SPELLBOUND

The look in Gavrael's eyes as he said the words 'it's too late now' was heartbreaking. Even though there was a slight smile playing on his face, the pain and sadness that were brimming in his fiery blue eyes could be seen as clear as day. His emotions at that moment were all over the place and his cold face could no longer hide them no matter how he tried.

"Could it be that… this is…" Gavriel's eyes widened in shock. He remembered the thoughts he heard from Gavrael about the price he had to pay. It had been quite unclear to Gavriel as Gavrael's thoughts were a complete mess lately. He had not really thought twice about why it was so, but now he had a bad feeling that it might be related to what he had just said.

Gavrael's dark magic were even blocking some of Gavrael's thoughts from filtering through to him and therefore, Gavriel had been having a hard time understanding everything especially ever since the war started. Gavriel was also sure that he had not heard a lot of Gavrael's thoughts due to the interference of his strong dark magic.

"This is the price you were thinking about paying?" Gavriel continued, looking at him with eyes wide and incredulous. He would not have thought Gavrael to use this as his last bargaining chip.

"That's right." Gavrael replied, staring down at his hand. "I don't have anything else that is left to offer. Well… anything that is of value, that is. All I have now is this soul." He then casually shrugged his shoulder.

"Wait a moment…" Gavriel still could not quite come to terms with what Gavrael was prepared to sacrifice.

"I told you. It's too late. And I am not going to regret it. Not when I have already come this far. This is the only way to end Galleous and thus, protecting Evie."

"This can't be…" Gavriel was shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's already over, Gavriel. Whatever you say now will not change anything anymore. Not a single thing. The trade-off has already been settled. It is done."

Still shaking his head, Gavriel raked his hand through his hair. "This can't happen, Gavrael. You can't just up and disappear like this. How about… what will happen to all your dark magic? If you disappear now, where would it go? Who would be able to control it? The dark magic will take over our body!" Gavriel cried out in concern.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Gavriel." He looked straight into Gavriel's eyes. A twinkle in those eyes caused Gavriel's heart to drop in his chest. That look was not promising. "You'll be able to handle it just fine."

"What?! What the hell are you –"

"It seems you have not realized it yet. But I'll tell you this. I don't know if this is the power of a vampire, but you are tougher than you think. You might even be as tough as an ancient dark crystal… maybe even tougher, I don't know for sure. But do you know why I came up with that conclusion? Because you have managed to suppress me and my dark magic for so many years without any overtly negative side effects to yourself. Only the devil knows how much I tried to break free but still failed every single time."

"You might be right. Yes, I managed to suppress you, but you have to admit you are really asking for too much here. And to top it all off, this dark magic you devoured from Galleous tis just too much for anyone to handle. Especially for a single person!"

"I know. But I still believe that you would be able to find a way to contain it. Though the dark magic is far stronger now than it was earlier, the difference might not be that much because I won't be with it this time. Without me, there will be more space in here."

Gavriel half-bite on his lips, still shaking his head as he was now confused with two opposing views. Then his face became severe as he stood close to Gavrael.

"I don't know what the hell made you think that I would be able to pull this off. You might think this will work, but I'm going to tell you this painful fact again. I am far weaker than you! Even if you had the necessary power and could turn the whole world upside down, it is still you who are the stronger one between the two of us!" Gavriel hissed out. Though painful, he had to be truthful and acknowledge that Gavrael was truly powerful and was in a league of his own. How could this strong creature then expect someone like him to handle all this immense power? "Whenever I am at the brink of death, all I could do is rely on you. Because I am simply not strong enough! I'm not daring enough nor foolish enough to lie to myself that I am able to handle such tremendous power alone. You and I have to work together, Gavrael. This is the only way to solve this matter! There is no other way!" Gavriel stubbornly insisted.

"How stubborn…" Gavrael twitched his mouth, trying to hold back his temper. "I told you, it's too late now. I don't know why you don't have that much faith in yourself, but you have no choice, Gavriel –"

"Damn you. You created a one hell of a problem and you planned to disappear on Evie and me just like this? You are doing this on purpose and just to get back at me, aren't you?" Gavriel narrowed his eyes irritably at Gavrael.

A wicked smile curved on Gavrael's face. "That's right. This is my farewell gift to you. And this kind of farewell gift is something that you definitely deserve."

"Damn you again… you, idiot dark fae. You think I'll let you get away with this?" Gavriel growled as he bared his fangs at Gavrael.

"I told you. You don't have a choice you, idiot vampire." Gavrael only sniffed and turned his nose up at Gavriel.

"Don't underestimate a vampire, idiot dark fae.. If there truly is no choice left, then I'll just create one."