The Tyrant's Pet



BAM!

Miguel, London, and the members of the council were sent flying outside the great hall. They all crashed into the wall, landing violently in the courtyard. 

"Ugh…" Miguel picked himself up, grunting at the slight pain in his back. When he sat up and looked around, he realized they landed in the courtyard. 

"Damn it!" Miguel punched the ground. 

"There's no point in that, Count Miguel." London huffed, assisting himself to get back on his feet. "Do not let your emotions sway you or get them over your head. At the end of the day, we must do what we must do and focus on the things that will make us useful."

London took a deliberate pause. "You know for sure what I meant by that, Count. Even if you are a Rothschild and even if I am a Leviticus, we are nothing but a speck of dust against Abel Grimsbanne."

It was hurtful, but that was the truth.

"That is why… leave everything to Giselle. We'll just get in her way if we stick around even more. The only help we can offer right now is to make sure the mainland will remain intact until the end," added London, eyes swirling with unbending determination. 

Both London and‌ Miguel stared at each other before the former offered his hand. 

"I haven't fully joined hands with you, but since I know you will not allow anything to happen in this land, let us work together for the sake of our mutual goal." London nodded at Miguel while the latter just stared at him. "We don't have time, Count."

Miguel clicked his tongue, annoyed, but in the end, he held London's hand. Even though they still had differences in beliefs and methods, their love for their country was undeniable. Thus, for now, they had to fight together. 

HOWL!

London and Miguel turned their heads in a direction. Their expressions grew grim as they sensed the chaos outside the great hall. 

"What should we do now?" asked Miguel. "It seems the entire palace was under someone's power. Can you create a path that won't make us return to the great hall?"

"I can try." London's countenance turned even more solemn as he faced Miguel and then the rest of the council. "This labyrinth's main goal is for us to get lost in the place we thought we are already familiar with. Hence, I require everyone to stick together and to never lower your guard."

His eyes glinted. "That is if you do not wish to rot in here."

London's remarks told them how serious this was. They all nodded and with that being said, London lead the group out of the royal palace. 

The house of Leviticus was known to be a line of vampires and warlocks. They were the only one in the country who were mixed-bred and was still a part of the nobility. In other words, aside from being a vampire, London had honed the art of witchcraft. 

The more they sprinted through the hallways of the royal palace, the more London realized how tricky this ability was. Thanks to his years of training and experience, even if they get into an unknown room, London could create another one to escape the clutches of the labyrinth. 

Soon enough, London's eyes shone as they rushed to another door while still inside the royal palace.

'That's it!' he picked up his pace, making others hasten to not fall behind. 'That's the exit!"

London kicked the door open, jumping right outside without a second hesitation. As soon as he landed, he raised his head and looked around. Miguel and the members of the Raven also came out, only to realize the door led them outside of the Royal Palace.

"Hah…" Miguel scoffed, looking back to the door they came from, only to see it close until it became one with the wall. The door disappeared without a trace, making one wonder if there was even a door there. 

"So, this is what makes the forbidden mansion hard to infiltrate, huh?" he remarked. 

"The Forbidden Mansion of the Grimsbanne isn't hard to infiltrate, but hard to get out of. Once someone gets in, there's no telling if they can ever get out. That is how the labyrinth works to protect its masters." corrected London, snapping his eyes up ahead. 

"Such useful ability…"

"More than that ability, there's an even bigger issue we must face." 

Miguel arched a brow before his gaze followed where London was looking at. As soon as he did, smoke and blood wafted through his nostrils, making his pupils dilate ever so slowly. 

BOOM!

Everyone turned their heads in a particular direction, catching an explosion on some outskirts of the capital.

HOWL!

"They're this close, huh?" Miguel's entire body trembled, sensing a few werewolves' presence not far away from them. 

"Miguel." London looked back at Migue. "Go to the fort and check if those ships had already anchored. I'm afraid that man… the Emperor of the Maganti Empire will bring more werewolves into this land."

"What?"

"Emperor Ismael might be the monarch of the Maganti, but he had pledged his oath as a knight to Her Majesty. With his standing and connection, it wouldn't be impossible if they were shipping more werewolves to incite war," London explained in one breath. "I don't think these few werewolves would dare step foot on the mainland if they don't have other plans."

Everyone London said made sense, sparking the urgency in everyone's heart. 

"I'll gather the World Organization to stop the werewolves. Can I trust you to stop those ships from arriving?" London held Miguel's gaze squarely. 

"You don't have to ask." Miguel turned his back against London with murderous intent in his eyes. "I'll take the council with me. Let's go. I still have some business with the Maganti."

With that being said, Miguel didn't idle even for a second as he leaped away from the royal palace. The Raven didn't hesitate to follow, going straight to the fort while the other half of the council went to different locations to close all their borders. Meanwhile, London didn't waste a second as he went to gather all his forces to stop the werewolves from running amok on the mainland.

Little did everyone know, the night had just begun to the nightmare that awaits the sinful land of vampires.