The Council chamber buzzed with tension long before anyone spoke.
The twelve high-ranking vampires sat around the table.
Vaelor, Seraphine, Renwick, Varthus, Ignacio, Isaac, Mielle, Canopsus, Greg, Daxton, Fowler, and Jeroim.
Each tapping fingers, flicking claws, or shifting uneasily. Dracula's throne loomed at the far end of the room... empty, cold, and unnervingly silent.
"This is getting out of hand. Kael is heading to Gargaloth. Once he gets there, everything collapses." Lord Vaelor said, slamming his palm against the table.
Lady Seraphine scoffed. "You talk as if he's some chosen savior. He's a human with borrowed power. We can put him down."
"Then why hasn't anyone done it yet?" Vaelor snapped.
"Something's pushing him."
Murmurs circled the chamber. Some fearful. Some annoyed. Some simply confused.
Lord Renwick leaned forward. "We're forgetting the obvious. Dracula is missing. We can't keep pretending he's simply… meditating. If Kael carries Voidborne energy strong enough to be of interest to Vrythlok..."
Seraphine cut him off. "Loxan ordered us to kill Kael. We've sent messages to Rylan, I'm sure he'll..."
"And if he doesn't kill him before the deadline?" Vaelor barked. "We need action. Now. And besides, I noticed he has gone soft ever since he changed his name."
A deep cough sounded at the corner of the room.
Everyone turned.
Council Elder Varthus rose slowly, leaning on his cane. His face was a map of ancient scars, his eyes cold and calculating.
"You're all panicking over a boy," he said flatly. "Kael is a threat... yes. Armed with a forbidden power... also yes. But scared councilors won't solve this."
He stepped closer, tapping his cane against the floor with intention. "I will take him out myself."
Gasps erupted around the room.
"Are you insane?" Vaelor shouted. "What about Rylan?"
"No," Varthus replied calmly.
"Smart. Kael wants revenge and he's heading to Gargaloth," he paused, allowing the implication to land. "I'll take him out before he gets here."
Seraphine frowned. "What's your aim with this?"
"I want Vrythlok distracted," Varthus said. "If there's anything I want, it is to end this looming war before it begins."
The room fell silent.
Slowly… the council members began to understand.
Lord Renwick smirked. "Then we'll invade his empire once you've killed the weapon he plans on relying on."
"Yes," Varthus said. "Once we take them by surprise, we strike."
The council shared glances…
And for the first time that night, they all agreed.
° ° °
Henxen sat on his throne, one leg crossed over the other, fingers tapping lazily against the armrest. His red eyes weren't glowing… but dim and calculating. A sign everyone in that hall recognized.
He was annoyed.
Around him stood his inner circle... generals, old men, and a few beings powerful enough that they didn't even bother to kneel. Torches along the stone walls flickered like they were afraid.
Finally, he spoke.
"A demon was sighted," h said, voice calm but icy. "Not just any demon. She's a keeper as well."
Murmurs broke out immediately... fear, excitement, disbelief.
Someone stepped forward, bowing. "My lord… the same one tied to the heir?"
Henxen's jaw tightened.
"Yes. And that," he said, rising from his throne. "Is the problem."
His aura rolled through the room like a wave, forcing even the proud ones to bow.
"Find the heir. Find the demon. And do not fail me."
° ° °
Zephara's POV:
I paced between the tall shelves of the ancient library, scrolls stacked in my arms.
I wasn't even really reading anymore... just scanning, searching for anything that connected Arla and the sudden shift in the court.
I slammed one scroll shut, irritated.
Nothing… nothing useful.
Then my eyes landed on a sealed tube sitting slightly off-center on a high shelf. Dust gathered around it... untouched for years.
Curiosity pricked me. I reached up, grabbed it, and tore the seal off.
A thin parchment rolled out.
My gaze froze the moment I read the title:
"Record of the Keepers of the Red Fragment."
My heartbeat kicked.
No… way.
I scanned down the list, eyes sharp, expecting ancient names I recognized.
But one name hit me like a hammer.
ZARYNTH.
I blinked while staring harder. I even rubbed the paper like my eyes were lying.
What…? No one… ever told me this?
I stepped back with the scroll trembling in my hands.
Memories flashed... the night I followed Malakor when Leisa went after Kael… how nervous Zarynth had been before I left… how strangely she acted… how quickly she disappeared after.
Everything clicked.
Wait... so that's why Arla asked if Malakor gave 'it' to Kael…
Because 'it' wasn't just some random thing.
'It' was the RED BOX.
My breath hitched.
It all made sense now.
Zarynth's disappearance… her unusual behavior… her silence…
She had such a responsibility on her shoulders the whole time… and she never said a word?
My jaw clenched.
And she went to Kael? Alone?
My eyes widened as a sinking, furious realization crashed down on me
No wonder I haven't seen her since that night Arla fought him…
I gripped the scroll so tightly it crumpled.
WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, ZARYNTH?!
My scream echoed violently through the library halls.
My pulse thundered. Betrayal, confusion, and dread tangled in my chest.
Because if Malakor gave Kael the red box and Zarynth's the keeper…
Then everything was about to spiral out of control.
And I knew it.
° ° °
Vryrion's POV:
My eyes opened immediately as I felt something sinister.
I could see what was happening in the world from where I sat in Kael's mind.
Kael and Zarynth moved cautiously through the jagged cliffs leading to Gargaloth. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the land itself resented their passage.
Zarynth's eyes flicked around, unnervingly still.
"Stay alert," she said.
Kael nodded, gripping her shirt tighter.
Coward.
A whisper of wind carried a faint, unnatural hum. Kael froze.
"Did you hear that?" He asked.
Zarynth didn't answer. Her gaze sharpened toward the shadows ahead.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
A dark figure erupted from the jagged rocks... taller than any human, with eyes glowing like dying stars.
So this is who they sent, huh? Tsk.
Kael's grip on Zarynth's shirt tightened.
"You shouldn't have come here," the figure hissed, his voice dripping with malice.
Before they could react, thousands of deadly shadowy silhouettes appeared, surrounding them from every angle.
Zarynth's hands glowed faintly, suppressing her demon powers.
Kael's blue blade pulsed with anticipation.
"Kael," she said, eyes narrowing. "This isn't going to be easy."
The figure stepped closer, the hum in the air intensifying.
Kael swallowed.
And then…
Everything went black.
* * * * *