Hybrids. The combination of two species in one. The difference between hybrids and them is the fact that the latter has the good traits of both species, and half breeds have the weaknesses of both sides. That was the biggest difference, another difference is that half breeds are usually man-made and hybrids are made naturally. Both also frowned upon and discriminated!
That was the case of Blood Lake. Otherwise also known as the half breed between a vampire and an Oni. Oni are usually bad people who turn into demons and have red or blue horns. They use fiendish miracles to kill others and support themselves. And sometimes they also commit other bad acts... ahem, like non-consent pregnancy. That was what Lake's mother experienced. Ironic since she was 'assaulted' in a lake and Lake herself was born in one.
Most people think that Lake is a half breed, having the bad parts of an Oni and vampire. Yet, that's not the case. She's gained the good sides of both species, but she utterly detests her Oni side. Lake prefers using her vampire side more, even if it means death. Lake was twelve years old this year, twelve years since her mother died and her father took to cultivating her as a powerful sacrifice to the umbra. A sentient shadow.
Lake was on a task to kill and devour ten humans. Specifically, miracle users. Since they give off the most energy to consume and become more powerful. The Oni failed to think that Lake could become more powerful than him. Yet, Lake hadn't taken revenge. She needed to kill over one thousand humans to just gain the amount to even keep up with her father. Unfortunately, she had no time to do it.
She was getting sacrificed in ten moons, aka days. Unless she could devour the entirety of Lake Town, she was never becoming powerful enough to defeat her father. Lake was stalking a group of four. The taller boy had handsome features and was wearing an intricately made brown and grey shirt. The older girl was gorgeous and had a sort of peaceful tone to her, she wore thick clothing. The younger girl wasn't gorgeous, but was cute and pretty, plus her aura was wild! She had thin clothing to make sure her movement wasn't cut.
She barely noticed the average looking boy with orange eyes. She felt barely any energy from him, basically meaning he didn't have a miracle. The others' miracles were so powerful, that they were basically one hundred times the normal person! If she could devour the three of them, then she might have a chance to escape and get revenge on her father. Lake calmed her emotions.
The group of four children long noticed the hybrid. Coco's specialty was nature, and they were in a forest. Liza was extra sensitive to life and death energy. Zack could sense the non-human aura from a mile away. And Vito had Hunter's Sense. She couldn't get out of their sight. Also, she was ass at hiding. Vito would've outright disdained her, if not for the fact that she was a walking talent in his eyes.
'What are we doing with her?' Vito signalled Zack with his fake yawning and pushing his hands up. A secret code. Zack rolled his eyes and said. "Why are you so sleepy all of a sudden? We can deal with your sleepiness right now if you want. Just go in those bushes." Vito knew what it meant while the girls were still confused. They thought Vito was genuinely sleepy. They were not as attentive as Zack...
"Sure. Let's do it." And the hunt was on. The predator became the prey. Vito and Zack took off at intense speeds. In a normal human's sight, all they'd see is a small child figure past them as fast as a car. Lake knew she was exposed as she cursed under her breath. Her miracle was suited for underhanded tactics and traps. She was different from other vampires who fought head on. Then again, she was a hybrid.
"Fuck." Lake said out loud, already knowing she was compromised. She took a single step and ascended eight metres. A single metre faster than old Zack, but this was new Zack who finally unlocked his bloodline yesterday when he woke up in the inn. He easily could travel ten metres and reach Lake in no time. Unfortunately, Vito was still slow. But he was faster than Coco. But somehow Liza was faster than him even with speed related talents equipped.
"Got you- a girl?" Zack stopped seeing a girl with red horns and eyes. The front left part of her hair was also dyed red with the brown hair she had. There was an expression of hopelessness seeing Zack. She instinctively classified him as her mortal enemy due to the Supreme Human King bloodline. Yet, Zack didn't feel anything from her. Nothing but sadness. She had a backstory all right.
"Wait." Zack put his hands out telling her he wasn't a threat. If it was Vito in Lake's place, he'd have immediately attacked and then booked it. However, Lake wasn't as cold and emotionless as Vito. She stopped for a second and looked at him warily. "I don't want to hurt you, why were you stalking us?" Lake didn't speak, what if her father learned that she talked with her prey? He'd kill her after brutal torture and sexual assault. He was that sadistic.
"..." Vito arrived on scene before Liza since she hadn't even begun to run yet. The entire chase took a total of half a minute. Travelling three hundred metres, damn. Vito felt a sort of closeness with the girl now he was closer. Oni and wights are undead creatures of the night. They were related in some way. Lake looked at Vito with a lot more comfortability than she looked at Zack. For some reason, he made her want to tell the truth. "My father wanted me to devour miracle users." She let it slip.
Vito was tempted to kill Lake immediately if not for the fact that Zack promised not to hurt her. Any promise Zack made was a promise Vito would try to keep. Even if it meant not gaining another talent. "Let's kill her." Though he wouldn't go back on Zack's promises, if Zack allowed him. He'd kill her instantly. Zack shook his head. "No. Bring her back with us." No idea why Zack was doing that, Vito thought.
Unfortunately, Vito didn't have a choice. And for some dumb reason, Lake followed behind him. He didn't exactly like that, but it was fine. He could defend himself as long as Lake didn't know he was a wight. Even though she didn't know he was a wight, she did know she was like her. A hybrid of the undead and living. Vampires were classified as living more than they were undead.
"What's your name?" Coco asked when they got back. Lake didn't answer and hid behind an irritated Vito. "L- Lake." Why did she seem so different? Vito asked himself. Well, there were three reasons. She didn't trust Coco and Liza. She barely had any 'normal' interaction with anyone. And she was around Vito who for some reason made her incredibly nervous. "Hi Lake! Zack, why did you bring her here?"
"She's different, I could sense something from her." Zack said. There was nothing remarkable about her, Coco and Liza thought. Zack could faintly sense it. However, Vito had a much clearer vision about what it was. It was the same feeling he'd had from the clones in the facility. He'd personally killed three of them, an Era Lord. Shit, were Era Lords so common? Vito thought to himself mockingly. Forgetting he was an Era Lord too. Not that he knew he was an Era Lord.
"What are we going to do to her?" Liza asked coldly, still pissed about Vito not getting her cat socks. Vito looked at her with a stone cold face, uncaring about her opinions. "Sheesh, so cold. Lighten up a bit Vito." Liza changed her personality in an instant. Before she was a cold ice queen, now she was a teasing childhood friend. Which basically matched since technically the oldest among them was half a month.
Zack supported his body on a tree and thought about it. "I don't know yet, but we can give her back to her father-" Lake denied it instantly. "I want to stay with you." While she was responding to Zack, it felt more like saying it to Vito. The two main reasons she wanted to stay with them was because she hated her father. And that she liked Vito more. By a large margin mind you.
"Okay? Well, we were supposed to be heading towards Bastion 50, but for some reason the mayor's personal military is blocking all people. They said that a werewolf was among the populace." The group was wary, but they chose to believe it and keep an open mind. If the mayor was lying, then something worse was happening. Or he wanted to keep a particular person in or out. If the mayor was honest, then it meant Vito could add a werewolf to his kill count. It was a lie of course. After all, how could the ritual proceed without Vito?