"Take care on the road, buddy! Remember, you've got to pick up Hana at 9 okay? And don't worry about me, I can handle getting home all by myself," Kaiko chirped, slamming the car door.
Sometimes I wonder if Kaiko has a split personality. One minute she's all sweetness and light, and the next she's plotting world domination...
It's already 4:00 pm, the clock is ticking. Hana's stuck in a never-ending meeting, Kaiko's off on a shopping adventure, and it's time for me to dive into my own business.
And without a warning a guy in a suit from nowhere step inside the car.
"There are few in the Ashford Avenue" The man said as he look at his watch.
"Alright!"
This is my favorite time of the day!
Vampire hunting!
"The intel said there are only three of them, but I have my doubts. Stay alert and don't let your guard down," the man warns.
We've been working together for about three years and have risen through the ranks side by side. He's the second-ranked assassin, Satoshi Sato, also known as the Eye of the Night. He's an expert at locating enemies and executing unique tactics and strategies.
"I'm not sure which clan they belong to. Regardless, avoid engaging in one-on-one fights. Retreat if I give the order. Understood?"
"Retreat? Why retreat? I can't let vampires roam freely in the city. I won't leave until I've taken their last breath," I object, tightening my grip on the steering wheel.
Retreat? I don't retreat. I kill!
"You won't be able to eliminate all of them when you die even before the war has started" he explains.
"Die? Fighting them would be an honor," I reply.
I'm determined to hunt down vampires, even if it costs me my life! Besides, the war between me and them has been raging for quite some time now!
Anger wells up inside me as I accelerate the car.
"Is that what you call revenge? You're just throwing your life away foolishly," he says.
I'm about to respond but then he points outside the window.
Two men are walking on the sidewalk, and in a second, they both enter a narrow, dimly lit street.
We scanned the area, but it was eerily deserted. No sign of people, no cars in motion, and most of the buildings were shrouded in darkness, giving the place the appearance of an abandoned wasteland.
"Stay here and don't do anything foolish," he commanded as he stepped out of the car.
I turned my head towards him, taken aback.
"Wait here? You've got to be kidding."
I tried to protest before he shut the door.
"You know I'm not cut out for this kind of thing!"
But he ignored my objections and quietly trailed the two men, disappearing into the dimly lit street.
What was wrong with him? How could he expect me to just wait here and keep my guard up? Weren't we the ones on the hunt—or were we?
He must have seen something we couldn't... because he always do.
A few minutes passed, and then another man, cloaked in black, hurriedly crossed the road. His heavy footsteps echoed as he made his way towards the same dark street.
Wait, who was that guy now? I needed to find out—
I was about to step out of the car when Satoshi's words echoed in my mind.
No! I had to wait here...
He had a plan... I knew it.
So, I watched as the man disappeared into the same street.
While scanning the surroundings for any other potential threats, I spotted a single figure in one of the buildings. I couldn't make out their face, but I noticed they were holding a book.
I stared at it for a moment, unsure of where tit were looking or what it were doing. Suddenly, without warning, he vanished. A heavy, unsettling aura washed over me, unlike anything I had ever felt from the vampires I'd encountered before.
What the heck was that? I had to help Satoshi! He couldn't handle that thing on his own!
I stepped out of the car and slammed the door, but then I froze in place. I wanted to fight, to grab something as a weapon, to move. But I couldn't. It was the same as that day.
I stood there, my gaze fixed on the creature perched on the roof of the car.
There was no doubt in my mind that it wasn't a vampire. It had devil horns protruding from its forehead, and its skin resembled dragon scales with small thorns scattered across it. Its piercing red eyes locked with mine, and I noticed it was clutching a peculiar-looking book.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" the creature spoke in a deep, ominous voice.
I-I was undoubtedly face to face with a demon! I had thought they were extinct, mere figures of fantasy, but here it was, standing right in front of me...
The weighty aura hung in the air, reminiscent of witnessing a colossal asteroid hurtling towards Earth, a sense of helplessness washing over me.
"Are you with him?" it asked, turning its gaze towards the building it had been standing above of.
And that's when I saw him—a man hanging from its neck.
"S-Satoshi!" I shouted, realizing it was him.
Dangling lifelessly like a slaughtered animal.
"What have you done?! Who are you? You'll regret standing in my way! You'll regret choosing to side with vampires!" I exclaimed, preparing myself to attack.
"I told you not to do anything reckless," a voice came from behind.
"You're..? and- now who's that hanging?" I said, struggling to process my emotions.
"What?" the creature spoke, a tinge of surprise in its tone as it turned towards Satoshi, who was now approaching us.
"How intriguing. Humans indeed have improved, I must say," it added.
Silence enveloped the atmosphere as Satoshi walked and stopped beside me.
"He's a Demonshaper," he whispered to me.
"A Demonshaper? What on earth is that?" I whispered back.
"A vampire who can wield a Devil's book," he explained.
"A Devil's book contains the spirits of demons and can possess its user's body. Only a few vampires can undergo the Abyssal Fusion process. And the user is known as a Demonshaper!"