Chapter 37: The Ambush

It was a bright Saturday morning. The Van Helsings don't usually send someone off but this one's different. After all, this person has done so much for them.

"Will you look for our house for me?" Yana requested as she put her hands together.

"No worries! Do you want us to clean it as well?" Rin asked.

The lass shook her head, "No, that's too much!"

"So we'll just be lookouts? You sure?" Ren confirmed.

Yana nodded, "Yep, I'm sure." Then she glanced at the gentleman behind the triplets together with Rae's aunt.

"Mr. Cal, Ms. Lucy, I'll be going now!" She waved her hand, "I'll be back tomorrow morning!" She said before she turned her back.

The two adults waved their hands as well, unconsciously, that is.

"She has grown a bit since the last time I saw her. In a good way, I mean." Lucy said as she watched the lass walked away.

"She is, indeed." Calcifer agreed, "That girl's existence proved to me not all humans are the same."

Lucy scoffed as she crossed her arms to her chest, "Hmph, you're right. But what I'm more curious about is..." She glanced at the vampire beside her.

"What's this 'training' that my nephew has? Is that more important than seeing his friend off? Did they fight or something?"

Calcifer sighed, "You're overthinking things. The young master was asked to go to that training earlier than expected."

Lucy flicked her tongue, "And who the hell is that teacher?! He's overworking my dear Rae!" She clenched her fist.

"It's Ash..." His voice became gloomy and serious.

"Ash... Do you mean sister's fiancé? Prince Ashford?"

Calcifer heaved a sigh, "Yes... He wanted to turn young master into a proper vampire king."

"I don't question his intentions but... did you ask Rae about this?"

"He accepted it, he said he wanted to become stronger."

"Are you an idiot?" She suddenly blurted.

"W-what did you say!?" Calcifer frowned as he glared at her.

"Oh boy, here we go again," Ren sighed after seeing them fighting.

"We should head back inside now." Ran suggested.

"You're right, we don't want to get involve in them," Rin said as the triplets went inside the mansion.

"I could say how stupid you are as much as I want, idiot!" Lucy exclaimed and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You're talking nonsense, you old hag! In what way I'm an idiot?"

"In the way how you handled my dear nephew for a long time! Of course, he would accept to be king! He would think that's the only choice he has. But did you ever ask him about how he truly feels about this? What if he doesn't want it? What if he's so tired of being hunted down even he's done nothing to deserve this? Have you ever thought about that, you stupid!"

After saying all that's inside her mind, there's a moment of silence between them. Then, Calcifer flashed a sad smile in front of her.

"You're right... I'm an idiot--no... I'm a good-for-nothing guardian to him. It was I who expected too much that he'll be the last hope for this family. I didn't even think about the young master's happiness for I thought he'll achieve it once he became king. I'm such an idiot..." He held his head down.

Seeing him like this tightens her chest, she's not used to it. But she has always hated him for carrying all the burden to himself.

"Yeah... you're truly an idiot. If I didn't come back, you wouldn't realize how stupid you've become!"

Calcifer scoffed, "You're right, it's because you're here..." He gently patted her shoulder.

"Thank you, Lucillia." Then, he smiled at her.

Ah, how she has been waiting for that smile. How long has it been since he smiled like that to her? The last thing she remembered, was way long ago. But how she wished he would smile that often as he called her by name. And those two things alone will leave bliss in her heart.

It has been so long since he had shown weakness to anyone. And that someone always has to be her, the younger sister of the queen, Lucillia. But no matter how much her sharp tongue scolded him, he was way more encouraged by her words. It feels like her bluntness is his wake-up call from the things he failed to see. And he was thankful for that.

"Thank you, Lucillia."

Soon as he said that, she remained frozen in her place while staring at him.

'Is there something on my face? Why does she keep staring at me like that?' He thought as he blinked fast.

On second thought, he noticed how her cheeks have turned red. Is she sick? Does she feel hot?

But whatever that is, he can't deny the fact of how cute she looks with those red cheeks.

Just then, they heard someone clearing his throat.

"How long are you guys going to stare at each other?" Primo asked while giving them a boring look.

With that, both of them instinctively turned their backs at each other with red faces.

"We're not!" They said in unison.

Primo scoffed, "Yeah right. I'll pretend I didn't see anything." He teased.

"What do you want?" Calcifer asked to change the topic.

"Ah, that's right! It's about the queen."

Their faces became serious upon hearing this.

"I saw her move earlier. She must be a--"

He didn't get to finish what he's going to say when Calcifer rushed on his way to the passage. But much to their disappointment, all they find is the sleeping queen in her coffin.

"Are you sure about what you saw?" Lucy asked.

The boy nodded eagerly, "I'm certain. I saw her index finger moved. And for a brief moment, I felt her power. That's why I rushed to tell you about this as soon as possible."

"Then, there's a possibility that she'll wake up soon enough." Calcifer said and sighed in relief with hope in his heart.

"I think it's time to tell the young master."

***

"Focus!" Ash shouted as he attacked the lad simultaneously using sharp iron blades.

Rae continued to deflect those using the whip made from his blood.

It was so swift that any normal being wouldn't think he could catch up with those attacks.

Ash doesn't just throw his iron blades, he's also using combat attacks by turning his limbs as hard as the real steel. Then, he would attack the lad through punching and kicking.

For a short time, he was able to keep up with his movements. Back then, all he did was defend himself. If not, he would get hit by his fist over and over again. But right now, he can manage to dodge his attacks while making his move to strike at him.

Suddenly, his bloody whips turned into sharp blood crystals as he threw one by one in Ash's direction. Of course, he will never let those things scratch him. He used his hard fist to destroy those crystals.

"When will you ever learn that your crystals are of no match to my power?" He said as he break those sharp spears.

Just as he did that, Rae closed his fist. The shards glowed in bright red and exploded all at once, making a loud explosion all over the place.

Good thing, he managed to coat himself in steel before the explosion. But since the bombs were near enough, they almost destroyed his iron skin armor.

But it doesn't end there. From the thick smoke, Rae charged with a serious face. With such speed, he appeared right in front of him with a bloody sharp crystal on his right hand, planning to stab him in the face.

He was about to jump and dodge his attack when he used his left hand to tie the bloody whip around his neck.

'He's way too fast!' Ash thought and began to panic.

The lad pulled the whip as Ash's head was dragged forward. The pointed crystal was about to land on his eye when it suddenly stopped about an inch away. After a moment, Rae withdrew the sharp crystal.

"I win." He panted.

Ash scoffed as he gently rubbed his neck, "Not bad."

The lad raised his arms in the air and made a victorious gesture. It's his first win after all.

"But next time," Ash turned to him with a serious face, "Don't hesitate to kill your opponent."

"But I don't do that."

"Really? But I've heard you're the one who killed Claudius."

Ash secretly clenched his fist as he controlled his anger. The murderer of his brother is just right in front of him.

'If he wasn't Astrid's child, I would've killed him long ago.' He said to himself.

The lad looked down, "Yes, it was I. But I don't want to do that anymore."

Ash crossed his arms to his chest, "Oh? And how are you going to be king without a shed of blood in your hands?"

"I... I'll figure something out. There must be a way to lead us not into bloodshed."

"Quit yapping nonsense!" Ash exclaimed, "There's no way for someone as soft as you can be king if you can't even kill a single fly! This is war, kid! Not a playground. Now, stop daydreaming and get this into your head!"

He turned his back and walked away.

As for Rae, he couldn't say more. He can't talk back to his father. This is the first time he has shouted at him. Why is he so furious about it? Why is he forcing his son to kill? Are all parents like this?

***

That afternoon, as the sun was about to set, Rin just finished cleaning the gardening tools and placed them in the basement.

"Hmm... I wonder where Damien could be." She mumbled and sighed.

"You missed that nerd already?" Ren asked as she heard her sister.

"Well, who wouldn't be? He suddenly disappeared without a trace. He didn't even say goodbye to us." She said gloomily.

"Listen here..." Ren said, "Not everyone will stay with us, people come and go. The same goes for vampires. You should know that."

Rin frowned, "Are you saying Damien is like any of those mean humans?"

Ren sighed in frustration, "What I'm saying is--!" She paused when they both felt danger everywhere.

Together, they went out of the basement and saw multiple level-D vampires surrounding the mansion.

Calcifer and the others went out as well when they felt their presence.

"So this must be his house, right, Levi?" A vampire with forest green hair said as he stood on the electrical post.

"No mistake about that, Lavi." A vampire with the same hair color beside the other vampire said. They also have the same face feature but wear different colors of clothing.

The vampire called Lavi wears a red one while the vampire called Levi wears blue.

"How rude! Tell us who you are!" Lucy said as she glared at them.

"Oh, that's right." Said Levi.

"Our apologies," Lavi said.

"We are the Alucard twins sent by our dear father." They said in unison.

"A-Alucard?" Calcifer echoed.

"This is my brother, Levi," Lavi said as he pointed the vampire beside him.

"And this is my brother, Lavi." Said Levi, referring to the vampire beside him.

"And we're here to kill the Vampire Queen's son!" They both said with menacing grins on their faces.

Calcifer glared at them, "We'll never hand him to you!" He said with gritted teeth.

"That's too bad," said Levi.

"If that's the case, we'll just make him come out!" Lavi said and from his hand, hot lava came out and poured down on them.

"Look out!" Calcifer shouted as everyone get down to dodge the attack.

But their house was affected, thus it melted from Lavi's lava.

"Oh dear brother, looks like he's not here," Levi said.

"You're right. He should've come out just now." Lavi agreed.

With that, he whistled out loud to call the attention of the level-D vampires around them.

"It's time for your mission, everyone!" Lavi said.

"Find the vampire queen's son and bring him to us!" Levi commanded.

And at once, the horrible monsters flew on their way all over the town.

"Everyone! Don't let them find the young master!" Calcifer commanded, "And protect the humans at all cost!"

"Yes sir!" They all said as they went on separate ways.

Ran and Rin went to the other side while Ren and Primo went in the opposite direction.

"We should join the hunt as well," Levi said.

"Agreed." Said Lavi as they started to jump from roof to roof.

"Oh no, you won't!" Lucy blasted her ice power and managed to freeze Lavi's lower abdomen, preventing him to move.

"What the--!?"

Calcifer jumped high and appeared before him, "You're not going anywhere!" He delivered a punch on his face while his hand is burning in flames.

In such impact, Lavi flew farther and crashed on the ground near the park. He slowly got up, wiping the blood from his lips.

"This is going to be fun." He grinned devilishly as his eyes glowed in bright red.

***

Standing motionless, he can't help but feel the familiar pain in his chest. Who wouldn't be?

As he thought things have gotten better between them, he had witnessed something unpleasant, something that tears his heart apart.

Even it was dark at night, the light from the moon was enough for him to see that it was indeed Yana, in the arms of someone else. And that someone is no other than Orpheus, the enemy of his clan.

She wasn't even struggling, complaining, nor moving away. Clearly, it was something permitted, something she doesn't dislike. And that made him feel more awful, sadder, and broken.

As he stood there, he saw Yana glanced in his direction. Then, she smiled and turned her back as she held Orpheus's hand.

Slowly, they started to walk away.

'Wait! Where are you going?' He asked, but she didn't look back.

'Yana, wait! Don't leave me! Stop!' He reached out his hand as the light started to approach his way.

And with that, he shot his eyes wide open. He was inside the bus he took a while ago. He was on his way home and fortunately, he woke up just in time when the bus stopped on the right bus stop. Quickly, the lad stood up and stepped out of the vehicle before it closes its door.

Soon, the bus left and then, he started walking.

"I must be really tired of having such a dream." He sighed as he remembered it.

The pain still lingers. It didn't leave him since that night.

Because of that, he can't seem to face Yana anymore. He felt like he would burst into tears if he ever sees her face. It aches his heart so much.

"This is for the best, I guess?" He made a faint chuckle.

Just then, he sensed someone's presence. He looked around and saw a figure of a man, standing on one of the electrical posts.

"Found ya, son of the Vampire Queen!" Levi grinned devilishly as if he had finally found his prey.

Rae glared at him as he felt the dangerous aura coming from that vampire. Obviously, he's not an ally. That's why he can't let his guard down.