Chapter 16: An Unexpected Meeting

While Abel continued to rest peacefully in his seat, I decided to spend my time looking out of one of the room's windows. Watching as thin wisps of clouds drifted by. Every so often, I would occasionally break my sight away from the night sky as we soared through it, virtually remaining untouched, but it was only so that I could shift my gaze over towards the unusually kind, silver-haired priest. In my mind's inner most eye, I went back to the first moment that I had met him. An occurrence which was happening a lot more frequently as time went by. I could see him kneeling down in front of me, making it so that our eyes were on level with each other's. Then as he gave the first of many sincere smiles that were aimed for me to see, he introduced himself to me. "My name is Father Abel Nightroad, may I ask what your name is?"

Diverting my vision away from Abel, I turned back to face the window, resuming my surveillance of the darkness that the Iron Maiden effortlessly swam through. As I stared through the clear surface, I caught a glimpse of my own eyes. The yellowness within them becoming far more pronounced. My newly reborn body was obviously still going through changes. The idea that I was actually a Methuselah persisted to amaze me, yet at the same time, it felt completely natural to me. Being a Methuselah meant that I could accomplish so much in my life. I wasn't entirely sure about how long I would live, but I knew that those who were the Children of the Night were considered as the long-lived race. Which hopefully gave me plenty of time to do what I had to.

Veering my scrutiny over to the blurred image of Abel as he took in deep, slow breaths, I moved closer to his reflection. The sheen of the soft lighting in the room gently refracted on the glossy surface, and cast off miniature rainbows from within the window itself. The sight was truly beautiful to behold. But as I continued to look past the tiny rainbows, I intently examined Father Nightroad's reflection. Memories of all that had ever been rising up in my thoughts. "But Father Abel's human...just like I am. But unlike me, he gives others a hope to believe in. A hope that's like no other." This had been a statement that rang true for me even all the way back then, and I felt as though it always would.

No matter what it was that he was doing, the man who had saved me. The man who had started off as being my lonely savior. The man who was now my tovarish, he always attempted to give his everything to those of whom he cared the most about. Always making sure they knew that they were never alone in this world. "I won't stand by idly while that precious gift is obliterated!" My already kind gaze somehow managed to become even softer. The last thing that Abel had said in my most recent dream, echoing within my recollections. "I will work towards bringing about a brighter hope for tomorrow. I swear it..."

Blinking my eyes as I tried to clear away the watery filter that had begun to obstruct my vision, I sighed. "Father..." As a tear trailed down my pale cheek, I worked my way backwards in time. Mentally going back to when I had only been a young child. To when I had been Terran. I could hear the quiet sound of my mother listening to one of the songs that the both of us had loved, and as the music played on, I whispered. My voice coming out as a nearly perfect silence. "If I could be with you tonight I would sing you to sleep Never let them take the light behind your eyes."

With another sigh, I finally dropped my line of sight from Abel's reflection, and before I could even manage to do anything else, the ghostly image of a dignified yet kind woman appeared beside me. "Sister Jonah, if you would, I was hoping that I might be spared a few moments of your time." It was Sister Kate, the nun who was in charge of steering the Iron Maiden.

Turning to directly look at the kind Sister, I gave a tiny nod of my head. "Of course, Sister Kate. And besides..." I indicated towards Abel's direction with my eyes, and giggled. "Father Nightroad's resting right now."

Kate smiled, her holographic projection shimmering as she turned to glance over at the sleeping priest. When she saw him sitting fast asleep within his chair, she held up a semi-transparent hand up to her lips, quietly chuckling. "So he is." Lowering her hand, she turned back to address me. "Let us leave Father Abel to sleep for now, since I'd actually like to speak with you in private." As she finished speaking, an automatic steel sliding door opened up to our right, and motioning for me to head into the room beyond, she whispered. "We can talk for a while and to make it up to you for intruding in on your thoughts, I can brew some tea." Sister Kate's body faded away from before my eyes.

Casting Abel another look, I smiled and quietly made a promise to him. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Father." I turned away from him and walked towards the room that Kate had opened up for me. In the room, which was bathed in the warm glow of several lights, Sister Kate stood next to a sturdy wooden table. And the instant that I had fully crossed over the threshold, I heard the steel door shut behind me. "What were you needing to speak with me about, Sister?" With my question, I briefly took notice of a small porcelain teacup that had been set on the table's surface.

Her kind, mother-like eyes looked at the tea. "Please, sit down and relax." As I moved over to take a seat at the table, Kate continued to speak. "I was hoping that we could discuss the matter concerning your relationship with Abel."

I felt as the temperature of my face increased, and carefully holding the teacup within my hands, I tried to keep my voice as even as possible while I asked. "My relationship with Father Nightroad?"

"Yes." She watched as I took a sip of the tea. "I hope that you don't mind, it's just that I've never seen him trust someone so much before. He always tries to hide the truth from those around him. Wearing fake smiles to help mask the sadness that he really feels." Gracefully, she folded her hands on top of her stomach. "I'm just simply amazed that you've managed to gain his trust as quickly as you have."

Peering down at the table, I nod my head. "To be honest, I'm glad that he trusts me." The gentle warmth of the teacup felt good as I held it against the palm of my hand. "It might just be that he feels obligated to be kind to me since he pulled me away from my previous life. Or it might be that, in a way, he feels we're the same." I smiled, a happiness taking over my senses. "In a warped kind of way...it's funny. Here we are being this close of friends and in reality, if you were to stop and think...we're predator and prey. But I don't mind that though." As I took another sip of tea, Kate listened to what I had to say. Her expression was one of genuine interest. Then gently setting the teacup back down on the table, I looked over at the translucent nun. "Sister...can I trust you to keep a secret?"

Taken aback by my question, she replied after a moment had gone by. "Of course you can. What's on your mind, Sister Jonah?"

With a quiet exhale, I began to confide to her. "Lately, I've been having these...dreams."

"Dreams?"

I could tell that she was feeling confused by the topic, but I nod my head. "Dreams that have been revolving around Father Nightroad." Looking away, I chose to glance at the patterns that appeared on the table's surface."The first one was just pretty random, but when I told Abel about it, he reacted in a way that, up until now, I didn't even bother to think twice about."

Kate was silent for a second, then she quietly asked. "How was it that he reacted?"

"His eyes grew wide. As if what I had told him...had shocked him in a way. Then a few hours ago, while I was resting, I had another dream." Closing my eyelids, I pictured Abel within my mind as he fought to protect Lilith's corpse. I could easily recall the cries he let out as he was being plagued by so much emotional distress. As I relived it all, I couldn't help but to quietly whisper. "Oh, Father..." Finally reopening my eyes, I began to explain what I had seen to Kate. "I saw Abel fighting. I think that he was fighting against Methuselah because he transformed into the Crusnik. He..." I considered my words for a moment, feeling as though I were betraying Father Nightroad's trust by telling someone that wasn't him about my dream first. But with a deep sigh, I continued on. "Sister Kate, are you aware of who Lilith was?"

Very quietly, I heard her respond. "I don't know all of the specifics, but I've been told that she was someone whom Abel truly admired."

It comforted my heart hearing Kate say that she was, at the very least, familiar with the fourth Crusnik's name. "Well in my dream, Abel was fighting so that he could defend her remains. I dreamt of the day that he made his promise to her." As I said this, I slowly started to come to a conclusion. "I think...I think that I dreamt of Abel from over ten years ago."

Sister Kate abruptly turned away from me, and it was several minutes before any other words were spoken. "Jonah, please take a look at this and tell me if this is close to what you saw."

In front of me, a holographic image appeared, and looking at it closely I immediately could tell that it was a picture of Abel and a young girl. They were out in a field of grass and the girl, who wore the Vatican's white and blue habit, was setting a flower crown on top of Abel's head. Just like in my dream, he was wearing a uniform which also happened to be white and blue, the edge of a loose fitting black turtleneck was barely visible beneath of the long white jacket. Nodding my head, I exclaimed excitedly. "That's it! That's exactly what he was wearing! Sister, when was this picture taken?"

She released a slow breath. "It's just as you said, you dreamt of an event that happened a decade ago. Jonah, it's possible that..." Kate's words fell away, and as she worked to organize her thoughts, I watched as she gently tapped her fingertips together. "Jonah, this might be a long shot, but I think that you've discovered what your ability is not only as an agent, but also as a Methuselah."

"My ability?"

Suddenly, I could hear Abel's voice in my head and I remembered what it was that he had told me about the ability that I would have. "I feel that you have an ability, one all of your own. You just haven't discovered it yet." Since that moment, I hadn't really thought about trying to put any effort into discovering what my ability was...not until Sister Kate brought it up.

"It's a pretty unusual ability called dream walking. Not much is really known about it. So I can't exactly tell you how it works. All I can say is that you're possibly walking into Abel's dreams while you're both asleep." As Kate explained to me the few details that she knew concerning the ability, I listened. My full attention grasped so tightly, that I felt it would be painful to try and look away. "Studies have theorized that the stronger the bond is between the person with the ability and the person who is having the dream, the more frequently the dream walker might appear."

To me, it was beginning to feel as though I might never be given a break. Between dying in Abel's arms, then waking up as a Methuselah, from having bizarre dreams and then learning that I might be a dream walker...everything just seemed to be happening all at once.

Patient as a Saint, Kate waited next to me. Her soothing voice whispering. "I completely understand that it's a lot to digest all at one time, so please. Feel free to take a minute so that you can allow it to sink in."

I shook my head. "There's no need. I think that I get it." Leaning back in my seat, I felt the hard backing of the chair gently press up against my spine and sighing, I asked. "What am I going to do? Father Nightroad will eventually start to notice it if I'm showing up within his dreams. Sister...what should I tell him?" I began to grow anxious, but then I remembered something that Abel had said to me the first time that I might have dream walked.

Feeling Abel's hand on the back of my neck, I could see him in my memories. His voice ringing with a clear resonance, and I thought for a second that he were actually speaking into my ear at that very moment. "Jonah, there's been something that I've been meaning to tell you." Resisting against the urge to look all around me, I continued to hear his soft tone. "You can't possibly deny the fact that from the moment that you and I met, there's been an incredibly strong connection between us." As the reminiscent moment played back in my mind, I remembered the way that he had began to draw himself closer to me.

Again I asked, my eyes held open wide in fear. "What could I possibly tell him?"

Kate held her index finger to her milky white skin, gently tapping it against her chin, her trademark Albion colored eyes turned up towards the ceiling of the airship. "Well it only makes sense for you to just tell him the truth. Like I told you earlier, I've never seen him hold as much reliance in another person in all of the time that I've known him." The holographic projection shimmered briefly. "I don't mean to say that he doesn't have any faith in the other A.X. operatives, it's just that...it might be as you put it earlier. Since the very beginning, Abel could have picked up on the fact that the two of you were as similar to one another as you've actually ended up being."

"So I...should just tell him the truth?" The size of my eyes returned to normal, and I imagined Abel sitting out in the room beyond the automatic steel door, still sleeping peacefully. Having dreams that, at the moment, I couldn't invade.

Slowly she nod her head, closing her eyes and smiling in the process. "That's right. I feel that Abel would much rather prefer it if you were up front with him about the entire scenario. Then once you've told him, it'll be up to the two of you to come up with a solution. If that is the course you wish to take."

I completely understood what it was that Kate was saying to me. If I kept this information to myself, I would be acting selfishly. "You're absolutely right, Sister. I'll be sure to discuss it all with him once we're in the Empire."

With a mild look of surprise, Kate took a sharp intake of breath. "Oh no! How could I be so careless? Jonah, if you plan on getting some rest before we land, I suggest that you go and get some now. Oh, I hadn't realized that it was already that late!"

Glancing over at the clock by the door, I saw that the time was well past midnight and getting to my feet, I smiled at the now semi-frantic nun. "Please don't worry about it, Kate. But if it will make you feel better, I'll try and catch a few more hours of sleep before we get there." As I walked away from Kate, I stretched out my limbs. "Thank you for taking the time and talking with me, I really appreciate it."

She gave a small bow and the evanescent hologram faded from existence. Leaving me once again all by myself.

Nearing the steel door, it opened up and I could see that Abel was still dozing undisturbed in his chair. The expression that he wore seemed to have remained serene during my brief absence. Which to me was an indication that he was having good dreams. When I stood just a few feet away from him, I smiled and quietly spoke. "See? I told you that I'd be back as soon as I could." Closing the gap that existed between us, I strode over to the plush chair that I had been sitting in before Father Nightroad suggested that I leave to go and rest. And as I took my seat, another sudden wave of exhaustion began to wash over me. Everything that was around me became bleary as my vision started to lose its focus. "This isn't right...what's going on...I honestly should not be this tired..." As I lowered my eyelids, as though they were heavy like theatrical curtains, I tried my absolute best to resist against the weariness that was quickly building up within me.

However, no matter how hard I struggled to fight it, this was simply a battle that I just couldn't win. The minute that I came understand this fact, I gave into its demand. Plunging deep into the realms of sleep once more.

The amount of time that had gone by before I heard Abel's voice calling out to me, was unknown. But as I felt his gentle hand on my shoulder and with his kind voice in my ear, I slowly began to stir. "Jonah? Jonah, come on, it's time to wake up. Sister Kate has just informed me that the Iron Maiden will be landing somewhere along the East Bank within the next ten minutes. So we really do need to hurry."

"Father?" With my eyes open, I looked up and saw Father Nightroad's smiling face gazing down at me. Feeling as though I were trapped inside of a stupor, I asked. "Where are we?"

A look of sheer concern spread across his face. "The Empire, where else would we be? Jonah, are you sure that you're okay? Because..." He took a closer inspection of my appearance and frowned. "Now that I think about it...you are looking a bit pale." Sighing, he muttered out loud more to himself than to me. "Maybe I should just have Kate take you back with her to the Vatican..."

While Abel was in the process of turning to look away from me, I shot up straight in my chair and excitedly cried out. "No! I'm fine, Father! Really I am! I-" When I came to a standstill, I found that my face was only a couple of inches away from Father Nightroad's. As I felt my face growing red, I made the decision to pull back away from him slightly. "Forgive me. But trust me when I say that I'm fine." To help cover up my embarrassment that had been caused by my own impetuous actions, I gave him my most carefree smile.

As my face flushed, so did Abel's. A look of undiluted shock fell upon him, but gradually, the shock that he wore began to dissipate away and was replaced with relief. "Well if that's the case." He extended out his hand for me and reaching out, I lightly took his hand in my own. With a single, swift motion, he was able to fluently hoist me up to my feet. Grinning broadly, he kept a loose grip on my hand. "If you're ready, we should go on ahead and make our way towards the Iron Maiden's main exit."

Silent, I nod my head in agreement. And with Abel leading the way, I followed after him, my focus periodically straying over to his hand as he gently held onto mine. I wanted to ask him about it, I wanted to give his hand a tender squeeze, I wanted to intertwine my fingers with his, yet...I chose not to. There was absolutely zero evidence that actually pointed towards the conclusion that I was a dream walker. Nothing existed that could confirm that I had been witnessing Abel's dreams as if they had been my own. As I looked away, I knew that it wouldn't be right if I were to just simply make the assumption regarding how it was that Abel felt about me. I couldn't do anything at all, but wait...wait for the right time to talk about it in full with him.

Within a matter of minutes, we had worked our way through the small network of hallways and we found ourselves standing in the barren cargo bay located in the lower levels of the airship. The lights that had been hung from the ceiling gently began to oscillate as we finally landed within the Empire. Seconds later, a ramp leading to the ground down below started to descend, and next to the exit, Sister Kate's holographic projection appeared. The expression on her face offered us comfort and with a reassuring smile, she calmly spoke. "I wish the two of you the best of luck out there." As she made the sign of the cross, Kate quietly prayed. "O God, You are the preserver of men, and the keeper of our lives. We commit ourselves to Your perfect care on the journey that awaits us. We pray for a safe and auspicious journey. Give Your angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. Let no evil befall us, nor any harm come to our dwelling that we leave behind. Although we are uncertain of what the days may bring, may we be prepared for any event or delay, and greet such with patience and understanding. Bless us O Lord, that we may complete our journey safely and successfully under Your ever watchful care."

After the prayer was complete, Abel carefully relinquished his hold on my hand, and together we both made the sign of the cross ourselves and in unison, we whispered. "Amen."

Turning to look directly at me, just as the metal ramp that was attached to the Iron Maiden made contact with the airfield's smoothly paved surface, the translucent nun made it a point of reminding me. "Sister Jonah, please don't forget about what it was that we discussed last night."

Casting an indirect glance over towards Abel, I noticed that he had already made it halfway down the ramp but had stopped walking while he was in mid-step, and I saw that he was peeking over his shoulder in my direction. A puzzled countenance had overcome him. But with a smile, I exhaled slowly. "Don't worry. I'll bring it up the moment that the timing is right. Thank you so much for escorting us here." I bowed as gracefully as I could and then hurried off so that I could catch up with Father Nightroad.

The instant that I was within earshot, he asked me. An air of curiosity riding within his tone. "What was all of that about?"

Nonchalantly, I gave him my answer. "Well after I woke up from resting yesterday, Sister Kate reminded me that while we're here, I should take some time and learn what I can about my lineage." Lying to him, I could feel my heart as it ached and as I bit my lip to prevent myself from spilling all of my secrets right then and there, I gently nod my head once.

Abel laughed. "Oh, right! I had nearly forgotten about that myself. It's a good thing that we had Kate with us! She is honestly a lifesaver!"

Our feet his the pavement and turning my gaze up from the ground that I rested beneath of me, I caught my first glimpse of the Empire as it stood tall and majestic ahead of us. As I speechlessly gaped at the landscape, I could hear the ramp that Abel and I had just descended down, begin to retract and lock in place as the Iron Maiden's engines roared into life. Then with a rush of wind, the airship took off and made its way high up into the morning sky.

Meaning that our mission to meet and make contact with the Empress of the beautiful land in front of us, was officially underway.

Next to me, Abel watched as the vessel that had brought us this far, began to leave. I heard him give a lighthearted sigh, and he whispered. "There she goes. Godspeed, Kate."

My words eventually caught up with me, yet as I continued to stare in admiration at the Empire, I implored. "So where do we start, Father?"

Immediately, he stuck his hand in between of his cassock and overcoat, then as he cautiously took hold of an object that I couldn't see, he withdrew his hand. "Prior to our departure from the Vatican, I thought that it might be a wise decision to give you this...that way you would have something that you could properly protect yourself with." In his hand, with its barrel aimed at the ground, he held onto a small stainless steel pistol. "Now, understand that I'm only giving this to you simply as a precaution. I don't actually expect that anything bad should happen to us while we're here, but you can never be too sure." As he spoke, he moved his body so that he was standing behind me and using his free hand, he carefully placed the gun's grip against my palm. Then as he continued to speak, the tone of his voice was suddenly stern. "I know that in the past you've taken a few classes in basic gun training, but Jonah, this is serious. It is just as you said to me yesterday. You're no longer being put through missions that are only to be considered as practice trials. Cardinal Sforza made the judgment call of choosing you to be my partner for this, and I know that she wouldn't have done so if she knew that you weren't capable of completing the task at hand. That's why, I urge that you only resort to using this if you're left with no other option." He kept his hand on the gun, but stepped so that he could look me in the eyes and with a smile, he whispered. "Are you following me, so far?"

Slowly I nod my head as I felt the abrasive texture of the gun's polymer grip pressing against my skin. "I give you my word, Father Nightroad."

His blue eyes sparkled. "Very good. Now go on and hold onto it for just a second, and don't worry. The safety is on...however, never rely only on it and always keep the gun pointed towards the ground. Remember you only ever aim it at someone if you intend to shoot." As I gently gripped onto the weapon's handle, Abel stuck his hand back into one of his many pockets, and rummaging around for a while, he gradually began to smile just as he pulled out a nylon holster. "Alright so...I'm just going to fasten this around your waist, which should give you an easy enough access to it." He knelt down, with the holster in hand and as he slipped it around me above my hips, he casually started to explain to me. "This pistol in particular is a semi-automatic. It's got a caliber of 9 mm and it holds a total of thirteen rounds. So right now, there's already a round inside of the chamber. While the remaining twelve are in the magazine." Standing in place, it was a minute before he had finally gotten the gun's carrying case secured around me, but when he finished, he declared as he got back up to his feet. "And done! You can go ahead and affix it into the holster."

I did as I was instructed and slid the stainless steel firearm into its protective covering, then looking over at him, I smiled. "Thank you, Father."

With a slight wave of his hand, Abel mused serenely. "It wasn't a problem at all, Jonah. I just know that it's extremely important that you be able to protect yourself while we're visiting this foreign country." Placing a calm hand on my shoulder, he ventured to ask. "Now that all of that is said and done, shall we get started? After all, there's no real need to waste any more time than is absolutely necessary."

"Right." As I said this, Father Nightroad bent forward, gesturing with his hands that I should be the first to step into the city that awaited us.

For a while, we simply walked in silence. Navigating our way through several narrow alleyways and down stone staircases, I started to feel lost. Lost within the sheer wonder that anything so perfect could ever possibly exist within the world. As I walked next to Abel, I gently twisted my body from side to side so that I could properly look at the beauty that was considered as the Empire. And finally seeing it for myself, I found that words failed me. The architecture of the buildings that we passed by were unlike anything that I had ever seen before. It was so magnificent that I was beginning to think that it could easily put the Vatican's own appearance to shame. Hundreds of feet up above our heads the protective barrier, that was known as the Lapis Lazuli Wall, worked hard at filtering out the deadly ultraviolet rays from the sun's light. Despite the fact that I knew that it was still very early in the morning, my mind was being tricked into thinking that the time of day had already reached twilight. This illusion, however, was caused by the Wall. "Father, this is...this is absolutely amazing!" With my eyes never leaving the cityscape that surrounded us, I spun on my heel. My habit billowing out behind me as I moved in a quick circle. "Father Nightroad, do you know exactly where we are right now?"

He chuckled at my wonderment and pulled from his pocket a neatly folded map of the region. Then flipping the folded portion of the sheet up, he cheerfully remarked. "As a matter of fact..." Gently tapping the tip of his finger to a section of the map, he offered me an explanation. "It just so happens that luck is truly on our side today. Sister Kate had a map of the Empire's three main districts printed off so that it would be ready and waiting for us before we were even landed. But as for our current location..." Peering over top of his round glasses, he inspected the layout thoroughly. After a moment had gone by, he called out. "Ah ha! So it appears as though we're currently in the section of the Empire that's known as the Anadolu."

Wheeling around, I turned my attention back to Abel. "Anadolu?"

With a gentle motion of his head, he went on to say. "That's right. Although to those who are from the Outer World, like us, it might make it a little easier if we were to just call it the Terran District." His eyes roamed over the map's grid for a while, and I could hear him quietly humming to himself. "For now, however, we're just trying to find our way to the Great Bosporus Bridge." Peeking over at me out of the corner of his eyes, the color of which was vibrant enough that I could still see the frosty hue of them in the shadow of the twilit sky, he smiled. "We might have quite the trek ahead of us, but the great company that I've got should make things all that much better." Briefly looking away, he used his free hand and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

A sheepish grin overtook my face. "Father, stop...you're embarrassing me..." I could hear his soft chortle next to me. Recovering from my emotional lapse, I voiced aloud an idea as it came to me. "Perhaps we should ask for directions? After all, someone who's a citizen here would definitely know their way around a lot better than we would..." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Abel looking incredulously over at me and before he could say anything, I quipped. "Even though we do have a map."

He sighed as a sign of resignation. "I suppose that you're right. Ultimately it was me who said that it's best to not waste anymore time than we really have to. So you win, Jonah." With an unworried grin, Abel carefully refolded the map that he held within his hand. Yet instead of placing it back into the pocket that he'd taken it from, he continued to keep it out, in case we should find a sudden need to consult its contents.

We proceeded to make our way further into the Terran District and for a time, neither one of us saw anything else that was living. With each step we took we passed by towering buildings that had shut doors, trees that swayed gently in the wind and whose leaves were the color of emeralds. There were no cars, no vendors that had set up their portable shops along the sides of the streets. There was nothing other than the stifling silence that hung in the air. "Father Nightroad, where...where is everyone?"

Abel shook his head and using his winter blue eyes, which by this time had grown alert, he scanned everything that was around us. "I'm not really sure about how I should go about answering that question, myself..." The tone of his voice denote a sense of uneasiness to me as he spoke, yet he was obviously striving to maintain his calm while I walked by his side.

Finally as we wandered past a dimly lit alleyway, I caught sight of the subtle movements of a small group of people that were gathered at the far end of the path. Reaching up, I gently grasped at the sleeve of Father Nightroad's vestments and pointing with my free hand, I quietly breathed out. "Look."

Turning his head, my finger acting as a guide for where to look, he smiled when he saw the compact ring as the members all huddled in close to one another. However, unlike me, he spoke with confidence as he began to address me. "Good eye, Jonah!" Slowly I released my hold on his sleeve as Abel made his way closer to the gathering, and waving his hand up above his head, he called out. "Pardon me, but if it isn't too much trouble, might I ask if one of you fine people could direct us to the Great Bosporus Bridge? You see, we're new around here...and unfortunately we don't know our way around just yet...so..."

His words fell away as all of the members of the group turned to face the both of us. The movements that they made were synchronized with each others'. Each of the beings before us had round, blood red eyes, and they were shrouded in the shadows of their black cloaks. And as I stood outside of the entrance to the lane, I froze. Something that I had forgotten about, triggered deep from within my memories. I could hear the sound of snapping, and then I saw them. Three creatures that strongly resembled the things which now stood motionless at the end of the alley. While fear permeated all throughout my body, a hauntingly familiar voice echoed inside of my head. "They're called Death Hunters and do you want to know what makes them such perfect vessels? Well it's because they are actually reanimated vampire corpses. And they are fully under my control."

As the realization of what I was looking at hit me, I gasped. The nearly inaudible words that I spoke, coming out in a rush. "Death Hunters..." Rapidly shaking my head from side to side, I drew out my pistol, the hold that I had on it was unbelievably strong. Despite all of my fright. "Father! Get away from them!"

Before I had even said anything, Abel was already slowly retreating away from the monsters. His gaze never once leaving their masked faces as he quietly asked me. "Jonah...why do these guys look familiar?"

With the sights of my weapon set on the closest of the figures, I answered through tightly clenched teeth. "They are the same as those bastards that killed me." Becoming filled with an undiluted rage, I screamed. "Run!" The moment that I had finished issuing my command, I fired the gun that I held in my hand once. Then seeing as the Death Hunters skillfully dodged the bullet that flew in their direction, I hurried to reholster the weapon and willed my legs to run faster than they ever had before. As I started to feel a strong vibration coursing through my extremities, I took a deep breath and sprinted over towards Abel, who had only managed to run just a few feet. While the world before me became a disorienting blur, I tightly wrapped my arms around the fleeing priest's waist and silently pleaded in my thoughts. "O Lord, give me strength!" My speed increased, but I could still hear the sound of the Hunters as they readily pursued us. Their momentum being only slightly less than my own. I knew that I had to go faster, and as I felt every part of my body as it began to burn, I grit my teeth and cried out. "Father! I don't know how much longer I can continue on like this for..."

He yelled something in response but I couldn't catch the words that he had said.

Rounding a corner, I heard the grating sound of steel striking against brick, and risking a backwards glance over my left shoulder I saw that one of the Death Hunters had launched a battle axe in mine and Father Nightroad's direction. As I turned my attention to what was ahead of me, I heard Abel utter a painful groan. With a quick sideways look, I could see that the upper portion of his sleeve had been ripped open and fresh blood had began to seep into the shreaded fibers of his clothing. Witnessing the blood as it flowed without restraint, I felt as my pupils began to dilate. The saliva within my mouth started to build up and my fangs worked their way out of hiding. Two words sounded like alarms from within my thoughts. "So...thirsty..." As I continued to try and outrun our pursuers, I considered what my next action should be. What it was that I should do once I had managed the task of evading them. Yet listening to my own sickening thoughts, I violently shook my head. Forcibly clearing away all of the horrific urges that were beginning to overtake my very being. Then with a swift yet cautious motion, I moved my hand so that my palm was pressing against Abel's wound. He grunted uncomfortably as I tightly cinched the gash with my fingers, but I knew that it had to be done. "I'm sorry, Father! Please just stay with me!" I started to look around, seeking out an escape route leading away from the monsters that persisted on following after us. Finally after what seemed to take an eternity, I saw a ledge that led down to a lower level of the district. Without even stopping to think about how far its fall was, I drew in a deep breath and made a beeline for the ledge. Standing on it only briefly, I called out to Abel as I took a leap of sheer faith. "Hold on!"

All that I could hear was the sound of the wind as it rushed past both Father Nightroad and myself. Free falling, we plummeted through thin air towards the ground that anticipated our arrival at least ten feet below. Before we collided with the pavement, I quickly made the decision to strengthen the hold that I had on Abel. The only thing that I desperately longed for, other than to be extricated from the peril that threatened to engulf us, was for the kind and goofy priest that I clung onto, to be safe. I felt no real concern for my own well being...since I would be just fine so long as, in the end, he were okay. As the soles of my boots struck the sturdy surface, I gathered up the last ounce of strength that I had in my body and threw the both of us into the shadows of an alcove. Hidden, I found that I no longer was able to maintain the grasp that I had on Father Nightroad and as the world reeled around me, I fell to one side. My breathing was labored, my legs screamed as they agonizingly throbbed, the burning that I had felt earlier had gone from being a smoldering flame to a full fledged wild fire.

Next to me, Abel knelt down on one knee and disregarding his own injury, he indecisively hovered his hands over my body, unsure of what it was that he could do for me. "Jonah...I think...I think you did it. We lost them." His voice sounded distant within my ears, but turning my eyes up towards his panic-stricken face, I tried to give him a gentle smile. Only as I made my attempt, I found that I didn't even have the energy left to do that much. As he saw my failed efforts, he placed a cool palm to my cheek. "Don't worry. I'll go and get us some help."

At that very moment, I heard the soft sound of nimble footsteps as someone approached the alcove's only point of entry. Looking up to see if the Death Hunters had followed after us after all, Father Nightroad gasped. A childish, yet feminine voice spoke. Their words bouncing off of the brick walls that surrounded us on all sides. "Still doing your absolute best to cause as much trouble as you can, I see? Oh...you haven't changed." The person began to laugh impishly.

I heard the faint sound of Abel silently whispering something underneath of his breath. His voice remaining so low that I hadn't been able to register what he had said.

They sighed wistfully. "But don't worry. All along I had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been you, Abel."

This time when he spoke, Father Nightroad's voice came out as a desperate plea. "We can discuss this later. I-" He shook his head quickly, and began again. "No...she needs your help!" As he continued to speak to the person standing in the entrance of the alcove, I could hear the things being said growing ever more distant.

And closing my eyes, I finally blacked out.