Later in the evening, Maverick and I started our uncertain journey to search for Lalaine, his fiancee whom I am aren't aware of her monster kind. The last time I remember is when she has large black wings and a long and pointed tail which he used to kill the man in the parking lot in front of a club. We haven't had enough rest when it took us long enough to clean the mess Cecelia's dad caused in my unit. Cecelia, on the other hand, remains to assist the contractors in repairing my unit and the installation of the CCTV cameras. "Dude, can we talk man-to-man?" Maverick asked while we are floating in the sky heading to his brother's house. He is in his raven form while I am in my bats. "Aren't we talking already, Maverick?" I chirp back. "you've been asking me a few questions while cleaning those broken windows and on our way here. What else do you want to know?" Indeed Maverick and I talked about a lot of things while floating in the air. One to mention is wh
While tailing off Lalaine, I suddenly ask myself what am I doing. Maverick's statement earlier seems to get into my head to allow me to ask my thought about why am I doing all these; helping people. Let alone I am fighting against another beast that might kill me or I kill her. Whatever the outcome is, it cost me the same - my lifeline. Since the day I voluntarily cut off ties with the team, I promised myself that it was not supposed to be part of the plan to get involved with these kinds of critical missions. Monsters. The Council of Vampires developed a four-man team that intends to address these kinds of problems in the city they were enlisted to protect, to keep an eye on, and to maintain peace and order. I was supposed to ignore this kind of scenario and focus on easier missions. It is the only way my vampire could survive without someone to depend on. But what am I doing? Where is the team in charge of New Orleans? What are they up to th
Instead of proceeding to heaven or hell, I was completely surprised when my body stayed floating in the air. I suddenly hear a beat. At first, I simply ignore the sound when it was a one-time sound until I heard another sound. This time, the beat was a bit louder compared to earlier. And it was followed by another beat until I realized the sound comes from inside me. So I could not help but reach out to my chest where, the last time I remember, Lalaine's tail pierced through from the chest to the back. However, this time I could no longer feel and touch the fist-sized hole in my chest. The wounds healed. And I could feel the vibrations coming from the beats of my heart. "What the hell is going on?" I uttered to myself before I reached out to my wrist where my lifeline was marked. The horizontal lines in it turned red. It was fully packed with red lines. Does this mean I am still alive? But how? I see it with my own eyes their colors turned black before I l
Human mindset sometimes confused me the most. I only tried to save Lucas from getting killed by a monster. That's what I do being stuck by a Cursed System. But in Cecelia's case, she believes that I did the wrong choice to defend one. Maverick, on the other hand, asks me to choose the right one which I believe is the right thing to do. Needless to say, it is my lifeline that was in the line of the situation. Either Lalaine or Lucas getting killed, whatever the answer gives me the same outcome. A deduction to my lifeline. Victim? She is a victim in the past but possesses an extreme threat, not just to Lucas but to humankind as well. Criminal? Lucas may have molested Lalaine in the past but he is now the victim. That is what I understand from the situation. The two once experienced both; being a criminal and a victim. It so happened that I choose where my life was supposed to get a lifeline increase but in the end, an hour increase was nothing to an entire day's deduction. So, i
No. That can't be possible. It happens years of years ago. Perhaps I am simply overthinking things. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" I asked Cecelia right before I gulp the remaining blood from my glass. "Okay?" Cecelia agreed but she sounded skeptical. "Do you mind if I ask how old are you now?" I said back. "Why?" she suddenly smiled at me. Maverick also followed as though they shared the same thing in mind. It was the kind of smile that is telling me that they were about to tease me. "you want to know if I am already at the right age for you to marry? Well. I'm already at the right age to get a boyfriend but to marry? I'm not sure yet. Perhaps it depends on the person who wants to propose to me." "You talked a lot, Cecelia." Part of me wanted to smile at them, but I find it a bit awkward and irritating if I do that. Vampires are not prone to smiling. A simple number could have been acceptable. Cecelia may have answered my questio
"I'm so sorry, Giaus," Monbert uttered with guilt, especially when I pointed my sharp gaze at him alone. He wanted to slide closer to my spot to extend his sincere apology as he used to but Damon stopped him from doing so. Even if I was already gone from the team, I know Monbert still cared for me. After all, he was like a big brother to me. "Since when did I agree to these terms, huh? Do you guys even know the reason why am I here?" I said back. "Stop talking nonsense, Gaius." says the king before he ordered his men to get Maverick out of our sight. "Don't tell me your old team did not tell you anything?" Before those vampires he ordered could lay a hand on my raven, I turned Maverick back to his bird form and pulled him back on my shoulder. Everyone, including Damon and his team, was taken aback when denying it or not, not all vampires can do that kind of magical thing. I owe that to my deceased parents when I inherited a lot of things from them, inc
"We'll see about that, Gaius." The King hisses back before he contorted his face and his body size began to increase. Two seconds later, his black cloak started ripping off followed by those prominent large veins popping out of his skin as soon as his muscles bulged. Next to that is the appearance of those large black wings behind him and those large and pointed horns on his forehead. He becomes the ugliest vampire I have ever met in my whole life. "Gaius, are you sure about this?" Maverick worriedly whispered into my ear while waiting for the vampire king to reach his final phase. Soft enough that it was not obvious he opens his beak. "Shut up, Maverick," I said back. "Getting on his nerves is the only way we could escape from this hell of a place." "So, you mean you are simply bluffing about what you boasted earlier?" finally Maverick realizes my plan. After all, we once experience linking our minds recently. As soon as the vampire king finally reache
"Well, I have been daydreaming to fight against your son. Not to mention killing him. Damon's head and heart more than to satisfy my desire for revenge." I fake a smile at the vampire king to let him know he just send his son to his deathbed. "However, I need a bet on this battle. Or should I refer to it as a prize for whoever wins?" Monbert and the rest of the team got back after sending the rest of the vampires to a safer place. Perhaps they think that I will be fighting the vampire king. But a lot of things changed while they were gone. I'm not even sure if they know their idiot leader took the challenge on behalf of the vampire king. "Go on, I'm listening." says the vampire king. So I proposed to him and Damon about my bet; that once I beat Damon, I want the entire council of vampires will ignore my existence. No more summons. Second, none of them, including my previous team will give me an unexpected visit to my place. So am I to the village. I don'
Then I ordered Maverick to lead the way out heading to the plane where we plan to secure the kids. I, on the other hand, continued searching for the rest of them beneath the lighthouse. As soon as we got out, one of them told me, "Where are you taking us? What about those ladies in the other rooms who turned into monsters?" "Monsters?" I could not help but curve the tip of my brows while assisting them out of the lighthouse. She nodded. "I heard the guards calling out their names, Elaine, Shantell, and Rachell..." Then she rubs the tip of her nose while digging into her brain. I remember Archie and Captain Denver once mentioned those names. They were the kids who were kidnapped ten years ago. But what does she mean about them as monsters? "Did you have any idea which chamber they are in?" I asked her while scanning the environment to make sure there will be no enemies who can slow us down, especially when I have ten more kids with me. "No, you can't see
"This is NYPD, raise your hands or we'll shoot you!" Archie's boisterous announcement startled me to the point that the photo slips out of my hand. But before anyone could notice the photo, I quickly step on it with my hands raised to the sky. So is Maverick, especially when they all cock their guns in unison. I may be fast but the speed of their bullets moves faster than my vampire. And if given the chance one of their bullets penetrates some crucial parts of my body, such as the brain or heart, my remaining lifeline could have been useless. "Gaius? Maverick?" Archie breathed out my name in disbelief as soon as he recognizes my face through the rays of their flashlights combined. "For God's sake, put down your flashlights and weapons!" I blurted out when I could barely see anything around me but the eye-blinding rays of their flashlight. "How did you guys get in here so fast?" Archie asks me before he ordered his team to point their flashlights to the groun
Even if I remove their hands by force, they always use their other hands to cover my mouth. And it seems that no matter how hard I try, Cecelia and Maverick have no plan to allow me to talk. So I shut my mouth off while listening to Archie and Captain Denver's raid proposal on this private island which they were pretty convinced is the last and active laboratory for this Alpha's Puppets or whatever they are called. After a few minutes of their storytelling, Maverick and I ended up boarding the plane with our gears on. Though I haven't moved on from our first failed raid mission, I was left with no choice when Cecelia already dominated my decision-making. And I certainly hate that kind of idea when someone wants to control me instead of me controlling them. Regardless, I was simply looking at the bright side of the possible outcome. If what they claim is true that around a hundred lives we are about to save from the island, my lifeline would be happier once I cou
I am not into conversing with a bunch of humans so I prefer to address them that way. "Humans". Let alone that is the truth. But I did not expect someone wants to make that statement a big deal. "Just ignore Gaius, guys." Maverick broke the awkward sensation between me and Archie. Then he leans closer to Archie's ear and whispers, "he's into old fashion way of speaking. Humans. We are all humans." he giggles awkwardly. "Anyway, the rest of the police officers already took off to stay in their respective positions. Team Gaius and team Archie will team up in today's mission. Good luck!" says Mr. Cedrick before he stretches out his fist toward us. Archie and Maverick immediately bump their fists into Mr. Cedrick but I was simply looking at them when I barely understand what they were trying to do. Instead of participating in their nonsense fist bump, I walk to the rest of the cops to gear up which leaves Maverick and Archie with no choice but to break their nonsens
"We are not here to cause you trouble, Gaius," Cecelia uttered on everyone's behalf. Everyone, including her parents, nodded in unison. "Dad ordered everyone to gather here today for one main reason." "Believe it or not, Mr. Spencer, my daughter is telling the truth." Madam Mayor added and offered me the empty chair next to her. The last thing I could picture myself is sitting next to them so I grab Maverick and offer the seat to him by force. "What do you want from me?" I asked instead. "I'm a busy man and you are all werewolves led by your alpha pack and the city mayor, herself, so there is no need for me to explain further." "We are fully aware of the Cursed System, Mr. Spencer." Madam Mayor agreed. "That is why we are offering you our help to increase your lifeline as much as possible?" "What?" could not help but raise a question. "are you all fucking kidding me? Humans and werewolves want to help a vampire like me?" then I burst out laughing. "Are your kinds
"What am I supposed to do?" Cecelia proposed. "I wanted to help, Gaius. At least I could do something when it is my fault those innocent people in the orphanage lost their lives." My conscience doesn't want to comfort Cecelia with a lie or a promise since I agreed with her that it was indeed her fault this terrible incident happened because she did not listen to me. But I don't want to put all the blame on her as well. Maverick was right about me being the one to blame in the first place. I could have known better and stood firm with my decision. "Alright," I agreed. "Inform your dad and mom that I want to have a meeting with them as soon as possible regarding the case. Can you do that for me?" Though seeing either of her parents is not ideal for me, especially when the vampires still had unresolved issues with his pack members back in the village, I cannot do the mission alone. Back in the day, my role in the team is simply being the doer of every humanitari
"Well. In the first place, I tried to stop, Gaius, but he barely listen to me." Maverick was still mad at me based on his tone of voice. "Anyway, what are you all doing in the human village, anyway? Aren't you vampires too late to check them out? Gaius saved two poor kids the other day." Our conversation did not last long when I already know Monbert's reasons they did not get the chance to check their neighboring village. However, I relayed to him everything that I miss telling the vampire king in our previous encounter. And told Monbert he will be the only vampire I can talk to if they need more updates about the cases at hand, including Cecelia living in my place, the abnormalities of the lifeline that I encountered recently, and those masked men who created Lalaine. "Are you sure about telling him everything you know, Gaius? I mean, not that I am against the idea but you are no longer part of the council, remember?" Maverick started the conversation when it h
That was the first time in my history of being part of the team I witnessed Monbert be that furious with someone. When we were once a team, he used to be calm, soft-spoken, and the kind of person who doesn't care about the world around him, just like me. But right now, he is unleashing the blood-sucking demon inside him. "Gaius, who is weaker than me managed to beat you," he confessed. "how much more I am ten times stronger and faster than both of you combined." I don't know if Monbert intentionally tells Damon those words to stop him or if he was simply bluffing. However, I could barely sense any signs of doubt in his tone and facial expression. Monbert and I are close friends since we become part of the Cursed System but I haven't seen him being deployed into real battles. So I expected him to be simply an ordinary vampire like us. "And you too, Gaius," he added. "I know more than anyone that you are not the kind of vampire who prefers chaos over peace. What ha
Maverick, on the other hand, was busy chit-chatting to those bunch of assholes, asking if I was indeed the hero of New Orleans. Part of me wanted to stop Maverick from leaking any crucial information about me, but I have a middle-aged woman to attend to. "Believe me. Of all the humans in your life, I know better than anyone about how you are feeling right now." I said. "you want to die because you think you don't have the answer to your problem, whatever that is. How difficult is your problem, by the way?" Then I smiled and waved at those cameras in front of me before I added. "You are about to die anyway. I think it'll be better if you share your burden with someone before you go straight to hell." "I'm going to hell?" she curiously asked, even feeling bothered by what I said. "Of course! Where do you think you're going after jumping off the bridge?" I asked back. "getting suicide is a serious crime in the eyes of what you believe in the lord Almighty. He w