Chapter 64: Attack

The night sky hung heavy, like a dark sheet pressing against the chest. The air was colder than usual. Streetlights glowed dimly, casting a pale shimmer over the empty sidewalks. In the midst of a city slowly paralyzed by fear, on the upper floor of an old building downtown, a man stood by the window, watching the fading bustle below. The streetlights flickered with a tired glow, and every now and then, an ambulance siren broke through the silence.

On his desk lay stacks of papers, a city map marked with red ink, and a laptop screen flashing graphs of the rising number of victims. His name was Daniel—the same man who, just days ago, was visited by his vampire friend, Lucien.

His left hand moved quickly, zooming in on the map, connecting the dots of every fallen victim. All of it happened at night. All of it left no trace. But… it wasn’t random. He paused, jotted something down, and looked back at the screen. His eyes were sunken, his face tired, but there was still sharp focus in his gaze.

“They’re smart… or at least being led by someone who thinks like a machine,” he muttered. “No random attacks. Everything’s deliberate. Systematic.”

He traced the victim points on the map with his fingertip—no wounds, no blood. Just bodies drained of life, like they’d been wilted from the inside out. “Three attacks within a two-kilometer radius. All at 2 AM. Two days earlier, there was a gap. They're pacing it. Not hitting too hard, too fast—staying under the radar. Like a plague.”

Daniel took a deep breath, squinting at the city's shadowed outline.

Then his eyes fell on the old notes Lucien had given him—a worn document detailing how vampires used to hunt long ago. But now… now it was more refined, more discreet. Like a virus. Silent. Invisible.

“You were right, Lucien,” he whispered. “This isn’t a disease. It’s an old tactic… predators dressed in modern times. And we’ve spent so long trusting logic, we forgot some things don’t fit into reason.”

A voice crackled in the earpiece he wore.

“Investigation log, day nine. New activity. South side. Victim admitted to the hospital at 3 AM. Same condition. No visible wounds. Energy depletion. Victim count rising—five to seven new ER cases every night.”

Daniel clenched his jaw.

“Mark the location. We’re close to cracking their pattern.”

He looked at the night sky again. “Soon…” he murmured. “If the movement really forms a spiral, then the center point will be right here—downtown. They’re not going in guns blazing. They’re strategic. Quiet. Causing panic. Feeding off fear.”

He scanned the city’s alleyways from the window once more.

His colleague an analyst from the medical department once laughed when he mentioned vampires seriously.

“You still believe in that kind of fairytale nonsense?” the man had said.

And now? Now he was working side by side with one a vampire from the ancient Aurelion bloodline.

“This is the beginning of something bigger. And if they think humans are just prey… then I’ll be the human who leads them into the wrong hunt.”

Silence. Then Daniel stepped away from the rooftop and into a dark car waiting below, its lights off.

“If they’re coming from the shadows,” he said, starting the car engine, “then I’ll be the light that drags them out.”

The night sky loomed dark above the rooftop of the house where Elara and Adeline had taken refuge. The wind, usually just cold, now carried something darker with it—a biting, unseen tension. No matter how strong the house’s protection was, it had begun to show signs that something was trying to get in.

Adeline stood in the center of the room, her hair tied up, eyes sharp like a predator catching the scent of danger. She set down several small glass vials on the table, each filled with oddly colored liquid, giving off sharp, stinging aromas.

“Elara, the third-layer seal is starting to crack,” she said coolly. “We don’t have much time.”

Elara stood not far from her, heart pounding but eyes steady. “So they know Lucien isn’t here.”

“Of course. You’re the target.” Adeline snapped her head toward her. “You realize that, don’t you? You’re the key. Your blood.”

Elara bit her lip. “So what do we do? Run?”

Adeline stepped closer and gave her a light smack on the shoulder. “You think you can outrun them? Kael? Gabriel? This isn’t about running. This is about standing your ground.”

Suddenly, the hallway lights flickered. Not from a power issue—but because something... or someone... had touched the outer edge of the protective seal.

Adeline swiftly pulled a small blade from her belt and handed it to Elara.

“It won’t do much, but it’s better than nothing,” she said. “You know how to use it, right?”

Elara nodded slowly, though inside, she wasn’t sure. She’d only trained once—with Lucien. But now, she didn’t have the luxury of doubt. If the seal truly broke, there was only one path left: fight.

Outside, a strange sound whispered through the walls. Like claws dragging across wood—long, slow, and enough to make your skin crawl. The first seal pulsed. Then the second... until a loud, bone-shaking thud rang out as something hit the house from the outside.

“They’re trying to smash through the barrier,” Adeline growled. “Those low-level scum are being sent to die, just to break through our defenses.”

Elara stepped beside her, eyes locked on the door. “If they get in, can we hold them off?”

“If it’s just the low-level ones, we can take them,” Adeline said, loading a small bow with silver-tipped poison arrows. “But if Kael or Evelyn show up… that’s a different fight.”

Suddenly, a high-pitched cracking sound echoed from above. Like shattering glass—but there was no glass there.

Adeline looked up. “The seal on the roof…”

Then a soft, chilling laugh filled the house. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It wasn’t human. It was the kind of laugh that knew victory was close.

Elara whispered, “Did they get in?”

Before Adeline could answer, a long shadow slithered through the cracks in the wall like living smoke. Then a figure launched itself from the darkness, slamming into the inner barrier. It bounced off, but left a glowing red fracture in the shield.

Adeline hurled a vial at the creature. A small burst of fire exploded on contact, making it shriek and retreat into the fog.

“Raw vampire repellent,” Adeline said flatly. “Won’t kill them, but it’ll sting like hell.”

But they kept coming. From every gap came strange noises—growling, snarling, whispering. The low-level vampires weren’t organized soldiers, but they were Gabriel’s favorite weapon: ruthless, mindless, and hungry.

“Elara,” Adeline said, turning to her. “You see that table in the corner?”

Elara followed her gaze.

“If I fall, grab the dark red vial and throw it into the center of the room. It’ll burn everything. Including us.”

Elara hesitated.

“But,”

Adeline’s eyes sharpened. “It’s better than letting them take you alive.”