The ornate and metal outer gate opened without issue, the hinges quiet and smooth—unlike so many other vampires, who enjoyed much theatricality. Usually walking in would be accompanied by a groan, the hinge rusted and not taken care of. Not like it really needed to be cleaned per se, as it was all made out of magic. But that merely showed what kind of preference the vampire had.

It swung shut again when I finally passed through, still without a sound and making chills spread inside my stomach. Not really fright, but… it was eerie, to know how much everything was without sound here.

Because a garden stretched before me, with a main road that walked right into the castle itself, but the rest… I could see how more shrubberies, trees and grasses grew from the side of the path. They didn’t really have an end beyond reaching the very walls, a few vines even growing upward as if they wanted to take over. They sprawl, thick greeneries that didn’t have any sound. Even though there were still wind passing by, the leaves should be rustling against one another. But there wasn’t even a hum or susurration out of them.

More silence made me shiver, even though I knew why there weren’t any animals or insects living there. No matter how much they looked alive, how much these greeneries surely pretended to grow—they were all made out of magic. Not anything real, just what grew out of the vampire. A sign of their strength, as time passed and they grew denser and impenetrable.

My feet moved me a little faster, not wishing to stay in the middle of the road any longer than I needed to. I didn’t have to really run, as whoever the vampire was surely had felt my presence coming inside—well, unless they were incredibly incompetent. I didn’t think so though, as the fact no one even knew they existed out here meant they were dangerous. Smart and knew how to hide themselves.

Maybe even in the village itself? I frowned, not liking that possibility. Anything that would concern asking the villagers were a dead-end, and I didn’t think I could find a way to convince anyone to talk with me. Not until I showed up with the vampire’s head, anyway.

Even then, I would put that chance as half-and-half.

Sighing, I stopped when I finally arrived near the inner gate. The one that would allow me to go into the building. The main gate looked to be made out of expensive wood, all lacquered and dark brown from age. Metals crisscrossed the door, holding them together and ensuring that no one could try to break the woods to get in—well they still could, just way harder and that meant a fight against the vampire’s will.

No, it was always best to be invited in when possible—most vampires were too proud to not accept any sort of challenge. I looked at the knocker, made out of brass and—huh. That’s the first time I ever saw one that wasn’t some sort of animals people thought of as regal or fierce. I was sure there were even a few that would use a dragon as their motifs, and the corner of my lips lifted slightly from remembering that. As if a vampire could be anywhere close toward one of the dragons—I knew the higher ups of the church were losing their head about that one dragon to the East, who had ended up nesting in one of the precious gem mines that should be owned by Telehan.

No one dared to fight against it, and the whisper of its strengths continued to be one of the main source of gossip in the country. A few people believed they could have won but… well, they never come back, so I supposed all that did was show how much bluster people tended to do.

At least this vampire seemed to be more humble, if the beetle knocker was any indication. It was still ornate, still full of too many exaggerations and making it fancier than it should be. The beetle itself was upside down, the head looking down with its two front legs turned into the loop that I could use to knock if I wanted to get in.

The only way, unless I had some sort of stealth magic in my arsenal. I didn’t, and so this was my last chance to think anything over.

I backed away slightly, allowing me to give another look into the castle. Lifting my head up, the castle loomed over me. Not so tall that the highest parts were covered in clouds, like some of the worst vampires. High enough to hurt my neck if I kept my head up like this.

The sky was still bright—although I couldn’t exactly feel the heat of the sun right now. This place was fully the vampire’s domain after all, from when I walked through the outer gate. Now I just needed to get inside and… my heart beat too loudly in my chest as I considered what I needed to do.

Despite what I said that I had to think, that I had to consider—I knew there was only one choice for me. Ever since I accepted this mission from the church… there wasn’t any other. I walked back forward, and knocked the brass against metal, making the knocker ring.

There was a shift in the air, a heaviness that I was sure wasn’t here moments ago… just forming right before me. The pressure of observation sharpened, where prior to this it was a passive watch. I shivered, even as I kept a grin forming on my face.

Because the fact it was merely an observation, a watch… meant the vampire was either elsewhere, or sleeping. Oh, they could be awake and doing the same, of course, but that didn’t make so much sense. They would rather appear right in front of us Hunters than hiding—they might be monsters, but they weren’t cowards.

I waited a moment, the magic and will mixing and observing—before the door slowly swung open, finally giving me the access into the inside of the castle.

A shiver ran down my spine as I stepped in, this time the gate slamming itself closed behind me, the sound echoing loudly within this opulent great hall that stretched itself before me. Truly, even the humble vampires still enjoy such frivolous type of rooms. Even if they didn’t really need to take care of it, so it could be as much for aesthetics than anything else.

There was also the fact that this whole castle was made through the will of the vampire—but that didn’t mean that they fully control everything. My will shall clash against them, forcing the castle a way, even as they would fight me on it—most of the time, in the end it was merely lengthening the corridors, forcing the trip to be longer than it should.

I walked onward with a grin, putting my mind onto what I wished to seek within this castle—and that was the vampire’s thralls.

Fighting a vampire within this castle would be dangerous, even if there was a way to do so. Their thralls though? While in some ways they could be seen as an extension of the vampire themselves, that didn’t mean they weren’t their own person. So it would be easier to try to save them, if they were still humans.

I grimaced, not really wanting to think of that possibility, even if that sounded the most likely.

It had been a few weeks since the human went missing, and well… turning them into thralls would be the likeliest choice. The best choice after death.

The layout repeated itself, the same tiles and roofs and lighting fixtures—even the doors. They all turned into the same room, of some sort living room where the host would indulge a guest. It was even complete with a fireplace, its fire roaring and yet not really giving out warmth, and two couches facing one another nearby.

I immediately closed the door, moving away after the third time I saw the same thing. There wasn’t any difference, not even of the rugs beneath the chairs. A shudder passed down my spine, as I was left uncertain of what the vampire was thinking.

This sometimes happened, but… not exactly in the same way. More of the same kind of room, if the vampire wished for their guest to be acting certain ways. Guest room, bathroom, and so on. They would be offered over and over again, albeit with different motifs. Exotic, fleshy—there were so many ways for it to form, especially if the vampire got angrier or more excited.

And yet this one managed to keep everything similar, alike, as if they were mirrored and then flipped again. Almost a constant.

I clenched my fist after passing through another stair, looking at another opulent corridor with the decorative armor placed every few meters and windows that looked outside and yet the view never changed.

I stopped moving, not doing any steps and… I just breathed for a few moments. Calming my frazzled nerves, the ones that started to worry that I would end up staying here for too long, that I would never find a way out. I pushed away the hot anger that started to form in my chest, the burning that made my body ache and tensing—and slowly, with every breath I took and push out… It became easier.

Once my emotions weren’t running rampant, I settled on doing something else—and that was to focus on my own will and desire to find… the thrall, perhaps. Or maybe I should think of them as something broader, just anyone’s alive that wasn’t the vampire.

I held onto that, my will perhaps clashing against the vampire—but as I let that want, that desire to spread all over myself, I started my walk again. My footsteps weren’t any heavier than before, and yet my breathing somehow became easier with each step I did. As if a barrier had been broken, I started to see slight cracks between the corridors and stairs.

They started to change, twisting in new ways… and I knew, deep in my heart, that my path would soon let me find whoever else in this castle who was still alive. One of my hands couldn’t help but caress the gun I had holstered, before I went and reassured myself by touching my blessed dagger.

Of course, I knew I shouldn’t be incredibly hostile to the non-vampire in this castle. But the fact they still stayed here for this long… I didn’t want to guess, but the multiple possibilities meant that I might end up fighting them. So while I wouldn’t hold my weapons tight, I was ready to pull them out whenever I needed. I still had to ensure I didn’t end up too tense, so it was all a juggle of relaxing when I needed it.

I didn’t know how long, for time was a strange concept within another’s domain. But soon I nearly passed through another door—and I stopped before I could. I looked at it, an off feeling gathering in the back of my head. It would be easy to ignore it, like every other doors I had opened before. But something told me that this was the one I wanted to get in.

My blood sounded so loud in my ears, rushing as I slowly grabbed onto the door’s handle. Without further thought, I turned it. The door swung in smoothly, and I finally saw what was inside.

What caught me first was how snug the room was—the bed, slightly bigger than what was for a single person, a few comfortable couches surrounding a coffee table that was right next to a roaring fireplace, a filled in bookshelves, and even a few dressers—and those were all looked to be made out of solid wood. Good quality, even if they were all fakes that couldn’t be taken out of here. It still meant the vampire wanted this human to have something solid.

“W—what the hell? Don’t you know there’s something called privacy?” A woman’s voice cut in sharply, and my attention couldn’t help but be dragged back to the person I was looking for. Not exactly her, but she’s the only other living human here beyond the vampire and I.

She was sitting on one of the couches, a cup of drink on the table, while she had a book on her lap. She took a bookmark and placed it between the pages carefully before putting it away—and then she stood up. Not as tall as me, but her glare was sharp, digging right into myself in a way that made me want to squirm uncomfortably.

It didn’t take long before she stood right before me, and I could see how she looked like—pretty much any of the villagers, really. Dirty brown hair, slightly cropped at the end. Maybe she had cut it off by herself instead of asking anyone to do it for herself? But her eyes—they were sharp and dark, like the depths of the ocean. The corner of her mouth was turned down as she looked at me up and down, checking and categorizing what I was supposed to be into her mind.

“Are you the Hunter? The one that’s finally sent by the church after the head honcho surely spun off many tall tales?” Her voice was slightly rough, as if she hadn’t been talking for a while now.

My jaw tensed upon hearing her hostile tone, fist clenching on my side even if I tried to keep myself calm. “I have seen the data written, and not merely listening to people’s recounting.” I spoke, hiding the fact that it was the only way I even get any sort of information, as no one wanted to even tell me anything if possible. Well, beyond Tristan who let her have a place to stay, but he was also another kinda outsider to the village.

She sneered at me, the smile making her look nastier, sharper than she should. Her hands weren’t huge, but she pressed down on me—and showed that she’s stronger than she looked like. Slight muscles surely had formed all over her body as well as she kept her sight down at me.

It was rare that I hated my height, but this burned. The fact most people became taller than me was always a sore point I tried to hide, but this was so obvious, and the fact she didn’t seem like a thrall—it hurt, to have another person to be against my position again—her eyes were too alert, and she didn’t even seem to wear some sort of bandage around her neck. Anyone turned feeders tended to have a permanent puncture wound around their neck, all to allow the vampire to have easy access to their blood. The fact she didn’t have it should mean a good news, but…

The hatred was clear.

Not toward the vampire, but—everything else.

“And who wrote the data? The villagers have all the reasons to make things up, and there’s no one here that will call them out of it.” She continued on, her fingers digging into my shoulders. Sharp pain, even if they hadn’t come through my jacket.

I kept my breathing calm, even as I wished that I could push her away without hurting her. My breathing continued to be slow, and my heart beat a little faster, but not increasing so much it turned into a panic. My palm at least stayed dry, as I tried to compose myself, one of my hands going up to try gripping her wrist away from me.

“In that case, then everything’s a conspiracy to you, isn’t it?” On one hand, she wasn’t wrong too on some levels. The chief did fudge a few of the numbers to ensure that someone was sent—but those aligned up well against the actual documents. And while I hadn’t known Penelope for long, she didn’t straight me as someone who would accept changes in the documents. “Nonetheless, even if that’s true… this place is still a predator’s castle, for a monster that feeds on human and can’t be trusted to keep to themselves.”

She finally let me go when she heard that last sentence—not because I managed to wrench her away, even if I knew I could if I didn’t mind cracking her wrist—and immediately backed away from me, shaking her head. There were pity swirling in her eyes now, even if most of them were still full of anger.

A choked laugh escaped out of her, a bark instead of a continuous one. “Must be nice to have such an easy view.” Her sneer was sharper still, eyes watching the way you are acting instead of anything else. She let herself slump back down onto the chair, shaking her head at me. “You don’t understand at all—so rather than embarrass yourself, you should just go back to the village. Fuck, just go back to that church of yours, really.”

I didn’t have any plans to do that, but her recommendation made me grind my teeth together. I stepped deeper into the room, deliberately straightening my back to show myself to be a little bigger. “And that’s a sign you have been controlled by the vampire, if I’m honest.” I immediately shot back, one of my hand grasping the holy water in my jacket—I didn’t really have many blessed things to use on others, especially if I was trying to dispel mind control magics. “The church might have their issues, but they aren’t as bad as you think they are.”

And by issues, I was meaning there’s a lot. More than I expected to be able to fix even in a lifetime, but… I couldn’t help the realization that they were still the one who stood between the various monsters and humans. I had heard of cities that had been wiped away because they didn’t want to get rid of the supposedly ‘nice’ monsters.

“You should stop now—I have seen more of the world than you are.” I said sharply, continuing on with my own sneer. “What you spoke is more of wishes that can’t really come true.”

If they were, surely the church would have found them. Because that’s what they always do, right? Trying their best for humans, and if monsters could live easily with people without issue… they should want that, right? It was the best thing to do. No more need to constantly think of weapons and how to better the guns they already had, to study the scriptures and see what could be drawn out of it, to find which could fit into a spell to be weaved and used.

She shook her head, the disappointment showing up much clearer within her blue eyes—no longer were they stormy like before, but it was clouded with frustration of what I had said. “Truly, you understood nothing at all, especially about the world. I might only be a villager, never having left elsewhere… but even I knew enough to listen, and she knew better than most others.”

The way she said the pronoun, the emphasis, the almost reverent way she talked about the vampire—I could so easily say that she’s just a thrall now. That she had been so, so affected by the vampire that she no longer see humans as her ally. That a Hunter was merely here to help people, and so by extension, her as well.

“So why are you staying here then if she’s so perfect? Shouldn’t she be able to help you if she’s so powerful?” I bit out, tone sharp with rebuke. “You are more affected than you realize.”

I stopped my words almost awkwardly, realizing that telling her how affected she was might make things worse. No one enjoyed being told that anything they thought was theirs, actually was someone else implanting it within their mind—the church had to handle so many people affected by monsters, and even with people whose job was to handle this very thing… well, it was still a rough process. Weeks. Months, even. Not something that could be done in an hour or less.

She at least didn’t seem to care about how I ended my words. Her eyes had narrowed, jaw tense and clenching as she glared at me. Her hands were gripping the sofa tightly, even if she was loosening and gripping the cover.

“That’s more than what I can ask out of her—the fact she allowed me to stay is more than enough.” She whispered, the slightest tinge of hope and desperation mingling together. Whether those were because of what she said, or what she desperately didn’t want to think, I had no idea. But she soon scowled at me nonetheless. “No matter what you say, she’s the one who helps. Not the church. Not any other villagers… in fact, they were the one who drove me out.”

She smiled then, not a sweet one, but particularly nasty as her words hit me. As my eyes widened and understood, the many possibilities on why she was pushed away dawned on me.

“I had nothing, and so… rather than accepting my death, I went to find the monster. She accepts me, and wouldn’t you know it, she even told me to take my time. So nothing you’ll say will change my mind here, little Hunter.”

I gritted my teeth, wanting to find something to retort, but it’s obvious that the vampire had dug herself deep into this woman’s psyche. So much so that she’s convinced of the vampire’s benevolence. My nails dug into my palm as I clenched my fist tighter, my body a coiled spring—until I breathed out. I let go of the tension all over my body and just… shook my head.

“Fine. You can stay here for now.” I finally say out, bits of anger still filling my chest, even if I didn’t know what else I could say. “Before I leave, do you mind in telling me your name? I’m Stella.”

Her eyes never lost their alertness, watching me as if I was trapping her with that maneuver. “I’m Corina.” She said, pausing for a moment—and when I turned around, showing my back to her—was when she talked again. “I’ll be more than happy to let you go back without many more ideas… but it’s more fun if you know more.”

I stilled, turning my body back toward her slowly with a frown. “What do you mean?”

She’s grinning now, that watchfulness now mixed in with something else. A predatory look? I wasn’t sure, but it sent shivers down my spine. Her eyes were especially dark as she spoke.

“The villagers are more affected than you think—trust no one, really. And then maybe, maybe you’ll be able to stay free as part of the church you so loved, right?”

Her words hang in the air, before she stood back up and pushed me out of that room. I didn’t manage to fight, not when my mind was focused on everything she had said, the meaning and possibilities.

I looked at the door once more, wondering if I should try coming in again, demanding her to tell things clearer—but that’s probably an incredibly bad idea. The castle had felt different now, the attention toward me turning… into something else. A pressure that came down upon me, a demand that told me to either leave or reap the consequences.

Well, it wasn’t like there was something else I could do anyway. I turned back toward the corridors… and started my trek back.

Corina’s words continued to echo in my mind.