..Night Hills..
A full silvery moon, beautiful yet melancholy, drooped from the night sky.
It looked more like a haunted abode deep in the Night Hills. The foliages hunkered tight overhead, making the forest darker than the deepest depth of the sea and silent as the graveyard.
The rustling of dry leaves emanated.
A figure in a beige cloak emerged. His steps are casual.
It's Heald.
Under the shadows of the night, he walked.
He had told Kylian not up to a day ago that he's going out. But now he's already coming back.
A swoosh made him stop.
His brows furrowed.
'What's that?'
His eyes glowed red as he activated his vampire abilities.
His ears caught sounds of spiders threading their cocoon nearby.
His eyes pierced through the dark like it's the day and he saw clearly all that's around him.
He found nothing. His spiked alertness relaxed and he returned to his normal self.
But he still feels uneasy. Even though it's not like the earlier.
He continued his walk.
But things are not the same anymore.
The thick and towering woods now seemed to bare fangs and the plants crawling on the grass now looked like legendary snakes.
He felt like the next step he takes brings his death.
He stopped.
"Make yourself known," His voice came in a growl.
The leaves nearby tweaked and a figure emerged. Claws as sharp as razor, smeared with blood, flexed beside the figure that seemed to mix with the darkness.
Heald's primal instincts kicked in and his hairs spiked.
His fangs emerged and his claws sprouted. "Who are you?"
The figure moved closer. Heald subconsciously took steps backwards.
A broken glass on the grass reflected the ray of the moon and it caught the face of the figure.
"Kylian?" Heald relaxed.
The figure, Kylian, emerged more.
The moon rays escaped the grasp of the green canopies overhead and found his face, highlighting the void black eyes and the dark veins all over his face.
Heald took steps backwards. His legs wobbled but he held on to his strength.
"What happened to y-" his voice failed him.
In a flash, Kylian's figure blurred.
Heald's eyes reflected the image of his very friend, descending upon him like the reaper's scythe. Heald couldn't even react.
He could only watch as death fell upon him.
************
Few moments later.
There was no croaking, no creaking, no sound.
A slight disturbance occurred in the space and there was a puff of a green fog that glinted even in the dark night.
A figure appeared after the puff.
Wrapped in his green cloak, Aro gazed around.
His green glowing eyes ran around the horizon and the deep frown that signifies the confusion of a living creature graced his face.
He squatted on the spot and his unnaturally scaled fingers, barely seen in the dark, traced the forest floor.
He clenched his hand and a crossbow appeared in it.
He lifted the weapon and a shot went off with a loud bang.
Bang!
An explosion hundreds of meters away announced the arrival of the shot at its destination.
Aro gazed for a while.
Nothing.
Then his eyes moved to the ground. To the pale crimson on a dry leaf.
His cloak billowed and his figure vanished from the spot, from the forest.
************
In the stone cold room of his', illuminated only by a lantern, Heald's eyes cut to Kylian's unconscious body.
His neck had a scar of what was once a deep wound and right shoulder had a deep scorched gash in it.
The message of a legend.
A look of doubt and fear crossed his face, overshadowing the pain he's experiencing.
Kylian stirred awake. A grunt escaped his lips.
He tried to sit up but Heald held him down.
"Hey, you need to rest."
Kylian didn't even give it a thought when he wiped Heald's hand aside and sat up.
A grimace of pain crossed face and he screamed.
"Hey, hey. What happened to you?"
"Uh?"
"What happened?" Kylian cocked his head as a frown that partially covered pain he's feeling appeared on his face.
"You attacked me and fainted. In the woods."
"Uh!" Kylian sighed and looked down.
"You don't have to worry though, the wound isn't serious."
Kylian's eyes cut to Heald's hand. "Is that the wound?"
"No. This," Heald pointed to the scar on his neck, then looked down to his arm, "This was caused by the old hunter."
"Aro?!" Kylian's eyes shook.
"Yes," Heald nodded his head.
"He saw me?"
"Nope," Heald replied, his face rippled as he asked, "What happened to you back there? Your aura, it's more like that of a rogue."
"No it's not that," Kylian quickly replied, then continued, "There's something I want to tell you."
Heald tilted his head, surprised by the sudden change in Kylian's ever calm demeanor. Nevertheless, he nodded telling him to continued.
"There's something that has been tormenting me, more like a sickness. When I see human blood in torrents, I go crazy."
Heald didn't reply for a while. He kept staring at Kylian. Then he scoffed. "Torrents, that's normal for every vampire, the urge drives us crazy but it's not normal for a 250 year old vampire like you. And then, sickness? In a vampire."
"Yes according to what I've read in all this books, vampires do have diseases and sickness."
Heald stared at him for a while.
The he asked, "You killed that man, right?"
Kylian's eyes twitched, and guilt reflected easily in it. "Yes. I couldn't control it."
"Gosh, the ailment must be very strong. One of my friends once had such ailment, he was killed when the coven caught him."
"The man, is he still there?" Kylian asked, hoping the man's not there or else he's done for if the coven begins to suspects him.
"No, I took care of everything. Staged it well. He had an accident, and I erased the boy's memory of what happened. I took care of your crashed car too."
Kylian exhaled, "thanks."
"That hunter, he's mysterious."
Kylian kept quiet for a while as he reminisced some dark memories.
"You said you know him, right?"
"No," Kylian shook his head, and gave the same lie he said to Caius. "I read about him. He once wiped out a clan of witch-vampires breeds, in the Himalayas then."
"Tsk," Heald scoffed with wide eyes. "That's scary. His arrow almost burned me alive."
Vampire-witch hybrids are considered invisible; as long as they don't encounter transcendental creatures, they are undefeatable. Yet one hunter wiped them all out.
That's why he's feared even by the Tribunals, the elderly council governing the vampires.
Kylian's eyes cut to Heald's hand. It's still healing. If it's a normal wound, it would have closed up by now which shows that the arrow blast isn't ordinary.
"Thanks to your endurance, we're alive."
Heald glanced at the wound and nodded. Then he lifted his gaze. "You know, about your ailment, I think I know someone who might help."
*****************
...Market Street…
The Market Street bustled.
Bodies roamed around, under the bewitching moonlight, buying whatever interests them.
Noises boomed, overlaying to an extent that if you don't listen carefully, you won't hear the person beside you.
Kylian and Heald, cloaked and hooded, slipped through the concrete road, past fast food stands, past grocery and fruits stores, then they ventured into a specific area.
The aroma of roasted fish and fries meat hovered in the air.
Kylian's eyes danced around, wary evident in it.
His eyes landed on the hands of the butlers they slashed with all their strength, not minding if the large knife suddenly slashed their hand.
The result won't be cool. A whole red. Disgusting to humans but threatening to him.
He had forgotten that they are also aware of what they are doing and are careful not to make such mistake.
Amidst the roaming crowds, they could sense supernatural auras, but they are scattered and not close by.
Heald ventured from the narrow road, around the market, provoking a honk from a motorcycle, and led them through dark and tiny passageways in-between squatted stores.
Even though Kylian might not notice, Heald dropped nods to some of the sellers as they went. Supernaturals cycle, humans who know about the existence of the supernaturals.
A turn took them deeper into a tightly packed rows of shops, a whole new market.
Traders occupied spaces with their stands while some were in their shops, surrounded by their goods.
But Heald easily saw through all this. He could identify some of them who were rune encryptors and supernatural problem solvers, witches and wizards that create potions and weapons.
Heald led Kylian towards a jewelry shop.
Oblivious to them, eyes beneath cloaks watched as they passed.
Following Heald's lead, the duo slithered into the shop.
"How may I help you?" A voice boomed from inside the shop.
"Ello armandi Sarai," Heald muttered.
An average looking lady appeared, her emerald eyes holding confusion.
Her ridged forehead loosened and her eyes glittered as she saw Heald.
"Oh, Heald."
"Long time no see, Sarai."
Sarai glanced out stylishly and brought them in.
"The Atai mountain almost toppled," Heald communicated in coded words.
On hearing the words, Sarai's eyes turned to him.
"What happened?"
"First of all, this is Kylian."
"Hello," Kylian lowered his hood and greeted Sarai whose eyes scanned him for ages.
Heald stared, confused at this but kept quiet. He knows the witch doesn't like interruption.
"What's it?" She suddenly asked.
"Uh?" This caught Heald unprepared but then he replied, "A sickness, I presume."
"Sickness?!" Her face rippled.
"Yes. It's possible, I have read it countless times. It's possible."
"Didn't say I don't know. But this, a sickness. Pttf."
She went into an inner room and returned with a tattered scroll.
With a swing, the scroll spreaded on the wooden table.
Her tiny index finger landed on a spot on the scroll. "Are you familiar with this?"
Kylian leaned at the table and took a look at what she's implying.
On the scroll were several logos and crests. But her finger was on a specific one.
A pair of bat wings and a red skull in the middle.
Dark and creepy.
He has seen this before. Yes, he has.
Even though it's blurry as a memory, he has seen this before.
Sarai cocked her eyes and Heald frowned at this. Of course he does not know what the logo means. He's too young to know it.
Kylian's shocked eyes lifted to Sarai's.
Sarai tilted her head, signifying to him that she's waiting.
"No," he lied yet again.
**************