CHAPTER XI
We stood at the grand arched entrance of the masquerade party, cloaked in glittering lights and mysterious music. The air shimmered with an electric tension — the kind you could taste on your tongue. Each person passing through the gate was stopped, their party passes examined under the keen, unforgiving eyes of the security team. These weren't ordinary guards — their magic sensors could detect the slightest tremor of deceit.
I could feel the faint buzz of Malti's power rippling beside me, subtle and coiled like a sleeping snake ready to strike. I nodded at her, signaling that I was prepared too. But just before we braced ourselves for a fight or illusion, the guard looked up, nodded with a calm but rehearsed smile, and said, "Please, have a good day, ma'am."
We blinked in surprise.
Malti's face lit up with practiced charm. "Thank you," she replied in a warm, melodious tone, and just like that, we were inside.
The party unfolded before us like a dream spun from velvet and shadows.
Golden chandeliers hung like stars in the sky, casting warm, seductive light over the sea of masked guests. Everyone here wore mystery like perfume — expensive suits and elegant gowns concealed more than just faces. Secrets floated in the air like smoke from the glowing candles, and music swirled from unseen corners, pulling people into a rhythm of whispers and deception.
We each had our mission, but mine was singular — find the businessman. The man with blood on his hands and a fortune built on broken oaths. He was powerful, protected, and invisible in the crowd of masks. But I would find him. I had to.
We silently split up — Jenny veered toward the main floor, Malti disappeared into the garden outside, and I moved upstairs, where the air grew cooler and more exclusive.
The upper floor was quieter. The music faded into a ghostly echo, replaced by murmurs of dangerous deals and muffled laughter behind half-open doors. I walked carefully, my senses stretched thin like wire.
But then… something stopped me.
A scent — citrus, sweet. My eyes landed on the juice bar tucked away in a cozy corner of the lounge. And for a moment, I forgot everything.
The truth was — I was starving. Not just for food, but for something real. Something normal. Something that reminded me I was still human underneath all this magic and madness. Malti and Jenny were terrible cooks — always experimenting with fire and ice, literally. My taste buds had surrendered weeks ago. So I allowed myself a moment of rebellion.
I ordered a mix of apple, banana, and grape juice — comfort in a glass.
As I waited, a voice sliced through the haze.
"Looks like someone hasn't eaten all day."
I turned, mildly annoyed — only to freeze. The girl standing beside me wore a glittering mask, but that voice, that teasing tone, was unmistakable.
"Excuse me?" I asked sharply.
She chuckled, tilting her head. "Didn't expect to find you here, Nexa. I swear, you haunt me in the weirdest places."
My breath caught in my throat.
"Riru?" I whispered.
She smiled under her mask, playful and mocking. "You recognize your girlfriend even in a crowd of masks? Impressive."
I straightened, guarding myself. "This is just a coincidence. That's all."
"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "Because if it weren't, do you think I'd actually want to see your face again, runaway?"
Her words stung more than they should've. But I smirked through it. "I'm still the smartest person in this entire Human Dark World."
She raised an eyebrow. "This isn't the Human Dark World, Nexa. It's the Human Magic World. Get it right."
And there it was. My slip-up.
Panic shot through me like cold water. How did I let that slip? The term "Human Dark World" — it was something only I used in my dreams. In my private thoughts. No one was supposed to hear that.
I quickly covered it up. "That's what I meant," I said, brushing it off with a forced laugh.
Riru leaned closer, folding her arms. "You're acting weird tonight. Must be the hunger."
She was right. But not in the way she thought.
I looked at her — really looked. The sharp glint in her eyes. The sarcasm hiding concern. The way she challenged me, even now. Why did I always argue with her? Why did I never walk away?
"Why do you always fight with me?" I asked quietly, stepping a little closer.
She blinked in surprise as I gently wrapped my arm around her waist.
"Maybe because I don't know how else to hold onto you," I murmured, half-joking, half-honest.
The tension between us pulsed like a living thing. She looked up at me, lips parted, eyes softening — just for a moment.
And then the moment shattered.
He appeared — the man I had come to find. The businessman. The monster beneath the mask. He exhaled wearily as he approached, and I felt Riru's entire body tense beside me.
Her playfulness vanished.
Without a word, she pulled away from me.
"I'll deal with you later," she said with a flat edge to her voice. "But for now, I have somewhere to be."
And just like that… she left with him.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I couldn't let him disappear. Not again.
Without hesitation, I turned to the nearest waiter, cast a swift sleeping spell with a flick of my fingers, and caught his tray before it clattered to the ground. My body shimmered, shifting into his form — same uniform, same posture.
The mask was mine again.
I followed them, silent as a shadow, eyes locked on the man who had no idea death had just stepped behind him.
Riru had already vanished into the private room with the businessman, his two personal guards flanking them like stone statues. The door they passed through shimmered faintly — not just a physical barrier, but a high-level magical lock, one that recognized only specific energy signatures.
No ordinary person could get through. And I… I was very far from ordinary. But even I needed a strategy.
I stood just beyond the golden-lit hallway, shadows licking my feet as I observed from the corner. My mind ticked quickly. If the room rejected any unknown or unregistered magical presence, then I had only one option — I needed to borrow a registered one.
Just then, my eyes caught the shining plate mounted near the wall:
"VIP Lounge – Gentlemen's Restroom"
A slow smile curved on my lips. Perfect.
Silently, like a ripple through still water, I slipped into the restroom. The moment I entered, the scent of luxury overwhelmed my senses — amberwood cologne, lavender soap, and the faintest touch of blood. Vampire blood. My instincts sharpened instantly.
A tall, well-groomed man stood before the mirror, adjusting his cufflinks with a bored expression. He looked like he owned the world — expensive suit, jeweled watch, and crimson-tinted eyes that sparkled with entitlement.
He saw me in the mirror and turned, a sneer rising on his lips.
"You bloody waiter," he snapped, his accent slick and full of arrogance. "What the hell are you doing in the VIP section? Did you take a wrong turn, or are you just thick?"
I tilted my head slowly and looked at him. My smile widened. Not a smile of apology.
A smile of death.
Before he could step back or raise his voice, I let my form shift slightly — just enough for my jaw to loosen and unhinge, my mouth stretching far beyond human capability. It opened wide like the abyss itself.
His eyes widened in terror, but it was too late.
With a single surge of dark magic, I pulled him into the shadowed void of my mouth — not devouring flesh and blood, but absorbing essence, draining him from the inside out.
I spat him out.
Not in pieces, but in the form of thick, shimmering silver sludge that clung to the marble like molten sorrow. The air shimmered with residual energy — glowing, writhing, and thick with vampire magic.
The sound of flesh dissolving echoed quietly, wet and horrible, as the man's body melted down into nothingness, his final scream swallowed by silence.
I reached out.
The energy hanging in the air pulsed toward me as if it knew who was stronger. I inhaled it into my being, merging it with my own core. A cold fire ran through my blood. My bones ached as they shifted slightly, molding me into him.
When I looked into the mirror, I didn't see myself anymore.
I saw him.
Every feature had changed — the jawline, the hair, the eyes. Even the vampire aura he carried was now mine. I ran my tongue along my new elongated fangs. They felt… right.
But more than that — from his memories now woven into my magic, I learned something.
He wasn't just a vampire.
He was one of them — an elite servant to the businessman, a loyal follower trusted for years. The perfect key.
I straightened my back, smoothed down my collar, and walked out of the restroom with confidence radiating off me like a second skin.
As I approached the private chamber, I saw Riru standing outside — her expression distant, lost in thought. Her eyes flicked toward me. A flicker of confusion flashed across her face, but I didn't let it show that I recognized her.
I gave her a polite nod and an indifferent smile — the kind men like him gave to women they considered beneath them.
She nodded back without a word, turning away.
I turned to the scanner.
The sleek, obsidian surface glowed as I pressed my palm against it. The machine hummed, reading the mixed energy — my own cloaked behind his, perfect and undetectable.
Beep.
Access Granted.
The security seal turned green.
The door unlatched and slid open with a whisper.
Beyond it lay secrets. Blood deals. Corruption. Power.
And my target.
I stepped in.
The hunter had entered the den.
To be continue....