The Divine and the Damned

They all gasped simultaneously, cursing out in disbelief.

"This is a blasphemous act!" Traianus growled. "How dare you?!"

"How could you do such a thing?! How could you jeopardize the future of your kind?!!" Decius asked in disbelief.

"De neînțeles, el respinge pe fiica mea pentru o fiară distructivă." (Unbelievable, he rejects my daughter for some destructive beast!") Flavius scowled.

"Listen to me" I voiced out "Dragavei has revealed that there is a way for it all not to end in a massacre. You have nothing to fear. She can be reasoned with"

Roxana stood, her eyes radiating hatred. "We have everything to fear! The purpose of the Divine Purge is to kill our kind... to destroy mostly by fire! There is no other way"

She turned to address the rest of the members "Do I not speak the truth, my people?"

They chorused their agreement in unison.

"Please, Alesul. You must reconsider" Mihail said in exasperation. "She cannot be left to live, she's a threat"

"If you fail to reconsider, we won't let you do this" Falvius said "We won't let you protect the girl"

"Not let me?" I laughed dryly, an incredulous expression on my face. "And how exactly are you going to do that, you bunch of powerless, decrepit old fools?"

My expression hardened. "You're knocking on carnage's door"

Ajax seethed, sharing a knowing look with his other members "We shall subdue you. Every single one of us"

One after the other, they started to rise from their seats in the vast apartment.

Due to modern times, they didn't use covens or caves like in the days of old, but rather a house hidden away from prying eyes.

It had high ceilings and UV-blocking windows to shield them from the sunlight.

I crossed my arms, scoffing. "This is interesting. Your council never ceases to amaze me"

"It doesn't have to come to this, Dragos" Alexandru spoke calmly "Just let us get rid of the girl, she's our biggest threat. You can't possibly already be deeply in love with her"

"There's a way around things. No one has to die" I replied, looking at them again "No one"

Mihail sighed, shaking his head. "This will not end well for any of us," he muttered.

"Think with your head and not your heart!" Decius yelled angrily.

"I am" I snapped, standing still "It is you people that should have a rethink. The ages must have made you all deluded enough to think you can subdue me"

Petru gasped.

"You may be strong, Chosen One but the question is... are you strong enough to take us all at once? Especially after having not fed from the source in an awfully long time?" Ajax asked, stepping forward and rolling up the sleeves of his coat "Let's see how well you fare against all of us"

In response, I drove a fist into the wall, exposing a piece of rebar. I ripped the jagged iron rod roughly the length of my arm, free.

"I would've destroyed you all years ago, if not for my mother," I said through gritted teeth, my anger spiking to a frightening degree. "But now, I'll enjoy tearing through each of you, and your deaths will serve as a stark reminder to others who foolishly believe they can defeat their Alesul."

My eyes were now bloodshot, my fangs growing out. "Any last words?"

An evil smirk stretched across Ajax's lips. "Send Rose my regards"

With supernatural speed, I rushed forward, swinging the rebar at the first two vampires who came for me—Mihail and Flavius, with brutal force. The first strike landed on Mihail, followed by a second that struck Flavius, bending the iron under the sheer force.

Before they could recover, I plunged both hands into their chests, ripping out their hearts.

Roxana lunged at me from behind, but my reflexes outpaced all ten of them combined. I seized her hand, breaking it off, the bone piercing through the skin. Before she could hiss, I decapitated her with a powerful punch.

Three enemies down. Seven more to go.

"You vicious bastard! You should be ashamed!" Traianus yelled. "Look at you going against your kind."

He, alongside Virina, Alexandru, and Marius attempted to approach me at the same time, but I evaded their attacks, countering them with punches that shattered bones and scratches that ripped apart flesh.

"You fools!" I roared furiously "You underestimate yourselves! How dare you think you could challenge me and emerge victorious?! I am your Alesul!"

I was consumed by rage, my eyes burning in a devastating, flinty red.

Forcefully, I took Petru's staff from his hands and drove it into Decius' skull, blowing off his head afterward.

"Because I have slumbered over the years and grown silent, you have forgotten to fear me??!" I released a furious hiss "I am death's ally!"

Dodging an attack, I sent a kick to Petru's chest, my years of mastering the ancient shadow arts paying off.

"I am Dragos the Damned!!!!"

Before his body hit the ground, I kicked off his head.

"You" I called out in spite, pointing to Ajax, my hand soiled with the blood of his council members "I have wanted to kill you for a very long time"

As Ajax swung wildly, l grabbed his arm, bared my fangs, and sank it into his neck, savagely ripping into his jugular vein.

Blood gushed as I pulled back to speak to him, my voice cold and mocking. "Would've told you to send Rose the message yourself, but I figure you're heading somewhere else. Somewhere far worse than this" I smiled evilly. "Rot in hell."

I punched a hand through his stomach, tearing out his entrails then smashed his head against a rock continually, until what remained in my hands was battered, unrecognizable, mangled flesh. Then, I flung him across the room.

My chest heaved with exertion, my entire body drenched in the blood and bits of my enemies. The stench of blood and death hung heavily in the air.

I stood amidst the fallen members of the Dark Order, their remains strewn across the room, and a faint smile crept up my face.

"Over four hundred and forty-one years away from the battlefield, and I haven't lost my touch," I muttered proudly, wiping my bloody hands on the back of my denim trousers. As I looked at the aftermath of the fight, I felt no pity for them. Their corruption, lust for power, and threat to kill Dawn and subdue me made them deserving of this fate.

I destroyed the UV-blocking windows keeping the sunlight from penetrating the room and watched as their bodies burned and turned to ash under the sun.

Satisfied that the room was cleansed, I turned my attention to the inner compartments and secret passages within the chamber. The Dark Order had hoarded ancient materials and tools of all sorts of a forgotten era. They had archives that would still be useful in the future, so I decided to leave them unharmed.

Devoid of even an iota of regret, I climbed into my Silverado, and headed home, leaving the scene of carnage.

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DAWN.

I stood on a ladder, plucking apples for the night's dinner dessert. But on hearing footsteps coming my way, I turned to see Azrael coming. Gripped by fear and cursing inwardly, I threw the last apple into my basket and carefully climbed down.

"Lord Azrael, may I help you with anything, sir?" I asked, setting the basket of fruits on the ground, and not looking into his eyes.

"I don't know what he sees in you" he stated, catching me off guard.

"Sir?"

"Dragos"

His voice was surprisingly calm but I could tell he was minutes away from flaring up.

"I wonder what he sees in you. Perhaps you have bewitched him"

My eyes darted to his. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, sir"

A smile graced his lips. A caustic smile, and his eyes were cold. They did not leave mine.

"A reasonable person would've quit this job already, but still you remain here, headstrong like a mule" his hands were crossed behind his back "Why do you persist?"

"I need the money" I responded "My mother, she is..."

"Lies" he interrupted "You have another agenda here. State it"

I frowned in confusion "Sir, I don't know what you're..."

He stepped forward, glaring at me "If you reveal your true intentions to me now, I might consider showing you mercy later on. However, if you do not, the rest of your days here will be... unpleasant"

Even in the midst of his anger, he retained a certain grace.

The subtle tilt of his head, hands held behind his back, and words flowing effortlessly from his mouth.

They were words that sent shivers down my spine, yet, the elegance with which he spoke them left me in awe.

What was it about this family that made them seem so flawless?

So structured? So ... poised?

What was the secret behind this family's extraordinary grace?

"You're threatening me, sir" I spoke up, folding my arms across my chest so he wouldn't see that they shook out of fear "I could sue you for harassment"

I knew I shouldn't have said those words, especially after what Dragos told me the previous night, but the statement had been spontaneous, born out of weariness from constantly appearing defenseless in his presence.

Azrael went silent for a second, then he threw his head back and laughed.

That was the first time I heard him laugh, and it was a sound quite different from Dragos' beautiful laughter.

It was coarse and tinged with evil. I discovered that there was, after all, something imperfect about him.

"Sue me?" He asked incredulously, a hand coming to rest on his chest. "Did I just hear you say you could sue me?"

He laughed again, only to stop abruptly, the smile vanishing from his face. "I cannot stand you anymore"

I shifted back, scared. Where was Dragos?