I was finally getting some much-needed rest after days of sleepless nights when the incessant blaring of my alarm jerked me awake. Groggily, I struggled to roll out of bed and shut off the noise. Still half asleep, I stumbled to the bathroom. I tied my dreadlocks back into a ponytail before brushing my teeth, and as I did, I noticed something strange: the teeth near the corners of my mouth were longer than the rest. I hesitated for a moment, then looked at Hildegarde's presence in my mind."Hey, Hildegarde, why the hell do I have fangs?"
She responded nonchalantly, "Did you forget? I am—or was—a vampire, stupid."
I realized how silly the question was as soon as the words left my mouth.
After brushing my teeth, I stepped into the bath and poured soap onto my sponge. I scrubbed every inch of my body, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. When I finished, I lifted a full bucket of water and poured it over myself in one go, from neck to body. Stepping out of the bath, I grabbed a towel and began wiping the water from my skin.
As I wiped myself down, my eyes caught sight of the scars on my chest—lines and stitches where Aloka had tried to tear my heart out. My fingers grazed over the wounds, but there was no pain, only a strange emptiness. The old man had done an impressive job.
I sat down on the bed, thinking about my next steps. Aloka. My plan to defeat him. I needed to ensure I could pierce his heart with the sword the old man gave me. I stood up, unsheathing the sword and testing its weight. I swung it back and forth carefully, examining it. Once satisfied, I placed it back into its scabbard.
Today was going to be long. Not only did I have to save Maya, but I might have to kill someone for the first time in my life. The thought of it made me shiver, but there was no other choice. I couldn't let Aloka win. He was intent on killing me and taking Hildegarde's soul, and I had to stop him.
With a deep breath, I grabbed the paper with the incantation on it and began to chant:"THE NIGHT BELONGS TO ME, I BELONG TO THE NIGHT, THE NIGHT BELONGS TO ME..."
Before I could finish, a black portal tore open in the space before me, and without hesitation, I stepped through.
Yommir City looked less eerie today, likely because it was daytime. Yet, even though the sun was absent, a red, glowing giant ball hung in the sky. Hildegarde showed me the city's layout in my mind, and I could easily trace the route to Aloka's apartment.
I spread my wings wide and flew towards his place.
Landing in front of his door, I kicked it open with force, scanning the area. Empty. But then I heard a voice behind me."Why the rush, Jeremiah? Why don't you have a seat?"
I spun around, eyes narrowing. There he was, Aloka, holding Maya by the throat with one hand."ALOKA!" I shouted, my voice full of fury.
I expected an immediate fight, but instead, he said something I wasn't prepared for."Jeremiah, why don't we negotiate?"
My surprise must have been obvious because I replied in disbelief."What? After all this time, you want to negotiate? Let's hear it."
Aloka smirked."First, I want to commend you for your bravery. I was going to visit you with the remains of your human friend, but you were lucky. Now, let's get to the negotiating part. How about this: I kill you softly, without torture, and take Hildegarde's soul, or…" His grin grew wider."I torture you until your body and mind break, then kill you and take Hildegarde's soul."
I felt foolish for ever thinking this was a real negotiation. Without further hesitation, I jumped from my chair and took a fighting stance, though I didn't reach for the sword yet. It was my trump card, and I wasn't about to waste it just yet."So, seems like you choose the latter," Aloka taunted.
He threw Maya aside like a ragdoll and lunged toward me. He wasn't fast, but neither was I, and I barely managed to dodge. Aloka's voice oozed with malice as he said,"Ah, I'm going to enjoy this."
Suddenly, everything around me turned pitch black for an instant. The next moment, a massive black hand slammed into my face with such force that I flew back uncontrollably and crashed into some pavement.
I had no time to recover before black shards began falling from the sky, raining down like daggers. I spread my wings and took to the air, dodging as best I could. But despite my speed, one shard pierced my shoulder.
I screamed in agony as I felt a chunk of my shoulder vanish."That's more like it," Aloka's sadistic voice purred. "I want to hear more of your screams."
I could feel my body shaking, not just from the pain, but from the fear creeping in. He wasn't done yet."Let's take this up a level," Aloka taunted, his voice growing darker.