5 - Her First Daisy

"Do you know what a daisy means?"

I looked up from admiring the primroses near the window of the shop. Behind me, Rei was standing over a vase of daisies on display. "I've never really thought about it."

"It has a lot of meanings. It symbolizes new beginnings and true love, but also purity and sincerity. They said that if someone offers you a daisy, they know you can keep a secret and can count on them."

"Has anyone ever given you one before?"

She shook her head, a melancholy smile upon her face. "Daisies won't bloom without the sun. It's rare to see one in Celestia."

I paused, a distant memory of Rei standing over the glass window of her apartment, midnight eyes trained on the city lights down below, I remember seeing the lights reflected in her depths as she told me that Celestia is a world with no light, only eternal dark skies, for those who rise the light was no longer with the vampires.

I'm not exactly sure what it meant, but it sounds pretty drastic enough to know that the loss of her Goddess' descendants took a toll not only to the vampires, but to all of Celestia.

A world without light sounded gloomy, but from Rei's stories it was a world that could function without the brightness of light, she often remarks that there is beauty that could only be found in darkness as well. While Celestia continues to exist without light, I couldn't help but think that maybe it was the world's way of grieving the loss of their only connection to the Goddess—her descendants.

Without them to ascend the light, Celestia would be forever coated in darkness. It was quite ironic that the Goddess' name was Alina—the light that illuminates and guides over them all, and through the loss of her descendants, the light was taken away along with them.

"We should buy them." I took the daisies from the stand, moving past her towards the counter to pay for it. She followed with a teasing smile, "Are you gonna proclaim your love for me?"

I snorted, "Who says I'm giving this to you? I said we should buy them because they would look good on your apartment."

She leaned her hips on the counter, "They'd still be mine, though."

"If I wanted to proclaim my love to you don't you think I should buy roses instead? Besides, why would I fall for you?"

She flipped her silver hair, the light catching on the silver strands, illuminating the locks with a soft glow. Midnight eyes shined with amusement, "I'm amazing in every way. Why wouldn't they want to love me?"

"Well, I'm not 'they', so try your luck with someone else."

She grinned leaning forward, "I'd bet you'd fall in love with me soon."

I leaned on the counter, facing her. "Is that a challenge?"

"I wouldn't want to leave you broken-hearted."

"Jokes on you, but I have the emotional range of a teaspoon."

"Then I'd just have to upgrade that teaspoon into something bigger." She reached out and held a strand of my raven hair, midnight eyes admiring the locks. "If that's not enough, then I'd love for the both of us. I have a lot of room for you and me, even if you have the emotional range of a teaspoon." The corner of her lips lifted up, midnight eyes locking with mine.

Standing there, the sunlight illuminating the room, the colorful background of the flowers, the sweet scent filtering the air, Rei's silver locks that glowed softly due to the light, her midnight eyes staring up at me, it felt like I was caught in a trance once again.

And this wasn't the first time it ever happened.

Once was when she was sitting in the park, silver locks fluttering in the air, the rustling of leaves as she watched the people walk with a smile on her face. Second was when she sat across from me in the cafe, midnight eyes admiring my drawing in her hands, a soft look on her features, she was the embodiment of everything beautiful.

Even now, she still is.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the shopkeeper awkwardly cleared his throat. I looked away, noticing the expression on his face. He watched us with amusement, he seemed to regret interrupting whatever we had. Taking the packed flowers from him, I faced Rei once again and shoved the flowers towards her. "Careful, Rei. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're the one falling in love with me."

She only laughed in response, taking the flowers. We both looked up when the door opened, the tinkling sound of the bell ringing inside the shop. Upon seeing who just entered, Rei quickly sobered up.

"Miss Rei, Sir Cain, it's nice to see you." Alison greeted politely.

"You look well. Please drop the formalities."

Alison nodded his head, "I think it is best if we have our discussion here. The flowers would repress any lingering scent for our meet up."

I glanced at Rei, the flower shop is not the best spot to have a drastic conversation but we didn't have any options available. And he was right, any sign of our meeting here today would be covered by the flowers' sweet aroma.

"Alright," Rei moved quickly, disappearing from my side in an instant and knocking the shopkeeper unconscious with a flick of her wrist at the back of his head.

Scowling, I moved towards the shopkeeper in her arms. "You can't just do that, Rei." I reprimanded, helping down the man towards the floor to make it seemed like he passed out.

She just shrugged in return, sitting herself down on one of the chairs available in the counter.

"Tell me about you."

Alison nodded, sitting himself across from her. "I…I've been at the orphanage for as long as I can remember, me and my sister, we only had each other."

While he was talking, I moved the sign 'close' in front of the shop to stop any customers from entering. Walking back to them, I asked the question that's been bothering me for a while. "Alison, what turned you into a vampire?"

Rei shook her head, "Not what, how. Vampires cannot turn anyone else into a vampire, how did they change you?"

My eyes widened at Rei in shock, rumours, stories, fictions—all of them had always led to vampires having the ability to turn a human into a vampire, but to know that such a thing wasn't actually possible had me second guessing what we actually know about them.

"Tests—experiments, they modified my body into that of a vampire. The orphanage is not a home for children. Once in a while, they would choose someone from the orphanage to test out, all under the pretense of adoption in case no one ever hears from them again. They would check the compatibility, some die, some survive, in my case, I was one of the unfortunate."

"How did they do it? Can you recall how they managed to turn you?"

He nodded, "Once you're proven compatible, they try changing you into one slowly. At first, it was only blood transfer, injecting my body with vampire blood. A lot of children had died on this stage itself, because the vampire blood is like poison to humans. Once it enters your system, it destroys every cell and dominates your body. Other people managed to survive the transition because their bodies had quickly adapted to the change, some dominating the vampire cells and using it as their own. I remember being locked in a room, under surveillance at all times as my body tries to get used to the new addition inside my body. After that, the hunger came. It was maddening. I couldn't think of anything else other than the desire to devour something—anything at that point. An unquenchable thirst that never went away had plagued me day and night until they decided to give me small amounts of blood. Testing when my body will give out or when I descend into madness. Some did, at night, I could hear them from across the other rooms, it was terrifying."

"Injecting vampire blood inside you wouldn't have been enough." Her eyes narrowed, "What else did they do?"

Alison swallowed hard, clenching his fist as he closed his eyes, not wanting to remember the horrors he went through but needed to share if he ever wanted our help. "The second phase came."

He took a deep breath, "Once they deem you stable enough, they would—" he choked on his words, "Transfer a vampire's core into your body."

Rei's breath hitched inside her throat, eyes widening at the revelation. "...Why? Why would—", her eyes hardened, fist clenching.

"Rei?" I asked uncertainty, worried about her strong reaction. Alison's story was pretty fucked up, no amount of explanation could justify the vampires' actions, but there was something different to the way she reacted at this moment.

"Are you absolutely certain that they transplanted a vampire core into you?"

Alison nodded, "I'm sure. One of the vampires came inside my room one day, he showed me a glowing cube inside a strange vial. He told me it belonged to a comrade who's affinity was too good to pass by, and that it would now belong to me. After the transplant, nothing seemed the same anymore. I don't get hurt no matter what I do, I'm able to see and hear clearer, always hyper aware of everyone around me—especially humans. I could also tell who's a vampire or not, or who had contact with one."

"The affinity. Did he mention what it was?"

"He didn't, and I wasn't able to use the dormant powers inside the core. They're letting me go freely for now since I wasn't able to awaken what they needed from me yet, but I know it's only a matter of time. If I don't make myself useful, they'd turn their attention to my sister."

"Is that why you decided to approach us that night?"

"Yes," running his hand through his hair, he continued with a quiver in his voice. "That day at the park, I didn't intend to lose my sister in the crowd. But I felt a presence—strong and powerful, the type that commanded absolute superiority. I've only ever felt that towards a certain vampire, so when I felt it at the park, I panicked. I thought they had come for my sister, so I tried to avoid their attention from her by going the opposite way. My sister is smart, she knows how to get help when she needs one and how to come back."

"Who is this vampire you've encountered?"

He shook his head regretfully, "I don't know. I've only ever felt his presence once at the laboratory. When I came back to the orphanage, I realized the presence I felt was different from the one I've encountered before, you had left your scent purposely on Almira. It was strange, coming from a vampire with such a high position, so I decided to spy on you. You didn't even mind that I was following you around, and seeing you live so comfortably with a human…" his eyes moved towards me, confusion settled momentarily before shaking his head. "It made me consider the possibility that you could help me."

Rei stood up, swiftly moving towards the young boy. Before he could understand what was happening, her arms were around him, drawing him in her warm embrace. "I will help you. I'll get you out of there, as well as the other children." She patted his head comfortingly, "You did a good job pulling through this long."

Like a broken dam, tears spilled from Alison's eyes, clutching at Rei's arms as an anchor, he cried his eyes out. Fully accepting her embrace, the only one he probably had in months. For the first time, he was able to let go of his emotions without having his guard up. Only then did I remember that he was still a young boy at the age of thirteen, and he already went through hell and survived—for himself and for his sister. I couldn't help but admire him, this young boy who had a small body, yet so strong and full willed, he continued to persist. Alison didn't deserve all of the things that happened to him, and I'd be damned if I sat back and did nothing while he continued to suffer.

Meeting Rei's eyes, we nodded in resolution to do everything we can in our power to help Alison. How we do it is just gonna be details.

When he calmed down, we proceeded to talk about what we needed to do from here on out. The vampires were already onto Alison for having Rei's scent on him and the whole orphanage for visiting the house that day. The vampires' were planning on using Alison as bait to lead Rei towards their hideout in a way that made it look like Rei was the one following them and not purposely making her follow. I made it clear in my argument that because this case no longer just involves vampires but human children as well, we had to report about this situation to Simon and get my team involved as an official mission. In this way, we could guarantee the children's safety for they are our priority no matter what we find in the vampires' lair. It would also be easier for the children to find a proper and better home that would genuinely take care of them, not experiment on them when they least expect it.

With this final arrangement, the exact time and place had been laid out. It was only a matter of time before the operation commenced. Soon after, Alison parted ways with us, if he was out longer than necessary, suspicions would arise and that would only draw unnecessary trouble.

Leaving the flower shop, I couldn't help but notice Rei's solemn expression. Shoving my hands through my pockets, I tilted my head towards her. "What's bothering you?"

There was a falter in her step, snapping out of her thoughts she met my eyes. "How is it that both humans and vampires can disregard the heart so easily?"

At the confusion shown on my face, she elaborated. "Do you know how a vampire awakens their affinity? It is through their aspiration. One must have the right resolve to awaken the dormant powers within. At Celestia, those who awaken their affinity are shown high regard for their dreams that awakened their affinities. To us vampires, it is taboo to exploit our affinities, for it rests within our cores—a vampire's heart. Yet it seemed like both humans and vampires are similar after all, both have already fallen down to desperation."

Rei moved on, walking gracefully as her silver strands fluttered behind her trail. "The humans, they have disrespected our aspirations and resolve by tampering with vampire hearts and turning them into weapons. Why must they deny the mercy of letting them sleep eternally without abusing their ambitions?"

The cetas. The weapons Simon had created with the vampire's heart as a source of its power. She was talking about his creations. It suddenly dawned on me that she was right. By using their hearts as a weapon, we were cruelly using them even after death, disrespecting the fact that they had already passed on. Everyone in the organization had praised the cetas nonstop for aiding them in fights against the vampires. It was cruel, using their aspiration and resolve to use the affinities they had worked hard to awaken, all the while using them to kill their fellow vampires.

"And my fellow vampires, they have stooped so low as to meddle with the natural order of things. They know themselves the importance of a vampire's core, and using the hearts to implant into someone else to turn them into our kind is another kind of disrespect. Instead of letting them pass on peacefully, they're trying to bring them back in a modified way. Using another body that is not theirs to continue their aspiration is an insult, for they were not strong enough to finish their dreams on their own."

I couldn't respond, somehow both situations were as bad as the other. Being used and revived after death, after finally succumbing to the cycle of life, only to be tampered with so callously. Not only that, but the true implication behind what enables the vampires to use affinities on a personal matter was quite disturbing. The cetas—with the vampires' cores, their whole life and experience, dreams and ambitions, all represented by a glowing cube that is a vampire's heart, was being used to destroy other hearts. The vampires, on the other hand, were no different than humans. Like them, they were also using their hearts in a degrading manner, even after knowing the implications of what they're about to do and the results it would bring. The only difference was that they're far more wicked to use their fellow vampires, fully disregarding the aspirations and resolve of the previous owner of the heart by putting it to someone else—someone who has a different ambition than they originally had.

"Do you think there's more of them? Artificial vampires like Alison." I frowned, the idea that it wasn't just Alison who had become a victim sat unpleasant in my stomach. The possibility of more victims was a high probability, not only that, the number of deaths must've increased tenfold.

"At this point? I wouldn't move it past them. There could be more revelations other than artificial vampires lurking in the corner. There's a chance there could be others, which are far worse than this case." Her fists clenched at her side, "This had been going far longer than necessary, and I would put a stop to it. As a Celeste, it is my duty to restore peace and order not only to Celestia but to this world as well."

I reached out, grasping her hand in mine. She looked back in shock, bewildered by my actions, nevertheless I formed my resolve. "I'll help you. I might not be able to do much, but I'll try my best to accommodate you." I looked down at our hands, "Rei…just continue moving forwards. I'll be right beside you."

She smiled. The most dazzling upturn of her lips so far that I've ever seen, and it was directed at me. She squeezed my hand in return.

"You didn't even consider reporting this matter to me right away?" Simon glanced at me disapprovingly over the papers I had given him. It was a detailed report of what both Rei and I had been up to these past days, and the matter regarding the orphanage.

"We had to observe the area for a while or else we might have lost the lead."

"Fine. But the next time something similar happens you tell me at once. We don't know what reckless decisions Miss Rei might make. She's the type of person who moves without thinking."

I set my lips in a thin line. Simon didn't know her the way I did, he was speaking through speculations alone. Rei is meticulous in her decision making, considering pros and cons and any other possibilities that might occur, making sure to put the wellbeing of the party involved first above all else.

"I need to talk with the boy and Miss Rei. I want to observe the boy's condition regarding his transmission as a vampire."

I shook my head, "Rei said she'd have custody over Alison considering he is now a vampire. It falls under her jurisdiction."

He gritted his teeth, "And you just let this be?"

I met his stare unflinchingly, "You and I both know she's not the type of woman who'd let anyone push her around. She only accepted my supervision in the first place just to humor you."

And even if she wasn't, I wouldn't let Simon near Alison. Once he had his hands on the young boy, who knows what could happen? He might be human once but he isn't now. And anything that wasn't human in their eyes didn't get any liberty. Alison would just become a victim of another person in this way.

Simon massaged his temples, "Alright, fine. But we need information, Cain. The only available source right now is that boy. Whatever the vampires are planning with the artificial vampires, we need to put a stop to it, countering it as best as we can."

"Then capture one. Not a young boy who is as much as a victim than any other person in this situation. At least give him this, with Rei, he'd be free, and she'll look after him. And if cards are played right, we can get information out of him—just not in the way you're used to."

Simon let out a sigh, "As much as I hate to admit this, you're right. I'll assign this mission to you. I expect a report that will help our progress, Cain. If I don't hear anything from you, I'd take matters into my own hands and use the method you disapprove of."

I scowled at his threat, a warning to report information that he wanted and not some details that are of no use to him. I stiffly nodded.

He leaned back on his chair, satisfied. "I'll send further notice regarding the mission, we will commence it as soon as possible."

I left Simon's office after our discussion. Walking through the hallways of the science department, I caught sight of Samantha talking to one of her coworkers. I was about to pass by quietly since she seemed occupied when she decided to call out. "Cain, how have you been?"

I turned to face her, "I'm good, how's the research going?"

She excused herself from her coworker, falling into step beside me heading towards the exit. "We've been progressing well, especially on the cetas. Me and the Professor have been dedicating our time on it. Soon, a second generation of cetas will come out. I put a lot of consideration into your case, so expect that you'll finally be able to use them." She smiled pleasantly.

I recalled Rei's words the other day. The cetas, and how they were able to function. A vampire's ambition and resolve being used even after death. I never really thought about why I couldn't use a cetas, I had immediately assumed that I was the defect but maybe it wasn't the case after all. I had a feeling that it had something more to do about the true nature of a vampire's heart.

"I see. Good luck on your research, I'll go ahead." I quickly moved past Samantha. Feeling uncomfortable with the topic especially after Rei shed light to the hearts and the severity of tampering with them.

Samantha stood there, stunned by my sudden dismisal. I felt bad, especially since we haven't been able to spend time together these past few weeks. She was a childhood friend, one I've been incredibly close to for as long as I can remember, and it probably hurt her that I was keeping distance even though it wasn't my intention.

Watching me go silently, I distinctly heard her words. "...I thought you would've like it.

I winced, remembering why Samantha was in the science department in the first place. When the issue of my inability to use cetas arised, she was the one who wanted to help me right away. Joining Simon in his research with the cetas in hope of creating an invention that would be able to assist me without getting my hands burned. Ever since then, she had dedicated her time and effort to research in order to help me.

I didn't ask her to, and I even told her to stop trying, but she just straight out refused my request. Determined to achieve her goal wether I liked it or not. "*I told you before didn't I? I want you to be happy*."

Exiting the science department I tried to forget about her words and the guilt worming it's way inside me.

Luis walked in on the lab, he saw a woman bent over an equipment she was tirelessly working on ever since he moved to the science department.

"It's late, why are you still working on that?"

Samantha didn't look up from what she was doing. "I need to finish this quickly."

"Why? It's not in a rush, you can ease up a bit. Besides, a new mission is coming soon." Luis sat down on the empty chair across from her. His eyes trailing down on her soft features, he thought she looked cute tirelessly working on their project with such a serious face. It made him smile a little.

"I heard, and that's why I need to finish this."

His smile immediately died down. It's for that person. But still, he asked to confirm his suspicions. "Why? What for?"

"I'm going to give this to Cain. I made it specially for him, this would protect him when he's in danger. I don't want him go get hurt."

He snorted, "Like he needs any protection."

"With that vampire around him, he is. I don't want her to know about his abilities."

Luis glanced down at the equipment, there was a familiar pain starting up in his chest again. "But that's the prototype. Do you even have permission to release that?"

"I don't, but it doesn't bother me to get scolded."

"When are you going to give this to him?"

"On the day of our mission. I hope he likes it." The corner of her lips lifted up, Luis was in a trance seeing her smile. She rarely did that, and the only times she ever did was when they talked about that person.

"Do you think he will like it?" She asked him hopefully.

Luis assured her worries. "I'm sure he would. After all, you put a lot of thought and effort into making it."

"Hopefully, he'll realize that this prototype is my desire for him to be safe at all times. This cetas will be my way of protecting him."

"Do you want me to help you?" Luis reached out for one of the tools but Samantha only slapped his hands away.

"No, I should be the one to work on it. But I'd do appreciate a cup of coffee."

Luis chuckled as he moved to make the both of them coffees. Falling into a familiar pattern that he was comfortable in. He wished it was like this everyday, with only the two of them in this lab like they where the only people inside their little world. He pretended like everything would be fine as long as they where together. It didn't matter that she liked someone else. As long as he can stay at her side that was enough for him.

But sometimes the deepest part in him wished he was the center of her attention.

Their world would've been bearable as long as that person's name wasn't brought up.

But still, he would continue to support her, because that what makes her happy.

"We will commence the operation at exactly four in the afternoon. According to the report, Miss Rei would follow the boy as this is what the vampires intend her to do, she would be accompanied by Cain and Cyrus." Simon began to address everyone in the room.

"The matter on how we retrieve the children will be executed by both Leah and Samantha." He handed the two a set of papers, "You will infiltrate the orphanage as staff and set out a fire as a distraction. Make sure to get the children out safely."

Leah nodded as she observed the paper where the details about the orphanage were written.

Simon then turned to the other group, "Gather as much information as possible—anything that could benefit our cause. Luis will support you from the outside. Any questions?"

When no one voiced out anything, Simon continued on. "That is all, I expect a successful outcome from all of you. Let the mission begin. Go to your respective spots."

The team started dispersing. The team wishes each other good luck and mind their safety at all times. Cain headed for the car, briefly stopping when Samantha reached out.

Confused, he turned to face her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to give you this." She shoved something in his arms, "Here, take it. It's the second generation cetas, it will protect you when you're in danger. You don't need to resonate to use it, the weapon itself activates on its own. Just in case things go south, the shield from the cetas will protect you."

"Thanks, but did you really have to?" He looked down on the cetas in his hands, since it wasn't activated, it wasn't burning him yet like it usually did. "You know I don't really need this."

Samantha glared at Cain, "You know you can't be reckless this time around since she will be there." Understanding dawned on him, Rei had no idea about his abilities just yet, but he knew that she was suspicious of him, commenting how he was different from the others the first time they met. "Anyways, don't worry about the details. Your safety comes first. Be careful out there."

"I appreciate it." He patted her hair, smiling at her softly. It was just in Samantha's nature to worry about him, and he was thankful for her care. "You too, take care and be safe. Don't be too reckless."

Her cheeks reddened, "O-Of course…"

The loud beep from the car snapped their attention away, the window went down slowly. Luis shot daggers in his direction inside the car. "Hurry up or else we're gonna move without you."

"Right, sorry about that." Cain quickly moved away and entered the vehicle, not wanting to piss Luis off. Tardiness and Luis had never gotten along, after all.

"What was the delay for?" Cyrus asked once he settled down inside.

"Samantha gave me something to protect myself with."

"Woah, really? Why didn't she give us any?"

Cain shrugged, "She was worried. Besides, you don't need one anyways."

Cyrus raised his brow, "Who said I didn't need any?"

He rolled his eyes, "If you're too much of a chicken you can have this." Cain handed him the cetas.

He inspected the cetas closely while Luis drove off. "This looks different from a normal cetas. Hey, Luis, is this new?"

"That is a second generation cetas. It's not supposed to be out yet." He said through gritted teeth. He didn't mention the fact that it was the one and only prototype they had available at the lab, knowing full well that Samantha wouldn't be too pleased with him meddling.

Judging Cain's expression from the rearview mirror, he knew that the man was already having second doubts on using the weapon. Cain was the type of guy who didn't want to risk anything under his expense, and for Samantha to give him such an important research material made him not want to use it at all. Which defeats the purpose of why Samantha had stayed up all night working for that damn weapon in the first place.

"Cyrus, maybe you should keep it."

He shot him an incredelous look, "Are you serious? Samantha gave this to you so you could use it! Are you seriously gonna waste her efforts?" Cyrus rolled his eyes at Cain.

"No, but…" he hesitated, reaching out a second later to accept the weapon from Cyrus hands. Cain let out a sigh. "Fine."

Luis silently listened, pursing his lips to refrain from saying anything that he shouldn't. Swiftly maneuvering the car, he headed for the park where they would meet up with Rei.

Upon arriving there, everything was already set. She entered the car, handing out a piece of device to Cyrus on the front seat. It was a tracking device they had attached onto Alison, Rei had been keeping track on his whereabouts, often heading towards the edge of the city near the foot of the mountains, disappearing to wherever it lead to.

Just like today, Alison was heading towards the same direction with his fellow kids in the orphanage. They had been told they were getting adopted, and that Alison would be the one to accompany them to meet their parents, when in truth, it was just a ploy to lead them to their demise.

The car proceeded when the tracker started to move. It was a long tense drive filled with anxiousness. Everyone on look out for their surroundings. The tracker had left the city perimeters, they were now heading deep into the mountains. Nothing but trees obscured their view, the rocky trail jolting the occupants in the car once in a while. When the road got too unsteady, they were forced to stop.

"We can't go any further, let's go by foot."

Filtering out of the vehicle, they moved as quickly as possible, Luis took charge and led the team up the mountains, and soon enough they saw a huge mansion up ahead, secluded by the cover of trees in the area.

"Woah, who knew there was something like this hidden here?"

Luis settled down beneath a tree, he opened his bag and took out his computer. Alison was instructed to place one of Luis devices on the security lock upon arriving, in this way the group could infiltrate easier.

Checking with his computer, he nodded in satisfaction when Alison didn't fail to get the job done. "I got in. Go into position."

Cain and the rest of the group approached the mansion, they hid in the bushes as they observed any movement in the place.

"Wait, hold on." Rei reached out to stop both of them.

When their attention was on her, she bit her wrist and wiped some of her blood on the two. "The vampires would know the presence of a human right away based on their scent. Your friend, Luis, is too far away for them to smell, and he has the canopy protecting him. You two, however, are a different matter. We can confuse the vampires inside by having my scent on you. If we ever split up, it would be in our favor."

Cyrus looked confused, but Cain realized what she was on about immediately. Rei was a Celeste, a higher ranking vampire in their heirarchy. She was one of the vampires at the top, the kind who was superior in every way. With her blood smeared on both Cain and Cyrus, it would confuse the enemy on her whereabouts, they might also speculate that there are more than one Celeste on the vicinity.

Cain nodded his thanks as they proceeded, it was easy entering the mansion with Luis' help. They heard his voice on the earpiece they have equipped earlier on as it was customary whenever they went out on a mission. "*Go to the basement, that's where the laboratory are hidden*."

Cyrus rolled his eyes, "Typical."

"How about Alison? Where is he?"

"*At the upper floors in one of the rooms, I'm trying to get the blueprint of the mansion. He's probably in with the other kids who haven't been called yet*."

"Then I'll go up towards the children." Cyrus bid them goodbye, rounding on the corner he surprisingly bumped into one of the guards. Rei quickly moved past Cyrus and snapped the vampire's neck. She made sure the coast was clear before dragging the body away.

Cyrus stared at her in surprise, Cain scoffed as he helped her strip off the vampire's uniform. "And they say *I'm* the reckless one."

"Cyrus, change into this." Rei handed him the clothes. "You won't stand out that way and you'll be able to move freely."

"T-Thanks…"

After that, Cyrus successfully parted ways without any issues. Only Cain and Rei remained on the ground floor.

"I can smell the chemicals that way, I'll lead us."

Cain didn't complain, it wasn't in his forte anyways. They walked as quietly as possible, eventually they came upon an entrance. Rei cautiously opened the door that led underground. This time, even Cain can smell the familiar scent of a laboratory.

They hid in the shadows while waiting for the signal. They didn't have to wait long as vampires started rushing in from where they came from.

"It's an emergency! The orphanage has set on fire! His Excellency who went there personally today was caught in the accident!" The vampire told the scientists inside the lab. "Prepare for medical treatment right away!"

The two eavesdropping people were surprised with the unexpected information. Apparently someone with a higher rank within the vampires had gone to the orphanage. It was an outcome they hadn't expected. The two of them had thought they would confront the vampires here. Rei furrowed her brows, puzzled on who this Excellency could be. It is most likely that it is a Celeste, only vampires with rank such as hers could be addressed as such.

There was an exclamation of shock among the vampires with the news. A vampire with ashen hair stepped forward with a stiff face. "Quickly send reinforcements and rescue His Excellency. Make sure to attack the humans around the area for their insolence!"

"Take some of the vampires stationed here. Make sure to efficiently get His Excellency out no matter what."

"But what about the safety of the mansion, sire? And what of the expected guests?"

"There is no need to worry, I alone can sustain this mansion without problems. Besides, the wolf is here as our hostage."

Rei's breath hitched inside her throat, it felt like she was drowned in cold water upon hearing the words. There was only one word the vampires associated with regarding any matters that related to wolves—and that was the Guardian of Celestia.

A year ago, there was a disturbance that rattled the north territory, the area belonged to the Dukedom of her family, House Dominique. The winds were harsher than usual, the cold biting, the weather uncontrollable and it plagued the vampires living in their territory for months to come. Usually, the Wolf of the North was the one to ease the howling weather, as it was in his oath of servitude to the Goddess, the Wolf made sure the winter winds would be merciful throughout the year and to the years to come.

The sudden change of weather had worried everyone, Rei and her family had personally visited the Guardian in his lair, but upon arriving he was nowhere to be seen. They had thought that the Guardian did not want to be sought, and her family had thought they had somehow angered the Guardian. But as weeks passed by and no sign of the Guardian anywhere, the Duke, her Father, was forced to use his hand to calm the harsh winter.

A Celeste can manipulate nature itself, bend it to their will, but in no way shape or form could they control the state of the weather for a prolonged time.

The Duke had used his affinity for winter to pass quickly, such a great notion could not be done so easily, for he had bent the laws of nature itself, and such power required equivalent exchange.

The Duke passed with winter.

It was because of such drastic conditions that her brother was forced to become the Head of the Household long before his time, and she, the second born heir of House Dominique, was compelled to follow in her brother's footsteps. With her Father's passing, and her brother's ascension as the Duke to House Dominique, in that very same year, she was appointed as General to the Kingdom's armed forces. Expected to succeed after her brother, who was the Chief Commander of the whole army in case his duties as Duke kept him occupied.

It wasn't until the end of the year after her world had turned upside down did news finally reach their ears. One of the Guardians had appeared before the Royal Palace, informing them of the dire news. The Guardian of the North was no longer in Celestia.

The Guardian was still alive, but he was on the wrong side of the border. It had warned them that if things continued on as it is, the north would suffer without the Guardian residing over winter. Suspicions arose as to how the Guardian was transferred there, for it cannot leave Celestia on its own unless there were other forces at hand, for it was in his oath to the Goddess to keep watch over Celestia.

Rei had argued with the Crown Prince then, demanding her to be sent to the human world and take matters into her own hand, but he had straight out refused. He couldn't send Rei away that hastily, as no one but them knew of the Guardian's visit. But as a member of House Dominique, it was her duty to aid to Wolf of the North, and without the Guardian, the people in her territory would not last winter. Distrust arose amongst the Celeste, forcing the Crown Prince to be vigilant amongst his fellow court, for no one but a Celeste could force a Guardian to leave Celestia.

The turning point was when House Armani reported a sightseeing of vampires disappearing through the border, not only at the North but at the other locations as well. They knew then, that something horrible was going on behind the scenes yet they could not take actions for the court themselves could be their enemy.

It wasn't until Rei had done a horrible prank against the Crown Prince and the Mermaid Princess that she was banished in a far away land. Publicly, of course, but it was a guise to let her slip away from the Capital without suspicions arising. Such stunt was not without consequences. She was fairly certain that she was no longer welcomed within the depths of the Mermaid's Kingdom.

A warm hand touched her wrist, snapping her from her thoughts. Cain shot her a questioning look, which she shook her heat at. Now was not the time to be lost in in thoughts, she had to act rational if she wanted to get more answers.

The vampires started moving, the scientists moved towards another room, leaving behind the laboratory. The both of them slowly walked out from the shadows and into the other rooms inside the lab where they had been hearing cries from earlier.

The children flinched at the sound of the door opening. Their doe eyes filled with tears and fear, their small bodies full of bruises and injuries, some of the children were barely holding on to their dear life.

Cain approached them slowly, making sure to let them see where his hands were, and that he didn't want to cause them harm. "I'm going to help you escape from here. Can I trust you to cooperate?"

The child nodded immediately, crying out. "Please! I will do whatever you say! Please get us out of here!"

"I don't want to stay here anymore!"

"Help us, please!"

"I promise I'll get you out, so listen to what we have to say, okay? Are you strong enough to run? We need to move as quickly as possible."

The children stood up, showing their determination to get away from this hell. Rei kneeled down in front of them, the children immediately flinched back, they could sense that she was a vampire due to the venom that was being injected into them daily. Transitioning them from humans to vampires.

Rei didn't say anything, like earlier she cut her palm. "Put some of my blood into your person. Artificial vampires have a different scent from normal vampires, the scientists will know right away that you escaped if they smell you running around the halls."

The young girl swallowed nervously, with shaking hands she reached out and touched the crimson liquid. Smearing it on her cheeks, the unlikeliest place that she will accidentally rub it off. The other children followed after her movements and soon enough they were moving out the halls.

They were supposed to meet up with Cyrus and make sure the children escaped safely before entering the second phase of the mission — bombing the place till nothing was left.

Rei abruptly stopped, her head whipping towards the door at the very end of the hall. As a Celeste, she could hear the heart of the wolf crying out for help. She couldn't just go and leave it behind after finally locating the Guardian. She was conflicted on what to do when Cain pushed her towards the opposite direction of their path.

He nodded at her encouragingly. "Go, it's something you need to do. I'll immediately come back and help you."

Rei didn't hesitate to move, she had hoped that he could see the gratitude in her eyes. She realized with a clarifying reality that he trsuted her, the same way she decided to have her trust in him.

The two of them continued on with different paths.

(A/N: I changed some details around here and there, but nevertheless everything in the plot are still the same. But I strongly advice y'all to read the Edited version of Calamity though.)

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***