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Phew... It has been long, hasn't it? :p

I can't find any words to express my lack of updates... But still thanks for sticking with me :3
Enjoy:*

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Chapter 20 – Darkness

''We have to stop them! If they do anything like that again, the whole world might get destroyed.''

Eric was trying hard not to punch Peter straight in the face after his wining about how dangerous all of this has become. Like he didn't know that. Ake was running wild trying to get what he wanted from Lucy and now some other strange guys also tried to wake her up. Were they all unaware of what would happen if she wakes up?

The two have been watching Ake's every step and now Norman, Dylan's father, had planned something as well but was dead now because Lucy again was forcefully pushing out her powers. Wasn't that any sign for them to stop?

''I mean after everything-''

Eric's lifted hand silenced Peter immediately. There was something changing in the air, a coldness spread through the little apartment.

''How did you find us?''

The man standing in the darkest corner of the room, slowly approached the two others, a dangerous smile on his lips.

Behind him, a beautiful woman with long blond hair.

Eric gasped loudly when he saw who exactly the woman was.

''Explain this Ake.''

A strong demand if you consider that Ake was twice as strong as Eric. But Ake only chuckled and sat down on the bed.

Eric knew the whole story, how Ake tried to take Layla's powers, resulting in killing her. Everyone knew what he did to get what he wanted. So how was she alive?

Or was this just some apparition Ake created? But what good would that do for him?

''Calm down Eric. We all know that I had planned something, you shouldn't be surprised by this.''
''Explain this!''

The man almost chocked out. His anger was slowly rising to a point where he would kill his best friend just to get an answer. Peter slowly took a step back, realizing that his friend was to caught up in his own feelings than to act smart now. Better back up before he gets caught in the cross fire.

Ake now slowly stood up and walked over to the window. His hand reached up and he pushed the curtains a bit to the side, watching the forest behind the building.

''This Layla isn't real.''

Like it snapped inside of Eric, the magic he had gathered in that moment disappeared and he turned to look at Ake.

''Then... She's just an apparition?''

The man at the window only nodded.

''The real Layla is sealed inside of Lucy's body along with her powers. Why do you think I'm trying to wake her up. This girl is nothing compared to her mother. She could never reach the greatness her mother possessed.''
Ake took a deep breath as to calm down. Comparing Lucy to her mother seemed to make him mad, like Lucy wasn't even worth being compared to her.

''But if you wake her up, the whole world will-''

''You seem not to be very informed, Eric.''

Eric and Peter exchanged a confused look and then turned their attention back to Ake, who has now turned around and faced them.

''You two were the closest on bringing this world to an end.''

''What do you mean?!''

It was something Peter hated the most to hear. Like he was trying to set Lucy's powers free. He was trying to prevent it, by any means. Lucy was a threat to mankind and he would do everything in his power to get rid of those uncontrollable powers, even if that means to kill her.

''I'll tell you something. If Lucy dies from a supernatural force, all of her power and Layla's power will be set free and no one would be able to control that. Oh and there comes something to my mind, weren't you two the ones who tried to kill her in that amusement park? And aren't you two, well, supernatural?''

The room went quiet. Both, Peter and Eric didn't know why they believed what Ake just said bit for some reason they both felt that he wasn't lying.

So... If Natsu hadn't stopped them in that moment, the world probably wouldn't exist anymore.

Something changed inside of Eric.

''You tried to kill her, too!''

Ake only rolled his eyes and chuckled darkly.

''Who said that? Of course, her friends would think that but the only thing I was trying to do was pushing her physical pain to a level where Layla would be able to break through and take control of Lucy.''

''That's your plan? Letting Layla control Lucy?!''

''So that I can use her powers. Yes. Lucy would never be able to use those powers the way I want to.''

Eric tried to look through Ake, to understand what he really wants but he wasn't able to. The darkness around this man was to thick to look through his evil plans.

''Why would Layla help you, if you only use her for your self interest?''
''Because I have her body and I will give it to her after, if she does what I want from her.''

''And that would be.''

Peter's voice was calm yet very demanding.

''Let's keep this a secret for now.''

His eyes hardened again.

''Just don't try to kill her again.''

''She also killed someone... If that happens again-''

''Yeah, I heard about Norman... But don't worry, I bet her friends will do everything in their power to prevent that something like this happens one more time.''

''Dylan won't stop though.''

Again, Ake only chuckled. A dark glint in his eyes when he opened the window.

''Don't worry about him.''

''Wait!''

But Ake already left into the night which was just as dark as his soul.

Peter and Eric just stood there, minutes passed without them saying anything.

After some though, Peter decided to break the silence.

''Do you think it's the truth?''

The answer from Eric came way to fast.

''There is not one reason that crosses my mind why he would come up with a story like that... Sadly.''

Peter sighed and sat down.

''So we should better stop trying to kill her.''

''Yeah. And we should also find a way to stop Dylan from trying to do so.''

''That might be harder than we think. She killed his father after all.''

Eric laughed a bit and walked over to the window, closing it. He hated the chilly night air.

''I don't think so.''

-x-

''Do you really think it was smart to tell them the truth?''

Shin was waiting in the shelter of the forest in front of the little flat and greeted Ake with a nod. Layla's apparition was long gone. Ake had already filled Shin in on everything about Layla and how she could be here. Last time, Ake was able to pull Layla's spirit into the apparition so she could talk with them. This time it seemed to be impossible, maybe because of everything that happened to Lucy. Maybe she was hurt more than they first thought, then a spell like that – to extract a ghost sealed inside a living person – was impossible, even for Ake.

''For now, those two idiots will do us a huge favor.''

''And that would be?''

Shin raised an eyebrow, obviously not knowing which kind of favor those two 'not capable of anything dorks' could do them.

''They will take care of Dylan so no one will get in our way.''

''Ah.''

Satisfied by the answer, Shin turned and disappeared fast into the darkness of the night, Ake following him with no problems. There was something they had to get before they made their next step.

-x-

Not far away from Eric's flat, two other dark figures were standing. One of them young and handsome, the other a bit older, not much, but he looked thin and weak.

''Is all of that true?''

''I'm afraid, all of it is.''

The voice from the younger one was hoarse like he had been crying for hours.

''You can't kill her Dylan, no matter how much you might hate her right now.''
''Sir, there's something I don't understand...''

The thin man laid a hand on Dylan's shoulder.

''What is that, my son.''

''If Ake wants to bring Layla back... Why did he kill her in the first place?''

The hand on Dylan's shoulder tightened a bit and the man took a few deep breaths.

''That's complicated.''

''I still want to know.''

The man chuckled.

''To understand we have to go back far in time...''

-x-

A young woman, long blond hair, woke up in a bed so comfortable she never dreamed of something like that to exist. Next to her a man, equally aged like her, his hair the strangest color mixture she had ever seen – gold and black. Light and darkness. She smiled warmly at him when he opened his eyes and looked at her. The early sun rays let her face glow and she looked like an angel. It was the night after great war, which they won. In a way.

Layla, the woman, had to kill the queen of her own kind, to ensure the victory. But she had to pay a huge price for that matter. Everyone now thought that she was a traitor. Though no one would attack her, since she possessed all the power from all the leaders of the elf nations and the powers from the queen as well.

No one would be able to stop her – not even the vampire king.

And he knew that. That's why they had been spending the night together, sleeping in one bed that night. He knew what she was capable of. What he didn't know was that she would never help him, although she loved him, deeply. His goals were too horrifying to be together with him longer.

Layla decided that she would flee the very same day they woke up next to each other.

''What are you thinking about?''

His voice – the voice of a cruel, cold hearted monster – was so tender and warm it almost broke Layla's heart.

She shook her head and smiled at him. Lying had never been a thing for her, sadly she had done this way too often the last days...

''Nothing. Just about our eternal future together.''

He knew what she was talking about without her having to voice it.

They were both immortal. A life forever – with each other.

The vampire chuckled and pulled her in to kiss her lightly. She hesitated a bit but he didn't want to insecure him in any way and played along. She had feelings for him after all, that wasn't to deny.

''You know immortality also has its cost...''

''Hmm.''

Their eyes met, and intensity inside of both of them, it tore at their ability to trust each other.

''I have to drink blood to stay alive, although I am immortal... And you... Your immortality will catch up to you eventually, now that all the elves are gone... The spell will loosen over the time and you will sooner or later grow older. But you won't be able to keep that up because all the years you tricked will just rain down on you and you will die. So your immortality is limited as well.''

''But then it wouldn't be immortality.''

Layla chuckled when he rolled his eyes and left the bed. But she knew better that he was right. That's why she had to leave, as soon as possible.

-x-

''Do you really know what you are doing, Layla?''

Layla only nodded when she simply cut her hair with a wind blade she evoked. Ultear, an old witch she knew was busy mixing ingredients in a caldron.

Layla had been on the run from the vampire king for three days now and Ultear came to help her. Luckily.

She was the only one right now who could help her. Layla felt it already that her powers were weakening. The elves had been erased way to fast... In that short period it was no miracle that her immortality was fading with every minute.

But Ultear knew a way to slow down the process.

To slow it down for ages.

''He will find you eventually. You should just try to hide and die as soon as possible.''

''If you want me dead, just kill me here and now. If not, let me do this.''

''Layla I am only saying this for your shake. This spell is not easy to handle... Your body will break the moment this spell is undone.''

''And when is that?''

Ultear avoided her eyes for a moment but then faced her.

''When you're not able to control it anymore.''

''That won't happen.''

There was a tender hand on Layla's shoulder. Ultear's eyes were full of sorrow and regret.

''Layla. You will die. No matter what you do, you will die. Why do you want to suffer more?''

There was only a limited pressure Layla could take and this was now over the limit.

''I'm not only doing this for me.''

''What do you mean? You can't actually do this for him right?''

Now there was also a sad glint in Layla's eyes. Her one hand wandered to her stomach where it came to a halt. Tenderly she circled her belly with her hand – everything it took for Ultear to understand.

''Oh my god. But that's impossible... Vampires can't...''

''I don't know how it happened but I won't let this child die.''

-x-

Dylan had to catch his breath after everything he just saw. It were just randomly chosen memories and things the old man found out yet they all evoked something inside of Dylan.

''Lucy wasn't the only child, Layla had?''

At that the man laughed, his dark voice resembled somehow the man's voice in the vision.

The cold feeling he received from his presence was the same he felt while seeing the visions.

Now when he thought about it... But that couldn't be possible.

Yet... Why would he show him those vision if they weren't connected with him in any way? Okay, maybe he did that because Dylan asked for Layla and her motives.

''Who said that the child wasn't Lucy?''

Taken aback, Dylan took whipped around and looked the man deeply in the eyes.

''That's impossible.''

''Is it? How do you wanna know?''

''Well, I... ''

Dylan searched for words, answers on that question but he found none.

The man chuckled yet again. The chuckle – it was the exact same like in the vision – the chuckle of the vampire king.

Dylan once again took a step back.

His father told him that they were working together with the vampire king but the man who came with his father... Dylan always thought that it would just be some of his henchmen, not him in person. Realization hit him like a ball in the face during football training.

''You're the vampire king!''

The man laughed and came closer to Dylan.

''Yes I am. But I am also Lucy's father.''

Now that he said it, it made a lot of sense... Though Dylan had no idea how that was possible. Vampires weren't able to propagate. And how did Lucy survive until now... Questions over questions ran through his mind but they were washed away when the vampire king spoke his next sentence.

''And you will help me to get her.''