MY GOLDEN BLOOD - JossGawin FanFiction

CHAPTER 28: KAEL'S AND AEON'S DEATH

Centuries ago, Kael had been there the night Aeon died.

Always behind the scenes, a presence felt though seldom noticed. Kael and Mark, fellow vampires, had crossed innumerable paths through the centuries, but theirs was not the relationship of friends. There was tension-always a tension—a rivalry born from jealousy and old grudges.

He had watched from afar as Mark found love with Aeon, back then seething with envy. Mark, who had never sought affection or companionship, had somehow found a person who saw past the monster. Aeon's love made Mark powerful, but it also exposed his one great weakness: his heart.

Kael was bitter, alone, and envied Mark for his attachment to Aeon—not only because of the love that they had shared but because Aeon had something that Kael desperately wanted: a way to break the curse of immortality. 

Aeon was a healer and, therefore, in touch with those ancient ways; for a long time, Kael had believed that within his knowledge lay the key to ending the vampire curse. But Aeon had never trusted Kael; he'd kept secrets close to his chest, refusing to share them with a soul, let alone the power-hungry —Kael.

This is why Kael saw his chance when the jealous villagers started murmuring about the strange connection of Aeon with Mark.

The Night Aeon Died

The villagers had feared Aeon for his abilities as a healer, but it was Kael who had fanned those flames into a consuming terror, whispering dark lies into their ears and twisting their perception of Aeon into something sinister. He had told them that Aeon's powers came from dark magic—that his connection to Mark, a man who never seemed to age, proved his dealings with demonic forces.

Subtle, yet effective, it had been the subtle manipulation of Kael. He had stood by while villagers stormed Aeon's house, while they dragged him out into the streets ready to burn him as a witch. Kael had wanted something more.

He had wanted to break Mark.

Instead, he had made sure Aeon's death was slow and brutal, orchestrating the attack so Mark would return in time to catch the aftermath and find the man he loved lying in his pool of blood—lifeless and broken.

Yet, Kael hadn't been there just to watch Mark suffer. He had searched Aeon's home for clues, for any trace that the knowledge Aeon was in possession of might have had on how to cure immortality. He had thought that among Aeon's writings, among the ancient herbs and scrolls hidden within the healer's house, lay a way through which he could end the eternal curse.

What he had never known, however, was that Aeon's greatest secret-the one that held the key to breaking the curse—wasn't written on paper. It was in a bloodline. Aeon himself had carried within him that rarest of bloodlines that could have ended immortality, but it had come with love, forgiveness, and sacrifice tied into it. It wasn't something Kael could ever claim or steal.

As Mark had cradled Aeon's body, Kael had watched from the shadows, satisfied with his work. He had wanted Mark to suffer as he had for centuries-alone, broken, and cursed to live without hope.

What he had not counted on was the avalanche that would result from Aeon's death. Mark, in his grief, spiralled deeper into the darkness, away from the world. In destroying the love which had made Mark powerful, Kael had also set fire to a need within him—revenge, and a promise that no one else would ever be allowed near his heart.

Kael's Return

Kael's coming wasn't an immediate threat to Tong but an omen of everything Mark lost. Two reasons brought Kael here to complete what he started centuries ago and to take what, even now, he felt rightfully belonged to him: Aeon's bloodline.

He knew Tong was, somehow, connected to Aeon. Perhaps a reincarnation. Perhaps something else. But whatever the truth, Kael was convinced that if he could get to Tong, he could finally unlock the secret that Aeon had taken to his grave.

But this time, Mark wouldn't let Kael win. Not again.

Kael spelled danger for Tong, and Mark felt the old wounds opening—the pain, the guilt of not being there when Aeon needed him most. He had failed to save Aeon, but he wouldn't fail this time.

This time, he would protect Tong with everything in him, no matter what it took—even if it meant facing Kael head-on. Even if it meant reliving the pain of Aeon's death.Because Kael might have been there when Aeon died, but he wouldn't be the one to claim Tong. Not as long as Mark was still around.