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Chapter 13 - Hermano?

"Who's Luke?"

All the paladins stared at him with weird glances.

" Luke is my best friend." Dante said quietly.

" Your best friend is a vampire?"Maru asked with suprise.

" He's not. He must have been converted recently. Please don't kill him." Dante pleaded.

" Hey champ, don't say that. We're no murderers. We only kill downworlders who break the Code. The rest are free to live. We only protect the mundane realm from the dangers of evil downworlders." William assured him.

" What are you guys waiting for? Let's go rescue the boy's friend before anything else happens." Izalea said and started prepping herself. There were seven weapons in seven luminated cubicles, including Rahil.

Izalea grabbed one and when she noticed Dante's questioning look she laughed.

" Don't worry. I'm just being safe. Nothing else."

" Well go grab your gear." William smiled at the stationary Dante.

******************************

Yuki Moon sat on a swivel chair in his penthouse office and looked at the beautiful view displayed in front of him. He had a soft smile on his face as he admired the splendid display of beauty. He was in that position for a few minutes before he said out of the blue:

"Come in."

Immediately a young woman entered, holding an tablet. She walked over to his desk and placed the tablet on it.

" How did you know I was coming sir? I didn't even knock."she asked.

" I heard your heels entering the elevator. What is it?"

" Well it's something you should see."

He turned the swivel chair to face the desk and picked the tablet up. What he saw on the tablet made him frown.

" How long ago was this?" he demanded.

" Well a couple of weeks ago but it only showed up a few minutes ago."

"That bastard. Bernice, take care of business will you. I have to address this."

He stood up and walked over to the balcony of the penthouse.

"Well, where are you going?" Bernice asked.

Yuki smiled at her but didn't respond. Instead a pair of gray wings sprouted from his back. With them, he took off leaving Bernice sighing in his office.

******************************

The people in office looked at Luke with horror and fear. They were scared to death of him mostly because there were three men lying on the ground, two drained of blood and the last one mauled to death. The blood on his mouth and the unusual red coloring of his pupils made them want to jump off the thirty seventh floor they were on .

" W... what are you?" a man managed to ask.

" Shut up! Shut up!" Luke screamed.

A wave of terrified gasps and sobs swept over the room. A secretary even fainted out the sheer shock. The truth was, Luke was just as terrified of himself as they were of him. He didn't mean to kill those men. He had become bloodthirsty, killing the first two out of instinct but the last had attacked him and his survival instincts kicked in. He was scared that if he let the office staff leave, they would bring the police. He had been keeping them for about six hours and multiple police cars were parked outside the skyscraper, waiting for a perfect chance to storm in.

Dante along with the Delta Paladins, arrived on the seventh hour of hostage, protected by invisibility runes. They marched into the building, totally avoiding the police officers outside. On the elevator to the thirty seventh floor, Dante felt a sinister and sickening presence, making him want to throw up.

" We all feel it Dante. Use the Arcaneum in your body to shield you. That'll stop it." William explained.

Dante did as he was told and he instantly felt relieved. He gave a nod of appreciation to William.

" How's it so easy for you to control the Arcaneum?" Izalea wondered

" I use the Tenebris in case you have forgotten. And besides, I don't know how but it's just so easy for me, as if I've had some past experience wielding it "

"That must be the previous Shadow Paladin at work. That man was a mystery and he still is "Pearl chipped in.

Just then, the ding sound of the elevator was heard and the Paladins walked out of the opening doors. They were met with an eerie and silent atmosphere. The place was totally abandoned but everything else was intact.

" Emergency evacuation?" Dante asked.

"Nah, don't think so. Look over there."Izalea pointed to a shadow showing from one open window.

" Bingo!"Izalea smirked.

"Pearl, how many people are in there?" William asked.

" Forty, with three deceased. Including the perpetrator." Pearl responded almost immediately.

" How are you so sure?" Dante asked again.

"I am the earth paladin. I can feel the earth and see through it's eyes." Pearl boasted.

" That makes no sense."Dante frowned.

" It would if you were smarter." Pearl taunted playfully.

The others giggled, except William.

" Guys we have a vampire holding forty people hostage and you are making jokes? That was funny by the way." William playfully reprimanded.

Another wave of giggles followed leaving Dante pouting.

" So here's the plan. I will cover us with my light manipulation and Dante here will creep into the target's shadow and try to grab him. If he does Izalea will trap him in a cage of the holy water we have in this bottle. Maru should be able to open a portal underneath him, taking him directly to the palace. We'll follow. Understood? " William briefed.

" Yes!" They chorused and rushed into the room.

Luke turned immediately when he heard their footsteps and was about to attack when Dante emerged from his shadow and locked him in place.

" Luke snap out of it! It's me Dante!"

"Dante?" Luke echoed.

"Yes it's me." Dante said softly.

" Where were you hermano? You were gone for two whole weeks!"

" Luke I was only gone for a day." Dante frowned.

"Sorry I didn't mention that. Time moves differently in the Shadowfell Realm. No one knows the actual ratio because it varies from time to time."William explained.

" And you couldn't tell me sooner? Rena's gonna kill me!"

" Who are these people,Dante?" Luke asked slowly. Dante could feel his muscles expanding slowly.

" Luke they are...".

"You're trying to kill me aren't you?" Luke looked pained.

" The look in his friend's eyes saddened him and he stuttered an inaudible reply. Luke interpreted it as guilt and broke free of Dante's grasp. With super human speed, he charged at William who disappeared in the nick of time to avoid getting hit. Maru tried to sneak up on him but Luke caught him by the neck in mid air and threw him at a nearby glass wall, shattering it immediately. He turned to Pearl and Thalia, who took fighting stances. Luke eyes glowed even more crimson with bloodlust as he looked at the two women. He dashed forward in an attempt to attack them but six flaming whips from Thalia made him jump back. He dodged them effortlessly and managed to get close to Pearl. He grabbed her and was about to suck her blood but a punch from her was enough to drive him straight into the ground, creating a small crater. Taking advantage of that, Thalia burnt his body black and blue with her flames.

" What are you guys doing?! That's my friend!" Dante screamed at them.

" Believe me, any vampire immune to the sun should be able to withstand it." Thalia shrugged.

Truly, Luke stood up, his body still burning and in a matter of seconds, he was fully healed. With ferocious agility, he managed to dash behind them and scratch Thalia's back. Two whips of water from Izalea, tied him up, preventing him from moving. The water scorched his skin, making him screech like a threatened cat.

"Got you!" Izalea sneered.

" Really?"

To their utter shock, the water began to freeze till it reached Izalea's hand. Luke broke it off with ease and stretched lazily.

" He froze the holy water!" Izalea's voice became shaky. The others looked at Luke with amazement and shock mixed together.

That was no ordinary vampire.

Before they could react, Dante's hand was plunged into Luke's gut.

"Hermano?"

"Sorry Luke." Dante sighed.

" He's gonna heal right?"

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