What happened next could not be easily explained by anyone – not even Upir herself.
She ran towards the judges and tried to run past them.
The Guardian stretched his rod towards her but the judges had sent a ball of dark fire towards Upir.
Lehi was still linked to Upir so he channeled all his power into diverting the fire ball.
The energy from the conflicting powers sent The Guardian and Nella sailing across the desert and landing with a thud.
The fire ball had gone to the veil that separated the abyssal realm and the human world.
The veil shook for a while, it was getting weak.
Upir continued running as if her life depended on it – because it did.
The Guardian stretched his rod and chains grew out of it and held Upir by the wrists and dragged back.
The judges channeled another dark energy at Upir. This time it hit her and slammed her head against the ground.
She felt her life draining away. Upir tried to stand but she fell again, half dead.
Not now Upir! She heard Lehi’s voice in her head.
His life source sustained her and she managed to gather her strength. The fear of what the judges would do to her if she stayed made her determined to leave the abyss.
The judges sent a sharp pain through Upir’s head that hit Lehi like a migraine. He fell down, dizzy but still conscious.
Nella wondered what was happening, she could see the people in the abyss now. Some had disfigured faces, others were in one form of mental torture or the other. The air was heavy with the strong smell of blood and burning flesh.
The abyssal realm was showing it’s true face now, the ground looked like larva and strange creatures moved around wildly.
“What’s happening?!” Nella screamed.
“No.” The Guardian said, praying that what he feared was not true.
“The veil…” a judge started.
“It’s tearing.” Another judge completed.
Upir felt around for Lehi’s magic, she felt it within her and dragged herself up, she had seen the veil. It was weak now so she could pass easily.
In a flash, she hauled herself towards the entrance, the judges tried to stop her but she knew what she was doing.
“Avujeeh!” she yelled weakly, facing them.
She had called their name, she had read the markings on them, it had taken her two thousand years and a good dose of Ah’Lehi magic but she done it.
Anyone who called their name could immobilize them and anyone around them at that moment.
Upir smiled and staggered towards the veil.
When she got to it, she jumped out, screaming.
Upir opened her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Lehi was kneeling by her, his migraine gone.
“Welcome back.” He smiled.
Upir sighed and lay back on the floor. She was exhausted.
“Do you plan to lie there all day?” Lehi asked playfully.
“Thank you Ah’Lehi.” Upir breathed.
Lehi shrugged.
“It was nothing,” He said, “so what’s next? Are you going to back out?”
Upir looked at him as if he was crazy. What did he mean “back out”?
She did not almost get permanently detained in the abyss just to come back and “back out”.
“You’re looking at me as if I said something crazy.” Lehi said.
“Because you did.” Upir said raising herself from the ground, she fell down again. Lehi tried to help her up but she was too weak.
“We have to act quickly now,” she continued weakly, still on the ground “the veil between this world and the abyssal realm is weak. We can tear it now.”
“You don’t seem strong enough.” Lehi told her.
Upir nodded. Lehi was right, she was not strong enough. Infact she was not sure she was going to recover from the dark energy that had hit her.
She could feel some of her power slipping out of her.
“I need … blood.” she whispered before passing out.
Theo sat on the bed beside his sister’s body. He stood up anxiously and sat on the bed again.
Next he paced around the room. Then he sat on the bed again.
Kenneth stood by the door, watching the anxious wizard.
“You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.” Kenneth said.
“I can’t help it.” Theo replied.
“Calm down Theo,” Kenneth said, “there’s still hope, I mean she’s not dead.”
Theo looked at Kenneth, her body was cold and her spirit was in the abyss without an assurance of it’s return.
How could Kenneth say that she was not dead?
Kenneth realized the error of what he just said and bit his lower lip.
“I mean… well she’s not…’ Kenneth stammered.
“Perhaps I can use my magic to call her spirit back.” Theo said, suddenly remembering something.
“But… you… Nella said you don’t do magic anymore.” Kenneth said.
“I really don’t have a choice, crazy things are happening.” Theo said and walked over to his sister’s body.
Before he got to her body, Nella gasped for breath and opened her eyes. The body of Tony materialized beside her.
“Nella!” Theo shouted.
The two embraced.
Kenneth walked over to Tony.
“What happened?” Kenneth asked him, “what took you guys so long? How did it go? Did it work?”
Tony responded with a forlorn look.
“What happened?” Theo asked Tony still holding his sister.
“The veil,” Tony started, “Upir managed to complicate things.”
“Why do you mean?” Kenneth asked.
Tony told them how Upir had caused the weakening of the veil.
“Is it that bad?” Kenneth asked.
Theo, Nella and Tony looked at Kenneth oddly.
“What?” Kenneth asked innocently.
“I’ve seen part of the abyssal realm,” Nella said weakly, “you don’t want anything from there coming to this world.”
“Infact the way things are, we shouldn’t be too worried about Upir,” Tony said, “the dark energy should keep her under control for a while. We should be bothered about the broken veil.”
Kenneth sighed.
“This party gets wilder and wilder by the minute.” He said drily.
“How long were we gone?” Nella asked.
“A week.” Came Kenneth’s reply.
“Yes, time acts strangely when you visit the abyssal realm,” Tony said, “one minute in the abyss can be a day or even a month in the human world.”
“The time difference is not our problem now.” Kenneth snapped, “what is going to happen with the broken veil? Isn’t there anyone powerful enough in the abyss to fix the veil?”
“The veil was created by The Creator.” Tony said.
“Isn’t that the person who created the realms?” Nella asked.
“Yes,” Tony replied, “no one except The Creator can fix the veil .”
“Then call The Creator!” Kenneth said.
“It’s not that easy Kenneth!” The Guardian shouted, “The Creator is very hard to reach, almost impossible. The only way we can get The Creator’a attention is through…”
“A sacrifice.” Theo said, understanding.
“And not just any sacrifice,” Tony said. “a willing sacrifice.”
“So you mean someone has to just willingly go and get theirselves sacrificed to some unknown god.
“It’s the only way.” Tony said helplessly.
“Why can’t you do it?” Kenneth asked suspiciously.
“I’m not human,” Tony said, “I have no blood ; I have no soul; I cannot be a sacrifice.”
“So who’s going to be the sacrifice?” Kenneth asked no one in particular.
“If you think I’m planning on being the sacrifice then you’re joking!” Nella said when she caught Kenneth looking in her direction.
“I’m not asking you to do it!” Kenneth lied, “besides, vampires are not humans.”
“But you belong to the realm of humans too,” The Guardian said.
“No one is going to be god – meat here Tony!” Kenneth said, raising his hands to silence Tony.
“But there is no other way!” Tony said, almost desperately, “and you vampires have already lived for so long.”
“Dying is not the main problem,” Kenneth said, “we vampires are used to dying. It’s dying without an assurance what you died for was not in vain that bothers everyone.”
Tony shook his head solemnly, he had no such assurance.