When I'd initially imagined the moment that my ability was to awaken, I must admit, I expected something rather… Grand. The sudden acquisition of a powerful new asset. A tool. A weapon. None of the ideas I had in my head quite fit the somewhat sudden appearance of the threads.
The pull I felt when recruiting Izayoi was more literal than I had realized. Since that day, I've noticed them all throughout the city. It was as if they'd always been there, but only after having my attention brought to them did I begin to notice them. Like a picture on the wall just barely askew that doesn't bother you until it's directly pointed out.
I feel a tug on my finger and turn to see Izayoi arriving up the side of the building. I've grown a bit tired of doing my reconnaissance on the ground. Doing it from a rooftop let's me speak more freely with Izayoi, and it gives me a better view of my network of strings.
There are hundreds of thin red threads, connecting nearly every denizen of the city. Some are long and slack, while others are short and growing shorter quickly. I see one string vanish as two men strike up a conversation. A meeting a long time coming… Not that they would know.
While many of the benefits of this ability have come to me naturally, or were at least easily deducible by simple logic, I'm still very much developing my understanding of it. Or, perhaps it's more accurate to say that the ability itself is still developing?
Either way, it's proven quite useful. Following the threads and intercepting individuals alone has been quite efficient, and there's something oh, so satisfying about seeing one of those threads suddenly get cut in two, then vanish.
Izayoi has made things especially easy. Her agility and skill in striking just when and where I need her to is exceptional. Working together, we've even been able to dispatch small groups without drawing attention. Suffice to say, she's the single best idea and subsequent investment I've ever made.
"Out early again?" She asks. "It's barely after noon."
"Is this not normal for me?" I take a seat on the eastern side of the rooftop door.
"Not normal for a vampire." She sits near the edge of the roof, a meter or two from me.
"You say that as if you know others." She doesn't respond, instead looking out at the city in silent stoicism. A cold breeze causes her unkempt hair and ill-fitting, mismatched clothing to sway like a regal flag. This is how she usually is. I should be grateful to have such a skilled servant, but she isn't much of a conversationalist. There's a certain wit about her, so I wouldn't call her dull, but still… I can't help but desire more information about her.
"If it wasn't for the obsession with blood, I wouldn't think you were a vampire at all." Izayoi suddenly says, looking over her shoulder. "Do you really need so much?"
"Of course. It isn't just sustenance, you know. It's a valuable ingredient, used in many medicines and rituals for us creatures of the night. Not to mention, the taste is sublime. A perfect blend of sweet and savory, with a viscosity that gives it a wonderful texture while it slides down your throat. And the color… Well, I'm a bit bias, but I do love the shade~."
I pause, but she has nothing to add. I take it as a cue to continue. "Of course, the value of blood isn't wholly universal. Factors like age, sex, race, health… Aside from the subtleties in taste, their effects are negligible. Magic is what really matters. I'm no expert on the subject, but all humans have some degree of magical potential, and the higher it is, the more valuable their blood is to us. We are magical creatures, after all." I lean forward a bit. "I get the feeling that your blood would be quite valuable, Izayoi."
"Is that so?" Her response lacks any surprise, concern, or amusement.
"Well, you're more a monster than a human, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't take that literally…"
"You're physical prowess, despite your poor health and young age, reaffirm my deduction. You may be human, but you certainly aren't normal."
She turns back towards the city. "You're free to take a little if you want to so bad."
"Oh, no, I shouldn't…" I wave my hands as if pushing her away, until the edges of my smile creep further towards my ears. "If it tastes as good as I imagine, I might not be able to stop myself."
She looks back at me. Her eyes are sharp, serious, and locked on to my own. "In that case, I'd stop you."
"It's not good for a servant to turn against her master." She must be able to tell I'm joking, as she turns away again. "I am serious, to a degree. Your blood on it's own is likely worth more than most of the city combined. I will tap into that resource if need be."
"Why would you need to?" I freeze for a moment. My big mouth… Too comfortable talking. "Something to do with those others you mentioned?"
"That doesn't concern you. At least, not right now."
Izayoi shrugs. "Fair enough… Mistress."
Perhaps it's a bit unfair to want more info from her when I'm so reserved myself… Then again, she's the servant. I shake my head. Benevolence, remember? You want to be a gracious monarch. Avoid revolt once you start spreading your wings over that promised land.
"How long have you been in this city?" I ask.
"Only a few weeks," she says.
"Really?" Odd… I would've expected her to be a local.
"And you?" She asks back.
"A few weeks, as well. Where are you from?" Several moments pass without an answer. I sigh. "Nevermind, then," I say.
A long time passes without a sound from her. Watching the people, taking notes of the way their threads wind throughout the streets and buildings, trying to envision where they may be come night fall, and taking mental note of anyone who seems a good target… It keeps me busy, so I don't mind the silence too much in the moment.
Only when I feel Izayoi's presence just over my shoulder am I shocked back to reality. Unbeknownst to me, the sky has turned orange. "Yes?" I ask her.
"What were you looking at?"
That is… Difficult to answer. "Nothing in particular," I say. "A bit caught up in thought is all."
"So much that I managed to surprise you?" Is that a hint of amusement in your voice?
"I was not surprised."
"You jumped."
"I did not!" I stand without meaning too. Izayoi lets out a small snort. She's grinning now, as well. I place my free hand on my hip and sigh. "Let's just get to work, shall we?"
"Understood, Mistress."
We make our way back to ground level, where I can see the network of strings in far greater detail. Unfortunately, I've yet to learn how to "turn them off" to any effect. They're aren't physical, so they don't obstruct me, but they can still be a bit overwhelming.
Another detail of the threads becomes more apparent at this distance: quality. We pass by a park on our way. A park I've walked past many times since I've been in this city. However, with these threads woven amongst the equipment, it tells a more pronounced story.
The threads connecting the children are clean; a deep, beautiful shade of scarlet. Naturally, many are attached to their parents, but that other side is far more worn. The elderly grandparents that dot the benches are even more worn. Frayed, thin, and more brown than red. I notice a child in a wheelchair. Their threads are even worse. If they were corporeal, I'm sure they'd fall apart from a light breeze.
"Mistress." Once again, Izayoi snaps me back to reality. "Day dreaming again?"
"What of it?" I feel my face warm against the cool air.
The lamps decorating the park suddenly come alive, lighting up the encroaching darkness of the dusk. I lower and close my parasol. Many children rejoin their parents, ready to leave. A twinge of excitement rushes through me.
I turn my head slightly towards Izayoi. "To work," I say.
She instinctively taps her leg, where a set of knives hide beneath her dress. "Understood."
And so, we begin. It's a rather mundane routine at this point, but I still take note of our improvements. Izayoi seems to get faster with each kill. The victims never have time to notice her, much less cry for help. A clean, master work of assassination. Though, perfection can get rather boring. When something once beautiful turns mundane, it's time to add some spice.
"Izayoi," I begin.
"These two?" She points to the men beneath us, whom we overlook from a rooftop.
"Indeed," I confirm. "But one thing…" I point in front of them. "From there."
"…You want me to attack head-on?"
"And as usual, draw no attention." I smile. "For one as fast as you, it should be no problem. You've been spotted and attacked a handful of times before. What's the issue?"
"You really do enjoy your games, don't you?" Her voice is devoid of amusement.
"What an excellent judge of character you've become~."
"It doesn't take a genius to figure you out."
She makes her way down to the empty street. I barely hold back a laugh. By now, she's grown to trust my seeming precognition, afforded me by the threads. She knows that I know where the men will turn. What she doesn't know are the threads coming from the other side. One I noticed earlier: a constable. How will you handle this?
She steps out of her hiding place in the alley, entering the men's vision clearly. They stop. In a flash, she rushes at them, knife drawn. One turns to run, while the other seems about to scream. She throws the knife into the neck of the wailer, silencing him, and catches up to the runner before the wailer hits the ground. The runner takes a swing at her, which she dodges, ducking under his arm, before lodging a second knife into his agape mouth. He turns limp, and falls when Izayoi retracts her arm.
She looks up to me. Not even the starlight is willing to fill her eyes. I clap, silently, before the whistle blows. Both our heads snap in the direction of the constable, having already drawn his revolver.
"Hands up!" He shouts. Izayoi barely misses a beat.
She runs straight at him, picking up her knife from the wailer as she passes. Just before the officer's finger can squeeze the trigger, she darts to another side. I glide along the rooftops, following her. She closes the distance down the street, dodging two more shots with similarly swift side steps. Now at a better distance, she throws one knife, and another immediately after. The first, the constable raises his arm in response to. It hits, causing him to drop his revolver. A split-second later, he falls over entirely, a new knife sprouting from his knee.
Before he can stand again, Izayoi stands over him. A slice across the throat stops him from shouting. Not that he needed to, as five more officers have arrived on the scene. She's surrounded, three to her front, two behind. All their guns are drawn.
"Hands up!" One shouts. "NOW!"
Izayoi, still as a statue, complies. "Drop the weapon!" Her hand opens, and the knife falls to the ground.
Two officers move towards her, slowly. Izayoi's head, too, slowly turns. Just enough for her to catch me in the corner of her eyes. Her glare isn't icy. It's hot. Blazing with anger. Nice of you to show some spirit. You pass. I point to the corpse, then to the approaching officers, and nod. She turns her attention back on them.
A gentle tug to signal… As I step off the building, quickly descending to the street below, I give her that signal, the threads between our hands pulling taut for just a moment. Our silently coordinated plan unfolds in a near instant.
She crouches, grabbing both knives. I land directly on top of one constable behind her, cracking his skull against the road. The shock distracts the officer near the one I killed, as well as one of the two aiming at Izayoi. She throws her knife at that one, hitting him squarely in the chest. The other officer, however, takes the shot. She blocks it with the other knife, though the forces sends it out of her hand.
I grab the officer near me by the neck, rip off his head, then throw it at the on who tried to shoot Izayoi. The impact knocks him off balance, and Izayoi rushes at him with another knife drawn. I move quickly, just to her right, flying towards the final officer. Izayoi kills the dazed officer with a well-placed stab to the neck, while the final officer aims his weapon at me, and fires. It grazes my cheek.
I impale him with my arm, force him down to his knees, and bite down on his neck. I suck down on my spoils hard, my excitement not letting me savor it, but it's quite delicious either way. I can feel the rush of nourishment already sealing my cheek wound. I sigh in fulfillment. Then, I remain perfectly still. With a light shiver, I sense a silver knife being pointed at my back.
"What the hell was that?" Izayoi questions.
"A test." I turn slightly, just enough to get her in eyeshot. "You pass! Well done." I tilt my head. "Would you allow me to congratulate you?"
Her eyes narrow further. With a loud sigh, her arm then falls limply to her side. I laugh as she approaches me. "Nothing more? Truly?"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure you out," she repeats. "You're insane and you have some kind of agenda. And that agenda now involve tormenting me."
"Wrong t-word, Izayoi~." She remains unamused. I laugh. "Pile these bodies into the dumpster, then. Behind if they're full."
"I'm aware of the routine by-" I turn towards her quickly, her self cut-off almost startling me.
Her eyes are locked onto the street corner. "Did you see-" Before I can ask, she rushes ahead. She looks around the corner, and I arrive a moment later. A few people are walking by the street, mostly in the opposite direction of the gunshots. None seem of particular note.
Izayoi sighs, then turns back. "Someone was watching."
"W… Watching?" I echo.
"Not sure who. They didn't call for help, but we shouldn't stay." She returns to dragging the bodies to the alley dumpster.
Someone… Saw us? It doesn't make sense in my head. I hadn't seen a thread anywhere near here. It's the very reason we chose the street; it was empty, and it should've been for awhile. Even when the whistle blew and constables gathered around, I watched carefully. No new threads were attracted by that event, aside from the five officers.
I realize that I'm biting my lip, my fang having pierced it. I lick up the trickle of blood up and suckle the wound. Izayoi finishes disposing of the bodies. "Where next?" She asks.
I take a breath. No time for weakness. Perhaps Izayoi mistook an animal for a person? Plenty of strays… I end up liking that thought. I stick too it as we continue the night. Not a person. Just an animal. A dog. A cat. I tell it to myself so much, I almost convince myself that it's the truth.
Almost. Instead, the thought that brings me peace is the recollection of my test. The feeling of how easy it was. The knowledge that, no matter what might get throw at us, we can handle it with little issue. That is quite simply a fact. The truth.
And as far as I am concerned, the only truth that matters.