Before they reached the school, he stopped, taking into account Val's previous assertion that his Ferrari may attract too much attention. "The school is right around the corner."
Since it was the USA, the school was far from ordinary. From the entrance to the campus buildings, there was a single cemented path, surrounded by trees growing on the grassland. After slithering stealthily like a snake, the path diverged midway, leading to other identical abodes - same color and structure. At far but equal intervals, there stood black street lights, ready to brighten up the dark roads at night.
"I know." Val muttered, getting out. For a few moments, he waited at the school gate before he was hugged warmly at the waist by his ten year old kids. At that moment, they appeared to be a normal family, enjoying the peace. He could see the happiness brim from their expressions.
Callisto observed this scene unfamiliarly. Though he had been embraced by his family, none of the moments they squished together like sardines in a tin made him smile. Instead, it indirectly triggered feelings of unwanted annoyance, and the stifling hotness that came along with it.
Not only his family but also any stranger touching him could plunge down his mood. Velda was the only exception. Her presence around him provided a solace for him. But then, how come he had no qualms with Val approaching him? It was certainly strange.
Val knocked on the car window, demanding him to unlock the car door. Callisto did as he was told when he saw the kids make their way onto the back seat by themselves with their short, stumpy legs.
It was intriguing - the fact that those children decided to struggle by themselves without asking for help and that Val didn't help them as if he was educating them to be independent. It was also amusing watching the girl, who was shorter than her baby brother. Her legs flailed around in the air for a while before she could get her butt onto the seat.
They were mini versions of Val, both born with green eyes. It reminded him of leaves sprouting on his plants in the garden, which certainly resembled the two fledglings. His wife must have been an omega.
(Note: Omegas tend to have green eyes.)
Perhaps it's due to their age, they couldn't hide their emotions very well. As soon as his gaze brushed aside them, their wariness was apparent on their visage, staring at him ceaselessly. It wasn't out of awe, but rather a hunter watching its prey, but they were still amateurs. This should be their first time meeting yet they immediately judged him to be an enemy. It was certainly interesting to see such lucid reactions from tiny strangers he'd never seen before.
Were they not intelligent? Or Val raised them less stricter than he imagined. Maybe he gave the kids too much carrot before the stick.
"Mummy, who is this?" She blurted out to Val as she pointed her index finger at the duke. Raul, upon realizing who this man was, immediately stopped her from speaking further.
"Sorry, she is a little bit slow on the uptake." Raul apologized for her disrespect, but still continued with his glare.
As if to test them, the duke's impassive gaze fell on them, releasing a bit of his murderous intent which caught them off guard. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn't move. That man also looked down on them like they were insects before going on to.....
A gentle stroke on their heads interrupted their thoughts. "Mum?" Mum's hand wasn't this big. Her hands were softer, and warmer. When she opened her eyes, the person she expected least - the duke they were so cautious of - was the one comforting them. In the split second she realized the lesson he was trying to teach them, she reflected on her actions.
It was true that she shouldn't judge by appearances, because seeing someone else evaluating her on their first meeting without truly knowing her character was hurtful. She bursted out wailing, and couldn't stop saying sorry to the duke. Raul, upon hearing his sister's cries, pushed the duke's hand off her head. Comforting her in a long embrace, his legs were soon going numb, while her tears smeared on his uniform.
Val watched this mess go on as Rune eventually calmed herself, occasionally hiccuping during her sentences. Raul knew why Val wouldn't interfere. It was their discourtesy towards this man that he wasn't pleased with. Val introduced his kids to the duke. "He is my friend, Callisto and our ally. You don't have to be so wary of him. You are free to call him brother or uncle."
"Won't brother be too young? I am at least 100 years older than them." Callisto cut in.
"I just gave my kids the choice to call you whatever they preferred. Wouldn't it be nice to have two adorable siblings?" Val remarked.
"Fine," the duke turned towards the twins who were fastening the seatbelt at the back seat, "feel free to call me whichever you prefer. I am Duke Callisto von Wagner, the second duke in the Valerian Empire." He said formally.
"Nice to meet you." Rune greeted, a smile plastered on her face. "I am Rune Asmodeus."
"Raul Asmodeus." The brother didn't seem to talk much, but he was more mature and intelligent than the outgoing girl.
As Val directed the way back home, Rune posed a lot of questions along the way just like her father. "Why did you come along with my mother today?"
"Because I befriended him today." Callisto lied with a straight face. "I wanted to see what kind of kids he raised that he would miss you guys even on a date with me." Val didn't react to his humor, whereas Raul almost bit on his tongue. Two guys going on a date? Could it be...?
"Date?" Rune repeated innocently. "What's that?"
"It's when you spend a day with someone you like." Callisto bluntly replied.
"Does that mean you like mum?"
"Yeah, I do." Callisto said, one hand steadily directing the steering wheel. "As a matter of fact, I like her so much that I want to be your dad."
Val shook his head. "Stop joking around." Callisto kept on driving.
"Really?" Rune's eyes lit up, imagining what their daily life would be like if they had a dad.
He was sharp, not letting a little girl's mistake go. "But, why do you call Val mum? Isn't he male?"
Raul covered for her mistake, trying to sound childish-like to loosen his guard. "Dad is just so beautiful that Rune couldn't help but think he was mum!"
Hiding his expression that he was not the least bit convinced, Callisto pressed on. "Have you ever seen your mum before?"
"Yeah. I remember but my memory is a bit foggy." Raul answered vaguely, not giving him any clear answers to get a clue from.
Rune enthusiastically chipped in. "I can remember. Her leafy eyes were glistening green along with her long, silky silver hair. It was so fascinating to see the color of gray symbolizing the 'old' age in humans go together with a 'healthy' natural green!"
Raul heaved a sigh of relief as Rune gave a perfect response. Thank god, she was dense at things like these. Callisto withdrew his interrogation for today. It might be suspicious to look into their matters any further. "Sorry to pry. I must have been too nosy."
"No, no. Other people also asked my dad about things like these because they were interested in...." Raul clamped his mouth.
"I guess they would be. After all, your dad is very successful, with charming looks despite his current age. Mature and gentle guys are very appealing to women in their 20s or 30s."
Twiddling his thumbs, Raul asked nervously. "Are you also pursuing my dad?"
Callisto wondered if he should tell them about it when Val elucidated on their matters sincerely. "No, he is pretending to chase after me. It's for the both of us."
Raul understood. How could he not? Ever since his senses were heightened, he could feel prattling eyes on them, watching whatever moves they made without revealing their identity. It was even more unsettling when presents from ugly werewolves were delivered to their homes turned out to be creepy notes spilled with real blood.
After they were kidnapped by someone from his dad's rival company, he knew just how serious things were. He had learnt that harsh reality won't give you second chances for any mistakes. He couldn't change the fact that they were half bloods and that their dad ran an information guild, however, he wanted to at least live in a residence where all three of them could feel safe.
Rune blethered. "Then, were you lying when you said you were going to be my dad!?" Seeing Callisto not replying, she pouted, looking away from the driver's seat where the duke was in front of her. "Hmph!! You liar!"
Val tried to talk her out of it. "Rune...he's a duke. You need to be respectful to him."
"You said he was your friend." It backfired. "What's wrong with the way I treat him?"
"Rune," Val spoke gently.
She sounded like a spoiled brat. "What?!"
"Rune." This time, his voice was deeper, as if he was angry with her. It wasn't Val calling out for her, but the duke, who really sounded like a father worried for his children. "Listen to me. Even if you are upset with me, you have to hold in your feelings." He paused. "Do you know why?"
"Why?" Rune asked, her previous feelings of frustration vanishing.
"Because the world is dangerous for both you and Raul. Rune, you are aware that you are hybrids, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Rune nodded.
"Hybrids aren't widely recognized whether in the vampire society or the werewolves territory. If living in the Luz realm isn't an option, you will have to make use of your social skills to adapt to either of them." Raul, unlike his previous interference, listened attentively to his advice.
"Social skills won't be useful." Rune confidently stated. "I tried being friends with a human. They betrayed me."
"That's why listen to me." Callisto lectured. "There are two ways. One, dominate them with pure strength, which is difficult for you guys right now, because you are still growing up. This method is useless for people who are either insane or their ambition is more overwhelming than the fear you implanted within them. Two, build connections on both sides that are pacifists but have sufficient power to stand in the noble society. Mask your emotions so that you don't get too close to anyone and build an appropriate level of familiarity. You have to keep in mind that the relationship is mutually beneficial."
A question popped up inside Raul. "Then what about you? Did you establish your standing through those two methods?"
"None." Callisto muttered. "I might have demonstrated power but I am born into a fairly distinguished house and I am the sole heir of it. That's why nobles flatter me even if I do nothing and slack off, praising me as if I was as accomplished as my sister."
Raul nodded, empathizing with his situation. "I will try my best," he paused before mumbling, "uncle."
Rune followed suit. "Uncle Carl!"
Val smiled gleefully. "Are you guys acknowledging my friend?"
Rune nodded and received a pat on her head as a reward.
Meanwhile, Raul was lost in his own thoughts. In order to protect his father - at least until he turned into a teenager, he would have to borrow the power of someone else. It was better for the indifferent duke to be their guardian than other nobles or untrustworthy friends who may leak out their secret in an accident. The duke had a high position with plenty of money, plus, judging from his dad's friendly attitude, he had no reasons to blackmail or harm them.
That would be the ideal situation if he could reach a private negotiation with the duke. But what benefits could lure the duke? Women? No, his personality wouldn't attract any women nor did he look like a womanizer. Wine? He didn't seem like a heavy drinker.
Information from his father's guild! That could do the trick! Though he didn't have access to the secret documents, as a young master, he retained the authority to make fake identities and reveal the general information stored in their archives. Besides, his only two terms are to protect his family from any harm including himself when he comes of age, so the duke probably wouldn't ask for a heavy favor since he could just deploy his knights to them.
At the age of 15, on the day of full moon, werewolves would face their Lunar Trial where their bodies would transform into werewolves. If they couldn't contain their bloodlust or transform fully, their trial is incomplete, which will shorten their lifespan and not allow them to transform into werewolves. But for a half vampire, half werewolf like him, it could be a different case because being a hybrid itself is an unpredictable factor.
"I am counting you, duke." Raul muttered under his breath.
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The secret guard, who came back, reported his sightings in a chronological order. His lord, who held the wine glass in his hands and was originally looking at the city view, laughed hysterically. "That blue pearl and the duke!? Pfft.....Ahaha! They sure match each other, those low lives."
"My lord...." His guard whined.
"I know. The duke is high standing. But, what use is he when he is there to obstruct our path?"
Another black clothed shadow showed up. "He is of use to my master's plan. Please trust us and follow our plans. We need to make sure this goes well so that we all achieve the same goal."
"Same goal?" Once again, he guffawed out loud. His grunts were as disgusting to listen as a pig's chortles, but they were just lowly servants. How could they show their dissatisfaction towards their masters? "There's no way we have the same target! We are just on the same boat, collaborating with each other to gain power."
"Noted." The shadow guard responded.
Coming close to him, the lord warned him in a gruffer voice. "Remember your master and I come from different sides."
"...." Only silence echoed throughout the room. It was a sign of respect and at the same time displayed his small defiance to the lord's idea.
Being the flexible man he was, he let it go. The lord stroked his chin, his gold and silver rings on all ten of his fingers glistened the dark room. "Very well. Let's just get rid of the blue pearl. If his monopoly over the information gets any bigger, he would be a nuisance."
"Isn't it just because of your personal vendetta?" The cloaked figure glared at him.
The secret guard drew his sword, but was stopped midway by his lord. "Ahahahahaha! You jest." He said, wiping the tears off his face. "No, it's not. Honestly, it is annoying how he is starting to touch the roots of our fellow organizations. It would be dangerous to allow him in any further."
"..." He seemed to be thinking whether it would be wise to act without his lord's permission, especially when they should be laying low because of the recent buzz they created recently.
"You know something? That blue mermaid had sent spies into our affiliation. I did nothing about it because I might have to kill lots of people from our organization to confirm who the spy was."
"That's...." The shadow guard spoke up.
"But," the lord dismissed his suggestions, "there's an alternate solution. Seeing their ringleader fall, they may dispel on their own. Maybe I don't need to take their lives."
The cloaked figure pondered for a while before accepting this request. "I will do it."
The man knew this cloaked figure would take on this job because of his ludicrous compassion. It was hypocritical of him since his guilt took over his actions, which he made use of easily. He knew this request would be completed as successfully as the other missions because the cloaked guard was the greatest experiment that guy created.
"I am entrusting it to you." He smiled wickedly.
As soon as the cloaked figure vanished, he commanded his secret guard, a faithful dog that only listened to him, to follow that figure. The guard abided by his master's orders. A dog had no right to refuse. Originally, he came from a decent noble house, however, after being sold as a slave into a different territory and several days of torture into submission, it was a harsh and painful lesson he learnt.
He could only imagine what that guy went through as his 'master' the cloaked guard mentioned was far crueler and more malicious towards his race than werewolves. He also witnessed various cruelties, physically and mentally. The 'master' specialized in destroying the body using the lab - or the torture chamber - and mind, staging crime incidents with drugs while disguising himself as a bystander. Nevertheless, the lord he served was a snake.
If you were evil, he would whisper words a devil would to tempt you into something you desired from the depths of your heart. With your secret grasped tightly in his hands, he would be delighted in gaining a new toy to play with and reassured to use you to his content. Nonetheless, you were an obstacle in his path, he would stop at nothing to remove you.
He had seen this man in front of him blackmailing several innocent people into doing things they didn't intend. As much as he'd like to help them, he was powerless to change anything. Hopefully, this mission failed but that was unlikely unless there was someone as powerful as the royal pure bloods.
Chasing after the trails of the cloaked figure, while the distance between him and his master increased, his yearning for someone who could liberate him from this hell only grew stronger.