Last Man Standing

Valaren took a step towards the two ladies and Ezra gave the ethereal chains a tug in his mind. "Stop!" He commanded.

Valaren froze, straining to keep going. Rage joined bloodlust and filled the dragon who took slow steps forward.

"Shit!" Ezra cursed. "Fucking stop." He gritted his teeth as he kept tugging on the control chains.

He could feel the control he had over the dragon slipping. He had loosened the chains during the fight and now, he was paying the price.

"Ezra?" Gen asked. "What's going on?"

"L-losing control." He answered through gritted teeth as the ethereal chains slowly tightened against the dragon.

Valaren gave a low growl as it kept stepping forward slowly.

"Use your Aura!" Gen scrambled back, dragging Olivia with her.

"I don't have enough vitality!" After all the fighting and regenerating, his vitality was completely spent.

"Use your reserve blood!" Gen screamed.

Of course! Ezra seized hold of the little blood flowing in his veins. He dragged every drop and compressed it into his heart, feeling it throb with latent power.

"Whatever you do, the dragon must not break free!" Gen snarled. "The moment it does, we're dead! And it won't be the dragon that would kill us! The City Lord himself would gladly do it!"

He needed to ignite his blood, to transform it into the vitality he so desperately needed. His mind raced through the emotions that could fuel the ignition. He discarded rage. He felt oddly drained of all rage.

He circled through joy, sadness, apathy, before settling on one that burned brightest. Determination.

With a fierce growl, he focused on his determination, letting it fill him completely. The blood within him responded, heating up, almost boiling with raw energy. In a flash, it ignited into vitality, spreading through his body like wildfire.

Ezra felt the vitality surge through him, potent and invigorating. He exhaled, releasing the energy outward, and it spread into an Aura that blanketed the area. The air shimmered with the intensity of it, a palpable force that radiated from him in waves.

He focused his will, infusing the Aura with a sense of Authority. Just like X had done before, he wove the very essence of his command through the Aura, making it a tangible extension of his dominance.

Molding the Aura, he directed it to coat the ethereal chains binding Valaren to him.

"Submit," he commanded again, his voice echoing with amplified power.

Valaren snarled, straining against the chains, but Ezra could feel the tide turning. The Aura infused chains tightened, glowing with a fierce, binding energy. Bit by bit, they restricted the dragon's movements, drawing tighter and tighter with each passing second.

Valaren's struggle was titanic, a beast fighting against the inevitable. It thrashed and the ground trembled beneath his feet as it stomped and its growls shook the air.

Ezra's determination was unwavering. He poured every ounce of his will into the chains, refusing to let the dragon break free. He knew deep in his bones that if Valaren broke free, all hell would break loose.

The chains flashed into visibility, glowing with a bright, ethereal light before slowly fading away. Valaren's form shimmered and began to dissolve, the mighty dragon being drawn back into Ezra.

Valaren took a last step forward, before roaring its frustration into the sky. With a huff, it disappeared into Ezra. Power surged through him, the bond reestablished and fortified by the authority of his Aura.

As Valaren vanished completely, Ezra felt the immense pressure lift. He straightened, his body still humming with residual energy. The battlefield fell silent, the air heavy with the aftermath of the struggle.

All the combatants had gathered here but he was the last man standing.

What a day.

Ezra turned to Gen, her face pale with fear and relief. Her eyes were wide, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she held Olivia protectively.

"I did it." Ezra said, his voice steady but exhausted.

Gen let out a shaky laugh, relief flooding her features. "You did it," she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Ezra nodded, his own relief mirrored in his expression. "For now," he said. He could feel Valaren raging in his gut. The monster had been subdued but it hadn't yet been dominated.

"What next?" Ezra asked as Gen shot him a questioning look. "Should we get out of here?"

As if waiting for that exact moment, the black zone surrounding the room wavered, then disappeared, unsealing the large room and exposing it to the world. Ezra stared. Even with all the destruction, the room was still standing.

Yes, the ceiling had suffered much damage and the floor was looking like a construction site but considering the forces that have battled here, Ezra could see how valuable the black zones were. They were on the top floor of a skyscraper. They should've at least destroyed a floor.

"No. We have to call the janitors."

"Janitors?" Ezra rocked back to stare at her.

"Did you think we would be cleaning up this mess ourselves?" Gen scoffed. "Hell no." She dipped her hand in her pocket and brought out a smartphone that cost three times more than his monthly salary. He kept staring.

Gen tapped a few buttons on her phone, her expression serious. Ezra stared at her, turned to look around the destroyed room and turned back to stare at her. The term 'janitors' seemed like a gross understatement for what these people must do.

"Yes, this is vampire C7V202107," she said into the phone. "We need a full cleanup on the top floor of the Quantum Observatory. Bring extra blood packs, we have an injured member." She paused, listening to the response on the other end. "Yes, immediately. Thank you."

She ended the call and turned to Ezra, who still looked confused.

Gen's eyes softened slightly and she sighed. "Ezra, there's something you need to understand," she began. "The First and most important Vampire Law is the Law of Secrecy."

"The law states that all vampires must maintain absolute secrecy regarding our true nature and existence. Any breach of the masquerade, whether intentional or accidental is punishable by death."

"That's why we call the Custodians, or as we unofficially call them, the J

janitors, after battles like this. They ensure that no evidence of our activities remains."

Ezra nodded, before sitting up straight in realization. "So, if Valaren had escaped..." He let the thought hang, the implication clear and chilling.

Gen sighed, her face grim. "If Valaren had escaped, we would have been in serious trouble. We would face execution for breaking the Secrecy Law."

"It wouldn't have mattered if we won." She sighed wearily. "The council itself would descend to see to our deaths."