudden intensity. "Then our priorities are clear. Find every Dragon Ball. Kill Lucian and his entire pack."
He stood tall, power radiating from him like a physical force. "Notify all Death Dealers. We go to war."
Victor strode from the chamber, his purpose clear in every movement. He would collect all seven Dragon Balls. And he would exterminate every last werewolf.
As the room emptied, Soren and the others following their master, Kraven's blood continued spreading across the uneven floor. It reached the carved edge of Marcus's coffin and began dripping, slow and steady, through a crack in the lid.
At the werewolf stronghold, in a room that smelled of damp concrete and iron, the Doctor and Connor had delivered Michael. He was bound tightly to a heavy metal chair, restraints on all four limbs, a thick cloth gagging his mouth.
When Michael regained consciousness, his vision swam. The light was dim. His head throbbed. His eyes were unfocused and confused.
Lucian stood before him, calm and composed. "You were injected with an enzyme to suppress transformation. It takes time to metabolize. After all, I need your blood at its purest."
A werewolf approached with a large, glinting syringe. Michael's eyes widened in panic and he struggled violently, kicking out. The chair scraped on the floor. His foot connected with the werewolf's arm. The syringe flew from the werewolf's hand and shattered on the concrete.
With a snarl, the werewolf backhanded Michael hard across the face. The blow snapped his head to the side, and he tasted blood.
Lucian raised a hand. "Stop." His voice was calm but carried authority. "Go check why Raze is delayed. With their preparation and strength, they should have returned by now."
The werewolf shot Michael a contemptuous look before turning and leaving the room.
Lucian picked up another syringe from a metal tray. He approached Michael with a small, diplomatic smile. "I apologize for him. He desperately needs to learn manners."
"Speaking of manners, I'm Lucian."
He reached forward and untied the gag, pulling the damp cloth from Michael's mouth.
Michael gasped for air, coughing. "Let me go!" he panted. "I already gave Selene the address where I hid the thing you're looking for. The Dragon Ball is in vampire hands now. Capturing me won't get it for you."
His voice was frantic. "I don't want any part of your war. Just let me go!"
Lucian froze, the syringe halfway to Michael's arm. He stared at him. "Did you just say Dragon Ball?"
Lucian had no idea what that was. But from Michael's desperate tone, he'd given it to a vampire. A Dragon Ball. Was it related to actual dragons? Dragon eggs or something?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~