24th Night

"Kaien, will you be able to hold out until the severance is done? Stabilizing a vampire born just to prevent them from losing themselves to the predators that they were born to be will take a toll on your body, being that you are a human being and you are going to be doing that simultaneously to three Silvers and a Gold Blood. I'm sure that you are aware that they are vampires who are revered in our society because of their position and blood."

From his position, Kaien looked at the Duke of Lohengrin Duchy, Cohen, and he could see that the duke was really concerned about him even though they were from different races. Since he is going to be the one who would cast a magic circle that will help the four vampire borns during the severance until it is done, he will be the one suffering the repercussions of it, and if he is going to cast it for a long time, there will surely be a set back whether it was in his health as a natural or power as a hunter. He will surely have a hard time recovering from it, especially since this is going to be the first time that he will cast a wide-ranging spell which originated from the witch Galadriel Evergreen, the Enchantress, herself. And out of all the Cross members, including him, only a very few of them are able to use it.

"I'll be fine," he answered.

Well, at least Kaien thinks he is going to be. But they just have to try every possible way to prevent any future casualties where four vampire borns are involved. They cannot let any mishaps happen because it will surely endanger the balance left between them and the vampires of Aceldama.

If the situation was not as serious as it is now, Kaien would have laughed at the circumstances he and his fellow hunters found themselves in. Due to their orders, which came directly from the head of the Vampire Hunters' Association in the world of the living, him, Marius and Zaniel, come here to Aceldama hoping that nothing will go wrong and that they will go back home without facing any problems at all. They had considered it a vacation. But before the night ends, here they are putting their own lives on the line just to make sure the four vampire borns revered in the vampires' kingdom will make it out alive from the blood severance they themselves have chosen to undergo because they wanted freedom and because chances like this are zero to none. He and the rest are hunters who swore an oath to fulfill their duties and responsibilities as a member of the Vampire Hunters' Association, yet here they are helping the beings they are bound to kill once they break the laws that govern the vampires and humans. If he thinks about everything that happened, there is certainly no vacation for that, only an additional workload.

"Is everyone ready?" Kaien then asked his companions, vampires and hunters.

"Yes," they all answered in unison.

"Focus your abilities on the center of the magic circle once I've cast it," Kaien commanded, and his companions nodded in response.

The second they used their abilities, a small magic circle appeared on the ground where they stood. With their powers being used at once, an aural line with bluish-white light connected them with each other and across, creating a large magic circle that glowed and gave brightness to the garden covered in frost and ice, overwhelming the moonlight itself that early morning. The same magic circle then appeared on Kaien's right eye and in the old language of the witches, he said something just above his breath which only the vampires around him were able to hear.

Painful screams were heard in the silence of the night and Cohen and the rest bit the sides of their lips as they watched the four heirs of their kingdom suffer to an extent which they had never even once witnessed since the second they were born. The four of them are bleeding, literally from the pores of their skin and Cohen and the rest, as bystanders, are left with no other choice but to watch. The magic which Kaien cast acted as a stabilizer to help Rouen, Sin, Mihai and Caius, who are undergoing severance, to remain conscious of their surroundings despite the excrutiating pain that covers the entirety of their body at that moment. It also served as a restraining power like the chains which bind them in the frosted ground in the garden to keep them from following their instincts as vampires and as the predators they are born to be.

With the way the magic circle glowed on that early morning where the sky still remained dark and black with the stars and the moon still hanging in it, they are certain that even if the blood severance is taking place in the outskirts of Laudicea, those in the palace or even those who are within a few miles away from where they are can see the pillar of light that came from the Crystal Manor if only they would focus their attention in that direction. The process of ending their connection to the Pureblood vampires who had sired their blood is never easy, even if they are at the tip of the bloodline of their families - the last direct descendants. It was stated clearly in the books in the archives of the kingdom of Aceldama that blood severance can be literally compared to hell. And seeing how those four are agonizing so much while undergoing the process itself, even if many vampires sought a way to sever their bond with the ones who created them, most of them will choose not to undergo this kind of suffering because it is not certain that they will survive it.

While watching using the eyes of Zen which Delilah was born to have, she trembled unknowingly in her place because she could see that the filigree lines being etched on the skin of her fellow Silver Bloods were not only on the outside but even to their bones and internal organs, as if everything about their physical attributes are being turned anew. Her strong desire to learn more about blood severance, about the one who easily cast it to the Silvers, how it was cast and what happens during the process was gone, since fear which she had never felt before settled in her heart and mind. For the first time, she feared for the life of others because she realized that even if they have a lengthened life far longer than the naturals, even if they were born with blood higher than most in the lower vampire society, they are still susceptible to sufferings and death.

"Lady Eberstein, please concentrate," Cohen reminded her when he saw her state.

Delilah may belong to the House of Eberstein but she has the same blood as Sin, Caius and Mihai and it shows in her beautiful face how affected she was at seeing them in that situation. If one of them who serves as a pillar of the magic circle collapses, Kaien will be forced to control the magic circle he cast bearing the duty of the one who collapsed on his shoulder alone, as long as he is maintaining it for the sake of Rouen and the rest. While restraining the four Silvers, he is not going to be able to hold out.

"Yes," Delilah answered as she focused back on the present situation.

During the whole process, Eona was still being held down ever so gently by one of the sentinels because he really took Rouen's words seriously. After all, it was hard not to follow the prince's command, especially when one was working as a sentinel of the kingdom of Aceldama. If Lady Eberstein was able to hide her fear and focus her concentration back on her duty, she was not. She is still visibly trembling in fear even if she was only there on the sideline: sitting and watching everything take place, because she didn't expect to see the four vampires whom she became friends with to suffer the way they are suffering right now in front of her. It was like they suddenly became an ordinary human being who feels every pain there is at once the moment she opened her eyes. She was wondering what happened while she was asleep but she knew no one would be able to give her an answer aside from those four who were presently gritting their teeth in pain to keep themselves from crying out again.

"Please just stay here, Lady Lorentz. It is for your own protection. We don't know how hostile they can be since this is the first time that they have undergone something like this."

Eona nodded absentmindedly at the sentinel who finally let go of her but did not leave her side nonetheless. Maybe it was to make sure she wouldn't do something that would put her life at risk from the beings she started to call her friends.

On the other hand, Kaien could feel the pressure of casting a spell he had never even used to stabilize four vampire borns at once just to keep them from rampaging out of their own free will. It was like taking hold of four monsters who could ruin and kill everything in a blink of an eye once they were left free. Looking at Rouen and the three Silvers, no one will be able to tell how much pain they are presently experiencing due to the severance that is taking place, but one can obviously see how much they are suffering from it because they are literally bleeding to death. What Kaien didn't expect at that moment was to hear the voice of the Monarch directly in his head. He must have expected things to turn out the way they are now the second he cast the blood severance on these four.

"Kaien Cross, how are you doing?"

Kaien pursed his lips upon hearing that voice in his mind. He never once imagined that Aelvien himself would contact him through telepathy while he was busy controlling the magic circle he cast with the help of vampires from the lower society and his fellow hunters just to stabilize four vampires undergoing the severance at the same time. Since the magic circle itself has two sides, he just reversed it for it to act as a stabilizer. It is also the first time he cast the spell after learning about it, and it is taking a toll on him. It's like being filled with power and being immediately drained afterwards. It's like being elevated to a certain height and then falling down straight on a concrete floor.

"What do you think?" He asked back in a contemptuous manner.

"Miserable."

"No, my life is actually springtime right now. You know, with all the flowers blooming and fresh new sprouts growing around me."

"Hmm. I am certain it is more like winter where everything is frosted over, including the flowers and sprouts. I am right, aren't I? Tell me, I am right."

Kaien grimaced as he tightened his hold on the claymore, which seemed like it was sucking his strength by the second. The sentinels were trained and possessed a power that could restrain vampires who have higher blood than them within the lower society, so he appreciated their presence there with him. No wonder the Monarch told him to bring them with him when he communicated with him through telepathy for the first time that early morning. But what about him and his fellow hunters? They were only trained to kill vampires and other supernatural beings, not save them.

"Of course, you are," he sarcastically answered.

Kaien then cursed in his mind because, after giving everything a thought, he came to realize that he was not able to restrain himself and let irritation cloud his mind, but Aelvien just chuckled in return and didn't take his attitude as an act of insubordination towards him. He could clearly hear him through their telepathic connection which the Monarch himself established between them and Kaien somehow feels like Aelvien is having fun knowing that he, a human being, a hunter who kills, doesn't have any other choice but to suffer because of these vampires.

"Are you enjoying this?" Kaien then asked, annoyance clearly lacing his voice.

"You want me to tell you the truth?"

"Yes, I'd pretty much appreciate it if you could tell me now whether this time is going to pass by without any casualties or if we're going to lose one of them. They look like they are not going to hold out any longer. They have all been bleeding for a while now and their regenerative abilities have been rendered useless. We are reaching our limit even with Lady Eberstein and Duke Lohengrin's assistance, so I can't exactly tell if we will be able to stabilize them further. Besides, I want to know whether I'll survive this dangerous and difficult situation to see the sunrise."

"Are you complaining?"

"Yes," he answered immediately without considering that he was talking to a being who stood at the summit of the vampire race, but the Monarch just laughed in return, not taking account of how rude he sounded.

"The three Silver Bloods are about to be done with the severance. What you have to watch out for is the crown prince."

With that, Kaien suddenly became alert at that as his heart thumped in fear because, even if it was only Rouen, he knew that the prince had the strength that surpasses almost everyone in the lower vampire society. Once Rouen lost himself to his sufferings and to his instincts as a Gold Blood vampire, no one will be able to tell how much chaos he would cause and where he would let his beast roam free to feed blood. Kaien then looked at Rouen who was breathing heavily as if trying to stop a side of him that was about to be set free.

"What's going to happen to him?"

"He will become the hybrid that he was born to be. A ruthless and heartless vampire who would only recognize one soul and disregard everybody else."

"What?"

"His blood has been bounded to and by a Royal Blood, unlike the Silvers."

Kaien frowned. Is that the reason why he was different? "You mean someone related to you? Because the Landegreis are the only ones born with the right to be called Royal Bloods among Pureblood vampires and I'm sure that couldn't have been you."

"I see you have been reading," Aelvien pointed out.

"I did, after I met you guys. Let us say, you poked my curiosity to the point that it made me want to find out things that were hidden with regards to the family the Monarch, which is you, belongs to."

"Didn't you know that curiosity killed the cat?"

"But I am a hunter, so I won't be killed easily. Don't worry."

Aelvien laughed at that before he went back to being serious. "The prince has been bound by someone who is directly related to me by blood - my uncle, Victor Landegrei. A Royals' hold to their heir apparent is stronger than that of a Nobles' hold to their successors. Their bond will fight until the end and if the vampire sired is stuck in between the process while feeling every pain possible during the severance, he is going to lose his human side to the vampire that he was. The prince is going to completely lose himself in his beast form. He will not be able to recognize anyone, family or friends, and he will only want to cause destruction and death. Any minute now, he is going to free himself from the chains that are binding him on the ground and he is going to shed more blood than he had ever done before."

"How can you tell?"

"Have you forgotten? I was the one who cast the blood severance on them. I will always know the situation of those who are going through it because it is my own blood that was creating those filigree lines on their body throughout the process. It is my own blood severing their bond to the one who sired their blood. Once the prince sets himself free from the chains that are presently restraining him, no one will be able to bring him back aside from the girl. Keep her safe."

"You know, I have been wondering for a while now. Who really is Eona to have you, the Monarch, and Blaze, the Werewolf Supreme, protecting her from the shadows?"

Aelvien was silent for a while before he answered Kaien, whom he knew would not stop asking if he didn't get the answer he sought. His curiosity will only grow if he avoids him completely. It doesn't hurt to let him know a part of the truth while leaving him wondering about the rest of it.

"She's someone whose existence is the sole reason that stops me from causing chaos. Her life is the only thing stopping me from destroying the way of living which beings from different races established after the Blood War. She is the one who keeps a leash on Blaze, a Great Wolf who is very capable of reconstructing what you have known as countries, kingdoms, principalities and dominions just as much as I. To make it short, she is the sole being whose keeping everyone, naturals and supernaturals alike, safe from us."

"What - "

"I wish you all good luck." The Monarch cut him off before he cancelled their connection.

Kaien frowned because the fact that the Monarch immediately cut him off meant that he intended to prevent him from questioning any further with regards to Eona. He looked at the girl whose attention was solely focused on Rouen, whose color of eyes rapidly changed from their normal color to that of his vampire ones. The Monarch really doesn't call Eona by her given name, does he? Why is that? He wanted to know the answers to those questions just as much as he wanted to learn what kind of connection they shared.

A few minutes later, a red aural bird which they all thought was a phoenix slowly exited the bodies of Sin, Caius and Mihai consecutively through their chest, most specifically at the place where their heart was. It shrieked as it spread its wings and then glowed red before it disappeared along with the marks on their skin and turned into crystal dust which was carried immediately away by the wind. Not long after, the three of them slowly sat up with a groan as if they had been to hell and back. The regal look they had when they arrived at the soiree before midnight was now gone. They looked worn out and literally bloody that their outfits for the soiree became unrecognizable, but what's important is that they successfully severed their ties with their creators. They finally freed themselves, which is the goal of the blood severance in the first place.

While everyone was happy at the result, Eona found it hard to celebrate with them as she was left worrying for Rouen, whose golden-aquamarine irises were now glowing dangerously. It's soft aquamarine color is now gone. The sclera of his eyes are now black and his fangs, which are obviously longer compared to the rest of the vampires, are now visible behind his upper lip. He was breathing heavily and Eona could feel that he had long lost his humanity. The being right in front of her was no longer the Rouen she knew and had gotten close to. She looked around and then back to him. It seemed like it was only her who could tell the difference, because he remained silent and unmoving - like a calm before the storm.

"Rouen?" Eona called out to him but he didn't answer. "Please say something," she whispered, knowing he could still hear her voice clearly, but it was all the same.

Rouen remained unmoving. It was as if he was silently observing what was going on around him. He looked like he wanted to know where he was, what was happening, and who the people were around him. He looks like he is busy thinking about what he was going to do in a way that he is plotting to do something. And the moment he looked in her way, directly creating eye contact with her, Eona felt chills she had never felt in her entire life, especially when the smile that slowly curved on his lips gave an impression that he was about to do something harmful. His smile was something that promised danger. It is sinister. The thoughtfulness she saw in his eyes before was gone and the kindness and teasing that accompanied his smile vanished. It was at that moment that she finally had come to a conclusion: he really was no longer Rouen.

Every breath she takes is painful, as if doing such a simple thing as to breathe is agonizing. She felt like she was just forcing herself to do so, but still not enough to supply her body with the oxygen it badly needed. Her heart thumped so loudly inside her chest that she was certain the vampires around her could hear it clearly like a drum.

"Lady Lorentz, are you okay?" The sentinel beside her asked as he glanced down at her, but her attention remained on Rouen.

Eona did not answer. Instead, she stared at Rouen without blinking and her thoughts completely occupied by him. There was even a time that she was certain she stopped breathing until she realized that she did and she was left gasping for it. Everything went by smoothly and peacefully during the soiree. She may have had a slight problem with the mass bloodletting but Rouen showed her the beauty of it despite the horror. So why did it have to end up this way?

Rouen remained staring at her, completely ignoring the presence of others, as if it was only him and her in the frozen garden behind the Crystal Manor owned by the Duke of Lohengrin. Eona thought they would remain staring at each other but then his lips moved ever so carefully, giving suspense to the horror that occupied her entire being the second she saw that Rouen had changed completely. And since he was solely looking directly in her direction, as if he held her captive with his eyesight, none saw it but her. By reading the words he said through the movement of his lips, she could tell what he was saying without a sound.

"I.WILL.HAVE.YOUR.BLOOD.AFTER.I.KILLED.THEM.ALL."

Eona sucked in her breath and wasted no time. "Kaien! Get away from there!"

"What?"

"Now!"

But everything was too late. Rouen, who looked like he was bored, stood up like he had never undergone painful suffering for a long time just a while ago. He ignored his bleeding skin as he looked at his bound hands.

"Useless," he whispered.

Rouen pulled the aural chain which broke and vanished without a trace and released himself from it like it was nothing but an annoying hindrance to his movement. The presence he was giving off at the moment was something that promised death, so everyone around him was left standing in a landmine while thinking about what he was going to do next as they kept their guard up and ready themselves for what was about to take place. But what they didn't expect was that he would attack Kaien only with the killing aura that was engulfing his body at that moment like a black mist, as if it was a part of him and it was moving according to his will.

The magic circle they had tried to maintain for so long vanished as Kaien was forced to protect himself from Rouen whose killing aura attacked him the minute the prince stood up from the ground. Rouen considers Kaien a greater threat compared to his fellow vampires and that leads him to attack the leader of the hunters deployed to attend the soiree, which had ended long due to the severance, with all the strength he has left. The Silvers wanted to help but they couldn't because they had been drained of both power and strength. After the severance, they are no less than a human being left vulnerable and they are aware that they are going to need days to recover from it. The sentinels immediately went to stand on guard to protect them, but they were aware that even with all of their powers combined, the prince would still be able to overpower them.

"Rouen," Sin called out.

He was able to get his friend's attention but he screamed afterwards just because Rouen focused his attention on him. His body felt like it was burning from inside out, like he was put back to suffer the consequences of the severance again and he just knew that Rouen was using his ability on him. Being a Gold-born vampire, Rouen's blood was blessed with many abilities and that is the reason why he was envied by many vampires, even the Silvers. And among his abilities, the one that surpassed everything was his ability that accompanied him the second he was born - Blood Compelling. It is almost the same as the Purebloods' ability to control one's mind completely, but instead of controlling their mind, Rouen controls the blood of his victims. Meaning, Rouen, being a vampire born in a lower society, doesn't have the capability to use Blood Compelling to vampires who belong in a higher hierarchy, the Purebloods.

The sentinels, Cohen and Delilah, knew they had to restrain him one way or another because they were certain that Rouen was going to kill them, so they simultaneously attacked him while the others tried to restrain him only to find themselves kissing the ground as they groaned in pain because the prince reflected them easily. His aura served as a shield as well as an assault weapon which he so easily used against them while he just stood there like he was bored. Knowing that they had to put it their all for them to successfully restrain Rouen without endangering his life, the Silvers who just undergone the severance, stood and discarded their bloody coats and faced their prince along with the rest.

"What are you doing?" Delilah, whose eyes were gleaming, glared at the three of them because she knew they wouldn't be able to last long while facing the completely awakened prince.

Mihai shrugged as they all pressed what was left of their strength as Silvers. They may not be as powerful as they normally are but they can still help. "Just focus on Rouen, Lady Eberstein. Our first priority is to restrain the prince here before the sun rises."

"Restrain me?" Rouen asked them.

Goosebumps crawled on their skin because Rouen said those two words like one would to a child that doesn't understand anything. His voice is so soft yet chilling at the same time. He is calm and mocking them all the same.

"And how are you going to do that when you can't even get a single step near me?"

"Well we - "

"Kneel," was all he said in barely a whisper, and all the vampires, including Cohen, followed out of their own free will.

The hunters were dumbfounded as they witnessed all of them: sentinels, Silver Bloods and First Blood all kneeled like they had been forced to do so. The frosted ground even cracked at the impact of them kneeling forcefully as if something pushed them violently or either pulled them down towards the ground which Rouen is currently standing on.

Rouen smiled triumphantly as he looked down on them, no longer recognizing them as friends or acquaintances. At that moment, they were merely beings whom he needed to get rid of. He only ever sees the hunters, most especially Kaien, as a threat against him because he can easily subjugate the vampires around him using his blood authority over them. His eyes glowed as he looked at them all and he focused his attention on Kaien who now had the small mithrandil swords back in his hands, while the claymore sword he was holding before was now back in its sheath. Rouen's eyes held hostility as he no longer recognized Kaien as an acquaintance. He only has one goal tonight and that is to get the girl whose blood is something he is craving oh so badly that it made him unknowingly lick his lips in anticipation.

"I will kill you," he said before attacking Kaien.

"Shit!" Kaien cursed as he used the clamor to shield himself from the prince.

What are they supposed to do now that Rouen has already lost his humanity to the vampire he was born to be? If only the Monarch could have given him something that could help them at that moment. The other vampires who were able to free themselves from Rouen's hold the second he let himself be distracted by Kaien's presence helped him in fighting Rouen, so did the sentinels under Mihai's command, but even with their combined number and strength, they are having a hard time restraining him. Are they really going to fight him with the goal of keeping him alive? Then they are surely going to fail.

Eona was left watching everything take place: from her friends beings slashed open by Rouen's lengthened nails to her acquaintance being thrown away at a distance onto frozen concrete floors or marble pillars built as a part of the landscape.