I traced the blade along my finger, letting a bead of blood pool before it dropped onto the cobblestones.
The air thrummed with tension, and I knew the vampires wouldn't wait long.
Just as the crimson droplet splattered, one of them darted toward me, fangs bared, claws outstretched.
Fast. But not fast enough.
I sidestepped, slashing my blade across his back. He froze mid-lunge, his body unraveling into ash as the silver severed his spine.
"One down," I muttered.
Three more surged toward me, their movements blurring with supernatural speed.
As they closed the distance, two broke away and seized the baby, clutching it between them as they took off into the mist.
My heart lurched, but I couldn't afford hesitation.
Raising my sword, I carved an arc in the air, channeling the blood that lingered on its edge.
The crimson energy slashed through the advancing trio, reducing two to dust while the last stumbled back, a gaping wound blossoming across his chest.
"Move," I growled, stepping forward.
He hesitated, his glowing red eyes flicking to the child in the distance. I didn't give him the chance to make a decision.
With a swift motion, my blade pierced his heart, the hiss of ash signaling his end.
The two carrying the baby had almost disappeared into the mist, their footsteps echoing faintly.
Gritting my teeth, I lunged, my feet pounding against the damp cobblestones as I closed the gap.
The remaining vampires, little more than fodder, swarmed to block my path.
"Annoying," I spat, slashing the air again. Blood magic surged from the blade, a crescent wave cleaving through the horde. Screeches filled the air as more bodies disintegrated into nothing.
I broke through, my hand reaching for the vampires just as they rounded a corner.
"Not so fast!"
One turned, his pale face twisted in fury as he hurled the child at me like a missile. My heart stopped, but my reflexes didn't.
I dove, catching the baby just before it hit the ground.
The remaining vampire hissed, his claws aimed for my throat.
Holding the baby in one arm, I twisted, driving my blade upward with the other.
The silver pierced his chest, and he disintegrated in a howl of fury.
Cradling the child, I straightened, brushing off the black blanket wrapped around its tiny form.
The baby blinked up at me, its mismatched eyes—a golden orb and a deep crimson one—staring with an unnerving clarity.
The halo above its head shimmered faintly, casting a soft light in the mist.
"Strange kid," I muttered, shifting the blanket more securely.
A thunderous sound split the air.
I looked up as a figure descended from the stormy skies, her presence commanding and radiant.
Golden light rippled around her as she landed, the force of her arrival sending cracks spidering through the stone beneath her feet.
Her wings—massive and white, tinged with streaks of gold—folded behind her, and her piercing green eyes locked onto mine.
The angel was beautiful, ethereal in a way that made the world seem dull in comparison.
Her skin glowed like polished marble, and her cascading auburn hair shimmered even in the gloom.
She wore armor that seemed forged from starlight itself, its surface etched with runes that pulsed faintly.
"You," she said, her voice a melodic blend of disdain and authority. "You are no hero."
"Never claimed to be," I replied, adjusting my grip on the baby.
She took a step forward, her gaze sharp. "You've cheated death, hunter. Stolen lives that were not yours to take. You are an abomination in your own right."
"Nice to meet you too," I said, rolling my eyes. "Here's your kid. Now, if you don't mind—"
"You're not listening." Her voice hardened, and the faint glow of her halo intensified. "The next time you die, it will be the last. No miracles. No blood magic. Nothing will save you."
"Sounds like a you problem." I smirked, holding the baby out. "Take your kid. When you see your partner, tell him he'll see me in hell."
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she reached for the child, carefully taking it from my arms.
"You misunderstand your place," she said, handing me a small golden coin etched with angelic symbols. "You're fortunate I'm bound by higher laws. Were it not for that, I'd retrieve my child myself and rid this world of you."
I studied the coin, flipping it between my fingers. "Lucky me," I said dryly.
Her wings unfurled, a single beat stirring the air around us. "Be gone, hunter. Your presence taints this city."
"Don't have to tell me twice." I turned on my heel, slipping the coin into my pocket. "You're welcome, by the way."
***
Later, I found the trio of girls near the edge of the city, lounging against a flickering streetlamp.
"Told you the city wasn't gonna blow up," I said, adjusting my jacket.
The tallest one arched a brow, her skepticism palpable. "Did you even do anything?"
"Turns out my prey wasn't here," I replied with a shrug. "So you're lucky I didn't have to burn the whole place down looking for him."
The shortest girl snorted. "You're delusional."
"Absolutely," added the third, crossing her arms as if she were the arbiter of all logic.
I sighed, shaking my head as I walked past them. "Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "Guess I'll see you around—if you survive, that is."
Their muttering followed me for a moment, but I tuned it out.
The city of Lamperouge faded into the distance, swallowed by the red mist of death and corruption.
I hated that damned place.
Lamperouge wasn't just a city—it was a tomb.
Every soul within it was already dead, trapped in a liminal state between life and the grave.
The vampires had been feeding off that spectral energy, parasites clinging to the remnants of human misery.
It was almost poetic, in the most morbid way possible.
Still, part of me was relieved my target hadn't been there. I wouldn't have minded killing him, but I would've hated wasting time in that rotting hellhole.
I glanced back one last time, the crimson mist curling like ghostly fingers over the horizon.
Pulling my watch from my pocket, I flipped it open. The hands were frozen at the fourteenth hour. Not a second of real time had passed in that forsaken place.
"Guess I didn't age," I muttered with a wry grin. "Can't go wasting my youth—not when the job's just beginning."
The road ahead stretched endlessly, rough and empty.
My boots stirred up dust as I started walking, but the weight of my curse began to settle over me again.
I have to hope that on mornings break I wont burst into pain but I doubt it.
That damned curse all I did was slaughter one little demon and now every start to each month I am filled with all the pain of that last.
And even more so it works even if I don't have any pain to give meaning that it makes up pain from nothing.
And it doesnt help that I'm going to have to kill someone strong, someone threating the kingdom.
The kingdom wasn't helping matters, either. I was a wanted man, a fugitive with a bounty on my head.
Now, on top of everything else, the Originals were involved.
Asmodai. That freakish bastard and his equally terrifying siblings.
They were some of the most ancient and dangerous creatures in existence.
Not counting the Outer Gods, angels, demons—and me, of course.
I chuckled bitterly at the thought, my breath visible in the chilly night air.
Asmodai had something I needed, something only an Original could provide: true immortality.
But that wasn't the immediate goal. No, I had a long journey ahead of me now.
Pulling out a crumpled map, I traced the route with my finger, settling on a single destination. La Ciudad del Vacío.
The capital of this wretched kingdom. Its name was a sick joke—it translated to "The City of the Void," and from everything I'd heard, it lived up to that title.
A massive, sprawling metropolis where power corrupted absolutely and the line between the living and the damned blurred.
It wasn't a place anyone went willingly, but it was where I needed to be.
The kingdom's heartbeat—and likely the next clue in this endless hunt.
The road would be long, at least a week of traveling, and full of obstacles. But that didn't matter.
The capital was where the game continued, where the next piece of the puzzle lay waiting.
I stared at the map one last time before folding it and slipping it into my jacket.
The dirt road ahead seemed to stretch forever, rough and unkind. But that's life.
"Here's to another week of hell," I muttered, shoving my hands into my pockets as I started walking.
The reason I was being hunted was simple. Stripped of context, anyone might think I deserved it.
An entire town was destroyed—completely erased. That town had children, mothers, fathers, students, scholars. Lives snuffed out like candles in a storm.
I awakened my Spectral Soul during my ninth resurrection and gained magical ability. The price?
Everyone within a three-hundred-mile radius. Gone.
It was my fault. I died chasing my target, and when I came back, I brought with me a power too vast to control.
But once I reach a certain level of strength, this kingdom will forget all about that. Power always rewrites history.
Of course, not just anyone can be tasked with killing me. I'm a hunter—no, more than that. I'm the best hunter in the entire world.
That's why, the moment I left Lamparouge, I knew someone was following me.
And yet, I didn't confront them. Not yet. The one trailing me was someone I could beat.
Just not someone I wanted to.
With a bounty of over one million gold coins, it doesn't matter how strong you are.
Even the weakest warriors, old friends, and—most dangerous of all—family will come for you.
I took another step down the dirt road, hoping she would understand the futility of this chase. The gap between us wasn't something she could close.
Even without unlocking my magical ability, and while fighting with just a single life, I had beaten her over ten times.
But Roniel, my foolish little sister, wasn't one to back down. She was greedy, ruthless, and without a shred of morality—just like me.
The next step I took brought me face-to-face with her.
She stood just a few feet away, her amber eyes locked onto mine, cold and calculating.
"Brother," she said, her tone light yet cutting, "you've got quite the bounty on your head. You know, I could use that if I ever wanted to retire."
I sighed. "Dear little sister, must you wish death upon yourself? You didn't even bring backup."
She smirked, flicking back her long black hair.
Her coat—a black puffer with golden fur trim—looked expensive, as always.
The silver katana at her side gleamed, the faint chill of its magic making the air around her colder.
Roniel had changed since the last time I saw her.
She still carried that silver blade, but her powers had grown.
Ice magic radiated from her, each step leaving frost patterns on the ground. Worse, she could halt all movement with a single touch.
In short, if I got hit once, I was dead.
She reached into her pocket, pulling out a silver coin. She flipped it into the air, her eyes following its arc.
"Raviel," she said with a cruel smile, "you did a bad thing. Once this coin hits the ground, your head will roll."
"Roniel, you're arrogant if you think that," I said, meeting her gaze.
The coin never made it to the ground.
Heh, my sister has always been an impatient bastard. As children, we used to fight over who would bathe first.
She used to bind me with rope just to get to it before me.
Before the coin could finish its descent, she moved. Her katana was already in her hand, a blur of silver and frost as she aimed for my throat.
So cold.
To think we share the same blood, yet she's capable of such heartless actions.
Truly, blood binds her no longer. Morality and kindness are gone. She was blinded by greed.
And now, she wishes to harm me.