"What's with the creepy looks? Can you guys blink or something at least hello?" She clicked her fingers, before looking towards Mr Freyer who had lost all colour in his skin, as if he had just seen a ghost. "What's wrong with everyone? I literally did exactly as he asked me to, I didn't even do anything bad this time, if this is about the little cut on Mr Freyer's face it'll heal. In my defence I could've done much worse... what are you..."

Jewel stopped in her words as she saw Nova get on one knee, Taehyung following her actions. Queen Ivey walked to the centre, looking her daughter in the eye before placing her hand on her own heart, bowing down. Soon everyone followed, forcing Mr Freyer to throw away his pride and follow along. Jewel got up awkwardly, thinking that she should just copy what everyone was doing because she was that bewildered. She was about to bow when her mother stood up straight, smiling slightly.

"You might wanna fix the positioning of that crown, Queen Azriel."

jewel pov

My mum calling me a queen completely disregarded the entire speech I had done earlier but it left me so baffled. I only put on a crown? And suddenly everyones bowing as if literally anyone else couldn't do the same. I took off the crown, walking down the little steps as I placed it back onto that cushion. "There, I did as you asked, now I'm leaving," I walked off, everyone standing back straight. "WAIT," my mother called out for me, she paused analysing my expression which made her realise something, I'm not sure what though.

"Uh, they'll pardon everything that happened, all the deaths that occurred because of who you set free. If you bring us the blood of a dead Zanira," she told me making me scoff. "The last time I saw him he was at his weakest and he almost killed me, and you want me to go after him? First time I'm seeing someone tell their daughter to commit suicide." I sighed, heading out the room of people who looked like they were holding their breaths.

"Azriel you don't know what it means to touch that crown do you," my mother suddenly appeared in front of me, startling me. "I touched a bloody crown, I can touch a load of shit too, does that make me worthy of the shit as well?" I said sarcastically. "The last person who tried to touch that crown was left with such a badly burnt hand that she could barely lift her arm." She told me, making me furrow my eyebrows, "what."

"That crown was cursed by the witch who created it, only he who worthy shall be able to touch it. If held by the wrong person for long enough, they would turn into ash." She explained, "let me get this straight. You knew how badly that could've ended, AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO STOP ME?" I was in complete disbelief at my own mothers words. "I believed in you."

"Does belief really matter when the risk is so huge? I can't believe you," I walked away from her, not knowing what to think. "The person who is worthy rules the El Dorado, whether you like my actions or not, it doesn't change the fact you will be crowned queen of the ED as soon as you turn of age," she spoke a little loudly as I had walked quite a distance from her. I didn't take the carriage since it would leave Tae and Nova without transport to get back to the Paradox. I just wandered around, my head starting to hurt so I took a seat on a piece of wood, resting.

"Hello princess," I looked to the side to see Isaac, who looked quite guilty. "I heard the drama my father caused, I'm so so sorry," he took a seat beside me. "It's fine, I know you don't take after him," I patted him on the shoulder. "So, since your powers activated, would you care to show me?" He smiled, curiously.

"I want to, but I'm quite scared, I've only recently learnt how to use them, what if I can't control it?" I looked over to him, "you'll never find out if you don't try." He replied, so I opened my left hand, released a light.

"Now just concentrate, breathe, and say a spell," he whispered, "aurorum," I did as he told me to do, and spoke out the first spell I thought of. I said while looking in the direction of a piece of wood, but suddenly everything was levitating. The dust, little rocks on the floor, practically everything in front of us.

"I can't control it, I can't, I can't," I panicked, trying to shut off the light but I didn't know how to. Isaac quickly put his hand over my mine, holding it tightly over my light while he released his blue light. He slightly groaned as he expressed the pain. "Stop it's hurting you," I said, trying to let go but he held it firmly, and it was burning him even more.

My light went out as Isaac let go, "my individual powers siphoning. I can take power from anything magical and it makes me stronger, it's quite useful, but it's never hurt me like yours." He smiled, watching me grab his palm to see the slight burn wound on it. "It'll be ok with some cream don't stress it," he told me.

"Am I interrupting?"

A voice caught both of our attention, someone walked out the shadows of the trees, hands in their pocket, blood on the corners of their lips. "Isaac, run." I said, slowly getting up, alert for anything, "I heard you have to bring my blood to the Ministry, great fun." He chuckled, "listen Mr Zanira, let's do this another day, I'm still kind of recovering from the injury you left me last time." I said, Isaac had unwillingly departed from me, running to go signal the guards.

"Please, you're calling me Mr now? I'm not that old, I stopped ageing when I was 17 so we're almost the same age," he said, his melanin glowing in the sunlight.

"Except you've been 17 for the past 2 centuries and, I am yet to turn 17," I tilted my head with a questionable expression. "I uhm, fixed my English in the past few days," he coughed awkwardly, "yeah I noticed, good job," I was honestly stalling, it was such a calm atmosphere it was terrifying. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kill me?" He crossed his arms, "I can't tell if you're being sarcastic," I replied. "I've lived," he shrugged, taking a step closer.

"What do you really want? You wouldn't come here, right near the minister palace where everyone inside wants you dead without a solid reason." I said, "smartass," he rolled his eyes, "fine, these past few days I've been doing my catching up on what I've missed inside the cell. And I hear the nefarious are after you, I have my own bone to pick with them." Zanira replied.

"Like what, you've been in a cell for over 200 years," I raised an eyebrow, "everyone here ages slowly you fucker, they've been ruining lives for an entire millennium, although they've been a silent bomb since the end of Satan, they're bound to go off soon." He told me.

"And you think this is supposed to stop me from killing you? You've killed innocents." I looked him up and down in judgement, "I'm a vampire, we're made to kill, to survive," he replied calmly. "Those people did nothing to you, they were probably the nicest people," I said. "You can't expect people to be nice to you just because you show them kindness, you can't expect a lion to not eat you just because you didn't eat him."

Zanira wisely spoke, "why does that- why does that make sense..." I muttered under my breath making him chuckle. "STILL, you can drink the blood of animals, why people, why massacre entire villages at once? Is your appetite that huge?" I asked rhetorically. "Ok first of all that's false, I didn't kill anyone since I left the prison, just left over a hundred people at the brink of death, they'll be fine." He clarified.

"You know, the nefarious wanted me on their side too, they killed my entire family because they refused. I survived and had to run for 3 years, then I got tired of it, I wanted to be in a place where I'd be safe. And no better place than Krim's impenetrable cell. That's when my killing spree began, I wanted to commit a crime that would have me in prison for such a long time the nefarious would forget all about me. And so I did exactly that, I annihilated the entire ministry," he spoke, giving me understanding on why he had something against the nefarious.

"I could just go to earth and drink human blood, but you see, angel blood, and demon blood, makes me stronger. Doesn't taste the best but power is everything darling," he responded, "then why didn't you drink mine? It's a mix, wouldn't it make you mega powerful?" I foolishly said, me and my questions are going to get me killed. He just chuckled, leaning against the tree, "your blood is acidic to me love, if I drank it my insides would burn." He informed me, with new information I had no clue of.

"You disobey the laws of nature, the kinds weren't meant to become one. I'm quite surprised you're not facing any, side affects." He scanned my body, before I noticed his ears were moving, he was listening out for something. "Your friend just reached the palace, so let me hurry, I'm offering you a deal. Let me live, convince those idiots I'm dead, and I shall help you fight against the nefarious." He spoke.

"Woah you can hear from that far away?" I spoke, surprising him as I disregarded his little deal. "Uh, yeah, I can listen into whatever I want to, for example..." his ears moved again, I loved how he wasn't bothered by my childish words, "your mother just reached Ivaeyor; the hell palace, she's gossiping to Lucifer about what happened today, woah you can touch the forbidden crown? No way," he grinned, before snapping back to the point.

"Right, so will you accept my deal?" He tilted his head in expectance, eyes full of the emotion kids have when they want something. I don't understand how I could possibly like our conversations, he's still a killer.

"If you promise to stay on the low, and refrain from killing anyone, then ok, it's a deal. I could use a 200 year old vampire with anger pent up inside," I gave a slight smile, "alright hold out your hand." He walked towards me, rolling up his sleeves, making me take a step back.

He smiled at my action, which gave me a slight peek at the fangs he had just let out, he looked me in the eye, maintaining eye contact as he bit into his own arm. Blood dripped out, he used his other hand to pull out my arm, he dropped his blood into my palm. "There's my blood, go impress your mother," he smiled, before leaning towards my neck, "relax, you know I'll die if I drink it." He calmed me down, taking a little bite from my neck, making my face cringe at the stinging.

"Tell them I tried to drink your blood, I've been inside the cell for so long they wouldn't suspect that I would know how harmful your blood is. Tell them I turned to ash," he told me, patting my shoulder, his way of telling me good luck, he turned around about to walk away when I grabbed his wrist.

"That day, you could've killed me and my friend, so why didn't you? It was perfect opportunity, everyone's scared of me because of the prophecy, why didn't you do them a favour?" I spoke out, my overthinking getting the worst of me yet again, he faced me, dragging his finger down my cheek, which at first I moved from, but then maintained my posture.

"Your powers have only just activated, you've just received the key to your destiny,"

"It would be rude of me to change the lock."