After dinner, while the small fire Touka had lit flickered in the darkness, the two stumbled upon the remnants of an old guard post hidden among the charred trees. The cracked walls bore traces of rusted bullet holes and faded emblems from a war long forgotten. The floor was covered in dust and ash, and the air was thick with the scent of iron and sea salt… as if time itself had stopped here when the last human cry faded away.
Kojou and Touka decided to spend the night inside. The place wasn't comfortable, but at least it shielded them from the salty winds coming from the sea. Touka sat near the wall, brushing pebbles aside as her eyes scanned the darkness beyond the half-open door. Kojou, on the other hand, lay quietly on the ground, gazing up at the cracked ceiling through which faint moonlight seeped.
Even though he could return to Itogami Island at any moment — just a flicker of his power could tear through the dimensional barrier — he didn't. It wasn't carelessness… but rather a deadly curiosity.
He wanted to know why Magus Craft had chosen him specifically for a mission on an island he could destroy with half his strength.
Were they trying to isolate him? Test him? Or were they simply afraid of what resided within him?
"How strange..." he murmured softly, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he stared into the dancing flames.
"To send an immortal vampire... to a deserted island."
Then, amid his thoughts, his mind drifted to the other presence he had sensed on the island — the one who had been watching them from the shadows since their arrival.
But he didn't move to find it. It didn't seem hostile, at least not yet.
It had been a long time since he'd slept so peacefully. Usually, his nights were consumed by satisfying the desires of his lovers until dawn.
He slowly closed his eyes, surrendering to drowsiness, while Touka remained alert, watching the shadows move lightly at the edge of the firelight. The breeze whispered through the dry grass, sounding like muted words spoken by ancient spirits.
The night was unnervingly calm. The crashing waves below sounded like the faint groaning of the sea's heart, and the flickering firelight cast uneasy reflections across Touka's face — as if exposing the tension she tried to hide.
She looked up toward the clouded sky, noticing that the moon was unusually dim, tinged with crimson — as though the heavens themselves were watching from afar with anxious eyes.
She moved closer to Kojou, watching him lie there with a face utterly free of concern, as though on a casual outing rather than a mission from an organization he didn't trust. His silver hair shimmered faintly under the pale light, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm — like a being who had never known danger.
"How can you sleep so easily... in a place like this?" Touka whispered softly, as if afraid to awaken something in the dark.
Of course, he didn't answer. He was fast asleep. A faint smile touched her lips before she returned to her silent watch, her eyes following the flames as they devoured the remaining wood.
"..." Touka stared at her Senpai for a while before quietly inching closer so as not to wake him, then wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes peacefully.
The gentle warmth radiating from his body was enough to chase away the chill that crept into her bones. His steady breathing carried a soothing rhythm, blending with the murmur of the waves below and the crackling fire fading into embers. For the first time since their arrival on the island, Touka felt something close to safety.
She lifted her head slightly, watching his face up close — his features calm to a maddening degree. That detached serenity surrounding Kojou Akatsuki wasn't simply human composure; it was the manifestation of unshakable confidence. He was the kind of man who could witness destruction and not even blink.
"Even in your sleep... you look like someone who doesn't belong to this world," Touka murmured faintly before her own eyelids grew heavy.
The night finally settled into silence. Only the distant waves breaking against the rocks below and the whispering wind seeping through the cracks of the old walls remained. The fire had long gone out, leaving behind a few dim embers that pulsed faintly — like the slow heartbeat of dying life.
Outside, the forest was swallowed by a strange stillness. No insects, no nocturnal birds, not even rustling leaves — as if the entire island was watching from afar, silently waiting.
Inside the guard post, Kojou slept deeply, his features strangely peaceful — as if his body had temporarily abandoned all its blood, power, and sins. Beside him, Touka still clung to him lightly, her head resting on his chest, her dark hair scattered across his shoulder like a warm shadow.
—
"Mmm~" Kojou let out a soft groan as he woke, feeling a slight weight pressing on his chest and body. He opened his eyes curiously — if anyone had tried to attack or kidnap him, they should've been reduced to a pile of crushed flesh by now. But that didn't seem to be the case.
When his eyes fully opened, he saw a head of dark hair and delicate features peacefully sleeping on his chest, a faint and gentle smile on her face.
A small smile crept onto Kojou's lips as he breathed slowly, sensing the warmth of the small body pressed against him. He looked for a moment at the cracked ceiling, then at Touka's sleeping face. Her black hair was strewn across his shoulder like a silky veil, strands shimmering faintly under the light filtering from above.
He sighed softly, tone caught between amusement and resignation.
"Hah… Even here, I can't escape situations like this."
He lifted his hand slightly, watching his fingers entangled in her hair before letting it fall back gently so as not to wake her.
Her face was peaceful — too peaceful for an island cloaked in a cursed aura. Her steady breathing synced with the rhythm of the waves below, her chest rising and falling in a soft cadence that made her look almost angelic.
"Really… You trust me far too much, don't you?" he murmured to himself with a faint smile.
His words were playful, but in his eyes flickered something deeper — that strange blend of hidden warmth and apathy that defined him.
He tried to move her gently aside but stopped when he felt her hand unconsciously grasp his jacket, as if her body refused to let go.
"…Tsk. As stubborn as ever, even in your sleep."
Though he didn't truly want to move her, he had to return to Itogami Island to reassure Nagisa, Asagi, and the others of his safety.
With that thought, Kojou turned into a silver mist and reappeared standing beside the sleeping Touka, who didn't notice a thing — because now, she was hugging someone else entirely.
In Kojou's place stood a beautiful girl with skin pale as moonlight reflecting on ice — serene and cold enough to freeze the breath in one's chest. Her long hair, a gradient of light gold and silver-white, flowed smoothly down to her waist, moving with every faint breeze as if it were made of light itself.
Her eyes… were the most unsettling thing about her — twin orbs of frozen blue, glowing softly with a stillness that carried an ancient, cosmic loneliness. Her gaze wasn't sharp or cruel, but deep enough to make you feel she was looking straight past your skin — into the part of you you'd rather keep hidden.
She wore a simple white dress, but it seemed woven from moonlight — its edges shimmered with fine golden threads that appeared and vanished with every movement. Her shoulders were bare, her pale skin almost crystalline, fragile yet impossibly beautiful.
Within that slender frame was an aura that defied comprehension — a mix of purity and dread, innocence and curse.
"Make sure to protect Touka while I'm gone, Prote," Kojou said to the emotionless beauty, though a subtle warmth flickered in her eyes as she looked at him.
Prote, or Aries Prote — the human name of Mesarthim-Adamas, Kojou's First Familiar.
Normally, a Beast Vassal could never take a human form. But the Fourth Primogenitor's Familiars were exceptions. Even so, once absorbed by the Primogenitor, they typically could never return to their human forms or even speak human language again.
However—
It wasn't truly impossible. Kojou had managed it after training with Anos, mastering various kinds of magic and knowledge. Once he had the right understanding, it became simple.
"Ten cones of ice cream," Prote said softly, her gentle, melodic voice lighting up with innocent excitement at the mere mention of ice cream.
"Alright," Kojou nodded without hesitation. He had more than enough money, and even if she hadn't asked, he would've bought it anyway — she was Avrora's sister, after all, and shared her taste.
At the thought of Avrora, a faint touch of guilt and sorrow crossed his eyes. He had noticed Avrora's Source within Nagisa, though it was far too weak to attempt resurrection yet. Still, Nagisa's power was nourishing it — it wouldn't be long before it grew strong enough to endure rebirth once more.
Now's not the time for depression or self-blame… Kojou reminded himself with a quiet shake of his head, pushing the thoughts aside before turning into silver mist and vanishing.
—
Extra Comedy Scene
After a while, Touka's blue eyes — bright as the midday sky — fluttered open, meeting another pair of blue eyes staring at her quietly with mild curiosity.
"Senpai…" Touka murmured sleepily, rubbing her eyes a little as she examined her Senpai beside her — and then froze completely.
"Senpai! … Did you turn into a girl?!" Touka exclaimed, eyes wide as she stared at the small, beautiful girl before her — one who looked like a perfectly crafted doll.
Prote blinked blankly for a moment, then tilted her head slightly as if trying to understand the strange question. After a slow blink, she pointed at herself softly.
"…Me?"
Her tone was gentle as a breeze but filled with genuine childlike confusion.
Touka's mind went blank — there was no logical explanation for what she was seeing. The girl she had just been hugging moments ago had long, shimmering golden-silver hair, skin pure as snow, and features so serene she looked as if she had stepped out of a dream.
"Could it be that you're actually a little girl, Senpai?" Touka muttered, eyes scanning Prote from head to toe as her imagination drifted away. "Because in so many stories I read back in the High God Forests, ancient vampires who lived for centuries — scary and powerful — often turned out to be tiny, innocent girls who didn't know anything and were being used by evil people!"
Prote twitched slightly, raising one eyebrow in a comically puzzled way as if to say, "Is this really how all your conversations start?" before shrugging lightly.
"I'm… very strong?" she whispered softly, then looked around as if expecting a villain to jump out any second.
Touka covered her mouth, stifling a laugh that escaped despite her confusion. "No no no, Senpai! I didn't mean you're evil! It's just… your appearance! It's weirdly… like one of those manga characters who suddenly show up and mess up everything!"
"…" Prote tilted her head again, clearly not understanding most of what Touka was saying, but continued listening anyway, occasionally nodding.
And so, Touka kept chattering away with her "Senpai," completely unaware that the real one had already returned to Itogami Island — leaving her alone with the little doll-like girl.
...
To get more chapters please visit my p@treon :
[email protected]/Akasaki_Ryujin
For support :
https://ko-fi.com/akasaki_ryujin