Rising (4)

"So they finally left…"

My eyes didn't leave the desolate door for one second. Five minutes had passed since my parents left for the airport, and they would likely return home within the day. One might think that I'm being overly emotional about their parting, but from my perspective, this was the first time in fifteen years that I was going to live without them.

A mixture of emotions rushed through my heart at this very moment. Sadness, longing, fear, anticipation… But most importantly, I felt like a boulder had been removed from my chest. The chains that bound me had been broken.

It was all so… liberating.

"Brother, are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me, Irina. I'm doing fine."

I reached for my younger sister's beautiful white head and allowed my fingers to brush through each strand of her soft hair. The perfume she was wearing had a distinct floral note with a healthy serving of Winter woods. It was a comforting aroma, one that I sorely needed right now.

"Thank you for everything, Irina. Without you, I doubt my parents would have returned safely."

"Hehe, what are you talking about? Your parents are my parents as well! Of course, I'll treat them well!"

"You little imp…"

Throughout their entire stay here, Irina did everything in her power to keep my parents happy. Other than the fact that they couldn't use their phones, my parents had every luxury under the sun given to them, from award-winning dishes to a plethora of training materials. She'd even prepared masseuses to help mend their sore muscles if they needed to.

In the end, Irina had even paid for their trip back on the private plane, even adding in some protection as insurance. Honestly, meeting Irina must have been the best thing that has happened to me thus far.

This is why… I couldn't delay my training anymore.

"Irina, have you thought about my request?"

"Brother…"

There was no need for me to elaborate on what my request was. Ever since I'd discovered that there were three other souls within my body, I knew that I had to leave the Everwinter House. Not just for my sake but for the others as well. With each passing day, I could feel my yearnings for them getting stronger, and it was likely the same for them as well. Not to mention, if I wanted to fully awaken my Vampire Aspect and restore all of my sealed memories, I had to return the souls.

"Before I give you my answer… Will you agree to my request?"

"What request?"

Irina's eyebrows fell, and her beaming, white face quickly turned into a sad frown. She waved her hand, summoning Luminita and Variel in the process. The two servants bowed down respectfully as Irina gave her firm order.

"From now on, don't let anyone enter the bungalow without my permission. I don't want any disturbances."

"We hear and obey!"

As if they'd rehearsed it, the butler and maid pair exclaimed loudly before promptly leaving the house, locking the door behind them as they did. Somehow, the atmosphere felt like I'd been trapped in a dungeon against my will. But this was Irina I was talking about. She would never do anything in a thousand years to harm me.

And to prove my point, the girl paused for a moment as she collected her wits. Once Irina had prepared herself, she reached for my rough hands and cupped them together with her own. Pulling me closer to her chest, Irina looked up at me with teary eyes as she asked:

"Brother… No matter what I'm going to show you… Will you promise never to hate me?"

"Hate you? I would never hate you, Irina."

"That's good to hear… But I want you to promise me! Don't think less of me! Don't hate me! And please, please, please… Don't abandon me!"

… What on earth was she going to show me? The more desperate she looked, the wilder my imagination became. Was she a mass murderer that kept the heads of her victims? Or was she a sadist that tortured her victims?

I really didn't know what to expect.

But honestly…

"I promise, Irina."

I freed one of my hands from her chest and brought it forth to her supple cheeks. Reacting to my touch, the girl purred softly as she relished in the warmth of my hand. Goodness, so what if she's a serial killer? She's so damned cute!

"No matter what you're going to show me, I will never hate you. And Irina… You should know by now that I'll never come to hate you."

"That's… a relief." Looks like my words had finally gotten to her. Relaxing just a little, the girl finally released her tense shoulders and held me by the hand. "Come with me."

Smiling, she intertwined our fingers into a lover's hold and brought me straight to an isolated part of the bungalow. Usually, I was busy with training, and so I never got to fully explore this enormous house. And so, this was unfamiliar turf for me. It didn't take long until we reached a dead-end where a humongous painting of a bloody lily flower hung, covering the entire wall.

"Have you ever wondered why my room upstairs lacks many of my belongings?"

"Yes," I nodded subconsciously. For a girl her age, Irina's room lacked any personality. If I were to describe it, it was more of a hotel room than a place where a twenty-three-year-old would sleep in.

"That's because… It wasn't my room, to begin with."

Irina lightly tapped the picture three times, causing the wall to shake violently. After a few seconds of gears being turned, the painting of the bloodied flower shifted to the side like a sliding door, revealing a wall of ice that seemed thicker than the walls themselves. Heaving a huge sigh, Irina placed her fingers on the icy blockade and gradually, the ice melted to create a passageway.

"This whole bungalow is a cover. Usually, I would never use the upper rooms due to safety and comfort reasons. My real living area… is in the basement."

"Hoh…"

I guess that makes sense. As a person of interest in the Everwinter House, Irina must have spies or watchers observing her every move. If she slept upstairs where all the windows and doors were, the girl might be attacked in her sleep and never know it.

In addition, as a Vampire, Irina never really did get along with the morning sun. Being human just a month ago, I had come to tolerate the uneasy feeling a Vampire would get when in contact with the shining rays of the morning. On the other hand, Irina had consistently shown that she was weak during the hours of dawn.

"But… There's also another reason why I keep my room hidden…"

Irina's eyebrows furrowed together, and her lips trembled. Her grip on my hand tightened even further as she feared to even take a single step down. Woah, what on earth was she hiding? The more she delayed the reveal, the wilder my imagination got. Still, I made a promise, and I intended to keep it.

"Irina… Don't worry, I promised you, didn't I? No matter what you show me, I will never come to hate you."

"Brother… Yes, you did promise me."

"And I have never gone back on my promises, right?"

"No…"

"So, you don't have to be afraid."

I continued to reassure the young lady with the most assuring voice that I could muster. It really didn't matter what she was hiding in the basement. She could be a cannibal for all I know, and I would still care and love her. That was the true extent of my feelings. Irina was the person who saved me from my living hell, the woman that gave me a new lease on life. She was my shining beacon, and I would never abandon her no matter what kind of monster she was.

"Brother… Thank you!!!"

Renewed with confidence, Irina finally took the first step into the basement. With our arms locked together, I could feel every ounce of her bubbly emotions. Goodness, what should I do with a sister like this?

Alright! No matter what she's going to show me, I swear to accept it! I won't show any form of disgust or fear!

Alas… I spoke a little too quickly.

"I-Irina? W-What is this?"

"This is… my room."

As the two of us finally made it into the basement, I noticed that it was quite a large room. No, to call it a room would be an understatement. It was more of an entire floor that had been refurbished to look like a room. Other than the doorway leading to the first floor, there weren't any openings that one could exploit or use to get out.

If I were honest, it did seem like a suitable place for a Vampire to live in. However, contrary to my expectations, there weren't human corpses littered all around with the jars of virgin blood stacked for Irina's sick consumption. No, there was nothing sick like that. If anything, it seemed like an ordinary room that a girl would sleep in.

There was a bed that seemed twice as big as the one we usually slept on. A toilet with a huge bathtub and shower room with a glass wall allowing people on both sides to see each other. And there even was a walk-in closet for all of Irina's expensive clothes.

It was a perfectly ordinary room… Other than the posters that were stuck all around the walls.

"Irina… These pictures…"

"Y-yes! They were taken without your knowledge! I-I'm sorry that you had to find out this way."

"No… I'm not mad, but…"

Usually, young girls might have posters of their favourite idols or heartthrobs plastered on their walls. However, Irina's posters weren't by any famous male celebrity. Heck, the man in the pictures wasn't even a celebrity! I knew that very well as the man in the posters… was yours truly.

"When did you even take these?"

Over a hundred posters, pictures and even drawings stuck plainly on the walls. No, even the ceilings and floor weren't spared by Irina's obsessive glue. Some of the posters were recent photographs of me. There was one when I was sleeping half-naked. Another was when I was training with the Blood Servants. And there was even a photograph of me in the shower!

When did she even take those photos?! And how on earth did I not realise it?!

However, the recent images of me were in the minority. The vast majority of the posters were images of me from when I was a young child at ten to a grown adult at twenty. There were pictures of me with no pubic hair. Photos during my first ever graduation. The first time I visited the hospital as a cripple. The time when I went on a school trip with my friends…

The list went on.

Before I knew it, I was tracing a timeline of my life from when Irina left me when I was ten to the current day, where I transformed into a Vampire.

This girl… She's a voyeur!!!

"When you were first injured, the four of us agreed to take care of you from afar. Although we couldn't get near you as your soul might be injured, we could observe you from a cautious distance. And so, that's what we did."

This goes way beyond observing, did it? There were even images of me naked as a kid! But still…

"... Are you disgusted?" Irina's voice flattened as she placed her hands behind her back, and her eyes began to turn misty. "You must be disgusted, right? I took all of these photos without your permission, and I'd even used them for my own benefit."

"Hah… And here I thought you would show me something serious."

"H-Huh?"

As if it were entirely natural for me, I ran my hands through her silky white hair and brushed my fingers down her cheek. I'd thought that she was going to show me half-eaten human corpses! Compared to that, some unsolicited pictures of me were nothing. Besides…

"This is just proof that you care about me deeply. There's nothing wrong with this."

"Really?!"

"Of course!"

"Then you are fine with all the pictures I took of you secretly?"

"Naturally!"

"What about the body pillow that I made in your image?"

"Haha, that's fine!"

"Then, what about the old strands of hair and nail clippings that I'd collected every year of your growth and framed in my album?"

"E-Errrr…"

Wait, you did that? That's pushing it a little far, right? In the first place, how did you manage to do all that without me knowing? Was I under some kind of hypnosis spell? No, that's not important right now.

"Irina… Didn't I say that I will love and protect you? That means that I'll accept your everything. If you want to take photos of me and keep memorabilia that reminds you of me, go right ahead."

"Really?!"

I would be lying if I said I wasn't taken aback. But ultimately, I wasn't disgusted by her actions, far from it, in fact. I was delighted that there was someone who actually cared for me this much to do this kind of act.

"Brother… I love you so much!!!"

Irina leapt into my arms and nuzzled her head against my chest. Her sweet aroma and soft body overwhelmed my heightened Vampiric senses, melting away all of my doubts in the process. Jesus, who could deny this adorable little sister?!

"Yes, yes… However, don't take random strands of my hair to keep anymore. It would smell after a while. If you want, you can touch my hair anytime you wish."

"Brother…"

Even though I accepted Irina and all of her kinks, there was a line to be drawn. Rather than keeping old and dead cells of mine, wouldn't it be better to touch them from the source?

"Thank you, Brother… You truly are the best thing to ever happen to me."

"Haha, you silly lass." I gently tapped on her petite buttocks, signalling her to remove her grip on my body. Holding her in my arms, I looked her right in the eye and asked: "I have listened to your request, so will you listen to mine?"

The girl's happy face broke, and a look of disappointment quickly followed. Her gorgeous eyes sparkled, and her nose began to shift adorably. Evidently, there was a mental turmoil going on within her mind. However, it didn't take long for her to finally give me the answer I was looking for.

"Yes… I will follow you out of the Everwinter House." My beloved little sister smiled brightly as if nothing could ever bring her down anymore. "No, scratch that… I will follow you anywhere you want to go, Brother. Even if you wish to delve into the depths of hell, I will follow you!"

"Irina…"

What did I do to deserve this woman? Even if I were to die tomorrow, I would die happy knowing that I had this precious little sister by my side.

"However, before we can leave the Everwinter House, you will need to return my soul to me, right?"

"What?! I can finally return your soul?!"

This was imperative for me. If I wanted to get stronger and if I wanted to unlock Irina's full potential, I needed to return the quarter of a soul that Irina had left in me. It was a win-win situation for both of us. And so…

"Yes, the Matriarch has told me that it's safe for you to return my soul now."

"Tell me! How do I return your soul? Is it through a ritual like before?"

"No, it isn't anything complicated like that. If you want to return my soul, Brother… We need to…"

Irina shook her head and calmed my raging emotions. She grabbed my body and dragged my ear down to her misty mouth. At that moment, I felt like a mouse caught in a snake's stranglehold with her arms firmly locking me in place. Her grey eyes locked with mine, and with an expression that suggested that she would never let me go, Irina's sultry voice entered my ears:

"Be connected in mind, soul… and body."