The Extra Wants Control

A soft step behind her made her turn.

There, silhouetted against the blood-red moon, stood Neveah.

His eyes nervous as he looked at her.

He clenched his fists.

"Mother," he whispered, his voice laced with a mixture of fear and concern.

Verona\'s heart ached at the sight of him.

All she wanted was to hold him close, to assure him that everything would be alright. But even she wasn\'t sure.

With a small smile, she knelt before him, offering her neck. "Here, Neveah," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "Drink. You need your strength and to heal"

Neveah hesitated, his brow furrowed in confusion.

But he obeyed, his small mouth parting as he sank his teeth into her flesh. A wave of warmth washed over Verona, a fleeting comfort amidst the storm of emotions raging within her.

As Neveah pulled away, blood staining his lips, Verona gently closed the wound with a touch. He opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to ask questions, but Verona placed a finger against his lips.

"Not now, Neveah," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "Leave. I need some time alone."

He nodded silently with understanding. He turned and walked away, his figure then suddenly disappeared.

Verona watched him go, the weight of her decision crushing down on her.

This wasn\'t just about protecting him; it was about making a choice – a choice that might shatter the fragile bond they shared. She sank to her knees, the wind whipping at her hair as she looked up at the crimson moon.

"Forgive me, Neveah," she whispered, the words carried away by the wind. "This is for you, my love. This is for our freedom."

A single tear traced a path down her cheek...

***********

A sickly sweet reek of decay hung heavy in the air of Elnova\'s once bustling marketplace.

Crumbled stalls lay abandoned, their products and wares scattered like confetti.

The darkness was gone...

Scavengers who cloaked in ragged cloaks, picked through the debris.

Across the ravaged city, in the opulent halls of a once-proud vampire Baron, a different kind of frenzy unfolded.

Baroness Sera, her crimson gown a jarring contrast to the blood-stained cobblestones outside, addressed her coterie with a predatory glint in her eyes.

"The demons are done with," she declared, her voice dripping with disdain.

"But make no mistake, this war is far from over. However in the meantime," her voice hardened,

"we have a debt to collect."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the assembled vampires, their faces grim under the flickering candlelight.

The recent battle had left Elnova devastated, but it had also presented an opportunity. They were still in a tournament.

"We may have fought alongside each other," Seraphina continued, spitting the word out like a curse, "but their victory is not ours. Those tokens are the key to unlocking the true potential of our bloodlines. They represent power, influence, survival."

A low growl echoed from the back of the room. It was a hulking vampire with a reputation for ruthlessness. "And how do we propose to collect these tokens, Baroness?" he rumbled.

"The others are probably thinking about the same."

Seraphina smiled, a cold and calculating smile. " We go on the offense for now and im the crucial time we will be defensive."

She continued her talk nad planning...

Her plan was met with nods and excited murmurs. The vampires, once united against a common enemy, were now were ready to turn on each other.

*******

Across the world, in a dingy tavern frequented by mercenaries and down-on-their-luck hunters, a lone figure hunched over a flickering oil lamp. It was Azrael.

He traced a map of the region with a calloused finger, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The recent events had left him uneasy.

The power struggle in the vampire continent, the demonic war declared and his dispatch to this town where demons were cited.

A grim smile played on his lips. He may not have been able to stop the war, but he wasn\'t about to let these demons feast on the spoils of their destruction.

******

Fury pulsed through Kai, athreatening to consume him. His knuckles were bone-white as he clenched his fists, his voice a low growl when he spoke. "Theodore," he said in low voice, each word punctuated by the tremor in his jaw.

Theodore who had followed him here said. "My dear Kai, to what do I owe this… displeasure?"

Kai ignored the thinly veiled mockery. "The defectors," he said, each syllable emphasized.

"There weren\'t any defectors, were there? You funded the entire rebellion! And you…" his voice hitched in anger.

"you even tried to have Fred killed!"

" What are you talking about Kai? Where did you get this informat-" before he could finish Kai put a picture of him and Skull talking...

" Where did he..." Thought Theodore but Kai then said, " are you going to play ignorant?"

The carefully constructed facade Theodore wore flickered for a brief moment, but a practiced smile quickly returned. "Now, now, Kai,"

" Stop will you?" Asked Kai with an annoyed look.

Theodore then said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Think before you act rashly. Do you truly believe you can overpower me? You\'re a talented eight-star, yes, but without a Law, you\'re a mere brawler compared to a seasoned leader."

Kai\'s jaw clenched tighter. "Don\'t try to manipulate me, Theodore," he snarled. "I\'ve seen the evidence – the ledgers, the secret orders. You\'ve been pulling the strings this whole time!"

Theodore sighed theatrically. "Even if that were the case, Kai, what are you going to do about it? You wouldn\'t dare kill me, would you? Not your friend, not your… benefactor." He punctuated the last word with a sly smile, as if daring Kai to disagree.

Uncertainty flickered across Kai\'s features, fleeting but undeniable. Theodore saw it, and the smile on his face widened further. "Exactly," he continued, his voice laced with a smug satisfaction. "Killing me wouldn\'t just be messy, it would be disastrous. The commoners would lose their strongest man, their shield against the tyrannical nobles.

You don\'t want that now do you?.And let\'s not forget what the public would say. The rising star, the hero of the people, slaying his own patron? How noble, how… convenient."

Theodore\'s words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their truth. They were logical statements. That\'s what Theodore\'s thought... so what if he was bad he is the only one they got...

But as Kai met Theodore\'s smug gaze, the amusement in his face... Kai felt a surge of defiance, anger and annoyance that hardened his resolve.

He wouldn\'t be a pawn in Theodore\'s games any longer. He wouldn\'t let this man continue to manipulate him and the people.

Taking a deep breath, Kai straightened his spine, his eyes hardening with determination. "You\'re right, Theodore," he said, his voice surprisingly calm,

"I can\'t kill you..."

" Hehh... That\'s righ-"

" Atleast not alone." Said Kai

" What?"

Theodore\'s smile faltered again, a flicker of unease crossing his features. " Not alone?" he echoed, unsure where this was going.

"Yes," Kai continued, his voice low but firm.

"I may not be able to kill you yet, but I did expose you. I can revealed your lies, your treachery, to the very people you claim to champion. They know..."

The confident smirk vanished from Theodore\'s face, but he thought about it and then he sighed and said" So what? I\'ll still become a count... I can always get others to replace you lot." He said dismissively.

Kai met his gaze unflinchingly. "I have a choice to make, Theodore," he said.

"Consider this my resignation." Said Kai.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Theodore confused as his aura flared increasing pressure around.

Theodore whirled around, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon as a voice echoed through the opulent chamber. " What\'s up."

The source of the voice materialized from the shadows – a cloaked figure shrouded in darkness, its face obscured by a featureless black mask.

Theodore\'s anger, already simmering from his fruitless chase after the shadow soldier, boiled over. "You again?!" he roared, recognizing the man.

"What do you choose, Kaiser?" the masked figure spoke, its voice a deep, emotionless rasp.

" What is he talking about?" Roared Theodore.

Theodore\'s gaze snapped to Kai, who stood frozen in the center of the room. The tension in the air crackled, thick with unspoken emotions. Kai, for a long moment, held Theodore\'s gaze, a silent battle of wills playing out between them.

" My resignation." Said Kaiser.

Finally, Kai answered the masked man, his voice firm leaving no room for doubt. "I\'ll go with you," he declared, his eyes never leaving Theodore\'s.

A hum of satisfaction came from the masked figure\'s features.

With a swift movement, it raised its hand and removed the mask, revealing a face that sent a jolt of shock through Theodore.

It was Neveah, his very handsome features. What shocked Theodore was how young he was not that he recognized Neveah.

"Good," Neveah said.

He stepped forwardhe said to Kaiser, his gaze locking with Theodore\'s. "Now then, follow my lead."

Theodore scoffed as he felt the heavy pressure descending on him... "Do you think this much will hold me?" he said.

Neveah met his gaze. "I\'ve been playing a lot... Today you die."