Two Little Girls

Milia was right—the Crimson Tower was practically a ghost town. Or a vampire-less town, I guess.

Not that we were completely alone. Every now and then, some bloodsucker would jump out of the shadows to try their luck. It never ended well for them. I swung my sword in a clean arc, lopping a vampire’s head right off its shoulders. The head bounced away, but the body didn’t seem to get the memo. It kept twitching, still trying to claw at me.

"Go for the heart!" Milia barked.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I lunged forward, burying my blade deep into the headless monster’s chest. Red light spiderwebbed out from the wound like glowing cracks in glass, and a second later, the whole thing disintegrated into a pile of laundry-ruining ash.

Behind me, Milia was busy finishing off the last one.

Honestly, the only reason I’d made it this far without a scratch was because of her. Her Magic Power wasn’t quite on my level, but her sword skills? Beyond "proficient." She fought with the kind of practiced ease you only get from hunting these things for a long time.

Vampires usually just rely on their raw physical stats, but if you try to fight them head-on, their inhuman speed and ridiculous regeneration will ruin your day pretty fast. Milia, though, seemed to know exactly what they were going to do before they did it. She moved with a terrifyingly efficient grace.

I need her if I’m going to save my brother, I reminded myself. I knew that. I really did.

But still... I couldn't let it go.

"You’re hiding something, aren't you?" I asked.

Milia was staring listlessly at the pile of ash she’d just created. She turned to look at me, her face a perfect mask of nothingness.

"Hiding... what?"

"You were acting weird back in the library," I said, narrowing my eyes. "It sounded like you were actually taking their side. I thought the whole point of this was to subjugate the Queen of Blood?"

"I am going to subjugate her," she said flatly.

"Oh, really? Then explain how you know so much about them. I’ve watched you fight. You don't just 'know' vampires—you understand them. Deeper than anyone I've ever met."

"I have lived my entire life for the sole purpose of killing the Queen of Blood..."

"That’s not enough to explain it. What was that stuff you said in the library? About a 'Land of Rest'? About the 'path she aims for'?" My voice was getting louder, my patience wearing thin.

Milia just stood there, silent as a grave.

"Keeping quiet isn't going to help me understand," I snapped.

"You’re one to talk, Claire."

"Excuse me?"

"You’ve got your own secrets. Why are you so obsessed with Possession?"

The question hit me like a physical blow. "That’s..."

"There is no cure for Possession," she said, her voice devoid of hope. "Everyone who gets it dies. Period."

"...I know that," I muttered, biting my lip.

"Everyone has secrets," she said. "Right?"

I let out a long, frustrated breath. Fine. If that’s how it is.

"Fine. I get it. We don't pry, I help you kill the Queen of Blood, and you help me rescue my brother. We’re just business partners. That’s it."

"That works for me..."

Neither of us looked at the other as we continued our trek up the tower.

"Wait," Milia whispered a while later, coming to a dead stop.

"What is it?"

"Someone’s fighting up ahead."

We killed our footsteps and crept toward a set of heavy doors. The sounds of a struggle were echoing from the other side. Since there weren't any other hallways, we were stuck.

"Guess we have to go in..." I whispered.

"Let’s just peek through the gap first."

Milia nodded, and we both leaned in to squint through the crack in the door.

The room was a massive hall, dominated by a huge opening in the wall that framed the blood-red moon hanging in the sky. Standing in the center of the room was a BROWN-SKINNED GIANT. He was holding a vampire by the throat, a nasty sneer plastered across his face.

"So weak..." the man grunted.

He was holding a GREAT MACHETE that was absolutely drenched in blood. The floor around him was a disaster zone of minced Ghoul flesh and piles of ash.

"You were one of the executives, right? I know that face," the man growled, tightening his grip on the vampire’s neck. "Where’s Crimson?"

"L-like I'd tell... you..." the vampire wheezed.

"Figured you'd be difficult."

"There is... no need to tell you... anything!"

The vampire’s body suddenly dissolved into a swirling crimson cloud. It was MISTIFICATION—a high-level trick only the top-tier vampires can pull off.

"Huh?"

The giant’s hand snatched at empty air as the red mist swirled behind him, reforming into the vampire. A set of razor-sharp claws lunged for the big guy’s back.

The man didn't even bother turning around.

"I’ve got pretty good intuition, you see..."

He swung the Great Machete behind him with zero effort. The resulting wind pressure was so violent it slammed against the doors we were hiding behind, and we had to scramble to hold them shut.

When I looked back through the gap, the vampire was gone. In its place was a pile of literal ground meat scattered across the floor. A second later, the meat turned to ash.

"Who the hell is that guy?" I whispered, my heart hammering. He definitely wasn't a vampire, but he didn't exactly scream "friendly neighborhood hero" either.

"That’s Juggernaut," Milia whispered, her voice trembling. "He's the 'Tyrant,' one of the RULERS OF THE LAWLESS CITY. Whatever you do, don't pick a fight with him. That vampire he just slaughtered? That was a QUEEN OF BLOOD’S EXECUTIVE—the 3RD STRONGEST in their hierarchy."

"That was the third strongest?" Are you kidding me? The guy took him out like he was swatting a fly.

"Let's just stay hidden and wait for him to leave," Milia suggested. I nodded vigorously. Great plan. Fantastic plan.

Then, Juggernaut’s voice boomed from across the hall.

"Like I said, I’ve got pretty good intuition... You’re right there, aren't you?"

Crap!

The doors didn't just open; they exploded.

The Great Machete came whistling through the air in a horizontal sweep. We both hit the floor just in time, the blade screaming through the space where our heads had been a fraction of a second ago.

"Oh, look. A pair of brats," Juggernaut said, looming over us through the wreckage of the doorway.

"This is the worst," I muttered.

"We have to fight," Milia said, drawing her sword.

Juggernaut just laughed at us.

"You don't look like vampires... but whatever. Just die here."

And then, the Great Machete came crashing down.