“Huh?”

A questioningly unconscious escaped out of Jakes mouth, as he gripped the cushion below, feeling its softness thoroughly.

“H-Hey, wait. Where do you think you’re grabbing?!” it talked again, angrier than before.

“Hmm, definitely a talkative type. I wonder if someone has put a curse on it. Man I hate those, always brain-chewing pieces of...” He spoke to himself, ignoring the voice. That was when he suddenly felt a smack on his head, hard on the centre.

“Ow! Just what the—“ he had a lost, pale expression on his face, his confusedness fading away, finally realising what he has done.

“Eh?”

Standing up, he saw the pure, apple-red expression on the girl’s face, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth in a violent manner, muttering out a groan. She sat up, crossed her arms and then gave a sigh. “Ugh, I don’t get you perverts at all, you know. Just how many types are you’re all of?” she asked, a little confidence building up, but still shivering.

“Ahaha, well I couldn’t say exactly, I guess it’s a—wait, what did you just referred to me there?!” he asked, suddenly flinching over the topic.

It was when he finally noticed her. She was almost of his height, with a stout and confident figure, she wore, what looked like a mage’s clothing. A round small hat on top, with a magical robe, coloured faded blue, like a gown and a staff in her right hand. She also wore a half-cape on the back with a high collar around her neck. She wore the robe till the feet, wearing adventurer’s boots. She had a small, but attractive face with braided blonde hair tied to a knot. She had bright purple eyes, resembling a jewel, shining under the moon’s reflection.

“Leave it. Just pretend this thing never happened.” She said as she slowly stood up. “My… my arm hurts a bit.” She saw a small cut, made during the fall. She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, look at this! It’s your fault…!” she moved her arm forward, moving towards Jake’s face.

Seeing the small injury, he grabbed his mouth, hard, with his hands, as if acting he would throw up. He suddenly felt his dormant canines bulge out in pain, through the flesh of his teeth as he collapsed to the ground. He still kept a hold on his mouth, excruciating pain overflowing his whole body… and the urge to feed, to drink the hot red liquid he was so fond of, to rip someone’s throat out and suck on their blood. It seemed that his vampiric urges were awake. Like a bear, ready to hunt after the long hibernation.

The girl panicked and rushed towards him, dropping her staff aside, and knelt on the ground. “Hey, are you okay?! You need to—”

“Don’t! Stay… back. Please…!” his cries suddenly turned to a wail. Tears began to flow out of his eyes, showing extreme anxiety. He grabbed his forehead and front hairs, pulling on them. He opened his eyes and turned towards the girl.

She crawled back, staring at the mysterious expression, almost like a predator’s. Shivering, “W-Who… are you…?!” she said almost in a whisper.

Crawling back some more, she saw the whole figure of who no more looked like a person. As if only hiding behind a disguise. With eyes very beautiful, striking, slit like a dragon’s, pupil’s dilated red, the handsome figure stood up gazing at the poor girl’s face, like a true monster. His hair grew longer, lengthening to his shoulder-blades.

Jake felt light, very light. Overwhelming power flowing through his body, as if he could take on anyone. His animal instincts screamed ‘blood’ in his mind as he looked down on the bodice of the girl, helpless and vulnerable, arms crossed, trembling with fear. He gave a slight smile, showing his long, glinting canines.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, his head tilted slightly sideways, exposing that long white silver hair, flowing with the breeze.

The tall, majestic figure of the monster darkened out before the flash of the street lights. The girl didn’t speak even a word. As if she would turn to dust if she opened her mouth. She began to feel for her staff around but couldn’t find it. Tears formed on the outlines of her glimmering eyes.

“With that said,” the figure before her spoke, nearing her face with his until he reached her side hairs. “You don’t need to worry, it will all be over before you know It.” he whispered softly in her ear, hugging her. “So, there we go…” he opened his mouth, his canines bulging out even more, he growled lowly and tore her clothes by the neck. She was about to scream.

Suddenly the girl saw another hand, which seemed to have gloves on, approaching from behind. It grabbed her assaulter’s hair on the head, wrangling and throwing him back, freeing her from his grasp. He flew out to a nearby wall, crashing and destroying it, making a hole. Bricks flew out of the disastrous scene, covered up by smoky fog of dust.

“I take my eyes off of you for a moment and you go and disappear somewhere. And now, when I finally find you, I see you strangling some poor soul.”

A figure appeared from the dark, walking through the smoke with a cape flying behind. He had a pale face and dark eyes which seemed to have no pupils at all! He had horns growing out of his head with slick black hair that completely contradicted his pale face. He turned towards the girl from the smoky screen of fog, giving her a warm smile, showing his fangs, but dull and small, unlike that monster’s.

“Hey there, young lady. You seem to be in quite a dilemma. I presume my friend here did not do something to you did he?” he asked, his eyes smoothening to a glittering golden from that dead, lifeless black. He put on a polite smile as he helped her up and she brushed her skirt to whiff off the dust.

It was then she noticed the figure of that gentleman who rescued her. She gazed down at his body. He wore a fine tailored suit. With a sleeveless black coat and a white shirt underneath, he wore a black tie with some black pants. Monochromic yet still beautiful, he shinned under the moonlight, perfecting his glaze.

“Um, mister, who are you?” the girl asked, coming out of the fearful state.

He smiled, acting out his braveness of saving the lady in despair. “Now, miss, knowing my identity might surprise you more. I suppose if I could be paid in another manner…?” he took the girl’s hand, and inhaled loudly. She stepped uneasily, trying to pull back her hand.

“Mind if I take some of your mana? It won’t hurt much. And… hmm, your panties?” He grabbed her hands, eyebrows widened, fixed his lustful gaze on her.

“Hey, let go! Let me go! Help! Pervert!!” she shouted. Suddenly, the fog cleared and a figure launched itself towards them with incredible speed. The man kept sniffing the screaming girl’s skirt, even kneeling down. Suddenly the man disappeared from her sight as he left her skirt unscathed. She glanced down in confusion as she felt a strong wind grace by her.

Jake was in front of her again, but the monster wasn’t. Though he did not transfer back to being a human. He still bore sharp fangs, ready to dig into any neck, his eyes diluted red with the same slits, made him look like a predator. But he was back to his consciousness.

“I’m sorry.” That was all he said. Even though, he became like a monster, she saw in those eyes of a predator’s, what she believed that somewhere, in the deepest corners, there lied the eyes of a terrified victim suffering.

As she blinked her eyes, a strong breeze graced her skin, engulfing her in a petit fog as the figure of Jake disappeared before her eyes. She stood in the middle of the fog, speechless, as if her neck was chocked. She could only raise her hand towards and not see a thing after.

“Wait…” she trailed off.

*****

“Man, you’re a real pain in the ass, you know that? When was it you last lost control after seeing blood?” the man in the suit, dressed like a royal butler said to Jake as he sipped a little brandy from the glass, legs crossed on an arm chair by the fire.

“Shut up, Satan.” Jake replied in a cold voice, sitting in a dark corner by the window, gazing at the beautiful moonlight. He had no expression. “That aside, you only saved her just because you wanted to catch a glimpse of her panties and take some of her mana, or better yet, almost all of her mana… what are you? A kind of succubus?”

“Oh, man, you do know me so much! But spare me. We’re pals, best of buddies right?” he smiled, trying to cheer him up and change the topic when there was a sound of the door and a lady walked in, holding a wine tray.

“You men still didn’t make up with each other? Well, I guess it can’t be helped.” She spoke as she put down the tray and spilled the wine all over, breaking a glass or two. “Oh my! I’ll clean this up myself—“

“Don’t need to, Livia. I got this.” she got a tap on the shoulder as she saw Jake behind her back. She looked at him with concerned eyes as he picked up the mope and started to wipe the floor.

She was a fine lady on the first look. A Nobleman’s daughter, being given the title of Landlady in almost all the villages, she was not proud of her place, but she wanted to go on trips and adventures, fighting for the world. That was her true motive.

She wore an evening gown instead of her leather armour and an adventurer’s coat underneath. She had long, red hairs flowing to her back, not tied. Her watery blue eyes shinned even in darkness, fitting in her fair face perfectly. With a raised cleavage, she looked like a gorgeous woman in her early twenties. Despite her height, a little shorter than Jake’s, her cute face made many fly away in wonders. But, only both of them knew the clumsy wolf under the sheep’s clothing.

“I’m sorry Jake. If only I would have been…” she trailed off, looking down to her feet.

“Hm… saw that coming.” He returned her a warm smile back, teasing her. She flustered and turned back.

“I-I am going to, clean t-the dishes! Now, if you’ll excuse me!” she slammed the door behind her, rushing down the hallway.

“Geez, what’s with her?” the man beside the fireplace said, sinking into the cosiness of fire, swirling his brandy in his glass. “Hey, maybe you should take a break and let her clean up her mess, you know?”

“Let her be Sat.”

“Alright, buddy. If you say so.” He turned back to the fire.

The sound of the shattered glass pieces while moping made Jake shift uneasily. It was just the sound of glasses that shattered. Still, in the middle of all that, he was reminded of himself as he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the broken piece of glass. But, that was long ago… as he found nothing even if he tried to look. Because he lost his soul and that took away his existence from that world, making him invisible to the mirror and the astral plain. He sighed, whiffing off the old memories and shook his head.

“Everyone dies… everyone died… in front of my… eyes…” he muttered to himself, unconsciously taking a piece of glass and piercing his finger. Tiny drop of pure red blood sipped out from the cut. He didn’t feel any urge.

“You said something?”

“Nope.” He replied in his mind, something else. But that was what he said. He rubbed his finger with a handkerchief.

“Well then, I’m off to my bed. Would you mind cursing the bed sheet before? Oh, and get rid of the demon bugs please.” Satan said, getting off of his easy chair, stretching himself and walking through the door, taking off his coat. “You should take a break, seriously, pal.” He said with a defeated expression on his face, already knowing the answer. Then smiled and closed the door behind.

Jake glanced out the window, trying to find the soothing breeze and the sweet scent of cherries.

“Oh, it’s almost winter, is it? Maybe that time is gone…” he spoke, as if to the sky, expecting someone from far reaches to listen to his voice. But there was no answer. He only saw the chill darkness of the night as the lights of the town went dark. They call it the witching hour, a time when the dark forces and black magic works most efficiently.

The curtains flow aside as he closes the window, shutting the room, and leaving through the door without a glance back.

“Maybe that was a ‘system’ failure for a second…?” he whispered to himself, covering his mouth, feeling for the canines.

But, he felt nothing as he stepped up the stairs.