Celestial Clans: The vampire prince's origin

One on one

Julian stood tall and widened his feet taking an obvious offensive stance and then proceeded to raise both his hands in front of him. He was not as powerful as the Chief Mage who he heard could cast some simpler spells without even saying his activation word. Julian was young but had learned to channel his emotions into his magic without letting his celestial essence lose control and diminish quickly.

King Darien stood few meters from the young mage and was staring at him intently, obviously signaling him to stay out of the fight that was about to start. He could clearly see that Julian was a prodigy and was going to become a master at using his celestial essence for strong magic in some years with training and diligence, but right now he would only be a distraction for him in a serious fight and the King knew this. The young man was no match for Hazar. The Vampire King had sparred with the Chief Mage on several occasions in the past and they had become good friends watching and helping each other develop in the past decades. Darien had no idea what was making his friend try to kill him but he was going to find out sooner or later, the problem at the moment was that he had no will to kill a good friend. How could he fight a powerful mage who wanted to kill him and win, when he had no intentions of killing the man?

Darien stood there knowing very well that as long as Hazar was alive the barrier spell round his palace would still be up and more Kravians would keep being teleported there. He thought for a moment and knew exactly what he was meant to do; he knew what to do and planned to do it quickly without anyone else getting hurt. The long sword in his hands disappeared instantly but his stance remained. “Hazar what is going on here?” Darien asked looking straight into the chief Mage’s eyes. “Did you really try to kill me today? Try to kill my wife and my new born son as well Hazar?” Darien asked now sounding more hurt than furious, the fact that the person trying to hurt his family was a close friend made it all the more harder for him to understand. This was Hazar Belema, someone he had shared wonderful memories with both in Havana and on occasional visits to the normal earthly realm. Someone whose daughter he was acting as a guardian and steward to while he grieved his loss. As the thought crossed his mind the stunning realization hit him, this was all about Hazar’s dead wife somehow. Darien was suddenly sure this was all connected to his friends grieving. “Is this about her Hazar? Is this about Melissa?” Darien asked calmly.

“You don’t have the right to mention her name Darien, I had no intention of killing you or Anna but if you mention my wife’s name one more time I will kill you and as many of those vampires you care about and consider as your responsibility.” Hazar threatened in a cold sharp voice that came out sounding like a hiss.

“Speaking about responsibility, what about your daughter Cheryl? Do you know she has been living at bloodhaven castle this entire time? What if you hurt her today?” Darien asked and saw it in his old friends expression, he had no idea that his daughter could have been in danger because he had let her live with his friend in the mage capital city of Peridia ever since his wife died weeks ago. “You are out here acting out because your wife died and then you neglected the only child you had with the woman you claim to love so much. I have been taking care of her for weeks now and trying to reach out to you, I stopped because I thought you needed some time to mourn. Here you are trying to kill my Son and other people in the capital city who consider you a dear friend. I am disappointed in you my old friend and Mallory; your wife would be too.” Darien said with the fury and rage he felt initially now returning to him and causing his fangs to come bare as he hissed him.

“Hexus resurrecta” Hazar casted slowly and suddenly a bright orb appeared in the sky above the clearing in the forest where they all currently stood, an orb so red that from a distance it seemed as though it were filled with blood. It just appeared there floating and spinning above the clearing.

“Your majesty, the feeling I am getting from that orb is something dark. Something very dark and ominous” Julian said with fear and imminent danger obvious in the tone of his voice.

“What was that spell you just casted Hazar, what are you doing?” Darien asked turning from Julian to face Hazar again with a Katana suddenly appearing in his right hand, he had no idea what that particular spell was but now he knew he had to put an end to this.

“I warned you not to mention her name one more time Darien, I warned you didn’t I? Now you’ve put your precious vampire clan in danger. You and every last one of them” Hazar said with a maniacal smile crossing his face. “My plan was just to take your son from you and watch you feel what I felt when I lost my wife, but now I am going to take much more than your son. All of Havana will suffer because you couldn’t heed a single warning” Hazar said and began laughing loudly. Darien knew Hazar for years and was sure something was wrong with his friend at the moment, nothing about his mannerisms or actions seemed like him at all.

“I have no choice but to fight you then, I can’t let you finish that spell. The vampire clan is under my protection, just as the mage clan was meant to be under yours. The man who killed Mallory, I am sorry I could not let you get your revenge. I am sorry I could not bypass the laws we have in Havana and let you take a human life. Killing humans is wrong and stopping you from becoming a murderer of normal human beings was the right thing for you and your teenage daughter. He was a hunter but he was still only human like the rest of them” Darien said and raised his sword above his head, he was going to charge the Chief Mage again but he would he serious about it this time. c*****g his head to the left, then to the right and then assuming his attacking stance again.

Julian knew he could not face this Mage who was far older and stronger than him, but at least he could provide back up for the Vampire King from behind while he attacked from the front. He was thinking of the spells to use that would not drain too much from his already low celestial essence when his eyes locked with those of the Chief Mage and he knew instantly he was now immediate target. He sensed it immediately their eyes locked, but it was already too late. “Hexus darkia arrowa” was all he heard Hazar Belema say quickly pointing just the index finger of his right hand at him. To his eyes nothing had happened and he thought the spell was yet to work, he tried to take a step back when his body shuddered as a sharp and cold pain raced through his body and he could no longer move. He had no idea when he fell to his knees and looked down to see blood seeping through his clothes, something sharp had pierced through his torso and he had no idea about it. There was a hole in his lower abdomen and he had absolutely no idea how the attack had reached him or what the attack spell actually was. Such was the difference in the power level between himself and the Chief Mage.

From where Darien was he had seen the spell take place. Immediately it was casted a black arrow seemingly surrounded by black smoke shot through the air from the index finger where Hazar was and pierced through the younger mage Julian with such speed that normal human eyes would not have noticed. The Vampire King knew instantly that the Chief Mage was using magic that mages had not used for a long time, magic that worked well with hatred and anger instead of just well channeled celestial essence, it was the magic that had been practiced by demons ages ago. The Chief Mage had weirdly gotten much stronger in just few weeks, something was wrong. Darien ran to Julian in the blink of an eye and stood in front of him with his Katana still raised and his feet pointing in the direction of his opponent, he had placed himself between his new friend and his old friend in order to protect the young mage from any more attacks.

“I had to dabble into some unknown magic while trying to find a way to bring my wife back to life. Darien did you know the magic used by demons in the past was way more powerful than what we all imagined?” Hazar asked with a laugh. He looked passed Darien over to the young mage kneeling behind him. “That spell would certainly kill him but I had to do it, I prefer to face the great Vlad Dracul Darien ONE ON ONE.” Hazar explained with a smirk. He was trying to get under the vampire king’s skin.

“You have access to and knowledge of spells used by demons, how did you manage that?” Darien asked smiling at his opponent; he was angry but had to remain focused if he wanted to win this fight. His new friend was kneeling behind him and bleeding quickly so he had to be fast for the young mage’s sake. He took the first step and charged at Hazar with that blurry pace vampires had that always gave them an advantage in a fight.

“Hexus floata” Hazar said immediately he saw the vampire tale the first step and his entire body was lifted off the ground with great speed, the spell took him off the forest floor instantly and he was now floating above the clearing beside the red orb that seemed to be getting bigger and bigger every minute. He was high above the ground now where the Vampire King could not reach him with a sword. Darien had other plans though; he was quick at thinking on his feet at all times even during a fight at almost super-sonic speeds. He stood next to Julian who was now sprawled on the floor and taking aim at Hazar from his position on the ground, he threw his Katana at the Chief Mage who was floating at the same height as the forest canopy. The sword came at such speed that Hazar managed to only barely see it and had no time to shield his body from it, he decided to simply dodge it and raised his hands in the air as he manipulated his body to float backwards and watched as the sword pierced through the air upward towards him and flew past him harmlessly into the wide and open night sky. He looked down to smile at Darien but the vampire was no longer there.

Darien had thrown his Katana at Hazar and proceeded to run in the opposite direction to the other side of the clearing in a flash and with all the speed his body could move at, he was behind his opponent now who was looking at the katana fly upwards towards him and not noticing whatever was going on on the ground just as Darien had intended him too. It was a mere diversion strategy. The King proceeded to run up the side of the tall tree closest to him at the edge of the clearing. Half-way up the tree and he launched himself from the trunk of the tree into the clear sky above the clearing and towards Hazar who was only just dodging the Katana that had been thrown at him earlier. As the mage moved back to dodge the approaching weapon it only took him closer to Darien as he moved backwards because the vampire had chosen to attack him from his blinds pot behind him. The vampire who was moving through the air at a shocking speed was so close to his opponent now. Hazar turned at the last second to see Darien inches behind him already with a sword appearing in his right hand at that exact moment. Mid air Darien threw the shorter double edged sword at Hazar again forcing the mage to move to the right quickly in order to dodge the second sword that had been flung at him this night, this movement only took him closer to the Vampire King who was already next to him and swinging a hard right hook at his old friend and landing the rocking blow to the jaw of his old friend. The mid airs punch to the Chief mage sent him crashing down to the floor with a loud thud just beside the other person in the clearing, next to where the younger mage Julian lay.

Vlad Dracul Darien landed shortly after his opponent, but unlike Hazar who had landed flat on his back he landed on both his feet with a victorious look on his face. He could still hear his old friend’s heartbeat and shallow breathing even as he lay motionless on his back, the Chief Mage was unconscious but alive, Darien had managed to knock him out with a single well struck right hook while they were both mid-air. It was one of those daring moves Darien wished had been captured by a camera.

He walked to Julian’s side and smiled at the young mage who was still very much alive and conscious. “I thought you died my young friend, I am happy you are still here.” Darien said patting his shoulder.

“I managed to cast a healing spell with the last bit of essence I had.” Julian explained in a low weak voice. “I also let go of my control for a bit, now the strong essence from the forest is flowing through me steadily. I can feel it and it is immense. I think almost dying here right now may just be what finally helps me master channeling and transfer of essence” Julian said with a weak smile as Darien helped him up to a sitting position. Julian turned to see the Chief Mage motionless on the floor beside him and thought the older mage was dead. “Is he dead?” Julian asked

“No just passed out, I hit him too hard.” King Darien explained and both men laughed together for some seconds. “I just needed him unconscious. All his spells will pause for now and begin to deteriorate and disappear without his magic constantly keeping essence flowing into them. We have won for now; the soldiers should be taking back the palace and ensuring everyone's safety as we speak.” Darien deduced as he rose back to his feet. He turned around to look at the orb up in the sky which was no longer spinning. Julian also looked up at the orb and sighed when he saw the orb slowly begin to vanish. He was relieved because he knew that orb was only going to be major trouble if it was allowed to keep spinning for some more minutes. They had managed to track down the one masterminding and controlling the coup who just happened to be the current Chief Mage of the mage clan and had captured him, they had protected the Prince and taken him to a place of assured immediate safety and had canceled whatever potentially dangerous effects any of Hazar’s spells could have caused, but as the Vampire King looked at the orb slowly vanishing he couldn’t help but feel that something more dangerous was brewing and was going to happen eventually. For today however, he knew he was victorious. He knew the celestial clans in Havana would all be safe for now; he would have to make certain changes if he was to ensure the long term safety of Havana.