His return to office was as uncomfortable as he expected it to be. Most stayed away from him. In the inevitable circumstance that they had to see him, they forced a smile that he could spot as fake from a mile away. While no one dared to utter a word about his change directly to him, there were hushed whispers in his wake. He didn’t blame anyone. After all, he too was sceptical of the dark races. He still was, even though he was turned into one.

The one who turned him could have killed him as easily. In fact, that seemed to be his objective in the beginning. What changed and why he chose to make him a Vampire instead was still a mystery to the Knight. Maybe he thought Haru would be shunned by the Knights and will be forced to join his coven if he turned him. Alas, that wasn’t the case. The Rune Knight might hate what he had become, but he had to admit that Vampires were magnificent and powerful. There was a grudging admiration towards the new abilities that his turning had brought about. While it had forced him into working alone, it had also made his missions much easier.

In his heart, Haru was still a human. He saw the recent changes within him as an alien force that clawed its way in; like it was something that he could fight back and banish. He was still in the phase of denial.

WC: 249
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 10290/12000

Whether he would continue to fight this and find a way to return to his old self, or accept what he had become, was yet to be demystified. Irrespective, he knew what he wanted. Human or Vampire, his allegiance lay with the Knights and his purpose was to defend Earthland’s inhabitants.

Even if he had to do it alone—without Akira or Kazimir at his side—he would keep at it relentlessly.

The rise in the number of demonic rifts opening up in Fiore had emboldened some of the cults. One group, in particular, was becoming more than just a nuisance. There have been sightings of mutilated dead bodies, arranged to form peculiar symbols, with strange runic markings seared into their flesh. The coroner mage had noted in the report that these markings were burnt on them before their death. There were more gory details in there, but this one fact was enough to get Haru’s blood boiling.

The newly turned Vampire had also been hungry lately. This was a wonderful opportunity. This cult’s most recent activity was deep in the Orchidian forest and Haru had already planned on secluding himself there for the weekend, hoping to feed off the animals. He remembered the bloodlust when he woke up for the first time after the conversion. The Knight knew he wouldn’t be able to discriminate between animals and humans if he ever got that way within the civilization. So, he had been careful enough to isolate himself consistently whenever he began to feel that inevitable urge.

WC: 254
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 10544/12000

The dense forest was the best hunting grounds he could have asked for. The sheer number of thick tree trunks offered plenty of cover. That, coupled with his absolute silence when he moved, ensured no one—neither the cultists nor the animals—had an inkling of his presence. There were creatures that could be alerted to his presence through their extraordinary sense of smell. Haru was smart enough to avoid getting too close to any of those.

The plan was simple. Sneak past whatever scouts or lookouts the cultists had, follow their trail and get to whatever hellhole of a cave they were hiding in. These crazed lunatics were far more in number than he anticipated. But that wasn’t going to stop him. Besides, with that many lookouts forming a perimeter, they made their base location quite obvious. Typically, protected things were at the centre of the protective circle.

Haru just had to find a gap in the perimeter. A tiny moment where he could slip past without getting caught in anyone’s field of vision. This was a little bit more difficult than he anticipated. They lookouts were well organized, and their patrolling path were perfectly coordinated to ensure there were no gaps in their vision. He was surprised to find a mere bunch of vagabonds to be this efficient. He almost gave up on sneaking and was about to just blast through. As he stood there behind a tree, peeking and contemplating his next move, he finally got his break.

A small group of cultists from within the circle walked towards the edge. “We have her cornered. Come with me,” the leader bellowed. Immediately, three of the nearest lookouts broke formation and joined the group. Haru was concerned. He wondered who it was that they had cornered. Now, he had even more reason to hurry it up. He waited for the entire group to turn their back to him, and immediately dashed ahead, entering the circle.

WC: 325
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 10869/12000

He followed the group. They seemed to be in a hurry and were completely oblivious to his presence, making it very easy for him to tail them without being spotted. He could see that the ones at the back of the group were conversing—updating the lookout on what was all the commotion about. Haru couldn’t hear them clearly. He didn’t dare get close enough to listen. Now, that would be way too cocky. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be able to handle this sorry bunch if he blew his cover. Just that he didn’t want to break their party until he knew who it was that they had cornered and why they were so excited about it.

After a short while, they were in the vicinity of a rather peculiar rock formation. Shaped somewhat similar to a right-angled pyramid, it was surrounded by dozens of cultists. The group Haru was following merged into the crowd. The Vampire Knight hung back, scanning the crowd, peeking through the small gaps to see where their victim was. He had no luck from where he stood, and he tried moving to a different spot.

The cultists seemed to have crowded all around their target like a pack of jackals; he couldn’t see no matter how much he skirted around. The only little glimpse he got was that of a… wing? He wasn’t sure if he really saw it or if it was just a trick of the light.

He soon realized he didn’t need to see who it was. Looking up, he noticed that the large rock was jagged on the steep end, but smooth on the incline—like a natural ramp. At the top of the rock was an altar with runic carvings very similar to that sketched in the reports he had received. He knew what was about to happen—no, what was not about to happen on his watch.

Two of the cultists had already begun dragging the sacrifice up the ramp. It was only when they had already dragged her half-way up the rock did he notice the familiar orb hovering over her. This was the first time he was seeing her spread her Nephilim wings; so that caught him off guard. But even if he could only see her back, there was no mistaking who it was—especially with that infamous glowing headgear.

His urgency simmered down. There was no freaking way Akira Shimada—the prodigal ex-Captain-Commander—got outwitted by this bunch of nitwits. He walked up to the group, stood behind the cultist at the outermost edge and calmly posed a question. “What’s happening?” The cultist didn’t even turn to see who was asking the question. He was standing on his toes, trying to get a better look at the ritual. Assuming it was a fellow member asking, he answered callously, “We finally got a powerful Nephilim. Sacrificing her should definitely open a huge rift.”

Haru scoffed. Hearing that, the cultist who answered his question turned to see who it was. Crack. Before his eyes could widen in shock upon realizing it was no cultist he was speaking to, his neck was twisted and he fell to the ground lifeless. No one noticed. They were still busy gawking at the winged beauty.

WC: 545
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 11414/12000

His amused expression turned into a frown when he saw the men dragging her like she was a plaything. He wasn’t sure why she was letting them do this. He knew she could turn them all into a ragdoll if she wished, in a split second. His eyes fell upon the thing that restrained her arms. Rope. Just plain old rope. He sensed no magical energy within it. So, it was not preventing her from casting her spells.

He had no idea why she allowed it; but he couldn’t watch her be humiliated this way. Parting the left side of his cloak away from his body slightly with one hand, he extended his other arm outwards. The hilt he had tucked under his belt flew to him. He pressed the button to activate the glowing blue blade.

Show time!

He was silent, but his lightsabre wasn’t. The hum and glow of his sword finally caught the attention of the cultists ahead of him. They turned to see what was causing the buzzing sound. But it was already too late. Haru cut a path through the crowd like butter. He was way too fast for the bunch. In a flurry of blue, he was at the base of the rock. The older men had already tied her up. Haru watched one of them point his staff at the pyre. A red bolt shot ahead from the staff, lighting the pyre.

She began screaming. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the theatrics. Maybe he would have believed the act if he didn’t know what her orb did.

He hadn’t killed everyone in the crowd below; just enough to make his way to the pyre. The rest finally gathered their bearings and came at him. The majority seemed to be casters. Pity. They kept throwing spells towards where Haru was and they all disappeared the moment they neared him. He slowly walked up the ramp towards where Akira was ‘burning’. The man who lit the fire sent a couple of spells towards Haru. When he realized his spells just vanished before reaching the Vampire Knight, he jumped off the rock. The other one wasn’t brave enough to jump; he met the glowing blade instead.

Once he was close enough to the fire, it was even more apparent that it was all an act. Her robes had burned off. She was unscathed. He put out the magical fire with his nullification.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

WC: 420
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 11834/12000

Even after seeing him, she continued screaming. But there was a subtle change in the pitch; he reckoned she was screaming for real this time, out of shock. She must not have expected him there, just as he didn’t expect her. Despite the seriousness of the situation, his lips curled into a slight smirk. She didn’t answer his question, but began tugging at his cloak. He resisted the first time—just to tease her—but allowed it come loose the second time. She needed that more than he did; especially because he wasn’t the only one in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, some of the cultists had mustered the courage to charge at them. He felt Akira’s spells shoot forward, tossing them up in the air like popping corn. One of them was thrown straight towards where Haru was. The swordsman didn’t hold up the sabre—he slashed. He was too close and must have seen things he shouldn’t have. Haru didn’t want to risk leaving him alive.

He could guess why she was here. These lunatics were trying to summon demons. An act that her new boss wouldn’t approve of, surely. He wanted to ask if she was here under his command, but refrained from it. He knew his words would divulge his irk against her decision, and he didn’t want to let it show. For some reason, he felt like he needed to show her that the faction she left doesn’t really need her—even if he knew that was a lie. Maybe, he was partially guilty of Kazimir’s allegation. He does have an attachment to the Rune Knights. However, thankfully, flawed as it is, the faction is yet to give him a real reason to give up on it.

After giving her the cloak, he dashed away to clean up the rest of the imbeciles around. These cretins posed no challenge. He danced around them lazily and was pre-occupied with the consequences of this event. How would the news spread throughout the town? He could already see it. ‘The Rune Knights and the Inquisition join hands for the fight against the demons.’ An association that, perhaps, neither side wished for. He felt four targets behind him; three small ones and a bigger fourth, which was knocking the smaller ones towards him. He sighed, resigning himself to the flow of fate.

Even before he turned, he knew the larger target was a spell. He nulled it the moment it was in his range. With a swift flick of his wrist, he pointed the blade backwards and hit the cultist that was flying straight towards him. The other two fell to his sides, one on each. For a moment they were happy that they were crushed to their death by some invisible force. But that didn’t last long. When they saw Haru pull the blade out from their friend, they knew their fate was sealed.

It took a bit longer than expected to clean up properly. Some of the smart ones—or cowardly ones—knew they stood no chance and began running. They couldn’t run far though. Finally, when it was done, he walked back to where Akira was.

Here comes the awkward part.

WC: 533
Training Nullification (D-S)
Total WC: 12376/12000

He didn’t plan on teasing her any longer. But that glare ensured he didn’t even think about it. He let her have his cloak and continued to clear the area. The rift was never a risk. Assuming these idiots managed to actually perform a legit ritual—which he doubted—it would require the Nephilim to actually burn. Her orb had ensured the fire didn’t even tickle her. Breathing in smoke was the biggest issue.

When all the cultists were down, either dead or crippled, he stood in front of her. It seemed neither of them had anything to say. She looked a tad uncomfortable. He assumed she was still prickly about his playful hesitation in giving up the cloak and decided not to question it. When she followed Nerva that day, he was afraid there will come a day when the two of them will have to stand against each other. That day may yet come, but it wasn’t today. She was here for the same reason as he was.

He could still technically ‘arrest’ her for taking justice into her own hands. He considered it. Not because he thought it was the right thing to do; but because he would keep her away from that dangerous man if he did that. He let out an audible sigh, realizing he was fantasizing. There was no way he could get himself to arrest Akira; not to mention, she was definitely not going to come quietly.

“I suppose we never met each other here? So, what’s it going to be? Inquisition took care of the cultists that the Knights were too lazy to deal with?” he asked. While he didn’t retaliate against their choices, it did make him a tad bit bitter and paranoid. Now, his brain instinctively taints all their actions with an ulterior motive.

There was a gentleness in her expression that turned rigid almost instantly after his mild accusation. He realized, despite everything, he still didn’t like seeing her unhappy. He instantly regretted saying what he did. She retaliated exactly the way he had expected her to. The Knight couldn’t help but smirk again as he watched her fold her hands and get defensive. “Right. Got here first, was about to be burned and saved by a Knight,” he said, his voice laced with humorous sarcasm. He had to press his tongue against the cheek to stop himself from grinning and giving up the act. But he was certain she must have already seen through it.

He missed her, but knew she was going to go away again. He wanted her, but not in the usual way. That second realization made him step back. I could pull away before it gets debilitating… And that was when he knew he needed to leave. “Er… Anyway… I should go. You can keep the cloak,” he said. It was a prized possession, but not worth enough to risk sinking his teeth into her—which was becoming a likelier possibility by the minute.

The more he tried not to think about it, the stronger the urge became. Perhaps it was because she was a Nephilim and the supernatural blood had its allure, or maybe it was because he was emotionally attached to her… or it was just plain hunger. He couldn’t tell. But the burning need had begun to cloud both his judgement and his vision. He had to go…

The onset was so sudden. While it wasn’t as bad as it was the first time he woke up as a Vampire, this urge was the second worst thing to that. He had to wonder if it was because of sheer amount of blood around him. Numerous cultists lay around them, some already dead, and several bleeding to their death. But, strangely, the burning desire was very particular. It was less about the need for any blood to sate his hunger, but the need for Akira’s.

She didn’t make matters easy. As he stepped away, she followed, closing the distance he put between them. Did she not realize the need for the distance, or did she know and not care? It didn’t matter. He had to find the strength to leave before he completely loses control. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Her getting so close to him—and the whispering—was enough to push him off the edge. He couldn’t care about anything else at that moment. Her blood was all that mattered.

In a swift embrace, he held her tightly against him as his teeth attempted to penetrate the side of her neck. Thankfully, he couldn’t succeed. An invisible force prevented his teeth from sinking into her skin. Of course! How could he forget that golden orb of hers? He broke away from her in a jerk of a motion, snapping out of his instinct. Without a word, he transformed into his raven form and flew away. Selfishly, he was glad she left his faction; after this, he wouldn’t have been able to face her every day.

-Exit-