A Day Ago

Location: Anthos (Inside one of Phantom’s Secret Labs)

Xifin lay on a single bed inside his father’s lab. His father stood beside him along with two doctors. One of them held a syringe with a red liquid inside it.

"You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to," Phantom spoke calmly with his son, his cold eyes holding hints of affection for him.

"I want to father. He took away my memories and I need to see what was so precious about that wh*re that he had beat me to a pulp. I want my memories back," he replied with a cold and evil glint in his eyes.

"Remember that we have recently developed this serum and it might not even work. It will also be painful because the neurons in your cortex will be rewired to jog the memories your brother has repressed. They are still there you just can’t remember them."

One of the doctors named Guwiskle explained about the serum they were about to inject into him. Guwiskle had been working on developing this for quite some time and recently he had formulated it. Now they needed to test it on someone to see if it worked and Xifin was more than happy to oblige.

"One more thing, it might hurt like hell so you will have to be prepared," he further added.

"I am ready, let’s do this," Xifin replied with determined eyes while Phantom gave a nod, letting the doctors know they can proceed.

The doctor stepped forward with the syringe and injected the serum into Xifin’s neck. He lay very still for a while and then his body began jerking as the serum reached his brain. Xifin tried to sit up in the bed his eyes widened twice the size and a scream came tumbling out of his throat.

Phantom took a step forward and placed his hand on his son’s chest pressing him down with a little pressure and holding him there. Xifin’s face twisted in excruciating pain he was experiencing, he was awake and yet could only scream.

The doctors were checking his vitals, his heart rate was a bit elevated and so was his blood pressure but nothing was at danger level. The black-haired vampire’s screams subsided within five minutes and he began to relax. He slowly closed his eyes as if trying to rest and Phantom moved his hand to his son’s head where beads of perspiration had formed. One could say there was concern in his eyes for his favourite son.

Everyone stood still as the lab was hurled into awkward silence. Only Xifin’s raspy breathing and the beeping of monitors could be heard. Phantom

kept his gaze glued to his son when he finally opened his eyes again and found his father watching him. He smiled and said:

"I remember everything father, let’s talk."

Phantom’s thin lips curved up into an evil smile as he replied:

"Let’s," he indicated to the doctors to leave him alone with his son. Guwiskle and the other doctor heaved a sigh of relief, knowing their lives would be spared since the serum was a success, not a failure. They hurriedly left the pristine lab, leaving the father-son duo alone.

Xifin sat up on the bed while his father settled down in a chair beside it, his hands clasped under the chin, he offered all his attention to his son and said:

"So tell me, son. What do you remember?"

"The girl was an elf, father. Her blood was beyond anything we had ever tasted, even for an elf the taste of her blood was exquisite," Xifin recalled the memories of that wretched day he and Sohlia attacked Aselia.

"That’s very interesting indeed, no wonder he was hiding her away and refused to breathe a single word about her when I tortured him," Phantom was in deep thought, his mind racing.

"What’s intriguing about that memory is the way she fought us. Didn’t seem like she was some ordinary girl, her movements were fast even for an elf. And she injured both me and Sohlia. No one ordinary can do that," Xifin confided to his father remembering how fiercely Aselia had fought him.

Phantom’s mind went back to what Hudias had told him about the girl who accompanied Xiran and the way she had fought those hounds.

"I think that girl is alive because when Carios took her away from Xiran, she was breathing. He had instructed him that she be kept alive at every cost and the way he acted, is the same way I would act if someone was to hurt Sohlia," Xifin further added with a smile creeping up on his face.

"Hmm, I also believe that girl is alive and Xiran is hiding her away. She seems trained though, he must have done it to keep her safe. I want that girl found," the evil gleam in Phantom’s eyes had heightened and he wanted nothing other than to get his hands on her.

"I remembered another tiny detail that seemed to have gotten lost among all this chaos. It was one of his other girls that ratted her out, not sure why she did it, maybe jealousy."

Xifin remembered Treia and how she had given them the details about her so they could call her to their room and feast on her blood. But surprisingly he couldn’t remember the name of the elven girl. Phantom’s eyes shone with wickedness at those words, he casually added:

"In a day we will be acting out the plan we have formulated. In case it doesn’t give us the result we sought, let’s find that girl, she will lead us to that elven girl. Considering how Xiran is he must have imprisoned her somewhere."

"Father, once you have your fill with her. I want that bit*h alive, to taste that blood once again and especially to see the look on brother dear’s face," Xifin licked his lower lip, thirst crept up in his eyes as he was reminded of Aselia’s blood.

"Don’t worry Xifin. I have huge plans for Xiran and whoever he may give his heart to. It will be worth the wait."