Chapter Thirty

I woke up a few hours later to Rose still staring at me. Or did she fall asleep with her eyes open? Either answer makes her creepy, but when I called out to her, she woke up from whatever trance she might’ve been in. 

“We weren’t supposed to further involve ourselves,” she said as if we had been speaking the entire night. “Adriel and I. I promised not to bother you and watch from afar, yet here we are.”

I said nothing and let her get to the point she was trying to make, which--in all honestly--wasn’t one. 

“I still see her face. The look of pain followed by bliss as the pain subsided and her soul moved on,” she continued. “You ever think about that type of stuff whenever you’re killing heroes? Or do you not give it a second thought?”

“I only think of those I’ve lost along the way. My brother, of course, but also anyone that’s given their lives to help me reach the end. The Advocate, Detonade, and Vice now. Even the accidental and non-accidental deaths like Detruo, May, and Infracon,” I confided. “I just had a nightmare about Vice, in fact.”

“What happened?”

“It was simple. He was on the other side of a pane of glass. I banged on it, calling out his name, trying to warn him of the coming danger, but there was no danger to see. He had a look of content on his face before his chest exploded, staining the glass in front of me. Then the blood spread out and crept along the glasses before coming over to my side and shooting out at me in a spike form.”

“Sounds like you’re not unfeeling when it comes to doing what you’re doing,” Rose pointed out.

“On the surface, I have to appear that way, but I’m aware of the many lives I’m ruining by doing this,” I said. “I can’t imagine how many other villains that hate me will come after me in the name of revenge once this is done. It’s too bad they won’t get what they want with me dying at the end of this mission.”

“If you die, I’ll kill you,” Rose said. I couldn’t help but furrow my brow at her saying this. “You need to live so Lynx’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. We’ll find a way around it.”

It was comforting hearing something that was still a threat, but a good one, coming from her. 

“We also have to see what’s inside the Alpha Corps Keep. I mean, you actually died to find out what was in it and you managed to get inside, just not in the way you imagined,” Rose stated. I nodded. 

“I might have to pay that place a visit before I face Lux,” I said, getting to my feet. “But, one thing at a time. For now, we need to see what we can find in this place on Tristan’s whereabouts.”

“Need some company?”

“I would love some.”

I approached the door and poked my head out, looking down both ends of the hallway before signaling for Rose to follow me. We went further into the hideout looking for an office or really any room that wasn’t fucking locked. I didn’t plan on getting caught and I didn’t want to jeopardize everyone we had with us, nor did I wish to fuck up whatever Titon and Felix had going. 

Before we got too far, we both heard footsteps approaching the corner to enter our hallway. We had no choice and I froze a doorknob before shattering it to enter a room and hide out. 

I spun around and turned on the lights to find out we only entered a janitor’s closet. As the loud, heavy footsteps got closer, Rose placed a finger to her lips and flicked the lights back off. The footsteps slowed to a halt and we could see a shadow standing outside our door. We heard confused groaning and the vampire guard on the other side alerted another guard he must have been patrolling with. 

We barely had time to react as the large guard snatched the door off the handle and flung it against the opposite hallway wall. 

He stared directly at me, but he didn’t seem to be able to see me. I looked over to Rose on the opposite of the closet. She was holding her fingers up and they were glowing making me think she was illusion casting.

This didn’t work for long and my heart sank as the vampire guard sniffed around the room and now held his face directly in front of mine. His breath smelled like metal and spoiled meat.

“What the fuck are you doin’?” his patrol partner questioned. The large one didn’t answer as he punched directly where I was standing, but I was able to dodge out of the way. I must’ve moved out of the way of Rose’s illusion as the guard on the outside of the closet reacted to seeing me somersault. “What the fuck are you doin?”

“I…We’re…not…We’re looking for the bathroom,” I said. I wasn’t the greatest liar. The smaller one folded his arms.

“Oh, really?” he asked. “Huh. ‘Cause it seems to me like you’re doing some shit you’re not supposed to and hid out in here to not get caught.”

I sighed.

“Come with us. Need to report this to Lord Felix,” he said. I glanced at Rose, who rolled her eyes, and I nodded. I crafted an icicle at lightspeed--maybe faster--and sunk it into the smaller one’s neck. It slowly killed him, freezing his head over until he fell over and shatter his head on the floor. 

“HEY!” the large guard shouted before he grabbed my shoulders. I was facing him and he went to bite my neck, but he screamed in pain as his hands began to freeze over. Now, I hadn’t frozen Rose, but she was standing there like I had, confused by my abilities.

I flexed and the large guard’s frozen hands shattered, causing him to scream more. I waved my hand in front of his mouth and froze it over before shoving my fist into it. He could no longer scream as he was being too preoccupied choking on either his blood, teeth, ice, or all three. 

He collapsed to the ground dead with a thud, but more were on the way due to his rather rude and inconvenient screams. 

“What the hell did that demon do to you?” 

“We’ll find out,” I said. Though we failed to sneak around, I was excited to test the extent of my new abilities. I had been forced to fight smart for most of my battles, but with this power boost, I was excited to turn my brain off and let instinct take control. At least, until I faced the Archs again. 

I heard a group of footsteps approaching us now. I turned to Rose.

“Get the others out of their rooms. We’ll get that information out of Felix,” I said. “I’ll hold them off for now.”

Rose nodded and sprinted down the hallway. I placed a thick wall of ice between me and the other half of the hallway Rose was running down as the guards turned the corner. 

The group of guards saw the bodies of their comrades and immediately pieced together what happened. They snarled at me and sped at me with fangs and claws out. 

I froze the leg of one, before deflecting the claws of another. I caught the wrist of another and flash froze it before shattering it in my grip. The one I deflected swung at me again, but I kicked him in the stomach. Strangely enough, his body didn’t move, but his insides did as they splattered out of the back of his body and painted the hallway wall. Either these vampires were really weak or that demon gave me more power than I thought. 

I let another one fall to the floor as I sidestepped his tackle, then stomped on his neck before freezing his blood and forming an ice spike from it to skewer a couple more vampires. The one’s leg I had originally frozen was trying to smash his leg out of the ice. I was aware all vampires had super strength and took note that he couldn’t break through something I created without a second thought. I imagined what would happen if I reinforced something with ice. 

I ended his futile effort to break free by sending an icicle through his brain. I was able to throw icicles like knives that had already been crafted for me. It took so little effort now. The rest of the vampires stood a bit back, keeping their distance from me. In this moment, I decided to try something I hadn’t done in a while and let ice build in my throat before I spewed it at the crowd. They all instantly froze in place like I had sculpted them without my own hands. All except for one who leapt at me from the frozen back line. 

He managed to sink his teeth into my neck. And when I say managed, I mean I let him. Before he could draw any blood, I froze the opening in his teeth. As soon as he realized he couldn't suck any blood, he tried to yank himself free, but I wouldn’t let him as I let his fangs freeze completely before I sent my palm into his face, causing his entire head to explode and paint my face with his tainted blood. 

I couldn’t believe it. Fuck a third serum. I needed to make this deal a long time ago. Perhaps I wouldn’t have lost so many. 

I heard a scream on the other side of my ice wall, then shouting. I tapped the wall and every single part of it shattered before I sprinted down the hallway to the source of the scream. It came from Felix’s throne room. He had Aura Ray in his hands and was shouting at my group. Vulcon was injured, presumably by the skull-faced right-hand man to Felix. He was standing over Vulcon as Titon, Rose, Adriel, and I stood near the doorway, ready to negotiate for Aura Ray’s life.