Ichor : Blood & Secrets

Chapter 20

"I already have.. what I need love, I don't need any additional payments." said Helsing as he grins. "You're insane, just like him." said Mikeala. "Of course I'm like him, why else would I meet him about it in the first place?" asked Helsing.

"About what?" asked Mikeala. "Ask that with your brother himself, for now, leave, if the twilight goes away, I won't even hesitate to lock you all up back in coffins again." said Helsing to which Mikeala stands in idle for a while before finally departing away, sickened by his behaviour as well as his newfound greed.

As Mikeala steps out of the sanctuary, she looks forward to see where her brothers could have went to, but suddenly when a glimpse of a mysterious air catches her senses, she immediately vanishes away, trialing in order to find it without giving a second of thought, almost like she was forced to.

Meanwhile, as Lucien awaits patiently in the post battlefield while Darren takes a walking slowly, then drops at his feet, shouting in agony over losing the city he sought to protect by giving away his life.

Lucien, on the other hand, who always looks forward to seeing his brother suffer, did not even speak a word, but remains rather condensed, giving time for Darren to recover while he awaits aside as Darren lets out all his anger by his frustrated actions until he crouches down towards the ground as he begins to cry while Lucien goes forth to calm him down.

"Gone.. all of it.. it's all gone..." said Darren. "Relax, it's not your fault.. we did our best, trying to protect this city as well as the planet, if Klaus has other plans, there is nothing we can do about it, what he wants, he takes, then he gives it out to others." said Lucien.

"No.." uttered Darren who gets up, deprived of grief. "All the effort I took to build this, to make a long standing empire in which he rules.. I did this! I made him king! I will not.. let him take everything away from me, I will get my city back, with, or without his help!" shouted Darren.

"Sure mate, of course, we'll get our city back." said Lucien. "Our city?" repeated Darren when suddenly both of them are interrupted when a disturbing noise catches them behind, only to see it is a portal opening to the south east side of them.

"What the hell is that?" asked Lucien. "I don't know.. stay on your guard, we have no idea what could it be." said Darren while a figure starts to emerge, revealing to be a man carrying something or someone through the portal. "The heart beat, I can hear two, one seems to be familiar." said Darren.

"Who's it?" asked Lucien as to which both of them turn their complete attention towards the portal once they realise who is coming.

"What the.. it can't be." said Darren once he realises the figure coming from the portal, is revealed to be none other than Klaus himself, arriving while carrying Ayame in her arms, in the exact condition he left War World from as he steps out and walks within the surface as the portal closes away.

Upon waking within the new surface, Ayame, who was nearly dead, soon starts to begin healing as the growing nature of this world engraves onto her and starts accelerating her healing all by itself while Klaus looks upon two of his siblings, standing both shocked and confused about his state and who he is carrying in his arms.

"He looks half dead already, we'll end him, now." said Lucien. "Quiet, there is something different.. he's.. afraid." said Darren.

"Afraid, Klaus?" asked Lucien when suddenly Klaus goes to take a step further, but over his weakened state, he falls from grace as he goes onward to drop down, but by predicting this would happen, Darren immediately sprints off to catch him before he falls and lifts him up while looking at him eye to eye, confirming the fear in his eyes as Klaus hands over Ayame to him.

"You do know me so well brother.." said Klaus.

"What happened, who is she? how did you arrive in here, and why the hell do you look like s**t?" asked Lucien.

"Where is Mikeala?" asked Klaus.

"Inside, from what we can gather, all thanks to your deal with Helsing.. did you even consider about letting us know?" asked Lucien.

"I didn't need to." said Klaus as he coughs up blood, stepping away from Ayame as he takes in a minute to breathe while taking a sit down. "That can wait, Klaus I've never seen you afraid in a thousand years untill now, what happened? asked Darren.

"A war is coming.. one that will be the end of us all.. unless we don't find a way to stop it, this could be the end, to everything we built so far, including our very own lives." said Klaus to which Darren and Lucien stand to look at each other before taking a minute to process what he said.

Two weeks passed since that day, in a place, several light years from Planet Kleham lies the City of Victoria, lying in the Planet Drea.

Thrived under their Queen Mikeala and her sisters, the planet is built under the structure of Victorian era style, but mixed with steampunk enhancements, as vampires have continued to be the dominant rule within this world, thriving with luxury on the sky city above while humans are treated as lesser species, living under the poverty within the underground, dwelling under the undercroft in dark corners.

As each passing day, protest against the Ruling Queens continue, matters became even more complexed when Prince Drucen was assigned as the covenant of the ruling party in the Great Hall.

"As we stand today, glimpsed within the eyes of the Great Lunar Eclipse, Our stars, our Queens, Our Saviours of Victoria, serving under the Great Queen Mikeala, her sister, Queen Jaina, Queen Malika, Queen Hope and finally, the young and beautiful, Princess Luna, have gathered us here to bear witness, to a monument occasion." said the announcer.

While he continues to address his speech, Queen Jaina is informed by whispers by a messenger about the delay of their beloved Queen. "Your majesty.. Queen Mikeala won't be coming today." said the messenger. "What? why?" asked Queen Jaina.

"We're not sure, there hasn't been in any reports from Kleham, moreover, the control of the city has relinquished to Abraham Helsing who exiled the Azirel Family away." said the messenger.

"What? when did this happen?" asked Queen Jaina.

"Based on how we were able to calculate so far, two weeks ago." said the messenger as Queen Jaina once again turns her attention towards the announcer who calls out to Prince Drucen as people start clapping and cheer for him to which Queen Jaina joins.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, lords and Ladies, Queen, please bear witness to the first time in history, the male covenant of Victoria, Prince Drucen." said the announcer while songs and music are played as Prince Drucen makes his way towards the stage, and as he steps within the stairs and kneels under the staff of Queen Victoria, left beside the vacant throne where Queen Mikeala was supposed to have taken seat.

As he kneels down, biding time till he is set to rise, Queen Malika steps down from her throne and walks towards the stage with her people, bearing his rise face to face until suddenly, the doors of the Great hall is bursted out open by a unknown visitor, revealed to be the brother of Prince Drucen, Prince Rupert, severely beaten by his chaser.

"What in the?" asked Queen Malika to which Prince Drucen gets up on his own, having heard the voice of another who seem to be the one who threw out Prince Rupert towards the door, bursting it open.

"Where is she? Where have you hidden Mikeala away?" shouted Klaus, who reveals himself to the court as everyone stand shocked, revealed to be the one who was chasing after him.

"I don't know, I'm telling you, I don't know where she is, I had nothing to do with her disappearance, I swear!" cried Prince Rupert.

"Lies! I know it was you, I know you.." said Klaus who sprints off towards him and beats him mercilessly while he begs to let him go as he them drags him by his neck and carries him as he continues to strangle him until he was interrupted when a voice speaks out against him.

"Enough of this! Control yourself Klaus! drop him now at once!" shouted Prince Drucen, angered to see the condition of his brother left by Klaus.

"With pleasure." said Klaus who throws him towards the celling of the great hall to which he nearly goes to touch, then drops down by the chandelier which blasts down onto the surface, igniting a blast that sends people running away afraid while Prince Drucen ragingly looks upon Klaus until Ayame, Lucien enter scene from the way made by Klaus, shocked by the scene he caused.

"What the hell did you do?" asked Darren.

"This is bad.. uhmmm sorry, your majesties, extremely sorry for the.." said Ayame before getting interrupted by Queen Jaina as she joins the conversation as well. "Who is this girl? I've never seen her before." said Queen Jaina as Prince Drucen who goes off to help his dying brother in his arms, cries out of despair.

"Don't worry, alright? I'm going to save you, here, drink." said Prince Drucen who offers his blood to Rupert while Ayame goes off to introduce herself until Prince Drucen speaks out.

"Shut up! all of you! my brother here is dying, thanks to him, and all you care about is the girl he brought home?" asked Prince Drucen to which Queen Malika, as well as Jaina smile.

"That happens between the Azirel Family and you isn't our concern, you are the covenant, aren't you? you don't require our assistance to help your brother." said Queen Jaina.