I slam a vampire against the wall of his hideout and place my knife under his throat.

"Who's your leader? Where are your orders coming from?"

"Why would I answer? You won't spare my life anyway if I do."

I shrug. He's not wrong.

Another one who knew I was coming and had already accepted his own death. Considering the size of the hideout and the amount of supplies they had versus how few of them were here, I can only assume that some stayed behind so the others could escape. Of course, I foresaw that possibility, and a number of other hunters are probably executing them right now.

I slash this one's throat, then free the prisoners. This was the last hideout listed in that not-so-anonymous tip. I noticed early on that they had cellphones to communicate with each other, so I started collecting them, which allowed me to intercept their messages warning each other that I was coming.

As I walk back out of the abandoned warehouse I was in, I look at the position of the sun. Almost nightfall. I really ended up spending the entire day on this. My phone vibrates in my pocket, hopefully it's not to tell me that the hunt isn't over.

"I am so glad to see you helping us, mister Benord. Worry not, we are under no illusion that you did this for us. Your goal was the hostages all along. That being said, we would like to put measures in place to prevent a repeat of this situation. If you're interested in discussing this further, you can find us here:"

Another map link. Not interested.

"Get fucked."

I put my phone back in my pocket, then stretch as I wonder what to do tonight. I work tomorrow, so I'll regret it if I get drunk. I grab a cigarette and light it up. I still have time to think about it.

I see a few hunters approaching. I don't know them personally, but as far as I can tell, they were sent here to help me deal with the fleeing vampires. One of them calls out to me:

"Hunter Benord, correct?"

"That's me."

"We're here to let you know that, as planned, we've taken care of the vampires who attempted to flee this area. None escaped."

"Perfect. Please send a report to HQ."

"Very well."

As they make their way back, I hear a voice behind me:

"I can tell they have a lot of respect for you."

I jump and immediately turn around, dropping my cigarette in surprise. I could not sense anyone there at all!

The person who spoke is wearing a pale blue hoodie that completely hides his body and the upper part of his face, as well as a mask hiding his lower face. I can't help but notice the symbol of The Protector, a four-pointed star vaguely shaped like a shield, embroidered on one of the sleeves. He must be very strong to be able to sneak up on me like that.

"Who are you?"

He shrugs.

"I guess I'm harder to recognize without my armor. I've come to be known as the Chosen Bulwark, even if I never picked that title for myself."

In a mocking tone, I answer:

"So you even have ordinary clothes with the effigy of your goddess decorating them. A true devout, I see."

"I simply wanted to be recognizable even when I go without my armor, for situations like this."

"And how can I know this is really you?"

"You can't. Just like you can't know that the person in the suit of armor is always the same."

Either he's confident I'll believe him, or he doesn't care if I don't.

"Good point. Putting that aside, why are you here?"

As I listen, I grab another cigarette to replace the one now on the ground.

"After taking out a hidden den of vampires this morning, I received a series of anonymous messages telling me where to go to find more. I hear the same thing happened to you. I wanted to know if you knew anything about the situation."

"Ah, I see, so I guess you got roped into it too. To make a long story short, the vampire queen used us to get rid of some of her subjects who committed treason. I initially refused to help her, but my hand ended up being forced when I realized there were victims to rescue as fast as possible."

"The vampire queen? What a strange idea. Then again, I doubt mounting a small army of vampires to march on these rebel bases deep within a non-monster city would have worked out in her favor. Using us was likely the safest approach."

I grab my phone and show him as I say:

"That's what I'm thinking. Unfortunately, it seems it won't stop here. Did you receive a message asking you to go meet with some people?"

"I have not."

"Then it really must just be me they're after. Whatever the next step in their plan is, I have to make sure to not unwittingly play into their hands. At least, for this hunt, I had a good grasp of what was going on."

"Wise. Our goals aligned with theirs this time, but we may yet meet them on the battlefield tomorrow. The smart monsters are difficult to deal with on the diplomatic field."

"You speak from experience?"

There's a slight hesitation, followed by:

"I would not say so, no."

I let out a short laugh as I grab another cigarette. I'm stressed, and the speed at which this pack empties is proof of it. I still offer one to the Chosen Bulwark.

"Smoke?"

"No thanks."

"A pity, I was hoping to at least get to see the lower part of your face. I take it that anonymity is important to you?"

"It is. If people knew about this, I would never hear the end of it. I'd get offered advertisement deals, people would want to interview me, both the hunters and delvers would get on my back to have me join them, and I might get in trouble with the law since I'm technically working outside of it."

I nod as I let out a puff of smoke.

"Yeah, I totally get you. But to go back to the main topic, can I count on you to keep doing your part against the vampires?"

"I will appear when and where I am needed."

"Cryptic, but I'll take that as a yes."

Chosen bows before walking away into the shadows, disappearing completely. At no point during this entire conversation did I feel his presence. If anything, he might not actually have been there.

I throw my cigarette on the floor and stomp on it before making my own way back. I don't plan on getting drunk, but I at least deserve a glass after all of this.

After getting back to my apartment, I grab some strong liquor and sit on the couch. I light a cigarette, turn the TV on, and start thinking. What could possibly come next? There's no way the vampires gave up on recruiting me, and today's little stunt was just so they could accomplish one of their goals, not to get me to properly join them.

Wait, is the offer even for a permanent job? The guy yesterday just said they want me to advise them. Well, with how little I have left to live, I might as well treat it as lasting forever, not that it being temporary would change anything. I'm not about to willingly join forces with monsters.

Is there really any point in worrying about it? All I can do is wait for their next move. I already turned down a meeting with them today, so we'll see how that pans out.

I wasn't really paying attention to the TV, I was letting it be background noise up until now, but I notice that some kind of old, cheesy romance movie is playing. The character I assume to be the female lead is talking to the male lead, under the rain.

"Oh, Rabiret, I can tell that there still is good in you. I can see it. I can feel it. I will believe in you, even when no one else will. So please, trust me, and trust in yourself for once!"

"It's impossible, Jilanie. The world has no further need of me. Soon, I will disappear, and you will finally have the chance to move on. I never meant to hurt you, so please forgive me."

We all know he's just going to turn around and kiss her in the next scene, if not in this one. These kinds of movies are so predictable. Still, what's with the gloomy protagonist who gave up on life? Why would a woman ever be interested in that? So unrealistic.

I turn the TV back off. Not in the mood to watch anything, really. But then... What? Do I just rot on the couch all evening before going to bed?

Eh, maybe that's not so bad of an idea.

I don't have time to make myself comfortable in preparation to not doing anything, as the apartment's phone rings. I only ever give my cellphone number to people, so this is either a scam, or a visitor.

I stretch and pick up, but I don't say anything. After a few seconds, I hear a faint voice on the other side:

"Is this working? I don't hear anything."

The response is too far away for me to hear it, but the first voice comes in stronger:

"Hello, Eniré? Can you hear me?"

That voice... It couldn't be!

"Who are you?"

"Ah, it's been a very long time, so maybe you don't quite remember me... My name is Aliénor. We had a... passionate adventure together a few years ago. I tried to forget, I really did, but I simply couldn't, and so... I came to find you."

Just as I feared. Four years ago, I dated a very sweet girl for a few months. She was everything I could have asked for, but the more time I spent with her, the more guilty I felt from knowing I wouldn't be able to make her happy for more than a few years before dying. It eventually became too much, so I broke up with her in the hope that she would find someone better. If I'm not mistaken, it's from that point onward that my life started spiraling out of control.

But... how did she find my home?

"Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"Well, I've missed you a lot, and I was hoping I could see you again. This very kind lady helped me find you, said she knew you well too. Also said you would die soon, and I... It really made me want to see you at least one more time!"

I'm starting to feel really uneasy about this whole situation. No way the vampires aren't behind it. Simply sending her back could put her in further danger.

I take a quick look around me. The apartment has been cleaned recently, so I should be able to receive a guest without making her uncomfortable.

"Well, now that you made it all the way here... Did you want to come in?"

"Can... Can I?"

I press one of the buttons on the phone to unlock the door downstairs and temporarily allow access to the penthouse without an elevator keycard.

"It's open. I live on the top floor."

"I... I'll be right there!"

I hang up, then lean back on the couch. What kind of crazy situations are the vampires trying to create by telling my ex-girlfriend how to find me?

As the elevator approaches my floor, I feel two presences within it. One's Aliénor, no doubt, but the other...

I jump up and summon my knife. The other person is almost certainly a monster.

I hear the ding and watch carefully as the doors slowly open. However, a short woman with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, beautiful green eyes, and a very pretty face jumps out and runs towards me, almost flying as her arms wrap around me.

"Eniré! I missed you so much!"

I gently push her back as I look behind her. A woman with brown hair, brown eyes, a relatively plain dress and only carrying a small purse approaches.

"Hello, Mister Benord. My name is Belle. When I met the miss here and heard her story, I simply could not remain passive. How cruel of fate to keep such a perfect couple apart!"

Aliénor turns around and, clearly confused, asks:

"Wait, I thought you were very close to Eniré. Why are you introducing yourself?"

"The truth is that, while I know all there is to know about him, I had yet to meet him in person."

I position myself between the two to protect Aliénor as I unsheathe my knife.

"You're working with the vampires, right? Your business is with me, leave her out of it."

She grabs her cellphone and opens her messaging app, showing me the text I received earlier asking me to go a certain location, followed by my "Get fucked." response.

"I would gladly have left her out of it if you had simply agreed to come and talk to me earlier."

She takes a quick look around, scanning the apartment, then turns back towards us.

"How about we take a seat and discuss this like civilized adults? Just like Carasi, who came to visit you yesterday, I mean you no harm."

I can't tell from the way she looks just how strong she is. Her power is concealed, that much is certain, which means that fighting her would be a massive risk, especially with Aliénor here, who is not in any way a fighter.

I put my knife back in its sheathe, and then in its rune, as I invite the two guests to the living room.

I sit on my usual couch. Aliénor sits right next to me, and Belle on a smaller chair in front of us. Once everyone is comfortable, I say:

"You'll have to forgive me for not offering drinks, but I'm afraid hard liquors and water are all you will find in this house."

Aliénor next to me replicates, with clear disgust on her face:

"Yeah, you stink of alcohol and cigarettes."

That hurts. Just a bit. It's true that I stopped smoking for her when we started dating and picked the habit back up after our breakup, and only became an alcoholic later.

"It sounds to me like you've really let yourself go, Mister Benord."

"Well, what else would you expect? You told her I was about to die, right? So I guess I can be completely honest about it now. What's the point in taking care of my body if I'll die in two or three years anyway? I might as well numb the pain."

Aliénor's eyes fill with tears as she asks:

"So it's true, you're really dying?"

"It is."

"Is that... is that why you broke up with me?"

"It is. I... I'm really sorry that I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth at the time."

"Why? Because you knew that I would have wanted to take care of you for whatever time you had remaining anyway?"

"That's part of the reason, yes. I wanted you to move on as early as possible, to not waste what was left of your youth on me."

With her being quite a few years younger than me, I hoped she would enjoy the second half of her twenties instead of caring for me the entire time.

She grabs my arm and hugs it as she says:

"Oh, poor Eniré..."

With a smile, Belle says:

"My my, I didn't expect you to be so honest right from the start with her."

"I figure that she's suffered enough. I'm also interested in getting straight to the point with you: why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"I believe Carasi already gave you the gist of it: we want you to act as an advisor for us."

"And I already declined. Is that why you brought her here? You're threatening to dig up every little bit of my past and throw it at me for as long as I refuse?"

"No, no. We wouldn't go that far. However, we figured that she might be a good motivating factor for you. Remember the promise to extend your life if you help us? We haven't rescinded it. You broke up with her because of your impending death, right? Well, what if I told you that we have the means to ensure you will get to live a full life with her?"

"That..."

I feel my resolve waver as I hear these words. I thought I was over Aliénor, that I had managed to close my hearts to feelings such as love, but... being able to grow old with her at my side, I can't deny that the wish still exists deep within me.

However, there are strings attached. I can't let those sweet words get to me. I get up and, without hiding my anger, continue:

"So you're offering me personal happiness if I accept to betray everyone I know and everything I've ever stood for. As much I wish a life with Aliénor was possible, I've given up on it long ago. There simply isn't anything you can bribe me with that will make me change my mind!"

Belle leans back into the chair, eyes closed, for a few seconds.

"How unfortunate. Even love couldn't get you to change your mind. In that case..."

She opens her eyes, then slowly brings a hand to one, then to the other, removing contact lenses. As she finally lifts her head up, I see the blood-red eyes of a Royal vampire.

"... This leaves me no choice but to bring you back by force."

A sudden doubt springs in my mind. I turn around, just in time to avoid Aliénor's attempt at stabbing me with a small knife she had kept hidden so far. I strike her arm, causing the knife to fall down, before casting a sleep spell on her. I then turn towards who I assume to actually be Maribelle, rage boiling within me.

"You're mind-controlling her?"

"Of course I am. I tried to get her to participate willingly, but she said she wouldn't talk to you unless you apologized first. So I messed a bit with her mind to have her follow me here and act towards you as if all the animosity you created in her wasn't there."

Despite my limiter runes still being solidly etched on my body, I feel the energy within me grow stronger and wilder.

"How dare you... Lying to me like this... Playing with both my emotions and hers... Trying to get me to believe in a future that cannot exist!?"

"Everything she said came from the way she truly felt. The only lie here was that she would be willing to stab you. That was entirely me."

In a way, that makes it even worse. If the whole thing had been a charade, if she had been forced by some spell to pretend to still love me, I would have been able to bury my own feelings back down in the deepest recesses of my soul and move on. But not only does she still have feelings towards me, she was forced to act against them by being ordered to stab me.

Without me even deactivating them, I feel the two limiter runes on my left arm break. With a speed that surprises even me, I dash forward, grab Maribelle by the throat, and jump through one of the large windows forming the wall of my penthouse. As we fall, I summon my hunting knife and try to stab her, but she releases a wave of energy, not even in the form of a spell, strong enough to send me flying back upward.

I almost make it back to the height of my apartment before gravity takes over again and starts dragging me down towards the pavement. I activate every rune left on my arm, causing the rest of my gear to appear. I take on an aerodynamic stance to fall as fast as I can towards Maribelle, a knife ready to burst with energy in each hand.

The queen doesn't seem concerned with her own fall. Under the effect of the wind, her wig goes flying, revealing her long white hair. She smiles at me, finally showing her canines.

I know that I'm weaker than her. I know that, of all the Royal monsters, vampires stand proud as some of the strongest. I understand that she has access to an extensive arsenal of spells, most of which I've never seen before and thus cannot properly react to. I have no illusions as to my chances of victory, but... For the sake of the time I have left, and for the sake of Aliénor's future, I have to believe that there's at least something I can do. I have to believe that, even if this fight doesn't end in her definitive defeat, I will still manage to drive her away.

We're both rapidly approaching the ground. On the street, I can see cars that stopped and pedestrians looking up at us.

Move, you're in danger!

Thankfully, those who are uncomfortably close to our expected impact site start running away. I start shaping the energy in my blades to get them to land an extremely concentrated attack which should be able to pierce most defenses, even the ones of a Royal.

I'm falling faster than her. We're close to the ground. If I'm not mistaken, I'll catch up just as she slams against the concrete. Now's my chance to quickly take her out!

Just as her back starts touching the ground, a smile forms on her lips. Without even moving, she creates a barrier between us, which I violently slam against. It breaks under the impact, but that still slowed down my fall, giving her the chance to get out of the way. My blades penetrate the concrete rather than my target.

Almost immediately, two large bat wings appear on her back, and she launches herself high up in the air. I knew vampires could turn into bats to travel around, but I wasn't aware that some of them had access to this kind of partial transformation.

This complicates everything even further. I can't fly. But that's not to say I have no recourse against flying enemies.

I sheathe one of my knifes and pull out my pistol. It's a special model, capable of absorbing the magical energy of its user to generate bullets that get shot faster the more power they receive. In my unchained state, it's a fearsome weapon.

I fire a few rounds towards Maribelle, but she avoids them with barely an effort before dashing towards me. It looks like she's trying to grab me, so I attempt to step aside... but something is holding me in place!

A spell? Yes, I recognize it, Carasi used the same against me. I manipulate the energy flowing around my body to break the bind, but it's too late, her hand is already closing on my clothes.

What follows might be one of the most impressive shows of strength I have ever witnessed. She spins around on herself 180 degrees, dragging me along, then launches me when her speed is at its highest. I go flying so fast that I only realize what's going on when I slam against the magical barrier protecting the city, causing the normally invisible wall to appear in a red color around me. I don't even have time to start falling back down that she appears in front of me, winding up a punch.

I want to react. Cast a spell, move, attack back, anything. But my speed simply cannot keep up with hers. I feel her fist enter in contact with my chest. I feel my breastplate break. I feel myself get pushed back even further as the wall behind me breaks, and I'm catapulted into the wilderness. There simply isn't anything I can do.

I hit the ground, but with that momentum, I keep going. I'm rolling, bouncing, slamming against rocks and trees that break under the impact. I manage to cast a spell to reinforce my body and minimize the damage I'll take, but I don't have anything that can stop me.

Eventually, the rebounds stop, and I slide across an impressive distance before finally stopping. My armor is gone, broken in pieces that were left all over the place. My clothes are in tatter and covered in blood from the many injuries now covering my body. As I get back up, I feel acute pain in my chest, likely from broken ribs. But the fight isn't over.

Maribelle gracefully lands in front of me.

"Are you sure this is a battle you can afford to continue? Look at the state you're in without having managed to land a single hit on me. If you surrender, I will overlook this indiscretion."

I spit out some blood before responding:

"I'm not going to let myself be captured by the vampire queen. Rather die by your hand than have you do with me as you want. I already told you to get fucked. I haven't changed my mind yet."

"You talk a big game for someone on the verge of collapsing. How about being realistic for a moment, and..."

I see her eyes open wide as they land on my chest. She lifts a finger, and with a voice betraying her surprise, asks:

"What... is that?"

I look down. With my shirt now being more hole than fabric, a gigantic rune covering my entire chest and back can now be seen. It's normally hidden by a spell, but it tends to break when I deactivate my second limiter rune.

Maribelle's expression becomes more horrified by the second.

"What purpose could a rune this large possibly serve!?"

I laugh for a bit before lifting my left arm up, despite no runes remaining on it.

"You know about the two runes I keep on here to limit my power, right?"

"Of course."

"What do you think those are for?"

"Probably to slow down the speed at which your body breaks down when you're not fighting."

"Correct. Now... What purpose could this rune possibly serve?"

Her eyes grow even wider as the implication hits her.

"All this time... using your full power would have been an immediate death sentence, so it's almost entirely sealed!"

I smile and nod in confirmation.

"My teacher told me to only undo it if I ever fight for something worth sacrificing myself for, because I won't be able to reform it. As soon as this thing breaks, I'm as good as dead.

"I see... Well, this was most instructive, but it doesn't change anything. Surrender now, and I will be merciful."

I look up at the night sky filled with stars. If I can see them this clearly, I must have been launched really far from the city.

I always assumed that my death would come on a hunt. My body would fail, and after taking down my target, I would die in turn. The cleanup crew would get confused, but the autopsy would confirm what I've always hidden: my power is eating at me, destroying me from the inside. Still, the rumors would spread like wildfire, long before the truth is established, of that one monster that was strong enough to take me out.

I always hoped that this monster would be the stuff of legend. The kind of creature I can be proud of having died to. Something that will cement my legacy as one of the greatest hunters to have ever existed. To go with a bang that's forever remembered, that's the goal I gave myself when I learned that I wouldn't make it to 40.

And what greater monster to die with than the vampire queen?

I knew my time would come sooner or later. I have regrets, but that was always going to be true.

I lock eyes with Maribelle and, with a smile, undo my last rune.