When Leon had awoken, it felt like he had been reborn.

The veil of his forgotten memories had finally been lifted. Leon slowly blinked his eyes, adjusting himself back to reality. There was a slight twinge in his heart as fragments of his past fell into place.

Leon finally knew who he was.

He had a purpose. A purpose that was so important that no human could ever compare.

His eyes shone with clarity, remembering each and every face of his beloved siblings. A sense of longing and grief settled upon him.

The moment of silence stretched between him and Kazuki, his younger brother gazed at him with such awe that it made him smile.

"I'm sorry for making you wait." He hummed.

Kazuki's expression faltered for a second, Leon could trace the relief in his posture. It was rather a strange sight to see Kazuki like this, a moment of vulnerability coming from him,

"It doesn't matter, as long as you're back." Kazuli breathed out.

For a second, Leon had almost forgotten about the human inside the room. Despite her slow breathing, Leon could hear how fast her heart was beating. It sounded so human that it felt foreign to him.

He stepped closer to Kazuki, his gaze lingered on his brother for a second before his attention was focused on the woman. Her eyes were dazed but they flickered with fear the moment Leon met hers.

Her body trembled as she tried to push herself off the ground, however, her body was too weak to even move, still affected by Kazuki's thrall.

An unfinished meal is one that Leon does not tolerate.

There was something about seeing waste that irked something inside of him.

Still, it was common for Kazuki to play around.

A soft sob escaped her lips as she looked up from the ground, meeting Leon's eyes for the first time.

Recognition flickered in her eyes as she gasped out "P-Please help me.." Her lips trembled with each word, perhaps she thought he was human. Leon hadn't fully returned to his true form.

Pure confusion was painted on her face before it changed into horror. She let out a choked yelp as she tried to push herself up the floor once more, the action earned a soft giggle from the other pureblood.

"N-No... please..." She cried out "Please... help... I don't want to die." she scrambled to grab Leon's feet. She smelled sour and pungent filled with so much fear and distress that he almost couldn't stomach the repulsive smell.

Without any mercy, Kazuki slammed the huma down on the ground with an effortless move.

Leon heard an audible crack as she fell down the tiled floor, a pained grunt ripped out of her throat "Ughhh... I-it hurts. P-please...please..." she wailed; her body slumped across the room like a rag doll.

Kazuki's laughter filled the room along with the woman's soft cries before he grabbed her by the hair.

"Disgusting. How dare a lowly pig like you dare touch my brother." He snarled.

The woman let out another ear-grating whine, flinching at Kazuki's harsh grip.

She looked up to meet Leon's eyes, whimpering and trembling as if she was expecting Leon to feel an ounce of mercy.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

...Well, it is a rather distasteful sight.

Leon had spent so long with humans that he felt a sliver of pity for her.

His mind returned back to Tori, at how she would react if she saw him like this.

She'll scold him. Pinch his ears and continue to nag-

But she's not her and she'll never be.

Leon sighed "I've grown soft." he admitted, his gaze briefly flickered to the trembling woman on the floor.

Kazuki snorted "What an understatement." his eyes were focused on the woman as if he was drinking her fear. His sharp nails trailed on the woman's neck, leaving a thin line of blood.

The woman's pulse quickened, it sounded like music in Leon's ears. An invitation to tear her apart and feast on her blood.

He swallowed, locking eyes with her for a moment. The woman gave him a desperate and pitiful look but he couldn't find himself feeling anything and it felt so wrong. Disgusting, even.

"I'm keepin' you grounded," Kazuki said "Make sure that you won't lose yourself in the human world."

"I got too attached to the humans." He confessed with a chuckle, eyes soft as he spoke to Kazuki.

Leon could only feel regret towards humans now.

"What a pity, huh?" Leon smiled at the woman, gesturing his hands for Kazuki to continue.

"NO! NO! NO! PLEASE-"

Her screams were cut off by Kazuki's cruelty, blood splattered all over the floor. Her silent pleas were muffled by the sound of tearing flesh as Kazuki finished her off.

The corners of Loen's eyes twitched as he watched the scene unfold. It was something he had seen a thousand times but now it felt as if he was seeing for the first time.

His heart raced.

He doesn't know if it was thrill or empathy.

***

A building of the Silver Cross burned.

Bright flames engulfed the entire palace instantaneously. Its blaze could be seen from afar, a haunting purple hue filled the skies. An inferno that reduced the building into smoldering ash, it left nothing in its wake.

A tragic sight that people of the empire had beheld, the destruction spread the scent of ash and smoke throughout the capitol.

'Everyone inside the building died' It seemed to announce.

When the last embers had long been extinguished, nothing was left. Only the last of its soot-stained foundation. However, the underground cellar was saved from the fire with dozens of corpses littered on the cold floor.

The entire city mourned.

Olivia stared wide-eyed at the messenger, her hands gripped tightly at the hem of her skirt. Not fully processing the news. They had been detained in solitary for quite a while, without even knowing the reason why.

Sure, they'd been reckless during missions... but they were able to finish it successfully.

She had no idea why they would be punished.

"W-What about the others?" she asked shakily. Olivia couldn't care less about the higher-ups, she only meant her friends, those she cared for-

The young messenger boy shook his head "I don't know miss, I was only brought here to send that letter to you."

Olivia bit her lips, her anxiety was rising with each passing second. She didn't even respond when the messenger boy bid her farewell.

"A-Ah, sorry." The boy gasped out

The doors of her room slammed open, and Ryu stepped in. He looked the same as her, his usual stoic face was gone. His hair was messy and unkempt, and droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead.

Olivia felt her heart drop.

"L-Leon's gone," Ryu announced, his words were low and heavy.

She remained frozen, eyes scanning her friend- up and down, noticing the dirt on his clothes and the ash that reached up his elbows.

Ryu dug through the remains.

"Gone? What do you mean, Ryu?" she demanded.

Ryu's fist clenched, his fingers stained with grime and soot as he replied "I-I looked for him. Any traces of h-him." he swallowed as if he was trying to stop his tears.

"H-He's not there."

Olivia blinked, denial evident in her features as she shook her head "N-No. He doesn't stay there, right? W-we were at solitary. H-He's not there."

Olivia stepped closer to the black-haired man "Ryu, tell me. He was not there... please."

Ryu's gaze met hers, grief and anguish shone in his eyes "T-There were no traces of him, Liv." he echoed "Even the hunters that were massacred in the cellar, he wasn't there."

"Of course, he wasn't. Leon's strong." Olivia denied, still stubborn.

"It was a vampire attack, Liv. They did that on purpose."

Olivia's breath caught in her throat as the realization sank in. She stumbled back, her legs suddenly weak, and her vision blurred with tears. "No... no, this can't be..."

A heart-wrenching scream was ripped from her throat, Ryu caught her before she could hit the ground. His hold on her was tight, his shoulders shook with grief.

The news sent them into a frenzy of rage and sorrow, grieving the death of their friend. After Viktoria's death, Olivia and Ryu were the only ones who could carry the memory of their friend.

"T-Those vampires." Olivia snarled through her tears, gripping Ryu's shirt tightly "I'll kill them! I'll kill those bastards!"

Ryu couldn't find in himself to respond as he nodded his head.

Olivia's screams of anguish echoed throughout the building, the skies remained the same. A gentle expanse of blues and white, unchanging.

She could only see vast emptiness.