Xiran took charge of the rest of the proceedings. More hunters were called in and authorities of Anthos complied with Xiran after discovering the Phantom was indeed dead. They let him clean up his father’s mess but remained apprehensive of so many hunters flocking in.

All the captured vampires, hybrids and other species were sent to the Walled City of Valiois. Doctor Guwiskle’s memory-restoring serum was confiscated and his memory erased so he wouldn’t be able to develop it again.

Fritez, Emeradius and other cities were attacked by forces sent out by Phantom as he had told Xiran but they were severely dealt with and heavy losses were avoided. Security had been on high alert after the last attack and they saw it coming.

All the known facilities of Phantom were ransacked, elves and innocent people were freed. The facilities were to be handed over to Aldridge, so they could be converted into hunter bases, and hunters would finally have roots in Anthos.

Xiran had issued orders that anyone not complying with hunters will be severely punished. He wanted to restore well-needed peace and balance in Anthos.

Bodies of Phantom and Xifin were moved to their respective rooms and after moving everything that belonged to his mother or held meaning to Xiran he had planned to burn this place down.

Therefore, the mansion was cleared and everyone was sent packing to their required destinations except Treia. She had been captured and chained in the same basement, Xiran and Aselia were held.

"That bitch is mine," Aselia told Silver Wolf, he was the one who had captured her and he nodded in agreement.

"I want your dagger," Aselia asked him and he quietly handed it to her.

Silver had tended to Aselia’s wounds, there was so much blood loss from her body and he knew only her sheer willpower was keeping her standing.

Aselia made her way down to the basement, she was in a fit of rage and wanted to inflict as much pain on Treia as she had done on her loved ones. Learning that she was the reason Yurian was in a coma and after what she did to Xiran, Aselia wanted to kill her slowly.

Opening the door she entered the ghastly basement, she hated every second of this place and knew it would haunt her for a lot of years to come.

Treia lifted her head and found Aselia standing right in front of her with a blank face and dead eyes. She gulped hard knowing this was her end.

Making a miserable face she started begging:

"Please forgive me Aselia. I shouldn’t have done that, I am ashamed of myself."

Aselia quietly moved forward and jerked her head up by yanking her raven hair, so she could stare into her turquoise eyes which were like a viper’s pit today.

"I would have forgiven you if it was just me you hurt because I understand your jealousy. But your actions hurt two people I love the most in this world. One is my brother who is also my best friend and the other is the love of my life. There is no forgiveness for you after what you have done," she snarled at a scared-looking Treia.

"W...what are you going to do to me? Can I talk to X...Xiran, please?" she began blabbering seeing the dagger Aselia held her in hands.

"Stop pronouncing his name from your dirty mouth. You are never laying your bloody eyes on him again and I am going to ensure that you never touch anyone with your filthy hands anymore," the low threats in Aselia’s voice had her shuddering and tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged the elven girl for mercy. But she found none for darkness had engulfed Aselia for now.

By the time Aselia was done with her, Treia’s blood-curdling screams echoed in the whole mansion. Hearing them, Xiran had to get off the thousand phone calls he was making and went down to where Aselia was torturing her.

His grey orbs widened to twice in size seeing Treia’s condition. Her eyes were profusely bleeding and her hands were missing. Aselia had chopped them off.

"Leia!" he softly called her so as not to spook her, knowing the fragile state of her mind. She didn’t turn to him and only held the bloody dagger in her hand, as Treia begged them for forgiveness.

"I want you to take all her memories. All of them, her mind should be left blank, she shouldn’t even remember her name and then I am handing her over as a test subject for the new serums hunters invent. From now on the only thing she will know is suffering and pain," she finally faced Xiran with an emotionless face and vacant eyes. His heart hurt seeing her like that.

"Hey! Let’s take a breather. We will hand her over to Silver," Xiran quietly and patiently took a step towards her.

"Do as I say, I don’t need excuses," she impatiently added, her frustration apparent in his words.

"I am not making excuses, I am concerned about you," he reached out and tried to take the dagger from her hand but she held on tight and sent him a scornful glare.

"Her memories, Xiran. I want every fragment gone, especially of you. Leave her barren as you did me," Xiran flinched at her words but said nothing. She was hurting and he understood he was the major cause of it.

"I will do it, give me the dagger," he gently asked, extending his hand yet again and she dropped it in his palm before walking away from him.

Xiran turned his attention to Treia and knew her eyesight was gone and so were her hands. He wanted to feel an ounce of pity for her but Aselia’s screams echoed in his brain. She had screwed her over so many times that it was astonishing Aselia had let her live.

Treia was screaming nonstop while Aselia leaned against the wall and observed her without any remorse. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Xiran took her face in his hands and began erasing her memories. While she mumbled a last apology to Xiran and fell unconscious.

Seeing the deed had been done, Aselia shifted from her position and headed out.

"Leia! Wait," he called after her but she didn’t stop and reached the top.

"Can I show you something?" he asked from behind her. Aselia halted and finally turned to face him.

"What?"

"My room, where I grew up. I just want to show you before I burn this fucking place down," Xiran offered his hand to her but she didn’t take it, just stared at him for a few seconds, her lips forming a thin line and Xiran wondered when he would see her smile again because it seemed like an eternity ago when he did.

"Lead the way," she finally said and he took her to his room.

Opening the door they entered and Xiran quietly closed it. Nothing much had changed in his room, the furniture was the same, and so was the positioning. The only difference was he had grown up and his family was dead.

Aselia silently observed his room, and walking over to his bed she perched on it. He went and kneeled in front of her before placing his head on her lap and holding onto her waist. Aselia wanted to stroke his hair but she didn’t, she just sat there like a statue.

Xiran closed his eyes, revelling in the peace her closeness offered. The peace he had denied himself for a year, the peace his body and soul yearned for.

"I am sorry, can you ever forgive me?" he whispered with his eyes closed. Before she could answer his phone’s ringing disturbed them and he sighed before taking it out and attending the call.

Once the call was over, Xiran lifted his head to look at her and said:

"We have to go, authorities of Anthos want us to leave before we sign the treaties with them. They don’t want so many hunters around, it’s making the vampire-ridden population a bit uneasy."

"Ok, I am going to Lahoire. I want to see Yuri," she announced in a monotone.

"I will come with you," Xiran stood up and offered her his hand, hoping she would take it. His heart yearned to hold her close and never let go, to kiss every inch of her skin and heal every wound that had been inflicted on her. Yet he knew it wouldn’t be that easy when it came down to her.

"No need, I will manage," she got up from the bed and walked out of his room. Leaving him alone with his muddled thoughts. He breathed heavily before following her out.

Aselia then told Silver what needed to be done with Treia. And after taking all the prisoners and Treia along, Silver left with his fellow hunters and went back to headquarters, leaving Xiran, Rivan and Aselia behind.

Xiran finally mustered up the courage and set fire to the mansion with his brother’s and father’s dead bodies still inside. He wanted to end the legacy and tyrant rule of his father here. For he had always used his mother’s surname and had planned to continue doing it.

The flames rose to the sky and the burning smell of wood and plastic saturated the air as Xiran stood with his hands in his pockets. He watched his ancestral home burn. A heaviness settled inside his wounded heart, never to leave.