Entry 07: Interlude
In the West District of the City of Genova, Lincoln
Abandoned Building
00:30
"ARRGGH! I won't forgive her!"
The vampires retreated into an abandoned building after the incident they caused at the Gala. The woman has recently finished her meal as she throws the lifeless body of a poor, unfortunate soul who was only passing by on the ground. The man accompanying her in her retreat leaned his shoulder against the wall.
"Fully healed now?" He asked the woman in front of him.
She checked for any remaining burns or scars on her body before replying. "Not yet. My body may be fully healed, but my pride as a vampire remains tarnished."
Her body healed like the day that she was born.
"Where the hell is Jonathan, anyway?" She asked her companion. "I haven't seen that bastard since that Gala."
On cue, the man in question appeared; the moon's light revealed his appearance. "I only leave the venue before you initiate the attack. Be thankful that you were able to leave that place alive."
"Tsk, says the coward, who only ran after the fun began."
"I'm only playing my role as a normal person. Massacres of people are not my forte."
"Why you little-"
"Enough." The third vampire stops their argument in an angry tone. "Now that we have achieved our mission by causing chaos in the Gala, but we failed in assassinating our target, we must take consideration for our next action."
The woman glared harshly at the man. "Did our mistress send you here to berate us?"
"I'm here to challenge the vampire general," he replied. "But alas, fate won't allow me to fight him."
The woman let out maniacal laughter. "Don't worry. There is a next time. But the time we face them, it will be their last."
-Kouga-
"A human using vampire arts?"
This is the first thing that Lord Albert said to me after I was done giving my report regarding the incident at the Gala. He, too, was surprised when he heard that there is a human who can use vampire arts.
It's been two days since the incident at the Gala happened. Anna is still unconscious and hasn't been awake yet. Earlier, I explained to both Patrick and Lena what happened to her, and they too were shocked that their companion could use vampire arts.
'Impossible!' I remembered Patrick's reaction at that time. 'There is no way that the Brown Clan has vampire blood among them. They are all humans!'
"Did you report this to His Majesty?" Lord Albert's concern interrupts my thoughts.
I looked at him. "I haven't told him of this yet."
Lord Albert motioned for me to sit down. I did as I was told. "Kouga, can you lend me your ear about an old history?"
"Yes, Lord Albert."
"Have you heard the story about the Caster of Rose?"
"Now that you mention it, I asked His Majesty about it before, but he remained silent about it."
He curled up his hands in his lap into fists and took a breather before explaining. "The Caster of Rose is the previous vampire king who ruled the vampire world for thousands of years. His rule is that of an iron fist, and he sacrificed countless humans and vampires alike to experiment and hone his vampire arts, to the point that he already formed the most destructive vampire arts ever created, so destructive that it could destroy the world. But before he could use said vampire art, he was killed in a rebellion."
"A rebellion?"
"The rebellion that led to the establishment of the SECTA organization. The progenitor of both the Brown and Maximus Clans, who are imprisoned, rebelled against the Caster of Rose, and with the help of the tyrant's two brothers, they led the rebellion to overthrow him. It was a gruesome battle, but the favor was on the rebels' side as the Brown progenitor killed him in cold blood. But before he died, he put a curse on his killer. After the Caster of Rose was killed, his youngest brother, the current vampire king, took the throne, and from there we achieved the peace that both worlds have currently enjoyed up until now." He looked me in the eye. "The reason why he and his companions rebelled against his own adopted father is because he believed a world that is ruled like the Caster of Rose's reign was the right thing. But the vampires and humans who wished nothing but peaceful coexistence don't want to remember the horrific event that happened."
I know what Lord Albert means by those words.
Peace is a fragile thing, and a single act of rebellion or war will entirely shatter it. The situation in the vampire world is also not as good as the human world's affairs in their current state, thanks to the continuous rebellion that happened. It only takes a matter of time before His Majesty will make his move.
"Kouga?"
"Yes, Lord Albert?"
"Leave the matters regarding Anna to me. For now, you need to rest."
I stood up and was about to leave, but before I opened the door leading outside, I asked him, "Does the curse of the Caster of Rose inflicted on the Brown progenitor have something to do with Anna?"
"It is only my speculation. Don't mind about it for now."
I hope my suspicions do not come true.
*
-Yuri-
After the disastrous event that happened two days ago, I decided to go to my ancestral home immediately after I was discharged from the hospital. As I stepped out of the car, the first thing that I saw was the old gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere.
It hasn't changed since the last time I visited. The gray, cracked walls, the discolored windows, and the gloomy atmosphere it brings.
I went forward and twisted the knob on the door. I stepped inside as soon as I opened the door. "I'm home."
"Welcome back, young master." The old butler greeted me. "How's your mission?"
"A disaster." That was my response. I took off my coat and handed it over to him. "How's father?"
"The master is still well, as always. He was expecting to see you now."
"I see. And mother?"
"The madam is also well."
I dismissed the butler afterward and went to the second floor. I turned right and stopped at a large door. I knocked three times.
"Come in."
I entered the room and saw my father standing, facing the window. I sat down on one of the sofas available.
"I heard what happened at the gala two days ago," my father said to me without turning himself in. "You have failed in your mission."
"Apologies, father," I said, bowing my head in shame.
A moment of silence later, he sighed and turned around to see me. "This is the first time you failed. That failure will be your last of it. Next time, do your mission properly."
"Yes, father."
He hasn't changed at all. Ever since I can remember, as I reached nine years old, my father harshly trained me in the ways of vampire hunting. He wanted me to be the perfect vampire hunter to be produced by our clan, and I did what he told me; this included stealing the targets of other vampire hunters and belittling them.
Which disgusts me. "You are a S-rank vampire hunter of ESEH," he continued. "Remember that."
I only stood up in response and looked at him. "I know that. I will continue to do what you told me. Father." I almost spat that word with venom.
I leave the room a few moments later and continue to roam the hallways. I saw the portraits of each of our predecessors hanging on the wall. I only sighed and wondered: Will my predecessors acknowledge me for what I am doing now? If you ask me, I'll say they are disappointed in me. Father's current method makes my skin crawl with disgust. I'm lucky that, unlike Anna, I don't have any siblings, or else they will be subjected to the same teaching method as well.
Speaking of Anna, I called Patrick before coming here earlier, and he told me that she hasn't awakened yet. He's still angry at me, as always, but I don't blame him.
My thoughts were cut off when my mother approached me and hugged me. "Yuri, you're back."
My mom is entirely different from my father. She is kind and caring for me, even after I became a vampire hunter. She was always concerned for my safety and prayed that I would come back to her alive.
"I'm home, mom." I hugged her back.
She let me go. "Have you talked to your father?" She asked me.
"We have talked. I left the room earlier."
"Is this about your last mission two days ago?"
I nodded.
She sighed. "Your father hasn't changed at all. Ever since that day that he and Mr. Brown argued, he became very strict with you and wanted you to surpass Mr. Brown's daughter."
"It disgusts me that I must steal Anna's target for my gain." I feel sorry for Anna every time I do those things.
She patted me on the shoulder. "Yuri, you have a choice to not listen to your father. You are a grown man now. Whatever you do, you must know your morals and boundaries, or else you will do something that makes you regret it later."
I smiled. "Thank you, mom."
*
[Report Date: 02/23/1056]
Incident at the Lincoln Museum
Profile:
The attack occurred around 17:34 during the dinner gathering and was about to start the auction of some rare and unique artifacts that were found by several archeologists. It started when one of the guests was doing something suspicious to other guests. The staff tried to stop him, and that's where the attack occurred.
Of all the 12,760 guests and 15,000 staff that are in the venue, almost 9,000 are confirmed dead (including SECTA and ESEH agents that are on standby), 1,000 are victims of vampirism and forced to kill on sight, 100 are injured due to the stampede at the initial stage of the attack, and the rest are safely evacuated.
The initiator of the attack is a female vampire. According to Vampire General Kouga Igarashi, she must be a subordinate of one of the key players in the vampire rebellion, judging by the scent alone. He almost killed her if it weren't for her companion to arrive on time and retreated.
As for all our agents that are on standby, these are the estimated body counts:
B-rank: 403
C-rank: 225
D-rank:120
The three B-rank agents assigned to guard Lord Albert Lilitus are not harmed, but Agent Brown hasn't been awakened for two days now. According to General Igarashi, she uses powers that are similar to a technique called vampire arts, but we have double-checked her profile for proof that she has none of those.
[Maybe we should ask Agent Brown about this matter when she wakes up.]
"Is this report accurate?" A blond man in his early thirties asked the chief after reading the file, his cold blue eyes still gazing at what was written in the report.
"Yes, it is," the chief answered. "The mission is considered a complete failure since we let the enemy vampire get away. With the large number of bodies indicated, we have a hard time dealing with the authorities explaining everything. For now, they considered the attack a terrorist attack."
"But for how long?" the man asks him. "The number of innocents caught up in this war continues to increase, and it will be a matter of time before the existence of vampires is known to the public." Then he looked at the Chief. "May I have a request?"
"Ask right away."
"Assign Agent Brown to my team," he said in a serious tone. "We will be monitoring her activity and seeing if she has this 'Vampire Arts' or not. Have another B-rank agent take her place in the escort mission regarding Lord Lilitus."
The chief paused. He closed his eyes to think about the request for a minute before he opened them and looked at the man in front of him.
"We will comply with your request when Agent Brown is awake. As for your teams, good job, and keep up the good work. I will rely on you on the next mission, S-rank Agent Ivan Robinson."