Bab 49: Ch 49:- Questioning
(This part is written to give a general idea of what is going on with the other group.)
Meanwhile, Peter, who had escaped from the dorm room by jumping through the window in order not to hurt Layla, was walking through the forest. He was no longer limping as his legs were now fully healed. However, the pain in his stomach still hadn't disappeared. It was a strange feeling. Peter's mind was all there. It was him, and he could control his body, but all he could think about was eating raw human flesh. He kept thinking about how delicious Earl had tasted.
Not wanting to hurt any of his friends, he tried to go as far away from the school as possible. Before he realized it, he had ended up in the park forest once again. "Am I going to die if I don't find anything? Err, anyone..." he muttered to himself.
He slowly made his way through the woods until he eventually reached a pathway that went around the outskirts of the woods and park. Eventually, it had an entrance and an exit, one leading to the city and the other leading back to the direction of the school. It was late at night, and not many people would be walking through the park to head to the center of the city, as all the shops would be closed by now. The only things still open were convenience stores that were stationed just a little bit before the park. "Should I head to the convenience store? Maybe I can find someone and follow them back, pull them into the woods," Peter pondered.
Just as he was thinking of going through with his own suggestion, he spotted someone walking down the path. His body wanted to lunge out at the person, but Peter tried to fight against it, staying in the woods.
Suddenly, the person stopped and stood still. "I can feel your bloodlust from here," the boy said. "Come out, you ghoul, and tell me where the hell your master is."
The boy's eyes glowed red in the dark as he stared right into Peter's eyes. Peter's senses were all over the place. He couldn't even tell what was in front of him; everything just seemed on high alert, and his vision was quite blurry. While the smells all around him were overwhelming, the grass underneath his feet, the wood sap from the trees, it was hard to keep them all separate in his mind. In the end, the only thing he could concentrate on was the human-shaped figure in front of him.
The pain had gotten the better of him, and he would now do anything to get rid of that hunger. As Fex saw the ghoul leap out from the forest, he prepared himself by getting into a fighting stance. It had leapt quite a distance from the forest and out onto the path. While it was in the air, it had stuck out all of its limbs very wide, like it was some type of beast. Then, at the right moment, Fex lifted his legs off the ground and swung it outward like a whip, hitting Peter right in the center of his body.
He went flying through the air quite a distance away until his body banged on the floor and skittered away. "Well, that should keep it down for a while," Fex said to himself.
However, nearly instantly, Peter was standing up once again. A few of his ribs had been broken in the process, but they regenerated almost instantly. Even though Peter was a ghoul, Fex was sure he had used enough force to take one out.
"Is he starved? Now, who would be stupid enough to turn someone and not have everything prepared beforehand?" Fex thought, not knowing how Peter had become a ghoul.
Peter rushed forward towards Fex again, but Fex seemed unconcerned. "I'm not into killing other people's family members," he said calmly. "If I did, it could start a civil war, and I don't want to be responsible for that."
Fex fiddled with his fingers, as if he were crafting something, although nothing was visible. As Peter approached, Fex dashed towards him and dodged Peter's swing by ducking at the right moment. He moved his hands around Peter but did not touch him.
This continued for some time, with Peter striking and Fex dodging, staying close to him and moving his hands without touching. Peter soon noticed that his movements were slowing down, first his arms and then his legs. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. He had fallen to the ground and was tangled up in some type of indestructible string.
"It's a shame," Fex commented. "If you worked for me, I could turn you into a really good puppet. You're quite strong for a ghoul. It took more strength than I thought to slow you down."
As Fex started to think of puppets, another person came into his mind, the girl who had frozen him to the wall. "Now, she would make a perfect human puppet. I wonder if she would accept."
Fex knelt down and looked at Peter, who was trying to break free from the string. Fex lifted Peter's head off the ground and looked into his eyes, casting a spell. "Suppress the hunger within yourself. Calm down."
After Fex spoke those words, Peter felt something inside his body change. The hunger was no longer as overwhelming as before, and he was beginning to regain control. He could see Fex clearly, and he noticed that Fex smelled different from other people.
"I didn't create you, so the spell won't last long," Fex explained. "Now tell me, which family do you belong to? If you're a crazed ghoul, you couldn't have been turned long ago, or you would have evolved by now. Are you even registered? Is that why you won't speak?"
Peter did not understand Fex's words, even though he understood each word individually. He had no idea what was happening.
Seeing that Peter would no longer answer, Fex let go of his head, allowing it to fall to the ground. "These damn ghouls, they're always loyal to their leader. It was a waste trying to get anything out of him," he muttered.
"Hey, you know if you don't eat something soon, you will get us caught. And you know what happens when that happens, your whole family will be punished for it," Fex said, now sitting calmly on the floor, talking to Peter. Even though Peter had just tried to attack him, he wondered why this person wasn't angry with him.
"What do you mean, my family?" Peter finally answered. "They have nothing to do with this. They're just normal shopkeepers. Keep them out of this. It was my fault that I attacked you. Just punish me."
Hearing Peter's words, Fex felt like something wasn't quite right about this whole thing. However, he didn't have long to think about it, for suddenly, out from the side, a big line of red blood was shot out. Fex didn't even notice it until the last moment, causing him to take the blow with his bare hands. He was pushed back a few feet before he could break the attack.
He wasn't wearing any beast gear on his body, and the same could be said for his hands as well. Blood was now dripping from his forearms, where the attacks had wounded him. But what was most surprising to Fex was the fact that he recognized the attack. It was a blood attack that only other vampires could use.
When he looked up, he could see what could only be described as a demon. White, hollow, menacing eyes, with a mask in a Japanese demon design covering his mouth. As Peter looked up, he didn't even recognize the figure standing in front of him.
But of course, it was Quinn in his new suit, and soon enough, as expected, a fight broke out between Quinn and Fex. As the fight continued, it looked like Quinn was on the losing end, but by some miracle, a message was sent to all other students who were still outside to return to their dorm rooms, as curfew would start within fifteen minutes. After that, Fex said something to Quinn and then suddenly disappeared as a cloud of mist formed around him.
Rayne, who had been observing the foolish fight, was quite disappointed with his brother. But he knew he couldn't get involved, as that would only reveal himself to a potential enemy. Especially when the enemy was a vampire, which meant he needed to take some precautionary measures against them. He turned his head in the direction where Fex had disappeared and jumped from the branch, soon following him until he reached his dorm room.
As Fex entered the dorm building and walked down the corridor to his room, he noticed something strange. The hallway was empty, devoid of any life. It was dark, which was not bothering him, but what was unnerving was the flickering light just beside his dorm room door. As he moved forward, a chill wind swept past him, sending shivers down his spine. He felt as though he was being watched, but when he turned around, he saw nothing but the mist slowly rolling in from the end of the hallway.
The mist grew thicker and colder with each step he took, making it hard to breathe. It felt as though a thousand icy fingers were reaching out to grab him, pulling him deeper into the darkness.
Fex's heart began to race, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He had never encountered anything like this before, and his mind raced with fear and confusion. He could hear the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway, but he could not see anyone. The mist began to swirl around him, and he felt as though he was being watched by unseen eyes.
Suddenly, the flickering light beside his door went out, leaving him in complete darkness. Fex froze but reassured himself that he was a vampire and he could see in the darkness but he was genuinely scared as he was unable to see anything. Then, he felt a cold hand touch his shoulder, causing him to jump and scream out loud. The hand was ice-cold, and he could feel the chill spreading throughout his body.
Fex realized that he was not alone, and he felt a sense of dread wash over him. He tried to run, but his legs felt like they were glued to the ground. The mist around him thickened, and he could barely see his own hands in front of his face. He felt as though he was suffocating, and his heart raced even faster.
As suddenly as it had started, the mist began to clear, and the hallway was empty once again. The flickering light came back on, illuminating the empty corridor. Fex was left standing there, panting and sweating, his heart still racing with fear. He had never experienced such terror before. The only time he had been terrified was when he was facing the other leader of the families during a heated debate. He immediately looked around himself before running to his room and slamming the door shut. At that moment, footsteps were heard, but there was no one there. Soon, a figure slowly started to fade into existence. The figure was wearing a gas mask with a bowl in his hand, which was engraved with various runes and gems, and it was burning some kind of herbs. It was none other than Rayne. He looked at the room number and engraved it into his mind before spreading some kind of white dust around for extra precaution in order to neutralize the effect of the herb or weed.
After that, he removed his gas mask, testing the air for any lingering effects, but there were none. He then turned around and started to make his way towards his dorm room. While walking, he couldn't help but think about what he had just seen. "A vampire who ran away from his home planet just to explore earth? Now that is interesting. And then there is also a vampire leader belonging to their respective families. This one was easier to see because of how close it was to his surface thought, but one thing really confused me. Why didn't I see the 10th family leader in his memories?"
(AN: For those who are wondering how he knew about them, it is because of a book he acquired at the beginning of this fanfiction. The book discusses vampire physiology, culture, politics, and the originator of their species the originals.)
What Rayne had used was an old artifact combined with a herb that was known for its hallucinogenic property to create an illusion to temporarily weaken Fex's mind so that he could peer into his mind and rummage through his memories. But he was only able to access the memory brought up by surface thought, as well as the recent event that had happened, because of his low charm as well as mental strength, which was something he needed to improve. As he went to open the door to enter, a message entered his watch.
"Rayne Talen, you are to head to Nathan's Office immediately. Judging by your location, you should be able to reach us in five minutes. If you are not here, then prepare for consequences."
"What is this about? Are they kidding me? It's already one minute past curfew time," Rayne said as he checked when the message was sent. It showed 20 seconds ago.
"But why would they need me now?" Rayne thought.
Soon enough, he reached Nathan's office and knocked on the door before he heard a shout, "Come in!"
As he entered the room, he saw Nathan pacing around with a frustrated look. Hayley and Fay were sitting tired on the sofa, and there was a beautiful female sitting with a tired look on her face. She turned to Nathan and said, "This is the last one I am doing. I am too tired to continue," to which Nathan could only nod hesitantly. Nathan motioned for Rayne to sit down opposite the female, and Rayne turned to Hayley before greeting her, "Hello, how are you?"
"What do you think, how am I?" Hayley replied.
"Well, I don't know, but you sure look beautiful even when you're tired," Rayne said.
"Well, stop with your empty flattery. But what about you? You look different," Hayley said.
"Well, may I know how I look different?" Rayne asked.
"I don't know. You just look... good. Yeah, that's it. You look good," Hayley said.
Seeing such a friendly interaction between them, Nathan and Fay could only raise their eyebrows. Nathan coughed in his hand to get both of their attention, and as they turned their heads to him, feeling satisfied by their reaction, he then said, "Now we're just here to ask you a few questions, Rayne. Simple, right?" Nathan said with a smile. "But I warn you to answer truthfully now, for our beautiful girl here can tell when you're lying or when you're telling the truth."
"Oh, what are the questions about?" Rayne asked.
The woman held out her hand for Rayne to touch it. Rayne looked at the hand before saying, "You wouldn't sue me if I touch you, right?"
"No, and just hold my hand," the girl said, frustrated.
Rayne prayed to God before activating his charm to the fullest and directing it all in the direction of this single girl. He still didn't know how it worked, as it was a very new concept to him, but it seemed to have some kind of effect on her. As soon as he grabbed her hand, she started to blush, and Rayne's comment only made her blush harder. "Hey, did you know that your hand is quite smooth and soft? What do you use?" Rayne asked, genuinely curious.
"I-I don't use anything. They're natural," she stuttered.
"Then you have some good genes there," Rayne said.
Nathan impatiently said, "Would you please start asking the question?"
Of course, all that Rayne said was just a faux except the first one. He was buying time to increase his mental defense, as his system said to him how her ability worked. It worked like a lie detector. "Did you have anything to do with the death of the student named Earl Hampton?" she asked.
"No," Rayne said.
"Did you know him?" she asked.
"Not personally," Rayne said.
And like that, the questioning went on for an hour before it finally concluded. She confirmed that all he said was true. After the questioning was finished, Rayne switched off his charm stats immediately.
"Alright, the interrogation is over, Rayne," Nathan said, somewhat disappointed. "It seems like you were innocent."
After everyone left the room, Nathan sat feeling tired after a long day of interrogating possible suspects.
As Rayne exited the room, the girl turned towards him and said, "Hey, by the way, my name is Ashley. You wouldn't mind if we meet sometime when you have time?"
"I will let you know later," Rayne replied with a smile. Upon exiting the room, he noticed Hayley waiting outside. "I need your help with something," Hayley said as she grabbed him and led him towards a completely different section of the school. They finally arrived at a dimly lit room, and Rayne felt a chill as it was freezing inside. He noticed a single corpse covered by a sheet. Hayley handed him a medical garb and gloves before saying, "I want your advice on this case. All you have to do is give me your answer on what you think happened to their body."
Rayne was in disbelief hearing her say that. "But the curfew has already started, and if I'm not in my room, wouldn't I be in trouble?" Rayne said.
"You don't have to worry about it. I will make sure you are not in trouble," Hayley said confidently.
Rayne complied with her request, and as she lifted the sheet, he was greeted by the sight of a gruesome dead body. It appeared as though someone had eaten the body out of extreme hunger or revenge. As he continued to observe it, he found two puncture holes that resembled those of a snake. However, upon closer examination, he realized that it was not a snake bite but a human bite with elongated canines like that of fangs due to the faint marking of the front teeth as well as the pacing between them. Rayne checked the other bodies before removing his gloves and lying to Hayley. "I don't know what the bite marks are. I haven't seen anything like this," he said before leaving her there and heading in the direction of his dorm room.
As he walked towards his dorm room, a million questions passed through Rayne's mind. "Did Quinn eat them? No, that can't be true. Then was it Peter who did it? I need to get to the bottom of this." As he opened his room and sat down on the chair, he looked at his computer and kept thinking about all the things that had happened. Unable to sleep, he decided to try something new. He sat down in a meditative posture and took out a basic-tier beast crystal before activating his Heaven Devouring technique to absorb the Qi energy from it. After some trial and error, he was able to effectively absorb Qi from it. He continued absorbing a considerable amount of Qi, about 50 basic-tier crystals, before starting the refining process to make it his own Qi. He then entered his soul space to check how far his Qi was from reaching the Blood Aura level, and he realized it was still considerably far. With a sigh, he exited the soul space before lying down on the bed, finally feeling tired, and drifted into a short sleep.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone