THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

THE TWANGING OF KEYS AWAKENS me from caliginousness, bending me towards its melody. The thrumming moves my consciousness, inviting me towards its source. The tone is anything but supercilious; so cordial and dainty that it can be carried by the morning breeze.

Alto jumps into my bed in his cat form. I gesture for him to come closer and place him on my lap as I change into a sitting position. In this outward, he appears to be very adorable, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and innocentness. He presses his nose under my palm and breathes through it, wondering why I have a smile on my face.

"Sometimes, you just have to be grateful for a peaceful morning. No one died, and no one has ceased to existence. It is a good morning to be awakened to," I explain to him before sliding off the bed and stepping towards the French doors that lead to my balcony.

From above here, I can see some movements at the streets. Not much signs of vampires except in their beds, but I do see some mortals doing errands near the garden and day market. Echoes of laughter can also be heard from the distant, bringing joy from their beating, contented hearts. It is a wonderful sight to wake up to, knowing that the rulers are doing a great job in keeping everything organized. Most humans might hate us and make sure to keep staying in their own continent, but some humans are modern-thinking enough to decide that life alongside with vampires are not as bad at all.

But then the last scene of just before the daybreak flashes into my mind, and the worries and concerns begin to cloud my thoughts.

This is not just another murder.

This is a planned killing.

Not for the living.

But for those who were dead to begin with.

This case takes years and years back ─ exactly a year after my mother's true death.

It was vicious, savage, ruthless, severe, cutthroat, downright cruel and just plain heartless despite the murderers in mother's case.

To the leads that Lancel gave to me then, when the sun made its prime peak of the day and shined upon us, made one clear impression:

The hunters have stroked again.

It was the hunters who have killed my mother.

And it was the hunters as well who had killed Aunt Meggietta and Uncle Jeremiah.

I can not help when instinct wishes that I were tearing their heads off right now, my inside rushing as their blood being spilled out to the dirty ground below my heels, and my head in filled with all of these vicious things that I would like to do to these slayers. Those are the most rational things to think about in my state.

Then I seal off that fury inside a small crest in my mind and turn to Alto, who is now lying on his belly on the wide fences of the balcony with his tail marching up and the edge dancing in the air.

"Proceed the day as instructed. I will be joining my brothers and sister this morning," I give out my order and he jumps of the fences.

When his feet touch the floor, they are not in form of paws anymore, but rather in slick shoes. Alto bows to me in his human form, his gloved right hand over his heart.

"Understood."

After uttering that single word, he walks out from my chamber and begins his daily inspection through the castle.

No words are needed after that and I change into a morning golden blooming gown before I grace through the hallways towards the practice's watching room. It is located rather distant from the residential area and is more flooded with mortals that are working under my wings. The room is at one side of the practice field, giving a full view of the stadium under us through its glassed walls. It might not give enough privacy of sight from the outside, but it does provide some through the ten-volt soundproof systems.

Once I open the double metal doors, my siblings are all already in there, sitting around the circling white couches.

"We heard," is all Altore needs to say before followed by, "what happened?" He shares the same concern looks that the others are having.

Taking a sit at the last spot from the four crossing couches, I begin explaining the situation at hand.

"The take-over at Sarotine Gate was not just some act of rebellion. The masked leader is one of us, a pureblood." Their eyes widen when I say these words.

"Ho─"

"It was Lancel de Britannia."

"The one who tried to ruled father over?"

"I was involved."

"We didn't know," Charlotte says.

"Father erased my memory, as well as the others that were involved in the incident, apparently."

"What was it that was so hazardous that he had to use his Oblivion?" Elric asks.

"The knowledge of what I did itself."

"But that still does not make sense. You would take the title eventually. Eighteen years earlier does not make a difference," Altore mutters.

"Apparently it does, for reasons I do not understand yet. But that is not the majority of the problem."

"Then what is it?"

"Aunt Meggietta and Uncle Jeremiah were erased from existence on purpose by the hunters."

"How did you know?"

"Lancel showed me a glimpse of the footage he had found through his blood. There was not even a figure recorded, but he did saw a shadow walking out from the backup exit, even when the building and all of its pathways are no more now."

"That would be very hard to look. Scents do not stay forever, and there will hardly be anything left after almost two decades."

"We just need to really recall the incident, right after we found the ruins of their laboratory," Charlotte suggests.

"But we did not pick up anything out of the place at the time ─ I remember it very well," Eric says.

The remains of the after-blast were too overwhelming. The only things we could actually smell at the time were the ashes, woods, nitro, and tons and tons of titanium powder burning in the air.

"There is also something else," I say to them. "Lancel found what we could not sense at the time."

"What did he find?" Altore asks.

"The traces of frostbites at the outskirts of Aunt Meggietta and Uncle Jeremiah's forest."

"You mean from one of their working projects at the time?"

"It seemed to have worked, and very much stolen. Lancel managed to unbury it from earth."

Sinister smiles start to share on their angelic faces at once.

"I am taking that you already know the hunters?" Elric states, leaning back against the couch, the book on his hand already long forgotten.

"I do, and how misfortune I imagine they are going to be in a very short period of time after we have this conversation," I reply.

"That is because they definitely will," Charlotte taunts darkly, in her mind already set to tear their flesh out from bones and blood.

"May we know who the humans are, Big Sister?" Altore asks, a rather malefic charming playing on his lips.

"You will remember them as the little helpers from Aunt Meggietta and Uncle Jeremiah's laboratory that had acknowledged themselves to have...