'Enough. She's already done.'
'But boss, can we taste her? She's still warm.'
'Respect the living and the dead unless you want them to hunt you back.'
'Superstition.'
'In here, you must listen to the old saying. But if you don't believe, you should at least pay respect to them.'
'Alright, boss. Whatever you say.'
'You may go now. I'll pay respect to her soul.'
Silas, the prison's owner, to whom Frances entrusted the black tower, firmly dismissed his prison guards. Alone, he pulled down the chains and carefully laid the lifeless body of the lady general on the cold concrete ground. He might be the owner, but he was hands-on, taking care of the deceased body to pay respect to the dead. But before he could call someone to retrieve the body, an eerie vibe began spreading throughout his body. However, a cold whisper from Sophia's soul halted him in his spot. His sweat went cold, and he gulped, pretending it was the usual vibe on collected dead bodies, but he had never experienced anything like it before.
'Just like the usual.'
'Ten punches and kicks, and more than five hundred thousand hits, leaving marks on the body. And nobody can escape a vengeful soul.'
His eyes went wide upon hearing it again, but this time it was more precise, clear, making him shiver. He knew something was not right and quickly turned to the lifeless body, but he was greeted by something that could only exist in the films: a monster covered with its own blood.
'G-general?'
'Blood. I need blood…'
'I can give some, but don't kill me.'
'Not from you, old man. Where are they?'
'Who?'
'My guards, my torturers, where are they? Tell me before I kill everyone in sight.'
'Don't kill innocent blood detained here. Some were just forced like you.'
'You cannot rule me.'
'I am not. I just didn't want you to kill like them. If you're going to taint your hands with blood, be good at judging whose coffin must be served.'
'You're not afraid.'
'My employer is like you, but had a good heart to make me the boss here.'
'If so, then where can I mostly find them?'
'Follow their sounds and their scents since they always roamed. Trashing prisoners without worrying about the consequences of their deeds.'
'Then it's time to collect debts. They will be my first prey, and Sir, I hope you spare me a piece of land to dig a grave for them.'
'How big do you want?'
'Big enough for big names around the city.'
'I spare a land to be the graveyard since some prisoners didn't survive here.'
'That will be enough. And another thing, make my death believable to everyone who knew me once.'
'Then how do you return to the surface?'
'The same face with the same name, but no memories of everything. Just a new person with a hidden agenda.'
'It feels like I'm talking to a mirror of my employer. Consider it done, and once you're done, come to my office.'
'Affirmative.'
The reawakened Skylar began hunting those guards who had been torturing her behind the old man's back. But Skylar remembered everything, and every count will be returned more than they could ever imagine. One guard was spotted checking the cells and the inmates before ending his shift, but before he could even return to the guards' quarters, a sinister shadow hit his head, slamming him into the concrete wall before he went down to the ground. It happened twice before he pleaded for his life, but only a sinister chuckle echoed around his ears before his throat choked him.
'Remember what you had done to the general, everything has been counted but tonight, your deathbed awaits.'
'No…no…please, don't kill me…'
'Sorry, but not sorry, I heard you kill some before, so I'm just collecting debts.'
'No…please…I beg of you…'
'Goodbye, asshole.'
One snapped of his neck, he was gone, but the huntress wasn't done and went for another. She did the same thing to another guard, but instead of choking the man, he tied him upside down before letting him drown in a container filled with cold and icy water. She smirked as the man squirmed violently before he died, drowning. But she wasn't satisfied; she went to the next guard, who made her excited because she was not alone. It was perfect, and with her inhumane speed, she quickly knocked both men and tied them to a chair in an empty field, filled with dirt and a dug-up grave.
Just a few seconds, two men woke up, groaning and panicking as soon as they saw themselves tied up and outside. But what horrified them was not only the two empty graves in front of them but the two dead bodies of their colleagues.
'If you only listen to your boss, this won't happen. If you only pay respect, then no deathbeds will wait for you, but sadly, it's happening tonight. So have a nice sleep.'
The men tried to break free, but they couldn't, and she only laughed at them, making her stab both of their thighs before batting their legs and bodies. She laughed like a maniac before cutting their flesh, making them bleed. She made sure their wounds were more than what her body had just received from them. She ensured every wound and pain they inflicted on her body would reflect exactly what they did to her before slitting their throats. However, to make her satisfied, she cut their pride before shoving it into their mouths. Grinning darkly, she kicked their chairs toward their grave before burying them.
Then she quickly heads back to the tower and meets the old man.
'Satisfied, General?'
'I am, but you seem calm. I just killed them.'
'They're good at their job, but every night, they were being a nuisance, and my employer told me to let you once you changed.'
'I want to meet your employer.'
'You will one day, but here. This key is the key to an old house, a villa not far from here. It's abandoned, filled with dirt and almost ruined, but water and electricity are still working; you can start your life secretly there.'
'Hm, sounds like it has been prepared for this. But I'm taking the bait. I'll see you around, Sir Silas.'
'If you heard the name Moon Rose Familia, then you know Lady Rose is Verosha Park-Kim. She's waiting for your call.'
'And I will give her one once I clean up. See you around, old man.'
"Wow, I didn't see that coming," Fredric commented astonishingly upon seeing a scene that hadn't been told to anyone.
"Same here." Edrico chuckled, amused and proud of his daughter.
"She indeed had the blood curse." Frances added a comment when she saw Sophia's soul looking at Skylar's awakened blood before muttering, "She knew how your blood would turn into."
"Meaning?" Skylar wondered after hearing her mother's soft comment.
"You're here because of her help." She answered before grinning wickedly, saying, "And dealing with Rudolf will be something different than to what I've seen before."
"Different, good or bad?" Fredric wondered curiously.
"Depends on your sister's dramatic game," Frances replied, grinning like she knew something would turn extravagant.
"I had to make it believable." Skylar reasoned, rolling her eyes at their teasing grins.
"Still, it's dramatic." Edrico refuted teasingly, making her sigh, dismissing their teasing snickering.
"Fine, I'll check on Vince." She said and was about to get up from her seat when her mother caught her attention again.
"Did those scenes answer your questions about Rudolf?" Frances asked seriously, making her stop mid-way, and from her shoulder, she sighed, nodding too.
"Yeah, it clarified things about what I should do for him and for Sophia." She replied and attempted to walk away when her mother added something, making her stop again.
"You felt something there when you talked to her," Frances said as she stood up, making the scene in their background fade instantly, and walked toward her daughter's spot.
"I've seen her twice, Mom. I didn't just hear her this time." Skylar said, facing her mother before adding something sensitive, "I saw her sorrow because of the curse she can't undo, but what kept her safe and sane is because of you. The bond that the two of you have is unbreakable, unconditional, and something indescribable in how deep it is. It's hard to explain, but I understand where it came from. Love."
"Do you understand your Blood Curse now?" Frances asked carefully, cupping her face delicately, and Skylar smiled softly, nodding.
"I know. I felt it already, and it's clear to me now that I've seen it." She replied honestly before hugging her mother, who flinched at her sudden gesture. Then, before she pulled away, she whispered something, saying, "It's getting near."
'Wifey, let's meet. I've got something to tell you in person.'
"Perfect timing. Meet me as Night Hound and pretend we're partners." Through telepathy, Skylar grinned mischievously but was filled with darkness.
'You knew he was on my tail?'
"Just a feeling or perhaps my possessiveness instinct doing its job." She chuckled, responding to his amused tone.
'Love to hear that.'
"Mom, Dad, I'm not gonna stay for the rest of the night." Skylar turned seriously to her parents, making them sigh heavily, but they knew what it meant.
"He called you already?" Edrico wondered for clarification, and Skylar nodded.
"Yeah, and he's being tailed." She answered as she grabbed her coat, getting ready to leave.
"Do you want me to…" Fredric tried to say something, but was quickly cut off.
"Don't finish it. Stay here. Protect this. Our family. I'll deal with the rest." She reassured him.
"But…" He tried one more time, but Skylar shook her head, emitting her deadliest malice.
"You had accomplished what you had promised, and now, let me do this with my husband." She reminded him of the job he had done, making Fredric sigh in defeat, waving his hand.
"If something, anything comes up, don't hesitate to ask for our help," Frances said softly, but there was firmness in her voice, as if she sensed something might change along the way.
"Duly noted." She smiled confidently, and when she was ready to leave the house, she remembered her daughter. "I'll hold her one more time before I leave."
Skylar went to the room next to hers and saw Syria sleeping beside her daughter and Fredric's firstborn son. She smiled at the sight before kissing her daughter's temple and left a necklace that she had once gifted her on their first anniversary as a married couple.
"Take care, baby. Just one more task, then let's live peacefully." She whispered hopefully. Then she kissed her daughter's head and left the room.
"Sky, come with me for a second." Frances said sternly that Skylar had no other choice but to follow, and inside the master bedroom, her mother took out something before giving it to her, saying, "Wear it. It's enchanted with protection."
"Mom…" Skylar was skeptical about accepting a very nice dark suit with crimson blood lining at the edges
"I made it for her, but she can no longer wear them. Take it. Make use of it." Frances said firmly, insisting that her daughter wear them. "It complements the abilities your vampire side has."
"Thanks, Mom." She smiled and began wearing her new suit for her hunting night.
Once she wore it, she immediately felt comfortable, as if she was just wearing any comfy clothing to her taste. It was a typical midnight black assassin suit that hugged her body protectively, and the coat had a hood to emit a more mysterious vibe. However, the red lines designed at the edges made her vampire side excited, like the suit was made for her.
"How come I feel more alive wearing this?" Skylar wondered, but was still amazed by the new hunting suit she was wearing.
"It's a suit I made for Sophia's cursing abilities, which includes the Blood Curse," Frances replied proudly as she checked the suit to make sure it perfectly fitted her daughter.
"Mom, did you tell Dad the truth about my Blood Curse?" She asked seriously, making her mother smile.
"He's very well informed about everything between me and Sophia. And if you're thinking about jealousy, at first he was, but realizing how it works, he understood and came around." She answered briefly but directly before smiling, adding, "He's still my mate, my heart, but Sophia is my soul."
"Our family is complicated in making bonds." She sighed, understanding her strange family bloodline.
"I agreed with you on that." Frances chuckled, agreeing with her comment before patting Skylar's back, encouraging with dual meaning, "Now, you're mothers' Rose Slayer."
"Oh, indeed I am, Mom." She grinned darkly, giggling even before leaving through the window of the master bedroom, "See you whenever."