Aurelia wakes to her alarm ringing and she fumbles around her bed to locate her mobile phone, finally unearthing it from underneath the folds of her quilt. Setting it aside to charge after switching the alarm off, she sighs and gets up the bed with a groan. The last mission still weighs heavily on her aching body.
The knowledge that Xavius is absorbing the powers of the cores is unsettling, especially when he does it without thinking of the consequences on his body. Granted it made her wonder the reason behind his recklessness. And the fact that he knows her double life is unsettling by that notion.
Shaking her head to dispel her thoughts, she keeps them aside and sets off to shower. She receives her mission, to enter Zone 5 and fight off a Class A creature. She will probably leave her apartment after coffee and breakfast. She has a whole day to complete the mission.
After her breakfast is complete, she puts on her uniform, guards, and gun holster. She straps on her watch and her boots. Checking that everything is switched off, she heads out of her apartment after grabbing her bike keys. The ride to Zone 5 takes her fifteen minutes at best and she parks outside.
Using her Watch to guide her, she enters the zone. Trekking the creature takes a lot of time as sometimes the Watch isn't able to get a pinpoint of the exact location and Hunters as per their name need to take the time to hunt after the creatures. Aurelia is in her element in the forest, and she takes her time.
She locates her target after two and a half hours of trekking; seeing it munching on the vegetation next to what looks to be a derelict portion of an abandoned factory, she can see the faded metal zinc roofing eaten away by the weather and crawlers, with rusty metal columns still standing tall even after years of disuse.
She steps into the opened area, her boots crunching under the pebbles and broken metal which alerts the creature. It stops grazing and turns around, its ears flicking at the sudden sound. Aurelia whips out her flames, intending to make the first strike and pin the creature down quickly.
However, the creature skips away from her flames and unleashes a powerful wind attack head-on. She avoids the attack and lets her flames burst forth; seeing the blue flames roar towards the creature. It manages to catch its hind and it bays, panicking before it whips to attack again.
It pretends to veer left before swiftly breaking free once more, executing a surprise assault following its initial move. Despite her attempt to defend herself with swirling blue flames, she is lifted off her feet, spinning like a pinwheel before forcefully colliding with a metal wall. She lies motionless on the ground.
Pain riddles through her entire body and it hurts to move. Cursing, she forces her hands to grab onto something to pull her up, and panting hard, she forces herself to all fours. Blood pours out of her mouth at the damage she receives, her head pounding. The creature is still standing and she is alone.
Get up!
Get the fuck up!
Gritting her teeth, she summons the strength to rise to her feet and she faces the baying creature as blood drips from the corner of her jaw. Taking deep breaths to put aside, blue flames appear to form around her fists and she attacks swiftly, choosing to end it quickly as her body is almost at her limit.
As soon as the creature is left to cinders she finally allows herself to slow down and she sinks to the ground gasping. Her head is spinning, blood seeping, and she senses a few cracked ribs. However, before she can retreat from the area, her watch bleeps alerting her of another creature approaching her location.
Sighing wearily, she stands up with shaky legs and prepares for another frontal attack. She is weary and wants to leave but she is deep inside the forested area and she cannot risk it tailing her. She tries to focus, ignoring the pain wrecking her body, and takes deep steady breaths to push aside the pain. She forces herself to focus and soon, the pain has diminished.
The sun has set and cast the forest into darkness. She gears herself for the appearance of another creature. As soon as she sees a dark figure entering the space she's in and attacks, allowing her flames to flow as a whip. She expects to hear an animalistic sound but instead, she hears a male voice cursing and yelling in pain.
Confused and taken aback, she disables her attack as if she were hearing things. Dumbfounded that she attacked another being instead. Why would her Hunter Watch detect him as a creature? She glances down at it in alarm, unsure if she should be on the alert. Is she too exhausted that she may have heard wrongly?
Emerging in the clearing and closing the distance to her, the entity she assaulted unveils its true form, prompting a sharp exhale as she discerns it's not human but possibly a vampire, given its elongated ears and sharp teeth. The aura he is eluding is enough to keep her wary and on her toes.
Aurelia's gaze remains fixed on the approaching figure, her senses alert and the glow of flames dancing in her right hand. She maintains a poised stillness, withholding the urge to strike.
As he steadily advances, his movements possess a certain grace, almost fluid in their ease. Eventually, he reaches her, and they are locked in a gaze, a silent exchange of scrutiny and curiosity unfolding between them in the subdued light.
"Hello there, lovely," he greets softly, his voice a mix of allure and lust. His dark eyes rove around her, noting her pain. "I see you're injured. Humans are very prone to injury. Did that creature set you off and made you attack me?"
"My watch detected you as an enemy," she whispers and lets her flame disappear, letting herself sink onto the ground. She closes her eyes, the pain overwhelming her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you."
The vampire smiles, showing off his fangs and confirming to her that he is indeed a vampiric being. He closes the distance between them. "I'm sure you are, my sweet," he says softly and touches her cheek. "You are injured, I think you have a couple of broken ribs. Do you want me to heal you?"
She shakes her head and pulls his hand off her. "You should leave," she says and gets up again, hiding the pain away from the stranger. "This place is dangerous. We haven't cleared the rest of the creatures. One might come soon. I'm too injured to protect you from harm."
Ignoring the dark vampire watching her with a steady smile, Aurelia tests the range of movement on her body and deems it possible for her to leave the forested area unscathed. She nods at the vampire and prepares to leave, hiding the pain from showing on her face as she walks.
Zayne is going to have a fantastic time lecturing her.
As Aurelia moves to leave, a sudden force jerks her backward, ensnaring her within the grasp of the vampiric being. Startled, she stiffens, her muscles coiling in resistance as she struggles against his powerful hold. A frustrated groan escapes her lips, echoing the tumult of emotions raging within her as she grapples with the unexpected turn of events.
"What are you -"
"Shush, I will heal you," he says. "It does not bode me well that I am allowing a pretty human girl to leave my presence injured."
"I don't need your pity," she growls.
He shushes her again and covers her eyes, pulling her head back to expose her neck, allowing his magic to flow through her. He grins when he hears her growling curses at him and she stops moving as she feels his magic healing her. Vampire magic heals painfully as she lets out a grunt as they fix her ribs.
Once that is complete, he releases her and she whirls around to grab his throat, a vicious look on her face as she glares at him. She has a hold of his larynx but then he lets out a moan instead; his eyes twinkling with excitement and lust which irks her so that she lets him go. However, he grabs her wrist and puts her hand back to where it belongs - a lovely necklace for him.
He squeezes her hand which in turn squeezes his throat, and he lets out a moan. His head rolled back to reveal the depth of his flamed tattoos. She can burn him, she can crush him. He is completely at her mercy. She can see him writhe, his body shivering and she watches him, committing his act to memory.
"You're a depraved being."
"Just for you, my sweet," he whispers. His dark eyes were full of lust for her, his forked tongue licking his lips and he bared his fangs at her. "Tell me your name, for I shall entwine with mine forever."
Aurelia sighs and lets him go, taking a step back to look at the vampire wearily. She has little experience in dealing with such creatures. The vampire stands at least six feet tall, lean, and wiry. He's dressed in all black; with the collars opened to reveal a pale chiseled chest. He stares at her as if she created the moon and stars.
His eyes are dark, and so is his hair. They grow past his eyes which frames his face messily but it adds an edgy flair to it. On his ears are a pair of dangly earrings and more on the left one. Lastly, what caught her eye first was the fact that he had black flames tattooed along his jawline and down his neck. Some of the wispy flames go up to his cheek and chin.
"You should go," she says softly.
"I won't leave until I have your name."
She sighs. The headache is pounding so hard she can feel it against her right eye, affecting her vision. Another male. Another drama. Another problem. Will this one be helpful or strain herself more? She rather not reveal her name, especially to a vampire but she knows he will not leave if she doesn't do as he asks.
"It's Aurelia," she says and pauses. "And you are?"
His demeanor changes slightly when she asks him for his name but it disappears a second after. It is a quick flick of emotion but Aurelia catches it, which makes her question if she is missing something.
"I am Damien, the Dark One," he introduces with a flourish and smiles. "It's my pleasure to meet you. Under the moonlight, this must be our fate."
"You speak in riddles."
"And you shall be mine."
She looks at him with mirth. This one will strain her more - another obsessive being. "I belong to no one but myself," she says flatly. "You need to leave. This is a dangerous place even for a being like you. No matter how powerful you are, this is no place for you to be wandering around."
"You're rather a feisty one, aren't you?" he asks and he takes her hand before pressing a kiss on it. "I like you. I will see you soon, Aurelia my sweet."
She sighs as he smiles sweetly at her, turning away to return to her bike parked outside. She feels unsettled as she sits by the curb to take a smoke break. Being owed a favor by a vampire doesn't sit well with her. Several things can happen if Damien is to enact that 'favor' on her.
This may not go well.