Chapter Twenty-Eight: Panic

The day after Xingyu and Lexiaoyou began their relationship, I endured the sunlight as usual and made my way to school. Stepping into the classroom, I found it abuzz with noise, more chaotic than ever, with everyone discussing something fervently.

"Did you hear about it?"
"What? What happened?"
"You don't know? I heard someone died."
"What's so shocking about a death? Was it a murder?"
"No, no, they say the death was really bizarre."
"Bizarre? In what way?"
"They say all the blood was drained from the body, and there were two bite marks on the neck. So creepy. Do you think it could be the work of a vampire?"
"Vampire? You've watched too many movies. There's no such thing. It's probably a murder staged to mislead the police."

Listening to the rumors swirling around the class, I was taken aback. Drained of blood? Damn it, is it those damned rats again? Haven't they all been eradicated yet? Their tenacity is truly astonishing. This is already the third time I've encountered them in this city.

But something felt off. Vampires usually scatter to escape the pursuit of the blood clans and vampire hunters; they shouldn't congregate in one place. Yet, this was the third time. In a small city like this, encountering them thrice was abnormal. Was there something here drawing them in?

I recalled the last encounter with that optimistic, A-ranked vampire hunter. The gathering of both vampire hunters and vampires—was there an unusual aura in the air? I felt the undertow of a sinister plot swirling through this city. Hopefully, I'll stay uninvolved, for if I am dragged into this, I won't hesitate to obliterate both sides. I clenched my fists.

Tonight, the weather would be perfect for a hunt. I would not allow vampires to run rampant here, not when my friends—and my beloved—live in this city. I would never let their existence threaten those I care for. If they dared appear before me, they should be prepared to face death.

"Nana, have you heard?" Lexiaoyou and Xingyu approached me together.

"What?" Interrupted from my thoughts, I asked reflexively. "Oh, you mean the person who was killed? I just overheard the rumors in class."

"Yes, it's such a strange death. Do you think vampires could really exist?" Xingyu asked, surprising me—a person usually so calm and rational—to consider the possibility of vampires.

"Who knows, perhaps there really are such things." I replied, "Xingyu, what do you think about the existence of vampires?"

"I've never seen one, only in films. But if they do exist, they must be terrifying," Xingyu answered.

Never seen one? I recalled at the amusement park, you'd seen one with your own eyes. And standing before you now is someone who is, in some sense, a kindred being to vampires. Terrifying? It seemed Xingyu could not accept the existence of the blood clan. I wondered how he would react if he knew my true nature.

"Lilith, you should be more careful—stay safe," Xingyu reminded me.

"It's fine, Ang is with me. No one can hurt me," I shook my head at Xingyu. "But you two should be careful as well." Vampires—if you dare harm Xingyu or Xiaoyou, I will show you no mercy.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I'll protect Xiaoyou," Xingyu said firmly.

Lexiaoyou clasped Xingyu's hand, her expression tender. "I believe Xingyu will protect me."

And so the whole day passed, punctuated by heated discussions among the students. They were curious about the rumors, but few truly believed them. Most treated it as a joke.

That night, I admired the moonlight outside my window and instructed Ang, "If they're bold enough to appear before me, they're ready for death. Ang, let's go. The hunt begins."

"Yes, milady," Ang replied respectfully. Then, surrounded by a cloud of blood-red bats, I vanished into the night with him.

"Found you." Standing on a rooftop, I gazed at a shadow hidden in the darkness not far away. After searching half the city, I'd finally located my prey in a corner of the night market. How uncooperative—making me go to such lengths just to find you.

Just as I prepared to strike, a sharp voice rang out. A petite figure appeared before the vampire, clad in a black cloak embroidered with a blood-red cross, a white mask concealing her face, and twin crescent-bladed daggers in her hands.

"Tch, damn it." This was the second time my prey had been snatched by a vampire hunter. "Fine, I'll let you have this one. But I hope you won't end up like those two fools last time, forcing me to clean up the mess." With that, I watched the unfolding battle with interest.

Below, the vampire attacked the petite figure relentlessly, each blow carrying immense force and a shrieking wind. The masked hunter, agile and nimble, dodged every strike. For a time, they were evenly matched.

"Milady, shall I intervene? It seems neither will gain the upper hand soon," Ang asked.

"No need, let's watch a while longer. Take it as a bit of entertainment." For some reason, I felt a strange sense of familiarity from that petite figure. Impossible—I didn't know anyone among the vampire hunters, and judging by her build, she was not the female hunter I'd seen before.

As I pondered, the masked figure suddenly faltered. The vampire's eyes gleamed with bloodlust, seizing the opportunity. Its claws, sharp and swift, slashed the girl's shoulder, staining her clothes with blood. The scent of fresh blood drove the vampire into a frenzy, its attacks accelerating. What had been an even match now tipped in the vampire's favor; the girl was soon overwhelmed, narrowly avoiding having her throat torn open several times.

"Pathetic humans," I murmured as I watched. "I thought you might provide some amusement, but it's always the same."

"Ang, don't interfere with the fight. Just rescue the girl," I instructed. Then I became a blur, speeding toward the battleground.

"Understood, milady," Ang replied, following me at once.

At last, the girl, unable to hold on, was caught by the vampire. Its claws lunged for her throat—she had no strength left to evade and, in despair, closed her eyes, awaiting death. But pain never came. Instead, a howl of agony from the vampire pierced the night.

The girl opened her eyes to see an old man with silver hair standing before her, the vampire’s arm severed at the shoulder, turning to ash.

She stared, wide-eyed, at the girl who now stood between her and the vampire—a gigantic scythe in hand, black bat wings unfurled behind her, and violet eyes glowing with an eerie light.

"Are all vampire hunters useless? You can't even handle garbage like this," I taunted the girl I had just saved. She said nothing, just glared back at me. Amused, I noted her defiance.

The wounded vampire, sensing my presence, staggered to its feet and fled in terror.

"Naive," I scoffed. In a flash I was gone, and the fleeing vampire was sliced cleanly in two.

"Let's go, Ang. Tonight was utterly boring," I said, casting a cold glance at the blood hunter I'd saved, then turned away. Behind us, the vampire's body slowly turned to dust.

After we left, the vampire hunter girl stood for a long time, staring in the direction we had gone before finally departing herself.

Long after we were gone, a shadow appeared where the vampire had died. "The third one already? Princess Lilian, one day, you will be mine." With those words, the shadow melted back into the darkness.

Three days after my hunt, the rumors once again spread through the classroom.

"Did you hear? Someone else died last night—exactly like before, drained of all blood, with two bite marks on the neck."

"Yeah, I heard. They say three people died last night. It must be vampires, right?"

"Could vampires really exist?"

"Who knows. But aside from vampires, what other explanation could there be?"

Panic began to spread through the school.

"Lilith, do you think vampires really exist?" Xingyu asked me worriedly.

"Who can say? Maybe they do," I replied helplessly. Damn it. I'd just killed one a few days ago—how could another appear so soon? Were all the vampires in the world converging on this small city? I fumed inwardly, not realizing how close to the truth I was.

"Xingyu, be careful these days. It's too dangerous lately. Don't stay out at night, and the same goes for Xiaoyou," I told them.

"Okay, we understand," Xingyu and Lexiaoyou replied, worry in their eyes. When Lexiaoyou looked at me, her gaze carried a complexity no one else noticed.

The fear brought by the vampires spread through the city, but what I didn't realize was that this was only the beginning of the conspiracy. And soon, Xingyu, Lexiaoyou, and I would all be swept up in its current.