The forest had become a graveyard of shattered trees and smoking earth, but it was the girl bound before me that commanded attention. Elmenhilde Karnstein—vampire nobility reduced to this trembling, wide-eyed creature whose aristocratic mask had been stripped away like cheap paint.
Golden handprints blazed across her pale face like brands of damnation, each one pulsing with the promise of obliteration. The light they cast turned her red eyes into pools of liquid terror, and for the first time since this confrontation began, I felt a cold satisfaction settle in my chest. *Good. Let her know what it feels like to be powerless.*
Chastiefol's vines had wrapped around her with the inexorable patience of a python, binding her to the oak trunk with enough force to crack the bark. Valerie stood beside me, her grip on the Sacred Gear's base form steady despite the tremor I could detect in her breathing. She was holding up well, all things considered, but I could see the weight of what we'd just done pressing down on her shoulders.
I cleared my throat, the sound cutting through the forest's unnatural silence like a blade through silk. When I spoke, my voice carried the same casual indifference I'd use to discuss the weather—a deliberate choice that made Elmenhilde's eyes widen even further.
"Now then, shall we discuss how exactly your queen managed to track us down?"
Elmenhilde's jaw worked silently for a moment, pride and terror warring behind her eyes. When she finally found her voice, it carried all the defiance of a cornered animal. "Go to hell, you—"
The vines tightened with a sound like grinding stone, cutting off her words mid-syllable. I didn't even need to look at Valerie to know she'd understood the signal perfectly. *We work well together,* I noted with grim satisfaction. *That's going to be important for what's coming.*
I raised my right hand slowly, deliberately, letting golden light gather around my fingers like captured starfire. Elmenhilde's gaze fixed on those fingers with the horrified fascination of a mouse watching a serpent's approach.
"You see, I'm trying to be reasonable here," I said, my tone never shifting from that pleasant conversational cadence. "But my patience has limits, and you've already tested several of them tonight. One snap—just one—and those pretty little handprints become your funeral pyre. The explosion will be... comprehensive."
*Let her imagination fill in the details,* I thought, watching the color drain from her already pale features. *Fear of the unknown is always worse than fear of the known.*
But then I let my expression soften slightly, just enough to seem magnanimous. "However, I'm feeling generous tonight. Tell me what I want to know, and not only will you leave here intact, I'll even give you a message to deliver to your queen."
That caught her attention like a fishhook in flesh. Despite her terror, curiosity flickered in those crimson depths—the same fatal flaw that had probably gotten her into this mess in the first place.
"What... what kind of message?" she whispered.
I smiled, and from the way she flinched, I knew it wasn't a pleasant expression. "Oh, that depends entirely on how cooperative you decide to be. You want answers? Then start talking. Otherwise..." I flexed my fingers, and the golden light pulsed brighter.
*This is a gamble,* I realized, watching her internal struggle play out across her face. *If she calls my bluff, if she decides her pride is worth more than her life...* But no, I could see it in her eyes—the exact moment when survival instinct overcame aristocratic arrogance.
"Fine," she breathed, the word escaping like a confession torn from her soul. "I'll tell you what you want to know."
"Excellent." I lowered my hand but kept it visible, a constant reminder of her precarious situation. "Continue."
She took a shuddering breath, her gaze darting between Valerie and me before settling on some point in the darkness beyond us. "My queen received word about the massacre the same night it happened. Someone—something—had torn through the Tepes stronghold like a force of nature. When reports came in that Valerie Tepes had vanished the same night..."
"The timing was suspicious," I finished. "So she ordered a manhunt."
"Every major city, every country with a supernatural presence," Elmenhilde confirmed with a jerky nod. "The Carmilla faction has resources you can't imagine. Finding one runaway vampire was just a matter of time and manpower."
"And you drew the short straw for Japan," I observed.
"I volunteered," she said, and there was a flash of the old arrogance in her voice. "I thought it would be simple. Track down one frightened girl, deliver her to my queen, collect the reward."
*Simple.* The word sat bitter on my tongue. Nothing about Valerie's situation had ever been simple, and the casual way this creature spoke about her—like she was cargo to be collected—made my jaw clench.
"Tell me about this massacre," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "What exactly did your informants report?"
Elmenhilde's eyes found mine, and I saw recognition beginning to dawn like a terrible sunrise. "Golden armor that seemed to drink in light itself. Wings that cut through shadows like scythes. The killing was surgical, precise—whoever did it knew exactly what they were targeting."
*Here we go.* I felt that familiar surge of power as Incursio responded to my will, golden plates materializing around me like liquid metal given form. The armor settled into place with whisper-quiet precision, each component locking into position with the inevitability of fate itself. Behind me, the wing-like extensions spread wide, their edges gleaming with lethal promise in the moonlight filtering through the canopy.
Elmenhilde's reaction was everything I'd hoped for and more. Her face went from pale to translucent, her eyes widening until I could see white all around the crimson irises. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
"No... it can't be... you're just a human..."
"Am I?" The armor's systems lent a metallic undertone to my voice, transforming it into something that belonged in nightmares. "You came here hunting a prize for your queen. What you found instead was the monster who painted the Tepes stronghold red."
I could practically hear her worldview shattering like glass. This human—this insignificant, powerless human—was the thing that had single-handedly crippled an entire vampire faction. The logical part of her mind was probably screaming that it was impossible, while the evidence of her own eyes made denial futile.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why are you protecting her?"
"That," I said, dispelling the armor with a thought and returning to my human appearance, "is none of your concern." I gestured to Valerie, who immediately began loosening Chastiefol's restraints. "But here's what is your concern—the message I mentioned."
As the vines fell away, I kept my right hand raised, fingers poised to snap. Elmenhilde remained frozen against the tree trunk, too terrified to move.
"You're going to tell your queen that Valerie Tepes is under my protection. Not for sale, not for trade, not for negotiation. And if the Carmilla faction continues to make this my problem..." My smile turned absolutely predatory. "Well, let's just say I've already proven that vampire nobility bleeds just as red as everyone else."
The threat hung in the air like a sword over her head. I watched understanding dawn in her eyes—not just of what I was capable of, but of what I was promising to do if pushed.
"You're insane," she breathed. "You're declaring war on one of the most powerful factions in the supernatural world."
"No," I corrected, my voice calm as still water. "I'm explaining the consequences of declaring war on me."
*This is it,* I thought, watching her process the implications. *The moment where I either establish dominance or paint a target on all our backs.* But sometimes, the best defense was making it clear that offense would be too costly to contemplate.
Elmenhilde nodded frantically, her aristocratic composure completely shattered. "I'll tell her. I swear it on my bloodline, I'll deliver your message exactly as you said it."
"Good." I snapped the fingers of my left hand, and the golden handprints on her face faded like morning mist. "Now get out of my sight before I decide that leaving witnesses was a mistake."
She didn't need to be told twice. Her form dissolved into a swirling mass of bats that scattered into the night sky like dark confetti, their wingbeats fading until only the forest's natural sounds remained.
*And now we wait,* I thought, feeling the tension in my shoulders begin to unwind. *Either that message gets through and they back off, or I've just signed our death warrant.*
"Do you think it worked?" Valerie asked quietly, her voice small in the darkness.
I looked at her—really looked at her—and felt that familiar surge of protectiveness. She was trying to be strong, but I could see the fear lurking behind her golden eyes. The weight of being hunted, of being seen as nothing more than a prize to be claimed.
"In the supernatural world, power is the only currency that matters," I said, extending my hand to her. "I just made a very expensive deposit in that particular bank."
She took my hand without hesitation, her fingers intertwining with mine as naturally as breathing. "Come on," I added with a grin that I hoped looked more confident than I felt. "It's getting dark, and honestly? I'm not in the mood to fight any more vampires tonight."
*Not unless they bring an army,* I thought grimly as we began the walk home through the forest. *And even then...*
---
My room felt too small, too quiet after the violence and chaos of the evening. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring out at the star-scattered sky while my mind raced through possibilities and contingencies like a caged animal.
*Did I make the right call?* The question had been eating at me since we'd returned home, through Asia's carefully normal dinner conversation, through the routine of washing up and pretending everything was fine. By revealing my identity to Elmenhilde, I'd essentially announced to the supernatural world that the massacre at the Tepes stronghold hadn't been some mysterious force of nature—it had been me.
*The Carmilla and Tepes factions have been at each other's throats,* I reasoned, running a hand through my hair in frustration. *But faced with a common enemy—someone who proved capable of systematic extermination—would they set aside their differences?* The possibility of those two groups joining forces against me was enough to make my stomach churn with acid.
*Stop,* I told myself firmly. *You're borrowing trouble from tomorrow. Cross that bridge when you come to it.*
A familiar blue screen materialized in the air before me, its soft glow cutting through the darkness like a slice of digital dawn. Right—the Rank 3 gacha ticket I'd earned for defeating Elmenhilde. Might as well see what fate had decided to grant me this time.
I activated the ticket with a mental command and watched the screen fill with swirling colors before finally settling on its reward: **Bungee Gum (Hunter x Hunter) - A substance with the properties of both rubber and gum that can be manipulated at will.**
*Hisoka's signature ability.* A slow smile spread across my face as I held up my hand and concentrated. A translucent, pinkish substance began to ooze from my palm, stretching and contracting as I manipulated it with my thoughts. The applications were immediately obvious—binding, weapon creation, trap setting, the versatility was impressive.
I shaped the Bungee Gum into a thin strand and attached one end to my desk, then stretched it across the room before letting it snap back with satisfying elasticity.
"Not bad," I murmured, dispelling the substance with a thought. "Tonight's scuffle didn't go in vain after all."
A soft knock at my door interrupted my experimentation. "Come in," I called, expecting Asia with some late-night question.
Instead, Valerie slipped through the doorway, closing it softly behind her. She was still in her casual clothes from dinner, but something in her posture—the way she held herself, the uncertainty in her movements—suggested she hadn't found sleep any more than I had.
"What's wrong?" I asked, concern sharpening my voice. It wasn't like her to seek me out this late unless something was seriously bothering her.
She moved further into the room, moonlight from my window catching in her golden hair and turning it silver. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Elmenhilde's face. Kept hearing her talk about how more of them would come. How this is all because of me."
*There it is.* The guilt I'd been watching build in her eyes all evening, the weight of responsibility she'd been carrying like a stone in her chest. I was across the room and in front of her before I'd consciously decided to move, my hands coming to rest gently on her shoulders.
"Look at me," I said softly but firmly. "This is not your fault."
Those golden eyes, usually so bright and determined, were swimming with unshed tears that caught the moonlight like captured stars. The sight hit me like a physical blow, made something fierce and protective rear up in my chest.
"You didn't choose to be born into vampire nobility," I continued, my voice carrying absolute conviction. "You didn't choose to inherit the Sephiroth Graal. And you sure as hell didn't choose to be hunted like some prize in a cosmic game you never agreed to play."
"But if I wasn't here—" she began.
"If you weren't here, you'd be dead or enslaved," I cut her off. "And I'd be..." I paused, struck by the sudden realization of how empty my life had been before she'd stumbled into it. "I'd be missing something I didn't even know I needed."
That earned me a watery smile, which I counted as a victory. I guided her to sit on the edge of my bed, settling beside her close enough that our shoulders touched. The contact seemed to calm her, some of the tension leaving her frame.
"Valerie," I said, turning to face her fully. "What happened tonight wasn't about you being some burden I have to carry. It was about protecting someone who matters to me."
Her eyes widened at my words, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. "Akira..."
"I'm not going anywhere," I continued, my voice steady as bedrock. "As long as I draw breath, no one—not the Carmilla faction, not what's left of the Tepes, not anyone—is going to hurt you. That's not a promise. That's a fact."
We sat in comfortable silence, the moonlight painting everything in silver and shadow. I could feel something shifting between us, some invisible barrier that had been carefully maintained beginning to crack like ice under spring warmth.
"When you told Elmenhilde that I belonged to you," Valerie said quietly, her voice carrying a note I'd never heard before, "part of me... part of me felt relieved and in peace"
The admission hung in the air between us like a confession, heavy with implications that made my heart skip a beat. I found myself leaning closer, drawn by some invisible force that seemed to emanate from her very presence.
"Valerie," I said, her name coming out rougher than I'd intended.
"I know what we are," she whispered, her golden eyes searching mine. "I know we're friends, and I don't want to ruin that. But tonight, when I thought I might lose you to that fight..."
She didn't need to finish. I could see it in her eyes, could feel it in the way her hand had somehow found its way to rest against my chest, right over my heart where it hammered against my ribs like a caged bird.
*The smart thing would be to step back,* I thought, even as my hand came up to cup her cheek. *To maintain boundaries, to keep things simple.*
But as I looked at her—really looked at her, seeing not just the powerful Sacred Gear wielder or the runaway vampire heiress, but the brave, kind, beautiful girl who had somehow become the center of my world—I realized that smart was the last thing I wanted to be.
"You could never ruin anything," I said softly, my thumb brushing across her cheekbone. "If anything, you've made everything worth fighting for."
The distance between us disappeared as she leaned into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed for just a moment before opening again to meet mine.
In that moment, surrounded by moonlight and the lingering echoes of violence, something precious and fragile began to bloom between us.
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