4

Elijah

Empire Hotel, Pandaemonium City

Yorkside region

Capital of the Kingdom

September 29th, 641412:45 pm

"Wake up!"

"No!" I grunted sleepily, the feeling of exhaustion pulling me back to the numbness and darkness that was my sleep. I was tired, wrecked to my bones with a hunger that I thought I had quenched the previous night. I moved among the thongs of bodies that lay on the bed beside me. Their bodies felt warm and delightful alongside mine, the smell of blood coursing through their veins was tempting enough to make me get up, but I wanted to keep sleeping. I was still recovering from the events of the previous... a cold splash of water struck me pulling me out of the drowsiness. I jumped up in shock just as my partners in the bed woke up.

"What the fuck?" I growled. My assistant, Stephen Marcos was standing on my left, a glass held in her hands. I groaned at her appearance and straightened up on the bed. All she did was stare right back at me with a sly smile. The girls and guys beside me were awake and getting out of bed. Stephen didn't even acknowledge them as she dropped the glass on the nightstand and stood out of their way. I stretched my body, yawning as exhaustion and pain raked it. I thought back to the events from last night. My body was in a fragile state and the healing it had gone through was still not enough. After the whole event, I had come right back to my Penthouse where I had entertained a couple of humans for their blood."You're late for your morning appointment," Stephaine said. Her smile was gone as her eyes swept through the room. She stepped aside as one of the guys picked up his shirt from the floor. She raised an eyebrow at the pointed holes in his neck. My partners from last night waved at me before leaving me alone with my assistant. I was hungry, tired, and not in the mood for any complaint that she had for me.

"Do you have to always wake me up like that?" I said wiping the water with my shirt from last night. It was the fourth time she had woken me up by drowning me in water, something that had caught me off guard at first.

"You were taking too long to wake up. Again." She said. " And I have the morning report briefings for you to look over. " Ugh... Morning reports. Looks like I missed the briefings today...again. Not a good look for someone like me. Steph said nothing about me missing it. She barely said anything to reprimand me when I slacked off on my duty. Instead, she always made an effort to find a way for me to make up for it. 

"I've sent the report to your Uni, so have a look at it." She walked off, putting in stuff on the tablet she held. I sighed as I got out of the bed, towards the window with its blinding pulled apart. Light spilled into the room, and the city was laid out for me to stare at. WindMobiles cruised through the air, the air traffic seemed pretty full of vehicles. I stared down below me, the ground traffic the opposite of the above. I stretched my body, pulling the muscles and cracking some bones thus making myself feel better.

"I have coffee and some synthblood mixed for you," Steph said. "Keep you awake for your next appointment." She handed me a cup. I could smell the blood in the coffee, my fangs were itching to come out but I stopped it. I sipped it, the energy from the blood ignited my cells, my mental acuity rousing me up. "There are some clothes in the living room laid out for you."

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed up in a black Giuliano suit and walking out of the Empire Hotel, Steph beside me as I looked over the briefing on my Uni. It was the usual reports that the Regional chiefs always sent. Crimes within the Regions were seeing a slight increase, budget reports for the Peace Keepers force and something about Kettlia turning into a dreg of disaster. The Peacekeepers there were requesting aid and backups. My heart fell short reading all this. It's been two years since the assassination of the former King and his family. Since the country descended into chaos. But now things were getting better. Each of the Regions had recovered-mostly- from it. The Capital had it even worse, with the whole place burning on fire. I tried my best not to look back on that day. It was not a pleasant memory for me. I got into the vehicle that was waiting for me, and two guardsmen waiting for me to get in. Steph followed me inside.

"Can't the Grand Council do something about the situation in Kettlia?" I said as I turned my Uni off. Kettlia was one of the few regions that refused to accept the current political situation with riots and protests becoming the norm there. It was a settlement that had been given to the humans a long time ago by the former King, and their devotion to him was still strong even after his death. They refused to accept the new King, the brother of the former king... my father.

"It seems even the council isn't too fond of the bills the Royal Cabinets are coming up with," Steph said. The Royal Cabinets... I groaned. I hated hanging around with those groups of people. Their degenerate actions and attitudes pissed me off. But I had no choice but to keep up a pretense for them. Still...suggesting that we use an identifier wristband to separate humans from Vampires. That was a terrible idea. That would only further infuriate the humans into full attack mode. I couldn't let that happen. As the Director of R.E.T.U, it was my duty to uphold the King's peace and enforce order throughout the land. That fucking bill would only make my job harder, and I'm afraid that I wasn't looking for more responsibilities. The situation in Kettlia was something I figured would happen but I didn't expect it to get this bad quickly. My thoughts went to what Count Tillman would think of what the Royal cabinets were doing. The Tilman family was among the few human aristocratic families that held power in the Kingdom, but Father didn't care for them. No...even with their power, they could do nothing. But what we should worry about was the one above them. I rubbed the temple of my head, leaving that problem for the future.

"The Royal Cabinets are just a fucking pain aren't they," I said, sighing. "How long before we reach the Palace," My next appointment was the Advisor meeting with all members of the Royal Cabinets, and my being late would only anger my old man.

"We're accessing the E-gate, so it would only take us about fifteen minutes," Steph said. "The closest Royal gate is not that far," I nodded as the car sped through the traffic, using the lane that was reserved for those of royal blood. I watched the other vehicles, peering through the tinted glass at the faces of the passengers as we passed by them. There were a lot of people going about their business, each member of an Etherborn species mixed, not a care for how their safety and peace were maintained, as long as the certainty of what happened two years ago was not going to repeat... Each of the buildings that we passed was decorated for Remembrance Day, a holiday that I wasn't looking forward to. Remembrance Day was meant to remember the lives that were lost during the Long War, to remember events and traditions that were lost. To remember one's loved ones that were lost. Which was my problem with the holiday. All it did was remind me of the loss of my cousin, Ariella. Growing up, I was never really that close with my older cousins nor did I feel any connection to my siblings, but Ella... she had been different. She had seen the real me and accepted it even before I did. I bought out my locket watch from my pocket, to take a glimpse at the picture of Ella and me together. I looked so different, so different from the version of me that was staring at the picture. In a way, the me in the picture was a different person. But Ariella... she looked so young, so beautiful. She was only fourteen then. If she was alive, she would be sixteen. Besides her was...I paused. The human girl standing beside Ella could be considered pretty, but there had always been something off about the girl that I couldn't stand. She was human and yet...a deep primal fear was lit within me whenever I was around her. No one knew if she had survived the incident from two years ago. If she was...then she failed at her job of being Ariella's protector. Though I never understood why we needed a human to protect Ella when we had powerful royal guards on our side. But she had been Ella's best friend...and if Ella saw something within her, as she did with me, then who was I to rebuff their friendship? So I had mourned for Lilith just as I did for Ella."Director, We've reached the gate station," Stephen said. I put the watch away as I looked up. In front of us was a white fence with two guards standing watch over it. The driver pulled out a badge and showed one of the guards who waved for us to go through. The entrance to the gate station opened, letting our car ride through. The gate station was a private facility that contained one of several Ether gates in the world. It was one of the fastest modes of transportation in the world, with two pillars of rocks that could fold space and allowed one to instantaneously travel from one location to another. Though they did not exist pre-war, like Dungeons they were now a natural resource of the earth and there were hundreds of them all over the known lands, especially in the radiated lands. My guards got out of the limo and opened the door for me, bringing me out of the car and into a bright sunny sky. I took out my sunglasses and wore them, reducing the intensity of the light outside. Steph appeared beside me and we all walked towards the pillar where another bunch of guards stood watch over the twin pillar. They saluted me as I approached them and one of them set to operating the rune keys that would activate the pillars. In the middle of the space between the two pillars, a white light began to generate, and then the light cut through the space creating a black hole. I stepped through the hole and then the disorienting feeling that my insides were about to come out threw me off for a second and then the feeling was gone. At least it was better than the first time I went through it. I could remember how much baffling I had to endure. Now I could easily shrug off that vertigo feeling like it was nothing. Steph and my guards appeared alongside me, out of the other side of the E-gate that was within the Palace grounds. More security was on the other side, and they were meticulously keeping an eye on us. Waiting for me was an entourage of servants, dressed in purple suits and skirts. They bowed before me and the one in front of them, Sevika, smiled at me. The woman had blonde hair, an attractive and slender figure, and her green eyes looked so cute. Though Sevika was not that old for a human, I could already see the wrinkles that would begin to become clearer as she grew older. I sighed as I thought it was such a waste. It was one of the reasons why I had decided to move on. As much as I liked her, and as much as I wanted to gift her with the gift of Immortality, it wasn't my choice. So I had moved on from her to someone who was still young. But that didn't stop Sevika from wanting to please and take care of me.

"Prince Elijah, Your Majesty is waiting for you in the cabinet chamber," Sevika said.

"Thank you," I said as we walked out of the sun and into a passage that took us from the courtyard where the E-gate was located. I turned to my guards and dismissed them, knowing full well that there was no need for them within the Palace wall.

*

Eyes were upon me as soon as I entered the chamber, Vampiric eyes that were like snakes, the only thing that they knew was how to seek out an opportunity to strike when they saw weakness. Seated at a long rectangle table were twenty-two vampires, and in the front of the table, seated on a huge slab of a marble-formed throne, was my father, Nehemiah Ashtarmel. He was the king and the new head of the Ashtarmel house. After the death of my uncle, the former King Rafael, my father had taken the role and power for himself, and now he was one of the most powerful vampires in the world. Even with the incident, and the chaos two years ago, the Ashtarmel House was still regarded as the most powerful of the seven noble houses. Even the other two Noble Houses, Varnae and Mircalla, that were within Ashtarium, stood no chance against the strength of our family. The House of Mircalla learned it the hard way when a year ago, we had sent the remains of their assassin back to them with only their heads left. The six Noble houses were not happy that a New-blood like my Father was the leader of a Noble house. The creed of Lilithism went against it, and the Noble family took it seriously. But there was nothing they could do about it. Father was not only the head of the Ashtarmel house, but he was also a king. The King of one of the most powerful nations in the world. The only house that still challenged my father's authority was the Mircalla house. Which was the reason behind this meeting. Father's eyes bore at me, his scarlet eyes burning through me with questions. I hoped to the Divine Mother that he didn't suspect me for what had happened last night. Father didn't have the looks of a typical Ashtarmel, one of the traits that showed that you were Old-blood like I was. He had none of the silver blond hair, nor the indigo eyes like I did. His hair was brown, with chestnut-colored skin. These physical traits were a remnant from when he had been human, before he transitioned into Vampirism by grandfather. He and my mother were both new blood and unlike them, my siblings and I had been born Vampires. Which meant we went through the awakening, and thus we were old blood. I took my place between the Director of Defense and energy, while the Director of Transportation continued with his reports.

"...with the closing of the Zellux region, our supply of Barium has been cut short," Director Heimdall reported. "We still have reserves of the mineral but within four to eight months, it's only a matter of time before we run out." Barium was the fuel used to power the Dome across the thirteen Regions of Ashtarium which was important to maintain the artificial sun, daytime, and heat, which was also vital to the human populace of the Kingdom. Not that Father cared for the humans within his kingdom. The City of Perium in Kettlia was an example of it. I noticed that two vital members of the Cabinets were not available. The Representative from the human council was not around, nor was the Regional Lord of Zellux. I wasn't surprised that Countess Mircalla would skip the meeting, but Representative Tilman from the human council. Was the situation in Kettlia that bad? Has the relationship between the Grand Duke and the royal family deteriorated more than I was aware of? I searched the faces of the other Regional lords, but I couldn't tell what they were thinking from their faces. The Regional Lords weren't here physically, their presence within the chamber was only possible through the Hologram tech. The only ones who were here physically were the Executive Directors, Father, and his Enchantress who stood beside him. Her eyes moved through the distance between us and her eyes rested on mine. Hers was a black hole that could pierce through the depths of my soul and probably see all my secrets. Her black hair was braided and plaited with crow's feathers, her black robes covered her dark skin which was ridiculed with all kinds of runic inscription. I remember when I first saw her. How intriguing she had been. She was just as menacing as the stories of Witches during the Long War had documented. Their kind was one of the reasons why the Vampire race had won the war. No one knew where or how Father had gotten an enchantress on his side, but her presence added to his cement of power through the Regions.

"We might as well let it run its course," King Nehemiah said with a yawn. "If the Countess believes that cutting our supply of Barium would hurt us, then she is as much a fool as I believe her to be." I heard the sudden rising of the vampire's heartbeats, at least those in the room, at the insult father threw at the Countess. Countess Patricia Mircalla was one of the oldest vampires that existed from before the Long War, older even than Father, which meant she was powerful. But Father didn't care about it. "We vampires are creatures of Darkness, children of the joyful night. For centuries, we've let this Merciful light fool us into believing that we've been embraced by the Light. But that isn't true. The true light is still Merciless, and still out there and thanks to the Eternal night, we are safe from it. It's time that we take back our place within the darkness."

"But my Lord, even if we don't need the Dome, we still need the resources." Director Bathory said. The Scientist, Dr. Christopher Bathroy was the only human in the room. Bathory Corporation was the leading company behind most of the advancements in science and technology in Ashtarium, and the family was the second most powerful human family. Even with Father's disdain for humans, Father knew better than to risk the ire of the family.

"The Doctor is right, Your Majesty," the Director of Treasury said. "Barium is a very sought out mineral, especially for the Oceania continent. The export of Barium to the Country of Grigori is very important to our economy,"

"That feather king should realize that the time of the sun is long past," King Nehemiah said.

"King Morningstar is one of the most powerful beings in the world," the Enchantress said. Her voice was cold and low, though it was enough for everyone to hear it. "As a member of the Paragons, perhaps it wouldn't be wise to anger him." I froze up at the name of the legendary group. The Paragons were a group of the world's most powerful beings, each from the seven different races of Etherborns that governed and led the Ranger force, an organization dedicated to the protection and stability of the world. There were nine of the Paragons and they were considered Protectors and guardians of the world. King Morningstar was the leader of both the Paragons and the Ranger Force.

"Wasn't the boy considered a pacifist?" Lord Noxus Varnae said. He was the Regional lord of the Adornia and Nexia Region, and also Head of the Varnae noble house. Out of all the Lords in the room, he was the smuggest one, due to his bloodline, of course.

"Yes, a pacifist, who was willing to let his cousin's race die out, just to end the Long War," the Enchantress said. "At least according to the history books." Everyone in the room was shut off by the Witch's response. The Long War was one of the world's most brutal wars that nearly destroyed the world. It was the first time that an all-out war between the races of Etherborn had occurred and its scar was still felt to this day, thousands of years after it.

"She isn't wrong," King Nehemiah said. "I remember the brutish strength of those Nephilim," I forget sometimes that my father like Uncle Rafael had been involved in the war. "If the Paragons hadn't agreed to the ritual that resulted in the Eternal Night, who knows what might have happened."

"Part of that agreement was the invention of the Sundome," Director Bathory said. "If we don't get the Barium to ship to Grigori, the country will run out of it, and not only would our economy suffer from it, we risk incurring the wrath of King Morningstar."

"So how do we deal with the Zellux's situation," Father said. He finally turned to me, though I could tell he didn't care what my answer would be.

"Maybe further negotiations would be good-"

"The time for negotiations is long gone," General Isaiah, Director of Defense butted in. I glared at my brother, who was seated on Father's right side. "We know what the Mircalla House wants. Their independence."

"Is it so wrong to give them that?" I said. "The Zellux Region used to be its own country before it was annexed to Ashtarium,"

"And my father, Alexander Ashtarium was the one who brought them into the fold," Father said. "That is one of his legacies, and I would die before I let his legacy be taken away from our house." But you're willing to let your brother's legacy, the Sundome, be burnt down. I thought furiously.

"Perhaps the Zellux situation requires a delicate solution," The enchantress said. "One that we could rectify with a precision attack," Everyone began to mutter, the idea of attacking the Mircalla house was dangerous. One that could lead to a dangerous result: War.

"What do you have in mind," Father said. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that I didn't like."We send in El mawet," The enchantress said. My heart gave out. Fuck. You've got to be kidding. Not him. "Maybe his crew can handle it and bring order within Zellux,"

"My brother," Father said. He laughed, turning his face away from her. I could see him pondering the decision. Should he send in the Kill squad, which was responsible for countless assassinations all over the world? Assassinations that were carried out under Father's orders.

"That is a brilliant idea," Isaiah said. "If there was any military team that could sneak into the region it would be uncles. And taking out the Countess and those on her side in closing Zelluix's region would relieve us of our problem,"

"Or it would make the people of Zellux see the Countess as a martyr," I said. "They will band together against us,"

"Like you care that much," Brother said with a sneer. "You only disapprove because of how much work and responsibilities it would make for you."

"Does Isaiah speak for you Father," I said. Father snarled at both Isaiah and me, his white razor-sharp fang threatening us to shut the fuck up.

"How do we distance ourselves from it," Father said to his enchantress.

"You can leave that to me," she said.

"Are we going to address the situation in Perium," I said as that discussion ended.

"Send in the Peacekeepers to maintain the peace," Father said. "And remind that bunch of old fools at the council that I could pluck their spines from their back and easily replace them with humans who will bend to my will."

"Not if the Grand Duke has anything to say about it," I said. The breathing in the room went silent, even Dr. Bathory the human was holding his breath. Father turned to me, the look of anger burning quite hot within his eyes. But I stood my ground. This was something that needed to be discussed. "Representative Tilman isn't here so I assume that means that the Grand Duke is done with negotiations."

"The Grand Duke knows better-"

"Forgive me Father, but the reason that we only have peace right now is because the Grand Duke allows it," I intervened.

"You Bastard, how dare you-"

"Again, Elijah is right," The enchantress said. "Kettlia is one of the largest regions in the kingdom with its private military power. Angering the Grand Duke is not in our best interest for now." While Isaiah was giving me the stink eye Father listened to what the Enchantress said and then contemplated on what she had said.

"Fine. We will deal with the situation in Kettlia when it is required," Father said. His tone said the discussion was over. And so that was it for the Kettlia protests. We moved on to what was truly important, and that was to the land to the South of the western hemisphere, Xibalba. I couldn't help but grind my teeth as there were things I wanted to say but couldn't dare say.

"How is the negotiation going," Father asked Andrew Inez, the Director of Regions. Inez whimpered as he struggled to let out his words.

"King Gomez...has withdrawn fr..om nego..." "Really!" Father growled. A band of red light tightened around Inez's throat, cutting him off. He flew up and hit the ceiling of the chamber. Father had him pinned on the ceiling, his rage very visible for all to see.

"I told you that I want that land," Father said. He squeezed the light around Inez's throat, blood dripping on the table from Inez's neck where the light held him up. With just a thought, Father could decapitate him, killing him even though he was immortal.

"But my Grace, the former King signed a contract with King Gomez," Inez spoke out. "The land is neutral. We can't touch it." With a flick of his hand, Inez's head was gone from his neck. Before the body hit the table, Father's light disintegrated the body. There was a gaping look of horror behind the faces of the vampires, watching one of their colleagues, their equal just killed like that. Like it was nothing. Another demonstration of his newfound power was shown to them so that they understood that the Ashtarmel house was still the same powerhouse as it had been under King Rafael.

"It seems we'll need a new Director of Regions," Father said. "One that can give me what I need,"

"It shall be done, your Grace," The Enchantress said. And that concluded the meeting for today.

*

After the meeting, I knew Father would want me present in his reading chambers, so I sent Steph on her way back to the home office while I dealt with some family affairs. I thought I would be nervous dealing with Father after how I had pushed back against him, but Father showed no sign of bringing it up. We were seated across a small table, plates of Berlin pie set for us. Three maids were setting the tables, while we settled down for whatever Father wanted us for. His enchantress had excused herself, doing whatever it was she did for Father. I stared around the room, the large rows of books, both ancient and modern were neatly arranged, categorized by what they were: Philosophy, Science, Literature, and the Occult. I was still not used to coming here, not long ago this room was meant for my Uncle, and it was not a place I normally visited. As a child, I had visited with Ariella and Lilith. I could still hear Ariella's laughter as we sneaked inside, her comments on my fear of being discovered. I was not as brave as her. After the maids were done setting the pies, they pulled their sleeves, and with a swift motion, their wrists were cut by the dessert knives. Blood trickled down into the wine cups by our sides, the smell of it igniting my hunger. The smell 'was different from Synthblood, the pure euphoric smell so intense, it was enough to make me go mad with hunger. But I didn't let the hunger control me. Instead, I went for the pie, showing my control while Isaiah went for the wine cup. Father gave him a look that I was familiar with while he too went for the pie. When the maids were done filling the cups with their blood, Father gave them a vial of his blood, enough to rejuvenate themselves so they could go back to their daily chores.

"So, Elijah, how's your position treating you," Father said. He picked up his wine after eating three forks of pie and washed the taste away with the blood. I did the same, the exhilarating sensation was delicious. How was my position treating me? Well, I was using it to my advantage. I thought back to last night, how I had finally gotten what I wanted.

"It's alright," I said. "Though being in charge of other people's livelihoods does make me appreciate Mother and you." Appreciate what could have been. I thought. Father gave me a quizzical look.

"It seems you've begun to appreciate life outside those fantasy books of yours," Isaiah said.

"Children," Father warned before I could say anything back to Isaiah. I turned back to the pie, munching on it and thinking back to the meeting and the way it had ended. King Rafael would have never treated his advisors the way Father had done. King Rafael would never try to subjugate the humans the way Father intended to do.

"Was it necessary to kill the Director," I asked Father. I already knew the answer to the question. King Neheiman smiled as he drank more of his blood.

"To be what we are is a blessing," Father began his speech. "A blessing that you two easily benefit from. We are immortal, strong, and enduring," This was Father's usual piece that he had always told us while growing up. He loved to taunt us on how privileged we were to be born what we were unlike him. I squeezed my fist, tired of his lecture. "And yet with all that blessing, what is the one thing we fear,"

"Death," I said. Father gave me an approving smile while Isaiah growled at me. "For creatures like us, we're immortal," Father said.

"So what happens when we see one of our kind die?"

"We're stuck with fear," Isaiah said.

"So yes, Elijah, I'm afraid that he had to die," Father said simply. "I need that cabinet to fear me. I need the whole world to know that the Ashtarmel house is and always will be as strong as it was when my brother and Father ruled it,"

"But Father, Elijah disrespected you," Isaiah said squeezing his fist. "Bringing up the Grand Duke..."

"Was his duty as the Director of R.E.T.U," Father said. I blinked upon hearing that. I had not expected Father to say something like that. Was that why he wasn't mad at Me? "Your brother has to maintain the King's peace and law across the land. He is trying to do exactly that. As the Secretary of Defense, your job is to get the Military ready when war happens upon us, whether it is from outside or within," Isaiah growled at me as I smirked right back at him. After a couple of more lectures on duties and responsibilities, I excused myself from my father, not sure how long my patience could last. My heart was beating quickly as I got out of the chamber, everything about that room had not been pleasant. Echoes of the past were everywhere in it. Damn it. This was why I didn't like coming to the palace. It sickened me that my father had benefited so greatly at the cost of our family. I found myself by her wing of the Palace, the section that was once meant for Ariella. I contemplated going inside, seeing what it looked like, but I didn't. No one went there anymore. Even after the construction that had been done to the Palace, the place had been left like it used to be. What are you doing Elijah? I thought to myself. The pain should have gone by now. But it wasn't. It was still there. I had spent a whole year partying, trying my best to run as far from the grief as I could. But it hadn't been enough. Then Father had offered me the R.E.T.U's Director position and I had taken it, not because I cared for it, but because I wanted the opportunity that having that kind of power would give me. It hadn't been easy, to find out information about the attack, what had caused it, and who was responsible for it. And as the Director of R.E.T.U, I had been able to get my hand on the information. And learning the truth...learning how Ariella had lost her life...It filled me with great anger. An Anger that I didn't know what to do with. I put my hands in my pocket and bought out a piece of letter. The fabric felt strange to touch. So different from what an E-paper felt like. This was what last night had been all about. As the Director of R.E.T.U, I had clearance within the Nicodemus base, the Military headquarters that Isaiah was in charge of. After patiently waiting a year to do it, I had finally gotten the information that I needed. It hadn't been easy. I had been careful in making sure my identity hadn't been revealed. Which meant that certain lives had to be taken. The hand that held the paper shook from the faces of the people I had killed last night. Soon enough there should be an investigation into what had happened. I had wanted to ask Isaiah if there would even be an investigation but he hadn't mentioned anything about the incident in the meeting so I had no reason to bring it up. I squeezed the paper, the name of my target and his location written plainly on it. Now, I had to do something about it.