Since the hotel didn't have suites, Kai Adler and Hermione booked two adjacent single rooms.
"I'm going to get some sleep. Come wake me when it's time for dinner," Kai said casually.
In the hotel corridor, a cleaner pushed a service cart past. Kai politely stepped aside, holding the door open for Hermione and yawning in a tired, gentlemanly fashion.
Seeing his exhausted expression, Hermione raised an eyebrow, her small face expressionless.
An hour until dinner? What kind of nap are you sneaking in?
Hmph, keep playing your little act. She decided to cooperate and play along.
"Oh."
Click—the door in front of him closed.
Kai shook his head helplessly and opened the door to his own room next door. As he stepped inside, he casually glanced back.
Both doors were shut. The cleaner slowly pushed her cart down the corridor, humming softly, disappearing around the corner. The hallway returned to silence.
Moments later, the air in the corridor rippled faintly. A figure materialized out of thin air—it was Oka.
His eyes narrowed at Kai Adler's door, flashing with uncertainty.
All day, he had been tailing the pair, waiting for the right moment to strike. But the two brats seemed tireless, wandering around Alexandria after disembarking. Worse, they always chose crowded places with nowhere secluded.
All Oka could do was trail behind, watching the two enjoy food, drinks, and their insufferable flirtations, pink bubbles practically floating around them, souring his mood as a bitter, older single man.
Keeping up was exhausting. Dodging the Aurors hunting him down made it worse.
A few days ago, he had been a respected pure-blood Wizard from the Eber Family, still feared and influential across Europe. But now? Squatting outside a Muggle airport for three days, mistaken for a vagrant by clueless mortals, led to this city, and still hounded by Ministry agents.
His humiliation fermented into hatred toward Kai Adler.
He knew why the family head wanted the boy dead—the death of the family head's daughter at the hands of Grindelwald. But for Oka, it had become personal.
A quick Killing Curse wasn't enough. He wanted Kai to suffer—bleed, beg, and die slowly.
It must be said: most steeped in Black Magic carry a certain madness. Oka, after failing to find Kai, had taken his frustration out on random Muggles, even those showing him kindness. Twisted cruelty came naturally to him.
Kai Adler? The boy didn't even know he existed—yet Oka's hatred burned.
But as he approached the door, doubt crept in. That glance… before Kai entered the room. Those eyes—dark, sharp—had locked onto his position.
Despite casting a Disillusionment Charm, it felt as though the brat saw him.
Even now, Oka couldn't shake the image of those ink-black eyes—smirking, mocking him.
Did he see through my Disillusionment Charm? Impossible.
Even if the boy carried powerful bloodlines, even if he was a prodigy, he was only twelve. No child could pierce through an adult Wizard's concealment magic. Ludicrous.
Heh, just a kid.
Time to act. A private hotel room—quiet, secluded—the perfect place.
But he approached cautiously, wand in hand, pressing his ear to the door.
Silence.
Remembering Hermione's earlier words—Kai was supposedly asleep.
With practiced ease, Oka flicked his wand. Click—the lock disengaged.
Carefully, he pushed open the door, mindful not to make a sound.
But fate intervened—the cleaner returned, cart wheels rattling, humming softly as she rounded the corner.
Unwilling to risk exposure, Oka reacted swiftly, slipping inside the room in one agile motion that defied his age.
Paranoid over a brat and a Muggle, he mocked himself silently, but froze mid-thought.
His gaze met a pair of cool, dark eyes.
Kai Adler sat cross-legged, sipping tea, completely unsurprised by Oka's sudden entrance.
"First time meeting," Kai greeted with faint amusement. "What can I do for you?"
Meanwhile, in the hotel's basement…
The door was sealed tight—no light crept in. The room was enveloped in pitch blackness.
"Erica, when will our food get here?" a man's weak voice rasped in the darkness, strained, still recovering from serious injury.
"Relax. I've already contacted the kin. They'll handle it," Erica replied, her voice sultry yet composed.
"Damn it… food's everywhere outside," the man grumbled bitterly.
"Shut up if you don't want to die, Daniel," Erica snapped, crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "You know what mess that lunatic caused here. The place is crawling with Wizards. Step outside, and you'll get roasted."
"Fxxk…"
Daniel cursed under his breath, groaning as he lay back, clearly in pain. "I don't know where that kinsman monster came from. We're all Vampires, but his speed—damn—you can't even see it."
"Even if the Elder himself came—"
"Shut it."
A cold, commanding female voice silenced him. Daniel realized his mistake, biting back further complaints.
"Ohh, our glorious operations commander speaks at last," Erica teased with biting sarcasm.
The one called Selene, unamused, glanced at her. "I've updated Klein."
"What did he say?" At the mention of Klein, even Erica's mockery faded.
"If brute force can't handle this… we seek outside help," Selene stated plainly, her beautiful eyes glowing blood-red.
"Outside help?" Skepticism rippled through the gathered Vampires.
"Yes," Selene confirmed. "Klein's old contact—a Black Wizard family he trusts. Conveniently, a Wizard from the Eber family is here on business."
"When the sun sets, I'll reach out."
"Wizards?" Disbelief spread among the Vampires.
Wizards were a contradiction—unpredictably powerful, yet physically frail. A prepared Wizard could obliterate several Vampires… but unprepared, even the strongest fell easily.
Given the speed and terrifying strength of that strange "kinsman" outside… could Wizards truly be their salvation?