Chapter 293: Blessing In Disguise
Marius tilted his head slightly to the side, almost intimidatingly, and the smile on his lips lingered longer, as if he was enjoying the reaction his unexpected presence had brought. His eyes darted between the guards who appeared confused by his unfamiliarity, but their swords were brandished, their stance poise, already taking formation incase he strikes, but the vampire they were trying to protect willingly stepped forward, away from their protective stance, and his pupils darkened with each stride he took towards Marius.
However, Marius suddenly snapped his fingers, and to everyone’s greatest shock, little Alain materialized before him, and that did the job of making Ivan halt in his gait. His eyes lowered to the little boy who was now in Marius’s captive hold, and a look of apprehension dawned on Ivan’s face as he met the smiling ones of Marius.
"Still dare to come forward?" Marius asked, his voice laced with a mockery challenge, and Ivan’s fist balled at his side, his veins popping in restraint as he tried to stay calm. His gaze shifted to the little boy who was struggling to free himself from Marius’s clutches, but Marius held him close, his hands on the boy’s chin. Although his hold wasn’t harsh, there was a warning that pointed at Alain’s death if anyone tried to come forward.
"So nice to finally meet the son of the great Chevalier." Marius began, as if he was introducing himself to a long lost friend. "Your Father was not an ordinary vampire, to say the least. He was benevolent, a trait rare to your kind, that is what I knew of him before I made him take his own life." His lips curled into a lopsided grin, and Ivan’s jaw clenched in anger, a vein popped at the side of his neck, showcasing the effort he was putting into stopping himself from doing anything.
Soon after, Madeline and Cassian came running from the Palace, bursting through the door, and their faces paled drastically upon seeing their son in the hands of an unfamiliar stranger. They had been with their son in the chamber, as it was best to stay indoors considering the crisis that had befallen Ivan and his Kingdom. They didn’t wish to interfere and make matters worse, but while they pondered on how risky it would be for Ivan to leave by himself, their son, who was sitting on the bed, drawing on as usual on his book, suddenly vanished before their very eyes.
Panic struck them both at the same time, and they had come down to report what happened only to see their little boy in the hands of someone they barely recognize. Their son’s chin was firmly held in the man’s grasp, and she could see her son’s eyes water in fear.
"Mama!" Alain cried out when he spotted his Mother and Father, but before Madeline could do anything, Ivan was quick to stop her by raising his hand. He sensed her growing panic, the adrenaline rushing through her veins at the cries of her son, and that could lead her into making a mistake, which was exactly what Marius wanted.
"Don’t do anything." He advised, "he’ll kill your son if you go up to him."
"Who are you??" Abdiel, who was familiar with the name mentioned, but still unable to believe it, decided to question Marius himself. According to the history book, the Demon of manipulation, who was named Marius, had died during the last brutal blood war. His death was detailed in the script his antecedents left behind, filling his head with knowledge concerning the past, and from what he read; the only way the soul of a Demon could come back to Earth as a being was if someone had resurrected it.