Hunter Wang Chen

'What have I done?'

Alvin stood amidst the desolate ruin, his gaze sweeping over the flattened earth where Fugestu once stood. Not a single pebble remained.

A pang of guilt twisted in his chest.

'I have no one but myself to blame.'

His hands trembled at his sides; his body shook under the weight of what he had caused—a mixture of suppressed anger and sorrow. Lowering his head in shame, he let out a shaky breath.

Then, the air around him shifted.

The silence was unnerving, so still that he could hear the heartbeat of the man who had just stepped out from the shadows of the towering trees.

"You're more powerful than any vampire I've ever encountered." Alvin raised his head and stared at the man who had recently shot at him. 

But now, the very same man was ignoring him, staring at Elara casually.

Alvin noticed how this lazy man, who was dressed in tattered rags, emerged from the dense forest without him being able to sense it. Scratching the back of his head as though he had just woken from a nap, the man even yawned a little.

"How about this?" The man offered, his lips curling into a small, impeccable smirk. "I'll let you walk out of here alive—if you leave the man behind you."

Alvin froze, his mind racing. He took a while to realize what the man was here for. 

The man, who was not even looking at him, wanted him for some reason. And Alvin knew it was not for anything good.

He had just survived being shot at—something he had not faced once in his human lifetime. Even though the bullet hadn't connected, the sheer rush of adrenaline, knowing he was being targeted by someone, sent a shiver down his spine.

Now, hearing the man's audacious proposal, he did not need to think twice about what the unknown wanted to do with him.

'Just who is this guy?' Alvin had no idea how a human could stand face to face with something or someone as supernatural as them. The sheer destruction around them was enough to scare any normal human to death.

His gaze flickered to Elara, his frown deepening.

Yet, unlike him, she remained eerily calm. Staring at the man with indifference and calmness. Her reaction somehow calmed him as well.

Alvin exhaled slowly, forcing his heartbeat to slow down. He didn't doubt Elara's nature—whether she accepted or rejected the offer, he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Still, he was curious about how she would handle the situation before her.

Ever since his transformation, he had become aware of Elara in a way he couldn't quite explain.

Was it due to their bond? Perhaps.

But one thing was certain—Elara was more powerful than he had imagined. She radiated a denser, more commanding presence than the man who had just attacked him.

Even though the danger was not directed at him, Alvin could feel that she could overpower him without even trying.

Just then, Elara's lips curled upward. "A hunter, huh?" Elara's voice was laced with amusement. Her crimson eyes shimmered as she tilted her head slightly, her umbrella twirling effortlessly in her grasp. "I never knew humans had grown so bold over the centuries. Looks like time washes away all fear."

Hunter?

Alvin immediately caught the unfamiliar detail. He looked at the man with narrowed eyes, trying to find what was different about him from other humans.

The hunter sighed dramatically, ignoring her remark.

"What a pity." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "I never thought I'd see creatures as ugly as vampires displaying so many emotions in one day. One showed me courtesy. The other…" He looked at Elara in disdain and spat, "Loyalty."

"Tell me, Miss Vampire—have you ever fought a hunter before?" 

Alvin found the shift in the air around the hunter unnerving.

But Elara merely chuckled at the change; the laughter was light and almost melodic. "Not at all," she admitted without any hesitation or shame. "In fact, you're the first hunter I've ever met in my life."

Wang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his face betraying a hint of repulsion at the way she talked to him. "Even if you haven't met a hunter, you must have at least heard my name."

He let the words hang in the air, acting all dramatic and proud of himself, before continuing.

"If you say you don't know who Wang Chen is, I'll be the very—"

"It's the first time I've ever heard of that name, Mr. Chen." Elara's polite smile didn't falter as she cut him off mid-sentence. "Do you want me to praise you for that name? Or maybe you are well known among my kind?"

The more innocent and calm Elara acted, the more annoyed Wang Chen became, his hands clenched into fists behind him, veins popping around his forearms.

Elara paid no attention to his reaction and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Forgive me for not introducing myself—how unbecoming of me."

Her voice carried a sweet, self-reproaching lilt, as if she had just remembered something important. "After all—"

With effortless grace, she shifted her right foot behind her left, delicately holding the hem of her kimono as though she were wearing a ballroom gown. Tilting her head ever so slightly, she cast an apologetic smile.

Then, with a voice as soft as silk yet as sharp as a dagger, she finished— "you're not worthy of knowing it."

Silence.

Alvin blinked owlishly.

The hunter, too, fell quiet, his expression unreadable. But from the slight tremor in his shoulder, Elara knew she had pushed his buttons to the limits.

Then, as if suddenly recalling something, her eyes sparkled with intrigue.

"Maybe I should stretch a little before my maid returns~" she mused to herself. "Who knows when I'll get the chance to encounter another hunter?"

"Huh?"

Alvin snapped out of his daze, suddenly realizing something was amiss. He turned sharply, scanning the area.

Vanessa was gone.