Vanished

Jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through her veins leaving her momentarily stunned.

"How..."

Sumire stood unblinking and frozen on her spot. The color drained from her face, paled, as her heart hammered inside of her chest at what she just witnessed. Everything is gone to dust.

Stumbles back, her hands clutching the front of her delicate blouse. Her whole body went numb. A doleful expression appeared visibly on her face. Right there, her emotions vanished along with the orphanage which she grew up with.

Her pool of eyes went cold, dull, and devoid of life as she scooped the ashes on her hand on her old shelter. There was no trace left in the orphanage except for the ashes that she knew had been mixed with the ashes of the family she recognized.

Her mouth set in a hard line and tears started to well in her eyes threatened to fall but quickly retreated. Sumire could feel her knees weakened from the awful scene after her. She remained standing there, like a candle that had not been lit.

"She's braver than I thought."

A cool, calm, and collected young boy uttered while eyeing his girl from afar. He saw everything that happened in the orphanage from the very beginning.

They were standing far away from the scene but they saw everything. He was with Klauss who still couldn't believe in his eyes at what he had just witnessed.

"Do we have to tell her?"

Klauss asked and the boy shook his head in disagreement. His eyes remain fixed on Sumire who was silently grieving after her so-called home burned down to ash.

"No."

Mort answered in a firm tone. Slightly frowned, he met his father's gaze in the distance who was now smirking triumphantly at him.

Even though Bjorn was far away from their place, he could see clearly his mocking grin. His dad was obviously planning into something. The young Mort knew that his father was going to make him do something not good. Bjorn's service comes into price, especially by helping him to get closer to Sumire is not for free.

Whatever it was, Mort didn't bother to guess it anymore. He just threw a cold shrug to his father and his gaze darted back to his girl. What is important to him is the outcome of what Bjorn did.

"I didn't expect this to happen," the young boy preceded and paused for a moment, "...ah, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. The only difference is that it happens too early and I'm not responsible for it."

Mort added looking unbothered. Klauss blinked one after another when he felt the uninvited presence on the other side hiding somewhere in the green bush.

"Dogs."

Klauss said as he sniffed the scent of two canines in the place. Nails elongated, his pair of eyes turned into crimson red.

Cold and unbothered by the uninvited presence, Mort put both of his hands in his pocket like a grown-up man. He didn't take his eyes off Sumire.

"Give me a minute."

Klauss added and disappeared at Mort's side like a flash of lightning. He appeared unseen next to the two beasts hiding in the bush while looking at Sumire, unaware of his presence behind them. The pair of werewolves couldn't feel the vampire's presence who any second would end their life.

"The orphanage is gone, what are we going to tell Boss?"

A male werewolf who is now half naked with no upper garment turning back into human form asked his female companion with eyes glowing in gold.

"Let's tell the truth and it looks like we'll get both bad news and good news later."

The woman gave a meaningful response to which the man nodded. Both of them went silent again, thinking what they should do next after the deed was done.

Klauss, who was just listening, suddenly became curious. In that case, Sumire is not what they are after but the orphanage. What he cannot comprehend is that what was in the orphanage that it was their main target.

The Hope Haven orphanage stood with mysteries around it. Klauss researched about the place but he couldn't find any trace of evildoing in the orphanage. All he knew was that Sumire grew up there. There are twelve nuns and one priest. The orphanage raised 30 children including Sumire. The place is situated in the most isolated part of Bloodcrest City.

What he had just heard now was something new. Klauss is now conflicted if he should kill the two beasts or torture them to death to get more information.

"Two bad news. First, the orphanage is gone, however, there is one left but she is with the current Vampire King."

The man werewolf said eyeing the girl with killing intent standing next to the man, he was referring to Sumire.

"Shall we call the Boss?"

He added and the she-wolf nodded at him in agreement.

The werewolf man was about to get the crystal ball they used to communicate with their leader when the crystal exploded and burned both of them, obliterating them in the place in an instant. Their flesh and other remains are scattered on the ground engulfed in flames.

And before Klauss was able to caught by the fire, he teleported to the young boy's side.

"Fail, huh."

With a lifted chin and an arrogant expression, Mort said in a monotonous tone and did not bother to throw a glance at his Butler who was now vigorously shook the clothes that were covered with ashes.

"Nah, not totally. I learned something new."

Klauss said as his face twitched in disgust. He quickly changed his white gloves and almost used up the sanitizer he brought to spray his clothes. The ashes of the beasts gross him out as he rid all its traces on his body.

Even if showered himself with a sanitizer, Klauss felt the feeling of committing suicide just to get rid of the ashes and possible diseases that he gets from it. For a vampire that only one weapon can kill, Klauss is a dramatic vampire that ever existed. He's a complete neat freak.

"I don't like this. Why does she have to be human?"

Mort uttered beneath his lip as he eyed the girl standing next to his father. His deep gaze traces down from her face down to her reddish-pink plump lips.

"Why do I have to be careful so that she doesn't discover my secret? I wanted to tell her everything. And...."

The young boy added and paused. His face was devoid of expression and stared unblinking at her. He could see no flickers of life or could see the usual innocence in her eyes.

Klauss was speechless in his place, unable to reply to him. He can't find the right words to say to his young master. There is no logical answer to Mort's complaints as their entwined fate is forbidden from the beginning.

Vampires and humans should not be mates and should never be together, especially since their existence is purely taboo.

"You are too young to be talking like that."

Klauss teased him and Mort's face darkened. His gaze shifted to his Butler with a scowl. What he hates the most is being called a child.

"You know that truth."

Mort meaningfully said which silenced Klauss. He stood there and looked so manly for his young age and now brows deeply furrowed as he gazed back to Sumire and Bjorn's place.

"We can't do anything about this."

Bjorn said in a calm, soothing tone. He chose the words carefully to not offend the girl next to him and behave like a normal person.

"Maybe we can do something tomorrow but right now you need to rest."

He added and turned back, insinuating her to leave the place. Sumire followed after him with the hope that she could find the people who destroyed her once-called home.

"You need strength to face this brutal reality."

Bjorn said and stride forward back to the chopper waiting for them with hands in his pocket. He is not used to such things. He didn't grow up attached to the world and does not engage in a normal conversation even with his only son, Mort.

Pupils turned vertically like a predator about to pounce on his prey, Bjorn could feel his son's piercing stare at him whose eyes glint in deep red in the far distance. His son's vulturish looks on him made him grin sheepishly.

Bjorn is aware of their presence far from the orphanage, yet he can feel Mort's heavy aura of jealousy overwhelming the entire place.

"You are right. Even if I believe myself that this is not true, that it was all just a dream. I know that I can't change what happened here."

Sumire agreed to him, oblivious to the pair of crimson-red eyes which have been staring at her the moment she stepped down on the chopper.

A lot of unanswered questions now swirling in her mind. She had a lot to do: uncover the truth about who was the master behind destroying the orphanage and brutally killing the nuns, priests, and the children. And it seems that she is the only one who can answer those questions. To find the answer she needs, she has to investigate what happened here on her own.

With great determination flash in her eyes, Sumire throws one last blank stare at the orphanage as Bjorn offers his hand to get her on board.

"Let's go."