VLAD

Vlad shouted orders from the outer wall of the Bran Castle. In the same time he tried fighting the Unknowns that continuously climbed over the wall. Soldiers in the field were barely alive, they were tired and outnumbered. Sergey's soldiers attacked from the other side, but there was a mere five hundred of them. They could do nothing against an army this big.

All disciples went to fight no matter how many times Vlad told them it wasn't smart, they were determined to defend for their home. Nonetheless, the front part of the castle was almost breached. If they entered the castle's garden, they would win. Vlad could not let that happen.

He tried not to think of all the dead bodies that spread all over the once green fields, all vampires he trained for this life. Almost half of them were dead now, including his army.

The Unknowns weren't spared either, possibly the same amount of them die fighting and Vlad was so proud of his soldiers, his disciples. He was so sorry he let them down. He was also angry, because through this entire battle, he didn't see Lucien once.

Vlad swung his sword and battled off an Unknown that attacked him from behind. He wanted to get down there and see what he might be able to do, but the attackers kept on coming.

A sound of a sword coming towards his neck interrupted his thoughts and Vlad swung again, this time hitting the man's head instead of his sword. He was much better than any of the Unknowns, but he was only one and seven thousand of them.

Vlad climbed down the wall and ran through the garden of Bran Castle, trying not to incommode any soldier and help those he can along the way.

"Voivode!" Andryj called for him, Vlad turned to look at his loyal friend. Andryj was covered in blood and dust, barely recognisable. "They are about to breach the front gates!"

"Fuck!" Vlad cursed. He tried to wrap his head around any idea that he could come up with. They were attacking them from all sides and Vlad was torn. He didn't what to do first, which side to protect more.

"Maybe we should run!" Andryj suggested and Vlad appreciated him for it. It was no easy thing to say to a general that it might be time to run.

"We are not running." Vlad cut him off, he felt his heart in his mouth as he said those words but he wasn't about to give in.

"Then tell us what to do!" Andryj begged and Vlad swore his eyes watered. They were helpless, they felt defeated. He was not about to let his army go down feeling defeated.

"Fuck!" Vlad cursed once again as the idea he dreaded most crept into his heart. He had to protect those he loved, he had to keep his school standing. He had to save all of these vampires, they were his disciples, they were his soldiers. His responsibility.

"Vlad!" It was Codrin that shouted across the garden. "They breached the front gates!"

The Border was not restored. Sergey's additional soldiers weren't enough. The Unknowns climbed all over the walls of Bran Castle. Now, they breached the front gates. And Lucien, their leader, was nowhere to be found.

"Find Lucien! Find the leader, NOW!" Vlad roared through the garden and stormed to the front gates. Blood pumped through his veins as his hatred grew. He would have to use it, he would have to become his worst self in order to win this, to save all these young lives.

The scene in front of the gates was worse than he imagined. Dozens of Unknowns entered the Bran Castle walls and even more tried to climb over. There wasn't enough soldiers to keep them at bay, others were protecting the steep side of the castle. Vlad held his sword tightly and readied to dive into the crowd of vampires.

Just as he lunged forward, he realised the Unknowns at he gates weren't able to move. The swung with their swords but it was as if they were glued to the place. Vlad turned around and saw Giselle, her skin was so pale it seemed translucent. Or maybe that was because her face veins were visible and black. She spread her arms in front of herself and struggled to keep the Unknowns in place.

"What happened to the Border?" Vlad asked her, trying not to stare into her entirely black eyes. He had seen this happen once before, right when Leona turned to darkness.

"Lerra is wounded. I brought her here." Giselle answered, she didn't move at all. Luciana ran past her and grabbed wounded soldiers, Vlad helped her.

Luciana was just about to say something when the sound of slicing rippled through the air. Vlad stared at the witch in front of him as small dots of blood appeared on her neck. Dots of blood became bigger.

Luciana's head fell off her shoulders and hit the ground.

Giselle screamed in horror. Vlad lifted his sword off the floor immediately. As Giselle focused on Luciana, she lost the grip on her magic and the Unknowns were able to move. Vlad got up swiftly and jumped in front of Giselle, protecting her from the enemies. Streams of tears flew down her face as she stared at Luciana's body.

The man that killed her was already picking up his sword. Vlad was about to push her out of the way to keep her safe when Giselle twisted her right hand and the man's neck snapped. Tears still flowing from her black eyes, she turned to Vlad and spread her hands wide once again. But this time, she jerked her hand from side to side and the Unknowns began falling dead on the ground.

It gave Vlad one moment of piece and he was able to look around. Soldiers were dying everywhere, losing every small battle in this hopeless war. Guilt, rage and hatred danced in Vlad's gut. His mind was overwhelmed by pain and loss.

"Go!" Giselle said. "I can take care of this!" Her voice was strained and Vlad knew she couldn't take care of any of this, but she would try. The tears on her face dried off and Vlad couldn't even fathom the pain she must feel.

Even this girl, so afraid of the darkness that roamed underneath her skin, was able to put it all aside and help, even though it might mean she would become the monster in the process. Vlad closed his eyes for the tiniest of moments. He breathed in. He breathed out.

All the feelings he kept buried rushed to the surface. But when he opened his eyes, his mind was clear. He let all the bad feelings surge through him, all the rage and hate and disdain.

"Help the soldiers, do whatever you need to do." Vlad told Giselle.

"What are you going to do?" She asked through her teeth, she wouldn't be able to hold them in place for much longer. Fortunately, Vlad's soldiers realised and began killing the Unknowns.

"I am going to murder them all."

Vlad ran for the part of the castle that was much steeper and harder to climb. His blood flowed through his veins, but it turned cold. He wasn't worried about what might happen to him anymore, he didn't care if he lived or died.

He was out for blood.

In front of the entrance to the inner parts of the castle, Andryj stood. Vlad walked right up to the concerned man. His sword hung loosely from his hand and an expression of desperation dominated his face.

"Voivode... they are everywhere... they are about to climb over the steeper side of the castle. They almost reached the highest tower... and the, the front gates are breached, I don't know..."

"Calm down." Vlad cut him off. Finally, he was thinking straight. All his worry and anguish transformed into the quiet desire for revenge. He must've spoken like a leader, because Andryj listened to him and his breathing relaxed.

"What do I do, Voivode?" Andryj straightened his back.

"I want all the soldiers gone from the steeper side. Tell them to go help Giselle and fight off enemies on the front side. We need to take back control over the front gates. All of them, Andryj." Vlad spoke fast, but his voice was steady. Andryj opened his mouth to speak, but Vlad lifted his finger. "All of them."

Andryj closed his mouth and nodded.

"What about this side, Voivode?" He asked.

Vlad's lips spread into a smile. "Just remove all the soldiers." He walked past confused and a little frightened Andryj and entered the castle. Steadily, he walked up the stairs, taking one more sword on his way. Now he had one in each hand. It felt good to hold a sword, a sharp edged extension of one's hand.

He stopped before the room in the highest tower of Bran Castle. The tower Leona Solberg jumped from. The same tower he hadn't entered since.

He fought so hard to not become Axara again that he didn't notice he had never stopped being Axara, he just pushed this part of him deep down. He pretended it didn't exist. This pretending made him weak; it made him docile. But he needed to accept the responsibility. All the things he had done in his life made him who he was.

So Vlad grabbed the door handle and entered the dusty room, the room where his heart broke into pieces. He walked all over those pieces and approached the window. A few dozens of Unknowns climbed up the tower, desperately trying to reach him. Their faces looked ravenous for blood. All other soldiers were gone, nothing but a couple of archers defending the towers. Vlad smiled down at those savage vampires.

They were his to play with.

He looked one of the vampires straight into his red, hungry eyes and in one quick movement jumped out of the window and slid all the way to that vampire, taking him down with his booths. They collided with a few other vampires and they all fell on the ground, the hard impact reverberating through Vlad's feet. He regained balance. With one swift movement his sword went through the vampire's throat.

Vlad got up quickly, defended himself with his left hand where all other vampires attacked. He disarmed the first vampire, stabbed him in the chest through his pathetic armour. The vampire fell. Vlad held both of his swords and spun around, the vampires around him backing away. He stabbed one by one, his face covered in strangers' blood. He felt it dripping off his swords. His victims screamed, their voices quieted by quick death. They fell on the ground, wounded and in agony, like they were bowing before their king.

And a king he was, his throne a pile of dead bodies he left behind with every step he took. A tremendous sense of power taking over his hands and legs, even his sword. He sliced through flesh with desire and delight. And the fear in their eyes, oh, nothing like the fear in their eyes.

Vlad laughed maniacally when he saw the pile of dead Unknown soldiers lay before his feet. Others escaped when they realised they stood no chance. Vlad kneeled next to the man closest to him. He was so young, made in his twenties. Such a pity so many lives had to be lost today, Vlad thought as he swung his sword, decapitating the young man. He grabbed the head by the hair and impaled it on his sword and then proceeded to the front of the castle.

Vampires fought on the field, but their number lessened. Holding the sword up in the air, with an impaled head on it, Vlad walked right in the middle of the field. Vampires were momentarily distracted and Vlad smiled.

"LUCIEN!" Vlad roared as loud as he could. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He smiled wickedly as he spun around with the sword in the air. No one dared to attack him and Vlad found that hilarious. He did not lose his edge.

A clapping sound followed his words and a young man, with a wider than possible smile, appeared in the field with a sword in his hand. Vlad lunged forward not giving Lucien time to say anything and so the battle began. Vlad threw the sword with a head on and focused on the functional one in his other hand.

Lucien avoided the impact and immediately ran for Vlad, who ducked, move out of the way and attacked Lucien from behind. But Lucien was fast, he jumped high up and almost fell on top of Vlad. Vlad managed to roll further away, got up quickly and swung in Lucien's direction when he landed on the ground. Vlad's heart pumped blood faster than ever and he sensed this sick feeling of satisfaction. God, how he loved a battlefield.

Soldiers around him fell, blood splashed through the air. The stench of sweat, blood and death overwhelmed Vlad's senses. His flesh burnt from all the cuts he took, but he kept going. It gave him strength, made him powerful.

Lucien panted before him, visibly more tired than Vlad.

"You should've stayed away from the battlefield, kid, this is the playground for grown men." Vlad said as he swung towards Lucien, hoping this might be the final blow.

A sound of a horn interrupted him and he lost his focus. Hundreds of vampires appeared on the field, running towards the castle. Vlad stared in shock, uncertain of what was going on. To Vlad's surprise, they attacked the Unknowns. This overwhelming number shifted the tide completely and Vlad's soldiers accepted the sudden help and attacked harder.

Sudden pain went through Vlad's stomach and he focused on Lucien again who managed to stab Vlad in the middle of the chaos. Vlad shouted in pain and pushed Lucien away with his bare hands. The pain gave him strength and Lucien fell, but quickly got up. Vlad pulled the sword out of his stomach and lunged forward immediately, catching Lucien off guard and stabbing him. Vlad stared into this man's eyes and twisted the sword in his hand, making Lucien scream. A sick smile danced on Vlad's lips, he intended to torture the boy.

Then, a pair of hands appeared on Lucien's head and someone snapped his neck. Vlad watched his eyes roll all the way up and his limp body fell dead on the floor. In front of Vlad, a young black-haired man stood. The man spit on Lucien's dead body.

"I am the true leader of the Unknowns." He said and Vlad stared at the familiar face, or at least the lines of the face, for Vlad had known this man's brother.

"You..." Vlad whispered.

"I don't think we've officially met, I am Maks Adamov."