Seconds later, something resembling a burst of light exploded, flooding the entire house with a brilliance so intense it overshadowed everything, yet left no damage behind. When it faded, we cautiously made our way back to check up on Dawn.
She knelt on the floor of the bedroom, her body shaking with the aftermath of the unleashed power.
We moved towards her, our worry obvious on our faces.
"Dawn, are you alright?" Azrael asked first. There was a sincerity in his voice I hadn't heard since the day he comforted Dawn after her mother's death. I'd watched their relationship evolve, moving from hostility to warmth. Though Azrael still kept his distance, his brooding nature had softened.
She nodded weakly, her breaths coming in short gasps as she struggled to regain control over her body.
It was clear the episode had taken its toll on her. She looked seriously drained.
"I'm fine," Dawn managed to choke out.
Relief and worry washed over me as I stared at her.
For a moment, we all said nothing, trading glances—glances that expressed our consciousness of the gravity of the situation.
"We need to find a solution," I said. "We can't risk something like this happening again"
I lowered myself to the floor beside Dawn, drawing her to myself.
"During the battle, it was fire, and now, what? A deadly release of some sort of light?"
I crossed my arms, exhaling. "We can't keep living like this... with her losing control"
Dawn nodded weakly in agreement. "I'm sorry all this is happening. I'm sorry for being such a..."
"We can all guess why this is happening" Azrael interrupted. "The solution is obvious and simple"
He gestured toward the door. "We give her a few vampires to kill. That'll placate the force inside her, at least for now. If you're looking for suggestions, Elizabeta would be a good start."
Everyone in the room turned to glare at him.
"What?" he shrugged. "If she doesn't kill soon enough, the shift will happen again, followed by whatever it is that just occurred. We wouldn't want that happening, would we?" He crossed his arms and shrugged once more. "My suggestion seems like the logical thing to do."
Dawn pushed herself to her feet. Tiredly, she trudged toward him. "Azrael," she said. "I'm not killing anyone."
He looked down at her, undeterred, though he still looked concerned about her. "There are rogue vampires out there. Vampires that are pure evil..."
"You mean vampires like you?" she asked with a grin, clearly enjoying herself.
Rafael choked on a laugh.
Azrael shook his head, fighting back a smile.
I frowned. I didn't like this.
Azrael ignored her and pressed on. "All we have to do is find them and deliver them right into your hands. Think about it..."
"No," I cut in sharply, stepping between them. "It doesn't have to come to that. We're not going to turn her into a killer."
Azrael's patience started to wane. "She's the Divine Purge. She was born to protect humanity from vampires who threaten its survival, how's that done if she doesn't kill vampires?"
Turning to him, I met his gaze. "Doesn't mean she has to kill indiscriminately. There has to be a way to channel her power without turning her into a weapon of evil and destruction. We need a real solution, not a quick fix that involves her killing randomly"
Azrael shrugged but said nothing more.
"There has to be another way. Those books you mentioned before... the ones you found in the archive. They might have answers. Where are they?"
"Still in the archives, I guess." Azrael raised his shoulders in uncertainty. "I'm not sure. Besides, Petru told me most of what I know about it. Thanks to a certain someone, he's dead now"
I ignored the comment. "You must get the books back" I replied. "Father dreamt of this. He dreamt of the coming, perhaps he might've dreamt of something more too... documented somewhere else. Something that can give us a hint of what is happening and how we can go about it. I will start with his study again"
Ever since the day Azrael came explaining to me about what Dawn was, I'd stopped my research in father's study.
Azrael scoffed, crossing his arms. "Books aren't going to fix this, Dragos. You know that."
"Maybe not," I replied, "but they might help us understand what we're dealing with. And until we know more, we're not throwing Dawn into some crusade to slaughter vampires"
My hand rested on her shoulder. "We'll figure this out, okay, baby?"
She smiled at me.
"One can only hope other vampires haven't raided the coven of the Dark Order. Ever since the massacre the place has been left unattended and insecure" Rafael said, glancing at me.
"Rafael, are you going to remain here and keep 'hoping' or are you going to take action?"
Before he could reply, I headed for the door. "Everyone, get busy with research. We must find a solution to this before it happens again" I commanded.
As I headed toward my father's study, a vision seized me. My gaze turned blank as my consciousness was transported to another realm. It was Dragavei's doing.
I fell to my knees in relief upon seeing my ancestor.
"Thank the stars it's you," I said "There is much I have to ask you."
I glanced at Dragavei. "Dawn, she's becoming too powerful. Too out of control. She needs help..."
"The Divine Purge is a force not to be trifled with. Her powers surpass your understanding. With each passing day, she becomes more unstable. What transpired was but a glimpse, a fraction of what is tocome." He began.
"But you mentioned there was a way to avoid bloodshed..."
"Yes, but in the grand scheme of things, not what is happening now"
"Still, show me what that way is"
Dragavei shook his head "I have already spoken that such information is not mine to reveal, Dragos Nicolae Vlad III. I cannot interfere."
I grew frustrated and sprung to my feet angrily. "Then why reveal yourself to me at all?"
My ancestor continued, "You must seek the archives within the Dark Order. There lies a key to stop the impending release of her powers."
I relaxed, the frown disappearing. "So, there is a way to stop it?"
"Only temporarily. She must fulfill her purpose in due time," Dragavei explained. "But remember, sometimes the price of salvation is paid in blood."
I frowned again. "Paid in blood? What does that even mean?"
Dragavei's figure began to fade and I rushed forward as if to prevent his disappearance. "Wait! I am not finished yet!"
"Till we meet again, Chosen One. Remember, you must go to the archives in the Dark Order. Only there shall you find answers to the questions that torment your mind."
As Dragavei vanished, I snapped back to reality. Immediately, I turned to seek out Azrael.
†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††
(HOURS LATER)
As Azrael and I stepped into the garden, Rafael looked up from his seat beside Dawn. "You're back," he remarked. "You've been gone for hours."
We had just returned from the abandoned coven of the Dark Order.
Dawn rose to hug me and I held on to her. After our little reunion, Azrael dropped into a garden chair and began updating them on the latest information.
"What happened wasn't just a random surge of your power," he said to Dawn. "The ancient books call it 'The Unleashing,' "
Dawn walked to where he was seated and sank into the chair next to him.
Azrael continued, "You should brace yourself because it's bound to happen again"
"The Unleashing?" She asked, confused.
"Yes," I straightened. "You were born to protect humanity, Dawn, to stand against vampires who pose a threat to their survival... even though that sometimes means killing them. But because you haven't started embracing that responsibility, your powers are spiraling out of control."
I sat beside her and placed a hand on her thigh. "Picture it like an overflowing vessel, a torrent of untamed energy within you that needs release."
"It will keep happening unless we intervene" Rafael muttered.
"But isn't there a way to tame this thing? Is there a way I can control it?" She asked.
"Not before another episode happens" I replied. "Power as great as this would take years to control. If we had discovered you earlier— perhaps as a child or teen we would've been able to teach you to control it to some degree"
"Well, as suggested earlier, we could find vampires for her to kill," Azrael said again. "Just saying"
Dawn frowned at him "I'm not killing anyone"
He shrugged.
"I can't afford to keep having these episodes with you people around. It could kill you. Is there a way to stop it?" She asked anxiously. "Besides the option of me resorting to killing? I don't want to kill anyone to maintain control." She glanced at Azrael.
"Through Dragavei's guidance, we found a way. It's a relic, but it'll only stop it temporarily as your powers cannot be locked away"
I continued my explanation, "A lot of things make you the Divine Purge. But above all, is this lethal blast of light that enables you to kill a large number of vampires all at once"
"There's just one big problem," Azrael said, releasing a sigh. "If we're to use the relic, it can only be activated during your next episode."
Dawn's face paled. "But that's impossible. The unleashed power… it could be fatal to anyone nearby."
"It is fatal to vampires."
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "So, there's no solution to this yet? The relic's useless. I'm not going to let anyone die for me just so I won't lose control... and to think it's only to stop it temporarily"
"We'll have to find a loophole for this problem"
"What if there isn't one?" Dawn cut in "Your ancestor revealed only one way to you. Only one. If there was a loophole, don't you think he'd have said so?"
"I wouldn't know. Dragavei withholds much information from me. It has to do with his reluctance to interfere with fate and the like. I am certain there is another way. We simply must just look deeper,"