Afraid

December 11th, 2212 — 11:11 a.m.

Admiring the murals around her, thirteen-year-old Shirotsuki Gin, guided by her mother, explored an ancient sanctuary of the guardian wolves—a place of faith where the ancestors of the clan were honored, their souls now part of the pack of spirits devoted to guiding their descendants along the path of honor.

The place had seen better days during the old era of sorcery; nowadays, it was nothing more than forgotten ruins, remnants of a lost glory.

The story of the ancestors was told through beautiful illustrations that covered the entire surface of the cylindrical hallway she now walked through. However, she could only recognize certain fragments of it: the birth of the first Jinrou of the clan, Shirotsuki Yoru, who received the wolf from the Red Lady; the hunt of the twelve witches of France in the 17th century; and the crusade of the cursed crown, which ended with all magic being sealed away by those once known as the last sorcerers.

At the end of the tunnel was a vast room filled with ancient objects confined in dusty display cases, old paintings lacking maintenance, and stone and marble statues. A shelf of books and yellowed paper scrolls made it look like some kind of museum.

“What is this place, Mother?” Gin asked.

“A trophy room.”

“Trophies?”

“Treasures belonging to the clan’s greatest enemies, claimed by your ancestors as prizes for their feats in battle, then passed down from generation to generation as family relics that symbolize the clan’s glory.”

“Amazing!” Gin exclaimed, delighted to have, for the first time, a true encounter with her clan’s past that went beyond mere reading. “And why are they here, rotting away in solitude?” she asked as she spun around, taking in the entire room.

“Supposedly guarding the world from the dark truth… or at least that’s what they believed at the time. But it was all nonsense.” Her mother’s expression darkened as she turned around and lowered her head, letting out a deep sigh. “Forgetting is never the answer.”

“And why are we here?”

“Follow me,” her mother ordered, cutting off Gin, who had started taking pictures of the relics. “I’ll show you.”

The two continued walking until they came upon a wall where four pennants hung. Each bore scars that told of violent pasts, wrapped in an enigma the young wolf was not entirely sure she wished to unravel—black stains of blood splattered centuries ago, claw-torn fabric, and burn marks along the edges.

“Mother…?”

“It’s time you learned of our greatest enemies.”

“You mean the vampires? I heard they’re supposed to be evil, but… then why are humans allying with them?”

“Because they’ve forgotten. But you, who have inherited the wolf, cannot afford to be ignorant of the truth.”

“What truth?”

“That monsters are real, and none are worse than vampires. You cannot trust them, negotiate with them, or threaten them, for their sole purpose is to kill and spread misery in their wicked crusade to plunge the world into darkness.” With a gesture, Gin’s mother pointed at the four pieces of hanging cloth. “These banners belong to the vampire royalty: four emblems, four families—Grando, Dracula, Ruthven, and Karnstein. Four spirit animals represented as golden silhouettes framed by a great red circle: a mosquito, a bat, a leech, and a tick.”

“I thought vampires were like… the undead. Brainless and unable to feel anything. I didn’t know they could be so organized,” Gin said, then continued, “Or that they could have families. Does that mean they can feel things? Like… love?”

Her mother laughed.

“For them, ‘family’ is just an empty word for an institution, devoid of concepts such as love or affection between its members.”

“That doesn’t sound so different from our clan,” Gin thought, though she did not dare speak the words aloud.

“So… vampires can’t feel anything? Are they like robots?”

“They were once human, but they received a curse that condemned them to eternal life and an eternal thirst for blood. The only things they can feel are misery, and the pleasure of making others miserable.”

“So they’re cursed like us?” Gin asked.

“No!” her mother growled, offended. “The wolf is a burden we chose to bear in order to defend the world from the horrors that lurk in the shadows.”

“I didn’t choose it,” Gin told herself silently.

“Mother, will we ever be free of this curse?”

“When magic dies.” Her mother turned and fixed her gaze on her daughter’s bleak eyes. “When someone makes it disappear forever. And perhaps… that someone could be you.”

“Yes…” The young wolf’s pupils dilated slightly as a spark of ambition ignited. “I’ll do it!”

October 26th, 2221 — 12:01 p.m.

Nine years after that visit to the trophy room, Shirotsuki Gin’s eyes once again beheld the emblem of the Dracula family: the silhouette of a golden bat with its wings spread, encased in a red circle—a red moon. This time it was tattooed on the pale chest of a vampire. But not just any vampire: one of the Tiran race, the most powerful and the most similar in appearance to humans. At first glance he looked like an ordinary man—blue eyes, a pointed nose. The most telling trait that would expose him as a vampire was his large, pointed ears, shaped like bat wings. However, they were concealed beneath a long, silky mane of black hair that fell past his neck and shoulders.

The emblem on his chest, along with his features, revealed him as someone belonging to royalty. And it wasn’t hard to guess who he was: the media and social networks had gone up in flames after the news of the escape of the youngest son of the widow Elisabeta Dracula.

“Marius V Dracula,” Gin said, plunging her companions into an internal panic that only intensified when the pale man released his powerful Vitagia, its supernatural pressure strong enough to knock out any non-sorcerer human with ease. Fortunately, the members of Squadron 3 possessed enough resistance to endure it, though it didn’t stop the dizziness or the goosebumps crawling over their skin.

“Bingo!” the vampire celebrated sarcastically, quietly clapping his hands. “And who might you be… puppy?”

“My name is Shirotsuki Gin.”

Marius burst into laughter.

“Did I say something funny?” Gin asked with a low growl. “Does my name amuse you?”

“Not at all! It’s just that it seems my family isn’t the only one fond of recycling names. How many Gins are there now? Four?” Every couple of words came with a malicious giggle.

“Easy to get lost, I suppose. We don’t have a number attached to our name. Tell me—what does it feel like to be the fifth one carrying the memory of a loser?”

“I don’t know, you tell me… Shirotsuki Gin,” he said, stretching each syllable.

“My great-great-grandfather drove your father and his unholy bloodline back into the shadows where they belong! Where exactly do you see failure?”

“I see it right here, right now,” he replied, leaning dangerously close to her face. “Can you feel it? This cold breath? The life emanating from me? The Jinrou fought and died, but never managed to exterminate us. And in their cowardice, they chose exile as their last resort. And what good did it do? Nothing! We have returned… and we will reclaim what belongs to us!” The euphoric vampire exclaimed letting out his long and sharp claws from his fingertips.

“Stop!” Miyamoto Nori exclaimed, removing his ceremonial robe and bowing. “Forgive our captain, Lord Dracula. Squadron 3 of the Defense Service Against Malevolent Supernatural Entities welcomes you. May we ask what brings you to Tokyo?”

“Well, well,” the young vampire said with a twisted smile, retracting his claws as his bloodlust receded, “what a polite young man. Unfortunately, I can’t share the details of my business here. I assure you, it’s not something short-term. You’ll have future opportunities to find me.”

“I see. In that case, conflict is unnecessary. We should take our lea—”

“What the hell are you doing, idiot?!” the captain barked.

“What you should be doing instead of letting your clan’s prejudice drive you to start a pointless fight,” Nori retorted, eyeing the furious Gin with disapproval. “Remember, the Dracula family is an ally of humanity.”

Article 18 of the Night Knight regulations stated that if an enemy proved impossible to defeat but was willing to communicate, the squad must negotiate in a way that prioritized the integrity of the mission (in this case, locating the vampires and capturing them dead or alive), while avoiding casualties among both civilians and squad members.

They had not only found the vampires—they had determined their race, obtained a corpse for analysis, and though they hadn’t been able to eliminate or capture all of them, they had secured valuable information, including the identity of their leader, the involvement of the Dark Brotherhood, and a possible operation—likely a terrorist attack—taking place in Shibuya. To Nori, this was more than enough to consider the mission a success.

“Not even General Natori or any Night Knight would dare question us fleeing from a fight we simply cannot win. Don’t be reckless, Captain!” Nori thought, nearly panicking, fearing the team leader would make another of her usual impulsive decisions. Being a Jinrou burdened with the wolf’s curse, her urge to eradicate Dracula blood was surely clouding her judgment.

“Nori, this man is wanted by the government of the Shadow Kingdom—including his own family—for committing acts of terrorism. He has lost all noble privileges and can be tried by Heros like any damned Shedo.”

“Even so…” Nori swallowed nervously. “Attacking a member of a royal vampire family will have severe consequences.”

“Damn it, kid!” Gi Kaito exploded. “We’re Night Knights! It’s our duty to arrest him!” he declared firmly, tired of Nori’s cowardice and Gin’s rashness.

The old man didn’t want to neglect his duty, but he knew this enemy would not be easy to defeat. Still, he had to try.

“Have you lost your mind, old man?!” Nori shouted, pulling him back by his robe. “Do you want to be the one responsible for turning the Draculas against Heros?!”

Kaito knew Nori was partly right. They were in a delicate political situation with the Shadow Kingdom, and terrorist or not, Marius was a prince. They needed to arrest him properly.

“Both of you, stop spouting nonsense! We’re not negotiating with a terrorist, and we’re not playing island trying to arrest him either!” Gin unleashed her Vitagia, blazing like the sun, raising the temperature of the entire place and making her squad sweat. “You don’t tempt fate fighting a damn Tiran. If you get a chance, you finish him. And trust me—he won’t easily give us one. Put all that garbage aside and tear this bastard to pieces!”

“Killing him could damage relations between our species even more than they already are!” Kaito warned. “Is that what you want?!”

“It was a mistake from the start for humans to make pacts with monsters!” Gin condemned, her murderous intent reflected in her Vitagia. “They’re not our friends—they’re abominations that must be erased from this world!” She planted her burning gaze on Marius, determined to act, ignoring the warnings of her companions.

“No, we must negotiate!” Nori insisted. “We stand no chance against a Tiran, even all of us together!”

“You should listen to your companions. They’re smarter than you.”

“Shut your mouth, monster!”

“Don’t do it, Captain!” Kaito begged.

“Do you want to get us killed?!” Nori shouted.

Panic swept through Gin’s companions—especially Akiko, who didn’t dare utter a single word. The odds of surviving a battle against the most powerful lineage of vampire nobility bordered on impossible, even for veterans. And on top of that, the Tiran was accompanied by two Canus who, true to their nature, would defend anyone of Dracula blood to the death.

Nichihara Sun, still concealed under his camouflage mantle, remained watching the enemy, waiting for explicit signs of hostility. He was fully aware of the immense gap between his magical abilities and the overwhelming natural power of a Tiran. He supported Kaito’s proposal—shared by the rest of the team—but he knew the ferocity of the lone wolf was uncontrollable. He had to be prepared to take action, especially to protect Akiko.

“As I said, there’s no reason for us to fight,” Marius declared. “I’m already exposed; killing you won’t change that. Leave me be so I can retreat. I’ll even leave one of my pets as compensation, and—”

“No!” Gin interrupted. “I’m not letting you escape!”

“Then you’d prefer I kill your companions? Because I assure you, I’ll finish them off before you, so you can witness the hatred in their eyes before the light fades from them.”
“Captain, please!” Akiko finally spoke—but not to persuade her to give up. “Don’t let this idiot fool you!”

Her captain and companions were stunned to hear her speak up.

Akiko continued:

“He knows he’s weak from the lack of blood. He knows we’re a threat to him. Why else would he try to avoid fighting? It’s not just improper for a Tiran—it’s insane. We’re the only source of blood within his reach after days trapped in Underskin. He shouldn’t be letting us go, yet he is… because he’s afraid of us!”

Marius burst into a furious laugh, veins bulging blue across his forehead, froth beginning to drip from his mouth.

“Afraid…? Afraid?!” His laughter twisted into groans and growls. “A Dracula, afraid of pathetic humans like you?!”

He extended one arm, and the same purple substance from which the vampires had manifested began to flow from his palm. It arched, solidifying as it turned silver, until it fully transformed into a weapon—a slender, curved-bladed sword.

“Don’t you dare joke about such nonsense!” the enraged vampire roared. “For your arrogance, you’ll now abide by my demand. I’ll let all of you leave—except one, who will satisfy my thirst and that of my subordinates. You’re free to choose, but I believe that little girl would be the ideal candidate.” He eyed trembling Akiko with disturbing appetite, licking his lips. “Let her pay with her life for her insolence.”

“Bastard!” Sun shouted before driving his blade through Marius from back to chest, freezing everyone present—they had not even seen it coming. “Die!”

Sun had used his stalking ability, “Sigilo,” which he had mastered during a conflict between Heros and a witch cult in Tijuana two years ago, allowing him to relocate to a predetermined position at a speed faster than the target’s thoughts, preventing Marius from predicting the attack through mind reading.

The move was both ingenious and reckless. For an instant, Gin felt a spark of admiration for her companion—but that feeling drowned beneath a flood of other emotions, fractals of a torrent of panic that pushed her to run toward him, intent on protecting him from what was certain to come. Sun knew it too, and he extended his arm, reaching toward the refuge behind the lone wolf’s strength. But just as his fingers were about to brush against hers, the blade of Marius’s sword sliced effortlessly through Sun’s armpit, severing his arm from his body.