Sean didn’t miss the old world.

That was boring. He’d have turned into an office worker who worked from nine to five and would have gradually lost his will to live on. If he’d been left to his devices, maybe he would have had his throat ripped out by a vampire or something else.

There were far too many cues that he hadn’t picked up on before but was only now realizing it. He wouldn’t have even bothered to pick up on them before. They were so nonsensical that anyone sane wouldn’t believe it until they were faced with the grim truth.

Sean?

He’d faced it a long time ago. He’d realized there were monsters and what his family did back in Veidrheim. Only recently did he find out that Clara had been a vampire. He hadn’t recovered from that. Rather, there was no need to recover from it.

She was a vampire, but… so what?

She was still Clara, was she not?

“It’s a caveat of the profession.”

Clara’s voice resounded through his head.

What was her profession? Was she some bigshot like Aunt Charlie said she was? She could be wrong but her experience was far greater than that of his. Hell, not like he had anything that could be called ‘experience’. He’d killed some giants, mostly through luck. He was used to killing anything that wasn’t a human.

The same would apply to monsters but that didn’t mean he knew.

A sword didn’t know the intricacies of how someone was killed or what the things it was killing were. Sean was like that. He could kill but that didn’t mean he knew them. Clara was a vampire, that Evans fellow was a vampire and there were the mindless ones. He’d heard of them from his father’s teachings hidden in fairy tales.

He was alone like he always wanted to be.

“It’s ironic,” he said to himself, staring down at the water and the reflection of the sun in it. The soft breeze of spring refreshed him as he breathed the air into his lungs. He filled it once and kept it there for a few seconds, then he let it out.

Sitting on the grass and staring at the creek flow was relaxing. He could hear the sound of water flowing with no birds around to distract him —that was nature. He never fancied the sound of living things but the things that weren’t alive? The trees rustling in the wind and water? They were beautiful.

The buzzing of insects, the chirping of birds, and the roars of beasts —they were unwelcome, tiring, and annoying.

On this side, there weren’t many trees compared to the other one but there were still plenty. They often swung as the wind blew on them.

“I missed them and the moment I see them, I get annoyed,” he mumbled underneath his breath and lied down on the grass, staring up at the sky. Clouds floated through the skies and one of them covered the sun behind itself.

The voices…

They came at the worst times but ended up being gone when he needed them most —when he needed to be reminded of ‘who he was’.

Sean crawled up into a sitting position and raised a finger. He ejected the Mana from his fingertips. Computation made it easier as he was finally acquainted with the Mana Circles that were used for the Mana Disc Spell. It was just like a Mana Ball now, created with a simple mental command. Then the Push Component came into play and sent it flying at the water.

It cut into the water and slid deep into it, letting it splash. Some droplets got on him, sitting only a meter away from the water and all. Getting any closer would mean he’d be sitting on mud and not the grass. It was refreshing.

That reminded him, though.

He hadn’t taken a shower in forever.

Sean looked at the water. It would be cold but it couldn’t be that bad. The water looked deep enough he could be submerged up to his hips but not quite enough for him to drown. He couldn’t swim but much of the fear he had of water was if he was on something like a boat. Getting in was slightly different, but even then, going in there alone, without someone to save him was practically suicide.

While he had spent a good amount of time in Veidrheim, the dirt and grime from then were gone. Otherwise, he’d have been caked in blood from his fight with Helthur.

How many days had it even been?

On the first night, he’d returned to the complex and was attacked by a ghost. Then he spent the day at Mr. Ishida’s after being saved by Oliver.

After that, he took a trip to Chris’s home and met Liz there. They then ran into the vampire in Clara’s home and he managed to get home and got drunk. The next morning, he woke up and moped for a while. Liz was brought home and that night, they raided the Haven.

That was last night.

So it had only been two days.

It felt like forever.

Life had become too adventurous, without a moment’s rest in-between. There was rest but it didn’t let him relax. It was taxing on his mind.

He didn’t mind the new reality he lived in. It was more interesting and he wouldn’t become some office worker chained to a desk for hours. But he did wish that he could take a break from it, even if it was only a slight amount.

It was almost evening and he was still wide awake —a side-effect of staying up all night for something dumb. But he was glad. He didn’t have to mope nor ‘hate’ the vampires all day anymore. He knew she was alive, even if she was a ‘monster’.

Quite frankly, he could spend all day here, staring at nothing and just overall… doing nothing. It was relaxing to laze around again, after all these years. High school and university were full of pressure. So was the new world he now lived in.

“Sean Morris, right?” asked a person from the other side of the bridge quite loudly, sitting there casually. It was a guy wearing a white tank top and loose pants, with a buzz cut. He looked short, shorter than even Sean himself who wasn’t really a big guy. There was a grin on his face and he could see bulging muscles —he definitely worked out, or not. It was hard to tell after the System.

The creek was on the backyard equivalent of the Morris manor so whoever got in here must be someone who had business, whether that be good or bad. The fact that he didn’t recognize the boy was an issue. Its width wasn’t much, only about four or so meters.

Who was he?

He wasn’t there a moment ago, Sean was sure.

“Yeah,” he said, staring at him. Trying not to be noticed, he used an Appraisal on him. It was rude to slip away in the middle of a conversation so he took care to listen to whatever he said next.

Skill ‘Appraisal’ has been activated!

Name: Hugh Winter

Class: Warrior Lvl 6

Title(s): N/A

Mana: 240/240

No titles at all…

“It’s been a while since I met a Morris. Last time I did, I was a kid,” he said and leaned back, staring up. He kept himself sitting by using his hands as support, “Brings back memories.”

Was he also a hunter?

Could be. It wasn’t like they had a monopoly on hunting. Otherwise, they’d be outnumbered.

“Hope I haven’t disappointed you. I always have when it comes to family,” said Sean with a wry grin, trying to distract himself. He was decent at studies, sure, but there was always something in his father’s eyes that he didn’t quite understand.

“Hunters sure are weird. You have some people who look like murderers then you have some kids like you who are sweet on the outside,” he said, “Wouldn’t think of you as a Morris without Appraisal telling me otherwise.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. An assassin’s only as good as their discreetness,” said Sean. That mightn’t have been a compliment. It was never a compliment when it came to being a proper Morris, “Would be killed off too easily if I screamed hunter, with all these monsters prowling around everywhere.”

“Especially by the one that’s been right next to you, or so you might be thinking,” said Hugh.

What did he mean by that?

“You know, your precious Clara being a vampire and all?” he asked.

Aunt Charlie didn’t have very loose a mouth. If he’d heard that, he ought to have been spying on him or-… or he was a monster.

His eyes widened and Sean mentally prepared himself, ready to cast a spell in case something happened. Aunt Charlie was close, he knew that. If he screamed for help, she could come and help him kill this thing.

But what was he?

Another Daywalker, like Clara?

That’s what Aunt Charlie called her and it didn’t take much to recognize what it meant.

“Relax, I’m not here to do anything bad. She actually sent me to fetch you, to call you for a meeting,” he said and winked, “Secretly, of course. From both the monsters and the hunters. You’ll be safe, pinky promise. I’ll even escort you back.”

She wanted to meet him?

There was something deep within him that said that it wasn’t as good as it sounded but that was the minority. But Sean had learned not to ignore the minority after the meeting with Evans. He’d almost killed Liz. The temptation was too sweet.

Had he been Charmed, like all those people at the Haven?

Would he do anything for her?

Then he had to fight it, even if it was a token resistance. It’d make him feel better about himself, knowing that he resisted. Of course, that was his subconsciousness thinking. His conscious mind was close to agreeing, far too close.

“If you resist, I’ll drag you there,” started Hugh but stopped, “Is what I’d have said but she did tell me to let you choose and to respect the choice you make. It’s safer than raiding a monster infested school.”

He hadn’t seen her for around two weeks.

Hugh kept both hands lazily raised to the air with a gentle smile on his face. It was hard to not trust him.

“Geez, you having a conversation with yourself in there? Honestly speaking, I’d prefer if you don’t come. I’m a teenage boy and she’s, you know, hot as hell. Not exactly someone you’d want to see with another guy,” said Hugh.

That was the last straw.

“I’ll go,” said Sean and stood up, “Where is she?”

***

“You know, the world’s turned to shit a good while ago,” said Hugh as they walked down the beaten path through the forest. He was a blabbermouth, constantly chattering throughout their walk, “Nerea will fall due to food shortage one way or another. Things are spoiling already, the shops already got emptied and some morons are still hoarding money like the dipshits they are.”

“And?” asked Sean. There was no way that a monster was complaining about the state of the world to him like some taxi driver.

“There’s this cool chick that’s friends with you who won’t mind turning you and all. It might be better to jump ships since this one is sinking,” said Hugh, “You know, surviving and all that. It’s better to do it earlier than later.”

“You want me to become a monster?” asked Sean, gritting his teeth and instantly regretted his choice of words.

Hugh was a monster and so was Clara. But… were they monsters? Were they really worse than horrible people? Serial killers and rapists?

They were just another species, people like him. They ate humans, quite frankly, but they were still people.

“I guess if you want to call us monsters,” said Hugh.

“I’ll think on it,” said Sean and gulped.

“Then you better make that quick, cuz she’s right over that hill,” said Hugh with a lazy wave of his hand.

She was near.

“So, I’ll be going back first, since she wanted some privacy. Good luck and survive. I lied before, by the way. As much of a hottie Clara is, it’s a bore down there when she’s the only one I can talk to,” said Hugh with a wink and turned into a blur, just like the ones he’d seen when he came home, right before he saw his mom enter the house. Except, this one was gray and not red.

What were they?

Clara was right over that hill. He’d see her after maybe around fifty meters away, he guessed. The forest ended there and past the hill, there wouldn’t be any trees. He could almost feel the tears coming out of his eyes but he braced himself. She hadn’t lied to him or anything. He’d just assumed she wasn’t a vampire —like any sane person.

He’d changed a lot since they’d last met.

It wasn’t really physical. Rather, how he viewed the world had changed. He wasn’t the overworked student he was. He was a murderer, even if it was for the right reasons.

No… he was a hunter now —an enemy of monsters.

He scaled the hill within seconds and overlooked the bridge. It wasn’t tall at all and he wasn’t winded in the least. He wasn’t practicing that breathing technique his father told him to master. That was the only thing that made him tired.

The bridge wasn’t large, only a small one that connected a part of the creek that was around five meters in width, most likely for cars as it was beyond a small stretch of road. It was past the forest, on the other side of it. They’d walked for almost twenty minutes through the trees so they had to be at least a kilometer and a half away from the backyard of the manor.

Standing on it was Clara, looking down at the water below. She was dressed in something that he wasn’t used to seeing her in —a red dress. He closed his eyes for a moment. Was it the Charm speaking or was it him? It was difficult to tell.

He slowly made his way down the small hill, quietly. Was he even ready for this? Would he even be able to say no? He didn’t trust himself with the choice but there was a part of him that wanted to talk to her, like they’d done for the last two years. Like everything was still normal.

She was at the exact middle of the bridge, both hands on the rail that reached her belly. The moment he stepped on the asphalt, she turned to face him. She didn’t smile this time like she always did, instead staring at him with her cold, blue eyes with a frown. Sean felt his heart thump as he gawked, like a moron.

No, he couldn’t. Not today, at least.

Sean composed himself and walked forward. Then suddenly, he became insecure about his clothes and looked down. He was still wearing Uncle Jeremy’s jacket, but this time, he had a white T-shirt within it. Then he was still wearing dark blue jeans and his sneakers —they weren’t expensive by any means, but Clara already knew that it was one of the only three shoes he wore.

He walked closer to her and stood next to her, a meter or so away from her, looking at the river as well, both of his hands on the rails.

“Aren’t you afraid?” she asked as she finally looked away and toward the water. The cheerfulness in her voice was just gone as if cast away by some sort of magic.

“You aren’t exactly an imposing figure,” said Sean with a chuckle and he sulked in turn, putting a frown on his face. It felt… weird, meeting her after so long. He’d returned only three days ago but she may have returned a long time ago. He didn’t suppose some giants or goblins would be a match for the overly hyped Nobles. Everything that was enjoyable about being with her was gone now.

Relaxing?

He wasn’t under any pressure nowadays and she was the source of the pressure on him now, if anything.

“I could drown you with the water from the river,” said Clara, “Or with a flick of my wrist, I could slice your throat. I could summon an army of monsters and have them rip you from limb to limb.”

“You could, but would you?” asked Sean. If she wanted to kill him, so be it. He’d been striving to come back to her, to meet her at least once, but now that he’d done it, he felt hollow, as if he was a child that managed to get good grades after chasing after it for so long —he was a testament to that, for he’d felt it before.

It was a hollow victory.

“You’ve changed,” she said, finally, “All those scary titles, all moody. It’s a different kind from before. You aren’t afraid of the worst-case scenarios anymore.”

“Why would I? If I’m meeting you here, it’s already the best-case scenario,” said Sean and he felt the tears flow down his cheeks. He had no control over it and it simply decided to flow, “I thought you were dead, for god’s sake.”

He shook his head and looked away. His face was all scrunched up now. He couldn’t show his weakness. Not to Clara, of all people.

“That monster in your home,” he said through clenched teeth, "Why was it there?"

“It was meant to bring you to me,” said Clara, “I knew you’d visit my house if you were alive and I was worried about you. You’ve been gone for two weeks, Sean. You not coming to see me for two weeks is… unnatural.”

“And you put a guard dog that’d attack me there?” he asked as his head instantly turned to her. It wasn’t a shout but a whisper. He couldn’t force himself to even shout at her, let alone get truly mad.

“You didn’t tell me you were a Morris,” said Clara, finally showing a smidgeon of emotions and finally turned to look at him as well, “Whatever command I can give to them is weaker than their urge to kill hunters. I didn’t know that you were one of them. If I did, I’d have… I don’t know, I’d have sent Hugh instead.”

Their eyes met and Sean could feel himself slipping, emotions and all. He peeled his eyes away and breathed in and out —it was his go-to relaxation method now.

“And if I’d have known you were a vampire, I’d have- I’d have-” started Sean but he couldn’t even force himself to finish the sentence in one sentence. He stuttered, so like his mother had taught him to, he tried to calm down and to think about the whole sentence in his head. And after that, he’d have to calmly say it. So he did and spoke relatively calmly but his tone was still hurried, “I’d have wanted to be turned by you, back when everything was so simple. When I wouldn’t have had as many regrets and all these other emotions. Before the System.”

“You still can be, if you are still pure,” she said.

“No, you don’t understand,” said Sean, “I’m a hunter now. I’ve hated vampires and I’ve killed them. People have expectations in me and I-I… finally feel like I’m a part of something —part of the family I could never quite belong in before. I don’t want to leave it now. Back then, there was nothing holding me back. I’d have taken your hand and never looked back.”

She was quiet for a few seconds but that felt like an eternity.

Had he pissed her off? Was he acting like an asshole? Probably. People did say that sometimes but everyone was an asshole to a degree.

“If it makes you feel any better, I was going to offer you this chance that evening,” said Clara, “I’d have shown you Peck and I would have asked if you still wanted to be with me. I’m a monster, Sean. Always have been, ever since we met. No, even long before that.”

She gently touched his cheek, her hands cold. He liked it. It felt good. She could force him, Sean knew that, yet she didn’t. She simply guided him until he looked at her eyes.

“But what do you see when you look at me? Do you see a monster or Clara? Which one is clearer?” she asked and Sean could only stare back at her, into her cold blue eyes and the fang that slightly glimmered in the sunlight.

He quietly stared at her this time.

“I see you,” he said and he closed his eyes, letting the tears drop down, “That’s why I hate it. Every logical part of me tells me that going with you is wrong, that being turned isn’t what I should do but my emotions want to follow you. Or screw it, maybe… maybe it’s just my emotions fighting among themselves.”

“It’s okay, you can let yourself go,” she said and pulled him close into a hug. They hadn’t ever hugged before but it felt good —relaxing as if it was where he belonged. She was half a head shorter than him before but now she almost seemed as if she was a full head shorter. He didn’t hug back, though. He felt too awkward.

His tears were flowing down but it wasn’t the same as when he cried after meeting his mother. This one wasn’t familial comfort, but that of a friend. Maybe it was that or maybe it was the fact that he’d felt bad about himself for too long, but he snapped back to reality far too quickly this time.

Even a minute hadn’t passed and he got one deep whiff of her perfume. It smelled like iron, but good.

“Now then, should I snap back to Clara or should I still act like a wise old vampire for a bit,” she asked as if knowing he was back.

“Clara with a dash of vampire, please,” said Sean with a small snort, as if ordering something at a coffee shop. She always managed to turn serious conversations into light-hearted ones, in that regard, she was similar to Aunt Charlie.

“Is this the part where I act like me but with a British accent?” she asked, with a clearly fake accent and he chuckled. It almost felt like they were reliving a moment that happened before everything turned into… an adventurously shitty world. Very far from his ideal ‘mundanely adventurous’ life, but he could dig it.

His face was red after he’d cried a bit —that always ended up happening, making it practically impossible that he’d been crying. There was only the sound of nature now as they both stopped speaking and took a breath.

“You know, right now, I’m almost a human girl,” said Clara, breaking the awkward silence out of nowhere, “The flowing water weakens us and makes our physique like a human’s. I’m standing on the doorstep of the Morris Shore —private property— so I cannot use my powers at all, as I am requesting entrance. It’s nice to feel vulnerable sometimes. It’s refreshing.”

“I can’t let you in,” said Sean as he looked down at the ground. He’d feel guilty if he did. He could cause the death of his entire family and everyone.

“I’m not asking you to let me enter,” clarified Clara, “I'm just letting you know that I'm as human as you right now. At least in terms of capabilities.”

“Do you want to know why I haven’t offered it to you for so long?” she asked as she once again turned away and looked down at the water, “Don’t worry. It’s not an excuse. It’s a reason.”

Sean slowly nodded and she somehow knew he’d done that without looking at him.

“When you’re turned, your caste is decided. Those who lie and are corrupt turn into mindless monsters like the ones you’ve killed. The ones who are proud and arrogant yet truthful to their nature become like me, a Noble. But the ones like you, the loyal ones that don’t think of themselves —they become Knights and their loyalty is magnified hundreds of times,” she said and paused.

After a while, she continued, “I’m something of a princess down in the city below. Knights are dime a dozen, always trying to impress, ready to give their life for even a single headpat or a compliment. They practically worship their sire or the closest and strongest Noble near them. If I turned you, you’d have been one of them. You wouldn’t be Sean. You’d be a mindless drone trying to curry favors and licking boots.”

“No more chatting, then,” added Sean with a smirk and she nodded her head.

“Which is why I hung out with you, away from all the responsibilities. I could meet people with personalities rather than eager servants. That was when this side was an escape, but it won’t be very soon. It’ll either be a desolate land with no human out here or it’ll become some sort of human farm,” she said, “But it won’t be that bad. The humans will be fed and clothed in the best that can be provided by us, will be forced to have a healthy lifestyle. No one will die from cancer or cold or any sickness that you humans couldn’t cure without magic. No more corrupt politicians that seek their own interests. They’ll donate their blood once every two months or something. That’s really all we need.”

“Are you persuading me to agree to enslaving humans?” he asked. In theory, it did sound nice but it was like communism. There was always a flaw in it —something that they couldn’t give, and that was freedom. He wasn’t a sucker for it, quite frankly, but he didn’t want to live in an authoritarian government.

“That’s not the point,” said Clara, “It will happen, I know that, whether you agree or not. You’ll become one of them if you don’t join me. I found a way. We can have Hugh turn you into a werebeast and you’d be still you. You can live as free as you can get in the future that’s ruled by monsters. You’d become a friend on that side instead of a slave like everyone else.”

“Turn off the charm,” said Sean, “I want to make this choice by myself, without any magic brainwashing melting my common sense.”

“I can’t,” she said bluntly.

“That other Noble could,” reasoned Sean, referring to Evans —the vampire at the Haven.

“That’s because he was actively controlling their minds, dictating their actions. I never did that with you, Sean. I just charmed you so that you’d be attracted to me. That’s not something you can undo without turning back time itself and we’ve met more than a year ago. Not even the greatest magic can do that,” said Clara, “I can charm you again and make the transition easier for you. Everything will be undone if you become a werebeast. You just have to agree.”

She couldn’t release him from the Charm.

It was a difficult choice but the conflict wasn’t what he thought it would be. He thought his logical side would choose his family and that his emotional side would choose Clara.

It was the opposite.

Choosing her side was the only logical choice or he’d become a slave or a corpse. Becoming a monster and ruling alongside her was a good ending. That was what he’d have wanted back in the past when he had nothing to miss on this side. It was his heart that tugged at him and forced him to stay with his family —with the hunters, all because he felt more welcome now.

There was a clear frown on his face and his eyes were narrowed. His nose was runny as well. He was almost trembling due to all the emotions he was feeling.

“I don’t have much time before they realize I’m gone,” said Clara as her expression turned to that of worry, “Meet with Hugh here on the night with a full moon. That’s your only chance to be turned. After that, the war will start.”

He had more time now.

“Why wait?” asked Sean. He wanted to survive this war nonsense. As much as he loved his family, common sense dictated that he put his bet on the winning horse —and he thought that the monsters had more of a chance, “I’m- I’m ready.”

“Because that’s the only time he can turn you. It’s in three days,” said Clara as she turned her back on him.

“One question,” said Sean, and she slightly turned, to signify she was listening, “Are we just friends?”

She rubbed her forehead and groaned, her calm guise gone.

“You went and ruined my dramatic exit for that?” Clara asked with a tsk. She rolled her eyes and looked at him in the eye, “I can’t love, Sean. I don’t have a libido or sexual attraction. My brain isn’t wired like that. All those emotions. They don’t exist in me. I can only think of what’s advantageous and what is not, and… sorry, but having you next to me, as a conscious Sean, is good for my sanity. That’s why I’m doing this. I’m selfish by nature.”

No sexual attraction and libido?

Why… why did she think it was about that?

“Being lovers isn’t about having sex,” he said, slightly louder, “Love is something deeper. It’s something that gives you a reason to go on. It’s when you put their safety over yours. It’s when you worry about not being able to protect them when you die instead of fearing death. It’s when you care about them.”

“That’s also an emotion that doesn’t exist within me,” said Clara, “I can’t care or love and that’s the end. We can be friends and I am seeking my own self-interest by talking to you, for my own sanity. Don’t become an asshole like me. Become a werebeast.”

“I see,” said Sean and he watched her walk away and onto the ground. The moment she did, she sprouted wings from her back, very much like how Evans did and flew off to the distance.

After three days, he’d be able to leave but before then, maybe, just maybe, he had to spend some quality time with his family.