Problems

They arrived at the city with no casualties and Ren went to report the whole thing to his superior.

Alexander wanted to buy a sword, he was still stronger with his fists but he kinda liked using a sword.

But before he could leave, Leny grabbed his shoulder.

"Can you do something for me?"

"...Sure?"

"Can you give this to Vicky? She's in her room, this is her part of the payment. She forgot to get it"

"Why don't you give it to her?"

Leny didn't answer and quickly walked away.

Alexander went to Vicky's room in the building and knocked at the door. No one answered so he opened the door himself.

At the corner of the room, Alexander saw Vicky crying while smoking and drinking alcohol.

'So that's why...'

Alexander didn't say anything and sat beside her.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"Your payment, you forgot to pick it up" He placed it on the table but she didn't even look at it as she drank more alcohol.

Then Alexander saw her smoking and he didn't know what it was.

"What is that?"

"This is a cigarette. Do you want one?"

"No, Ren said I shouldn't accept any stuff with smoke or from drunk people. But I'm indeed curious about why would someone use it"

"Well, I don't know exactly how to describe it but it's a nice feeling"

"It doesn't look nice"

"Hehe... I know, I'm such an idiot, so stupid... It's not even his fault and I keep..." She started crying even harder and Alexander felt he wasn't helping much.

A few minutes later, she fainted and fell from her bed. Alexander picked her up and placed her on the bed again before leaving the room.

Closing the door, Alexander saw Ren waiting for him outside.

"Sorry you had to deal with that. I'll talk with Leny later"

"I don't mind. But why is she like that?"

"Mark and Vicky used to be a couple for a long time. But some things happened and Vicky's sister died while they were in the forest with Mark. I don't know the details but they've been like that since then"

"Do they talk a lot about it?"

"They do when they are drunk. Mark isn't much different from her, he might look tough but he's probably crying in his room as well. He blames himself for what happened"

"... I see"

"Don't think too much about it. Some people have to solve their own problems. They can either discover by themselves what they did wrong or they can die trying"

"What do you mean?"

"You will understand what I mean later"

Alexander went home looking around at the stores and the people, Ren said to not think about it but it was hard not to.

When he arrived at the abandoned house, he concluded it wasn't his place to intervene in someone's else business and concentrated on other things.

Lili asked how the trip went and he described everything to her. She praised him for not standing out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 years later...

Alexander was practicing with his sword in the yard as Lili watched him. Lili grew a lot these years. She enjoyed for two months the feeling of being higher than Alexander.

Until his birthday came and he instantly grew higher than her again.

"Do you need to practice every single day? Let's take a break"

"You don't need to watch it if you don't want to"

"Please~ I'm hungry"

"You don't feel hunger like other vampires"

"Your blood is just too good that's unfair"

"Should we sell it then?"

"No!" Lili didn't like the idea of sharing his blood with other people.

"By the way, do you know where the blood from the city comes from?"

"No, only mother knows. Maybe Jennifer knows as well, but mother kills everyone who asks and Isabella was punished once for it"

Lili tried hard to think of anything, but she didn't have much information since she was trapped until recently.

"If you don't know, don't worry about it. I was just curious"

Alexander finished his usual routine and changed clothes. Lili didn't give him any privacy as she stared at his chiseled body.

Alexander was almost as big as before he lost his powers.

"I have to go. We received new orders today and I might not come back in a while"

"Can't you quit the army already? We have more than enough money and I don't want you exposing yourself to people like that"

"It's not about the money, they are nice people and I would feel bad to leave just like that after so much time.

"You met only two years ago, that's too little time for vampires"

"I met you two years ago as well"

"Yes but I'm pretty, cute, and more likable than those old drunk folks" She didn't talk seriously, but she indeed didn't like the people from his division since he had to spend a lot of time away because of them.

"You told me you spent more than a thousand years trapped, you are probably older than them"

"That doesn't count! And don't say my age like that!"

"You were the one who started talking about age, I'm just saying the truth"

"So stop talking back! I feel like I'm losing when you do it"

"That's because you are losi..."

She covered his mouth with her hands to stop him from talking. He tried to remove her hands but unfortunately for him, she was still physically stronger than him.

In his struggle, they both fell to the ground.

Taking advantage of the situation, she sank her teeth into his shoulder. His regeneration wasn't as fast as before and her appetite was way higher than when she was smaller.

He lost a lot of blood before Lili could stop herself. Recovering from her impulses, she let him go and they got up from the ground.

He picked up his mask and sword while Lili was too embarrassed to look at him. Then, he went to the door as Lili followed him silently