25: The Capital, Vallath Imperial State, (AZARIAN'S APARTMENT)

Humphrey woke up from his slumber on the floor. He stood up and found Azarian's bed empty. He wondered where he had gone, it wasn't like Azarian to be up before the sun rose. He went into the living area and found Azarian wide awake staring at the city through his window. Humphrey looked at his fingers and they were drenched in blood. Humphrey was startled by the disturbing sight.

"Azarian.", he said softly, "What did you do?"

Azarian turned away from the window and Humphrey's jaw dropped. Azarian's face was covered in blood and his eyes had become bloodshot. He walked up to Humphrey with a hair raising stare. Humphrey heart was racing in fear, he knew this was his end.

"Please! Please! Please!", he got dropped down to his knees begging at his feet, "Please! Don't kill me! Its me remember?"

"I'm not going to kill you.", Azarian smiled humorously. Humphrey was baffled, His eyes couldn't stop twitching in disbelief. "I was in the belief that you were under the influence of your urges?"

Azarian graced his bloody fingers against Humphrey's face and it sent chills down his spin. Azarian burst out into laughter but this wasn't any ordinary laugh. There was a darkness to this laugh, it was hair raising.

"Im done being nice with these people.", Azarian said, "I made a promise to Nancy that we will find her son."

Humphrey looked into his bloodshot eyes and he could see that the restrained Azarian had withered away. There was a viciousness in eyes that only a real apex predator has.

"The blood?", Humphrey pointed at his dripping fingers. Azarian glanced at his finger tips and looked back at Humphrey.

"Ive been holding back for a while now.", he said, "Whenever I try to hold back it gets worse. So I'm done fighting my demons, I'm letting them consume me."

"That still does not answer my question Azarian.", Humphrey said softly, "Where did you get the blood from?"

Azarian glanced at his blood drenched fingers and turned back to Humphrey. Humphrey stared into his bloodshot eyes and there were was something different about him. There was a dark energy about him, it's nothing like Humphrey has ever felt. It sent shivers down his spin and he couldn't help but fear for his life.

"I needed answers about where Malak is.", he said, "I've tried being nice and I know for a fact that there's something up and what I found out proves it."

"Go on.", Humphrey said.

Azarian took a few steps away from Humphrey and took a seat by the window. He took a deep breath and kept on playing with his fingers.

"I followed up one of the imperial officers.", he said, "He was on his way home and I grabbed him by the throat. I threatened him and told him I needed answers but he told me to go to hell. So I tore off his arm.

There was so much blood everywhere."

"Did he speak?", Humphrey asked.

"He swore upon his children he didn't know anything. He cried and cried but I enjoyed hearing him cry.", Azarian walked closer to Humphrey, "But he said he knows someone who does who might know where he is. Councillor Nande."

"Who is that?", Humphrey asked.

"She's one of the Emperor's special councillors.", he said, "She's always under tight security from what he told me and it won't be the easiest thing but we just have to get something out of her."

"This is suicide!", Humphrey outburst, "You are doing this for a child that isn't even yours. I had agreed to this mostly because I thought he was taken by a group of common hooligans who wanted a ransom. But now the emperor is now even in the conversation. This is way too deep!"

"I've done a lot of wrong things in my life I'm not proud of but Nancy and Malak made me forget about this side of me for a very long time.", he said, "So I owe it to both of them to find him."

Humphrey fell silent and entered a deep thought. Azarian stared as Humphrey had his fingers against his face. Then suddenly Azarian heard many footsteps in the far distance. They were getting louder by the moment and it seemed like they were coming to their apartment.

"Do you hear that?", he asked.

"I don't.", Humphrey was confused. Azarian placed his fingers against his lips and Humphrey ran to the bedroom and shut the door. Azarian sat by the window looking at the beautiful city. He heard a powerful knock at the door, that nearly had it off its hinges.

"Open up!", a loud deep voice shouted at the other end of the door, "We know you are in there!"

The knocking wasn't stopping and it was only getting louder with each knock. "ALIGHT IM GIVING YOU UP TO FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR!", the countdown began, "FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

Azarian was unfazed by their threats. He waited for them to knock down the door. Within a blink of an eye the door came crashing down and twelve enforcers raided his apartment. They were armed with guns and they all pointed at Azarian.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!", the enforcer leading the squad shouted. Azarian raised his hands in the air. The enforcers immediately noticed his hands coated in blood.

The leading enforcer walks up to Azarian and stares him dead in the eyes. "So you are the little shit that did that to one of my very own.", he said, "I know a fairy doesn't posses such great strength so what type of magic did you use huh?"

Azarian kept quiet, the enforcer struck Azarian across his face with the back of his gun. He fell to the ground, the Enforcer aimed his gun at him. "I'm going to ask you one more time!", he raised his voice, "What type of magic did you use?"

Azarian burst out into laughter. The enforcer was fuming and was a slip away from firing his weapon through his skull. "You think this is a game?", he said, "You have just committed a crime that is punishable by death."

Azarian stopped laughing and he turned his head to the enforcer. The gun was stuck to his forehead but Azarian didn't mind. "I didn't use magic and secondly I am a vampire.", Azarian said.

"Bullshit!", the Enforcer burst out into laughter, "Vampires died off ages ago. Nevertheless you are dying now so that is all that matters."

Azarian grabbed his gun and pushed it into his chest and it came sticking out on the other end. The gun was covered in his warm blood. He dropped to his knees and held onto the gun. The enforcer had blood dripping from his mouth. Azarian stood up and ripped his head off with his bare hands . His head went rolling at the feet of his enforcers. They all stood in shock and disbelief. They tried to fire their weapons but they were all shaking in fear.

"I don't want to kill all of you!", he said, "But I will if I must. Run now! Go to your families because they will need you."

The enforcers looked at each other and they all seemed unsure of what to do. One enforcer drops his weapon and all the others drop their weapons too. They ran away from the apartment screaming for their lives. Azarian picked up the head of the enforcer and threw it out of the window. He heard his skull break into pieces as it hit the concrete. Humphrey came out of the bedroom and saw the carnage left behind. He was at a loss for words.

"Are you okay?", Azarian asked.

"More are going to come for us now.", Humphrey said, "We are no longer in the shadows."

"Good then." Azarian said, " So now we aren't to be taken lightly."

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