16 June 1897, Night.
Sayuri's blood continued to spread over the floor in an ever-expanding pool of sticky crimson liquid. Her eyes remained open, gazing lifelessly into the flames that rapidly spread across the room.
Chess stood near the doorway, her hand offering Mika salvation as if she were a temptress from Hell.
He felt his muscles slacken against his will, despite his urge to keep away from her and make sure at least Yu and Guren could escape. Sayuri said the bloodsucker's mind control magic lasted for several months after one was bitten, but sad experience had taught Mika that three months was nearer to the mark. The weakest vampires could only keep a human enthralled for day after drinking his or her blood. Chess and Horn, by contrast, could maintain the spell for up to three months. This also held true for Crowley, which was curious, considering how he was older and more powerful than the women. Ferid bit Mika too frequently for him to determine the limits of his spell. Since it had only been a month or so since Chess drank from him, he was still susceptible to her commands.
Although Sayuri had been able to reveal critical details about the monsters, Mika wasn't able to correct her or elaborate. No matter how much he knew, he could explain nothing to those he wanted to protect.
As Mika fell under Chess's control once more, he resented Guren's hesitation. If they had gone down the mountain without rest and had stolen horses immediately, then they may have escaped by riding their mounts throughout the night. He resented how Yu always sided with that man like the trained little guard-puppy he was. He resented that he had let not only Akane but Sayuri die at his captor's hands, leaving him without a single remaining ally in this village. Most of all, he resented how easily he returned to the hands of these blood-sucking demons time and time again… and he resented how he was about to lose his two new comrades.
Mika's hand slowly reached toward Chess's, making her red lips curl into a pleased smile.
She is weaker than Ferid, he reminded himself, struggling to regain control. He frowned, and his hand trembled before it reached her.
Her smile fell.
"Mika, sweetie," she purred in German, "you know it's easier on everyone if you just come willingly."
As if enthralling me with your blood magic would make me want to come along willingly, thought Mika to himself.
"Mika, come with me. If you don't, we won't be able to ask for your new companions to be enslaved rather than killed. You can't have any friends, but Ferid isn't against letting you have a pet, you know?" she explained gently, coaxing Mika to come with her as she repeated her command.
Mika felt weak again, and the trembling stopped. His hand reached hers. Unlike Ferid's cold but clean hands, hers was warm and wet with Sayuri's blood.
Guilt overwhelmed him as he made contact, making him feel like he was drowning in the blood of his family no matter how hard he struggled. He knew this escape attempt would end as tragically as the one with Akane, and this realization weighed him down as though a thousand chains of despair had hooked around his ankles. No matter what he did, he belonged to these monsters and would never escape any farther from Ferid than he allowed. He was on an invisible leash and would remain Ferid's slave until the day he died. Even in death, would he be able to escape, or did that ungodly monster know of some way to keep his soul imprisoned like he had kept Mika's body shackled here all these years?
Suddenly, Chess's wrist split open as a bang resounded across the room.
"What? What was that?!" she hissed, stepping back as she angrily bared her fangs. She turned her head toward Yu and Guren, the two foreigners she had ignored up to this point. "You dare—"
Two more shots were fired, forcing her back as dark blood spilt from her shoulders.
Mika finally broke free from Chess's bewitchment, blinking hard as he pulled his blood-stained hand back. He turned to the left as another stunning bang left the reeling Vampir cursing.
Mika hadn't been able to look away from Chess until now, but apparently Yu and Guren had been busy. On the other side of the fire, he saw Guren firing an unfamiliar revolver while Yu aimed one of the kammerlader rifles at Chess. Two of the suitcases laid open at Guren's feet. One revealed an assortment of guns while the other was loaded with various types of ammunition. Once he noticed this, Mika realized why Guren and Yu insisted on carrying such heavy luggage down the mountain, and, although he had no idea why they had such things with them in the first place, he no longer had any complaints.
With another bang, Chess's left knee blew out, and she screamed as she dropped to the floor.
Mika glanced guiltily at Chess, who had been trying to be kind to him… in her own way. She probably hadn't been lying when she said she would try to get Yu and Guren's lives spared. Out of the monsters he met, he liked the playful Chess and the gentle Crowley the most—or, perhaps, it might be more accurate to say he disliked them the least. Even so, he did not wish to remain a prisoner.
Mika realized he was the one nearest to the only exit and glanced from the broken doorway to Guren and Yu.
"Go ahead, and we'll follow you out!" shouted Guren, aiming the revolver as Yu reloaded the rifle.
Without wasting anymore time, Mika grabbed his bag and rifle, leaping over Sayuri's corpse and Chess's twitching body as he fled to the hall.
Gunshots rang out behind him once he cleared the doorway and their line of fire.
He spotted the corpse of a familiar toad-shaped man, who was a great deal fatter and seemingly decades older than when Mika saw him last. His brown hair had long turned gray and gone limp. Mika recalled how the man's beard seemed to split open when he laughed.
It was Sayuri and Akane's father. He wouldn't laugh ever again.
Blood trickled down from a few bullet holes in his chest. It also dripped from his mouth and a pair of fang marks on his neck. Mika grimaced, understanding how Chess found their hiding spot.
What must've happened quickly took shape in his mind, forming a melancholy picture that was far too familiar for his liking. Chess had evidently bitten the hotel owner. Most likely, this was because he feigned ignorance upon being questioned. When Sayuri hadn't come by for dinner, he'd realized something was amiss and guessed the truth easily enough when Chess appeared while searching for Mika. Doubting his claims, Chess had bitten him to compel him to reveal the truth and, consequently, the location of his only remaining child. As punishment for his attempt at deception and rebellion, she forced him to watch his only remaining child bleed out her life on the cold, dirty floor.
Perhaps it was a saving grace and mercy that he happened to be standing behind the doorway when Yu and Guren opened fire on Chess.
With a silent farewell to the man who once treated him as his own son many years ago, Mika ran down the hall, hoping in vain to find some safety in a land where even the dead did not go unmolested. As the sound of several more shots rang out, Mika looked behind him, frowning sadly at the home where he, Akane, and Sayuri once played. The hall was already filled with smoke.
Suddenly, Guren ran out, trailing smoke as Yu raced out behind him. Yu had all their bags, and Guren and Yu each had one of the rifles. Yu didn't wait and continued running down the hall toward Mika.
"GET BACK HERE!" screamed Chess, crawling out of the storage closet after them. Her wrists and shoulders had clearly healed already. Even so, she left quite an impression with gore splattered all over her face and dress. Her lips curled back, revealing her fangs in all their inhuman glory. "YOU SNEAKY, UNGRATEFUL—"
Guren pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a metal egg with an arrow sticking out its end. Once he was halfway down the hall, he chucked it in the burning room and fled toward Yu and Mika like his life were on the line.
When an explosion thundered from the room and shook the hotel, Mika bolted instead of waiting for the other two.
He raced out the back door of the hotel and bounded to the stables. If the vampires were uncertain of his location before, they no longer had any doubts after hearing that explosion.
"Yu, help Mika get the horses ready!" shouted Guren from behind Mika, alerting him to their presence. As Guren inspected their surroundings for any sudden movements, he added, "I'll watch for vampires."
"I knew you didn't just do real estate," Mika called out over the sounds of crackling flames and the collapsing hotel, "but why do you have so many guns?!"
"Ah, well," began Yu sheepishly as they ran, "we also do work acquiring weapons from one country and selling them to people in another one. These are the samples we use for demonstration and also when, uh, transactions take a… sour turn."
Yu coughed briefly. His throat was probably scratching from being in that smoke-filled room for too long, but Mika had some questions that seriously needed answering.
"You mean, your real work is in illegal arms dealing?!" he called out, racing into the stable.
Unsurprisingly, the horses were agitated by the explosion and smell of smoke. Mika shushed one, rubbing its neck and nose to get it calm down.
"It isn't illegal if the police are on your payroll!" answered Yu, entering after him.
"Do you even do real estate?" asked Mika, looking around for the saddling equipment in the dark. He found a stack of pads.
Mika deftly wiped the horse's back with his hands since he didn't have time to brush and prepare the horse properly. He just hoped the horses didn't buck them off until they were far away from here. He placed one of the pads on its back.
"We do!" answered Yu, joining him. He found the saddles first and handed one to Mika, who quickly placed it on top of the pad and began fastening the straps. He was surprisingly skillful, given how dark the stable was. "Working in real estate is a great way to hide weapons on site and bring customers to the goods instead of carrying all this stuff around in public!"
Why did Mika get the feeling the Hiragi Real Estate Company was involved in more than illegal arms dealing and real estate..?
In light of the perilous journey ahead and the reality that he may be escaping with a group more dangerous than the monsters he was raised by, Mika was almost tempted to settle for the devil he knew and return to Ferid.
Almost.
Mika tightened the saddle straps, and Yu handed him a bridle. Praying that it was the appropriate size, he fastened it onto the horse and handed the reins to Yu. Unfortunately, the second horse had refused to calm down at Yu's urging, so Mika focused on coaxing it instead. After a moment, it calmed down, and Mika quickly prepared it the same way as the first. He handed those reins to Yu as well, who had already managed to fasten his and Guren's bags to the first one, before moving onto the third horse.
"We have company!" called Guren, firing several more rounds. Mika couldn't tell which gun he was firing but he assumed it was the revolver by the number of consecutive shots.
Mika heard Yu clamber on top of one of the horses and curse as it neighed and stepped back.
Instead of looking up, Mika focused on getting the third horse ready.
"Hahahaha!" came a painfully familiar laugh that sent chills racing down Mika's spine. "Guren Ichinose, is that how you treat your host? And you can't possibly expect to hit me with such poor aim, can you?" joked Count Ferid Bathory in English. As usual, he sounded amused.
A few more shots rang out.
"We need to go!" shouted Guren.
"The horses are ready!" answered Mika. He quickly released the other horses from their stalls and sent them running off. With any luck, the other horse trails would distract their pursuers if Yu and company somehow evaded capture tonight.
Instead of bumbling around in the dark of the stable like Yu, Mika waited until he led his steed outside before strapping his rifle and bag onto it. He mounted the horse gracefully and looked up at his companions. He didn't know if those monsters could be killed, but he didn't see or hear Chess after Guren threw that grenade at her.
Yu fired the kammerlader before calling out to Guren. "Let's go!"
Ferid merely danced around the bullet, unbothered and unharmed.
Mika copied Yu to give Guren a chance to escape, but his effort was just as fruitless.
Guren turned toward Yu and the riderless horse and sprinted toward them. Unfortunately, Ferid sprinted faster.
Mika had time to see the wicked gleam on Ferid's lips before Ferid suddenly stepped forward and lifted Guren by the neck. The count's white gloves gleamed orange in the firelight. Guren's legs kicked helplessly above the ground.
"Is that any way to say your farewell after I've taken such good care of you over the past several weeks?" he cooed. "Mika, my dear, don't you think it's about time you quit playing around like this? It's dangerous to be out so late at night, you know? And Little Yu, should you really be abandoning your mentor like that?"
"Yu," cried Guren, "go! Leave me and go!"
"Don't you think you've done enough talking?" asked Ferid coyly. "It's my turn, or didn't you notice?"
Ferid tightened his grip, making Guren gag as he tried and failed to break free. He helplessly kicked at Ferid's thighs, and Ferid laughed, sending chills down Mika's spine.
Instead of running, Yu expertly took his kammerlader rifle and cocked the hammer, rotated the crank, placed the percussion cap on the nipple, and poured gunpowder into the breech.
Before Yu could load the bullet and wad, Ferid laughed again.
"Awww. You really care about him, don't you? What a shame. Bad little boys need to be punished, you know?" cooed the count.
With that, Ferid abruptly released Guren, letting him gasp one last desperate breath before he placed one hand on Guren's head and another under his chin. Then, Ferid twisted Guren's neck. A dull, sickening crack rang out, and Guren didn't struggle anymore. His body became dreadfully lax in Ferid's hands, and even his mouth hung open uselessly.
Mika held his breath as he had the horrifying realization Guren, the man who had a stoic manner but always made time to listen to Yu and his outlandish whims, would never travel with Yu again.
Ferid playfully lifted Guren's limp body by his hair.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Ferid sarcastically. "This one broke already. He was an awfully bad boy, wasn't he, luring my Mika outside so late at night?"
"Guren!" called Yu, trembling with the bullet in his hand. "Guren!"
Guren didn't answer. His chest didn't move either. He wasn't breathing.
Yu's panic snapped Mika back to attention and the urgency of the situation.
"Yu, we have to go!" he shouted, knowing their opportunity to flee was limited.
"Shit!" cursed Yu, enraged as he finally remembered what he was doing. He stuffed the bullet with the paper into the chamber before deftly rotating the crank forward, locking the breech once more as he aimed the rifle at Ferid.
"Hahahaha!" laughed Ferid. "You don't know a lost cause when you see it, do you? So much passion! It must be the glory of youth! It makes me envious, really."
Yu's hands shook slightly as he fired the rifle. Even so, Ferid easily discerned the bullet's trajectory with his eyes. He grinned a cruel, spine-tingling grin as he calmly threw Guren's body into the bullet's path.
The bullet punctured Guren's chest with an appalling thump, sending his body flopping to the ground as blood leaked out from his chest with no signs of stopping. His neck rested at an unnatural angle. He did not move. He did not breathe. He did not resist.
Horrified, Yu stared at Guren's corpse. "G-Guren…?" he asked softly, his lips quivering. His voice was too weak to even be a prayer. Yu's green eyes were wide, beginning to glisten, as his face grew paler and paler.
Guren didn't get back up.
"Guren?" he pleaded, almost crying by this point. His voice was growing hoarse.
Despite Yu's pleas, Guren remained sprawled upon the ground. Ferid stood behind Guren, smiling viciously as Yu's liveliness and hope melted into despair right in front of his eyes.
"Yu, we have to go," begged Mika, knowing Ferid was only feeding off their agony.
Yu remained frozen. Tears dripped down his face. "Guren?"
"It's too late for him," said Mika, desperately pulling on Yu's arm to garner his attention.
Yu remained frozen atop his horse as if Mika were a hundred miles away instead of sitting on the horse right next to him.
"Yu!" shouted Mika in his ear.
Yu remained as responsive as before, as dead to the world as Guren's corpse.
Mika grimaced and looked at the dead body, the burning hotel, and the vile count, the king of Mika's nightmares, Ferid Bathory. Ferid's face was flushed with pleasure.
Mika clenched his teeth and dropped the reins for Guren's riderless horse. Instead, he snatched the reins for Yu's horse from Yu's hand. Yu didn't react. Mika kicked his horse into moving as he urged it to sprint and tugged Yu's horse along next to him. Soon, Yu's horse was running next to his, making them depart that scene of carnage. That finally woke Yu from his stupor.
"Mika, what…? No! We can't go!" cried Yu. "Guren is—"
"Guren is already dead!" yelled Mika right back at him. "He was your mentor, wasn't he? Don't you remember his last words? 'Leave me and go,' he said! Not only will you be disobeying him if you stay behind, but you'll both be dead! We have to go! Now! I didn't know him that well, but he seemed like he cared about you enough to want you to see the sunrise tomorrow morning! Do you want his death to be in vain?"
Yu breathed heavily and quit arguing.
"I got it," he whimpered. "I got it, so give me my reins back… I'm definitely going to get his body back one day, though," he added, the sorrow in his voice rapidly being replaced by rage. "One day, when I bring together a big army with some even bigger guns…"
The sounds of Yu's sniffing made Mika's heart ache.
Mika returned Yu's reins, and the teenagers urged their horses to sprint down the road. The flames of the hotel faded behind them along with the cruel echoes of Ferid's laughter as they ran away, running away from the count, their pasts, and fallen allies.
"You belong to me, Mika, dear. Or have you forgotten already?" cooed Ferid as the boys escaped. He turned toward Guren's corpse.
The howls of wolves rang throughout the woods.