1

“Mmph…”

Something wet touches my neck.

As my consciousness slowly starts to fade in, I notice that the world around me has gone dark. The only bit of light seems to be obscured behind something large and round right in front of my eyes.

My back seems to be laid against something hard. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably the debris that I fell down on. The last thing I remember is holding Evi tight before going out like a light.

“Mmph.”

There’s another sound. One that doesn’t belong to me.

As strength starts recovering, my eyelids slide open a bit more. The silhouette is still blocking the light source nearly fifty feet above me. Are there rocks on top of me or something?

No. Rocks would be hard and I wouldn’t be able to move at all.

What’s more, this thing is only pressing hard against my chest. I feel a slight tingle at the back of my neck, and short but gentle breaths breezing through both my ears in a rhythm.

As I part my mouth to say something, I feel a cold touch shushing me.

“Don’t ruin this moment any more~”

“Just lay there like a good boy, and let me feast.”

I feel a bundle of nails slowly clawing down from my face to my chest. The taste of blood that wasn’t there until I was touched lingers for a good minute. When I fully come to, I see what, or who, is on top of me.

“Cyn⸺!”

Before I can lift my head, she grabs my forehead and slams me down.

“Shhh…” she caresses my hair carefully and gently.

She’s always been a flirt, but this is beyond her usual attitude.

“T-This is wrong…”

I mutter, hoping that she’ll hear me. It’s hard to talk when you’re being drowned in sensory overload. More importantly, if she’s the one on top of me, then what happened to Evi?

Just as I’m about to ask, she gasps. When I peek over, she’s not doing so out of surprise or shock, but rather, her mouth is just wide open beside my neck.

My body completely freezes.

What is she doing?

Why are her teeth so sharp?

Was it always like that?

As I brace for what I think she’s going to do, she closes her mouth and presses her soft, tender lips against my neck again. For the fifth time now, she’s kissed the exact same spot. I keep involuntarily holding my breath before releasing it in bursts.

“Cynthia…! Your leg, your leg is rubbing against my⸺!”

She giggles playfully before continuing.

Just as my mind starts to get cloudy, I see a pale hand on the ground. Following the trajectory of the hand until I see strands of golden hair, I realize that Evi is unconscious next to me, with only a few scratches on her skin.

“Stop!” I yell out. The sight of a defenseless and hurt Evi gives me enough adrenaline to push my attacker back.

Cynthia falls on her butt, and I get on my feet almost immediately. Kneeling beside Evi, I start inspecting her body for any possible injuries. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to be bleeding from anywhere vital.

Behind me, Cynthia huffs loudly, crossing her arms.

“No fun,” Cynthia comments with a pout. I don’t know whether or not it’s because I’m tired, but I snap at her.

“What is WRONG with you?! Can you not be you for a few minutes?!”

There’s a silence that I can’t seem to turn away from.

She stares at me for a second before turning her back on me.

Ignoring her attitude, I lift Evi with both arms. She’s unconscious, but thankfully still breathing. Her cheeks are still stained with Noblique’s blood. I’m not sure how she was even able to withstand the Lord’s Prayer, but all that matters right now is that she’s safe.

Getting on my feet, I stare at Cynthia’s back, who seems to be staring at a wall. Letting out a loud sigh, I speak up.

“Look. I’m sorry, Cynthia. I know you’re just playing around, I think. But… I just… I just want to get this mission over with.”

She peeks over her shoulder, tapping her foot and scratching her arm.

“Hmph. I guess I went too far as well. You’re right. Let’s get this over with.”

She says flatly.

Yep. She’s still mad.

Wait, shouldn’t I be the one who’s mad at her? She’s the one who’s woken me up in the same manner twice.

“Are you feeling okay? You didn’t fall with us, right?”

“No. I didn’t. I jumped in to bring you guys back up to the lab. That’s when I decided to accept my self-awarded reward when somebody decided to push me away in favor of a vampire.”

… Right, I remember seeing her just as I was falling.

“Ah, wait. How come I don’t feel sore or anything like that? Shouldn’t the rocks have fallen on top of me?”

“Hm? You were laying flat on your back when I found you. I didn’t do anything.”

Huh? Cynthia isn’t the one who saved me?

“Evi…” I mumble to myself, staring at her unconscious face.

Crumbling stone draws my attention away as I see Cynthia leaping between the small, natural platforms created by the cave-in to reach the top. Seeing as I have no way to get up there with Evi in my arms, she tosses down a rope.

“Wrap it around your waist. I’ll pull you up!” her voice rings in my head.

After following her instructions, she yanks me up with one swift movement. She seems to be lifting me much easier than usual.

However, the moment my body enters the laboratory, an overflowing mixture of senses invades my every being.

Landing on my feet, I look around to see the destroyed laboratory. Behind me is a green capsule filled with some kind of liquid. The tubes and machinery that would have been hooked up to the thing inside are still floating idly.

But the smell of blood is what really catches me off guard.

Then, once I follow the trail of blood, I find a severed head with its mouth open. It undoubtedly belongs to a man. More specifically, one of the scientists. As I get closer, the blood on the floor splashes beneath my feet.

“What in the world happened here?”

As my eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, the white coats that the scientists were wearing become all too clear before me. None of their heads are attached to their bodies, sharing the same fate as the man I tried to evacuate during the fight.

I want to put Evi down, but with how dangerous things are right now, I don’t want to take that risk. Spinning and turning my head in all sorts of directions, I try to scan for any machinery or magical artifact that could have caused them to die in such a horrible manner.

“What’s wrong?” Cynthia creeps up from behind.

“Woah!”

“Don’t scare me like that, Cynthia.”

She seems to be much less bothered by the sight in front of her. Cynthia’s hands are behind her back, and she wanders around, exaggerating her movement and taking wide steps forward each time she walks.

The sound of splashing blood makes me want to throw up.

To think this was once inside someone.

I can’t.

Swallowing hard, I glance over at Cynthia.

“Do you happen to know what happened here? I know you didn’t fall with us, so maybe you saw something I didn’t.”

She slightly tilts her head. “Hm? Yeah. Of course I do.”

“Man, can you tell me these things earlier BEFORE I start investigating something? It would have been good to know before I had to get close to all these rotting corpses.”

Wait… rotting? They shouldn’t be rotting already…

“Ugh. Anyways, can you tell me what happened here? Did Noblique have a spell or something set up?”

“Nope. I killed them,” she replies as if it’s the normal thing to do. Her eerily cheery voice gives me goosebumps.

“Huh?! You killed them? What about the guy that died while we were fighting?”

“I killed him too.”

My face contorts as confusion starts to seep in. “You killed him while we were in battle? How? I didn’t even see you swing your scythe.”

“Well of course you didn’t,” she pouts. “I was moving super fast! I know it’s not really my place to say this, but you weren’t focused at all during our fight against Noblique. I quite literally sprinted away from him, sliced the scientists’ heads, walked back, and you STILL didn’t notice.”

…

Was I really that distracted?

Thinking back, it does make sense. The lack of air and the fact that I had to sprint for two whole minutes left me completely exhausted. Still, I didn’t know I was so out of it to the point where I didn’t even notice my partner.

“That’s right, you ought to be more careful from now on, Rom.” She says while waving her finger scoldingly, as if she could read my mind.

Hold on⸺

“No, wait. Why did you kill the scientists in the first place? What if we needed them to get more information?”

Her smile quickly turns stern.

“Haah? Information? Did you really want to risk having eighteen other vampires just standing around in the same room as you? In your injured state, do you really think you could take on eighteen mini clones of Noblique?”

“V-Vampires? What are you even talking about?” I raise my voice a bit, but she stays completely calm. Drawing her weapon, she uses its wooden handle as something to lean on.

“That’s right. They were vampires. That’s why I’m saying you were out of your game. I noticed it almost immediately. Hell, I bet that vampire you’re holding also noticed it as well. I didn’t want to take the risk, and so I killed them.”

“What about the lady that was running towards us earlier? I didn’t see a mark on her neck.”

“...” She averts her gaze. “Better safe than sorry.”

Turning away, I walk from the pile of bodies. Cynthia quietly follows me until we reach the entrance of the cave. As much as I want to investigate the documents and devices right now, I just need to catch a whiff of fresh air.

Our shoes tap against the metal floor, sending out echoes throughout the hall. Making our way forward, we eventually pass by the decapitated head of Abigail. I can’t help but pause for a second before continuing.

What feels like a metal whip with thorns wraps around my chest. I want to speak my mind right now, but with how deep down we are, I don’t really want to waste any more energy than I have left.

Taking the flight of stairs up, I keep having to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath. The combination of carrying both Evi and being tired doesn’t help me in the slightest.

Cynthia overtakes me, clearly frustrated by our constant halts. In contrast to me, she seems to be moving and breathing just fine.

After five more minutes, we finally make it outside.

The gleaming moon in the sky is a sight I didn’t expect to miss this much. Despite it still being relatively hot outside, it’s nowhere near comparable to the musty underground laboratory.

“Cynthia.” I call out to her loudly, and she stops walking.

The wind howls behind me, its strong gale fluttering both our clothes. Under the moonlight, all I can see is Cynthia’s distinguished silhouette, which carries an intimidating elegance.

Neither of us move. Neither of us say a word.

She knows what I want, and I know what I want.

Unlike before, this void between us isn’t awkward. If anything, it seems to start breaking like glass under pressure with each passing second. My eyes are fixated dead on her own.

We’re both frowning. Waiting for the other to shoot the first shot.

And to my surprise, she shoots first.

“Go on.”

With those simple words, my steaming brain finally kicks into action. In this very moment, it feels like my mind and mouth are both synchronized to perfection. My feet are planted, and my chest is puffed out.

I don’t know why…

… But I’ll regret this.

“Why did you kill those people?”

“I told you why, Rom. They were vampires, and I wasn’t willing to take the chance.”

“In that case, did you kill all of them at the same time?”

As much as I want to tighten my grip, I don’t want to hurt Evi.

“Of course not. They were trying to run like roaches. You know how people are. Once they’re confronted with death, especially the death of one of their peers, their most animalistic instincts kick in.”

“So you knew they were harmless, but still killed them anyway.”

“Define harmless.” her calmness is starting to scare me.

“None of them actually hurt you. None of them were actually trying to kill us. If they were, they wouldn’t have been trying to run. Not a single creature on this planet, human or not, goes up against a creature they can’t beat willingly.”

“You’re wrong, Rom. Plenty do. Humans especially. The only difference this time was that I wasn’t sure if they were about to trick me into sparing them before attacking me from behind.”

“Cynthia Marowell. You know you’re lying to yourself.”

“I am not, Rom Sivongsa.”

I huff. “Fine, let’s set animals and human tactics aside. How can you ever live with yourself after this, knowing that you’ve killed someone innocent? You told me you didn’t check everyone before killing them, right?”

“I’ll live just fine.”

“Even if it’s a sin? You do know that killing someone is a sin, right?”

That last question seems to irk her. Twitching her eye, she walks up closer to me.

“Sin? Let’s not start there, you hypocrite. You’re the one covering for a vampire. You’re the one who keeps defending her. You saw what happened to Noblique when you used the Lord’s Prayer. He died! No, he exploded! If that’s not a sign that vampires are God’s most hated creatures, then I don’t know what is.”

“Stop, okay? Just stop! You keep talking about how Evi is a sinner for being a vampire, but last time I checked, it’s not a sin to simply exist. It’s not a sin to be born, it’s not a sin to have to resort to eating something to survive!”

“Haah? Drinking blood IS a sin! Did you forget about that Deuteronomy chapter?”

I inch closer. “You can’t keep using that! If that was the case, then I guess every single person who likes their beef medium rare is a sinner too. The Bible and its contents aren’t a set, defined rulebook. They’re guidelines on how we should live our lives! If it WAS one, then we would all go to hell for even cursing or saying the Lord’s name in vain!”

“Still doesn’t explain why she was drinking out of someone’s organs. Doesn’t explain why she decided to drink Noblique’s blood. She’s tainted, Rom, can’t you see that? If a child is born out of a demon’s womb, would you not kill it?!”

“What the hell are these hypotheticals? Have you ever seen a demon give birth? That’s not even how it works. Even if it was, the baby doesn’t deserve to die just because of their parent’s sins.”

“Wow,” she scoffs, placing her hands on her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re defending demons. You might as well resign from being a Testament at this point.”

“I’m not defending demons, though! You just keep stacking scenario after scenario to better fit your argument. I’ve been tolerant of you hating Evi because deep down, I understand how you feel, I really, really do. That feeling you have for Evi is the same that I have for demons as well.”

“But Evi hasn’t done anything wrong. Those scientists didn’t deserve to die.”

She pushes me with a finger. “Even if they tortured and killed people? What if they were the ones who set Noblique free, and he was the reason this town is empty? Different story, right? Because then they are the cause of nearly three hundred deaths. Or are you saying that they deserve to live even after all that?”

“They do! If they repent, they do!”

Cynthia scratches her arm fiercely. “Repentance. Repentance doesn’t matter for monsters.”

“It does, Cynthia. It really, really does. That’s why we do what we do, because humans deserve a second chance. Demons hate us because they don’t get that second chance. They had their chance in Heaven and they blew it. But humans, we have second, third, a million chances to be welcomed into the Kingdom of God. That’s why we’re Testaments, so we can hunt down demons. So people can see our work and come to God. We don’t execute people just because of some suspicion!”

Cynthia grits her teeth. “We do when our safety is questioned! I haven’t attacked that vampire in your arms, did I? I haven’t because I trust you. The threat of her harming us has gone down over time, but I can’t say the same about those scientists.”

“You literally tried to kill Evi the moment we saw her. What if this investigation is a bust because YOU decided to kill the only source of information we have? Okay, let’s say all eighteen of them WERE as powerful as Noblique, why didn’t you spare at least one?”

“Because I didn’t want to.”

Her straightforwardness makes me recoil.

Taking a deep breath, I continue, “Seriously? Can you decide on whether or not you want to be this stylish executioner or a Testament? I just hope you know this, but they are completely different things.”

Scoffing, Cynthia turns her head to the side. “I save your life countless times, and this is the thanks I get. You asked me to trust you, and I did. I kept my mouth shut and hands tied because YOU wanted me to trust you.”

“Whatever,” she swings her hand into the air dismissively. “You want to cure her, right? Go ahead. After this mission though, I don’t want to see her ever again. I’m also going to request a partner change once we get back to headquarters. I’m more than willing to bet that Zuki will take my side.”

As much as I want to continue our argument, I don’t see her actually apologizing or repenting for what she did.

“Fine. Let’s go back home for now. I want to make a call.”

“A call? Where?” She glances at me.

“Where else, dummy? The Holy Church. We’re going to need backup, or at least a more capable investigation team to handle this. We’re more combat-oriented, so I’ll call Zuki once we get back.”

Without saying another word, Cynthia starts making her way up the hill.

As I let out a sigh of relief, all the tension I’ve built up starts deflating slowly. It’s not until a minute later that I realize my throat hurts from dehydration, constant screaming, and even arguing with Cynthia.

I swallow my saliva in hopes of sating this thirst, but shrug my shoulders once nothing happens.

Walking up the hill a few feet behind Cynthia, I fixate my eyes on the floating full moon in the sky.

Then, a realization hits me that should have been more apparent earlier.

Evi still hasn’t woken up.

2

Swinging open the two doors, we enter the house with loud, labored sighs. Cynthia flips the light switch on, making me flinch just for a second. Connected to the same switch, the ceiling fan comes on at the same time.

The clock on the wall says it’s barely midnight.

A part of me was hoping we were headed towards dawn, but I guess God has other plans for us tonight.

Carrying Evi’s limp, sleeping body, I head my way upstairs. Without turning on any more lights, I walk straight towards the empty bed, gently plopping her down on the soft mattress.

Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I’ve seen Evi sleep. During that first night, she apparently stayed up all night to take care of me. Oh, no, wait. I think I saw a short glimpse of her sleeping back then too.

Hold on, ‘the first night’? That was literally last night.

I must be losing my damn mind. There’s just too much going on lately.

Dragging a wooden chair, I sit beside Evi. Running my hands on my face, I slick back my hair. In a near instant, my body loosens into a slothful position. Still, the only thing I keep doing is looking at Evi.

Why is this happening to us? Why did I argue with Cynthia?

She’s in the wrong, I… I think she is. Yeah, she is. She has to be.

Her way of doing things, it’s too cruel, too inhumane.

“Because I didn’t want to.”

Words that repeat inside my head non-stop. What could she have possibly meant by that? It’s only been two days since we met Evi. Is she saying she hates vampires that much that she wants to kill innocent people?

Nah, it can’t be. As crazy as she is, she wouldn’t do that.

Wait, what am I saying? She’s not crazy. Just… devoted.

She must have had her own personal reasons why she did what she did. It’s what I would do. Mask my true intentions behind random reasons and excuses. Agh, who am I kidding? In five years, I’ve never seen her act the way she has.

If anything, this tiredness must be getting to both of us. Especially her, since it doesn’t seem like she got a wink of sleep in the morning.

Sighing loudly, I stand up before I succumb to my exhaustion. To be honest, I’d much rather go to sleep right now, but we need to make the most of our time in this investigation. We already wasted so much because I fainted, so I need to make up for our team.

Gently caressing Evi’s hair, I rub the top of her head affectionately. From where I’m standing, she looks like a sleeping princess.

“Princess… huh.”

I wonder what Noblique meant by that. He kept referring to her as ‘Your Highness’. Evi herself doesn’t seem to know, so I guess I’ll just have to ask either the Holy Church or the D.D.A. whenever I can.

“Ah, right.” A memory jumps into my brain as I make my way back downstairs.

Once I do, Cynthia is lounging on the couch, sitting in a similar position I was just in a few minutes ago.

“Cynthia?”

She raises her head as if our argument never happened.

“What’s up?”

“Do you wanna make the call right now? It should be morning time over there for them, so Zuki might be able to fill us in on what’s going on in this town.”

She scratches her head, and then her arm. “Did she not brief you before the mission?”

“She did, but something’s not lining up here. Zuki said the D.D.A. didn’t move for this incident, and neither did the mages. But when we checked the journal, they claimed that the D.D.A. was here.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember that.”

Opening my duffel bag, I take out a small, thick, rectangular phone. Pressing the power button, I use its built-in arrows to navigate towards the contacts list. Before clicking on the call button, I ask Cynthia one last time.

“I can call her then, right?”

She gives me a tired nod, closing her eyes once more.

I click the button, but it doesn’t even ring a single time before there’s an error beep. I try again three more times, but it only shoots back the same result.

“Is there no reception here?”

“Maybe the cell tower’s down? I saw one earlier, so it wouldn’t hurt to check,” Cynthia comments.

“Is it far?”

“No. I’d say it’s a ten-minute walk.”

Heading towards the door, I grab onto the metal handle. “Okay, I’ll look for it then.”

“Hold on.” She forces herself off the couch, sluggishly making her way towards me. “I’ll go too. You don’t want me to be alone with that vampire, right?”

“Ah…” In my moment of weakness, I completely forgot about their dynamic. I don’t know how I feel about leaving her all alone, but seeing as how there haven’t been any other vampires or monsters, I guess it would be safe to do so.

Or maybe I can try to wake her.

“⸺!”

Bursting into a short jog, I make my way back upstairs. I nudge Evi's body, but she doesn’t wake up or make even the slightest sound. Damn it, I would much rather take her with me, but I guess we’ll just have to leave her behind.

Leaving the bedside, I look at her one last time. I haven’t had much time to really take in what’s in front of me, but…

Under the moonlight, her hair is so beautiful.