Blank Love

Belmorte stood on the balcony of his chambers, staring at the acres of land that stretched from their family manor. He sipped some blood from his glass, “Who goes there?”

“Is this how the Knight Paladin greets his guests?”

He did not need to look back in order to identify who the condescending tone and intoxicating scent belonged to. The clack of her high heels echoed through the room, as she walked closer to him. After the President's new speech, he had known the King was going to send someone his way, but he had not expected him to send her of all people -Alvah, the King's ward, and his bane.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Belmorte feigned a smile, turning to face her.

“I am not here for pleasantries, Belmorte,” She retorted, tucking a golden lock behind her ear, “I am here to discuss the President’s decree.”

President Van Helsing III had announced that it was now compulsory for all pregnant woman and infants to receive a special vaccination that made human blood poisonous to vampires. Incidentally, Belmorte had ordered Ethel, his right-hand man, to ensure the credibility of the news. It turned out that not only had the humans been working on this vaccination, but they had other countermeasures prepared to retaliate.

What Belmorte feared most was the inhumane plan that the humans had devised. By denying orphans and the homeless an education and skills needed to survive in society, they inevitably accepted to work for the government as a means to survive. They were paid a hefty price to act as experiment subjects, and some never lived to use the money.

Some of the orphans were used to create an army of super soldiers that could go head to head with vampires in terms of strength, speed, sight, and hearing –if not a caliber above vampires.

Belmorte had taken necessary measures to prevent vampires from entering the Blue Zone, which meant that President Van Helsing III was the man behind the attacks. He had somehow found a way to coax a vampire into attacking the humans so that he could have an excuse to use the vaccination. There was no way Belmorte could have foreseen it. No matter he'd done, the humans would have died, because the president needed them to die to carry out his plan.

“We both know that humans are extremely irrational and impulsive when angered and you let our kind agitate the sleeping beast,” said Alvah the King’s ward, “I warned you! I told you this would happen, but you insisted ‘everything was under control’. What exactly did you have under control?”

“Al-” Belmorte tried to explain.

“I may hate you, but I respected you. I believed in your ability to handle situations and trusted your judgment. Not only did you spit in my face with your inadequacy, but now I look the fool before the King,” Alvah interjected, “…which I am because it really was foolish of me to think a boy like you could do a man’s job. You are incapable of heading your own home, so why did I think you could help the King lead a nation. Your father must be tossing and turning in his grave at how worthless you grew up to be.”

Belmorte flinched at the mention of his father. He was about to retaliate when he caught glimpse of her weak and sunken electric blue eyes. No matter the reason, in the years he had known her, he had never known her to make such an expression, “I’m sorry, Alvah. Truly I am s-”

“I can’t drink your apologies and neither can the King,” Alvah snapped before taking a deep breath, "In any case, I shall take my leave. I need to go devise a plan and clean after this mess you have made. Regarding your title as the Knight Paladin, I am revoking it. The monarchy will not be needing your services any longer."

“I’m going to fix this.”

“You are going to fix this?” Alvah half-laughed, “You, the imbecile that could not prevent this from occurring the first time? You couldn't even control Mika, and you want me to have faith in you once more? I think not.”

“Alvah, I am responsible-”

“You should have-"

“Interrupt me again and I will impale you with a stake,” Belmorte warned, his eyes cold, “I am responsible for what happened and I am going to fix it.”

"Out of respect for your father, I will grant you a month," Alvah succumbed to his request, after a long pause, "If you fail, I will personally take your head."

She closed the little space that was between them, her face just inches away from his. She spoke, her voice almost like a whisper, “On another note, talk to me like that again and I swear on the King's life, I will make you curse the day you were born. Do you understand, boy?”

"Ethel," Belmorte summoned and he appeared before him, "Escort her out. I will be leaving the Manor for a while in order to tie up a few loose ends. In the meantime find Mika, even if it means going to the Red Zone."

"That is illegal!" Alvah objected.

"If I can't break the rules, I have no business playing the game," Belmorte dismissed Alvah, "This all happened because I tried to abide by the law, but if you can't get your hands a little dirty then you will never win against humans. I am going to use any means necessary, no matter how underhanded, to achieve my goal. That is how I earned my title as Paladin and that is how I am going to keep it."

"...and when I find him," Ethel asked, not attempting to hide his bloodthirsty aura, "Can I kill him?"

Belmorte threw on his coat and then turned to look at Ethel, "Do as you see fit."