Viktor was the only one who could be said to be familiar with death or how it feels before dying. That was why he could see that he was slowly falling into the embrace of death.
"No...I don't want to die...I want to see them again…" Azu desperately thought, feeling that he was not ready to leave this world. For him, his life had barely started, and there were so many things he wanted to do.
"Azu!"
"We are back! Please stay with us!"
Azu had no idea how much time had passed, but he suddenly heard worried shouts from the girls he was familiar with.
However, even if he wanted to answer them, he couldn't. He couldn't even open his eyes and look at them. He was feeling as if their voices were fading, and he was slowly losing sense of everything.
"Grandmother, what should we do now? I have got it!"
"Since he is of mixed bloodline from two opposite races, you two have to turn him at the same time. Only then would this have any chance of working. He already possesses the bloodline from both races, but it is dormant and is slowly killing him from inside since they repel each other. Only because his mother is half-vampire and half-human, his human blood is keeping him alive by acting as a barrier for the other two dormant bloodlines. That is why he looks frail and weak but still alive. But now that you both got 'it,' maybe it could alleviate the disharmony between his bloodlines. I can't guarantee what is going to happen since not even I really understand the immense and mysterious power 'it' holds. But it's better than doing nothing," Erina said in a worried tone.
"Let's do it, Eli. We are losing him!" Tara said frantically.
"Okay!"
"I will…." But by now, all voices completely faded out, and Azu felt so cold and alone, he never felt scared more in his life.
He felt as if he was continuously falling down in a bottomless abyss with only darkness surrounding him.
But as he looked down, he suddenly saw giant raging crimson flames and a powerful yet wild blizzard entwining with each other, lighting up his surroundings and making him feel warm and cold at the same time.
The raging crimson flames took the shape of a werewolf, while the wild blizzard took the shape of a ferocious vampire that seemed to be in an eternal battle with the other.
Azu gulped as he was continuously falling towards them and didn't want to get burned or frozen to death by these two.
But just before he could fall into both of them, an unknown gentle force suddenly stopped him from falling, and instead, he was kept suspended in mid-air.
"Who...are...you…Who...am...I..."
Azu was surprised and confused to suddenly hear the voice of a girl whose voice he was not familiar with.
"Why...am...I...here…"
"Eh?" Azu was bewildered as he looked around to see where the voice was coming from, but it seemed like it was coming from every direction, and no one was in sight as well.
"I...like...it...here....It's not dark...and lonely...like before…"
"H-Hello?" Azu was perplexed, but he could feel the sadness in her voice and felt sympathy for her even if he didn't know this girl was.
"They...are...fighting...I...don't want...that…"
As if her words had a power of their own, the two violent superpowered beings suddenly stopped fighting, and instead, a shocking change was taking place.
The two supernatural beings suddenly turned into pure crimson flames and ice, respectively, and began to dance together.
Azu was bewildered by what he was witnessing, and he was even more stupefied when he saw them taking the shape of a vampire and werewolf again, but this time the vampire was the one with blazing crimson flames while the werewolf was an icy figure.
The most surprising fact of all was that these two were not fighting anymore but were instead looking at him while kneeling as if in reverence and respect. They didn't look like they wanted to tear each other apart. It was as if they were never fighting in the first place.
"What...is going on…" Azu was feeling strange seeing these two giants kneeling before him, especially when he was so tiny and weak compared to them.
It just made him feel surreal, but at the same time, he felt some unknown power filling up his body and soul, making him feel good like never before.
He didn't feel he was weak or fragile anymore like before but strong beyond his wildest dreams.
He then noticed two energy strands, one crimson and the other a radiant blue originating from the two supernatural beings, were connected to his forehead as a golden light began to radiate from that point.
"Now...we are...one…No one...can...hurt us...anymore..."
Azu suddenly felt as if someone was holding both his hands and embracing him. The girl's voice trailed off before it became as silent as night and the feeling of somebody holding him disappeared as well.
"Wait!" Azu called out, but he no longer was able to hear the same voice.
And immediately, the entire surroundings before him became totally dark again as the two supernatural beings disappeared and the golden light dimmed as well.
"What just happened....Am I dreaming it all? Am I even alive?..." Azu was feeling totally confused, and right now, all he wanted was to wake up and see the familiar faces.
But a sudden realization dawned on him that made him think differently for the first time as he continued to be surrounded by darkness, "I was weak all this time...That's how I ended up getting hurt and getting stuck here...Why did I not fight back...If I had a second chance...I will not let anyone hurt me anymore…I will protect my people with my own hands...I will...no longer be weak!"
At that moment, a brilliant golden light emanated from his entire body, spreading in every direction like an unstoppable force and dissolving the darkness surrounding him.
Azu suddenly could sense his body again and even move his limbs as he tried to open his eyes.
"Azu! Are you alright?!" Tara's ecstatic voice sounded beside Azu's ears as he rubbed his eyes and tried to get up with her support.
