“Go on without me!” Amyr shouted in the midst of the chaos.

I didn’t know if it was just me or did he just sound a bit too melodramatic? I thought I saw him laughing to himself. And for some reason, he seemed to be enjoying it.

Yeah. That did sound like some overused movie line.

With no time to humor him, I dodged a Cataclyst that swerved too close to the side of my face. I dropped on all fours and used my leg to swipe the enemy’s feet off the ground. With a yelp, the familiar fell on his back. Too bad he got dirt all over his blindingly white robes.

I didn’t wait for him to get back up. There was no time as I had to roll away when another female familiar tried to bash my head with her Cataclyst.

Dirt rained over me as her monstrous fist hit the ground. Angrily, she charged, reaching me before I could even blink. Just as the familiar raised her Cataclyst to strike me again, Mei suddenly appeared behind her. The Asian girl clawed on the enemy’s back, her long needle-like talons digging deep into the flesh.

Blotches of red seeped out of the woman’s white robe. As the enemy staggered back, desperately trying to stop the gush of blood from her back, Mei ran to me and looped her free arm around mine. She dragged me closer to the castle entrance, shoving her way through the several battles currently occurring in our way.

To my left, the Elementals—Antoinette and Louise—were back to back with Alexis as they rallied a large gang of familiars in white robes toward the mazes in the courtyard garden. The loud vibrating noise made me flinch as Alexis’ undulated blade clashed with the other familiars’ weapons. Though they were clearly outnumbered, his fighting technique was more than enough to distract and hold back the enemies.

There were three consecutive explosives around the left wing of the castle right as I caught a glimpse of Byron Flynn leaping from the roof near that area. Not so careful with playing fire, hadn’t he? Meanwhile, Amyr looked like he just began to get serious when two familiars blocked his way as he was about to draught to us.

To sum it all up, it was a total mayhem.

“Master Vincent is in the eighth level dungeons,” Mei told me, pivoting with one foot to kick an approaching enemy right in the stomach. The enemy flew a good five yards before slamming on the wall. “If we go now, we will make it in time.”

“But what about them?” I couldn’t tear my eyes off the others—the friends who risked their own lives to help me rescue Vincent.

With her round dark eyes focused on the open doorway, Mei erased all traces of emotion on her usually cheerful face and shook her head.

“They all know what they are risking before coming here,” she said, unblinking. “We should not waste their efforts.”

With a hesitant nod, I followed her to the entrance. Five familiars caught us in an ambush. All of them wore black coats and ties so they looked more like bodyguards than Reapers. In less than a second, they had already surrounded us. Left without a choice but to fight, I started toward them, ready to summon my Cataclyst when Mei placed a hand over my shoulder, forcing me to stop.

Gently, she shook her head. “You should go.”

“No,” I objected. “I can’t leave you yet. Not like this.”

All she could give me was a vulnerable smile—that smile that radiated of trust and grief at the same time.

“If…,” Mei cleared her throat. “When you see Master Vladimir, please tell him to come with us. That we need him.”

Resigned, I met her gaze. There was no fear in those dark feline eyes of hers. All I saw was hope. She was counting on me. They all were. So I had to do what I came here for.

“I’ll try my best,” I replied, drawing a deep breath.

Like sun peeking from behind the clouds, Mei’s smile reached her eyes. Gently, she took my shoulders and pushed me toward the corridors.

“Now go,” she said, finally facing the enemies.

My legs started moving before I knew it. I ran like faster than I had imagined I was capable of, not looking back. I believed they would make it. They had to. Silently, I prayed to whoever was in charge ‘up there’ to keep them safe as I streaked past one corridor to another.

At first, I didn’t know where to go. Like Sinclair mansion, Pilgrim Reaper’s castle was confusing with its maze-like hallways. After nearly a minute of wandering along the stone-walled corridors, I stumbled upon a group of three Asian familiars. Unlike the ones I had encountered at the castle entrance, they weren’t wearing uniforms but black traditional clothing that was very similar to a robe from neck to waist and a lose pair of pants that looked more like a skirt at first glance.

One of them was a tall statuesque woman with short hair that was cut to the length of her chin. The other was a smiling dark-haired young man while the last, the smallest of the three, was a little boy not more than five years old.

I doubled back and hid behind the turn, pressing my back against the wall. The hallway was extremely dark, lit only by swarms of fireflies that occasionally passed by. I tried to quiet my breathing. When I risked a peek, they didn’t seem alarmed. Good sign.

Slowly, I reached for the Helcium inside my pocket and slid it over my head. I took in a few lungfuls of air before stepping forward. My steps were slow, careful. Still, it was like my footfalls echoed throughout the whole castle. I watched them carefully as I approached. It didn’t look like they knew I was even there. It didn’t look like they were going away anytime soon either so I had to pass by them without being noticed. Or else, I would be totally defenceless.

Holding my breath, I edged my way right in front of them. My heart almost stopped as the lady’s scrutinizing eyes shifted toward my direction then back to the guy she was talking to. The conversation was in hushed tones.

“I wonder if we should help,” said the young man, yawning as he leaned on the polished stone wall. “But won’t it be too troublesome if we do? Ah, it’s making my head hurt.”

The short-haired woman crossed her arms in front of her chock-full of a chest. “Kyo-sama hadn’t decided about the matter yet. So quit complaining even before the orders are given,” she hissed, rather irritated.

The young man muttered something in a foreign language as he shrugged impassively. “First, the Masters get grounded and now, this? I should be sleeping right now but Archie kept bugging me to try to get Kyo-sama to side with them.”

“And Vladimir-sama?” I heard the short-haired lady ask as I hunkered down to keep from hitting them when I passed by.

The guy just shrugged. “In his quarter, I guess.”

So they were Kyoshiro’s familiars. From what Mei said, The Tenth only had two familiars. I didn’t know he got three now. Or that kindergarteners could be recruited for immortality.

I was only able to breathe freely once I was more than a yard away from them. The rest of the conversation was in Japanese or Chinese (not sure) so I didn’t linger any longer, especially when I noticed that the little boy seemed to be staring right through me as though he could actually see me. He didn’t say a word to his comrades but I had this strange feeling at the pit of my stomach that I was being watched.

Wasting no time, I kept running and running until the corridors ended into a grand winding staircase that looked like it was made of glass. It led until the fourth level of the wing where our cabal had stayed last winter solstice. Vlad would probably be there. That was what Kyoshiro’s familiar had said. Without even thinking, I raced up the stairs, flinching as I heard another explosion from somewhere not too far.

Familiars of different races, different garbs marched hurriedly from the west hallway, heading toward the castle entrance. If I didn’t hurry, Mei and the others would have to fight more, so I didn’t stop despite the burning in my calves.

Out of breath, I reach the fourth floor. The light from the swarms of fireflies passed through the tinted glass ceiling, giving off a jumble of colors onto the white marble floors. Right there, Death’s triad of symbols—the book, the chain and the sickle—glared at me like a warning. The smell of flowers was just like as I had remembered it. Only now, the whole place felt lonely with the lilies wilting in their vases, with the hallway left unlit.

I found Vladimir in the darkness of the common room, slumped in the corner of the leather couch. His pale silvery eyes were livelier than before, although more pensive. Even his build and complexion looked better. Standing beside him was Archie and two other robed familiars who seemed to be guarding them.

“It is the Grandmaster’s orders, Master Vladimir,” said one of the guards. “Command your familiars to surrender themselves and your life will be spared.”

With a somewhat irritated sigh, the dark-haired boy placed his elbow on the armrest and lazily rested his chin on the back on his hand. “I told you a thousand times already. I won’t do it if Father won’t release Vince first.”

If I hadn’t known Vlad was a six hundred year-old immortal, I would’ve thought he was just a preteen kid having a tantrum. And he sounded like it too.

Stealthily, I sneaked behind the guards even if I knew they couldn’t see me. My eyes scanned the common room for any weapon. So far, I had to choose between candleholders and vases. Neat.

I picked the largest vase—about three feet high. It weighed a lot heavier than I imagined but I managed to haul it behind the guards. Archie was looking at the vase when I lifted it over my head. It must’ve looked to him like some ghost just took a fancy at redecorating but he kept his usually impassive façade even as I hurled the vase to the guards.

Crash!!!

One of the guards was TKO’d on the spot after being hit on the head. For a more desirable effect, Archie place-kicked him on the head. Vladimir barely got up from his seat as he grabbed the other one’s throat and slammed him to the floor full of broken ceramic. Ouch.

Hurriedly, I removed the Helcium and jogged over to them, not bothering to avoid stepping on the enemies’ bodies. Archie’s eyes widened for a second like he had just seen a Swarth. Vladimir, on the other hand, wasn’t so surprised to see me. A wide grin broke on his face as he came to meet me, stepping on one of the guard’s hands as he did. The guard groaned in pain before Archie kicked him again to sleep.

“You came!” Vladimir laughed out, taking both my hands, his head bobbing up and down.

“I did, didn’t I?!” I said happily as I jumped up and down in circles with him.

“Now that you’re here, Vince is surely going to listen!”

“Yeah! Uh… He would?”

Tactfully, Archie covered his mouth with a gloved hand and pretended to clear his throat. “We have less than ten minutes before the Gates close, sir,” he reminded Vladimir.

We both stopped jumping. Vladimir uneasily cleared his throat, going back to his composed, overbearing self. He lifted his chin, joined his hands behind him and squared his shoulders. Mindlessly, I smoothed down my skirt. Well, that was awkward.

“Uh… give us a minute,” Vladimir instructed to Archie, urgently pulling me to a seat beside him. “Vincent’s in the dungeons. Sneak in using the Helcium. If you both make it back out, avoid Millie at all costs.”

“Why? I thought she’s with us.”

He gestured for me to lean closer. “Hector wants you. I used that to persuade him to help us.”

“The deal…” I mumbled absently. Of course, Millie would do everything to bring me to her master.

“Yes,” he nodded with a grim expression. “But Vince, he won’t be able to live with that. I know my brother. He won’t stop until he gets you back. Even if it kills him.”

I couldn’t concentrate on what Vlad was trying to say to me. Being this close to Vincent, all I wanted was to keep running until I found him.

“So we both stay here. Problem solved,” I said, standing up.

“I’m afraid you can’t do that,” he answered, pushing up the glasses that hung on his nose bridge.

“Why not?”

Vladimir looked me in the eyes and held my gaze before asking, “If Vincent got caught, you’d surrender yourself for him, won’t you?”

All I could give him was silence because no matter how I tried to deny it to myself, we both knew the answer. For some reason, I couldn’t look straight at him.

As if reading my mind, Vlad just nodded to himself.

“I’m sure he’d do the same for you, Aramis,” he said in a resolute tone. “That’s why we can’t risk you staying here. But I won’t let Hector have you either. So that leaves me one last option. It’s important that you listen carefully, Aramis,” he continued, waving a hand toward Archie.

The silver-haired butler reached for something inside his coat and handed it to Vladimir. It was a red envelope with the number twelve sign stamped on black melted wax that sealed it. Vladimir took my hand and placed the envelope on it.

“When you get back to the house, there’s a Door near the training room,” he said, closing my fingers on the letter. “It’s right in front Father’s statue. You should be able to find it easily and when you do, get in. Once you get there, find an old man named Sathariel and give this letter to him. And please, prevent my brother from causing any trouble. Castigate him if possible. Just don’t let him do anything stupid.”

My brows knotted involuntarily. “Castigate him? I’ll be Bound! How can I possibly do that?”

Vladimir seemed to be slightly taken aback by my question but he managed to say, “In that place… you’ll probably be amazed with what you can and can’t do,” before he stood up, beckoning Archie to stand by his side. “Come quick, Aramis. He’s coming.”

“Who’s com—“

I almost swallowed my tongue when Byron Flynn bounded from the hole on the glass roof and landed in front of us. He padded straight to me and nuzzled his head under my hand. Smiling, I gave him a scratch behind the ears. He let out a small whine as a greeting.

“Sorry, boy. Took me a bit too long to get here,” I said to him.

“He’ll lead you to Vincent,” said Vladimir as he and Archie both stepped away from us. “Take him with you where you’re going. He’d always wanted to go to that place.”

Before we parted ways, I stopped and turned around. “Vlad!” I called him. When Vladimir paused too, looking at me over his shoulder, I struggled to gather my thoughts. “A-about Rosario...” I secretly glanced at Archie who averted his eyes from us. “I told Amyr.”

Vladimir’s expression hardened as he stared at the floor. “No need to worry. Archie already knows. I told him. Byron Flynn too. I guess I have to tell Mei when I meet her. But Vincent doesn’t.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?”

In an instant, all traces of youth had left Vladimir’s face. The boy’s eyes carried something so ancient I couldn’t even imagine comprehending it. “For the same reason that you will not tell him the truth,” he answered enigmatically before turning his back on me.

What reason? My mind questioned as I followed Byron Flynn down the stairs leading to the dungeons.

Answer or no answer, I knew it in myself that I didn’t have the guts to tell Vince that Rosario was dead. I was a coward. That was my only reason. For now.

The empty corridors became narrower as we pushed forward the pitch black path. Only the weak red glow from Byron Flynn’s fur was visible. Blindly, I followed him down the rutted granite flight of stairs leading down, my hands feeling for the cold rough walls. The air was already stale by the time we reached the second level dungeons. My only consolation was that there were no guards in the dungeons. Suspicious, yes. But I wasn’t going to complain.

Chains clinked. Tin cups clanged against the steel bars of the holding cells. Desolate moans filled the air as we descended. Every movement, every sound seemed to be amplified ten times in here. Even I thought my breathing was too loud, almost deafening.

With my heart hammering to the rhythm of our footfalls that bounced off the walls of the dungeon, we dodged the scrawny hands that reached blindly for us. Prisoners.

A hand snatched my wrist. Another took a hold of my hair. The scream got trapped in my throat as I thrashed about to get them off of me. It was easy to break free from their clutches which got me wondering how long they had been imprisoned in this place. Surely, they must be immortals but for them to lose their superhuman strength, they must’ve been through a lot.

A cold tingling ran down my back as we went deeper. The low ceiling made of tarnished steel creaked eerily as the inhabitants above us moved about, alerted by our presence. The smell of rust and decay wafted to my nose. My stomach churned, bile making its way up to my mouth as I struggled to contain the dread that rose in me.

I kept my eyes forward, fighting the urge to cringe and turn back. Whatever horror Pilgrim Reaper was holding in his cells, I didn’t think I could stomach anymore. All I thought about was Vincent and the relief that he would soon be out of this hell hole.

Just when I had accepted the possibility that we wouldn’t run out of stairs, Byron Flynn suddenly halted in front of me. He leaped to the foot of the stairs, veering toward the left. Unlike the upper levels, this dungeon was so quiet I thought I just turned deaf. The long hallway seemed ominous that I had to stop to catch my breath.

Byron Flynn circled in place and let out another soft whine like saying that we had to hurry. Cautiously, we advanced. As we passed by, I noticed that the cells were empty. At the end of the corridor, a swarm of fireflies flitted by the small rectangular window high up the wall. Shadows played on the stained floors and on the walls, giving the illusion that we weren’t the only ones in there.

“Is this the place?” I murmured to Byron Flynn.

Raising his snout, he breathed in the musty air with disgust and began sniffing around. I kept searching on my own, straining my eyes through the dark. Still, the cells remained empty. When we reached the end of the passageway, Byron Flynn stiffened and sat in front of the last cell to my right.

Without thinking twice, I hurried to the dog’s side and looked inside. It was difficult to make out anything so stepped closer and held onto the bars.

“Vincent?” My voice sounded strange like I was just beginning to learn how to speak.

I was answered with a deafening silence. I reached for the gate. It swung in with a grating sound. No locks. If someone were caged in here, that person could’ve waltz out of this place without breaking a sweat. Yet, the steel bars enclosing this particular cell looked like they were somehow twisted many times then forced to unbend again.

As stepped in the enclosure, something moved at the back of the room. Mechanically, I ran and threw myself to the floor, landing on my knees. And there he was, sitting in the darkest corner. His elbows were propped on his knees, his head leaning back on the wall. Through the dark wavy hair that covered his face, I could see his metallic gray eyes staring vacantly at the tiny window. In the dark, his eyes blazed faintly. Like the moon. Dazzling yes, but still just a dead rock floating in space.

Dark purplish bags were under his eyes. There was a large gash on the side of his forehead. A bruise marred his right cheekbone. His lips were broken and cracked in many places. Beneath the sleeves of his tattered shirt, there were several horizontal marks as though his arms were hit by a metal pipe over and over again.

All those injuries should’ve healed almost instantly, yet they didn’t. I tried to push away the thoughts of him getting tortured every day. All I could feel was boiling anger as I stifled the scream that formed in my throat.

With my whole body trembling, I unthinkingly reached out for his face. I swallowed the swelling in my throat and pushed the dark locks that fell over his bloodshot eyes.

His pale skin was cold when I touched him. He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. Nor did it look like he even knew I was right in front of him.

I gasped, my lips quivering as I took his hand. “V-vincent…” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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