The smoke floated slowly through the room.
The wispy grey trails rose into the ceiling, gradually spreading out and disappearing into the low light above. The office was otherwise perfectly still; the only noise was the faint ticking of a clock that was mounted on the opposite side of the office.
Shuren leaned back slightly in her chair and the cigarette was between her fingers and its red-hot tip was glowing very faintly. She tapped the cigarette onto the ashtray and dislodged a fine strand of ash that fell silently in the glass ashtray.
Her eyes were fixed upon Sévon as she scrutinized him as if she were a strategist scrutinising a battlefield map, all while looking for anything that he may have overlooked.
Sévon sat with his customary calm demeanor; he maintained the same posture--hand in pocket, relaxed shoulders- as he always does, and seemed completely unconcerned about the tension that had enveloped their environment; as if they were talking about the mundane.
Yet, the name he had mentioned is still hanging in the air.
The Scarlet Wolverine Sect
Shuren's eyes narrowed slightly as she exhaled a thin plume of smoke, watching it drift through the between two of them on its way to settling onto the table separating them.
"This is.... a problem", she stated.
Sévon continued to watch as the smoke drifted before speaking.
While his expression remained unchanged, his eyes focused somewhat sharper than earlier while he pondered the name previously uttered.
He offered a slight nod.
"I agree."
His voice was still calm or nearly casual; however, the weight of the words remained.
Sèvon reclined back slightly in the chair with a loose grip on the armrest.
"Because this female, Esyn, had some decent combat ability, even if most of it was dodging, it is very illuminating, isn't it?"
Shuren's brow began to furrow.
"How?"
Sèvon tilted his head slightly as if the answer should be obvious.
"Think: Blood manipulation," he said, and Shuren began to see the connection, for there was nothing that was normally capable of blood manipulation other than through education.
"Normal humans cannot have that ability, even Sionels cannot perform such an ability, and blood manipulation has no relation to Qi." Sèvon added.
Shuren narrowed her eyes.The thought process of Sèvon began to connect logically for her.
Sèvon gave a small lean in.
"It means that the use of blood manipulation comes external to any form of cultivation. It does not come from physical training either; therefore, the source is simple".
Shuren had completed the thought process prior to Sèvon being able to voice his thoughts.
"So, it must come from a bloodline."
Sèvon's faint smile showed as he nodded.
"Correct."
They were both lost in thought as they sat, photos on the wall in front of them, the office was completely silent and the smoke from Shuren's cigarette billowed out in thin spirals to the ceiling as Sévon leaned back in his chair.
Neither of them broke the silence for a long time while they were both looking at the ceiling with their own thoughts of how they could piece something together that just didn't seem to fit or connect together.
The seconds passed before the two of them would look like they were just staring at the ceiling of the office with their eyes wide open waiting for something to fall out of the ceiling and give them an answer.
Then suddenly Sévon's eyes focused very sharply.
"....Wait."
Shuren moved her eyes downward toward Sévon and he lifted himself up just slightly.
"Isn't there another race existing in this world?"
Shuren blinked and slowly nodded her head.
"I have heard the stories of another race who existed alongside us," Shuren replied.
Sévon put his hand to his chin while using his fingers to press against it as his mind worked the idea out in his head.
"If there were someone who could naturally manipulate blood....that would be the domain of vampires and the invisible force she used to launch me…"he said under his breath.
A quiet pause.
"That is something more akin to the powers of a succubus."
Shuren frowned.
"That is not possible, both races have been extinct for five centuries." She quickly replied.
The words hung in the air and silence returned. At the precise same instant, both of their expressions changed, as if a puzzle piece was placed with two others. They both widened their eyes slightly, and in unison stated the same thing.
"Chi-Do-Hyeon."