Call Of The Dark



Lazarus watched his father leave the arena. Once the king was seated on this high chair, Lazarus and Anton walked to each other to clasp their forearms as was the custom. 

When they clasped each other's arms, Lazarus leaned over to his younger brother and whispered, "Anton, I want you to get out of this dirty game played by father. You know that he would be least affected with either of us dead."

Anton chuckled. "Are you scared, big brother that I will win?" 

Lazarus closed his eyes for a moment to tamp down his anger. "Anton, I don't have time for argument, but I can give this offer. If you leave now, I will let you rule the north of Wilyra. This is the best offer you can ever get in your lifetime as Prince Anton. However, don't blame me for the outcome of this fight. I really don't want to fight with you." 

Anton narrowed his eyes on Lazarus. He shook his head slightly. "Then you don't know me, big brother. I have hated you for so long that this emotion has festered my chest. I was waiting for a chance like this to prove that I am far better than you. And if I win, I won't give you land equivalent to the tip of a needle. Instead, I will kill you." His face twisted in fury. "That's the difference between you and me. You are a wuss while I am a lion-heart. You thought that I had gone away on a long vacation." He chuckled. "No, I remained on the verge of the kingdom, trying to find someone to lift the curse of the dragon on Maeve." 

Shocked, Lazarus stared at Anton. He left his forearms. "Then let me tell you a secret. The dragon curse can't be lifted. And I will enjoy killing you!" Saying that Lazarus traced away from him. 

"Let the fight begin!" Viktor shouted from the pavilion, not happy that his sons were talking. 

Lazarus came to stand in front of the room with iron bars that was locked and where Emma was standing with Magnus, Yul, Bernice and Titus. Emma's throat bobbed. She blinked her tears away and said, "Be careful."

He smiled and nodded once. "I will." However, even before he could come, Anton traced behind him and punched him on his back. Lazarus was hurled to the iron bars. Emma shrieked as he fell on the ground. But Lazarus didn't wait to get up. He traced in that position away from there, surprising Anton who was hoping that Lazarus would get up because he was ready for the next punch. 

Anton spun only to find a shadow speeding towards him. He dodged the shadow but he wasn't fast enough. Lazarus's fist connected with his face and blood sprayed out. With a roar, Anton attacked Lazarus and the fight between two powerful vampires started. 

There was a cheer amongst the crowd when Anton kicked Lazarus in his stomach. Lazarus winced in pain. If he was going to get injured, his tracing ability would get affected. So he changed his strategy. He let Anton use all his attacking positions while dodging them. He traced away from Anton, but Anton came straight to him with a fist flying in the air, aiming at his head. Lazarus waited for him to come near him and the moment Anton's fist was barely a few inches away, Lazarus traced and went behind him. Anton lost balance. He stumbled ahead. Lazarus kicked him from behind and Anton was thrown to the stone wall. He crashed on it and slumped to the floor with a fracture in his shoulder. 

"Fuck you!" Anton let out a guttural growl and charged at Lazarus. When he was just about halfway to him, he traced. Lazarus was taken aback, but he knew that Anton would obviously come to him, so he also traced away from there to the location where Anton had crashed. So when Anton came to the position where Lazarus was standing, he found that place empty. 

"Over here," Lazarus chuckled. 

"You!" Anton roared and traced to him. Lazarus traced away from there and Anton once again crashed in the wall. 

The crowd gasped as the wall shook with the impact of the crash. 

Anton was getting irritated. He wanted to read Lazarus's movement but he couldn't. For the next one hour, he did his best to catch Lazarus, but he ended up crashing against the wall or the ground and once he was even tossed to the crowd. Embarrassed that Lazarus had the power to lift him and throw him like a ragdoll, he became all the more aggressive. He was losing his patience. 

He looked at his father. Viktor pointed to a double-edged spear which was kept hidden in a crevice. Anton nodded and traced to that crevice which was in the far corner of the arena just below where his father was sitting. He was going to kill Lazarus using this spear. He glanced at Lazarus who appeared confused by his movement. He pulled the spear out of the crevice and before Lazarus could understand what he was doing, Anton traced to him and pierced the spear in him. However, the spear pierced through the air because Lazarus immediately traced away from there, knowing his next moment. 

Lazarus came to stand in front of the crevice. "This is unfair!" he growled at his father. "Weapons aren't allowed!" 

Viktor snickered. "What are you going to do about it, Lazarus?" 

Viktor was about to fire his answer, when he heard another roar from Anton. Anton appeared about twenty meters away from him and then raced to Lazarus. 

Lazarus waited for him to come near, near, near. Then he suddenly spun from the way of the spear, caught it from its handle and tugged it a little. Anton couldn't control his balance. He stumbled in the front. The spear hit the wall and Anton couldn't stop himself from coming in front of it. In less than a second, it got over. Anton's body was pierced by the sharp spear. He fell on the ground with blood spraying out of his heart and mouth. He looked at Lazarus with pride. Lazarus rushed to his brother. "Sorry," he said. "It was either you or me." 

Anton looked at his older brother once before his eyes became glassy. 

"Noooo!" Viktor shouted and traced from his chair to Anton. "You killed him!" he shouted. "You killed him!" 

"It was supposed to be like that father, wasn't it?" Lazarus reminded him. 

"You didn't play fair with Anton!" Viktor accused. 

"Really?" Lazarus scoffed. "It was you who didn't play fair. How is it to taste your own medicine?" He pointed at the double-edged spear. "You thought that you will get rid of both of us with that. Don't I know you?" 

"You bastard!" Viktor got up. "I am going to kill you!" 

Lazarus traced away. "I have won!" he declared. 

Viktor grew mad with rage. He pulled the spear out of Anton and charged at Lazarus with it to kill him. But he had made a vow to the Lore. Lightning flashed in the sky overhead and magic sizzled around the spear. The spear in his hand turned at him and before Viktor knew, the spear plunged inside his chest.