Chapter 31

Vlad told me he promised he would be the one to find me next. He held up his pinky and grinned, then ran outside.

Kira

"…Vlad!"

The howling, snowy blizzard outside erased the sound of my voice and the door slammed shut, cutting us off from each other. I pushed my hands off the ground and stood up, then ran over to the large window and yanked the curtains back. And what I saw left me speechless. The white snow was so entirely covered in crimson it almost looked like a huge field of roses bloomed upon it. But they weren't beautiful roses. It was the blood of the dying people who lay there bleeding. You can't even tell where one person ends and the other begins… It was impossible to tell who belonged to Vlad's family, and who was a human vampire hunter. The sight was so unbelievable and shocking I turned my face away. And then– I heard someone's voice. I ran towards the voice, towards the southern window, and threw back the curtain. Vlad was lying face-up in the snow and a man was pinning him down. I opened the window and the overwhelming scent of blood invaded my nose. But I couldn't let that bother me. I squinted to try to see Vlad.

Vlad

"Are you the one who impaled Father and Mother and everyone else?" "They're…..sleeping and they won't wake up."

Vampire Hunter

"They're not going to wake up. They're dead."

Vlad

"…What?"

The long-haired man had a huge spear slung over his back.

Vampire Hunter

"You can even kill immortal, pure-blood vampires with one of these. So we killed them." "…..Although your kind ended up killing all my fellow hunters."

Vlad

"…Why? Why would you do this? Aren't you human?" "Humans and vampires are both living creatures. We're the same! So why?"

All of a sudden the man's large hand grabbed Vlad's head and pushed it into the ground.

Vlad

"Arghh!"

Vampire Hunter

"The same?! That's funny, coming from a monster like you who can live forever by drinking human blood!"

The man's eyes were filled with a dark, cold hatred.

Vampire Hunter

'The very existence of you filthy vampires corrupts this world!" "…That's why you have to be destroyed."

Vlad

"…No, that's wrong." "My clan told the humans that we're vampires and live together with them." "They know that we're vampires and they get along with us. They say we're the same and—"

Vampire Hunter

"What if I told you they thought they had no other choice?!"

Vlad

"…What are you talking about?"

Vampire Hunter

"Do you know the best way to control someone, monster child? By overwhelming fear." "The humans were terrified that you vampires were going to kill them, so they just obeyed you and went along with what you said." 'They never lived beside you in harmony. They feared you. They were subordinate to you."

Vlad

"You're lying." "You're lying, you're lying, you're lying..!"

Even from afar, I could see the twisted sneer on the man's face.

Vampire Hunter

"Vampires and humans will never peacefully co-exist. They'll never take each other's hands. So…" "I'm going to purge you bastards in the name of god! Now sleep! Sleep on the edge of dreams, filthy vampire!"

Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky while the man's spear swung down without hesitation… I saw the man aiming the spear towards Vlad's heart as if it were happening in slow motion. I couldn't bear just standing there and was about to run to save him when suddenly I heard the man's bewildered voice. Vlad's tiny hand was grasping the spear tightly, right before it pierced him too deeply in the chest.

Vlad

"...! Haah, haah!" "Please... Please, don't do this.

Please..!" Veins popped out in the man's arm as he struggled to gain control of the spear.

Vampire Hunter

"And I beg you to please, please sleep forever--for the sake of humanity, and for the sake of this world!"

Vlad's vivid crimson eyes were slowly started to lose their color. And then he said in a voice so savage it chilled my spine,

Vlad

"…You sleep!" "Sleep! Sleep, on the edge of dreams!"

The moment those words left his mouth, I saw something unbelievable. The man stopped trying to impale Vlad and turned the spear towards him.and then ran himself through with it.

Vlad

"…Huh?"

Oh my god…Vlad used his mind control powers on him...?

Vlad

"What...just happened?" "Did I do that..? Hey, hey! Please don't die!"

He tried to hold the man up in his small arms, but the vampire hunter used his last remaining strength to push him away. And then he died, his eyes filled with hatred until his very last breath. Vlad stared at his hands, which were covered in the man's blood, looking completely stunned and confused….Wait, he doesn't know his power yet! That must have been the moment his power had shown itself for the first time, in order to protect his own life. Vlad sat down and suddenly a rabbit hopped over to him. His little hands trembled as he petted the rabbit.

Vlad

"Sleep... Sleep on the edge of dreams."

The rabbit instantly began acting like it had gone mad and ran away...straight into the icy lake.

Vlad

"Ahh... Ahhh!" "I...I killed him?"

Huge tears streamed down his face as he kept staring at his bloody hands. I can't bear to watch this anymore. I bit my bottom lip to try to distract from my aching heart. Vlad unsteadily rose to his feet. He tried to pull the spear out from the man's body.

Vlad

"Why? Why won't it come out?!"

What is he doing? Wait…He gave up, his hands hanging limply at his sides for a moment, before he put them around his own neck. And he started trying to strangle himself amidst the falling snow. I want to go stop him. But...I knew that I couldn't. So I just balled my hands into fists. If I could, I would run right over to him and–...wrap my arms around him to hug him and protect him. I want to protect him from all the sadness in the world. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. My feelings were so conflicted as I watched over him. Vlad stood there frozen, almost as if he had forgotten to breathe. His lifeless eyes slowly regained their light, and brimmed with tears. His pale lips formed words. I strained to hear him through the blizzard.

Vlad

"...'You are not alone.'" 'I will be waiting for you, a long time from now--beyond eternity.'"

His tears fell down upon the pure white snow as he repeated those words I'd said to him. Vlad's tears continued streaming down his face, wetting the snow.

Vlad

"I promised...to find her. So…" "...I can't die."

He released the grip on his neck and looked up at the falling snow. Layers of fluffy snow fell onto his tiny body, turning it white. It looked like it was locking all the sadness away in his heart.

Vlad

"I won't hate humans." "...I'll just hate the crimes they commit."

He gazed up at the falling snow and smiled, as if giving the entire cruel world a hug. Hey, Vlad. Have you really lived for eternity like this, shutting all your sadness away in your heart? I remembered the day I first met him, when he had a look on his face so sad it looked like he might break. Not one person noticed his sadness.

They just walked past him with their umbrellas. I'm not sure why I spotted him in the crowd that day. But…It was a fact that Vlad had embraced my words and kept living.If I leave him now, Vlad won't see me again for centuries--no, even longer than that. Please…Please just let me give him one last hug. I was just about to run out through the snow towards him when suddenly- A huge gust of wind so strong it knocked me off my feet enveloped me. Wait!!! Just one more time, please!

Kira

"…Vlad!"

A blinding white light swallowed me up whole.

Kira

"Vlad! Vlad!"

Where am I...?