Azure Hotel, Wahoe Town- Anuerea Mountain Range, Yansen.

The flickering neon sign outside the Azure Hotel illuminated the foggy streets below. Inside the dimly lit room, Klaus sprawled across one of the two green beds, an easy grin on his face. The muted hum of the air conditioner and the distant howl of the wind through the mountain passes created a hollow echo in the mind-wrenching silence and oppressive darkness.

Xavier set his dad's journal and a crunched newspaper on the wooden table. His fingers drummed the edge, creating a hollow echo that reverberated through the unnatural silence.

He paced, eyes scanning the room- two beds, a long table, and a chair- until his gaze rested on Klaus.

“What do you think we're dealing with this time around?” he asked, his voice low.

Klaus's smile faded as he sat up, his expression sharpening. “Whatever it is, it's hungry. Insatiable, even.” He paused, his brows furrowing. “And…smart. Thirty people have disappeared in ten days. This thing-whatever it might be knows when to strike and when to disappear.”

Xavier nodded, his mind swirling in a chaotic turmoil. He didn't like how easily Klaus could praise the creature. Every word left a cold chill in the air, heavy and dense.

“Well, I'll start researching. We need to get ahead of it before more bodies vanish into thin air. We should also visit the families of the latest victims.”

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head.

“You expect us to visit them all? That'll take us a lifetime.”

“Probably an eternity.” Klaus subconsciously muttered, his voice low.

“And that's if we're lucky enough.” He added with a wry smile.

Xavier rolled his eyes, his mouth twitching lightly.

“Yeah… As though you can live for that long.”

“Who knows?” Klaus leaned back, smirking. "Perhaps some “old god” from the mysticism era will bless me with eternal life. A few of those Asian busty beauties wouldn't Hurst either."

Xavier rolled his eyes; for a second, there, he thought he saw Klaus…drooling.

He shook his head, blinking for a second before staring back at his brother.

But… Everything was perfectly normal and Klaus now held his normal cold, noble look.

'He didn't clean the drool with his hands…right?' Xavier's body shuddered slightly.

He exhaled lightly before deciding to remove his brother's acts away from his mind.

Focusing on the laptop's screen, his fingers danced across the keyboard.

It's said that the first laptop originated from a place…somewhere beyond the sphere of the world or so some said.

As for how it somehow got to the so-called center of the world. No one knows or perhaps does who did didn't want to disclose it.

Whichever one it's…Xavier knew he wouldn't be finding out about that…at least not anytime soon. This happened ages ago…long before he was even born.

But hopefully, I get a chance to uncover the secrets behind it. Xavier thought smilingly while glancing at the small yet miraculous force that couldn't be ignored in this present age… especially when considering the fact that knowledge of the ages beyond the dark era or ages were far too few, almost nonexistent.

Klaus, who now held the drooling, mouth-watering look, slowly regained his calm bearing before he added, “That had sure hell be fun.”

"Talking about Asian Beauties.

He added after shifting his gaze towards his brother.

“Do you still… You know- you understand right?” He blinked multiple times in an attempt to pass on the intended message.

Xavier stared at his brother, whilst he felt a cold chill running down his spine.

Somehow… Those words felt awfully familiar.

He didn't have to ponder or furrow his brows for too long.

The set of memories which luckily and perhaps unluckily weren't among the set of sealed memories slowly came flooding in.

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He sighed inwardly.

Realizing that he couldn't really blame the previous him- Xavier anyway.

With no girl to fuck in sight due to his age.

The previous Xavier could only set his eyes on a more accomplishable feat.

Which is, of course, to watch porn to ease the temptations and mind-wrenching urges.

Although Xavier- He felt a little ashamed that he had such a bad record on him.

But upon thinking about it, unlike he who had a girlfriend very early on in his previous lifetime.

The previous Xavier didn't have one until a few years ago. Well, at least that's what the unsealed part of his memory said.

As a result, until then, Xavier could only keep up with those urges he had to suffer from.

He felt like facepalming himself.

The reason being that it was this dear, dashing and unruly brother of his that had introduced him to porn watching.

Even going to the very extreme of subscribing to see the best of the best.

Xavier coughed inwardly, as he tried his best to remove all those ugly thoughts and memories away from his mind.

Although it felt like a long time had passed, only a few seconds had clocked by.

“Nope, I don't.” Xavier bluntly replied.

Shifting his gaze back toward his laptop. He started typing even faster as his hands moved with greater precision.

Klaus had a raised eyebrow. A sly smile slowly curled up his lips.

He had decided to pester Xavier even more.

He wasn't fooled. Definitely not. Quit? How could he quit?

That is just…impossible. Wait… Unless. Klaus's eyes widened to an exaggerated extent.

With a wide grin, he got onto his feet before walking toward his brother, who immediately stopped what he was doing due to the soft echoes of Klaus's feet hitting the floor.

Seeing the wide grin on Klaus's face, he had a wary look on his face as he unconsciously shifted back.

The chair got slightly bent as Xavier deeply reclined into it.

“Hey…What do you want?” He asked warily.

Klaus laughed lightly for a few seconds there, whilst Xavier felt like his brother had finally run mad.

He knew it would still happen. But…not this early.

His way eyes refused to leave his elder brother, a tense oppressiveness hung in the air.

A few seconds easily clocked by before the eerie silence finally got broken.

"Have you hmm… I mean have you scored the goal.

“You understand what I mean, right?” Klaus added with a raised brow. “You know- The goal, the one found in a girl.”

He clarified even further.

But to be sincere, Xavier didn't really think that he needed any further classification.

Xavier had already understood what Klaus was trying to say from the first sentence that talked about 'goal.'

He just wanted to play dumb. But the second and third set of words from Klaus wholly ruined that.

Sighing lightly.

“Yes.” He replied before getting back to work.

“Hehehe.” Klaus grinned widely, his voice offering a brief relief from the tension and anxiety on the mission hand.

“So…who's this lucky girl?”

Xavier rolled his eyes, his eyes fixed on the screen, “That, you don't need to know.”

He didn't bother himself with Klaus anymore. He was finally starting to get the answers that he was looking for.

Klaus simply shrugged it off.

He had gotten what he wanted anyway. And was happy with it. Grinning widely, he lightly straightened his finger's bones.

“I am happy for you bro… really happy for you.” At least now, you don't have to watch porn again. Klaus sighed, his sigh filled with various chaotic and contrasting emotions.

“Yeah…very obvious,” Xavier replied with a forced smile.

“Who would have thought that the kid of yesterday would also score a goal in a few years to come,” Klaus added with a melancholic sigh.

“...” Xavier didn't bother to reply. He was quiet for a while. Tapping onto the keyboard one last time.

WHEEW!!

“Done with the research.”

He informed his brother, who immediately got onto his feet. A serious expression immediately crept up his face.

“Alright. So what have we got?”

Xavier nodded before he proceeded to explain the result of his research.

“According to my research. We have four primary suspects.”

“Hmm…alright. So what are the four suspects?”

"The first one is probably a skin-walker.

“I am sure you are all too familiar with skin walkers so there's really no need to emphasize more on them.”

With a frigid gaze, Klaus muttered.

"From Navajo folklore of the western region.

"Witches that transform, disguise, and pose as animals.

“Yeah… I think I know quite a lot about those bitches.”

“Yeah…" Xavier laughed lightly, a light flash of scene rapidly flashing past his eye.

How young Klaus had been handicapped and tricked by a young skinwalker. Having being tricked by the girl-according to him, the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. Truly she was beautiful, but not the most beautiful. If it wasn't for the old man. He might have probably been mind controlled by the girl's mum. Xavier sighed inwardly, throwing his thoughts at the back of his mind.

"Anyway next on our list is an Aswang.

“You see…these ones are rarely seen. Records about them date back to around three hundred years ago.”

The Middle Ages of the dark era.

Klaus nods his head in understanding. “Alright… So what does the lore say about them?”

"Well, In Roman Folklore, the Aswang is a shape-shifting monster that can appear as a human during the day and transform into various animals at night.

Xavier paused for a second, allowing Klaus to digest the information before he continued.

“They are known for their predatory nature and their hunger for human flesh… particularly those of unborn children.”

"Alright. So that clears this one out.

“There has been no record of the disappearance of pregnant women.”

“Yeah,” Xavier nodded in agreement.

“Third on the list is the Yara-ma-yha-wo.”

“Ya-ra what now?”

Xavier simply chuckled whilst shaking his head.

“Not much is known about these freaks except- they resemble vampires in all sense of the world and well- drop from short trees into unsuspecting victims.”

“Well, this freak of nature is also out of the list then. The trees in the northern region are all tall- and with gnarled trunks”

“Yeah. Based on my analysis. Most of these creatures are not really behind the killings nor the sudden disappearance of the campers?”

“Hmm… So what do you think is behind it, then?” Klaus questioned with a raised brow.

"I am not really too sure about it.

"But I am more than willing to bet that it's probably a…