Anima

Kai lies motionless, a cloud of dust shrouding his figure, debris raining down on him. The sharp pain coursing through his body, a sign of multiple broken ribs, and his left arm lies limply at his side, useless.

As his eyes meet the infuriatingly smug expression and arrogant gaze of the vampire elitist fuck, Kai's hatred intensifies. He wishes nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off their face and gouge out their shit colored eyes.

In a fit of frustration, Kai bellows out, "Quelle Vie De Merde!" reminding himself that he cannot afford to go down. Someone is counting on him, so he can't give up, he won't, not until he fulfills his promise to her.

_

Earlier That Day

The black SUV effortlessly weaved its way through the chaotic airport, distancing itself from the towering runway lights and the deafening roar of planes. Soon, it left the hustle and bustle of the airport behind and entered the vibrant city of San Francisco, where countless skyscrapers loomed overhead, their illuminated facades glistening in the sunlight. The city's energy was palpable, with colossal billboards and the constant hum of traffic enveloping them in their midst.

While being chauffeured to their hotel, Madison would occasionally lift her eyes from her book to steal a glance at Kai. Who sat with his hands tightly clasped, gaze fixed on the passing scenery, his expression unreadable.

Their luxurious SUV eventually pulled up to a grand hotel, where the doorman promptly opened their door and welcomed them. As they emerged from the car, they were greeted by a pair of imposing doormen guarding the entrance to the hotel. The sound of their footsteps reverberated through the elegant lobby as they made their way towards the reception desk.

Having successfully checked in to their reservations, they walked towards the elevators and vanished behind the glinting steel doors.

Inside the elevator, Kai and Madison stood side by side in utter silence, their faces betraying no emotion. The only sound that coul<d be heard was the gentle hum of the elevator's motor as it smoothly ascended to their designated floor.

As the doors parted, Kai stepped out first, his eyes darting around the hallway for any potential danger. Madison trailed behind him, her gaze fixated on the ground. In solemn silence, they made their way to their respective rooms, walking in opposite directions.

Kai comes to a halt in front of his hotel room door and inserts his key card. The lock clicks open, and he steps inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. The room is dimly lit, and the air is filled with the fragrance of freshly cut flowers. He strides towards the window drawing back the drapes, revealing a mesmerizing panorama of the city below.

After taking in the stunning view of the city for a brief moment, Kai tears his gaze away and makes for his duffle bag. He meticulously unpacks his gear with precision and care, carefully laying out his equipment on the bed.

Kai begins by picking up his pistol, a weapon designed and manufactured by The Strix. The oversized firearm is loaded with shells that contain a highly potent strain of poison, infused with vervain. If fired at a newly turned vampire, it would almost instantaneously kill them, whereas in older vampires, it would render them unconscious. Since the weapon is still a work in progress and not yet a final product, the ammunition is rather limited. Kai has only been provided with a total of two magazines.

Kai moves on to an earpiece, exclusively for communication with his squad mate, Madison. However, he doesn't plan on using it other than to signal for her appearance at the ending stages of the mission. When she is required to accomplish her role in said mission.

Kai surveyed his gear, carefully considering each item. His attention then turned to a small pillbox, containing a red, blue, and green pill. The red was his go-to, a potent adrenaline shot that heightened his senses and regenerative abilities. The blue granted temporary invisibility by slowing his blood flow, making him undetectable to nearby vampires. The green, however, was a last resort, to be used only if he or any Strix agent were captured by the enemy. It was a deadly poison that would erase any trace of him from existence and protect the organization's secrets.

With his gear checked and double-checked, Kai carefully unpacked his disguise, opting for a black tailored suit with a matching dress shirt and shoes that were not only stylish but also highly functional, providing him with mobility and comfort. He also selected a concealed holster for his weapon. As for the pillbox that would go into his interior breast pocket hidden between the fabric.

With everything prepared and time to spare until the mission, Kai felt a sense of calm wash over him. He knew that he had done everything in his power to ensure the success of the mission.

At exactly ten o'clock, Kai stepped out of his hotel room, impeccably dressed in the black tailored suit he'd carefully selected earlier. Alongside him walked Madison, her face hidden by the hood of her black robe. Without exchanging a word, Kai led the way to the elevator, his gaze fixed on the illuminated numbers above the doors. He pressed the button and waited patiently for the elevator to arrive.

When it finally did, the doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Kai stepped inside. Madison followed close behind, her footsteps silent on the plush carpet.

Once inside the elevator, Kai pressed the button for the hotel's underground garage. As the elevator descended, Kai and Madison stood side by side, their faces expressionless. Both lost in their own thoughts.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ping, and Kai and Madison stepped out into the dimly lit underground garage. Kai fished out a key fob from his pocket and pressed a button, causing a beep to sound from a nearby corner.

As they walked over, Kai's eyes fell on a black car parked nearby. It was a four-door Lexus, discreetly upgraded, as to not draw too much attention to themselves. He walked around the vehicle, checking it for any signs of tampering or surveillance, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Satisfied, Kai got into the driver's seat, while Madison climbed into the back. He inserted the key into the ignition, turned it, and revved the engine. The car hummed to life, and Kai eased it out of the parking spot and onto the road.

As they drove, Kai kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his senses on high alert. He checked the rearview mirror every few seconds, scanning for any signs of pursuit or danger. Madison remained silent in the back, her eyes wandering through the city night life.

After two hours of driving, Kai slowed the car to a stop as they approached their destination. They exchanged a glance, understanding the mission's plan. Kai was responsible for clearing out the target site and securing the target, while Madison would remain at a safe distance until it was time to extract information. Kai left the keys in the ignition, anticipating that extenuating circumstances might arise that would require Madison's early intervention. He then got out of the car to begin the mission.

Kai emerged from the car, and his hazel and blue eyes, were now a striking golden shade, surrounded by a crimson glow. His irises shone with an ethereal quality, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared in a blur of motion.

Back inside the car, Madison waited for several breaths before speaking into her earpiece.

"Operation Daybreak has commenced."

Kai's enhanced eyesight quickly spotted the expansive multi-storied villa in the distance, just as it had been reported. The high reinforced walls surrounding the villa were impenetrable, except for the only entrance, an equally armored steel gate with vampire guards posted outside, at all times. In a flash, Kai had arrived at the entrance and was able to immediately identify the six armed guards stationed by the front gate.

In a flash, Kai sprang into action, taking down the guards one by one with precision and efficiency. His weapon fired with deadly accuracy, the sound muffled to avoid alerting those inside. The guards were completely caught off guard, and by the time they realized what was happening, more than half of them were already lying on the ground.

The poison immediately took effect, causing the guards to writhe in agony as their blood boiled from the inside. They clawed at their bodies in a futile attempt to extinguish the searing pain. The sixth guard, realizing the hopelessness of the situation, threw down his weapon and raised his hands in surrender.

Kai, his gun still trained on the vampire, walked steadily toward him, stepping over the lifeless bodies of his comrades. Despite the guard's surrender, Kai did not lower his weapon, the gold of his eyes now reflecting a merciless glint. As he approached one of the lifeless bodies and with a swift motion, tore off an arm and flung it towards the remaining guard, who recoiled in horror. "Drink the blood," Kai commanded, his finger still firmly on the trigger. The guard's panicked protest fell on deaf ears as Kai left no room for negotiation. "What?! I'd die!" the guard cried. But Kai repeated his command, leaving no room for argument. Eventually, the guard reluctantly obeyed, taking several drops of the blood.

"Now understand this," Kai's gold eyes bore into the man's very soul, "if you want the antidote, you will do exactly as I say. Is that clear?" The man nods, his eyes filled with fear and his mouth stained with blood trembling.

"Report to your superior that there was some disturbance, but you took care of it," Kai orders.

The man complies with Kai's demands, eager to be released from this hell.

-

A few minutes later, a disturbance erupts in the security control room of the villa. The gate entrance begins to unlock on its own, prompting the security leader - an elderly middle-aged man - to radio the guards stationed at the gate for an explanation. However, all he receives in response is static.

"Dammit." He exclaims in frustration and slams down his radio. He then turns to a nearby guard and holds out his hand, signaling for the guard to hand over his radio. After which, he orders all of the guards within the villa to encircle the gate and obliterate anything that passes through it.

Despite multiple attempts to contact the guards stationed around the villa, the security leader is met with nothing but static. Frustrated and concerned, he orders those within the control room to zoom in on whoever is passing through the gate. What he sees on the monitor is a single man - one of his own - wearing his uniform but with peeling, blistered skin and blood seeping from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. It is a gruesome and horrifying sight. The man collapses to the ground and ceases all movement as soon as he sets foot inside.

The security leader stumbles back in utter shock, only to be jolted by a piercing whistle. In an instant, one of his operators falls to the ground with blood writhing in pain. Without warning, the rest of the men and women in the control room all encounter a similar fate.

As the security leader turns around to face the shooter, he sees the perpetrator squeeze the trigger, but the gun fails to discharge anything but a clicking sound.

A youth, appearing to be in his early twenties or even younger, wearing an all black suit, holsters his weapon. Kai, towers over the man, forced to look down at him as he slowly approaches.

"It seems I have run out of bullets," Kai says in a flat tone, with a trace of irritation laced within. "I suppose I'll have to resort to more primitive methods."

The aged vampire, momentarily stunned by the merciless slaughter of his people before him, finally speaks up. "Who are you?" he furiously demands. "How did you manage to get in here? And what about the guards outside?"

Kai, responds with a thin smile, "Me? I'm nobody - a specter, if you will. And as for those guards, well, isn't it obvious?" He nods towards a corpse at the man's feet.

The vampire charges towards Kai with an angry fervor, utilizing his full vampiric powers. However, with effortless grace, Kai sidesteps the attack, allowing the man to smash apart the control panels behind him in a fit of rage.

In a seemingly choreographed fashion, Kai dodges and evades the charging vampire's every move, as the man destroys the entire room in a wild frenzy. Despite the vampire's efforts, he fails to land a single hit on Kai. Even when it appears as though he has dealt a blow, somehow, it always manages to miss its mark.

In a last-ditch effort to achieve mutual destruction, the old vampire left himself wide open to bait an attack. However, to his shock and against his expectations, in one single motion has his throat sliced open, blood gushing out profusely. As he gurgled and choked on his own blood, his attempt at regenerating was interrupted, as he was seized by the top of his skull and violently slammed face-first onto the ground.

Lying helplessly on said ground, he recalled a certain myth he'd heard about a certain man that, like a specter, kills without ever being seen. And in that moment, he realized that he may have crossed its path.

Struggling to recall the name of the mythical ghost, the old vampire is suddenly brought up to the young man's eye level, where he is stared down hy his haunting, golden gaze. Then helplessly watches as he rips out his blackened heart from his chest, causing his body to go limp before collapsing back to the ground.

As his life begins to fade, the old vampire manages to utter a single word with his dying breath, "Anima."

Without so much as a flicker of emotion, Kai calmly walks out of the control room, not sparing a single glance to the lifeless bodies littered throughout the room. As he steps outside, he sees two more dead men lying motionless with their eyes wide open, as if they could not comprehend how they met their demise.