Hendrik's house stood defiantly on the outskirts of the city, a weathered and solitary structure engulfed by the encroaching embrace of overgrown trees. The skeletal branches seemed to intertwine with the building's aged facade, casting eerie shadows. The wind whispered through the branches, carrying a sense of foreboding that seemed to amplify with each step closer to the mysterious abode.

Blackthorn's man, with a nervous demeanor, pointed towards Hendrik's residence. "This is the place. He's a recluse, not many people know about him. Be careful, though, he's…… weird."

Castiel nodded, "You can go now," he instructed the guide, who didn’t wait for another second there.

The air grew colder as they approached the entrance, and the soft rustling of leaves overhead added a haunting soundtrack to their journey. Castiel's hand rested on the hilt of his concealed weapons, and Damian's senses remained sharp as they approached the entrance. Damian surveyed the surroundings, keenly aware of potential threats. Castiel, on the other hand, focused on the door, his hand ready to draw the concealed weapons beneath his cloak.

But before he could knock, the door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior. Hendrik, a middle-aged man with a perfect look and kempt hair, peered out. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Castiel spoke with a measured tone, saying, “I'm Azriel, and this is Damian. We've come to discuss…..” Castiel stopped mid-sentence, his heightened senses offering alarming answers to unasked questions, but he continued speaking, “a matter of great importance with you.”

Hendrik's eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in his gaze. "What could be so important that you disturb my solitude?"

"Children," Castiel replied bluntly. "We're here about the children you bought from Roderick Blackthorn."

A flicker of surprise and annoyance crossed Hendrik's face before he masked his emotions. "I don’t have them anymore. I sold them to someone else."

Castiel questioned, “Then, who is making the noise in the basement?”

In an instant, Hendrik's demeanor transformed. Fangs bared, he lunged towards Castiel, a predatory gleam in his eyes. But before his hands could reach their intended target, the room echoed with three deafening gunshots. "Bang! Bang!... Bang!" Castiel's shots rang out, each impact piercing through Hendrik's body. Two bullets struck his chest, and the final one found its mark in his head.

The sudden turn of events left Damian, his sword drawn, in a state of bewilderment. "Castiel?"

Casually walking past Hendrik, who was lying down, Castiel revealed the unsettling truth, "He is a vampire."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Damian swiftly moved to behead Hendrik, ensuring the demise of the vampire. Meanwhile, Castiel, undeterred by the chaotic turn of events, focused on finding the entrance to the basement. The loud noise from the gunshots made the kids in the basement scream louder in fear and this time Damian finally heard the kids.

Once inside the basement, the haunted gazes of the children met Castiel and Damian. But Seeing Castiel and Damian, the children that seemed to have witnessed far too much for their tender years, clung to each other in silent solidarity.

Castiel ran to them and saw only 12 of them, “It’s fine kids, we are here to help. Where are the others?”

One of the kids spoke with teary eyes, “They….. They took them in there.” Pointing toward the door of another room.

Castiel said, “Allright! Wait here! We will get them and then we will all leave this place together. Ok?”

The kids nodded, their hope rekindled. Castiel and Damian advanced through the indicated door, weapons in hand. Yet, the sight that awaited them in the next room struck them with horror. Their jaws dropped, and their eyes turned red in anger, as if they had glimpsed the devil himself at work.

The room beyond the door was a grotesque theater of horrors. The children, hung upside down like gruesome chandeliers, had their blood mercilessly drained into a vile bowl beneath them. The horrific display painted a chilling scene of torment and brutality. Their small bodies, once vibrant with life, now bore the unmistakable hue of death, a ghastly blue that bespoke the cruelty inflicted upon them.

Some children were missing limbs - hands severed, legs brutally removed - bearing witness to the unfathomable cruelty they had endured. Castiel and Damian's guts twisted with a mix of fury and sorrow as they surveyed the nightmarish scene before them.

Castiel's eyes then shifted towards another room adjacent to theirs. Individuals of various races - Humans, Dwarves, Beastfolk, and other demihumans - were subjected to the same ghastly fate, their bodies hung in perverse mimicry of the children's suffering.

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The sight was beyond a mere horror, it was a scene of suffering and despair that stained the very fabric of the room. The air itself seemed to thicken with the cruelty that saturated the room, as if the very essence of evil clung to the walls.

A nauseating stench, a combination of blood and misery, hung heavily in the air, serving as a grim reminder of the heinous acts committed by those who reveled in the cruelty of vampires. The sickening tableau underscored the depth of depravity these captives had endured, their collective suffering etched into the very walls that confined them.

Suddenly, a painful scream started coming from another room, prompting Castiel to rush inside. The sight that met his eyes struck him to his core, causing his sword to slip from his trembling hand. Strapped to a table, a five-year-old child lay with his chest gruesomely laid bare. The innocence of youth was replaced by a nightmarish scene - lungs and heart exposed for all to see.

Castiel fell to his knees, overcome with a profound sorrow. Tears welled in his eyes as he grappled with the sheer horror of the scene before him. “Oh, God! Who does this to a kid?"

The child, exhibiting an otherworldly strength, broke free from the straps that bound him. The young one lunged at Castiel, whose initial shock gave way to a defensive reflex. Castiel raised his left hand, and the child sank his teeth into it, drawing blood. As the child greedily consumed Castiel's blood, the truth unfolded. Castiel, through teary eyes, recognized the hungry expression and the blood-red eyes – the unmistakable signs of a child in transition to becoming a vampire.

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Castiel's heart. In Eden, everyone knew what it meant when a child turned into a vampire - an emotionally unhinged being driven by an insatiable and uncontrollable thirst for blood, even willing to kill their own mother.

In the midst of his tears, Castiel retrieved his fallen sword. With a heavy heart, he whispered, "Forgive... me," and plunged the blade into the child's heart. "Be at... peace now."

A haunting screech filled the room as the anti-demonic enchantment in the sword took effect, halting the small heart's beats. Castiel, his hand stained with both his blood and the child's, gently removed the sword. The young life ceased, and the child fell lifeless onto Castiel.

Still weeping, Castiel whispered through his tears, "Forgive me. I was late. Forgive me" The weight of the cruel reality pressed upon him, as he grappled not only with the loss of innocence but also with the brutal necessity that the circumstances had demanded.

Damian approached with a journal he had discovered. He called out, "Castiel, I found something. Looks like this vampire was conducting some sort of research." However, his words were abruptly cut short as an unseen force seized him by the neck.

In an instant, Damian found himself lifted off the ground, the journal slipping from his grasp and clattering to the cold floor below. Panic and surprise flashed across his eyes as he struggled against Hannibal, The Vampire Lord, who was hiding in the shadows like a rock, all this time.

Castiel, alerted by the commotion, turned his head to see another vampire attacking his friend and something, shifted within him. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and a surge of primal instincts and ancient power coursed through Castiel's being.

Despite gasping for breath, Damian managed to pull his handgun on Hannibal. However, the vampire lord, with casual ease, snatched the firearm away with his left hand. He regarded the weapon with curious disdain, his voice dripping with mockery, "What is this toy? Looks bizarre!" Dismissing it as if it were a mere protective trinket, Hannibal casually threw the handgun aside.

As Damian struggled to regain his composure, Hannibal's anger flared. His eyes burned with rage as he addressed the intruders with disdain, "You filthy humans! Coming here and killing my minion. At first, I was thinking of using you two for my research, but now, I am gonna eat the two of you, and I will make it painful."

Hannibal was about to rip Damian’s left hand from his shoulder when suddenly he felt a powerful aura increasing every second. “Huh!.....” He looked back and saw Castiel walking very slowly with his head down, muttering something. Hannibal sneered, “I see. We have a mage amongst us.”

Castiel hadn't grieved or mourned his parents' death nor the loss of his people's lives. He had kept his emotions behind an iron wall. But the cruel and gruesome death of the children was the last straw. The wall had finally broken. Castiel, with his head down, spoke, "You people, you destroy our lives. You… you kill innocents and for what? Money? Power?"

Hannibal laughed, throwing away Damian like a ragdoll. He was about to pounce on Castiel with his fangs and nails out, when Castiel, lifting his head, locked eyes with him. Hannibal suddenly froze, immobilized like a solid rock in his place. Castiel's eyes glowed crimson, unknowingly projecting another one of his Dragon bloodline abilities: Dragon Fear.

Panic surged through Hannibal's thoughts. What is happening? I can't move! Why can't I move? Who… is he?

Simultaneously, Castiel's aura surpassed the power levels Hannibal could handle. Hannibal's heart ceased pumping blood through his body. Castiel stood inches away from Hannibal and spoke with an angry growl, "You harm those who have done nothing wrong to you," grabbing Hannibal by his shoulders with both hands. Castiel's thumbs slowly broke Hannibal’s collarbone and dug inside his body.

With a maddening growl, Castiel locked eyes with Hannibal and screamed, "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!" Ripping Hannibal from the middle, blood and guts showered Castiel in a gruesome display of carnage.

Castiel saw Hannibal as just another unnamed vampire who needed to die. Unaware of the broader consequences, he had no idea that by killing Hannibal, Castiel had just saved thousands, perhaps millions of lives. Little did he know, the world would soon seek the one who had saved them from the vicious grasp of death, setting in motion a chain of events that would unravel the mystery of their savior.