Most would probably think Edward Cullen has it all out of the three hundred and fifty-seven students of Forks high school. Most would probably think Edward Cullen has it all. His perfectly sculpted face resembled a Greek God's. His smooth skin seemingly shimmered in the sunshine, and near limitless wealth made him the apple of everyone's eye.
But if they could look deeper into him, they'll realize the tortured soul amidst inhuman skin. Men like Qin Shi Huang and Ponce de Leon expanded their reach hundreds of miles to find their fountain of youth or elixir of life. In decades past, Edward probably would've fully agreed with their plight. The potential to live at your physical peak, enjoy all life's blessings and live free of death sounds like a dream.
The "young" man from firsthand experience that eternal life merely belies eternal suffering. His golden eyes have seen a century's worth of "death" and despair. He once wanted to be a soldier, but living through World War One, The Great Depression, Cold War, Vietnam, Korea, and Afghanistan changed his tune. Yet, no matter the context, the aftereffect always remained the same.
Men in power attempt to achieve immortal greatness, no matter how many innocent lives got slaughtered. While he will always be thankful to his adopted family for saving him and keeping him company, the cyclical doldrums of modern life still plagued his psyche. So he refused to go with the rest of his vampiric brood on their family trip with the Denali coven.
Leaving him to brood around his dreary home, sipping out pig's blood from a silver chalice alone on a rainy day at his residence. His intelligent mind whirred upon his potential options, lamenting his inability to sleep or even dream of escaping his growing despair. Unfortunately the vampire was about to get far more than he ever bargained for as a secondary party entered the fray.
Amidst the target's silent stealth, Edward still "heard" him. After all, when you live in hiding for two centuries, you get a knack for knowing who else lives in the shadows. Though I guess having the gift of telepathy didn't hurt either.
"I know you're there. Show yourself," he said commandingly.
Despite losing the element of surprise, the unseen figure instantly came to Edwards's view with a confident stride. With every oncoming step, the telepath's vampiric senses grew stronger. He heard tight leather scrape calloused skin, smelled the ashy taste of crafted gunpowder, and felt the lulled warmth of a human approach. The physical plane didn't concern Cullen as much as the mental.
He's interacting with thousands of humans, hearing their stories like a book. This man, however, felt like he was witnessing a library. An incalculable amount of strategies and knowledge that utterly dwarfed his own. In amazement, his gold eyes flashed, reflexively asking.
"Who are you?"
The man grew a confident smile while replying.
"I've been many things across the millennia, An angel, a shape-shifter, as you would call it, and even a hunter. But today, I'm Gabriel Van Hellsing, and I have come with a proposition, Edward Cullen," he said warmly.
"What do you want?"
"I believe that my superiors informed me you have telepathy? I'm sure that can speed up the process,"
Edward approached cautiously. Even without his powers, he had an affinity for being able to read people, yet he found no hint of deception. Deciding to bet everything on his abilities if things got ugly, he focused deeper into Helsing's mind, getting an entire novel's worth of history within seconds. Again, he detected no lies in each stray thought.
"Your Vatican wishes to ally with the Cullen family?"
"Exactly, we've been watching your coven grow for decades now across the country. Both you and the Denali's. We've seen your growth in power but, more importantly, your close family ties and reluctance to feast upon human flesh, unlike your contemporaries," Hellsing said command fully.
Edward then gripped his chalice so hard it started to warp. Even without his mind reading he knew he was talking about the Volturi, particularly their leader Aro. The Cullens have maintained an uneasy peace, but much like a shark, all it would take is one drop of blood to start a frenzy. So he continued to probe Hellsing's mind, readying himself for the brutal catch.
"But you don't think we're ready. You want to test us before we could become allies. And they send a human to threaten me," asked offendedly.
Van Hellsing's casual face immediately scrunched harsher. Several memories started to stick in Edward's mind like barbs. Images of his infamous brethren throughout history cropped into his imagination, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein's monster, a werewolf, and most damning of all: Dracula, his most iconic ancestor.
"Quiet boy. I've slain monsters that would've sent the Volturi running scared years ago before you were born. So naturally, I don't relish this predicament but I promise the Holy Vatican wouldn't have sent me if I wasn't more than a challenge for you," he said demandingly.
Before Edward could respond, a noticeable smell wafted itself in the air. His golden pupils then zoomed in on Hellsing's left hand, which dropped a scent of blood. Combined with his natural aggression and decades of careful control went out the window. The world's most dangerous predator flexed its hardy undead muscles and lunged against the legendary vampire hunter himself.
"May the Church forgive me," Hellsing said under his breath.
Despite the short distance between them, Van Helsing still struck first, instantly unfurling his repeater crossbow with an armed bolt at the ready. Guided by animal instinct and supernatural perceptions, Edward immediately used his chalice to block every bolt, hammering the cup away till it looked like a sheet of aluminum.
Even in that state though, it did its purpose, flattening into enough of a blunt object to throw at Van Helsing. At fast ball level speed the ball clocked the vampire in the head, giving him ample time to zoom in and throw him towards the ground so hard that the floor beneath cracked. Hellsing's hat fell to the wayside, revealing the former angel's confident smirk as he tried fending off Edward's bites. He'd already been a werewolf, he would hope not to venture into the other side of the supernatural spectrum.
Edward was in such a frenzied bloodlust he didn't even hear the clack of a gun hundreds of years old. Without hesitation he then emptied five rounds straight into his heart. Rivets of thick, cold blood splattered across the glass house like a blank canvas, forcing Edward back immediately. The blast was also so powerful it knocked Edward back to sentience, forcing him to gasp desperately for air.
He then remembered that he didn't need to breathe, reorienting long enough to register Gabriel to kick him in the head. Like a human tumbleweed, Edward crashed into the chairs, complete with a rug and table. Blinding pain shot through him, as he tried to read Van's mind to no avail, realizing that he was attacking with no rhyme or reason. There was no strategy here. Only instinct that's been sharpened like any other blade in thousands of encounters.
"Not impressed so far. If this is the best the Cullen's offer, then the Vatican will have to act alone."
Through the blistering pain, Edward's eyes glowed with rage. Breaking into his place of residence is one thing, but to insult the adoptive family he spent centuries building, the only people who can accept him for so long, was a mistake the vampire hunter may not regret.
Using his environment to his advantage, Edward literally pulled the rug right from under him. He proceeded to prove why he was crowned the fastest of the Cullens. After that, he turned into a blur, wrapping Van Helsing in the rug to secure him properly. While he clearly had the strength advantage, his opponent's impressive size was an issue as Edward struggled to keep him in place while tending his wounds.
The brutal struggle immediately started to change tides as Van pulled out his Tojo Blades. Like buzzsaws that tore through the fabric like it was cheap tissue paper. Still, the precious few seconds gave the vampire enough time to kick him towards a nearby chair so much it keeled over instantly. Bones rattled, and organs lurched as silver stars danced between his eyes. Predatory aggression forced Edward to follow up.
He grabbed the thick oak table, preparing to slam it down like a halberd. Instead, Gabriel's natural hunting instincts took over, using his second pistol to shoot the vampire in his leg. The angle was right, giving him enough time to roll back to his feat and avoid the strike. He picked up his crossbar along the way, reloading it with his seemingly infinite ammo.
When was about to fire, though, Edward countered, lifting the table to block each bolt. The makeshift shield instantly shifted towards a battery ram as he used every inch of power to crash straight into the vampire hunter's chest. The sheer momentum instantly broke the table into splinters as the two opponents hit out of the house.
Due to the incline, quickened pace, and ground slicked muddy, the two ended in a crushing thud as they separated in a shared tumble. Cuts, bruises, and mud collected over the two combatants before they passed out for several seconds. Minutes later, the rain from earlier managed to pick up, going into a torrential downpour quickly.
Wet droplets decorated the two combatants' solemn faces, giving them the wake-up call they needed. Brittle bones and iron strained themselves to the very limit. Upon doing so, they both felt large shots of pain throughout their bodies. For Edward, it was three long arrow bolts while Van gritted his teeth at a sizable jagged splinter from the tree that embedded itself in his left shoulder. They both engaged in a small conversation as they painfully pulled out their weapons.
"Have I proven the Cullen's strength yet?" said definitively.
"Well, that depends. But considering I'm still standing," he says as he pulls out two silver stakes, "I think that question still needs to be proven."
The mere comment made Edward's eyes flash black, but he still held on to his humanity as he decided to blitzkrieg. As Van Hellsing threw each stake with deadly precision, Edward ignored it all, pushing past his limits and puncturing wounds to get a single strike. Every tanked hit, though, made his unnatural speed slow. However, he couldn't keep up the rapid-fire for long, his shoulder immediately seizing up from the pain.
Like a berserker, Cullen pounced on the opportunity, throwing everything he had into a violent backspin blow at where he kicked him earlier. The vampire hunter counterattacked at the last possible second, but it didn't stop the attack from colliding with him and sending him towards a tree. This time bones did crack, forcing his body to shut down and his eyes to blacken.
However, that didn't matter, for he had won the day again. During Edward's last swing, the vampire hunter shot a bullet directly into Edward's head. Any normal man would've been dead, but for a high-ranking marksman like him, combined with a vampiric healing factor and he'll be good as new. So as his opponent weakly fainted into the dirt, Gabriel appealed to his past life and prayed that his new ally wouldn't be too mad at them in their shared battle against the night.