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Chapter 10

Elda turned pale at the sight of Victor. She started to wobble, but Henry caught his mother before she fell. Victor was now a little worried himself, as Elda just referred to him as “William”, his ancestor's name. Elda soon regained her composure and walked towards Victor, still amazed at the sight of him.
“Are you...William Donovan? Or am I just seeing things in my old age...” she asked quietly.
“No ma'am. My name is Victor. William is my great ancestor.” Victor replied respectfully.
Elda smiled calmly. “You look exactly like him. Same hair, same eyes. Hard to believe that the last time I saw him was over 300 years ago...”
Victor's eyes widened in disbelief. “300 years? Wait...”
Elda looked at Victor kindly. “Do you know who I am?”
“If my father's stories are accurate,” Victor replied. “You are the woman William met long ago: Elda Sinclair.”
“You are correct.” Elda said with a little excitement. “I am surprised that his legacy carried on throughout these years.” She seemed like she was about to jump for joy. She turned and looked at the unconscious Maeve. “So what happened here?”
“Mother,” Henry replied. “This man rescued your granddaughter while she was going through Blood Withdrawal. He carried her here all the way from the park.”
Elda turned to face Victor. “Is this true? Did you save my granddaughter?”
Victor bowed respectfully. “Yes, ma'am.”
Elda smiled at him. “Then it seems that history is repeating itself...”
“Grandmother!” Ren spoke loudly. “That human is a vampire hunter! He cannot be trusted!”
Elda's face turned into a serious one. “Is what he says true, Victor?”
“It is true that I was a hunter...” Victor stated. “But when I met Maeve, I was changed by her actions, and I threw away my hunter status to the wayside.”
“He lies!” Ren yelled. “It's a lie!”
Elda walked up to Victor with a serious face. She put her hand on Victor’s chest right over his heart. She paused for a moment, then smiled. “Victor is telling the truth. I can feel it.” She turned to her family. “This man is not to be harmed. He has done us an extreme service in rescuing Maeve.” Her face turned serious. “If any mark is found on Victor that is caused by one of you, your fate will be sealed.” The family bowed in respect to her order. She then turned to Victor. “Come with me.”
They walked upstairs to Elda's room, and stepped out onto the balcony. “Victor, I would like to ask you something. Do you have feelings for my granddaughter?”
Victors face started to turn red. “Yes...I do.”
“Then that confirms my suspicions.” She held up her left hand. “On my hand is the ring that your ancestor, and my love, William made for me. It has never left my hand in over 300 years.” She then took it off and gave it to Victor. “Please, give this to my granddaughter, and continue to repeat history.”
Victor stood there in amazement. “Thank you.” he said with respect. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the ocarina from his pocket. Elda's eyes widened as she saw him hand it to her. “As you know, this was my ancestors. He would want you to have it.”
Elda smiled, then gave it back to Victor. “No, that is part of your heritage. Please keep it for me.” She paused for a moment. “But I do have one request. Do you know the song William played on it so long ago?” Victor nodded. “Will you play it for me one last time?”
Victor set it to his lips, and the solemn song once again filled the area. As he played, tears came to Elda's eyes; and for the first time in 300 years...they were tears of happiness.

It was around 3:00 when Maeve regained consciousness. She sat up and looked around, wondering where she was. Maria was sitting next to her in a chair, taking care of her sister.
“Hello sister.” Maria said softly. “How are you feeling?”
Maeve blinked her eyes a few times. “I...I'm okay. What happened to me?”
“You were unconscious due to Blood Withdrawal. Victor carried you home from the park, and placed you here on the couch. Then I gave you a treatment so you could come out of it.”
“So he made it huh... Speaking of, where is Victor?” Maeve asked.
“He is talking with Father and big brother in the study.” she replied softly.
Maeve paused for a moment. “Um...They aren't trying to kill each other are they?”
“Father is actually quite friendly to him. Ren however, does not trust him.”
“Figures... I'll go check on them.” Maeve got up and walked to the study doors. She then put her ear on the door and listened in.
“Victor,” Henry spoke. “The reason behind what I did, was that of self preservation. You see, your bloodline has many past hunters in it that were all very powerful. So I thought if I stopped your family line, then our family will stay in existence. But what I didn't see was that your family line hadn't had a hunter in it in two generations. What I did was wrong. And for that, it was right of you to want your vengeance. 'An eye for an eye, blood for blood.' Yet I am amazed that you do not want it now. You have strong resolve; resolve that does not show up in this day and age. I apologize for what I did to you and your family.” Henry then bowed in respect towards Victor.
“Thank you.” Victor replied. “I'm sure my father would rather have that apology, than me get my revenge.” He turned to face Ren. “Your wound from earlier; did it cause any permanent damage?”
“Of course not! We vampires have the gift of regeneration!” Ren said with an arrogant flair.
“Still, I apologize for injuring you in that way.” Victor said. “I no longer wish to be your enemy. Rather, I wish to be your ally.”
“Ally.” Henry said. “What do you mean, 'Ally'?”
“When my clan figures out that I have forsaken the duties of a hunter, they will surely come after me to get me back, and in the process come after your family. When they do, I want to help stop them.”
“When that day comes, we shall be ready.” Henry said.
Victor looked at the clock on the mantle. “It is getting late, so I am going to return home.” He held out his hand to Henry. “It was an honor to meet you.”
“No Victor. This time the honor is mine.” He grasped Victor's hand. Victor then turned and walked towards the door out of the study. Maeve heard him and quickly ran to the living room and sat on the couch. Maria wasn't there; she was off in the kitchen. Victor walked downstairs and headed towards the door. Before he opened it, he turned to the living room and saw Maeve sitting there. He let go of the handle and walked over to her.
“I see that the treatments were a success. Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Maeve replied. “I'm okay. Thanks for helping me back there.”
Victor started to turn red. “Yeah...no problem. I’m just glad you are safe.”
“Well don't just stand there, come here and sit with me.” Maeve said. Victor walked over to the couch and sat down next to Maeve. Maeve scooted closer to him, and smiled. “When I was starting to go under... I have this hazy memory of you telling me... that you loved me. Is that true?”
Victor paused for a moment. “Yes...it's true. I really do care for you. You changed me for the better, and I am forever grateful for that.”
Maeve started to turn red. Then Victor did something she never would have guessed he would do. He got off of the couch, and got down on one knee. He then took her hands in his. “Maeve, I would like to ask you if you would be the one to stay with me for the rest of my life. You are the only person who ever cared for me the way you do. You showed me kindness and compassion despite who I was. You showed me what true happiness was, and for that, I owe you my heart.” He pulled out Elda's ring from his pocket and held it up. Maeve's eyes widened from the shock of what she saw in his hands, as well as his next words. “Maeve, I would like to ask for your hand in marriage.”
Maeve was struck speechless by Victor's statement. It took her ten seconds before she could reply with one soft word: “...Yes.” Victor took her hand and softly and slowly placed the ring on her left ring finger. Her face was one of excitement and awe, and she trembled with emotion as he slowly rose up and got to his feet, still holding her hand. She stood up as well, and they shared a powerful kiss that stunned both of them with the amount of emotion in it. When their lips finally separated, they gazed into each other's eyes with pure love for each other; and for the first time since childhood, Victor smiled.
“It will be some time before I can marry you... I need to separate myself from the rest of the world, as well as make sure the rest of the Hunter Clan does not find me with you.” Victor said calmly. “If the clan found out what has transpired here, you and your family would be in great danger.”
“I understand...” Maeve said nervously.
“Well then,” Victor said softly. “I need to head home to rest my body. I tired myself out with my powered-up state. Please rest well.”
“Wait, I'll walk you outside.” Maeve said as she took his arm.
As they walked outside, the moonlight bathed them in a tender glow. They walked together for a bit, then faced each other and shared one last passionate kiss before Victor turned and left for home. As he left, the two of them did not notice that Elda was watching them from her balcony.
“William... If only you could have seen this... You would be proud to know what a fine man your grandchild Victor has turned out to be. Your legacy of kindness lives on through him... And your dream may finally come true...”

Chapter 9

It had been six months since that fateful evening. The police that investigated the aftermath were clueless on how all the damage happened. Some say a fighter plane created a sonic boom in that area. Others think a small earthquake created the damage. But no one can say for sure how it happened. The damage was shortly repaired, and soon everyone forgot how it happened. No one ever heard from the hunter named Eisenfaust since then. His name was soon forgotten by the people, as if he never existed...
Victor abandoned his duties, and stopped being a hunter. He gave up on everything he fought for, and decided to live out the remainder of his life as a normal human. He took up a job at a local martial arts dojo, teaching people how to defend themselves. Victor became famous at that dojo for being the master of fighting techniques and the undefeated teacher. He made an honest person's living, and he was content with his job. But to his students, he was always sad. He never smiled during his training sessions. He never showed any signs of joy or happiness; just loneliness, sadness, and repression.
Victor just finished his late night class, so everyone was getting ready to go home. The students were all late teens, some early twenties. As Victor was preparing to head into the back to change from his training gi, his two best students approached him.
“Victor-sensei, are you alright?” the female student asked him. “You look down for some reason; more-so than before.”
“I am fine, Raina.” Victor replied kindly. “You should be worried more about your training, than about me.”
“But you must know the old saying, Victor-dono.” the male student replied. “The unhappy master will make the dojo suffer.”
“You do have a point, Jaden, but you also forget: The student that suffers from the master learns nothing.” Victor replied. “You should not worry about my emotions; rather, you should worry about your own, as well as your underlings.”
“Still sensei,” Raina asked. “Is there anything we can help you with, both here in the dojo and elsewhere?”
“No Raina-kun, this is something I must deal with alone. Now you and Jaden go home and rest up for tomorrow. Remember, you have to teach the young ones tomorrow.”
“Yes, Victor-dono.” Jaden replied strongly, as if Victor's words were law.
“Be careful you two,” Victor said calmly.
“And you as well, Victor-sensei!” Raina said reassuringly. The two students bowed respectfully, and Victor did the same. They then put on their shoes, and left the dojo.
Victor took his time cleaning up the dojo and preparing it for the next day. It was around 11:00 when he finished. He changed out of his gi, and closed up the doors. It was a clear night, and nice weather, so Victor decided to take a walk. He went to the park so he could get a better view of the sky. He made it to the center, and stared at the sky.
“Incredible...” Victor thought to himself. “The sky looks wonderful tonight...Yet, tonight I don't have the same feelings as the sky. It has been six months today since...” A tear formed in his eye that soon streamed down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away. Victor was feeling an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time: intense sorrow. He tried his best to hold it in; however, one tear managed to escape. Once again, he reached into his pocket for the second closest thing to his heart: his ocarina. He set it to his lips and played the tune that long ago filled the entire park. That solemn tune that started it all...
“I think I understand now...what Father was trying to tell me. Vampires can be regular people just like everyone else. Some try to use their gifts for evil...however...some choose to hide them and live like the rest of us. It's not their fault that they are not human, but they are people just like us... I just wish I realized that sooner...”
He continued playing for a minute, until he heard something behind him. He paused to look around, but figuring it was just an animal, he lowered his ocarina and relaxed. As he looked up to the sky, he saw a shooting star.
“A shooting star...I wish...” Victor thought to himself.
As he stared up into the night sky, he lost himself in thought. This was made obvious as he did not notice a person sneaking up on him. The figure was shrouded in a crimson cloak, and wore a black gown...
“I wish... to...”
The woman's icy blue eyes made apparent that Victor was her next target.
“I wish...to be happy once again...”
The woman placed both of her hands on Victor’s shoulders, but as soon as he felt them, Victor grabbed them both and spun to face his attacker. His face of anger turned to surprise as he stared at the closest thing to his heart. His mouth opened, but only one word came out:
“Maeve...”
Her eyes snapped back to her normal shade of gray as she stared at her former love.
“Victor...what...I...” She started quivering like she did before, six months ago. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started sobbing. As she did this she tried to pull away from him, but Victor still held on to her hands.
“Please, don't go.” Victor said, trying to get her to stay.
“But...” Maeve said while still looking away. “I'm a vampire... I belong to the family that murdered yours.”
“I know you didn't do it. You were too young to even remember it, much less take part in it.”
“But Victor,” she replied. “I am a vampire! You are a hunter... we can't...”
“I am no longer a hunter...” Victor said solemnly. “I gave up my fight and my want for vengeance because I learned something. I learned that vampires are people as well as humans. Sure... some use their abilities to hurt others. But there are ones that don't want to hurt people...just like you.” Maeve was till trying to get away from Victor.
“And besides...” Victor said calmly. “...I love you.”
When Maeve heard those three simple words, she stopped trying to pull away. Instead she and Victor became closer to each other. And underneath the moonlight and the multitude of stars, history repeated itself. When they finished, Maeve pulled back from him.
“Victor...” she said shakily. “I'm going through blood withdrawal. You have to get away from me so I do not revert to instinct and attack you.”
“Blood withdrawal...” Victor said calmly. “...You need human blood to come out of it right?”
“Yes, but I need a lot of it to fully recover; and the only place that has enough is either my home, or a grown human.”
Victor was thinking hard. “What about a taste? Would that slow its effects a little?”
Maeve looked at him with a little confusion. “It might, but it would only stop it for a few minutes. Why?”
Victor pulled out a knife from his pocket and made an incision in his hand. “Maeve, I need you to tilt your head back.” When she did so, he clenched his fist to draw blood. He then let it drip into her mouth for a minute, and then applied pressure to seal the wound. “That should hold you until we get to your house.”
“What do you mean? We would never make it back to my house in time!” Just then, Maeve noticed that Victor’s eyes, for the first time in six months, turned to green. He was not angry, or enraged. He had a need for his true strength to appear. He had someone to rescue.
“Point me towards your house,” he said swiftly. “I will get you there in time.” She pointed towards the forest area, and as soon as she did, Victor picked her up and carried her in his arms. He then tore off and ran at an inhuman speed towards her home. He appeared as a streak in the night. After five minutes of heavy running, they reached her house. He blew open the door with a light shockwave and ran inside. As soon as he entered however, he was greeted by an enraged Ren Sinclair, who was investigating why the door nearly exploded.
“YOU! What are you doing with my sister?!?” he ordered.
“You are Ren Sinclair, am I correct? Your sister needs help. She told me that you had a blood reserve in case of Blood Withdrawal. She needs it desperately!” Victor said hurriedly.
“Why in Hell would I listen to you, hunter!” Ren yelled angrily. “If you do not release my sister right now, I will tear you apart!”
Victor became angry. “What do you value more: my death, or your sister's life?!?” he yelled.
Ren stuttered for a moment. “Why you!” He was about to charge Victor, when Maria, Henry and Carrera Sinclair burst in. The second he saw his daughter limp in Victor's arms, Henry became enraged.
“What are you doing with my daughter? Answer me!” Henry yelled down at Victor.
“You are the leader of this household, are you not? Your daughter is going through extreme Blood Withdrawal, and needs help! She told me that you had a blood reserve in case of emergency, and so I carried her all the way here. As her Father, you need to help her now!” Victor stressed.
Carrera got the message right away. “Ren! Go right now and get a couple packets from the reserve!” Ren paused for a moment. “NOW!” she yelled. Ren immediately obeyed, as Henry came down and helped Victor get Maeve on the couch. As soon as Ren came back, Maria administered the blood to Maeve. As Maeve recovered on the couch, Carrera approached Victor.
“Thank you for rescuing my daughter,” she said kindly. “But I must know: if you knew she was a vampire, why did you help her?”
Victor politely bowed in respect. “Because madam, your daughter has changed my life for the better. It seemed correct to save her life.”
“We owe you much for saving her,” Henry spoke. 'May I ask who you are?”
Victor lowered his head. “My name...is Victor Donovan. I am the son of Edward Donovan, whom you murdered.” As soon as Henry and Carrera heard this they backed away as a defense.
“You! You are the hunter!” Carrera spoke in fear.
“No longer.” Victor said shamefully. “I am no longer a hunter. Do not be afraid of me. I harbor no hatred towards you or your family.”
“But why did you save her? If you knew of her lineage, why did you try to help her?” Henry asked, baffled.
“As I said, your daughter has changed me for the better. She showed me that vampires are not monsters, like I was led to believe. Because of this, I corrected my killing ways and started my life over.”
“And even though I killed your family...” Henry was impressed by Victor's new resolve. “I believe I owe you an apology. I misjudged you.”
“Why should we trust him?” Ren yelled out. “This pitiful human is probably lying through his teeth!”
“What's all this noise down here! What's going on?” They all turned to see a woman standing in the entrance to the room. She looked like the mirror image of Maeve, except she looked as if she was thirty years old. It was Elda Sinclair. When he saw her, Victor stood up. As soon as he did that, Elda's eyes widened.
“It... It cannot be!” Her face looked like she saw a ghost. “Is that you...William?”

Chapter 8

Victor slept well that night. For the first time since he became a vampire hunter, he didn't have to look forward to city patrols. He did not have to contemplate if he was going to lose his life in battle. All that went through his mind was that girl, Maeve St. Clair. When he woke up the next afternoon, he almost smiled. He had a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. He spent the afternoon training; however he was not training his body like usual. This time, he was training his mind. He thought up different scenarios in his mind to try to counteract them so the night would go smoothly. He did not want anything to ruin this. When the evening rolled around, he felt his body tingle with excitement. When the clock read 9:30 PM, he decided to get ready. He did what was normally his morning routine, then got dressed. He wore his usual, since he really didn't have anything special; however he made it look better than normal. He polished his boots, shined any metal pieces that were visible, and put a lot of effort into making the ordinary extraordinary.
The clock struck 10:45 when he finished, so he put everything on and walked to the door. On the way, he grabbed the ocarina. Since it had always brought him comfort, and a little luck, he figured it would come in handy. He also grabbed his friend's sword, being aware that he should always be on his guard. When he reached the door, he opened it and stepped outside. He looked at the sky, amazed by the starlight. But in the corner of his eye he spotted something. A package was at his doorstep, addressed to him. He brought it inside and examined it. He would have saved it for later, but when he spotted the drawing of the symbol on his necklace, he immediately opened it. Inside was some sort of compass and a note:

Eisenfaust,

Here is the item you requested before you left for the city in which your enemies reside. I apologize for it taking so long to get there, but it was hard to find. Luck to you in your mission.
-Unsterblich

Victor read the note, then grabbed the compass and put it in his pocket. He then ran upstairs to where he kept his weapons and gear. He picked up a cloth that was stained deep red; the cloth that had Ren Sinclair's blood on it. He then ran downstairs and dashed out the door.
“What perfect timing!” Victor thought to himself. “With this, I can finally track down my family's murderers. This compass reacts to blood on contact. When it connects with blood, the needle points me in the direction of its owner. Plus, it points to anyone that shares that blood. I can track the entire family now. Once this is over, I can finally rest... and perhaps settle down.” He ran towards the park, eager to see the woman in his dreams.

Maeve was nervous. She had never been on an actual date before, so when she woke up, she was already sweating. She got up out of bed, and walked to the bathroom. She showered and washed her long black hair, then shaped it into the form she wanted. She was picky about every detail, so it took her an hour just to get it done. When she finally finished, she walked to her room and changed. For this evening, she selected a black gown made out of the softest silk to wear. Over it she put on a scarlet cloak with thin silver chains that criss-crossed around the front. She wanted to look perfect for tonight, so she never bothered to look at the clock, until it read 10:30.
“Oh no!” Maeve thought. “I'm going to be late!” She was done preparing, so she hurried down the stairs. Ren and Maria were sitting downstairs talking, when they saw Maeve headed towards the door.
“Wow, you seem to be in a hurry,” Ren said teasingly. “Where are you headed to looking like that?”
“I'm... just going out, that's all.” Maeve replied back. She did not want Ren to know her true intentions. “Besides, why do you care?” she spouted back quickly.
“Because I just like to know what my little sister does in her spare time.” Ren stood up and stretched. “You wouldn't happen to have a boyfriend that we don't know about would you?” he asked sarcastically.
“NO!” Maeve yelled back, embarrassed. “I just like to dress up once in a while. Anyways, see you later.” And with that, she walked out the door.
“Sister wait!” Maria yelled rapidly, but she was too late.
“What? What did you possibly want to say to her?” Ren asked.
“I...wanted to remind her,” Maria said softly, “...that her six months are up...”
“It'll be fine Maria,” Ren said calmly. “Besides, she needs to learn to bite humans sometime.” Ren sat back down, while Maria stared off into the distance.

Maeve made it to the park before Victor did, so she decided to try to relax before he showed up. She stood next to the statue and stared off into the distance.
“I wonder what's going to happen... I've never felt this way towards a human before. I hope tonight goes well. When Victor gets here...” She started to feel dizzy. “What's wrong with me...? Anyway, when... who... who was I supposed to meet?” Her vision started to blur, and she dropped down to her knees. A man was walking by, and when he saw her drop, he ran over to her.
“Hey miss! Are you alright?” he asked quickly.
“Anyone will do now...” Maeve wrapped her arms around the man, then as she bared her fangs...

Maria was clearly worried about her sister. She knew where Maeve was going, and who she was meeting. If Maeve went into blood withdrawal while the hunter was around, she could get seriously get hurt.
“Brother...” She said softly.
“Hmm? What is it Maria?” Ren replied as he was reading a book.
“I know where Sister is going...” she said quietly.
“Oh, what of it?” Ren wasn't really interested in what Maeve was doing.
“She's going to the park...”
“That's nice...” Ren spoke, not paying attention.
“...to meet the hunter.”
“WHAT!” Ren slammed the book shut and stood up quickly. “Are you sure about this?”
“She was planning to meet with him for sometime. Judging by the way she looked as she was leaving, it probably is a safe assumption.” she said quietly.
Ren burst out of the door and leaped into the air. His vampiric strength made it seem that he was flying in the sky. “That stupid girl! She's going to get herself killed!”

Victor was running late. He was so worked up about preparations that he was not paying attention to the clock. He finally made it to the park at 11:10. He ran until he was close to the statue. He slowed his pace so he could recover his breath, but his breath never came back to him when he saw in front of him a limp body lying next to the statue. He ran to the body and examined it closely.
“This man is dead...” Victor thought to himself. “The body is still warm, so he must have passed recently. No sign of trauma... Wait. What's this?” He turned over the body and looked at the man's neck. On it were two fang marks that were still open and dripping with blood. Just then he heard a noise and looked to his left. A shadowy figure was fleeing the scene and running towards the city. As he watched, his pocket started quivering. The compass his friend gave him made contact with the bloody rag, and was giving him a reading. When he pulled it out and examined it, the needle was pointing towards the figure.
“It's one of them! I must pursue!” Victor left the body and ran after the figure. As he did, he removed the sword from his coat and strapped it to his back. “Sorry, Miss St. Clair, for leaving like this; but if I don't end this now, no one will be safe!”
Victor ran at full speed towards his target. The figure ducked and weaved through the crowds and buildings, but the compass told Victor exactly where to go. As the figure ducked and weaved through the city, it turned into an alleyway; however, this proved to be a mistake, as the alleyway was soon to end. The figure stopped when it reached the wall. Victor soon caught up with his target, and drew his sword.
“Turn and face me Sinclair! Turn and meet your judgment!” Victor spoke loudly to his opponent. The figure started quivering and shaking, but did not turn.
“Face me!” he yelled again, pointing his sword towards his target. The female figure then started weeping. She then slowly turned and lowered her hood. When she did so, Victor's face turned from sheer anger, to complete sorrow.
“No...No... It... It cannot be!” The face that belonged to the vampire was Maeve's. Her beautiful gray eyes were filled with tears.
“It...It's impossible!” Victor was shaking. His hand quivered so badly that the sword he was holding fell out of his hand. It made a shrill clang as it made contact with the alley's concrete floor.
“But...how...how is this possible?” Victor said.
“Victor...I'm sorry! I...” Maeve started to say, trying to console him.
“It... This can't be happening!” He dropped to his knees and started weeping. As he did so, a deep-blue aura started to form around him. His emotions were being shown by his energy.
“Victor...” Maeve started to approach Victor to try to console him. But as she got closer, the aura grew stronger and became almost like flames around Victor.
“NO! GET AWAY!” Victor's body was erupting with pure energy. Maeve pulled back so she could protect herself. As Victor was grieving, he slammed both of his hands against the pavement. When he did, the pavement cracked under his immense strength. Maeve was now fearful for her own life as well as fearful of Victor's grief.
She tried to talk to Victor. “Victor,” she said. “Please...forgive me... I didn't want to hurt you. I...”
“LEAVE NOW!!!” Victor yelled. “GET AWAY FROM ME!!!”
“But I...” Maeve started to say.
“GO!!!”
Just then Ren jumped in front of his sister to protect her. His face was stern as well as shocked to see that much raw power. He was prepared to defend his sister at all costs. Maeve wanted to help Victor, but Victor would not let any of them get closer.
“GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!!!”
Ren looked at his sister. “We need to leave!” Maeve nodded tearfully to her brother. Ren then picked up her sister and leaped into the night sky. As she looked back, Maeve mouthed out three words to Victor. They soon disappeared into the night.
Victor's grieving was causing his energy to get out of control. He stood up and yelled into the night sky, weeping openly. A large blue shockwave erupted out of Victor that shattered all the windows within a half-mile radius. It seems that his grief knew no bounds...

Chapter 7

“I had a pretty normal childhood. I had a wonderful mother, a beautiful little sister, a kind little brother, and a loving father. We used to have a wonderful life. We had a house in a different city at the time. It wasn't big, but it was home. My mother, Irene, would always wake me up for school really early. She always said 'the early bird gets the worm' so that's why she always woke me up at the crack of dawn. The entire family would get together and have a family breakfast. Me and my brother Alfred, or Al for short, would always be first to finish eating. Afterwards my sister Elizabeth would finish, and we would all head off for school. The school we went to housed all grades, so it was easy to get there on time. I was in junior high while my brother and sister, who were twins, were in fourth grade.
After school, we would get together and walk home together. We had fun talking about our days while walking home from school. When we got home, mother would be waiting to hear about everything. After we each told her what happened, we went our separate ways. My siblings would go to their room and play, but I went somewhere else.
My backyard was pretty decent-sized, but most of it was taken up by a spacious greenhouse. In it, I would usually find my father, Edward, in there. He was a botanist, as well as a plant biologist. He would use the plants he grew to make medicines for different diseases. I would always go there to help him with his work by tending the plants. But the one thing he was famous for was his knowledge of our ancestors. Nearly every one of my male ancestors were vampire hunters, each with a rather large story behind them. He once told me of Alexander Donovan, the man who single-handedly defeated thirty vampires by himself during the 1700's. There was also Vladimir Donovan, who once liberated a village held captive by an evil vampire lord. However, he never did praise any of my ancestors for what they did; and to prove this, he told me about one of my earliest ancestors, William Donovan.
William did exactly what my father did for a living. He was an honest man, who worked hard for his living. But he was always lonely, having no one to share his life with. However, that changed when he met a woman named Elda Sinclair. She changed his life for the better, and he was determined to win her heart. They soon fell in love. After a few months, she revealed to him that she was a vampire. She was afraid that he would not love her anymore. But William told her that he did not care about what she was, but rather, he cared about who she was. They were going to be married, but his journal stopped. We think he was killed in an accident, but we aren't sure.
My father would use this story to tell me of the possibility of vampire and human co-existence. He always said that if humans and vampires could get along, the world would be a better place. But there would always be war between them, so long as they continued to be hateful to one another. I used to believe him. I wanted to be the first person to bring peace between the races, and unite the world with human-vampire co-existence. But that was never to be.”
“So what happened?” Maeve asked quietly.
“I was coming home from school one evening. It was late, so I was alone when I walked home. I was carrying with me the ocarina my father gave me the evening before. I walked in the door, but I wasn't greeted by my mother like usual. I wasn't quickly mauled by my brother and sister. Then I smelled it; that painful smell of wet iron: blood. I ran into the living room to only see them lying on the floor, dead. It was a horrific site to see. The only thing that told me that they were attacked were the marks of the vampire on their necks. I dropped to my knees and wept openly. But after a while, I realized that my father was nowhere to be found. I ran frantically through the house searching for him, but he was not in the house. The only other place I did not check was the greenhouse in back.
When I got to the greenhouse, I would not believe what my eyes were telling me. My father's blood was spread all over the greenhouse walls, and in the middle of it laid my father. He did not have his blood sucked dry. Instead, he was brutally murdered. The marks of the sword and the claw were on his body. I was so frightened that day. But as I left the greenhouse, there was a man standing a few yards away from the entrance. He wore a long coat. I thought he was the attacker, so I was terrified. But then he spoke to me, saying he was not my enemy. He told me that he was investigating the crime and looking for survivors. He then held out my father's necklace. He told me that if I wanted vengeance against my family's murderers, I should come with him. I was afraid at first, but then I went with him. It was then that I learned that he was a vampire hunter, and that if I went with him, I would fulfill my legacy as well as get vengeance for my family.”
“So that's why you tried to forget your past,” Maeve said quietly. “You've had a traumatizing thing happen to you. No person should ever have to feel that kind of pain.”
“I went with him to a place near England where vampire hunters were trained. It turns out that there was a whole clan, dedicated to eradicating the vampire menace. At first, none of the hunters accept me as one of them; but when they heard that I was the descendant of a legend among hunters, they immediately started my training. I was trained in the martial arts, swordsmanship, among others. I learned rapidly due to my will for justice, and my deep desire for vengeance. It was after I finished my training that I was told who my family's killer was.
My family was murdered by Henry Sinclair, one of the members of the infamous Sinclair family. Those from the Sinclair family have special abilities different from normal vampires. Some call it magic, others psychic force, but they have the ability to manipulate their inner energies to create fields. They can use them to hurl bolts of energy, or create a barrier to shield them from harm. They can also use it for hypnosis, telekinesis, and other techniques. I was not afraid; I believed I could handle them easily. Then they told me that no one has ever faced them and returned alive. So to combat this, they enlisted the help of scientists who specialized in genetic manipulation. They came up with a way to have humans mimic the abilities of vampires. The only thing that prevented it from becoming widespread was the fact that no one ever survived the surgery. But I was determined to defeat them no matter what the cost.
I underwent the procedure, but there were complications. My body started to reject the procedure, and I slipped into a deep coma. I was comatose for almost a month until I finally came around. It was a success. My body's own natural abilities were tripled. And over time, I had figured out how to channel my own inner energies to use the same techniques as the Sinclair family.”
“So that's how you were able to defeat the man that tried to hurt me that one evening.” Maeve replied, astonished.
“Yes, my abilities are far beyond normal humans.” Victor said calmly. “When I recovered fully, I left the hunter sanctuary. They believed I was the one who would end the vampire menace for good. They gave me a special broadsword that was coated with a special ultra-violet substance, standard for hunters from our clan to carry, and gave me the name 'Eisenfaust – The Iron Fist' to commemorate my ascension to a full-fledged hunter. As I was leaving, the hunter that found me gave me his sword as a gift. That sword was the one I had yesterday.”
“So now you want to slay your family's killers.” Maeve spoke coldly.
“I will bring my family's murderers to justice.” Victor's face was stern, his green eyes revealed his inner emotion. “Those monsters will pay for what they did. Only after I do this will my family, and myself, rest in peace.”
“What do you mean, 'yourself'?” she asked.
“The surgery to increase my abilities has most likely halved my life span. That is just one of the side effects of it.”
“I'm sorry,” Maeve said regretfully. “I did not mean to be harsh about earlier.” She paused for a moment. “What other effects does it have?”
“Whenever I start to dig into my inner strengths, my body's energy drains at double the rate. I tire quicker than normal.” Victor said.
“I noticed that your eyes change color from your normal brown to green. Is that due to the surgery as well?”
“Yes, whenever I prepare to fight, or my emotions wander, my eyes will turn an emerald green.” Victor said calmly.
“What will you do after you have gotten your revenge?” she asked coldly.
“I plan to retire. Start over and make a new life for myself. I want to perhaps find someone who cares for me, and maybe start a family.” Victor seemed to smile as he said this. “But that will probably never happen.”
“Oh, why do you say that?” Maeve said slyly.
“Who would ever believe that I am a vampire hunter? And besides, who would ever care about a guy like me...”
“I would...” she said softly. The two of them were really close to each other on the park bench. Their faces were close together, and the air between them was heavy with swirling emotions. But before anything happened, they each realized what they were doing and pulled away from each other.
“I...I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been doing that!” Maeve said quickly. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
“No...I should not have acted like that! The blame is mine.” Victor was embarrassed also, seeing that his face was red as well. They each took a minute to recollect their thoughts. As she was pulling herself together, Maeve looked at a clock on one of the far off buildings. It read 1:00.
“I need to be heading home soon. I enjoyed spending time with you. See you around.” Maeve started to leave.
“Wait, Miss St. Clair!” Victor stood up and called to her. Maeve seemed to be afraid to turn around and speak to Victor. “Yes?” she replied back.
“I was wondering... well...” Victor was at a loss for words.
“What is it? Is there something wrong?” Maeve asked.
“I would like to have the pleasure of your company tomorrow... if at all possible.”
Maeve was stunned to hear those words come out of his mouth. She was speechless. “I... I don't know what to say.” She couldn't talk.
“It's all right if you have something else planned...” Victor said.
“No, no. It's fine!” Maeve quickly replied. “I would love to join you tomorrow.”
“Can I meet you in the park center at around 11:00?” Victor asked shyly.
“Sure! I will be there!” Maeve said rapidly. “I have to go. Good night Victor.” She turned and left the park. Victor turned away and headed back towards the city.
“Maeve is a wonderful woman.” Victor thought to himself. “Once I bring my family's murderers to justice, I would like to perhaps see her more. Who knows, maybe she really would like to be with me more.” He continued his patrol of the city.
When Maeve got home, she quickly walked inside. Maria was in the hallway.
“Sister, I have to warn you that...”
Maeve walked past her and went upstairs. “Not now Maria, I have to take care of something.” She went into her room and shut the door.
“What have I done?” Maeve thought to herself. “I can't do this! I can't be with someone like him! He's a hunter; our mortal enemy on that note... Wait a minute!” Her eyes widened. “He was around me and didn't have any feelings of hate towards me. Could it be that...” She gasped quietly. “He doesn't know that I'm a vampire!” A smile developed on her face. “Maybe there is still hope; maybe I can convince him that the hunting is wrong. He seems to want to be with me, so maybe he will listen to me!” She sighed and sat on her bed. “I'll give it a shot tomorrow. And who knows; maybe it will all work out.”

Chapter 6

Maeve was upset over last night. To her, vampire hunters only existed in horror stories. They were menacing, evil humans that heartlessly kill vampires just for the sheer reason that vampires aren't human. That man, Victor Donovan, was different than that. He was kind and chivalrous; protecting people from harm. There would be no way that he could be a person like that. Yet her brother gave a testimony to her father and mother that he was a hunter from legend. What was she to believe? Her time spent with Victor told her that he was a kind man who wanted to protect. Yet her brother's grievous wounds told her otherwise...
“How could this be,” she thought to herself. “He didn't appear to be like this when I was with him... Was it all a ruse? No. He would never do that kind of thing to a woman. He has a chivalrous nature to him, it would be impossible for him to do that.”
Maeve got up from her bed and walked to the bathroom. It was after sunset, so she had to do her “morning” routine. She washed her long black hair and brushed it afterwards. She then threw on another long black gown, and walked downstairs. She went to the kitchen, where she found her sister Maria making a meal. Since her vampire powers have not awakened yet, she had to eat human food.
“Good morning, sister,” Maria said when she saw Maeve enter.
“Hey Maria,” she replied groggily. “How did you sleep?”
“I believe I slept well. You, however, did not sleep well did you?” Maria said quietly.
“Not really.” Maeve walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out what looked a glass milk bottle filled with blood. She sat at the table and poured herself a glass. Her sister sat down next to her as she took a sip.
“What is wrong, sister?” Maria asked. She seemed a little worried for her beloved sister.
“You wouldn't understand. Just grown-up stuff,” Maeve replied, depressed.
“It's about that man you met, Victor, isn't it?” she said softly.
“Wha... How did you know?” Maeve asked, shocked.
“I overheard mother and father talking about him last night. It seems that he is a vampire hunter from the legends.” Maria responded.
“So you know then,” she said quietly. “I don't believe it. How could a wonderful gentleman like Victor be like that? It can't be true... It just...”
“People can hide their true forms. We vampires walk the streets in search of a decent meal, yet we look just like the humans do to hide in their crowds. There is a possibility that Victor hid his true form from you to get close to us and hunt us down.”
“But Maria,” Maeve said. “He was a wonderful person, we talked for hours, we spent time with each other. He's...”
“He may not be the man you think he is.” Maria said coldly.
“Maria!” Maeve said angrily.
“I apologize.” she said softly. “I should not have said it like that.”
“No, no. You might be right... I'm sorry I snapped at you.” Maeve replied. She finished her glass, then got up and started to walk out from the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Maria asked.
“I just... need some fresh air, that's all.” Maeve said back. “See you later Maria!” She started to walk out of the door.
“Sister, don't forget about...” But before Maria finished, Maeve was already out the door.

Maeve was different from normal vampires. Normal vampires couldn't wait for their powers to awaken. She on the other hand dreaded that day. She enjoyed playing with the other kids. She enjoyed life in the daylight. When she was younger, she enjoyed going to school and seeing her friends. That all changed, however, a couple of days after she turned 11.
It was a beautiful outside on that day. She had just finished class, and was walking to her house. Then suddenly, she started to feel extremely hot; almost like she was burning up. Then she looked at her arm to see that she was burning up! She ran to the shade of a building and looked at her arm. The sunlight was slowly burning her skin. She threw on a jacket that she had with her, and hid her face with her book bag. She made it home with only minimal skin damage. After a few minutes of being in her dark house, she noticed that her arms had healed completely from the damage.
She tried to hide her changes by wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants, gloves and a hat. But after a while, the sun did more and more damage as she went. Soon, her eyes couldn't handle sunlight. But the last straw was when she tried to eat human food. It tasted like she was eating sand. When she realized this, she started crying loudly. It woke up her parents and siblings. When they found her crying at the table, her parents were mad at her for waking them up. But when they saw what was going on, they were overjoyed. Their little girl had finally grown up. However, to Maeve, this was her worst nightmare come true.

Maeve soon found herself in the park. She was deeply troubled over the night before. That human, Victor Donovan, made her feel like she was normal. He was a wonderful man; treating her like an angel. There was no way he could do any harm to others. And yet...
“Miss St. Clair. It is a pleasure to see you again.” Maeve whirled around to see Victor standing right behind her. He was in his usual clothes; however, he did not have any visible weapons on him.
“Um... Hello again!” She was surprised, as well as a little worried. Then again, any vampire staring at a hunter would be a little frightened. “How are you this evening?”
“I am well.” Victor replied. “I just thought I would get a little exercise tonight. How about yourself?”
“Never better! Never better!” She laughed a little. Now she was trying to hide her fear on purpose.
“Are you alright? You look pale... Is there something wrong?” Victor asked, concerned.
“Well...” Maeve was reluctant to say what was on her mind. “There is something on my mind...”
“Well, you said yourself that it is better to talk than to hold it in. What is it?”
Maeve was very nervous. “Victor... I was wondering... Are you... a vampire hunter?'
Victor paused for a moment. “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”
“Well... it explains the whole 'protecting the people' occupation. I just wanted to know...”
Victor looked away for a bit, then looked at Maeve again. “I would have told you when you asked, but I wasn't sure you would believe me.”
“I believe you...” She was still nervous.
“Miss St. Clair. Will you walk with me? The night is still new, and I would like to talk with you more.” Victor said.
“Yes... I would enjoy that,” she replied. They started walking together. After a couple of minutes of silence, Maeve wanted to know more.
“So Victor, What made you become a vampire hunter?” she asked.
Victor's face turned into a serious one. He looked almost angry.
“Umm... you don't have to tell me if you don't...”
“It is all right. I guess I can't hide it forever...” Victor said reluctantly. They sat down on a park bench, and Victor began his story.