The Knight in Shining Armor

"GRACE!" a familiar voice called over Grace.

Grace opened her eyes and looked up. And she could not hide her smile.

Something that was truly a miracle that she never thought would happen occurred at last. All her worries and distress were immediately disappeared.

"Brother Damien!" shouted Grace in joy. She stood up and went near the steel bars.

Grace's heart was thumping fast as she saw her older brother Damien was standing outside the cage. The first thing that rushed into her mind was her brother standing right in front of her eyes might be a dream. This knight in shining armor might be an illusion. Grace pinched her arm several times to make sure it was not a delusion. And it was a reality!

Her feelings of overload happiness were truly unutterable. How long had she waited and yearned for this precious moment to arrive? To be reunited with her brother. Finally, nothing could hurt her anymore because her brother would let nothing harm her again.

Damien held out a hand to touch his younger sister. "I'm so sorry that I'm late." He apologized sincerely. "I should know something was wrong when you stopped sending letters. I am a terrible brother."

Grace shook her hand. "Better late than never, brother," she cried, as good luck would have it.

"Grace. Step back," said Damien. And Grace took some steps back to get farther from the metal bars.

And all the children in the cage hurriedly got close to the other side of the wall, including Yuki.

Damien breathed heavily while focusing on his mana. Then, he recited some magical spells in some audible words and foreign languages. Black-colored mana with some scant fragments of gold surrounded his body. The ground was shaking hard because of the impact of his magic. And finally... the door of the cage was destroyed into parts! The creaking sound was so loud and clear. And it meant that the hostages were free to go.

The vampire children hurriedly left the cage first! They would not miss this golden chance to escape this fleeting Hell. Alas, they did not even thank their savior. What an ungrateful bunch of kids!

Damien ignored the young vampires. His attention was only dedicated to Grace. Damien saw her sister's fragile legs were attached to the bars with a metal chain. Angry, he pulled off and broke the chain solely with his hand. His strength had no limits or boundaries. A sense of remorse and anger hit Damien when he saw some marks on Grace's legs because of the chain. Dang! He regretted killing those fools so fast. He should torture them more before sending them straight to Hell.

Being freed, Grace immediately hugged Damien. Tight.

"Is the war over? Why are you back so fast?" that was her first question after such a long time not meeting her brother.

"Yeah!" Damien enjoyed the hug. He finally could release the pressure on his shoulders. His worries vanished when his sister was right in his arms. "I miss my little girl, so I came back earlier!"

Grace stared at her brother. There were traces of blood-soaked in his clothes and face.

"Are you injured, brother?" asked Grace. Anxious.

Damien chuckled. "Ha! Of course not, silly. These are not even my blood." Damien gave some peck of kisses to Grace. Oh! How much he missed her!

After moments of reunion, Damien said, "Let's go back home. Now that I'm back, I won't let Bridget does anything to you, sis." Damien was ready to carry his sister out.

But before he could touch her, Grace avoided. "Brother. I want this sister to go with us!" said Grace in a serious tone. Her index finger pointed directly toward a young woman who just kept silent since Damien arrived.

Damien was surprised! "What kind of nonsense is this?"

He looked straight at the lady mentioned. The woman with long, natural red hair and pale skin. Ruby lips and a pair of rare amber-colored eyes. Damien admitted this woman was unique and has extraordinary beauty. But a vampire?

"NO!" Damien rejected. Demons and vampires are long-time nemeses.

Grace looked so desperate. "Please! She doesn't have anywhere to go."

"Grace…" Damien's voice was louder than before.

"Please!"

"Grace…" Damien paused. "… No! She's an outsider." Damien tried to give an excuse.

"But Sister Yuki helped me!" Grace hugged Yuki, and would not let go.

Damien breathed heavily. Presently, Grace was strongly attracted to a fellow hostage. Maybe she was a slave. Darn! This would be a great headache.

"Grace!" Damien tried to pull Grace away from the woman.

"No!" Grace pushed his brother away. "If you won't let her go with us… I will stay here. FOREVER!" Grace was determined.

It was one of Grace's many annoying tantrums. What she wanted, she would get it. No matter what!

"Hey, this girl!" Damien didn't know what to do anymore. He could not fight with his precious sister. And he did not want to spend another minute in this horrible slave house. "Okay, fine." He gave up.

Damien saw the woman's legs were tied together. "But I won't unlock her chain. She might be dangerous."

Grace took a glance at the chain. "As long as she's with us, I'm fine with that. But, brother! Carry her like a princess. Like you always do to me."

"What? No way!" Damien rejected. Again.

To be honest, Damien was wondering. He had some doubts. What did this woman do to his sister that made Grace smitten and attracted to her like this? Damien knew his sister for her whole life, and Grace was so hard to like other people because she hates meeting new people. Grace does not even have friends her age.

Damien almost thought that this stranger woman did cast a spell on Grace to be attracted to her. But Grace had strong magic tolerance since she was young. No magic or spell could hurt her.

"Brother!" Grace never gave up. Instead, Grace gave him this annoying glare. As if she was threatening him.

"Okay! Okay! What you said." Damien backed down. Again.

But he did not carry Yuki like a princess. Instead, Damien carried her like a potato bag out of the cage. And out of the slave house.

Damien and Yuki's first meeting was quite memorable. And somehow unpleasant.