The SUV was a being pumbled by hundreds of ghoul as we race towards the library. The engine was screaming as we hit another and Ki says, his once white hair now covered in black blood from the ghoul we had fought through. Igor had kept me behind him at all times, and surprisingly I hadn't had to lift a figure. Igor was terrifying in his strength. It reminded me much of Nick when we were in his mansion. Despite only feeling the void of where Igor was he moved with grace, even as his face was splashed over and over with blood. His cool exterior rarely changed into something terrifying. But when we had finally reached the steps of the Templar and a swarm of ghoul came towards us, he had roared out only one word and the whole swarm had disappeared into ash.

Now as I gripped onto the passenger's seat, I look over at him, seeing the sweat on his forehead. Using so much power had to have been draining on him and Ki was out of breath, covered in sweat saying, "Man that was a workout."

"Don't remind me," Igor murmurs coolly, all command and cold precision as we finally burst through a group of the ghoul and onto a main road towards the library.

"God how many do you think there are E?" Ki asks, looking behind us as some ghoul start to give chase.

"Millions."

"But how could they keep them hidden from us?" Ki asks, anger seeping into his voice.

I see Igor's jaw work for a moment, eyes laser focused on his mad dash towards the truth. "If our lovely Nina's information is correct they have had hundreds of years to figure that out. We aren't all knowing Ki."

"I know that E, but we should have seen signs."

"We did... too late."

The way he said it felt ominous. It was true, and there was no telling how long before me they had known something was wrong. I voice it, "How long have you felt something was off?"

Igor glances at Ki in the rear view and Ki lets out a sigh, "Ten years at least."

"Ten?!"

"It was nothing we could not put our finger on!" Ki says defensively and continues, "There were a lot of political things going on inside the society and the human world that it felt like just a culmination of things making us feel that way."

"But then Hunters starting going missing last year," Igor monotones, his eyes flicking to me and back to the road.

"Hunters?" "Since when?" I and Ki say in unison.

"It was only being discussed between myself and the other Five at the time. It wasn't something I was going to bring to your attention until later," Igor says more to Ki than to myself.

"Oooo, so it's ok for you to keep secrets from your second?!"

"It wasn't like that Ki," Igor murmurs.

"Then what?!"

Igor lashed out in a snarl, sudden frost entering the air, "I didn't know whom I could trust."

Ki and I both go rigid, myself from absolute terror at feeling a sudden sliver of power from Igor that felt like the mouth of a creature about to swallow me. But for Ki, it seemed to feel like a slap as he swears calmly, "I vowed over a millennia ago that I would never betray you E."

The silence in the car was deafening and all I could do was look between them before I hear Igor sighs out, "I know Ki. I'm sorry."

The world outside this car blaring with alarms from the motor overheating spoke of the destruction of a predator society. The city was in flames, smoke billowing up towards the ice high above even as the heated air melted the ice above, causing rain to fall. Bodies of both vampire and ghoul littered the streets. It was sobering as we saw hundred more running away from the ghoul, as more explosions continued to destroy the world around us. Kotawa wouldn't exist must longer at this rate. It would be nothing more than a tomb for the vampire society if we didn't stop Zoren from eviscerating it. It was sobering to think what would happen to the world if Zoren succeeded.

Suddenly the SUV comes to a screeching halt and I look up to see the library on fire. The horror was profound as I look at Igor and Ki. Thousands, millions of years of knowledge were going up in smoke, but Igor steps out and says, "Lets hope that evidence still exists."

"How are we going to get through the fire?" I ask, racing up behind him as he walks up the steps towards the inferno.

Ki chuckles and says, "Putting out fires is Igor's specialty."

As if by magic, I watch as Igor walks into the flames and as if someone snuffed out a candle, the flames burning ahead of us go out. In it's center was Igor, looking back at us expectantly. Following close beside him, the flames go out. Those once majestic trees now a ghost of chard black as we pass them. It made me want to cry as I tell Igor that the information is in the bowels of the library with the memories of the purebloods. He doesn't even nod as he simply turns and walks through the flames, putting out fires as he goes. Ki lets out a huff, "Show off."

Igor just gives him a sideways glance before pushing on into the building. Much of the books here were still in tact, and the flames soon were gone in all directions. Deeper we went and it seemed as if this part of the world was untouched by what was happening above. It was eerily quiet as we made our way down the worn stairway to the most important memories of the vampire world lay. As we step into the darkened cavern, our eyes adjust to the darkness and I hear the shift of something moving.

Ki and Igor react instantly, but stop as we see people. It seemed the librarians had taken refuge here and we look around and see hundreds more. Then a voice rings out soft and kind, "Igor, you are here."

My eyes take in what I'm seeing as the Grand Seeker Anthea steps out from among the throng of people with Noah rushing up to us. She lets out a relieved sigh and continues, "Thank goodness, I was in the main library when the bombs began and brought as many as I could find down here. What is happening?"

"It seems the city is under attack from a threat we are just now beginning to understand."

Anthea nods, looking pale as Noah comes forward and says, "Longsworth had to come to the library for some information, I was accompanying him."

That's when I see Longsworth crouched down by a shelf, cradling a briefcase and I rush to him saying, "What were you trying to find?"

His face was a mask of terror as he says, "It's not what I found... the... the sounds... and smells... ghoul."

It wasn't a question, but I nod anyhow. The vampires in this room all start murmuring at this, the smell of fear permeating the room. That's when everything goes quiet at the sound of clicking from above. Every person was like a statue, and Ki hisses, "The fire was keeping them out!"

Igor nods, and like he had done to me was the doorway in a flash, closing the door with a soft click. All the clicking sounds above stop before we heard a muffled howl from hundreds of mouths. In that one sound we all knew we were about to die. I could see it in Igor's face, his eyes shifting colors before settling back on black, his face taking on a sober look. Ki's head hangs and the room shuffles with fear. It was true a Pureblood could do a lot of damage, but seeing how exhausted and pale both Ki and Igor were. It was enough to tell me we wouldn't survive.

Anthea lets out a soft sob, "We won't survive will we?"

Instead of saying anything, I turn and weave around bodies. What I was about to do would be considered futile, but I find the book and open it to the old faded letter that Furlow had left me. While I did this, I heard Ki and Igor giving commands to put as many shelves in front of the door as they could, while Anthea tried to quiet the people in the room. A ranks did their work, and one mentioned being able to pull iron from around the area to reinforce the door. But it was useless, this place was nothing but stone and already I could hear the sound of the howls of the ghoul beyond the door.

Standing in front of pedestaled book of Fideious the Great and chuckle out, "I bet this wasn't were you saw me going."

"Who are you talking to?"

I jump at the sound of Igor's voice right beside me. Turning to him, I give a sad smile and say, "My mentor."

With that I hand him the letter. He wanted to know the truth, then here it was. It didn't matter that he was a possible member of the Phantasma. Nothing mattered anymore as my back burned sharply and I gasp, knees buckling. Igor grabs me as I fall and sits me down. He looks at my back and his eyes widen saying, "Nick..."

"Is he...gone?"

"No, but he is definitely badly injured. Your bloodbond is keeping though. Don't fear. Now what is this?" He asks coolly, still holding me and lifting the letter into view.

"Proof."

Igor opens it quickly as I lean against a bookshelf, sweat pouring as the burning pain on my back continued. I just watch Igor's sharp face as his eyes scan the words so precious to me that I wanted to rip it from his hands. But as he continues to read, his shoulders slump and his eyes widen fraction by fraction until they slowly lift to me. It was as if a revelation had struck him, and the sheer emotion on his face overwhelmed me. Whatever he had read seemed to have changed something in him as he says softly, "Natasha, I..."

But then an ear splitting crack come and screaming. Igor is on his feet instantly and rushing as people rush past him. People screamed as the howls of ghoul entering the room fill the air. I could hear Anthea calling for everyone to fight, but I could barely breath from the pain on my back. The air thick with the pheromones and powers of so many vampire. I was frozen until I see Noah in front of me. He grabs me up in his arms and rushes me towards the back of the room saying, "Ki and Igro are fighting them off, but I don't think we will survive this. I'm just a B rank! I can't beat even one of them."

Cried of agony and fear, the smell of blood and screeching of ghoul. I wasn't even afraid anymore, just numb as I look behind Noah and see a ghoul break away from a dead body and rush towards us. Just as it's arm reaches out, I see black. A groan and then nothing as I look up at the black high ponytail and see the flash of silver. Igor turns his head, his eyes gone silver as he roars, "Keep moving back Noah!"

The horde of ghoul was like a wave and I watch and Ki and Igor and a few other night hunters, as well as A ranks try to push them back. We were in the only remaining area closest to the Wraith's cell now at the back of the cavernous room. Slowly the A ranks and other vampire begin to fall to the never ending flood of ghoul. I whimper, "We won't survive this."

Then a soft voice from the silver bars floats out among the cries, "Who says so?"