23rd Night

As Kaien stood on the threshold above the banquet hall which leads to the terrace outside with his hands crossed in front of him, he subtly glanced down and observed what was happening in the banquet hall. Vampires wear extravagant clothes and luxurious jewels to show their wealth and status, something which they have painstakingly accumulated from the minute they got accustomed to their new life as predators of the night. They hide their faces behind masks decorated with precious stones but are still proud enough to introduce their true selves for everyone to see and know who they are.

Women turned to gossips where, most of the time, the crown prince is the center of it along with the most eligible heirs of titles and great wealth in the kingdom. But there are times when their conversation turns to a one-eighty degree where they talk about rumors going on around, may it be about killings, the fall of a certain house, or a rebellion brewing somewhere. They even talk about what they heard happening on Tempestra, Sythra or even the world of the living, but never on the kingdom of Pureblood vampires, Elysia, because it has never been mentioned in the lower vampire society in such a long time.

What would these vampires do if they learned that Purebloods whom they despised like an instinct upon being turned or born still exist and that the one who has the purest blood amongst their race, the Monarch, who stood above them all, who wields a power that can reconstruct the earth itself if only he wanted to, is still alive? They'd surely indulge themselves into their curiosity, wanting what those Purebloods can do, if not, hate and hostility.

On the other hand, men indulge themselves by talking with each other - may it be for political gains or to ensure that their family never fades from the grace of another. Some fathers and mothers even introduce their daughters to suitable heirs of known vampire families in hopes that they will get closer through conjugality, but most of the families that hold hierarchical titles in Aceldama still follow their old rules and traditions when it comes to marriage, rendering their efforts useless. If he is not mistaken, there are even those who marry their sons off to their distant blood relatives, one who belong in the same house and has been sired by the same predecessor just so their blood would not lose its essence.

The only human beings in the hall were him, his fellow hunters who blended in perfectly with the crowd and the human blood donors. Some were able to involve themselves in a conversation with vampires who don't differentiate humans and vampires greatly, while the rest enjoyed the party by eating the delicacies served on the buffet table and drinking wine which is carried around by the waiters. The rest had chosen to just converse with their fellow blood donors to pass the time, since they were obliged to be at the party along with their contractors from the beginning until the end of the soiree because there is a chance that the vampire they serve will request to have their blood even after the mass bloodletting.

He couldn't understand as to why humans like them had chosen to serve vampires as human blood donors, but he was aware that it had got something to do with the security and stability that comes with being one. Most blood donors already have a wealthy life in the world of the living, but maybe, their family are still serving vampires because of their attachment to this world and the ones who live in it. Besides, for a human to have a connection with a supernatural being, a vampire for example, is something that can differentiate them from the rest of their fellow naturals who doesn't even know they exist.

Kaien looked at his watch. It has not been that long since the bloodletting was held. How long has it been since Rouen and Eona disappeared? Half an hour? They disappeared at twelve midnight and it was already thirty minutes to one in the morning, yet he still could not see even the backs of their heads. Both of them are wearing such eye-catching attire, thanks to the Queen, so there is no way he would miss those two from his position if they already came back. He knew Eona must be shocked upon witnessing her own mother being bitten and drank from. She must have clearly heard how Duke Cohen Lohengrin's fangs pierced the skin of her mother's neck with the silence, so the prince himself had taken her away from there and took her somewhere else.

It was a little while later after the mass bloodletting when the vampires who attended the soiree, including the First Bloods themselves, seemed to have been distracted by something but at the same time wary of another thing. He stood straight. Only the scent of blood can make them act like that, so something must have happened. They looked like their urge to find it was strong, but the fear of what accompanied it was stronger so they remained in their place at the hall.

"Marius," he called out to his fellow vampire hunter using the communication device attached to their ear - it is a communication device altered so that the supernatural beings won't be able to hear what was being conversed through it. Along with him, Marius was also tasked by the higher ups of their association to oversee the occasion being held at Aceldama's capital of blooming flowers, Laudicea.

"Yes?"

"What's your current position?"

"Three degrees north," he answered, and Kaien found him leaning on the wall at the other side of the hall near the entrance.

"What's happening? The vampires seemed to be sensing something?"

"I overheard some of them whispering out front. They're distracted by a scent of blood that is coming from the back garden. But at the same time, they are wary because it is accompanied by the prince's presence, as if it is warning everyone to stay away."

Kaien frowned. Did the two of them do the bloodletting themselves? He is certain Rouen wouldn't have forced the girl because he is not the type to do it, so Eona must have initiated it. Going there to check would be a waste of time because the banquet hall is quite far from the back garden of the manor. And the terrace overlooks the front garden and not the back where the two of them went. If he ever decided to go, the second he arrived there, they would have long been done with the bloodletting and he himself didn't want to get in between the two at such an intimate time.

"Have you noticed any irregularities?"

"If you're talking about plotting, none so far. It's not like the vampires of Aceldama don't follow their laws on occasions such as this. The only thing I'm just worried about is if the fallen families or unregistered houses decide to ruin the night by attacking here. Even with the sentinels stationed around the estate, casualties would not be prevented if that ever happened."

What Marius stated is a fact. The vampires who attended the soiree were those who are covered by their laws. There is no reason for the hunters to watch their movements because they were standing in their place at the end of a treaty between the humans and their kind. But the fallen families and unregistered houses are a different matter and the true purpose of them attending the soiree tonight is to make sure they don't intervene with everything else.

Kaien breathed in deep and sighed. He hopes that tonight's peacefulness lasts until the end of the soiree because he wanted to go back home unscathed.

"Report back to me immediately if you notice something is amiss. And tell the others to not let their guard down."

"Of course."

The soiree went on without anything strange happening aside from that one where vampires smelt the scent of blood coming from outside, but none of them went to have a look because of the presence that accompanied it.

When Kaien got bored, he went down the hall to observe the vampires closely. He knew he stood up amongst the crowd because the formal attire he had chosen to wear was designed so that he could hide his swords and guns underneath his coat. He never paid much attention to those who were looking in his direction before whispering something in the ears of their friends. What matters most is that it serves its purpose. What do they want? For him to show them the weapons he carried with him? They'd surely freak out if they saw those because his guns and swords had the capability to kill their kind. They'd surely be hostile towards him even more if that happened.

He mingled with those who approached him first and talked with them for a while. Vampires from the lower society closely indulged in this kind of activity during occasions such as the soiree. The women vampires who approached him one by one flirted with him out in the open and he did the same in return while thinking that they are not to be trusted because they sure have something up their sleeves.

"Hunter, do you want to come with me somewhere private?"

If the woman was human, she would have meant something along the lines that says they'll have a good time exploring each other's body parts. But this one is a vampire, so she must have meant along the lines that say: "Human, I want a taste of your blood."

He smirked. "Darling, do you want to die?"

Her eyes grew wide and she took a step back, but Kaien took one step forward. Caging her between the wall and himself.

He leaned in closer to her and then he whispered, "because I will go with you and be happy to do just that."

That left the vampire lady frozen and he chuckled before he left her standing there alone. If he's an ordinary human being, she must have ripped his throat because of his atrocity towards her. If he is not wrong, she was one of the ladies who belonged in the nobility circle of the vampire kingdom. A viscount's daughter. Not a moment later, when Kaien found himself conversing with a few of Cohen's guests from the Nobility and Aristocracy, discussing about what has been happening in the world of the living with the appearance of Lepers, whose existence is prohibited even in Aceldama, he suddenly felt something was off, especially when the Silver Bloods, Knight Commander Mihai Elfenbrehm along with Caius Ahlefeldt and Sin all disappeared from the banquet hall as if something had just alerted them. Where did all of them go at once?

He looked again at his watch. It was already two in the morning. Two hours after Rouen and Eona left the party, and thirty minutes after the three Silver Bloods disappeared from the hall. When Kaien saw the host of the soiree, he excused himself from the group and went towards Cohen's direction, thankful that he wasn't talking with anyone at the moment. He slightly bowed with his right hand placed an inch above his left chest as a respect and greeting for him.

"Your grace, I apologize if I'll be taking a few minutes of your time."

"Kaien Cross. Can you be a little more at ease when talking to me? Does being trained and turned into a hunter at such a young age make you so cold? You always remind me of my godson whenever I see you acting so stiff around people. I am sure your father, August Cross, didn't teach you to be that way."

"Life happened, your grace."

Cohen chuckled at how Kaien was so indifferent to what he just said, as if it was normal for them. "What can I do for you?"

"The crown prince and lady Lorentz are yet to come back here after disappearing during the bloodletting."

Cohen nodded. He saw how the girl took the mass bloodletting ceremony and the shock written in her eyes when she saw her own mother undergoing such activity under his own hands was clearly visible that time. Rouen must have decided on his own to take her outside, away from the banquet hall. But with the smell of blood that enticed all the vampires in attendance a while ago and the overwhelming presence that accompanied it which certainly belonged to his godson, the crown prince himself, those two must have done the bloodletting themselves in the garden.

While looking at how his godson treated the girl way too differently from the rest, he knew he was not wrong when he introduced her to him. He just felt like the girl would bring change into the prince's life and that change was going to be great. The part of the Book of Unknown Prophecies which he knew only ever stated how Rouen's beloved would be and after living his life for so long, it was Eona whom Cohen thinks is closest to the description stated.

No matter how fear tries to stop Eona from delving deeper into their world, her curiosity about their life and way of living away from the mundane pushes her forward to know the things hidden from a human's sight - things only the darkness holds in secret. It must also have been the one that pushed her to convince Rouen that she too wanted to know what the bloodletting felt like.

"Those two have just underwent the bloodletting, away from everyone's prying eyes."

"Yes, I am aware, so we hunters are still on standby. But I just noticed that three Silver Bloods had disappeared from the hall, too. May I ask where they are at the moment?"

Cohen tried to locate them using his ability, but he frowned when he couldn't feel the presence of either of them. When he tried finding Rouen and Eona, just like those three, he couldn't feel their presence at all. They couldn't have left with the King and Queen after the bloodletting was done, could they? Because he was certain that Sin, Mihai and Caius were just there even after the bloodletting was done.

"What's wrong?"

Cohen looked at Kaien who was waiting for his answer. "I couldn't feel them."

Kaien's eyebrow furrowed. How can that be? "From the manor?"

"Yes."

"What about the entire estate?"

"Yes, that too. But they all must be just in the back garden. I'm sure you knew that Eona had just become their friend. Those three must have gone and followed them there."

"Then how come you cannot feel any of their presence?"

Cohen sighed. He knew something was happening without their knowledge because Mihai and the rest aren't the type to just disappear without saying a word. "That is what I'm worried about."

Before Kaien could ask another question, a voice which he had become familiar with called out to him through telepathy. And he sounded serious.

"Kaien…"

"Monarch." He answered without the word escaping his lips.

Kaien glanced around hoping to see a glimpse of him or his companions, but he failed to see even just the back of their heads. How brave of them to show themselves in a place where vampires who hold high positions in the kingdom of Aceldama have gathered? Aelvien and Blaze's existence is taboo, while the existence of the rest is frowned upon by the supernaturals themselves. Aren't they hiding themselves from everyone? Then what are they doing here in the capital city of the kingdom of Aceldama?

"Come to the back garden at once. The vampire borns are going to need your assistance any minute now. Once they lose themselves to their sufferings, only your power as one of the Cross' can stabilize them with the help of the blades of Mithrandil, which was gifted to you by the dwarven people."

"How do you know about the power bestowed upon my family?"

"How, you ask? Because the witch, Galadiel Evergreen, that has given favor to your ancestor for the sake of his descendants, is the Enchantress we have been looking for. There is no way Blaze and I won't recognize a gift she herself bestowed."

Kaien was speechless. They too knew about her?

"We're… acquaintances."

Instead of asking anymore, Kaien remained tight-lipped. And when he remembered what he had just told him, he frowned. "What do you mean once they lose themselves to their sufferings? Do you have something to do as to why we cannot locate all of them after they disappeared here in the banquet hall?"

"Part of it, yes, but everything has been settled down already. Tell the host of the soiree to send all his guests home and leave his most trusted servants as well as the sentinels who directly report to Mihai Elfenbrehm himself. A bond severance for the Gold and three Silver Bloods is presently taking place in the back garden of the Crystal Manor and bystanders do not need to know about it. The aural dome I created to hide what was happening here is dissipating. It's only about half an hour before it disappears."

"Blood severance… Why all of a sudden?"

"It was what the vampire borns wanted. The girl is also here. If possible, try not to take her away from the crown prince. He is most sensitive during the process when it comes to her, so keeping her in a place where he can see her would be the best idea to tame his beast form. Until then, I leave everything to you."

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, but being a vampire that he is, Cohen had heard him clearly.

"Is there something wrong?"

Kaien stared at the duke, who was presently a member of the vampire council. "I have something very important to tell you, your grace. Would you be willing to listen?"

Cohen nodded. The way Kaien said those words so seriously, he knew it was going to be important, so he cast an aura that would keep every vampire who is able to hear them talking unable to listen to them.

"Speak."

"I just received news. The crown prince and the Dukedom heirs from the Edelweiss Duchy, Elfenbrehm Duchy and Ahlefeldt Duchy are all presently undergoing blood severance at the back garden of the Crystal Manor."

"Blood Severance? You mean to say someone was capable of severing the ties of those children to their predecessors?"

"I apologize, your grace, for I myself don't know the details."

Cohen glanced around. "We can't let these people know what's happening. It'll raise suspicion and unwanted pursuit. If these vampires come to learn that someone is capable of severing their ties to the one who had sired their blood, they will want to know who it is and they will do everything for their ties to be severed. Even if it is to kill those who stood in their way and the one capable of doing the severance. Vampires can be calm and they can also be rash. They can be harmless and dangerous at the same time."

"Sending them home would be best, but please leave some of your trusted men as well as a few sentinels trusted by the Elfenbrehm heir himself. If something went amiss, we might need help from them."

"You'll recognize the sentinels who directly report to Mihai. They are the ones who wear a winged white gold brooch with a gemstone which has the same color as Mihai's eyes. You can go on ahead in the garden and I will handle all the guests here."

"Certainly, your grace," Kaien answered.

Before he could leave, a Silver Blood with stunning red hair and green eyes, one too beautiful to be called ordinary, stopped him on his way. And the way she smiled at them, Kaien just knew that she was aware of what was happening.

"Lady Eberstein," he greeted her.

She curtsied beautifully, showing how elegant of an aristocrat she is.

"Delilah Zenith Eberstein greets you, your grace and Sir Cross."

"Kaien, please."

Delilah grinned because she knew the hunter was feeling awkward about being addressed so formally, but agreed nonetheless. She looks younger than he is, but she is way much older than he will ever be. But still, she couldn't help but tease the hunter whenever chance had chosen to let them meet, here or in his own world.

"What can we do for you, Lady Eberstein?" Cohen asked, acting like nothing was wrong, but the more they take their time conversing, the more those four who are undergoing blood severance will be in danger or will be a danger to everyone else around.

"I want to help."

Cohen and Kaien only stared at her and she was aware they didn't want her involved in what was happening.

Delilah was not able to hear what they were talking about, but with the help of Zen's eyes, which she was born to have as a Silver Blood, she was able to read the words being said from their lips. They were looking for the prince and the rest, who had gone missing from the banquet hall since midnight. And for some reason, a little while later, Kaien said they were presently undergoing blood severance in the back garden - something that all vampires wished to do to gain their freedom from the vampires who had sired their blood from the very beginning of their family line. That chance doesn't come too often. In fact, it doesn't come at all. For the first time in almost a millennium after the Blood War, a blood severance is being done and it is to four born vampires who hold the most important seats in their kingdom. Their family have been sired by a Noble, and for them to undergo blood severance tonight, they must have met someone whose blood is higher than the one that put a chain in their blood.

But is there anyone who possesses a blood higher than that of Noble Bloods? Yes, the Royal Blood vampires - Purebloods who belong not in a clan but only in one family, the Landegrei Family. And for those four to meet a member of that family at this time, how fortunate for them. Delilah's heart thumped in excitement but she tried to hide it from Cohen's and Kaien's watchful gaze. Their knowledge about Purebloods is a hoax and the ongoing blood severance is proof of it. For a Royal Blood to be roaming around Aceldama undetected, the Purebloods' existence isn't completely erased after the Blood War. They have just hidden themselves away from everyone's prying eyes. She doesn't hate their existence like the rest. In fact, she is interested in them. She has been searching for them ever since she was young, so she won't let this chance slip her by.

"They're my friends, Lord Cohen. And I am aware how blood severance goes because of the books I have read about it in the past. If the matter gets worse, you can make use of my ability as a descendant of the Eberstein Duchy," she reasoned out.

Cohen thought for a minute before he gave out a resigned sigh. "As you wish, Lady Eberstein. But none of this goes out of this manor."

She bowed slightly. "You have my word, your grace."

Cohen then glanced at the vampire hunter whose face was devoid of emotion. "Kaien, bring Lady Eberstein with you."

Kaien could only nod before he gave a signal and his fellow hunters knew what was happening immediately. They all left their stations and went out of the hall without being noticed. Kaien recognized the sentinels Cohen had mentioned. Even after saying their knight commander's name, they still looked at him with doubt, but after Delilah's interference, they followed without a word to the place where they were going.

What they witnessed upon their arrival in the back garden made them stop in their tracks. The whole garden was frosted over - flowers, fountain, garden plants, even the trees, the benches and the garden pavilion. Rouen, Sin, Caius and Mihai were all tied down on the frosted floor with an aural chain and they are all in their vampire form. They are still conscious of what was happening to them, so they obviously are stopping themselves from shouting out of pain by clenching their teeth, but there are times when they can not hold it in and end up shouting still. Their fangs are elongated, their nails extended and their eyes are glistening dangerously under the moonlight as if they are about ready to kill. Their attire, already drenched in sweat and filigree lines which shine like molten lava, is being engraved on their skin ever so slowly, making it bleed.

"Rouen!"

With a warning, the prince looked at Eona, who was about to run to him. For the first time, pain was affecting his senses and it was driving him towards insanity, but he could still make out her face behind all the blurriness pain had brought to him that particular early morning. She just woke up and sleepiness immediately left her when she saw them suffering from a great affliction which they, as born vampires, are even having a hard time coping with. He is aware that they are all bleeding from the marks that are being painfully engraved on their skin, but there is nothing they can do about it, since their ability to heal is being rendered useless.

"Don't come near me, gem. I don't want to hurt you," he said, almost in a whisper.

Eona glanced at the four of them before she focused her attention back on Rouen. She did not even notice Kaien's group who had just arrived in the garden. Worry is in her eyes and she's trembling out of fear. No matter how much she tried to act calm, she couldn't. The vampires she had just become close with are chained and the more they struggle to free themselves from it, the more it tightens itself on them even more.

"But you're bleeding! Shouldn't you... shouldn't you be able to... I don't know, heal yourself?"

Even while in excruciating pain, Rouen chuckled. "I'll be fine, love. Just please, stay there."

Rouen had the urge to drink blood, so he was keeping her away from him at a safe distance because he knew that if she ever got near him, he would grab her without second thoughts and indulge himself in drinking her blood dry until she no longer breathes. He already had a taste of it, and in his present situation, he wanted to have more.

Kaien and his group were speechless. How are they supposed to help them with their situation?

"What are we supposed to do?" Delilah asked.

She knew blood severing was painful, but seeing it take place, seeing her fellow vampire borns who were revered for the power that accompanied their blood upon birth suffer from excruciating pain, seeing them struggle to keep themselves conscious, was something that made her heart thump painfully inside her chest. She was curious but she also sympathized with Sin, Mihai, Caius and Rouen.

"Watch everything take place and pray nothing will turn out wrong," Kaien answered.

Minutes felt like hours. Even when Cohen arrived at the back garden, they remained watching the four of them suffer from the blood severance. They thought the four of them would be just fine with the chains restraining them. So when they simultaneously vomited blood where Rouen had it worst, Eona cried out. She was about to run towards Rouen but she was immediately restrained by one of the sentinels and no matter how much she struggled, no matter how much she tried to get away from his hold, she was not able to.

"Rouen!"

The prince then glanced at the sentinel restraining her. "Don't let go of her."

"Yes, your highness."

Delilah knew they needed to act immediately because there was a high possibility that four of them would not be able to make it. "Kaien, draw out all the blades of Mithrandil," she ordered before she looked at the sentinels who served Mihai directly. "Position yourselves in between the swords and simultaneously release your abilities to restrain his highness the crown prince, Lord Edelweiss, Lord Elfenbrehm and Lord Ahlefeldt."

"As you ordered, Lady Eberstein."

"Remember, our purpose is to stabilize them until the severance is done."

Kaien drew the swords he was carrying with him. He stabbed the claymore sword on the ground north from where the four had been chained, while the two short swords which he gave to Marius and their fellow hunter, Zaniel, were placed south-west and south-east from them. With Delilah's signal who had started to use her power as a Silver Blood, Kaien used his power gifted by the Enchantress to their family and released his swords' latent ability. A blue light linked all the swords together, creating a triangle in time when the aural dome created by the Monarch completely disappeared.

Their instincts as predators reached to a height that the four started acting violent but with Kaien and Delilah's immediate response to the situation, they were able to neutralize them all.

"Delilah, hold out until the mark being engraved on their skin is completed."

Delilah eyed Cohen. "What?" She had never once used her ability that long. Will she be able to hold out?

"I'll support you."

By putting her trust in him, she did as she was told.

From their positions, they are about to create a magic circle where the four are positioned in the middle. With Cohen's help and Delilah's assistance, they are hoping they can survive the severance without any more problems.