Chapter 332: Where’s Alistair?
Going up the never ending staircase, the echoes of his footsteps mingled with the distant sounds of clashing steels and demonic roar. His eyes burned with a mixture of apprehension and foreboding, whilst he failed to fathom why his cousin would dare face Marius alone.
The thought of Alistair confronting Marius physically only made his heart pound faster, his mind wrestling with conflicting emotions after what Alistair had done. He was angered by his cousin’s reckless bravery, despite his unforgiving actions, but the fear that he might be too late to save the nuisance of a vampire made him dash past the endless stairs with a speed of light, the flickering candle lights casting long blurry shadows of his figure on the wall.
"You better be alive!" Ivan murmured under his breath, a growl of frustration escaping his lips.
He halted upon making it to the balcony where he sensed the fight happening, and a scene of devastation greeted him. Shattered stone and scorched tapestries bore witness to the supernatural struggle that had transpired, but no matter where he looked, he could not find Marius or his cousin.
The backdrop of the crumbling walls framed the sun’s descent over the balcony, painting the ruined structure in hues of orange and pink.
"Alistair–" the rest of his words stopped at his throat, and his pupils dilated when Marius emerged from behind one of the pillars, dragging Alistair with him by his foot. A malicious smile curved Marius’s lips upon witnessing the horrific reaction on Ivan’s visuals, and he released the vampire’s foot. His deep wounds, which the wild vampire had inflicted on him during their fight were starting to heal, and he sighed with content when his healing process was completed.
"Ah, the noble vampire Lord has arrived just in time to witness the demise of his kin." He chuckled softly, the sound echoing through the desolate space. In front of him lay the battered Alistair who struggled to rise, but Marius was quick to hold the vampire in a vice-like grip, whilst threatening to extinguish the spark of life that remained. With his crystal still embedded in the wild vampire’s chest, he had the upper-hand to ruin his soul, and to justify his success in ending a vampire, his powers would be upgraded once more.
"Alistair?"
"Sigh... what are you doing here?" Despite being presently tortured with wounds, marks and his blood painting his pale skin, Alistair’s eyes weakly moved to settle on his cousin who was frozen at the spot. Obviously, Ivan had never seen him in such a state, and that was because getting past Alistair’s strength was an attainment no one could achieve, it was nearly impossible but seeing him like this, all vulnerable and defeated– Ivan’s rage only intensified, and he could feel the primal thirst for revenge coursing through his veins.