The castle halls were empty of anyone who could stop him from roaming them. The entire castle was at last his to explore freely. Angel knew that the Vampire Elder Soren was killed and could not help him. The Werewolf Elder Kami had disappeared. Nobody knew where to find the Elder. The castle had to have some clues as to where Kami might be. But this is Werewolf Elder, the last people to know where to find the Elder would be the vampires. No Elder would be dumb enough to reveal themselves to the beings that want them dead the most. So, finding the Elder seems like a lost cause. Elder’s were the key to ending the war. However, all things considered. It was time for him to give up on the Elders and find a new path. The problem is, there wasn’t a new path. The library had no answers and the only place left to check for answers was. Lord Alexander’s bedroom. But he couldn’t bring himself to break into the King’s bedroom. With the route to a happy ending for him and Raven closing.
Angel was starting to wonder if he made the right choice. His heart wanted her, there’s no question that she’s what he wants. But his friends. They wanted him to be their king. They wanted him to take the throne. To save them from Blaire’s accession to the throne. He wasn’t sure if he could do it. If he could be selfish enough to abandon his friends for Raven. Sometimes, you have to be willing to make sacrifices for the people who matter most to you. Both sides mattered, he wanted to help his friends but he also wanted to be with Raven. He couldn’t do both, his next move would be making that decision. He wasn’t sure what to do next. The entire castle was his to explore but the only place he wanted to be. Is here in his room, his eyes looking up at the ceiling as he laid in his bed.
“If I choose Raven, I run the risk of getting us both killed. With little to no chance of a happy ending. It does seem better to cut my losses and choose the throne. But on the other hand if I choose the throne. I’d be forced to play the role of the happy husband and pretend to be something I’m not. Yes, I could do a lot of great things as King. I could build a better army. I could give my friends the leader they deserve. I could prevent Lord Alexander’s greatest creation from being turned to rubble. It’d be great to do those things but knowing. Inside I’d feel incomplete and I’d know that there’s no filling that void. I’d be alone even with my friends. I’d still feel alone. Raven is the only person who can fill that void. If I lose her, it’s like losing a part of myself. So, the question is. What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m not sure, I do know that I’m not giving up.” Angel rose to his feet. “I need to check the Library one last time. If Elders aren’t the answer. Then, I need to find something else. I can’t keep choosing Raven if I know. There’s no happy ending for us. I need something to cling to, a thread of hope. Anything will do at this point.” He walked into the Library, making his way through the door to the secret Library for one last look. He checked through the books knowing most of them he had already read. “Come on, something, something, something,” His cell phone began to ring and vibrate in his back pocket. The sudden noise caused him to lift his head and hit it against the shelf above him. The impact was great enough to cause a stack of rolled up papers to fall from the very top of the shelf and bury him. “Shit,” Angel brushed the papers off him, rubbing the back of his head. His cell phone was still ringing and vibrating in his back pocket. He took out his phone and pressed it to his ear. “Hello?”
“It’s Claire, how quickly can you pack your things?”
“Pretty fast, wh-,” Angel’s eyes lingered on one of the rolled up papers. This one was much longer than the others. It was partially opened. But it was open just enough to capture his full attention. Part of it was torn off and it was that torn piece that caught his eye. “Claire, I’m going to have to call you back.”
“Angel, no, wait, this is-,” Angel hung up the phone. He grabbed the rolled up paper and rushed over to the map room. Just as he thought. When he connected this paper with the map they used to map out the war. It connects like a puzzle piece. Which means, there’s much more out there and it’s run by someone else. But who? Beneath the map, it’s a name. D-R-A-C-U-L-A. This area belongs to…
“Dracula, so, he does exist.” Angel stepped back. Just the name was enough to strike him with fear. A vampire who needed no introduction. Powerful enough to have territory more than three times the size of their entire map. He owns that much of the world compared to him. This is a tiny spec of land. But at least, He had a heading.
If Dracula exists and owns all of this land. He and Raven could venture out to his territory and hopefully plead their case with him. The chances were slim, but there was a chance. Dracula might listen. He might give them a chance. But getting to him would be difficult.
In order to do that, he had to cross the battlefield. Which would make him fair game for Lord Grimm and Lord Alexander. Not only that Liley might even try to stop them. The last thing anyone would want is for Dracula to get involved. Hence why Lord Alexander made sure nobody knew he existed. This was going to be a feat, close to impossible. But, it presented them a chance to be heard and that’s all he needed. He took a quick picture of the map with his phone. As he was rolling up the map. His cell phone started to ring again. This time, he answered it right away.
“Okay, Claire,” Angel locked the door to the map room. “You have my full attention. What’s going on?”
“They know,” The second Claire said those words. Angel knew what this meant. Lycan is going to kill Raven. “Look, you don’t have a lot of time, you need to-,” There was a small break in the words and Claire’s voice switched to Raven’s. “Lord Alexander knows it’s you, I’m sorry, please forgive me, I didn’t mean to-,”
“It’s okay, I’m not mad just as long as you’re okay. I’ll manage.” Angel assured her. He could hear her crying over the phone. He wasn’t sure what they did to her to make her talk. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain. He could hear Claire in the background telling Raven to get some rest. There was a pause again and the voice switched back to Claire’s.
“Look, Angel,” Claire spoke. “Brandon and I rescued her from Lord Grimm’s castle. But, we barely got there in time and things aren’t looking good over here. You told me she was it, that you wanted to be with her, kids and all, she’s the one you want. Right now, she needs you. So if what you told me is true, then, it’s time to prove it. Because we can’t do this without you.”
“I’ll be right there,” Angel opened the door to the map room. “Claire, please look after Raven. Do whatever you can to help her until I get there.” He hung up the phone. Once he got to his bedroom. He began shoving his clothes into a bag. He started cleaning out his closet then moved onto his private bathroom. Once it was clear, he started packing up his dresser. Now that his stuff was packed there was only one thing left for him to do.
Angel opened his nightstand drawer taking out envelopes with the names of teammates on it. It was time for him to say goodbye. He left the envelopes in each of their respective rooms. One for Selene, one for Fate, one for Scythe, one for Jayden, one for Ziek, and one for Brandon. Last on the list was. He walked into Blaire’s room. He placed the divorce papers on her dresser. His signature was already placed on the line. He took off his wedding ring and placed it on the papers. He took out the envelope with Blaire’s name on it and placed it on top of the papers.
“I really wanted to keep my promise to your father. The problem is, I can’t save you from yourself. Only you can do that.” Angel walked out of Blaire’s bedroom. Now that he’s said his goodbyes, there was one last place he had to visit.
He walked to one of the rooms behind the castle staircase. He reached for the steel handle. His hand trembled in fear. His hand trembled so hard, the handle was shaking with it. This one room held all of his nightmares. The thought of revisiting that fear. Bringing himself back to that room. It was hard, he couldn’t face that person again. But if he wanted to do this, be with Raven, face a world that refused to accept them. They would rather see them both dead. He had to face that fear and become fearless. This was it, this was the place where part of him died. He forced a swallow. He opened the door and walked inside.
The first thing he saw was a steel cage. The inside of that cage was his old home. The blood stained concrete floor. The countless bodies that were piled in front of him. Mere food to feed to what he’s become. A monster, he thought. Something redeemable. He could still see himself in a ball, hiding in the shadows. His body shaking in fear, wearing nothing but boxers. His lips, covered in blood. His eyes, full of tears.
This cage, Angel’s hand clenched the steel bars. It was his worst nightmare, it was still here he thought he was past it. But this cage lingered even in his mind. It existed. It would always be there, torturing him. This fragile version of himself would always be there shaking in fear. But fear wasn’t the only thing that existed in this room. He glanced over at the chair. Anger was there too. This is where Blaire would sit and watch as she tortured him. She did this to him, she tried to break him. For a while, he thought she succeeded but Raven changed that. She gave him purpose, she gave him a new life. He wasn’t a monster anymore. It’s time to let go and forgive himself for all he’s done. Time to put his cage behind him.
He stood there staring into the cage. His screams echoed in his ears. His begging, his crying, the screams of his victims. He saw himself clinging to the bars, tears down his eyes. His hand shaking in fear. He walked to the bars and placed his hand on top of his head.
“You did it, you’re finally free.” Angel assured himself. “You did a lot of terrible things to get this far. It hurt, it tore you up inside.” His eyes began to build tears. “I thought I’d never forgive you for it. I thought I’d always feel guilty.” He wiped a few times from his eyes. “Now after all this time, I think, I’m ready to forgive you. So, go, be free.” The version of himself in the cage faded and he let out a sigh of relief. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.
He walked into his bedroom taking one last look around. There were a few books on the floor from when he snuck Raven into his room. He picked them up and placed them back in the bookshelf. The last book he picked stood out from the others. It was gray with a white dragon design on it. Dragons, a recurring theme in Scythe’s family bloodline. As he recalled, Scythe’s dragon design was black but this one was white. He opened the book and began to read through it.
“Sozin?” Angel’s eyes wandered the room. So his bedroom. It once belonged to a vampire named Sozin. Wait, Sozin, that’s the name of Scythe’s brother. He is the one who-A bright light flashed filling the entire room. The light was so bright, Angel had to shield his eyes. A warm light dimmed. When Angel’s sight returned he was standing in a forest. Across from him was a man meditating.
The man was dressed in white kimono with gray dragon designs. He had long gray hair that reached his lower back. His eyes were closed, his legs crossed. “So, you’re the vampire who took my room. I knew my brother would eventually assign someone that room. I figured if he did, the person who took it would remind him of me. Naturally, I was curious, I wanted to know who that person might be. I think this’ll go a lot faster if you just-,” He went to poke Angel’s forehead. Before he could Angel stepped back.
“I don’t know who you are or where I am. I do know that if you try to lay one finger on me. I will kick your ass.” Angel warned.
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“Well, I thought it was obvious. I’m Sozin, as for where you are. Well, that is a difficult question to answer. Let’s just say, you’re somewhere safe. So, what do they call you?” Sozin asked. Angel wasn’t sure what was going on or how he ended up here. All he knew is he had other places to be. Raven needs him. “Raven?” The second Sozin spoke her name. Angel stopped in place. “Forgive me, I’m able to read minds so this Raven person, is she important to you?”
“I don’t have time for Q and A, I really need to get back to her.” Angel tried to leave but was reminded. He didn’t know where he was or how to leave. “How do I get out of here?” He asked.
“Please have a seat,” Sozin encouraged. “I’ll let you go,I just want to ask you a few questions first.” Angel groaned and sat across from him. “As I said before, this will go a lot faster if you just.” He went to poke Angel’s forehead but he glared at him. “Look, you’re not making this easy for either of us. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“It’s kind of hard to believe that when we’ve just met. Especially knowing that if you knew what I was up to. You’d probably want me dead.” Angel explained. “Let’s just say, a lot of people want to kill me right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were one of them.”
“Okay now that you’ve said that. I feel like I have to do this.” Sozin quickly appeared in front of Angel. Before he could move, his palm was on Angel’s forehead. Angel could feel his memories being pulled out of him. He kept seeing flashes of his own memories being poured into Sozin’s mind. Sozin was able to see Angel and Raven together in the cave, Angel’s wedding with Blaire, each memory like a powerful burst of information. Once he finished, he slapped Angel across the face. “You almost slept with my daughter, my sweet Selene, why would you do that to my sweet Selene.”
“Sweet,” Angel rubbed his cheek. “Are we even talking about the same Selene? Besides, she came onto me. I didn’t do that. She did. You saw the memories. So, I don’t know why you’re slapping me for it.” He kept rubbing his cheek.
“I can’t say I blame her for it.” Sozin let out a sigh. “You’re attractive and I mean, after seeing what you can do. I can’t say I’d disapprove of you dating my daughter. You beat Lord Alexander and my brother in a fight. Any guy who can do that is worthy of my sweet Selene.”
“Again,” Angel raised his brow. “Are you sure we're talking about the same Selene?”
“Selene has grown quite a bit since my absence hasn’t she?” Sozin lowered his head. “I suppose I have you to thank for that. So, as thanks, I’ll let you know. You’re right, the Elders are not the key to ending the war.” He rose to his feet. “I’ve met both Kami and Soren. They trained me. I could tell you first hand even if Soren was alive. He would not help you. Kami wouldn’t either, Kami hates to get involved. She’d much rather run from the problem than face it. She’s always been that way. So, I’m afraid, you’re on your own.”
“I figured as much.” Angel sat there in the grass. “So, let me guess, you’re going to tell me I should take the throne and forget about Raven. That’s what everyone else wants me to do. Your Brother, your daughter, they all want the same thing.”
“Why do you think I sought out the Elders?” Sozin asked. He wasn’t sure. He had no idea Sozin even sought them out. “I was lucky, Soren took me in and introduced me to Kami. So I had the connections. Just like you, I sought to end the war. I didn’t want to see Selene or Patience get hurt. I knew this war would make it close to impossible for me to protect my daughters. Selene insisted on being a part of it. So, the only option I had was to ask the Elders to end it. They wouldn’t. That was when I decided to fight Lord Grimm and end it myself. I died hoping my death would save my daughter’s life and I failed. Lord Grimm lives and though I’m not dead, I might as well be.”
“So is Selene actually your-,”
“Not by blood but I trained her. I taught her everything I knew. I was her master, I tried to teach her how to embrace her emotions to let people in. It was just the one thing she never wanted to learn. She was afraid to let people get close somehow.” Sozin’s bright green eyes glanced over at Angel. “You taught her that. My advice to you is, keep going on the path that feels most true to you. You may discover later on that the two paths eventually merge together as one. Angel, you have a lot of potential even more than you realize.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Angel asked.
“Your curses, they are a form of corruption in order to remove them. You must first remove the corruption. The only way to remove it is by the use of,” Sozin smirked. “Spirit, an energy used by humans and werewolves. In rare cases a vampire can use it too. Angel, you too are a rare case. The opposing element to your curses is spirit and if you can remove your curses by yourself. Your spiritual potential must rival that of your curses. Which means my friend, you are far more dangerous than you realize. Just like your curses, spirit can be used in many ways.” He showed Angel images of his past battles. He saw Sozin create a spirit dragon. He saw Sozin use spirit to shield himself from sunlight. He saw Sozin use spirit to increase his speed. He saw Sozin use spirit to amplify his healing. “All of these skills are attainable through spirit. After seeing the path you’ve chosen, I see now why Scythe chose to put you in my old room.” Sozin walked up to Angel and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“You and I are a lot alike,” Sozin smiled. “We both seek to end the war. In my time, it was impossible but perhaps, it will be different with you. Take this knowledge I’ve given you as thanks for everything you’ve done for my daughter. I hope you can succeed where I failed.” Sozin removed his hand from Angel’s shoulder.
“For what it’s worth,” Angel shrugged. “It’s not too late, just because you failed to protect Selene back then. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it now. I’m sure she misses you. You said so yourself, you’re not dead. So, it’s not over.”
“I’d rather her think of me as dead than to face her as a failure. Besides, she doesn’t need me. She has you to look after her. Even if you two are on opposing sides, I don’t think you have it in you to harm my sweet Selene. She means a lot to you. You might refuse to admit it. There’s no denying the part of you that does care for her.” Sozin smirked. “It was nice meeting you, perhaps in another life. You would have made a great husband for Selene. Now go, don’t keep Raven waiting. She needs you.”
A bright light covered the forest around them. Once the light faded, Angel was back in his bedroom with Sozin’s book wide open on the floor. “Spirit huh,” He lifted his hand, his eyes remaining on his palm. “I’m not really sure how I’m using it. But for some reason I am and I have been all this time without realizing it. But now that I know what it is. I’m prepared to start using it to protect Raven.” He balled his hand into a tight fist. “We’ll make it Dracula and even if he doesn’t listen. I’ll make him listen.” He started to enter the secret passage behind his bookshelf. Before he could, he was stopped by a voice.
“Going somewhere?” An elderly voice spoke. “I’ve been watching you for some time now Angel. Lord Alexander has instructed me to keep you here in the castle until he returns. Come let us wait in the throne room.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Angel answered. “So unless,” He turned to face the elderly vampire. Most vampires chose to keep their true age hidden. They appeared younger but for some reason. This man had wrinkles on his hands. He wore a hat and had white beard that reached his chest. He wore robes and had beads around his neck. Either this vampire was choosing to show his real age. Or, he’s so old that even the fact he’s a vampire couldn’t hide it. Both were possible but it changed nothing. “Look, old man, unless you’re willing to kill me. Then there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He started to leave through the secret passage in his bookcase.
“In that case,” The old man ripped his beaded necklace from his neck. He then flung it at Angel. The necklace expanded wrapping around his body and binding him in place. He started screaming as the beads began burning his flesh. “You young ones have no respect for us elders. Sure we may not be as strong as you or as agile. We might not be as old as Soren, but with age comes wisdom and resilience. Prayer beads,” He began pulling Angel to him. “Works every time, I really hoped I wouldn’t have to use those on our Prince. But I had to use them to get Lord Alexander to listen so I guess. It’s like father like son in this situation. Come let us go to the throne room.”
“Let go of me, you old bastard. I’m not going anywhere.” Angel tried to break free of the prayer beads but couldn’t. As he struggled he was being dragged upstairs to the throne room. He tried to use curses to break the beads but they were disappearing faster than he could make them. “Right, prayer beads, they are probably made using spiritual energy. Spirit the natural counter to my curses. Which is why they won’t work. Damn this old man.” He kept trying to free himself from the prayer beads. However the more he struggled, the more they burned his skin. “These beads won’t hold me forever, I will get free and I will get out of here. You can’t keep me here.” He kept struggling to break the beads.
“I only need to keep you here till Lord Alexander gets here.” The old man sat on the floor. A servant came in and brought him a cup of blood. “The beads should hold you long enough for that. After that,” He took a sip from the glass of blood. “I’ll most likely let you go. Until then, tell me, Angel, as I said before I’ve been watching you for some time now. So once you leave this castle and go be with your werewolf. Where are you going next?” He asked.
“Oh no, I’m not sitting through another lecture from an old man.” Angel kept struggling to get free. “Let me out of here, I don’t need anymore advice.” He began biting the beads trying to break them with his teeth. In the process, his mouth started to burn. He ignored the pain and kept biting hoping to break the string holding the beads together.
“If I were to take a guess,” He took a sip from his cup. “You’re going to plead your case with Dracula.” Angel stopped biting the beads, shocked by what the old man said. How did he know that’s where he’s headed? Unless, like Sozin, he can read minds too. “You’re not the first person who’s tried to be with a werewolf. There have been many cases where a werewolf and a vampire tried to make their relationship work. Whether it be by deceiving us all or trying to plead their case up front. In every case, they both die. You might get lucky and one of you might survive. The chances of that happening are rare. I would know,” He set his cup beside him. “My daughter fell in love with a werewolf.”
“Your daughter? Who.. are you?” Angel asked.
“I’m an advisor to Lord Alexander much like Nikan is an advisor to Lord Grimm. You could say that Nikan and I are much like rivals. Granted after the loss of my daughter. I was no longer in the mood to keep up with appearances. I decided to retire while Nikan continued to move forward despite his old age.” He explained. “Now, I remain here looking after the king. It was me who told him you’d make a great king. I advised him to train you. I was the one who paved the way so you could be king. I saw your potential from the moment you left your cage.” He picked up his glass. “My name is of no importance seeing as I’m no longer the man I used to be. Those who know me only know my name because they’ve faced me in my prime.” He took a drink from his glass. “Would you like to hear the story of how my daughter died? I assure you, the story will be worth your time. It might even convince you of why it’s better to let go of your relationship with this werewolf and accept the opportunity that’s been given to you.”
“I’ve already decided, I choose her.” Angel glared into his eyes. “No amount of storytelling is going to change my mind. Now, let me go.”
“Then, you should know,” The old man set his empty glass down. “My daughter was killed by Dracula. The werewolf she loved was badly wounded after fighting off both Alexander and Grimm’s army. Both tried to stop them from reaching Dracula’s territory. She dragged her lover’s body to the border. Where she was shot and killed long before she pleaded her case. I tried to buy as much time as I could but in the end. Not even Dracula can be reasoned with. To make matters worse. She never got to see Dracula face to face or the chance to speak with him. The person who killed her was someone who worked for him. Given orders to kill anyone who enters his territory. So, knowing this, you’d still choose her over a kingdom?”
“It’ll be different for us, it has to be,” Angel answered. “I refuse to give up, Raven means more to me than anything in this world. I don’t want the throne, I want her. You know what else I’m sick of these damn prayer beads.” He flexed his muscles, increasing his strength with spirit. The beads snapped each one falling to the floor. He glared into the old man’s eyes as the beads bounced off the floor. The old man’s eyes widened astonished by what he had seen. The doors to the throne room flew open and Lord Alexander walked into the throne room. He wasn’t alone following right behind him were a ton of guards.
“Surrender, there’s nowhere for you to go Angel,” Lord Alexander held his hand out. The suits of armor that held the pillars in his throne began moving. They lifted their great blades slowly walking towards him. “This is your last chance, give up on the werewolf and we can negotiate.” Angel’s eyes wandered the room. There’s only two ways into Lord Alexander’s throne room. The main door and the secret passage to the training grounds below. Which would only be another dead end. “You are surrounded, it’s over Angel. Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” Angel continued backing up, keeping space between him and the guards. He took a few steps behind Lord Alexander’s throne.
“I’m sorry but I can’t do that,” Angel kicked Lord Alexander’s throne into the air. He spun and kicked it at the king. He dodged his throne. He closed his hand. Shards of diamond fell from the ceiling above him. Angel dodged the shards only to get his shirt caught by a diamond spike. He tried to pull himself free but his shirt was nailed to one of the pillars.
“You can’t escape Angel,” Lord Alexander created more diamond spikes around him. He’s right, he has him trapped. There was no way out. Unless, Angel tore off his shirt in order to free himself from the spike that held him in place. He bolted toward the wall behind him. He shoulder tackled the wall breaking through it. Sunlight shot through the hole Angel made in the wall causing the guards to retreat.
The light of the sun beamed down on Angel as fell from the top floor of the castle. The sun began to burn him while he was in mid-flight. He ignored the pain, focusing on his spirit. He could feel his spiritual energy growing. He just had to use it to create a shield over his skin to protect himself from the sun before it killed him.
“Come on, just a bit more.” Angel spread his arms as the wind broke against him. The ground coming closer, his skin being burned off as he fell. He began to see an aura of energy spreading all over his body. This aura kept the sun from burning him. He jumped into a front flip, his feet hitting the ground creating a crater beneath his feet. “I did it,” He held his arm out exposing it to the sun. There was nothing, no burns, nothing. He was free to walk in daylight.
Lord Alexander stood over the hole that was created observing Angel. He glanced over at the king knowing if he wanted. He could cover himself in diamond and pursue him. A fight could break out right here if the king wanted it. Angel stood there waiting to see if he’d try and stop him. He backed away from the hole letting him escape.
Angel walked into the daylight. The sun shining on his sturdy chest, his hardened abs. It felt good, the rays on his bareskin. No more sun repellant, no more hiding in the shadows. For the first time he was free to go wherever he pleased. As he was walking, he saw himself laying on the ground being punished by the sun. A sun that once judged him was now letting him walk free. He was free from his role as Prince. All that remained was Angel. It was time for him to join Raven’s side. It was time for a new beginning…