We wake up at the predesignated time, a few hours before midnight. I feel surprisingly refreshed – although now that I think about it, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering we slept for the majority of the day. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a good night’s sleep – my body’s reverted to its base instinct, sleeping when I’m at my weakest. The full moon shines like a great white beacon outside the window.

“A full moon – the small timeframe during each month when we vampires are at our strongest.”

Without realizing it, Alice has crept up beside me. She’s dressed in her plain white frock, my jacket wrapped around her shoulders. I flush slightly upon seeing her, but quickly regain control of myself.

“You’re still carrying that old jacket around?”

“Of course. It’s a gift from you, after all.”

I let out a long, drawn out sigh. “I’d be happy to buy you one as a gift. All you have to do is ask.”

“It wouldn’t be the same though. This piece of clothing holds precious memories of ours.”

Well, I don’t know if you could call that whole incident with the feral vampire a precious memory…

“Come on,” I finally say. “Let’s not keep ANGEL waiting for us any longer.”

***

The drive to Fifth Hill High feels like it takes forever. ANGEL’s operatives arrive at the school car by car within five minute intervals, deposited like soldiers going to war. They quickly space out along the outskirts of the main grounds, forming a human net that surrounds the entire school. The car with Alice and I is the last to arrive.

I step outside into the night, shivering - but not from the cold.

Illuminated by only the streetlights and the moon, my school gives off an eerie atmosphere. I’ve attended this place for so many years, yet not once have I ever been inside after hours. Just thinking about the fact that my sister’s fate will be determined by this battle places my chest in a state of unease.

Alice gently touches my hand, and I resolve my will.

“Long time no see.”

A voice I’d almost forgotten reaches my ears.

“Good to see you’re still here,” I respond, turning around. Shizuka stands by the edge of the gates, arms folded.

I frown in puzzlement at the lack of a cigarette between her lips. “Not smoking today?”

“I’m quitting.”

My worries disappear, replaced by a sense of amusement and surprise. “Huh. So the world’s finally ending, eh?”

“Shut it.”

“Seriously though, congratulations. I hope you can pull it off,” I genuinely smile.

Shizuka looks straight past me and at Alice. “That’s your vampire friend?”

All business now, I firmly nod.

“She isn’t at all what I was expecting,” she continues.

“What were you expecting?”

My superior shrugs. “Someone not as frail, I suppose.”

“Don’t underestimate her. Her strength may even rival that of an Archangel’s.”

“Really now?” Shizuka’s eyes search Alice with curiosity. Alice looks away uncomfortably.

“Enough of that,” I say. “Let’s continue this another time. For now, we have bigger fish to fry.”

“Well said, demon.”

Ignoring the jest, I head up to the fence surrounding the gates. The entire school is dark, as it should be. My eyes are automatically drawn to the third floor, where Dracula should be waiting.

“Take this,” Shizuka says, handing me a small rectangular device. “Once the exchange has been made, press this button to activate it and we’ll storm the place.”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to take him on? I don’t see any noteworthy hunters here.”

A quick scan of ANGEL’s men tells me they’re mostly grunts, ordinary humans supplied only with anti-demon firearms. I’d guess there aren’t many Divine Edge wielders, those properly equipped to deal with powerful demons.

“We’ve got a handful,” Shizuka replies. “But most of them are low-ranked. Barry has just been discharged and is in no state to fight.”

“What about you?”

She laughs softly. “There’s no way I can keep up with you anymore, Bran. To be honest, most of the people here are just to distract the enemy and give you or Alice an opening.”

I take a look around. These men are way out of their league – yet they’ve answered their call to duty. They’ve come here to lay their lives on the line, despite being far outmatched.

“I won’t let you down,” I nod.

“Alright then. Good luck, and I’ll wait for your signal.”

She salutes me, and I salute in return.

“Come on, Alice. Let’s go.”

***

We walk across the dark field, our feet trampling the dewy grass.

“Got any plans after all this is over?” I ask, in an attempt to distract myself.

Alice breathes in deeply.

“Not sure yet. I guess I’ll have to take care of the future of the covern, and decide from there.”

“I assume you’re not going to take over?”

I receive a scoff in response. “No way.”

For someone who’s just about to be sold off to the Prince of all Vampires, she’s surprisingly composed. Granted, I haven’t put the cuffs on her yet.

She must really have faith in me, I guess.

“I want to live a life away from it all,” she continues. “A normal life, I guess. I don’t want to fight anymore – I never really wanted to fight in the first place. It’s probably too late though.”

“It’s not,” I say. “I’ll make it happen. I promise.”

“Jeez,” she smiles softly. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’ll keep it. Even if I die trying.”

Before she can say anything further, we arrive at the doors to the main building. I put a finger to my lips.

“I’m putting them on.”

Alice nods. I pull the heavy manacles from my pocket and wrap them around her wrists, locking her arms behind her back with a convicting click. We look behind us at the night sky one last time before stepping through, the warm air of the school’s heaters blasting our faces.

“Remember,” she whispers, as we head through the building. “He’s a vampire, stronger than you or I. But that also means he’ll be more sensitive to light. If you need it, you can use the light switches to your advantage.”

“I know,” I reassure her. “Just be quiet.”

I lead Alice like a farmer leading a lamb to the slaughter, up the flights of stairs, through the empty corridors. Each step I take my heart rate increases until I’m worried I’ll die of a heart attack before I even reach the top. That would be pretty pathetic.

We reach the last set of stairs. On the other side of the roof above me, on the opposite side of the building is where Judith should be. I glance at Alice one last time before bringing the blindfold out. As soon as it’s wrapped tightly around her eyes, she is completely powerless.

“Let’s go.”

I lead her up one painstaking step at a time. As we slowly ascend I’m reminded of that time back in the sewers, when she was first taking me to see her father. At that time I was the one in trouble, the one in need of guidance. I had to place my faith in her, to get me through without having me break down. If it weren’t for her I would have eventually sunk to the ground, paralyzed with fear from my claustrophobia.

Now, she’s the one placing her trust in me. There’s no way I can let her down.

We step into the dark hallway. My eyes see to the far end with clarity, despite the darkness. The unmistakable form of Vladimir Dracula awaits me at the opposite end, his crimson armour gleaming. Judith’s small figure is behind him, similarly blindfolded but her hands are handcuffed rather than bound together by cast iron manacles.

“Judith!” I cry.

“Bran! You’re here!”

Her fractured voice cries out in response, bouncing off the walls to reach my ears despite its volume. A feeling of relief washes over me, so great that I almost sink to my knees from it.

“So you came after all,” Dracula says. “But you didn’t come alone.”

My heart sinks. I should have known he’d realize.

“Are you a fool? Did you think I wouldn’t be able to smell the human filth you dragged here with you?”

I struggle to remain calm, desperately racking my brain for an excuse.

“They’re here in case you try anything,” Alice calls out resolutely. “If you hand over the girl as promised, they won’t intervene.”

Her voice effortlessly projects over to the other side of the dark hallway.

“Ha…”

Dracula’s voice rings back in response.

“Ha haa… HAHAHAAA!”

He begins to laugh, his armour rattling uncontrollably.

“You seriously think I’d have a use for this mongrel? I couldn’t care less what happens to her.”

He violently shoves her forward. Judith stumbles, but grabs onto the wall and regains her balance.

“Go on, scurry back to your brother.”

Alice’s hands leave mine as she too begins to walk forward with sure footsteps, her sense of smell removing her need to feel her way across. As they pass the half-way point, Judith apologizes.

“I’m sorry.”

Alice ignores her and continues walking; reaching Dracula the same time Judith reaches me. I press the device in my pocket, before ripping the blindfold from my sister.

“Bran…!”

She launches herself into my arms.

“Are you alright?” I ask. “Did they hurt you?”

Tears begin leaking down her face, soaking through my shirt. “Yeah. But I’m fine now.”

I snap the brittle handcuffs and toss them away.

“I’m so glad you came for me,” she whispers into my chest. “I was so afraid… and you were gone for so long I was starting to doubt you were still alive…”

“Don’t be stupid,” I scold. “Of course I’m alive. If I die, who’s going to come and save you? I’m your big brother. That’s what big brothers do.”

Below us, the building trembles as doors are kicked apart. Footsteps thunder inside, synonymous to a stampede of wild beasts.

“Run,” I whisper to Judith. “Run to the football field and don’t stop. I’ll meet you there.”

She nods, her eyes still wet with tears of relief, and flees. My heart at ease now, I slowly begin to approach Dracula. Alice stands as still as a statue, still bound in cuffs. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to break them by herself. Nothing short of a strike by a Divine Edge would be able to break her bonds.

“So you’re going to fight me?” Dracula laughs. “You and your army of weaklings?”

“No,” I reply. “I’m going to destroy you.”

As I say those words Alice blindly throws a kick towards the Blood Lord, a kick which whips through the exact location the demon was a few moments ago - just another testament to the sensitivity of her hearing. However, he’s no longer there.

“Let’s make sure you don’t run away, my princess.”

A chill runs up my spine as Dracula reappears beside Alice. I rush forward, but it’s too late.

Crunch.

Alice lets out a bloodcurdling scream as her bones are broken apart like twigs, her legs wrenched at unnatural angles. She collapses on the ground in a heap, groaning in pain.

“YOU BASTARD!” I roar.

The ground cracks as I fly forwards, shooting across the corridor like a bullet towards the armoured being.

Nightfall!

It appears in my hand without hesitation, just in time for me to swing with all my fury and rage. There’s a blur of red, and I find myself blocked by the thin pole of a spear. The impact jars me down to my shoulder.

“You think you can take me on?”

Dracula roars and twists his arm around, pushing me up into the roof. I bounce off and land a few feet away. Alice is still moaning, crawling around on the ground as her body slowly and painfully regenerates. She won’t be able to move for at least a few hours.

I just need to hold him off until Shizuka’s men finish climbing the stairs. There’s no way he could defeat us all.

“You’re still a few hundred years too early to challenge me,” Dracula spits, before lunging.

He’s fast, but not so fast that I can’t keep up. I step to the side, raising Nightfall in preparation to strike –

But, the red pole to next to me blinks and swerves sharply.

A biting pain cuts into my side as I clumsily throw myself away. The spear twists and zigzags, snapping back to its original form. Blood flows from my side.

“So that’s the power of your Divine Edge,” I say, clutching at my wound. “It can extend and bend at will.”

Dracula doesn’t reply and instead thrusts again. I watch the spear carefully this time, rushing past it. As long as I can reach him before his spear reaches me…

Clang!

I fail. The spear flexes around like a whip, blocking my strike and cutting my chest in the process. I disengage, throwing myself backwards yet again. My vision tints red as the hot air touches my wounds.

“Why?” I pant. “They’re not healing.”

“They are,” Dracula replies. “Just at the normal rate of a human. A wound opened by my Impaler will nullify all abnormal healing effects. I guess you could say it reduces everything I fight to human level. How else do you think I was able surpass my rivals and claim my title?”

I clench my teeth together.

That’s fine. I’m used to being a human, this is nothing new.

Keeping calm, I leap to the side of the corridor right next to the light switch and flick it, preparing myself. However, the hallway remains dark and devoid of light.

Oh no…

“You think I’d fall for that? I made sure to destroy the school’s power lines before I arrived.”

I grit my teeth. That’s fine, there’s still plan B. ANGEL should be here any time now-

No. Something’s wrong.

It’s too quiet. The stampede of beasts below us… is no longer there.

“It’s not like the school to leave its gas on overnight either,” I murmur, suddenly aware of the temperature.

“I thought you were better than this. Do you think I’m on the same level as those simple-minded petty demons you’re used to dealing with?”

Dracula speaks as if he has all the time in the world. There’s already a stream of blood running down my side.

“Wh-what?”

I’m beginning to see where this is headed.

“The gas… what did you do to it?”

“A simple nerve agent. The electricity wasn’t the only thing I tampered with before coming here - I made sure to take all the necessary precautions. Why else do you think I wasted all that time scouring ANGEL’s laboratories? If you don’t stop the system soon, your friends are going to suffer irreparable brain damage.”

Rage builds up inside me. “Judith…!”

I turn my head, prepared to bolt back down – but the metal pole of the lance slides in front of me, forming a cross to bar my escape.

“Don’t turn your back on me, scum. You challenged me – don’t back down now.”

I slowly turn. Alice is no longer moaning, but I can hear her labored breathing. Seeing her like this, I almost feel her pain myself.

“I’ll destroy you,” I say once again, to reassure myself more than anything.

I grasp Nightfall in both hands and charge. I see the Impaler out of the corner of my eye, spiraling around to block –

But I can go faster.

Mid-air, racing the spear towards its master, I fully merge myself with my soul. Having rested for more than enough to fully recover, the Soul Link transitions smoothly.

This battle is over.

I’m just about to reach Dracula, sword raised, everything around me a blur except for my crimson target – until a glint of red races from nowhere, knocking my blade off course. Before I can react, it twirls about and impales my chest. Burning pain courses through my system as the harsh metal scrapes through my organs and through the other end of my torso. Still being carried forward by my momentum, I crash into the wall in a bloody mess. Dust and debris fall from the crater under my back.

“How?” I choke. The Impaler wrenches itself from my chest with a sickening lurch.

My speed when Soul Linked… should be unmatched. How was the spear able to keep up?

I leap to my feet again and try to close the distance – but for some reason, I’m unable to reach my full speed. The air feels viscous – as if I’m trying to move through honey. As if I’m in one of those dreams, running as fast as I can – yet barely moving at all.

This isn’t natural. Why can’t I move?

Dracula’s spear whirls out of my sight and around the other end of my vision, impaling me once again. I fall to the ground, unable to move from the pain.

“It’s over,” the vampire says, standing before me. He’s barely broken into a sweat – in fact, he’s been pretty much standing still the entire time, his spear attacking and blocking for him like a serpentine guardian.

“Why?” I ask. I should be able to move several times faster – even by vampiric standards – yet I’m slower than I was as a human.

Dracula’s spear retracts to its normal size. “The Impaler does not only deal grievous wounds to the body, it also wounds the soul and transfers that power to myself. The more blood it tastes, the stronger I grow, and the weaker the target becomes. If I kill them, the change will become permanent and the power will completely merge with my own. Among vampires, I am considered a God, boy. A vessel capable of limitless power.”

“No… no way…”

“You are surprisingly strong for a hybrid – but now that strength and speed is mine. The mistake you made was allowing me to draw your blood. Can you feel it? Your strength leaving you? Your soul, your Divine Edge crumbling? As you are now, you wouldn’t even be a match for an ordinary vampire.”

“Is that your plan?” I ask, coughing in pain. “Are you going to kill Alice to steal her power?”

A boot presses itself firmly onto the wound on my back, and I scream.

“I have no intention of killing Alice. I will never find another so suited to be my bride as her. Imagine all the possibilities, Bran. Children birthed from a one-in-a-million specimen such as her, and the first vampire to walk the earth. Imagine their potential.”

The boot lifts itself from my back, and I’m able to raise my head. Dracula is shivering, a savage lust in his red eyes. I see the crazed expression in his face.

“Imagine the power I’d gain from drawing their blood with my spear. A near infinite supply of children from Alice, fresh fodder for me to kill. When she reaches the end of her life, I will take one of our children and she will become my new bride. As one who arrived from the original realm of the demons, I will not age nor die. My power will grow infinitely, until I remake this world as my own.”

I feel bile rising from my throat. This… this thing is truly the definition of a monster. Inbreeding, infanticide… not a shred of morality exists within this being.

“I’ll never do it!”

Alice screams at the top of her lungs, still crawling pathetically on the ground. She can’t break free from her chains, and her legs are far from healed. She wildly shakes her head in an attempt to cast away her blindfold, but to no avail.

“Oh, once the wedding is complete – although it’s closer to a ritual – you won’t be able to resist. How else do you think the Blood Lords controlled their mates if they were of the same blood?”

“You’re lying… mother was never under father’s control…”

“Because your father was weak. Look at our once proud clan – hiding under the city from the hunters like vermin. Look at what he’s done to our race.”

I finally manage to reach my feet, but all my strength is gone. I have barely a fraction of the strength I had as a vampire.

“Stay in your place, human.”

My vision staggers as I’m kicked back down onto my face. Blood enters my mouth – sickeningly warm.

“You are not worthy of being a vampire. As such, I will now strip you of your race, and the power that comes with it.”

Trying to connect the dots in his words, I see a blazing red aura surround him. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

A Soul Link.

The crimson sheen of the Impaler brightens. Chaos swirls around my brain and my chest at the sight. Just by looking at it, I feel my mind being torn apart and a part of my soul being dragged out. Flashbacks of the wraiths on the bridge fly before my eyes, and before I know it I’m screaming.

The red lance glows and plunges into me – but my body isn’t wounded.

Instead, I feel a part of myself die.

It slowly withers away, like the leaves of a tree come winter. The phantom image of the pole pierces throughout my body, stabbing into every inch of it and destroying my soul. Indescribable pain rushes through my brain, overloading it, shutting down my senses. I shudder numbly, withering, diminishing like the glow of the ghostly spear as it finishes its work and retracts from my torso. I lie on the ground, unable to move, completely drained of strength. The corridor has darkened drastically – I can barely make out Dracula’s two feet and Alice’s slumped form.

No… it was always this dark. I just can’t see through it anymore.

I feel… so weak and exposed.

“You are no longer a demon, Bran Lietmann. That part of your soul has been sealed away. You never deserved it in the first place.”

Vladimir Dracula steps back, his red spear disappearing, before bending down and hoisting Alice onto his back. A sob escapes her lips as her broken legs flop around uselessly.

“If you’re lucky, you’ll die of your wounds. Otherwise, you’ll have to experience the pain of the nerve gas.”

With that the armoured vampire slowly walks off into the distance, his metallic boots clanging on the floor. Within moments he’s descended the stairs, leaving me alone –

To die.