Location: Avarance Headquarters.
"Black Hawk, what's the update on White Falcon?" An authoritative voice boomed in the tiny microphone attached to Yurian's ear.
"White Falcon has successfully infiltrated the Vampire's den. Right now she is seeking the information we need. No suspicions have been aroused so far. I will keep you updated if anything changes." Yurian related the progress Aselia had made so far.
"Good, keep the Alpha Team on standby, in case extraction is needed, being our top agent we cannot afford to lose White Falcon." The authoritative voice reminded Yurian.
"Understood, Sir! I will not let any harm come to White Falcon."
"Keep your eyes and ears open at all times, vampires are cunning creatures and I have a bad feeling they are cooking up something dangerous to show their retaliation." The booming voice seemed concerned.
"We will crush whatever retaliation they will try to stir. Won't be the first time they will try to provoke conflict." Yurian was confident in his and Aselia's abilities. They had never failed a mission on which they had worked concurrently. And he was confident they won't this time around too.
"Keep me updated, until next time Black Hawk." The call was disconnected.
The authoritative voice belonged to Aldridge Damois, the head of Avarance (an organisation which hunted and locked away vampires). He was a 50 years old man with an athletic build. His greying hair gave him an allure of a wise old man while his piercing blue eyes reflected his intelligence.
Aldridge was the one who had handpicked Aselia from an orphanage at the age of 10. The orphanage was under his patronage and was meant as a haven for humans as well as elf children who lost their parents at an early age.
Her fierceness and sharp presence of mind made Aldridge take her under his wing and raise her to become a perfect hunter. There was no space for emotions and sentiments in Aldridge's training. She learnt to have no attachments with anyone and thus grew up to be a remorseless hunter. She took no pleasure in killing but at the same time, she didn't show mercy to her targets.
Five years ago, she was paired up with Yurian as a partner. Of course, she opposed having someone with her because she liked operating alone. But with time he grew on her. His witty personality was adapted by Aselia as well as they would continuously joke and roast each other. He kept her in check at times she went off her rockers and more importantly, he always had her back.
Although Avarance had branches and hidden warehouses in all the major cities its headquarters was located in an underground facility in Tetrios City. Vampires were forbidden to set foot in the vicinity of this city and it was considered a safe place for humans and elves.
The underground complex consisted of monitor rooms, interrogation rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, laboratories, dining hall and residential areas for the hunters. This was Aselia's real home, the only home she had known and cherished after her own home. The compound could house 200 people at a given time.
It had a heavily guarded secret experiment facility as well. Where illegal experiments on vampires were carried out but only the top tier knew about it. Not even all the hunters were aware of its existence. All the new serums created in the Avarance labs were tested on these captured vampires and then necessary changes were made according to how they reacted to them. All captured vampires were not sent to 'The Walled City of Valios' but a good quantity was held behind to act as test subjects.
Aldridge Damois sat in his office staring at the open file in front of him. The vampire they had been looking for past many decades finally seemed to be in their grasp. If all went according to plan, they would nail him within the next few months. Aldridge had spent a good part of his life chasing behind this phantom of a vampire. He had turned Aldridge into an old man and now his only mission is to capture him before retiring. He thought about all the tortures he would inflict on him for carrying out the genocide on Elves, his kind.
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Meanwhile, oceans apart on a deserted island another facility lay hidden underground. A vampire who seemed to be in his late thirties stood in front of multiple screens, observing the experiments being carried out by his minions. His icy blue eyes and stares were cold like an iceberg. They darted from one screen to the other observing the success rate of his experiments.
The aura he radiated made others shiver for he was merciless. He had a vision and a long-term plan which he was very close to fulfilling. The humans and elves would soon be left quivering in their tracks for they dared to cross his path. This world needed only one leader and according to him, that title belonged to him. Anyone who would dare stand in his path will be eradicated. Soon, this world will be immersed in a bloody war, with misery and pain as its companions. Which he would gladly inflict on humans and elves together. For he possessed a dark heart where no light shone.
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Yurian lay on his hotel bed in Fritez City. Aselia's thoughts preoccupied his mind. She was somewhere in this hotel, risking her life to extract information. It pained him to think how alone she was during this operation. Who knew what those God damn vampires were doing to her. Although she seemed cheerful and in high spirits the last time he spoke to her, she was good at hiding her emotions.
He knew she could take care of herself and he shouldn't worry too much but his heart had an uneasy feeling about this mission. They didn't have enough information and yet they sent her undercover. The papers he had forged for her were cleverly made and no one has been able to detect any foul play so far. At least that end was secure.
He decided to go out and relax a bit. He took a hot shower, letting the water flow over his perfectly toned body. His muscles were built to perfection as he stood at 5'10 with straight short brown hair. The light brown eyes, a set of thin lips and an oval face almost made him look like a teenager although he was 23. There was a tattoo of Black Hawk on his torso to indicate his code name.
The torturous memories of helplessness he kept buried deep always resurfaced when he was alone. Aselia had acted as his anchor on so many occasions, keeping him focused and burying these memories. Both of them shared childhood traumas and found solace in each other. But, he couldn't talk to her due to the circumstances and that made him feel uneasy. He got dressed and made his way to the beach, thinking to blow some steam to help his raging heart.