25. Atrisa

The passage ends with a large empty space. Rose bents down and touches the floor. Rose brings close the fireball that was floating in the air. The ball of the light made itself down near the ground. Lily's hair moves a bit. Lily turned to her side feeling a light touch in her hair. But she found nothing. Rose's eyes glowed, lighting the whole space in blue. Rose sees a footprint.

"Lily!"Lily turns back to Rose hearing her name and sits near Rose, "It looks like a human's."

''Is that vampire, like a human?''Rose asked Lily.

''That would be troublesome if so. Vampires who are like humans can't be detected without seeing their diet.' 'Lily tries the logic to find out.

''If it's staying with the humans then it will be impossible to detect with just that. They must be very careful not to get caught.'' Rose said.

"My sense is still sharp yet I could not detect the presence. How did these little girls do that?! They are really advanced with their skills. What will they become when they grow up!" Talitha couldn't comprehend how they found out that. Why were the girls looking at each other without saying anything? She didn't know the fact that they could communicate inside their heads.

'Talitha, I think this vampire is like a human. Have you encountered any?' Rose asked directly, making Talitha more surprised.

'I have.'Talitha answers politely.

'Do they still exist?' Lily wanted to know everything.

Some stay modest. Some don't. Those who aren't modest get killed or stay irritating humans all the time.

'How to know them?' Lily asked.

'Their faces won't change much because their body is frozen.' Talitha answers.

The vampires change their physical appearance by hiding their main features with makeup or they travel to different places when a few decades pass. So it's basically difficult to detect them through the face unless followed closely and continuously.

'They don't have a soul mark as we do.'Talitha explained as much as she knew about them.

Rose was not satisfied with the information.

'They have been aroused from the dead bodies of humans. Probably that's why.' Rose tried to conclude but was not properly satisfied.

A sound starts to echo through the passage. They were really surprised to see the face of that person who had entered the cave.

Silver hair was shining bright inside the cave. The blindfold was not covering her eyes today. Her white sclera and white pupil were surprising but to the girls that were not the reason.

'Seigneur Lisa?' Lily was confused while asking.

'No, what are you girls doing here? You need to get out of here right…' Before Mona finished her sentence, a dark figure grabbed Lily holding onto her neck.

'Nooo!' Mona shouts.

Rose was petrified.

Talitha brought out her weapon that was lighting the cave with its purple flame and Rose's was lighting in blue.

Rose ordered that unknown figure that was holding Lily,' Let go of her!'

'Let the girl go!' Mona pleaded. Mona's voice sounded like she was afraid.

For some reason, Lily couldn't understand anything. Something was making her drowsy. She noticed the vampire's fingernail was inserted in her neck's vein.

"God! Is it poison? or venom?" Lily was feeling dizzy.

Rose desperately said, "Lily, what's happening?"

"I don't...know…" she replied as if she couldn't hold her consciousness.

"Lily, don't close your eyes." Rose requested, fearing Lily won't be able to wake up anymore. Eyes were heavy. Lily couldn't keep her eyes open," I'm trying… "

Mona was now worried and her tone became authoritative,' Leave her, please...Atrisa!'

Seeing Mona call her by name, Rose was utterly dumbfounded,' You know her, Mona?' 'Shhh...don't provoke her. Lower your weapons.' Mona suggested in a low voice so that t

Atrisa cannot hear.

'Master?' Talitha asked for confirmation from Rose if she would lower their weapon or not. Rose nods. Both of them retract their weapons.

Mona now talks with Atrisa,'Atrisa, look..this..they are my friend…'

She hugs Rose.

'Oh, God!' Rose feels uncomfortable in Mona's embrace. Rose couldn't understand anything because inside Mona's mind, it was chaos. She couldn't grasp what to see, what to not see. So Rose does not have any idea what was going on.

'Atrisa..won't you listen to me?' Mona pleaded again.

Lily was already unable to stand but when she felt that the person had loosened the grip, Lily's weapon appeared and she tried to cut off Atrisa's limb.

"Lily no!" Rose panicked as it would provoke Atrisa.

It didn't take a moment to cut off her hand that was holding Lily. Atrisa's hand grew back instantly," Shit! It's this fast!"

Mona said,' Atrisa!! Let her go! She is not your daughter.'

The vampire screeched and said something that nobody understood. She strokes in Lily's hair and cheek making her dizzier.

'What kind of...vampire is she?' Talitha was worried and stuttered.

Mona lowers her head and rubs her eyes,' Red.'

Talitha brought out her weapon again. Rose signs with her hand to stop moving forward,' Master! A red Vampire can't be dealt with with reasoning. She will not hesitate to kill her. And their venom is lethal.'

'Mona…' Rose's voice was screaming but shaking as well.

'What did..the future..what was it?' Rose couldn't hold her fear in anymore.

'If we don't anger Atrisa, she will let her go when she realizes she is not her daughter. We just need to stay calm.'Mona tried to calm Rose down.

'Stay calm?' Rose looked back at Atrisa and Lily.

Atrisa was patting Lily's head with her injured hand. Lily's soul weapon was holding the throat of Atrisa but Atrisa was not bothered by that at all. When Lily would lose her consciousness, her soul weapon would vanishes as well.

"Seeing how Lily's soul weapon is not reacting to hurt Atrisa, that means Atrisa has no ill will towards Lily." Rose tried to assess the situation.

Rose sits down far away as Atrisa was holding Lily in her lap. Lily groans in pain.

"Sto...p…" Lily tried to manipulate Atrisa's soul but she could not find any. Rose understood what Lily was trying to do. But she too couldn't find the soul.

'Why doesn't she have a soul?' Rose asked Mona.

Mona sighs, 'After being awakened from the dead body...she sold her soul.'

After a while Rose was getting very impatient, 'Why isn't she letting her go?'

'Her daughter was killed while she was asleep. That's why she tries not to fall asleep.' Mona's explanation surprised Rose. She also tells Rose that because of the weakness Atrisa won't be able to stay awake much longer. And once she falls asleep, Mona will make sure Atrisa has fallen asleep forever.

'She was asleep?' Rose was surprised to hear that she was confused if that means she was buried here in the cave.

'Yes! For...over a thousand years.' Mona said with nostalgia.

'How did she wake up then? Who woke her up?' Rose knows if someone doesn't raise the dead, they won't wake up.

"Demons?" Rose thought to herself.

'I don't know! This is her grave. Her eternal sleeping place.' Mona leans her head against the wall after she says that.

'You know demons have been killing people in our territory. The place where dead bodies were found was here. This spot was among the suspected spots.' Rose was worried Mona would have to suffer because of the suspicious murdering.