In the wake of the newspaper article detailing the Vampire terrorizing the Adaline region, there were a sudden increase of reports sent to newspaper offices detailing the attack. Some were hoaxes, while others were genuine. Many even showed proof that the Dusdolf police had released to the press: bite marks on the victim’s neck, along with the victim being drained of blood.

Soon, historians and experts of the cryptids started suggesting that the Dusdolfian myth was real. The nation of Adaline was an independent state made from the three distinct nations of Ternor. While it had a rich history, it was ultimately a young nation. Dusdolf and Tragoria were once empires born out of the union of several smaller kingdoms. Dusdolf had a legend of revenants drawing blood from their victims, leaving them nothing but the husk of their former selves. There was a story about a maiden who died one night in the summer of 1789. She was buried under a full moon as per the tradition of the Lycan family who adopted her. Soon, the town she once lived in was terrorized by gruesome murders that turned public opinions against the Lycan population. They drove off the Lycans, but the murder kept happening.

Then, on one fateful night, the graveyard keeper saw a girl in a white dress. Under a full moon, she seemed pale and delirious. The keeper thought he was seeing a ghost, for when he looked away, she already disappeared. The town was small, so he knew the girl was the one who was recently deceased.

He told the family and convinced them that he wasn’t drinking that night. They exhumed the body and found that, despite the warm summer where bodies would decompose faster, the deceased maiden was still fresh. She was also drenched in fresh blood. Afraid of her, they staked her body and buried the casket under a slab of stone, and since then, no more murders occurred. This was the first reported occurrence of the legend of the vampire, then called a revenant. The legend intrigued a Tragorian writer enough that he wrote a story in 1897 simply titled ‘Symphony of the Night’.

But, of course, the current 1911 cases had several distinctions. For starters, the Vampire did not kill. Yes, the victims were drained of blood, but they were simply unconscious and delirious due to blood loss. The blood loss itself wasn’t fatal, and there wasn’t a severe bleeding despite of the wounds piercing the victims’ main arteries. Finally, the victims were not exclusively humans. Lycans, both turned and pureblood, along with bigger animals such as dogs, were also bitten. Curiously, none were killed.

As the news went on and people started speculating, one, in particular, was amused. He was covered by a cloak that obscured most of his face. He looked at the newsstand and read the headline about a ‘dangerous, bloodsucking vampire’. His amusement prompted him to buy the newspaper from the barker, giving him the exact coin as he grabbed one of the copies.

He found an alleyway and read the story. Every words he read made him chuckle.

“Oh, boy,” he said. “They’re really going crazy on this one like there’s no tomorrow, huh?”

He read and read, but then he was disturbed by a scuffle that was happing nearby. It was already nighttime in Yenhal, the town where he was, and the town wasn’t exactly the quiet suburban town of Brenik. It was seedier, and on top of that, the people were already sensitized enough with the back-alley violence and intimidating people that they made it part of their life.

It wasn’t really a scuffle, but something much worse. The hooded figure could see several men were accosting a woman, who was trying her best to get away, but was being harassed by men who were enjoying her helplessness. Their conversation did not make things easier, either, as the hooded figure considered them very degrading for the woman.

Then, it got worse. The woman slapped one of the men after he touched her inappropriately. The man, ego bruised, slapped the woman with the classic, “You dare touch me, you lowly woman!” thing and started beating her up. The others simply laughed and tried to sweet-talk the clearly hurt and terrified woman into submitting to them, in a passive aggressive way.

The hooded figure sighed. “Typical rapists,” he said. “The old 19th century chauvinists.”

He was thinking about shooting them dead where he was standing, but he had a better idea, especially after he identified one of them. So, he simply approached them and said, “You know, maybe you should keep it down. Otherwise, people might tell.”

One of them heard him and turned towards him. “Nah,” he said. “They won’t tell. They can’t. They tell, and their store’s done for. You see, we bought this town, and everything in this town is our property.”

“How about visitors?” said the hooded figure.

“Don’t act like a smartass, wise guy,” said another. “What are you, some kind of priest?”

The hooded figure chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” said one of them, who started to mock laugh. “You’re looking at me, smartass? Do I look funny do you?”

“I’m looking at your crotch. I bet you can’t even give someone a good fuck with something that small.”

That certainly agitated them. The person, angered by the insult, tried to punch the hooded figure, but then the figure moved two times faster than him. He tackled him to the ground and started punching him viciously.

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“Oh wait,” said the figure. “That’s not right.”

He stood up and proceeded to kick the man as viciously as he saw the other man kicked the hapless woman. After three kicks, the last of which severe enough to critically injure, he chuckled and said, “Can’t breathe? Lungs collapsing? Well, blame the other guy. That’s what the woman feels.”

“What the hell?!” said the one who just kicked the woman. “You know what you just did?!”

“I kicked this guy like you kicked that gal. You blind, tough guy?”

“You know who I am, asshole? I’m Shelly Capricin! Yeah, that’s right! Capricin!”

“What? Who are you again?”

“You deaf, idiot?” said the other guy, who pulled out a pocket knife. “You’re lucky you can get out of the town tonight, smartass. You deal with a Capricin, you deal with the family. You try to run, and we’ll find you! Ternor is too small for a favor!”

“Huh. Well, too bad for you, Capricorn, you’re dealing with me now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? And it’s Capricin!”

“You said you have a family, right? The one owning that big mansion near the forest? But then again, maybe the devil’s luck is no longer with you after tonight.”

The Capricins were surprised about the remark and kept silent as the hooded figure stood up.

“Hah! The silent treatment!” he said jovially. “I knew I struck more than just a nerve there.”

“You can’t possibly be serious, right?” said Shelly, who suddenly lost all his ‘tough guy’ act. “You look like a priest. Then you’re…”

“Nah. I’m not part of them. I work for myself,” said the figure with a chuckle. “Well, good thing you’re humans, so you’re not really a threat. That demon your family summoned…well, he’s a piece of work.”

“Y-you mean…?”

“Yup,” The figure then pulled out a pistol. “Too bad his head’s dust now. Oh, and don’t bother putting a bounty on me, or call any of your friends. I just happen to find a ledger full of your so-called connections throughout the country. I could blackmail you, but oops. I guess I went to the police first. Oh, and about those on your payroll? Let’s just say they’re no longer your problem anymore. Next time, when you make a bargain with a demon, don’t. In short, they fucked you up.”

Now, the Capricins were more surprised and agitated by what the figure claimed. As it sunk into them, they became agitated and angered. Shelly even tried lunging at him, only to be kicked in the stomach that instantly knocked him out.

However, the one with the pocketknife managed to grab the hood and yanked it open, only to be stunned when he saw the figure’s face.

“O-Oh my…,” said the man in fear.

“What?” said the figure. “Stunned by my handsomeness?”

He was too scared to even fight. His determination gone; he ran away screaming, leaving his writhing, injured friends behind. The girl who was beaten was also scared by his appearance, but she was too weak to move.

The figure moved down and touched her side. She winced in pain.

“For a scum, he really can kick,” said the figure. “You broke three ribs. It’s nothing bad, but a trip to the hospital is in order.”

The girl was stunned by both the pain and the figure’s face. For her, it was somehow terrifying, yet at the same was also…soothing.

“What’s your name, missy?” said the figure with kindness in his voice. “You’re safe with me. I know I can look intimidating, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

The voice was soothing and calm, almost making the girl wanting to sleep. She felt so relaxed after days of tension that ended with three men almost raping her. She felt she could trust this…unusual-looking person. He looked wild, but he was so kind.

Trusting him, she said, “Marie. My name is Marie.”

“Well, Marie, I think it’s best if you relax and sleep your worries away. I’ll carry you to the hospital, so relax and close your eyes. Think of the pleasant things as you sleep. Trust me, it will make things easier for you.”

She did so. Slowly, but surely, she recalled her childhood. She had five brothers and a sister and they were playful. She lived and played near a stream where she would sometimes sat under an apple tree while her older sister climbed on the tree trying to pick one of the ripe apples. Then, one of her brothers splashed her as she daydreamed, prompting her to play with him.

She closed her eyes and those pleasant memories slowly turned into a pleasant dream. As she slept like a baby, the figure saw her open neck. Then, with a rather malicious voice, he bared his fangs and said, “Bon Appetit.”

***

The next day, Marie woke up in the hospital with no recollection of what happened to her after her beating. Her doctors attributed this to a trauma. People tended to not remember the details of the most traumatizing moment in their lives. But, it didn’t matter, for the people who intended to rape her, Shelly Capricin, Tonio Ancelli, and Andrej Busek, were arrested for multiple counts, including conspiracy. Their arrest coincided with the fall of their crime families. Unfortunately, it also included most of the town government, law enforcement, and even the justice system. Many in Yenhal were caught unaware, and as a result, the city fell into chaos several months after the mass arrest.

Some cursed the reckless vigilante who did not care of the complications caused by the arrests. Others were grateful but were disappointed that Yenhal had to end that way. Yenhal’s story would become worse as the Hellish Incursion raged on, with Yenhal being the first Adaline city to fall.

Tonio was catatonic and in panic, apparently terrified of something. He described a towering monster that was going to eat him. The doctors also noted that Tonio started believing that the monster was stalking him, and his psychosis was so bad he was institutionalized.

However, the mystery did not end there. When the doctors examined Marie, they showed her examination to the police. They soon realize that Marie fell victim to the Dusdolfian Vampire, for her neck bore the signature wound of the Vampire: two punctures one inch deep. Marie also lost a lot of blood, but not because of internal injuries.

The hooded figure who saved Marie and taught a lesson to the three soon-to-be convicted felons. Marie did not remember him at all, as did Andrej, who could only recall seeing a monster, but could never describe what he looked like, though this fact only came after he regained consciousness two weeks later. The investigation got into a dead end once again.

Elsewhere, the hooded figure was travelling on the road when a car passed him. He half-expected the occupants of the car to shout at him, but they did not. They simply avoided him. However, the occupants of the car were of his interest. He saw a familiar, black-furred hellhound with his girlfriend talking. He knew this was the hellhound he was looking for, and he knew it was time for him to follow on the challenge following the first one he did to him back in Brenik.

“(Ifrit Schelkz),” he said. “(It’s time you answer for your sins).”