Leaving Arran

The sun was almost about to set, and Ascian had to reach the outskirts of Arran before the given time. Although he could use as vampiric agility to reach the place soon, he decided to slow down. The entire Arran was here to send him and his army off, for nobody knew when he would return. The verdict stated that the vampires would be banned indefinitely, which meant that there were still chances of him returning. But when? That was a question, answer to which nobody had.

Ascian was the Lord of vampires. However, that did not mean the other supernatural beings did not respect him. It was evident how everyone seemed despondent as they followed him closely. The group walked away from the Council Hall towards a clearing, quite far away from the supernatural settlement.

The moment they inched closer to their destination, everyone could feel an intense energy, sucking their breaths away. An ovoid of dark blue light at the center of the clearing garnered their attention. Ascian stopped suddenly, making the others behind him halt. He turned around to face them, his smile still playing on his face while his army stood behind him. "Arrans, I, Ascian, the Lord of vampires will take my leave now along with my army. I hope the land of Arran will prosper and reach new heights in my absence."

His words of farewell not only made the angels, who were already sobbing, cry harder, even the other supernatural creatures became teary-eyed. "If given a chance we will meet again." He continued. "Until then, please remember me and miss me, for I will be missing everyone for sure." Though his words were meant to lift their moods, it had the opposite effect on them.

Yevhen could not control himself seeing his friend leave, and he hugged him, his sudden action stunning the Vampire Lord. However, he returned the hug immediately after, chuckling lightly. "Take care." That was all he said before he let him go.

"Arrans, I apologize to all of you present here and also to the ones not here if I have ever done anything to hurt you. Please forgive me and my army for putting everyone through this misery." Ascian and his army bowed deep before everyone, putting forth his sincerity and his concern for them. Some of the Arrans shook their heads, disagreeing with him. But it did not change the fact that he was leaving.

Ascian took one last glance at the crowd, meeting everyone in the eye and registering their faces and names in his mind. He thanked them silently for supporting him before he turned around and walked towards the ovoid of energy, the center to which held the portal. The moment the judgment had been passed, the portal had opened, waiting for him and his army.

The Arrans stood in their spot watching one of the most powerful Lords they had ever seen walk towards the portal. The force increased as he approached closer to the ovoid, and Ascian turned towards the crowd to meet his friend. He nodded at Yevhen before he crossed the portal. Ascian did not miss Queen Charmaine wiping her tears before he disappeared into the void. One by one, the other vampires too followed him, bidding their land a goodbye.

The moment the last vampire crossed the portal, it closed, and the ovoid vanished into thin air. That was it. The land of Arran now had no vampires, and it was all a result of one of the devious schemes an unknown enemy had executed on Ascian. The moment the portal vanished, Charmaine dropped to her knees, crying hysterically. Among the crowd, she was affected the most by Ascian's departure, and Yevhen knew why it was so.

The other angels rushed to her, seeing their queen kneeling on the ground. The Arrans stayed rooted to their spot for a long time, waiting for a miracle to happen. But they knew that it was impossible, and the Vampire Lord would not be returning.

The sun moved closer to the west, and gradually, darkness started to spread everywhere. The crowd thinned out, leaving only the Dragon Lord near the clearing. The angels had taken Charmaine with them, forcing her to return home even though she was reluctant to move from her spot.

Yevhen sighed, closing his eyes. He was exhausted and lost. The last few days had been nothing but stressful, and he had not had a good sleep. He was completely devoid of any energy.

However, it was not the time to rest yet. He had a lot of work to do, more so after Ascian's banishment. His friend had left him with a task, a difficult one at that, and Yevhen had taken it upon himself to help him. It was now his responsibility to find out who was behind the gruesome incident. Only when the true mastermind was found, Ascian could return to Arran.

Shaking his head in helplessness, Yevhen stared at the open area before he too returned to his palace to put his next plan into action.

Meanwhile, Ascian and his army of vampires were pulled deeper into the void they had stepped in. The abyss was dark and frigid, and even a powerful, cold-blooded being like Ascian felt the cold hit him hard. Although he tried to see where the chasm was leading to, he could see nothing but darkness ahead of him.

However, the cold and the darkness did not last long. What came next was a sudden surge of heat, and bright light struck their eyes, making it impossible for them to open them. Ascian flinched at the instant change, and he closed his eyes, tolerating the heat that was starting to burn him slowly. At one point, the heat became too much for the vampires to bear, and they groaned in pain. But the next moment, everything stopped, and with a loud thud, they hit the ground hard.

Ascian frowned when he fell on a hard surface, and he opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times, trying to adjust to the light around him. But what he saw made his eyes widen in bewilderment. There was blood everywhere around him, with men lying dead on the ground. His surprise turned into disbelief when he noticed people fighting among themselves, their swords and spears slashing the air as they attacked each other.

Ascian stared at what was transpiring in front of him in shock. The Lord and his army had arrived at the land of humans, right in the middle of an ongoing war.