Paris; France
The Eiffel Tower loomed, gleaming bright amid the night sky. The image of the magnificent structure was definitely a testimony to how Paris became known as the 'City of Lights'. Both humans and vampires admired the beauty of the city and all it had to offer, making Paris one of the few places on earth that peace was maintained between both sides. It also helped that the Le'Vaine family, personal relatives of Queen Ai oversaw this part of the world.
However, this also made it a target spot for Mortis Kraven. In the recent weeks, many people had been attacked by the savage Paragon beasts. While the local security forces and Knights have been successful in preventing casualties, it still could not dispel the fear and anxiety that plagued the citizens at night.
And then, that person appeared.
No one knew who the stranger was, though it was obvious she was a woman, for it was impossible to hide her voice. The minute she showed up, bodies of Paragon beasts were slowly being found. Upon being confronted by local authorities, she merely stated that she was chasing down a lead on the monsters, believing that there was a leader among them. It wasn't long before the locals would catch a glimpse of her running about the rooftops. Considering that she was constantly obscured in a black hooded coat, all began to dub her as the 'Lady in Black', a name that was obviously unoriginal by all standards.
Upon the Eiffel tower, an inhuman shape leapt toward the top. It growled as its claws gripped the metal struts, pulling itself higher and higher while leaving blood stained upon the metal. The Brute snarled as it looked down to the city below. Its pursuers had been forced to stay on the ground whilst they called for reinforcements and cordoned off the area to the public.
The Brute now heard the creaking of machinery. Turning, it spotted an elevator car now beginning to move. An oversight by the staff in a bid to evacuate the tower. Its red eyes caught the group of people within the elevator heading downwards. Saliva dripped from its jaws as it felt the need to feed, and the pulsing heartbeats of the civilians merely whet its appetite all the more.
Slowly, it creeped closer to the descending elevator, the civilian's soundless screams reaching no one as they beheld the monster. Scrunching up its muscles, the Brute jumped toward them, its claws outstretched as it reached for its prey.
Out of nowhere, a dark shape collided into the brute, sending it off course and plummeting to the ground below. The Brute gnashed its teeth, angrily looking around for what had attacked it. It did not look for long. Standing upon its muscular form was a lithe person covered in a black coat. Snarling, the monster reached out, grabbing the person and crushing it in its claws. That was when it felt its fingers get cut apart.
Roaring in pain, the Brute attempted to use its other arm, but the black figure was too fast. Quickly it had jumped toward its head, and with a flash of black the Brute's mandibles were sliced away. Another flash took out its eye and finally its throat was punctured. The figure now jumped away, but not before delivering a kick strong enough to veer the Brute's body into a canal. The Paragon beast fell into the water, its blood now filling the canal with a sickly red as people around screamed.
The Lady now landed atop a boat, startling the two inside it even more. With a breath she sighed as she looked to the sky. "I wonder if that is all of them…" She muttered to herself. She then reached into her coat and pulled out a cell phone. Quickly dialing a number, she made a call.
"Hello?" She asked. "Yes, I'm done here. You need help? No? So, you've taken them out already?" She paused for a bit before yanking the phone away from her ear as shouting came over the line. She sighed internally as once more she was faced with this situation.
"Okay, I guess you'll be finishing then…" She gulped. "Hm? Wait, what!? Was anyone hurt? No one? Oh thank goodness. Who attacked?" Silence stretched for a while before: "Huh? Seriously? So, now what?"
Once more, she kept silent as the conversation went on. "Ok. I guess we'll have to prepare. Yes, I'm holding up okay. Haven't had much of the thirst yet. Yeah, I'll get back to the house and get ready." She now cut the call, taking a slight breath as she looked to the sky.
"I wonder how everyone is doing…" She asked herself. "And I wonder what they'd say after all this time."
"Seriously?" Celestine gaped as she finished the last of her wine. "Cross Academy has one of the Kraven daughters?"
"It would appear so." Arthur nodded as he read the report. "She would be a perfect source of information, especially after Richard reported their possible success in Project Paragon. We need every ground we can get."
"Basically meaning you won't be sending Cliff, Sergei or Celestine since they would very likely bungle the work." Came an older man seated to Arthur's right. His gruff voice may have been expected for his age, but anyone knew not to underestimate an Executor based on appearance alone.
"Precisely Hagan." Arthur nodded.
"What was that old coot?" Celestine growled. "You really think I would disobey a direct order?"
"While your effectiveness in battle cannot be argued with." Hagan nodded. "I find your sanity to be a rather tiresome complication. Any vampire within a hundred meters of you is extremely liable to wind up dead. And dead vampires don't talk."
Celestine growled at the remark. Still, it was all she could do, considering Hagan was the Second Executor. Even she wasn't foolish enough to challenge him head on.
"Still, I suppose the fact that you haven't gone berserk at comments like that means you still hold some manner of reasoning." Hagan nodded.
"Psh." Celestine snorted. "If I went berserk at every single comment how would I be able to maintain such lustrous skin?" She now gestured to her scantily clad figure.
"Enough you two." Arthur chided them. "It's already complicated without your bickering."
The door to the room opened. The three turned to see a sandy-haired man enter the room, his face a mask of indifference as he strode forward.
"Ah, Lance." Arthur nodded. "Good to see you."
"A pleasure Arthur." Lance, the Fourth Executor greeted indifferently.
"Now, have you any news for us?" Arthur asked.
"Unfortunately, the Kraven clan still remains elusive." Lance reported. "While we have been able to capture prisoners from the raid upon their laboratories in Alaska, none have revealed the location of their main base. I suspect they have either decided their deaths by our hands was more comparable than from their master, or that they simply did not know."
"A pity." Arthur frowned. "Yet, we may have an unexpected bit of good fortune. I have been told that Katarina Kraven has been captured by Kirihara Cross. She is currently being detained at Cross Academy as we speak."
"A fine piece of information for us." Lance nodded. "I assume we will need to prep ourselves?"
"Yes." Arthur nodded. "The time for us at Helsing to keep hiding and plotting in secret is over. It is time to finally bring out our full strength to bear."
"Woohooo!" Celestine cheered. "Finally!"
"I will gather the others." Hagan nodded. "We must ensure the plans are fool-proof."
"But of course Hagan." Arthur nodded. "I leave the initial planning to you."
"Into the eternal hunt." Hagan nodded.
Classes were rescheduled owing to the damage upon the school building. Instead of going to the main academy now, the teachers now for the moment had to conduct classes within the dormitory walls. It wasn't the most effective, but it had to do. In addition, plenty of other necessary instructions had taken place.
"Regular Hunter patrols huh?" Hibiki said as she walked with Misaki to grab lunch for the Sun dorm.
"Yeah." Misaki nodded. "Katarina's capture isn't going to go unnoticed. At least, that is what Chairman Cross feels. It's quite likely the school may get into trouble again. Thus, additional support from the Hunter Association and the Vampire Knights will be present for security."
"And you prefects also have to take up regular administrative duties." Hibiki remarked. "This lunch run isn't the only thing you have on your plate. Are you sure the stress won't pile up?"
"Stress is something we face as Hunters already." Misaki explained. "This is honestly a cake-walk compared to an actual hunting mission."
"Guess I shouldn't be too worried." Hibiki nodded. "But still, be careful okay? With all that has happened in the school, I'm sure that it couldn't hurt to be a little more cautious."
"Yeah, you're right." Misaki huffed. "Seriously, I wish all this would just end soon… It's pretty annoying to constantly get attacked left and right."
"Lots of the students get where you're coming from." Hibiki nodded. "Even some of the Night class are being put off by these incidents. Even Cassandra looked stressed."
"Well, think about it. She has to keep her older sister imprisoned." Misaki said. "I can't imagine what that has to be like for her. For now though, Katarina has been pretty cooperative, but even so, holding one of the Kraven Purebloods isn't safe. I don't know how the Kraven clan will react to this. Even the Night class students are nervous."
"I just wish we had some more help…" Misaki grumbled. Together, they went to the cafeteria where other prefects had gathered to bring the boxes laden with bento meals meant for the Sun dorm. As they made their way back to the dorms, a single Day class student now ran up to them, panting as he caught his breath.
"What's wrong?" Leonardo Cassidy asked.
"I saw them!" The student replied. "Senior Kuran and Ichigo are back!"
"Seriously?" Isabelle blinked. "Well about damn time! We seriously need help with all this crap!"
"Calm down Isabelle…" Yura said from beside her. "Based on what we have heard, they will be mostly running security."
"Still, I do agree that it is a welcome change." Misaki nodded. "Maybe we won't be in such dire straits after all."
"I'm glad to see that you both are okay." Chairman Cross nodded toward both Ichigo and Akira. "I have heard about the injuries sustained by both Mr. Akatsuki and Ms. Aidou. Will they pull through?"
"Emi and Ganju are recovering, but it will be a while before they can take up their regular duties." Akira reported. "For now, Shinji is looking into other leads while Henry is here to provide security for our prisoners."
"Seriously though, why the hell did you guys even think this was a good idea?" Ichigo growled.
"It isn't." Chairman Cross replied. "But we are short on time at this point. As we speak, I am more than certain that Mortis Kraven is accelerating his own plans now that he has most likely transferred himself into the Alucard body. Furthermore, while we have been able to apprehend and take down many of Helsing's important facilities, I doubt those are significant victories. We need to capitalize on information right now."
"Thankfully, with regards to Mortis, we finally have another Kraven daughter in our custody." Chairman Cross said as he stood up and went to the window. "Of course, I have allowed Cassandra to take care of that for us."
"Why not just let her use those Blood Siren powers?" Ichigo asked. "Much faster if you'd ask me."
"Cassandra does not wish to do that to her older sister." Replied the Chairman. "Owing to what she has gone through, I have decided to respect that decision. And if we manage to convince Katarina to side with us, we will gain a powerful ally, as I'm sure you both can vouch for."
"Chairman, I do not wish to sound pessimistic, but that scenario is heavily dependent on chance." Akira stated. "While it is true that Katarina still views Cassandra as family, I doubt she will be inclined toward us especially with how we intend to make use of Cassandra's powers. In fact, we could be reinforcing her hostility to us."
"Well, it is a chance we must take." Chairman Cross said. "Either way, the longer we wait, the closer Mortis gets to cornering us. Who knows exactly how many allies have gone to his side by now."
Akira nodded. "Very well. I will assist in any way possible. Hopefully I can aid Cassandra in that regard."
"Good." Chairman Cross said. "Ichigo, I would like you to join the rest of the Hunters and Vampire Knight patrols in the school. While I have reason to believe Katarina was acting alone, I'm not taking chances this time. We need to be prepared for the possibility of other invasions."
"That's good and all, but what about the students?" Ichigo asked. "So long as we are on alert like this they could very well get caught in the crossfire."
"Fret not. I have a solution for that." The Chairman answered.
Cassandra walked down to the cells beneath the Moon dorm. Since she had surrendered, Katarina had been content with imprisonment. Still, content was not cooperation. Still she refused to speak of anything regarding Mortis's holdings. Of course, Cassandra would have just used her power of the Blood Siren upon her, but Katarina was the only 'family' remaining to her as of now. She would never dream of removing her free will.
Cassandra now stopped at the cell that held Katarina. Anti-vampire cuffs bound her wrists, ensuring her powers remained sealed off. However, no other form of bindings were visible. Despite protests from the Hunter members in the school and plenty of the teachers, Cassandra had refused them all. She did not want to treat her sister as a prisoner more than she already was.
She sat down on the floor and faced Katarina, the bars being the only thing separating them. Katarina stared at her, her sharp yellow eyes unblinking. "What are you here for now?"
"Just to have an open and honest conversation with no secrets." Cassandra replied. "Ideally, I'd liked it if we could have tea."
"Again with your blithering jibs. I so wish you would simply speak plainly." Katarina grumbled.
Cassandra remained silent for a little while more before she spoke again. "Would it be a fool's errand to believe you have changed your mind?"
"You have yet to give me an appropriate reason for that." Katarina retorted. "For now, I have no intention of fighting members of our family."
"Didn't I already show you how much grandfather doesn't care about that?" Cassandra replied as she lifted her wrist. "You spent a good amount of time lapping at my blood."
"Then I ought to tell you now that I still do not believe whatever Yuki Kuran has told you. In case you have forgotten, her coexistence bred complacency. Helsing exists only because she allowed vampires and humans to become closer to each other." Katarina huffed. "I care about you Cassandra, but I still have no intention of standing with those who follow her ways."
Cassandra fell silent at this declaration. She was still at a complete loss on how to convince her older sister. It was comforting that Katarina still treated her as a sibling, but she figured it was still a chore to turn her away from their grandfather. After all, it was their grandfather who had sheltered them for so long. Katarina likely also had no desire to fight him in his Alucard body. At the very least, the information regarding his newfound abilities was extremely useful.
"So, would you care for some tea?" Cassandra asked.
Katarina sighed as she tilted her head back. "Do you really have nothing better to do? Aren't you the 'Head' of the Night class right now?"
"Well, trust me when I say my classmates know when to pick up some of my duties when they know they need to." Cassandra said, half chuckling as she did. "You ought to meet them. They can do the craziest things, especially the human students. Do you know I even have a fan club now?"
"The hell?" Katarina stared back strangely. "How did you manage that?"
"It isn't official." Cassandra replied. "But, I have been embracing my vocal talents for more than just brainwashing others. I'm wondering if I could become a vampire pop idol or something."
"Ridiculous…" Katarina grumbled, looking away with a strange look on her face.
"I wonder how the world would react?" Cassandra frowned. "I mean, as a vampire, it is likely my fans will end up looking older than I am. Will their fandom pass onto their descendants? Fan…dom. Is that the right way to use that word?"
"H-how should I know?" Katarina stuttered.
"Do I detect a hint of surprise sister?" Cassandra asked. "I have never seen that from you before…"
"Shut up." Katarina snapped. "It's your fault for bringing up weird topics."
"You are usually so stoic." Cassandra smiled. "But it seems there are still things that catch you off guard."
"Of course it does dummy!" Katarina yelled back. "When in the world did that idea even pop into your head? Have you been having such unnecessary thoughts this whole time?!"
"Well, I was told by my teachers that I ought to think about my future." Cassandra explained. "That was just one idea I thought I'd bounce off you and see what you thought of it."
"Well for one, you will need loads of self-responsibility!" Katarina huffed. "Of which dear little sister, I seriously doubt you understand! Furthermore, you will need to practice constantly day and night! Not only that, but you will have to manage your own well-being in the process! I can't believe a Pureblood would even conceive of such an idea! It completely is not something a Kraven vampire like you should even be considering!"
"I'm sure I could do it." Cassandra mulled. "If I really tried."
"Well, good luck with that." Katarina scowled.
The two of them stayed silent for a few moments before Cassandra began to giggle. "Look at that. We are finally arguing like we used to."
"You started it." Katarina sighed.
Cassandra giggled for a little while longer before she stopped, turning away from Katarina and looking at the floor. Katarina paid her no mind, choosing to stare at the ceiling instead.
"Hey, sister?" Cassandra asked. "I hope to at least have such talks with you again, just like when we were kids, a time when we were more frank with each other."
"And I'll ask once again." Katarina sighed. "Don't you have better things to be doing?"
"Perhaps." Cassandra looked back with a sad smile. "But no matter what, I still hope you'll always be here to hear me out again."
Katarina stared back silently at this declaration. Cassandra now stood back up. "I'll take my leave now." She said before walking away, leaving Katarina alone in the cold cell.
Cassandra made her way back to the dorm. It was soon time for her to oversee the prisoners that Akira and Ichigo had brought back for interrogation. Still, she had hoped for a better outcome with Katarina.
As soon as she approached the main hall, the bustle of a crowd soon caught their attention. Cassandra made her way to the edge of the crowd, eyes widening as soon as she saw who they were crowded around.
"Emi! Ganju!" She cried as she approached. The two looked horrible. Not only were they confined to wheelchairs at the present, myriad bandages were upon their bodies as well. Ganju had loads crisscrossing his chest while Emi had bandages on all four limbs. "What the hell happened?"
"Executor number three." Emi replied. "Thankfully, I can still feel my arms and legs. But it seems I'll be needing time to recuperate."
"As for me…" Ganju began. "Henry tells me that I got slammed by this shadow construct the size of a house. At least six broken ribs with some internal organ damage."
At this, murmurs went through the crowd. All were familiar with the shadow constructs that Purebloods could create, but never had they heard of one so colossal in size. Even Queen Ai was incapable of such a feat.
"Yes, a very worrying fact." Came another voice. Immediately, all of the vampires knelt before the ground (except Cassandra) as Akira walked into the room. "You may rise." He stated.
"Akira. It is good to see you again." Cassandra greeted with a bow. "How is Beatrice?"
"She has been quite the saving grace." Akira noted with a smile. "And I have made sure that she was not harmed in any way. For now, she is overseeing the prisoner transfer with Henry and Shinji." As soon as he finished, his gaze turned serious again. "Cassandra, can you tell me more? This power that your grandfather has, it is unnatural even to Purebloods. Never have I seen such a construct made, nor have I heard of such a thing being possible. Perhaps, you might know?"
Cassandra frowned. "I'm sorry. All I can think of is that my grandfather's power was what gave him his title."
"The Death Lord." Akira recalled what she had mentioned during her trial. "First that fog barrier, transferring or destroying one's consciousness, and now this. I may just be speculating, but the title he was given seems to note he has a power that allows him to govern one's life and existence."
"If that is so, then we may have a difficult battle ahead of us." Cassandra noted. "Well, that is a concern for another time. For now, you have prisoners that require interrogation?"
"Yes." Akira nodded. "And I believe you have consented to this?"
"If it will help end this mindless slaughter, then yes." Cassandra said. "Though I still rather not use this on my sister."
"I understand." Akira agreed. "Perhaps I can assist you the next time you go?"
"I don't know. Sister is still quite hostile to your family. I know it may not result in progress, but please allow me to continue with her." Cassandra replied.
"Very well." Akira nodded. "But I hope that at least she will be persuaded soon. Every second we spend gives Mortis more time to muster an advantage we cannot overcome."
"Not to mention Helsing." Emi said from her wheelchair. "Those guys are beyond nuts. I'm certain they will also be making bigger moves now in response to Mortis's rising power."
"Then we have little time to waste." Akira nodded. "Cassandra, may we begin immediately?"
"Of course." She replied.
"Are you sure you will be able to handle this?" Arthur asked. "This many people moving in secret will be no easy feat."
"I have my ways. And I will succeed provided I don't get any untoward interruptions." Jerome said. "Rest assured, I will do my utmost to keep our captive alive and well. But then it will be up to you to make sure she doesn't die in the interrogation room."
"I'm certain Lance will be more than suitable for the job. He hasn't failed so far." Arthur nodded. "Have you finished your preparations?"
"We'll be ready to go in a moment." Jerome affirmed.
"Excellent." Arthur nodded as he looked upon the small army that had assembled, approximately eight hundred strong. "Into the eternal hunt."
Author's Note:
Once more, work needed to be prioritized over writing this chapter, hence why it came out later than usual.
Still, I hope you are as hyped as I am for the next chapter! Soon I will start on the events that I have been waiting to write for so long!
As always, please read and review!
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