Dragavei's Curse

Rafael got up from his chair impatiently.

"But we do not have the time" he emphasized. "Another episode could occur who knows when? The next minute? Tonight? Tomorrow? A week from now? We're all going to be on edge"

Azrael whistled slowly, relaxing in his chair. "There's literally a solution right there. You people just choose..."

"Enough, Azrael" I interrupted. "She won't do it"

"Whatever" he drawled. "Where's Mother, by the way?" He asked curiously, looking around. "I don't hear her inside the house either"

"She's gone to seek the help of her brothers," Rafael explained. "We all know war is imminent. More vampires will come for Dawn. We need reinforcements."

I snuck a glance at Azrael who had suddenly gone quiet at the mention of our uncles.

I knew he had a bitter-sweet relationship with them. They'd traumatized him—scarred him both physically and emotionally for life. And for that, I wanted to kill them. But they were family.

"I've never heard you speak about uncles from your father's side," Dawn said, her voice turning curious.

"That's because there are none. My father was an only child, as were those who came before him. They're all dead" I responded. "Azrael and I are the last of our bloodline, at least until we each have a son of our own."

She frowned, confused. "I don't understand. How is that possible?"

Azrael answered, "It's quite complicated. You see, our family's history is afflicted by a curse that has lasted for centuries. Every generation, only one male heir is born, and this curse prevents us from having siblings or siring others like ourselves—partially pure vampires."

"Pure?" Dawn questioned, further confused.

Azrael nodded slightly. "Yes, pure in the sense that we carry fragments of the special gifts of our ancestor, Dragavei. His strength, his abilities, especially the day walking— although those have been diluted over the generations. We can withstand the sun but for a certain amount of time"

Rafael stepped forward, continuing. "Dragavei was the first to be born a pure vampire with the ability to walk in the sun. But the curse ensured that this power wouldn't be passed on freely"

"Only one heir per generation can inherit it. And even then, we can't sire more like ourselves—no more daywalkers, no more powerful vampires. Except for Dragos. He's the exception. He can sire vampires like himself, with the same special gift of walking in the sun without time limitations. He was born fully pure, just like Dragavei himself"

Dawn looked at me, throwing a smile my way. My heart skipped a beat.

"That's not all about the curse" I added. "After the male heir has been born, the father dies from a disease. The disease. Might not be immediately, but they do"

Dawn glanced at me in concern. "Disease?"

"Yes," Azrael nodded. "A fatal disease that kills every male in our bloodline. It's all part of the curse—no male heir lives long enough to escape it. Our father died from it, as did his father, and all the others before them. It's a cruel legacy that has haunted us for centuries. Even though we possess bits of Dragavei's power, it comes at a terrible cost."

"That's a lot. I'm sorry to hear that," Dawn whispered, then pondered for a moment "But you said this curse only allows your bloodline to have one male heir per generation. How come your father had two of you then?"

"It's why your boyfriend here is a miracle baby" Rafael answered. "It was supposed to be just Azrael"

"Oh," she muttered "I get it now. But wait..." Dawn turned to Azrael "Was your mother human when she had you both or how does that even work?"

"We descendants of Dragavei are born with the seed" I explained. "We can father children of our own, even with vampires... unlike other nightwalkers. Our mother had Azrael when she was a vampire"

"I see. So... if Dragos hadn't been chosen, he wouldn't have been born at all"

"Yes," Azrael and I chorused.

"That's a lot," Dawn shook her head. "So, it's this family curse that is responsible for the one male heir thing and the disease that kills you off?"

"Yes," Azrael said again "A curse I hear you're capable of lifting because you are a vessel of Lysandra— the one who cursed us all"

His face took on a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps it is why you were even chosen to become the Divine Purge. Who knows, you might be a descendant of Lysandra. A shaman with intense hate for Dragavei and his kind, she gave her life in cursing us"

Dawn shifted her attention to me "You rarely speak about the uncles from your mother's side."

"There's not much to tell," I replied. "I only met them a few times. Once when I was six because they came for Azrael, and twice for one of their funerals."

"I'm sorry. What happened? How did he die?" She asked.

I shrugged. "No one spoke much about it. But I believe he met his end due to a fall under the sunlight."

"Oh my" she gasped "It must've been excruciating. I've read about what sunlight does to vampires"

Her head bowed in regret, and I assumed she remembered how she had killed Variel too.

"Oh, yes" Rafael responded "It's the absolute worst.

I rose to my feet "I'm going to see if I can get Dragavei to talk to me again. He's our only hope for now"

"How will you do that?"

I sighed "It's not something I've done before but I'll try to reach out to him with my mind. I hope it works"

"I hope so too"

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DAWN.

About an hour after Dragos left, the unleashing occurred again.

Later that night, I sat by the poolside, lost in thought. I had spontaneously unleashed another lethal light with Rafael and Azrael barely making it out alive. They had only survived thanks to their vampire speed, and if not for their quick reflexes, they would have died.

Ridden with worry, and regret, I had left to sit by the pool, losing track of time until Azrael's voice interrupted my train of thought.

"Hey, everything alright?" He approached me, holding two cans of soda. "You've been here for hours. Don't beat yourself up about it so much"

He settled beside me and handed one of the cans to me.

"Thanks," I murmured, accepting it.

"How are you holding up?" He asked gently, watching me.

I shook my head and replied, "Not too good."

Azrael took back the can and opened it for me before handing it back.

"Dragos has been in his father's study all day, trying to reach out to his ancestor. He's been so occupied with it, he didn't notice when the unleashing occurred" I said despondently.

"Yes. Physically, he's present but his mind is somewhere else. I only hope he's able to succeed in reaching Dragavei"

"I've been such a burden to you all"

"Dawn, none of this is your fault. You didn't ask for it" He answered back. "We'll figure it out"

"I've been thinking about something for a while now, but you might not like it"

Azrael set the can of soda down and gave me his full attention "Let's hear it"

"Promise me you won't tell Dragos"

He went quiet for a moment before responding, "I promise"

I sighed. "I think there's a way I can let the blast consume me instead. If I don't try to suppress it, but just hold it in instead, I .."

Azrael frowned "Are you crazy?" His voice sounded panicked... scared as he shook his head vehemently. "No way. That's not going to happen"

"Hear me out" I continued. "I don't think I'm cut out for this, Azrael. Variel's death still haunts me, and so does my mother's death ..."

My voice strained with sorrow. "When the shift happens, I can't... I have no control over my actions. There's this insatiable urge to kill and I know if I don't get stopped, I'll end up killing. But if I let the blast consume me, everything goes back to normal. You won't even have to worry about other vampires coming after me"

"Dawn, you're not sacrificing yourself and that's final. You're not even thinking straight"

"But I am ..."

"No. Worst case scenario, when you're about to unleash, we'll take cover, like we did the last time"

"But what if it happens at the least unsuspecting moment?"

He shrugged "Or we'll... isolate ourselves from you. Pending the time we find a solution"

"And how long are we going to keep doing that? All this is happening because I haven't fulfilled my purpose. A purpose that involves murder..."

"Dragavei has ..."

"Yes, yes, I know. It's up to me to figure out some other way to protect humanity without killing vampires unnecessarily. But while I'm still trying to figure that out, my powers are out of control. We have to tackle this issue first."

I looked at Azrael sadly. "The immediate danger is my powers spiraling. I can't think about the long-term solution if I'm at risk of harming others every time this happens"

My voice cracked "This entity within me, I feel it, Azrael." I looked at him "To what end?"

"You can't give up," he said gently. "You were born for a purpose, and while it may have taken me some time to realize it, I now see that it is a good purpose. A noble one."

Azrael's gaze held mine. "All this will pass. It's temporary. Just think of it like a test."

He took another sip from his soda. "You're immensely powerful, Dawn. Overcoming this darkness inside you is something you can do, and you're not alone in this too"

He set the can down beside him. "You have Dragos. Rafael. Mother...and..." Azrael scoffed "I never thought I'd be saying this but, you have me"

"You actually care," I said softly, in disbelief.

Azrael rolled his eyes, a smirk slowly creeping up his face. "Don't get used to it. It's exhausting."

I laughed. "Noted"

He eased his legs into the water. "If I had my way, I'd force your hand in killing those vampires. I'd place a stake in your hand, and forcefully guide you to stab their hearts if I had to. As long as they die and you don't"

Something in his tone triggered the same suspicion I'd felt the morning after the first battle. 

He ran a hand through his long hair. "But that's what the old me would've done. I'm a changed man now"

Azrael looked at me, his expression and tone more serious. "Don't do anything stupid, okay? Dragos would never forgive me if I let you self-destruct on my watch. I would never forgive me"

I nodded slowly "Okay. Thank you, Azrael"

He winked at me and stood up. "Oh, and next time you're about to unleash, aim it at Rafael. I'd love an excuse to be rid of him."

I laughed, and he flashed a grin. "Now, let's go check on that boyfriend of yours to see if he's managed to reach out to his ancient ghost buddy."