Cage

I couldn't help but ask Conall, "What sort of missions is Eden being sent to do?"

When I met her back at Nerton, I didn't know what her goal was. But she seemed like a normal girl who wanted to have fun visiting restaurants and walking around the city.

"..." Conall looked at me. "Our Winfield family is a part of a larger group formed from five families. Ours being the smallest, as Father didn't want to remarry anyone. Usually, we do work to stop humans from discovering us and plot in the background to make them worry about things that steer them away from us. I think when she first found you, her mission was to eliminate the leader of a guild that was planning illegal hunts in this area."

Leader of a guild? My face stiffened. The Redguard gang and I saw her around that time. Now that I think about it, I heard that the guy died and his head was cut off during the fire.

Did she use my attack as a way to hide her true motive? Did she help me because she felt pity for me?

I let out a sigh. But that didn't matter. The fact was, she had helped me, and for that, I was grateful.

Later at night, I was in the guest room. Still drawing the rune, today was the last part; however, the more I drew, the more my hands were shaking. I still couldn't forget about Eden as she flashed in my mind every few minutes.

I stopped drawing, leaving the last part.

"I need to talk to her."

Instead of heading to my room, I went to what I assumed was hers. I knocked multiple times, but there was no reply.

"..."

I didn't want to be seen in the middle of the night like this, so I didn't take the risk and went back to my room.

In the morning, I went to her room again, knocking three times on the door.

I stopped in front of it, just standing there. Then I saw Lilith with a broom in her hand. She looked at me and asked me, "What are you doing here, Sir Taro?"

"Lilith, do you know where Eden is?" I asked her.

Lilith didn't reply for a moment, which was unusual for her. "Follow me," she finally said.

Walking beside her, we went down the stairs. Then, after reaching the first floor, I thought we'd stop; however, we continued going down to an area I thought was the chambers that Conall took me to before.

But soon I realized it turned into a dungeon; I felt the clean stone ground turn rough and uneven. The faint sounds of the world above faded, replaced by an unwelcoming silence.

As we moved deeper inside, the torches on the walls lit up on their own. Then Lilith stopped and looked at me. "I will be leaving you."

Then she walked back, and I looked in front of me at the iron bars. Inside the dimly lit room, I saw glimpses of a red dress and long brown hair.

It was Eden; however, I didn't see her face. Her glowing eyes were the only things visible in the darkness.

"Why are you here?" She asked first, her voice weak.

"I wanted to check on you."

"And now you did. Is that all?"

I could hear it in her voice, since I haven't seen her since last night. Is she being starved by the entity?

"I wanted to ask you about your mission to kill the Redguard leader," I said, my voice echoing through the place.

Eden didn't reply.

"Did you use me?" It was a simple question.

The girl in a cage didn't reply, my bronze eyes piercing through the darkness. She stayed silent, and I stood there, not saying a word, waiting for a reply.

"It's the nature of the living." Her weak voice said, "We all use each other, gain from each other. Vampires can read people better than anyone else, and so maybe I helped you with your plan. You may call that using if you want."

I put my right hand on one of the bars, the cold air moving through my body. I only looked at her, the darkness obscuring my expression.

Eden's voice fell apart, as any words she was saying now were using all of her remaining power.

"Yes, I used you. I also made it so you can't escape the fire; it's more poetic that way, isn't it?" Eden let out a dry, mirthless laugh, though it was unclear whether she was laughing at me, herself, or the absurdity of it all.

I kept the silence going, only looking at her from behind the cage. Then, I rolled up the sleeve of my left arm, revealing the pale skin beneath.

I extended my hand to her, just like the first time we met.

Eden didn't say anything; however, she couldn't fight her instinct and started moving out of the shadow slowly. Revealing her beautiful, sad face and puffy eyes that had been crying for the whole night.

She let out her fangs and bit down on my arm, a warm, harmless bite. She said it herself; it's her nature.

She wasn't lying to me, and that's what I want the most: the truth. Even if it hurts, Eden is a kind person, whether she knows it or not.

The vampire's tears kept flowing down; it looked like she was in pain, her body full of bruises and scars.

I didn't dare to pull my hand back and just waited for her. Then, as she gained power, her expression turned confused, and without another word, she retreated back into the shadows.

I put my sleeve back down and stood up. I couldn't help but smile, not sure why. "Thank you, Eden."

After that, I pulled myself from the dungeon and returned to the well-kept mansion, my movements sluggish and slow.

I am going to get rid of the entity possessing Lord Winfield, and then I will help Eden. So she can enjoy all the food she wants in the world.

And then, I will become so strong that no one can stand against me. I will finally live a life of my own choosing.

And then I will become strong to the point that nobody would stand against me and live a life I can be happy about.

Today, the runes were done. It was a circle full of indescribable symbols that ran from the middle to the outlines. At the training ground the day after, I looked at Conall, who was training his hardest.

"I finished the runes. You can proceed with whatever you have planned." I said, sitting down on the ground, looking at the ring in my hand.

Conall stopped swinging his sword, and a small smile formed on his face as he looked down. "Taro. Thank you for everything you've done for me and Eden."

I smiled. "Why are you getting emotional about it? Aren't we friends? You said it yourself, they help each other out no matter what."

Conall's face was surprised, but the smile never left his face. a genuine smile. He extended his hand into the sky. "Today will be the day. Evil will be extinguished thanks to the hero Taro!" he let out a laugh.

"Ok, stop with that; that doesn't sound right." I laughed. "Then, how about we prepare? We can celebrate after; I need you to teach me how to activate the runes as well."

Conall nodded. "Let's go."

Then Conall started explaining how I have to put the magic energy I get from the ring into the runes. As simply as possible, pointing out its effect on the hall downstairs.

Today, I didn't eat dinner, as I was waiting in the guest room above to activate the runes. Everything I've worked for these days was for this; we have to defeat it.

I extended my hand, the ring glowing and the air around me moving rapidly. Downstairs were Lord Winfield and Conall having dinner just like planned.

The runes started glowing rapidly, and the symbols in it had started moving unnaturally like insects on a creature. The mood in the room changed, and it started glowing a dark green. I pointed all the energy that was forming to the room beneath me, hoping that Conall had planned for what would happen next.