Chương 4: The Prelude (2)

[JUNE 18XX]

The summer nights on the city's streets were mellow and strangely bright. The skies were cloudless, casting moonlight that blended well with the street lamps.

Leon thought it was a nice night for a stroll; he had decided to change his clothes after the battle. Meanwhile, Olivia immediately went to the pub for a drink and to meet with Ryu.

The City of Camelot still bustled with life even in the late hours, with people going about their business. It was a city that never sleeps.

Leon's head throbbed with a familiar ache, a pain that he knew very well. With a soft sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the raised bumps of his scarred skin.

"Ah!"

A child's squeak made him stop in his tracks, his steps halting. A young girl, no older than nine or ten, had stumbled right in front of him.

Her porcelain doll fell on the cobblestone ground with a 'clink.'

Leon immediately crouched down to the ground, disregarding his headache as concern filled his silver eyes. He gently picked up the porcelain doll from the ground; it looked expensive with beautiful black hair and a matching black ruffled dress.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted," he smiled at the girl, his voice gentle and reassuring.

Leon reached to hand the porcelain doll back to the girl, only to notice a crack on its face. "Hmm," he mumbled to himself.

His brows furrowed in worry, fingers tracing over the cracked porcelain—then he cut his finger, a thin line of blood blooming on his palm. In a panic, he handed it to the girl, hiding his bleeding hand. It would heal in an instant, and that could compromise his identity.

"Be careful with the cracked porcelain," Leon masked a smile.

The young girl's eyes filled with worry as she stared at the cracked face of her doll. With a trembling hand, she accepted the doll. "It's okay, mister, I wasn't looking in front of me."

The young girl was probably a noble, based on the ornate bonnet she was wearing and the beautiful rose-pink coat that covered her dress.

"No, no, it's my fault. Is there a way I could pay for your doll?" he asked the girl, standing up from the ground, hiding his now-healed hand behind his back.

The young girl shook her head. "You don't have to, mister. I have more at home." She shook her head with a shy smile, clutching her porcelain doll.

Leon frowned but nodded his head. "Ah, well, alright," he looked around him, trying to find the young girl's parents. "Do you have your guardian with you?"

The girl blinked, and for a second, he noticed a flash of confusion on her face, but it was replaced with another smile. "Mhm! I'm waiting for them."

With a warm smile, the girl grabbed Leon's hands, locking eyes with him. "You have nice silver eyes, mister," she complimented. Her raven eyes sparkled with innocence and warmth.

Something churned in his stomach, an emotion brewing inside of him that he could not understand. His head throbbed with pain once again.

Leon pushed those thoughts away as he patted the girl's head gently. "Thank you. Take care, okay? Don't wander too far off."

He bid a quick goodbye to the young girl, walking towards the pub.

Leon did not notice the girl's eyes watching behind him, her finger trailing on the slightest trail of blood he left on the cracked porcelain.

The girl smiled, wide and manic as she placed her finger on her tongue.

"Found you~"

***

"LEON~"

Olivia wrapped an arm around his shoulders, laughing as she took a gulp of her beer. Her cheeks were already flushed, and her eyes glazed with tipsyness.

The pub was lively, filled with people enjoying their nights in a drunken stupor.

'Oh, to experience the same thing,' Leon lamented. No matter how much he tries, he could never experience the high that alcohol gives humans. It was rather disappointing.

His eyes moved to Ryu, the third member of their unit, who sat quietly beside Olivia. Leon smiled at him, leaning closer to the other man. "Ryu! I haven't seen you in a while," he hummed. "I missed you."

Ryu raised an eyebrow, the same sarcastic look in his eyes. "I wish you didn't," he retorted. Unlike Olivia, Ryu does not drink; instead, a cup of tea is on his side.

Leon made a sour face. "Boring."

It was amusing to see Ryu's eyebrows twitch at his words, visible veins popping at the side of his forehead. "Shut up. I don't put shit inside my body."

Olivia chimed in, her fingers running through Leon's ponytail. "Your body is a temple, yada, yada. Boo~" her voice slurred slightly as she took another sip of her drink.

"Olivia," Ryu warned.

Leon chuckled. "Alright, we wouldn't want to ruin that pristine body of yours, would we?" he grabbed the small glass of alcohol in front of him, taking a shot. The liquor burned down his throat; it was good.

Ryu clicked his tongue.

"So, how was the solo mission?" Olivia asked.

Ryu sipped his tea. "There was no trouble since you guys are not there to weigh me down."

Leon leaned back in his chair when Olivia pushed herself in front of him to move closer to Ryu. "Just you missed us~ We aren't around to keep things interesting," she purred, her voice dripping with honey.

Ryu's expression remained stoic, unimpressed by Olivia's words. "I don't," he said in a bland tone.

Olivia pouted as she reached to pet Ryu's short black hair. "Aw~ stop lying~"

Leon watched the playful banter between the two, amusement glinting in his eyes as he relaxed back on his chair. It was cut short by Ryu's nonchalant words. "Oh, we have a new member."

Olivia froze. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, what?" Leon echoed.

Ryu shrugged. "He's outside."

Olivia yanked Ryu's hair. "You! Hey, you should have told us earlier! How would he see us now that you left the poor newbie outside?" she scolded Ryu.

"He's a hunter, he can handle himself," Ryu shrugged, not even reacting to Olivia's actions.

Olivia glared at Ryu, her tipsy demeanor immediately being replaced by clarity. "No, idiot! I'm concerned if he can handle us."

Leon sighed; this night suddenly felt a lot longer.

***

[YEAR 18XX]

[ORDER OF THE SILVER CROSS]

[CONFIDENTIAL FILE]

[CLASSIFIED - LEVEL 8 CLEARANCE REQUIRED]

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

FULL NAME: Ryu

DATE OF BIRTH: March 12 18XX

BLOOD TYPE: [REDACTED]

AGE: 23

HEIGHT: 6'2 ft

HAIR COLOR: Purple-Black

EYE COLOR: Black

BACKGROUND:

[DATA EXPUNGED]

–––––[EXPERIMENT #0__3_2]

____A_TFI_AL__H___N___

TRAINING AND ASSIGNMENTS:

The third member of Special Unit 2; assigned as the team's close-combat specialist. Mastered all fundamentals of various martial arts and excels at most combat scenarios. Adept at blades.

Intense stamina and adaptability due to [REDACTED]

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The first member of Special Unit 2, participated in the most high-stakes missions aimed at neutralizing the vampire threats across the regions.

____WATCH SUBJECT WITH CAUTION______

[DATA EXPUNGED]