With every step he took deeper into the unknown parts of the building, Todor could feel his heartbeat increasing and his breath becoming louder. The coppery smell of blood was clinging to every surface from floors to walls to ceilings. It clogged Todor's nose to the point that he tried to breathe only through his mouth. But after a few steps that proved impractical so he decided that he had to get used to it.

No one jumped him or tried to stop him. It looked like the entire wing was deserted. He glanced left and right into every room but everything looked dusty and undisturbed in ages. In one of those rooms, he finally encountered a window and the light from outside. Curious he walked to it and glanced outdoor. What he saw made him step back and check his high tech glasses if he was seeing a recording. Outside was a wasteland, a plane of cracked earth covered in ash, unlike the landscape he saw in the underworld - dreamworld he visited while learning his True Name.

Somewhere along the line, we passed through a portal. Probably in that storage room, Ezezu said in his mind. This part of the building is somewhere far from Moriganhold.

Todor looked at the outside world and shook his head. Where on Earth is this? he wondered. Todor knew that entire geography changed during the Knitting and that the landmasses he once knew by heart no longer exist. Flats covered in ash? It was hard to believe.

He continued on, getting more and more impatient. Ezezu rattled his sword on the side as he could feel her will to fight.

"Midnight Breeze, you coward! Come out and face me!" he bellowed through the empty building. But no one responded. Todor growled and started running, wildly lashing outward with his magical sight. Until one of his tentacles rebounded from something.

He turned towards the barrier, taking the left turn. At the end of the climbing hallway lay a giant wooden door with iron disks carved in the shapes of roses. Todor slammed his sorcerer's awareness at the door and headache flared in his mind. He heard Ezezu screaming as well, his sword falling to the ground clattering on the stone blocks.

It took him three minutes for the backlash to subside.

"Ezezu, what was that?" he asked out loud as he saw his sword slowly rising from the floor and angrily swinging through the air.

You just charged our minds into the solid wall, you fool! she responded angrily. It hurt even me, and I am dead.

Todor took a deep breath and came closer to examen the door. Sorry, how should I know there are doors that can stop my magical feelers? Ezezu chuckled in his ears as his sword started to vibrate close by. I guess you couldn't since even I hardly saw any while I was alive. You can just open it with brute force, or let me cut them apart.

"Knock yourself out," he replied moving away. The sword stabbed through the thick door and slowly started moving up then left. It made an entire rectangle before Todor came to it and kicked it. The cut off piece fell and echoed through a huge cathedral-like space that spread onward.

Todor took a step inside, coughing slightly from the dust that was disturbed by their aggressive entry. The cavernous room did resemble the Gothic cathedral in many ways. It had tall arched windows with stained glass on both sides, together with pillars that held a high ceiling decorated by stone gargoyles perched on small outcrops. On the far side of the room was a platform risen by six steps and on it was a huge stone throne made out of black marble.

Sitting on the throne was Midnight Breeze, cradling his cane which sported large ruby on its tip. The vampire boss looked busy talking to his bejeweled cane, not even noticing Todor's entrance. That made Todor growl low in his throat.

"Midnight Breeze! By the power invested in me by Governor of Moriganhold, I hear by demand of you to explain your actions," Todor yelled trying with all his might not just charge at the vile creature.

Only then did Midnight Breeze's attention changed to Todor. His eyes went mildly annoyed to furious.

"Mister Corpus, how did you come here so quickly? Did one of my lackeys capture you? No, you are here alone," the vampire said rising to his feet, still clutching his cane.

"I demand you explain yourself Breeze, or by everything that you hold holy I will slaughter you," Todor's muscles were sore from constraints, he wanted to charge at his enemy, to slash him to pieces, to bring justice. But he gathered all his self-control and slowly continued to walk towards the Midnight Breezes throne.

"You came here by slaughtering my people, into my home and now you threaten me?" Breeze said with mock indignation.

"You did it first, twice as a matter of fact," Todor retorted, his right fist clenching and unclenching on its accord.

"Touche. I am really surprised by you coming this far. I kidnapped your little pet clan chief because I wanted you to charge in here half-cocked and die by the hands of my people. But it seems my people are pathetically weak, can't even remove one novice megi," he chuckled. "But I guess that is supposed to be expected. They grew soft in this world, they are no longer hunters that we used to be."

"Why do you want to control Moriganhold, Breeze?" Todor insisted. For some reason, he realized he needed to know his motivation. "You had enough power without actually taking direct control over it."

Midnight Breeze pursed his lips and looked outside to the wastes.

"Knitting damaged the world. Many areas are like this around the globe," he said nodding towards the window. The frescoes on the window behind him colored the sun rays into many different hues and every movement Midnight Breeze made tinted his pale skin differently. "This is nothing to what is coming our way."

"What is coming our way? And what does that have to do with you taking control over the city?" Todor insisted.

"It has to do everything with my little coup," Midnight Breeze roared back. "The Hunger is coming! Those arrogant knife-ears and muscle-brains. They brought it upon us!"

"White Branch mentioned something about Hunger. What is it?" Todor continued to question the man he would rather kill. The man he realized, he hated with a passion. But if he could kill just because he hated someone, he would start to hate the only person he had to live with for the rest of his life, himself. He started grinding his teeth in anticipation of Midnight Breeze's answer. He both lusted and dreaded that he would give him an excuse to gut him.

"It is a legacy from long ago. Even Anadori, with their immortal life, forgot about it," he paused staring back at Todor. "Or perhaps they purposefully forgot it, erased it from their own minds so they could continue on living."

"But what is it?"

"I have no idea. I only know it is coming."

The world turned red and Todor screamed. Mana solidified into the snowflakes around him and frost started crackling, creeping upwards through the painted windows. The sparks started dancing along his arms, his coat absorbing them and recharging the battery of his shield. He felt Ezezu on his right, mana flowing from himself into the floating sword that started glowing dark red.

Midnight Breeze stared at the windows than he looked at Todor. He put his cane in front of himself and took a step back towards his throne.

"Your actions murdered thousands of people around the city! Endangered the lives of millions more! You hurt my friends and kidnapped my girl! Just because you thought some undefined bogyman is coming?!" Todor growled, mana infusing his vocal cords turning his words into the echos of magical power. Every syllable making air vibrate and pulsate in the rhythm of his rage.

"You don't understand, I must build a bastion out of this city. I must make this world ready! And that knife-eared wench is not strong enough," Midnight Breeze croaked, his voice broken. His eyes turned red and his long fingers clenched the cane as if its only thing that kept him upright.

"And you think you are, bloodsucker? How can you expected to save anyone when you don't understand the value of life," Todor retorted making a step towards him.

Midnight Breeze shied a bit before snarling at Todor.

"Who do you presume you are, kyne, to judge my methods?" Night Breeze said finding his backbone. He stiffened his spine and pointed the ruby tip of his cane towards Todor. "I seen cities rise and fall! I have seen kingdoms being forged by steel and blood. And I have seen them rent asunder by weakness and indecision! I seen rivers run red and I wept upon piles of bones for people that shouldn't have been lost! Don't think you can lecture me on the value of life little megi!"

"So that is your defense?" Todor bellowed making another step, his boot spreading frost across the floor. "You kill because it will save more lives in the end? Is that it?"

Midnight Breeze laughed, his chin up and his eyes going wildly left and right.

"I have no need to justify my actions to you or to anyone! I do what is best because I see what lesser eyes cannot!"

"Then you force me to kill you! The only way justice can be done. And justice must be done even if earth shatters around us!"

"Try it whelp!" Midnight Breeze growled rising his cane up in the air with his right hand and clutching his left hand into a fist. Purple smoke rose from his fist before exploding around the room. The statues of gargoyles cracked and flapped their wings, eyes alive with mana roaring their challenge.

Go for the bastard, I'll deal with statutes, Ezezu said in his mind before his sword flew upward meeting the charging flying stone creatures.

"Zeus, King of Gods! Grant me the wings of Hermes!" Todor yelled as the mana crackled and exploded inside of himself. He surged forward summoning blade made of ice in his right hand while his left hand extended sending a jolt of red lighting towards Midnight Breeze.

The vampire tapped his cane on the floor once and a pale blue bubble appeared around his throne. Todor's lighting hit it and got dispersed striking around the smug vampire. Growling he rose his ice blade and started hacking at the magical barrier. But other than few blue sparks shedding from the barely visible barrier nothing happened. Midnight Breeze chuckled and sat on his throne, intently looking at Todor.

"That is neat enhancement spell. Did you make it? I don't remember any of the old Merlioth megi having it. You are just a blur to me. Me, fully awakened vampire lord," Midnight Breeze said calmly crossing his legs and shaking his head. "It's a pitty we couldn't have found an easier way to turn people into the bloodkith. You would have been marvelous hemmomancer."

Todor just grunted as he smacked the barrier at blazing speed. Soon his ice blade was so chipped and broken that he threw it in frustration turning his back to Midnight Breeze. Ezezu finished with the last gargoyle and Todor extended his arm towards his sword. The spirit girl sensed his need and blade flew into his hand.

He didn't waste time talking. Midnight Breeze had to die and his mind turned off all other unimportant things. Instead of feeding slight trickle to the blade he shoved the entire river into the sword. It exploded with red fog that let a slight sliver of dark red glow pass through. Todor turned towards the protected Midnight Breeze and with both hands stabbed the barrier. The sparks started flying as the blade slowly advanced. Millimeter by millimeter, the tip of the blade penetrated the shield while Midnight Breeze watched, slack-jawed.

Once few centimeters of his sword was inside of vampires protective bubble Todor poured mana into tiny space and slowly morphed it into the one essence he never tried before, blood. The rivulets of blood started appearing inside as some macabre dew and Todor grinned at Midnight Breezes surprised face. Then he let thunder flow through his blade into the space that vampire boss considered safe. Red streaks started jumping from blood drop to blood drop blanketing the throne area, turning from safehold into the space where no one wanted to be. The space of blood and thunder that turned rock to ashes and tyrant with savior complex into the red mist.

The bubble exploded and Todor stopped channeling mana. Taking a deep breath his shoulders slumped. He did it, he murdered Midnight Breeze. But from the ashes and rubble of the throne came a faint cough. Todor snapped his head in that direction. As the dust settled revealing the mangled body of the vampire lord. The vampire had no legs and left arm, the flesh from his lips was gone living his fanged teeth open to Todor's eyes.

The old vampire looked at Todor and started cackling. His lone remaining arm held a ruby from his cane.

"Wanted to stop this," he mumbled through his ruined mouth before crushing the jewel. The act of it seemed to exhaust the last vestige of what once animated the dead flesh and he sagged on the steps of his own throne, eyes staring into nothing.

"What was that about?" Todor asked walking towards the corpse of the vampire ignoring slight whisps of smoke that lingered from the broken ruby.

He hefted his sword and with a slight flick of the blade separated the head from the body. Now we make a fetish out of his skull, Ezezu buzzed in his mind feeding him an impression of what to do next. He grabbed iron wrought candle-holder that lay by the wall and stabbed it into the severed head of Midnight Breeze. Three spikes pierced through meat and brain coming through the scalp. He held the grim trophy for a second before sending a slight trickle of mana through a candelabra. The flesh froze and crumbled until only eyeless grinning skull remained.

The explosion of mana erupted around himself as the skull of Night Breeze pulsated in his hand. For a second he could see endless land of the underworld and Ezezu standing next to him holding onto the Midnight Breezes skull together with him. She looked at him and winked before his vision returned to the mortal plane. The world shifted, where once he could feel single star of mana now blazed seven and his entire bag was filling at the rate he considered impossible before. He could feel the slightest movement of energy kilometers from himself. He smiled as he sensed Irry, Mab, Cassandra and even mute girl running down the corridors, coming ever closer to his current location.

You did it, you used that bastard skull to open all seven mana gates, Ezezu said cheerfully. Now you don't have an excuse for skipping spell crafting training.

The glow of mana explosion dimmed and Todor's enhanced magical senses gingerly retreated, unable to hold such a large area for long. But hidden by bonfire Todor missed something that started to scrape on his mind.

The wisps of smoke from crumbled ruby started getting thicker and thicker. Soon it turned into a cloud that reeked of sulfur and decomposing bodies. Slowly it formed into a strange figure that flexed and thumped with its clubbed feet. Before Todor's stood creature with four clawed legs and bulbous body. At the front, its torso rose at the right angle from the ground ending with a grotesque head with six eyes and enormous tusked jaws. From the shoulders, it sprouted heavy muscled arms that held giant massive maces the size of a car engine. The creature towered over Todor, almost touching the ceiling.

"What are you suppose to be?" Todor said. I don't know what that thing is, Todor. It seems wrong, Ezezu answered calmly. "Do you speak, demon?"

The creature looked left and right then at the dead headless vampire. Its chest started heaving and the sound of grinding stones came from its jaws.

"Corpseman trapped me into a magical trinket," the voice echoed in Todors mind. "Now corpseman became magical trinket. A fitting end for one so conceited to deem himself worthy of being my jailer."

"Guess you speak. What do you want?" Todor said testing the ebbs and flows of mana around him. He felt the lay line of massive amounts of mana flowing right above them and he stretched his sense towards it. With a gasp, he realized he could tap into it. He clenched the candle stick at which end Midnight Breezes skull glowed slightly. In his other arm his sword hanged lazely. Todor stepped closer to the giant creature, to tired to feel fear.

"Nothing from you, slayer of bloodkith. I will not crush your soul since you did me a favor of freeing me. But be warned if next we meet, I will follow my nature and unleash the fury of the lost upon you," the smoke rose again engulfing the creature. When the smoke cleared there was not a trace from mysteries monster.

Todor shook his head. He had no idea what that was and he couldn't bother himself to try to understand it.

Cheer up, we got him, fool, Ezezu said and Todor could see her smiling face in his minds eye.

"Wow, I just saw you," Todor said sheathing the sword and looking at the skull.

Your connection with the Mealstrom of Entheogen grew stronger. You felt it in the amount of mana you metabolize every second.

"What is Mealstrom of Entheogen?" he asked sitting down on the floor. His spell still sped him and he didn't want to dispel it just yet.

Later, we can talk about that later. You feel them approaching, don't you? Your friends are coming.

"Yes, but why are they retreating? They are running from something," He realized jumping to his feet. "Damn it, this skull is heavy," He added waving it a bit.

Fetish is like maharoon, you can dismiss it and summon it the same way, Ezezu advised him and Todor sent bizarre magical artifact to immaterial plane with a mental nudge. As soon as he did the sounds of feet in a hurry came to his ears. Half a minute later, Cassandra, Norman, Irry, and others came rushing into the large room.

"Over hear. How did battle go?" Todor called to them.

Entire group stared at him before large doors trashed open and dozen or so vampires in armor strode behind them. His friends turned towards advancing vampires their weapons at the ready, pointing them. Todor using his super speed zipped in front of them all to face newcomers. Norman ran to him and nodded towards the slowly walking group of enemies.

"It was going great until this group showed up. Your Sunhawk friend said they are all hemmomancers and elder masters at it so she told us to run and find you," Norman explained. Todor glanced at Irry who sent him a smirk and saluted with her rifle.

"Thanks," he told her.

"Did you kill the bastard?" Cassandra asked steeping to his right.

"Sure did. Will tell you all about it as soon as we see what is up with this guys," he said and walked towards them.

"Are you the so-called constable of this city?" one of the vampire hemmomancers asked.

"That would be me. Alright, folks, the show is over. Midnight Breeze is dead and all of you can go home if you just turn around and leave the city," Todor said with mana infused vocal cords.

The hemmomancers snickered and snorted.

"Don't get over yourself kyne. Even if you somehow managed to kill Midnight Breeze he called the clans to aid him. His death changes nothing. We are still bound to his task," the woman hemmomancer said.

"I did more than managed to kill him," Todor bellowed summoning the skull fetish. "I turned his worthless noggin into a magical nick-nack. I will do the same with you all if you don't turn around and leave this city alone."

The gasp from both sides echoed through the room expect Cassandra and Irry who laughed in unison. Todor turned around to look at them and women fist-pumped each other.

"Would you two stop giggling? I am trying to be dramatic over here?" Todor said gently.

"Sorry, hon. Do your job," Cassandra said grinning.

He turned his attention back to the gathering of vampires who stared at the skull with unbelieving eyes.

"I will deal with this upstart mageling. Do your bes ..." the blond vampire hemmomencer started. Todor was at him in a flash, his blade at his throat.

"I will say this one more time. Leave this city now or your bones will decorate my house forever," Todor said his voice inhuman with the amount of mana flowing through him. He tapped into the lay line that flew above him and his skin started to shed red mist that swirled around him like a cloak.

"Don't tell me you are afri ..." Todor snapped his blade cutting off the blond vampires head and charging to the speaker on the left doing the same. Two vampire heads were rolling on the floor in a blink of the eye.

Todor lowered his blade and zipped back to the middle of the room slowly turning towards the gathered vampires. They stared at the two of their own falling headless to the ground.

"Every five seconds I will remove one of you from the picture. You can try to fight back but that will only make me angry, and I am fueled by anger at the moment."

A vampire with a long white hair turned around and walked out of the room. Then the next, two following after. The entire room was vampire free in the next ten seconds. The silence that followed lasted a bit more before the crowd behind him erupted into cheers and clapping.

Cassandra, Irry, and Norman came to him slapping him on the shoulders. Todor rose his arms to shut them up.

"It's good they gave up now," he said, sensing them leaving at great speed. "Because few more seconds and I would ..." his words get lost as his spell timed out and his legs lost the fight against the gravity. Cassandra grabbed him stopping him from kissing the ground. His eyes started closing and his hand found Cassandra's palm, clenching it weakly. "Because this would have happened," he managed to utter before darkness claimed his mind.