Letters to Romeo.

Chapter 298 - Barriers of the Witches

"I am surprised you are here, Lady Avice," remarked Donovan, keenly watching the woman, who had disappeared many years ago.

"I couldn't miss it when my vampire told me that all of you had been woken up. I knew your very presence would bring in trouble here," replied the woman without bothering to look at them.

"Isn't that a little stretch, milady," replied Donovan with a smile, and Avice, who finally looked away from Joaquin to look at Donovan, offered a smile. "Why don't you sit back and enjoy while we Elder vampires take care of it."

The vampiress didn't move from her spot, and she crossed her arms, watching the scene being caused in front of them. The trees that had caught fire had been rid of any company of the trees next to it so that the fire wouldn't spread and burn the entire forest that surrounded Veteris. There were a few vampire students who couldn't help but whisper to each other on seeing the woman who had joined the Elder vampires.

"Doesn't she look like Ms. Piper?"

"That's what I thought too," replied another student in a hushed murmur.

Joaquin, who saw Avice there, his face turned sour, and he said, "Looks like I finally drew you out of your hiding. I have been looking for you all these years."

"Don't you feel ashamed that the land that offered you shelter, you are willing to go to the length of killing everything that breathes?" questioned Avice, the look in her eyes firm.

Joaquin spat, "Maybe I would be more understanding, if you had made a stone for me, like the rest of them. But you couldn't do it. You just disappeared. I had equal rights, didn't I? To be an elder vampire."

"It doesn't look like it stopped your ambition from making a stone for yourself, and much worse," responded Avice. "You were never meant to have a stone, Joaquin. There are only a few who can handle the balance of the stone, you clearly cannot."

"Why don't I show you how well I can handle it then?" taunted Joaquin, the smile on his lips widening.

Before anyone could get closer to Joaquin, he raised his hands, and the land beneath them started to shift and shake, and people nearby started to lose balance.

Castiel didn't wait for anyone and used his ability where the clouds started to turn heavy in the sky and lightning struck. But when the same lightning was directed at Joaquin, the creature attached to the vampire increased in its size, and it deflected the attack, swallowing the lightning without any harm being caused to it.

Luciano got closer to Joaquin, ready to capture the vampire and make him submit. But Joaquin was well versed with every Elder vampire's ability. He didn't stay in one spot and kept moving while attacking back by using the lightning the creature had swallowed to electrocute every single one of them who was around.

"He's able to use our abilities and mirror them back to us. This doesn't look like an ideal situation when nothing is hurting him," commented Donovan, who used the smoke to fog Joaquin's vision along with the creature. The other vampires tried to join in, but they were quickly thrown away by the creature.

Julie asked Avice, "Is it not possible to send the creature back through the forbidden door? Or him?"

"It wouldn't be a good idea," answered the woman while watching the three Elder vampires fight. Roman had joined in along with Griffin, who didn't want to be left out. Avice said, "The creature has fused itself to him, being part of him. And whatever fused in, it has bonded strongly. Sending him through the forbidden door, we don't know if he will pick up other creatures before coming here. It wouldn't be his first time spending time there."

"How is it possible?" asked Julie because she didn't understand why a creature would not possess completely but work together.

"Some creatures in there are willing to make a deal. Like a devil's deal, and you get to live," replied Avice. She said, "Some want to serve and find a meaning, a way to leave the forbidden side of the world. It seems like the creatures got you good," jerking her head towards Julie's shoulder.

Julie noticed there were light fumes that came from her shoulders. When she turned worried, Avice assured her, "This is good. Now we have four people who hold darkness. Will you be able to create a circle barrier?"

"Like the one the witch did earlier?"

"Yes, that one," replied the woman, and she turned to look at Cillian. Without having to be explicitly told, Cillian started to make his way to the back. The witch instructed, "We will be creating a basic barrier. Take your position," and she walked to the other side quickly.

The three of them clapped their hands, and when they spread their hands to either side, a light appeared from each of their palms, stretching to each other to form a triangle dome to contain Joaquin and his creature.

Julie's soul energy ran low, and she coughed more blood out, hiding her face in her shoulder before looking ahead. A witch needed soul energy else, any magic would fail. With the chaos that surrounded them, she used her other hand to create a summoning spell which she had used a few days ago.

The triangle dome contained fire and black smoke, which was mingled with electrical energy that tried to break through the walls of the barrier the witches had created. There was continuous clash inside the dome and outside, where the hunters and the vampire students attacked Joaquin's men.

Julie drew the circle before she drew the lines inside the circle and wrote down the symbol of death in the witch's language. With her hand already coated in her blood, she placed it on top of the circle, and whispered,

"From the last breath, to the dust that the bones turn, I summon you back from where you emerged. Formare obice, nobis fortitudinem tuam."

The smoke-filled air that surrounded them soon started to disperse because of the wind that started to move around them. A few seconds later, there were shocked gasps heard as the souls of the deceased witches walked towards where the triangle dome stood.

Julie used her remaining energy, pushing the souls to bind themselves, and this weakened the creature that was attached to Joaquin's body.

The creature groaned and growled in anger. As if being tormented by the souls that had now come to surround it.

Joaquin, who was in there fighting, noticed something wrong with the creature that had been obeying until now. He looked back and forth before his eyes fell on the young witch, who was causing his creature to part from him. He glared at her, and with one force, the barrier shook, and cracks started to appear.

"Fucking bitch," Joaquin cursed Julie, raising his hand and ready to kill her. When the high beam started to gather around his hand, Roman came to stand in between him and Julie.

Roman raised his arm and said, "I think it would be best if you focus here than look outside these walls."

"Donovan. Your son seems as conceited as you are," remarked Joaquin, and Donovan chuckled.

"Thanks, he is my son after all," replied the Elder vampire, taking the compliment with pride. "I never understood why you have been wanting to take these lands when you could have just asked to be part of it."

"To be bossed by the likes of you? That would never happen," Joaquin huffed. "It is only a matter of time that all of you accept defeat. I will give you the opportunity now, bow your heads and I will take you as my men."Looks like you hit your head pretty hard, Joaquin," Luciano rolled his eyes. "To think that we would allow a traitor like you in here."

"Why did you kill the whole village?" came the blunt question from Donovan.

The creature that belonged to Joaquin, picked up Luciano and threw him to one barrier, before going to get Castiel and ready to crush him.

"I have killed so many... but let me think. You are talking about Opaline," Joaquin snickered, thinking about it. "She was supposed to die that day with her family, but thanks to you... as you kept her busy, she escaped. Do you know the domino effect it caused?"

"You know if you take a look, your life was worse then, your life is worse now," pointed Donovan, and he clicked his tongue. "You have been living in what caves? Doing nothing but waiting for us to wake up and free these lands."

"Maybe it wasn't before but you know it is going to get better," replied Joaquin with a calm smile. "I wasn't an idiot to come stepping into these lands when I knew what Avice had done. But it seems like you fixed it just as I wanted it to be done."

"Where is your scrawny brother? I don't see him," Donovan provoked the vampire with his words, and at the same time, Joaquin attacked them with his creature that was going rampant.

The creature growled loudly, and Joaquin was waiting for it to crush one of the Elder vampires. But instead, the creature tore itself from him.

"Get back to me, we aren't done fighting!" ordered Joaquin to the creature, but the creature looked like it was in trance and didn't move from its spot. "We have a deal!"

The creature then raised its hand, pointing ahead of it, and Joaquin frowned before turning around and noticing Roman had raised his hand towards it.

Julie, who was outside, noticed the strange behavior and asked Avice, "What's going on?"

Avice's eyebrows had furrowed, and her lips had parted in surprise. She said, "The creature has found a stronger being for it to serve."

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