Sol’s body felt weakened by nausea, but the ache in his body had disappeared. The wrap around his palm reduced the pain from holding the sunburst to mild discomfort. His fingers danced against the surface of the silver rhythmically, unable to close into a fist. The opposing vampire stiffened after sighting the symbol of the Lord held in his hand.

“Hissss, how is your hand not burned to ash?” the vampire asked in surprise.

“No idea. I’m not going to question it. Though I do want to see what happens when I press it against your forehead. Man, how do you handle all of this noise?” Sol replied with a grimace.

He rubbed his temples with an index finger and thumb, closing his eyes. A buzzing sound was drowning out his awareness. Peeking out one eye, he investigated the source of the sound. It was a cluster of flies attracted to the decaying corpses in the room behind the vampire. The vampire grinned silently before lunging toward Sol.

Earlier, Sol would have been unable to track the vampire’s movement with his eyes. Now, its movements were easy to follow and predict. Sol shifted to the side and ducked to dodge the desperately swung claw swiping toward his head. Instinctively, he countered with a savage hook into the vampire’s back as it passed by.

It seems all those fighting lessons Father drilled into me before he died are paying off now. I can’t believe I was so scared of this thin-blood earlier. It’s clear to me that it doesn’t have any fighting experience.

If the full-bloods had ever discovered my skills, they would have sent a death squad after me, like they did Father. They say he managed to survive almost until dawn, dodging through the slums and fighting the entire way. He even drew blood from the cheek of the squad leader with his silver dagger. The clans made him pay for his defiance after they caught him, but that only added to his legend among the Resistance. They never invited me to join them, but they helped me find work in honour of his memory.

The vampire stumbled to a stop with an aggravated hiss, clutching at its back. It leapt toward Sol with both hands outstretched. Sol watched it hurtling through the air toward him with bewilderment. He casually lifted his foot to intercept the vampire, stomping its chest to knock it onto its back. Without hesitation, Sol mounted the vampire and plunged the silver sunburst into its face. It thrashed while shrieking in agony. Its wild movements knocked the sunburst from Sol's grasp across the hallway.

While Sol was distracted by the clattering sunburst, the vampire slashed Sol’s face with its claws, causing him to flinch backward. It took the opportunity to throw him against the wall with a thud and regain its feet to retreat. Sol could clearly see it flee through the darkened hallway with his enhanced senses. It was running toward the direction of the shattered window he entered.

He quietly watched as the vampire escaped. He gasped in pain, reaching up to touch the wound that the vampire opened across his face. He could feel the flesh knitting back together under his fingertips. Taking his hand away, he walked across the room to retrieve the sunburst from the floor before following in pursuit.

A short time later, he arrived at the unhinged doorway, slowing to a walk and shielding his eyes. The silhouette of the vampire was paused in distress. Its escape was interrupted by a sunbeam piercing the darkness.

The vampire turned to face Sol’s approach, raising its hands into claws. While baring its fangs, it dropped into a crouch and retreated backward until its heel entered the light. Smoke sizzled upward, causing the vampire to flinch in pain.

“I don’t think you’re prepared to deal with someone like me. I’ve never been easy prey and now there’s nowhere for you to hide. What are you going to do now?” Sol said to the cornered vampire, continuing to shield his eyes against the glare of the morning sun.

“Hiss!” the vampire replied wordlessly, reverting to its bestial instincts.

“I thought you would at least have more fight than this. You wouldn’t think it, but I noticed that I’m still slower than you. Believe it or not. I assume it’s the same with your strength because the difference wasn’t by a small margin. But it’s just my good fortune that you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing. But then again, you’re only a thin-blood. You don’t belong to a clan,” Sol shook his head as he chuckled self-depreciatingly. He paused for a moment as fleeting memories entered his mind. “Ah, I understand now. You were only turned last moon. Oh well. I could let you go, but I believe in blood for blood.”

Sol’s entire demeanour changed. His expression turning grim, he dropped his arms and began charging, tackling the vampire into the ray of light. He felt a tingling sensation engulf his body. He ignored the feeling to plunge his elongated fangs into the exposed neck of the vampire writhing beneath him.

The vampire shrieked in terror and suffering as Sol began to drink. The vampire’s blood in Sol’s mouth caused him to gag in disgust. Ignoring his revulsion, he drained the vampire of blood until the taste eroded his senses. Nausea overcame him, the agony of the sunlight subsiding in comparison. His body began to tremble uncontrollably as he continued to latch on with his teeth, ignoring all sanity.

Sol suppressed his body’s instincts to escape the sunlight. Despite his vision being replaced with searing white light, he continued to drink. Eventually, all he could taste was dry ash in his mouth. Looking down, the vampire had been reduced to charred remains inside the burnt fabric of its clothing. Pushing himself backward, Sol realised he could now see in the light. It was still bright, but it was no longer blinding. He also noticed that the burning pain had stopped.