Chapter 13: We're the Same

On the palace underground where the sun's rays cannot reach, the queen bravely went straight ahead until they reached the iron door in chains.

Even the doors remain closed, the intimidating dark aura can be felt as it lingers around.

"My queen, it's never too late to go back." Calcifer suggested with a worried expression on his face.

"But if we do that, my queen, we'll lose this big opportunity to increase our chance of winning against the Alucards." Edward provoked then Calcifer glared at him.

"I'll go alone." She said. Calcifer was about to protest when she added, "If you can't wait here, you'd better head back. That's an order." She glanced with her cold red eyes before destroying the chains.

She pushed the two iron doors with all her might and the wind from the inside almost blew them away. It was so strong, so strong and filled with wailing and corrupted souls. When the queen entered, the doors shut by itself.

It was dark, very dark. But her red eyes gave her the ability to see in the night. There are corpses, skeletons all around.

And when she looked in front of her, there's a huge black monster bat where the dark smoke and aura came from. But this bat, was in chains. A special kind of chains. It was designed to hinder its power.

'Father chose to keep this demon instead of killing it. But why?' She thought.

"Well, well, well..." The monster bat spoke, "It's been a long time since someone visited me. What a pleasant surprise."

Anyone would tremble at its deep and monstrous voice. But not her.

"I'll cut the chase." She said, "Lend me your power and I'll give you freedom."

Upon hearing her sudden request, the demon laughed loudly. The queen remained calm even she's being mocked.

"Vampire lady, do you have the slightest idea of who I am?"

"I do."

"Then you must've known that asking me to grant your wish will cost something in return."

"Why? Is your freedom never enough?"

"It was indeed a good offer. But you must give me a reason to accept that deal of yours." The monster bat said and laid down.

"You see, what's the point of getting my freedom if what I'll see in the outside world is nothing but boredom." He sighed.

"I see. You're right about that." The queen held her chin. Then, she looked around her, glancing at the skeletons of those who once tried to kill this demon. And that gave her an idea.

"Say... if I told you, there's a party waiting for you outside, will that be enough?"

The monster bat seems confused.

"All the ones you ate here, I know they're of no thrill and never enough. But I tell you, once you accept my deal, you can eat as many flesh as you can, take as many souls as you want, and gain more power as you please." She said, referring to the battle she planned for.

The demon smirked, "Interesting. But how can you be so sure that someone like you can manipulate my dark power? I feed on hate, anger, and malice."

The queen grinned devilishly, "Try me."

And the monster bat was pleased. He has never met someone who bargained with an interesting idea.

"Very well then, we'll see!" Dark smoke suddenly roamed around him and he turned into a sword.

The queen stepped forward and held the handle. With that, the demon felt all of her hatred, her anger, her intent to kill, and her desire to destroy.

'Yes... just like that!' He laughed.

The night was peaceful, as the bright moon illuminates the dark sky. There are billions of stars out there but it was fortunate enough that some of them were seen in pitch black sky. Twinkling wonderfully and continuously. Just how they should be.

The same night sky can be found two nights ago in the Van Helsing residence. And like any other nights, Calcifer went to the library underground where he often visits the queen.

"Thank you for guarding this place today, Primo." He said to the small bat flying above the sleeping queen.

"Seems like you and the young master had a fight." The little bat said as it flew towards him.

Calcifer heaved a heavy sigh, "He's... asking once again about his identity, about... his father..."

"Are you sure you really don't know his father?"

"I..." He paused, something flashed his mind. The memory of the queen, weeping bitterly while hugging someone with blood on her hands.

"I'm not sure..." He said and looked away.

Primo sighed, "Then why don't you just tell him about the queen? We all know she's alive."

"No, I must carry out her wish to ensure the young master is fully grown and ready."

"And how are we going to do that? He still can't suck that girl's blood on his own." Primo said referring to Yana.

A pang of guilt suddenly build up inside the gentleman. No matter how much he treated her as a meek human, that didn't stop her to help Rae and to visit them. She's no longer afraid of them.

In fact, she's gotten close to the triplets in a short span of time. She might be one of those meek humans but surely, she has a good heart. Is it really just to treat a good person like her?

Primo yawned, "Well then, it's still up to you. I'm going back now." He said and flew away.

Few hours just past and it's already morning. Primo was disturbed by Rae calling his name.

"Primo, are you coming?" He asked who's now wearing his uniform.

"Uhh.. it's morning already?" The small bat lazily went inside his bag.

"You look so tired. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Errr..." He can't actually say that he stayed awake for two days to look after his sleeping mother.

If he do so, Calcifer will surely burn him.

"I'm just... sleepy..." He yawned.

"Is that so? Then you should sleep more. I promise I won't bother you." He smiled.

"Really? Oh, thank you, young master!" Primo happily snuggled inside his bag.

The lad went out and met Yana as they walked together towards the school.

When they reached the classroom, everyone has gathered, creating murmurs all around.

The president is standing in front with Ella beside her.

"I wonder what's happening." Said Rae.

Yana sighed, "It has finally come." She mumbled which made the lad puzzled.

"Everyone, keep quiet! We're here to announce the play assigned to us." The president said.

"For all your information, we draw lots. So it was fair and square." Ella explained.

"The story assigned to us is... Dracula by Bram Stoker."

Everyone murmured once again when they heard it.

"Don't worry, guys. I've improvised the script. I'll make sure this won't bore our audience!" Ella optimistically said.

Rae turned to Yana, "Mind explaining what's happening here?"

The lass placed her chin on her palm, "Annually, each class in senior high will present a play based on the story assigned to them. It's a competition to be presented on the school's foundation day. That's why everyone is serious about this."

"What would be the prize?"

"Well, it varies. Last year, we got an exception in our final exams."

"So you won last year?"

"Yep. It's all because of Ella. She's good at improvising the script. She's not the literature club president for nothing." She proudly said.

"And now, we're going to draw lots to decide on the casts." The president said and everyone stood up.

"Do you want to do the honors, Rae? Since it's your first time joining the play." Ella called.

"I'll try my luck." The lad smiled and took a piece of paper from the box.

Everyone was curious what's on his paper. Even Yana wanted to find out if he got into the casts.

Truth be told, he got the looks. They can attract more audience if he'll be one of the casts, that's no doubt.

"Jonathan Harker..." He mumbled. And everyone had this 'ahh' expression.

"He got the male lead!" Said one of his fangirls.

"Then I should be the one to get Mina's role!"

The girls went excited as they rushed in front. As if she got a choice, Yana rose from her seat to join the lots.

Carrying the small piece of paper, she marched back to her seat.

"I can't believe I got the male lead in my first participation." Rae said who seems to be delighted.

After all, he always dreamt of expanding his horizon in terms of socializing.

The lad noticed her silence. She kept on staring at the paper she picked.

"May I see?" Curious, he took the paper from her hand. It was too late for Yana to stop him and get it back.

"Mina Murray..." He said which perked their classmates' ears.

"Woah! She got the female lead!"

"How could that happen?"

Yana trembled, she's not used in this kind of attention.

Since her high school life started, she's always contended for being the extra or the ones who work in the background. Never did she wish to be part of the main cast.

She stood from her seat and said, "I... I don't think I can do this..." She's planning to switch roles with anyone.

"But Yana... That's a rare opportunity. Maybe you should think about it." Ella requested.

"But..." She held the hem of her skirt.

Rae noticed it and rose from his seat.

"Please excuse us." He said and pulled her out by the hand.

The class saw it and started talking with themselves.

Primo, on the other hand, was awaken by the noises inside the classroom.

"Ugh! What's that?" He took a peek and saw how the class is getting noisy about the play.

Suddenly, one of the students bumped into Rae's chair. His bag fell on the side and since it was near the window, Primo fell from it.

It was too fast that he didn't get to fly. Good thing, the bushes caught him.

"Ugh! Those kids!" Primo was about to fly back when the gardener suddenly came. He noticed Primo, who pretended to be a small stuffy toy.

"Those kids... What do they think of this garden, a trash area?" The gardener grumpily said and marched to the trash bin and threw Primo.

Just in time, the garbage collector came and took the trash bin towards the truck.

"Oh c'mon! Is there any worse than this?" Primo mumbled and flew as fast as he could.

"These humans! They'll pay for what they did to me!" He mumbled but since the sun is up, he can't use his powers.

"Curse this small body! If I get my body back, I'll punish these humans!"

Just then, he felt something sniffing him. When he turned around, there's a big dog wagging its tail at him.

"No.. No... Stay..." Primo slowly flew backwards.

But the dog didn't listen and ran after him. The poor small bat flew as fast as he can.

"You don't know who you're chasing! I'm stronger than you, puny dog!" He exclaimed while looking back at the dog.

Then he bumped in straight to the moving vegetable truck. The dog was so tired that it can no longer catch up.

"Ha! Serves you right! You can't catch me! I, the great demon bat, Primo!" He laughed victoriously.

But then, he realized that the place around him seems unfamiliar.

"Now... Where am I?"

Rae pulled her and went downstairs. By the staircase, they stopped and started to talk.

"Alright. What's wrong?" He asked knowing that he's talking about the play.

Yana braced herself and looked away.

"I just feel that... I'm not suitable for the role." She sighed.

"And why is that?"

"Well... I'm not that pretty. I'm not good at acting either, maybe I should give it to someone else. Besides, tons of girls out there would've dream of having this role with you."

"Yana..." He called and moved a bit forward.

The lass cannot look at him straight in the eye. When did she feel shy and uncomfortable around him? And why does her heart won't stop on beating so fast?

"So what if you're not good at acting? So am I. So what if they want that role? You're the one who picked it. Besides, it would be much better if it's you." He smiled.

She still can't look at him, "What if... I messed up?" She mumbled.

"That's why we're going to practice. You don't have to be perfect to portray this role. We're always open for improvement that's why we study and learn."

Slowly, she finally looked at him.

"Most importantly..." Rae leaned closer to her face, "You're already beautiful, so don't be too hard on yourself." He smiled sweetly that made her heart beat louder like it's about to explode as her cheeks turned red.

'W-what is this? Am I palpitating? My heart won't stop beating so fast! What should I do? Why does he suddenly looked so handsome today?'

Rae blinked, "Yana? Are you okay?"

The lass looked on the other side and shoved his face away from her.

"Y-yeah I'm fine. T-thanks for... The encouragement..." She mumbled blushingly.

The lad chuckled, "Of course! We're friends, remember?"

"Ah, right." She smiled awkwardly.

'Why am I being so worked up? Of course we're friends! Why am I expecting for more? Get a grip, Yana!'

"Let's go back. They're waiting for us." Rae said and held her hand which the lass noticed.

'I shouldn't expect for more... Right?'

When they head back, Rae told the good news of Yana's approval to the role. Most of them were delighted, some were jealous of her. Nevertheless, it's time for them to start their rehearsal and since this is a school event, they are permitted to skip their classes for the practice.

Primo slowly opened his eyes and noticed that the truck has finally stopped. He quickly flew away as he saw the yellow fields around him.

"Where am I?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

But most importantly, he has to find a shade where he can be protected from the sun's hot rays.

"Oh, there's a tree!" He said and quickly flew on the nearest tree he sees in the middle of the field. He sat on the branch and sighed in relief.

"Whew! I thought I'm going to die from the heat!" He mumbled and looked around.

He saw the huge and wide yellow fields filled with rice grains as it slowly swayed. There are black animals like him from afar. But he doesn't have horns like they do, they don't have wings like him, they're even bigger than him, and they eat grass not blood.

"I should head back soon as the sun begins to set." He said as the wind blows strongly. It was so relaxing that makes him drowsy.

"I guess... I can still sleep some more..." He mumbled as he slowly closed his eyes and slept on the branch.

"What's wrong? Did you forget your lunch?" Yana asked Rae who keeps on looking inside his bag.

"No, I didn't. But I'm sure Primo was with me earlier. I can't find him here!" He worriedly said.

"Uhh.. Maybe he went out for a walk?"

"I doubt that. The sun is still high, he's uncomfortable with it."

"Then we should find him while there's still time."

Rae nodded, "I'll make an excuse."

Then he raised his hand.

"Miss president, I don't feel so well. Can I go to the clinic for a bit?"

"Oh no!"

"Rae, we'll accompany you!"

His fan girls volunteered to take him. Yana sighed, "Oh dear."

'Stop thinking about it Yana! We should find Primo first!' She thought and told Ella that she's going to the comfort room.

But then, she went on the other direction down to the first floor.

"If my hunch is right, he might've fallen on there." She mumbled and went to the school garden.

"Are you sure you don't want us to take care of you?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, I can take it from here. Thank you so much." Rae smiled and closed the clinic door and locked it.

"They're so persistent." He made an awkward chuckle. Good thing no one's inside.

He opened the window as he planned to jump from the third floor.

"Awww... I thought we can finally take care of Rae!" One of the girls pouted.

"Tsk! If it wasn't for that Yana, we could've gotten close to Rae!"

"Speaking of the she-devil..." One of them said and pointed from the window. They saw Yana looking from the bushes. They decided to come down and approach her.

"What are you looking in there, Yana-girl?"

The lass flinched and turned to face them.

"Uhh... nothing... I was just... fixing the bushes..." She said and shook the soil off of her hands.

"Whatever, we don't care either way."

"We're just here to warn you."

"Stop roaming around our Rae!"

'Our Rae? When did he became yours?' Yana thought.

"But... we're friends." She said and tried to smile nicely.

"Then stop being friends with him!"

"Yeah, you already have Ella."

"You already know that we like him. So you should better step aside."

"I'm sorry..." Yana mumbled, "But I can't do that." She frowned.

This is the first time they've seen her like this. She's usually quiet and submissive. But this time, she looked so different. When did she ever learn to talk back?

"Rae is my friend, and I won't stop just because you told me so. That's something I cannot do."

"Shut up!" One of them suddenly pushed her and she fell on the bushes.

"We're asking nicely, you just say yes!" One girl was about to slap her when someone grabbed her wrist.

When they looked behind them, they saw someone with a long red hair and sharp red eyes.

"Leave or I'll make you." He warned and they all trembled in fear as they ran away.

"You shouldn't go that far." Yana said as she stood up and brushed the leaves off her clothes.

Rae suddenly grabbed her arm and they noticed her wound on the elbow. It must've come from the edgy bushes.

"I wouldn't if this didn't happen." He said and leaned forward to lick the blood on her wound.

She was caught off guard that and wasn't able to stop him.

All of a sudden, her wound disappeared!

"How did it happen?!" She blinked fast.

"Tch! We vampires can heal other's wound like how we can heal ours."

Her eyes twinkled, "Amazing! I didn't know you can do that!"

"Of course I can! Don't underestimate me!"

Yana chuckled, "Alright. Then, what brings you here?"

"I figured it would be faster to look for Primo in this form. Since I have keener senses than him." He replied referring to his human form.

Then, he suddenly carried her and jumped high from roof to roof. It was fast that he didn't give time for the lass to react.

They looked around the area but he can't sense Primo anywhere.

"It's almost time for the break to end. We should head back and look for him later." Yana suggested.

"Tch! Whatever! Why do I have to care for that small bat?" He groaned as they went back to school.

Primo shot his eyes open when he heard a voice asking for help. When he looked down, he saw a crow stuck in a scarecrow.

"Please help me!"

Primo flew towards the crow and saw that one of its claw got stuck.

"Hang in there." He said and tried his best to help.

"Someone's coming.." Said the crow and Primo felt it too.

There are two snakes crawling on the fields towards them.

'Look! We finally found a food!'

'They look delicious!'

Primo tried to remove its claw as fast as he can before they got eaten.

Then suddenly, one snake attacked, Primo turned around and blasted his shadow ball soon as it opened its jaw. Good thing the sun is setting. He can now use his power.

"Woah! That's amazing!" The crow exclaimed.

Soon as its claw is out, the other snake begin to attack.

"Look out!" The crow spread its wings and covered Primo as they suddenly vanished!

The next thing he knew, they're back in the city.

"H-how did you do that?! You have powers too?"

The crow chuckled, "Yep. That's because we're almost the same. Thanks for helping me!"

"What do you mean we're the same?" Primo frowned.

"Let's put it this way... we're both stuck in this form where our true power is sealed." The crow explained.

Primo blinked several times. He can't believe there's someone like him.

"Well, I'd better go now..."

"Wait! I should at least know your name. I'm Primo."

The crow smiled, "I'm Frisca."

"Frisca? Then that means you're a--" When he looked, she's already gone.

"..girl?" He mumbled, finishing his sentence.

Just in time, the class has finally ended. Rae and Yana immediately left and was about to look for Primo once again when they saw him flew back to them.

"What happened to you? Where have you been?" Rae asked worriedly.

"I don't know... I just fell asleep and fell somewhere else. And then when I woke up, I'm in the fields but I feel so sleepy that I rested once again and met a crow who actually has the same situation like me and her name is Frisca and..." Primo groaned and sighed in frustration.

"This all happened because I'm always sleepy! I can't help it!"

"Sleepy? Are you tired or something?" Yana asked.

"No, I'm not! I won't get easily affected by normal fatigues."

"Hmm.. maybe it's happening..." Rae mumbled.

"What's happening?"

"Primo, you said that you're so sleepy all the time, then there's only one explanation for that..."

"And what is that?" Yana asked.

"The Red Moon is coming..." Rae replied.

A small black hole becomes bigger and bigger where Frisca jumped out. She landed on her owner's palm.

"What took you so long, Frisca?"

The crow laughed awkwardly, "It's an embarrassing story, better not tell it."

Her owner glanced at her for a moment, "Really? But you seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Is that so? Hmm... maybe because I met someone strange but an interesting fellow." She giggled.

Her owner didn't respond now that they've reached the chamber. All of the people present bowed when the king arrives.

"My children, as you all know, the rumors about the vampire queen's son has been proven to be true." The king said in a strong and stern voice.

"Now, if any of you will be able to bring his head to me, you will be the next ruler of the Alucards!" They were all stunned on the news. It was indeed a tempting offer.

"My son, Claudius, is already on the said country. You should work harder to find her son before your brother does! Isabella..." The king glanced at the woman with a fuchsia hair color.

"Y-yes, my king?" She nervously said.

"You'd better inform your sister about this. I also give her the right to participate."

"Yes, my king. I'll deliver your message." Isabella politely said.

"Now my children, don't ever disappoint me!" The king smirked looking at their faces who seem motivated.