Blood Princess

You have to kill them.

I suck in a deep breath. Why did it end up like this?

The giant chamber is probably where all the sewage from the drains once came to converge. It’s since long been abandoned like the rest of the hideout and there isn’t a trace of water or filth to be seen. Rather, it’s been revamped into some sort of amphitheatre – or even an arena.

A few figures – vampire or human, I can’t tell – are already seated around the ring, talking amongst themselves. This must be where members come to spar or practice.

“Are you sure I have to do this?” I ask over my shoulder to where Ian is.

The Blood Lord smirks. “I could turn the entire clan against you with a single command. I don’t think you’re in any place to be asking questions, boy.”

Alice stands uncertainly beside her father, my winter jacket in her arms.

“I’ve called one of my most recent… disappointments to be your opponent,” he continues. “They’ve failed their duties time and time again. If they defeat you they’ll get another chance, otherwise they will pay for their failure... with their life.”

“What kind of leader are you?” I spit.

“One who gets rid of the weakest links.”

And one who lives in fear of those who might surpass him, I think.

He turns back and goes to take a seat near the front. Alice follows him but stays leaning against the wall, refusing to sit anywhere near her father.

I turn back to the other end of the arena. The battlefield is about fifty metres in diameter, so there’s plenty of room to manoeuvre. The rules are simple – whoever emerges alive will be allowed to stay alive. Anything is allowed – it’s a case of survival of the fittest.

I still can’t quite wrap my head around this. My opponent hasn’t done anything wrong to me – and I’m expected to kill them. The more I get to know Alice’s father, the more sadistic and disgusting I find him. How could someone like him have given birth to a person like Alice?

The old floodgates on the other side of the chamber open, but no water comes out. Instead, a small figure steps into the dimly lit chamber.

It’s a girl – and she looks like she could pass for a grade schooler.

There’s no way I can do this.

“Are you serious?” I scream towards Ian. “You want me to kill her?”

“Her mishaps very nearly cost us our safety and security,” he shot back. “We have no use for burdens like her who can’t pull their own weight.”

The girl looks solemnly in my direction. I can’t tell what she’s feeling from the expression on her face. Her fringe droops low to her brows and she looks like she hasn’t combed her hair for a month.

“Alice,” I try again. “Do something!”

She silently looks away. I think the only reason she’s here is because her father forced her to be.

I look around the arena, trying to think of another way. Maybe I could force my way out –

No. Even with my newfound power, there’s no way I can take on an army of vampires.

Could I kill the Blood Lord?

Ian catches my eye as if he knows what I’m thinking. A chill runs up my spine.

Don’t engage unless there’s a ninety percent chance of survival.

He’s the leader of a clan of vampires. There’s no telling what could happen if I fight him.

“Come on! You haven’t got all day, and neither have I!” he roars.

The girl remains still on her side of the ring. I could kill her so easily - just one quick swing with Nightfall and she’d be dead. She’s a demon, right? No different to those imps I slaughtered, or that feral vampire…

But why can’t I bring myself to fight? I know the old me would have attacked without hesitation, but with Alice’s transfusion I can’t help but see her in a human light…

“Guess I’ll have to give her a little push,” I hear Ian’s voice. “Kill him.”

Those two words send a spark up my spine, and the girl’s too from what I can see. It’s as if her body has been hijacked – she raises her head, and her red eyes flare for a brief moment. Then, she reaches out and a giant cleaver appears in her hand – a Divine Edge.

I’m put off guard by this sudden display. Until now, I’d mostly fought petty C and D ranked demons – those which lacked the cognition to manifest their soul as a physical object. The only times I’d ever fought other Divine Edge wielders were while sparring with ANGEL colleagues or the odd B rank demon.

“I’m sorry,” the girl mumbles. “It’s either you or me.”

She can no longer resist the command. Closing the distance between us with speed that only a demon could possess, she swings the cleaver towards me. I follow the blade easily as it travels through the air, and move back to avoid it. It would have been a close call back in my human form, but as a vampire my reflexes and speed have increased drastically.

This must have been what it felt like from Alice’s perspective when I’d attacked her.

A person’s Divine Edge is a reflection of their inner self. The first thing ANGEL taught me when they first picked me off the streets was that one could tell a lot by looking at someone’s Edge. Just by the markings left in the solid ground, I can tell that the vampire girl’s Divine Edge carries a heavy weight.

A massive weapon, too big and too heavy for such a young life. Heavy like the expectations of her, her responsibilities, and the burden she is.

The girl resolutely raises the cleaver again and swings. Her agility is greatly reduced, but she makes up for it in power. If I get hit by that thing, I’m going to be seriously injured no matter how strong I am.

Yet, I still can’t bring myself to draw my weapon against her.

“What an amusing find,” I hear Ian murmur to Alice. “Your friend still refuses to pick up his arms.”

“He’s not my friend. He’s just someone I took pity on.”

I don’t have time to be annoyed at her words simply because of the task of dodging each of the girl’s swings. Her fragile appearance is insanely misleading – each time the blade hits the ground, I feel its tremors against my feet. There’s no doubt that she possesses a handy amount of strength.

More swings, swipes and thrusts come towards me. I can feel them slowing down as she becomes more and more fatigued. She can’t last long in her current condition – I’m still hanging onto the hope that her simply passing out will hand me the victory.

“What are you doing?” she asks me. “Don’t you want to live? Fight back!”

She’s straining to breathe now. I remain silent, keeping my distance from her. Ian yells out from the sidelines.

“Come on, boy! You heard her, she wants you to fight!”

“Shut up!” I yell back. As soon as I look away, something comes swinging towards me.

I messed up.

Clang!

It only took a fraction of a second to summon Nightfall, and another fraction for me to block the blow. However, I’m forced to support the slender blade with both hands in order to keep it from being torn from my grip. The flat edge of the sword digs into my left hand and the hilt digs into my right as I go flying backwards, slamming into the low wall.

That cleaver is not to be underestimated.

I gingerly peel myself from the hard surface, creeping to my feet. The girl is panting, still glaring at me from the centre of the arena.

“So you were finally forced to draw it, eh?” mused the vampire lord. “A katana too… I thought you would have a much cruder blade…”

“Bran. Don’t make her die feeling worthless.”

I flinch at that voice. Instinctively I know that Alice is behind me, looking down at me from the other side of the barricade.

“Her uselessness has been foregrounded by my father for long enough. How would she feel if she were dispatched by an opponent who didn’t even need to draw his weapon?”

Her whisper is meant for me, and me alone.

The world is cruel. I have to accept that there’s no way I can save her.

The girl slowly brings up the cleaver. I can feel the pressure in the air lowering. My eardrums pop as power gathers around the center of the stage.

She’s about to Soul Link.

The cleaver’s aura grows and surrounds her. The fatigue on her face is almost painful to look at – she’s channeling all her strength into this blow. She raises it high above her head, trembling from the burst of power.

This is it – her strongest attack. A Soul Link; a perfect synchronization between one’s soul and body, only possible through countless amounts of practice. If a mere underling is capable of this, I’m scared of what the Blood Lord will be able to do.

It would be shameful not to face this head on. I will make her passing quick and painless… and meaningful.

I sneak a glance out of the corner of my eye. Ian is watching with interest.

Then, the girl brings the roiling cleaver down, demolishing the ground beneath her with a great shockwave.

My grip on Nightfall tightens as I lower my knees, one leg behind the other.

Lend me your strength...!

The ripple of dust and gale spreads outwards, cleaving the air. The wind is like a giant hammer, slamming down onto the earth towards my direction. I feel Nightfall’s strength coursing around my body – the will of my soul – and push off the ground.

The chamber blurs into one colour as I break through the attack, like a swallow cutting through the air. I slash once, surely and truly in the middle of my flight, and come to a halt at the other side of the arena. A few seconds pass, and the girl’s cleaver evaporates into the air.

But not because she dismissed its presence – because she’s dead.

The wind stops buffeting the area. The few people who happened to be in the chamber are watching with awe. The girl lies motionless on the broken ground, a slice of her chest removed from the rest of her body in a bloody heap. However, there is a small smile on her face.

I turn defiantly towards Ian and my stare reaches him from all the way across the arena, sharper than my blade. I only linked with my soul for a split second, but it was enough.

I gave her death meaning. I showed the Blood Lord that I am not to be taken lightly… and that I am a threat to his reign.

“Bran! You’re finally home!”

Judith greets me by the doorway as I throw off my shoes and collapse onto the ground. I’m absolutely exhausted.

Alice wasn’t pleased with my performance. The whole way back she was scolding me for showing off so much and provoking her father – something which you didn’t want to do. Most of it went in one ear and out the other – I’d already made up my mind long ago.

I don’t care about what Alice thinks anymore, I’m going to make my standing clear to my †˜Lord’. When he’s lying at the mercy of my blade, I will show him just as much compassion as he showed his nameless subordinate.

Sniff, sniff.

I look up, puzzled at Judith as she pinches her nose.

“You stink,” she says. “Almost like… poop. But weren’t you with a girl-“

Her face pales.

“N-no way… y-you’re into that??”

My mind is a still a bit slow, so I’m not exactly sure what she’s implying.

“Hmm… well I guess what my brother does is none of my business…” Judith looks back to me. “But who would have thought he’d find someone willing to try that too…”

“Judith, can you let Mum know I’m alright?” I say.

My sister straightens out as if coming out of a dream. “Y-yes, of course! Are you hungry?”

Well, it’s almost dark. It would be safe to assume I am – even if the adrenaline is still holding off my hunger.

“Yeah, just heat some leftovers. That should be fine.”

Judith nods and heads into the kitchen, her face still slightly flushed. I think back to the events of the previous few days. A whole weekend’s gone by, and it’s back to school tomorrow – except I’ll be attending as a vampire now.

I’ve already put on the contact lenses Alice gave me and I’m still getting used to their feel on my eyes. Picking myself off the floor, I stealthily head into my room and hide her other gift, a flask of animal blood under my bed. While I’m at it, I check my phone.

There are several messages from both Mum and Judith, but they stop after Saturday night. That must’ve been around when Alice called them to let them know I was alright. Just as I reach the bottom of the list, my phone vibrates to signal a new message. The sender is someone by the name of †˜Alice.’

I never added her to my contacts… she must have added it herself when I left my jacket with her back during the †˜test’.

It’s a simple message telling me to be careful of any high concentrations of O blooded people – which is unlikely to happen at school. I lock my phone screen and collapse back onto the ground.

I think I’m allowed to skip my patrol and report for today. We’re not expected to go hunting seven days a week anyway.

Judith’s call from the kitchen rouses me and I sluggishly head back into the living room.

“Leftovers from lunch,” she gestures. “Plenty of meat for you!”

I look at her plate full of vegetable sandwiches and my own plate of ham ones. They must have saved these just for me.

“Thanks sis,” I say, before taking a bite.

As soon as my tongue touches the meat, all colour immediately drains from my face.

Vampires don’t eat meat. It tastes like a packet of chips… without the chips.

I’d completely forgotten – and have never been more relieved that Alice bought Vegetarian pizzas instead of my favourite, Meatlovers.

The taste is exactly like she described. It’s literally like chewing on a piece of paper, or plastic. It finally dawns on me that I’ll never again taste the tender juicy meat of a beef steak, or the delicious texture of a chicken drumstick.

I’m going to miss it.

“What’s wrong?” Judith asks from across the table.

“Uh, nothing,” I quickly reply. “Just a little tired.”

“Thinking back to last night?” she asks with a sly smile.

“Wh-what? Get your head out of the gutter!”

I continue to chew on the tasteless sandwiches. I have to finish them – if anything, to fill my stomach. After all, Mum and Judith made these for me. I can’t let them go to waste.

It’s a battle, but in the end I manage thanks to my best friend – water. However, I’m not sure I’d be able to pull it off again.

“Judith?”

“Hm?”

“I think… I might also become a vegetarian.”

I see her eyes widen. “What lead to the sudden change of heart? I remember you laughing at me when I told you I wanted to stop eating meat.”

I poke at the crumbs on my plate and pop them into my mouth. Bread has never tasted better.

“I… I dunno. I’ve just been feeling really sick of it lately.”

“Is your girlfriend a vegetarian?”

“Why yes she – hey, wait a minute! She’s not my girlfriend!!”

“Whatever you say,” Judith nods happily. “I’m glad you’ve finally opened your eyes, though. That Alice sounds like a really good person – someone I could relate to. So responsible too… more responsible than a certain brother of mine who gets drunk at a party and can’t make it home…”

I sigh - but deep down, I’m smiling. I’ve just realized how much I missed her voice.

***

Dread.

A terrified troll running for his life, bounding across the rooftops as I relentlessly pursue him. The look on his face as he realizes what a mistake it was to visit the city.

Fear.

A man in ragged pants backed against the wall, cornered with nowhere to go. There are still patches of werewolf fur lined across his skin. Panic and confusion flit across his eyes as he tries to remember his rampage.

Desperation.

A faerie woman on her knees, pleading for me to spare her and her unborn child. An alien child whose instinct will be to gain the full attention of its mother, even if it means the murder of its step-siblings.

Horror.

A young boy letting out a scream as the body of his †˜imaginary friend’ lies dead on the floor.

Resignation.

A vampire girl, bravely fighting on despite knowing the outcome of her doomed battle.

I wake up with my heart hammering in my chest. It’s the first time I’ve seen these faces again – the faces of the countless demons I’ve killed. It hasn’t always been a clear-cut decision for me to make, but in the end ANGEL’s laws are absolute. Whether it’s a troll, a fae child or a possessive spirit, if there’s even the possibility of it being detrimental, it must be eliminated.

A few days ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about killing a demon, but now... now, because of some cruel twist of fate which has placed me on the receiving end of the barrel…

I can’t help but think of the similarities between demons and humans. We may have originated from different dimensions… but sometimes I wonder if their dimension is but a parallel of ours. Just the fact that two entirely different species can breed with one another suggests that they may not in fact be completely unrelated. Could this mean we’ve been committing genocide all this time?

It’s not like me, thinking so deep into this.

I’m changing. It isn’t just my body that’s changed, but my mind as well. My beliefs which I’ve held for so long are slowly being unraveled. The day I first encountered a demon, when I first drew Nightfall, when ANGEL and I first crossed paths – it all seems like a lifetime ago. Maybe I’ve just seen too much.

Maybe I should tell ANGEL I’ve become a demon.

I almost laugh to myself in the darkness. I can just imagine Shizuka if I tell her – first, she’d doubt me and laugh it off. Then, once I prove to her that I’m serious, she’ll subdue me and take me to ANGEL, where I’ll probably get locked up while they decide what to do with me.

No, it’s probably not a good idea to do that. For now, I should just focus on the task at hand – taking care of the feral vampire.

My entire body groans in protest as I haul myself out of bed. If it weren’t for the nightmares and the aftermath of my Soul Link, as brief as it was, it would’ve been the best night’s sleep I could ever hope for. Instead, my body is struggling to repair what muscles it tore the day before. Suddenly pushing a body to several dozen times its normal capacity is just asking for disaster – in fact, the only reason I can still move is probably because I’m no longer entirely human.

Before I can make my way to my closet, a sharp knock rattles on my door.

“Bran! It’s time to rise and shine!”

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”

I hear an almost inaudible gasp. “You’re up already? That’s rare.”

Taking my response as a cue to open the door, Judith pops her head through. “Mum’s joining us for breakfast. You’d better come down quick, she wants to hear all about last night!”

“You’d better not have given her the wrong idea,” I growl.

Judith gives me a cheerful smile. “Well, you are at that age, after all!”

I roll my eyes and throw my pillow at her. She swiftly closes the door to defend herself, laughing as she leaves me to get dressed. It’s going to be a pain to get out of this one.

***

“Good morning,” Mum greets as I head into the living room. For someone who’s busy with work a lot of time, she doesn’t actually look that weathered at a glance. However, I know her more than anyone and I can see signs of strain in her cool blue eyes.

“Morning,” I reply. “How’s work going?”

We sit around the table, just the three of us, picking away at our food. It’s been a while since I’ve had a properly cooked meal, even if it is just French toast. Judith is by no means bad at making food, but she just lacks that special factor that Mum has.

“Not bad. It’s going to get busy again soon, though.”

“It’s always busy.”

Mum shrugs. “Well, business means more hours, right? It’s not like the bills are going to pay themselves.”

In the end, the main source of income is undoubtedly from Mum. The little cash I make usually serves as pocket money for food or schooling supplies, and mostly gets used up by Judith. Seeing her like this only makes me want to kill that feral vampire even more, for the bounty if anything.

In the midst of our chatter, which is uncomfortably beginning to head in the direction of my love life, I notice that my sister has a huge smile plastered on her face.

“What are you so happy about?” I grumble, after being given a mini lecture on safe sex.

Judith shakes her head. “Nothing. It just feels it’s been ages since we all last sat around this table together.”

A brief silence lapses around the table. We’re all thinking back to that time when we had four members of the family – before the accident.

Mum finally lets out a huge sigh. “Moments like these are going to become few and far between further down the line.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She leans back, chewing on a piece of bacon. She’s the only one with meat on her plate. “Well, soon both you and Judith are going to get busy with exams… and after that, if all goes well, you’ll be going to university. It’ll be harder and harder to find time to spend with the family.”

“Hey, don’t be so pessimistic,” I reply. “There’s still almost a year left. That’s plenty of time.”

“Maybe.”

Mum stares at me as I finish off my toast, down to every last morsel. “You know… it might just be me, but it seems like every time I see you again you change just that little bit more.”

I almost drop my fork.

“I-Is that so…”

I quickly avoid her gaze. Is it possible that she’s noticed…?

“Buuuuut… it’s probably just that girl, isn’t it? After all, it’s not uncommon for men to change after meeting someone.”

“She must be one amazing girl to take him away from his love of meat,” Judith chimes in.

And just like that, we collapse back into fruitless chatter. Still, I’d better be extra careful today and act like my usual self.

***

“Good morning, Bran!”

Ashley greets me with a thousand watt smile as we climb up the stairs towards the second floor. I’d already prepared myself for the worst, but I’ve surprisingly been able to resist the temptation of what I assume to be O blooded people quite easily. As long as they’re not all clustered together, their presence is but a minor itch against the edge of my mind.

“Morning, Ashley.”

“How was your weekend?”

“It was…”

Hmm… what would be a word to describe the ordeal I had to go through?

“…tiring,” I decide to answer. “How about yours?”

“Well, training for the tournament really picked up, so I was stuck in the dojo on both days pretty much.”

“Oh yeah, good luck for that.”

It’s typical small talk, no different to what I discuss with classmates every day. However, I can’t help but notice my increased perception – all of my senses have been enhanced. Even while I’m holding a conversation I can constantly keep track of what people around me are doing, zone in on their conversations, even take note of small details in my surroundings. If this is what I’m like during the day, I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like at night.

“Oh, I’d better get to class before it’s too late,” Ashley suddenly says, glancing at her watch.

“Bye.”

“I’ll be looking forward to our date after the tournament!”

Before I can protest, she runs off. Shaking my head, I quickly head into my own classroom.

Since when did I agree to go on a date with her? Then again, if I don’t I’ll have Leo to deal with.

The noise in the classroom slowly dies down as Mrs. Kuksal, who also doubles as our roll call teacher enters. I quickly sit up to attention.

“Good morning, everyone!” she greets.

A chorus of good mornings are given in return.

“We’ve actually got a new classmate joining us today. Please make her feel welcome and help her out around the school if she needs it!”

The door opens and someone walks in. Someone with shoulder length blonde hair and beautiful eyes, someone who is hauntingly beautiful.

“Hello, everyone. I'm Alice Vancratt, and I hope we’ll all get along!”

I can’t help myself from uttering a small gasp. Is this what she meant when she said she’d make sure we’d be able to plan our hunting? I never would have thought she’d be bold enough to transfer schools.

Alice takes a seat at one of the empty tables on the other side of the room. We exchange a brief look, but nothing more.

As Kuksal begins to mark the roll, I can't help but stare in her direction. There are several other stares also directed at her, but for different reasons. I hope she doesn't get harassed by too many guys.

The bell for first period goes off, and we all begin to head off to our classes. Alice stops me as I exit the class, pulling me to the side.

“Mind showing me the way to class?” she asks.

“What subject?”

She pulls out a slip of paper from her pocket - a timetable. I skim over it, feeling the envious looks of people passing by.

“This is exactly the same as my timetable,” I mutter.

“Of course. You’re my †˜cousin’, so the principal was kind enough to stick us in the same classes for convenience’s sake.”

“...seriously?”

As I say this someone stops next to us.

“Alice. Need some help around the school?”

I don't even need to check to know that it's Leo. I'm about to leave him to it when Alice stops me.

“It’s alright, Bran has me covered.”

Leo shoots me a filthy look which Alice doesn't see, before smiling innocently. “Ah, that's great! Let me know if you need anything else, I'd be happy to help.”

Alice responds with an equally innocent smile. “I will.”

I have a feeling Leo’s not going to let this go so easily. The moment he moves out of sight, Alice resumes our conversation.

“I don't like the look of that guy,” she whispers.

“What's not to like?”

She shrugs. “Just comes off as too convenient, I guess. Almost as if he’s hiding his true self as well.”

She’s sharp. Not many people know about Leo’s flip side - the side he shows to the few people who don't worship him. It must be the vampire perception.

“Anyway, let’s go. I don't want to be late to my first class.”

As one of the longest, most grueling math lessons I’ve ever had ends, I pull out my lunchbox and begin digging into Mum’s stir-fried noodles. Her vegetarian option is still heavenly, but I’m just crestfallen I’ll never taste the old meat variants ever again.

“That smells nice,” Dennis mentions from beside me.

“You want some?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I’m fine.”

We both look towards the far side of the classroom, where a large number of people have gathered around Alice. I wonder which †˜group’ she’s going to get conscripted to.

“I heard she’s your cousin,” he says, opening his own lunchbox.

I grunt in reply. “Hm.”

“She’s… quite beautiful.”

I stop eating slowly and look up. “What the-“

Eyes widening, he shakes his head. “No, I’m not interested in her. But I can still acknowledge her beauty.”

“Well… I guess she’s pretty.”

The sound of eating next to me slowly stops. Curious, I look up to see what the problem is. Dennis is staring at me with a curious look.

“Bran… could it be that you’re gay?”

I almost spit my noodles out. “Wh-What??”

“I mean, I almost never hear you talking about girls, and you seem to have no interest in them whatsoever… even when people like Ashley throw themselves at you.”

It’s not like that... I just don’t have the time, nor do I want anyone to be hurt because of my line of work.

“Dude, I’m straighter than a one-hundred and eighty degree line.”

Dennis raises an eyebrow. “I thought you were good at math. Anything over one eighty degrees isn’t straight.”

“It’s a figure of speech.”

He resumes eating, making sure to cover his mouth when he speaks. “So who do you think is good looking then?”

Oh man… how did I get myself into this situation…

“Judith,” I say. “She’s always complaining about all the boys that ask her out. I guess her good looks must run in the family.”

“She doesn’t count,” Dennis shoots me down. “I’m talking sexual attraction. Who do your loins burn for?”

There’s an intense look in his eyes, completely different to his usual self. I think it’s topics like these that he really gets triggered on.

But seriously… what kind of questions are these…

“Alice,” I decide with a safe option. After all, it’s pretty much a given that everyone finds her attractive, myself included. I just have good self-control.

“Bran… are you telling me you lust for your cousin?”

Oh shit. I completely forgot she was supposed to be related to me.

“Um… never mind. Well uh…”

Come on… pick a girl, any girl…

“Leo’s sister,” I say. “She’s definitely cute.”

I’m not lying, either. She’s got that girl-next-door feel, and if I’m completely honest with myself I don’t exactly dislike it when she interacts with me. My common sense just usually gets the better of me – the common sense which went flying out the window the moment Dennis brought up loins.

“Ashley?” he asks.

I nod. “Leo doesn’t have any other sisters, does he?”

Dennis shakes his head. “No, I wasn’t talking to you.”

A feeling of dread settles over me as I follow his gaze behind my shoulder.

“A-Ashley!?”

She has her lunchbox in her hands, and her mouth is open in surprise. “S-sorry… I didn’t mean to overhear…”

How did I not hear her approaching? Damn it, Dennis…

She closes her mouth and takes a few uncertain steps backwards, looking at the ground. A red blush creeps across her face. I haven’t ever seen her this shy or embarrassed.

If word of this reaches Leo…

“Don’t worry about it,” Dennis says, giving a reassuring smile. “My friend and I were just having a bit of a heart to heart. What can we do for you today?”

This idiot… Acting as if nothing happened…

“I… I was just going to ask if I could eat with you guys.”

Dennis gives a firm, understanding nod. “I get you.”

Standing up, he’s about to bravely sacrifice himself when the sound of a chair scraping loudly across the ground stops him. Everyone instinctively turns to the corner of the room, where Alice has stood up and is excusing herself from her admirers. The classroom is dead quiet as she approaches me, stopping next to Ashley.

“Come on, Bran,” she says. “There’s something we need to discuss before lunch ends.”

Could this situation have gotten any worse?

She grabs onto my hand and pulls. I almost go tumbling onto the ground, but another hand stops me.

“Hey, I asked first,” Ashley says, all traces of her bashfulness gone.

No… no, no, no, no, no… I’ve maintained a low profile for so long and now this happens…

“Don’t worry about it,” she reassures. “It’s just family business. I have no intention of taking him away from you.”

Dennis is watching on with amusement. That bastard… it’s all his fault!

Alice’s vampiric strength feels like it could tear my arm off at any moment… but Ashley is no weakling either, being the karate team’s ace. I’m sure many guys would dream of being in this situation… but for me, it’s more troublesome than not.

“I’m his cousin,” Alice says again.

No you’re not.

Ashley finally succumbs and lets go. Like a rubber band, I go flying forward before Alice stabilizes me. Dennis winks at me and gives a salute before I’m dragged out of the eerily quiet classroom.

***

“What’s your problem?” I groan at Alice as she drags me up to the rooftop. A strong wind blows at me, almost knocking me off my feet.

“Hm? I was just boosting your popularity by letting you ride on mine.”

“That’s not the problem - and besides, it’s better to blend in than be infamous!”

“Are you dating that girl? She seems awfully into you.”

I’m about to respond when I realize that Alice’s eyes are boring uncomfortably into me. She seems abnormally… pressing.

“I’m not.”

Alice suddenly realizes she’s still holding my arm and lets go. She turns around and presses herself against the wire fence, looking out across the school grounds. A long moment passes, only disrupted by the wind as it sails past us.

“You’re right,” she finally says. “I was a bit short tempered after all those people started crowding around me.”

It seems like she’s calmed down.

“I didn’t want to be impolite,” she continues. “But they just wouldn’t stop. In the end, I decided that prioritizing our mission was more important than maintaining good relations. Those people don’t really want to be my friend anyway, they just want me as a status symbol for their group.”

…Can’t argue with that. I would have handled the same situation a lot worse.

“So… before lunch ends on us, what’s the plan?”

Alice steps away from the fence and sits down on a bench, gesturing me for me to follow suit.

“Right. So, first off, we know that the feral vampire is active every night,” she begins, all business.

“Yep.”

“All the people it’s attacked have been in places close to the woods, so I think it would be safe to assume that the vampire’s lair is somewhere in the wild.”

She whips out her phone and brings up a map. The woods she’s talking about are quite small, right on the edge of the city. They stretch on for a few kilometres before the next settlement – Ashbrook is just about the last main urban area before it starts diving into rural territory.

“We met at that park there, didn’t we?” I ask, pointing to a spot near the edge of the woods.

Alice nods in agreement. “We’ll patrol starting from that area, and split up in opposite directions.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to split up? The last time it almost killed us both, and we were together…”

“It’s a risk we’ll have to take. We’ll put each other’s numbers on speed dial and the moment we catch sight of it, ring the other person to let them know. We don’t want to shout or alert any people, otherwise things will get messy.”

“Alright then. So, what time?”

“I think eleven is when all the traffic starts to die down, especially since it’s a weekday too.”

“Eleven at the park, got it.”

For some reason I can’t help but feel like we’re going on a date.

Dad, Mum, what was your first date like?

Well son, it all begun one frosty winter night, when we decided to team up to kill a vampire…

I shake my head to clear these thoughts.

“Something the problem?” she asks.

“Huh? Uh, just a little nervous, that’s all. I mean, I almost died last time we fought that thing.”

“It’ll be fine. This time, you’ll be ready… and as a vampire, you should be more than a match for it.”

We sit on the rooftop for a while longer, before the bell rings to signal the start of classes again.

***

For once tonight, it’s not snowing.

The day passed as usual for me, except I wasn’t able to get much sleep. Every time I think about fighting that monster my blood starts to rush and I can’t relax. I’ve never felt such an intense desire to kill anything before, not since my first encounter with the things known as demons.

Even though it’s not snowing the ground is still covered in white from earlier in the afternoon. I wrap my scarf more snugly around my neck and pull the zipper to my jacket up to the very top, more out of habit than anything else. To be honest, I could walk around without naked without feeling anything.

I gently remove my contact lenses and place them in my pocket. With the thin layer of plastic gone from my eyes, I feel slightly unburdened.

“Good to see you again,” Shizuka says. “I was worried about you for a bit.”

“Please, I’m fine.”

“The demon hasn’t killed anyone at all during the weekend. The only reason I can think of is that people were out later at night than usual, and thus harder to isolate. Either that or it just wasn’t hungry.”

“Makes sense.”

“In either case, that only means it will be even more likely to appear tonight. Be careful, no matter what happens.”

I deliberately haven’t told her that the demon technically killed me already.

“I will,” I say. “I’m honoured that you care so much for your subordinates.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, it’d just be a pain if you died - that’s all.”

“Sure, sure,” I nod. “You should be more honest with yourself, Shizuka. Guys like honest women.”

“Just get out of here already,” she growls, flicking a cigarette butt at me.

I grin in spite of myself at the meeting earlier this afternoon. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when I kill that fiend and take its bounty – a feat worthy of the woman herself.

Alice is already at the park by the time I arrive. She sits on the swing, looking out passively into the distance. Even though I was prepared, I still can’t help but have my breath taken away from me when I see her. She really is something completely different at night.

Does it really matter than she’s not a human?

“How long are you going to stand there for?”

She tilts her head and her eyes meet mine. I immediately look away before trudging across the snow to her.

“Are you cold?” I ask stupidly. Her frock is more something that you would wear in summer, not winter. I take note of the crude stitches around the waist, where it was torn open by the vampire’s attack.

“No.”

“Maybe you should wear something just in case. We wouldn’t want to look too out of place in case we happen across anyone.”

She seems to think for a moment before nodding. I unzip my jacket and pass it to her.

“We’ll meet back here in half an hour,” she says, wrapping it around herself. “If either of our phones ring, we head immediately to the other person’s patrol route even if they don’t say anything.”

I nod and watch her leave, trudging away in her sandals. Before long, I’m alone in the park. Letting out a deep foggy breath, I turn in the opposite direction and head off.

No matter how many times I wander Ashbrook at night, I’m always surprised at how quiet it is. It’s hard to imagine that somewhere in this tranquil, sleepy city there’s a beast running amok. The place has a rather good reputation as far as crime and homelessness is concerned, so that may be part of the reason why.

At some point during my patrol, I begin to catch scent of something in the air. It’s faint, but the unmistakable smell of blood. I can already tell from its potency that it’s O type. I put my hand into my pocket where my phone is, but hesitate.

I could be mistaken. I should confirm first.

Following the trail takes me up to the far end of the city, near the river. The smell is growing stronger – the only way it could be so strong is if the blood were directly exposed to the air. Breaking into a light jog, I head up along the road until I reach the riverside path. The murky waters slosh gently along the edge of the concrete canal. The smell of blood is sickeningly sweet, and it’s all I can do to resist succumbing to my instincts.

I climb the slope, finally reaching the beginning of the bridge. It’s a place that holds memories for me, and a place I’ve avoided coming to for a long time. I immediately press the speed dial button for Alice’s number, but forget about her as soon as I see what awaits me.

There is a man lying dead against the railing, his face deathly pale and devoid of blood. His chest has been opened quickly and efficiently, not a trace of clumsiness to be seen. There is no red around him, just a small stain on his wound. The feral vampire stands over its victim - a long, thin being akin to a wraith come to claim its prize.

“Hello? Bran?” Alice’s voice goes unanswered.

The dead man, the demon, the bridge…

It’s almost an exact repeat of that day.

The skies rumble as rain continues to lightly drizzle down. The small umbrella I’m holding barely does its job, failing to stop sprays of water from drenching my socks. I don’t even know why I’m here – all I know is that I’m feeling just as terrible as the weather, and as lost as a droplet of water in the sea.

Dad is gone, and Judith is in a critical condition.

It’s all the truck driver’s fault. If only he hadn’t taken to the wheel after drinking, they’d still be here. A jail sentence is too lenient for his crimes; he should die –

No. He didn’t intend for this to happen, he just made a stupid decision.

I hope Judith’s alright. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her too. Mum’s taken the biggest hit though, she literally looked like the walking dead this morning. I heard her sobbing through the walls last night.

Flash.

The sky rumbles again. I shouldn’t be out so late at night – Dad always told me not to wander around alone.

But Dad’s gone now.

Before I know it, the sound of rushing water has crept up to me. Ashbrook Bridge lies ahead, spanning the identically named river below it. The waters are overflowing from the rain, and have slowly begun to invade the footpaths on either side.

Right ahead, in the middle of the bridge is a man. He looks away from the distance and sees me. I wonder what’s going through his mind – seeing a ten year old boy all alone at night, in the rain too.

Our eyes lock for a brief moment, and the rain stumbles in its intensity. I almost drop my umbrella in surprise.

It’s the truck driver. The man who ran over my family, who is responsible for Dad’s death.

I slowly walk towards him. He looks back impassively from his position on the bridge.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters. His face is drawn and haggard, and his eyes are bloodshot. I don’t know if he’s truly sorry, or if he’s just dreading his future in a prison cell.

I say nothing in response. I don’t know how I should feel.

“They’re everywhere,” he says. “Everywhere I go, I see them. They were the reason I drank, they were why I took my eyes off the road.”

What’s he talking about?

“You probably wish I was dead, don’t you?” he asks, a sad smile on his face. “Even I wish I was dead. I wasn’t thinking straight that night – they were all around me, whispering into my ear. The alcohol did nothing to drive them away.”

He’s speaking in a resigned tone, as if he’s given up all hope. I’m confused as to what he’s trying to tell me – is he saying that he’s sorry? Or is he trying to say it’s not his fault?

He turns back to the railing and climbs onto it. Is he going to jump? If he jumps down, will he die? I can’t quite comprehend the significance of his action, but I know he’s doing something big.

Is it really fair for him to get away so easily? To leave this world behind?

“Don’t jump,” I finally speak. My voice is quiet, but even amongst the steadily increasing downpour of rain I know he can hear it.

Lightning flashes again, followed by another rumble. It’s really starting to pick up now.

“If you die now, you won’t be able to serve your punishment.”

The man sighs. “I’m already living it, kid – I’ve been living it for the longest time. And I’m the only one who’s been living it.”

He gestures wildly around the empty space next to him. “They won’t stop whispering. They’re everywhere I go, a whole group of them. I can’t do it – I’m already at my limit.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, puzzled. “It’s just you and me on this bridge –“

And then, something brushes past me.

I drop the umbrella, looking frantically around. I still see nothing. Rain begins to seep into my skin.

“Oh no…” the man says. “They’re here. They’ve come to take me…”

He turns and tries to haul himself off the edge of the bridge, but a sudden force pulls him backwards and slams him onto the ground. It’s at that moment that I see a flash of something – something tall, thin and pale.

“No… please don’t…”

The man begs to the empty air before him. Scared, I take a few steps back.

“You don’t want to kill me in front of a witness, do you?”

I’m shocked. It’s the first time I’ve seen a grown man, an adult, reduced to a sniveling wreck. He crouches on the ground, whimpering with his arms above his head as he begs for his life.

Whatever he was talking to must have responded, because the man’s face suddenly pales even more.

“No…”

At this moment, he suddenly jerks upright and screams, a scream which is quickly cut off to a pathetic croak. An ethereal being unveils itself from out of nowhere, draining the man’s soul. It couldn’t be anything but a soul – a transparent substance full of life, shimmering with all the colours of the rainbow as it disappears into the thing’s face. With the completion of the transfer, the man slumps onto the ground, unmoving. I instinctively know that he’s dead.

I want to open my mouth and scream, but I’m rooted to the spot.

The faceless, weightless entity slowly turns towards me. It’s not attached to the ground – rather, it’s levitating a few feet off it. The spectral wraith reaches out a single bony hand towards me, slowly as if it has all the time in the world.

“Go away…” I manage to croak.

As it nears me I begin to shiver. The rain has soaked me to the bone now, but I’m certain the thing before me has something to do with it as well. I feel a great sense of depression as I look into its eyes.

“This one has yet to experience it…”

The wispy voice startles me. I didn’t think it would be able to speak.

More voices begin to join in.

“So innocent…”

“So happy…”

“So unburdened…”

More of the things begin to fade into existence. I blink several times, but they’re still there.

They’re everywhere.

Something hard touches my back and I realize that I’m trapped, right up against the edge of the bridge. The spectral beings are all around me – there are easily a dozen of them, of all sizes but with identical features. Their faceless visages are constantly shifting, never stopping on one form.

“This one is a rarity…”

“He will make a fine specimen…”

“So pure and uncorrupted…”

The voices are so numerous that they begin to overlap. I have no idea how many haven’t revealed themselves yet. As if they’re all drawn towards me, their bony fingers reach out to touch my skin.

“The pure ones are so much more filling than the sinful ones…”

“Go away!” I shout, louder this time. My hands pass through theirs, and icy cold chills pass through my body upon contact.

They’re right up against my face now, their cold exhalations brushing up against me. I can no longer feel the rain or the wind, only the cold of these spectres. The voices buzz in my ears, blending into one loud monotone.

Then, they all make way for one wraith. It’s the tallest one, the one which took the truck driver’s soul.

It reaches a hand out towards my face… and begins to drain me.

I can feel it – my soul, something which I could never feel before. There are some things you never realize are there until they’re gone, and your soul is one of them. As the substance begins emerging from my pores, channeling into the wraith, I feel my strength leaving me, my feelings, my senses, everything. The grey rain falling onto the bridge begins to fade into one mix, a puree of depression, of lifelessness.

Somewhere at the back of my mind, I’m resisting. I’m trying to pull it back, pull back the one thing of mine which cannot be replaced.

“No… please…”

I can see it. A long stream of translucent colour, stretched to the absolute limit as it holds onto my body with everything it has. The voices are overwhelming my senses – they are the only thing I can hear, the only thing I can focus on.

My soul… give it back…

Before I know it, I’m putting all the energy I have left into pulling back. The cerebral strain is devastating – all I can focus on is just holding onto that part of my body which was with me from birth. It’s a mental tug-of-war, between myself and the horde of spirits. The only thing keeping me sane is my base instinct, the need to survive.

At one point, something gives way. Still dazed and unable to comprehend anything, the force snaps as if it were a rubber band stretched past its limit. I go flying backwards, my upper half tipping precariously over the railing of the bridge.

My balance lost, all it takes is a strong wind to blow my small body over the edge and into the river below, the tainted essence of my soul trailing behind.

***

“You…!!”

I can feel it overwhelming me – the emotions that I experienced that night, the night it all started. They’re part of the reason Dad is gone. The truck driver was the one who killed him, but he’d been driven to the brink of madness by the demons. The only reason he’d begun drinking was because of them; the only reason he’d swerved too hard was because they’d deliberately distracted him.

They deserve to die. I don’t want anyone else’s life being ruined because of them.

“Come to me, Nightfall.”

It answers me like it did back then – the tainted blade, stained by demons.

I feel its power coursing through me. The strength and will of my soul, my instinctive hatred of demons, manifested in the form of a blade. The darkness that reflects the darkness in my heart.

The vampire raises its head from the corpse and tilts its head at me. According to Alice, it fled last time after she drew her blade. This time however, it shows no signs of fear as it stares me down.

Things can only get easier if it doesn’t run.

Letting out a cry, I charge into the fray. I am one with my soul – united through our hatred for demons, and our thirst for blood. I bring down Nightfall in a vicious arc but the feral vampire leaps back, narrowly avoiding it. A chunk of the concrete ground cracks from the impact.

Wiping its bloody mouth, the vampire reaches out its own arm. Before my eyes a crimson glow begins to materialize, solidifying into a jagged razor.

A Divine Edge? Has the vampire progressed so quickly in these past few days?

A silent message passes between us. It will do everything it can to survive – such is the law of the wild.

I can’t afford to let it live. If it’s adapted so quickly to be intelligent enough to wield its soul, there’s no telling how much further it could go. I have to kill it now before it becomes a bigger problem than it already is.

The beast growls before lunging forward at a blindingly fast speed. I blink once, and it’s already on its way towards my neck.

But I can go faster. The blink of an eye is plenty of time for me.

I parry the strike, gritting my teeth as sparks fly from where our blades cross. I can feel the vampire’s power – savage and unrelenting, knowing no bounds or restraint.

“I don’t suppose you can talk, can you?” I ask.

The vampire snarls a response before pushing away from me. I don’t give it a chance to recover, leaping after it with my sword brandished. Each swing jars my shoulders, but the discomfort is lost in the adrenaline of the moment.

Kill. I want to kill it.

A frenzy takes over me. There’s no need to put so much strength and ferocity into my blows, but I can’t stop myself. I’m panting already, my sweat freezing in the cold winter air.

Kill it.

At one point, we both slip up at the same time. Nightfall slashes through its forearm, while the razor tears through my thigh. We both disengage, panting as we stare across each the bridge at each other.

The pain feels good. It’s been a while since I’ve had such an urge to kill. I feel the most alive when I’m on the brink of death.

Clutching at my thigh, I cringe as the cold eats into it. However, before my eyes, the wound is beginning to close up. Similarly, my opponent has already stopped bleeding, its pale skin knitting itself back up.

“No rest for the wicked,” I mutter, re-engaging. The vampire defends itself as I slam into it again and again, already losing myself in a berserk rage. I might as well be wielding a club, because there’s no way something like this can be considered swordplay.

The vampire retreats further and further as I press my offense, until it reaches the edge of the bridge. I’m smiling without even realizing it – a bloodthirsty smile brought up by thoughts of victory, and blood.

Bringing Nightfall up, I slash at the monster before me. In a split second, it makes its decision and leaps over the edge of the bridge.

Infuriated at having my kill taken away from me, I rush to the edge of the railing. The drop is at least fifty metres long, but I see nothing below me save the calm waters of the Ashbrook River.

Then, a change in the air pressure behind me leads me to turn around, just as the vampire tackles me. It must have scaled down, across the underside of the bridge and back up to the other side to ambush me.

Coughing in surprise, I can only grapple the vampire as we go tumbling into the murky waters.

***

I’m falling.

The world is lurching around me, heaving and twisting. One moment the river is the sky and the sky is the river, the next moment it’s neither. Rain races me on the way down, the clear droplets suspended in mid-air as they match my speed. My soul tails me, only barely attached to my body.

After an agonizingly long moment of weightlessness, I crash through the surface of the water, entering a complete zone of darkness. I should have broken something, but I’m still able to move. Clawing around the viscous river, I kick and fight my way to the surface.

Air. I need air. Nothing else matters but air.

The resistance against my head gives way and I breathe it. Wonderful, delicious air.

My next thought is of land. I need to get out of here, to stand again on solid ground. I need to be able to move.

Coughing and still half-blinded by the murky water in my eyes, I swim. I scramble and claw, crawl and kick my way across the river, one painstaking stroke at a time. Everything has left my mind – the truck driver’s death, the soul eating spirits, my traumatized soul – there is only one thought in my mind, and that is to survive.

I roll onto the muddy grass a few metres away from the footpath, gasping and wheezing. The rain continues to assault me, as if trying to finish the job that the river couldn’t.

Something cold touches my face, not even allowing me a single moment’s rest.

There’s no rest for the wicked, after all.

I force myself onto my feet. The wraiths are everywhere – they’ve drifted down from the bridge and are crowding around me, their disjointed voices calling for me. I am alone on the path, there is no one nearby, no one to help.

“He was fun while he lasted…”

“Foolish human thought he could escape with alcohol…”

“So easily startled…”

I clamp my hands against my ears. My soul is slowly sinking back into my body, but I can see that it will never be the same again. Where the wraith touched it, a black disease-like glaze is spreading. The lively, ethereal substance has become dark and withered, tainted by these ghosts.

“He wasn’t the cause behind the accident,” a voice breezes past me. I turn around, catching a flash of white among many. “We distracted him, we caused him to swerve. It was so good, the way his miserable soul tasted…”

“The deepest misery we’ve tasted for a while…” another voice calls out.

“But yours… it is so pure, so uncorrupted… truly a rarity to find a boy who has experienced no hardships…”

Something strokes my face.

“Go away!” I shout into the horde.

I can’t breathe. They’re smothering me. It’s only a matter of time before I give in, before I run out of energy and collapse. It’s so cold…

Just so… cold…

I feel it again. Something’s grabbing onto my soul, pulling it out from my body. The withered, dark substance is leaving me again, and I don’t have the strength to fight.

Is this it? Am I going to die just like this?

No.

Whose voice is that… I can’t distinguish from all the other ones, but for some reason it stands out to me…

It’s not over yet.

Is that my voice? It sounds like my voice… but at the same time, it sounds alien.

My senses are dulling. A shady darkness is falling over my mind’s eye, like the setting of the sun, like the fall of night.

There’s something in the distance, something which seems familiar like an old friend. I just can’t remember the name of it.

As the last rays of light disappear, I see it.

My soul.

***

We plunge into the darkness, bashing and clawing at each other. I feel burning pain where my exposed wounds make contact with the water, but fight on. As we continue to sink, the currents break us apart.

Thud.

My feet touch the bottom of the river. It’s eerily quiet, an isolated zone separate from the outside world. It’s almost like I can forget about my troubles here.

Kill.

I bend my knees and leap upwards like a spring, channeling as much energy as I can into my legs. I feel a barrier of water building up in front of me as I fly to the surface, before it explodes and fresh air greets me. Taking note of my surroundings, I quickly prepare myself for a safe landing.

The breath gets knocked out of me as I hit the grass in a spray of river water. On the other side of the river the vampire has clawed its wounded body to the pathway, a trail of blood leaking behind it. The harmful bacteria from the water must have slowed both our regenerative traits.

I try to stand up, but one of my knees gives way. Opposite the river, the vampire creeps to its feet and shakes itself of the river filth, before slowly beginning to hobble away.

“Damn it…”

I can only watch as it slowly carries itself off into the distance, turning a corner and disappearing from view.

A few moments pass as I quietly listen to my own breath, until someone calls out to me.

“Bran!”

I already know it’s her. The pattering of her sandals drawing closer are already pulling me back, back to the heavy rain that was pouring on that night.

The moment I recognize it, the moment I reach out to it, the moment I feel its smooth grip in my hands, I know its name.

“Nightfall…!”

My eyes open. It rests in my hand - a pitch black blade, slightly curved, long and slender, a small rectangular crossguard. I feel the connection between us – it is my own soul I hold in these hands, corrupted by the touch of those monsters, as well as the hatred and fear I harbour towards them.

“You killed Dad,” I say quietly. “You hurt Judith.”

The ghosts are silent. They’ve taken a few steps back from me as I face them, firmly holding onto Nightfall.

“You killed the truck driver too. You ruined his life.”

There are a few whispers coming from the crowd of white. I’m unable to process what they’re saying – the only thing I can feel is a white hot, burning anger.

“What are you?” I look up. Their eyes – no, they don’t have such a feature. Their faces are directed towards the blade in my hands, the katana which is spewing forth black smog like an uncontrollable fire.

“We are demons, and we feed on your souls.”

And now, it clicks.

The moment the demon says it, I know it’s true. They’ve always been here, they’ve always been terrorizing humans since the beginning of time. I don’t know how I know this, but if I were to guess, I would guess that it was because of Nightfall. There is a theory that we only use ten percent of our brains – perhaps this is the power, the finely honed instinct of survival that lies in the other ninety percent of our brains.

I raise Nightfall. This is the first time I’ve ever held a real sword, but at the moment I don’t even think of it as a weapon.

It is my soul. We are the one, two parts of the same being.

I charge into the horde of voices without a single moment’s hesitation.

***

“Bran, are you alright?”

Her cool hands grip my shoulders.

“I’m fine,” I grit, pushing her away. “We need to go after-“

Alice silences me with a single look. She then proceeds to check my wounds, grimacing as she does so.

If you were going to do that anyway, why bother asking in the first place?

“These don’t look good,” she mutters.

I follow her line of sight and flinch. My skin is torn and shredded, and the muscle fibers underneath are clearly visible. If I focus I can see them slowly reknitting themselves, but it’s obvious that they won’t heal as quickly as they’re supposed to.

“It’s got a Divine Edge,” I spit. “We need to kill it quickly, before it gets even stronger. We don’t want it learning how to Soul Link, or learning how to hide itself amongst society.”

“There’s no †˜we’,” Alice replies. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll go after it, you find somewhere safe to rest and wait for my report.”

“It’s too dangerous,” I protest. “There’s no guarantee you’ll-“

Glare.

A shiver runs down my spine. The look she gave me conveyed more than any amount of words could.

You owe me your life. If you get in my way, I can just as easily take it from you.

A part of me wonders if she can – but then, I remember that I’m in no state to test that theory.

“I’ll stay here then,” I say, swallowing. “Take care.”

Her eyes transition to a softer shade of red as she nods. Standing up from my prone body, she looks off into the direction where the vampire fled.

“I’ll track it to the woods,” she says. “It’s probably gone back to its hideout to nurse its wounds. If I don’t come back… that’s where you should look.”

With that, she sprints away and towards the bridge. I watch her cross it without breaking stride until I’m once again alone by the riverside.

***

It’s over.

I stand alone by the river, shivering not from cold but from fear.

What have I done?

I’ve killed them, every single one of them.

The worst of the thunderstorm is over, and the rain has been reduced to a light sprinkle. A mass of white corpses lie on the ground, their ethereal bodies fluttering softly in the wind. They exist, but only I can see them.

I slaughtered them all. Were they all responsible for Dad’s death? Perhaps. Perhaps only a few were involved, and everyone else was innocent.

They tried to kill me. I acted in self-defense. Yes, I was justified in killing them all. They are evil, they terrorize humans, they feed on them to survive.

But don’t we do the same to other animals? Would it be right for a farm animal to slaughter us in self-defense?

The sound of sirens in the distance rouses me from my thoughts. I look to my hand, and see that the black blade has disappeared. Every time I summon it, I will hear the voices of those demons, and I will feel the anguish they felt. After all my soul has been tainted, and I have been cursed with the gift of life. Unable to die because of my will to live, and unable to live without feeling this emptiness that comes with my power.

I hear voices, concerned voices on the bridge. They must have discovered the dead body. The voices continue to speak, and I hear someone shouting in my direction. Footsteps rush down to where I stand, trampling the ectoplasmic bodies of the fallen wraiths. A towel wraps around me, and I hear more voices.

What will become of me now? I simply will not be able to ignore them, now that I know of their presence. Is it now my responsibility to hunt and kill them? Where do they hide? Are they all invisible to ordinary people? How many different types are there?

As the gentle arms guide me towards the ambulance, I feel someone’s gaze on my back. Turning sideways, I see someone out of the corner of my eye.

Dressed in a black suit, neatly trimmed and wearing tinted glasses. He takes them off, revealing cool grey eyes that stare into my soul. They flicker to the pile of ghost corpses for a brief moment, before returning to my own.

He knows. He can see them.

He has come for me.

***

The snow is beginning to fall once again. Alice breaks into a steady run; if she doesn’t hurry the trail will be buried under a fresh layer of white. The longer she takes, the more time the vampire has to recover.

She stops at the edge of the park. The trail of red goes right across it, all the way into the heavy thicket of the woods. This park is where she first encountered the demon, and where she first encountered the demon hunter.

He’d better not have done anything reckless. She wishes she could keep a closer eye on him, but the words he said were the truth. This vampire cannot be allowed to live for any longer.

Removing concerns for him from her mind, she races off across the snow and plunges past the tree-line. It’s already dark, but with a fresh layer of leaves between her and the sky it’s reached a new level of darkness. If she weren’t a vampire, she would be as blind as a bat.

She follows the dark stains across the earthen ground. The snow here is thinner than in the city, no doubt due to most of the snowflakes being caught in the treetops on the way down. There is plenty of cover; she is at a disadvantage while fighting the feral vampire in its home.

Regardless, she continues to follow the trail. Her father will not accept failure. She must protect the Vancratt clan from exposure to ANGEL, and to do that, the feral vampire must die.

At a certain point, the trail stops. She peers around into the darkness, but there are no signs of where the vampire went. She looks behind her, and sees that the trail has disappeared under a thin layer of snow. She doesn’t remember the way back.

Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and calms herself. If she can just climb a tree, she will be able to rectify her stranded situation. No, the more pressing issue is to find and kill her target.

Looking at the ground, she notices a few shredded pieces of bark. The tree in front of her has nail marks in its trunk, ones which match those of a humanoid. Something wet and sticky drips onto her shoulder, and upon glancing at it she realizes that it’s blood.

But not human blood.

Alice whips her head up, just as a black shadow from the canopies blots out her entire field of vision.

***

One more step.

It’s all I can do to take one more step.

Standing up took far more effort than I expected, and every time my foot hits the ground more blood spurts from my wounds. It can’t be just the water – I’m guessing that vampire had more harmful bacteria in its mouth and nails. Despite having regenerative properties, my bloodstream has to be purged before my body can work on the actual wounds themselves. For now, I can only continue walking.

I can’t let Alice fight that thing alone. It’s just a gut feeling, but that thing could be more than a challenge for the Blood Princess. It being weakened does little to alleviate my fears.

Damn demons. I never would have expected that there would be fighting amongst their own race.

The trail is already beginning to disappear from the steadily falling snow, but Alice’s footsteps are still visible. As long as I follow those sandal prints, I’ll be able to find her.

Every inch of the journey I anxiously await her phone call of success. I want to call her to check up on her but if she’s fighting the monster in the forest, a phone call could well spell out her demise. I can only pray that my fears are wrong.

Countless steps later, I finally arrive at the park. I don’t know if the cold’s numbed my senses or if my body has finally gotten rid of the pollutants, but I’m able to walk without cringing. How fitting that the beast would flee back to where we first encountered it.

I’ve rested long enough. Steeling my resolve, I break into a light jog towards the woods.

***

She doesn’t know where it is. Surrounded by the tall trees, she may as well be completely blind. With so many places to hide and attack from, she can only put faith into her other senses.

Rustle.

There. From the left. Something moves, and she whips herself around to narrowly avoid it. The vampire already caught her by surprise the first time, and it was all she could do to avoid having her head taken off. Her left arm droops limply by her side, broken and dislocated.

She holds her Divine Edge in her right hand, her dominant hand. The soft, silver glow lights up her immediate vicinity – an artificial moon in a realm of no light. If she can just get a clear window of time to focus…

Snap.

A twig, to the right this time. Alice raises her blade barely in time to block an attack from the shadows. Metal slides along metal, followed by a sharp pain in her side. The jacket given to her by her ally falls to the ground in a shredded heap, and the shadow disappears as quickly as it appeared.

She needs to find a way to slow it down, or to keep it in her sights for long enough to properly fight. Before the feral vampire can attack again she sprints off into the thicket, kicking up white snow as she does.

How can she turn this around?

Something moves behind her. She ducks instinctively, just as the low whoosh of a blade passes above her head. The crimson razor continues its path unhindered, cutting cleanly through the trunk of a tree. Alice leaps to the side as the giant log comes falling down, shaking the forest as it lands.

Hmm… it’s not certain if it will work, but it’s definitely worth a try.

***

I don’t need the trail of blood, nor sandals to continue my pursuit. I already know which direction Alice has gone, even with no landmarks to guide me in the endless woods.

I can smell blood – her blood.

Most of the poison has been purged from my blood, but I still won’t be able to do anything too strenuous for a while. I continue to trek deeper into the wilderness, trusting my senses.

***

The trees continue to fall as Alice ruthlessly slashes through them. Patches of dim moonlight begin to open up on the ground, brightening the silent forest if only by a bit. She keeps moving, making sure never to stay still enough for her enemy to pinpoint her location. All the while, her silver sword chops down the tall trees effortlessly.

When she’s finally satisfied she stops and leaps onto the highest fallen trunk, above the mass of fallen trees. She’s cleared her enemy’s habitat, creating a single flat arena to match it on even terms. The moon peeks out from behind the snow clouds and illuminates her enemy, allowing her to see it clearly. It glares with a primal rage at the girl and bounds off deeper into the woods.

Alice clutches at her shoulder and leaps down, chasing after it. She is reluctant, but will clear the whole forest if necessary if it means catching her target. Trees will regrow in a few decades, but if ANGEL catches wind of her clan it will not regrow even in a thousand decades. Their roles have reversed once again – she has resumed her part as the hunter.

Trees continue to fall, a single path clearing as she lashes through them with the speed and agility of a beast. Her strength is returning with each inch of moonlight that touches her skin, and it’s not long before she finally corners it.

They’ve arrived at the side of a ridge, and a simple cavity in the stone wall littered with bones, bloodstains and rotting corpses tells her that she’s found it – the vampire’s home.

It has nowhere to run now, with the tall rocky expanse towering behind it. Judging from its heavy breathing, it doesn’t have the stamina to continue running anyway.

Alice herself isn’t in the best condition either, but there’s nothing she can do. After all, she’s come all this way and destroyed half of the woods in doing so. The snow continues to fall, unhindered.

Brandishing her blade, she points it at the vampire with her uninjured hand as if issuing a silent challenge.

***

This jacket… I’ve seen it before.

I grab it and shake the powdery snow off. The reason I’ve seen it before is because it belongs to me. It’s cleanly slit across the centre, and the warm blood that coats it definitely belongs to Alice.

Clenching my teeth, I break into a run. Each step racks my body with pain, but I can’t rule out the possibility that she’s in danger.

It isn’t long before I break into a clearing, glowing silver in the moonlight. Upon second glance, I realize that it’s not a clearing, and rather a circumference of fallen trees. They’ve been cleaved through at the base and cover the ground in an assortment of leaves and trunks.

There’s no way this could have been nature’s work. She was here for sure.

Letting out a steamy breath, I leap through the light snow and onto the trail of fallen trees.

***

It’s fast.

She doesn’t know if it’s because she’s injured, or because it’s backed against a wall. She’s been on the defensive ever since the fight began.

It uses all the weapons it has at its disposal – its Divine Edge, its nails, its teeth, its body. It truly fights like an animal – a style no civilized being would be capable of. She has no idea how the boy managed to hold his own against this thing.

Sparks fly as their blades meet. The moon has disappeared behind the clouds and the forest is once again pitch black. Her blade is the only light in the darkness, and even so its silver glow is dimmer than usual due to her condition. Her movements are clumsy, her balance offset by her fractured arm. They cut each other again and again, only for their wounds to regenerate. To defeat it, she must either separate its head from its body, or completely destroy every inch of it in one blow.

It’s only natural that the feral vampire is stronger. It’s been feeding on O type blood for several days in a row while she’s been surviving on animal blood for several years. However, this isn’t something she can change. She’s lived with it up until now without a problem. She has to stay in the moment, maintain concentration.

The vampire’s fist clips her side, scraping the frock she’s wearing. An object falls out of her pocket and onto the ground – her phone.

In the brief moment in which she’s distracted, something goes piercing into her abdomen. She looks down and sees a jagged crimson edge. Reacting instinctively she pushes herself away with a cry of pain, creating a space between them to recover.

This isn’t good. If the fight drags on for any longer, she will lose. If only she could have a chance – something, anything that could turn the tide of the battle. She could destroy it in one blow if she could Soul Link – but to do that, she needs at least a few moments without being attacked.

Sensing imminent victory, the feral vampire lashes forward with a renewed sense of vigour. Filthy nails come at her when swings of the razor are blocked. Body slams connect with her when their blades refuse to make ground. She doesn’t know what to expect, and her body cannot keep up. The wound made by the enemy’s Divine Edge isn’t healing quickly enough, and she’s beginning to feel light-headed.

Something… anything that can help her…

“ALICE!”

A distant shout from the path of fallen trees. Alice cannot help but look away, her focus broken.

And in this moment, her enemy strikes.

***

She’s there, at the end of the path. Her white frock is stained red, and her left arm hangs limply by her side. The feral vampire is in no better condition, but its base strength is simply stronger. If this goes on for any longer, she will die.

I capture all this in a single blink of the eye. I’m too far away to help. If I could Soul Link, I would be able to reach her in time – but my body simply won’t allow it. Human bodies know their limits, and will not allow you to willingly kill yourself. You can try to commit suicide by holding your breath, but you’ll instinctively breathe in when your body reaches its limit. If I synchronize completely with Nightfall, it takes a full day of rest before I can do it again without destroying all the muscle fibres in my body. In my current condition, Soul Linking is out of the question.

What can I do then? My eyes capture the scene before me, frame by frame. My mind moves at lightning fast speed, my perception at its very pinnacle. Something… anything at all that can turn the tide of this battle.

Without realizing it, I’ve found the answer. My body has already determined its course of action, and I can feel my hand reaching into my pocket. My thoughts catch up and overtake my body in a flash, and I find my eyes stopping on the mobile phone that lies on the ground in the distance.

Faster!

My hands close around my own phone. I know what to do. I know what to do. But can I make it in time?

Faster!!

My mouth is open. I’ve unlocked my phone – never have I been more relieved that I don’t protect it with a passcode.

FASTER!

“ALICE!”

My shout travels at three hundred and forty metres per second, and reaches her ears. She turns to me, a look of surprise and horror as she realizes that she’s given her opponent an opening.

I press the speed-dial button on my phone, just as the feral vampire closes in for the final blow.

***

Bzzzzzt.

The loud vibrating of her phone distracts the vampire. It can’t help but turn its head few metres away to look at it.

Alice is about to turn retreat, but realizes in an instant that this is what she needed.

A chance. An opportunity.

The vampire stumbles backwards as the brightness of the screen temporarily stuns it. The forest is almost pitch black due to the blanket of grey blotting out the moon, and the vampire is at the peak of its powers from its diet of O type blood. Every single vampire knows that greater power comes with greater weakness – pure blooded vampires are stronger at night, but weaker in the day. Half vampires are not as strong at night, but also not as weak in the day. Vampires which feed on the most potent type of blood gain tremendous strength, but pay for it with tremendous weakness.

Because of these conditions, the brightness of the ringing phone which wouldn’t blind Alice or the boy… is like staring into the sun for the feral vampire.

Alice widens her stance, a single arm holding her Divine Edge before her. Ranked as one of the most powerful weapons known to her clan, her strength comes not only from her battle prowess, but from the purity of her soul which she wields. The silver aura emanating from the blade flares to life and surrounds her as she welcomes it to her body, allowing it to multiply her strength tenfold. The snow continues to fall in the darkness but curves away from her slight frame. Even nature respects the power of her Divine Edge.

The soft light grows into a harsh one as she channels all her energy into the longsword. Only she is not blinded by this magnificence, because this is what she is, a shining light in the darkness. The pressure in the air intensifies, electrifies, and drops. The boy’s ears pop as he watches on in wonder. Alice’s eyes flare red, glowing almost as brightly as the sword in her hands. The feral vampire looks up having finally recovered, only to find itself face to face with its death.

The silver light builds up to a pinnacle, burning as brightly as the sun. Alice lets out a cry and steps forward, placing every last ounce of her strength into this thrust. The tip of her sword pierces the vampire’s chest, before igniting and exploding in a supernova of silver.

Let me know if the phone call was overly dramatic, or too much of an asspull.

A small moon is born on earth.

The tiny singularity of silver expands and detonates inside the vampire’s chest before continuing on its path. Speeding like a laser it rips into the ridge behind it, completely cutting through the rock. It continues for a while, before widening and expanding. The beam of moonlight irradiates the night sky, so brightly that it almost seems like day for an instant. As if the moon has landed on earth, and shattered into a thousand rays of silver.

Of course, I can’t see most of it since I shut my eyes automatically as soon as the light first detonated. However, after the winds have finished buffeting and the deafening roar in my ears finally subsides, when I finally open my eyes again ignoring the patches of red still dancing around my vision, I instinctively know.

This is her Soul Link.

I stride towards her, taking care not to worsen my wounds as I do so. She lies on her knees panting before the lower half of the feral vampire. Its upper half is nowhere to be seen… along with the middle section of the stone ridge. Instead a huge canyon has formed where the ray of moonlight hit, and a massive pile of debris and dust has settled at its base. I can only barely make out the opposite end of the gorge. The power contained in that single blow can only be described in one word – Godlike. The ability to modify the features of the earth itself, to create new landmarks.

“Moonlight,” Alice whispers.

The silver longsword in her hand shimmers and disappears, its role fulfilled.

“I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it. I have no idea how many lives I ruined today.”

What a fitting name – the name of her Divine Edge could not have been anything else.

“The birds and the insects and the flowers… all for a single enemy.”

I kneel down and touch her lifeless left arm, probing gently. The bones have already set, and are beginning to mend. It will probably take a few days to regenerate a wound of this caliber – as opposed to the few months it would take an ordinary person.

“It’s over now,” I reassure, still trembling at the awesomeness of her attack. “No amount of thinking will change what happened. Your clan is safe. The feral vampire is dead.”

I pull her to her feet. Her hair is disheveled, and snow is beginning to settle on her fine blonde strands. Her frock is torn and bloodstained – we both look like we’ve stepped out of a war movie.

It’s over. We’ve won.

But the look on Alice’s face… is as if she’s lost.

“Hey, you owe me a jacket,” I say, trying to draw her away from her thoughts.

It seems to work. “I… Sorry. I was careless.”

I smile despite myself. We just narrowly avoided death and she’s worrying about a piece of clothing, and the amount of trees she killed.

“You look happy,” she says, and I can tell she’s trying not to dwell on it either. “Thinking of what you’re going to do with the money?”

I freeze. Money… yes, that’s right. It was all for the money, wasn’t it?

Right?

“Y-yeah,” I say.

I hope I’m convincing enough to her, because I sure aren’t convincing myself. Somewhere along the way, the thought of the bounty completely slipped my head. The real reason I’d followed her, the real reason I’d fought with her…

I wanted to help her. I wanted to protect her. By saving my life, even with questionable methods, I… I felt like I owed myself to her.

Looking away in embarrassment, I head over to the vampire’s small alcove. The smell of rotting flesh overwhelms me, and I have to struggle not to throw up.

“It stopped snowing,” Alice says from behind me.

I look at the pile of bones. There are bits and pieces of human litter amongst them – even here, out in the wilderness, humanity has left their mark.

“Wait a second… what’s this?”

Alice has stopped beside me and picks up a plastic wrapping. It looks like a panel of medicine tablets, except all the pills are gone.

“There’s more,” she continues, rifling through the junk.

I come closer to her to see. She’s right, there are more empty bottles and boxes of pills and drugs.

“This… this is cocaine,” she says, holding up a clear zip bag with traces of white inside.

“How do you know?”

“We dealt in drugs during a time when our clan was financially burdened. Those times are long past, but I’ve seen enough to be sure that this is an illicit drug.”

She kicks at the various pills and bottles. “In fact, I think these are all illegal drugs. Why else would they have no labels on them?”

She’s right. An unsettling feeling is taking over me.

“Why… why would there be drugs in a place like this?”

Alice turns to me, her mouth drawn into a thin line. “Drugs have a greater effect on vampires than humans, especially ones that tamper with the sensations we feel. In fact… some of them can make us lose our minds and become insane.”

We quietly stare back at the remains of the feral vampire behind us.

“Where would it have obtained all of this?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Someone… someone gave them to it.”

She tosses the litter aside. At that moment, a small cough startles us.

“Where’d that come from?” I ask.

Alice wordlessly pries apart some of the bones and the rotting corpses in the corner with her working arm. I swallow and help her, trying to ignore the sensation and the smell of the flesh as much as I can. It isn’t long before we find the source of the voice.

“It was a mother,” she whispers.

The newborn vampire stares at us with wide, curious eyes. It doesn’t look very old, a few weeks at most. It looks almost like a human child, except for its red eyes and the feral aura it gives off.

“So this is why it suddenly appeared out of nowhere,” Alice says. “It gave birth, and the newborn probably wasn’t satisfied with animal blood.”

The baby continues to stare wide-eyed at us.

“Are you saying someone mated with that… thing?” I ask.

“Well… babies have to come from somewhere, you know. I wouldn’t be surprised if the father was the one who supplied all these drugs.”

I continue to stare at the baby. It doesn’t look dangerous now, but it could well grow up to become a threat to society.

I have to kill it.

Before I know it, I’ve drawn Nightfall.

“What are you doing?” Alice reacts. “It’s just a baby!”

“Its mother was under the influence of drugs,” I say. An unsettling calm has taken over me. “There’s no telling what side effects could be present in the child.”

It has to die.

It has to die, or it could ruin the life of an innocent, just like what happened to me.

It could grow up like its mother, and kill so many like she did.

“Even so… you can’t just kill it! It hasn’t done anything wrong yet!”

“It’s what your father would do. You can’t risk raising a feral infant that may or may not be controlled. If we leave it out here, it could become just as dangerous as its mother was.”

Alice immediately materializes Moonlight, but cringes in pain and drops it. The blade hits the ground and disappears.

She won’t be able to fight for a while, not after an attack like that.

“No,” she says, crouching over in pain. “You can’t.”

I take a good long look at her. She truly doesn’t want to kill it – her soul is too pure. She worries about everything, even the plants and animals she shares the same oxygen with.

Because of this, she is weak. Only the strong can survive in this world.

“I’ll go deep into the woods,” I finally say. “I’ll drop it somewhere where it won’t ever return to civilization. If it can’t fend for itself, it’s not my problem.”

Alice holds my gaze. “You promise you won’t kill it?”

It takes everything I have not to look away. “I won’t kill it.”

She slowly stands up, still maintaining eye contact. “I’ll head back first then. You know the way, right?”

I nod. I know the general direction.

She stays for a while longer, before turning and slowly trotting along the path of severed trunks.

When she moves out of sight, I lift the baby up to eye level. I don’t want to kill it.

Rain.

A horde of wraiths, whispering over and over again.

Dad’s tombstone, carved far too early.

Judith in a hospital bed, tubes and IV drips connected everywhere along her body.

“I have to do it,” I say to myself. “As long as there is a chance the demon could harm society, I have to kill it.”

It’s what ANGEL would want me to do. It’s the †˜right’ thing to do.

But Alice’s pleading look resurfaces in my mind.

Is it really the right thing to do?

I sit on a rock as the clouds eventually clear, and the beginnings of light begin to shine across the horizon. I still haven’t come to a decision. The baby has already fallen asleep.

In the end, I decide to flip a coin.

If it’s heads, I’ll kill it. If it’s tails, I’ll leave it out here with a one percent chance of survival.

The coin toss is the longest in my life. When it finally lands, I can’t help but question what I’m about to do.

I had some mixed feelings about writing Chapter Eleven, but I hoped I showed the reasoning well enough for his thought process. I'm sort of trying to make Bran ruthless and efficient because of his past (at least at first), in stark contrast to Alice who has a very black and white set of morals. The ending of the chapter is up to your interpretation (at least for now)

It wasn't too overly dramatic, and I liked how you described Bran going through the physical motions before mentally realizing what he was doing. I wouldn't call it a revolutionary plot twist, but it serves its purpose decently enough for what you set out for it to do.

It's a fine chapter, introducing a better plot twist, in my mind, than a cell phone, but his ending decision to leave it up to chance seems spontaneous, reckless, and unnecessary. Maybe his past and mentality wouldn't allow for it, but I thought he should have processed through the situation logically.

He sees the vampire as a demon akin to the wraiths responsible for the death of his father, the truck driver, and the wounding of his sister, but for some reason he is inept at realizing that he, in a sense, is equal to the wraiths. Maybe he didn't relish in the suffering of the mother and only fought to protect society and in self-defense, but he killed that child's mother, just as the demons killed his father. That child, in a sense, is more like a reflection of him, in a way. A being of pure innocence, because all babies are inherently devoid of wrong, a tabula rasa, and thus just as he was perceived as an innocent child of purity to the wraiths, so too is the child in the eyes of nature. Chance should have little to do with it, and since its clear that his past murders haunt him in his sleep, this should be the peak at which his moral compass should realign and realize that what he did, and what he almost wants to do, is morally wrong.

That is what I perceive to be the essence of his character growth. Maybe he can't grow if he doesn't leave it to chance, maybe that's the kind of character he is or how you want to write him to be, but those are my thoughts on the matter. You are the writer so please continue to do as you see fit. I will continue to respond with my genuine reactions and thoughts, if that's alright with you.