Two days passed. Alicarde rembered his conversation with Carrisa and waking up with her by his side. He had no idea when he fell asleep, all he knew was that the ntal anguish subsided as he dozed off.
The room had been dim, bathed only in the soft glow of morning light peeking through the curtains. The bed felt unusually warm, the fabric heavy and comforting.
He had thought his conversation with Carrisa was a dream until he woke up with her in his arms. She seed so vulnerable when she was asleep, her breathing slow and rhythmic, her features soft and relaxed. Not much of the calculating and aloof beauty remained.
Her hair spread like a halo across the pillow, her fingers curled slightly on his chest. In that brief mont, she seed almost fragile, worlds apart from the indomitable aloof presence she carried when awake.
Ti went by in a blur, but he was mostly alright. He had avoided talking to Malefica since he hadn't decided on his course of action. There was also Carrisa, he hadn't said anything about Malefica.
Worst of all was Anne, who was in the hospital. She was fine for the most part, or so he heard. The halls of the university buzzed with the usual gossip, and word around the campus was that the class rep got so high she started seeing monsters.
The rumor spread like wildfire, mutating into a tale of Anne being out of her mind on so kind of super drug. He'd overheard it in the common room, his classmates laughing and speculating about what could have pushed her that far. It made his stomach churn with guilt.
Today, he decided to visit Anne, with Elizalina tagging along. The hospital was ahead, a sterile, modern building with glass windows reflecting the clear sky.
His footsteps echoed in the hallways, the antiseptic scent of the hospital clinging to his nostrils. He didn't have the courage to visit the little girl Lily. He tried going to the hospital to see her but couldn't find the strength to enter.
He only silently watched her from afar like a sentry, standing by the door, staring through the glass pane. She did not react to anything, she said nothing, seeming so empty. Her small form lay still, her eyes vacant, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in a world he couldn't reach.
Her father was even worse. He was a young man in his mid to late twenties, in the golden age of his life, still full of life. Yet, he would occasionally co out of the hospital room where his daughter stayed, bury his face in his knees, and cry.
The sight of him huddled on the floor, shaking with sobs that he muffled into his hands, tore at Alicarde's chest. His silent tears born of his agony, as he pulled his own hair, that made Alicarde's heart sting. He had lost his wife and unborn child. Worst of all, the daughter that remained was a shell of her forr self. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do to take that pain away.
The scene of the incident was cleaned up. It was reported as a minor movent by a strange cult, with the number of deceased ntioned in the news being less than twenty.
The whole thing only got a one-liner in the newspapers, nothing more. The cold indifference of the report gnawed at him, the casual dismissal of lives lost as if they were nothing more than an afterthought.
Alicarde was a storm of rage and indignation when he saw that. All that death was only worth a one-liner, nothing more. Their lives were inevitably aningless in the grand sche of things. They were just that insignificant, no one cared.
"Curse those bastards, they let this happen to people they were sworn to protect yet they won't even own up to it...they deserve to die," Alicarde cursed the governnt that covered everything up.
He did not know who was involved with Zagarath but considering that monster had no social influence, it was obvious that it wasn't just the underworld working with him, even the governnt, Alicarde wondered how deep the conspiracy went. The lives of those lost didn't matter.
'Their deaths were not even worth being a statistic,' Alicarde mused, his frown deepening as he thought of where to go next.
The sterile, white halls of the hospital made him feel like he was walking through a dream, everything too clean, too orderly, as if the outside world's chaos couldn't touch this place. Evergreen University was prestigious and seeing the well-equipped hospital within the campus reminded him of that fact.
When they arrived, Anne seed relieved to see him. She held his hand as she gave Elizalina a cold glare, Elizalina took that as her cue to give them so room. Anne was fine for the most part. She was seated on the hospital bed, her face pale but her eyes as sharp as ever. The tension in the air eased slightly as Elizalina stepped out.
She quickly pulled Alicarde to her side, her grip firm.
"Hey... it's been a while... you look like crap."
Alicarde forced a smile, placing his hand on her blonde hair.
"What a lovely way to greet a friend. And yeah, I feel like crap. I feel like I got hit by a shit storm."
"I'm in the hospital but you look worse off sohow. What, figured out being the boyfriend of the campus belle ca with too much trouble, far more than it's worth?" Anne smiled, her tone teasing but her eyes searching his face for the truth behind his tired expression.
"Right now all the guys hate more than they used to. At this rate, I am never gonna make a dude friend." Alicarde smiled at her words, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Good thing you have then. You know what they say, what a man can do a woman can do better. I'll be the best guy friend you ever had," Anne quipped, her smirk softening the weight in his chest.
"Wow really, miss guy friend? It's true what they say—it takes a real woman to be the best man." He gazed at Anne up and down, pretending to scrutinize her.
"No wonder you're looking extra muscular these days, that Adam's apple is finally coming in," Alicarde teased, earning a soft chuckle from her.
"Hey, don't make beat you up with my great manly muscles. When I get serious, I'm like One Punch Man, don't ss with , young man." Anne smiled as she pinched his arm, her playful energy montarily lifting the heavy atmosphere.
They joked around for a few minutes, the ease between them comforting.
"So, wanna tell about it, why you're in the hospital, I an?" Alicarde asked, his voice softening.
Anne smiled at his words, her expression becoming sowhat thoughtful. "I saw a monster, Alicarde. But no one believes . They say I was just drunk."
Her words felt sowhat sad yet doubtful. "Well, who knows, I must have been hallucinating. I an, I thought I saw a monster, and when I woke up I thought you had rescued like a damsel in distress. Guess I was just drunk, huh?"
He looked into her eyes, seeing the fear and frustration she was trying to conceal. "No, I believe you."
"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Because we're friends, and you don't drink. That much I know about you," he replied with a reassuring smile.
"So what happened then? I don't have an answer." Anne asked, giving him an inquiring look.
Alicarde kept a calm expression, ready to lie his way through.
"I should be getting that info from you. I was looking for you all over. I thought you got mad at and went ho. After that, I went to Malefica's office and then ho. I wished I had called you instead of hesitating, thinking you were mad at for being such a coward. I'm sorry, Anne, I wish I had been there for you when you needed ."
Anne originally had a look of skepticism, but after his words and his somber tone, she seed to believe that he was being honest.
Anne looked at him, her expression softening. "You really look down in the dumps, Alicarde. I wasn't joking earlier when I said you looked like crap."
He laughed it off, trying to lighten the mood. "It's nothing. Just a rough few days. I did have to put up with that witch Malefica, and you are in the hospital, which ans I have to attend my classes without my corrupt friend to help forge my attendance."
Anne pinched his arm, a mock glare on her face. "Corrupt friend, huh? Calling a good, fair-loving individual like corrupt is just an, you asshat. I wouldn't be forging your attendance if you attended your classes like a good student."
Alicarde smiled at her, glad she was okay. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you, class rep. You know, people suddenly kept asking to let them in on the kind of strong stuff you took. Well, mostly the junkies."
Anne scowled, her face reflecting her indignation. "There goes my good na. Now I'm the junkie class rep... Oh right, Ali... thanks."
Alicarde was confused. "Errrh, for what?"
She leaned in, whispering to his left ear, "For being my friend." She leaned back and smiled. "But mostly for believing . I an, you may not have rescued like I originally thought, but thanks for being here for ."
Anne hugged him, and Alicarde held her petite figure in his arms. He leaned back, looked into her eyes,
Alicarde rolled his eyes, pinching her cheeks. "You are such a dummy. Of course, I'd believe you."
After a few more minutes, he left the university hospital where Anne was staying. She would be leaving later that day. She claid the food was great, which was why she stayed so long, but mostly because she was wondering how long it would take for him to co see her.
Alicarde believed she just didn't want to go out into a world where no one believed her. He could have tried gaslighting her into believing what she saw was just a hallucination, but he chose otherwise—one lie was more than enough. Anne was finally ready to say goodbye to the cushy hospital bed.
Outside, Elizalina waited for him. Ever since she officially beca his girlfriend, he had been too busy to tell her to call the whole thing off. He tried to leave, but Elizalina insisted on coming with him.
"I am genuinely concerned for your well-being," she stated firmly, her tone filled with sincerity.
"I'm going ho, though. You can't just follow a man ho," Alicarde tried to dissuade her.
She shook her head, her eyes unwavering as she t his gaze. "You are not just any man. You are my boyfriend. I have every right to be concerned, and no matter what you say, I will accompany you."
Alicarde laid out several reasons why she shouldn't co, but she remained resolute.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I appreciate your concern, but I need so ti alone to sort things out."
Tears welled up in Elizalina's eyes, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"I cannot leave you like this, looking so despondent. It would weigh on my conscience forever... please, allow to stay by your side."
Alicarde felt a pang of guilt as he saw the tears trailing down her cheeks. "Elly, it's not that I don't want your help. It's just... there's so much going on that I need to figure out on my own."
She stepped closer, her voice soft but resolute. "I understand that, but you need not carry this burden alone. I wish to be by your side, to support you."
He hesitated, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "Elly, I... I just don't want you to get hurt."
She wiped her tears, her voice steadying as she replied, "I am already in pain, Alicarde. Watching you suffer without understanding why causes great distress. Please, allow to co with you."
Alicarde sighed deeply, his resolve faltering. Girls' tears brought back bad mories—he couldn't help but think about the last girl he had made cry.
He couldn't bear to see Elizalina so upset, and he knew she genuinely cared about him. "Alright, Elly. You can co with ."
A smile broke through her tears as she hugged him tightly. "I promise, I shall not be a burden."
He hugged her back, feeling a small sense of relief. "Okay, let's go then."
As they walked to the car, a thought nagged at him. Carrisa had jokingly ntioned killing any woman he brought ho the night before the convocation. Her exact words had been 'fornication,' but Alicarde couldn't help but wonder,
'she was joking, right? She's not going to kill such a harmless, seductive... klutz,' he thought, growing anxious about having a girl over.
They arrived at the estate, and as they passed the mansion's grand gate, Alicarde pulled up near the large double doors that marked the entrance. He acted the part of a gentleman, opening the car door for Elizalina before leading her to the entrance. However, as he crossed the threshold, he noticed Elizalina had stopped at the doorway, standing just outside.
Assuming she was shy, he turned back to her. "What... co in, Elly," he invited with a welcoming smile.
She smiled back, but this ti, her usual innocence was nowhere to be seen. There was a seductive edge to her expression as she crossed the threshold. Approaching Alicarde, her arms wrapped around him in a gentle embrace, but sothing felt off. Her eyes shimred red, and before he could react, her canines elongated. In one swift motion, she sank her fangs into his neck.
A sharp pain shot through him, but before he could even process what was happening, Carrisa's aloof voice cut through the mont.
"Alicarde, move aside!"
He barely had ti to register the command before Elizalina threw him out of the way. He rolled across the floor, his neck already regenerating from the wound, but the shock left him montarily dazed. As he lay there, a shadow lood over him—Argint, her gaze filled with anger.
"You've really done it this ti. What kind of idiot invites a vampire into his ho?" She wrinkled her nose, glaring down at him.
"No wonder you slled strange these past days. I knew sothing was off."
Alicarde raised a hand, gesturing for help. Argint hesitated for a mont before begrudgingly pulling him up. Still disoriented, he rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the scene.
"Once we deal with this parasite, I am personally giving you a full purification. You reek of that vampire's stench, and I won't have it," Argint growled, her amber eyes gleaming with killing intent.
Alicarde nodded and turned to face the girl who had just betrayed him. Despite everything, he didn't feel the overwhelming sting of betrayal he would have expected. His heart had accumulated so much emotional baggage that even this felt like just another burden to carry.
"My three... I an, my one girlfriend is a beautiful vampire."
He watched as the silver-haired vampire, now with her red dress fluttering and her eyes glowing a deep crimson, stood before him—terrifyingly beautiful.
'I guess Carrisa's tasteless joke about killing my girlfriend wasn't really a joke after all,' he thought grimly, knowing that this betrayal might truly seal Elizalina's fate, or they might die.
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