Earlier,
The scent of fresh coffee mingled with the sharp tang of human presence, filling the air around me. I watched her move—graceful but unaware, her expression carrying the weight of a life that didn't quite fit. Triss Everlane. The girl I had been sent to observe.
She felt me watching. I saw it in the way she stole glances in my direction, the way her shoulders tensed ever so slightly. Her instincts were good. Better than they should be for someone who thought she was human.
I took another sip of my coffee, letting the warmth spread through me, not that I needed it. The sensation was comforting, a ghost of a habit I barely remembered from my years among mortals. It helped me blend in.
She was different from the others in this place. There was something about her, something just beneath the surface, waiting to be awakened.
My job was simple: observe, report, and intervene if necessary. But as I watched her, the doubt crept in. What if she wasn't just another assignment? What if she was more than even she knew?
Then, she turned. This time, she met my gaze head-on, a flicker of curiosity behind her brown eyes. Not fear, not unease.. just curiosity.
Interesting.
I smirked slightly and lifted my cup in silent acknowledgment. She then asked me if I needed anything else, to which I responded calmly.
She smiled and turned away, focusing back on her work. But that one moment had changed something. For both of us.
Then suddenly, a burly man in a black coat and hood walked into the cafe, interrupting our perfect chemistry. He had this lax but deadly demeanour, but his aura signature was that of a human. So I paid him no mind. I mean, what could he possibly do with me present. I could snap his neck before he could even get a chance to breathe.
He greeted me with a nod and I responded likewise. Then he walked over to the counter, got his coffee and left. Crisis averted, for him of course.
I spent a lot of hours in the cafe, reading, drinking coffee, acting normal and trying not to arouse suspicions. Though I would have a little bit of fun by smiling at Triss from time to time. It was so entertaining to see her pretend not to be smitten by me, even though I myself was clearly attracted by her beauty.
Staying in the cafe was fun and soon it was time to go, the night was setting in and the sun was almost gone. I contemplated speaking with the Triss but quickly threw the thought at the back of my mind. She was my mission, I couldn't afford to lose guard.
I let another minute pass before standing, leaving a few bills on the table. My eyes flicked toward her one last time, she was seemingly lost in thought. It was a cute sight to see. I exited the café, stepping into the cool London air. I had enough for today, enough to confirm that she was the right target.
I leaned against a nearby lamppost, pulling out my phone. With a quick swipe, I sent a message to the headquarters.
[Target identified. No immediate anomalies]
I exhaled and tucked the device away. Something told me it wouldn't be that simple.
As I turned to leave, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Triss had stepped outside, pulling her sweater tighter around her as she tossed the trash into the dumpster behind the café.
I was about to slip into the shadows when it happened. A shift in the air. A ripple, subtle but undeniable. My instincts flared.
Triss stiffened, glancing around. She felt it too.
"Damn it." I muttered under my breath
A shadow darted across the alleyway behind her. Fast. Too fast for a human.
I moved quickly
In the blink of an eye, I was at her side, my hand gripping her wrist as I pulled her back just as a figure lunged from the darkness. A blade flashed, missing her by inches. The attacker snarled, revealing fangs. It was a Vampire.
Triss gasped, stumbling against me. "Who are you? What's going on?" she exclaimed. Though I didn't know if she was asking me, or her assulter.
But I didn't have time to explain. The vampire lunged again, but I was faster. I twisted, delivering a precise kick to its chest, sending it crashing into the dumpster. Before it could recover, I summoned my blood aura, a crimson blade forming in my grasp.
"Stay behind me," I ordered Triss without looking back.
The vampire hissed, its crimson eyes locking onto mine, realization dawning. "You..."
I moved before it could finish, slashing through the air. The fight had just begun.
Triss's POV
I couldn't breathe.
One moment, I was taking out the trash like I did every evening. Regreting the fact that I lost the chance to speak properly with the red-haired guy. The next, some dark blur was coming at me, a sharp glint catching the dim alley light. Then a warm hand, firm and steady, pulled me back just in time.
Now I was frozen behind him, my back pressed against the rough brick wall of the café. I got a glimpse of his face, at the same time recognising his slicked-back red hair.
It was him. The guy from earlier, the same one I couldn't stop glancing at, the one I thought I would never see again. He stood between me and whatever had just tried to kill me.
His voice, deep and calm, echoed in my ears. "Stay behind me."
My heart was hammering. I barely registered what happened next. A crimson blade appeared in his grasp, out of nowhere. The attacker, a man with gleaming fangs and glowing red eyes, hissed like some kind of rabid animal before lunging again.
A madman? I thought at first. But that was an understatement. What insane person moves with such inhuman speed, grows fangs and has a great deal of bloodlust?
My eyes widened at the realization, standing in front of me was a creature that only existed in folklores and myths. A vampire.
This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. How could it be real? I spent years studying about some of these creatures in some cultures as topics, and all those while I thought they were mere fiction.
But I had no time to process. My saviour, the red haired guy, moved like a shadow, fluid and precise, dodging and countering with an ease that made it clear... This wasn't his first fight.
Then something strange happened.
A pulse. Deep in my chest. Like an unseen force unraveling inside me.
The air around me thickened, the shadows stretched. I felt something stir beneath my skin, a sensation both foreign and familiar.
Then the vampire turned its glowing eyes on me, and suddenly, I knew one thing; It was there solely for me and not just some coincidence.
"Ha! I was right all along. Someone is truly out to get me," I stated inwardly, not knowing if I was glad to be right. But I knew I was definitely getting filled with anxiety and pressure. And in the past few days, I've learnt that it's not a good thing for me to feel at all.
Heat surged through my veins, an electric current that made my skin tingle. My vision sharpened, and suddenly, everything around me felt... clearer. The alley was no longer just a dark, grimy space, it was alive with movement, sound, and energy.
"No, no! Please, not now," I pleaded to myself inwardly, something crazy was going to happen anytime soon. And it would be caused by me.
The vampire lunged at me, but before my mind could catch up, my body moved on instinct. I ducked, sidestepping with a speed I didn't know I had. My breath came out sharp, my pulse pounding in sync with something older, something buried deep within me.
But I wasn't feeling ecstatic, I was rather worried. The energy that was building up inside me only kept increasing with every passing second. And me being anxious only made it worse.
"No, not again." I thought. Trying hard to calm myself down, but it was pointless. The power continued to accumulate.
The vampire striked at me again but my red-haired hero didn't hesitate. His crimson blade met the vampire's attack, sparks of red energy flashing between them. He was strong, impossibly fast, but so was the creature he fought.
And then it spoke.
"She's awakening," the vampire sneered, dodging his next strike. "They'll come for her. I must kill her."
Ronald's expression darkened. "Not if I kill you first."
The vampire lunged again, faster this time. Ronald met him head-on, his crimson blade clashing against the creature's claws. But something was wrong. Ronald was fast, incredibly fast, but so was the vampire.
Ronald gritted his teeth and stopped to catch his breath. "This person... He seems to be on the same level of strength as me, that's not so good. He's probably a knight already or even a lord." he thought, just before charging in again.
He swung his blade, but the vampire twisted unnaturally, dodging with inhuman speed. Ronald barely had time to block the counterattack as the creature raked its claws across his arm, leaving deep gashes in his coat. He gritted his teeth and retaliated, but his strikes were either parried or evaded entirely. The vampire was toying with him.
"You're slowing down, prince Ronald," the vampire sneered. "Royal blood doesn't make you invincible."
Ronald ignored the taunt, shifting his stance, but he couldn't deny it, this was no ordinary opponent. The vampire wasn't just fast; it was calculating, anticipating his every move.
Then something happened.
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from behind them. The air crackled, thick with something ancient, something wild. Ron felt it instantly, a rush of raw power rolling off Triss in waves. The vampire did too, he faltered for just a fraction of a second, its crimson eyes darting to her.
That moment of distraction cost Ronald everything.
The vampire seized the opening, lunging forward and twisting Ronald's wrist, forcing him to drop his blade. In an instant, he was yanked back, his throat caught in a vice-like grip. The vampire slammed him against the brick wall, its fangs bared.
"I think I'll start by draining a royalty," it hissed, tightening its hold.
Ronald struggled, trying to break free, but the vampire had the leverage. His vision blurred as his oxygen supply dwindled.
Then, out of nowhere....
THWACK!
A stake plunged through the vampire's chest.
The creature let out a guttural scream, its grip on Ron loosening. Its body convulsed, limbs spasming before it crumbled into ash.
Ronald dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, his vision refocusing on the newcomer... the burly stranger from earlier.
The same man Triss had been wary of. The one he had dismissed as just another human bystander.
The man stood over the pile of ashes, pulling the stake free and shaking off the remains. His gaze lifted, locking onto Triss. His frown deepened.
"So it's true," he muttered. "Your energy... it's waking up."
Then, before Ronald could react, the man moved toward Triss with lethal intent.
Ronald shot up, summoning his blade, but the stranger was faster. In an instant, he grabbed Triss's wrist, his grip firm but not unkind. "You're coming with me."
Triss yelped, struggling, but the moment he touched her, the crackling energy around her intensified. The very air trembled.
Ronald wasted no time. He lunged forward, striking at the man's arm, forcing him to release her. The stranger barely flinched, stepping back effortlessly.
"You're not taking her anywhere," he growled.
The man exhaled through his nose, almost amused. "You think you can stop me?"
He pulled back his hood, revealing his features; dark skin, long, pointy ears, with an obelus symbol tattooed across his forehead. He was a dark elf.