The air was crisp and stung as he breathed it in. The sky an expanse of grey shades that moved as masses yet never seemed to end. The cold wind ruffled his hair and his skin, for some reason, was tingling uncomfortably. The metal carrier was shuffled out the air-tight ramp by the airport's staff.
From what he could see, the airport consisted of one large single building. It could only accommodate 3 medium-sized planes but was still fully equipped with necessary security. Once inside the building, Zero assessed his surroundings. The place was quite barren of people, only a dozen at most waiting for a plane to a neighboring city. The floor was fitted with a thick maroon carpet and marbling made up the walls.
He was led to a secure room where he was identified again but they didn't make a fuss of his carrying a body or a gun once they saw his name. This didn't surprise him. This is where the genesis of hunters occurred. It wouldn't surprise him that many had hunter blood or knowledge of vampires.
The security officer stared at him and finally did a full bow at the waist. He held his position for a few long seconds and when he re-positioned himself, the look in his eyes disturbed Zero.
"Would you like for us to arrange your way to the Kiryu Property, sir?" a female staff at his right asked. He just nodded. His brain was in fog-like state. Perhaps the events of the last few days were finally catching up to him.
He was guided to an old-styled car, the front long and sleek, with a limousine-like inside and a large trunk at the back. The design of the car suited him as he was able to both seat himself and place Ichiru's carrier within eyesight.
The old man driving tried to strike up conversation but the fog was creeping to his hearing. He could vaguely decipher the words "kiryu..." "...long ago..." and then he stopped even trying to listen. His body was tired and although he couldn't sleep, he had to rest.
A skill his hunter parents were able to teach him before being murdered was how to repair fissures in his mental psyche while keeping his body aware of his surroundings. It is a skill unique to his bloodline, developed by his ancestors when vampires were wreaking havoc in every corner of the world.
He pulled himself to the most inner core of his mind and began rearranging his mental patterns to more "normal" ones. Less burdened by death and dark thoughts. He could feel the cold air surrounding his body, his fingertips brushing against the seat and each turn and stop the car was making.
By the time they reached the Kiryu mansion, he was nowhere near done to repairing his mind but he felt much better. He requested the taxi driver to leave him at the gate, a request the old man almost argued with but one look at his dead brother and he left them alone.
What stood in front of him was not what he remembered. His parents had shown him pictures of the place when he was younger but there had never been mention of a towering wrought-iron gate covered with runes. The thick pieces of paper looking eroded with time but still holding strong. A large lock with an engraving and no cylinder to insert the key.
He approached the intimidating gate and reached out a hand to inspect the lock. The instant his hand made contact, a small lightning current was produced and when he tried to pull his hand, the lightning followed. It stung and burnt the skin of his index finger until blood came to the surface.
When the first droplet of blood touched the ground, he could feel the fog coming back with a vengeance.
At the second droplet, he was on his knees with the world around him distorting.
He watched through bleary eyes as the runes burnt away in blue flames and then was lost to darkness.