Chapter 401: The Beginning Of His End (Part 1)

The house was littered with hybrids as Xiran and Aselia made their way through, leaving piles of bodies in their wake.

Taking his brother’s life had cast darker shadows on his peace-loving heart. It had tainted him to the point of no return and he knew he would never be the same.

For now, he had bottled up his emotions, he needed to be strong for Aselia because he could see she was on auto-pilot. Her face was blank like a clean slate, void of emotions and she was utterly quiet. These were always dangerous signs when it came down to her. The signs of a brewing storm.

They made their way to his father’s study and Xiran took the lead, holding her by her arm, he threw the door open but the study was empty. The broken furniture, scattered books and torn papers were all they could see.

"Where is he?" she hissed from behind him, her forehead creasing in annoyance.

"Let’s keep looking. Come," he lead her out so they would search for him.

The white-haired butler was waiting for them outside, his hands clasping in front.

"He is in your mother’s bedroom and he is alone. I think he is expecting you," he respectfully stated. His eyes darted between Xiran and the girl he held close, protectively.

Xiran was startled for a second. He hadn’t expected him to say that.

"Is he thinking of setting up a trap for me?" Xiran inquired, scrutinizing him with his sharp gaze. Aselia watched him with a silent stare, her face reflected nothing.

"It’s not. I think we all know it’s time, master Xiran," he bowed his head and quietly took his leave.

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Silver and Rivan had arrived in Grathos. They were headed towards Phantom’s residence. Rivan received a call. He picked it up and it was a girl on the other side.

"Rivan, it’s me Amoris. Rumail has sent me, he said you might need assistance sneaking undetected inside the house and assessing the situation. I am in the orchard which lies near your and Phantom’s house," Rivan was surprised and he didn’t want to risk her life but knew she would easily be able to sneak in. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Amoris are you sure about this? It’s dangerous, this is Phantom we are talking about," Rivan apprehensively asked.

"I am, let me help you. I want to be with Rumail without any fear. If I can contribute in the slightest to bring him down, I will do it," her conviction was evident in her words.

"Alright, we are headed your way. Can you do surveillance meanwhile and let me know what the situation is like?"

"Sure, I will transform and sneak in. Wait for my call," she answered before ending the call.

Amoris transformed into her fox form soon after and waddled towards the mansion, staying in the shadows and avoiding any prying eyes on her.

She made her way in when one of the vampires entered through the door.

"Uggh, fucking fox," he growled as Amoris sprinted and hid and he went his way not paying her heed.

Soon she began hearing the confrontation between Xiran and his father and once the silence prevailed, she escaped to inform Rivan of everything she had heard.

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"Are you sure you are ready to face him?" He took her face in his large palms and asked. They had reached the door of his mother’s room. Strangely it was unguarded and memories after memories of his mother rushed to him.

"I am, we need to get this done with," Aselia answered, his warmth soothing her as she relentlessly stared up at him.

"Ok," he took a deep breath and let go of her face. Taking hold of the gold knob he turned it. The door slightly made a creaking sound as it swung open and both of them entered the dark room, a sinister presence waiting for them.

"You are here to kill me?" the icy voice which seemed to have emanated from the deepest voids of a frozen wasteland reached their ears. Xiran fumbled with the switch and turned the lights on.

Finding the monster with blue eyes sitting in a relaxed pose on the rocking chair which used to belong to Surilla. He gently rocked it back and forth, a black diary resting in his lap.

Aselia narrowed her gaze at him, all the anger and hate she had harboured surged making her ball her fists.

"You transformed," Phantom’s eyes scanned Xiran’s naked torso which was now inked with unknown patterns. An amusement dripped from his voice as he said:

"Your mother would have been proud."

"Yet you ensured she didn’t live to see it. And I do not even know what it means and how the hell it happened. I don’t even know who I am. Thanks to you," Xiran accusingly pointed a finger at him, the hatred surfacing.

"I didn’t kill your mother, she was the only person who was kind to me in this world. Even though you wouldn’t believe it. I loved her," his voice held softness as he spoke about his wife.

"Huh! Love? Do you even know what it means to love someone? You fucking monster, all you did was hurt her. Don’t even talk about her or I will rip your tongue out," Xiran let go of Aselia’s hand and took a threatening step towards his father. The ink on his body had begun to blaze like a fiery inferno, blazing him in an agony of vile hate and contempt he held for the man.

He only smiled in return at his son, a painful half-hearted smile before answering:

"Maybe, I don’t. I never had someone to show or teach me what love was. Nor did anyone bother loving me until your mother. Sadly by that time, I was too broken and beyond repair. She tried to fix me but you can’t fix something that shattered so profoundly like my heart was."

And the mere thought of having no one to love you, especially your family made Aselia shudder. To be discriminated against based solely upon how you looked was heart-wrenching as she silently watched him. Everyone knew him as a heartless monster but no one knew his darkened past. Why he was, the way he was.

He could have hurt her so much more than he did and for some reason, Aselia knew he held himself back. She wasn’t sure why though.

"Is that your pathetic excuse? You think we will stop because of your sob story which I highly doubt is even true," Xiran snarled back at him.

"Here, read it when you get time. It was meant for you in the first place," Armaros extended the diary towards his son and Xiran snatched it out of his hands and lovingly traced his fingertips on the cover where his name had been engraved by his mother.

"Xifin?" he inquired his eyes darting between them and they could sense a pinch of emotions descending in those usually dead eyes.

"Is gone. He tried to hurt her on your orders knowing too well he has a girlfriend of his own, yet he tried to," Xiran closed his eyes in frustration. Not being able to bring himself to relive what his brother intended to do.

The calm demeanour of his father abruptly shifted into a snarling monster at the news Xiran broke to him. His sinister aura oozed out in torrents as he raised his voice at Xiran.

"You killed your brother? For her?"

He rose and tried to punch Xiran but he was ready and caught the incoming fist in his hands and twisted it, breaking his father’s arm in the process. The sound of breaking bone filled the confines of the room, loud and clear. Phantom flinched but made no sound. His other hand coiled around Xiran’s neck but his powers were ineffective on him just like Aselia.

"And you are next," Xiran grumbled at him, extending his other hand to callously take hold of his face and digging his nails into his flesh.

"You think I would go out so easily? I have sent out my forces to destroy every place you dearly hold and people you love more than your family," he laughed like a lunatic. His eyes held a crazed and wild look as his eyebrows arched, challenging Xiran to kill him or go save his loved ones, making Xiran lift him off his feet and plunge him to the floor with a deafening thud.

"Shut up, my people can hold their ground. I ensured it," Xiran’s fury radiated through him and Aselia could sense his heightened emotions, his agony and his turmoil.

"Even if you kill me you won’t escape unscathed, I have this place surrounded and issued orders that your elf shouldn’t leave this place alive," he spoke from the floor showing his blood-stained teeth. Deep down he knew he was no match for Xiran now, his powers won’t work on him and the transformation had elevated him to a much higher level.

"They can’t hurt her, not anymore," Xiran answered lifting him back up by his collar. Aselia’s bracelet began to glow in that instant, as she stared at it, it flew open and morphed into a shiny red steak, half a foot long. She held it in her hand, bewildered but knew it was time and this was the weapon.