The Art Of Violence

'𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦!'

'𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘻𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯!'

'𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘻𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣!'

'𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵?'

Every news channel showed only one reportage. The bloodshed last night made it into the breaking news of the morning. The reporters broadcasted the aftermath of the incident. Ambulances were carrying out the dead bodies. The FBI reached there, trying to find the clues. Most probably it has been shown as a predatory assault. Sylvester town has no shortfall of the thick lush forests. It was the most common logic to guess any animal invading in the human's place and hunting down its prey.

What questioned those media people, who were that animal that hunted down the whole pub, not leaving a single human being?

An audible sigh erupted the silence over the dining table in the Borbon's house.

Zefer Borbon, the highest-ranked vampire of the Borbon's coven and eldest among them, has a disappointment on his face while taking a sip of the wine aged similarly to him.

Who knew the deadly ripper among them will cause havoc like this?

In their hundred years of stay in the Sylvester town, they witnessed the ripper's hazardous hunting only once. The reasons behind it were fatal. From that night, they never imagined something will happen again similar to it. All they lived thinking the ripper won't be awake but someone proved them wrong!

Everyone sat around the black oak wood table, with a head of the bear placed in the middle, all were having their dirty little secrets in their minds. Borbon's house has many predators' heads hung on the wall of fame, but their hunting abilities were much darker than just this.

No one talked. All kept glancing at each other as they knew the reason. Zefer's eyes were on someone who caused the fatal slaughtering last night.

He leaned back on his spacious chair gazing at each one of them. He opened his mouth to talk while grabbing the wineglass in front of him.

"So 'anyone' wants to confess about the last night incident shall come forward and openly talk" he hinted the ripper indirectly with his sharp words with a calm demeanor. Sipping the fluid he waited patiently for the conversation to start. Nothing has been hidden from him. He wished to reverse so many things but right now he had some other things to do.

"Why do we have to make an issue about this?" Elena blurted defending the former ripper. She glanced at him once before talking to the leader of the coven. "We can't change what has happened! Let's just move on from this"

"Elena!" Zefer's voice had a slight warning to her. "Talk only when I will ask you to"

"But-"

Zefer's one glance and she fell quiet.

"Oh come on, the one who needs to talk has sealed its mouth which he couldn't do the same last night." Enzo mocked the ripper sitting between them.

"Because you know who he is! Or should he have to show you it separately? Elena snapped, threatening him in the name of ripper!

Enzo gaped at her while she passed a mocking smile at him. The slender figured witch in the coven didn't fear before talking to him. She could do anything to defend the bloodnut ripper to win him.

She tucked her blond hair strands behind her ears stealing a fearful glance at her uncle Zefer.

"Because of him, the media and the FBI have started an investigation. What if they find out about our truth?" Enzo put a future worry on the dining table.

"The consequences won't be good then" Hector knew how to raise the fire. "Better the one who did it accept it and leave the coven permanently."

"Why permanently?" Enzo asked.

"Because as per the rule, one who breaks the oath should be cast out from the clan. Isn't it right uncle Zefer?" Hector passed a cunning smirk to Elena while glancing at Zefer. Once upon a time how they were bound by blood and souls now only wanted to kill each other!

The hatred grew up like the pin oak tree vanishing the bond between them as if it wasn't even there.

Everyone started turning against the ripper in the clan, outpouring their views against his heinous act.

"What will uncle Zefer do now?" Bianca asked her husband, Hector.

"He will follow the rule sweetheart!" he replied to her.

"So Augustus has to walk out of the clan or be killed as a punishment?"

"To be ki-"

Elena couldn't control her annoyance. "Shut up you dick"

Bianca looked offended as she cursed her man.

"Uncle Zefer, I request you to think once again before concluding."

"And here comes Augustus's Juliet" Enzo taunted looking at her.

"Why do you care? Oh wait, are you jealous?" Elena smirked at him which didn't go well with the former.

Hector snapped his head in the ripper's direction.

"Just accept it Augustus" he leaned ahead whispering to him. " That you couldn't hold back yourself, that when you saw the blood it enraged and pulled out the ripper in you. You will be shown mercy, I swear"

As menacing as he can sound in front of the owner of uncountable souls submerged in him, who sat there in silence, rolling the Aubrey glass paperweight on the table.

Elena felt triggered as to how everyone was taking a chance to put allegations against Augustus. Being the witch among them, she tried to get what's going on in that ripper's head and it only pushed her among the ear-wrenching squeals of the souls who were trapped beneath him.

She wanted him to notice her defense for him, Zefer waited for him to talk, Hector instigated him so he could go against him, Enzo wanted to kick the ripper out of the clan so he could be the greatest one. Amidst them, sitting at the other end of the chair, opposite to the leader of the coven, Augustus found himself somewhere else, in a peaceful La la land, dicing the paperweight.

His body slightly leaned to the side, as his elbow rested relaxed on the arms of the chair. His palm clasped with the other. His flaming red strings of hair fell on his temple, covering the thin lines that appeared on it. The sapphire stone ornament wrapped neatly on his ear.

After feasting over the souls and blood, he sat there as shameless as he could be!

He knew what everyone wants and not giving them what they yearned to hear is a kind of ultimate satisfaction.

An answer given to wise and dumb is always regretful for the bad one!

He knew it and sat there dodging all instigating words, allegations, thrown over at him.

The people around him started getting chaotic.

-

The Lockwood's spacious gym house gets packed with the crowd. Most of the people belonged to their staff and friends. This part of the mansion always looked like athletic hallways.

After June announced Kai's fight with the two strong MMA fighters, everyone becomes intrigued while Ivan gets restless.

He urgently moved near Kai.

"Kai Kai Kai, listen-" He becomes pale in nervousness.

"Amor, would you help me with this?" Holding a piece of while long cloth, Kai gave the remaining to his man friend.

Ivan grabbed it and started wrapping it around his knuckles.

"Can't you just say no to the fight?"

Looking at his concerned manfriend, the fighter gave a toothy smile.

"Stop it. This isn't a joke." Ivan angrily wrapped the cloth around his palm while talking to him, "They are two against you! This is unfair. If June brother got two fighters then you also need a partner"

Kai bobbed down his head to look at Ivan, "I already have one partner. You are with me, right? So it's two versus two"

Ivan sulked hard as his sweet words tried to melt his anger.

"You are an impossibly reckless guy! I don't support this" with a final round over his hand, he tucked the last thread in, throwing daggers at Kai.

"Mi Amor, It will be fun to watch."

Ivan's eyes widened with an idea "Tell them to come at you one by one"

"Be there and cheer for me"

"Don't fight with your fists much, your knuckles bruise a lot, blood comes out, and then-" Ivan softly rubbed over his knuckles.

"Get down Amor"

"Be careful and good to them so they won't do bad to you"

Kai exhaled, giving him a look as his man friend talked innocently.

"Why is there even a need to fight?" Ivan whined, stomping his feet. "Come on we will go out, cancel it" holding on to the former's wrist he tried to drag him.

Kai held his arms and turned his body, giving him a slight push ahead.

Ivan carefully hopped down and glanced at Kai in the ring, preparing for the fight. He becomes worried thinking about how Kai will fight with the two, as they appeared strong and undefeatable. Ivan gulped feeling anxious.

"Ivan"

"Hun?" His face snapped in her direction.

Moon kept her hand over his shoulder with a smile. "Are you ready to watch his fight? I am so excited. It's always thrilling fun to watch Kai fight, you know? Oh, how do you know? You have never attended any of his fights. Now you will witness real boxing. Come, we will stand there and watch."

Ivan nervously smiled at her. He doesn't feel excited, rather worrisome. He threw a glance at his boxer friend before following Moon standing behind the Alpha of the pack.

When Ivan stood near, Moon shifted him ahead, beside Alpha June.

"Your height is short so you won't be able to see"

"No, I am fine here" As Ivan turned, he felt a hand over his shoulder pulling him ahead.

He followed his eyes on the hand and saw June smiling at him.

"Stand here Ivan. You will catch the best view from here."

Ivan didn't say anything in front of the tall broad and elder brother of Kai. He quietly stood along with June, passing a nervous smile.

His foot tapped anxiously. In his lifetime, he always avoided watching violent sports or movies. It triggered his mind whenever he see blood. He has never indulged in any fights with his stepbrothers and went through all the bullies. Not because he was weak but he always felt violence doesn't have to be answered in violence. He chose a path of peace. If he couldn't win against anyone in physical fights that doesn't mean he looked at himself as a weakling. To even endure it takes a lot of mental strength. But he didn't keep letting it affect himself. Once he got an opportunity he flew away from all the negative aspects of his life. But the tattooed man in front of him never leaves a chance to beat anyone into a pulp. Then let the blood flow from his knuckles, or any part of his body, he didn't get bothered by it. Leaving anything wrong without a fight doesn't fit into his category. He never ran away from any dangers rather the danger has run away from him. And who will know this better than Ivan?

The fights he has taken on himself to save Ivan are uncountable. Ivan has always stayed away from it. Even though he has never talked to Kai openly about bullies but somehow Kai has always found about it. To the date, Ivan doesn't understand how he gets to know the things running in his mind!

The two rival fighters came in the ring and did a casual fist touching with their rival, Kai.

Ivan chewed on his nails, getting on the verge of panic rushing through his body.

When the coach blew the whistle, the fight began. At the very beginning of the second, Ivan saw one of the rivals throwing a full-blown punch at Kai and he instantly closed his eyes not wanting to see the violent sport anything further.

-