Just the memories of Elias and everything he had done helped put Lucian's mind at ease. He snapped back to the cold-hearted reality at the carnival, plagued by horror with nothing but carnage all around him.

He was no longer the frail and helpless boy he had been all those years ago when he could do nothing but stand and watch as his entire family was ripped from his life one at a time.

He had finally become strong enough to help the people around him. Now, at twenty-one, all those years of tireless practice paid off. Lucian had frighteningly become more talented than Elias.

Lucian was the one who was the most blessed by the goddess Eupherial herself.

As an upper-rank priest, Lucian had become an unstoppable force that the vampires feared more than anything and what every priest strived to be. Someone of Lucian's caliber was hard to come by and not easy to take down.

Whatever vampire responsible for all this has zero respect for human life. It's already making my stomach turn by just seeing it all. Judging by the gruesomeness, it must've been a vampire from one of the notorious gangs that run the city, Lucian angrily thought to himself as rage burned within his eyes. He was determined to slay the vampire responsible for such a massacre to prevent them from doing any more harm.

Now, where could you be? Lucian thought while rising to his feet. He reached up and pushed back his white hoodie, revealing his luscious silver locks. His bangs nicely framed his face, drawing attention to his arctic blue eyes.

"I know you're hiding out there, so you should just show yourself already," Lucian stated as he glanced around, hoping to find any clues on where to find them, only to come up empty-handed.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. There isn't any point in hiding because I will end up finding you," Lucian said darkly.

He reached inside his cloak to remove a dagger he had securely attached to his body. The moonlight gleamed off the reflective platinum surface of the weapon. Its hilt curved into the shape of a golden cross with silver engravings. An emerald jewel decorated the center, and ruby red gems adorned the left, right, and bottom of the handle.

"When I'm dealing with a stubborn vampire, there's always something I do to draw them back to the scene of the crime," he stated as he placed the cool-feeling blade against his arm before pushing it into his skin.

"I find that fresh blood always does the trick," he said with unwavering certainty. He felt the blood trickle out from the cut he had created. A single blood drop descended down from his arm, painting the pavement crimson red.

A smug smile crossed his lips when he heard the sound of loud footsteps gradually getting louder as something rushed toward him.

"I found you, damn vampire!" Lucian said as he swiftly jumped backward. His eyes followed the long blade nails that missed his neck by a few inches. He didn't as much as flinch and instead stood calm and collected with confidence exuding from his frame.

Clap...Clap...Clap

A single pair of hands slowly clapping filled Lucian's eardrums.

"Man, you fuckin reak of the goddess all over ya. I've had my share of bad smells, but I have to say yours is the fuckin worst, and that's sayin' somethin'! It's so strong that I would have thought Eupherial herself was the one standing right in front of me instead of some priest. Sheesh, bathe in her power, why don't ya!" Dmitri grimaced while pinching his nose and waving his hand in front of his face in a feeble attempt to clear the air of the putrid odor invading his nostrils.

"Bad stench, I don't know what you mean?" Lucian answered in a carefree manner with a shrug of his shoulders.

Lucian inhaled deeply while shutting his eyes, allowing his chin to rest comfortably between his index finger and thumb, appearing to be in deep thought. "Now that you mention it, there is something extremely offputting lingering in the air. I wonder what it could be and where it could be coming from," he pondered.

"Oh, I get it now; I know exactly what the problem is," Lucian confidentially asserted when he reopened his eyes and snapped his fingers. "Your nose has become so accustomed to that funky smell of yours from never showering that when a good smell comes along, it can't handle it," Lucian snarkily retorted with a huge smirk plastered on his face.

Dmitri let out a sarcastic laugh before stating, "Oh, so you're nothin' but a smartass punk, huh? For talk like that to come out of your mouth, you must be this Lucian that everyone can't seem to shut the fuck up about. You won't believe how long I've been waitin' to meet such a celebrity. But now that I've finally got to meet ya, I'm a bit disappointed since you don't look all that special to me," Dmitri admitted.

"I never knew I had such a fan. Ha, you're one to talk when you're not all that special yourself. As big and bad as people claim you to be, I never would have thought that I'd still be standing here in one piece. I guess you're not as good as they say you are, but don't feel so bad; we all can't always be what we want," Lucian taunted with that sharp tongue of his.

"You know what? I like you; you're alright in my book; you've got spunk, that's for sure," Dmitri admitted. "I have to say I was surprised you managed to dodge my attack; call me impressed," Dmitri complimented.

"Oh, that was meant for me?" Lucian purposely played dumb while a look of surprise flashed over his face. "It's not that I'm fast; it's just that you're too slow. You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that if you have any hope of landing a hit on me," Lucian boldly taunted.

"I hate to admit it, but you're a swift one; that's for fuckin sure, nothing like the other priests I came across," Dmitri said with an ominous grin. The fresh blood on his fangs glistened under the carnival lights as he spoke. His crimson eyes glowed, piercing through the darkness and into Lucian's soul.

"Other priests?" Lucian repeated as his blood began to boil from anger after hearing a remark like that while his eyes narrowed in hatred. "Seems to me like you've been pretty busy lately, but you should know I'm the last priest you'll end up meeting," Lucian threatened, his eyes lingering with an icy chill.

This is no ordinary vampire I'm up against. I know exactly who he is. He's one of the bosses who run the Midnight Reaper gang; I'd recognize that insignia on his jacket from anywhere. This is going to require a lot more than a simple dagger for me to win this fight, Lucian strategized within his mind.

Lucian engulfed a chunk of the air into his lungs before slowly exhaling while channeling all his power into his hand. The dagger disappeared into thin air with a simple snap of Lucian's fingers.

Lucian held up his hand, facing it in Dmitri's direction before flipping it over to show it was empty. "Poof, and just like that, it's gone; I bet you want to know where it went. Trust me, I've got something even better in mind just for you as a little gift from me to you," Lucian revealed with a wide grin.

All it took was another snap of Lucian's fingers for a bright mass of light to emerge out of nowhere and envelop his entire form. A colossal sword began to take shape within his hand like magic, just as Lucian had commanded it to.

Dmitri squinted his eyes from the blinding light radiating from Lucian's figure. He buried his nose into his elbow, visibly disgusted by the grotesque stench that Lucian's weapon was giving off.

"I know you're amazed; you don't have to tell me twice. I can see it all over your face; one look says it all. I bet you didn't see that coming; it's a pretty neat trick, right? Your days are numbered," Lucian confidentially declared while he held the sword in his hand up high.

"I want you to take a good long look at this gorgeous, holy face of mine because it's going to be the last thing you see on your way to hell," Lucian threatened before pointing his blade directly at Dmitri, challenging him to a fight.

"Gorgeous face, huh? Not as gorgeous as mine," Dmitri gloated while posing as if cameras were flashing while snapping pictures of him.

"Let's see how long it stays that way after I get done with it. I think you're too confident for a priest. If you're upset about me killing your friends, why don't you join them!" Dmitri roared as he lunged forward. His movements almost appeared like a blur as he moved with inhuman speed.