The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (BL)

Hydra...The mythical creature who guarded the entrance of Hell, with nine heads that could grow back after being decapitated and poison that melted anything, even gold. But such a creature should have only existed in the stories, not in reality, and beholding the unfathomable enormity of the monster petrified everyone.

Lucius gulped, “is this an illusion? Are we dreaming?”

Dorian replied with an unusually unsure voice, “I’m afraid not.”

“So...your mother didn’t happen to mention a gigantic nine-headed snake?”

Hydra’s nine pairs of burning eyes glanced at them threateningly but made no move to attack. However, Drake was overwhelmed by fear, and in panic, he fired his gun toward the legendary serpent.

“No!” Dorian warned in dread, but it was too late. The bullet bounced off Hydra’s ironclad scale like a rubber ball.

For a brief moment, everyone stood so still that even their hair didn’t dare to move with the wind. And Hydra also didn’t move. But the next second, all nine heads let out an ear-splitting roar, and one head loomed over the shaking bodyguard, opened its mouth, and two surges of liquid gold shot at Drake.

Serena, Simon and Florian all jumped away in time to evade the downpour of venom, and Drake also attempted to evade it, but half of his body was caught by the beautiful but extremely deadly venom. The neophyte’s scream echoed over the labyrinth like the wail of a banshee, and everyone watched in horror, witnessing his body melting away as if his flesh and organs were made of ice cream. The scene was too similar to Lucius’s nightmare for the past two nights, and he vomited immediately.

“Put down your weapons! Don’t attack!” Dorian commanded with a sonorous, imperative voice. He had noticed that the giant monster wasn’t making any further attacking gestures, and he surmised Hydra was only guarding the entrance of the Sanctuary against hostile intruders. And if they show some submission and respect, perhaps they still get a chance to leave here alive.

It took a lot of courage to obey Dorian’s order. Their survival instinct was yelling at them to defend themselves despite the guns and swords were toys when facing such an eldritch horror. One by one, Serena, Simon, and Florian lay down their weapons, and their eyes fixed on the nine slowly swaying heads.

Dorian took out the scroll, bit down on his right hand and smeared his blood on the gibberish words, and soon the gibberish-like words on the scroll began to change. Each stroke swam across the two-dimensional space and formed into new words. It was ancient Persian, and the rhythmic, mystic, and musical words trickled out of Dorian’s lips like a mellifluous chant.

Queen Aslani told her son the chanting was the key to opening the Sanctuary. And for the longest time, Dorian thought the chant was for a stone door or something like that. But now, he truly hoped that his speculation was correct and the chant was intended for Hydra.

The monster didn’t react at first, but as the chanting echoed in the deadly silent night, several of Hydra’s heads looked at each other as if communicating something, and they all looked to the head in the middle, which was the biggest head of all nine. According to mythology, the middle head was the one who dominated all thoughts and ideas of other heads and greatly determined the action of Hydra as a whole.

The middle head stared at Dorian with such indifferent coldness as if trying to determine if he was worthy enough. Ere long, he let out a low, thunder-like grumbling sound. His tower-like body began to sink back into the abyss, along with the nine still swaying heads.

Dorian felt like his heart hadn’t been beating so fast for at least a century, and he almost had a heart attack when Lucius whooped and jumped at him, leaving two big, wet kiss on his face, “OMG you did it! Dorian you sang the fucking nine-head snake back to sleep!”

His consort was obviously too elated that they were still alive to notice there were audiences...Or maybe he just didn’t care anymore.

Lucius legitly thought they were done for this time, that no miracle could have saved them from a hellish creature like that.

Dorian pulled his overly excited consort from him but couldn’t keep a straight face, “I didn’t sing him to sleep. The chant was the key.”

“I don’t care you are the best!” After exclaiming the last sentence, Lucius suddenly realized that the two bodyguards and Florian were all watching. He cleared his throat, suddenly coy, “Well, I assume this is the last test? Will there be more?”

“I’m not sure, but unlikely.” Dorian looked down at the chasm Hydra left behind, “I cannot think of anything to top that.”

“Then let’s get this over with.” Lucius smiled hopefully at Dorian, “we are almost there.”

And Dorian nodded, suddenly feeling very happy that Lucius was by his side at this critical moment.

They marched toward the entrance of the Sanctuary from both sides of the chasm. The building was in much better shape than the rest of the labyrinth, and upon their arrival, they noticed the thick, heavy stone doors were cracked, and the crevice was big enough for a person to pass.

Lucius was expecting complete darkness behind the door but walked into a pond of serene moonlight. It was a sublime rotunda, all made with sandstone. The pillars and the arches were almost a chaste white, and in the middle of the vault, among the intricate, beautifully crafted muqarnas, was a round opening gazing at the black velvet sky. Though they didn’t see a moon or stars on the outside, a ray of moonlight poured in through the opening and showered on a statue.

It was the same statue as the one in the abandoned chapel, only taller and more... divine. The beautiful smiling man with a thousand snakes behind him stood like a deity. A circle of halo radiated behind his crown.

“Is this supposed to be the King of Hell? Isn’t this a bit too heavenly?” Lucius mumbled as he followed Dorian walking toward the statue. The statue’s gaze felt almost alive, which made Lucius uneasy.

“He was condemned because he claimed to be God’s equal, and Aslani worshiped him like a god.” Dorian stood before Asmodian and looked around. He ordered the guards and Florian, “Look around. My mother said Aslani family ancestry hid one drop of Asmodian’s blood somewhere here.”

As Serena, Simon and Florian looked around, Dorian kneeled before Asmodian and began to pray to him for the first time in his life. He didn’t say his prayer aloud but whispered between his breaths.

Lucius stood next to him, feeling slightly underwhelmed. After all the madness in the Labyrinth, he was expecting something more.

But perhaps it was exactly what they needed. A respite.

After about an hour, none of the guards found anything. And one more hour passed, and Dorian was still kneeling and praying. Fatigue gradually caught up to the rest of the group. Serena and Simon settled on both side of the entrance in case anything came in, and they took out their blood bag to drink. Florian found himself a corner to eat some energy bar. Lucius sat on the floor not too far from Dorian, watching him pray with such concentration and devotion. Lucius vaguely thought that were he the King of Hell, he sure would have granted anything Dorian wanted by now. The last time he saw another praying like this was his brother.

The thought of Julian unnerved him a little. He wished he had a way to check if Julian was safely home.

Just as they thought Asmodian probably wouldn’t answer their implore, something subtle but abrupt happened.

A trickle of blood dripped from the lip of the statue, and the crimson stained the white lips like a lurid lipstick. The guards gasped and scrambled up to their feet, and even Florian was stupefied. Dorian quickly stood up and caught the blood-like liquid with a small bottle.

Lucius rushed to his side, the excitement clearly written on his face. And Dorian was also smiling with the simplest and purest happiness. He showed the small bottle to Lucius, and the latter was so happy for him that he hugged his husband tightly.

They got it! They were saved!

And the next moment, Dorian’s body shook, and his smile froze on his countenance.

Lucius took one step back gingerly, no longer smiling. A cautious and sad look replaced all the bright colors in his eyes.

On Dorian’s abdomen stuck a short dagger. An enchanted one.

Dorian looked down at the knife and the gushing blood with a look of disbelief and confusion, as if not understanding what was happening.

“I’m sorry.” Lucius raised his hand, and the bottle containing Asmodian’s blood was in his palm.

Serena pounced at Lucius, but before she could even touch him, a gust of wind lacerated the air, and the next moment her head rolled to the ground, eyes still blinking in shock.

Simon stood behind her, swinging the other bodyguard’s blood away from his sword. Serena’s head, still alive but couldn’t really do anything anymore, cursed him loudly, “Traitor!”

Simon only smirked at her and then looked at Lucius and Florian, “Well done. Prince Silvan thought you may not have the gut to do it.”

Dorian’s elegant features were contorted by pain and despair, “you...you and Silvan?”

“I’m sorry...I had to.” Lucius said calmly, though his voice trembled.

Dorian’s body no longer obeyed his command and crumpled to the floor, and his head was the only thing he could move now. He stared at Lucius with such intense wroth and heartbreaking, trying to reach Lucius’s callous heart with his eyes, “I trusted you!”

“You shouldn’t have.” Lucius’s tone was so distant that it sounded hollow and indifferent. He closed his eyes and turned around, no longer wishing to withstand the weight of the prince’s gaze.

“Will he be a problem?” Simon leered at Florian.

“No. He is with me.” Lucius said curtly, “Where is Silvan?”

“He is right outside. Along with others.” Simon said, “We should go now. His Highness will deal with these two here later.”

“Ok.” Lucius took a deep breath and strutted toward the exit. He didn’t even look back. Didn’t see Dorian’s heart shattered into dust behind him.

It was all a lie, after all.

Just as Simon said, Silvan and a dozen heavily armed soldiers were waiting for him outside the door. He must have followed them into the Labyrinth and waited until they entered the Sanctuary before coming out of the shadow. Evidently, Silvan was also a master of illusory spells, as He shielded all these soldiers from Dorian’s senses.

Simon went forward first and quickly whispered something to Silvan’s ear, reporting what happened inside the sanctuary. Silvan seemed satisfied with what he was told.

Seeing Lucius, a victorious smile bloomed on Silvan’s countenance.

“Here you are, my beautiful angel.” He opened his arms, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Lucius slowly walked down the stairs toward the grinning devil, leaving the one he loved behind his back.

This was the point where his life would completely change once more. His heart was beating so loud that he thought Silvan must be able to hear it.

Presently, he was about five steps from Silvan, his hand held at his back, looking bravely into the vampire’s eyes.

Silvan scrutinized every expression on his face, bore into the depth of his mind, “You didn’t disappoint me.” He said and extended his hand.

Lucius replied coldly, “Not now. I will give it to you once Florian and I safely arrive in Anthor.”

“And why do you think you can bargain with me?”

“Because I have something you want.” Lucius rejoined confidently, “And I can pour that Elder blood on the ground any second.“He raised one hand, and the small bottle with blood was fully opened. With just one bit more tilt, the blood was gone.

Silvan’s smile only deepened.

“And I also have something you want,” Silvan said, raising his hand.

The soldiers behind him moved to both sides, and a vampire soldier dragged a smaller, struggling figure and marched forward.

Lucius’s breath caught in his throat. Every drop of blood in his body froze.

The smaller man with hands tied and mouth gagged was none other than his twin brother, Julian.