Magnus

The dimly lit office was filled with an air of tension, the heavy scent of aged wood mingling with the faint metallic tang of paper and ink. Shadows danced across the walls, cast by flickering candles in ornate holders that adorned the old oak desk where Einar stood, his brow furrowed in concentration. The room was lined with shelves crammed full of dusty tomes, each containing the laws and histories of our kind, while a massive map of the city hung prominently on one wall, its borders meticulously outlined in crimson.

Einar held a crisp piece of parchment, the edges slightly frayed, and as he read aloud, his voice echoed in the silence, filled with an authoritative cadence. "All vampires caught outside the dark zone shall be captured and imprisoned in the tower," he declared, his eyes narrowing with intensity as he focused on the words. "There, they shall reveal who or what they serve and renounce any affiliation with any criminal gangs they may have been in contact with before any possible trial."

"Possible trial?" I muttered under my breath, disbelief seeping into my tone. "That doesn't sound very fair, and what are they guilty of?"

"Moving beyond the boundary," Einar shot back, his voice laced with irritation.

"So they shall be kept locked up in their zone or in the tower?" I sighed, doubt heavy in my voice. "Will we never learn from past mistakes?"

"The only mistake we made was giving them the same freedoms as everyone else!" Einar snapped, his frustration evident as he slammed the parchment onto the desk.

"This is not our decision, Magnus," Jorvis pointed out, his tone more measured, attempting to calm the simmering tension in the room. His weary eyes met mine, hinting at a shared history weighed down by the burdens of duty.

"As you understand, this applies to all vampires, no exceptions," Einar continued, glaring at me with unyielding resolve.

"Never."

"Magnus," Jorvis sighed heavily, looking up at me with tired, pleading eyes that spoke of our long-standing friendship, "please."

"So now it's suddenly illegal to be different?" I snapped, anger surging through me. "Many of them haven't even chosen their own fate."

"We have no choice; these are our new orders," Jorvis reiterated, his calm facade beginning to crack.

"You always have a choice!" I roared, desperation fueling my words as I looked at the men I had called brothers for hundreds of years—would they really go along with this?

"Not us; we are the city's guardians, and we follow orders," Einar replied, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Then I resign from my guardian duties," I stated, the weight of my conviction echoing in the room.

"Is he really worth it?" Einar persisted, disbelief coloring his voice. "From what I've heard, he's a cold-hearted killing machine who obeyed his creator's every whim."

I shook my head and let out a dry laugh. "I didn't think you listened to gossip, Jorv." The elder among us grunted, his cheeks flushing slightly as he tried to maintain his composure. "I wholeheartedly trust Dominic, but this is bigger than our relationship. This is entirely against what we stand for," I rumbled, my voice steady. "We don't imprison people based on their race!"

"They drink blood," Jorvis replied hesitantly, as if trying to justify the unjustifiable. "That little detail often leads to a lot of problems for them and for us."

"Many are victims of their own desires, my friend," I sighed, glancing between the two of them, hoping to find some flicker of understanding.

"You are blinded by your feelings for the boy!" Einar snapped, rising abruptly from his chair, the creaking of the old wood echoing like a gunshot in the charged atmosphere. "You are a security risk, Magnus!"

I shook my head, feeling a tempest of anger brewing inside my chest. "I thought we were brothers."

"I thought so too," Einar shot back, his voice colder than the shadows creeping into the corners of the room, "but it's best that you leave now before I report your treachery to the High Magister."

I stood there, frozen, staring at him in disbelief; this couldn't be true.

"Magnus," Jorvis mumbled, placing a hand on my shoulder, his grip warm but firm. "It's best you go."

I bit my lip, shaking my head, my resolve trembling. "We are better than this."

"We are better than this," Einar remarked with bitter certainty, his voice slicing through the air like a dagger, "but you are no longer a part of us, so listen to Jorvis and run and hide in the shadows with your little vampire friends, Magnus."

As the weight of his words settled in the air between us, I felt the walls of the office closing in, the flickering candlelight casting ominous shadows that mirrored the growing rift between us. I took a deep breath, steeling myself against the inevitable confrontation, knowing that the bond we once shared was now hanging by a thread, frayed and worn.

Dominic

"Dominic!" 

I looked up in surprise at Magnus from the sofa as he stormed through the front door, breathless. "What's wrong?" 

 I barely had time to rise from the sofa before I was pressed against his broad chest and drowned in his embrace. "We need to pack," he gasped, his eyes wide with panic. "We have to go, Dom, we can't stay here." 

 I looked up at his face, worried. "Wait, what the hell is happening, Magnus?" 

Something was terribly wrong; he was always calm, always! But now he looked almost scared. "You have to call Alexander, right now! And tell him," he stumbled over his words ominously, "tell him to stay in the apartment." Then he placed his hand behind my neck and fixed his gaze on me. "Do you hear me? He must not go outside!" 

 I stared wide-eyed into the eyes of the stranger in front of me. "Sure, I'll call, just take it easy and tell me what's going on!"

 "No!" he roared, and I realized it was the first time he had raised his voice at me. 

 Surprised, I took a step back and studied him; his hands shook as he ran his fingers through his hair, and his usually bright eyes stared blankly down at the floor. It looked like he was struggling with himself. Sweat beads appeared on his face, and his eyes looked utterly desperate when he looked up at me again. I don't think I've ever felt so scared as I did then. My heart raced; whatever had happened must be terrible. I had never seen him lose his composure like this before. 

 "Okay, I'll call," I said calmly, rubbing my thumb across his cheek, "but then you have to explain what's going on." 

 He nodded briefly and hurried up the stairs toward the bedroom, and soon I heard him pulling out drawers and opening wardrobe doors to pack our clothes. When I picked up my phone, I noticed my hands were shaking just as much as his, and I struggled to dial Masson's number while trying to grasp what was happening. Finally, the call connected. 

"Mass?" 

 "Yeah? What do you want? I'm sleeping," he replied groggily. 

 "Are you at home?" I asked quickly. "

... yes." 

 "Sure?" 

 "What the hell, Nico! YES, I'm home! What kind of interrogation is this?!" 

 "Something's up; Magnus wants you to stay indoors." 

 I heard him groan loudly before he replied. "That sounds ominous." 

 "It sounds like fucking Ragnarok is about to happen again," I sighed in agreement. "We're packing; I don't know where we're going, but we'll—" 

 "We're going to Alexander," Magnus interrupted as he came down the stairs, carrying two bags.

 "But guardians aren't allowed to cross the border?" I asked cautiously. 

 "I'm not a guardian anymore," he replied shortly, his voice filled with pain.

"WHAT?!"

"I'll explain on the way."

"Duuude," Masson mumbled low on the other end of the line, "this sounds worse than—"

"Yes," I replied briefly, cutting him off. "We're coming to your place." I hung up and let the phone slip into my jeans pocket while I stared at Magnus, completely bewildered. "Please tell me what happened," I begged, taking a step closer to take one of his hands in mine. 

 "I can't protect you anymore," he replied quietly, gripping my hand tightly. "My magic is gone now." 

 "Okay," I said cautiously, "but why do you need to protect us? It's all over." 

 He shook his large head, his locks swaying over his chest. "No, darling, this is just the beginning." He took a deep breath to calm himself before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer so that my forehead rested against his shoulder. "The guardians have received new orders to capture all vampires and imprison you." Suddenly, I felt a knot form in my stomach, and the whole world seemed to spin around me until his words pulled me back to reality. "I refused." 

 "But what does that have to do with your magic?" 

 "It's not something I was born with." 

 "So what does this mean for us?" 

 "We are hunted, both of us," he sighed heavily. "And the magic around the cabin will soon fade, my strength, and other things." He bit his lip and leaned his forehead against mine, and I noticed he was about to say something more but thought better of it. 

 "We should go," I sighed, looking around the cozy little cabin. 

 "Call Lexie on the way." 

 "But she's human!" I exclaimed, feeling despair creep in. 

 "Do you want to risk it?" 

 I sighed heavily and shook my head. "No." 

 In the next few minutes, I grabbed the few belongings that meant something to me and stuffed them into a backpack. This place had always been a source of safety, hidden from everyone's eyes and a refuge from reality. But soon it would be gone. It hurt my heart. 

 "Are you ready?" 

 I turned around and nodded at my long-haired Scandinavian giant with a sad smile. "I'm going to miss this place." 

 "We'll find a new one," he mumbled, taking my hand and impatiently pulling me out into the yard. Soon we were in my little beat-up car, heading toward Masson's apartment and the part of town I had hoped to avoid. The vampire districts.