Chapter 23: I Don't Want to Go Back
Airi's eyes shone with a rock-solid determination. Though her body was weary, her heart beat steadily with a resilient will that nothing could break. She stood before Takeshi like a solid wall.
"Who is your alpha? Come out now."
One Drekh stepped forward from behind the others.
Its body was slightly larger than the rest, its fangs longer than normal. The energy it radiated carried the aura of a leader.
Seeing it step out, Airi held her head high, her voice firm.
"You are hunting me, right? Then let him go. I know you only play and don't eat humans."
The alpha panther's voice rang out, slow like a roar compressed in the deep night. Deep, thick, and cold, like the wind whistling through a rock ridge in a dark cave. Every word caused the air to thicken, forcing those facing it to hold their breath and listen.
Without needing to scream, it only needed to speak to make the whole pack bow in submission. It was a sound carrying the gravity of authority, experience, and the darkness it had lived in for so long. Its voice was not high or rushed, but every word was like a sharp claw scratching into the heart of others, leaving a freezing sensation as if being watched by a beast in the night forest.
"Very well, I am not interested in your friend anyway."
"I didn't expect you to be wandering out here alone. So the information that you escaped was true, after all."
Airi didn't back down when setting conditions for the leader.
"Fine. Then follow me far away from here. I assume you don't want me to drain my own energy and commit suicide."
With the calm of a leader, even when threatened, it remained steady.
"Very well."
— "This cannot be a trap. There is no energy of any other vampire around this brat."
Takeshi sat on the ground in the middle of the empty space, his eyes wide, unable to utter a word. Her hair moved in the wind as her small back gradually faded into the distance.
"Airi..."
Airi turned back with a radiant smile; even the night couldn't diminish its light.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Walking in the dark night with the panther pack following right behind, a look of contemplation and worry appeared on her pretty face.
— "Damn it. Although I filtered out the energy the butler put in me to observe my body, once the stone is destroyed, a signal will definitely be sent. Arata, come save me."
— "I'm sure when he comes, he'll try to take me back. I've prepared myself for that."
The whole pack of black panthers followed right behind Airi with footsteps that made almost no sound.
Suddenly, they sensed something—something approaching at extreme speed. The leader walking in front bared its teeth in anger.
"You dare trick us!"
As soon as the leader finished its sentence, a massive explosion occurred right in front of it. This was not an energy strike, but someone landing at the site.
As the dust and smoke cleared, an enormous crater appeared. Behind the smoke stood an elegant man.
He stood there with his hands behind his back. Long, silver-ash hair was tied neatly at the nape with a black ribbon, strands resting lightly on his shoulders. His face was refined and cold, as if carved from marble, with narrow, deep crimson eyes like dried blood, reflecting a gaze both calm and terrifying—as if he had seen through centuries of humanity.
The formal attire he wore was flawless: a glossy black shirt, a black tailcoat, and silver buttons carved with ancient patterns. He wore black gloves, hiding his long fingers.
Though only a servant, he carried an air of nobility.
The butler's voice was deep, echoing as if from the bottom of an abyss.
"Are you alright, Princess?"
Airi stood at the other end of the crater, which was filled with cracks created by her butler.
"I'm fine. Deal with all of them for me."
"Yes, my lady."
The panthers were alarmed upon seeing Arata. They turned to flee, but it was too late.
Arata raised his left hand toward the sky, summoning a series of crimson swords floating in the night sky. His face was stern, his eyes passing judgment on the giant black panthers.
He lowered his hand, and the swords launched straight at the Drekh pack.
However, this pack was quite strong. The swords only managed to impale some of them; others were able to knock the swords away and continue running.
Butler Arata no longer cared about the fleeing panthers. He turned and walked toward Airi, extending a hand as if in invitation.
"Let us go home, my lady."
Airi's face was dark, and the night made her expression hard to see. Her voice was serious as she gave an order to Arata.
"I knew you would say that."
"You go back. I'm not going."
Arata maintained his cold expression.
"Give me a most reasonable excuse not to force you back by strength, my lady?"
Airi's teeth were gritting.
"I don't want to go back there. I feel this world suits me better, Arata."
"I have reminded you many times, haven't I? This human world is not as easy to live in as you think, Princess. If I hadn't arrived just now, you would have died by that Drekh pack."
"Have you forgotten they are a species that specifically hunts vampires?"
Airi raised her head; her red eyes carried determination and resolve.
"I know that, but I won't go back."
"You are very stubborn, Princess."
Airi's eyes were sad and filled with urgent plea as she looked at Arata. That look made the old butler's heart soften slightly.
"You have looked after me since I was a child, right?"
"Yes, my lady."
"The number of times I see your face in a day is even more than the times I see my parents in a year."
"I am so tired of the life there. You have been with me so long, have you not even noticed?"
The old butler closed his aged eyes; he was in a difficult position.
— "Is my lady attacking my psychology?"
"Ms. Airi, please listen to me. Please return. I have served this lineage for 21 generations. I can confidently state with knowledge equal to a library: you are not yet mature enough to be out here."
"Your brothers have all matured and become famous everywhere. Therefore, please come home, Ms. Airi."
The sky was still a pale blue-grey as the first rays of light began to flash on the horizon. Like a thin brushstroke of orange-yellow painted on a dark canvas, the dawn crept out from the night, slow and unstoppable.
The sun appeared gradually like a polished gem. The initial light was weak, thin as mist, dyeing the sky in vibrant bands—a blend of pink, orange, and yellow, a painting no one could copy.
Airi stood still where the dawn illuminated the night. The wind blew through her pink hair, making a few strands sway gently.
Tears slowly fell, rolling down her cheeks. She bit her lip hard, her hands clenched. No one knew how much she was screaming inside.
"The place you always consider home is to me like a place of power games."
She cried—not out of weakness, but because she had been strong for too long. And now... she was alone, standing on the edge of freedom, with no one to save her.
"I feel like every one of my days carries a mountain of pressure. I feel that if I slack off for even a moment of training, my title as a genius princess will vanish."
"The one with the most potential among the siblings? I don't care about it anymore."
Arata stood silent for a while. He couldn't leave her out here, but this was her wish, and he couldn't break it.
"So, your decision is not to return?"
"Correct. I won't go back. I feel more interested in this world now. I feel that only when I am far from that place can I be myself."
"Then who gave you that determination?"
Airi smiled a proud smile.
"Not long after I stepped into this world, it taught me that."
"Actually, that's not quite clear. More accurately, this world is gradually clearing my thoughts."
The old butler looked at Airi with hesitation for a long time, pondering his decisions.
"My lady, tell me, what am I to do now?"
"I need to bring you back, but I cannot do so after hearing your heart's cry."
Faced with that choice, hesitation and difficulty were clear in his deep eyes.
"My father knows, doesn't he?"
"Yes, he knows I have come to save you."
"His daughter is about to die, and he stays that calm?"
"Please do not say such things, my lady."
"Go back and tell my father clearly: I will never return to that place again."
The butler bowed his head to say goodbye, as well as to suppress his emotions.
Eight-year-old Airi, her pink hair tied neatly with a red ribbon featuring a bat wing design. Her cheeks are chubby and pink like ripe peaches, puffing with bursts of clear laughter. Her smile is like a morning sunray piercing through clouds.
Her eyes were round and clear like morning dew, shining with curiosity and excitement for the vast world. Whenever she looked at someone, they felt their soul was being reflected by the most sincere and pure light—no schemes, no dust of the world.
Under the gentle sun, she skipped across a grass field where a large apple tree stood with ripe red apples. Her tiny feet were stained with dirt, but her heart was as bright as a sunflower facing the sun.
Butler Arata stood silently at the edge of the field, hands lightly behind his back. His stature was straight, but his eyes lit up in a strange way. The crow's feet at the corners of his eyes softened as he watched the young Airi playing in the sea of green grass.
The gentle wind carried her clear laughter across the space. The little girl pitter-pattered, her tiny feet gliding over the grass, tripping and then laughing and standing back up. He didn't call her, nor did he stop her, only smiled quietly—a gentle smile full of love and peace.
His silver hair swayed in the wind, as if time were stroking it gently. He knew such moments were priceless gifts—where old age is connected to childhood by the invisible string of love.
In his eyes, blurred by the years, his gaze had not faded—still watching, still full of affection for Airi, as if just standing there and watching was enough to find peace.
Among the children he had cared for over many generations, Airi was the child Arata loved the most.
Airi stopped, her gaze shifting to the apple tree with its red fruit. She salivated, her hungry look clear.
As summer faded, the apples began to ripen. They hung round and dangling like small bells. The apple skin was smooth, and inside was juicy, sweet or slightly tart flesh.
The apple tree's roots dug deep into the earth, helping it stand firm against wind and rain—a symbol of simplicity and resilience.
Airi approached the tree, having the idea to climb up and pick them to satisfy her hunger.
The small Airi stood under the tree, looking up at the red fruit peeking through the green leaves. Her round red eyes shone with excitement. Without hesitation, she reached for a low branch and climbed up quickly like a small squirrel.
Her floral dress fluttered in the wind, snagging slightly on the branches, but she only giggled, untangled it, and continued higher. Her thin but strong legs gripped the branches, her dirt-stained hands squeezing the rough bark. On her sweaty face was a strange, innocent radiance.
Reaching a sturdy branch, she reached for the nearest red apple.
"Got it!"
She cheered softly, her eyes sparkling with the joy of victory. Sunlight pierced through the leaves, reflecting on the ripe apple in her hand—as if nature itself were smiling with her.
From below, the wind mingled with her clear laughter, evoking a scene full of life and childhood.
But that atmosphere didn't last long. The King of Vampires appeared as an eternal symbol of darkness and power. Red energy flowed incessantly like a great river. His figure was tall, slender but firm, covered in a long crimson cloak as deep as clotted blood, edged with black raven fur.
In the center of the cloak was a large bat-like design. The cloak didn't brush the ground but seemed to float, its edges rippling as if they had their own soul.
His face was as pale as silver moonlight. His features were cold, noble, and absolutely devoid of mercy. His eyes were deep like bottomless abysses, his pupils glowing like burning coals—a gaze that could pierce a soul and crush will with a single glance.
His pink hair reached his waist, flowing like a band of shadow over his thin shoulders. On his head, he wore a silver crown inlaid with blood-red gems, carved with ancient symbols of blood and night.
His hands were long with sharp black claws, no different from thin knives. When he spoke, his voice was raspy and low, like an echo from the realm of death.
"So you brought that child here to play?"
Sensing that energy and hearing the footsteps and the voice of authority from behind…
Arata immediately turned and bowed—his back forming a precise 90-degree angle.
"Greetings, Sire. What brings you here in person?"
The King glanced down at Arata. That face—perfectly refined—was a cross between the gentleness of a king and the lethal cold of darkness.
His eyes—the thing that made others forget to breathe—were deep red, hidden behind long lashes. Every blink was a sweet knife cutting into the mind of the observer, pulling them into a dream with no escape.
"Look up."
"You do not need to bow so low to me, Arata. If my father saw, he would scold me again."
Arata raised his head, maintaining his cold, emotionless demeanor. Despite his aged face, the chill remained.
"How could I do otherwise? This is my duty."
Arata looked at the King. The King's eyes were like glowing coals. They locked eyes.
"Your merit in this clan is greater than mine."
"How can I compare to a King?"
"Very well. How long has Airi been playing here?"
The two talked while looking toward Airi.
"About one incense stick's time, Sire."
"Then take her back to her room, or take her to the training grounds."
Arata's voice changed slightly when speaking to the King.
"Sire, that is not enough. Children need to play; it helps them develop."
"No. If she doesn't train and only plays, she will be very weak."
"When I was her age, I had defeated almost all my siblings. Moreover, since she has the ability to control Blood Chains, she needs training even more."
"May I speak my mind, Sire?"
"Continue. You do not need my permission."
"Yes."
"Lord Yoruha, among the different generations of vampire kings, I have observed that most kings only start developing their energy after the age of seventy."
"My lady is only eight. Not just vampires, but any species needs time to grow."
Yoruha closed his eyes and glanced at Arata with a sharp look, as if threatening him to silence.
"I know that. But you must know those were ancient times. In the last five generations, most have developed before eighteen. We have better development potential now, like humans."
"I believe such comparisons are inappropriate, Sire."
Yoruha released a massive pressure of energy as if to threaten Arata.
"You are going too far when speaking to a King."
Facing that terrifying pressure, Arata remained as calm as if it were child's play.
"I think you should ask your father. Though I didn't care for you then because I had important matters to discuss with your father... I cared for your father just as I care for Airi, perhaps even more freely."
"And he still showed his strength very early and became King."
"I hope you will change your thoughts slightly when caring for children who are the seeds of this clan's strength."
Yoruha's voice changed; a king's rising fury could destroy everything. His angry eyes glared at Arata, who stood beside him with an indifferent face.
"So you believe I have been wrong all along? That my thinking is flawed?"
"I wouldn't dare, Sire."
Despite the mad rage, Yoruha was a king and emotions couldn't easily control him. He turned and walked away, his anger evident.
Airi was sitting on a large branch. Holding two ripe red apples, she bit into them repeatedly, her cheeks bulging with the satisfaction of a child.
Arata stood at a distance, smiling as he watched Airi enjoy her spoils.
— "Ms. Airi, do not grow up too fast. The faster you grow and the more thoughts and worries you hold inside, the less you will be able to smile like that."
— "Your grandfather was an example. Having mature thoughts at only eleven led to many consequences later."
— "The current world is not for you yet. Just live in your small world first; it's not too late to understand later."
Those aged eyes were like those of a grandfather doting on his grandchild, yet also filled with pity for Airi's life.
Her high-tied pink hair swayed with every step. In her hands, she clutched two red apples, almost as big as her tiny palms. Her face was sweaty but radiant with joy. Her dress was stained with grass, the hem swinging as she ran.
Running to Arata and holding up an apple, she laughed.
"Do you want an apple?"
Her clear laughter echoed across the sun-drenched grass field.
Returning to the present, Arata stood before her with a lingering unwillingness to leave.
"May I follow you?"
Airi's face was serious, her gaze no longer that of a little girl. She was truly determined to leave.
"Of course not."