Vanitas's eyes popped open in the middle of the night. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the dark. But even then, it was dark as far as he could see to as far as he couldn't see.
He felt uneasy. The feeling of urgency along with the sense of huge loss nagged at his heart that didn't seem that it will let him go back to sleep anytime soon.
He got off the bed and went out of his room.
Immediately, a cold breeze ruffled his air. The air was cold and cozy; it was just what Vanitas required at the moment.
Instead of standing there, he decided to walk around.
He slowly descended the stairs and made his way to the bench that he wanted to relax on during the day. He wasn't able to do so during the day but now there was no one here that could disturb him thus he could stay here for as long as he wanted without being interrupted by anyone.
He sat down and reclined his back a little on the backrest. He placed his head on the edge and closed his eyes.
Things had happened so fast.
He found himself in this strange place with next to no memory of who he was and what he was doing or what he was supposed to do. Then, after looking at the rune engraved in his body he came to understand who he was and what his goal was though he still was confused.
After that, he was taken to meet the General, and since he had no other place to go to or relatives to rely upon he decided to enlist as a soldier in the Demon Extermination Corp. Doing so provided him with a roof to sleep under and he could also move towards his goal without problem and suspicion.
Shortly after that, he was made to duel with Lieutenant Elvis and he defeated him which resulted in him being appointed as the Lieutenant of the Corp. It all happened so fast that for a moment Vanitas wasn't sure what to make of all that.
While he was a bit hesitant regarding his appointment as a Lieutenant as it would put him in the unwanted spotlight, there was also an advantage that came with the position. Lieutenants were considered one of the most powerful soldiers in the whole country and they had enough power to fight against hordes of demons single-handedly. With such immense power at their disposal, Lieutenants were allowed to go on missions on their own that would often be classified as dangerous. That meant Vanitas, who was now a Lieutenant, could go on missions on his own whenever he wanted. That gave him a bit of freedom to pursue his goals without being under someone else's radar.
"Yeah, things really happened too fast," Vanitas muttered.
One thing led to the other with no break or time for respite in the middle.
That had caused him to momentarily lose sight of his fundamental goal.
And now that he thought that, the uneasiness that had woken him up in the first place started to dissipate. It was now being replaced by the intense determination to reach his goal.
'I need to focus on the main goal here. To kill the seven great demons. I was side-tracked a little by what happened all around me but not any longer. I will now focus my everything on pursuing my one goal. I don't know what awaits me at the end of the journey that I have set to take for myself but I am sure what I will find will be what I need. I will not lose sight of my goal.'
Vanitas touched his body and traced his hands along the parts where the runic symbols and letters were engraved above his clothes.
Having made peace with his mind, Vanitas enjoyed the night breeze for a while before deciding to head back.
As he reached the third floor, he heard some muffled sounds from the door right next to do stairs.
'If I remember correctly, this room belonged to Dominique, right?'
As he stood there thinking that, he heard more sounds again, this time clearer than before.
"Eleanor, you are tasty." The voice belonged to Dominique. That was for sure but Vanitas was stunned to find that such a feverish and passionate voice could leak from the girl who he had once thought of as expressionless.
"Ah, don't! Don't be rough!" Those words accompanied by a moan belonged to Eleanor.
"Ah."
Having realized what was going on, Vanitas quickly walked away.
As he went back to his bed, he thought to himself. 'So those two are in that sort of relationship, eh? Not that it's bad or anything but two girls doing it....'
After that, Vanitas did his best not to let what he had heard and found invade his dreams.
*****
"Eleanor, you are tasty." With those words, Dominique dipped her fangs into Eleanor's neck.
The sweet taste of blood spread across her mouth and Dominique completely lost herself in the taste of that sweet, sweet nectar.
"Ah, don't! Don't be rough!" Eleanor couldn't suppress a moan from escaping her lips. A sweet, intoxicating pain along with pleasure assaulted her body and brain. No matter how many times she experiences this, Eleanor was sure that she would never be able to get used to it.
Eleanor tightly gripped her pillow with her hands as Dominique's tongue lapped around her neck.
After what felt like an hour (though that wasn't true of course), Dominique separated her mouth from Eleanor's neck.
Traces of blood were spread around her mouth but with a single lick of her tongue, she cleaned it all. She cleaned her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at Eleanor whose face was flushed red and seemed to be out of breath.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Dominique asked.
"What...do...you...mean...?" Eleanor asked back, between her breaths.
"You know that I can figure out what the other party is feeling by drinking their blood."
At that, Eleanor twitched without even meaning to. Dominique didn't fail to notice that.
With a smile as if she had given up already, Eleanor muttered, "That's unfair, you know?"
"It is what it is."
"So, why are you feeling sad? Why the guilt?"
Eleanor stayed silent for a while, conflicted as to whether she should speak her mind or not.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she decided to speak her mind to the one person she was the closest with.
"When we met Vanitas, back in the forest," Eleanor began, "I wasn't able to do anything."
"That is true of me as well. Even I wasn't able to do anything." Dominique admitted.
Back then, they had been frozen in place by the fear that gripped their heart when they saw the two minotaur lords. If Vanitas hadn't been there, they would surely have died and thus they were thankful to him.
"That is true, yes. But it still pains me. It still makes me feel frustrated and angry at myself. I feel disgusted by myself." Tears began to stream from Eleanor's eyes.
Without attempting to stop the flow of the tears, she continued, "If something had happened to Vanitas, because of my inaction, then what would have happened?"
Eleanor knew that she was overthinking it but she couldn't help it.
The path that they were treading upon was a dangerous and cruel one. Anything could happen at any moment. Life was fickle. One lousy mistake and life could be sniffed out as easily as blowing a candle.
So, there had been a possibility that Vanitas's life could have been lost, all while - all because - Eleanor wasn't able to do anything.
Thinking about that possibility, made her remember all the sacrifices that had been made for her sake. So that she could survive. The guilt of all the lives that had been lost to save her crushed her once again and she couldn't stop crying.
Dominique gently wrapped her hands around her and hugged her tight.
"You are overthinking things, Eleanor. While I know where you are coming from, the fact is that Vanitas is still here, no? So there's no need for you to beat yourself up on this. Yes, we were unable to do anything back then, and as much as it frustrates you, it does me too. But that doesn't mean we should let our guilt overwhelm us and further drive us into a corner. Instead, we should try to become stronger so that it won't happen again, shouldn't we?"
So that they wouldn't have to feel frustrated over their inability and powerlessness, they will have to work harder and train harder.
"Yeah!"
Dominique didn't know whether her words had reached Eleanor or not, but she did get a response from her.
She knew that just this wasn't enough to completely wash away her guilt, but at least for now, for a short while, those words would heal her. That was more than enough for her now.
That night Eleanor didn't go back to her room but instead slept with Dominique while embracing each other, seeking warmth to melt the guilt and helplessness inside their hearts.