Sofie called Slacovich immediately the moment Volton's man was captured. He was taken into the Black Knights' custody and would be interrogated there. Sofie could sense the sadness in Slacovich's voice the moment she heard the news.
"Slacovich, the master hypnotist was finally captured. I'll let the Black Knights handle him. We can't afford to let him go and harm innocent people again."
"That's great," Slacovich replied, but Sofie could hear his sighs every now and then, heavy with exhaustion.
"Did something happen? By the way, how did everything go?"
"Well, we managed to rescue Ania. But his brothers… sadly, we were too late when we got there."
"Ara must be so heartbroken. How is she doing?" Sofie asked, but she couldn't hear even a single breath from Slacovich. The question about Ara seemed to bring him sorrow again.
"Tell me what's happening?"
"A—ara… she…" Slacovich's trembling voice said it all.
"No way! Can you just tell it straight, Slacovich?" Sofie was starting to feel hopeless about Ara's condition.
Before he could reply, Vera snatched the phone when she saw Slacovich having a hard time telling what happened.
"Who's this?" Sofie asked, sensing the sudden change in her own voice.
"My Queen, sorry for intervening in your conversation. But Mr. Demonfire can't even utter a single word about what happened to Ms. Ara. I am Vera, head of the Black Knights here in India. It's an honor to be at your bidding, my Queen."
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"Ara Khalil is gone."
"What do you mean by gone? She can't be gone!" Sofie's voice rose sharply, making everyone in the office hear her. The news of Ara's condition reached Tyler and the others, who all hurried to her side to confirm what they heard.
"My Queen, I wasn't at the scene when it happened, but the Shadow Guards can tell you exactly what occurred." Five Shadow Guards appeared inside the office.
"Let me get back to you. I'm hanging up."
"Sofie, what happened?" Tyler saw Sofie's teary eyes and knew something terrible had happened. He couldn't get a hold of Ara's whereabouts through the necklace he gave her.
Sofie faced the Shadow Guards and asked them for every detail. Instead of speaking, each Shadow Guard leaned their forehead against hers. This gave them a vision, a detailed, vivid image of what happened to Ara, from her fight to her death. Their hearts tore as they witnessed Ara's sacrifice and even heard her last words. It felt like the world suddenly poured cold water over them. They couldn't help but cry their hearts out. Ara, who had been such a sweet girl, had suddenly died a terrible death.
The Shadow Guards slowly moved back and disappeared, leaving the Demonfire group bursting into tears.
"This can't be true," Harry broke the silence, trying to comfort the others.
"We've seen everything, Harry. Every single bit of it. I can feel her pain and struggle," Li said, hugging Diego who was beside her.
"Volton's doing such inhuman experiments. If Blu's information is reliable, then there are four who possess the same ability. We must be very careful this time." Diego patted Li's back.
"Slacovich must be very angry at himself. I can't bear the pain just by watching it. How much more must Slacovich feel, being there the entire time?" Sofie burst into tears.
All of them were startled by Tyler's sudden action. He broke the table with just one punch. He was furious and depressed at the same time.
"I can't believe you, Sofie! I'm mourning Ara's death, yet all you can think about is how Slacovich is doing. Can't you be more sensitive?!" He raged, transforming into his vampire form.
Harry quickly calmed him down. "Tyler, please calm down. You can't blame Sofie for what she's feeling right now. Everyone is grieving our loss. It's not just you who valued Ara so much, so don't vent your anger on Sofie."
"Harry's right. You should calm yourself down." Li hugged him tightly as she cried even louder. She knew exactly how much Tyler loved Ara. She witnessed how well he prepared everything for her. Every gift he gave her was well thought out. Her heart mourned for Ara's death and also ached for Tyler's loss.
"You're exactly right. If there's someone who needs to pay for her death, it's Volton Hellgazer!" Tyler changed into his ultimate vampire form and was about to rampage on his own, but Li, Diego, and Harry stopped him from rushing out the window.
"Tyler! Going there alone is like entering a lion's den. Do you want Ara's death to become a laughing stock for them? She sacrificed her life to save many, and you're risking your life for revenge?!" Sofie stood up, facing Tyler.
"Who wouldn't want revenge? Sofie's right. You'll only make it worse. We will all get the revenge we seek , together. For Ara's sake, Tyler, you must control yourself. You will only make Volton happy and Ara's death in vain. Is this what you want?" Harry patted Tyler's shoulder and looked at all of them. Then he took a deep breath and turned back into his human form. Still, he jumped out the window, flying away in a rush.
"Tyler, where are you going?" Li screamed.
"Li, let him be. This time he knows where he's going. He needs to sober up." Sofie hugged Li, who was still crying. She also burst into tears again.
At this crucial moment, they had to stand tall. The enemy had just taken one of their loved ones' lives. This time, they would make sure it wouldn't happen again.
Back in India, Slacovich prepared to leave. He had come to India with Ara in flesh, but this time, all he could bring home was her ashes inside a golden urn. Aside from that, he would be taking Ania with him. This 7-year-old child had already suffered so much. Three of her family members had died. He didn't know what the child was thinking, for she hadn't uttered a single word since she heard about Ara's death. How Ania would move forward was still a puzzle.