Disclaimer: I don't own Owari no Seraph, its plot or characters, or any other mentioned books, songs, or series. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs and the plot that deviates from canon or doesn't exist in canon. This is a non-profit fan fiction just for fun.
To my guest reviewer from March 6: I feel honoured that you think so and like what I've written so far! Thank you for the praise! It put a smile on my face :)
To my guest reviewer from March 7: Yes, yes, she's going to tell Krul and it's going to have consequences~. See how it turns out for Vivian in this chapter and the next! I'm glad that you like how I built up her relationships with the other characters and that she didn't connect the dots right away as to where she was. I always fear that I'm rushing things a little at times, but I really try not to and to keep it believable.
To AkazawaIzumi: xD You're absolutely right with Ferid. He is going to pop up when you least expect it just to mess with you and your life... I can't help hating but also loving that fabulous bastard at the same time.
A/N: My thanks to everyone who has left a review, followed, favourited, and read Between Two Worlds this far! Somehow I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 8 – Matters Of Interest (Part 2)
Before I began my tale I took a deep breath to regain my composure. It didn't really help. Her senses would tell Krul right away if I lied, but the truth would sound crazy... Damn it, I was seriously screwed.
"I know this expanse of information about the Demon Army from my past life," I started, wanting to get it over with fast before I lost my voice out of fear, and watched Krul for her reaction, who was in turn observing me.
She furrowed her brows. "Don't take me for a fool, human."
A strangled noise escaped me. "I'm not deceiving you! You wanted the truth and that's what I'm going to give to you, even if it sounds like complete and utter nonsense."
Krul's red eyes gleamed ominously. A drop of sweat ran down my neck. Maybe I should not have agreed myself that my explanation sounded like the ramblings of a lunatic.
"Go on with your tale then," came the surprising command that I quickly obliged.
The vampire queen received the basic rundown about my completely normal former world without any apocalypses or supernatural creatures.
"...and there were shows, films and books that don't exist here. One particular story, titled 'Owari no Seraph', was one of them," I ended my explanation and waited, tense for her reaction.
"Your heartbeat stayed regular and your voice didn't get slightly higher... Tell me more about your supposed past life and how you died, human," Krul said thoughtfully after a while as she observed my every reaction with hawk eyes, her face devoid of any emotion.
I gulped and followed her demand, not daring to do otherwise. "My name was Eva Veith and I was born on the 17th of April in the year 1994 in Austria. My family and I lived in a small town close to Vienna for all of my life. I grew up as an only child – my mother was a music teacher and my father a journalist."
"Inspired by my mother's teachings, I was aiming to become a music teacher and pianist myself. But I died at the age of twenty-four on the 15th of October in the year 2018 when I felt a sharp pain inside my head, possibly due to some kind of brain aneurysm, so I never accomplished that dream. On that day I was taking a stroll through the Vienna Woods in the morning, but then, the next thing I knew was… the darkness," I paused for a moment to catch my breath.
The World of Death and everything that followed was what I described to her next; the Angel of Death, the crystalline door, that had been the same as the one that I had produced during the test, and that I got reborn.
Krul still looked sceptic but contemplative. "You would have to be completely insane, tired of life, or willing to risk the life of your friends, for whom you have gone to such great lengths to to protect, to come up with such a fantastical story to tell me."
...That was certainly a valid way to put it. "You believe me then?"
"Of course not," she huffed. "But I think that you believe that you are telling the truth." Okay, I was confused now. "Why don't you switch to German and tell me what you know about this supposedly fictional world of ours? What do you know about me?"
She had a point. After not having spoken or having read anything in German for over four years, I was a little out of practise. Regardless, I also let my native Austrian accent show through to prove that I had been honest. The accent wasn't that easy to fake and someone who had just learned German as a foreign language wouldn't be able to copy it without some serious practise.
"I know that you are over one thousand years old and were turned into a vampire by the First Progenitor," I began and recounted in which state Krul had found Mika in and how she had turned him into a vampire. Poor Mika got not only robbed of his first kiss by Krul, but also of his humanity.
"Ferid Bathory killed all of the other Hyakuya orphans apart from only one whom he let escape. I also know that you have an older brother with the name… Ashera Tepes."
He was one of the characters I had read more about. Krul narrowed her eyes when I mentioned her brother's name.
"What do you know about Ashera?" she asked me in perfect standard German. In the first second I was surprised to hear it from her, but then again, Krul had endless time to learn anything she desired.
"He is a demon with the name Asuramaru now and has been sealed into a cursed weapon, a katana." I described her his appearance that I remembered from the anime. "He looked to be around fourteen, and I almost confused him as a girl because of his androgynous looks when he first appeared in the story..."
Some other things came up in my mind. "He seemed to be staring up at the sky a lot." Not that he had any other hobbies in that mindscape. "Oh, and his fringe hides one of his eyes a little like this..." I demonstrated it with my own too long fringe.
Shock and recognition crossed Krul's features until she reigned them back in – it was the first time I saw her expressing so much emotion – while I described her brother thanks to my good anime character memory. Sometimes I remembered them better than real-life people. Just where did I set my priorities in life...?
"Do you know Ashera's whereabouts?" Krul seemed eager to know them although she remained nonchalant outwardly. But there was a gleam in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Was it... hope? Krul was hard to read but she wouldn't have asked if she wasn't interested. Also, was she now convinced that I was being truthful?
"Not the exact ones at this time yet. But I know who will take him as a weapon in a few years if you are interested in it."
"Tell me about it." Oh, she definitely wanted to know this one, regardless where my knowledge came from. And now I had something in my hand against Krul, too. I had to play this card right, so I could turn the tables and finally get what I wanted, even though this was the riskiest, most dangerous move I would probably ever do right after coming to Sanguinem. Somehow I did seem to play poker with my life a lot lately.
"Will you kill me once I've told you everything I know? And what about my friends' safety?" she was questioned by me in return while I watched her reaction. There was none so far...
"You also have to consider that if I tell you everything I know, you may act differently than in the story, consciously or subconsciously, and things might change for the worse for you as a result. Ashera might get taken by someone else or to a place no one knows about. My knowledge is limited. It is only worth something if some things stay the same here as in the story," I pointed out.
The vampire queen scowled but remained silent for a long time during which more cold sweat ran down my back. "This situation has become troublesome." Krul tapped her lips with a finger before she continued.
"In the wrong hands all this knowledge you seem to possess could be very dangerous..." Krul looked me in the eye again. "But it could also be an advantage. Whose side are you on, human, and what would you do about Mikaela if you lived longer?"
What was this about Mika again? "I'm definitely not on the Demon Army's side, but I don't like how vampires treat humans either. However, they don't experiment on people. Well, it's hard to say. In the end I did come here. The reason for that are you, Krul Tepes. I knew that you were the Vampire Queen of Japan, and that I did have a chance of survival and getting what I wanted if I partnered up with you," I revealed my motives.
As I hadn't read the entire story before I died, I didn't know what exactly her plans were, but I thought she cared somewhat for Mika and the other orphans that died in Ferid Bathory's ploy.
"So, you could say that I am on your side, Krul Tepes. If I lived for a little longer, I would help Mika in whatever way I could. As you've already noticed, I've become very attached to him."
A contemplative expression was on Krul's face. "My side, huh? Did you ever tell anyone else about the things you know from your... past life?"
"No, never." Not even my parents and friends had known that I remembered my past life. It was doubtful that anyone would have believed me anyway and I didn't want to end up in an insane asylum, thank you very much. Even Krul, a supernatural creature whose keen senses served as a natural lie detector, had a hard time believing me.
"I didn't even notice that I was in the world of 'Owari no Seraph' until I was captured on the day of the apocalypse and heard about the Seraph of the End project in that facility. You are the only one who knows about that now and that I have been reincarnated."
Krul was visibly pleased with that. "That is very fortunate. It should remain that way, no matter where your knowledge truly comes from. I know interfering or knowing about the future may lead to different outcomes, but reveal to me who will receive my brother as a weapon. I will not act unless it is the right time."
"O-only if you give me your honest word that no harm will ever come to Shūsaku, Makoto and my other friends from vampirekind, and guarantee me their safety," I demanded now that I had something against Krul in my hand though I knew that I was playing with fire.
This... manipulating people with what they wanted was a vile business, and I didn't particularly like it, nor did I like the playing poker when the stakes were so high, but I didn't have any other options at the moment.
I should have expected to be grabbed by my neck again for this bold demand, but it still came as a surprise when Krul suddenly took me off my feet.
What was it with vampires and strangling people?! I clutched at her unrelenting hand but even though it was smaller than mine, it didn't budge a millimetre. My throat was feeling as if it was one fire and my lungs began to scream for air while my heart raced in fear.
"Tell me about Ashera right now, human," Krul growled, squeezing once more before she let me go and I fell on my knees.
I coughed and gasped for air but even as nothing but fear and dread was coursing through me, I managed to muster up a glare at the vampire. She would never get what she wanted – information about her brother – if she killed me, so this was just a try to intimidate me to make me talk. Hopefully.
"N-no! Not until..." I coughed once more, "you've promised me my friends' safety and lives... and mean it." My life would be over soon, but I could still somewhat ensure my friends' safety like this. At least the vampires wouldn't be allowed to kill them.
Once more the vampire queen narrowed her eyes and anger was displayed on her features. "You are playing a very dangerous game, human." Krul had never been more fearsome than at this moment.
She glared at me for a moment longer, but then she said, "I, Third Progenitor Krul Tepes and Queen of Japan, give you my word that these humans of yours will receive my protection and will be safe here if they are ever found. Are you satisfied now, greedy human?"
So the vampire had lied earlier about Shūsaku and Makoto – no, Krul had never explicitly said that she had found them. It had been a false conclusion on my side. Krul really knew how to play mind games.
"Yes. Thank you," I croaked with my now sore and hurting throat. "And... I'm sorry that I used someone who is dear to you against you to protect the people that are dear to me." It wasn't a lie – I really meant it and sent Krul an apologetic look though I was also immensely pissed and scared out of my wits about what had just happened.
Before I could continue, I had to clear my throat once more. "Yūichirō Hyakuya will receive Ashera as a demon weapon in a few years..." If everything would happen like in canon.
The vampire queen watched me for a few seconds longer as if to ascertain herself of my honesty and I held her gaze. Then Krul walked up to her throne and plopped down on it, propping her head on her hand. The one eyed bat fluttered up at her motion.
A small smile appeared on her face. Did she like this outcome? It was certainly good because she wanted both Ashera and Yū back. She could kill two birds with one stone in the future.
"You can go now, human. That was everything. Remember that I don't like liars and unpredictable people."
"Long time exposure to Ferid Bathory, huh?" the dry comment slipped from my lips before I could catch myself. Maybe the adrenaline was getting to my head.
Krul lifted a brow, an almost wry smile on her face. "Of course you would know about his personality, too."
A grimace appeared on my face in response. "I hope I'll never meet him and that he gets punished for what he did to the Hyakuya orphans and for hurting Mika."
"Then we have one other thing in common." A mutual dislike for Ferid Bathory. But what was the first thing? Being the Demon Army's enemy?
When I sat down on my bed after returning to my room, my whole body quivered. As all the fear and tension I had felt during Krul's interrogation left me, it was replaced with exhaustion. The vampire queen had just heard about my being reincarnated and knowledge about this world, and I had made it out alive although I wasn't sure if she quite believed my explanation in the end.
Also, I had finally gotten her promise that she wouldn't allow harm to come to my friends.
I didn't know what would await me in the next weeks.
To my relief, the days went by the same like they had before my revelation, though Krul wasn't very pleased when I informed her who exactly she had agreed to protect – Hiiragi Shinya and his friends – even after knowing that he had been adopted and wasn't a fan of the Hiiragi family either. But she hadn't been completely averse to it for some reason.
There was one curious exception to the routine of my days, though. One day Krul sent a female vampire servant to me because she was apparently displeased with my disorderly appearance. Was it my non-present haircut and split ends, my overgrown brows, or maybe my slightly hairy legs that showed a little in the dress? I had given up on being self-conscious about any of it... until now. It wasn't like there were scissors or razors lying around here that I could use; I had a nail file and that was it.
Possibly out of safety reasons. Maybe the vampires thought the human would be dumb enough to accidentally kill herself if she had something sharp? And they couldn't have that because Krul still wasn't done with me? In any case, had no idea what the answer was as to why the vampiric hairdresser was here.
She cut my slightly wavy hair in form and trimmed it to my hips, but also cut me a fringe again – I wanted it down to shoulder length because I was thoroughly done with long hair, but Krul apparently wanted it like this and her word was law. My mother Irina would have approved because she had loved to style my hair as a mother-daughter-bonding kind of thing whenever she had time, similar to the dressing up in nice dresses, and had forbidden me to cut it too short. I, however, was annoyed but grateful that it was getting cut at all.
To my horror, the vampire then proceeded to take care of everything else that needed to be taken care of once the haircut was done. The experience was mortifying.
Was this some petty revenge? Was I just a pet in the queen's eyes that was in need of a little grooming? Or, had Krul decided that it was time to give me a long overdue "spa treatment" because she had to talk to me frequently and couldn't stand my unkept appearance? Were vampires that vain? I thought they didn't care about humans? Why did she bother?
Krul definitely took care of herself, though. There was never a hair out of place with her, her clothes and boots were neatly kept, and even her nails were manicured and painted in the same hue as her hair.
If I thought about it, all the vampires looked immaculate all the time, even the servants and guards. So they did take good care of their appearance for some reason, even if it was just vanity or because they had too much time on their hands.
Was there more behind this, or was I reading too much into this?
Well, at least my corpse wouldn't look like a total mess now. Maybe this was a small mercy.
After playing the piano and as soon as Krul had left us to our own devices, as if the talk about my former life with her had never happened, I would converse with Mika again and teach him the violin. Slowly, tentatively, he began to open up to me day after day while I told him about me, my past, my experiences in that facility – though I skimmed over too unsavoury parts – and answered his questions about the experiments on children, the Demon Army and the state of the world.
It delighted me that he seemed to be in a slightly better mood these days though he also became increasingly troubled the more he heard about the human experiments. Was this what Krul was aiming at by allowing me to talk about my past in that facility with Mika? To make him despise humans? To make him want to rescue Yū from them?
While I had retold some more stories about the shenanigans my friends and I had gotten into, Mika had in return told me a bit about his life with Yū and the other orphans, but still hadn't mentioned their names yet or said how they died, or how Yū had escaped. Only that their deaths were his fault.
It was understandable that he still blamed himself for their deaths even though he had been played by Ferid Bathory, because he was the one to suggest they should escape. I thanked every deity there was that I still hadn't seen that particular vampire yet. Everything was rather peaceful and I hoped that it would remain that way... until my final day.
Often I had nightmares that I was back in the facility, or about the day of the apocalypse and my friends dying in front of my eyes, the encounter with that Horseman also came up a few times, as well as the being choked and threatened by two vampires, and woke up drenched in sweat.
Sometimes I even had unbidden flashbacks while I was awake and had to do breathing exercises to smother the panic attacks or whatever they were. But talking to Mika somehow helped me to get my thoughts out of darker places, too. It was like a double-therapy.
"I still don't understand why he left his friend and went to the undying lands," Mika appeared disappointed after he had heard the last part of the Lord of the Rings story.
"Yeah, I also didn't like that at first. It seems somewhat lonely, doesn't it?"
"After everything they have been through together he abandons him…" Mika trailed off. Uh-oh had that somehow hit a sore nerve? Maybe I shouldn't have told him the film ending.
I had thought that Mika had been okay with letting Yū escape but maybe he had actually had some regrets? Or, it was the complete opposite and Mika was afraid that he would leave his friend behind one day because he was a vampire now and wouldn't die?
...Maybe I was just interpreting too much into his reaction and he just disliked that part of the story.
"I don't think that he really abandons him. Even if their ways have parted they still remain friends. In the end both are happy with the lives they live, isn't that the most important thing?" I tried to cheer him up again.
Mika looked at the ground and was clearly conflicted. I stood up from my seat and gently ruffled the boy's hair, so that he could move away if he didn't like the physical contact. To my astonishment he didn't.
"Mika, you silly boy, why are you getting so worked up? It's just a story. You're not comparing it to your own situation are you?"
"...I'm not." The blonde didn't meet my eyes.
"Uh-huh," I was unconvinced. "Just so you know, this is my opinion on the matter: you and your friend are both too stubborn to ever abandon each other from what I've observed of you and heard from you about them so far."
He looked up at me with saddened eyes. "You really think so?" he inquired, and I smiled at him in reassurance.
"I'm one-hundred-percent sure." My sparse knowledge about the anime confirmed as much.
"Well, if you say so, Vivian-san, maybe I'll believe you..." Mika trailed off, "You kind of remind me of Yū-chan sometimes." Huh, I reminded him of Yū? How did we even resemble each other? And wow... he had said Yū's name in my presence for the first time. After chatting daily with me for over a month. Mika was very careful and didn't trust easily. Even now I wasn't sure how much he actually trusted me.
"Didn't you say that your friend was kind of a grumpy idiot and hot head? Am I really that bad?" I asked, confused.
"Ah yes, but I didn't mean that. I meant that you both are passionate and straightforward. Yū-chan always spoke his mind, even if it got him into trouble," Mikaela explained. Oh, wow, in those aspects we really resembled each other a little. Sometimes my mouth was just faster than my brain and other times I just didn't care anymore.
"Whew, for a moment there I thought I was oblivious to how other people see me. I'm glad that you don't see me as an idiot or hot head," I stated in relief.
"Now that I think about it… Coming to Sanguinem by your own free will is a rather idiotic move. Most people want to get away from here." I could see the corners of his mouth twitching.
"You're just teasing me again now," I told him with a grin and ruffled through his hair again. "But I like this feisty side to you, Mika. Do you want play a song together with me again?"
"Sure."
To my delight, even though Mika was still a beginner, he was very good for one, and he learned fast. The boy had soaked the few pieces I had taught him right up.
We played a few simple but sweet and cheerful songs – he on the violin and I on the piano – until it was time to stop. Though I wished that this could continue forever. I hadn't had so much fun in years as with my daily outings with Mika. I was glad that the boy seemed not as depressed and sullen, but slightly better now as well than when I had first met him. That was all I wanted.
"I'll escort you to your room again, Vivian-san," the blonde held the door open for me.
"Always so considerate... I bet you'd make a good husband," I complimented him and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
"Vivian-san," Mika protested, slightly and embarrassed. Ah, I got why Irina did this to me, too. It was fun.
For some reason there were no guards around anymore, and we walked back in comfortable silence.
Until hot pain erupted in my chest as we descended the stairs. Again?! It was already the third time today that it happened! I had to grip the handrail with one hand and covered my mouth with the other one as coughs left me wheezing.
"Vivian-san!" Mika exclaimed and rushed to my side, trying to support me as my legs gave out under me. Stars danced across my vision.
"It's… okay… This happens… all the time," I wheezed in between coughs. I tried not to spill any blood on anything else than my hand but was unsuccessful this time and stained my white dress.
That was when I noticed that Mika's breathing got heavier, too, but for an entirely different reason. He had to be having problems controlling his thirst for blood with me spilling it right under his nose. Even if it was comparatively bad blood from a sick person.
Once the coughs had subsided, I tried to move away because Mika was still kneeling next to me and fighting with himself. I didn't want to make him feel pain because of his thirst for blood. It would probably be more reasonable to fear about my own life, but my concern for Mika overshadowed it.
"You can go back to your room, Mika. You don't have to burden yourself by staying here. Sorry about this."
He was surprised. "You don't need to apologize, Vivian-san. It's not your fault that you're sick. You... you've noticed that I'm… that I'm…" I nodded at the question he didn't finish.
"That you're a vampire? It doesn't matter to me. You're a really kind boy and I like you just the way you are." His eyes widened at my sincerity and acceptance, but then his expression changed to anger, and he quickly moved to stand protectively in front of me.
"Aha~, how cute. It seems that you've found a new human friend, Mika-kun~," commented a man with silver hair and an eccentric outfit who could be none other than Ferid Bathory. He had somehow appeared silently at the stairs. A shiver went down my spine as his crimson eyes fixated on me. I tried not to let my fear show on my face, but I doubted that I was successful.
He was an impossibly beautiful man in person, almost ethereal in appearance, but even scarier in reality than in the anime because I perfectly knew that he was able to kill a group of children for fun and some unknown plans. And I was facing this dangerous man now without any way to protect myself. Not even my knowledge or wit could help me here.
"What do you want?" Mika demanded and balled his fists.
Ferid placed one hand on his hip, unperturbed by Mika's seething gaze.
"Now, now, Mika-kun, be nice~. I was only enjoying the delightful duet you two played, and showed myself because I thought that your human friend needed some help to get back to her room. Isn't that right, little Vivian?" Crap, had he listened to our chats before as well then? That wasn't good at all.
Why was he even here in the first place? This was Krul's palace. Had I somehow attracted his attention? Did he get wind of the state in which I had arrived here? More fear welled up in my heart at the thought.
"I can get to my room by myself. But thank you for the kind offer, Sir," I declined politely while I tried to stand up. Emphasis on tried. Why couldn't I muster the strength to stand up when I needed to get away from here?!
"Oh my, how rude of me~. I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Seventh Progenitor Ferid Bathory," suddenly he was right in front of me – he had moved around Mika without me even seeing it. It was a miracle that I didn't get a heart attack right then and there.
"-and I insist, my little lamb." Ferid loomed over me, much too close for comfort.
At this distance his beauty was even more unreal. Too perfect. There was not one blemish or dark shadow on his porcelain face. I was scared out of my mind when he suddenly bent down to me and exposed his perfect white teeth and sharp fangs in a wicked smile.
Subconsciously, I seemed to somehow call for my power and wings, because my skin began to glow slightly. Ferid's smile got even wider at my reaction. Shit, he wasn't supposed to know about that! How could I stop this?!
"Get away from her!" Mika growled at Ferid. I had to do something to defuse the situation! But what could I do?
Once again, I pushed myself back up on my feet, using the banister as help. This time I succeeded, although I stood on shaky legs and didn't think I could move a step. Regrettably, my action brought me even closer to Ferid.
"I'm okay, Sir. I can go back on my own."
"Oh, I don't think so~," Ferid disagreed, and then I yelped as I was suddenly lifted into cold arms. My body grew stiff instantly in horror that Ferid held me in his arms like a bride.
Cold sweat trailed down my spine at the memory of being lifted and touched like this back in the research facility while being unable to move. It was like a flashback to that time, and I involuntarily started to pant for breath as I tried to suppress a panic attack because of the unexpected and unwelcome contact.
"You both should relax~. I'm not here to hurt Vivi-chan. I could have already done that if I wanted to. You should know how fast I am, my dear Mika-kun," he told Mikaela and me with a fanged grin.
I knew what the Seventh Progenitor said was true, but I still didn't want to let him hold me and be at his mercy like this. It was just wrong. And who did give him the right to call me by my nickname? Only the people I loved were allowed to do that!
However, I recognized the hopelessness of the situation and was somehow able to stifle the incoming panic attack, willing myself to relax with everything I could. Neither Mikaela nor I would stand a chance against Ferid, and I didn't want to put Mika in danger by risking his well-being for me. Reluctantly, I somehow let go of the feeling of summoning my wings and the slight glow of my skin subsided.
"Good girl~," Ferid praised me with a smile that reminded me of how an owner would praise his dog. I suppressed another shudder. Mika seemed as desperate as I but couldn't do anything. Ferid floated down the stairs with me and was completely unfazed by my weight.
"Look how cute she looks in my arms, Mika-kun~. Like my young little bride~!" The vampire whirled playfully around his own axis once, sending me on an unwanted merry-go-round trip. Yuck!
Mika scowled in response, which made Ferid only smile wider. Oh, Ferid was an asshole. Did he do all of this just to rile up Mika? To... pass some time?
The progenitor's icy hands were placed around my thighs and shoulder blades, supporting my back. I was pressed tightly against his cold body that was devoid of any body warmth, which was definitely intentional to make me even more uncomfortable than I already was.
Because of my close proximity to the pervert, I noticed that he smelled somehow weird but not unpleasant – was he using a perfume? Ferid also didn't have a heartbeat, or at least none that I could feel, as if the vampire was nothing but a corpse, which was extra creepy. Mikaela marched right next to him and was eyeing Ferid with eagle eyes.
How I wished I could vanish into thin air right now.
The walk back to my room seemed to last forever because the older vampire almost never glanced away from my face, and that deeply unsettling smile never left his face. He also inspected my bruised and scarred arms until I noticed his gaze and pulled down the sleeves with a glare before I could stop it, not wanting him to see the ugly wounds and scars I had received during my captivity.
If anything, my defiant attitude amused him more. Ferid appeared to be having a field day because of my distress and Mika's anger. I was sure that he had picked up on my almost-panic attack. Not even my fearful shivering could be hidden.
After an eternity, we were standing in front of my room.
Did I want to know why Ferid knew exactly where it was? No, definitely not.
Doubts that I could ever sleep without worry here ever again filled my mind. The pompous vampire set me down and came real close to my neck in the process, enough that I could feel his cold breath on my skin there.
For a moment I thought that he would bite me and I would die right then and there.
But then he moved back. In the next second Ferid held up my chin with his cold fingers, that showed off his violet painted nails. He scrutinized my face with his menacing crimson eyes and almost softly caressed my skin with his thumb. A shiver of disgust ran down my spine at the action.
"You have such unique features, my dear~. Are you a foreigner, Vivi-chan?"
Why did Ferid want to know that? Unfortunately I couldn't evade an answer. "No, Lord Bathory, I'm not a foreigner, but my mother was from Russia." I hoped that I had addressed him right.
"Oh my! Almost the same as Mika-chan! How interesting~! Say, do you have any siblings, my dear? Any little brothers? You seem to be handling a younger boy so well~."
I forced myself to meet his intimidating bloodred gaze once more, being slightly confused by his questions. "No, I'm an only child, Lord Bathory. Like both of my parents." In both of my lives I've never had any siblings though I think I would have liked some. Being an only child could be quite lonely at times.
"Aha, is that so~? Then it is really unfortunate that you will die soon and your line will end with you…" he trailed off. What was he getting at? Did he want to see how I felt about my upcoming death? How did he even know about it?
"I guess so," was my casual answer as I tried to keep my true thoughts off of my face.
He smirked at my feigned nonchalant attitude. "Maybe I should make you my plaything~! It would be such a waste to let a cute little livestock like you die. How does immortality sound to you?"
The blood in my face was draining away in response to his question.
Was Ferid offering me to turn me into a vampire? Why did he do that in the first place? Was that why he had approached me today? This was bad. Really bad.
And here I thought I had remained inconspicuous, but it seemed that you couldn't escape from Ferid Bathory. However, Mika came to my aid once again.
"I don't think Krul would be pleased if you do something to the person that is under her protection." I wanted to hug the boy.
"Ah, that's right, my dear Mika-kun. How forgetful I am~. I've already made her mad not too long ago." Ferid finally let go of my chin and instead took one of my bloodstained hands and brought it close to his mouth to... give me a hand kiss?
I was frozen in place like a deer in the headlights. Why did the vampire have to be so touchy?! His presence alone was bad enough!
His cold breath tickled the skin of my hand, and I could swear that I felt something wet for a moment before the odd sensation disappeared. Wait… had he just… had Ferid just… licked my hand? ...No, I must have been mistaken, right? There was no reason for Ferid to lick my hand.
'Please let it be my imagination...!' I begged every kami there was.
"You should consider my offer, Vivi-chan~. You don't look so well," the silver-haired vampire looked into my eyes one last time before he let go of my hand. Then he turned around with a sly smile on his lips, leaving Mika and me standing in the corridor while he strutted away like a model on a catwalk.
It was somehow hypnotizing to watch, and I would have laughed at the absurdity if I wasn't as stressed as I was now. As the tense atmosphere finally subsided and my heart calmed down, I let out a shaky breath. Exhausted both in body and mind, I opened my door and turned to Mika.
"Thank you for protecting me, Mika. I really appreciate it. That was a rather scary experience." Unlike with Krul, I didn't hold anything against Ferid. I had been at his complete mercy, and he could have killed me at any time.
"I will tell Krul about it. You should go inside and clean yourself up before the scent of your blood attracts another vampire," Mikaela advised me, concerned.
"Alright, I will do that. Thank you again, Mika. You're a really brave and considerate boy." He smiled lightly at the praise. How cute.
While I ventured straight to the bathroom, Mika closed the door behind me, most likely reporting to Krul right away. After I had washed the dried blood off of my hand, I decided to take a bath. Somehow I felt gross after being held and touched by Ferid, knowing that he had killed children with those hands – Mika's family.
Right now I needed some relaxation after the stressful encounter and my tiring coughing fit.
A/N: Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think about this chapter and/or Vivian's first encounter with Ferid~. It was definitely a lot of fun to write xD I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had with writing it!
