Samael POV
Four hours had passed since Alice and I arrived at the house. It was already dark when we pulled in, and for a long while, the laptop's glow was the only light in the room, casting a pale sheen across my hands as I worked. I hadn't moved from the couch since opening it. Only much later did the darkness outside the window begin to thin, faint light creeping in through the blinds as night gave way to morning.
Alice had disappeared upstairs almost as soon as we walked in, only asking if she could do as she pleased with the house. I suspected it had to do with the two suitcases we'd hauled with us. Two, no more - though their number had probably been restricted only by how much the Aston Martin's trunk could actually hold.
I told her yes, of course, and hadn't seen her come down since.
Back to the matter at hand. Coding was, without question, the second most refined skill I possessed outside of combat, right after business. Although calling the latter a single skill wasn't entirely accurate — it was really a combination of economics, finance, psychology, sociology, and dozens of smaller disciplines that together formed what could simply be called a money-making skill set rather than a talent in its own right.
Coding, on the other hand, was much more straightforward.
Back in my previous life, I had studied it at university. Nothing extraordinary — a single module and enough personal interest to spend some of my free time learning more. Under normal circumstances, that would never have made me exceptional. My ability had changed that. At this point, I wasn't merely among the best programmers alive. I was beyond them.
Of course, that didn't mean I possessed some supernatural understanding of computers. Humanity would catch up eventually. In ten or twenty years, the gap would become much smaller, perhaps disappear altogether. Which meant I had to make use of that advantage while I still had it.
The code displayed in front of me was meant to optimise and upgrade several core systems within YouTube, which was still finding its footing but wouldn't stay small for long. It wouldn't propel them years into the future. It would, however, make their lives considerably easier. That was important because I intended to use those improvements as leverage for the time I negotiated for shares.
However, that wasn't the only reason I was writing this code.
Hidden beneath thousands of perfectly legitimate lines was something that wasn't meant to be found. Calling it a virus would technically be correct, but the word carried the wrong implication — viruses were usually understood as something destructive, something that announced itself sooner or later. This was different. A backdoor was a far better description. Once integrated into YouTube's infrastructure, it would grant me access to their servers. It wouldn't interfere with their work, steal information, or corrupt data. It would simply observe, slowly extending itself through the system as the company expanded, like a spider patiently weaving its web one thread at a time. Software designed not to act, but merely to exist, was surprisingly difficult to detect, especially when there was no reason to suspect it in the first place.
Of course, YouTube itself wasn't my real objective. The films never touched upon the subject, but it didn't take much imagination to predict how the modern world would affect vampire secrecy. Cameras were becoming cheaper every year. The internet was spreading across the globe at an incredible pace, and it was only a matter of time before carrying a phone with a good camera and social media became an ordinary part of everyday life. Once that happened, keeping the existence of vampires hidden would become exponentially more difficult. Every blurry photograph, every short recording, and every eyewitness account would be capable of reaching millions of people within minutes. I was laying the first stone of something that would eventually allow me to adapt to this new reality. Exactly how I intended to build upon that foundation was a question for another day.
I had just typed the last few commands when I felt two cool arms slip around my neck from behind.
Alice leaned over the back of the sofa until her cheek rested lightly against mine, her curious golden eyes studying the code still displayed on the screen. "What have you been doing all this time?" she asked. "You've hardly moved since we got home."
"Securing our future," I replied simply, making one final correction before saving the file.
"Hm?"
I closed the editor and turned my head towards her. "You've probably noticed how quickly human civilisation has developed during your lifetime."
She raised an eyebrow. "My lifetime?" she repeated, looking amused. "I have no idea what you're talking about, mister. I'm just a junior in high school."
I chuckled. "Right. That was a poor choice of words."
"I thought so," she teased.
"But surely you learned in high school-" I deliberately emphasised the last two words, making her laugh softly, "-how rapidly humanity has advanced in science, especially during the last century."
"I have," she admitted, before adding quickly, "From books, of course."
"Naturally. Then tell me, dear, when cameras became affordable enough for ordinary people to own, did your family have to change the way you lived?"
"Quite a lot." She slowly walked around the sofa while speaking. I closed the laptop and placed it beside me, giving her enough room to sit down. "We had to shorten the amount of time we stayed in one place. Every identity became much harder to maintain, and we had to be far more careful than before."
She settled comfortably onto my lap, one arm naturally finding its place around my neck. I nodded. "And what happens when nearly every person carries a camera in their pocket all day long, and can upload a photograph to millions of people within seconds?"
"That would be... horrible." Her expression became troubled at the mere thought of what I had described. The idea alone seemed enough for her to understand the danger behind it. For a moment, she remained silent, clearly considering the possibility. Then she looked back at me with uncertainty.
"Do you really think it'll happen?"
"How many times have humans created something you once believed was impossible?" I asked rhetorically.
Her concern grew. "Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked, before suddenly remembering my earlier words. Her eyes returned to me. "Wait... is that what you meant earlier? But how are you planning to do that? Are you going to try to stop it?"
"Stop it?" I repeated, almost amused by the idea. I shook my head. "No matter how capable I am, there is no stopping something like this." Instead, I reached up and lightly tapped her nose. "But if I can't stop the wave - I can learn to ride it."
She blinked. "What?"
"Imagine the world we live in as an ocean. This new era of technology is a wave — an enormous one at that. If you stand still and refuse to move, it will either drown you or carry you somewhere you never intended to go." I paused briefly, letting the comparison settle before continuing. "But if you understand how to move with it, if you know how to use its momentum... you can ride it." I glanced towards the laptop beside us. "And what I am making is the surfboard."
A small smile appeared on her face, but it quickly shifted into a more suspicious expression as she looked at me. "Why do I feel like you could simply tell me exactly what you are doing, but you are deliberately keeping it vague?" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Are you worried I might ruin your plans?"
The amusement disappeared from my face, and Alice's expression changed almost immediately when she noticed the shift. "I would trust you with my life, Alice," I said honestly. I ran my hand gently through her hair before continuing, choosing my words carefully. "But no matter how much I trust you, your mind is not... secure."
She let out a quiet sigh, understanding what I meant even if she didn't like it. "Darling, I know your first impression of Edward wasn't exactly a good one," she said softly. "But he isn't a bad person."
A faint smile touched my lips. "I never said he was. But I think we can both agree that he is... impulsive."
She sighed. "I suppose no one can really argue with that."
"And that alone is enough for me not to trust him with any of my plans."
Her expression softened at my words. "I understand."
There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she leant against me, and I didn't say anything else, simply continuing to run my fingers gently through her hair. Several minutes passed before she finally shifted and looked up at me.
"Darling?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
The sudden gratitude caught me off guard. I frowned slightly, unsure what she meant. Seeing my expression, she smiled softly. "For holding back. For not doing anything to Edward."
My confusion disappeared, replaced by surprise. I knew exactly what she was talking about. What surprised me wasn't the subject itself, but the fact that she knew. "I thought I was better at hiding my emotions than that."
"You are," she replied. "I don't think anyone else noticed, except Jasper perhaps."
That made me pause."...He can?"
"Yes," she answered. "Unlike Edward's gift, Jasper's seems to work just fine on you."
For a moment, I was genuinely surprised.
'Isn't my mental shield supposed to block his ability as well?' I made a mental note to look into it later.
"But how did you know?" I asked. "Was it a vision? I didn't notice you having one."
Alice had experienced a couple of visions in front of me, so I could recognise them easily. They were not something I would mistake for an ordinary reaction.
She looked at me the way someone might look at a person who'd just asked why the sky was blue. "No," she said. "Because you can't hide everything from me, silly."
She nudged my arm, making the corner of my lips lift.
"But seriously," she continued, becoming more thoughtful. "I don't completely understand it myself. Ever since the day we met... I've been able to feel something from you."
"...Feel?"
"Not your emotions or thoughts." She searched for the right words. "It's more like... little impulses. Whenever something affects you strongly, I feel something change."
'So that's how she always knew.'
The moments when she noticed my irritation or anger hadn't been guesses. She had actually been feeling them.
"When we started dating, it became clearer. It started happening more often too," she explained. "I think... maybe I just became more familiar with you. I started recognising what those feelings meant."
I stared at her for a moment.
"I know. It sounds strange." She looked sheepish, ducking her head slightly.
I shrugged. "If we were two ordinary humans having this conversation, I'd probably agree," I admitted. "But considering I'm talking to a vampire who can see the future while I'm a giant winged lion... I'd say we're well past the point where 'strange' matters."
"When you put it like that..." Alice chuckled softly. "It does sound quite normal."
"So you felt something when Edward and I spoke?"
She nodded.
"Yes. It was similar to when that girl interrupted us on your first day at school." She glanced away for a moment, remembering it. "Only... much, much stronger."
"I see," I said quietly.
Silence settled between us for a moment before I let out a sigh. "I suppose I should apologise for being so angry at your brother." I shook my head. "But I don't want to lie to you either. I don't regret feeling that way."
I tightened my hold around her ever so slightly.
"Not just because of how he spoke to me. I hate being treated that way, but I wouldn't hurt your brother over such a simple argument."
I looked down at her. "It was because of how he spoke to you. The tone behind the words. It made something inside me boil, and every word after that only made it worse."
I reached up and gently traced her cheek with my fingers. "You've had a stronger influence on me than you probably realise. Before I met you, whenever something went wrong, I easily became angry. Controlling it was difficult, and I never fully understood why."
A small smile appeared on my face. "But with you, it became easy. Almost as if the problem had never existed."
Warmth spread across her face.
"But there is one thing that will never change, my love. I will never be calm when someone speaks to you that way."
I met her gaze. "Not because I cannot learn control. But because I don't want to become someone who can simply ignore it. You are the most precious thing in my life, and I will not allow anyone — not strangers, and not even family — to harm or disrespect you."
Instead of answering, she closed the distance between us and kissed me.
When she pulled away, her forehead rested lightly against mine. "You don't need to say more, love. I would feel the same way if I were in your place." She tilted her head. "No... actually, I already did."
I raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
Mischief sparkled in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how hard it was not to punch my very annoying brother when he spoke to you that way?" Her grip on my shoulder tightened as she said it.
I laughed.
"What?" she said innocently.
"Nothing," I replied, still smiling. "I was just imagining you punching Edward and the expression he would have on his face."
That was enough to make both of us laugh.
A moment later, Alice bounced to her feet, already reaching for my hand. "Come on, my overprotective lion. We've got packing to finish."
I smiled, stood up, and followed her.
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[Hi! Hope the programmers won't be too upset by this chapter! Treat it as fantasy. 😄
I meant to post it yesterday, but I found a mistake and had to rewrite part of the chapter. It also got me thinking that Sunday might be a better day to post than Saturday. Since Webnovel resets its weekly statistics on Sunday, it might be more effective. I'll see how the numbers turn out and decide from there.]