Chapter 70: Chapter 70- Red Hue
Chapter 70- Red Hue
Fiona’s features darkened visibly. Even though Elio had survived, she hated the fact that he was so close to death in the first place. She knew that he was heavily injured, but this was ridiculous. Losing more than 60% of the blood in his body was completely insane for someone who just become a Vampire Hunter merely a week ago.
His body hadn’t even developed yet, and his healing abilities were still quite beginner-level. Yet, somehow, with sheer will, he survived all of it. Elio was truly a monster, unlike anything she had seen.
However, her guilt was so strong that she could only look down with a sigh as she rubbed her head.
"Did he wake up at any moment?" She asked.
"No, he has been asleep the entire time. We monitored him and made sure he was fine. I am truly amazed at how his body accepts medical care amazingly well. I have never seen a body of that level absorb healing potions that efficiently.
"Yeah... He’s different." Fiona said.
"What about you, my lady? How are you feeling? What happened?"
"It’s a long story." Fiona sighed as she looked through the window. "The worst had happened, Alfred."
"Hm?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.
"It seems a vampire noble has descended into Earth."
"WHAT?!" The man blurted out, completely losing his calm. "Are you certain of this, my lady?"
The words she had said were no mere news; this was an international-level threat. Something that all the Vampire Hunters would be summoned to deal with. Vampire Nobles are one of the biggest threats in the world.
Their power far exceeds that of mere Hunters, and only the highest level Vampire Hunters could truly fight them on equal footing. That battle, however, would almost always be a very deadly one for the Hunter.
Many prestigious Hunters had died fighting the Nobles in battles still remembered to this day. The effects of some of these battles are still seen in the current world. Fiona knew all of that, and she knew more than that... So, this news to her, was a disaster on every single level.
’Those bastards have stopped descending after what happened. We thought we had control of the main channels... Dammit, how did he get in? And more importantly, how did he avoid detection? I would assume the Society and the clans would be aware of such a presence walking into Earth.’
But it didn’t seem to be the case, or she would’ve known. He had somehow descended completely unnoticed.
This was no matter to ignore, and Fiona knew that. As much as she hated it, she had to tell that man.
’Tsk...’ That idea alone fills her heart with disdain and anger, but there are matters far above her own feelings. She had to tell him.
"Fiona!"
At that moment, the door opened again, and a young man rushed in, looking so panicked. It was Alexander.
He stared around before he located her and rushed toward her.
"Thank God you’re fine. I heard the news from Alfred. What happened?" Alex asked.
"I’m fine. Just an accident that happened in the forest." She said. "I will tell you the details later. I need to go check on Elio now."
"Eh?"
Before he could even speak, the girl walked out of the room in a hurry.
"What is up with her?" Alex muttered in disbelief. Meanwhile, Alfred stared at the door for a few seconds before he turned away and continued about his business. Nobody knew what was going through his head.
***
Walking toward the guest room, Fiona opened the door gently and walked in. It was dark to give a better sleeping experience.
There, lying on the bed, was Elio, deep asleep. Fiona stared at him silently, her face calm, but a million thoughts were running through her head.
She stood there for a while, just staring at his sleeping silhouette. Then, she slowly approached the bed and sat near it.
"Sigh..." She exhaled as she looked down. "You have put your life at risk to save me... I still don’t know why... You have told me before that you want to live for your grandmother. I believed you would be ready to escape the moment your life was threatened... But, you didn’t. Why?"
Naturally, Elio didn’t reply since he was asleep. But that question was directed more toward Fiona herself than Elio. What did he see in her to do this without thinking twice?
He could’ve easily found another way to learn how to be a Vampire Hunter through his grandmother. He could’ve trained and figured everything out on his own sooner or later. In fact, being close to her meant more threat to him.
He was a quiet and peaceful person, and he didn’t like being in the limelight. She was the exact opposite of that.
They were two completely different people, from different walks of life, with different goals and aspirations, yet... For some incomprehensible reason, she felt connected to him. In a way, she had never felt before with someone else.
It wasn’t fake or a mere illusion; she felt it deep within her heart. Something about Elio had captured her and she couldn’t resist it.
"I don’t know yet and perhaps... I will never know. But, what I know is-" She put her hand on his and stared at him with a very faint smile. "I’m thankful for you. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you everything."
He had given her a chance to fulfill her goal. Had she died there, the sheer regret she would’ve had... It would’ve made her eternally bitter. Her survival had given her another breath at life, a different breath.
All because of him.
After sitting there for a while, she finally stood up, gave Elio one last glance and walked out and closed the door. A few seconds after that, Elio’s eyes parted open as he looked around him.
Then, he slowly rose from the bed.
"What the fuck..." He muttered under his breath.
He had been awake the entire time, and he had heard everything Fiona said. However, he didn’t open his eyes when he realized what she was saying.
His heart was racing, and he didn’t know how she didn’t even realize that he was awake. ’I faked it so well. I don’t know how I was able to even keep my heart from racing.’
"Thank you, huh?" He muttered under his breath. "I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say that before in that tone... Dammit..."
Turning around, Elio buried his head in his pillow again. What he was certain of was that he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep easily.
***
Outside his room, Fiona walked a few steps before she stopped around the corner and stared blankly at the wall. Then, she slowly rested her head against it.
’He was awake... Wasn’t he?’
She felt like her entire world was ending. She hadn’t noticed at first because her mind was in a turmoil, but she was almost certain Elio was fully awake and listening to her. He had heard everything.
"Tsk..." Punching the wall gently, she turned around and continued walking. A very faint red hue slowly faded off her face.