Sorry for the long delay. School's going to start and I'm starting to get busy.
Those collars? Oh, they're pretty important. You'll see :P
Chapter Four
The streets were once again empty, the previous commotion lying undetectable under the thick blanket of night. Between the buildings, five figures walked on silently until they reached a crossroad.
"Thank you for escorting us back, Bastion," Atticus said politely.
"No worries," Bastion replied. The five of them stopped as the Hunter pulled something out of his pocket.
"The thing is, Zane wants me to give you this," Bastion walked towards Alexis. The blonde girl looked at the small, hard package in the human's hand dubiously. She took it from Bastion and wondered what kind of stuff the Kaiser of duelists might want to give her.
Bastion continued, "Zane said he wants to thank you for saving his life out there, which brings out a question," he narrowed his brown eyes at Alexis, "What did happen out there tonight?"
Chazz and Jaden moved forward surreptitiously while Atticus positioned himself behind Bastion, fearful of the outcome of this conversation. Alexis, however, just looked straight into the Hunter's brown, dark eyes.
"Bastion." She murmured as her pupils began to glow blue.
"Yea… Yes." The mortal, hypnotized by Alexis's power, stuttered.
The blonde smiled satisfactorily. "I want you to remember nothing about this conversation except that what I told you and Syrus is the truth. I woke up to find Zane – and those gangsters – lying on the ground. When you were collecting Zane's cards," she narrowed her eyes, "you saw nothing, Bastion. There was nothing suspicious with those robbers, do you understand me?"
All Bastion did, and could do, was nod.
"Good," Alexis shut her eyes gracefully. Released from her spell, Bastion looked around in slight confusion, before remembering the purpose of his journey.
"Did I give you Zane's stuff?" He asked, scratching his head.
Chazz stepped forward. "Yes, you did," he said in a voice that meant nothing but plain dismissal, "and thanks for that. I'm sure we can find our way home from here."
"Well… if that's the case…" Bastion blinked. "Good night, then."
The vampires stood still until they could no longer see the human even with their nightsight. Almost cheekily Jaden fished out a small bottle from his pocket and offered to Alexis. She took it. "Water?" She questioned as she began to unscrew the cap.
"No, blood," Jaden answered. "You must be tired from hypnotising him, and from giving him all those commands. You didn't even take anything when we left the Academy."
Alexis thrust the bottle back into the brunet's hands. "I don't need it then. I've already had my share of blood tonight."
"From Zane?" Chazz snorted.
Alexis rounded on him in fury. "I did no such thing! All I did was help him!"
"Sure," Atticus drawled. His sister glared at him but he didn't seem to care.
"So," the elder Rhodes sibling stated with a mischievous smile, "what actually happened between the two of you?"
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Dr. Crowler. Long blond ponytail, purple lipstick, a lean and rather sallow face, and a quivering, high voice.
And raving.
"For the last time, Dr. Crowler, that's my spare copy." Zane Truesdale sat opposite the older man as the latter paced and ranted in his office. With his eyes closed the younger Hunter once again reassured Crowler coolly, if not slightly irritated.
"But that's a Cyber Dragon!" Crowler stomped the ground.
"I know that, but you see, Doctor, she happened to save my life."
"How do you know that?" Crowler slammed his hands on the table. "How do you know she's there to help you? How come she remained behind when the rest of them fled? Your wound was deep yet it healed without a scratch. That, Zane, is only possible –"
"– through the application of vampire saliva, for that's how they close the wounds of their victims. I've been hearing that since I was a kid. May I ask what has that got to do with me giving her a copy of Cyber Dragon to express my gratitude?"
Crowler leaned down so that his face was directly above Zane's. "You know what I'm trying to say, don't you?"
Zane sighed. There's no point in arguing about this anymore, he's done that half a dozen times with Crowler alone. He knew that the girl meant him no harm because when he woke up for just that one split second, dizzy from pain, he saw no wickedness in her eyes. But he also knew that by then he was bleeding and close to dying. What happened in the few minutes during his unconsciousness? His mind offered him only one solution, an impossible and unreasonable solution. He dared not to present it to anyone, because it's against the belief that is the root of the Hunters' faith, the belief that vampires do not care for humans.
"Are you still listening to me, Zane?" Crowler enquired.
"Yes," Zane nodded. "As a matter of fact, I've already given this a lot of thought. Please, Doctor, I have this under control."
"I'm glad to hear it," Crowler didn't sound like he was glad at all.
"Zane?" Someone sat down opposite him in the crowded café.
The duelist gazed up from his memories. It's Alexis, he thought to himself as he looked at the resplendent girl in front of him, basked in the bright noonday sunlight. His heart jumped in relief as he saw her unblemished skin under the light. She was dressed all in white – white shirt, white skirt and white shoes – so pristine it's almost as if she was trying to deliver a message with it.
Zane caught himself before his mind went further down that track.
He looked behind her. "Isn't Jaden supposed to come as well?"
She smiled apologetically. She had the same charming smile as Atticus, Zane noted. "I'm afraid Jaden ran off with Syrus as soon as they saw each other. Their friendship is getting quite strong." Just like his friendship with me and my brother a century ago, she recalled.
Zane made another mental note to stop using Syrus as his errand boy.
"You asked me to come here. Why?" Alexis questioned bluntly.
The human raised his eyebrows at the straightforwardness of this slender girl. He expected cunning probing from her as befit of her kind – that is, if his assumption is correct. Clearing his throat, he replied.
"Firstly I'd like to thank you –"
"Speaking of thanking me, I really can't take this." Alexis pulled out the Cyber Dragon card and placed it on the table.
"No, no, I'm serious. I wouldn't be here if it's not because of you."
"Well," she bit her lip, "if you insist, I'll keep it. But please, accept this." She got out another Duel Monsters card. Zane's curiosity was raised.
"It's a Cyber Tu Tu. You remember that I used it on that night, don't you?" She grabbed his hand and turned it up, pressing her card firmly onto his palm.
The Hunter had expected an unholy coldness from her touch, a sensation that he's not unfamiliar with. Alexis's hands, however, were warm and soft and perfectly normal. Zane tried to remember their first encounter on the night he killed Don Zoolag, when he thought she was just a passing pedestrian. But on that night the very air was cold enough to scorch his skin and he couldn't recall if there was something particular about her.
Alexis studied the man in front of her methodically. She knew he must be suspicious about her identity. After all, he warned her about vampires and seemed to know about the community here at Domino. The lieutenant decided to get straight to the point. She can't afford to let the sunlight potion she got from Immanuel to run its course and exhaust its effects.
She pulled back her hand. "Let's be honest, Zane. You didn't want to see me again just to thank me, right? You're wondering about what role I played on the night of the tournament a week ago."
Zane massaged the top of the Cyber Tu Tu card. "In a way, yes," he fixed his teal irises on her. "I knew I was bleeding badly a short while before Bastion and Syrus arrived. I'm just curious about how you healed me, Alexis."
How I wish this is night so I can just hypnotise him, Alexis thought with a vengeance. He's toying with me, trying to find a crack in my defence. Never mind, I'll save him the trouble.
"Remember when we first met in the night before the tournament?" She began. "You told me about the vampires of Domino then. Do you believe them?"
The blue-headed young man nodded slowly. "I do. What's your point?"
"I think you were attacked by a vampire," Alexis swallowed and forced herself to continue. "When I reached you you were bleeding, but all of a sudden… it just stopped, and the flesh healed." She remembered that Shepherd had told them many years ago that such delayed healings of vampire saliva was possible.
"You're not serious, are you?" Zane was puzzled. At first he thought she could be a vampire, but the way she behaved, the way she thought about things, were totally different from the cold-blooded creatures he's used to handling. And he just could not deny the fact that she's attractive. Purposefully, he had chosen a table beside the sunny window, realizing only too late that he's made a grave mistake. The light danced off Alexis's golden hair and warm caramel eyes, casting about her a soft glow. Subconsciously, Zane found himself staring at her face, memorising those delicate features and wondering about the person behind.
"I'm not joking," Alexis smiled. "That's the truth. You may choose to believe it, or not. That's just my side of the story." She stood up. "If you don't mind, I've got to go."
Without waiting for an answer the vampire turned on her heels and walked off. Zane sat in his chair, momentarily stunned, and then came to his senses.
"Alexis!" He called out.
She turned around, the sunlight sparkling all around her. He mentally slapped himself. Maybe his senses were still a long way from returning to him.
"It's… it's nice to meet you." What the Hell am I saying? The duelist cringed.
His inner struggle was not lost to Alexis's eyes. She regarded the man solemnly, taking in his conflicted expression, his stiff posture. Her gaze drifted up to Zane's teal orbs, and there she detected a softness, a tenderness towards her that she hadn't felt for many years except, perhaps, from her brother. For although vampires can and did love their comrades, deep inside they're forever distracted by their hunger for blood, a desire that keeps nagging at their subconscious and prevents them from loving others as devotedly as a human would. Even friendly Jaden, happy-go-lucky Jaden, cannot resist that bestial pull, cannot deny the predatory instinct when it calls out for his soul.
Wait a minute, love? Is she mad? And what's that got to do with Zane? She narrowed her eyes. Her mind-reading skills were hindered by the daylight, dazzling her eyes so she can't reach into the mortal's heart. But she sensed it, nonetheless. She sensed a fire within him that has long since vanished from her own world.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you too, Zane," she replied softly, and all of a sudden she found herself saying something she never meant to say.
"If you happen to want to see me again, get Syrus to find Jaden. He would always know where I am."
She darted out of the café.
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Chazz slapped at Jaden's hands. "Stop it, idiot! You look like you're choking yourself!"
"I am. Already. Chocking!" Jaden sputtered. With a look of distaste Chazz stepped behind the brunet, and unbuckled the latter's collar of office swiftly. Jaden collapsed onto the ground in his bedroom, his hands still clasped around his own throat, coughing and wheezing.
"I'm sure your neck hasn't gone swollen today," Chazz stated. "So how come you find this too tight all of a sudden?"
Jaden jumped up so quickly Chazz fell back onto the bed in shock. Almost comically the shorter vampire peeped out of the door to look down the corridor, and then he quickly shut the door and locked it. With a sigh he flipped face down on the bed beside Chazz, and mumbled incoherently into the mattress.
"What's this about?" The raven-haired lieutenant was mystified.
"I've got a problem," Jaden turned around to look up at the whitewashed ceiling. "And… and I need to talk to you about it. So I faked the whole thing about the collar and since your room's next to mine, I knew you'd come over."
"Wow, since when did you become so smart?" Chazz's face appeared in Jaden's line of vision.
"I had to! Didn't you listen? I'm in trouble!" Jaden sat up, nearly knocking Chazz back onto the floor. "Shepherd… gah, Shepherd… he wants me to get engaged, with a girl!"
Chazz's jaw dropped.
"I know, I know," Jaden was already hiding his face behind his hands, his voice muffled as he continued to speak. "This is insane. I… I need help!"
"Can't you just talk to the old man?" Chazz replied.
"Don't you remember our parents?" Jaden stared at his companion furiously, his hands clutching the mattress now. "Most, if not all, of the vampires have their marriage arranged!"
"Did Shepherd order you?" Chazz asked quietly. That calmed Jaden down abruptly.
Both of them knew the power and authority of the Shadow Master over the vampires. It is through his powers that the vampires in Domino exist, and it is the collar of the Golden Phoenix, eternally clasped on Shepherd's neck, that grants strength to the Masters and Lieutenants. If the Shadow Master gives a direct order, none of his subordinates dare to disobey. The punishment for such impudence is… no, not death, worse. The two Lieutenants of Defence had seen a pitiful creature roaming the basement of the former headquarters when they were children, and they've never forgotten the soulless eyes, the rotting flesh, and the gagging voice. To refuse the demands of the Shadow Master means to discard the life from a vampire's body, reducing it to a walking, mindless, decaying corpse until the decomposers had done their job.
"Yes he did," Jaden's shoulders slumped. "And to make things worse, he didn't want to tell me who she would be! I mean, I don't want to marry one of Fontaine's high-and-mighty ladies who treat the Department of Defence like dirt! This is just insane to imagine me spending an eternity with one of THEM!"
Chazz's lips were pressed into a thin, sarcastic grin. "It's not up to you anymore, Jaden. Did you manage all that little show just so you could get me to listen to your rants? I've got more important things to do before Atticus grabs us to go attend the stupid Council, you know."
"Yeah, I know. You're busying trying to find Alexis." Jaden laughed at Chazz's petrified expression. "Don't worry bro; I've known a long time that you like her. So you regard her new friend Zane to be a threat, don't you?"
Chazz practically gagged, his pale cheeks quickly turning into a shade of salmon pink. Zane lost no time after he first saw Alexis. Chazz was very aware that she began to miss more classes by day, and disappeared from the campus more often than ever by night. The male vampire knew who she's meeting, and for more than once his teeth clutched in anger at the thought of Zane. A great duelist, yes, but a human? A powerless, mortal human? Has Alexis Rhodes gone mad?
Someone knocked on the door, and Atticus's voice sounded outside. "Anyone home?"
Jaden answered. "Yeah, me and Chazz."
"That explains why the room next door's empty," Atticus's cheerful voice continued. "Listen guys, I'm sorry but Shepherd's given the order. I've got Lex already, so you two better hurry up and get there in time."
Footsteps sounded outside the door and the elder Rhodes walked off. Silently Jaden put his collar on again and almost dragged a slightly dazed Chazz towards the Council chamber.
The room was located at the top floor of the Academy, close to Shepherd's office. The only furniture in this spacious and circular room was a round wooden table, with four antique chairs placed so that the table is divided into four equal quarters. One chair stood alone. For the other three, each has three diminutive chairs placed behind them, the seating place for the Lieutenants. The walls were empty and plain, and the only light source was the circular skylight in the middle of the roof, above the centre of the table.
Jaden and Chazz spotted the Rhodes siblings and the four entered together, as tradition demands. It seemed they were the last to arrive. One of the females behind Fontaine muttered something about 'idle laziness' under her breath.
Alexis gave her a venomous look. Sitting down with Chazz at her left and Jaden at her right, she settled in the middle chair behind Atticus. She could see Shepherd directly opposite them; the Shadow Master's small and deep eyes were hidden in the shades the light of the waning moon cast on his face.
'If we're ready, we'll begin," Shepherd started speaking, his voice resonating around the room. "We have received reports that tomorrow morning the heir apparent of the Phoenix family will arrive at Domino airport."
An audible silence fell across the room. Alexis could feel her companions stiffen. This is the kind of life they're used to living!
"I have come up with a plan," Shepherd went on calmly, "but it requires the corroboration of all three Departments. I hope it wouldn't be troublesome."
"Of course not," Fontaine spoke up. A tall and beautiful woman with long red hair, she wore the collar of the Golden Griffon, the symbol of the Department of Finance. "I promise you, Shadow Master, that my department and I will do everything in our power to help you destroy our greatest enemy."
"And I, too," Amnael spoke from the other side of the table in a rather lilting accent. His long brown hair failed to conceal the Golden Unicorn on his collar of office. "The Department of Development is yours to command, Shadow Master."
"Thank you, my Griffons, my Unicorns," Shepherd said. "And what about you, my Dragons?" He stared fixedly at Atticus. "Do I have your strength to support me?"
Atticus bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes in respect. "Of course, Golden Phoenix. We have waited a long time to finish what we began."
"Excellent," Shepherd replied. "If there are no more questions we'll begin –"
"I'm sorry, Master," Fontaine suddenly voiced. "My Lieutenants," She gestured at the three females behind her, "are all rather young. None of them has heard the story of the Phoenix family in full."
Chazz snorted in derision, and the Lieutenants of Development also began to murmur behind Immanuel.
"Silence!" Shepherd ordered. He held out his left hand, palm up, in a gesture of command. The moonlight fell across his palm, and Alexis saw the other part of the Shadow Master's power: the Shadow Seal on his hand. A tattoo-like design, it consisted of a ring of black vines surrounding a silver dagger, covered in blood. This picture, imprinted within every Shadow Master's flesh, was rumoured to have more mystical abilities than the collar.
"It is fitting that we hear that story again," Shepherd glared around the room. "After all, it's been a long while since we've heard it. If you please, my friend," he motioned at Amnael.
The Head of Development's glasses flashed as he nodded. "Certainly. The story of the Phoenix family is concerned with the beginning of this community, and the root of the conflict between us and the Hunters. I'm glad to tell it to you again."
"Almost a millennium ago a great magician walked the earth. His power was strong. He could see through time, through people's hearts. He could also manipulate the souls of others, and he could command mystical and dreadful creatures to do his bidding, even the dead."
"His name was Satorius."
"His most loyal servant was a vampire, a woman called Camilla. Satorius loved her as deeply as any man could love a woman, despite the fact that he was already wed to another mortal female, and had children. However, one day Camilla returned to him with a wooden stake in her heart, and fast dying. Apparently she was hunted down by the mob and attacked. Soon, her body lay motionless by Satorius's feet, in eternal sleep."
"The magician's sorrow was so strong he decided to commit a forbidden act: to resurrect her. He took off the torque on his throat, one with a golden phoenix emblem, and placed it on her neck. Then he declared that as her master, he possesses her and does not allow her to leave this earth. He made a part of his own life force flow into her body, so she can return from death."
"He succeeded. Camilla woke up again. But to her shock and dismay she found that her master has changed. Overcame with the joy of defeating death, Satorius's heart burned with the flame of ambition and power. He sneered at Camilla, saying: 'See, my servant! Even death cannot take you from me! I have complete control over your fate, forever!'"
"It is lamentable that his rash words fuelled the unearthly bloodlust within her. For a few moments, all she could see was a wretched human declaring complete ownership over a vampire. She lunged at him, her fangs biting deep into his neck for his impudence. He tried to stab her with a dagger but only managed to get her left palm."
"That would be the origin of the Shadow Seal," Fontaine commented.
Amnael smiled gently. "Yes. Camilla drained Satorius, and then she left, with his torque of power still on her throat. But Satorius wasn't dead yet. With his last breath he cursed Camilla and all her offspring, and commanded his own children to hunt the vampires down, not to rest until they retrieve the golden Phoenix, the root his power."
"The Phoenix family is the descendent of Satorius. They have sworn their ancestor not only to recover their power, but also to eliminate the heirs of Camilla, the Shadow Masters, who fled and settled in the township of Domino, and used the strength of the golden phoenix to fashion the rest of the collars to distribute that power among their subordinates."
"The Hunters and the vampires of Domino are thus locked in this war. Us trying to destroy the Phoenixes, them trying to kill the Shadow Masters. None has succeeded in all this time.
"And now the Phoenixes return to Domino," Shepherd took over. "Tomorrow, we need to tail the Hunters as soon as they step out of the airport. They have been active for almost a month and we never managed to find out their headquarters. Once we locate that, we can plan a raid, and end this long struggle once and for all."
"What do you need us to do, Master?" Atticus said softly, his handsome face resolute and expressionless.
The Council was soon engaged in the details of tomorrow's actions, and Alexis's mind drifted, involuntarily, to Zane. The man and she have been seeing each other frequently ever since that fateful night, and she always took careful precautions in choosing the location and time of their meetings, never revealing her true identity. So far nothing much has happened, but Alexis could feel an urgency growing within Zane that increased with time. What's he so eager to do? The vampire wondered. To declare his love to me? Her soft lips curled into a grin.
The case's not unusual, she reasoned. Many vampires fell in love with mortals, and their lovers were bitten and transformed into the undead. Yet, she felt oddly reluctant to do that to Zane. It's got something with the man's eyes, which are not empty and lost as most humans do, but burned with an unbreakable determination.
It's as if his life had a purpose.
"That will do, Masters," Shepherd's voice sounded, returning her to reality with a jolt. "It's time for you to rest and conserve your energy. The Council is dismissed."
Bowing to Shepherd, the Masters and Lieutenants left the room.
All except Amnael.
"I hope, old friend, you're not going to tell me you've ran out of the sunlight potion that protects vampires from light?" Shepherd teased.
Amnael's small eyes were screwed up into two thin, dark lines. "Your plan will not work," he said simply.
Seeing Shepherd's startled expression, Amnael added: "I'm not talking about tomorrow. I'm talking about the one you're designing in your heart, the one I saw in your eyes tonight."
Shepherd grinned. "It seems that you haven't lost your touch… Banner."
The Head of Development was impassive. "It seems to me you've lost yours, Shepherd. The only thing you're going to achieve is destroy them. They are not going to listen to you." He learned forward. "Don't you care about them?"
Shepherd flashed a warning glance at the other vampire. "Don't forget that for a few years I was all they had. How can you accuse me of not caring about them?" He sighed wearily. "Believe me; I'm doing this for us all. The war can't go on anymore. It must stop."
"Must it stop in this fashion?" Amnael's voice was cold as ice.
"Would you choose a swift thrust of the sword, or a slow and tortuous strangulation? The outcome is both death, but the former is much faster and less painful." The Shadow Master answered. "I know them, Banner. They won't deny their duty. They are warriors, knights, soldiers; they know what they must do. Trust me, my friend." Shepherd rose from his chair. "Dawn approaches. Get some rest, you'll be needed tomorrow."
The door shut behind Shepherd. Amnael sat alone in his high-backed chair and stared solemnly out of the skylight. The moon shone in the indigo sky like a leering mouth, cruelly ridiculing the peaceful sparkle of the stars. The city of Domino slept under this uneasy harmony of light like an innocent child, unaware of the malevolent plotting outside his bedroom door.
"Trust you?" Amnael whispered into the empty air with a low and tired voice. "Tell me, Shepherd, when have you ever trusted me?"
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The next chapter is something you've waited a long time: the arrival of Aster! The Hunters are finally going to face the vampires head on. So I hope you're going to like it.
I used Satorius and Camilla purely because they fit the profile, and yes, I skipped all the possible romantic scenes between Zane and Alexis… I was more concerned about getting the story to move along. Don't worry though, I'll try to make it up in the next chapter.
About updates, I'm going on holiday next week, so chapter 5 will take more than 2 weeks to come out. Sorry, but I promise I'll do my best and finish it ASAP!