the saga of tiara azhar-the raven

8/8/2019 The Saga of Tiara Azhar-The Raven

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Introduction(x)

This is as true as a story can get. If this were a fairy tale, it would start with the owls hooting at night, the wind howling or the bed rattling. But, this isa story of my life so it will start with where it begun. In an antique store. M

y name is Tiara Megan. This is a true story to begin with. I made a terrible choice which I shouldn't have. If I have not made that choice, I would still be nor

mal. I would still be schooling. I could still grow up as a teenager, a normal human. I could still play football with my friends. It all started with my best mate, Zaffrey Fider. He was the one I could blame. I have myself to blame too. IfI only I had used my brain. If only I had thought through it twice. I wouldn't

be in this situation. I didn't know what was going to happen next. Everything iskept in suspense. One wrong step and I might be tumbling to my death. One wrongword and I might be killed. I didn't think it through. I agreed with everythinghe said. Now, I have been turned into something beyond human. Something stronge

r, faster and smarter than humans. I have been turned into a creature of the night-a vampire. Choices have consequences and I, made a terrible choice.

Chapter 1

We browse through the antique collections of the store. They had a variety of antiques. From pendants to statue. Zaffrey Fider, my best mate, was combing the store for antiques to buy for his mum. It was her birthday. I have always wondered what Mrs Fider looked like. I haven't seen Zaffrey's mum before." Hey, check this out!" Zaffrey exclaimed, holding up a statue of Columbus. He rushed over to me. In his haste, he almost dropped the statue." Oh god!" He exclaimed. He pursed his lips. The shop owner glared at us. His l

ight blue eyes were dark and mysterious. He had a scar which runs from his upperlip to the corner of his eye. He wore a black cloak and white trousers. His blo

nde hair was combed back neatly and he wore a hat with a feather stuck to it. When we entered the store, he was staring hard at us and his gaze never left a shelf in the corner of the room. We stared awkwardly at each other and exchanged wo

rried glances. We turned away and fiddled with the other antiques. My eyes stopped and focused on a life-sized statue. There, engraved on the statue was the description of the man. The man was tall. His eyes were narrow and his ears were pointed. He had thin lips and he had long black hair. "Dragon Sea. Creator of vampires and vamperets. The longest living immortal. From 1000 b.c. to 9000."That doesn't make any sense. '9000'? We were living in 2010. What was weird wasthat that man looked somehow familiar. I had seen him somewhere once. I squinte

d my eyes and focused on it. Suddenly, images flashed across my mind and pictures of babies and milk bottles were seen. There was also someone feeding me blood!

I took one look at the statue and shook my body, breaking my concentration. Must be my imagination. I turned and looked at Zaffrey. Zaffrey ran his hand on acrimson sphere. It was dark and mysterious. It was luminous and beautiful. He to

ok one glance at the price tag and frowned before returning it to the shelf." Let's go," Zaffrey whispered. I nodded." Hey, did you see the sphere I was holding?" He asked after we left the store." Yeah, I saw it,why?" I replied." I wanted to buy it. Mum's birthday is tonight," He stared at me cagily." Buy it then," I replied, frowning. He stopped in his tracks." It costs eighteen million dollars!" He exclaimed. I stared at him in disbelief. My eyes widened." I combed every shop in this town and that was the only one with that sphere for sale. I have to get it. It would be the perfect gift," He said." Wait, but it costs..." I did not finish my sentence when the thought struck me. " No way!" My eyes widened. He was thinking of stealing it! He grinned." Yeah, that's the only way," He stopped. He spun around and took a glance at th

e store. " Don't even think about doing that! Do you know what will happen if you're caught? Besides, you can buy her a rose or something." I whispered. " He shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal.


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" This year, I want to give mum something priceless. Something she will appreciate. " He replied. He was wild at heart and a stubborn kid. He gets into a lot offights and no one dared challenged him. No one did. Even the older pupils in th

e school. Even the school bully. Zaffrey Fider was the last one you wanted to agitate. He was strong and could be quite violent if he was agitated. It was no surprise that he gets caught with stealing pencils, erasers, junk food or vandalising but stealing an object at least a million dollars was over him. I wanted to

persuade him not to but I knew it was futile as he was a stubborn lad. A frownknitted on my face." I'm coming back here after sunset." He informed me and grinned. From his expression, I knew what he was going to say next."Yeah, sure, why not. It is going to be 'fun'!" I said sarcastically. Little didI know that that was going to change my life forever... For the worse! Through

Blood and death shall I be glorious.


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Chapter 2

I met up with Zaffrey in front of the antique shop. It was dark and we couldn'tsee well. It took me a while for my optics to adjust to the darkness. " Ready?"Zaffrey shivered. I nodded. I stood there while Zaffrey pick at the lock. I stared at him with widened eyes. It was unbelievable. My best mate picking a lock and planning to steal something worth more than a million dollar. He unlocked the

door. Why was I aiding him, anyway? I was unable to move. I was paralysed with fear. My feet was planted on the ground. Zaffrey went in and searched for the sphere. He rubbed his hand together. He rushed in the door. After a while, I hearda sharp yelp. I shivered. It came from the store. Could it be Zaffrey? What washappening? Did he fall? Curiosity got the better of me. I took a step towards the door. One after another. I was staring at complete darkness. I slowly went in." Zaffrey?" I asked, my voice trembling. I was in the centre of the room when the door slammed shut. I spun around. I was plunged in complete darkness in an antique shop. Thoughts of being arrested by the police passed through my mind. Suddenly, light was emitted in the room. I saw Zaffrey, knocked out unconscious andtied to a chair in the middle of the room. A tall, lanky man with blonde hair wa

s standing beside him. The shop owner! He was there under the light, grinning wryly.

*" What have you come to steal, my larcenous friend!" He roared. I instantly too

k a step back. He slowly advanced towards me. He disappeared and appeared behindme. I spun around." Were you looking for this?" He sneered, shaking the crimson sphere in front

of my face. I shook my head." See? Now you're a thief and a liar!" He growled. He appeared beside Zaffrey a

nd held a shiny knife to his throat. The blade was sharp." Let him go!" I shouted."Why should I? He tried to steal something from me. Something irreplaceable!" He

sneered."Let him go! I could pay you," I trembled. "You? You don't even have money!" Heraised his voice." Sorry but money doesn't interest me," He smiled slyly.

" Do you believe in vampires?" He asked. I shook my head." My mum told me they don't exist." He sighed. " You shouldn't believe everythi

ng adults say," He replied. I stared at him." Stop beating around the bush. Get to the point," I snapped. He shook his headand grinned."You're a clever one. I will let your friend go if you become my assistant," Hegrinned. I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. " What do you mean?" I muttered.

" I will turn you into a half vampire. You will tend to my needs and travel withme," He stated. I paused. I grimaced. V-vampire? " You, you're lying right?" I

asked, astounded. " You think so?" He smirked. I shook my head. " Will I haveto kill if I become a vampire?" I asked. He took a step towards me." Interested?" He cocked an eyebrow." Vamperets do but we don't. A misunderstanding that hasbeen going on for almost a millennium. So, what do you say? Want to become a vampire? It's a lonely life but there are lots for it," He replied. I heard Zaffreygrunt. He was awakening. " You will let Zaffrey go?" I asked. He nodded. " OkayI will. To save Zaffrey's life, not for anything else. If I ever get a chance t

o betray you, I will," I said firmly but there was no doubt I was frightened outof my wits. " Now let him go," I demanded, advancing towards Zaffrey. "Tsk, tsk

, tsk. Be patient. Before that,let me test your blood," He said. He took a steptowards me. Instinctively, I covered my neck with both my hands and took a stepback. I wasn't going to let him drink from me. It looks painful in the movies."

What are you doing? I'm not going to bite you in the jugular. I might kill you that way. Give me your hand," He snapped and pricked my hand with his ultra-sharpnails. He tasted my blood. " Mmm... Tasty... This will do," He commented as he


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cocked his head. " Just joking," He said and smiled. But I knew he wasn't. He dug all five of his nails onto the fingertips of the left hand and repeated it with the other. " Give me your hand," He commanded. I was too busy watching his blood flow to notice him. " Give it to me!" He hissed and grabbed my hands. He dugall of his ten fingernails into the soft flesh of my fingertips. "Ow!" I flinched and bent over in pain. " Bear with it, don't be a baby," He said. " We're going to exchange blood," He informed me. I cocked an eyebrow. " Freaky," I commente

d. " Yes, but that's how it is done," He replied. " I thought you were supposedto drink my blood?" I asked. He paused before breaking in a laughter. " You do

not believe such things, do you?" He asked. " All you become after that is dead!" He chuckled. He pressed his fingertips against mine. "This is going to hurt,"He admitted. When his blood reached my heart, an excruciating pain shot throughmy whole body. I dropped to my knees and growled. After a while, I recovered andgot up. " Lick your fingers," He said and that was what I did. The wound left t

en small scars on my fingertips. " That is how you identify a vampire," He said.I looked at him. " What about Zaffrey?" I asked. " Oh, I almost forget," He sli

ced the ropes around Zaffrey and ran out at a super-fast speed. He was gone fora few seconds before returning. " That is what I call 'flitting'." He commented.

Chapter 3

A few weeks had passed since I was blooded. The vampire, Leonard Vurton, taughtme the ways of a vampire. A full-vampire will die after being exposed to sunlight but half-vampires aren't affected by it. Vamperets and vampires are two different clans. Vamperets kill their prey while vampires don't. Vamperets have purpleskin and red eyes, lips and nails due to the large amount of blood they drain a

nd their constant feeding. I was woken up by Mr Vurton late one night. " We haveto leave now," He informed. I grumbled and cursed him but I obeyed him anyway.

We were leaving for a city called ' Kentucky'.Dandly Lofty was walking through the deserted streets in the middle of the night. He literally leaped and swayed from side to side. He had just earned his milli

on dollar today. He sang and did a little dance with himself. Then, he heard a twig snapping. He looked behind him. There was no sign of anything. He continuedwalking,thinking it was his imagination. Then he heard it again, only louder this time, much louder. He was certain it wasn't his imagination. He heard some footsteps coming towards him. Just then, a boy came into his view. The only thing was that, the boy seemed hungry, very hungry. Dandly Lofty heaved a sigh of relieve. But before he could turn around, a red glowing figure pounced on him. Then,he was knocked out. I looked at Leonard Vurton as he made a cut on Dandly Lofty's shoulder. Once Dandly's blood flowed out, Mr Vurton placed his lips on the cut. He believed in not wasting the precious, red mercury, as he sometimes calls it. I had aided him in an attack three times but I wasn't used to seeing a vampiresucking the life out of a helpless human being. " Come, drink some. It's quite

refreshing," I stared at him in disbelief. Disgust was written all over my face. "No. No way. I'm not gonna' drink human blood," I argued. Mr Leonard calmly closed his eyes. "Well, that is acceptable, I guess as you are a half-vampire andthe thirst is not as strong. But remember, you have to drink it or you will die," I nodded.

I will never drink blood from a human. That is it. It looks gross. I looked beside me. Mr Vurton was healing the cut. We rented a hotel room a few blocks down town. I always wondered where he gets his cash from. He never carries a wallet or cash with him but whenever he needed cash, he puts his hand in his pocket andabra-cadebra money appears! I checked the refrigerator for any drinks but they were filled with bottles of red, liquid. "Where did you get these?" I asked, picking up one of the bottles. " I refilled them. Just in case I am hungry," He took

the bottle from me and raised it high. Refilled them? Maybe he got them from asleeping human or something. '" Cheers," Then he gulped it down as if it were wine. " You haven't been drinking blood for a week. Try one," He shoved me the bot


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tle. I shoved it back to him. " No way, that's gross," I commented. He sighed." You haven't drunk blood in a week. After a few more days, you will die," He continued. I hesitated and looked away for a moment. After a while, I turned, expecting Mr Vurton to be gone. However, he was still standing there with the bottle. " Come one. Don't be a baby," He chuckled, " unless you are one," He said softly. I grumbled and I took one bottle and forcefully gulped it down as I hadn't fed for a few weeks. It had a spicy, sweet and delightful taste. It was aromatic

and I could feel myself getting stronger. But there was one part of me that wasfeeling down, my humanity. I felt that drinking blood was wrong. " Can I choosenot to drink human blood?" I asked, half-hoping he would say yes but sadly, no.

" You will die if you don't. Haven't I told you before?" He mused. I nodded slowly. " Can't help it, it is our way,"

Chapter 4

The next day, I woke up bright and early and decided to check out the town. Iput on my wooly coat and a scarf. (Not that I needed it. My blood keeps me warmbut I have to blend in) I knew that Mr Vurton would be up at around five or six.I strolled around the town and stopped when I spotted something interesting. A

pet shop! It has all types of animals. I decided to have a look. When I opened the door, a boy around my age was running out and knocked me down. " Sorry," He apologised." I did not see you coming," He stretched out his hand and I reached for it. I got up and brushed off the dirt on my clothes. "The name's Justin, Justin Wolfberry?" He asked, meeting my eyes. I smiled. "Tiara," I answered. " Nice name, it's unique," He smiled. I giggled. His eyes were dark red and his skinwas a pale shade of white. He had straight, blonde hair and his fringe covered his eyes. He was gorgeous. His fingernails were long. "What are you doing here?" I asked. " Oh, Lucy, my pet rat, ran away and I thought she might be here," He brushed his hair. Rats? I thought only vampires like rats. Well, I could sniff her out, if I knew her scent. Then again, what was her scent. " I'll help you," I suggested. He agreed. We went down the streets calling out her name. "This is Lucy's favourite toy," He showed me a tiny feather stick. I took it from him a

nd sniffed the . "Oh?" I continued walking down and sniffing her scent out. After half an hour, we still could not find her so I suggested to get a meal. "Well,what does she look like?" I asked. " Um, brown furred , with a black nose and r

ed eyes," He answered. I bit on the sausage. While I was busy eating, I picked up Lucy's scent. I glanced towards Justin. Coincidentally,Justin was sniffing theair too. I find it weird. " I think I know where Lucy is!" We sang in a tune. H

e chuckled and I giggled. We walked towards an alley and there, Lucy was sittingon top of a box, nibbling her nails. I smiled and walked towards her." Is this

Lucy?" I asked and he nodded. He scooped her up and kiss her.We walked around the town aimlessly. I glanced at the watch. Oh no, Mr Vurton isgoing to be up any minute! " I got to go, sorry. Mr Vur-I mean Dad is probably

wondering where I went, so" I did not complete my sentence. " Good-bye, I will see you some other time," He smiled. " Monday?" I asked. " Yes, will you go out with me, Tiara?" He asked. I blushed. " I'll think about it," I smiled before walking off.

When I reached the hotel, Mr Vurton was still in his room, asleep. I sighed andfixed a breakfast for him. I quietly crept into someone's room and took out a syringe. Slowly, I took a small amount of blood from him. I slowly spat at his wound and it began to heal. I took out a cup and emptied the blood . I put it beside the breakfast. Mr Vurton awoke and sat down. He was surprised that I fixed ameal for him. " Thank you," He nodded. I handed over the cup of blood. He lookedblankly at me. " Where did you get it?" He asked. " I took it form a sleeping w

oman," I answered. " I'm impressed but you look haggard. Have you been drinkingblood?" He asked me. I shook my head. I haven't fed for a week. " Have some," h

e handed me the cup. I shook my head again and told him I got it for him. He smiled appreciatively. He left soon after that. Monday arrived, I woke up, vibrantand refreshed . I didn't have a hard time to decide what to wear. I only had one


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outfit, my jeans and a tee. I waited for five minutes before I heard someone knocking on my door. I opened it. " How did you know I live here?" I asked curiously. " I stalked you," Justin replied. Stalked me? My head throbbed. I better be careful. If he finds out about Mr Vurton, I'll be minced meat. I forced a smile. We went out to the cinema. On the way, someone knocked me off balance. It didn't hurt a lot since I'm a half-vampire. The man stood up and walked towards another. I looked at them as they fought. The man missed his mark and landed his

punch on a boy's stomach. The staggered backwards and bruised his knee. Blood sipped out of his mouth. My eyes suddenly enlighten. The smell, it was aromatic. Iwalked towards him but snapped out of my trance when I saw Justin moved towardshim and bending over, covering his lips over the boy's knee. He did something

I did not expect, he drank the boy's blood! My eyes widened and I cupped my mouth. Justin was a vamperet. His crimson eyes hinted to me. I walked towards Justinand tried to stop him from drinking the human in the open. I let down my guardand pulled him away as hard as I could. When I did, he looked at me, full of gu

ilt. The smell of blood had also reached my nostrils and I sniffed in the smell.My gaze fixed on Justin. Everyone was looking at us. I pulled him towards an al

ley. " You're a vampire?" I asked,shocked. He looked blankly at me. He was expressionless. He looked up at the sky and dug his nails into the hard, brick wall

and climbed up, disappearing into the night.

*I trudged back to the hotel. My head was throbbing. I was thinking about Justin.Mr Vurton was in the room sitting on his coffin. I greeted him. "Where have yo

u been?" He asked, curious. " Nowhere. I was just walking around the streets. "He sniffed me. "You, smell, different Somewhat like a, vamperet, " He fixed his gaze on me and stood up. He walked slowly towards me and snatched my hand. " Wherehave you been?" He asked sounding serious. His eyes narrowed. "I- I-w-was goin

g out with someone," I stuttered. " Who?" He asked. " Justin , Justin Wolfberry,"Mr Vurton tightened his grip around my hand. " You're hurting me," I whimpered." You were out with a vamperet?" He yelled. " What have you got, a death wish?"He tightened his grip again. I frowned. " He's a vamperet?" I asked. " Yes! And

you were about to be killed by him!" He snorted. " He will never do that! You're lying!" Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes. I snarled at him. " What do you think? He went out with you. What do you expect from a vamperet?" He stared right into my eyes. " I-I thought he wasn't going to... I thought he wasn't... " I mused. " I did not think he was one," I continued. "Hmph! Now you know.Stay away from that kid. You are not allowed to go out with him," He barked. "Who do you think you are? You're not my dad. You can't tell me what to do," I y

elled ,trying to escape from his grip. He raised his hand like a dagger, his nails stretched out. I backed off and stopped talking. He looked away from me. "Do you think I came here for no reason?" He asked. I shook my head. " I came he

re to destroy that mad vamperet you have been going out with," He said. " I will not let you kill him," I swore. My eyes flared with anger. " Do not get in theway, Tiara Azhar or you will not be of need to me anymore." Mr Vurton threate

ned, menacingly. With that he went out, slamming the door shut. No, I can't letMr Vurton kill Justin. He... I don't know if he is even innocent. Anyway, I hav

e to stop him from killing Justin. Without thinking twice, I ran out of the hotel room, searching for Justin Wolfberry, the mad vamperet. I searched every alley of the town. Every occupied building and then it struck me, he should be in anabandoned building. I checked almost every building in this town. I was about

to give up when I saw a building filled with cobwebs and the walls were almost torn apart. I had a hunch to enter the building. I spotted a rusty knife on thefloor and picked it up. In case I needed it. I stopped in my tracks when I hear

d someone screeched. I quickly crept up the steps . They were eaten by termitesand most of them were almost gone. I checked the upper floors and saw that no one was there. I knew he had to be in the basement. I opened the door without a s

ound. I knew that if anything gone wrong, I would never be leaving this building. I saw a figure in the dark. He was sitting on a stool at the corner of the room. I could make out its spiky, short hair and long cloak. It was Justin! I slo


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wly moved towards him and I heard him snort. " Justin? " I asked softly. I slowly inched towards him. My feet hit something hard. I looked down and to my horror, it was a rotting corpse, drained of blood! I trembled. I was about to scream but bit my lips hard and they bled. Mr Vurton was right. Justin was a vamperet.He killed those he fed on. I bend over Justin. I slowly stretched out my hand tohis face. He cocked his head. " What are you doing here?" He growled. " I-I wassearching for you, " I answered, snatching back my hand when he tried to bite m

e. He looked haggard. " Have you been feeding?" I asked. " No. But why do you care?" He asked. I looked away embarrassed. " Justin, I care about you. We are blood cousins," I smiled sadly. "You?" He snickered. " What do you mean? Why do you care about me? We feed on you," I stared hard into his eyes before admitting." I'm a half-vampire," I answered. He chuckled instantly. " Isn't it impossible?Our clans have been at war for five-hundred years. Besides, I will never learn

to like a blood-sucking being which never drain their prey dry. That is a shame," He fixed his gaze on me. Then, I tasted my blood that had reached into my mouth. I licked my lips. The taste was sweet and spicy. I looked at him with sympathy. " Mmm... I could taste you from here," He licked his lips. He looked at me,with his blood-thirsty eyes. Those crimson red eyes, and pounced on me. His strength was unimaginable. I did not struggle. I just looked at him. The vamperet w

as about to kill me. He bared his fangs and I turned my head to one side, exposing my neck. I did not say a word or scream for help. If he sink his fangs intomy neck, it would be the end of me and I knew that. He would drain me dry and t

he police would found me here, in a place where I'm not supposed to be in, drained of blood. His fangs were just an inch away from me. My heart pounded loudly.Beads of sweat trickled my forehead. My eyes widened. Just then something knock

ed him off balance. He whimpered. I looked up and saw who it was. It was Mr Vurton, my saviour! Mr Vurton was there, under the dim lights, standing tall. He looked down to me. I knew he was serious about killing Justin. He advanced towards Justin and tried to land a punch on him but he missed. Justin was too quick. Justin kicked Mr Vurton's leg and Mr Vurton bend over. He got up but Justin rammed his head on Mr Vurton's stomach. He scratched Mr Vurton. Mr Vurton bent overin pain. His face was a paler shade of white than it was before a night ago. He

winced in pain. I realised that Mr Vurton was weak. He hadn't been drinking blood. I knew I had to pick one side. My options were weighed. I knew that eitherside I choose, I will have to face the consequences. I took the rusty knife with me and leapt towards Justin, to scare him out of his attack and partly becauseI was scared of my actions. I landed the knife on his shoulder and made a longcut. Before he could retaliate, I held the knife to his throat. " Don't move!"

I threatened. He was smart and knew better than trying to move. He buckled. " Do what you have to. Kill me," I have to finish him off. But I couldn't. I was spell-bound. I could not bring myself to kill Justin. I closed my eyes and dropped the knife. Tears were welling in the corners of my eyes. I couldn't kill Justin. Justin held his shoulder and spat at his wound. I stood there, one of my hands on the wall beside Justin while the other was dangling by my side. " Why didn't you finish him off?" Mr Vurton asked. " I couldn't. It's not right," I replied softly,looking towards the floor and that softened the look on Justin's face. Mr Vurton looked away in disgust. He leapt in the air and charged towards Justin. His fist clenched. I realised that Mr Vurton was going to kill Justin. No,I can't let him. I blocked Mr Vurton. I stood in the way between Mr Vurton and

Justin. The blow, that was full of rage and anger, that was meant for Justin wasgiven to me. It knocked out the air in my stomach. My ribs creaked. My eyelids

shot open. A stabbing sensation shot me. Blood slowly oozed out of my nose. Mr Vurton stopped in his tracks, worry was written all over his face. " You, protected me?" Justin asked , trying to find the right words. However, I did not have time to answer. I dropped to my knees but Justin helped me up. " Are you okay?" He asked. I just nodded . I wasn't. I didn't want to die but I have saved Justin's life. That would be the last thing I saw before I perished, My eyelids were

drooping. My mind was in a whirl. Justin bared his fangs , staring at Mr Vurton.Everything around me was fading. The world. Mr Vurton. Justin. And most importa

ntly, my life.


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Chapter 5

I fell on the floor. My head banged against the floor but I couldnt feel anything. I lay on the floor, between life and death. I couldn

t see what was going on. My eyes were shut. I was plunged into darkness. Justin

s eyes flared with anger. " You, you..." He muttered under his breath. "Gr...." He growled. He rained

a few blows on Mr Vurton. With a sudden surge of power, he connected with Mr Vurton

s jaw. Mr Vurton, annoyed by Justin

s blows, raised his fist and connectedwith Justin

s ribs. The blow sent Justin flying across the room. Justin

s bloodwas dancing with anger in him. He pounded the ground and cursed under his breath. Mr Vurton stood there, frowning. Justin hung his head low. For a few minutesthere was an awkward silence. Just then, the most amazing thing happened. I grunted. I wasn

t dead! I heaved a big sigh of relieve. That near death experiencewas a painful one. My limbs began aching. My stomach was hurting. An excruciating pain shot through my whole body. Justin looked up when he realised I was alive. He rushed over to my side and kneel. "You

re hurt badly, you need some blood,"He told me. Breathing was almost impossible, moving was unimaginable. I just no

dded. "But... Where... Can, you find a... human?" I asked. " Not a human, a vam

peret," He told me. " There

s no time," I looked at him, shocked. " You will gain half of a vamperet

s ability but your thirst will increase. You will be stronger and you will be immune to poison. And.... You will not be half vamperet though," He told me. My eyes widened. Could I defy the vampires and drink vamperetblood? Then I remembered Mr Vurton. I looked over my shoulder, towards Mr Vurton. He was standing straight, looking towards the scene before him. He nodded sadly. He seemed to have read my mind. Justin bent towards me. He made a small cutacross his shoulder. " Drink," He said as the red liquid oozed out slowly. I c

overed the cut with my lips and sucked in the blood. It tasted weird. It had a sweeter taste than normal vampire blood. After a few seconds, I cocked my head and placed a finger over his cut. He spat on his wound. I felt dizzy and the world was spinning around me. He looked at me blankly as if to say," Why didn

t youdrink more?"I returned a hostile glare. " We do not need as much blood as you,"

I smiled sweetly. I was losing my energy. Vamperet blood was poisonous but I hadto take my chances. Seconds slipped by and I was going to be completely drainedof my energy. Just as I was about to lose hope, I could feel my energy surging

in me. I slowly got up on my knees. " Thank you, Justin. You saved my life," Ihugged him. He smiled. He looked over to my neck. A sweat trickled down his forehead. I turned to face him. I knew what he wanted. He wanted blood. He needed it. Mr Vurton stepped in," No way am I going to let him feed on you," He cocked his head to one side. "Mmm.... Justin Wolfberry, aka. Prince Of The Vamperets to-be," He mused. " Prince Of The Vamperet to-be?" I asked. He nodded." Every racehas a god. That includes vampires and vamperets. Though Justin is not really a

god. He is a prince of God. The child of god," Mr Vurton explained. He smirked.I stared at him and looked at him blankly before throwing my hair to one side ofmy neck. I held my head in a position so as so he was able to feed from me. "

Go on," I urged. He hesitated a moment before sinking his fangs into my neck. "Ack!" I yelped. His fangs were sharp. Too sharp for their own good. But I didn

tresist when he drank from me. "Chit!" Mr Vurton looked away in disgust. My eyeswere fixed on the vampire. Although Justin was a vamperet, he didn

t suck me dry. He covered the cut with his finger and spat on it. We were connected, somehow. His blood in me while mine in him. He stood up and stretched out his hand. Ireached for it and he pulled me up, slowly." I have to go now," He said sadly. I could hear his firm but gentle tone. He k

issed me on the hand and ran off, finally reaching his maximum speed and he flitted. I turned to face the vampire, Leonard Vurton. Disgusting, He commented. Hedid not believe the love between a vampire and vamperet. They were two, separat

e clans. They had been at war for five-hundred years. I just shrugged my should

er. I thought about what Mr Vurton said. Justin was the Prince Of The Dark Lordsto-be. Was he really one? I have to know. Was Justin something I did not know?I had to find out. I faced the vampire. He just looked at me and walked calmly


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away. I got out of the building and climbed on a roof-top. I jumped from one tothe other, smiling to myself. I felt the cool breeze on my face. That was the first one in a long time.

Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Justin Wolfberry ran all the way to Vampire Deathway, a mountain in w

hich the Vampire and Vamperet Generals discuss important matters. A meeting washeld once every decade. They have to be sure that no laws were broken. Justin raced against time to the mountain. He slowly crept in. He smiled in approval. His father was already waiting for his arrival. Mmm.... How would it be if the father of the Prince to-be dies even before the

estimated time? He mused while circling his father. Do what you must and leave this place, son!" Fendi Brown barked. Father, will you be so rude and kick me out? He teased. His father grunted. Do n

ot waste my time. What have you come here to claim? His father growled. Mmm... There is this one thing.... Your head! Justin snapped. He gave his father acrushing blow to his ribs. His father clinched in pain.

Monster! Get out! Fendi barked. Justin was not the type you would want to mess

around with. He snarled at Fendi. What have you been feeding on? He asked,stunned to see his teeth so sharp and pointed. They broke in a fight. Justin was on the winning side. He took out the knife that he had slipped into his pocket and ducked when his father kicked. Without second hesitation, Justin slashed at his fathers neck. His father stared at him. Let.... This, be...be a re...reminde...der son, He gurgled. I... wi-will re-return... With his last word, he held his sons hand, staining them with his blood. Justin Wolfberry had to do something. He took the knife with him and ran away fromVampire Deathway. He will not stand a chance if he was discovered. A mad vamperet, Prince to-be, who killed his father. What would they think?

*

I reached the hotel room before Mr Vurton did. When he reached, he took a shower and slept through the day. I knew better than to explore the city-I learned that the previous time-so I stayed put in the hotel room, grumbling to myself. I had my cellphone with me. I could call Mum and Dad. I could also call Zaffrey. Ipunched in Zaffrey

s number. " Leave a message after the tone," It beeped. I could hear the door of Mr Vurton

s room unlocking. I quickly stuffed the phone in my pocket. Mr Vurton saw me. " What are you doing?" He asked "Nothing, just checking the time,"My phone was sticking out from my pocket. I lied. He saw my phone." Can I see it?" He asked. Sure, why not?" I replied and took out the phone. Ihanded it over to Mr Vurton. " Nice model," He said before breaking it into hal

f and crushing it with his bare hands. My jaw dropped. I was trying to say something but the words were stuck in my throat. I tried to get it out but couldn

t.It was the latest model and I bought it with my money!" Be careful with who youtalk to," He warned. Justin was away and Mr Vurton was busy

counting the dustmites

in his coffin. I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I paced in the room, grumbling and cursing my foulest. Mr Vurton tied two pillows on his head, covering his ear. He looked like an elephant with no trunk! " Okay, let me take you out somewhere. Be quiet!" He hissed. I blinked my eyes, looking innocently at him and obeyed him. He took me out to a restaurant where they serve only the finest. " May I take your order please?" The waiter asked, while penning downsome notes. He looked up and he trembled when he saw Mr Vurton. Mr Vurton staredat him. He immediately started penning down notes. " Hm... Let me have the Blac

k Pepper Steak and um... Grilled Fish," I smiled, ignoring his sudden surge of anxiety. Mr Vurton stared hard into him then raised his head. Mr Vurton cocked his head to one side. " Let me have a set of raw beef, extra-bloody," Mr Vurton fr

owned. The waiter, whose hair was silky and shiny, nodded promptly and went off." That was weird," I mumbled. Mr Vurton cocked is head and rubbed his fore-hea

d(a routine of his whenever he was immersed in his own thoughts). " So, I could


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eat anything?" I asked slyly. He nodded. I grinned. He treated me to a feast after breaking my phone! That was better than I thought. I should probably buy another phone and let him break it again! I smug at that thought. When our food wasready, the waiter that served us earlier, Frisky, quickly laid down the food. "Here

s your steak and fish. And raw beef, extra-bloody," He said. " Enjoy your meal," He said while walking away. Mr Vurton was still staring at him. " He looksfamiliar" He mused. I slowly ate my steak. Mr Vurton poked at his beef. I saw th

e blood dripping from it. He bit a piece off. He turned to look at me(I was grinning at the raw beef). " Here," He stab a piece and poked it into my mouth. I chewed it, savouring its taste. I didn

t realise how ridiculous I look. Blood wasdripping from the sides of my mouth and my cheeks were puffed up. I looked likea mad vampire out of a mental hospital! "Thank you," I mumbled with my mouth full. When we finished eating our meal,Mr Vurton sat up. " I have to go somewhere,"He said while walking away. I decided to see what he was up to. I stalked him,

keeping a distance of a hundred metres away from him. He could sniff me if I wastoo near. He was following the waiter, Frisky. Frisky looked around, to see if

anyone was stalking him. With a sigh of relieve, Frisky tore open his waiter uniform, revealing his bloodied white robe. He crawled up to the roof of a building. I let out a gasp. I was shocked. How many are there? He was a creature of the

night! He wasn

t an ordinary human! I followed Mr Vurton. Frisky led him into anunderground tunnel. I got in the manhole and dropped onto the putrid waters below. Rats made their homes in the cracks of the sewer. I wrinkled my nose as I went deeper into the sewer. I had to be stealthy but agile. I could hear the shuffling of footsteps. The putrid water was making me sick. I couldn

t bear the smell. My head pounded wildly. The tunnel twisted and turned. Mr Vurton screeched toa halt. I could hear his footsteps stop. I was at the corner of a tunnel. I wan

ted to turn and find out what was going on but my instinct told me to stop in mytracks and listen. My mind told me to turn round the corner but my stomach chur

ned. My guts told me to listen to my surroundings. I resist the thought of turning round the corner and face Mr Vurton and say," Boo! I got you! Haha! What areyou doing here?" and get my head sliced off by Frisky. I stayed and listened. "Stop right there!" Mr Vurton snarled. " What do you want?" Frisky hissed. I cra

ned my neck to see what was happening. Frisky was staring right into Mr Vurton." Are you the son of Destiny? The one known as Path?" Mr Vurton raised an eyebrow. " So, I

ve been discovered. Long time no see, Leonard Vurton," Path or Frisky, if that

s his real name, raised his voice. Path raised his head. " How long has it been... About a few decades...I think," Mr Vurton mused. " Prompt as ever," Path grinned. " I see... Where

s Mr Destiny?" Mr Vurton bared his teeth. " Ah...That old guy. I don

t know," Path answered. Mr Vurton wrinkled his nose. Therewas an awful stench. It was of a rotting corpse. " But you

re his son! Don

t tell me you don

t know!" Mr Vurton hissed. Path is the son of Destiny! But who isDestiny? " I don

t know," Path replied. Mr Vurton cursed and advanced towards him. "That means, you

re no use to me!" Mr Vurton snarled. Path giggled. There wasa loud roar and an army of vamperets flooded the tunnels. One of the vamperets

was coming via my route. He saw me and growled. I was unarmed and an easy prey.The vamperet grabbed me by my arm and dragged me into the tunnel Path and Mr Vurton were in. Mr Vurton grumbled when he saw me. " What are you doing here?" He asked. I rubbed my head and giggled sarcastically. " I followed you," I mumbled.He rolled his eyes. " Now what?" I asked. " Nothing. We just sit here and die."He replied, grinning sickly. " What about fighting?" I asked. He sighed and looked around. I looked around. We were outnumbered two to twenty. There was no waywe could survive if we fought. Plus, we were unarmed. "Oh," I muttered. I was racking my brain for a solution. Just then, a figure came crashing through the ceilings of the tunnels. A figure with a sleek body. A figure with spiky, blonde hair. A figure with crimson eyes. Justin Wolfberry! I broke into a grin. He punched through the hard brick wall. His fist connected to the ground of the tunnel. It shook the whole tunnel. He landed beside me. He turned to face me and faked ig

norance. "Justin Wolfberry, what are you doing here?" Path asked. " I came to drop by," He smiled. Then he looked around. " You seem to be in a predicament there, Miss Azhar and Leonard Vurton," He bowed. " Silly vamperet," Mr Vurton mutter


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ed. Justin smiled wryly. " Please leave," Justin ordered politely. Path glared at Justin. He stared hard. " Unless you want to fight with me," Justin Wolfberrystated clearly and raised his head. Anxiety was written on everyone

s faces. Path gulped. "I...I

ll let you off this time. Retreat, fellow vamperets," Path waved a hand and the vamperets retreated. I looked at Mr Vurton and Justin. I was glad that he was back but shocked to see why the vamperets were afraid of him. " What was that about?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence. Justin just sighed.

" Welcome back," I whispered.

Chapter 7

We retreated to our hotel room. Justin and Mr Vurton looked under the weather. They were in their reverie. " Hey, tell me something." I said to Justin. He cocked an eyebrow. " Why are the vamperets afraid of you?" I continued. He stared atme and chuckled. Before he spoke a word, Mr Vurton stepped in." That is because he is the strongest among them and his strength have been rec

ognised far and wide by all the vamperets. He went through the Trials Of Death and got out of it without a scratch. The only one to be able to do that and he isalso a crowned Prince," Mr Vurton smiled. Justin nodded and grinned widely. He

couldn

t keep the pride out of his face. I congratulated him." Where did you go anyway?" I asked. His eyes darted from side to side and he kept quiet. It was proof that he was trying to come up with an excuse. " Never mind. Let

s drop the subject," I said after realising he wasn

t going to speak of his whereabouts." Anyway, who is Mr Destiny?" I asked and the two pairs of eyes finally settledon me. Mr Vurton mused." Mr Destiny or Forever Destiny, is a powerful man. He writes our destiny and decides what comes after what. Basically, he is second to God. He has been said tobe missing for a few decades. We do not know where he had gone. All we know is

that he should be writing a few scripts of other

s destinies. I have been searching for him but to no avail," Mr Vurton paused. Justin stared at me." He visited me a few years ago," Justin whispered. Mr Vurton

s gaze landed on

him." He told me something about the coming of age and the world

s death. He said that the world is getting older and the Apocalypse will occur. It dies when the ruler sets in and destroys it, making it a barren land. Only four persons can prevent it from happening. They are called the Blood Hunters. One of them is Tiara,the other four will be revealed within the next few decades, leaving us a fortnight to prevent a destruction of the world," Justin paused. Mr Vurton leapt towards Justin." Why didn

t you inform us earlier?" He asked. " I love suspense," He grinned wickedly. Mr Vurton grunted. "What are we supposed to do, now?" I asked. " We will leave for Vampire Deathway tomorrow. I will have to present you to the VampireGenerals and Prince," He said, " Where?" I asked. " Vampire Deathway. You will

like living there, I suppose," He grinned. I got an impending rush of anxiety when I heard that. I cocked my eyebrow and grinned cagily.

Chapter 8

I banged my head against the walls of my coffin. Mr Vurton pulled away my blanket. " Go away... I want to sleep..." I grumbled and kicked at Mr Vurton." We have to leave for Vampire Deathway," He answered. I yawned and stretched. After what seemed like an eternity, I got up. The room was dusty and I was wheezing the whole night. Mr Vurton shoved me a box of tissue. I wiped my face and washed up." Let

s go," I whispered. Mr Vurton nodded and I searched for Justin. I found him sitting on a roof. He was glaring at the moon. He noticed me and cocked his he

ad in greeting. I climbed up and sat beside Justin. " What are you thinking about?" I croaked. Justin looked away. " The blood of the vamperet is in me, mixingwith my blood of origin. " He paused. " What are you before a vamperet?" I asked


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. " I was a demon. A destroyer of the world, before I struck a deal with Mr Destiny. Now, if the transformation is complete, I will become something that will turn my back on humanity, vampirism and vamperism." He glared at the moon. " Justin," I began," how many times must I tell you." My eyes narrowed." I know," He replied." Mr Vurton

s waiting for us," I whispered in his ear. He nodded. We got up andjumped down from the roof. I perfected my landing. We walked towards Mr Vurton,

who nodded, and left for Vampire Deathway.Justin hated walking under the sun but Mr Vurton thought of it as a challenge. Half an hour after walking in the sun, their skin had turned red. They looked like lobsters! We occasionally took a break every hour or so. We were walking awayfrom civilisation when Justin stopped in his tracks. He sniffed the air." Do you smell a rotting corpse?" He asked. I chuckled." Stop kidding," I replied.

"Seriously," He said while sniffing the air.Mr Vurton cocked his head and sniffed the air. He agreed. We sniffed out the location of the rotting corpse and it led us into a farm, Country Farm. "Looks harmless to me," I said while shrugging my shoulders. We followed the smell and stopped in front of a barn. We heard a bell chime and villagers flooded the area. A

farmer spotted us and shouted at us in a foreign language. That alerted the other villagers. All of them


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stopped their labour and slowly advanced towards us, closing in on us. They formed a large circle and we were in the centre of it. Their sharp tools brandishedus. We were trapped! I need to come up with a plan. I need to find a way to execute it. I looked over to my shoulder. Justin was standing his ground, crouchinga few inches. He stretched his claws and bared his teeth. He looked fearsome. His crimson eyes narrowed. His sharp teeth protruding. His sleek figure bent. I crouched low, stretched my claws and bared my teeth. Mr Vurton looked towards usand did the same. We were hissing and spitting at the villagers, hoping they wou

ld run off. Vampires do not kill humans mercilessly. We were spitting at them for almost a minute but they wouldn

t budge. Finally, the bell chimed again andthe villagers dropped their weapons and ran in the clock tower.


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" What are they?" I asked. Mr Vurton shrugged his shoulders."More like robots to me," Zaffrey mumbled to himself. I nudged him and he smile

d." What are we going to do now?" I asked. Mr Vurton looked up." I suggest we search for the corpse. The stench is stronger now," He suggestedand narrowed his eyebrows. We agreed. I crouched low and ran on all fours. I

looked like a devil she-wolf. My nails had grown longer and I knew I needed them

to keep me safe. I knew what a bad idea it was to try cutting it by slamming itwith a door! I dug my nails in the ground and leapt onto the roof of a shack. "

I sense something," I growled. Mr Vurton grinned." Look Justin, your girlfriend

s an animal!" He chuckled. I growled deeply. Justin snarled at him. I jumped on Mr Vurton and bared my teeth. I felt weird. I wasn

t myself."Charna

s Guts..."He exclaimed."The change!" Mr Vurton pushed me off him. Justin stared at him in disbelief." But you changed her only a few months ago!" He exclaimed.

" Exactly!" Mr Vurton replied. I cocked my eyebrow. " What do you mean by that?"I asked blankly." The change. It usually occurs to half-vampires after a few decades. They willchange from half-vampire to full vampire," He paused. " But will I..." I did no

t finish my sentence. " Yes, that is why your process is complicated. You will switch from half vampire to full vampire and back to a half-vampire, if you

re lucky. You will be ridiculously strong, depending on you current strength, after the change," He explained. I nodded. The change. That explains why I have been acting like an animal. I got up and brushed off the dirt. " Aren

t we on a treasure hunt?" I grinned. They exchanged wry grins and continued on our journey.

Chapter 9

We reached the heart of the village after an hour. It was deserted. There was agiant oak tree in the middle with skulls hanging down. An ominous aura blanketedus. The houses and shacks around it were placed a few hundred meter away from t

he tree. The smell was overbearing. The smell of rotting flesh. We moved towards

the tree before something caught our eye. A teenage boy was sitting on the tree, eating a figure that is bigger than him. Something instantly recognisable. That something shocked us. A chill ran down our spine. That thing was, Forever Path! The vamperet we chanced upon in the city! That vamperet that me and Mr Vurtonwere stalking. That vamperet which retreated at the sight of Justin! My mouth was agape and my fingers were frozen. We walked towards the boy. I leaned closer and saw that he was a vampire. Mr Vurton followed me but his eyes widened as he recognised the boy." Nigel!" He exclaimed. He clenched his fist.

"What are you doing here?" He asked." First and foremost, why are you eating a vamperet?" Justin asked. Nigel cackl

ed. He swooped down the tree and landed a metre away from us. Justin and Mr Vurton advanced towards him but I backed off. Nigel smiled and walked towards me. Hestopped when he was an inch away from my face. I could smell it. The wretched s

mell of blood." Well, well, you brought a princess with you. A pretty one too," He commented while holding up my chin with a finger. I blushed. He was good looking and tall.His long red hair flowed over his face. His white teeth glistened under the moo

n. He spoke with a british accent. He was wearing a white fury coat, made out ofanimal

s skin. Justin growled and turned to Nigel." Well, sit boy. Unless you can give me the princess," Nigel said slyly. Justingrunted." Don

t touch her!" He hissed. I regained my composure and shook my head. Nigel

s hand returned to his side. I was sombre in expression but inside, I was burning with anger. He was so good looking. Justin glared at me. I turned away. Nigel

saw what was happening and chuckled." The name

s Tiara Azhar," I said, breaking the awkward stares. My eyes fixedon Nigel. Nigel smiled.


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" Nigel Thall . Glad to meet you," He raised an eyebrow. His breath was hot onmy cheeks. Justin puckered and mumbled under his breath. " Ah," Nigel turned towards Justin." Nigel Thall. Spitting to meet you," He greeted. Justin rolled his eyes. I giggled. I looked at the the remains of Forever Path." So, why are you eating him?" I asked, forcing a smile. He looked at me and raised his lips at the side, turning into a half-smile.

We walked towards the barn. I was recalling the conversation we had just now. Nigel stared at Mr Vurton who was staring right back at him." I was starved after getting locked up in that cell for a month. I was famishe

d and waited for anything I could pounce on. Forever Path was teasing me and hiskeys dropped in my cell by accident, he tried to pick it up but I tore him intoshreds," Nigel grinned. I shook my whole body.

" So, how does it taste like?" I asked, disgusted." Delightful. A bit like chicken but more delightful. It was an interesting dis

h, if I say so myself," Nigel replied." Can you kill one for me?" I asked. My eyes widening. My heart beating faster

. I was getting excited. The way he said that statement was tantalising, considering the fact that I have not eaten.

" Tiara!" Mr Vurton barked and I snapped out of my excitement. I sighed. Nigel laughed." With Forever Path out of the way, it is easier to search for the Emblem Of Peace," Justin said. I nodded in agreement." May I join you on your quest?" Nigel requested. Justin snapped.

" No way!" Mr Vurton glared at Justin. " With the help of someone like him, we could find the Emblem of Peace," Mr Vurton said."But what can someone like him, do?" Justin snapped. Nigel smiled." Most of the vampires, in fact all of them prefer brawn over brains except forme," He said. I snapped out of my reverie when I smelt it again. The smell of rotting flesh."Mr Vurton..." I began but he silenced me with a gentle wave of his hand. We sl

owly walked towards the barn. It was getting closer. The smell. It was overbeari

ng. I was going to puke soon. My senses were extra sharp. The smell filled my nose. I reached out and pushed the door slowly. When it opened, I puked and the other vampires bent over as the smell of a million rotting corpse filled their noses. They went berserk and kept on puking. Corpses were everywhere. Hanging fromthe ceilings. Staked onto the pillars. Pilled up on the floor. Some of them wer

e green and pulse were coming out. Worms and maggots were coming in and out of their bodies. Some were headless and it was a gruesome sight. Nigel pinched his nose and chanted something as he waved his hand and the smell was gone. We sighedand wiped our mouth. I handed them tissues and they wiped their mouth-I carrieda packet of tissue everywhere I went. Just in case something like this happens

."What just happened?" I asked. Nigel smiled.

" A spell just happened," Justin mumbled." So who was the spell caster?" I asked. " Eh-hem," Nigel coughed into his fist." You, you

re a wizard?" Mr Vurton asked." More like sorcerer," He replied" So that

s what you have been doing for the past few years!My goodness, we must present you to the Princes!" Mr Vurton exclaimed. Nigel nodded."Never mind about me. The corpses.I found out that the villagers are actually v

amperets!They are manipulated by Forever Destiny," Nigel exclaimed. I was shocked. We were interrupted by a villager who sent his rake flying through the air and onto me. The rake locked me onto the ground. It didn

t pierce me but two of its teeth were on the sides of my neck."Hmph!" Justin sneered as he charged at the villager. He was about to knock himout but he fell for their trap. The others showed themselves and they threw thei

r tools at Justin. All of them pierced him and he landed with a loud thud, growling. Mr Vurton charged at the villagers and kicked them but a second wave appeared and he landed with a thud beside Justin. He too was locked onto the ground. N


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igel smiled and he chanted a spell. Dragons and Babylon flew threw the air beside Nigel and attacked the villagers. The dragons bit deep into the villagers while the Babylon scratched the villagers. Blood gushed out of their wounds and theywere screaming and screeching. Nigel just stood there with arms crossed and a s

mile played on his lips. He couldn

t keep the pride out of their face. He was asorcerer and a powerful one too. After they were killed, Nigel went over to helpme first. I got out and he helped me up.

"Close call, don

t you think so?" His British accent was as sharp as ever. I nodded. We helped the rest." Stop being so cocky! I

ll beat the pride out of your face!" Justin threatened.Nigel laughed.

" Bring it on." He said in a low, menacing voice." Quieten down! Stop this racket!" Mr Vurton demanded and pushed Justin and Nigel aside.I looked at the corpses of the vamperets."What do we do now?" Mr Vurton asked.

"I suggest you leave for Vampire Deathway," A voice suggested. We turned aroundand the sight of that person made Mr Vurton and Justin felt uneasy and move uncomfortably.

*" Forever Destiny," Nigel greeted, standing his ground and arms crossed. He coc

ked his head and leered at Mr Destiny." Master Thall, as sharp as ever," Mr Destiny replied and held out a hand. Nigelstared hard at Mr Destiny and Mr Destiny took back his hand. " What have you be

en doing?" He asked. Nigel

s eyes narrowed." You know better than anyone," Nigel snapped. Mr Destiny

s face grew serious." Clever, you know the rules of the Forevers," Mr Destiny sneered. Mr Destiny smiled when he saw the rest of us as if he did not realise us there just now." Hello, Leonard, Tiara and... Justin Wolfberry," He said as if he was going to callJustin something else." Prince," He greeted. Justin did not budge. He looked at Justin with an eye.

"Have you related the message?" Mr Destiny asked Justin. Justin nodded. Mr Destiny smiled amusingly. He looked up at the sky." My time here is almost up. A disaster is waiting for me to arrive," He claspe

d his hands together." Remember, a fortnight is all you got... But, don

t worry. I didn

t say it wastoday or the following week. You will have a few more years. The battle betweenthe bloods is still in place." He said dryly."Wait! Can

t you give me some other clue?" I snapped. Mr Vurton and Justin looked at me with their mouth agape. Who could ever thought anyone would order Mr Destiny around? Nigel just smiled slyly." Tsk,tsk such rudeness. Isn

t it exciting to be kept in suspense? I would giveanything just to see the world in your point of view," He chastised and wagged his finger." No. I need some answers. Who are the other three Blood Hunters?" I snapped. Hepointed a finger to his lips and his eyes narrowed.

" I will reveal it to you then." He pointed a finger at Nigel, Mr Vurton and Justin."You mean they were the ones all along?" I asked, aghast.He nodded. " However, the Blood Hunters cannot stop the Apocalypse," He said.I sneered. " Who could?" I snarled." The Grievers. Three blood siblings that have been scattered all around the face of the Earth. You will need to find out who the Grievers are, on your own." Hepronounced each syllable clearly. " However, I could tell you the purpose of th

e Blood Hunters. They will open up a path to the underworld to find out who oneof the Grievers is,"He paused. "Goodness, I just told you a clue," He snapped.

" Never mind. The Blood Hunters fate will be devastating. Only three will survive. One will die." He mused. " Even though I planned for all to die but never mind. That is all I could tell you," He waved his hand and disappeared into darknes


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s, not wanting to linger any more. We exchanged worried glances. I smiled weakly."So, Vampire Deathway it is," I reminded them. They nodded slowly and we walkedoff to Vampire Deathway, the heart of all the vampires.

Chapter 10

It had been a week since we last left humanity. We braced ourselves against thehot blazing sun and the wintry weathers. I did not utter a word that whole week.I was thinking about what Forever Destiny said. The Apocalypse was coming and

I and a few others were supposed to stop it. It had been just a few months sincemy blooding and now, a heavy burden rests on my shoulder, aching it and making

it swollen. What was I supposed to do? I was inexperienced and weak. The changehad occurred. However, my body was still weak.

"Tiara," Nigel shook me from my reverie. " We

re camping here," He told me. He looked into my eye and forced a smile. I could tell that he was worried about theApocalypse too. He patted my shoulder. "Don

t worry. We

ll be fine. A few moreyears to enjoy life," He advised and I returned a thin smile.

I gathered firewood and stones. Mr Vurton gathered nuts and berries. He taught me which berries are edible and which are not. I was a fast learner and he was impressed. Justin hunted for animals while Nigel stood at the campsite, trying tofigure the way to the Arctic. That was where Vampire Deathway was located. In the ends of the Earth, towards the cold,icy waters. My stomach was growling and myface was ashen. I was covered in dust. We had not found a stream to drink from

or wash ourselves. There had not been rain for the past few months. Since we left Country Farm, we had not eaten or drunk any blood. All we did was walk around,figuring a way to Vampire Deathway. We were exhausted, hungry and dirty. I wait

ed patiently for the campfire to be set-up. Justin brought back two deer, threerabbit and a squirrel. We drank from the deer. Deer blood was good. It was warmand it tastes close to human blood. We cooked the rabbit and squirrel. Mr Vurton

staked the berries and nuts he had gathered and cooked it. We satisfied our growling stomachs with whatever food there was. We ate our dinner silently. " Let us call it a day," Mr Vurton announced as he laid his head on a rock and driftedoff to sleep.

*I tossed and turned but, for some reason, couldn

t get to sleep. I decided to take a stroll through the forest. It was dark. All I could see was the shadows ofthe creatures living in the forest. Crickets chirped. The moon was lighting up the gloomy surroundings. I wandered deeper into the forest. I stopped when I heard a bush rustling. Followed by a crow. I strained my eyes into the gloom bush. Without warning, a black bird flew out and aimed straight for my face, determinedon scratching it!

There was too little time to evade the blow. Its beak connected with my cheek and scratched deep into my flesh. I got a clear view of what that bird was. A Raven! I backed off and protected my face with my bare hands. I tried whacking it but its claws were much stronger than my vampire strength.It scarred my limbs and I finally squatted in surrender. I was wounded all overmy limbs and torso. It seemed to understand what I was doing and it halted its assault. It stood there in front of me. I slowly softened my defence and my handsreturned to my side. It was the biggest raven I had ever seen. It was standing

about half a metre high and ten centimetre wide! It was huge! I couldn

t believemy eyes. I stared at it, incredulously. It crowed loudly and went over to exami

ne me, like a specimen. It pecked at my head and pulled my hair. It stopped and

concentrated on my arms. Its beak was sharp and pointed. I yelped in pain. It felt like I was being stabbed by stakes. I shivered. It stopped pecking me when itsaw my expression. I was horrified. I thought I was going to be minced meat! An


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image of me being torn from limb to limb was playing in my head. It crowed gently and walked over to me. It extended its wing and did something unexpected. Itcovered me with its wing! It laid its head on my shoulder and I was about to topple over. It was heavy. Its eyes were big and shiny. They weren

t black but golden. Its glossy feathers shone. It looked at me and cocked its head. It suddenlystopped in its tracks and looked over at the bush. The bush rustled. It crowed and nimbly pushed me away with its massive weight. I was sent flying through the

air and onto a tree. I landed on my belly. It did not hurt as much. I looked over to the crow. It flew up high as a wolf leapt out of the bush. The wolf was white in colour. It had pointed ears and its coat was silky. Its tail was flowingand its sharp teeth was protruding. It snarled at the raven and leapt in the air. The raven manoeuvre in the air and charged at the wolf. I expected the raven to pierce the wolf but it didn

t. The wolf clawed at it. The raven skilfully evaded and opened its beak wide, charging at the wolf. I had to do something! The two creatures will be dead if they continued battling each other. I charged in between them and stretched out my arms. I reached the raven

s beak and the wolf

s rear legs. I grabbed on to them and threw both the raven and the wolf away from each other. They landed with a loud thud. It did not take long for them to recover. When they did, they lowered their heads and looked at me. I wetted my lips an

d gulped. The wolf sniffed me and cocked its head in approval. It went over to me and stood at my side. I patted its lush fur. The raven seemed to frown and ithopped beside me. It stared at the wolf and back at me. I patted both of them and they finally relaxed. I looked at the sky. The sun was arriving. I have to warn the other vampires and vamperet. I stood up. " Farewell, my friends," I bade them farewell and walked off. I hadn

t gone far before I felt a tug on my left sleeve. I looked over my shoulder. It was the raven. I also spotted another figure. The wolf. It was stalking the raven. I studied them. I bade them farewell andstarted to walk again but they tugged at my sleeve. With a great sigh of relieve, I finally gave in. " You could come too, if you want," Upon hearing that, theraven crowed and the wolf yelped gleefully.

Chapter 11

I got back to the campsite and my fellow mates were staring at me, with an eyebrow cocked." Where have you gone?" Mr Vurton asked. I did not have time to answer. The raven appeared behind me. Mr Vurton raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation." They are my friends," I laughed cagily. Mr Vurton nodded."Right. They are," He smiled sarcastically. His sarcasm didn

t end there. The wolf came out and howled. Mr Vurton nodded in approval as if he was communicatingwith he wolf. I sat down and explained everything." Charna

s Guts!" Mr Vurton exclaimed. " Do you know what a raven represents?" He asked. I shook my head. He sighed heavily." They are bringers of death," He replied dryly. I stared hard at him." Bringers of death?" I repeated. He nodded. I turned to the raven. Its eyes narrowed.

*We found a cave to rest until sunset. The raven hopped over and followed me everywhere I went. When sunset arrived, we ventured out. It was getting colder. I was about to advance towards a forest when Mr Vurton pushed me back with his hand.He silenced me with his finger. He sniffed the air.

" Smell that?" He asked us. Nigel and Justin sniffed the air and nodded curtly.I sniffed the air but it took me longer to trace the smell. My face turned whiteafter a while. It wasn

t the blood of a vampire, vamperet nor human." What is it?" I asked. Justin and Mr Vurton slowly advanced towards the forest.Nigel guarded me and I slowly backed away. Without warning, an arrow flew throu

gh the air and it sliced a string of my hair. Alarmed, I looked behind. A man leapt through the air and stood beside me." May you be cursed," The man said before slicing the back of my robe. My robe f


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ell on the ground. My back was facing my other team mates. I was facing my assaulter. He raised his arm and scratched my back. His claws were sharper than anything else I have ever encountered. I screamed in agony. Blood started gushing out. He smiled." You are the Griever. The fate of the world is in your hands. You have been honoured with the Emblem Of all Grievers." He said before sprinting off. My blood gushed out.

"Tiara!" Mr Vurton called. He rushed over to me and examined my wound."You wound is not fatal. I can cure it with my spit," He said before spitting into my wound. He wiped off the remaining blood with his cloak. The wound healed and I was able to move again."Wait," Nigel called before I could move. He opened his fur coat and thrust it to me. I slipped it on and thanked him. We exchanged worried glances." Who was that?" We asked.We sat in a circle. I decided to break the silence." He told me something," I said. The four pairs of eyes fell on me."I think he was lying but in any case, he told me that, I was a Griever," I paused." You?" Nigel asked. I nodded. Everyone was shaken.

The raven, which I decided to name, Locket, flew above us and dropped a goat infront of us. We thanked it and ate the goat." Has the wound healed?" Nigel asked. I nodded." May I take a look at it?" He asked. I nodded again. I slipped off part of my coat and revealed the scar." Charna

s Guts!" He exclaimed. " Look! A mark!" He exclaimed. The others turnedtowards me examined the scar. Mr Vurton ran a finger over the scar and traced o

ut the outline." Tiara," He began." He was right, you are the Griever, the saviour of the world and the bringer ofdeath," He finished.

I froze. It was too much. The raven. The wolf. The attacker. The news. The scar.

" Charna

s Guts!" Nigel exclaimed again as he recalled something." I have done research on this. The mark of the raven stays on the one who is aGriever. It is the Emblem Of all Grievers. The Griever is no lie. It will save or destroy the world." Nigel said dryly.I pulled up the coat and turned to face them."If I am the Griever. Will I destroy the world?" I asked. Mr Vurton gulped." You have a choice. If you want the world destroyed, you could destroy it," Heanswered dryly. I stared at him. Why would he say that? Did he think I wanted todestroy the world?

"What happens after that?" I asked. Mr Vurton looked at me blankly." No one knows. Not even Forever Destiny. " He answered. A dark mood came over us. We ate our dinner in the silence of the night.

Chapter 12

Streaker,the wolf, and Locket,the raven, apparently knew the way to Vampire Deathway. The journey was long and treacherous. We had to scale heights and cross seas. Finally, after months, we reached the foot of a mountain. It was cold andit would have killed a human but thank the vampire gods we weren

t humans. The Arctic was a tundra. The coldest place on Earth. Justin and Mr Vurton stopped. Ilooked at them blankly. There were looking at the mountain. I strained my eyes over the mountain to fit in." I don

t see the castle," I said while straining my eyes. The others looked ateach other before bursting into a fit of laughter. I frowned." What

s so funny?"I asked.

" A castle? Yeah right!" Nigel replied. I puckered. I scanned the whole mountain." So, where is it?" I asked. They smiled wryly and exchanged wry glances.


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" Under the mountain!" They sang. Under? Mr Vurton saw my expression and turnedto face me." Why? Do you think they will build a giant palace on the mountain so that theycan attract tourists?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and croaked. My throat was dry. The journey to Vampire Deathway dried my throat as well as my eyes. They started to itch and I was scratching all day long. Justin teased me and said that I could live with the baboons! Nigel chanted a spell, clenched his fist and shot th

em open. We waited. Nothing happened. He repeated the process. A sudden gust ofwind flung us further from the mountain. We groaned as we fell on our knees." Stop wasting your energy. Vampire Deathway is protected from all spells. Onlywhen you are acknowledged by the Grandmasters will you then be able to use magic," Mr Vurton said." That means we can

t get in?" I asked, aghast at the thought of braving throughobstacles and making it to Vampire Deathway pointless. Mr Vurton laughed.

" No, that means we have to present ourselves to the gate," Mr Vurton replied dryly. We sighed at how foolish we were and quickly made it back to Vampire Deathway.Mr Vurton chanted something and the mouth of the mountain slowly rumbled and opened. Two guards, dressed in black robes walked over to us. They were armed with

spears and daggers. They brandished us with their spears." Identify yourselves!" One of them roared. Mr Vurton raised his right hand andlooked to the ground." Leonard Vurton of the seas, have come to attend the meeting," He said before relaxing his hand and his gaze fell on the guard." Nigel Thall, sorcerer of Madinan, have come to attend the meeting," He raisedhis right hand and looked to the ground."Justin Wolfberry, prince of the vamperets, have come to meet the Princes," He said, crossing his arms. His crimson eyes never leaving the guards." Tiara Azhar, assistant of Leonard, have come to attend the meeting," I said, hoping I had said the right thing. The guards browsed through a file." Leonard, Nigel and Tiara have been acknowledged by the Grandmasters but thesethree," he pointed a spear at Locket, Streaker and Justin," have not been acknow

ledge by the Grandmasters. What business have you here, vamperet?" He asked Justin." Justin Wolfberry, Prince Of The Vamperet, has a message for the Princes," Justin replied. The guard nodded and pointed his spear at Locket and Streaker. I stopped him from scratching my pets." Locket and Streaker Heart are my guards and assistants,"I informed. The guardstood his ground." Very well, Locket Heart and Streaker heart has been acknowledged by the Grandmasters," He said before bowing and letting us inThe guard led us into a cavern(they preferred to call it a hall). It was barrenof furniture except for some hay on the ground and stones at the sides. There were some doors leading to other rooms. We examined every inch of the cavern. I fiddled with the hay and stones. There were moss gorwing on the stones. I was disgusted at the thought of touching it. The guard exchanged glances with us and nodded. He quickly led us into one of the rooms." These are your rooms. You can choose any of the rooms you prefer," He bowed before leaving. Justin wanted a room for himself but there was not enough space. Nigel decided to share a room with me but Justin argued. I groaned and rolled myeyes. Boys will always be boys." Enough of this childish nonsense!" Mr Vurton silenced them. " Tiara, you willshare a room with Nigel and Justin with me," Mr Vurton groaned and yawned. We were about to turn in but Mr Vurton interrupted." Do not forget to choose your clothes in the Closet near the restroom," He said. We headed straight to the Closet. We did not want to sleep feeling sticky, ick

y and hot. I ransacked the wardrobes in the Closet. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I picked a black robe with a belt and grey pants. Mr Vurton picked out a black suit with a cloak. Justin picked a light grey suit with white tr


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ousers and Nigel picked out a black vest with white trousers and a black cloak.When we finished dressing, we went straight to our rooms. I couldn

t wait to hitthe sack. I was feeling drowsy and weary after the trip to Vampire Deathway. Wh

en I pushed the door open, rushing in to fall on the soft comfy beds, it wasn

twhat I had expected. The beds were made out of straw and the pillows, stone. There were clocks at the side. Nigel chuckled when he saw my expression."Do you think they will have soft, comfy beds for you to lie on?" He teased.

" Well, I was kind of hoping they would," I mumbled to myself as I fell on the hay. I set the alarm clock and yawned. I tried to keep my eyes opened but fatigueovercame my senses and I was soon drifting off to sleep. My alarm clock rang. Istretched and I hobbled up on my feet. No sooner did I realised that Nigel had

woken up. I was drowsy and my legs were wobbly. I pushed the door open. Streakerhowled and bit my leg.

" Hey! What the.." I did not finish my sentence when I studied the whole hall. It was deserted. I looked down on my leg. Streaker wasn

t there. Instead, there was a badly injured corpse. It was bleeding and its eyes were almost popping out.I bent down and examined the corpse.

" Charna

s Guts!" I exclaimed. The corpse belonged to Streaker! I backed off. What was going on? I slowly made way to a door that led me into the Century. The C

entury was barren. I did not linger. I searched for the exit. Found it! I openedthe door and rushed out.When I took a glance at the surroundings, I found that the trees were destroyedand the snow was melting at a weird, rapid pace. What in the world was going on?I spotted a figure. It gestured at me. I slowly advanced towards him. Perhaps h

e knew what was going on. I took my hood off. I stopped when I was in front of the figure. It was a man. He had a hard-weatered face." Do the right thing, Tiara. Look around you, what have you done? I should havenever blooded you," He said. The voice sounded familiar. After awhile, I realised it was Mr Vurton! My Blood Tie! I was taken aback by he had said." What have I done?" I asked. He sighed." You know better than anyone else. You killed us all," Mr Vurton roared as he gripped my hand and black veins started appearing on my hand and the veins shaped

itself into a pentagram on my wrist.

My eyelids fluttered open. I sighed. It was just a dream but it felt so real. Ilooked beside me. Thank the vampire gods. Nigel was still there. I rubbed my eyes. Was that really a dream? I went over beside Nigel. He was still asleep. I bent over and stared at him as if he was a specimen. My face was close to his. Outof the blue, his eyes shot open and he screamed. He jumped on me and drew his sword. I stared at him, agahst. What was he thinking?" Sorry, " He mumbled after realising it was me. He sheath his sword. I smiled." Don

t worry, you didn

t hurt me," I said. He looked away." What if I did.." He mumbled. I pushed him off me. He groaned and rolled away.We washed up and headed straight to the Mess Hall. We took a few slices of breadand a jug of blood. We didn

t feel hungry. We had other things to worry about.Mr Vurton cleared his throat once we reached a table and sat down." The Guardians have asked to see Tiara a fortnight later," He announced. The others sighed. We ate in silence and washed our plates. We parted ways soon afterthat. I searched for Mr Vurton but to no avail. I was lost in an unknown underground vampire world. I decided I to explore the caves of the underground cavern.There were a lot of vampires running to and fro. I walked towards the Rooms Of

Underground Blooms. There was a lot of trees and flowers(which I noticed only later on as I was immersed in my reverie). I thought about my dream. Was it real?And The Raven, was it real?

the saga of tiara azhar-the raven

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