Yurika closed her eyes, enjoying the wind ruffling her hair, now used to travelling at that vampire speed.

There was no risk of her stomach betraying her by vomiting, she hadn't managed to swallow anything before her demise.

The anxiety gripped her far too much.

Clearly she was not the only one to feel it, Ferid was also suffering passively.

For once, he would not be able to vent his impulses on innocent humans.

Although his role justified him from taking an active part in the fighting, he was, after all, tasked with watching the progress of the battle.

The car stopped too soon for the girl.

"Our ride stops here."

Yurika looked around confused. She didn't seem to detect any vital signs in the immediate vicinity.

"But there's nothing."

"I preferred to stop at a good distance from what will be the centre of the battle. I wouldn't want anyone to decide to deprive me of the car."

"So the rest is on foot?"

"I'm not sadistic enough to make you walk hundreds of miles on your own two feet. I'll take you."

The girl shook her head.

Shortly afterwards, the scene before her eyes caused in her a strong sense of alienation.

She saw vampires hurling themselves at innocent humans to drink their blood.

While she stood by and watched helplessly.

It was all so unnatural, so wrong.

She had always hated using her sword to kill, even if it was vampires. But now things were different.

Standing by helplessly and watching made her feel wrong, so damn wrong.

Most of them were civilians and she would have once defended them without hesitation against vampires.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes as the screams continued to echo through her mind.

Ferid shifted his gaze from the battle to Mika. He too watched silently.

He turned to Yurika, who was also silent. She had her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

Seeing her in that state was part of his punishment for being a sadistic monster.

He deserved it.

Especially since he knew what was going to happen soon.

He was beginning to sense the presence of dear Guren and his friends in the distance.

He wasn't sure what reaction this would provoke in the girl, but even a fool could see that it would not be positive.

He felt Guren's gaze on him.

He waited a moment.

A small smile appeared on his lips, certain that he had seen who was there to keep him company.

He gave it a moment to sink in.

Then he shifted his gaze in his direction, signaling that he had been intercepted.

Guren began to search for the filthy creature; he had much to discuss with him.

It didn't take him long to find him, he was on a high point watching the fight.

He wondered how long it would take him to realise he was being watched.

When he saw him smiling, he thought it was a signal to let him know he had been intercepted, until out of the corner of his eye he was drawn to something else.

He almost lost his grip on the binoculars, so great was his surprise.

He looked away briefly and stared at the figure again.

It was Yurika. He was certain of it. He had no idea how that could be possible, but there was no doubt.

It was her.

What was she doing there?

He shuddered.

She was wearing a white uniform, which could only mean one thing.

He had transformed her.

For a moment he struggled to contain the anger that was taking hold of him. If the girl had become a vampire, then there was no hope.

But Guren was prevaricating too much in his observation and it was soon noticed.

"Guren, have you located the enemy?" the man swallowed dryly before answering. "Yes, I have located the one who directs the ranks of the game." He replied evasively, unsure of what to make of Yurika. Yet despite Shigure's call to reality he continued to stare at the two in the distance.

"I think we've been spotted!" Ferid announced in a joking tone, well aware that his two companions were in no mood to hear his sad jokes on this occasion.

On the one hand, the queen's taciturn and grumpy favourite, Mikaela Hyakuya, was observing the action with little interest. On the other, the fragile creature he had brought with her. Any vampire would have been able to sense the anxiety that oozed from her body, a valid reason for him to avoid taking part in the battle, it was not his intention to leave her alone. But it was now, with the arrival of the humans, that the most difficult battle would take place.

The words he had just spoken had brought about a drastic change in the girl. It was obvious that she feared what they both knew would inevitably happen. For once he felt cornered. Perhaps he had asked too much of Yurika. He saw her turn, probably looking for some familiar face, but she was too far away to catch a glimpse of what he had managed to notice.

He would not have given her any clues as to who was waiting for her in the distance. Yet confronting Yurika at that moment seemed like something too much even for him, at the very least he would have preferred Mika to get away from them. He didn't want him of all people to see him worrying about the girl, he had to try and maintain some sort of demeanour, however little he had left. Luckily for him the other vampire bore little of his presence, he would only have to continue with his remarks to get the desired effect.

In fact, shortly afterwards, he saw him haughtily advancing on the battlefield. He should have learned to be less haughty; he was curious to see how he would act later.

"Who spotted us earlier?" Yurika asked hesitantly. Here was the question Ferid had been expecting ever since. "It took you long enough before you decided to ask." The sentence sounded much more sarcastic than it should have, which prompted the girl to return to her restless, silent observation.

"As long as I don't see people I know die it all seems easier to digest..." The vampire then approached her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Yurika unconsciously went along with the vampire's gesture, resting her head on his chest, for a moment heedless of the world around them, as if they had never moved from home, as if nothing was immutable. She knew that wasn't the case, knew how every word the vampire spoke was weighted within a greater plan.

Being spotted was not just any human, she was sure of that. It was a veiled warning aimed at her, to prepare her before revealing the facts. Someone who would have to deal with her directly was about to enter the picture. The only question was who. Given the situation, it seemed rather unlikely that it would be some bigwig, but then again, never say never. The most plausible option seemed likely to be Guren and his team. She snuggled closer to the vampire. Was she ready for that dreaded confrontation?

Assuming there could be time for serious confrontation, assuming she was allowed to speak, explain herself. "They're coming," Ferid's sharp voice halted her train of thought. "Your big guns." Yurika caught a glimpse of the people she had last fought with in the distance. She felt tears welling up, but struggled to hold them back. "You could have been with them!" "Guren..." She whispered as she recognised the man. Ferid shifted his gaze to her, her eyes wide, fixed on the human she hadn't seen in so long. He squeezed her arm with his hand. "Don't move." His words almost reduced to a snarl, but she was perfectly still, the only thing breaking that stillness were the frantic beats of her heart.

"Is that..." Norito was the first of the group to recognise the girl in the distance. The others immediately began to comment as well, especially the obvious change in Yurika. The loose hair wasn't a problem, but that white uniform was. There was only one recurring thought among them: the girl was a vampire, but Guren didn't interfere in that discussion, while Ferid's words from their last meeting echoed in his mind.

She's fine.

He couldn't hear what the two of them were saying to each other, but he could clearly see the vampire pinning her in place, as if he didn't want her to move. The urge to rip the creep's head off increased exponentially, but it wasn't by fighting randomly without a strategy that she'd get anywhere.

"We stick to the plan." He reiterated sharply, but he himself feared he might not be able to keep his promise. He wanted to fix Ferid and have a chance to talk to Yurika, but he could clearly see the presence of other obstacles separating him from his goal. A blond vampire seemed intent on getting in his way.

Yurika was still dazed by the torrent of emotions that had seized her upon seeing the others again, but she tried to pull herself together. "Ferid..." "I certainly can't stop Mika from attacking them." The girl tried to wriggle out of the vampire's grasp. "No, it's not that. You're hurting my arm." The vampire lowered his gaze on her, releasing her from his grip. "Sorry." Yurika rubbed where the vampire's hand had gripped too fiercely.

She had a flashback to the time the vampire's hands had left bruises on her skin. She shuddered, remembering how easy it would be for him to destroy her. A momentary silence fell between the two of them, both of them busy following the fight.

"He is so haughty and full of himself that he thinks he is invincible, he has not perceived the plot your friends have concocted." "I doubt they can beat him." "How pessimistic you are. If I leave Mika alone he might have some problems. I'll have to help him." "What?" Yurika's voice squeaked.

The vampire smiled, he couldn't deny that he took some pleasure in noticing her desperation. Did she really think he would be able to hurt her enough to kill those people?

"I will be merciful, my sheep. And fast!"

Before the girl could repeat anything Ferid had already launched himself into the attack, managing to parry a blow from Guren directed at Mika. "You owe me." He whispered as he sent the man flying. Yurika watched the scene petrified.

"Clement." She whispered, well aware that Ferid would hear her. In response, the vampire gave her a dirty look.

"What did you do to her?" Guren growled as he tried to get closer to Ferid despite being aware of the gap in strength between the two. "Nothing, in fact. As you can see for yourself, the girl is fit as a fiddle." "You made her one of you, like..." Ferid's laughter rang through the air. "Yurika, darling, come closer. We have an unfortunate misunderstanding to resolve."

Yurika felt the blood run cold in her veins at such a request. For a moment, she wondered what unhealthy game he was playing. Evidently his tendency towards sadism could not be completely eliminated, even for her.

She swallowed and advanced towards the climax of the scene. She stopped a step away from Ferid, from where she could see more clearly the pitiful condition Guren was in. Once it could have been her in that condition. The girl found herself thinking with a certain nostalgic feeling. She looked at the man's astonished gaze and took courage.

"Ferid is telling the truth. I am not a vampire."

Yurika was proof that the monster was telling the truth. Her eyes were still brown. Her skin made rosy with body heat. She was still human. So what meaning could this possibly have? Why was she wearing that white uniform, but more importantly, why was she in battle alongside the vampire?

It wasn't just Guren who was asking these questions, but all the members of the team. They could not understand the logical pattern behind such circumstances.

Or rather.

Guren was beginning to see a possible solution to the dilemma, but he refused to believe that such an eventuality was conceivable. It was unnatural, absolutely unnatural.

09/09/2021

From now on I'll publish a new chapter every Saturday!