𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀. . . nishimura riki ✔

𝘁𝘄𝗼. mors certa, hora incerta

1548

He could smell blood, and it smelled delicious.

Nearing the village, Riki turned to look at Jungwon, the two having the same crazed look in their eyes. Hungry they were, and ready to kill. His throat was itching uncomfortably and fingertips twitching. This somewhat hunger differed from the one he felt as a human. There was an unmistakable sense of desperation and rawness in this one.

Before, there were no claws on his throat, but now, it was as if the very essence of hell itself was trying to claw its way out of his throat if he did not feed.

But feeding would have to wait, for in the corner of his eye, he could see the pair of pale eyes watching him.

'Are you coming?' Jungwon asked him.

He shook his head, and that was enough to convince the two. As Jungwon and Sunoo sped away to feed, Riki stayed. The night surrounded him, encapsulated him. It was trying to suffocate him. But how does something suffocate when one cannot breathe?

It was dead silent, save for the screams of Jungwon and Sunoo's victims. Silence grated against his ears, like a fork to a plate. It made his skin crawl, and somehow, he despised it. Silence was not supposed to be present when there were two.

'I know you're here, Death.'

'Am I?' the voice was as sweet as winter's bells.

'I do not wish to play games with you,' his voice was harsh.

As screams echoed throughout the village and torches lit up in hopes of being able to hunt the vampire, she stepped out from thin air. She was shorter than him; the cape covering everything but her face. Though Riki had a hard time seeing where her hair stopped and her cape began, they flowed as one, so it seemed.

Her skin was paler than his — if possible. The only thing that made her seem remotely human was the pink hue of her lips and a gentle smile on them.

'I am not here for you,' she said and, like a dance, she waltzed across the field with grace towards the victims of Jungwon and Sunoo.

To his surprise, they were oblivious to her presence — as if they could not see her. Was he the only one who saw her? No, that did not sound right. Death only presented themselves to those who they chose. And those chosen were the ones who were dying.

So what? He was already dead. He died all those years ago, had his soul ripped out of his body. No vampire had a soul — if they did, it would be tainted black like the night sky. No star could redeem such darkness. Sunoo called it a curse, to have a heart of black, unable to beat and yet unbroken. Riki called it a blessing. Humans were emotional creatures; Riki was above them.

The sound of hooves against the ground caught his attention. Riki jerked his head to his left, a shadow sweeping past him with incredible speed. A horse with a knight on top, but not any knight. Harrow was here to chase a man. Even the horse snapped its jaws after its victim, hooves slamming against the ground, dirt flying. Chaos ensued around Harrow, and he seemed to relish in it.

Riki witnessed Astralis walking — no, floating towards a woman. It was a strange sight. Then again, her cape was long enough to brush against the ground, even slightly trailing behind before the fabric gradually turned into dust. For all he knew, the cape was her, and she was simply an upper body floating around.

His curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but watch as she consoled the woman, her touch bringing solace, before tenderly resting her hand above her own heart. Fascinated, Riki could not help but take a step closer when Astralis pulled the soul out of the woman, like one would peel a wet shirt off one's body. The body fell to the ground, while the soul seemed to disintegrate into the air, turning into nothing but dust, blowing free with the wind.

'Go on, vampire,' she said, eyes on him. 'Pick your victim. Harrow will reap their soul once he is done.'

'How do you know the person won't accept death?' Riki asked her, suspicion rolling off his tongue.

To this, she grinned. 'Time is not linear. Death exists everywhere, past, present, and future. We know which souls to chase, and which to take.'

Riki took a step closer to her. 'Then you know that you will never take my soul.'

Tilting her head curiously, she regarded him. 'If something draws breath, it meets us. Our work only ends when Death is alone.'

'Vampires cannot die,' he said.

'You will be hunted, too,' she mused, her voice showing no hint of emotion, yet it seemed so sweet, so innocent. 'No spirit leaves their body without us knowing. Your time will come.'

'Then I will outrun Harrow.'

To this, she blinked, almost confused. 'Oh, sweet vampire,' she cooed. 'I will lead your hunt, not Harrow.'