VII. LORD OF THE DARKNESS

'When you're alone in the dark, he'll come.'

.

.

☘☘☘

THE sound of lashes echoed throughout the underground prison. This vampire kingdom's prison is only lit by a few torches in the corridor. It's so dark. Cold. The stench of the prisoners' corpses stifle the air. Loud screams were heard from one of the rooms. A man of small stature was being tortured by several guards.

"ARGHHH!"

"Tell me, who is your master?" asked one of the guards to the man sitting on his knees with an iron chain shackled to his hands and feet.

The man remained silent even though his entire body was covered in wounds from guards who whipped him relentlessly. Fresh blood was pouring all over her body. He has sworn allegiance to his master.

"Answer my question. Are you deaf, huh?!" snapped the bodyguard as he kicked the man in the stomach, his body hit the iron wall behind him.

"...."

Not getting a response either, the guards are increasingly brutally torturing prisoners in front of them. One of them even pulled out the man's fingernails one by one. The guy lucky he wasn't human. If he was a human being, that man would have been dead a few hours ago. Is that a fortune?

"I-I'm not a traitor. I'm just a butler. P-please... have mercy on me, sir."

"What did you say?"

A baritone voice firmly interrupted their conversation. The aura in the room immediately turned dark when the tall figure approached. They all froze to feel an incredible aura of killing. The prisoner's body was shivering violently. An overwhelming fear filled the recesses of his heart.

He immediately prostrated himself and hugged Louis' left leg, trying to ask the crown prince for forgiveness.

"F-forgive me, Prince Louis. I deserve to die."

"...."

Louis kicked the man in the head and the man body's hit the iron cell behind them. The iron broke and penetrated the man's stomach. Blood poured out of the wound on his abdomen. Even as a vampire, he has a regeneration of course the wound can't close easily. He's not a pure blood.

"Who told you to do it?" asked Louis with an expressionless face.

"I-it's...."

"Answer or die."

Louis' thick black iris turns bloody red. Suddenly a black flame came out of his right hand. The fire spread to his hands. He glaring at the male prisoner in front of him.

"Time is up."

Then, he pointed his right hand at the man. In the blink of an eye the man's entire body was scorched by the force of Louis' fire. The horrific screams floated along with her burning body with nothing left.

"Clean this place up."

"Yes, My Prince."

Louis's eyes slowly changed normally again. Within seconds, the man was already inside the palace. Some maids are seen rushing into Evan's room. Louis walked into his brother's room. He saw her mother treating a wound on Evan's arm with herbal concoction. The youngest prince lay limp on his king size bed. Evan's face looks paler than usual.

The man with the dark obsidian was just silent, noticing the queen who was covering the wound on Evan's arm. He was worried. His brother is not a weak vampire even his power with his younger brother can be said to be almost equal.

'Who did it?'

After the queen finishes treating her youngest son, she gently strokes Evan's head affectionately. It's sad to see his beloved son endure such pain now. Louis coded the maids to leave the room with his hands. The maids immediately bowed their bodies and exited the room.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Your brother's hurt pretty bad. He may have been hit by a hunter's weapon."

"Hunter?"

"Judging by the wound... I'm pretty sure it's not just common weapons. In the past, human didn't dare to fight us, but now they're build up an organization to destroy all of us."

Louis sat next to his mother. His hands clenched firmly. The family is the same as his own life. People who dare to hurt his family, then they challenge the angel of death itself. He's going to burn them alive, until there's nothing left. 

Her right hand switched to hold Louis's hand. The Queen smiled softly at her eldest child. She knew Louis was getting carried away trying to kill the perpetrator.

"Don't think about it. Your brother will be fine soon. He just needs to rest."

"...."

"This wound will make him stronger. You don't have to worry, Louis. You should think about your mate's problem. I think you need to find your mate quickly."

"I don't like you starting to talk about this again."

"What's wrong with that? I want to have a grandchild from you soon."

"Hn."

"You know, I'm getting old. Get married. You will also replace your father throne, because of that you must have an queen."

"Hn."

"Good boy! Mother's child is reliable," said Anna while ruffling Louis' black hair.

"I'm not a child."

The queen just chuckles amused. Louis never once spoiled her. The man is even always himself. Even so, he still loved them both.

The sound of the door knocking makes both turn to the source of the sound. A man in a black tuxedo stands bowing his head. The man was his father's right-hand man and the head butler of this palace, Edwin.

"What's going on?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, My Queen. Your Majesty want to see Prince Louis."

"Tell him I'll see him soon."

"Yes, Prince."

The man saluted once more and left them both.

"Hurry up and see your father. He doesn't like to wait, does he?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll be there."

Louis steps into his father's private room. He saw the king sitting on the maroon sofa mixed with gold while siping a cup filled with deep red liquid in front of him.

"Why did you call me?" asked his eldest son to the point.

"Sit down."

The tall man sits on the couch opposite his father. Leon's black onyx eyes stare seriously at his son. He put the cup down.

"Soon, you'll be my replacement. Have you prepared all the conditions?"

Louis raises one eyebrow, "condition?"

"That's right. There are two conditions that you must fulfill."

"What's that?"

"First, in the near future the demonic soul within you will appear. You have to find a victim for him."

"The soul of the devil? What does that mean?"

"Your dark side. It's a stage of refinement of your own power. Unlike other vampires, because demon blood flows also in your blood you will feel this phase."

"I got it."

"Good. Don't let me down."

Leon smiled. He returned to drink blood in his cup with half left.

"Then, another condition?"

"I'll let you know when you're done with the first one," Leon replied, pointing a small grin at his lips.

"I'll do it. I'm leaving."

"Yes."

***

Tiara, Claire and William walked into a mall. William pulled Tiara's hand as they passed through the crowd. The reason why he do that is he afraid that the girl will suddenly disappear. Claire did the same thing. Tiara looks like the daughter of these two person.

"I'm not a kid anymore. Why are you both doing this?"

"Because you're the youngest," william replied briefly.

The answer was enough to hurt her. She's eighteen years old, but they still treat her like a five-year-old who needs extra supervision. She can walk on his own. Yesterday she even set foot in a nightclub. Even if it's just on a mission.

"I've grown up, Captain."

"When did you become a good girl, huh?"

"Yes, Ahjussi."

William just kept quiet without replying to what the girl said. However, the grip of his hand grew stronger.

'Shit, he's angry.'

A few minutes later, the three of them got in the elevator. It just happens that there's only three of them in it. Claire pressed the transparent button hidden in there. Then, a hologram appeared in the form of a computer keyboard in front of the girl with the reddish hair.

"Please, enter your password in five seconds."

"5 ...."

"4 ...."

Claire's hand quickly pressed a few keys on that keyboard.

"3 ...."

"The password is correct. Welcome back, Team ß!"

The elevator slowly begins to move down. It is one of the secret accesses to the hunter organization's headquarters. The place is used as a meeting of hunters and also a place to train new members (Junior class) or special soldiers (Special class).

A few seconds later, the elevator door opened. They stepped out of that narrow box. A three-metre-high steel door stood firmly in front of them. A red laser beam coming from the side of the door illuminated the three of them. The sound from the security system was suddeny heard when Claire step closer.

"Are you a member?"

"If you didn't know who's team ß. I'll kill you," replied William.

"The password is correct. Process to scan your eyes, Sir!"

The red light was scanning William's brown eyes. Afterwards, the beam also scanned the girl's blue eyes and Claire's hazel eyes. Finished. The sound of the system is again heard.

"Welcome Team ß. Have a nice day!"

That big door opened magnificently. The three of them stepped inside. They were greeted by waterfalls and beautiful natural scenery. Seriously. Every time Tiara walk through this door, She is once again fascinated by the beauty of nature down there.

They walk on a bridge made of glass. This bridge connects the gate directly with headquarters. He could see some hunters practicing down there. The height of this bridge even reaches hundreds of meters above the sea.

At the end of the bridge, several members of hunters welcomed their arrival. They are mid-level hunters (Medium class). They shook hands and opened the door so their team could get in. That handshake was actually coded, too. Headquarters is full of passwords and it's exhausting. It's Tiara's opinion.

"This place has not changed," commented William.

"You're right, Will."

There were three men walking up to them. Surprisingly, Tiara can feel the aura of vampires coming out of their bodies.

"You're a team ß?" asked one tall man.

"Yes, we are."

"Come with us now. Master is waiting," ordered one of the them.

'Who are those people?'

"We're not coming. I don't even know who you are."

The tallest man smiled small towards Tiara. Then, he ruffled the girl's hair in front of him slowly.

"Good girl! As a fighter on the team, you're brave too."

'He knows my position? Who exactly are they?'

"Nice to meet you," he added.

"They're an Alpha team, Ara." william explained.

"Team Alpha?!"

"Yes, I am. To meet the master we will be escorted specifically by the Alpha team. Don't you know the procedure?"

"No, Claire. I don't pay much attention to such things."

"I explained at length in the car," complained Claire.

"I think we need an introduction. Alpha_01, leader of this team. You can call me, David." said a tall man in front of them.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Team beta."

"Alex," said a man next to David with a sweet smile.

"He's our hacker. And the last one—"

"Lucas," cut off the man in the black hat next to David.

"His position as a fighter," explained the leader.

"I've heard a lot about your team. I can even say you're the first team to meet the master in person other than us of course," david explained.

Among them all, Tiara doesn't like Lucas. His indifferent, cold style made she want to hit her. Lucas walked first leaving them all without saying a word. An unviable senior.

"Come on, Master is waiting for you all."

"All right."

They're all walking down a secret corridor led by an Alpha team. The top-level team in this organization. They are the pinnacle of all levels of hunter members. Below team Alpha is William's team, team ß (beta).

'So the rumours about the Alpha team are true. They're all half vampires.'

"What are you thinking?" asked William to the girl next to him.

"Nothing, Captain."

"We'll be there soon," said a man named Alex.

Finally, they stop in front of a room with a white wooden door at the end. Tiara sees Lucas sitting on a white sofa in this room with his eyes closed and hands crossed in front of his chest.

'He's sleeping? Okay. It doesn't matter.'

"Come in. Master is inside."

"Thanks, Dave." replied William

"No problem, Dude."

The girl's heart was racing as William pulled the doorknob in front of them. The three of them stepped inside in turn.

"Welcome, team ß ...." said a handsome man in front of them.

'He—'

"I've been waiting for you guys all the time," he continued.

The leader of the hunter organization looked at Tiara, then smiled kindly. The girl sculpted. There's a strange feeling that suddenly comes up. She felt the face of their leader was so familiar.

'What is this? Have I ever seen a master before? No, it's crazy. How could I meet him? But...'

"Have a seat, please. I want to talk to you about something."

***

Note:

*Ahjussi means middle-aged man, or if translated can be interpreted as uncle.