Belmont

The feet flew over the roof tiles, and the wind rushed against my skin. Below, the streets were deserted and dark; no one was out anymore. Everyone was locked away in their homes, hiding from the feared Magistrate. Then it hit me: it wasn't just vampires who were hiding. Everyone feared them.

"Down here!" Dominic whispered, pointing towards the well in the asphalt; it was time to go underground. 

The darkness was blacker than ink, the stench unbearable, but I let out a sigh of relief when I heard the silence down there. No scratching claws, no hissing jaws, and no munching sounds.I prayed to all the gods in the world that Theo had wiped out all the monsters and that only rats remained down here. But for safety's sake, Roch went ahead with the large flamethrower slung over his shoulder. It was a massive weapon, but he didn't seem to be affected by its weight.Next to me, Rumi fiddled with his many gadgets: night vision, infrared, scanners, and God knows what else. 

One thing was certain; I was incredibly glad he was here. If anyone could bypass alarms, locked doors, and cameras, it was him. Then I glanced back at Dominic. He suited the role of leader, I thought in surprise. It struck me that I had always seen him as a follower, but Œil had told me otherwise.

I had learned that Nico's history was dark and heavy, and he once had a significant name in Paris. Despite that, he had never played that card; he stood behind Masson as his aide, even though it was Nic who was the brains. He had even entrusted that task to me back in the USA. Now he was showing his other side, a side I hadn't seen before. I noticed how Max and Œil followed his every subtle hand signal, Roch questioned nothing, and Rumi looked pleased with the leadership.

The only one who wasn't himself was Magnus. He stumbled forward, breathing heavily in the tight passages until he regained his senses and let the lion come forward. I was relieved to see the power and strength return to his body, something I had actually missed seeing.I couldn't help but feel a bit out of place myself. But if they wanted me here, I would do what I could to help. The silent walk through the tunnel system went smoothly; no one was down here. No magical traps or obstacles.

"It feels a bit too easy, don't you think?"

Nico glanced at me from the side and nodded, "Be prepared."

"Miss Marianne is on her way," whispered Rumi, and Nico gave him a nod.

"Notify her when we get there."

"Oui, Patron."

We quickened our pace, our swift legs padding silently over the debris until Roch signaled by pointing upward. We had arrived. I took a deep breath but immediately regretted it. The place smelled worse than the other tunnels; maybe this was where the beasts were waiting for us.Nico must have thought the same, for before he took a step up the narrow ladder, he signaled Roch and Max to make a round and secure our escape route. 

The ladder was slippery, but after just a few steps, I saw the light filter down from the tower room as Nico pulled aside the manhole cover. The place was as deserted as we had hoped. Clocksworth and Lumiere must have drawn all eyes to the city gate. We crept up through the hole and into some kind of cellar, looking around and preparing to continue our ascent.

"The control room is this way," Magnus whispered to Rumi before he grabbed an old tarp and tied it around his waist. "Remember, we leave the murderers behind."

"And the psychopaths, and the rapists," Nic assured, "we only set the innocent free."

Magnus nodded briefly and headed towards the door. On his way out, he slowed down next to me and whispered quietly, "Take care of him for me," before he left the room.

My heart ached, and I saw the image of a despairing Nico in the middle of the bed again. The total opposite of the man in front of me; now he was cold and emotionless.

"Œil, you guard the exit; Max and Roch, you take floor two and three," then he looked at me, "we take floor four and five."A few minutes later, we were all scattered throughout the tower in a final attempt to set everything right—the hell we had once helped unleash.

Dominic

The tower was smaller than I had expected, and we had the advantage with an old guard on our team. We crept along the corridors, opening cell after cell as Magnus and Rumi unlocked them for us while we made our way up the tower's floors. The imprisoned vampires looked at us skeptically at first but quickly accepted the unexpected help and hurried down into the sewers where Œil was waiting. 

From the roof, Marianne and her group arrived with reinforcements, but the tower seemed to have already been emptied of guards. So, they were idle, keeping watch outside. An icy chill spread through my body; something was wrong. Terribly wrong. 

"Marianne?" I whispered over the radio. "What's happening out there?"

There was a crackle before I heard her shaken voice, "They took our bait," she whispered, "they went after Lu and Clockie." 

"They?" I asked sharply. "Marianne?! What the hell is going on?!"

"Everyone... everyone..." she whispered softly before the radio connection broke.

I felt Belmont's frantic grip on my wrist. "Theodor," he groaned quietly, "I have to...!"

"No!" I snapped back, grabbing his shirt. "You follow my orders now, Bel, and you stay here! We have a mission, and Clock has Lu... they'll manage."

"Against all the fucking wizards and witches in Paris?!" he screamed back, panic in his voice.

"And what the fuck are you going to do to help? Storm in there and punch them in the face?" I laughed dryly. "We don't have any magical powers, Bel; it's best we stay here and save the ones we can."

With slumped shoulders, I watched him struggle against tears, but there was no way I was going to let him run out into the battlefield and force Clocksworth to make bad decisions to save him. I had danced that dance before, and now it was time to learn from my mistakes.

"Get a grip, for crying out loud! You take the cells to the right!" I shouted and smacked him on the back of the head. "Now, Belmont!"

 He wanted to argue, but my words seemed to sink in eventually, and his feet soon moved toward the nearest cell. Forty minutes later, the place was empty, and we rushed down the spiral staircase to make our way down to safety in the sewers.

Clocksworth

I saw Marianne at the top of the tower, and the signal I was waiting for; Belmont was inside. I smiled at my brother, my friend who has stood by me through all the years, in all kinds of weather. He who saved me that day in the past. My life had been dark and grim then, but everything changed when Lumiere introduced me to Anthony. 

I had been given a choice, and I took it. A choice I wished Belmont had been given, but instead, I was tormented daily by guilt. But now, his future would be bright again. I took a deep breath and prepared myself as the wizards surged forth from every corner of the city. How they had managed to gather so many was incomprehensible, or perhaps it was some form of duplication magic. 

"Are you ready, Lu?" 

"Let's begin," he replied, rubbing his palms together. 

We summoned the princes within us, all the powers and all the memories. Terrible scenes played out in my mind, transforming into an irrevocable strength as they left my body. The humans fell at our feet; their magic burned us, but we would heal. We were thrown back, but we stood up again. When Lumiere took a step back, I was there to push him forward, and when I lost my footing, he supported me. 

Our enemies focused all their attention on us, just as I had hoped, and courage surged in my chest. Through the screams and sounds of pain, I heard the doors to the prison cells opening, footsteps racing down the stairs, and voices urging each other on. Hurry... I thought as my body began to shake from the strain. They were so many, and there were only two of us. Then everything went black, and I fell into an endless darkness.

Dominic

I leaned my head against the stone wall and closed my eyes; we won!

Everyone who had been imprisoned was freed, except for the worst murderers and psychopaths. Magnus had ensured that from the control room. Now, only a few remained, and Marianne and Lumiere had taken the lead to show the former prisoners where to go, toward the border that he and Clocksworth had created.

"Dominic," my name always sounded so lovely on his lips, I thought as I looked up at Magnus, who was approaching me in his borrowed sweaty white T-shirt, a pair of blue work pants, and messy hair. 

"Why do you never use a nickname for me?" I asked curiously. 

"I could ask you the same," he laughed, a little surprised by my choice of topic. He knelt down in front of me and reached out a hand. "Are you okay?" 

I gratefully accepted his help and stood up. "Just a few scratches." 

"It didn't go as well for Theodor." 

I nodded and looked down. "They gave him a tough time. Have you seen him?" 

"He'll survive. But they sent the whole Magistrate against him and Lumiere; they took this more seriously than I predicted." 

I licked my lips and stuck my hands in my jeans pockets. "They'll try again." 

"Probably," he sighed. 

I nodded toward the other lions standing a bit further away. "Have they also lost their magic? 

Magnus glanced over at his brothers and nodded with a deep sigh. "We're aging fast." 

I nodded and raised my hand to run my fingers through his curly hair; I had seen the signs a few days ago. The silver, gray strands spreading in his hair and beard. The increasing wrinkles around his lips and in the corners of his eyes. "If I bite you, Magnus, or I could ask Clock... I'm sure he—"

He pressed his lips against mine in a hungry kiss that grew deeper and deeper until I felt the world around me fade away. His arms wrapped around my body so tightly, and the emotion in the kiss was almost desperate. I clung to his shirt, tangled my fingers in his hair, trying to persuade him to stay, but I knew this was his goodbye. He would leave; he would leave me. But how the hell would I manage without him? 

"You have to," he whispered tenderly against my lips when the kiss broke. "You have to let me go, darling." 

I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. "If you find a cure," I began, but he stopped me. 

"There is no cure." 

"So stay with me until it's over," I pleaded with desperate eyes. 

He shook his head and stroked his thumb over my lips. "No, Dominic, I want you to only have good memories of me." Then he turned and walked away. And suddenly, I was the loneliest person in the world.