Chapter 62: Deville
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
Coraci’s forearm bore more than one wound because he had cut it repeatedly. He leaned back on the soft couch, and John sat beside him, next to the arm that had been numbed for stitching.
John gently held that hand. Coraci couldn’t feel it, but he could see it.
In the woods of Romania, John had once kissed that same spot. At the time, he’d been exhausted and starving. He had already caught hold of Coraci’s wrist but had only brushed his lips against the soft, warm skin. He had wanted to show Coraci that he could completely control his instincts.
“John, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you something,” Coraci said, turning his head. “Why do you care so much about ‘marking’ and ‘imprinting’? And about this ‘not using a friend’s blood’ thing…domain bloodkin usually don’t mind as long as the other person willingly agrees. I don’t know many wild bloodkin — are you all so against these things?”
“Maybe it’s my father’s influence,” John said. “That’s how I was raised.”
“Your father sounds like a real knight.”
“Ha, not exactly. I never really understood why he was so strict about it, but recently, I’ve found out.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“When he was still human, he was treated that way by a bloodkin.”
John’s father had rarely spoken about his past. But after John started living in the city and spending more time with humans, his father began talking about it more often in phone calls and emails.
It was only in an email a few days ago that his father first revealed a certain experience.
“At the time, my father was still human. He met a bloodkin friend. The first feeding happened with his consent. The second time, the bloodkin never told him what would happen. After that, he began to notice something was wrong — like how the other could always find him. That bloodkin kept deceiving him, and soon after came the third bite, the ‘bond.’ After that, my father found he could never disobey her again. With just a word, he would have to bow his head and kneel, completely powerless to resist. She could control him, use him like a slave. Later, my father was turned, but even as a bloodkin himself, he was still bound by that bond.”
“And now?”
“That bloodkin’s dead,” John said. “I don’t know the details. It happened before I was born. I heard she was killed by hunters — apparently, she’d gone mad and murdered a lot of people. My father didn’t want to become like that.”
“I see.” Coraci nodded. “But clearly, I wasn’t tricked — and in fact, I’ve had to teach you a few things. Why not think of it this way — blend your father’s views with the customs of the domain bloodkin?”
“How would that work?”
Coraci glanced toward a certain noblewoman of the Menkovár family standing in the corner. “Domain bloodkin believe that feeding is not just sustenance but also an intimate gesture. As long as a human consents, feeding — whether simple feeding, imprinting, or bonding — is considered a refined act. Some even think it’s more solemn than baptism or engagement. Usually, a bloodkin will accompany that human for life and may even petition their elders to allow them to give the First Embrace.”
John stared ahead, a little embarrassed, his palm tightening slightly — though Coraci couldn’t feel it.
“Sounds a little strange?” Coraci said. “What I mean is, you could reconcile the two ideas and see it as neither evil nor noble. Just think of it as…” He paused, searching for the right words. “As proof that we trust each other.”
While Coraci spoke, John nearly forgot his terrifying brush with death — the burning agony of the spell, the shattered visions that came with feeding again. He held Coraci’s hand, feeling the familiar human warmth in his palm, and nodded solemnly.
Liz walked in, having just set down her phone. John quickly released Coraci’s hand and stood. “Do you need help?” he asked her.
Liz’s expression was troubled. She glanced apologetically at Coraci. “The Association’s ordering us to return immediately. In just over an hour, hunters from Bangkok will arrive by private plane to take us to our flight back to West Bay City.”
“That urgent? Did they find something?” Coraci asked.
“Instructor Jere didn’t say much,” Liz replied, frowning slightly. “But, Coraci…I think it might have something to do with you.”
She looked uneasy. It wasn’t just Instructor Jere — Lucian had also called her again to ask questions. Liz herself was an accomplished exorcist, and she had witnessed the strange events surrounding Coraci firsthand. She knew this was no ordinary matter.
Coraci didn’t know which part of him it concerned — perhaps the issue with the Eyes of Truth failing. But his attention was elsewhere. He hoped the bloodkin could finish checking the guest list within the hour. He wanted to know who that familiar yet unfamiliar person was.
After hearing the account about the strange spellcaster, Liz felt puzzled as well. “Why do I feel like he was looking for something?”
“Looking for something? Someone from the Association?” Coraci said. “That’s unlikely. Back when he met Burton in the sanatorium, the Association hadn’t even gotten involved yet. Same thing this time — he actually arrived at Jibi Island before we did. He couldn’t have been after the Association.”
“I can’t say for sure,” Liz sighed. “His behavior is too strange, like he doesn’t even have a goal at all.”
The anesthesia in Coraci’s arm was starting to wear off, and the wound began to throb. To distract himself from the pain, he struck up a conversation with the old mage about golems and fairy potions. The other three members of the Association were busy packing their things, getting ready to head back.
Before the plane arrived, the Menkovár family actually identified a guest matching the description.
Arthur took the matter seriously and personally led his servants in questioning the surviving humans. In the end, they discovered that one guest had gone missing — and that guest did indeed match the physical description Coraci had given.
The butler approached Coraci with a list in hand, nodding politely. “We found the man. He’s a human wizard who befriended one of our family elders more than thirty years ago, so Master Arthur invited him through a magical feather charm.” The butler raised his brows. “This gentleman may live in modern times, but he doesn’t even own a cell phone. Ah, these wizards…”
Hearing a vampire complain about a wizard’s lifestyle was oddly amusing. Coraci asked, “What’s his name?”
“Funny coincidence,” the butler said. “His name is Deville Zoltán. Same as yours.”
The identical name might have been nothing more than coincidence, yet it left Coraci with a strange feeling of discomfort — like something was right in front of him, but just out of reach. Still, with the Menkovár family able to provide leads, it was only a matter of time before he could piece things together and uncover this Zoltán’s secrets.
An hour later, a nineteen-seat regional aircraft landed at Jibi Island Airport. Local Thai hunters had come to escort the Association members to Bangkok. Paul and Danny, also heading back to the mainland, boarded the plane with them. Their escorts wore camouflage uniforms, were small-framed yet sharp-eyed, and even carried a faint air of menace — enough to make the whole thing feel more like a prisoner transfer than a friendly escort.
Arthur promised to keep pursuing leads on Zoltán and to stay in contact with the Association. At parting, he offered both ladies a courtly kiss on the hand. Carolyn found it charming and couldn’t stop giggling. Liz, looking at Arthur, couldn’t resist asking why, when he was first turned, he hadn’t sought his family’s protection but had instead chosen to become one of the bloodkin.
“Because I was too handsome,” Arthur replied with complete seriousness. “Honestly. The Blackmoon family and I were like oil and water — they’re all bookworms, except for you, of course. You’re stunningly beautiful…”
“Don’t flirt with your niece who’s a thousand generations younger,” Carolyn muttered.
Arthur flashed her a toothy grin before continuing. “Back in that chaotic era, I wanted to protect people more than bury myself in research. That included humans and my bloodkin elder, whom I respected deeply. As a member of the Menkovár family, I could fight for centuries, unafraid of wounds, death, or old age. God no longer blessed me, but the glory still belonged to me.”
He glanced at John and Coraci. “You two have it much better now. Humans can live alongside bloodkin, and there are organizations dedicated to helping supernatural beings integrate into society. There are no more firewood pyres covered with corpses in the public square — only pigeons, ice cream trucks, and giant screens broadcasting live sports. So I no longer need to fight. I can focus on being a charming, elegant bloodkin and enjoy life.”
Nearby, Danny looked ready to faint even under his black veil. After all, it was daytime, and he had only just recovered from a near-fatal injury.
Noticing this, Arthur abandoned his speech, cupped Danny’s face in his hands, and kissed his forehead in blessing, wishing them safe travels.
Once the plane climbed into the stratosphere, Paul shut the window shade and lifted Danny’s veil. Danny kept his eyes closed; his skin was flushed from the sunlight, his injury having temporarily lessened his tolerance for it.
“Why did Arthur kiss you?” Paul asked in a low voice.
“A senior bloodkin’s way of giving a blessing,” Danny murmured without opening his eyes. “You should know that. I told you before you were thirteen.”
“Yeah, I just thought…when he hugged you, you looked so soft, like—”
“Shut up. That’s a highly ranked elder. Of course I was honored. You acted the same way toward me when you were a kid.”
“You don’t kiss my forehead anymore,” Paul teased.
“Unless I stand on a box,” Danny said, glancing at the middle-aged hunter beside him, who was taller than him even when sitting.
Paul leaned in, planted a quick kiss on Danny’s lips, and immediately sat back, pretending nothing had happened.
John was in the third row ahead of them. A moment ago, he’d turned to see what the scowling hunters in the back were up to, only to catch that moment by accident. Fortunately, bloodkin were fast — he turned back before Paul noticed him.
Then came faint but unmistakable sounds from behind — skin brushing, lips parting and meeting…
John made an exaggerated “breaking news” expression, gesturing excitedly. Coraci, seated beside him, blinked and mouthed, “Pretend you’re asleep.”
They parted ways with Paul and Danny in Bangkok and boarded their connecting flight back to West Bay City. The local hunters in Bangkok had also prepared tickets for themselves, apparently to board the same flight. When Carolyn asked why, they only said it was a joint decision between the Hunter Society and the Association.
All the way, there was a constant sense of being monitored. Carolyn complained about it to Liz, who fumbled for an answer she couldn’t give. Liz’s gaze drifted toward Coraci’s seat, her expression so conflicted that Carolyn kept thinking she was about to get airsick.
Coraci kept thinking about what he would do once they got back: meeting with Lucian to discuss the changes in his body, reporting the unexpected events of the trip to Instructor Jere, finding the cause of the Eyes of Truth failing, keeping in touch with the Menkovár family to investigate the wizard…
And after John had fed from him a second time, John would be able to track his whereabouts within the same city. That meant there was no way he could just say he was going to the dentist anymore — he would have to come up with a more convincing excuse.
After a long flight, they finally returned to West Bay City. To their surprise, a large crowd had gathered to meet them, as if they had just done something earth-shattering.
Instructor Jere, Lathander, Carol, Smith…along with two bloodkin staff members who usually handled the small towns east of West Bay City, and three hunters and two exorcists from the Association’s headquarters.
The four of them slowed their steps in confusion, unsure why so many people were here.
Instructor Jere coughed quietly and muttered to Smith, “You want to do it?”
“No, you’re the one in charge here,” Smith replied nervously. He was speaking to Instructor Jere but staring at Coraci.
Instructor Jere sighed, walked forward, and tugged the rolling suitcase from Coraci’s hand, passing it to a hunter beside him.
“Coraci, this is a bit awkward… Here’s the thing. We’ve found something wrong with you,” he said.
“Yes, I’ve noticed,” Coraci replied. “The Eyes of Truth stopped working.”
He was surprised. Aside from John and the others, only Lucian knew about this. Had Lucian failed to keep the secret? Coraci had always planned to tell the Association eventually, but why would Lucian go out of his way to mention it now?
“It’s not just that,” Jere said with a pained expression, as if he’d had to summon all his resolve to continue. “You’re showing abnormal readings at the highest alert levels. According to the recorded fluctuations, it’s…a trait of an Umbral.”
Coraci stood rooted to the spot. Nearby, the hunters held silver shackles inscribed with sealing runes — small enough to be hidden beneath a sleeve. Instructor Jere waved them off, saying they wouldn’t be necessary for now.
“What exactly is going on?” John asked.
He wasn’t the only one — Carolyn looked just as baffled. Neither of them had ever heard the term “Umbral” before.
Instructor Jere said nothing, instead guiding Coraci toward the airport exit, with the hunters close on their heels.
Four cars were parked in the lot. Instructor Jere and Coraci got into one with one-way tinted windows, along with the hunters and exorcists from the Association headquarters. John tried several times to ask what was going on, but Liz and Smith stopped him.
At least they were all headed back to the Association. John told himself not to worry too much — after all, even Coraci himself seemed calm.
Coraci was taken into an isolation room in the Association’s office, a place usually used for temporarily holding creatures under investigation.
He wasn’t allowed to keep anything that could be used for spellcasting — not even paper and pen.
“What the hell is going on!” John demanded, pressing a hand against the isolation room door to keep it from closing.
“I’ll explain in a moment,” Instructor Jere said. “We’re not treating Coraci like an enemy, but there is something seriously wrong with him. For safety’s sake, we have to do this.”
“But he hasn’t done anything, has he?”
Instructor Jere hesitated for a long moment. “I’m not sure.”
Coraci gave John a push from behind. The moment John’s hand left the door, it shut.
“Coraci, don’t you want to ask them?” John said, turning back and touching the door.
The isolation room had no windows at all and was completely sealed off — harsh for a human, since it hadn’t been designed to hold one.
“I don’t need to ask. I know it’s serious,” Coraci’s muffled voice came through the door. “It’s not something I can explain in a few words. The exorcists will fill you in. I just hope we figure out what’s going on with me soon…”
“But they can’t just lock you up like this!”
“They can. If it were me, I’d do the same,” Coraci said. “Don’t worry. This place is a lot better than the cells they use for demons. They’ve even replaced the mattress. Oh, and there’s Wi-Fi in here. Nice, right? Relax — I’m fine.”
John didn’t feel the least bit reassured. “What’s wrong with you? Does it have to do with those marks on your body? Or with the Eyes of Truth disappearing? Can’t you just tell me directly?”
Behind him, Smith turned his head, his eyes bright as he quietly asked Liz, “What marks? How did John see them? What did they do?”
“How should I know? I’m not in the same room with them.” Liz was genuinely impressed with the shapeshifter — he could still be curious about that right now.
John heard every word, but he was in no mood for jokes at the moment.
Inside the isolation room, Coraci leaned his shoulder against the door. “I’m sorry. Ever since Romania, I’ve felt something was wrong. It was the same back in the Bunker prison…and at the Atwood manor. I just didn’t expect it to be this serious — that it would turn out to be Umbral traits.”
“What’s an Umbral?”
“In theory, Umbrals no longer exist. Like a virus that’s been completely eradicated.”
“Then why are you—”
“There are always exceptions. And when there’s an exception, it’s usually serious.”
“How serious?”
“Put simply, an Umbral is…what people would call a devil.”
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