They had forced him to make a promise. When it began, he was to get Dennis out above all else. As Johnny listened on at the cacophony of chaos that rang in his ears, he couldn't help but think of what his friends were enduring, even as Dennis clang on to him. His son, the most precious thing in the world to him, looked like a shell of the lively boy he had raised. His pupils were black, as if all light in them had been snuffed out and replaced with the suffering that caused him to shake in Johnny's grasp. He couldn't tell if Dennis was even aware of his surroundings, and if he was honest, neither was Johnny.

They were high above the first row of buildings. Behind them were high rising offices, all void of any Humans smart enough to flee the terror. They had escaped thanks to Dracula, but where could they go now? Johnny had never felt so alone.

"I'm just… I'm just, me."

He wasn't a hero. He was barely a vampire in his mind's eye. He would die for his son, but what good what that do him now? He refused to let his self-doubt deter him from finding an escape. He held Dennis close to him, but his haunted state made it difficult to go at a decent pace. He spotted a metal stairway curled around the side of the warehouse.

"That's a start."

He tried to make the first step, but his son held him back.

"I can't… I have to save her… I can't leave mum there…"

"Dennis?"

The boy began to thrash in his arms. The Eldritch King's temptations flowed like tantalizing candy in his mind, drawing him in towards the machine that awaited them both.

"I have to bring mum back!"

Dennis' sleeve slipped from Johnny's grasp. He rushed after the boy, who was only moments from diving off the side of the building. He wrapped his arms around him at the last moment, but Dennis continued to struggle.

"Please Dennis, we have to get out of here! We can't bring her back!"

"No!"

A pair of thick wings churned up dust over the pair. The air was thick with it, along with a putrid smell.

"Are you having some daddy issues!?"

The roof's surface crumbled under Bela's weight as he landed on all fours.

"He's mine!"

Johnny yanked the boy back as Bela's forearm swung in front of them. Bullet wounds covered the beast, his wings were torn and bloody, but he didn't care. His only focus was bringing his master a mighty prize.

"First I'll bleed you! Then, I'll take your son!"

Dennis lashed out, hitting Bela sharply on the nose. He backed off and held his newest wound, giving Dennis a chance to flee. He dived off the warehouse roof, leaving Johnny in terror. He had to give chase. He rolled to the side and transformed, dodging Bela's angered slash. He landed with a thud, lacking the skill his son had. Shaking his head, Johnny caught sight of his fleeing son as he entered the labyrinth of back streets.

Things grew worse in the city centre. The group was being surrounded. All around them, the Monsters that packed the city centre were turning, one by one returning to the Eldritch King's grasp.

"This is not good! Not good!" Murray lost a grip of the magic he conjured as monsters tore at his bandages.

"We don't have a choice, we have to get out!" Griffin couldn't see any other option.

"We flee today, we all die! We have to stop him!" Frank barged each monster that came close out of the way alongside Eunice.

The Eldritch King kept a calm, consolidated smile on his face. His quarry were slowly losing their allies. He knew it wouldn't be long before the hybrid returned to him. All they had done was delay his victory. The chaos spread further into the city as those that still had their sanity began to run. Wayne and Wanda had the pups in their shadow. Wayne counted each one as they crossed a bridge that led to the outskirts.

"Right, that's… one missing." Wayne felt his heart beat faster than he could contain. "Where's Winnie!?"

She was nowhere in sight. If she was among the crowd, there was no telling if they would find her again. Without thinking, Wayne rushed ahead on all fours, determined to save her.

"Wayne!" He heard his wife call after him.

"Get them out! I'll come back with her, I promise!"

Inside the warehouse, Vincent Lebeau began to come to his senses. He had landed on some form of scaffolding. He rushed up, knowing he would have to act quickly. He was just in time to block Jeremiah's blow with one arm. It was like a dance between champions as both the banker and the Knight faced each other once again.

"All of this means nothing, hybrid!"

Together they grappled until their combined strength locked them in place. Malice could be seen behind both of their eyes, but for very different reasons.

"You can fool yourself, but you will always be the man who killed his zing! Could you really live with yourself, standing side by side with the girl from whom you took everything!? Poor Mavis, now even she rots in the ground!"

Jeremiah had fought too long to allow anger to take over. Vincent's taunts only made him more determined. Pulling Lebeau in, he head-butted him, sending both falling back in opposite directions. The rickety scaffolding rocked, the wood giving way. Both of them were thrown into the air. Pain hit them along with the level below them. Jeremiah growled and found his feet. The banker couldn't be seen. He couldn't let him slip away now. He searched round every dark corner of the warehouse. Haphazard machinery and conveyor belts blocked his line of sight.

"Age may have changed us, it may have improved your skills, but still it changes nothing. You are still a frightened boy on a rooftop, trying to save his zing, only now she isn't coming back."

Jeremiah scoffed.

"I'm beyond your threats and poisoned words, Lebeau."

"No, you are a loose cannon. You could have been magnificent. You should have been by my side when our kind ruled over this world. Instead, you let your Human-self rot you from the inside. What good did it do you? What good did it do her!?"

Jeremiah pinpointed the source of the banker's voice. He lashed out, ready to end it when a pile of crates came toppling down. Wood cracked against Jeremiah's head as Vincent landed on top of him. He felt blow after blow hit him, each with the purpose of draining his spirit.

"I'm immortal! Death hasn't taken me yet. You? You're a shell, you're half a man! A freak, an abomination! I should have let my butler crush you as a baby, along with your disgusting Human mother!"

Every word began to bring Jeremiah's temper to boil. This was the man that had brought everything he knew to nought but dust. He had set him on his path of ruination. Eustice Chaise was born because of this man. He hated him, he despised him, more than any foe. Now, he had to die. Jeremiah roared from his pent up frustration, his bright green eyes shining red. Grabbing the banker, he forced himself into a roll and sent both of them crashing through the scaffold supports. Metal clanged, almost deafening their heightened hearing as the warehouse was engulfed in dust and shattering wood. They landed on the conveyor belt together, forcing the device into life. The belt moved, dragging both of them in opposite directions across the room.

Regaining their balance, they stared deep into each other's eyes.

"You couldn't accept it, what you are. Dmitri failed in the same way. Now you have fallen into the same pit bred from Humanities faults. You will never find the solace you are looking for, you think they will ever forgive you!? What sane person would!?"

The conveyor led them down into the lower basement, Vincent disappearing out of sight first. Not wanting to lose him, Jeremiah gave chase. The barrels, the crates, the place reminded him of the cellar Martha's father had died in. That moment too, was the cause of Vincent. He smelt the air, searching for the banker. Jeremiah was sick of this game of cat and mouse.

"I killed you once. I can do it again." Jeremiah revealed a knife with an intricate handle from his belt.

The hunter was blinded by wooden splinters when Vincent assaulted him from his hiding spot. The impact was hard enough to draw blood. The air was forced out of his lungs as he hit the wall.

"We are no strangers to Death, Constantin. Give him my regards!"

The back of Lebeau's fist landed against Jeremiah's face with a crunch. He was thrown into a somersault that hurled him back onto the conveyor. The device went out of control as his leg crashed through the controls. The hunter was dragged through the facility.

"One last chase, Eustice." Vincent whispered to himself.

He sprinted forward and landed on one knee, holding himself in place atop the belt with one hand. He kept the wounded hunter in his sights, his eyes squinting, his focus piercing through. He waited for the right opportunity. He didn't have to wait long. With a grin, he stood up straight and waited to grab Jeremiah's neck. The conveyor doubled back on itself. Vincent waited for the hunter to come close enough and lashed out. As he did, Jeremiah pulled himself upwards and took a slash with his knife. With split-second timing, Lebeau yanked his arm back.

"Touché, hunter!"

Seeing his exit, Jeremiah dived off of the belt and clung onto the side of one of the factories furnaces. Lebeau was hot on his heels, barely feet below him. He reached upwards but failed to take hold of Jeremiah's leg. As quick as he could, he pulled himself up onto the highest point of the facility. He jumped across onto the catwalks, and waited. He felt the hard metal of the knife in his grip. The shouting outside echoed through the broken windows. If he couldn't win, then he had failed Martha. He couldn't allow it.

"You remember the pouring rain that night? You remember the sound of screaming and the bloodshed I enacted on this city? Of course you do. It's burnt into my memory, the night you killed me and cast our prophecy to the fire. Now, not even you can bring an end to destiny."

Lebeau stood up straight on the other side of the catwalk to him. Even now he carried himself like a highborn.

"Was there ever a time when you weren't cruel, Lebeau? Did you ever know what it was like to have everything ripped away, all except one thing? One person?"

Vincent grit his teeth.

"Yes."

Jeremiah didn't believe him, but there was sincerity in his expression.

"She was the only person in my life after you had finished playing your games." Jeremiah could not hold back his heart, not in the presence of his personal devil.

"As I recall, you were the one that killed her. And you think I am cruel." Lebeau let out a short laugh after speaking.

"It haunts me. Every night… I see her. I see the arrow I shot into her chest. I see the terror on Mavis' face as I pointed a pistol at her. I see the desperation on Dracula's face as I brought destruction to his family. What I became terrifies me every night…"

Lebeau's approaching footsteps could be heard against the metal catwalks.

"It is a terrible thing, a zing. Look what it drives you all to. Love, ha. A curse wrapped in a blessing. Even Vlad was poisoned by it."

A tiny smile broke out on Jeremiah's face.

"…what are you afraid of, Lebeau?"

Vincent didn't answer him. Instead, he looked at the hunter, suddenly realizing that he hadn't moved to counter him.

"Shall we find out?"

His eyes flashed a bright green that reflected off of his knife. Lebeau took a single step back to prevent the blade from slicing his throat. Almost as soon as it had passed, it went straight for him again. He brought up both arms to stop the hunter. Jeremiah held onto his back as he forced the weapon closer and closer to his enemies face. A bead of sweat ran down the banker's forehead as he struggled to keep the hybrid back. Unable to break his attack, he fell down onto his knees and pulled him over his head. Jeremiah landed on his back and felt the knife being yanked from his grasp. He held on as if his life depended on it.

"Just like your father! Just like Mavis! You lot have a way with knives!"

The weapon slipped from both their grasps. Now free, Lebeau slammed Jeremiah's head into the railing and dived for the knife. Although he couldn't see clearly, Jeremiah fought through the pain and tackled the banker. The knife slipped off with a scratching sound as the two vampires rolled over it and broke through the back windows. They were covered in glass and cuts on the rooftop. For a short moment, neither of them moved. Blood trickled down Jeremiah's face. A deep cut from the glass had appeared above Lebeau's left eye.

"Stubborn, old Constantin. I will never be rid of your kind, will I?"

Vincent felt a shard of glass underneath him. Taking it in hand, he rolled over and found his footing. Jeremiah had done the same and was ready for him. He locked Vincent's wrist in his grip as the shard came down, inches from his face. They struggle, going back and forth across the rooftop.

"Accept what you are boy! A relic! A has-been! A worthless, broken tool!"

Vincent let out an almighty kick. As he fell back, Jeremiah revealed that the shard in his own hand was not of glass at all, but his knife. It span through the air as he tossed it, piercing Vincent's shoulder hard enough to impale it to the brick wall behind him. He let out a groan as he watched Jeremiah fall backwards off of the rooftop. Forming a fist, he used his remaining strength to pull his arm off of the wall. He moaned as he removed the weapon from his arm. It was just a knife wound, his nature would heal it in no time.

He looked at his wound and began to laugh. Louder and louder it grew until it echoed off of the rooftops.

"Is this all you can do!? If the mighty Vlad couldn't survive against us, what hope do you have!? I am Vincent Lebeau, vampire supreme!"

His laughing ceased. He felt his arm. The pain would not leave him.

"What…"

His vision blurred. The weapon at his feet was not just coated in blood.

"…Damn you, Constantin…"

He held onto the wall as he lost his balance. Day had become night before his own eyes.

You dare question me! Stupid child!

He felt whipping. His back seethed with pain, though there were no wounds.

"Don't… please…"

You disobey, you accept the punishment!

"I am not… a street rat… I am a vampire…"

Stupid boy! You will never be anything but a worthless urchin!

"What did you do to me, Hybrid!?" Vincent screamed towards the sky.

Voices he had long locked away bombarded him.

"Not him… not him!"

He fled. He didn't know what direction he was taking, but it mattered not for he couldn't run from his own mind.

Footsteps stomped through alley after alley, but Dennis was nowhere to be found.

"No… no!" Johnny ran his hands down the back of his neck in his failure.

To make matters worse, he could hear Bela's mighty bulk smashing through anything that got in his way.

"I can smell you!"

The thought of the horrid beast reaching Dennis first is what drove him on. With his son missing somewhere out of sight, and a murderous Monster behind him, Johnny truly felt like he was trapped in a labyrinth. If he could maneuver through the tight alleys as a bat, he could stand a chance. He had watched Dennis do far better, soaring like a blur across the skies high above the hotel. Could he do the same? His decision was made for him when cracked plaster filled the alleyway behind him, swiftly followed by a putrid smell.

"Too slow!"

The vampire Bela had expected to take hold of thwarted his grab. It took him a few seconds to realize what had happened, like a person attempting to catch an elusive fly. By then, Jonathan was already at a hefty pace and heading in the opposite direction. Bela snarled and made chase.

"Do you not want to play!? Vlad wasn't too good at my game! Maybe you can do better, eh?"

Johnny wanted to shut out his words, but visions of the worst scenarios danced in his head. Had he left the two Counts to a terrible fate? He couldn't stop, he knew Dracula would never forgive him if he gave up on Dennis. He wouldn't forgive himself. There was only one course of action, to find Dennis at all costs.

"Come here, little pigeon!"

Bela had no care for the high walls that stood in his way, they weren't there for long. Jonathon was launched out of his stride and transformed as he came crashing down into the chaotic city. The tight alleyways no longer surrounded him.

"Nowhere left to cower to!" Bela's rotten grin was drawing closer.

Johnny looked up and covered his forehead with one hand. The bright Sun shone off of Bela's claws. He could still imagine the pain they had caused him last time. Blood ran down them and onto his fingers. Johnny's worst thoughts had been realized.

"First Vlad, now you. How long do you think the others will last?"

A single bullet shot straight through the centre of Bela's hand. It was more surprise than pain on his face, until a further hail of gunfire followed in its wake. Bela desperately covered his face as shot after shot either bounced off of his mighty body or tore into his wings. The noises he made were indescribable and made Johnny wince. He was like a corned lion as he thrashed about, trying to find a way out of the volley of pain. Agatha and Nicolae didn't hold back until Bela finally cowered away into the alley system.

"We need to get after that thing before it comes back!" Nicolae spoke as he reloaded his assault rifle.

Agatha didn't answer. She only looked on into the distance, at the armoured sorcerer that slowly rallied more and more followers to his cause. Memories began to blind her as her eyes welled up.

"Agatha?" When Nicolae turned to see her, she had already gone. "What is she doing? Agatha!"

Johnny wanted to give chase after Dennis once more, but Bela still skulked the back alleys. He needed help. Jeremiah was beside Nicolae, bloody but defiant and reloading his pistol. Johnny grabbed hold of his collar, startling him.

"Where is Drac!? What happened!?" he asked, almost pleading.

"I don't know, I was distracted with Vincent!"

There had been hope, but more and more Johnny felt it slipping away. They would be picked off one by one at this rate and Dennis would be no safer. The alleyways were growing dark to Dennis' eyes. His speed was unlike anything he had been able to conjure before. Again and again he crashed into the walls in his blindness. It was nothing compared to the pain in his mind.

"Why are you trying to deny what you are?"

An image of the Eldritch King blocked his path. Dennis ran through his spectral form with his hands covering his eyes.

"This is the only way to save your mother, don't you see that?"

No matter how far he ran, the magic user continued to plague him, appearing in every corner to haunt his shadow.

"You are just the start. Your family is just the start. We are meant for something purer than mankind. Together, we can make it! We can conquer Death and end this bloodshed. Just, stop, running!"

"Leave me alone!" Dennis screamed to his darkness.

Eventually the visions of the man that followed his every waking moment turned into something far worse.

"You did this."

"Mum?"

"You think you can run away from what you did? You killed me, Dennis. You are no better than Eustice Chaise!"

"No, I'm sorry Mum!"

He reached out to her, but every time he tried to take hold of her hands she backed away.

"You have abandoned me. You have left your father and your grandfather to an eternity of grief. How could you be so selfish Dennis!?"

He broke out into the light. It was so bright that the blackness that covered his eyes was replaced with pure white. It was all too much to take. He couldn't run anymore, not from the demons implanted in his head. He reached out both hands slowly for some sort of help for anything, for anyone, to bring him back. As if by a miracle, someone took hold of them.

His body stopped shaking. He felt at home in a way he hadn't for so long. The voices in his head were gone, replaced with memories of laughing and playing through the hotel grounds. There was a party, a present from a friend, and a smiling face waiting for him. He opened his eyes. The black that blocked his way had been torn down and replaced with Winnie.

She didn't say a word at first, she just held his hands before pulling him closer into a hug. Dennis couldn't react. His heart was so filled with emotion that it weighed him down. His eyes sparkled.

"I've missed you Dennis."

They shared a moment of private, undisturbed bliss. Reality however, has little patience. Winnie rested her head on Dennis' shoulder and slowly opened her eyes. In her sight was the Eldritch King, his glare filled with hate. With a snap of his fingers, a horde of creatures at his beck and call charged at the two of them. Dennis pulled her behind him, shielding her from the approaching Monsters.

"Dennis, what do we do!?"

He had no answer. The horde was already on them before they could escape. Dennis felt Winnie's grip slip from his own. Their fingers reached out to each other, only for them to be denied. They called out to each other before a flash came between them. The mob let go of them, paralyzed by the blast. White smoke covered both of them, making them unaware of their saviour. With the mob out of the way, Agatha continued on to her goal. She was mere yards away from the Eldritch King as she made eye contact. His eyes were strange to her, but that face, it was that of her father's.

He raised his hand, shocked at her audacity. A second blast of smoke covered his vision. Magic sparked around him as he felt his control of the body he had possessed beginning to falter. He fell to his knees, giving Agatha the chance to land continuous blows. From left and right she weakened his hold even further. He tried to conjure a spell, only to see it fizzle out in his palm. Everything was becoming darkness. She landed one last punch to his face before stopping herself. His head sank down, like that of a weak, old man.

The expression of determination on her face turned to one of grief. She placed her hand on his cheek, hoping beyond hope.

"I know you're still in there somewhere…"

He opened his eyes. There was no anger in them, only confusion.

"…Father?"

His eyes opened wider. He placed his hand atop hers.

"Agatha?" His voice was hoarse.

"Yes… It's me." A tear fell down her smiling face. "I had to see you one last time. Even if there is no chance… I had to say goodbye."

The reason she was there had come to pass. She wouldn't have followed Jeremiah, not after everything he had done if not for this chance. She felt complete. Then it all came crashing down.

The man's hand formed into a fist. Sparks of magic formed around it into the shape of a blade. Agatha felt herself shoved to the side as the knife was plunged forward. Nicolae groaned as the weapon hit home. She hadn't expected him to act in such a way. She wanted to say goodbye more than anything, but seeing the light leave Nicolae's eyes opened her own to the mistake she had made.

"Everything comes to an end…"

The Eldritch King tossed the fallen hybrid aside like he was mere rubbish and turned his attention to her. His other hand went straight for her throat, lifting her up into the air.

"…everything, except me."

The warm eyes of her father were gone, once again replaced with the crimson hate of the man that possessed him.

"Death has been missing your broken soul, foolish hybrid."

Her lungs burned. She couldn't feel her legs as the life slowly drained from her. The Eldritch King's grip held firm, never once ceasing or increasing it enough to break her neck. Instead he just watched her eyes fade more and more, savouring each delicious second. As was the fate of those that denied him. He let go when he was satisfied, letting her slumped body hit the pavement.

Without hesitating, the sorcerer marched towards the smoke cloud. With a wave of his hand the smoke cleared, revealing Dennis and Winnie.

"No more zings, no more friendships to break my future."

Using his power, the sorcerer froze the boy in place and dragged him towards him.

"No! Dennis! Let him go!"

With a glare of his eyes he struck such fear into Winnie that she couldn't move. She could only stand and watch as Dennis came into his grasp.

"Your family's stunt has achieved nothing. No more pretense. No more false hope. We are all going to die Dennis Loughran, and be reborn."

"Get off!"

Dennis thrashed about and hit the Eldritch King at every opportunity, but his armour shrugged off each blow.

"We will burn this world from the inside and wipe it clean, together. But first, I need to become something greater."

The Eldritch King placed his hand on top of the control panel of the machine. Sparks crawled across his arm. The machine came to life.

"First, we need to make the link. Soon my love, we will see each other again." he was no longer speaking to the boy in his grip.

Both of them screamed to the sky as darkness descended over the city. Magical shock waves blasted out, reducing any Monsters in their path to dust. The chaos in the streets stopped as every monster came to realize the truth of what was happening. Bodies fell like shells as their souls were sucked from them. The Eldritch King felt his own body change. He closed his eyes as they burned from their sockets.

"Can you feel it, Sapphire!? It's time! I will bring you into the light!" The Eldritch King's voice transformed into that of a demon.

Dennis no longer felt alive. All emotions had been purged in his link to this evil. He could only watch in horror and feel the Eldritch King's wrath become a reality.

"We have to break through!" Frank tried to smash through the wave of energy that sealed Dennis away from them.

No one could get through the barrier, all except one. Standing atop a building that overlooked the machine, a caped figure leapt down. The Eldritch King was so close to his victory, he could almost taste it. In his state he was unable to see Dracula reaching through the swirling mass of power. His red eyes shone through as he used every ounce of his strength to pull himself through.

"Vampa!" Dennis called out.

"No trap can seal a Dracula!"

He broke through and landed a mighty punch to the Eldritch King. His connection broke and the boy fell from his hold. With nothing to contain it, the machine unleashed a powerful blast that threw the three of them away. Dracula reached out but failed to grab Dennis in time. Nothing made sense as he was thrown across the street and away from his grandson. Dennis screamed as the machine's power tossed him away. When he did land, he fell into a pair of arms that rolled back with him. They crashed to the ground, dragging up tarmac as they did so.

All fell silent. When Dennis dared to open his eyes, he could see his father's looking back at him.

"Dad?"

Johnny could see that this really was his son, alive and awake to the world…