Everyone had left the sea by now, playing volleyball on the beach. The sun had begun its gentle descent. Hekate stepped backward on a broken bottle while trying to return a ball served by Aurora. As she fell, she placed her hand on the sand to protect herself, but there lay another shard. Pierced in both hand and foot, Hekate was drenched in blood. Amor rushed to her side. By the time he realized this was a mistake, it was already too late.
As the night drew near, Amor's vampiric form began to take control. The scent of Hekate's blood was driving him mad—the thirst for blood, one of the earliest signs of vampirism. The others joined them. Amor wished to take Hekate to the hotel and help bind her wounds. Aurora suggested the same, yet Hekate chose to go with Amor.
The two left the group and ascended to the hotel. Taking the first-aid kit, they dressed and bandaged the cuts. Though the gashes were not deep, the bleeding had been difficult to stem. Hekate and Amor were left alone. Amor could now barely restrain himself.
"I am leaving; I cannot endure this," he told Hekate. Just as Amor was about to step out of the room, she took his hand. "Could you not stay a little longer? My foot hurts; could you at least walk me to my room?" Hekate asked. Amor did not refuse the lady's request.
"What is it exactly that you cannot endure?" Hekate asked with a smile. "The scent of blood, or me?"
"The scent of blood. I believe I must feed. After I leave you at your room, I will head to a bar and do as Evelina did to me. I will find someone and feed on them."
"Can you not wait until this vampire business is over?"
"I know not how much longer I can contain the vampire within me. Right now, I am forcing myself not to sink my teeth into your neck."
Blushing, Hekate said, "We came here to protect people; if you must feed, then feed on me." She swept her hair to the right, baring her neck. Try as he might to resist, Amor could not refuse her gesture. He sank his fangs into her neck and drank her blood. It was a strange sensation for them both. Though it pained Hekate when bitten, her neck grew numb almost instantly. She felt nothing; it was as though she were in a dream. As for Amor, he could not get enough of that warm, sweet, and slightly thick blood.
Hekate's vision began to blur. Amor had taken too much blood. "My head is spinning; is this normal?" Hekate inquired. At that moment, Amor came to his senses. He was killing her. He abruptly withdrew his fangs from her neck and recoiled. He apologized to her, asking if she was well. Though Hekate insisted she was fine, her head swam, and she could not see clearly.
After leaving Hekate at her room, Amor returned to the beach. Everyone was weary. When the girls asked of Hekate's whereabouts, Amor replied, "In her room. She is tired. She said she would read a book and sleep." Sol and Han summoned Amor to their side. He knew well why they called him. Upon approaching, Sol bade him sit.
Sol asked, "Amor, what happened last night? We went to the coordinates you sent me; the room you stayed in was empty."
Han asked, "Was it a vampire?"
Amor replied, "I believe so. I was alone in the room when I awoke."
Sol remarked, "Then we did not miss it. It was not even in the room when we set out."
Han added, "Yes... But where are they? You found their hiding place today, did you not?"
Amor countered, "We did, but should we not await word from Aidoneus?"
Sol said, "He returned to us when the two of you went to the hotel. We shall slay all the vampires here. The powerful ones will not return after we strike."
Han spoke up, "I know it is not our place to question, but why do they not send the army so we might slay all the vampires at once?"
Amor replied, "Because if the army massed in a single place, we would be left vulnerable to threats in both other nations and regions."
After discussing the matter a while longer, they resolved at last to attack the vampires tomorrow after sunrise. All three ascended to the hotel. At dinner, they announced this decision to everyone. No one opposed. Following the meal, they retired to sleep and rest until dawn. The rooms were silent. In the dim light filtering into the room from beneath the corridor door, Amor prepared to venture out.
Though he knew they would depart in the morning, an irresistible force within was drawing him to Evelina. He felt he had to go and speak with her at once. Ensuring everyone in the room was asleep, he gently cracked the door open and stepped outside. He moved through the corridor as silently as possible and departed from the hotel. He could catch Evelina's scent. Now in his vampire form, his senses had sharpened, and his body felt invigorated.
Hekate, too, had decided to follow him. She was certain Amor would attempt something on his own without waiting for the others. The moment she heard that faint sound of the door from the men's room, she rose from her bed and woke Diana.
Diana muttered, "Huh? Hekate? What happened, what time is it?"
"It is midnight. Listen, I need your help, Diana."
"With what? What do you need?"
"We are going to follow Amor."
"But why?"
"Because I am certain he will do something foolish and get himself into trouble. Come, let us go."
Hekate took Diana's hand, helping her rise from the bed. They gathered their belongings and stepped out. As they closed the door and turned, they encountered Sol, who stood leaning against the wall, awaiting them. Diana looked at Hekate, wondering if she had awakened Sol as well.
Sol asked, "Shall we go if you are ready?"
Hekate gasped, "Sol!? What are you doing at this hour?"
"Trying to save a piece of my squad from death, of course."
"So you know..."
"Yes. When he arrived late that night and collapsed upon seeing me, I knew something was amiss. Later, Han and I went to the hotel where he had stayed and examined the room. A doubt took root in my mind then. When he went up to the hotel with you and returned without you, everything became clear."
Diana pleaded, "Could someone enlighten me as well?"
Hekate revealed, "Amor... turned into a vampire."
"A vampire as we know them!? You mean he is on their side now?"
Sol interjected, "No, I think not. He must still be a half-human. If he has not yet fed on blood, we still have time."
Hekate faltered, "Oh, well... What happens if he has fed?"
"Then our time is spent, for feeding is the final stage of the turning. If Amor has fed, he becomes entirely a vampire and will lose all self-control."
"Actually... he fed on me."
"And you did not tell me this! Damn it!.. Alright, I must remain calm. You two, lead the way. Diana, can you track Amor's trail?"
"Yes."
Hekate asked, "What should I do?"
"Prepare to fight. We are enough to handle them all."
Diana questioned, "Are we going with just the three of us? Should we not take Han or Neptune with us as well?"
"We have no time to lose, be quick. Besides, you have me. The Heir of the Sun God. I am their weakness."
Thus, the three departed the hotel and began to track Amor's trail. Meanwhile, Amor had already reached the vampires. It was a desolate area at the edge of the island where no one would ever venture, bordered on one side by the beach and on the other by abandoned buildings. He lay concealed, preparing himself for a potential clash. After all, however many vampiric powers he had gained, he knew not how to wield them. If he could not measure the level of his strength, speed, and ferocity, only the gods knew what might transpire.
Once Amor felt prepared, he stepped out and revealed himself. Disregarding the other four vampires around, he turned his emotionless gaze upon Evelina.
Evelina spoke, "You. It was Amor, correct?"
"Yes, Evelina."
"Well? What do you want, why are you here?"
"I want you to teach me."
"Teach you what?"
"Vampirism."
"Ah, so you have turned. Have you fed, then? If you have not yet fed, you can still return to your humanity. I will not pursue you, I promise."
The burly vampire, whom they had previously seen with Hekate in the abandoned building, interjected, "You do not decide that, Evelina! We decide that together. Unless, of course, this young vampire intends to join us. What say you, boy, will you be one of us?"
Amor replied, "I have fed. And if I join you, what do you promise me?"
A blond, short vampire spoke, "Immortality, and a family that will always stand behind you. Do not confuse us with other creatures; we kill because we must. We must feed. Of course, we could feed on animals, but why should we torment ourselves?"
Evelina added, "Isolde is right. Think of it as a food chain. The mouse eats the crops, the snake eats the mouse, and the eagle eats the snake. And we eat the eagle. It is the law of nature. The big fish swallows the small fish."
"What if the small fish is poisonous? What if the snake strikes first and kills the eagle?"
The burly male vampire demanded, "What are you implying?"
"I mean to say, what if nature turns against itself? What if you have brought about your own end?"
Isolde snarled, "Are you threatening us, novice!"
"I am not threatening anyone. I agree with what you say; you are above humans. But are you the ones at the very top? Or is it us?"
"Who is 'us'? Hah, a race superior to vampires? I know of none, do you?" Isolde asked the other vampires. They laughed in unison.
"Do you believe yourselves superior to the gods? I think not."
As Amor spoke these words, a scent caught his nose. Hekate's perfume. Had it lingered on him? No, it had not. Hekate was near. In that moment, he thought to himself, I hope she is not alone.
Isolde said, "Look, boy, I am the ruler of this territory. State clearly what you mean, or let us tear off your head and put an end to this."
"Hmph, what a truly foolish race these vampires are. I hope it does not dull my intellect as well."
The short one lunged from his spot and attacked Amor. Though Amor found it difficult to keep pace with the vampire, he saw his movements as if they were normal. Throwing himself aside, he evaded him. "You are too slow. Just like your head. You cannot even fathom what I mean," Amor taunted. Not wishing to endure these insults, the vampire struck again. This time, Amor did not flee. He wound up and struck a blow as it came, just as Magni used to strike. With the impact, the vampire's arm was severed. Amor's hand, too, throbbed with pain.
Seeing one of her men grievously wounded, Isolde used her blood magic to freeze his injury. Vampires were renowned not only for their raw strength and immortality but also for their blood arts. If a vampire had lived long enough and fed, they could command this art. Yet that alone was insufficient; this blood art also derived from the lineage that had turned the vampire.
From what Amor could deduce, Isolde possessed an ice-based blood technique. He searched for this power within the library stored in his mind. This technique was utilized by the Cryssa Family.
"So you are of the Cryssa lineage."
"Yes. Isolde Cryssa. Princess of the Cryssa bloodline."
"Your blood technique has caught my interest. You are the only vampire family to wield this technique. Do you teach it to new members? I shall apply accordingly."
"You... Oh, you are infuriating. Evelina, Taos (the burly one). Kill him."
Because Evelina was under Amor's passive influence, she instinctively did not wish to harm him. Furthermore, newly turned vampires possessed a distinct trait: since they could not fully control their powers, they could deliver strikes far mightier than ordinary vampires, yet at other times, they landed blows no different from a normal human's.
Just as Taos was about to charge Amor, Sol, Hekate, and Diana arrived. Sol unleashed sunlight all around with his power to prevent the vampires from attacking them. This light enveloped them like an invisible sphere. Amor collapsed to the ground under the influence of the daylight.
Sol said, "Forgive me, Amor, I shall use only the spear once the battle commences shortly."
"It... it matters not... Only, be swift."
Sol focused the light into a single plane, shaping it into a spear. Amor stood up and regained his composure. Diana drew her bow, and Hekate manifested her fire. The vampires were caught entirely off guard. At that moment, Isolde understood Amor's words. Amor was a Cosmyth user. They provided a blood bag to the vampire whose arm had been severed; once his limb regenerated, he too joined the others to fight. Five vampires deployed across the wide space stood facing four Cosmyth users standing close together.
Though Amor and his companions were tightly packed in their position, they immediately spread out and took their stances. Sol stood before Isolde in the center; Amor faced Evelina, Hekate faced Silvan (the short one), and Diana faced Taos.
Isolde commanded, "Be careful, these are no ordinary humans. They are the shadows of the gods, Cosmyth users!"
Sol warned, "You cannot match their speed, so look to your defenses. If you take a hit, you are finished. Prepare for impact!"
Both sides stood ready. This was the moment the snake met the eagle, and the small fish met the big fish. This was the moment the law of nature would unfold. Yet what truly mattered was who was the eagle, and who was the big fish. The outcome of the battle would decide it.