A knock sounded on the office door and one of the elders close to the door stood up to enquire who was there so he could know if he should send them on their way if it was not something important. He wondered who it was as it was common knowledge that no one was supposed to disturb the leader when he was in session with the elders.
“Yes?” he said as he opened the door to a young lady standing outside the door with her hands raised to knock on the door again.
She wiped her hands nervously on her apron when the elder glared at her.
“Oh, I am sorry for the interruption, elder. The leader said I should inform him when we are done so I…”
“What about?” the man cut her off.
“It's okay, Aaron” Michael called from his seat “I told her to knock when they are through. Let her come in ” Aaron nodded and went back to his seat “Is it ready then, Solara?”
“Yes, leader,” the lady said with a slight bow.
“Excellent,” he said with a smile then looked over at Damianus “My leader, refreshments are ready. I am sorry that we couldn’t entertain you as lavishly as you deserved as we were not expecting you. We would rectify that in no time though but for now, our humble fare is ready for you”
“I have learnt in the past minutes that I got here that you are the king of understatement, Michael. I am sure that what you call humble fare would be fit for the finest of kings”
The elders laughed and even the lady smiled.
“It was as if the strange leader could read minds,” she thought. They have prepared quite a grand banquet indeed.
Damianus smiled to himself as he heard her thoughts clearly in his mind. He almost replied to her in her mind but he didn’t want to scare her so he looked at Michael “Let’s hold off on that first”
Michael nodded and dismissed the lady.
“So, about this Big Chaos…” he let his words trail off.
“Yes, the greatest plague that ever befell our people” Michael readjusted in his seat and explained their situation to him.
With the elders adding some tidbits once in a while, they painted for Damianus a season in the Vampires’ history that was the worst. How they were staked, ashed and obliterated from one end of the world to the other.
“Everywhere the moon shone, everywhere our type thrived was turned to hell for them,” Aaron said with a dejected sigh.
Even though they have all heard the stories many times and told them many times over, there was no time when the mention of that period had never thrown a gloomy mood over them.
The elders were all older than Michael, the capability was the criteria for the appointment of a clan leader in the New Order clan and they were all there to support him and help him out with all they could.
They explained to Damianus how much damage the Big Chaos caused to them.
“Even after it was all over, a lot of the elders had been impacted so much with that dreadful spell that most of them got ashed and died in droves in no time” Gregory added, “Isn’t that so, Bo?”
Bo, the man with the scraggly goatee nodded solemnly “That is true. I remembered that my ma couldn’t talk about that time without crying. All of her siblings were ashed in no time, my father included. Vampires were dropping off like fleas. It was so degrading. And it all started with that dratted wizard and his blasted spell”
“No, it started with his woman and those idiots who wronged her. It was so dreadful to learn that many of us were wasted just like that because some idiots couldn’t curb their impulses”
“What woman?” Damianus asked and they told him about the legend story of Ashra, the woman whose death spelt doom for the supernaturals.
Damianus was amazed after their explanation. He wondered how one person could be responsible for the deaths of millions of his people.
Anger surged in him and he wished he could lay his hand on the wizard right then. He knew how powerful the Niorco spell could be. Atomic bombs that he had read of in the book were nothing compared to what Niorco could wreak in any universe.
He was more saddened when he traced back the time that the havoc happened and he remembered it was the time before his awakening.
“So, relationship had turned sour between you and others?” he asked referring to the witches, werewolves and demons.
Michael nodded.
“That was wrong. It was not supposed to be so” Damianus thought and he vowed to himself he would make sure that the situation was rectified.
“I am happy to meet you, Michael, leader of the New Order clan and the elders of course,” he said in a serious tone. “I believe the blight was not so great that these people I have seen are all the vampires left in the world, could it be?”
"Not at all, leader" Michael replied "Because we mostly live in seclusion now, one of our rules was not to do anything that could attract attention to us. Another secluded clan lives in Britain. They are originally from Italy. Then another is currently in America"
"Hmm, it amazed me that our kind would agree to do such. We have always been known as headstrong with our lack of fear of any other entity. For everyone to fall in line like that is nothing short of a miracle" he contemplated then looked up when he felt the elders looking at each other.
Damianus frowned slightly "They all fell in line, didn't they?"
"Ah" Michael spread his hands, face up, on the table as if reading out the answers "You see, as time goes on and new leaders were chosen, some of us have forgotten the severity of what showing off caused ages ago. Some have gone rogue, mingling openly with the humans. No clan, no rules"
Damianus smiled as he rubbed his upper lip with his finger in thought "It would have been too good to be true if some had not strayed from the fold, of course" then he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
"Enough of the business talks for now. I am here to stay and we will have ample time to dissect what to do for us. But for now…" he swivelled his chair around to face the elders then turned slightly to encompass everyone in the room.
"I will need a little help with navigating this world of yours. I have not done so well on my own so far" he said with a smile as he thought of the girl he had pissed off.
Yes, though it was not deliberate, it could be quite inconvenient if he went about pissing people off like that. He had to rectify that.
"So, how does this work?" He asked them in general.
They explained to him.
“Hmm,” Damianus said in thought, as he rubbed his finger on his upper lip “So, what you are saying is that I will have to be part of a kind of society to be fully immersed in the way they…you do things in this new world”The elders hummed in agreement.“I would suggest you start by enrolling in high school, leader” Sky, the youngest of the elders suggested. His black hoodie gave his lean body a much younger look and no one could have easily detected that despite his youthful look, he was over two hundred years too. His mischievousness could be detected in his twinkling eyes though and a smile touched Damianus' lips as he looked straight at him “What is this high school of yours?”Sky proceeded to explain to him how it was the middle school needed to gain admission into a college.“And what is a collage?” Damianus asked as he thought of what he had read in The Book. The Book only mentioned a university and as it explained it was similar to the academy of transition back in the world
“A pretentious Asshole” Aaron snorted at Damianus' question.“Aaron” Michael called in a warning.“I am sorry, my leader” Aaron said in apology and he turned away to look out the window. One could see that the mere mention of the Unclan angered him and Damianus wondered why that was the case.“Aaron here is a stickler for rules, as I am sure you must have noticed,” Michael said to Damianus with a smile “And the Unclan is the opposite of that” he explained.“Oh?” Damianus said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair to listen. “That term is what we use generally for a group of vampires that had chosen not to live the conservative lowkey life. They are everywhere in Santa Eyre and all over the world now. They engage in politics and make friends freely with humans. Throw lavish parties” Michael sighed “All in all, they found it inelegant and out-of-character that we would choose to live in seclusion like this” he smiled slightly “One even said to my face that I was a coward for sug
Damianus had such an enjoyable time exploring the flourishing city of Santa Eyre. The more he looked around, the more difference he could detect about this world and that which he was used to. The World of Origins had everything over this one when it comes to the supernaturals but they could learn a lot from this world when it came to architectural brilliance and many other inventions that he couldn’t even begin to understand.“All in good time though,” he said to himself as he mused about the people whom he already met and the new name he was advised to take.Damien. He sounded it out and it didn’t sound too bad. Though it sounded strange to his ears, he knew that he would get used to it as time went on.Damien. Damien of the Human world. He could see the humour in the situation after all. When in the world of the origins, he was Damianus but here in the world of humans and their beautiful people who seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere; he would be Damien, a nobody to most of t
After laughing for a while, the guy pinned a glare on him “Okay, loser. That is enough entertainment for the day. Get your poor face out of here now before you make me lose my job”He said dismissively and he turned to join his partner who was checking people’s invitation cards at the entrance. A red haze coloured Damianus' vision and he felt like snapping the guard’s burly neck as he followed him. His master’s warning rang clear in his mind though and he gritted his teeth before saying in the most pleasant tone he could summon “I am not…”The guard swung the baton in his hand behind him without looking back to see where it would hit him. Damianus who never thought that was a possibility reacted late. Even though the baton missed his head, it cracked against his shoulder.The pain was nothing to Damianus but the humiliation was. That would be the first time anyone would strike him, not even his master had ever done that. He felt a primal urge to sink his fangs into the bastard’s neck
“Michael, he is not here yet,” Mathew said with a sigh into the phone.He listened for a while to what his brother was saying on the other end and he shook his head while adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses. “You know I didn’t want to come but you made me. I would do anything for the clan but you know I don’t like being around this many people. Now the person I came here for is not even here”He stepped back into the corridor of the entrance where he stood to dodge the strobing lights of reporters.“Can I just come back and wait for him over there? He might not even be interested in coming over again and he is probably on his way back home”He paused as he listened to what Michael was saying on the other end. “I should look for him? My God, do you know how ridiculously big this place is? I have no idea how many entrances led to this place and the main area is flooded with reporters now. I…”He paused and stepped aside to let someone pass into the hotel. He nodded toward the person and t
Damianus wondered when this humiliation would end as he looked back to see three lavishly dressed young men strolling towards them. The one in the lead seemed to be their leader as two others followed him behind.The leader was all dressed in Hermes customised clothing, Oxford's high-polished shoes and a pricey Patek-Phillipe watch that was well on display as he had his hands in his pockets.His followers were dressed in Louis Vuitton products as none of them dared dress fancier than the heir of the Bentall Business Empire, Ashton Bentall.Ashton gave Damianus a distasteful look without acknowledging the manager’s greeting. The person who spoke before was the boy to the left. He still had a grin on his face as he sized up Damianus. Damianus was truly at a disadvantage standing beside these rich kids. Not only was his old-fashioned clothing so dowdy beside their luxurious, high-brand wear. It was nothing to write home about and they have never set their eyes on such type of old-schoo
“Did he just say, leader?” Zach whispered to Collins as Mathew rushed off to Damianus’ side.“No, you must have heard him wrong” Collins replied as he gave Mathew a once-over, dismissing him as someone unimportant. His parents had never mentioned the hornrimmed man who looked more like a schoolteacher before after all.“I am so sorry” Mathew begged Damianus when the latter said “It took you long enough”“I was standing at…” he knew he shouldn’t talk about the door that the supernaturals passed into the venue because of the present company so he merely repeated “I am sorry. I stood at the wrong place” then he sized up the situation on the ground and asked, “Is everything alright?” With his eyes on Ashton’s confused face, he asked “Did anybody disrespect you?”“Well, I was about to be carried like a sack of Jicama and dumped on the sidewalk” Damianus answered with a drawl.“Ji…what? What is he talking about? I told you he is weird” Sybil whispered to Laura, who shushed her as she won
Michael apologized over and over again to Damianus when he got back to The Abode. That was the name the vampires of New Order gave their underground city. Damianus dismissed his apologies and told him that he couldn’t have known that would be the outcome anyway. Then he asked about the history of the men he met at the hotel. He of course knew that the Unclan was one of them. His deductive powers were unlike any other and being an Originer, he could detect one of his kind from miles away. He was interested though in the economic power that the man wielded. From the little he had seen of the human world, he knew that their rich were snobbish and the boy’s father wouldn’t have demanded that his boy apologized if the Unclan was not a man of affluence. “He is the CAC chairman” Michael explained. Then he explained what CAC was about. They were sitting out on the porch of Michael’s house after Mathew had excused himself. The bungalow was modest for a man of Michael’s worth and when Dam
Months Later...Damien stood in the palace of Santa Eyre. He was looking down through a concealed portico at the people down in the palace waiting room.The creme de la creme of Santa Eyre was down there. All of them were waiting for him to see them on one issue or the other. It had been the routine for Damien for the past months now. There had been a lot to deal with, after their encounter with Ulric. The King's burial had been an international affair. King Saldus had been a very influential and well-beloved king. Presidents of countries, well-known CEOs all over the world, and dignitaries from different continents were in Santa Eyre, for days, to celebrate the dead king.They all believed that the king had died peacefully in his sleep. Only Damien and his inner circle knew that there was more to the king's death. There had been a dark essence to his chakras. Damien still couldn't come to terms with how much Ulric took from them. The call Allan received after the battle with Ulric,
Total darkness filled the whole house as the power supply went off all of a sudden. The only silhouette that could be seen was the dark mass gathering again in the middle of the room. It was so massive and tall that it seemed like a giant was forming out of it. The witches rallied together and a spark of fire ignited above them to conquer the dark. Light could be seen from afar but the immediate environment of Damien’s house was as dark as the void itself. “I will purge you abominations from this earth!” came the terrifying voice of Ulric as the darkness swirled around the lights and they all went out again. One of the witches screeched, and by the time the magic light was lit again, she could be seen grabbing her throat, as blood poured out of her mouth and sunken eyes. “We need to take this motherfucker out!” Liam shouted and the rest were right with him. Damien took the lead as they charged the dark mass again. Damien released the orb and every protective substance he had in t
Everyone in the room looked at each other as the mocking voice of the man they all knew, had heard of, and heard of resounded throughout the house. The distortion to his voice was horrid and the frightening element in it was only causing more fear in those around. Only the leaders were still stoic. The soldiers were half paralysed with fright as King Saldus went on and on to describe explicit ways that they would all be obliterated that night. Exactly at 11:58 pm, the voice stopped talking and Isabella’s phone exploded right there in the middle of the room. It was charred beyond recognition. A blast of wind rocked the shingles of the house. Suddenly, the witches all exclaimed “Stench of the underworld” A knock sounded at the door at exactly 12:00 am. They all looked at each other and beneath the bravado, was a hint of apprehension. They all knew that they might not come out of this alive. Still, the witches flung the door open by magic and someone tumbled inside. Even as everyone
Sky did not wake up immediately. Morgan tried to wake him up but she eventually looked up at Damien and others. “I think he used up his vitality. Ulric did something else with Sky that he had never done with any other host before. He used him up. He might…he might never wake up” she said with a sigh of defeat. “No, no. that is not possible. Do something leader. You have to do something!” Michael said in desperation. Damien knew that but then he thought of the fact that Ulric might want to use Sky’s condition as a distraction for them while he strike from elsewhere. Damien was the head of the group and their link make them strong together, just as he make them vulnerable together as well. If Damien was caught in the realm while trying to heal Sky, any damage done to him at that moment will affect the whole group as well. He was sure that Ulric had a plan to do something to them while they were trying to heal Sky. Though it was difficult for him to do; he had to ask “How long can he
“You changed her?” Michael confronted Damien the moment he got back to the house. He had to teleport Laura back with him since she was still very much out of it. He had just placed her in his room, where Morgan and Isabella were keeping an eye on her when Michael confronted him just as he came out of his suite.Here we go. He thought. Anger welled in him for the reminder of his guilt. He respected Micahel for being a stickler for rules but at the moment, he did not care to be reminded that he had failed to protect his woman. He did not need the clan leader to rub more salt unto his wound. Not at all.“If you have a thing to say, just say it,” Damien said as he bypassed Michael on his way to the main floor.“If I…” Michael paused in disbelief then he lengthened his stride to meet up with that Damien. “If I have a thing to say? We never change humans. You know how precarious they could be and you went to turn one of them?”“She is one of us now,” Damien said as he turned back to face hi
Sybill Macmillan couldn’t believe what was happening! When Andrea called her to inform her, she thought that her bratty sister was just acting up. Truth be said, Andrea didn’t appear as bratty as she used to be. Sybill felt it must have to do with the fact that she didn’t have to see her daily anymore. It had all started long before Sybll left for school. Andrea had capitalised on her invitation to the palace by the king, an invitation orchestrated by that nobody. Damien. Sybill still couldn’t think of him without distaste in her mouth but she didn’t dare say any of her thoughts aloud.Who could have thought that a mere gawking, gardener? A good-for-nothing would turn out to be a prince. A referred prince for that matter that the whole of Santa Eyre and its environs had become submissive to. Sybill snorted as she remembered the rumour she had once heard that the king intended to pass the throne to Damien. Sybill doubted if the king would be so dumb to do such a thing. Why would a man
Laura’s awakening was messy, to say the least. She woke up hours later feeling disoriented, groggy and out of it. It took her a while to recognise Damien. Then she blurted out “I love you” thoughtlessly. In the next moment, she was shouting bout feeling so thirsty, then she started pulling at her hair and agitating about hating her skin. Her clothes felt too tight. Her head hurt and she felt like she would die if she did not eat something.Damien knew what was happening. Despite how much he wanted to ignore it, the inevitable couldn’t be denied. Laura had become a vampire and if he did not do something about it, she would die within the first hour of her awakening. He tried to talk to her during that moment to see if she would rather choose to die than become a fully-formed vampire, yet it was like singing a lullaby to a deaf kid. She could hear him. She seemed to have some iota of consciousness but she was not comprehending what he was saying.“Okay, okay. Can I eat now?” was the ans
It finally dawned on Damien why Sky/Ulric wanted him to see him draining the life out of Laura. It was just so he could make a difficult decision or live eternally with the guilt of causing the death of the girl that he only belatedly realized he loved. Tears trailed down Morgan’s face as she stood up. “It is no use. I…I can’t do it. There is nothing to draw from. I can’t heal her.” She spread her bloodied hands to the sides as anguish soaked her voice. “My hands are filled with her blood, and I can’t bring her back. I was supposed to be better than this”“Now, now. You shouldn’t beat yourself up, A Ghra. This is not your fault” he looked straight at Damien over Morgan’s head “This mess was not for you to sort”“What the hell did you just call me? How can you be so cold and glib right now?” Morgan lashed out at him. “An innocent girl is dying for God’s sake. She did nothing wrong! She is dying and there is nothing I can do. That… bastard drained her lifeblood. He wanted us to watch h
Laura called him in the wee hours of the following morning. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes as the true caller on his phone identified the number. The call brought back the memory of the kiss they had shared and the messy feelings that seemed to take hold of him whenever he heard her name or that of anyone related to her. “Laura?” he called her name like a question. “You are…”“Awwn, isn’t this sweet?” everything stilled inside Damien as he heard Sky’s voice. Fuck it! He yelled in his mind, knowing immediately that damage had been done. If not, why would…Laura!“What have you done to her, Ulric?” Damien asked instantly.“Ulric? Who is that? There is only your buddy, Sky, here. Remember me?” Sky’s horrid tone said over the phone.Damien quelled all forms of imagination that wanted to come to his head about what could have happened to her as he said calmly “She has nothing to do with this. I thought you were said to be a wise man. Surely, you must know that she is a human and she i