Chapter 3

Father Pierce rushed forward, striking down low as he swiped his long sword at Faust's feet, who jumped into the air and spun around while blocking Father Pierce's upward strike with his leg, causing the two of them to become locked together. "For an old man, you're pretty agile I'll give you that!" They both jumped away from each other as they stood six feet apart, anticipating the others next move. "Special ability, multiple blood bullets!" Faust made a gun with his hand again, and instead of just one shot, he fired ten in total which streaked through the air faster than the eye could see. With quick thinking and accurate precision of his blade in his hands, Father Pierce closed his eyes and listened intently for the bullets that whistled as they cut through the wind. One, two, three, four, five! He deflected the bullets without even looking and easily knocked them out of their trajectory. But there were still five more bullets to worry about.

He readied himself for the next barrage of bullets and did the same exact thing that he did for the first five, and while two struck into the ground when he deflected them, the other three which bounced off into the air, stopped almost as if gravity no longer had an effect on them. "You didn't think it'd be that easy did you? I can control the direction of where my blood bullets go. You'll never know which ones to look out for." While midair, the bullets straightened back out and pointed themselves at Father Pierce again as they relaunched at full speed, and when he raised his sword to block the attacks, they magically flew around his sword and struck him. Two in his left shoulder and one in his right. Father Pierce choked back the pain but almost lost the grip on his sword which he held in his left hand because of the torn ligaments in his shoulder, but persisted on as he kept his grip on his only weapon. "Your looks are deceiving, but there is no doubt that you're stronger than your companion. What you lack in brute force you make up for in battle strategics. As a fellow warrior, you have my respect. But that doesn't mean I'm going to back down!"

Rather than focusing on wide powerful strikes, he borrowed the remaining strength from each of his arms as he switched from a one handed fighting style to a two handed fighting style. Faust tilted his head back and released a boastful laugh as he placed a hand over his eyes. "Ahh, you humans are so entertaining! Even in the face of death, you can't just lay down and die like the filthy dogs you are. If you want to continue to fight then that's fine by me. If I have to sever your arms from your body so that you can die slowly like you want so badly, then I am happy to oblige!" The two charged head on at each other once more but were interrupted and stopped in their tracks when they sensed the eruption of dark energy coming from inside the church. They both knew too well just where that energy was resonating from. But Faust could sense something that Father Pierce couldn't. As Valac's energy only grew stronger, Dongo's grew weaker until it was completely nonexistent. Faust was utterly frozen as he realized that it could only mean one thing. Dongo was dead, or at least he was so close to a state of death that it would take a large amount of time before his body was fully regenerated.

"Hahaha… You have got to be joking me. My oaf of a subordinate really allowed a child to kill him? But then again, we didn't anticipate that he would even be strong enough to do that. The whole point in awakening his power was so that we could always keep a track on him even if he were to somehow escape. But never did I expect him to have enough power to take down a seasoned fighter in such a short amount of time. Bravo Valac, I commend you!" Faust's eyes stopped glowing red and took on their original emerald, green shade as he jumped backwards and landed on top of one of the stone pillars that lined against the fence that surrounded the church. "We'll call it a draw for now. Without my partner, even if I killed you, it's very apparent that by myself, I would struggle to eliminate that monster you raised. Not like I want to dirty my attire even more than it already is. As I've said before, blood is very hard to get out of the color white. So until the next time we meet, priest!" Father Pierce glared at him and could do nothing except watch as the blonde escaped by swiftly jumping through the surrounding trees and disappeared. As soon as Faust was out of sight, Father Pierce momentarily allowed himself to fall to his knees so he could try and regain his breath.

It had been awhile since he faced a strong opponent like that. Even though he had been retired from his position for a couple of years, he wasn't that out of practice that he had allowed himself to become so weak, his opponent was just that imposing that it actually caused him to have quite the struggle to even face the vampire noble. The vampires must mean serious business if they're sending top tier fighters like this after his son. He was expecting an attack like this to occur, but he had hoped that it wouldn't have happened so soon. All he wanted was for Valac to live a normal human life; for as long as that was possible. But the clock was ticking and the end was drawing near. "Valac… I hope everything is alright on your end." He said as he winced while he rose back on his feet and started making his way towards the chapel, albeit very slowly as he had lost a good amount of blood from Faust's last attack and he was starting to feel lethargic. He could still sense the residual energy left behind by Valac's rampage the closer he got to the chapel; it was so black and menacing that its presence clung to the walls and floor of the hallway he treaded down. He eventually made it to the Chapel doors and could sense the devastating atmosphere inside.

He braced himself before he slowly creaked the door open and could instantly hear the heart wrenching wails of his adoptive son who held Maria's corpse clutched closely to his body. Father Pierce glanced around and saw all the damage that had been created between Valac and Dongo's brawl; he wasn't there to witness the fight but it was undoubtedly brutal because of the resulting destruction. Father Pierce's eyes glossed over with anguish as he weakly limped over to his son's side and pulled his face into his shoulder. Without any hesitation, Valac allowed his father to comfort him as he continued to cry. Father Pierce had his own difficulty restraining himself from his own aching heart. They might have survived the fight but they didn't escape unfazed. They had suffered great losses, and quite a few of their loved ones had been slaughtered during the bloodshed. This was something neither of them were going to recover from anytime soon, but as the adult in this situation it was his duty to keep a strong face while his son needed him.

"Dad… This is all my fault! Why did you have to save me? If you had just killed me back then, then maybe nobody would have had to die! I was the one those vampires were looking for, right?! So I'm the one to blame for all these needless deaths! You should have just let me die! Look at all this destruction I caused. I mean come on, I'm a monster. What went through your mind taking in something like me?" He said as he gestured to all the broken furniture that surrounded them. Their sacred hall of prayer was in total ruin as he also gestured to the corpses of the people he failed to protect and also too Dongo's mutilated body that was now a mass of unrecognizable flesh. Valac looked up at his father with his brown eyes filled with hot tears; all the confidence he normally carried with him in stride was nowhere to be seen anymore. The look in Valac's eyes reflected a pain that reminded Father Pierce of the pitiful sight of his son when they had met for the first time eight years ago during that winter blizzard. The priest gritted his teeth as he pulled his son into an even tighter embrace.

But Valac pulled away as his bangs covered his eyes, not wanting to be comforted by his father anymore whom he was having a hard time trusting, his mind was beginning to reel with doubt as a suspicious smile crossed his face despite the tears that still streaked down his cheeks. "Hey, dad? I need you to answer me honestly. But where did I come from? And don't lie to me. There's something special about me isn't there?! Those vampires obviously knew who I was, and ever since these damn memories started plaguing my mind I find it harder and harder to believe that you accepted someone like me with open arms, just because you were feeling charitable. You had ulterior motives, otherwise why spare the life of one random vampire child? The great commander of the Rosen Black Order just so happened to adopt a vampire as their kid? Give me a break. So tell me, just who am I?!" Father Pierce then stared at the blood soaked floor as he was unwilling to fully answer his son's questions. "I have no idea where you came from Valac. Honest. The day I met you was just a fateful encounter that happened by chance. I promise."

Valac stood up with his fists clenched tightly, his demonic aura again started swirling around his body as his emotions began to get the best of him and engulfed him. "Don't lie to me! Why can't you just tell me the truth?! You know I can hear your rapid heartbeat? I can hear how your pulse started to quicken the minute you opened your mouth to spew more of your lies to me." Valac looked up again to reveal his eyes which were now that intriguing red color with the cat like pupils. He brought his balled up fists to his ears as he tried to muffle his enhanced hearing that could still hear the loud drumming of his father's heart in his chest. "Can you even hear what I'm saying right now? Ha, I sound just like one of them. My whole life you raised me to hate them but you neglected to tell me that I was one of those monsters I wanted to help wipe off the face of the Earth. Look at me dad, how can you love someone like me?" Valac said with a strained voice as he fell to his knees and started laughing, although he found none of this funny. His sanity was just at the point where laughing was the only thing he could do to save himself from breaking down.

Father Pierce choked back his tears as he reached out to stroke his son on the head who quickly swatted away his hand. The priest let out a sigh as he turned his back to him. "I'm sorry Valac. Truly, I am. I thought we would have more time but I was wrong. I can't answer any of your questions right now, but I will when the time is right. I never meant to keep you in the dark but it was for your own safety. Hate me all you want, but I will never stop loving you. You are my son. Never forget that." Father Pierce then limped away as he left the chapel. It was clear that Valac wanted nothing to do with him, but he still had things he needed to do now that the battle was over. He had no time to linger anymore and needed to make his preparations. Without a doubt, HQ must have been alerted after the barrier was destroyed and soon they were going to send investigators to check in on them and ask for a report. As much as Father Pierce was worried about his son's mental state, that was the least of his problems right now. He needed to get their stories straight if he wanted to protect his precious son. Because he was not going to let the Order take him, not if he had something to say about it.

Three days later, the church and other supporters in the town held a vigil in the monastery's courtyard to honor the dead and give their souls a final send off before they finished their departure into the great beyond. The battle concluded in at least the deaths of eight people. Which was a lost that would be remembered within the small town of Byron for years to come. After the funeral was held, Valac had become a former shell of himself. Everyone who tried talking to him was unsuccessful as he never responded and he started locking himself up in his room and hadn't left it in days. He'd also started skipping out on meal's which worried everyone greatly as they feared for his health. Another four days had past and still no one had heard a word from Valac, and the dishes of untouched food that the nuns had delivered to him an attempt to get him to eat were starting to pile up in front of his door. Valac was starting to seriously neglect his health from how he was refusing to eat even a single morsel of food, and everyone knew he couldn't continue to treat himself like this unless he planned on starving himself to death. But what were they to do? They couldn't force him to do anything he didn't want too; thus they were forced to sit back and witness as Valac allowed his health to deteriorate.

In a last attempt effort to reach out to his son, Father Pierce found himself standing in front of his door with a box wrapped up like a present in his hands. He knocked on the door, but of course he got no response, which was what he expected. "Valac. I know you're in there. You don't have to open the door for me, but at least listen to me while I talk. I have some important news." Still, there was only more silence. Father Pierce cleared his throat before he spoke. "I just wanted to let you know, I've already sent an incident report to HQ about the attack. A cleric is going to be sent here to help heal the injured and to resurrect the barrier around the church. They should be here later today so I suggest coming out when they get here so you can get your wounds inspected." Despite his attempts to get his son to converse with him, he still was given no response. Father Pierce was completely okay with letting his son have his space but enough was enough! As his dad, he wasn't going to let him continue to suffer alone like this!

"You know what, screw it! It's time to stop moping around Valac! I'm coming in you hear me?! You better brace yourself!" He grabbed ahold of the handle and then proceeded to yank the bedroom door open. And behind the door, Valac was sitting huddled in his bed with his blanket pulled over his head, his disheveled brown hair barely poking out at the top. His room was in total disarray and completely dark with the lights turned off and the shutters were pulled down, blocking any sunlight from entering. Without Maria, Valac's life felt like it no longer had any meaning and he also no longer had any desire to care. He was content in letting his young life wither away in that dark room, probably because he thought death was the only atonement for his sins just for being born.

Father Pierce sat next to him as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I know things are hard now. But there is no reason for you to continue on like this. This is unfortunately the life us hunters must walk down on. It is our duty to protect humanity, but that doesn't mean we can save everyone. People are going to die under our watch sometimes, it happens. This pain will always stay with you and it certainly won't be your last time experiencing it. So it's about time I put my foot down with you. No more wasting away in this dark room, get up and start living your life again!" He stood back up and walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open, allowing the sun's rays to enter the small bedroom once more. "Hmmm… go away old man. I mean it." Valac said as he shuffled underneath his blanket as he wallowed deeper in his sorrow, but his dad yanked the blanket off of him causing him to shield his eyes when they started to hurt from suddenly being exposed to the light. "Ah! What the hell?! I told you to get the hell out didn't I?!" Valac said as he glared at his father who still stood in front of him defiantly with his arms crossed over his chest.

His father opened his mouth to speak, but he was thrown off when he took in the appearance of his son. It was undoubtedly his son sitting in front of him, but over the last week his looks had started to change. His tanned skin was a great deal paler now, not to mention he increased in muscle tone and his body seemed more sturdy now then what it looked like before, as he used to be quite skinny and Father Pierce could clearly see the curvature of the muscles that were on his arms which weren't there before. His eyes slinked up to Valac's face whose features had sharpened and looked more masculine and no longer did he have that innocent aura about himself. His wide shining eyes were also more narrow and held a dangerous gaze. One would normally describe Valac as having a sweet boyish charm, but right now he was anything but boyish. He had transformed into a stunning young man in a matter of a couple of days. Was this a result due to the weakening seal on his vampiric powers? "Why do you keep staring at me like that? I know I haven't showered in a couple of days but I don't think I look that bad, do I?" Valac said as he brushed down the stray cow licks that poked out around his head.

"No, it's nothing. I just haven't seen my handsome son in quite a while so sorry if I can't help but stare at your adorable face." He said with a soft smile as he walked over and started squeezing his cheeks together, causing Valac to glare at him as he struggled out of his grasp. "But that's beside the point. Come out Valac. Everyone's worried about you. The children especially. They keep asking 'Where's big brother? Does he not like playing with us anymore?'" Valac sighed irritably as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and noticed that his feet which would normally be dangling, were planted firmly on the ground with ease almost like he had gotten taller overnight. "I know you're just trying to appeal to my emotions so I can feel bad by bringing up the kids. So for them, I'll get up. But not for you. I'm still mad at you." He walked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower and waited a second for the water to get hot then went to his wardrobe so that he could find himself a pair of fresh clothes.

His father leaned on the bathroom doors frame with his arms still crossed as Valac felt the water to make sure it was hot enough before he hopped in. "I don't know if you heard me before, but HQ is sending a cleric here. She's going to heal everyone's wounds so I think it's a good idea for you to come and meet me after she arrives. I know you took quite a beating in the battle." Valac shook his head as he took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. "No need. I'm healed up already." He said as he gestured to his shoulder and his back which used to have a large gash and bruise was now completely clear of any kind of injury, almost like there was never one there to begin with. He smiled painfully with his eyes reflecting his sadness once more. "I really am a freak huh? I had a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs and wounds that required stitches but I'm already good as new." Father Pierce reached out a hand towards his son and placed it on his shoulder. "You are not a freak. Stop talking like that about yourself. You are Valac Pierce. The only son of the last Commander for the Rosen Black Order. If anything, I think these powers of yours are a blessing. Regardless of their origins, they are what make you unique."

Valac flashed his dad a quick smile before he turned his gaze away again. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Thanks, dad. I'll be out in a minute. Tell the kids I'm sorry and I'll play with them as soon as I'm done." Father Pierce nodded to him and started making his way towards the door, but before he left he placed the present he was still holding on his son's nightstand. "I'll just leave this here so he can open it when he's ready. After all, this is a precious gift from a precious girl." He said with a sad smile as he looked at the tag on the present which clearly said 'To Valac; from Maria.' He then left and closed the door behind him and sighed as he hunched down to the ground and started picking up all the dishes his son had neglected to touch. If the cleric was to be here soon he definitely didn't want their monastery to look like some sort of pig stie. "Father Pierce! Let me do that for you! You're still injured yourself after all." Said a nun who was walking passed when she saw the priest exit Valac's room. Father Pierce stood back up as he cracked his back and allowed the nun to take charge in cleaning up the mess. "A little pain never bothered me. I have healing abilities myself, but not as refined as a trained cleric. But my wounds are healed enough where I have the full function of my arms back again." Still, it would be a good idea if he let the cleric finish with his healing because he was still in a good amount of pain despite how good he was at hiding it. The nun finished picking up the dishes and gasped slightly when she suddenly remembered the important message she was supposed to deliver to Father Pierce, which was the whole reason why she was looking for him in the first place.

"Oh! I almost forgot! But guests from the Rosen Black HQ arrived not too long ago. They got here a bit early considering they weren't supposed to come until later this afternoon as they stated in their letter we received from them yesterday." Father Pierce tilted his head in confusion when she said 'they'. 'They' refers to multiple people, but he could have sworn he was warned that only a single cleric was going to be visiting them. So who else was here? "Could you elaborate more for me? I thought only one person was coming. Are you saying the cleric brought someone else?" The nun chuckled nervously in response, worried about Father Pierce's reaction to what she was about to say next. "Well, you might not be happy with my answer sir. But HE is here accompanying the cleric. He said that he was conducting an investigation regarding the last vampire attack. And he didn't want to just hear your report through a piece of parchment." Father Pierce didn't like to whom she was referring too. It could only mean one person if she refused to say his name, knowing full well that if she did it would greatly upset him. "Oh no. Oh no no no NO! Why is HE here of all people?!" Father Pierce said before he started running towards his office knowing that was where they were probably waiting for him.

He found his way to his office within five minutes where he then forced the doors open and was greeted by who he considered was the worst man to ever live. Sitting in the chair adjacent to his desk sat a smug looking man in his early thirties. He had wavy black hair that fell a little past his ears with a slender face, silver eyes and a tall stature. He wore the royal uniform assigned to those of high ranking within the order which was colored black with white trimming, and his coat was decorated with metals which he obtained through great feats he accomplished during his service. He wore a large red leather coat over his shoulders like a cape that draped over his body and wore two silver shin guards and arm plates as well as black riding boots. In his hand was a saber which he was using like a cane to lean over in his chair with which had a gold pommel and a snake that wrapped around the handle. This man was none other than the current Commander of the Rosen Black Order, and the first Commander to the Empress's elite guard known as the Rosen Legion. And he was also Father Pierce's latest protégé; his name was Tristan Vox. "There you are you old fart. Took you long enough to come greet your guests." Tristan said with a smug expression on his face.

Father Pierce ignored his obvious attempt to get a rouse out of him and walked straight passed him so that he could take a seat at his desk to officially start their meeting. "This is an unexpected visit from you, Tristan. I wish you had told me in advance so that I could have better prepared for your arrival." Father Pierce said with a forced smile that had no real kindness in it. He hated this man sitting in front of him with a passion, even though he used to be his teacher in their youth. "I decided I wanted to surprise you! After all, we haven't seen each other in so long. Not since you stepped down from your position to play a humble priest in this shabby town you now call home. Never knew what you saw in this place, you would have been better off just staying in the capital with me." Tristan said playfully as he started flipping his saber in his hand as he leaned back in his chair with one arm propped on the arm rest. "But! That's not here nor there! We have business to attend too!" Father Pierce leaned forward in his chair as he rested his head on his intertwined hands with a serious expression on his face.

"So why did you come here? Let's just get this over with so that you will be back on your way as soon as possible." Father Pierce exclaimed, allowing his true feelings of disdain to seep out. Tristan smirked before he answered. "I have concluded there were some inaccuracies in the report you sent us back at HQ." Father Pierce raised an eyebrow by what he could mean by that. "Oh? Please, do tell." Tristan chuckled underneath in his breath as he stared at his predecessor with playful eyes. "I see you're being coy. That's not cute at all. But if I must elaborate then I will. In your report you only mentioned that there were only two vampires during the attack that destroyed the barrier last week. But that was a lie. There was a third, wasn't there?" He said with a mocking smile as he could see the shock on Father Pierce's face. "That's impossible. There were definitely two vampires during the attack. You can ask any of the survivors here who witnessed the whole thing. They will all tell you the same thing."

Tristan tsked his tongue as he wagged his finger. "See, that's where you're wrong. I know for a fact that there was a third vampire here. You have been gone from the Order for too long, Aaron. We have much more advanced technology now. We have a device that runs at all times that can detect high levels of demonic energy across the entire Empire. And on that same night, we detected three powerful sources here in Byron on the night of the attack. Yet, you only reported two? I find that kind of suspicious, don't you?" Father Pierce did his best to keep his composure, but this was a revelation that he was not expecting and it would be a lie to say that it didn't throw him for a loop. But he was not going to say anything that would compromise Valac's safety. "Now before you say anything, you know as well as I that nobles always flock together. If there's more than one, they are often apart of a group. So before you try to lie and tell me that the third source might have been in a separate location, I will not believe you. The energy signatures were far too close together for that to be the case. In fact, our technology is so accurate that as soon as the barrier was broken we were immediately reported of the incident, thus we relied on the scanner to detect the enemy. Anything to say about this?"

Father Pierce was stuck, there was nothing he could say that could possibly get him out of this situation now. All he could do was continue to play dumb, after all, he would lose automatically if he admitted to guilt right away. They had no proof that he was lying, so he wasn't about to out himself now. "Well it's not uncommon for nobles to split up even if they are in a group. Strategically, this is a common practice. My hypothesis is that the two we encountered were merely a distraction while the third was off somewhere else doing who knows what for their plans. This is just as much a likely scenario which you should consider before you accuse me of lying. I only knew of the two vampires which I included in my report." Father Pierce said wittingly. Tristan looked him up and down and sighed in defeat. He should have known his old master wouldn't be so easy to break even with all of this irrefutable evidence, but he was willing to play along with his games. Although he was no fool, his master was hiding something. "Alright. I'll accept that as an answer for now but I still have my doubts about that idea. Now then, on to the second reason for my visit here today."

He pulled out a manilla folder which he had placed to his side in the chair and tossed it onto the desk in front of him. "You have a son, do you not? He is the other reason why I'm here today." Father Pierce opened up the manilla folder and on the inside was a photo of Valac which was taken during his entrance exams as well as his transfer paperwork which was proof of his enrollment into Paradiso Academy. "The school year started two weeks ago and he has still yet to attend a single day nor did the school receive any letter for his absences. He is the first person in the history of the academy to fail to show up for the opening ceremonies. I'm here for a house visit to ensure that he still wishes to be a student at our prestigious school, otherwise we will have to unfortunately suspend him. As the son of the great Aaron Pierce, it would be such a shame if he no longer wanted to be a student with us. His attendance would be great for the school's reputation and we wouldn't want to lose a promising hunter like him. His marks in the combat portion of the exam were top tier, even if his magic was lacking. His ability to fight was enough for his acceptance."

Father Pierce couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his protégé be nothing more than a messenger boy. Does the Commander not have better things to do than make house calls for teenagers when he could be out doing his duties instead? "I see. Well now I can accept that that was my own fault. I should have informed you that he wasn't going to be showing up for a while. He came down with a terrible ailment the day before he was to depart for the Academy. He was bed ridden for a whole week, and only started to recover during the day of the attack. The second week for his absences was because he was at home grieving. He lost his best friend you see. That would be hard on anyone." Tristan crossed his arms as he nodded. "I see. I understand. I'm sorry for his loss, but still, I would like to talk to him myself. If his resolve as a hunter is weakening than I need to know for sure. The school is no place for someone who has doubts regarding their duties as a hunter of the Empire who serves under the Empress. I need to know his answer." Father Pierce sighed, but that was an acceptable request. Not like he could deny the will of the Commander whose power far superiors his own, so refusal of his request was not an option.

"I'll call him here immediately then so you can hear for yourself what he has to say. If I'm honest, his determination doesn't burn as bright as it used too. Not since he lost Maria. He's been in a state of depression ever since then. But maybe if he heard the current Commander try to talk some sense into him then things might change and he could get his spark back. Wait here, I will not be gone long." Father Pierce stood up and made his way back to Valac's room who was still inside getting dressed after hopping in the shower. Valac looked at himself in the mirror and touched his face which looked like a stranger in his reflection. He could barely recognize himself anymore. It looked like him, but it didn't at the same time. The man staring back at him was like a more mature version of himself, he looked almost regal with an imposing presence about him. He touched his shirtless chest as he felt his muscles which had grown overnight. His scrawny body was now in peak performance, which he wasn't going to complain about because he had always dreamed about having a body like this. But it was the reason for his transformation which was what was upsetting him. It was because of his vampiric traits that he was now possessing the body of a total stranger. And it made him sick. He gritted his teeth as he punched the mirror, shattering it.

He winced in pain as he pulled his hand back now having a large chunk of glass stuck in his palm. "God damnit!" He cursed out as he pulled the piece of glass out and immediately the gaping wound on his hand was already starting to heal. Not at a rapid pace, but faster than a humans natural ability to heal their wounds. He opened his medicine cabinet and took out some gauze and tenderly wrapped his injured hand and finished getting dressed as he slipped on a black V-neck shirt and his sneakers. As he exited the bathroom, his attention was caught by the golden wrapped present with a white bow on it that sat on his nightstand. "Did the old man leave this here?" He said as he approached the present and looked at the tag. His blood ran cold as he saw who the gift was from and he felt like he was about to throw up. "A gift from Maria? But why?" His hands started shaking as he reached out to the box and picked it up, debating if he was going to open it or not. He gulped before he untied the ribbon and tore apart the wrapping paper. Inside was a pair of headphones and a cheap looking MP3 player inside with a handwritten note attached. He didn't dare to read the note since he didn't think he was ready, so he put it in his pocket instead. "Why would she get me something like this?" He put the headphones on and turned the MP3 player on, and it was full of personal recordings Maria had made of her singing in the choir which was one of the many activities Valac loved watching her do during mass.

He clicked one of the songs and sat down on his bed as he listened to her angelic voice which he thought he would never be able to hear again. His bangs covered his eyes as he looked down at the ground to which he started to cry. He was filled with so many emotions. He was overflowing with sadness and pain, but hearing her voice was somehow also soothing and therapeutic. Every time he heard Maria sing, it put his mind and soul at ease. Even now with him still grieving her death, this simple recording was enough to make him feel better. He wiped his eyes as he placed the headphones around his neck and wiped away his tears with a sad smile on his face. "This gift is so like her. It's cheesy but… I can tell that she put a lot of thought into this. Thank you Maria. Now whenever I miss you, I can hear your voice as if you were still here with me." On que, there was a knock at the door and it was his father who had come to retrieve him. "Valac! I hope you're done in there. The Commander has come and would like for you to answer some questions. It's about Paradiso Academy." The door slowly creaked open only a hair, with a gap wide enough to only show Valac's eyes peering through the barely opened door. "The Commander? Why is he here?" Father Pierce sighed as he rubbed his chin. "He wants to know if you're still interested about your enrollment. Among other things, but we can discuss that later. But for now, follow me."

The two walked next to each other as they rejoined Tristan in Father Pierce's office who was tapping his finger impatiently on the arm of his chair. Upon seeing the current Commander, the little boy inside of Valac couldn't help but jump in excitement in seeing the person he idolized only second to his father. Valac walked over to sit in the chair next to Tristan while his father took his seat at his desk. "Ah, you're the famous Valac Pierce. It's nice to meet you. I am first Commander to her majesties elite squad the Black Legion, Tristan Vox." Valac smiled at him calmly but on the inside he was squealing. He had only seen this man in pictures in the news on tv or in the papers, so seeing him was just a dream come true. "I'm fully aware of who you are sir, and it's such an honor to meet you!" Valac said as he eagerly shook Tristan's hand, totally oblivious to the blazing fury his father was feeling sitting only a few feet away from them. "Your father told me you were depressed, but you seem fine right now." Valac's eyes grew wide before he frowned. He was right, what was he feeling all happy for? He had no right to allow himself to feel this kind of excitement, especially not towards the Commander after he had royally failed as a hunter.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. Meeting you just brought something out of me that I haven't felt in a while." Valac's expression turned solemn but he jolted when Tristan walked up to him and grasped his face firmly in his hands, forcing him to look up at him. The Commander stared deeply at his face and smirked. "I'm not saying you should feel bad. It's good to see you're starting to feel better; regret is one of a hunters worst weaknesses. If we allowed ourselves to crumble for every person whose life was taken by a vampire, we wouldn't be able to complete our job now could we? You must learn to leave behind all regrets if you truly want to walk down the path of a hunter. Never look back, always look forward." He said as he turned Valac's face side to side which he was still forcibly holding onto. Valac gulped as he talked with his face still squished. "Uhm, sir? What are you doing?" Tristan let go and smiled at him, but now there was something mischievous brewing behind his silver eyes.

"Ah, I was just taken aback by how handsome you are my boy. You look very different in person than in the photo I saw attached to your records." Valac tugged on his collar as he averted his gaze. "I guess I just hit puberty. Or something like that…" He said as he chuckled nervously and Father Pierce couldn't help but face palm. How could he not have seen this being brought up? He too was taken aback by his son's new appearance, but he didn't expect Tristan to catch on so quickly. The two of them had never met before, but he must have seen the photo from Valac's entrance exam. It was very obvious that Valac looked very different then he did not that long ago. This was a bad idea, Father Pierce thought to himself. He should have just said that he was withdrawing Valac from the school entirely. But he didn't want to go behind his son's back and make a decision like that knowing how much Valac wanted to go to Paradiso. It would have been cruel for him to say that, but now they were in this mess. Hopefully, Tristan doesn't push the matter any further.

"Valac, do you still want to be a hunter? I was sent here by the chairman of Paradiso Academy to check on you because of your late arrival. You still want to be a student, don't you? Normally we wouldn't bother and would just expel you, but you are Aaron Pierce's son. So we are willing to give you a second chance and overlook your absence if that is what you wish." Valac stared at the ground, not really knowing what to say. Did he still have the right to pursue his dream after what he's done? Especially after finding out what he was? But then he thought about the last serious talk he had with Maria, and how he proudly declared that he was still going to become a great hunter like his father. If he changed his mind now he would have felt like he lied to her back then. Maria told him to trust himself and to not forget who he was, and he wasn't going to let her words of encouragement go to waste. So maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a dream worth giving up on yet. "Yes sir. I still want to go to Paradiso Academy. It's always been my dream, and honestly I'm feeling more determined more than ever to become a great hunter!" He said with a very serious expression. That's right; now was not the time to give up! He still needed to exact his revenge on those bloodsuckers and have them grovel under his feet. And if he wanted to do that then he needed to continue to get stronger.

Tristan smiled approvingly as he started walking towards the door but stopped. He had a sneaking suspicion about something that he needed to check on before he reported back to HQ. "Alright. That's the answer I wanted to hear. But before that… I have one last question to ask you Valac. Can you come here for a second?" Valac tilted his head curiously as he walked over. But as soon as he got close enough, Tristan pulled out from his sleeve which appeared to be a small glass bottle filled with a clear fluid and pulled off the top. He then threw it on Valac who instinctively went to cover his face. As soon as the liquid made contact with Valac's skin, sparks of electricity started erupting all over his body and he fell to his knees as he screamed out in pain with the electricity still shocking him. Tristan had just thrown A grade holy water on him. Father Pierce stood up to defend his son but two white portals opened up behind him and four soldiers wearing similar uniforms to Tristan's walked out from them with their weapons drawn and aimed at Father Pierce to stop him from moving. Tristan stood in front of Valac and roughly grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look up with his face still contorted in pain from the electricity. Tristan's once kind and charming face was now twisted with his silver eyes dilated with delight and a sinister toothy grin spread across his face as he stared into Valac's eyes which now took on their red color. "When were you going to tell me that you were a vampire?"