“While it is, of course, important to know all there is about Vampires, it is equally important to remember just what makes up us Humans.”

The Instructor began the morning lesson with these words, though only after each and every student had finished their daily maintenance of their rifles. In his words, ‘A soldier’s weapon was just another facet of the mind, and to have a properly functioning weapon was to obtain a clear head.’

Rosa took those words to heart. Her rifle was an extension of herself, after all. She needed it to be just as perfect as her mind. She probably put more effort into the upkeep of her firearms than anyone else in her class, and the results showed. She was hands down the best shot in the entire academy, she knew that for a fact. It was as to be expected, of course. Why wouldn't she be the best? Her father, a retired Enforcer, and her mother, the current General, she was raised by the best. Failure was simply not an option, and any possible failure of her was very clearly never the fault of any failings of the ones who raised her. The one she was raised alongside had become the youngest ever person to become an Enforcer, a clear sign of just how much she had in her favour.

She always had to bite her tongue, however, to ignore the spite she felt from not being allowed into Enforcer training. Just why was she locked away on this select path? Why did her mother always suggest she go on to work a job at HQ after graduating? Why did she know so little? Wasn't she supposed to be special? Did she not work hard enough? Was spending each waking moment desperately trying to meet expectations not enough? What had she done wrong!? Was she still not perfect enough?!

And, why, god, why did everyone always look at her like this? Classmates, teachers, people she didn't know, people that knew her that she had never met. Not just people that were, by all means, meaningless to her, too. Friends, family--- They all had that glint in their eyes, as if she had somehow failed them.

All except for one, at least. A friend closer than any other that always made her feel warm. Elsie, she could find solace around her. When with her, at least for a little while, she felt comfortable, as if the weight of the world was lightened to that of a feather for their moment's together. And, the way she looked at her, as if she was the most important thing in existence...

But, she was getting distracted, as the instructor had long since continued.

"We, at the core of our being, are emotional creatures. A clear contrast to those we fight, no?" The man scratched his chin, his stance composed as he met eyes with many of his students. Most, if not all, were intrigued, though for this class, that was not a rarity. The instructor always was an abnormal man, but his ramblings were highly enlightening. An expert both in psychology and Vampire physiology, each word he spoke had merit. "Joy, sorrow, anger, hate... unbidden feelings present in each and every one of us. Perhaps some better than others, but each is necessary to paint a full picture of humanity."

The instructor began to pace, as he always did, his cane moving first. Both deliberate movements and words controlled his path. "We Humans find a greater depth in what we feel. The comparison of emotions between a Human and Vampire is parallel to that of a Human and wild beast. This is a weakness in some regards, yes, but never forget that it is also our greatest strength. In some scenarios, we must not let events register on an emotional level. We must not feel pity for a Vampire, nor can we cry for our fallen. Instead, use that feeling to fuel your hatred."

He stopped in the middle of the lecture hall, slamming his cane down as if to exemplify his point. "That is our most powerful emotion. Our hate for the creatures that took everything from us grants us a strength unparalleled, so do not waste tears on those you will inevitably lose, but instead, kill those who killed them, and bring us one step closer to peace forevermore. That is to say..."

For a moment, Rosa thought the instructor looked her in the eye, but perhaps... she was seeing things. Still, with a sharpened tone, he continued, "Throw away your love, run from it if you must, for that is a privilege we do not have, one we must fight to give to the later generations to come. Instead, focus solely on your hate. Hate all that there is. Hate the plague that has threatened this planet for far too long, hate the bastards who may have taken those you once loved, hate the creatures that sully the pure and righteous Earth..."

He let out a raspy chuckle, his eyes low. "And of course... never forget. Vampires aren't people. They're monsters. Class dismissed."

--

Three days with Lysa passed in the blink of an eye. The first was spent with the two lazing around the hotel, simply finding comfort in each other's embrace and perhaps a few other specific actions they undertook together. The second, while Lysa was definitely drained from the night before, they still went outside for the day. It was a work day, so not many people were present, to the relief of Rosa, and thus they perused various shops, Lysa in her clumsily put together 'disguise' as usual. After getting a pleasant meal from a nearby restaurant, they went back to their room before it got late enough for there to be a boom in people.

The last day constituted them staying in once more, same as the first. This time, however, a good bit of the time was spent getting things prepared for the day after, packing and all that. With her thirst slowly becoming more apparent, Lysa drew Rosa's blood once more, though not quite as much as usual to ensure she wouldn't be woozy later on. She learned, however, that following what they did together two days prior, seeing Rosa's blood did a bit more to her now. Just laying eyes on the crimson liquid made her fangs feel fuzzy, and it caused her to become all the more curious on how good it would feel to sink her teeth into her delicate flesh. Not as if she would ever do it, though. It was a simple curiosity and hidden longing, and that was that.

One thing was for certain, however, and that was the fact these three days felt like a possibility. A glimpse into one potential future with each other, after everything was over... Perhaps an impossible fate, one that could only come in a much happier story, but even still, oh how the idea made the two feel wonderful. To spend their lives in the same space, able to enjoy each other's company for eternity without any risk of external harm.

But, no. That could never come until what had to be done was finished. Thus, with the fourth day having finally come, it was time for them to meet with Donovan. 6 AM sharp, they reached the front of his little shop, once more surrounded by graffitied walls and piles of trash that were particularly putrid to Lysa's nose. The moment the door to the business swung open, they were greeted with the same musty air and various trinkets scattered about, a small bell ringing for just a moment. Only this time, instead of being in that strange attic, he was at the front counter typing away on a laptop. It was plugged into a few various devices, as well as what looked to be a small case.

His wrinkled eyes perked up the moment the door was entered, and with a tired greeting, he gestured the pair towards the nearby chairs as he huffed. "Hmph... Your generation doesn't usually know the importance of being on time..."

Lysa quickly replied, a smile on her face from the supposed compliment. "Well, there's no way we would miss thi--" She was cut off.

"And it seems you're the same as every other in it! You're supposed to be at least five minutes early!" He very suddenly raised his voice, his eyebrows lowered and face scrunched.

"Sorry, sir..." Out of pure, militaristic habit, Rosa apologized for the both of them, bowing her head down.

Quickly after, they both sat down in front of the elderly man, resting upon rather uncomfortable, metal chairs. Lysa was just grateful the man wasn't vindictive and decided to use silver as the specific metal.

Donovan certainly looked exhausted. There were dark, dark circles around his eyes, and that was not forgetting to mention the near endless number of empty coffee cups placed neatly in one corner of the counter. It was then he let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before uttering the words, "Humanity has a... long history of making walls. Thousands of years spent just to keep something out. Look at the Great Wall of China, for example. Thousands of kilometers across the entire country..."

The beginning of his rambling brought the same question to both of their minds. What was 'China?'

"In the modern era, we ain't so different. We surround our settlements with huge walls of stone, or wood, or damn, in the case of the Capital, Steel and Light. And, here, the entire territory of Sanctuary is guarded off with a huge wall connected to this very town. It ain't easy for anything to get in or out, and it doesn't matter if that's a human or vamp. And, yet..." He grumbled to himself for a moment, causing Rosa to straighten her back. "Walls are ultimately useless. If you really want to get past them, all that they do is act as a momentary delay. Over and over again, we build them, only for them to fail, for bastards to get in."

The two listened intently, though Lysa in particular was a tad zoned out. Rosa was used to listening to these sorts of lectures, however, and her eyes were keen. She felt as if she should have been writing something down.

"Just look at the First Succession War, if you need an example of that. When the existence of Vamps first became revealed, the world fell into anarchy. The old Governments quickly fell, if not by Vamps rogue from the Royals, by infighting. Countries fought each other instead of working together, broke down the imaginary walls between territories. And what did that lead to? Mankind at its goddamn worst. By the time the current Vamp Queen took the throne after eradicating the Old Bloods, most of her job was already done by us. They enslaved those of us who lived in ruined Countries, and built walls to keep them in. Even today, descendants of those poor bastards are trapped in Nosferatu and treated like cattle..." His fists clenched for a moment, his gaze low upon the table. Eventually, he looked back up to meet the two once more. "You two know all that, however."

Bits and parts, at least for Rosa. History wasn't a very important section of her education, and as for Lysa, she never got to finish her's in Nosferatu. No, she was taken far too soon to learn just what happened in the past of this broken world.

"That being said, none of these walls were truly effective, at least for those with the proper resources. Sure, the Great Wall was impressive at the time, but get together enough reckless idiots, and you'd be able to climb over it no matter how long it is." That was something akin to his closing argument, and right after, he turned his laptop towards the two. "Y'all can do something a bit more refined than climbing, though, especially if you're hoping to get that car of yours through. Which is why..." He clicked one of the keys, then slid a strange device towards them.

Rosa paused, "That's a bomb."

"Correct," Donovan replied nonchalantly, as if she had just asked for the time of day. "Set this up in the right area and it'll blow a hole right through the thing. Around that time, I'll detonate a few smoke bombs around the other sides to distract any of the particularly heroic guards."

"... You want us to... blow it up," The absurdity was clearly shown in her words as she repeated.

"Christ, do I need to say it again? Do you have hearing loss or are you just fucking stupid?" He scoffed, narrowing his eyes.

"That's-- That's a terrible idea. Why would you even be okay with this? You live here!" She almost subconsciously stood up with her shouting, while Lysa was far less worked up, simply imagining what it'd look like.

"Lemme make this clear. Walls ain't made to keep people out, that just ain't how it works anymore. No matter what side, walls just keep people in. When Vampires can fly, do you really think a few meters of flimsy defense will stop them? Just look at the attack on the Capital, once the lights were down, the walls did nothing. They were mostly useless, made to give people a sense of security while taking away their ability to leave. Something nice, no? Giving anyone in here a false illusion of safety, something to make them fall asleep with an honest smile on their face. It's all just a bunch of lies to leave us feeling content. "

To her, parts of his points did make sense to her, but even still, "Isn't this a bit drastic?"

"Do you want to get into Nosferatu or not?”

Neither could argue against that.

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Perhaps it was true that this was a moral failing, but for two who loved so much, there was little that external ethics could do. What mattered in the end is that they survived, and a false sentiment that Rosa didn't truly care about, no matter how much she would convince herself otherwise.

"Fine. As long as," Her jet black eyes glared upon that of Donovan's, and for a strange reason, he held back a shiver. "Nobody gets hurt."

"As long as you don't fuck up, no humans will get a scratch."

She got sick quickly of how he was constantly mocking her, and as such, the rest of the conversation was vaguely hollow. Lysa didn't mind, far too enthralled in her own fantasies to pay attention to the ones between the two humans, and though it was tiring, Rosa powered through it to get what they needed. Even if she wasn't fully paying attention.

They were told to set the bomb on the south-east side of the wall, in a particular area that isn't commonly frequented by anyone at all. He gave Rosa directions to where this was located and explained how to set the timer for the detonation. It'd have to happen today in four hours, on the hour, as that's when the decoy smoke bombs were set to go off.

Once all was said and done, and Donovan had gifted them with a map, the two of them moved out, staying silent until they were a suitable distance away. Rosa wasn't mad, exactly, simply annoyed with the aged man, and though Lysa noticed it, it took a little while for her to say anything. Not until they were back in the car together, in fact.

Upon taking her blindfold off, she rested her head on Rosa's shoulder, running a hand over hers upon the center storage compartment. Quietly, she began, "Once we get through... it'll be pretty much a straight path, right? Perhaps... a few months accounting for stops, mm?"

"Yeah," Rosa continued to look forward, though didn't move her hand away. "Going off what he said, the roads won't be great for a few hundred kilometers."

She nodded in turn, her finger slowly moving up and down as she let out a small smile. "The scenery will be nice..."

"Right," She replied, though her tone was vacant, without feeling as if she were elsewhere.

"... Are you okay?" There was an innate concern that filled her small voice.

That question finally got her to turn her head, her eyes meeting with the silver gaze belonging to Lysa. She was quiet for a moment, eventually shaking her head. "I'm... fine. I just finally placed who he reminds me of, I guess..."

--

That chair was always uncomfortable, especially with how long she'd end up sitting in it for. It was hard to pin point quite what the material was, something hard for sure, but it wasn't wood. Not stone, either, but it certainly was cold. Not a comforting cool that she'd be fine with relaxing into, but something that made her feel trapped, as if in ice.

His voice was cold, too.

"Well, Miss Varano. Your grades are as perfect as always," The instructor began, though there was no smile on his wrinkled face. "There aren't many who can say they've achieved a ninety seven percent on an assessment."

She tried to dampen the frown that forced its way upon her, quickly replying, "But," Her tone was unconsciously harsh, though not upon her teacher. "It's not perfect. I… I need to know what exactly made me lose that last bit. You always talk about how important perfection is--"

"I do, and I am certain you are aware of that still."

"So, why say I was perfect when I'm not? I can't--" She cleared her throat, taking a breath in. "What did I do wrong? How do I do better? Just-- What do I need to do?"

"What you need, Miss Varano, is not a solution. I deducted those few points not because of a failing in your learning, or skill, but instead, an issue far deeper." He clicked his pen, putting it aside to focus on her fully. "Answer me this. Just why do you want to be a soldier?"

"Huh?" She furrowed her brows, quickly straightening her posture. "Because--" Her mind went blank. "I-- I don't see what this has to do with a grade. Sir."

He sighed, "The fact you don't proves to me I made the right decision. I don't doubt your intelligence, nor your loyalty, I know both are resolute. But, I grade based partly on if you'd be a good soldier, and Miss Varano, a soldier has to be a person."

"Excuse me...?" Her voice cracked as her legs tensed, her hands near-clamping down upon her knees.

His green eyes narrowed, "Allow me to make this clear, Varano. You, whatever you exist as, are no person, no human. You are just a husk." A bitter laugh escaped from his lips. "No empathy, no attachments to anything outside of yourself and Miss Kuruvilla. Through the years I have taught you, I know that you are here not for any personal reasoning, but simply because it's what was expected. You have never, nor will you ever experience a passionate desire to be a soldier. Yet, every assignment, every test you complete, is with a practiced perfection unachievable to all but you. I see, clear as day, that the only feeling in that empty skull of yours is a desperate need to be what's predicted, all in some sort of vain hope that you'll at least have something by the end of it."

With each passing word, Rosa's heart further froze. The feelings she had at the core of her person were things not many would be familiar with, and to have a man like him to tear apart what was built up for decades was like being personally attacked. She wanted to speak, but the moment that inkling came about in her mind, it died. So, she simply continued to stare at the man with a cold, empty look in her dark, dark eyes.

"If I could stop you from becoming a soldier, I would. After all, never before have I had a student who made me feel fear. Genuine, uncontrollable dread at what they could do, what sort of monster they could become. Hence seeing you, I have. Every day, I've seen that same look of complete and utter emptiness. You may try and hide it at times, but nobody can restrain their true self for long." He didn't bother to look at her anymore, switching to his desk to begin putting various files into a folder. "You are destined to leave a pile of corpses in your wake, but they will not be just Vampires. Everyone who is to become entangled in your thorns will wilt away in your garden of blood, Varano."

Rosa's fingernails dug into her skin, though it felt oddly numb. "... Are you done?" Was what left her mouth, surprisingly calm, devoid of a single emotion. She didn't truly know what she was feeling at that moment. "Is there any actual point to this?"

"I want you to at least pretend to feel, to care. If you do not, if you simply act like the cold machine you are, then you'll never be the soldier your mother wants from you. Lie to everyone, even yourself if that is what it takes. Only when it counts should you take up your rifle, to truly use your skills. Until then, pretend to be human, at least for as long as that mask lasts."

"... You're... you're wrong. I do care. I do..." Yet never was there a true feeling to those words.

After that day, Rosa never listened to the Instructor's lectures the same way. Before, the things he said always fascinated her, or at the very least brought understanding to their world. There was an intelligence to him she respected.

But, now she knew that he was just a lying fool.

--

"Hm...? Who?" Lysa quickly asked, an air of curiosity to her as always.

"My teacher from my time at the military academy," A smile fell upon her lips as she looked her way, moving as to hold her hand. "I learned most of what I know from him... Though, he was always a bit of a pain. Still, it makes me nostalgic, I guess..."

She smiled back in kind, quietly relieved to see Rosa no longer in such a somber mood. "That makes me wonder what you were like while in schooling..."

"Mostly the same, but, I guess I focused a lot on my studies. I was a bit more..." Her eyes grazed towards the empty road, deep in thought.

Lysa chimed in, "Obsessed?"

"Mm, no." She looked to her eyes, moving her hand to the side of Lysa's face, "I'm way more obsessed with you."

Rosa's words brought an uncontrollable grin to her, leaning into the touch. "You're going to make my heart beat quicker again..."

"I'm fine with taking responsibility for that, Lysa..." She quietly lowered her voice, the tone making her partner feel tingly inside. Even tiny things like this did something amazing to her, and as Rosa leaned over the center area, that feeling only amplified. "... You're expecting me to do something, aren't you..."

It was told in the form of a statement, as if she truly knew just what she was thinking. With how Rosa always felt like her feelings were being predicted by her, she thought this was only right. A form of harmless, loving revenge, she would say.

"Maybe," She replied in a hushed tone, just on the edge of a whisper. "You're the one who promised to take responsibility..."

She was always so warm. Her voice, her gaze, her touch. All of it.

-

It was a busy day, both perfect and difficult for what was planned. On one hand, a great number of people were out in the streets, enjoying their day off. Hordes of them were there, and among the few other cars driving through the cramped roads, they could reach their destination without many taking note of where they were heading. On the other hand, an event like this was sure to cause panic, and with an explosive being involved, if anyone were to be nearby, they could potentially get hurt.

Luckily, the area of choice was rather desolate. All around, tall buildings obscured the wall from view, and in a particular corner where no soldiers came by, they could set up the explosive without little issue.

Upon driving to the area, making sure no one was following, Rosa began to park nearby, but far enough away for it to be safe from the oncoming damage. Reversing the car into a little shadowed cove, she shifted the handbrake to park. She debated for a moment on leaving the car on, but decided it was far too noisy, and it'd be around twenty more minutes until the decoy bombs Donovan mentioned would go off. Thus, they had time to plant the explosive, and calm their nerves.

After sticking the device to the wall, and setting the timer, that's exactly what Rosa did. Fifteen minutes until they would all go off, a fact that ate away at her each second that passed by. For fifteen minutes, the two were left sitting in the car, not a word spoken between them as Rosa leaned on the shoulder of the other. But, words were not needed at that moment.

Crest was a quiet place. So close to where Vampire territory began, people were trained from a young age to be silent, just as was customary for soldiers. Nosferatu was aware of the settlement, yes, but that didn't mean they wanted to lure any nearby Bloodstarved to the gates. At the border, silver bullets took a long time to deliver from the Capital, meaning they were always in high demand.

It reminded Rosa of home. The streets were quiet, even when people were all over the place. No one said a word to each other, but still, they gave light glances and smiles. Simple ways to acknowledge each other's humanity, passing a bit of familiarity between each passing person in the crowded streets. There was the comfort of knowing everyone else, even if only tangentially, had the same problems.

Only, it wasn't home. Despite being part of Human territory, the resemblance was barely there. The Capital was vastly larger, and when the beaming lights of the walls were shining, she couldn't even see the stars, just an endless abyss above them. Seeing them the nights before felt oddly discomforting, as if something was out of place. Of course, the stars were plentiful while driving upon the dark, sprawling, shaky roads, but when so many people were nearby, it felt wrong.

But, her reminiscing came to an end as Lysa poked her, reminding her of the timer. Three minutes left, then, they'd have to make their break. Before that, however, there was something that Rosa needed. A desire that had been there the entire time, now built up.

Thus, she leaned forward, placing a quick peck on Lysa's lips as she muttered, "For good luck..."

She giggled at this, a hand raising to place upon her flushed cheek. "You're going to make me want more..."

"When we get somewhere safe. At least far enough that we know nobody is following. So... let's promise to stay safe in the meantime." Rosa cupped her hand within her own, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"Promise..."

The beeping of the alarm brought them back to their senses. What followed after was a countdown.

Five. Four. Three. Two.

One.

A quick, sharp explosion resonated through the silent streets. Then, in tandem, smoke erupted from distant areas, filling the roads with sudden chaos. At the same time, with the diversion beginning, Rosa started the engine, and slammed on the gas. She didn't pay any mind to the blaring sirens emanating nearby, nor the shouts coming from soldiers running towards decoy explosives. She ignored everything but getting through the hole in the wall, the one she prayed was large enough for the car to get through. Rubble and debris covered her vision of the resulting shape, but it didn't matter. No, what mattered was the fact she succeeded.

The side of the car got scraped, sure, and the rumbling from driving over something that was the very opposite of smooth was quite disconcerting, but, even so, after a few moments, they could see the bright, encompassing light of the sun shining upon them. The car shook as they drove upon the ashy dirt and grass, kicking up a wave of dust behind them as they propelled onward.

A sense of sudden and powerful relief came over the both of them, though also an oncoming anxiety for Rosa specifically. Her mind was blank, but the world spun, both from the speed they were going and adrenaline pumping. To the left of them was the unkempt road, thus, without thinking, she turned the wheel a bit to begin moving there before one of the tires got punctured by whatever miscellaneous objects littered the fields.

Upon reaching it, and seeing how they were a bit away from the settlement still blasting their alarms, she couldn't help but let a shaky smile fall upon her lips, and then a slight chuckle. "We... did it...!" She almost felt out of breath, despite doing nothing physically strenuous.

Lysa mirrored her expression as she met her eyes, her fangs a tad more apparent with her widening grin. "Y-yeah!" She couldn't help but stutter out, her hands clamped down upon her own lap in order to steady herself. "It's-- We're one step closer, right?"

"Mhm," Rosa nodded, though kept her eyes keen on the road they were nearing. "Then... I can finally bury her..." She breathed in deeply, before looking to Lysa for a quick moment. "We can really be together af--"

Her statement never did reach an end, not as the car made a sudden and uncontrollable stop. Not by any mechanical means, no, but by pure, unadulterated physical force.

The ground rumbled as the figure hit the asphalt, their hand reaching forward and grabbing the hood of the car. The wheels turned to not avail, screeching as the figure with skin like mahogany lifted his head, meeting Rosa in the eyes with a slow smirk coming to his plump lips. His trench coat swayed in the wind, his mouth slowly opening.

Even through the muffling window, Rosa could hear his booming voice, one she knew.

"How funny it is seeing you here, Miss Rosa."

Quincy Vesper, the Fourth Enforcer.