The next morning brings a sense of relief to Boris, but the memory still lingers in his mind.
The entire class and chaperones have gathered in the lobby, where Mr. Augustine is announcing the plans for today. However, Boris is not paying attention. Antonia looks at him and gently squeezes his hand, assuring him she's beside him.
Then, two hands press against their shoulders. Boris and Antonia look up and see Ella looking at them with worry.
"Is everything alright, dears?" she whispers. Boris and Antonia look at each other. Antonia shakes her head at Boris, but Boris nods, gesturing to her. Ella looks at them in confusion before Boris asks her,
"Can we talk about this privately, mom?"
"Oh, uh. Sure," replies Ella as they soon stand up and walk to the hall. There, Boris and Antonia confess what they had done the night before. They explain how Antonia met her friends like Nadia, and they went to a vampire party. Antonia quickly assures Ella that she took Boris out of the area before he saw any of the feedings. But the most disturbing part of the news has to come out.
"W-When the leader of the vampires of this city made an announcement, whatever his name is, h-he said that vampires hanging around with humans will not be t-tolerated," explains Boris. Ella looks at the two of them and sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. Antonia steps forward.
"Mrs. Birgham, I-I swear, I had no idea he was going to be there. I-If I did, I wouldn't ha-" she begins before Ella places a finger on her lip. Antonia looks at Ella, giving her a look.
"Antonia, honey. What happened last night wasn't your fault. It would have happened regardless of him being there. And this…this is going to be something that will be hard to deal with. *sigh* That Guiallume," she begins. Antonia and Boris look at her with worry. Then Ella's gaze slightly hardens.
"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you put my son and YOUR brother in danger. Even if you're familiar with these vampires, what'll happen if he gets a cut?" she asks.
"I-I didn't, though, mom! Plus, we were at table surrounded by her friends, and they were very nice to me!" Boris cuts in, defending Antonia. Ella responds with,
"Friendship can only go so far if they just catch a WHIFF of your scent. Remember what happened last time?"
Boris flinches as he pauses, remembering the dreadful incident from all those years ago. He raises his hands and runs his fingers across his neck. Antonia looks at his neck and sees a faint scar of a vampire bite mark. Boris gulps as he remembers what caused it.
*flashback*
An eight-year-old Boris screams in pain as Ella, having lost control of herself, holds him close as she bites his neck, draining him of his blood. Boris continues to scream as he tries to resist.
*flashbacks*
"Boris. Boris!" Antonia's voice makes him snap back to reality, panting. Ella and Antonia look at him with worry. Boris looks at the two before shaking his head and clearing his throat.
"I-I'm okay. I'm fine," Boris says as he shakes off their hands. Ella remains unsure.
"Are you sure, Boris?" she asks. Boris nods.
"Mom, I said I'm fine. Just…please, I'm okay," he says, voice quivering. Ella sighs as she immediately regrets what she had said earlier.
"I'm sorry, honey. I just want you to be safe," she says. Boris nods as Antonia places a hand on his shoulder. Then Ella shakes her head.
"Well, regardless, what's done is done. *sigh* I'm going to convince one of the teachers to let you leave for home early. I know Guiallume well enough to know that when he declares something, he MEANS it," instructs Ella. Boris blinks in surprise.
"B-But what about my project? I need a good grade to pass!" he protests.
"Screw the project! We're concerned about life, estupido!" argues Antonia, gently smacking him on the shoulder.
"Okay, okay. Enough. *sigh* Sorry, Boris, but your safety matters more," interjects Ella as she looks at Boris sympathetically. After a while, Ella gently pats them. "Stay together, and don't do anything rash or dumb until I can get everything ready. Okay?"
Boris and Antonia nod, making Ella nod with a smile. They return to the other students, where Mr. Augustine continues to announce his plans. Antonia and Boris keep holding each other's hands in assurances.
Neither realizes that one of Guiallume's concubines is reading a book nearby. Well, she's only pretending to read the book. She hears what Ella says to the children and narrows her eyes. Quickly, she puts the book down and fishes out her phone. She dials a number and calls Guiallume.
"Master," she speaks into the phone as she walks away. "The boy and his family are planning on escaping. What do we do?"
"Ah, that's to be expected, my dear. While we can't destroy the mother, she's far too powerful. But I do have a way to weaken her. For now, lay low and keep an eye on them. Last thing I need is that stain on our kind's reputation to get away with it," says Guiallume's voice from the other end. The concubine nods before hanging up the call and walking away.
Sometime later, Boris and Antonia are with their group. Boris is looking at the diary of Alastor given to him by Luna. He sighs as he opens the book, wanting to look at it. He looks at the pages, frowning as he reads about the early life of Alastor, but he pays little attention to what's being said: something about his early childhood.
"Hey, what are you reading?"
The voice of Patrick makes Bori gasp, causing him to lose his grip on the book, only for him to catch it. He looks at Patrick, who grins sheepishly.
"I uh…I'm just reading something. F-For the project," explains Boris. Patrick blinks with a smile.
"Oh, can I see it?" he asks. Boris frowns.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Look," replies Boris as he shows him the diary. Patrick takes it and looks at it. Boris then notices Antonia texting on her phone. He approaches her and asks, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just checking in with my friends to see for any updates regarding our…'situation'," responds Antonia. Boris blinks in confusion. Antonioa makes a hushing gesture and motions her head to the other kids. Boris nods in understanding and whispers,
"Did they find anything?"
Antonia shakes her head as she shows him what her friends have sent her: hidden videos of some of the concubines killing certain humans and human-sympathizing vampires.
"They're enacting what's being called 'The Autumn Purge.' Anyone, human or vampire, who intermingles with each other are gonna be gone," whispers Antonia. Boris frowns as he watches the videos, one of which shows a vampire being ripped apart limb from limb by two concubines before being stabbed in the chest by a silver stake. Boris winces. Then, Antonia puts the phone away and places a hand on his shoulder. Then, the door opened, and Mr. Augustine stepped in with Ella behind him.
"Boris and Antonia. I have received a call from your family that you and your step-sister have forged your parents' signatures to go on this field trip. For obvious reasons, such things will not be tolerated, and you two will be sent back home, alongside Ella. Is that clear?" he explains. Boris raises a brow while Antonia can see Mr. Augustine's eyes, seeing that they look lifeless. She looks at Ella, who looks at them with a stern nod.
"Uh, alright," she says before she grabs Boris's hand. Antonia motions her head to Mr. Augustine's eyes while Patrick and Charlotte look in shock. Boris nods in understanding.
"W-Wait! What about our project?" asks Patrick. Boris looks at him and replies, "I'll do it from home and I'll send you what I've learned. I'm gonna need the diary back."
Patrick nods as he hands back the diary with a sad look before Antonia grabs his hand and walks off. However, Charlotte looks at Mr. Augustine as he walks off with the three.
"Aww, man," complains Patrick as Charlotte climbs off the bed and approaches the door.
Ella raises her hand outside the hall as she stares at Mr. Augustine.
"Leave us now, and you'll forget we were on this trip," she compels. Mr. Augustine then wordlessly walks away. Boris looks at Ella.
"Mom, did you literally compel-" he begins before Ella grabs his shoulders.
"Yes, I did. The killings are starting, and it's only a matter of time before they come to you. Now come on, let's go," instructs Ella as she pushes Boris away. Antonia is not far behind.
Nearby, Charlotte peeks through the door and sees everything go down. She widens her eyes and steps back, panting in fear. Patrick approaches her.
"What's wrong, Charlotte?" asks Patrick. Charlotte looks at him and whimpers, "A…A vampire. S-She's outside, and she made our teacher let Boris and Antonia go!"
"Vampire? Charlotte, you know those things aren't real, right?" asks Patrick. Charlotte grabs his shoulders.
"Patrick, we've GOT to tell someone! Boris and Antonia are in danger!" she argues with fear before grabbing his hand and rushing out the door. Patrick yelps as he is yanked away.
Meanwhile, Ella, Boris, and Antonia are leaving the hotel. Then, Antonia gasps.
"Wait, we forgot our things!" reminds Antonia as she looks back.
"We'll worry about them later. Right now, Boris needs to be taken back to safety," Ella argues as they rush through the streets. None of them notices that a pair of vengeful eyes are watching them.
Soon, Ella arrives at the parking lot. A bus can be seen driving up. Ella looks at Boris and gently caresses his hair.
"How are you, honey?" she asks. Boris looks at her and whimpers, "I…I'm scared."
"I know, nene. I know. Me too," replies Antonia as she rubs his back.
"We all are. But don't worry: we're gonna get you both home and I swear, I'll deal with that barbarian myself if…" Ella looks ahead and stops speaking. She sees the bus moving toward them, slowing down. Ella grabs onto her children and gets herself ready to board.
The bus soon stops in front of them, and the door opens. However, they see someone sitting on the bus driver, burying her face on the driver's neck. Ella gasps as she pushes her children behind her.
Then, the figure pulls her head back and tosses the body to the stairs. The three see the driver's neck was practically chewed off, blood spewing from the wound.
Then, the culprit steps out. It was one of Guiallume's concubines, with her mouth caked with blood. Boris gasps as Antonia stands in front of him, growling. The concubine grins as she grows her fangs and drops the body.
"Going somewhere?" she asks. Then, the rest of the concubines surround them. Ella growls as she gets defensive, fangs and claws out.
"Leave us alone! We were going to leave the city and not be a bother!" growls Ella. The concubines growl back.
"It's not a matter of him being a threat," says one.
"It's a matter of principle," says another.
"Master believes that the mere existence of you and your human child together is enough to risk our kind's derision and potential doom of our kind as well," says the third one.
Ella growls as Antonia hisses at them.
"So what?! It's just one example of a human child living with a family!"
"That ONE example would, and already has, set a precedent that we cannot allow! And thus, the master wants him as an offer for Our Maker, Lilith," booms the lead concubine.
"You're NOT laying a finger on my SON," growls Ella before superspeeding over to the leader and slicing her throat with her claws. The concubine gasps as she grabs her throat and gets on her knees. This causes the other concubines to attack. Antonia grabs Boris and leaps into the air as three concubines fling themselves upon them.
"AAH!" goes Boris as Antonia lands on the tree. Ella then slams the skulls of three concubines into the pavement. She looks at them.
"RUN!" she shouts. Antonia nods as she superspeeds into the nearby forest, with three more concubines following them as the rest fight off Ella.
Ella stares at the concubines and growls. She fails to notice one of them is carrying something in her pocket. And a set of crosses are poking out of them.
Boris holds on for dear life as Antonia flies across the trees. The three concubines screech as they follow after them. Antonia looks back and snarls as she looks at Boris.
"Do you have any holy water on you?" she shouts. Boris nods.
"Yeah, but I need both hands to open it!" he replies, pulling a bottle of water from his pocket. Antonia grunts in frustration.
"Give it to me!" she demands. Boris nods and gives him the water. Antonia opens the water and winces in pain as some droplets get onto her skin, causing slight burns. Then, she looks as one of the concubines zooms close to them. She slightly tips the bottle, causing some water to land on the concubine's face, causing her to scream in pain as the water burns through like acid before she comically hits a tree. Antonia giggles, as does Boris before he looks ahead.
"Look out!" he shouts, pointing to another concubine before them. Antonia gasps and turns to the right, spraying more holy water at her, burning the concubine.
This process continues for a bit until Antonia is taken by surprise by a force below. Antonia screeches, and Boris screams as they fall down, tumbling onto the road on the other side leading back into the city.
Boris recovers and looks up to see Guillaume grabbing Antonia by the throat. Boris gasps and rushes to him.
"Get off my sister!" he shouts as he grabs a nearby stick and prepares to jab it at Guillaume, but he grabs his wrist easily, causing him great pain. Antonia looks at him and hisses at Guillaume.
"Let him go, hijo de PUTA!" she growls. Guillaume looks at her and nods.
"Okay," he says before tossing Boris aside. Antonia gasps as she then sees Guillaume raising a stake and stabbing her in the chest. Antonia screams in pain as Guillaume tosses her to the side. Boris gasps and screams for her. Guillaume then grabs him by the throat.
"No worries, boy. I haven't hit her heart. She'll live," he assures as he shakes the hand holding the stake previously, although he looks contemptuous. Boris looks at him and kicks him in the stomach. Guillaume laughs.
"Oh, I can assure you, Our Maker Lilith will have plans for you for sure," he says as the surviving concubines gather around him.
"Where is the mother?" he asks. One of the concubines nodded.
"She's been taken care of. We used all of our holy water and crosses to restrain her so we don't have any reserves to destroy her. We did, however, use a…*shudder*...Holy spell to imprison her," she says. Boris gasps as he shivers.
"No…No, please! MOM! MOOM!" he calls out.
In the forest, there lay four concubine corpses, reduced to pure skeletons. In the midst of it is Ella, burned and stabbed on the wrists and limbs with stakes, and a set of necklaces with Christian crucifixes were placed around her to immobilize her, pinning her to a large tree. She cannot heal thanks to these holy artifacts and remains a broken mess. She hears Boris crying out for her, and she struggles to move, trying to go through the pain.
Thanks to the spell she is bound to, her flesh burns every time she tries to move. Ella screams in pain as she continues to try and pull through in vain.
Back where the others are, Boris screams as he reaches out for Antonia. Guillaume slams him to the road, causing him to groan in pain. He sighs in relief.
"Thank Our Maker. He was getting on my nerves. And of the other concubines?" asks Guillaume. The lead concubine frowns and looks down.
"None of them made it. They gave their lives to seal her. It also didn't help we had to use said holy objects, and…well, they hurt like hell," she says as she lifts her arms, revealing scars. Guillaume nods with a solemn smile.
"No worries, dear. Their sacrifices to preserve the integrity of our kind will not go in vain. Now…onto what we're here for," Guillaume says as he looks at a groaning Boris. Antonia gasps in pain as she looks at Guiallume and the concubines before they superspeed back into the woods.
"N-No! No!" she groans as she tries to pull the stake out. But it burns her hand via touch. She pants, tears streaming down as she tries to get it off. She screams as she burns her hand, trying to get it off. Then, the stake moves slightly back. She screams in pain as she pulls the stake back, her face contorting to that of her true vampiric form before she finally pulls it off. The pain immediately subsides, but Antonia is left exhausted as she lays on the ground. Tired and hurt, she looks at where Boris is taken and weakly gets up. However, she remembers what they have said about Ella.
"Mrs. Birgham!" she shouts as she superspeeds back to the trees.
Soon, she finds Ella still in pain.
"Mrs. Birgham!" she cries out as she reaches for her, but she screams in pain and pulls back. Ella looks at her and shouts, "Don't go! They, *pants* They casted a holy spell to seal me with these crosses!"
Antonia looks at her, helpless.
"Mrs. Birgham, they took Boris, and they're gonna do something to him. W-What do I do?" she asks, getting closer to Ella. Ella looks at her and pants through the pain.
"Sweetie, listen to me. You need to get someone to remove these crosses. It has to be a human. Y-You know how to compel them, right?" she asks. Antonia nods. "Then find one, and free me," Antonia whimpers as she looks at her.
"B-But what about Boris?" she asks.
"Antonia, please listen to me! You can't take on Guillaume on your own! He has lost enough of his marbles to use his kind's weakness against us! I…I need to be free and regain my strength enough to free him," reasons Ella. Antonia looks at her.
"B-But that's not enough time! Guiallume's probably sacrificing him as we speak!" she protests.
"Then hurry!" shouts Ella, making Antonia flinch. Ella then pants and looks down.
"I'm sorry, honey. I just…please, for once, do as I say. Boris is in danger because of MY decisions…like always…" she whimpers out. Antonia steps back.
"Mrs. Birgham…" she whimpers. Ella sniffles silently, shedding tears.
"Please…go!" she whimpers. Antonia steps back and whimpers. Then, she superspeeds out of the area.
She runs through the trees, picking up Boris's scent and getting a general sense of direction to where he might be.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Birgham. But I need to get to Boris," she whispers to herself.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city…
With a thud, Boris finds himself inside of a cage. He looks up and sees Guillaume looking at him through the bars. Boris whimpers as he steps back, looking around.
"W-Where am I?" he asks.
"You're in an abandoned mall. This mall was very popular with you humans before Hurrican Katrina cleansed this area over a decade ago. Now, with some bribery, we use this for our own purpose," explains Guillaume as he shows Boris the remains of a large mall, which is overtaken by growing weeds of grass and roots.
Boris pants as he looks around. Then, he looks at Guillaume.
"P-Please. Just let me go!" says Boris. Guillaume narrows his eyes.
"Can't do that, boy. Not while our kind's future is at stake," he responds. Boris blinks in fear, tears streaming down. Guillaume sighs and stands up straight.
"Do you know anything about why the idea of humans and vampires getting along is dangerous?" he asks, looking down at him. Boris looks down and ponders momentarily as he thinks about what to say.
"I…I have an idea on that," he replies. Guillaume raises a brow in intrigue. "I-It's the fact that vampires are top predators and drink human blood," adds Boris as he runs his hand on his neck, fingers going over the bite mark. Guillaume nods with a hum.
"Smart boy. Now tell me, why do you and your mother still believe you can just…I dunno, think you two can just continue living together even after what has happened to you?" asks Guillaume. Boris looks at him, eyes widening. Guillaume nods.
"Yes, I know the truth. That bite mark on your neck is NOT from those purebloods that your mother killed. It was from your mother herself. If it were the Purebloods, you'd be dead," Guiallume elaborates. Boris looks on horrifiedly as Guillaume continues, "Now, why would you still live with her, knowing the precedent this would set?"
"I-I didn't think about what this could mean! And I don't care about that. That's still my mom that you've hurt!" shouts Boris. Guilliame nods.
"Even if that mom has done a lot of heinous shit during her 8,000 years of becoming a vampire?" he asks.
"The past is in the past! She has atoned for that by saving me, my human friends, and killing her greatest mistake: her own daughter!" argues Boris. Then, a hiss from the nearby concubines silences him. However, Guillaume puts up a hand.
"Easy now, ladies. He may have a point. BUT," he says as he kneels down to the cage.
"Regardless of her actions, Ella is an ancient vampire, and even if she is an outcast, her power and experience mean she still has many followers. Many of those followers hear about what happened, and they want to conceal their true nature in order to befriend such weak beings," he grumbles before scoffing.
"Such an idea sickens me. We are VAMPIRES, the top predators of the supernatural world and Lilith's prized creations! We should be dominating the human race and all of the living world! Yet even before what happened with you and Ella, our kind has grown soft. You two, and by extension, your extended 'family', are becoming symbols of a new generation, and I cannot allow that. Not in my city of New Orleans," he adds, motioning his hands to demonstrate the city's grandness. Boris looks at him, but then he hears,
"Hey! Let us go!"
"Come on, guys! This is not cool!"
"Damn it, you bastards!"
Boris turns around, and inside the room comes several vampire guards pushing in Luna, Darius, Hiro, and Nadia.
"G-Guys?" calls out Boris. The four vampires look at him, and they gasp in fright.
"B-Boris?!" asks Nadia with a horrified look.
"H-Hey! What are you doing to him?!" demands Hiro.
Guillaume glares at them, but they hold their ground and growl at him. Then, he grabs Boris and looks at him, ignoring the shouts of protest.
"Now, you seem to know the ridiculousness of humans living with vampires, but allow me to refresh your memory, and remind them," he gestures his head to the vampire friends. "about what happens they get a whiff of a single drop of blood, especially from someone as young as you."
Then, extending a claw, he pokes Boris's shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. He then pulls back and steps to the side. The vampire friends shout in horror.
"NO!" shouts Darius.
Boris holds his shoulder, but he then sees a single drop of blood oozing from it, and everything goes silent. He looks ahead and sees Nadia, Darius, Hiro, and Luna staring at him. First with shocked eyes, but then their looks become hungry.
"G-Guys?" asks Boris. Then, the guards let them go, and the four vampire friends, lost in bloodlust, snarl, and hiss before super speeding to the cage. Boris screams as they reach for him, barely missing him.
"Guys! It's me!" he shouts, but they pay little mind. Nadia clamps her fanged jaws at him, the noise creating a popping sound similar to that of a crocodile. Darius claws close to Boris, and Luna roars at him. Boris screams as he gets to the far corner.
After what feels like an eternity, Guillaume orders the guards to take the crazed vampires away, and they do so. The four vampires snarl at Boris as they are taken away, leaving Boris to pant and whimper. Guillaume approaches him and raises a brow.
"You see?" he asks. Boris looks at him and glares at him.
"T-That…that wasn't them! They lost control of themselves!" he argues.
"That's irrelevant, Boris. That is their nature, and we can't change who we really are at the core," retorts Guillaume.
"But what about synthetic blood?! You elites have them, but you won't hand them out to the rest! Not every vampire wants to happily kill humans, not even Nadia, and she killed a bunch of racist assholes! They do it because they have to!"
"Maybe so, and if what you're saying is true, then what Naida did sounds justified, but those vampires, as I've said before, are not accepting of their nature. You've seen how your 'friends' acted. That's who they are!"
Guillaume then wipes up the blood that has fallen to the floor.
"And it's all because of a single drop of blood," he muses before licking the blood. Boris shivers before one of Guillaume's concubines approaches him.
"We're ready, master. The ritual has to be rushed a bit, but we're certain it'll do the work fine," she says. Guillaume grins and kisses her.
"Well done. Now, boy," he says before ripping open the cage. "Time for you to meet Our Maker."
Boris steps back, but Guillaume grabs him by the throat and lifts him up, carrying him away. Boris struggles in vain as they travel through the mall.
Meanwhile, Antonia arrives at the outside of the mall. She clutches onto her chest with one hand, which still has the hole that is healing slower than normal, as she looks around for where Boris is. She then taps into her hearing and hears Boris struggling for his life. Then, she also hears four other voices. Her friends!
Antonia gasps as she then rushes inside, wanting to find her friends so they can help her.
Back at the room, Guillaume arrives at a room where several of his remaining concubines and guards are waiting. In the center is a large pentagram. Guillaume then walks to the center and pins Boris down, with two concubines getting some enchanted chains to restrain him, nailing them to the floor!
"H-Hey! W-What is this?!" asks Boris. Guillaume chuckles.
"Like I've said several times before, boy, we're taking you to meet Our Maker Lilith. Most of our kind have forgotten the old way of the Vampiric Dark Arts. Luckily," says Guillaume as another concubine gives him a book. "I still know them."
"No. No, no! Please, let me go, Guillaume! Please! I-I didn't know things would get this serious!" pleads Boris as he recognizes the book cover. The one Ella used to speak to him about. Guillaume shakes his head.
"Sorry, kid. Actually, no I'm not. But hey, when you meet Our Maker Lilith in Hell, she and her cohorts down there are not gonna care if you're a kid, unlike us. Food is food!" he assures before laughing heartily. Boris screams as the vampire walks away, clearing the pentagram before he opens the book and begins to chant.
Oh, Lilith. Dilectus creator noster, Llith! Oblationem nostram tibi in gratiam accipe pro vita nostro genere tradenda! Audi vocem meam, et accipe benedictionem nostram pro te et cognato tuo in inferno.
He repeats this chant several times, during which each of his staff and concubines recite the chant alongside him. During this, the book begins to glow, and before long, the Pentagram glows. Boris shouts, unable to be heard through the chants and glowing hum.
Meanwhile, Antonia rushes through the hall. She eventually finds her friends locked inside a room by an enchanted doorlock. Even though she's still wounded, she manages to break the padlock to the door after several attempts, which burns her hands again. Soon, her friends walk out and see her sorry state.
"Antonia! Oh no, Antonia!" goes Nadia as she approaches her. The others follow after her.
"What the hell happened?" asks Darius.
"Did Guillaume get to you and Ella?" asks Luna, tears streaming down. Antonia looks at them and asks,
"Where's Boris?!"
The teens look at her momentarily before a whooshing sound comes from inside. Antonia gasps.
"T-They're starting the ritual! It's to send him down to Hell!" Hiro explains. Antonia widens her eyes in shock.
"So they…they still practice the Vampiric Dark Arts? We've got to hurry!" insists Antonia. She rushes ahead, with her friends following behind her.
"W-What about you?! Or Ella?! You're not strong enough to-," reminds Luna. Antonia glares at them.
"I don't care! Boris is my brother and best friend. I'm NOT letting him go down there! Now help me or stay out of my way!" she shouts, fangs baring. The four vampires pause for a moment before Nadia nods.
"Alright, alright. Let's get to him quickly!" she says. Antonia nods before they rush inside.
Back in the room, the pentagram glows as the vampires chant. Guillaume's chant is the loudest as a big wide grin is on his face. Boris continues to struggle, but this type of tape he's restrained by is very strong. He couldn't get it off in time.
Then, Guillaume raises a hand, and with his eyes glowing, he swings it sideways at the pentagram. That's when the book and the pentagram glow brighter. Boris screams as the fire begins to surround the pentagram. Then, a large portal opens beside him, and something rises from within. Something huge and other-worldly. It appeared to be a demonic creature with glowing red eyes, frills along the back of its neck, and two spiral horns on the top of its head.
Boris widens his eyes as he stares at the creature looking down at him. Everything has gone silent, save for the humming pentagram. The creature then purrs momentarily before roaring at him! Boris screams, but then the creature winces as it feels something attacking it. Bori looks at what's attacking it and gasps in delight.
"Antonia! Nadia! Everyone!"
It was Antonia and her friends! They claw at the demonic creature as it swipes and bites at the vampires like they were flies. Outside the circles, Guillaume frowned while the concubines hissed.
"How dare they?!" one of them shouts. However, as they prepare to charge in. Guillaume puts up a hand.
"No worries, my ladies. Firstly, one of them is weakened still. And secondly, even if this ritual was hastily prepared, demons are still stronger than vampires. Give it time," he assures. They look at him, unsure but trusting his word.
Antonia, Nadia, Hiro, Luna, and Darius continue to bite at and slice at the creature. The creature roars in annoyance. Hiro then looks at Boris.
"Antonia! Get Boris out of here! Now!" he demands. Antonia nods before leaping off the giant and tumbling to the ground. She groans as she clutches the wound. Boris looks at get.
"Still not healing?!" he asks.
"It takes a while if they're caused by a holy object! Now hold on!" she shouts as she limps to him, preparing to take off the chains. They burn as she grabs them, but she pulls through the pain, even as steam emerges from her hand.
"Antonia…" whimpers Boris.
Meanwhile, the creature manages to shake off Darius and Luna, slamming its body onto the ground, squeezing Hiro, grabbing Nadia, and throwing her to the other side of the room. Then, it looks at Boris and Antonia. The creature roars as it slithers towards them.
Boris screams just as Antonia manages to pull off one of the chains. However, she is knocked to the side by the monster. Boris reaches out for her, but the monster then reaches for him and grabs him by the leg. Boris screams as he is dragged to the portal.
Antonia recovers from the hit and sees Boris being dragged to the portal!
"NO! BORIIIIS!" she shouts as she superspeeds to her brother. As he enters the portal, the monster opens its jaw and envelopes him. Antonia jumps to Boris.
Everything feels like it's in slow motion as Antonia reaches for Boris.
Boris uses his free hand, and just before being fully enveloped, he grabs Antonia's hand, dragging her into the portal as the monster goes inside, enveloping them in its dark maw.
Luna, Nadia, Darius, and Hiro have recovered and watch everything go down. Nadia screams as the portal closes, and everything stops glowing.
Then, things go quiet. Nadia pants as she looks at the pentagram. Then, she hears Guillaume proclaim,
"The boy is cast to Hell! A cultural victory for us!"
Then, all of the vampires cheer with delight! Nadia, Luna, Darius, and Hiro look on in horror at what happened and begin to shed tears. Nadia is especially upset. Not only because she nearly killed him earlier but also because they have failed to save him. And now he and Antonia are being sent down to Hell for something that is not the boy's fault.
Then, they hear footsteps coming to them. They look up and see Guillaume looking down at them.
"I hope that will teach you not to frolic with humans, you lot," he assures. Nadia and Luna roar as they bare their fangs out and prepare to attack him, but the guards stop them. Guillaume hums as if this doesn't faze him.
"Take them outside. I want you to remember this moment as a lesson!" orders Guillaume.
Soon, the four vampires are tossed out of the building and left to anguish. Nadia looks down and whimpers, tears streaming down.
"We…we failed," whimpers Nadia. Luna places a hand on her shoulders.
"We all failed, Nadia. And the worst part…we nearly killed Boris ourselves," adds Luna as she hugs Nadia. Darius approaches them and joins in. But Hiro stays away from the group. He looks at the building, remembering how he and his friends nearly killed Boris all because of a single drop of blood. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"N-Now…Now what?" asks Nadia. Hiro looks at them and replies, "We have to find Ella. We need to get her and figure out what to do next."
The others look at him, and they nod.
"If she's still alive," mutters Darius. Hiro nods.
"She's an Ancient. Holy objects are not strong enough for vampires like her. She'll be alive. We just need to find her," he assures as he helps Nadia and Luna up.
Then, after they got up, they superspeed away from the abandoned mall for their mission, with a small but faint hope that they can do something to redeem themselves and undo what has been done to their friends…
AN: Hey, everyone!
Finally, another chapter of this story is done and out of the way! I'm excited for January next year when the show's first episode comes out! I am certain that some of the things that will appear or happen in this story will be outdated. I know that! Anyway, I feel like this chapter could be more polished in some areas, and I have done it for a few hours, but overall, I feel happy about it! Also, I believe this will be my final chapter of the year!
With all that important part said, I wanna say that the music I used for this chapter's final segment is tracks from Godzilla: Minus One: Confusion, Divine, and Elegy. I did that to give a sense of hopelessness in this situation. I'd say it's fitting for this.
So...that's all I have to say! I hope you enjoy it, leave any comments and constructive criticisms you have, stick around for more, and have a Happy New Year!