Earthquake:

Patrick:
—Come on, take the pill.- I insist.
—You swore you'd give me explanations.- I demand between clenched teeth.
—And I wish I could, but I can't right now. I have other things to take care of.
She puts the pill in her mouth getting it down with a couple of sips of water. I see she’s taken a bath and changed her clothes. She is slightly calmer but the bruises around her neck have turned purple, also her cheek looks better but remains slightly red.
—When will I be able to return home?- she insists, impertinently .
—Tomorrow, I'll take you back myself.
—Good.
She curls up on the pillows, closing her eyes. I know she isn’t asleep, but the sleeping pill will kick in soon. I leave her room, heading down the stairs. The witch has lit candles everywhere, truth is, they give this situation a macabre aspect.

—How is she?- Miss Bruzain asks and I know she’s asking after Kira.

—She took a sleeping pill, she’s fell asleep. She's still in a bit of shock, and she has a few bruises that will take time to go away, but she'll get better.
—Glad to hear it. – the witch smiles weakly.
My lord comes down the stairs, comes completely dressed in white, in the style he has liked to wear for hundreds of years. He must have taken a bath, in preparation for this event. His hair is still wet.
—Is everything ready?- he asks.
—Yes.- the witch replies.

—Sir, please reconsider.- I beg vehemently.

—I've thought about it at nauseam and I'm determined, old friend. – Alex places his arm on my shoulder and I repeat the action. We put our foreheads together. He speaks to me through our mental bond.

“I never doubted your loyalty for a second. You have been like a brother to me, you have been my best friend, my most loyal companion... you have been myself.”
“Master...”
“That is why, because of the trust I have in you, I know you will fulfill the last mission I entrust you. Take care of them, Patrick,take care of them all and especially her. If she fulfilles her porpoise tonight, I die and yet she manages to stay alive, swear to me you'll take care of her.’’
“I will, my Lord”
He releases me and I let him go. My lord takes the silver rosary over his head placin it around my neck, so doing he has given me the master key that opens all the doors behind which he keeps his countless treasures hidden in places all over the world.

“Leave us alone for a moment, there are things I must discuss with my witch. Go to her room and get the knife she brought up. I'll call you when it's time.”

I nod, going to materialize on the second floor, near the witch's room. I’m quite far from them but still able to hear them talk.
—Don't hate me, mikrí mou mágissa.
—I don’t
I concentrate in looking for the knife, finding it right on the nightstand.

—Forgive me.- I hear my lord beg and It freezes me, I’d never, ever heard those words come out of his mouth.
—What?!
—Forgive me. For ordering your kidnapping, for bringing you here, for seducing you, for using you, for breaking your heart, for making you feel miserable...Forgive me.- he sobs.
Can not be.
—Alex...

—Forgive me, precious. Forgive me? You said you loved me. When we love we forgive the mistakes of the loved one... Don’t we?
—When the hell did I say that?

—When I carried you in my arms and we got on the jet in Athens. You whispered it in my ear.
— I was asleep that doesn't count, that doesn't...
—Little witch...-he pleads.

—What do you want my love Alex for? All you've done is throw it in my face and reject it. I firmly believe that true love is not about finding someone to jump for me, but someone to jump with me. And you won't, you don't want to. Why do you want my forgiveness, Alex, if you can't even forgive yourself?

—After hurting you so much, you'll finally be free.-he whispers. – Please, I already bear the weight of my mistakes, don’t force me to die carrying this guilt. Don't hate me, Precious, please. Forgive me?
This is unheard of. It's incomprehensible, it's... it's... I sit on the floor in the witch's room. Listening carefully.
—Alright, I forgive you.

—Kiss me?- he pleads again.

My lord, begging for a kiss?

—Are you happy now?-The witch's voice sounds breathy, like she's tearful.

—Remember me.- My lord sounds scared.

—Remember me.- he repeats in a firmer tone, the compulsion does not work with the witch, but that is the tone of voice that is used to take away the will of humans.
—I won't forget you as long as I live,you, idiot.- the witch sighs.

—Stay away from Vlad-he orders, in the tone of voice he’d use to compulse a human, which is incomprehensible…that doesn’t work on the witch.

I hide my face in my hands. How did I not see it before? It was so obvious. He loves her... My lord is desperately in love with the witch. It's so evident now, I've heard it in his voice and in his pleas and even in his orders...

—I will, I swear. Witch's word.
—Good.

“Patrick...”
Calls me and I materialize next to them, holding the knife in one of my hands. It is almost midnight on the same day my lord was converted, the date didn’t go unnoticed by me.
—It's time to begin.- the witch comments,extendsing her hand to me, I quickly hand her the knife.
—What is required?- my Lord asks.
The witch makes a face.
— I was hoping I didn't have to do this,--she says, opening a fairly large gash on the palm of her hand. She sobs in pain while with her bloody palm encircles the ruby that hangs from her neck.

She offers the knife to Alex with her other hand.

—You do the same.- she orders.
My lord cuts his palm quickly and the two interlock the fingers of their bleeding hands. The knife has fallen to the ground. The witch's eyes close. The ground shakes, the entire village seems to shake. Yolie's hair waves against gravity. Between their intertwined fingers a red fire rises. The entire world seems shaken by a force that threatens to destroy reality. The witch's eyes snap open, the color of her irises’ red, just like the fire that now seems to engulf them both completely.

My lord growls and the witch sobs, apparently the fire is really burning them. I make a move to intervene but the witch stops me.

—Don't come closer Patrick, or it’ll kill the three of us !
—Master?
—Do as you're told.- my lord commands between clenched teeth.
—Give me your other hand, Alex! -the witch hurries.

I see them interlock the fingers of their other hands and stare into each other's eyes.

—With blood I Thee release ...With blood and fire I Thee release...- the words that come out of the witch's mouth seem to have an echo, reverberating around us.
— With blood and fire I Thee send ...With blood and fire I Thee send ...

—To the place where you belong… Where you belong...

— Hoping that my future bends ...

I see shooting stars fall, they descend like raging balls of fire. The world convulses, the walls of the Villa seem to close in on us, thunder, lightning and sparks rain down, the witch and my lord writhe in pain as the fire is replaced by a blinding red glow.
— Se agapó mikrí mou mágissa . – I hear my lord whisper and my vision blurs.

In an instant all the lights go out, the universe seems to have gone dark.

Kira:

As soon as I was alone, I sat up in bed and spit out the pill. I rinsed my mouth with the glass of water and headed to the bathroom sink to spit it out. I'm not going to stay another minute in this madhouse. I'm going to escape tonight. I waited a few minutes until I was sure Patrick was gone.
On tiptoe I opened the door and looked around. The hallway was completely empty, leaving the room and I didn’t even bothered closing the door, I didn’t care. I walked barefoot on the incredible carpet, peeking around the corner, the next corridor was also deserted, I advanced a few meters and then I realized, smacking my forehead in exasperation.
Idiot, you're going the wrong way!

I turnd and ran down the hall,back to the open door and from there I sneaked around looking for the stairs.
Suddenly the Villa was shaken by a strong tremor. I glued my back to the wall screaming in fear. It felt like someone had taken the world in their hands and was shaking it like a maraca. Great, the only thing missing from this crappy situation is for the ceiling to fall and crush me.

Lightning bolts seemed to come from...from down stairs?

Have these crazy people detonated an atomic bomb down there or what? In an instant all the oxygen seems to have disappeared from the interior of the Villa. I fight to breathe, to scream, to survive... but it's in vain. I was suffocating in a vacuum charged atmosphere. And then, the lights went out. The bulbs that lit the hallway right above me exploded with brutal force.

Luckily after a few seconds, I was able to breathe again, the earth no longer seemed to shake, then I only perceived a small vibration under my feet. I ran in a mad search of the stairs, everything was in darkness, but I managed to find them, going down them taking them two at the time and when I reach the hall I stop dead.

Someone has placed candles everywhere, some have melted and some not so much but all are out except one. Which lights up Patrick's sobbing body.

My instincts tell me to run, to go away, he's practically blocking the front door but I know the other way out all too weall, through the kitchen door. I hear him groan sounding broken, in pain. Is he hurt? Not that I really care, if he was dumb enough to set off a bomb he deserves as many wounds he may have...but he's been so kind these days, bringing painkillers and cold packs for my cheek, he even applied an ointment to my wounded lip.
Swallowing my pride I walk over to him.

—Patrick.

He is sitting on the ground, hiding his face in his hands and crying uncontrollably, as if he were a lost child. His body convulses with each sob and he sniffs at the tears that drip through his nose.

— Patrick.- I try again approaching me.
— He’s done. My lord is simply gone.- he stammeres, incoherently.

His Lord? Does he mean Alex?

—I thought that when he died at least his body would remain so I could wash it, deposit the coins for the boatman over his eyes and give him the proper funeral he deserved.-His voice breaks into a groan and he continues sobbing inconsolably.
Crouching down next to him I look around. There is a huge singed circle on the carpet, it looks like an engraving made by fire, inside it is drawn the symbol of ying and yang. The little dots at each end are still smoking, plus there's a ghoulish bloody knife right there, also on the rug.

This looks like a magic ceremony gone horribly wrong. Patrick is sure that Alex has disappeared and I a terrible doubt assailsme.

—Patrick, where's Yolie? What have you done to her? - I ask hysterically.

He looks at me, his eyes seem empty, his face expressionles.
—My lord ordered me to take care of her.My lord thought everything would be fine but the witch has also disappeared.- he dries his tears, contemplating the macabre scene on the carpet. – they are dead, both of them are.