The cold winter breeze blew through the city, bringing with it a sense of solemnity and forcing most people to stay cooped up in their houses.
However, given that it was the festive season, there were still many people running around, most of them playing with fireworks and celebrating as they prepared to enter a new year.
Axel was slowly walking down the street from the other side as he took in the view of the children running around and playing happily with his cold eyes that were devoid of any light.
His mouth, which was usually moving about as he chattered with his colleagues, now pressed into a thin line as he couldn't bother convincing himself that he was happy now that there was no one around.
It was freezing outside, with everything covered in snow, but all he was wearing was a thin white shirt with black pants, and on top of that, he was holding a cone of chocolate ice cream that didn't look like it was going to be melting anytime soon.
His body has always been weak, and it was even weaker when exposed to the cold, which is why the doctor always reminded him to keep himself warm and avoid eating anything cold.
However, at this point what did it matter? He was going to die soon anyway so there was nothing wrong with bringing his death date forward.
Nobody knew exactly what was wrong with his body, but with the way his system was deteriorating, it was estimated that he wouldn't live past twenty-five. It was going to be his twenty-fifth birthday next year.
Walking down the street, Axel observed what was going on on the other side with much reaction until he saw a certain family of three.
"Mom, Dad look." The boy who looked about five called out as he waved the sprinkler fireworks in his hand.
He was running around with a wide smile and his parents couldn't help but smile as they watched him.
Watching this scene, Axel's expression couldn't help but soften, but it didn't take long before he quickly retracted his emotion.
Parents….he had no recollection of his parents whatsoever, for as long as he could remember he had been in that organization all along and although he received special care because of his frail body, he still suffered just as much as everyone else. The training was mandatory, no one could escape from it.
That woman claimed he might have been abandoned by his parents but he didn't really know, and struggling to live up till now, he didn't really care anymore.
He stood there for a while and watched the harmonious family of three.
…I suppose fate deals everyone a different hand…he thought.
He was just about to retract his gaze and move on when the scene immediately changed.
The boy who was carried away with running around ended up running too close to the road and accidentally tripped, falling onto the road.
This would have been fine as few cars were moving around all night.
Unfortunately, he happened to fall onto the road at the wrong time as the blaring sound of a truck sounded behind Axel while the huge truck rushed down.
Without even looking back, Axel could tell that there was something wrong with the vehicle. The break was most likely broken, and with how slippery the road was, it was a perfect recipe for disaster.
Both parents were scared stiff, and before they could even react, Axel had already dashed onto the road, getting to the boy before the fast-moving truck could.
It was at this point that the mother reacted, letting out a distressing cry.
"My child! Please save my child!"
Axel was a bit exasperated.
''Can't you see that's what I'm doing?' He thought.
But then again, he could somewhat understand her panic.
He was about to dash out with the boy when a thought suddenly struck him.
"Catch him!" He said, quickly tossing the boy over.
The boy's father quickly reacted, catching his son in his arms while watching in horror as his child's saviour was sent flying a few meters across the hard road by the truck.
The truck driver, knowing that he had hit someone, frantically turned the steering wheel, causing him to crash into the side of the road.
It was a ghastly scene that left people gasping and screaming, some rational ones already calling the ambulance.
The boy who had just been rescued was crying in his mother's arms as both his parents watched the man who had just saved him lying in a pool of blood. They looked quite conflicted.
After all, this man ended up in this situation because of them; if possible, they hoped he could be saved.
If Axel knew what they were thinking, he would surely have a good laugh.
If he really wanted to, that truck would not have been able to touch him.
At this moment, lying on the cold road, smiling in self-mockery.
No matter how hard things got, he had never really thought of committing suicide before but when he saw that truck coming toward him at full speed, he had an impulsive thought, an impulsive thought that landed him in his current predicament.
However, he didn't regret it.
If anything, he was glad that it was finally over.
This wretched life was going to finally come to an end.
"Those novels pigeon reads have people getting reborn into worlds of fantasy after getting hit by trucks, I wonder if the same will happen to me. If so I hope I get a healthy body this time ... .and maybe ...."
Suddenly, he let out a self-deprecating laugh as his grin grew wider.
"Even if it's possible, fate can't possibly be that nice."
Axel didn't know how long he managed to stay conscious; all he remembered was that before he lost consciousness, he had heard the sound of the ambulance arriving.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
_____ _____
"I can't possibly still be alive, right?" Axel groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.
He felt a stinging pain in his head with his body aching all over.
He was too familiar with this kind of pain that came from sustaining serious physical injuries, mostly from taking a beating.
Before Axel could figure out why his body felt like he had just taken a serious beating, he was befuddled to find out he was lying on the ground in a particularly unfamiliar environment.
The sky was especially bright, and he could hear the whispering of people all around him, as if he were in some kind of stadium where he was surrounded by people.
To be precise, he was in an arena.
"What is going on?"
Axel had never felt this confused in his life.
He was about to pull himself up when he felt a sharp pain in his head as numerous memories forcefully streamed into his head.
At the same time in the arena, quite far away from Axel, a silver-haired girl was charging toward a young boy with a sword in her hand.
She was so fast that the boy could barely keep up with his attacks, his clothes and body getting riddled with cuts of all sizes.
Her whole body was covered with streams of crackling lightning and her elongated fangs were sparkling white.
With eyes filled with killing intent, she charged toward the boy once again, this time not even giving him the chance to escape, as she appeared before him before he could react. All he saw was a thick cloud of dark purple smoke.
The boy whose heart had been on edge this whole time, found his pupils constricting in immense shock.
"How is this possible?"
How can she be this fast at her level?
Unfortunately, he couldn't get an answer to that question as the girl grabbed him by his right shoulder, and just after applying a bit of force, he felt his bone crack. Before he could scream, she hurled him forward.
He crashed into the wall with a loud crash and immediately got enveloped in a thick cloud of dust.
With the sword in her right hand, she balled her left hand into a fist as her emerald green eyes slowly began to turn red.
"It was just a normal fight, you didn't have to do that. He was already incapable of fighting." Her voice was deep and slightly shaky, giving off a deep sense of sorrow.
Suddenly the whole arena was shrouded by a very ominous aura.
The sky was slowly covered with dark clouds as the arena suddenly turned quiet, the current atmosphere was especially suffocating. The ones who couldn't take it were already looking for ways to escape.
Anyone who had come close to it before would understand. This was the aura of death. But how was it possible that someone could make people feel close to death just based on her mood alone?
Most of the people in the arena who were joking earlier now had serious expressions on their faces. This vampire was serious, she was really out to kill.
Her body was now covered with a faint layer of dark purple smoke, and with a single step, she instantly appeared in front of the boy, who was now leaning against the wall in a sorry state.
His clothes were tattered with bleeding wounds all over his body, his face was covered in dust and he had blood seeping out of his mouth down his chin.
The vampire at this point seemed to have lost all rationality as she raised her sword ready to deal the final blow.
However, before she could deal the blow, someone suddenly grabbed her hand from behind.
This caused her already irritable mood to grow even fiercer, but before she could tear the person who interrupted her into pieces, a familiar voice, soft like a sweet melody, travelled into her ears.
"Vesper, it's okay now."