The Dragon King's Heart

Florin carefully surveyed his surroundings. Once he was certain there was no one spying on him, he let out a sigh. He leaned his back against the wall as he gritted his teeth. 

He did not want it to have come to this, but here he was. He was about to murder his brother to save his mother and Kol. 

"Perhaps I should just run away," Florin muttered to himself. 

Upon realising how cowardice he was, he slapped both of his cheeks before curling his hands into fists. He could not give up so easily. His mother and Kol were counting on him. 

In the time he had spent with the hybrid, Florin had come to respect and admire Kol. His devotion to Laina and the kindness he had shown others was something he had never witnessed before. 

"I think I heard something coming from over there!" A voice shot out through the darkness. 

Florin gritted his teeth as he cursed beneath his breath. He had been spotted! Left with no other choice, he retreated into the shadows. As the guard entered his line of sight, Florin took care of him with one swift decisive move. 

He leaned the guard against the wall before dealing with the second guard. Once the coast was clear again, he proceeded forward with his mission. Just as he was about to take another step forward, Florin realised something was amiss. 

It was too late. Before he even had a chance to react, Florin was pulled into a void that opened up beneath him. He dropped down into an unknown location, landing on his back with a heavy thud. 

"How disappointing," a familiar voice snubbed from the shadows. 

Florin gritted his teeth. Although he was now in a precarious situation, at least he did not need to sneak around any longer. He landed right in the lion's den. 

"Callister," Florin spat his name with great disdain. 

"Why are you still alive?" Callister snapped as he walked out to reveal himself under the dim lights. 

"You could have escaped with your tail between your legs and yet you are back here? Did someone put you up to this?" He continued ridiculing Florin as he circled him. 

Not wasting any time, Florin materialised a sword and lunged at Callister with it. Despite their close proximity to one another, he was still able to dodge the attack effortlessly. 

"We've only just reunited and you're already after my head? You've got some nerve Florin. I preferred you when you were weak and quiet." 

Callister materialised a weapon of his own and launched his own attack on Florin. The two vampire princes fought neck in neck. Florin knew he could not beat his brother, but he still gave it his best. 

If he was to die here tonight, he would not go down without a fight. 

"Fighting with such vigor? Could it be because you have something to fight for?" Callister pondered out loud as he struck another blow against Florin. 

Florin barely blocked it, as the attack sent him flying off into the distance. As he hit against a wall, he winced in pain. Although vampires had accelerated healing, injuries still hurt. 

As Florin struggled to get back up on his feet, Callister continued on his speculation. When he came to a plausible conclusion, he widened his eyes in surprise and amusement.

"Could it be? Did one of our lovely siblings make a deal with you?"

Taking advantage of the chance, Florin tightened the grip he had on his weapon and charged forward. He yelled a battle cry as he launched a series of attacks. But none of his frenzied movements worked. 

Callister was clearly toying with him. He could finish him off at any time, in any way he wanted. Yet he was prolonging the fight they were having. Florin could not understand why his brother would do this. 

Could it be that he assumed a drawn-out fight would bring Florin more agony? Just as he was about to attack Callister again, he held out his hand and clicked his fingers. 

In an instant, Florin was frozen in place. He could not move any part of his body. No matter how much he struggled, nothing worked. Sweat trickled down his forehead as his heart pounded in his ears. 

"Ah, I think I know what's going on," Callister continued to speculate. 

He turned to look Florin straight in his eyes and asked, "Perhaps it's because you think your mother is still alive?" 

Florin widened his eyes in shock as Callister's words echoed in his mind. As the look of dread overtook Florin's expression, an evil grin formed on Callister's face. For a moment, he refused to believe the news he had just heard. 

"No… no… you're lying. You're lying!" Florin yelled. 

Callister let out a maniacal laugh as he dematerialized his weapon. He shook his head slowly as he leaned against Florin's frozen pose. 

"Why would I lie about it? Besides, who do you think sent those assassins after the both of you in the first place, hmm?"

His eyes began to well up with tears. His vision began to blur. Florin refused to believe, he shook his head stubbornly. 

"You don't believe me? You think I'm lying?" Callister was in disbelief. 

His brother was in denial. 

"Why would I lie to you over something so trivial?"

"You monster! I will end you! I will kill you!" Florin yelled. 

His heart was torn. He knew this was a possibility. But to face it head-on, he was not strong enough. With his sheer willpower, Florin broke free from Callister's spell of constraint. 

His pupils turned blood red as his weapon began to emit a soft glow. The blade that was once silver turned blood red in an instant. Callister shook his head in disapproval. 

"You think with those meager powers of yours you can kill me? Dream on!" 

Callister summoned another spell, holding Florin down. But the vampire prince easily broke free of them and charged towards him. Callister dodged the attacks one after the other. 

As their fight went on, it was clear their energy was spent. Both of them were panting, trying to regain their energy. Callister had sweat trickling down his brow. He was not afraid of Florin, but a prolonged battle was no good for him either. 

The best course of action would be to end it swiftly. 

So, he concocted a plan. Before Florin could make his move again, Callister held him down in place with a stronger spell of constraints. This time it worked. Florin was chained and unable to move. 

"I will send you to meet your mother!" Callister yelled as he cast another spell. 

A spell circle appeared above Florin. Blinding light came through the spell circle. What followed was an intense wave of heat. 

It was a vampire's worst nightmare, sunlight.