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"You know, you shouldn\'t be asking me that." He chuckled, turning away from X to watch the pond.

"One part of me wants you to work under me. To do my every bidding and remove the obstacles on my way. The other part of me wants me to tear your face to pieces and crush your heart in my hands." He chuckled. "Which part should I listen to?"

X watched him carefully before sighing in defeat. "I guess finding an answer wouldn\'t have been that easy."

"Of course, it wouldn\'t." Ezra said. "Besides, the decision has to come from you. If you don\'t make the choice yourself, you\'ll always feel cheated. Don\'t take the easy way out and figure it out on your own."

"I see." X said.

After a moment, he walked to the nearby pond, picking up a few stones and began skipping them on the surface of the water.

Ezra chuckled, picking up a few stones and joining him.

They spent a few minutes in companionable silence.

"So," X spoke, "do you still plan to stick with Countess Yuri in the coming war?"

"Me?" Ezra chuckled as he threw another stone, counting the skips. "Nah. I\'m planning on leaving this city behind. There\'s no use staying here, fighting a war that I have no stakes in. Let the others do the fighting."

"Smart." X hummed. "You have nothing tying you here. No assets, no business and no debts. Maybe I\'ll also leave First City too."

Ezra said nothing, skipping another stone.

X looked down at his shirt, grinning. "Which council approved city do you think would be the perfect vacation spot? How about-"

X cut himself off.

Ezra frowned, looking up. X was staring at a spot in the distance and Ezra turned following his gaze.

There was a strange, red glimmer on the horizon, barely noticeable like the edge of a rising sun. But Ezra knew that couldn\'t be it. It was midmorning. The sun was already high in the sky.

Ezra squinted in confusion, watching the light grow brighter, more intense, until it began to stretch upwards, climbing higher and higher into the sky.

"What the hell?" He whispered as he took in the sight.

Ezra took a step back as a low hum filled the air, vibrating through the ground beneath his feet. The once chirping birds fell silent. The humans around continued on their merry way, unable to pick up on the vibration.

Ezra and X watched as the red glow solidified into a transparent barrier, its surface shimmering like liquid fire.

It rose steadily, stretching over the city, slowly cutting off the blue sky and giving the light of the sun that passed through it a strange, bloody hue.

The barrier arched overhead, connecting at a point far above, forming a massive, dome-like structure that sealed the whole city away from the world.

"Ezra," X spoke from beside him, "I think you\'ll have to cancel those travel plans."

**********

"That\'s a Shield Wall." Olivia explained. "It\'s a rarely seen ability, used whenever the council wants to seal a city. The humans can\'t see it and are free to go wherever they want but no vampire can leave or enter if the shield is up."

The Matten Coven sat in the dining room of the apartment. The windows of the whole space had been covered by heavy curtains, making sure no one could see into it.

They had also sealed themselves in with layered black zones, ensuring no vampire could eavesdrop without getting caught by them.

Ezra sat on his usual spot at the head of the table. On his right, Olivia sat, giving an explanation on the barrier that covered the city. On his left, Gen sat with Red, who had woken up from her ascension, feeling refreshed.

"So, we can\'t leave?" Gen asked.

"Only vampires of at least the seventh ring have a chance of getting through the shield." Olivia answered. "As long as the shield is up, we\'re going nowhere."

Ezra sat back, thinking about what he\'d just learnt and what it meant for them.

"Why?" He asked. "Why would the city be sealed up?"

"The council seals up cities when they want something or someone in it." Olivia said. "Vampires can\'t teleport out, which means they\'ll have all the time they need to find whatever they want. Of course, we can\'t assume that this is the case."

At that moment, Red\'s phone dinged. She picked it up from the table, reading the message she had gotten.

"Guys," she looked up, "it\'s bad news."

"What happened?" Gen questioned.

"Itachi Yaiba has left the city."

Silence filled the room as they digested the information.

"Fuck." Ezra cursed.

"So, this means that first, we\'re sealed in here until he comes back, right?"

"Yes." Red answered.

"Second, with Itachi gone, the war is all but assured to happen, isn\'t it?"

"Yes."

"And third, since we\'re trapped here, we\'ll have to fight, won\'t we?"

"Yes."

Gen smiled. "I would have celebrated but I can read the room."

"This is the worst case scenario." Olivia said. "We are currently the most unprepared coven in First City right now."

"Shit." Red cursed. "That\'s true."

"Come on, doesn\'t that add to the excitement?" Gen cheered. "Starting from the bottom and clawing your way to the top?"

Ezra leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "How do we make preparations?"

"Simple. We gather resources." Olivia answered. "Vampire warfare is different from human warfare. There\'s only a few of us and all males are valuable. Indiscriminate killing is frowned upon by all."

"Because of this, vampire warfare is divided into three parts."

"First, we have the arms race."

"Also known as the rat race." Gen grinned. "With Itachi gone, all vampires will be scrambling around to gather money, power and allies. Sides would be chosen and the battle lines would be drawn. Currently, we have none of those."

"After the arms race, everyone moves to the second part. The Sabotage." Red picked up the explanation. "Now that we know who the enemies are, it\'s time to destroy their assets, drain their resources and try breaking their partnerships. Basically, it all boils down to weaken my enemy and strengthen myself."

"And lastly is the main part." Olivia said. "The war."

"Vampires would be killed in the shadows because publicizing a kill means inviting retaliation."

"This is the time blood will be shed."