"The vampire attacks have been increasing lately." Simon addressed the people around him, massaging his temples. "We need a new lead about the vampires. The organization's method of collecting information wouldn't stand for long."

He placed a folder on the table. "Here are some files Luis managed to get regarding the vampires that the organization have identified so far."

Cyrus' head perked up from laying on the sofa, "Why would you need the files of detained vampires?"

Simon gave Cyrus a leveled stare, "Information can be gathered anywhere and everywhere. It's only applicable to those who know how to look."

"What's there to know?" Leah questioned from the kitchen, "The organization has already listed everything we should be cautious about the vampires."

"Yes," he agreed," but not on things that matter." Simon leaned back on the couch, prompting everyone to pay attention to his words. "In order to understand something, you must first fathom its existence and how it exists."

Leah and Cyrus shared a look across the room, not understanding what Simon was getting at. I reached for the files, scanning through various profiles of vampires that have been apprehended throughout the years. Beneath their profiles were detailed reports about their crimes and what has become of them under the penitentiary of the Hunter Organization.

"These vampires appeared out of the blue, deciding to attack humanity. One day, these species decided to come out from the dark corners that they were hiding from and chose to oppose us. Whoever is driving them to attack must be a force to reckon with if it was able to encourage the vampires to come out from hiding." Luis spoke up as he came down from the stairs.

Simon nodded his approval, "Yes, but the question is, what were the vampires before they decided to attack? How did they manage to survive without human blood? That is an important inquiry everyone seems to disregard, preferring to focus on the matter at hand, rather than at the root of the problem."

"According to the data gathered so far," Luis motioned towards the files in my hand. "There are two types of vampires that we've managed to identify on their hierarchy. It's a given that these datas are not complete and concrete."

Simon inclined his head towards me, prompting me to explain. "The young and adult vampires. The younglings are categorized by their behavior. Some of them are irrational, unfocused, prone to being wild, and can't control their urges to devour blood. Meanwhile, the adults are more mature, they have precise control, and they don't seem to be affected by the desire for blood unlike the young ones."

"Exactly. The adult vampires have more restraints on their urges. If we look past the prejudice against them for a moment, you would've realized a crucial piece of information for our cause."

Cyrus raised his brow, "And that is?"

Luis plopped down beside him, "The adult vampires. They don't need to drink blood unlike the young vampires. Which means, they had a source for quenching their thirst before they started attacking humanity."

He frowned, "I still don't get it."

Leah put down the tray filled with snacks at the table, "If they have a source for feeding, it prompts the idea that they have a society of their own."

"Which leads us to why I'm here in the first place," Simon reached out towards his cup of tea. "A society means someone leading them. And in a society, there are always those who agree and don't agree."

Leah furrowed her brows, "What are you trying to say?"

Simon took a sip from his cup, taking a moment to respond. "A vampire has reached out to me recently."

There was a stunned silence around the room, eyes shocked and mouth agape as they stared at Simon.

I watched him casually put down his cup. As if what he said was as nonchalant as commenting about the weather. I wasn't surprised, knowing Simon my whole life, such actions were usual for him.

Simon didn't wait for anyone to collect their wits with them. "This vampire is peculiar. She's different from the rest. She's neither an adult or a youngling. She's higher than them. She approached me with the intention of forming an alliance. To gather and exchange information with each other."

Cryus sat up, eyebrows drawn together. "Why would a vampire offer you that?"

"She prompts that our interests align. I have not informed the organization about this yet. This vampire is dangerous, we need to be skeptical about her concerns."

I stopped playing with the files. Dropping them down on the table with a thud. "What do you want us to do, Simon?" I questioned silently, wanting him to get to the point directly.

He paused, eyeing me sideways. "I want Team Leah to track and observe this vampire for a while. Decide if she is genuine with her intentions or not."

Leah opened her mouth to protest, but Simon deliberately cut her off, "This opportunity she proposed rarely comes by, we can't take the risk of blowing this chance. Depending on her actions, I will consider her proposal."

I remained silent, knowing that whatever the factors, Simon would most likely still accept the vampire's offer. It didn't matter if she came out good or evil in our investigation, as long as she had purpose, Simon would use it for the organization's cause.

Leah sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to oppose him. Simon was sending them out on an official order coming from him. This is by no means, the first time that Team Leah had accepted a mission from Simon that wasn't classified under the organization's orders. It was a normal occurrence for Team Leah to go behind the organization's back, slipping under its nose as we gather intel that would normally be frowned upon by other Hunters. But it didn't matter to us, these intels were important, it helped the organization gain advantage against the vampire's, how you get said information was not something to be dwelled upon as long as it produced results.

Simon reached for something inside his coat, it was a picture.

"Her name is Rei, a vampire was recently sent here. She hasn't familiarized herself with human society yet. I gave her a phone to contact whenever I'm ready to accept her offer."

Cyrus took the offered picture from Simon's hand, looking at the vampire himself before giving it to Leah. She passed the picture around, when it reached my hands, a woman with long silver hair that fell like a waterfall behind her back was looking at the camera. Jet black impassive eyes stared right back, ensnaring you within their depths. She wore a simple blue dress that compliments her features, making her stand out than she already is.

"Luis would track the phone. Start on your mission on the first rays of dawn." With that, Simon left us to our own devices with a few reminders of what we should do after the mission.

Leah silently greeted her teeth, glaring hard at the direction where Simon previously left. She was silent for a minute, making sure that Simon was no longer in the vicinity when she spoke. "This is bullshit. Treaty with the vampires? Really?" 

Leah wasn't able to hold it in any longer and lashed out.

"Forming an alliance with a vampire is crossing the line! Even for us!" She paced around the living room, "What happens if this whole fiasco comes back and bite our butts off? We can't trust a vampire, she's gonna lead us into a trap!"

"You don't know that." I frowned, "Knowing Simon, he wouldn't let his guard down one bit. That man is always a few steps ahead when it comes to anything, and he'll make sure he'll get the best out of any situation."

Cyrus ruffled his hair, "We don't even know what this vampire wants." He reached out for the picture, "If you look at her, she could easily pass as a human. I wouldn't even think she's a vampire if Simon didn't say she is."

"She's dangerous. Don't let your guard down." Luis reprimanded him, "It's getting late. We should head to bed so we can focus on the mission properly tomorrow." He stood up, moving towards his room.

Leah let out a sigh, running her hand through her face, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle.

I moved towards the stairs, intending to sleep in early when Leah called out from behind me. "Cain, wait." I glanced at her over my shoulder, eyebrow raised in question.

"Have you tried the new prototype Samantha sent you? Is it working well?" She bit her lip, eyeing me with hopeful eyes.

I shook my head at her, used to the disappointed gleam in her eyes. "It's still not working, Leah. I don't think it ever will."

She nodded her head, "Guess you're still stuck to normal weapons, then. Don't push yourself, Cain. You tend to be reckless sometimes. It might not bother you, but it worries us." Leah ruffled my hair affectionately, moving past me towards the kitchen.

I retreated to my room, passing by the desk I caught sight of the prototype Samantha had sent earlier today for me to test.

When fighting vampires, humans like us wouldn't stand a chance against them, we could only dream of defeating them when they first started creating havoc amongst humanity. Seeing this problem, Simon took it upon himself to create a weapon that would rival the vampires.

Simon had created a weapon called cetas.

The cetas were weapons designed with the purpose of destroying vampires, and what other way could someone destroy a vampire without having any other worldly powers? By using a vampire to destroy its fellow vampire, of course.

To a vampire, it's core is what's most important for them. Their heart is where their affinities lay in slumber. Without it, they cannot draw the power from within.

In order to kill a vampire, you must take out their hearts.

Simon knew of their weakness, and he knew how to exploit their powers for our cause, and so, he designed a weapon with a vampire's core as its preliminary source of power.

The cetas are weapons that are able to use the affinities of whoever heart it was that it belonged to.

Everyone in the Hunter Organization is able to use said weapons.

All except for one.

Me.

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the raven locks brush my shoulders. For whatever reason, no matter what I do or method I use, I simply couldn't use a cetas.

Not because I was incompetent or that I was lacking in skill when handling weapons, it was merely because I couldn't touch it.

Literally.

If I was to dare and try to attempt to wield it in my hands, the cetas would simply burn my skin to an uncontrollable degree. It would continue to flame hotly, similar to how a person would willingly burn their hands with flames.

It was only thanks to my regenerative prowess that I didn't mind the burn too badly.

Because of my incompetence with using the cetas, this was considered as a problem for the organization. I was only able to stay this long due to my connection with Simon, the brains behind the cetas.

It was quite ironic that the man who invented the cetas can't even let the child he has under his custody use his creation.

Handling vampires, by no means an easy fit. Whenever you go out for a mission, you would never know if it would be your last or if you'll still ever come back. I was able to survive through any missions thrown my way because of my abilities.

It was similar to a vampire with an affinity but not at the same time.

No matter what I do, no matter what injuries I take, all of it would only last a second before the scarred flesh knits itself together and goes back to what it was once before, to its flawless unscathed state.

No one knows about my ability other than Simon and Team Leah. If they found it strange, they never said a word about it.

But that didn't remove the problem at hand. The issue is that people from the organization were starting to get suspicious on how I always come back uninjured from our missions without a cetas.

Protests of favoritism and special treatment were starting to spread within our ranks, and that is unnecessary trouble no one wants to deal with.

And so, Simon and Samantha would always send me the new prototypes for the cetas to use and test, hoping that it would fix my problem and quench the rumours.

It didn't stop the favoritism. In fact, it seemed like more protests have come up ever since knews came out that I was the one who was testing out the cetas before it would be released. Complaints of why do I get the first dibs on said weapons when I couldn't even use it in the first place.

A particular incident where hunters saw first hand how a cetas burned my hands got them to shut up.

In an instant, they were glad to know that someone had become the sacrificial lamb for testing out if a cetas was a defect or not.

Staring at the cetas on the table, I decided to try it out once again. Biting my thumb enough to draw blood, I let it drop down onto the floating grey cube—the heart of the weapon. In order to activate the cetas, the holder must first sacrifice their own blood to synchronize within the dormant affinity. Only in this way can a person use a vampire's heart and its powers.

The grey cube started glowing, moving twirling within the weapon, waiting for someone to connect with. I took a deep breath, hand reaching out for the cetas.

No more than a second of touching it, the cetas had burned my hand, the feeling equivalent to touching a lava itself. I flinched back, dazedly looking down at my palm. Blisters had already started forming, smoke rising out from the skin that touched the cetas.

Letting out a sigh, I turned my back against my desk and plopped down on my bed. Already feeling my skin heal back on its own.

It seems that no matter what I do, or any amount of waiting I do, there would still be no way for me to use a cetas.

I sank deeper into the pillows. Grumbling underneath my breath. "... It's not like I need it anyways."

Technically, I really didn't have to use it, but the lack of progress and something to work with could take its toll and make you a blubbering mess of frustrations.

I forced my body to relax, choosing to focus on sleeping the night away and focus on the mission tomorrow instead of frustrating myself over something I couldn't control.

The first time I laid my eyes upon her, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks, taking a moment to see her—truly appreciating her beauty. It was breathtaking, an otherworldly ethereal feeling of seeing something you can't simply put into words.

She was casually strolling around the park, hands clasped behind her back, today she was wearing a black dress that emphasizes her curves charmingly. Her silver hair swayed with the air as she walked with grace in her steps, long silver lashes fluttered as curious midnight eyes roamed the place, taking in everything with delighted wonder.

She was beautiful in her picture.

But nothing compared to her exquisite beauty in person.

As she walked, people turned their heads to stare at the ethereal beauty that she possessed. The vampire continued on, unfazed by the attention she was getting simply just by walking. I eyed the people around her, these civilians didn't know that she was a vampire, no one would've suspected she was. If I had seen her by accident today, the chances of her being a vampire wouldn't have crossed my mind in the slightest.

I snapped out of my trance when I noticed the distance that had separated us. Remembering my mission, I continued on trailing after her, casually acting as if I was strolling in the park myself.

My eyes slowly moved back towards her, stealing more glances than I should, but I couldn't help it. The way her silver hair caught the light from the sun, shining brightly it kept drawing my attention.

It reminded me of when the sunlight reflected upon a layer of frozen water.

I took a moment to pause when she sat down on the bench, casually eyeing the people around her, a pleasant smile on her face. Her posture relaxed yet she still managed to extract that aura of grace and elegance around her.

I snapped my eyes away when I felt something tugging at my pants. Looking down, a little girl with wide amethyst eyes was staring up towards me.

"Mister, can you help me?" There was a quiver in her voice, small lips trembling causing me to crouch down at her level immediately.

"What's wrong?" I furrowed my brows, looking her over, checking if she was in any discomfort.

Her small hands tightened around my pants, "I got separated from my brother."

She was lost. Shit. Scanning the area quickly, I tried to gauge if there was anyone in the crowd looking for a missing little girl. So far, no one acted concerned for her whereabouts, people continued on their merry ways. I stole a glance towards the woman, panicking internally when I didn't see her at the bench. She must've walked away while I was distracted. I looked down at the girl, I couldn't possibly leave her on her own devices in such a public place where danger could lurk anywhere. But on the other hand, I had a mission to see through, a mission I couldn't jeoporize or risk just for a little girl who got lost.

"...Mister?" She questioned in a small voice, she sounded so unsure and scared that I couldn't possibly leave her alone.

I let out a sigh, accepting my fate. I'd deal with losing the vampire later. For now, I have to help this little girl.

"Where did you last see your brother?" I asked gently.

She sniffed, willing the tears away from breaking out. "Near the fountain."

I glanced over her shoulder towards the fountain, people had been littering near it, but so far no one seemed to be looking for someone. 

"What's your name?"

"Almira."

I stood up, offering her my hand. "Take my hand, Almira." I gently smiled at her, "So you won't get lost again and let's go find your brother together."

Amira nodded her head and reached out towards me when someone suddenly stopped her from taking my hand.

"Little girl, don't you know that you shouldn't accept a stranger's hand so easily?"

Annoyed, I look towards the owner of the hand who has so brazenly accused me of intending something else when my only intention was to help.

I was met with the most dazzling midnight eyes that entranced you into its black depths.

My breath hitched inside my throat, realizing who the person was before me. Long silver hair fell over her shoulder, leaning down towards the little girl. I tensed, knowing that the girl could be in potential danger within the vampire's presence.

"This sister is worried about your safety, so I will come along with you." Soft pink lips stretched out into a reassuring smile. She pointed towards me," To make sure this big brother doesn't do anything bad."

I crossed my arms across my chest, the audacity to accuse me when she was the danger here itself. "I'm not that kind of person. I was only trying to help. Besides," I eyed her hand pointedly that was still holding the little girl's wrist. "Speak for yourself."

She ignored my words, deciding to focus her attention on the little girl once more. "Where did you say your brother was?"

"A-At the fountain…"

The vampire nodded her head, silver hair fluttering with the wind as she stood straighter. Her hand grasped the little girl gently as she led her towards the fountain.

I followed after them without hesitating. I couldn't leave a defenseless little girl alone with a vampire, now could I? Besides, the situation was in my favor. I could keep my eye on her while helping the little girl as an excuse.

She glanced over her shoulder, "Why are you following us, Mister?"

I scowled at her, "She asked for my help first. Like you said, children shouldn't follow strangers that easily."

A knowing smile graced her lips, making me uneasy. She shrugged, facing forward. "Suit yourself, then."

We arrived at the fountain. She sat herself on the edge, helping the girl, Almira, to sit beside her. The girl's head kept moving around, looking over at the people, anxiously searching for her brother.

"This place is quite beautiful, isn't it?" She tried conversing, casually leaning back, watching the people walking around the place.

"It is." I clipped back shortly. I couldn't help but tense with this whole ordeal. Hoping internally for the little girl's brother to arrive at the fountain to meet his lost sister immediately. The more time she spends with the vampire's presence, the more dangerous it would be.

We waited for quite some time, still no sign of her brother anywhere. Eventually, Almira grew tired, she leaned her head on the vampire's arm, making me tense as she fell asleep. This innocent soul didn't know she was leaning against a vampire who had been playing humanity. The vampire let her rest on her, she didn't even bat an eye at the action, as if finding it as an ordinary occurrence in everyday life. A human girl leaning to rest on a vampire. How ironic. I stood there stiffly, eyeing them from the corner of my eyes. Ready to spring into action if the vampire moves against the little girl.

Silence filled the air, the woman hummed to herself, not bothered by anything one bit. She opened her mouth after a while. "What business do you have with me? You've been following me since earlier."

My head snapped towards her, shocked that she knew that I was trailing after her this whole time. I quickly masked my features impassively. I raised a brow, "Excuse me?"

She looked at me, the corner of her lips lifting up. As if she found my pretense amusing. "You heard me. I know you've been after me."

"What makes you think I am?"

She chuckled, "You can't fool me. You have the Professor's scent around you."

My brows shot up, I can only guess that the professor she was hinting about is Simon who she had in contact with previously. I faced the people once again. "You know why I'm here, then."

"Am I under evaluation? There's really no need to do that. I'm not gonna attempt anything." She smiled, trying to coax me into trusting her.

I scoffed, muttering underneath my breath. "For now."

She chuckled, hearing my words. "Yes, I will have to, eventually."

I eyed her skeptically, "Why are you even here? What's a vampire like you planning?"

She tilted her head to the side, "Nothing bad, really." The woman met my eyes, "I'm only here for a single cause, an objective that aligns with your organization."

"And what is this said objective?"

Her stare remained in place, never wavering against mine. "To stop the vampires."

I furrowed my brows, she wanted to stop the vampires? Her own kin that has been attacking humanity? Why would she want that? There wasn't any benefit for her. Human blood causes the vampires to get stronger, and it was their source for nourishment, so why would she stop her fellow vampires?

I replied a second later, "...Why?"

She smiled, "Because it's the right thing to do. No one wants conflict, not even you, right?"

Almira stirred beside her, getting my attention. She opened her sleepy eyes, hand reaching out to stroke her stomach who then decided it was the appropriate time to growl loudly.

The woman let out a laugh, "Oh, my. It seems like you're hungry. It's due lunch, let's have this kind Mister here buy us food shall we?"

At the mention of food, the girl's eyes brightened, looking up at me hopefully. I sighed, knowing full well I couldn't let a young child starve to death.

I motioned towards the shop at the other side of the fountain, silently telling her to follow. Almira jumped out of her seat, falling into step beside me, hand instinctively reaching for mine. The woman followed after us, accepting my silent invitation.

The waiter greeted us, prompting us towards the table for three, openly greeting us as family, mistaking me and the vampire as a married couple with a young child. I could feel the back of my neck and the top of my ears heat up. I coughed, telling him that there was no family in sight, causing him to apologize.

The vampire only smiled through it all, highly amused by the state of events.

We took our table, lunch was a peaceful affair. Almira filled in the silence, telling us stories about her and her brother. I found out that they were orphans, being taken care of by the orphanage nearby. Normally, they wouldn't have been able to get out without supervision, but her brother had other business to attend to assigned to him by the orphanage. Almira had pleaded with her brother to bring her along the park nearby. They had stopped at the fountain momentarily for rest when the flowers caught her attention, before she knew it, she was lost in the crowd.

According to her, she saw me standing by myself under the shade of the tree, prompting her to come ask for my help. Strangely enough, she had said that there was a strange light around me, making me tilt my head to the side. It was odd, but I brushed it aside, surely it was nothing more than childlike wonder. After all, children have the tendency to have imaginative minds.

The vampire was silent throughout it all, listening with prompt attention, nodding and humoring Almira along the way.

At the end of lunch, I decided to accompany Almira back to the orphanage if we still didn't catch her brother.

We didn't see him.

With sunken shoulders, we went with the little girl back to her temporary room, the caregiver was surprised to see Almira out of the house accompanied by strangers. Surprisingly, it was the vampire who explained the situation to her. I eyed her from the corner of my eyes suspiciously, wondering what she was up to.

I caught her staring intently at the house.

Noticing my stare, she turned her head to meet my eyes. "What?"

I gave her a meaningful look, knowing full well that she knows why I was suspicious.

She rolled her eyes, raising her hands in surrender.

The caregiver cleared her throat, asking us to wait while she takes Almira back into the house, checking if her brother has come back from his errands as well. Almira waved us goodbye as she entered the house.

Silence filled the air. I stubbornly faced forward while I could feel the vampire beside me burn holes through my side.

She broke the silence. "What's your name?"

I crossed my arms. "And why should I tell you?"

She moved her hand behind her back, "Because, I can tell we'll be working closely together from now on."

She was probably right. No matter what Team Leah reports back to Simon, he would most likely still accept her offer. So far, we haven't found anything suspicious about her yet, no dirt to use against her, while she had one against our heads.

I raised a brow at her, "It's customary to introduce yourself first when asking for someone's name."

The corner of her lips tugged upwards, if she noticed my silent confirmation about her speculation, she didn't show it. "Yes, how rude of me. It seems life here in the human world has caused me to forget my manners." She sighed, motioning the place around us with her hands. "It is so free here, and beautiful. Humans aren't restrained by social hierarchy. Not the same one's back at home of course. My name's Rei la Dominique." She offered her hand, smiling bright.

I eyed her hand, hesitant to reach out. "...Cain Havenach."

A gasp tore from her lips when our skin met, our hands touching as she looked down on my hand in a trance. Our eyes met, I was taken aback by the intensity of her midnight eyes.

"Cain…" A shiver ran up my spine, the way she said my name had me mesmerized. "You're special, aren't you?"

Surprised, I took a step back, retching my hand free away from hers. I moved away from her with a scoff, "What are you talking about?"

"You can't fool me. I can tell these things you know." She said with an amused tint to her voice.

I turned to glare at her, "I don't know what you're on about."

She tilted her head to the side. As if humoring me, she shrugged her shoulders, causing silver hair to flutter. "Okay."

The caregiver returned. Telling us that Almira's brother has not come home yet, but do not worry as they had it taken care of. She also thanked us for bringing Almira back home.

After saying my goodbyes, I turned to face the vampire. I cursed underneath my breath, seeing the empty space. The vampire had slipped away while I was busy talking, and I didn't even notice.

The only sign of her presence was the sweet fragrance that lingered in the air on where she once stood.

(A/N: This is the heavily edited chapter of Calamity. After a year of working on this story, I realized that some chapters need some heavy editing. I had originally planned to combine chapter one and two together, but seeing as how long the chapter already is, I decided to stick to one for now. However, there's no guarantee that I won't be combining two chapters together so that readers could read easily without cutting it off at random moments. If you compared previous chapter one to this edited version of chapter one, you would notice that the two are completely different. I modified the events and everything in this first chapter to suit how the characters would later be in the upcoming events. I strongly advise to read the Edited version of Calamity rather than the unedited work because I had come to work hard and improve my grammar and errors on my unedited work. I will be posting the Edited version of Calamity at both Mangatoon and ******* under the pen name Seiryuu.)

The young woman hummed to herself as she walked with a skip to her step. So far, she has been enjoying her stay here in the human world. She grinned to herself, glad that she had pestered the crown prince relentlessly to assign certain duties to her.

It took her one horrible prank against the crown prince regarding a certain mermaid princess under the influence of love potion to proclaim her love for him. Causing rumours of marriage within the vampires and the mermaids to spread. It had taken the crown prince countless sleepless nights to fix the mess that she had created.

To her defense, it was nothing but a little persuasion and a little push of the mermaid princess' true feelings regarding the crown prince of the vampires.

It was no secret amongst the court that the eldest daughter of House Dominique was quite a prankster. As punishment, she was sent to a faraway land to investigate certain suspicious matters.

Said land was the human world, of course. But no one needs to know about that.

The nobles at the court must be drowning in happiness right now, finally managing to get rid of Lady Dominique with the help of the crown prince himself. Some say that her punishment was well deserved even when she belongs to a highly respected House.

Little did they know her punishment was total paradise for her. She had learned and saw many things here in this world that it had erased her boredom—the cause of her mischief. It was such a shame that other vampires were trying to destroy this world.

Vampires who had migrated in the human world dabbled in the arts of greed, consuming something that they shouldn't. Disrespecting the sacred act that they swore to the Goddess Alina in exchange for peace.

On her stay, she had seen vampires tearing flesh of humans, drinking greedily, the act so horribly awful and barbaric that she couldn't fathom how such an act was connected to the sacred bond of her own world.

She herself hadn't tried any human blood despite how curious she was. Always remembering her noble upbringing, the special lesson migrated inside young vampire minds since they were a toddler.

To the vampires of Celestia, drinking blood was a sacred act only shared by those with bonded names or those who are connected by marriage.

Drinking blood was a sacred act for the vampires in Celestia because they hadn't had the need to drink blood in order to feed or survive. The Goddess Alina had made sure that the vampires she once saved will continue to live peacefully without worry in the world. Choosing instead to point their gifts towards something beautiful instead of destroying.

It was why she couldn't help but wonder why some vampires chose to oppose the will the Goddess left behind. Following the path of destruction, they chose to attack the human world and let their greed consume them to an uncontrollable degree.

So far, she had observed that those who drank human blood would be able to enhance their abilities and affinities.

It was still no match for the Celestes, yet it didn't change the fact that they had become stronger.

But the most pressing matter for now, other than the fact that there are vampires attacking this world, is that somehow, someway or another, said vampires were able to cross the border.

The border that separates Celestia from the Vampire World.

A border no one should be able to access other than Alina's Guardians.

She frowned, noticing someone following her. Unlike the previous once set to trail after her, this one was different. She tilted her head to the side, glancing briefly at the woman with long brown locks with glasses who pretended to read a book.

She could smell blood coming off of her.

It was strange, but considering it was a matter that didn't concern her, she stored the information at the back of her mind.

She was quite disappointed to know that the person after her today wasn't Cain. Ever since meeting him, she had known right away that he was special. There was something off about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

One thing to note was that upon laying her sight on him, she was hit with an unexplainable feeling of nostalgia. Cain had long raven locks that reached his shoulder, messy bangs brushing above golden eyes—distinctively, in the back of her mind, she recalled the light that had once enveloped Celestia's dark skies. The light that was now gone to them forever. Other than that, she felt like she had seen him somewhere before, or that he looked like someone she had once known.

She couldn't put her finger on it.

The vampire sighed, stopping on her tracks. "Oh well, no use parading myself here when you aren't around. Guess I'll just look for you."

She disappeared from sight. Wanting to see the man named Cain once again. There was an unexplainable pull towards him that drains her senses, it was a strange feeling of wanting to be closer to him, to bask in his presence.

It was like light.

Desiring light.

Samantha stood up immediately when the woman was no longer in sight. She had lost her target the way Cain lost her a few days ago. She let out a frustrated huff. Annoyed by how slippery the vampire can get.

I said thanks to the waitress as she placed my food on the table. Deciding to dine after running errands for the house. Eating a spoonful of chocolate cake, I hummed to myself as I fetched my sketchbook. Deciding to pass time by drawing.

I let my eyes roam, trying to take inspiration in my surroundings, not knowing what to draw. From the corner of my eye, I caught something silvery in color. It immediately reminded me of her—the vampire, her name was Rei. I frowned, Team Leah had been tracking her these past few days, so far nothing suspicious came up. She lets herself know if she wants to, disappearing in a blink of an eye when she doesn't want to get noticed.

My gaze settled on a tree, distinctly remembering her presence in the park, sitting on the bench, a captivating peacefulness on her features as she stared in wonder upon the humans surrounding her.

I didn't realize when my hand had started moving. Before I knew it, I was already drawing her profile that seemed to be engraved inside my head.

"It's beautiful." A breathy voice sounded near my ears. I jerked away, head snapping to the side, only to meet amused midnight eyes.

My eyes widened, glancing wildly at the place. I didn't take into consideration bumping into her when I decided to run errands earlier. If I recalled correctly, Samantha was in charge of tracking her today, so why was she here? I tried searching for Samantha over her shoulder, but with no luck I couldn't spot her.

I pursed my lips, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, "I was just passing by." She sat across from me, "If you're looking for that woman she's not around."

So she did know she was still being trailed.

She reached for my sketchbook, midnight eyes trailing after the lines. The top of my ears heated up, realizing that she was looking at my drawing of her—of all people.

I moved to grab it away from her, she swiftly avoided my hands with precise movements making my eyes widen.

"I didn't know I was this pretty to your eyes. Yes, I've been regarded as one of the most beautiful women back home, but nothing compared to how you portrayed my portrait here." She clutched my sketchbook to her chest, a smile tugging at her lips. "Can I keep it?"

"If it means you are leaving me alone, then by all means—take it."

She rolled her eyes at my remark, nevertheless, she tore the piece of paper and tucked it away safely into the pockets of her dress. She was wearing a midnight blue dress today.

"Is this good?" She pointed at my coffee. Not waiting for my words of confirmation, she reached out and took a sip, making me watch her brazenly. "It is good! What is this?"

I gaped at her, "Have you no sign of decency?"

"Of course, I have. I'm just deciding not to use it right now. Who knows when I'll be able to get away from such actions like this again?" This time, she took a bite of my chocolate cake, humming in delight.

I shook my head at her brazenness, "You know what? Let's get this over with, what do you want, vampire?"

She scowled at me. "I have a name, Cain. So call me by my name."

This woman is unbelievable. We're on a first name basis now?

"Whatever. What are you here for, Rei? Surely, you didn't come here just to bother me."

"It's because you weren't the one tailing me today."

I gave her a blank stare. Letting her know I wasn't buying any of her bullshit.

"Hn. You're good, you got me. Usually, men would swoon and fall at my feet with just a couple of flattery words."

"If it hadn't escaped your notice, we aren't really on good terms. You're my enemy, as I am yours."

She smirked, "I like that," She sipped my cup of coffee once again. "But you're not really my enemy though. None of you are. Unless you go and make yourself one." Her midnight eyes flashed white. I blinked, thinking the sudden change in color in her irises were a trick of the light.

Rei let out a sigh, "Look, as much as I like my impromptu vacation here in the human world, I really need to get a move on with my duty. I need you to convince the Professor to accept my proposal."

I raised a brow, "And why should I do that? What's in it for you."

It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

"I'd be benefitting here as much as you guys are. I came here to put a stop to these vampire attacks. Get to the bottom of it and figure out a way to stop them. Make them come back to Celestia. In order to do that, I need information. And which better way to get information regarding the vampires than the Hunger Organization itself?"

"I still don't see how it benefits you."

"Can't you just accept my proposal? I'll deal with the vampires and get them out of your hair, the humans could go back to their own merry ways and deal with your own problem, while we vampires deal with ours."

"How can I know you aren't into some conspiracy to take down the Hunter Organization, or planning to take over the rampaging vampires?"

She rolled her eyes, skimming through the pages of my sketchbook. "Trust me, I have better things to do than conquer the world or some shit." She paused, "Oh my god, can you believe I just said the word 'shit' out loud without getting reprimanded?" Her midnight eyes shined with mirth, "I just did it again! Wouldn't you know, this is kinda fun. Shit. Shit. *Shit*."

"Won't you shut up!" I quickly hushed her, noticing a few heads turned in our direction by her crude words.

She giggled, whispering shit one last time before settling down. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand. I'm serious about this. If your organization won't help me, I'll just find another way to get what I want. And trust me, you would not want to deal with the mess." She snorted at herself, "I'm not sure why you're making this harder for yourselves when I'm showing you the easy way out. Once I get to the bottom of this, I promise you, within my true name, the vampires would never cross the border ever again." Rei shrugged, "I'd find a way to seal it away permanently or something."

I furrowed my brows, "Wait, what border?"

"You know," she motioned her hand around, as if it should mean something. "The border that separates our world from yours. Don't you know that? That's such a common knowledge, geez."

"No. No, I don't." I gritted out, "And it's most definitely not common knowledge. Pardon me, but it wasn't until recently that we knew vampires existed."

She paused, "Oh."

This time, I did roll my eyes, "Yeah, *oh*."

Rei frowned, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know. I thought it was weird that humans didn't have abilities of their own but I thought it just had something to do with the strange devices all over the place. The thing you call technology."

I tilted my head to the side, "What? You don't have technology on—" I gestured towards her, "Wherever it is you came from—"

"—Celestia,"

"—How do you even live without it?"

She opened her mouth to respond. It suddenly dawned on me that I was sitting inside a cafe, eating cake and drinking coffee with a vampire of all people. Having a—civilized conversing of all things.

I raised my palm, stopping her from speaking. "You know what, it doesn't matter."

"Rude." She mumbled underneath her breath.

"Look, I gotta go." I took away my sketchbook from hers, "...I'll consider your words. I'll have a word with Simon. Whatever it is that you plan on doing, I suggest you tread cautiously. Don't take whatever chance we decide to give you for granted."

I didn't have to say anything to Simon, he would've accepted her proposal anyways. But after conversing with her, I couldn't detect any kind of malice in her words and actions. It would be foolish to trust her, but I was willing to give it a chance.

If she ever did go back on her words, shame on her for destroying the only chance she'll ever get.

As if knowing what I was trying to point across. Rei slowly nodded her head. "I get it. Thanks for considering, Cain. I won't do anything until I get your response."

I left the cafe without a word, feeling her burning gaze behind my back all the while.

As I came back home, I was immediately greeted by the tense atmosphere of my teammates. I sat the groceries down at the table, “What’s wrong?”

Luis scowled at me over the screen of his computer. “Where have you been?”

I shot a pointed look towards the table where I placed the groceries. Before I could ask what his problem was, I had to avoid bumping into Leah who came into the room in a flurry.

Samantha sighed, running her hand through her hair as she joined us in the kitchen. “I lost sight of her.”

"About that-”

“What are you all doing?" Leah snapped as she rounded around the corner, “Didn’t you get the notice? We’re going out on a mission.”

I frowned, “A mission? Out of the blue? I haven’t received anything.” I checked my phone, sure enough, there was nothing.

"We were included in a last minute raid. That’s probably why.” Luis supplied, staring intently at his screen. We’ll be on standby, just in case something happens.”

"We are also under strict orders not to intervene." Leah scowled at the words. “It’s as if they don’t trust us.”

Samantha snorted, “They probably don’t.”

“Hey, have some confidence for yourself. You’re the beloved grandfather of the President.” Cyrus teased as he joined us, fully equipped with his mission gear.

I went upstairs, downing on my own uniform. I opened my drawer filled with ordinary weapons. I reached for my usual go to equipment-a dagger and a pistol. It wouldn't do any much damage, but a damage is still a defect.

I tied my hair back, making sure it didn't get in the way. I passed by the dresser where I had put the cetas, contemplating for a minute if I should bring it along with me. It’s not like it would do anything useful within my hands, so I probably shouldn’t.

Not long after, the team and I went to the organization. We were stationed around the back, our purpose in the raid wasn’t as special as the other teams, so we weren't really needed.

"Listen up!" Jade called for everyone's attention. "The 8th ward raid is something we've been preparing for months. I won't tolerate any failures. Marius’ team will be at the center of the raid. We will support them from the sidelines." He gave all of us a stern glance before ordering to move out.

The raid had six teams working together including us, we remained behind as the other teams started moving for the bus.

Since we had both Luis and Samantha on our team, who outside of missions practically belong to the science department, we were naturally moving along with the monitoring team under Jade.

Jade stopped in front of me, "Stay back and be cautious. The mission will be over before you know it so you don't really have to participate."

He patted my shoulder, reminding me once again of my incompetence with using the cetas. I was notorious within the organization because of my inability. Insults like these weren’t unusual.

The whole party moved quickly, soon enough, we were at the 8th ward. Everyone stealthily surrounded the area. The warehouse in front of us belonged to a successful businessman. According to the files, he had such a good public image and clear record that one wouldn't have suspected that he was nurturing vampires under his wing.

Leah, Cyrus and I stood outside the van to look out while Jade, Luis and Sam remained inside to monitor each team's movements.

Marius was leading the operation so nothing bad should happen.

"Target found."

I heard Marius’ voice from the earrings that I wore. A device Simon had invented under his belt. It was the organization's way of communicating efficiently without anything getting in the way while fighting at the same time without worrying about anything. An earring wouldn't be too suspicious either.

"Commence operation." Jade ordered through the earpiece, the other teams moved quickly without hesitation.

The woman swung her feet back and forth on the bench as she gazed wistfully at the dark skies. The night reminded her of home, and home is where comfort is. She closed her eyes, basking in the cold sting of the night air. She sighed as the swinging stopped, leaning back, she felt a different kind of tingle on her skin.

"What could they be doing?" She mused to herself, head turning towards a certain direction.

Cold wind blew past her, rustling her silver hair. She smelt something familiar in the air.

Midnight eyes flashed white, her lips setting into a smirk. "Now this is the smell I'll never forget. What are a bunch of vampires huddled together doing over there?"

She stood up and brushed the nonexistent wrinkles on her dress. "Guess it's worth checking out since I'm not doing anything." She paused for a second, contemplating. "Ah, but that would go against what I said to him wouldn't it?"

She took a moment to decide, momentarily shrugging. "It's not like I'll intervene, I'm just going to check."

In a blink of an eye the woman disappeared, on where she stood was the remnants of mist in her wake.

The woman jumped over buildings as high as she could, a grin on her face. It was fun moving around like this, it reminded her of her childhood where she used to jump over trees while sneaking out on her lessons.

She stopped at the rooftop of one of the buildings outside the place where vampires were gathered. She frowned when she saw movement around the surrounding forest, she smelt two strange scents.

One was the odd smell of wisteria coming from the humans moving below her and one was the alluring scent that she had learned to associate with mornings, the scent of fresh air when the light would bask the darkness with its comforting glow. It was the scent that had drawn her attention to him on the first day she saw him, and it was mysteriously doing it again, easily helping her identify him amidst the crowd.

"You're here…" She murmured underneath her breath.

The woman moved to sit at the edge as she watched what the humans were planning to do. She did say she wasn't going to intervene—unless there were drastic measures, of course.

The Hunter Organization is a group of people who were after the vampires causing havoc in this world. She admired how the humans were able to hold out against a vampire without having any affinity. How they managed that, she could only fathom.

Could humans even kill a vampire?

She crossed her legs and rested her chin at the back of her hand, for now she'll observe how these hunters 'hunt' a vampire. Both groups were under suspicion. The vampire and the organization. Sure, she had proposed an alliance with the organization, but it was only to gather information and her own way of keeping an eye on them. It was not camaraderie. Besides, someone had caught her attention within their ranks.

She chuckled internally, '*Are you seeing this crown prince? For once, I'm having fun for your cause*.'

Her head perked up when more vampires arrived in the scene, and one of them specially stood out among the rest. This vampire didn't have the smell of wisteria but something else.

Something dark and sinister.

The humans beneath her started moving without noticing the arrival of other vampires. They moved in groups, the first team to enter immediately overwhelmed the surprised vampires inside. The woman noted the strong individuals of that group, next she looked closely at the weapons in their hands.

She had mused how a human could possibly kill a vampire, various options had run inside her head, but no amount of thinking would have prepared her for the sight she saw.

'*So that's how you were able to kill one of us*.'

She finally figured out where the strange smell was coming from. It was the hearts of vampires that they were using to kill other vampires.

The woman pursed her lips, upset that a vampire's corpse was being used in that way. It was disrespectful to the deceased to be used like that after death, especially when it was the hearts that the humans were using.

A vampire's heart was the core of their very being and affinity.

It surprised her that these humans were able to use the dormant affinities in the hearts. Once a vampire has died, their powers die along with them, yet these people were using those powers without problems.

It seemed like the Hunter Organization was more dangerous than she thought.

Soon after, a group of people started coming in and destroyed the vampires, unaware of the awaiting ambush for them. It wasn't long till the odd one moved and faced off with the first group of humans.

The odd vampire's movements were completely different from the ones she was used to, there was no doubt about it, something strange was going on at this side too. They were unnaturally strong for an average vampire, coming close with those who had natural affinities. Although without a doubt, she was still stronger.

It was a different kind of power boost to those vampires who had drank human blood. The strength was similar, but somehow this vampire was stronger. She wasn't even sure herself if the vampire had yet to consume blood or already has.

It didn't take long for the humans to realize that there were more vampires than they thought, and that the odd one had completely overwhelmed the first group leading the attack. The strongest of the humans were injured by an unexpected attack. The odd one took the opportunity to launch itself towards the faltering human and bit his arm, drinking his blood.

She winced, there goes her speculation if he had drunk or not.

She shook her head to snap herself from getting distracted. The humans simultaneously attacked the odd one but he showed no signs of budging from the human he was drinking from.

A sudden movement from the corner of her eyes caught her attention, three humans were moving out towards the direction of the odd vampire. She was surprised to see Cain being one of those people.

Her brows furrowed, he shouldn't go there, the odd vampire was too strong for them to handle. He will definitely get hurt if he continues forward.

Not liking that thought, the vampire moved from her spot.

The raid had been going well until a moment ago until a sudden news of an ambush, changing the approximate numbers for the raid. Marius' team had encountered a vampire that was out of our expectations and was in immediate danger.

Jade had immediately ordered a retreat but Marius' team was suddenly caught in a dilemma, they couldn't move away that easily with the vampires on their way.

I tensed when I heard the other hunters panicking over the earpiece, something dangerous had happened over their side.

"Shit!" Jade cursed. "Marius is being held by a vampire, if we don't do anything he's gonna suck him dry!"

"Send out my team to rescue Marius," Luis suddenly said. "They're good at protecting they won't **** this up."

Cyrus and I glanced at each other. Leah nodded with encouragement. "We can do it."

Jade sighed, "There's nothing I can do in this situation anyways. Immediately rescue Marius and order the other teams to retreat. This operation is way more than we can handle."

Leah was the one on the lead as we ran after her, sweat dripped down my face, feeling anxious if we could really rescue the other teams in this situation.

A loud explosion caught our attention, the top of the warehouse was destroyed as smoke filled in. We quickened our pace, nervous that something out of our league had happened again.

I stopped on my tracks once we were in, the ground was covered in blood from the obvious fight that broke out with the hunters and vampires. Majority of the motionless bodies on the ground were from the vampire's side. Thankfully, none of the other hunters were injured that badly apart from minor scratches.

Amidst all of this, there was a woman at the center wearing a purple dress. Her long white hair fluttered behind her back, her slender arm raised above her head as she held someone high in the air by the neck. My breath caught inside my throat as the man struggled in her grasp, blood smudged on the side of his lips as if he had been drinking.

If my speculation is right, the vampire in the woman's grasp must be the one who had injured Marius, who was now heavily bleeding on the floor.

“It's Marius!” Cyrus pointed towards the limp man slumped on the floor beside the woman. Her palm clutched at the back of his uniform. Marius looked extremely pale, he had lost a lot of blood and his arm showed badly torn flesh, I can only wince at the pain he must be feeling at the moment to the point that he had passed out.

The woman turned her gaze towards us, without letting go of the vampire she threw Marius towards our direction, Cyrus scrambled to catch him in his arms.

“What..?” Leah bewilderedly glanced back and forth towards the woman whose face was covered in a—was that a mask made of ice?—and towards Marius. The strange woman had thrown Marius aside like a rag doll without much care in the world, other than the appalling situation everyone was in, her immense strength was something to take note of. No one who isn't normal could casually throw a grown man aside while simultaneously suspending a trashing vampire by the neck up in the air—a vampire who had just drank blood at that.

Not only that, but there was something mesmerizing by the way she stood there so effortlessly elegant. The woman had an aura of grace and confidence on the way she carried herself.

Who was this woman? Why was she here? I eyed her figure, slim and curvy at all the right places. Her arms, despite the slender look on them, held precise strength that could rival a vampire's. She herself was unfazed by the threatening glare the vampire in her hand was throwing at her, nor the growling of the surrounding enemies. Perhaps she was one of them? Was that it? Did they have a feud in the middle of turning the tables against us?

More vampires started pouring in, all of them showing clear hostility to the intruders. “How dare you..!” One of the vampires moved forward, his red eyes glaring at the woman.

It was an adult vampire.

The woman barely glanced at the vampire, she tightened her hand around the struggling man’s neck as they both looked down on each other. The man wrapped his hand on the slender arm, her silvery white irises widened behind the mask, in a second the man was flying away from her. I winced when the man bounced a couple of times from the hard throw before managing to get a hold of himself.

He slowly stood up, wiping the blood on his mouth. The man’s eyes were dull red, strangely different from other vampire eyes.

The woman silently stared at her arm. “I see now…”

My head shot up towards her direction. That voice…! There was no mistaking it, it was the voice of the vampire we've been tasked to follow. It was her—the vampire Rei. I stared at her with baffled eyes, is it truly her? But her appearance looked different from the one I saw earlier today at the cafe. The woman before me had snow white hair—not silver. Her irises were white, unlike the midnight eyes I came to associate with her. If it really was Rei, what the hell was she doing here? Why was she with them? She gave her word not to do anything until Simon gave back his answer, and yet…

“I was originally just going to watch...but after seeing revelations one after another I can’t let this be.” Her white eyes slithered towards my direction. Hearing the voice for a second time, there was no doubt about it. I wouldn't mistake that melodic sound for someone else. Her words registered inside my head, she was explaining what she was here, despite what we had agreed on earlier. She raised her arm and licked the purple liquid dripping down from where she was grabbed earlier. “...Poison.”

The vampire from earlier moved forward once again, “Who do you think you are? Do you seriously think you can handle a pack of vampires on your own?” The man boasted, blatantly looking down at Rei. He then turned his head towards us. “I’ll be making sure you puny humans won’t leave this place alive. This will teach you a lesson not to go against an enemy out of your caliber.” He laughed maniacally.

She confidently called out to him, amused by his words. “Who will be teaching who now?”

Before any of us could see what happened, blood burst out of every vampire in the area, their chest pierced with sharp icicles of ice, the crimson color trailed down the blue spear. “W-What..?” The man stared at his chest with bewildered eyes, coughing up blood.

Leah took a few steps back. “Shit!”

“What’s going on?!” Luis inquired worriedly.

“There's a vampire here with an unusual affinity! N-Nothing like we've encountered before. She killed every vampire in an instant!” Leah shakingly reported under her breath.

The vampire with dull red eyes narrowly missed the icicle that came for him. “This… a Celeste?” His eyes shook while staring at the woman.

“Hm? I’m surprised you know. Had a little history lesson? You shouldn't have bothered, considering you are made artificially."

My breath hitched at my throat, realizing her words.

An artificial vampire.

“I wonder who told you that? Well, it doesn't matter since I’ll be capturing you.” She shrugged as if it was just a passing matter. “But before that…”, she turned towards us, and in an instant a snowstorm came crushing in our direction.

“I need to get rid of you all."

(A/N: I like the way this came out. Nothing changed much other than the first part of the chapter. This is a combined chapter for both two and three, making it an appropriate length which is what I was trying to achieve.)

“Ngk!" I let out a grunt, back smashing hard against the tree. The sudden snow storm heading our way swept us out of the warehouse. I pushed myself up, eyes searching for my teammates when I caught something from the corner of my eye that had me freezing on the spot.

A blizzard had started forming around the warehouse, fully trapping the building within it. Cold harsh wind cut through my skin, prickling in the way only winter could do. The whole scene was surreal, a situation you'd only dream of seeing in fantasy movies, yet the sharp and cold biting feeling of the wind snapped us back to reality. Making us realize that this was very much—reality.

"...What the—" Cyrus visibly stiffened as he saw the sight playing out before us.

Leah took in a sharp intake of air, "That woman is bad news," she moved to stand, "Did you see what she did? My eyes weren't playing tricks on me—she was able to pierce everyone in an instant with icicles, of all things!"

"That woman," Cyrus swallowed hard, "She's one of them, isn't she? A vampire."

"Shit. This is bad." She whispered, the blizzard continued on without stopping. We couldn't still wrap our heads around the fact that a blizzard had formed that surrounded the warehouse in the middle of summer.

"That's no ordinary power. This kind of affinity is on another level than the vampires we've had contact with. All of them had peculiar affinities, but nothing close to—" Leah motioned towards the warehouse. "—This!"

"...It's like a natural disaster."

Their heads snapped towards me, eyes wide, words dawning on their bewildered minds.

Leah paled, stumbling back as she came upon a conclusion. "That woman—she's able to manipulate nature..!"

I didn't move my eyes away from the continued onslaught of the blizzard, staring through it as my mind recalled the earlier events. Rei, the vampire who had asked for our cooperation, despite the difference in appearance, was the woman inside the warehouse.

What makes it more astonishing was the fact that it was her who did this. It was the woman who I had been sitting with at the cafe earlier in the day who commanded extreme power.

Simon wasn't kidding when he said she was on a different caliber of her own. Rei could've easily got what she wanted with her affinity, yet there she was, at the back of my mind's eye, sitting across from me at the table, eating cake and drinking coffee. Patiently agreeing to wait for our answer instead of forcing our hand to obey her words.

None of my teammates seemed to realize who the woman really was, it was understandable of course. Her appearance was different from the one we saw in her picture, and as far as I know, only I've been able to converse with her before. Refusing to talk to my other teammates, choosing instead to play the cat and mouse chase with the rest while she held no reservation in talking with me.

“We need to get out of here.” She ran towards the unconscious hunters that were knocked out closest to us, grabbing them by the arm and using her body to support them. I snapped out of my trance, following her orders, I moved towards the person near me.

We retreated back into the forest that was untouched by the whirling blizzard behind us.

Rei stared impassively at the carcass surrounding her. The blood of her kinsmen pooled beneath her feet. Bodies of vampires mercilessly impaled by sharp icicles, straight to their hearts, destroying what's important—their cores.

As a Celeste, it was her duty to punish those who dared to oppose the Will of the Goddess, vampires who turned their backs on their oaths deserved no mercy. Yet, they were still her kind, the least she could do for them was destroy their cores. To make sure their affinities would not be used even after death.

Her eyes settled towards the vampire who skillfully managed to avoid her blows. She wasn't trying to kill him anyways. Using her affinity to trap them inside the warehouse, it was a big risk even for her, she could no longer slip unnoticed the moment she announced her presence.

And here she was hoping to get the element of surprise against the rebels of Celestia.

"You are not born a vampire." She addressed him, gracefully moving towards him, avoiding the blood splotches on the cold floor. "A vampire cannot turn a human into one of our own."

The vampire seemed unfazed, "Your body had been modified to that of a vampire…" Rei tilted her head to the side, observing him. "Your affinity is dangerous, both to humans and vampires. Poison would be quite troublesome in the long run." She sighed, "I should get rid of you, but you're gonna be useful for my cause as well."

The vampire sneered, "You might be a Celeste, but I assure you, you're not gonna get me that easily."

"Hn. So the vampires, then?" She mused out loud. She had been debating internally on which side he belonged to, whether he might be a product of another one of those twisted experiments the humans conducted against her kind or if he was modified by her kinsmen themselves.

The knowledge he had regarding the Celestes was the only assurance she needed. She shook her head in dismay. What had become of her fellow vampires? What had caused them to drown in greed? Choosing to modify bodies, creating artificial vampires, letting the human access their powers, goddess forbid if they had managed to foolishly let the concept of true names to humans.

"What's your name?"

He scoffed, "Like hell I would tell you."

She sighed, "Have my fellow vampires forgotten manners as well?" She shook her head, she raised her hand, and in an instant, a polearm had materialized in front of her. "It wouldn't matter anyways."

The woman disappeared, what remained on where she stood was a trail of mist. Suddenly, the vampire was parrying an onslaught of attacks against the woman, causing him to stumble back as she swiped her polearm towards him. Eyes hard, the corner of her lips lifted as she danced, moving her body with swift movements that the vampire had a hard time focusing on her whereabouts.

The vampire let out a hiss as she managed to injure his shoulder, piercing the flesh, mercilessly retching her polearm, causing his body to move towards her. Pulling her arm back, she prepared to entrap him with her affinity when a sudden gust of poison was thrown her way. She used her arm to cover her front, subconsciously using her affinity to create a block of ice that took all the burnt from the acid. Her brows furrowed, noticing how the block of ice melted in an instant.

Under normal circumstances, her ice wouldn't have melted that easily—especially when it was her who was using it.

Realizing how dangerous of an opponent the vampire is, she wouldn't be able to play around any longer. She had to capture him.

Rei swiftly moved away, eyes scanning the area for her enemy when the rooftop exploded. She frowned, her blizzard was running rampant outside. No one should've been able to come close to the dome she created.

No one, unless—

As the dust cleared, she stared up into the broken ceiling, the blizzard was still swirling wildly outside. On top of the broken opening, a man covered in a black cloak stood proudly, beside him was the vampire she was fighting with.

Under the hood, her eyes met briefly with the unknown man.

Silver eyes flashed her vision.

Before she could stop them, the unknown man and the vampire had disappeared. Managing to go through her affinity without a hitch.

Rei had frozen on the spot, mind racing through various scenarios as she learned important information with her fight tonight.

And the revelations she came across wasn't something she wanted to admit.

Not to her, not to the Celestes and not to Celestia.

There was a traitor in their midst.

The raid on the 8th ward was declared a failure. Not only did the teams fail to eliminate the vampires, but there were major casualties on our side as well. No one could tell of what had become of the vampires trapped inside the warehouse and the woman who had appeared.

During that night, the organization managed to access two important intel: the existence of a vampire who was able to control nature at will, and a nature affinity. Because of this, the woman was labeled as a Disaster Vampire—a different category of its own from the usual vampires. Due to her signs corresponding to winter, she was named as the Frost.

No one knew her real identity.

Other than me.

The most logical thing to do in my situation was to tell the organization who she really was, help them comprehend her and stop future threats that she possessed, but somehow, I didn't.

And that was completely fine with me.

I should’ve felt a little guilty for withholding information, but nothing triggered my conscience more than the idea of ratting her out—betraying her.

Which was completely foolish if you asked me, but I couldn’t really help it.

Other than that, the organization was now aware of artificial vampires being made, this caused them to be alert more than usual. With this news, the Science Department had completely huddled up Simon as well as both Luis and Samantha—something about needing to counter the artificial vampires.

It wasn’t just them that was occupied. Orders to hunt down the disaster vampire had spread far and wide, but with no luck, she hadn’t made an appearance ever since. Causing some hunters to speculate if her existence was truly real or not just a fragment of imagination iof those who were present that night. Because after calling for back ups and arriving on the scene, there was no sign of a blizzard anywhere, but the carcass left behind inside the warehouse was enough proof that she definitely existed.

I haven't seen her since the raid. Due to Luis and Samantha being occupied, the mission was left to the three of us. We tried locating Rei with the tracker installed within the phone Simon had given her, but upon coming to the place where it was leading us, there was nothing but a phone and a note left in its place.

A note with a precise and elegant stroke of letters that wrote that she will be the one to come to them, not the other way around.

My phone buzzed beside me, distracting me from my thoughts as well as the careful brush of my pen. Startled, I stared at the drawing my hand created subconsciously. It was her-the picture she presented that night.

Fluttering white hair and white irises behind the mask.

I furrowed my brows, closing my sketchpad and shoving it away-somewhere hidden where I wont see it.

I grabbed my phone, checking what it was about. It was a message from Simon, ordering us to come meet him at his office. It's been a while since I last saw him. I called out for Leah and Cyrus, asking if they got the message as well. After confirming, I offered to drive all three of us to his office.

Upon arriving, Luis and Samantha were already there together with Simon. We froze in our tracks upon seeing who the person was along with them. It was her—Rei, the vampire and the very same woman who had caused a storm in the organization, the same person who had everyone hunting out for her.

Our eyes met, this time it was the usual midnight depths that greeted me, and the familiar silver hair that shined under the light.

It was her—the Rei I've come to associate with the moment she sat across from me. Rei with the silver hair and midnight eyes—the embodiment of the moon herself in nothing but appearance.

She's like la luna.

"Sit down, everyone." Simon motioned for the sitting area in his office.

We did as we were told, quietly listening as Simon started speaking.

"Now that you're all here I can start explaining. I expect you all to act like rational adults." Simon shot Leah a pointed look beside me. It was no secret that she had a deep animosity against the vampires. It was only then that I realized she was oddly quiet. I snuck a glance at her, Leah had her lips pursed, eyes pointedly staring at the empty wall, refusing to acknowledge the vampire across the room nor the staring everyone was giving her.

“First of all, I think an introduction is necessary. This is Leah, the leader of the team. You've met Luis and Samantha, they both work for me. The two over there are Cyrus and Cain." He introduced everyone, "They are the team that works exclusively under me. They don't accept any missions without my approval."

Rei politely smiled at us, “It’s nice to meet all of you. My name is Rei la Dominique. We'd all be working together from now on, please take care of me."

Leah frowned, he shot an accusing glare at Simon. "Working with us?"

Simon nodded, "Miss Rei and I came on the conclusion that she will be under surveillance while working with us. This extra precaution is much needed due to the appearance of the disaster vampire." He tilted his head towards Rei, "Do you know of this vampire, Miss Rei?"

"Honestly? I have not. What is it about?" She started with curious eyes. Simon scrutinized her, looking away after a moment.

"It is a vampire who is able to manipulate nature."

"And so? What do you want us to do?" Leah cut off impatiently, causing Simon to frown at her. She had just completely blown off the chance to coax Rei into revealing what she knows about the vampires. In normal circumstances, Leah would've noticed this, but as she was currently running under the influence of silent fury, it had caused her to be impatient.

After all, Simon had always taught us to read underneath the underneath.

"One of you will be with Miss Rei at all times. Any volunteers?"

Leah and Cyrus visibly shrink away beside me. My eyes briefly connected with hers, there was a hidden understanding behind her stare. The acknowledgement of keeping her secret.

"Ah. I'll make it easy for everyone. Cain, you'd be in charge of taking care of Miss Rei." At the incredulous look I sent him, he promptly explained. "Luis and Samantha are too busy working with me. Leaving this matter to both Cyrus and Leah spells disaster all over it. I hope you don't mind. You are capable of doing this, don't you?"

Simon held my gaze, a tense silence falling over the room. With a sigh, I relented and looked away. Nodding my confirmation.

"Great. You'd be escorting Miss Rei to the apartment I prepared for her. Other than that, we're done here. You all are free to go." He dismissed the team, turning to address Rei. "Thanks again, for your cooperation, Miss Rei."

Rei shook Simon's offered hand, smiling sweetly. "Likewise, Professor. I'm looking forward to working with you."

We filtered out from his office. Leah immediately bolted out of the room, as if she couldn't physically hold it in being in the same room as a vampire any longer. Cyrus followed after her worriedly. Luis and Samantha were ordered to stay behind. We were the last ones to leave.

Rei fell into step beside me, hands clasped behind her back.

She was silent for a while, taking her time to break the silence. "...You didn't say anything."

She was concerned about that night. We both knew I was aware of who she truly was under the pretense she displayed inside Simon's office earlier.

"It's not my place to tell."

She shot me an amused look, lips tugging at the corner. She didn't mention that it was very much my duty to inform the organization about her real identity.

"It seems like you're stuck with me for a while." She decided on a different approach, closing the topic of that night. "I told you, didn't I? We'd be seeing each other a lot."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but couldn't help but mutter underneath my breath. "Good riddance."

Rei let out a laugh, "I'm not that bad as company."

I stopped on my tracks, scowling at her. "I'm not your friend."

"You're right, I'm not." She turned to face me, not backing down. "But that doesn't mean I can't make it easier for the both of us. Civility won't kill you, you know?" Her midnight eyes had a gleaming tint into it, making me look away.

I moved past her, muttering. "Whatever."

She chuckled behind me.

We arrived at the apartment Simon had set up for Rei. It wasn't extravagant, just a simple living space for someone who'd be staying here for a while.

I offered helping her to bring in her own stuff, which she just shook her head at. Briefly explaining that she didn't have any belongings with her. Which prompts me to question how she survived so far in this world when she barely has anything with her.

She dismissed it by saying she wandered here and there.

Wherever 'here and there' are, I have no idea.

Turns out, she didn't have a clue about anything. Especially with anything associated with technology. I spent the rest of the day explaining and teaching her how to use certain appliances in her new apartment. Thankfully, Simon had the insight to purchase a place already fully equipped with furniture.

The other necessities she might have would need to be purchased tomorrow.

Making sure to set everything up for the building's safety in case she accidentally burned the place down, I caught sight of her at the living room, front facing the floor to ceiling windows that captures the entire view of the city.

The sun had already long set in the distance, and outside, specks of light illuminated the city buildings. It looked enchanting in its own way. I've never really thought much about it, but the city lights at night briefly reminded me of the twinkling stars in the sky.

"This world…is beautiful." Her palm touched the glass, "It has light, and everything is bright. Different from my world."

I slowly approached her, standing beside her on the glass window. "At my home, the light has long died. There is no sunshine, only eternal darkness and the stars." A wistful look passed her face, "Yet it was still beautiful in its own way. Your world has the sun while mine has the moon. It's a sharp contrast to what we really are. Humans and Vampires. Never the same—would not be the same."

I shot her a confused look, "Why is there no light?"

"Because those who command the light to soar into the skies have long passed. They are…the descendants of my Goddess."

I tilted my head to the side, wondering what got her to talk, or why was she sharing information about her world. Nevertheless, it was welcomed, Rei mentioning small details about where she came from let me understand her a little better.

"The Goddess Alina was the one who helped the vampires before in a dire crisis. It was her who separated the vampires and humans. The Goddess created a new world for those who were labeled as unnatural by humanity, in this way, there would be no conflict. She is responsible for the border between my world and yours."

She turned to face me, "In her we found salvation, it was the Goddess who protected us from the plague of betrayal. And so, we honor her will and wishes. Do the best we can to respect her parting desires." Rei reached out towards my shoulder, holding a lock of my raven hair in her hands, staring intently. "It was in her wishes that no conflict nor contact should ever be made between the two worlds."

She pulled her hand away, eyes falling back outside the window. "Do you get it now, Cain? Why I'm here. What my purpose is."

I nodded, looking away from the picture she made. Standing there, silver hair falling behind her back like waterfalls, half lidded midnight eyes reflecting the tiniest bit of sparkle from the lights, she looked ethereal in beauty.

She really is la luna.

That night, we came to a silent understanding. Acknowledgement from both sides, her accepting me worthy of her trust to share information about her and her world, and me accepting the truth behind why she was here, accepting that she truly did not bring any bad intent to my world.

Standing there, staring out the window, we came to accept the fact that both Human and Vampire had a common goal.

It was peace.

"So how's it been working out for you?"

I glanced up, momentarily stopping with cleaning my room. Cyrus is loitering near my door. "It's good." I raised my brow, "Why?"

He shrugged, "It's just that you've been busy. You're barely home anymore."

I ran my hand through my hair, pushing the bangs away. "Yeah. Rei really takes off a lot of my time. She's troublesome—not in a bad way. There's just a lot of things to teach her that I have to supervise or else before I know it things would go out of proportion."

A shiver ran down my spine, remembering a particular accident where I had the mistake of bringing her along with me while shopping. The moment I took my eyes off her, something had crashed in the background creating a whole mess where Rei would stand there so innocently while purposely ignoring the chaos in her background—which I knew she was the perpetrator if her trying to avoid my gaze was something unusual. It was utter chaos, and a lot of screaming and complaints from shoppers and staff. I had to steer away from the shop for a few days before I was allowed to go back in, and even then, the staff was already looking out for a certain silver haired individual. The way they had eyed me suspiciously while expecting for someone to pop off behind my back any minute was not a memory I would like to revisit every time I visit the market.

And that had been a week ago after Rei settled in on her apartment.

Gauging out my reaction, Cyrus let out a chuckle."That bad, huh?"

"It's okay. She just has her moments." I cleared away the mess on my desk, "So, what's up? Anything troubling you?"

Cyrus sat himself down at the edge of my bed, "Nothing much. Just the usual. Leah's as merciless at training as ever, I swear I feel like we're having a death match these days."

I winced, Leah and training was not a good word together. She was a strong woman, strong enough to become our team's leader and she's capable of protecting those who are precious to her when needed be. Leah also took it upon herself to make sure that the team would be strong enough on their own without relying on others. And that meant training without breaks, pushing you to the limits until your limbs go numb. It's especially bad whenever she's in one of her moods. Which I guess is one of those days, and she only ever gets into those moods whenever something connected to the vampires happens that is not in her favor.

"Is she still upset?"

Cyrus played with his hands, "She is, but she'll accept the situation regardless of her feelings about it. But that doesn't mean she doesn't complain about it all the damn time though."

"And you? Are you okay with this setup?" I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes. Leah had deep animosity with the vampires, while Luis and Samantha had no qualms about it, often saying that it is their work so there was nothing to complain about. Cyrus meanwhile, had history with them. His family had been one of the first to suffer from the onslaught of vampire attacks. At the tender age of eight, he had seen his entire family murdered in front of him. Orphaned, he was taken in by the Hunter Organization along with other children who had lost their purpose in life. Ever since then, they had dedicated their time to grow and learn, to be strong enough for the organization to deem as a hunter of their own.

I met Cyrus at fourteen. Along with Leah and Samantha who had been under Simon's care since then, all of us had grown up together, eventually living in the same house.

He furrowed his brows. "...I don't know." He lowered his gaze. The vampires we encounter, they're cruel and evil. Drunk with power and malicious intent. There's always a reason to hate them…so, is she—?"

I shook my head, "No, she's not."

It was one of the first things I've come to know about her. Other than her aggravating tendency to cause trouble, I had learned that Rei was genuine with her intentions. There was nothing evil about her, only vexatious accidents that can get exasperating. Even after getting scolded by humans, (which she totally deserved), Rei had hung her head and accepted the reprimand without complaint. Apologizing profusely for the trouble she caused even if the person talking to her would come close to insulting her. Far from being offended, (despite having the right to do so), not once did she raise a finger against the humans. Even knowing full well what she was capable of, that by just flicking her wrist she could annihilate everyone in an instant, I didn't have to worry about their well being, because it's that unexplainable reason when you meet someone that you'd just know they will never do anything bad.

"You should get to know her. Decide on your own if she's bad or not. Wanna come along tonight?" I offered, putting back a few books back in their bookshelves and I'm officially done with cleaning. "I have to make sure she doesn't burn the building down again trying to make dinner or something."

Cyrus let out a sigh, "I guess if you're saying that, then it's true. Alright, I'll come with you—wait, what? Burn the building?"

I let out a tired shake of my head, "You wouldn't want to hear about it."

Judging from my expression, he probably realized just how bad it was that he just gave me a sympathetic look in return.

"So, where are we headed?" Rei asked with a bounce on her feet as we left her apartment. Cyrus trailing after us, introducing them again with each other had been pretty normal, *thankfully*. Cyrus expressed his desire to get to know her better, not wanting to categorize her as an evil monster that's sole purpose is to destroy the world right away. Rei had beamed at him then, thanking him for giving her the chance. Because despite being only here for her duty, as she so called it, Rei had declared countless times that she wanted to make her stay worthwhile. Choosing this chance to learn and know more about the world beyond Celestia and grow as a person while she was here. And lessons often come with people, people who had different experiences from her own, people who had stories to share. And Cyrus was much welcomed company after a week of my constant glowering at her, no doubt.

Thankfully, no accident came our way so far, we decided to eat out instead of making dinner because who knows what could happen with Cyrus *and* Rei in the kitchen.

I certainly do not want to handle any complaints again tonight.

We ate at Cyrus' favorite restaurant. Rei was enthusiastic to try out something that Cyrus liked. He showed her his favorites, ordering a bunch of foods where they tried out everything—all in all we ended up binge eating. Both Cyrus and Rei had clicked in an instant when they found camaraderie in each other thanks to food. It was quite amusing to think that this was the same troubled man from earlier who worried about whether Rei was evil or not. Well, looking at her now —stuffing her face which she *somehow* still managed to do gracefully—you wouldn't have thought she was a vampire labeled as a disaster type.

"This is so good!" She moaned, shoving food into her mouth once again, "Do you know that back at home I wouldn't be able to do this? It's always-be proper like this and that, swallow your food before speaking, don't eat more than you should-kind of rules, you know?"

Cyrus frowned, "Sounds like a pain. Are you a noble lady or something?" He joked around a mouthful.

She shrugged good naturedly, "Actually, I am."

Her words got the two of us pausing, we shared a glance of surprise.

"You *are*?" I asked, bewildered.

She scowled at me, "What's that supposed to mean?" Rei wiped her lips with the napkin, "I might act like this, but I'm a proper lady of noble birth. I'm just not as restrained as usual since there's freedom here. No one's breathing around the back of my neck at any second."

"Well…I guess it kinda makes sense? Sort of?"

Rei furrowed her brows at Cyrus', "You sound more unsure than you should."

"And so? What are you a Lady of? Is it the Lady of nothing but trouble?" The sarcasm in my voice could not be mistaken.

Rei let out a chuckle, surprisingly. "I actually am. I've got quite the reputation back home as a troublemaker. Pranks here left and right. It got so bad to the point that the crown prince had to send me off in a far away land as an excuse to get me off his back."

"Wow, Rei. I'd never thought you actually had it in you."

She sat straighter, smiling proudly at Cyrus'. "Thanks."

I shook my head, "That's not a compliment."

She scowled in return.

"Hey, why don't we show you around town?"

Cyrus proposed as we left the restaurant, Rei had immediately beamed at the idea which I refused immediately. "Not tonight, it's getting late."

She pursed her lips, "You're such a killjoy."

"Whatever. I'd rather be the villain in your little story if it means I don't have to deal with you any longer."

Rei frowned, "You make it sound as if it's bad to be in my company."

"It's because it actually is."

She glared at me. "Rude."

Cyrus laughed, "Don't worry, Rei. He's like that to people he likes."

"No, I'm not."

He gave me a teasing smile, "Yes, you are."

I was about to refute his words when someone paused in front of us. "Hey, it's been so long since I last saw you two!"

"Marius! It's good to see you! What's up?"

"I'm good. I've recovered well. Last I heard you guys saved my *** back in the raid. I still haven't thanked you for that yet."

I shook my head, "Don't worry about it."

"Who's this?" He motioned for Rei which prompted me to introduce them. She greeted him all gracefully and politely, making me remember the first time I met her. A sharp contrast to the woman who was shoving food down her throat earlier without a care even if she looked out of her element.

"Say, have you seen Leah around lately? I've been wanting to talk to her but I can't reach her."

Cyrus laughed nervously, "Something must've come up with her, just give it time."

"Oh." A forlorn expression crosses his face. "I see. Well, I gotta go. See you guys around. It was nice meeting you, Miss Rei."

Marius left abruptly. I sighed internally, it looks like Marius hasn't resolved that thing he had with Leah up until now. I was pretty sure she was adamant about cutting off things with him when he started developing feelings with their arrangement or something.

In the middle of my musing, a boy not older than thirteen bumped into me. Reaching out to steady him, I checked him over. "Woah, are you okay?"

The boy looked up, wide amethyst eyes staring up at me, it made me recall something familiar. In the back of my mind I swear I'd seen this shade of purple before.

"I'm o-okay. Thanks." He immediately pulled away. Eyes shifting at us nervously.

"What are you doing out this late? Young boys like you shouldn't wander around all by yourself." Cyrus scolded him, no doubt worrying about the danger the night risks especially to unsuspecting civilians.

"I was running errands for the place I'm staying at. I had free time so I decided to take a walk."

"It's not a good idea to walk at night, kid. Where's your home? We'll walk you there."

The young boy shook his head, "There's no need. I live at the orphanage near the park." He pointed towards the direction behind his back, from the corner of my eyes, I noticed Rei staring intently at the boy.

I raised a brow, "Rei, what's wrong?"

"Are you little Almira's brother?"

Amethyst eyes widened, he gaped in shock. "How'd you know?"

"You look like her."

It suddenly dawned on me why the boy's eyes looked familiar, he resembled the little girl that we helped all those weeks ago.

"A few weeks ago, she was lost in the park. We helped her search for you but you were gone. When we brought back Almira to the orphanage the caretaker said you hadn't come home yet. Where were you?"

I crossed my arms, "It's not a good idea to lose your sister in the crowd. What if you two got separated? You were lucky we were the ones to help her."

He lowered his head, "I know… That's why I'm trying my best so that doesn't happen." Amethyst eyes locked gazes with Rei, showing determination.

Understanding flashed in her eyes. She reached out, patting the young boy's locks. "I admire your resolve. Take care of your sister well. It's the older sibling's job to make sure of their safety no matter the means." Midnight eyes slipped past the boy, settling towards the direction of the orphanage. "Hold on a little longer. Someone will take you and your sister away from that orphanage. A new home just for you and your family, so stay strong until then." She smiled down at him in that mesmerizing way that she always did, a smile full of resolution, and somehow it makes you feel that things will get better.

The boy nodded and said his apologies for bumping into me once again. Waving his goodbye as he left.

Cyrus let out a sigh, "I hope a good family comes and adopts him and his sister. It's worrisome that someone as young as him is out at night."

"Don't worry," Rei patted his shoulder, "I will."

"What?"

(A/N: I got the plot moving around faster than the old ones! There's no unnecessary filler in the edited version of the chapters, good riddance we don't actually need that and I just noticed how I had lots of fillers. This time around, I only stuck with necessary details and you would know what I mean if you belonged to the ones who read up until chapter thirty one of the unedited version in Mangatoon. Nevertheless, I strongly advise you to read this version instead of the old one, this is cleaner and I've put much work and effort into this unlike my old work where I just focused on updating instead of paying attention to the words and grammars.)