Al

The creature opened its mouth, the words it uttered were so calm and serene that Leonard and Cody couldn't help but take an involuntary step back,

"Dark-vampire state: Black abyss."

The world around them suddenly Bagan to change. Pitch darkness enveloped them.

Cody couldn't help but inch closer to Leonard. All his hair was on end. This was bad!

The place slowly began to fill with a blood red color. Leo made out the creature who was standing not far away.

'What was the creature planning to do?'

Leo thought, this was the first time he was seeing something like this.

Light filled the place, the blood red turned a brighter shade, just like Leonard's eye.

"Could you stop calling me 'the creature'? It's degrading."

"..."

Leo was speechless, could this thing hear his thoughts?

The creature frowned, he had heard Leo calling him a thing in his thoughts.

"Call me Al." Al's commanding voice swept over them.

Cody stared at Al with a questions in his eyes. Leo was also curious but he didn't show it. He would slowly figure things out as time went, if he would live long enough.

"In this dimension, everything is under my control. All laws are made by me here."

"Enough with all this!" Cody pressed the trigger. The bullet flew towards Al.

"What's the rush?" The bullet stopped right in front of Al's forehead. With a flick of his fingers, the bullet flew in the opposite direction.

Cody had to jump out of the way. Even his own weapon was against him!

With gritted teeth, he continued to fire more bullets, but the same thing happened every single time.

"You are getting boring." Al flickered his hand at Cody. An unknown force pushed him back untill his back pressed against a surface.

Leo didn't have the time to spare a glance at Cody. The opponent before him wouldn't give him that time. Besides, Cody was strong enough to withstand his attacks when they were sparring.

Cody spat out a mouthful of blood. At this rate, he would need to feed. Clearly the wasn't anyway he could do that.

"I see, he's dormant in you."

"What are you saying!"

"You'll understand soon." Al suddenly appeared before Leo, his fist already approaching.

Leo quickly accessed the situation. At the speed the speed the punch was coming, he doubted very much that he could completely stop it.

He placed his wrist on Al wrist before exerting a little force. He would use Al's momentum against him!

The punch missed his head by a few inches. The mere force of the punch, caused Leo's hair to sway. Leo didn't waste any time, he held Al's hand before twisting it behind him.

"Smart."

Leo didn't know if he should feel proud of himself for being praised or feel warry about the praise.

Al's body flickered before it disappeared, leaving Leo's hand empty.

"Sh*t!" He cursed. He had messed up real bad. The kick coming behind him was too close to evade or counterattack.

Cody noticed Leo flying towards him in time to catch him.

"Thanks."

"Wait!" Cody stopped Leo before he could leave.

Cody touched thin air but his hand couldn't pass through. An invisible barrier seemed to be preventing him from going any further.

"I think this is the edge of this dimension. Fighting him here gives him the upper hand." Leo nodded to Cody's analysis.

"I leave that to you then. I'll distract him." Leo said before running off.

"What are you planning?" Al looked at Cody's direction.

Cody controlled his breathing and clenched his fist. That subtle move made a gush of air sweep at his feet.

"I see..." Al said

"Cody punched the barrier with so much force that a thin crack appeared. He smiled. An estimated four more time and the barrier would be broken.

"I'll have to stop you first." Noticing that Al had focused on Cody, Leo threw a punch at Al's blind point. Al stopped it with a finger.

'This is insulting.' Leo thought.

"Wait your turn." He flickered Leonard's forehead. He couldn't move a muscle.

When Cody was about to hit the barrier for the third time, Al materialised in front of him.

He held his fist before breaking Cody's wrist. Cody gritted his teeth,

"Such fighting spirit," Al stared at Cody's blazing red eyes.

"I doubt a simple physical attack would stop you. If that's the case..." Al raised his free hand, the nails on it turned black. He scratched Cody's cheek with his nails that were as long as claws.

Instead of the usual red blood, black blood flowed out of Cody's wound. The same patterns that were on Al's body appeared on the surrounding skin before it crawled to every inch of flesh on Cody's body.

"What are you doing to him?!" Leo said, he could finally move his body.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm giving him a gift for being able to hold his own against me. If he's worthy he would live but if not... " Al let his world trail.

Cody gripped his chest, his heart thumping behind his rip cage. He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away. His breathing became laboured and his fingernails turned black. Cody opened his closed eyes, revealing a pair of ink black eyes.

Leo watched on in horror when Cody stared at him with those same black eyes that Al had.

Cody knew that if this continued, he would cease to be who he was. But before that happen he had to...

Leo was shocked when Cody broke into a grin. It wasn't his usual carefree grin. This grin felt painful and regret filled his eyes.

Before he lost his will he had to do this,

Cody dug his hand into his chest, black blood spilling on the floor.

Leonard's eyes widened,

"Cody!"

Cody was still grinning, his hands still impaled in his chest.

"I leave the rest to you." Blood flowed from the sides of Cody's mouth. He would bother leaving a message for Ter, she knew what he had to say already.

His body felt limp and his limbs lost all their strength. His body fell to the ground. His black blood formed a pool around his body.

Al just stared on with a calm expression on his face. The initial shock of watching Cody kill himself had passed long ago.

Leonard's lips quivered, his red eyes flickered with a dangerous light. His aura was suddenly filled with so much bloodlust that Al felt fear.

[Half-vampire State: Blood control]

Leonard's heartbeat slowed down gradually untill it completely stopped. Right now he had absolute control of every drop of blood in his body. By sending blood to only the parts like his limbs and head, he could increase his overall power, speed and strength.

His heart stopped beating when he uses Blood Control, so he could only hold this state for a maximum of ten minutes. He had ten minutes to bring this fight to an end.

Al could feel Leonard's sudden increase in strength,

"Now what were we tal~" Leonard was suddenly behind Al, his fist already raised high, ready for a punch.

Al didn't react in time, he was sent flying from the mere force of the punch. He stood up with ease, the cut on his lower lip healed instantly.

Al brought his hands together, his fingers entangling each other

[Dark-vampire state: Demon nest, Ash]

Al could hear his hurt thump in his chest so hard that it hurt. Blood gushed out of his mouth not long after.

He wiped his chin with that back of his hand.

"It's seems I can't use that just yet. Are they ones?" He stared at his hands. A new pattern had appeared all over his body, but these ones looked lighter than the ones that were previously on his body. These ones restrained him from using his full power.

•••

Nine minutes passed with Leonard on the offensive side. Even though Al had regeneration, Leonard's attacks were so fast that Al's regeneration couldn't catch up. He was in a bad state, if this continued he would surely loose.

"Impressive, but you are still too weak! Both of us know that this sudden burst of energy is only temporary." Al clicked his tongue. Black blood fell to the floor drop by drop.

Leo stared on in silence. His lungs were burning and his heart felt like it would explode any time soon. The technique he was using placed too much stress on his body.

He had less that a minute before it would wear off. Before that happens, he had to end this fight.

Al watched as another punch was sent his way. He had received so many that he had lost count. His lips were swollen while a thin bloody line was above his left brow. The punch connect to his abdomen. It hurt like hell, but he had to endure it. His plan depended on it.

Leo took the opportunity to punch the shin of the crouching Al. Al fell to the ground with a loud thud.

30 seconds more. Leo sat on Al, he condensed all the energy his aching body could muster. This punch should knock Al out and end this fight.

A wide grin broke on Al's face, the punch that was heading his way would knock him unconscious, no doubt about it.

Leo's eyes widened with shock when Al stopped his fist.

Leo couldn't help but ask,

"How?"

The wounds on Al's body began to heal. In just a matter of seconds he was all healed up. Not a blemish or scar to be seen. If not for his disheveled clothes, no one would have known he was fighting a losing battle moments ago.

"You forgot you are in a dimension different from the one you are used to. Time here is 30 seconds faster!"

Leo suddenly felt his lungs burn so much that he clenched his chest. Air rushed into his mouth. He held his pounding head in pain. His heart had began to beat again but he felt dead.

Leonard rolled over in pain, the backlash of his technique was too intense for him. Al slowly got up.

He crouched next to Leonard before touching his forehead with his index and middle fingers,

"Let me help you get stronger."

Everything went white