Hellbound With You

The battle continued and Alex and his men fought against the vampires. Alex exceeded the splendor he had shown in all the previous battles he fought. His men had exceeded their limits as well, giving everything they had to back their leader, all with the help of the witch they had on their side.

Soon, the tide turned. Alex and his men were winning. It was hard for the blue-blooded vampires to believe that they actually couldn't stand against this Alexander. Who was this man? How the hell was he so strong? Wasn't he the weakest vampire that ever existed?

Alexander was going all out. He knew that they couldn't use Abigail to threaten him because of the power of the mist that still protected her. Thus, he advanced without reservation, taking down everyone who stood in his way. Just before he was about to finish them off, another figure appeared before him.

Zeres.

Alex's eyes blazed with hellfire upon the sight of him. Without wasting a moment, Alex leapt and attacked him. Their swords clashed and sparks flew from the impact.

Alex still couldn't believe that Zeres had actually betrayed Abigail like this. Despite their cat and dog relationship, Alex had come to trust Zeres when it came to Abigail's safety. He knew that Zeres would never do anything to harm Abigail because he knew that the man cared about her too. Alex had never doubted Zeres until he saw Abigail being controlled by the witch queen.

"You, traitor! How could you betray Abigail like this?!" Alex hissed as they pushed their swords against each other.

Zeres responded with a wicked smile. "Traitor? Don't make me laugh, Alexander. I can tolerate the fact that she chose you. I can accept that you have taken her heart…" he gritted his teeth. "But I won't let you take her life as well… over my dead body, Alexander!" he yelled and his silver eyes glowed as his power began to intensify.

Alex was shocked by what he just heard but he didn't have the luxury to ask Zeres about it. He didn't have the time to even speak. The half-witch had also unleashed his power and in a blink of an eye, he had become Alex's most dangerous opponent. They had sparred against each other almost every day back at Dark Dragon Hills, and now here they were fighting against each other with their lives on the line. Both of them knew that unless one of them fell, the fight would never stop.

Alexander had never thought of killing this person. Even though they always glared at each other, this half-witch was the first person, apart from Abigail, who had taken him seriously. The half-witch had even helped him fend off his father's elite vampires when they tried to forcefully take him back. Zeres could have easily just left him on his own at that time but he didn't. Alex had never seen this man as an enemy. In fact, Alex thought of him more as a brother, despite their differences. Alex had gotten used to the halfling's seemingly cold and disagreeable attitude and thought that somehow, they had become somewhat like friends.

Alex had come to enjoy their sparring sessions, because he finally had someone to do this kind of thing with. Back in the palace, he had to practice and hone his swordsmanship in secret and on his own because if the others found out, he would only become the laughing stock yet again. No vampire had ever fought using a sword, let alone a vampire prince. Alex never imagined that he would ever be faced with this scenario where he would have to go against his friend, perhaps even to the point of having to kill each other.

Nobody could approach the duo. It was like the stage was set just for the both of them. Their clash of power left everyone in awe, even the royal vampires. They never thought that a male witch could actually be that powerful and to be able to go against Alexander like that was beyond their expectations.

The two men jumped back from each other, their eyes never leaving their opponent. In the next second, Zeres rushed towards Alexander with the tip of his sword aimed at Alexander's abdomen. Alex deflected the attack by swinging his sword to the right just before Zeres' sword plunged into his body. Alex then moved swiftly behind Zeres, sword ready to come down hard on Zeres' back but surprisingly, Zeres was able to turn himself around just in time to raise his sword above his head, stopping Alex's sword filling the air with more sparks.

Zeres was pushed backwards and was almost on his knees as he tried to bear the weight of Alex's attack. He glared at Alex and then with all his might, he pushed against Alex and managed to throw Alex back a few steps. They circled each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

This time, it was Alex who lunged towards Zeres, swinging his sword into an arc across Zeres' midsection at the last moment but Zeres jumped backwards with a small flip, landed crouched on the ground and then leapt forward. Zeres used Alex's momentum against him and his sword hit their target. Zeres managed to wound Alexander on his thigh.

Alex looked down at the wound and then at Zeres and a devilish smile curved on his lips. Alex's eyes hardened and play time was over. It was time to get serious.

In a blink of an eye, Alex seemed to have teleported behind Zeres and slashed Zeres' back, wounding the male witch. Zeres staggered forward, holding onto his sword with all his might. He wasn't going to give up. He couldn't'! Not until he saved Abigail from her would-be killer.

Zeres turned to face Alex but Alex had disappeared again, this time appearing on his right. Zeres didn't react fast enough and before he knew it, his sword clattered loudly on the ground after Alex sliced his right arm, rendering it useless. He could no longer use his sword.