DRAGOS.
Geta and I were tracking Dawn and Dacianus when we both heard her scream. Without wasting a moment, we hurried in the direction of the sound.
I was still wounded from the hellish sword, the deep gash in my side slowing me down as my flesh and muscles worked to heal, but still, I didn't give up on the search for her.
Elizabeta was dead, a thick tree branch wedged into her heart, thanks to Geta. Come morning, the sun would do its job by turning her to ash.
We arrived at the scene only to find Dacianus getting up and recovering from an attack.
"What happened?" Geta asked, rushing to help his brother. Before he could respond, I slammed a fist into a tree.
"You were supposed to keep her safe!" I yelled, shoving Dacianus back in frustration, but Geta intervened, stepping in front of me before I could repeat the action.
He hissed, pointing a finger at me in caution. "Careful,"
I snarled in response and stormed angrily towards the shack to search for any traces of my girlfriend.
"What happened?" I heard Geta ask again, my vampire hearing enabling me to listen to their conversation.
"He caught me off guard," Dacianus explained. "Demonic energy sent me flying out of the house before I could even attack."
"Are you well?" He asked in concern.
I heard him grab his shoulder and twist harshly, causing it to snap back into place.
"I'm fine," Dacianus assured him. "We just have to find Dawn."
I left before they returned to the shack, not bothering to wait for either of them, especially Dacianus whom I was still pissed at.
It took a while for me to eventually find Dawn, but when I did, I felt the entire blood in my system run cold.
Gripped by a fear I had never known before, I gazed up at Cassius, who had Dawn on a hill overlooking the waters.
He had the same sword he had used to stab me, held against her neck once more.
She trembled in fear.
"CASSIUS!" I yelled, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. "Let her go!"
He looked down at me, a scowl on his face. "Good thing you're here."
As I attempted to climb up the cliff, Cassius tutted in disapproval and took a dangerous step back towards the edge. "Don't," he hissed. "Come. any closer"
Geta and Dacianus caught up, standing beside me and beholding the horror in front of us.
"Don't do it, you idiot," Dacianus growled.
"Your suffering will know no end!" I threatened angrily, "I will hunt down every single person you care about, and when I find them, I'll subject them to unspeakable horrors! They'll beg for a mercy they will never receive. You know what I'm capable of!"
Cassius paused for a moment, as if pondering on the threat, before replying, "I know."
As we watched on in dismay, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
With a chilling sound only we vampires could hear, Cassius dragged the sword across Dawn's throat. Blood spurted from the wound as her hands flew to her neck, desperately trying to staunch the flow, while she raggedly gasped for life.
A yell tore from my throat, but before I could react any further, Cassius pushed her over the edge and then vanished into the night.
Dawn fell into the cold river below, disappearing beneath the waters.
Without a second thought, I rushed forward, leaping up the cliff in a single bound using my vampiric strength, and then plunged into the water after her.
The last words I heard as I swam deeper into the water were those of Geta barking out after his brother that he was going after Cassius.
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Cassius ran from the scene, his heart pounding with happiness because he had eventually gotten his revenge. But underneath all his excitement was fear.
No, not just fear... terror. A lingering, overwhelming terror that came about because of the look in Dragos' eyes as he ended Dawn's life.
That look was one he was all too familiar with, and it chilled him to the core.
The Alesul would come for him, and Cassius knew there was no place—no country, continent, or cave, where he could hide to escape Dragos' wrath.
But he was prepared for it.
He'd thoroughly done his research... read about, heard about how Rose, Dragos' first love, had been brutally murdered by Azrael.
It was no secret in the vampire community, somehow, the word had spread.
It was what had influenced his decision to kill Dawn similarly, throwing her into the water but with the added flair of slitting her throat with the hell-forged blade.
The pain would have been excruciating, and survival was impossible.
With each step he took, Cassius felt his demonic powers quickly depleting. He had expended a lot of power battling Dragos and his uncles.
As he raced back towards the cave in search of Elizabeta, he feared the worst had happened, but still, he had hope. Hope that she had managed to survive one of Dragos' uncles.
But that hope was dashed the minute he saw her desiccated corpse abandoned on the ground.
He fell to his knees, tears spilling from his eyes as he gathered her body in his arms.
There was no one to blame for her death but him. He had failed her, going through the stress of rescuing her, only to have her killed in the end. He was a fool... arrogant, reckless, and blind to the consequences of his actions. And now she was gone because of his hubris.
It didn't take long for one of Dragos' uncles to catch up with him.
"It ends now, Cassius," Geta announced, walking towards him. "There's no escape for you."
"Yes, there isn't," he replied, turning to face Geta. "But at least the girl's idea,d" he added bitterly, a scornful laugh leaving his lips. "And your Alesul... grieves," he spat out.
Geta moved closer. "You have no idea what you've started," he said. "Dragos meant every word when he vowed to hunt down everyone you hold dear. He won't spare anyone."
"Flavius and Elizabeta were my world," he snapped. "And now they're both dead. I have nothing left."
Geta arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying there's no one else? No friend, no connection that means anything to you?"
Cassius remained mute, and Geta inched another step closer. "What about Helena? Or Eric?"
Cassius' head snapped up, a brief wave of panic crossing his face.
They were his childhood friends, and he hadn't been in contact with them for a long while.
Geta smirked, noticing Cassius's reaction. "Ah, so I struck a nerve," he said mockingly. "You didn't think you could kidnap the Alesul's girlfriend without us digging into your past as well, did you?"
"He was bluffing," Cassius muttered, more to himself than to Geta. "He wouldn't harm innocents."
Cassius clenched his jaw. "Besides, they mean nothing to me. I haven't spoken to them in years," he lied.
"Wouldn't harm innocents?" Geta asked, forcing a laugh, "You dare say that after you murdered his girlfriend right in front of him and then threw her into a river to drown?"
Geta scoffed, "Didn't you consider, even for a moment, that you might've awakened a part of him that's been dormant for centuries? A part that existed long before Rose, back when he was an utter menace?"
"I don't care," Cassius snapped back. "I wanted revenge, and I got it."
"Yes, and foolishly so. Now, your so-called friends will pay the price for your actions. But since you don't care about them, I'm sure you won't mind," Geta spat.
"Dragos' creativity knows no bounds when it comes to vengeance. He was taught well by Azrael, who was taught by one of us. And thanks to your stupidity, you're going to learn just how relentless he can be when he's out for blood"
Cassius began to sweat, realizing he had completely forgotten about Helena and Eric. He thought he was ready for Dragos' wrath, but he hadn't expected this... the possibility that his actions could put Helena and Eric in danger.
He had assumed the Alesul was merely bluffing, because he had softened and moved past the ruthless ways that once defined him, leaving innocents out of his revenge.
"You seem to have cared about her a lot," Geta spoke, his voice cutting through his thoughts. He was referring to Elizabeta. "But was all this truly worth losing her? You had the chance for a happy life together, and you abandoned it all in your pursuit of revenge. Look where it has led you."
Cassius kept mute.
"Now, she's dead, and you're going to die too," Geta continued.
Cassius knew Geta was right. His obsession with revenge had cost him everything.
"I couldn't let him go unpunished!" He yelled. "I couldn't live with myself if I did."
"And so you thought you could just go after the Alesul and win, even with your supposed demonic powers?"
"I won, didn't I? The girl's dead."
"So is she," Geta gestured to Elizabeta, stepping forward. "And now you'll die with that guilt"