She gently stroked the love mark the vampire had left on her neck. That area where the vampire's fangs had penetrated several times and where, hopefully, they would continue to do so for a long time to come. That singular scar would never disappear and would continue to accompany her.

It was a clear and obvious sign that represented part of the relationship between her and the vampire. It should have been a sign of violence, a legacy of an unscrupulous monster. But for her it meant something quite different, it was their union and, however perverse it might seem, their love.

She took a certain pleasure in looking at her neck disfigured by those marks; she had learned to live with their image, also because it inevitably recalled those moments of extreme intimacy with the vampire. The memory of the vampire's hand caressing her body was still vivid. She smiled.

She knew that it must be very difficult for Ferid to limit himself to this, but he restrained himself and behaved like a perfect gentleman. She was pretty sure that was something very rare to find in men, although in those days such issues were not the only focus. A lot had changed since the Apocalypse, although life seemed almost normal within the defensive walls. But that was only the appearance because those walls hid the darkest secrets.

Probably too many people did not realise how dangerous it was to follow the army's instructions. The world had become a struggle for survival and supremacy. And maybe Ferid had a point; humans could play a lot dirtier than vampires.

"We'll have to make sure Krul never comes to bother you again." Yurika sighed. "Do you have any ideas about that, too?" "Of course. I'll never part with you. Simple as that." The girl noted that there was no mocking tone in his voice. He was serious. She sighed.

"I don't think it's as simple as you claim. You've told me several times that a war between humans and vampires is on the horizon, a real war. While you said the last mission was an almost inconsequential matter in comparison. You will definitely have to take part in it, you won't be able to refuse." "I never said I won't fight. I am a vampire, my dear. I need some strong adrenaline rush."

"You see, then you won't be able to be around me all the time." "I thought you might come to the same conclusion I did." The girl shifted her gaze to the vampire, remaining silent.

"When my presence is required in the field you will come with me. Very simple."

"You're joking I hope."

"Absolutely not. You will come with me."

The vampire's tone hardened as if to emphasise that he would not allow a reply on the matter.

"Wouldn't that be riskier?"

"Would you rather have another visit from Krul? You know, I doubt she could be so benevolent a second time."

"Because taking me as a human to fight among vampires is a safe move."

"No one would twist a hair on your head."

"I don't..."

"Yurika I've already explained this to you. Only Krul is stronger than me, the other vampires are of a significantly lower level, the other nobles of the country are not directly involved in the moves for now. Not yet. I will make it clear that no one is to try to even approach you. Unless they wish for a slow and painful death."

The girl shuddered. "You don't have to kill anyone because of me."

Ferid sighed. "Actually, it's not just that I'm worried about..." He whispered faintly. "If I come to the battlefield I might find myself forced to fight. If that happens my opponents will be humans." Her voice cracked. "What if I'm up against someone I know? How could I even think about fighting?"

"You won't have to fight Yurika. I'm not asking you to. No one's asking you to." "Maybe someone would attack me if I showed up at your side." "You won't have to be in the middle of the battle, Yurika, don't worry. We will study a way to avoid unpleasant scenarios. Rest assured. Believe me, though. I'd rather have you by my side, in my sights, even if it means taking you into serious combat. It would make me more comfortable. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was necessary. I realise it means asking a lot of you." The girl sighed.

"I will accept the possible consequences. After all, I'm the one who agreed to live with you. It was obvious that it would lead to consequences."

The vampire noticed a note of sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry. I cause you more trouble than anything."

Those words struck the girl. She stood up and reached for the vampire, taking his hands between hers.

"You don't have to say those things. It's not true that you only cause me problems. Yes, we have and are running into complications, but believe me when I tell you that I have never been as happy as I am now. All this is thanks to you. You may cause me problems, but my happiness with you is priceless. So if having a romantic adventure with a vampire means facing a war, I'm afraid I have to take part in it. Maybe this is definitely better in Krul." Ferid leaned over and kissed her.

It was incredible to think about all this. The idea of taking the girl he loved out into the open did not excite him at all, he had thought about it all night before discussing it with his beloved, but it had turned out to be the only possible option. At least the safest. As of now his goal was to keep her away from the vampire, the rest he was convinced would prove easier to handle.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips. "I know, I love you too." Yurika replied while keeping her eyes closed. "We should put a lot of effort into training so that, if need be, you will arrive on the field fully prepared!" "Alright Ferid, but please. Let's not talk about it anymore for now."

The vampire had sensed that the topic was supposed to make Yurika suffer, yet he still couldn't figure out to what extent. Several times he had sensed pain when the girl mentioned her past. The one he had stolen from her. He thought back to what he had told her the day before. Did she think that the people she knew might have gone so far as to sell her, to give her to a monster in exchange for some paltry piece of information?

How could anyone get a person to feel that? Humans who thought they were the saviors of the world, considering vampires to be heartless monsters. Yet those words of Yurika's were proof that they were all monsters, vampires or not.

"Yurika." Hesitantly Ferid prepared to address her. He took her face in his hands. "Why have you thought they sold you?"

The girl held her breath. She lowered her gaze. Why did Ferid need to rage by returning to the matter?

"I..." "I told you. Your friend was worried..." "Yeah, maybe it's not so strange that he worries. Underneath it all maybe he is. But, you see... I'm sure others feel very differently. I bet he's happy without seeing me. I'm finally out of his life."

She didn't look up from the ground, which prevented the vampire from seeing the tears that were about to flow. He tried to lighten the situation. "Did you leave any secret lovers down there? Should I be jealous?"

"My father." She whispered in a broken voice.

He took her in his arms and sat on the bed, holding her close.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying." She sobbed. "It's okay, it's okay. Let it out." It took a moment for the shaking of Yurika's body to cease, but tears continued to line her face.

He felt guilty for investigating the matter, she never imagined it could affect the girl so deeply. Perhaps it would have been better to wait for her to vent about the matter, just as he had done. Yurika had not forced him to talk about his past, it had been his own decision. He should not have forced her. He was about to tell her that she should not talk about it at all. But it seemed the time had come for her to put into words what she was feeling.

"As Krul said my family is a powerful family, the most powerful on Japanese soil. Being in the military comes with a lot of perks: medical care, food clothes and everything else you could want. He thinks that we in the Hiiragi family have the right to occupy the highest positions, regardless of our abilities, regardless of our desires. No one cares what you think.

I never wanted to be in the army. I didn't want to be forced to kill, even if it was vampires. I always hated it, but I was a Hiiragi, I couldn't shirk my duty. So from a young age I had to go through training. It was Kureto, my older brother who had to take care of that. He never used kind words with me. But at least he took care of me in a way.

Then Shinya also became part of the family, he was my sister Mahiru's betrothed, he was always so kind, the only one who comforted me after the exhausting training Kureto put me through. But my father never did anything for me. I didn't want to have a demonic weapon, he forced me to. Knowing the risks I could face. I was under the illusion that I would be able to win some of his affection, but nothing ever changed. The first memories I have are of him. I always wondered why he seemed so distant, why he was always so busy.

Seishiro, my other brother. He was the first to tell me how things were. I don't remember how old I was, four or five years old, but no more. I was asking Kureto to tell me about my mother because he remembered her better than anyone. Then Seishiro, perhaps tired of being asked questions, shouted at me that I should shut up and that my mother was dead because of me. I cried and told him that it wasn't true, it wasn't like that. He continued telling me that it was normal that dad hated me. I had killed her.

Kureto kicked him out, but then he was forced to confirm everything. It was my fault that mother died after giving birth to me. I thought about it all night, crying. The only thing I could think was that it was all my fault that my mother was dead and that my father didn't seem to love me. I didn't ask anyone for anything else. Especially my father, I didn't want to hear this confirmed by him.

The subject came up when as a little girl I was crying because of the hard training I had to do. He told me that if my mother had died to give birth to me, then doing her bidding was the least I could do to redeem myself. He said something similar when the demon weapon came up again. That time, too, was a stab in the chest for me. I felt so guilty all the time and kept telling myself that it was normal that he hated me, it was my fault that his wife had died. Maybe if I had been more interested in power I would have redeemed myself.

Before I was kidnapped, I saw him for the last time. He was angry because he said I had wasted my time instead of trying to defeat you. Then he yelled that if I had never been born my mother would never have died. Do you understand? He'll definitely be better off without me." She sank his face into the vampire's chest. "I can't stop crying."

Ferid gave her a kiss on the head. Now he could understand those desperate words better. Was he the monster of the situation? Under other circumstances he would have laughed. Human feelings were far removed from his being, yet he could not conceive how such a situation could arise.

How could a father come to want to hurt his daughter so badly? Yurika was just a child, how could he treat her like that? It made her even more fragile when she was subjected to that crying fit. A crying fit caused by a questionable creature. Yes, creature was a reductive term. Yurika's father was a monster.

31/08/2021