Daniel, looking at his father and the rest, gave them a bitter smile, showing his large fangs. He flung his sword towards Alex. But Alex backed away just in time. He grabbed the sword by its handle before it went back to its master and he threw it at Daniel. Daniel laughed and gloated and didn't sense the danger. His own sword plunged into his body and he groaned in agony.

I have to stop this, thought Alex. thought Alex. I need to control this power before it kills me, before it takes over and kills everyone. I need to control this power before it kills me, before it takes over and kills everyone. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind. He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled. Then he smiled at his impaled enemy. Daniel pulled the sword out of himself and rushed towards Alex. Before Daniel could attack, Alex disappeared, teleported behind him, and threw a blue fiery energy ball at him, knocking him to the floor. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind. He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled. Then he smiled at his impaled enemy. Daniel pulled the sword out of himself and rushed towards Alex. Before Daniel could attack, Alex disappeared, teleported behind him, and threw a blue fiery energy ball at him, knocking him to the floor.

The Rebels sensed the energy around them, pure and potent from Alex and wild and uncontrolled from Daniel. Daniel lay there, recharging his energy. Alex let him. He could have simply killed him there and then but he didn't and it made him wonder why.

John ran into the hallway. Four doctors and half a dozen nurses rushed in and out with medical equipment and shouted frenzied orders. John pushed his way through to see his mother lying completely immobile on her hospital bed. He looked at the EEG and the ECG monitors. There were sharp dips and spikes in the graphs.

A doctor stepped in front of him, his face barely centimeters away. He smelled of tobacco and dried fish.

"Get away from me," John said, shoving him aside.

"Sir, we need you to wait outside."

"The h.e.l.l you do! She's my mother and I'll be with her whether you like it or not."

"Sir," said a nurse behind him, "We really do need you to be outside!" John scowled at the doctor. He turned around to walk away. The computers made a faint but monotonous droning sound, which brought chills up his back. No! It couldn't be!

It was confirmed by a voice, "We've lost her."

Alex felt his heart had fallen into a bottomless pit. She was dead! He could feel her soul leave the body. He wanted to cry, to do something, but he had to concentrate on Daniel. "Grandma!" he said softly, "Don't leave us." He felt her presence around him.

Daniel had gathered plenty of energy now. He grinned at Alex, trying to taunt him.

"Alex, I have to go," he heard his grandma's voice say. "My work is finished."

"No. You have yet to do something. I know it; I can feel it."

"I'm not strong enough, now, child."

"You don't need to be strong. You just need to be alive."

Daniel created a ma.s.sive energy ball in his right hand. The whirring of the energy was humanly audible now, which meant it would be a ma.s.sive blow. The vampires could feel Daniel's raw wrath.

"Now that I am gone, someone else will take my place," said Alex's grandmother.

"I won't have it!" he said angrily. She was farther away now, "No! Don't go!" But it was too late.

John grabbed the doctor by the collar. His eyes filled with hot spiteful tears and his face shook vigorously. "Do something!"

The doctor said nothing. His blood boiled. He stepped away and said, "I told you! There's nothing we can do." He stormed out of the room.

John went to his mother and the others left him alone. He laid his head on her hand and cried. Rage took over from grief and he began to smash all the d.a.m.n machines in the room. None of them could save her, so what the h.e.l.l use were they? He punched and kicked them and threw them around the room. Once on the floor, he crushed them with the soles of his feet. He yelled curses and flung everything within reach, vandalizing the entire room. No one was around in the hall. They were all so afraid that they left the ward. John suddenly fell to his knees and then onto one side where he bent double in pain. His stomach and throat burned like hot coal. He took out a handkerchief as he coughed into it. The soft white silk was spattered with droplets of ruby red blood.

Alex hovered in the air. He was aware of the energy ball and waited for it to be blasted at him.

Daniel leaned back and threw the ball hard and fast at Alex. Alex put his hands forward and stopped it. The droning noise stopped simultaneously. He flung the ball ten meters away from him where it hovered in the air. Alex moved his right hand backward and then forward, causing the ma.s.s of energy to spin faster and faster and out into the vacuum of s.p.a.ce, outside the Hangar. As it reached the speed of light, it collapsed in on itself and exploded like a small nuclear mushroom cloud.

Alex wielded his sword, swinging it to and fro. He smiled. Daniel attacked him and the swordfight began. In turn they led and followed each other, circling around as if dancing. The onlookers watched in amazement.

Sparks of steel flew everywhere and the quick crackling of electricity filled the air. The blue, red and black colors converged and created a bubble around the fighters. The floor lit up in a dazzling array of colored lightning. The audience suddenly levitated in the air, thanks to the vampires' sudden reflexes. Dazed, confused, and scared they looked on.

A swirling mixture of hot and cold air could be felt, as though a tornado were approaching. The humans felt electricity on the minute hairs of their forearms. The Rebels suddenly lost their concentration and the humans fell to the floor. Luckily, the lightning on the floor disappeared. The two fighters locked swords again, creating another wave of lightning. Just before it reached the humans, they were levitated back in the air.

This new burst of energy instantly shut down the entire power supply of the Regnum.

John stood still as the lights flickered and then went out altogether. When his eyes adjusted, he groped for the chair, and sat down, not knowing what to do. He yelled out, "Mom! Oh Mom!" He cried his heart out. How could this have happened! How could this have happened!

Alex gritted his teeth. "Daniel," he said through them, "let go of all this. I will allow you to go back safely, if you just agree to leave us alone!"

"You really think I would do that? You have too much mercy, Falsifier. That is your flaw."

Alex released a spurt of extra strength and pushed him. "And stubbornness is yours!" He quickly shot six green energy b.a.l.l.s at Daniel. The unleashed energy flew past its target and smashed a hole in the wall. Alex head b.u.t.ted Daniel in his chest. He grabbed his right arm and squeezed it tightly, until Daniel's sword fell to the ground, making a crater. With his free hand Alex choked him.

He wrestled Daniel's arm behind his back and threw him into s.p.a.ce, away from the Regnum. He swung his sword at Daniel's chest. Daniel used his will to pull his sword from the crater and into his hand and blocked. The impact created bursts of lightning and wild raging energy. As the swords locked, light came from each finger of Alex's left hand. The small lights swirled and converged together creating one ma.s.s of energy. The ma.s.s collided with Daniel's abdomen. In surprise, he let go of Alex, staring at the deadly energy touching him. I can't, I can't, Alex thought. Alex thought.

You must, slithered a voice in his head. slithered a voice in his head. Do it! Do it!

No! He's my blood, my cousin!

Do it!

And he did. The b.a.l.l.s solidified and pushed Daniel farther away from him. The light surrounded him until finally he was consumed by raw, uncontrolled energy. This indestructible force ripped him apart from limb to limb. His body turned into a mess of raw flesh, then into a fiery black skeleton. Finally, it crumbled and dissolved away to nothing.

Oh my G.o.d! He screamed at the top of his lungs into the black emptiness that was peppered faintly with sparkles of diamond dust. But he could no longer hear or make any noise. Was he even alive? He screamed at the top of his lungs into the black emptiness that was peppered faintly with sparkles of diamond dust. But he could no longer hear or make any noise. Was he even alive?

No, he thought. This was s.p.a.ce. The eternal. he thought. This was s.p.a.ce. The eternal.

Grandma! She was still there, suspended in limbo. She wasn't fully gone yet. He could save her, bring her back. But he felt himself weak now. He was afraid. He had used all the strength that he gained on his first kill. This last thought lingered in his mind like a worm cut in half and still fighting for its life, before it faded into nothingness. She was still there, suspended in limbo. She wasn't fully gone yet. He could save her, bring her back. But he felt himself weak now. He was afraid. He had used all the strength that he gained on his first kill. This last thought lingered in his mind like a worm cut in half and still fighting for its life, before it faded into nothingness.

Enough! I have to try and get her back.

He flew to the Regnum, which now had its power reconnected. The lights had turned back on and there was life once again.

He floated down amongst the crowd. Seeing him slouching as he walked and with tears of blood flowing down his cheeks, they said nothing. Nikolas broke the silence. "It's alright."

Alex shook his head, knowing it wasn't.

Nikolas embraced him and said, "I wouldn't have been able to do it."

"I...I killed someone?" He looked at his hands with disgust. "I killed him with these hands."

Nikolas sighed, "We'll talk about this later. It's time we get you rested and cleaned up."

"No! I have to go to Central Hospital!"

The doctors and nurses returned. They saw John sitting in the chair with his head in his hands; around him, chaos. "Sir, what is it we can do for you?" the doctor said, trying to keep his cool. This was after all the Supreme Leader.

"I want to see Dr. Wallace."

"I am Dr. Wallace," the doctor replied.

"Why couldn't you have saved her? Who do you you think you are, telling me she's dead, telling me you can't do anything about it? You're a doctor!" think you are, telling me she's dead, telling me you can't do anything about it? You're a doctor!"

"Exactly. I am a doctor, but I am not a miracle-worker. Now I suggest you leave, before I call the authorities!"

"Do you know who I am?" John said getting up suddenly and making them jump. "I'm the Leader of this World. I am the authority of all authorities!"

The door banged open, almost splintered at the hinges. Alex entered, panting and tired. His face was sullen and black bags were forming under his eyes. "Wait! Everyone..." he was out of breath, "...remain calm."

"Catch your breath, son," John said, "Wouldn't want to lose you to these frauds!"

"That's quite enough, Mr. Howe!"

"You're too late," John continued, ignoring Wallace. "She's gone," he said silently. His hard, straight face, worn out by grief, made him look like he had aged another twenty years. "She's gone, d.a.m.n it!" he shouted, "d.a.m.n you all!" He jumped up and rushed to the doctor as though he was going to attack him.

"Uncle John!" Alex came between the doctor and his uncle, "Calm down. I can bring her back."

"Oh, so we have another messiah-complex. Suffering from an unhealthy lack of humility," said the doctor. "What do you think kid, that you're the next Christ?"

"Listen," said Alex. "I am warning you, before..."

"Like uncle, like nephew, I suppose."

"Back off!" Alex said and hissed at him, suddenly showing his fangs. "Get out of my sight!"

Fearing for their lives, the entire team of medical personnel ran out. "Uncle John," said Alex softly, "Just sit and relax. I have just enough energy to resurrect her. I need to, for all our sakes."

"But how?" John asked, his voice like that of a child's.

Alex shook his head, "No time to explain. For now, trust me."

John sat down and let the heavy lids of his eyes close, as if he was falling asleep.

The door opened again and this time Richard and the twelve Rebels entered the room. "So?" Nick asked. He saw her corpse. He nodded slowly and went to John. "Don't worry about a thing, old friend. We'll bring her back. Or rather," Nikolas watched as Alex joined the tips of his fingers to form a ball, "he will."

Blue light emerged from within his hands and emanated a sense of peace and tranquility around. Alex breathed deeply, and exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes and went into a trance.

His consciousness was all that there was. Nothing more, nothing less. "Grandma," he said, his voice echoing in the deep void of nothingness. What is this? What is this?

"This," the familiar voice said, "is what we call limbo." The voice was Grandma Howe's. He could see himself as a spiritual body, floating in the void. His grandmother's body materialized.

He embraced her and she kissed him on the cheek, "You don't have to do this," he said, holding her at arm's length. "What about Uncle John?"

She sighed, "It will be painful to leave him, but leave I must."

"But you have things you need to tell me and show me."

"Your father is the best person to show you."

"I know you have something my father doesn't, some secret knowledge. When I was in meditation, I saw you dying. I also saw Angel being murdered."

"That is why I have to go, Alex."

"What?" He furrowed his brow. "Look Grandma, I haven't much time. My energy is waning and I want you alive again. What is it that's bothering you?"

"Alex, if I don't die, Angel will."

"What? How will she die? From childbirth?"

"No. It will be as you saw in your vision."

He remained quiet. His heart stopped. "What can I do to change all this?"

"I have decided for you, Alex. I am going for Angel's sake."

"Uncle John won't be able to handle it. You have to stay longer; you have to come back."

"And Angel? What about her life? My time has come. I am old and she is young. She is the mother of your child, Alex. And that child will be the continuation of your heritage."

Alex shook his head, "My duty is not to extend, but to exterminate my line. That is what I was born to do."

Grandma Howe squinted and shook her head. "There are still many things you have to learn, Alex."

"And that is why you must stay alive; to teach me."

She paused, took a deep breath and said, "I don't know. The moment I wake up, Angel's life will be in danger."

"You don't worry about that. I will deal with it."

"You have no such power yet."

"Then when I do, I will bring her back."

"You can't."

"What do you mean I can't? Of course I can." He paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be arrogant."

"It's not that. There are bigger and more important things in the way."

Suddenly his face brightened, "I have an idea. No one said you couldn't be dead and alive at the same time."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"I figure as long as you're not moving and up and alive, Angel won't be in any trouble."

"You're thinking of fooling G.o.d? Are you serious?"