Disclaimer: I don't own Evo, but I do own Blade/Azriel. And no, Malciah, Blade is in no way related to Blade the Daywalker. He's far more powerful.

God this disclaimer shit is getting annoying

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Return of the Shadow Chapter Six: On the Eve of Battle

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Blade screamed at the top of his lungs at Kara, who seemed completely unabashed.

"I brought them to Transylvania and installed them in a private mansion. Azriel, she's their friend! You can't just shut them out of this!" Blade ran his hands through his hair in exasperation before returning to cleaning his sword. "Have you decided the time of the attack?

"Mhmm."

"Where do you want us positioned and when?"

"Nowhere. You aren't going." It was Kara's turn to be livid.

"What?! You can't do that!" Blade stood back up and angrily stalked over to her.

"I can and I will. This battle is for me alone. I don't want anyone else to help me. The guards are nothing." He gently shooed her out of his small room and slammed the door in her face.

"Besides, if I can't beat fifty armed vampires, five cold blooded assassins and one rogue faker, I don't deserve to be king."

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Snap. Click. Blade finished loading the bullets into his custom revolvers, one black and one white, and slid them into the holsters attached to each thigh. Dressed head to toe in black armor, Blade looked like some demon from the deepest recesses of hell. He slipped on a black glossy trench coat and slid his ebony and silver Desert Eagles into the holsters in the chest pockets. He placed his customary black sunglasses over his eyes and grabbed his katana.

"So you're really going alone." Kyrina stood to one side of his room, leaning in one of the dark corners of his room.

"Kyrina..." Kyrina leapt forward and flew into Blade's arms.

"I don't want you to die!" Blade soothingly stroked her soft, shoulder length black hair.

"Shh, shh. It'll be fine, little sister." He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and bent down to his right boot. He unstrapped the magnificent dagger on it and presented it to Kyrina.

"I want this back when I finish off with Dreyfus." He winked at her from behind his glasses and tossed his sword into the air. It disappeared from view as it descended.

"Tetsu no Kage Ryu. Claw of the Shadow Dragon. It will keep me safe." He opened the window and leapt out from it. Black metallic bat wings formed from the sleeves of his coat as he flew, disappearing rapidly into the darkness."

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Meanwhile, at the X-Men's current residency, Kara paced back and forth in worry. Hank pinched the bridge of his nose and placed the book he was reading on the table.

"Perhaps you would care to enlighten us as to why you are in such a foul mood." Kara stopped pacing and breathed a heavy sigh.

"Blade has gone to fight over fifty armed vampires, the best fighters Dreyfus has. In addition, he must fight Dreyfus' assassins, three brutal vampires with incredible skills. Then Dreyfus himself. Blade has only two things going for him. The first is that he is a very old and very powerful vampire, not one of modern vampires, whose powers have waned considerably. They can't even fly anymore. The second is his royal blood. With a little skill and a lot of luck, Blade may unlock the true power of the Dragon."

"The true power of the Dragon."

"It's an ancient myth, actually. Those descended of the original vampire king are said to have the potential of unlocking great powers. It takes the form of a dragon tattoo that suddenly appears on one's body. The more tattoos, the more power unlocked."

"There's something else you're not telling us. I see something in Blade's eyes, a weariness that should not be placed on one so young." Kara chuckled bitterly.

"Young? Blade was young when King Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone. He is the eldest living vampire and thus, the most powerful." She smirked. "You're wondering why he looks so young. That's easily explained. True vampires stop aging at the point their full powers awaken. It takes a conscious effort to age, and thus, only very old true vampires deign to look wizened. Modern vampires just have extended life spans. But they, like humans, wither away and die in time."

"That doesn't explain the weariness." Tears formed in Kara's eyes.

"It was a very long time ago. Back during the Dark Ages, shortly after the birth of vampires, Dracula took a powerful angel named Seraph as his bride. Their union bridged the gap between demon and angel and formed a strong bond of peace between the two. Gradually however, the Gateway between Heaven and Earth closed. Seraph chose to stay behind with Dracula at the last moment before the portal closed for eternity. Without the Divine Light, she languished. She died giving birth to Blade...no, back then he kept his real name. Seraph died giving birth to Azriel. Her death unhinged Dracula quite a bit and he could not find the loving companionship he so desired in his only son. So he married the vampiress Carmilla. She turned out to be a monster in the disguise of a woman and quickly drove Dracula mad. He became completely insane, murdering countless innocents and bathing in there blood. It was during one such night of red that Alucard, Carmilla's son was born. He was also crazy, but did not share his mother's love for cruelty, dealing more in destruction and chaos. All the while, Azriel slowly became more and more horrified with his family's actions. He convinced Alucard of the necessity of change. Together, they fought their father and....killed him. Azriel struck the final blow, severing his father's head from its body and burning the ashes. His pain was so great that he slipped into a deep sleep, one that could not be awakened. Alucard took the throne for a time, but he was always unbalanced. He was eventually captured by an Institute begun by Abraham Van Helsing, the first vampire hunter."

"But it is said Helsing killed Dracula himself."

"Nothing more than a fabricated lie used to cover up Azriel's necessary act and believe me, it was necessary. He awakened recently with no memory of his past life. I guess you could say we 'woke him up'."

"And now?"

"He is finally going to claim what is rightfully his."

"I suppose you want us to pray for him?"

"Hells no. Just hope he comes back in one piece."