Two weeks had gone by since they had attacked Phantom’s facilities. They had anticipated a counter-attack from him, but he had been laying low, gathering his strength and forces. Armaros had been dealt a heavy blow and this made him furious, extremely furious.

Phantom called Treia and as soon as she picked up he barked at her:

"I gave you a task and it has been ten months. What have you been doing? I want that girl," he had now taken finding Aselia as his priority mission. He wanted revenge after what Xiran did and knew there wouldn’t be any sweeter revenge than having his girl under his clutches.

"I am working on it but she seems to have disappeared into thin air. Besides his security is so tight that I can’t even get into Fritez City," she complained.

"She is not in Fritez City, I have spied on him for a long time. He lives alone but I can’t tap into his phone so I don’t know if he is communicating with her or not. I want her found at every cost. So do your damn job or else," her throat went dry at his unfinished sentence for she had seen what he was capable of.

"Give me a little more time and you won’t be disappointed," the line went dead after that.

Phantom paced outside his mansion in frustration. He hadn’t anticipated that Xiran would become this bold and stronger to challenge him like that. He almost killed him if it wasn’t for Xifin.

Phantom had ordered the doctor who had invented the memory-restoring serum to work on another serum. This serum will guarantee that vampires would not lose their powers even when injected with the hunter’s power-subduing serum.

He had tightened the security in the rest of his facilities and didn’t want what had transpired to be repeated. Hildara’s prophecy still rang in his ears loud and clear and he had this gut feeling that Aselia was the elf she had spoken about.

He wanted her found and once she would be in his hands, he would make his son pay dearly for what he had tried. Not only he had disrupted his plans, he killed and taken hostage hundreds of his creations, and freed more than 200 elves along with Irlana and her mother.

The rage was consuming Armaros and he wanted to go on a bloody rampage. He wanted to kill everyone near and dear to Xiran. But circumstances were not favouring him. With hunters, Amonidus and King Zohane backing him, the scales had tilted to Xiran’s side. He had to be patient and show restraint.

One day he will make his son pay for the heinous crime he had tried to commit. For now, he would sit tight and wait for events to unfold. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

—------------------------

After consultation with Dr Wanstine, one of the top-ranked psychiatrists was hired by Xiran for Irlana, Arimie and Elrine so they could get professional help for the deep-rooted trauma they had faced at the hands of his father.

They had been discharged from the hospital. Although Xiran had offered Irlana to stay with him, her heart was on staying with Rivan. They both wanted to get to know each other better and see where this would lead them. So he happily allowed her to stay with him.

Xiran had also bought a house for Zirius and Arimie. He called him in his office at the orphanage.

"Señor! May I come in?" Zirius stood at the door and took permission.

"Yes, have a seat," once he was sitting down Xiran asked:

"How is Arimie doing?" Zirius shifted uncontrollably before answering:

"She has been discharged and wants to stay with me. She is trying to survive but at times she forgets that she is not living in a glass cylinder anymore. She starts screaming and clawing, and I wonder if the emotional scars he has given her would ever heal," he replied with a shake of his head, a heavy sigh escaped him. Every word had been torture to utter. Xiran felt his insides being clawed at.

"I am sorry. Give it time and be there for her, Zir."

"I will be," he lifted his head and Xiran could see how pained his face seemed.

"I wanted to give you something," Xiran extended a silver key towards him and Zirius was surprised.

"What’s this Señor?"

"Key to your new house. You can’t live in Hunter flats now. You need a proper home and Arimie will have something to look forward to. The house decoration will keep her occupied," Xiran nonchalantly replied and Zir watched him with wide eyes.

"Señor! I was planning to rent out a house. I can’t accept this. It’s too much," Xiran leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest.

"Why not? Not in a million years I will let you live in a rented house."

"But..." Xiran raised his perfectly arched right brow at him, daring him to complete that sentence and Zirius shut his mouth.

"Thank you for your kindness. How can I ever repay you for this," he finally replied with glossy eyes. He had too much respect for this silver-haired vampire.

"Zir you don’t have to repay me for anything. I just want both of you to be happy. Take some time off and settle in."

"We will do that. I always kept hope alive that one day I would be reunited with her but I had no clue that this is how it would happen. Seeing her like that has broken something inside me, I can’t even imagine what she was put through," he closed his eyes to hide the emotional pain that had descended in his orbs.

"Zir, we will ensure that this is the last time someone has suffered at my father’s hands. I have already started the planning and soon we will launch an all-out out attack and wipe him and his forces out for good. Have faith in me," Xiran’s words were a ray of hope which returned his smile.

"I have full faith in you and I will be ready when the time comes," the sheer determination oozed out of this young vampire and Xiran nodded in approval.

"Good, now go and make this house your home. Call Rumail, he will take you. He is the one who helped me with the purchase because it’s near his place," Xiran had done that on purpose, he knew both of them were close so they would have each other’s company.

"Thank you again Señor," Zir stood up and firmly shook hands with Xiran before exiting through the door.

Xiran’s phone rang, it was Rivan.

"Hello!" he answered it.

"Come over tonight. Have dinner with us," Rivan invited him.

"I can’t, I have work."

"Come now, Irlana is cooking and her mother wants to meet you," Xiran sighed, he knew he had no choice.

"Ok, what time?"

"7 in the evening," Rivan answered.

"I will be there," the call ended and Xiran relaxed in his chair.