The sun crept over the horizon, threatening to incinerate me.
Even in the subtle light of dawn, the sun reminded me of my otherness by trying to reduce me to dust. I began to trace the symbols that would begin the Dawning ritual. I had little time and had to complete it before the sun rose over the horizon.
It was a two-part ritual. The symbols would act as a catalyst. The light of the dawn sun would activate them, consuming the ashes. I removed the bag of ash from my pack and opened it slowly, careful to keep the ash contained.
Alexa’s remains.
“Trust no one.”
The words raced across my memory, a whisper from the past.
It was the first lesson I had learned.
The most important one, it had kept me alive for centuries. I lowered the visor on my Daystrider armor, hiding my face and keeping my skin safe from the UV radiation growing stronger with each second.
I wasn’t immune to the sun. My age made me tolerant, not invulnerable. Given enough exposure, I would become ash, like the remains in the bag I held.
I looked around the roof and let my senses expand—waiting. The perfect time to attack a vampire would be during daylight. Although the argument could be made that if a vampire were out during the day, common sense would dictate not to engage.
In all my years, I’ve learned that common sense is anything but common.
A slight breeze blew across my back, carrying a familiar scent. I stopped tracing the symbols, and carefully closed the bag containing Alexa’s remains. I placed it back in my pack, making sure to put the pack behind me and out of the way.
The sunlight splashed across the decorative elements of the tower I stood on. The GE building was an Art Deco masterpiece. Unknown to most, interwoven into the artistic elements were effective runic nullifiers to prevent any active casting.
I didn’t pick this location by accident.
“Taking in the sights?” a familiar voice said from my right. “This is some view.”
He was masking well, but made the mistake of approaching me upwind.
“You have been honing your skill,” I said, keeping him to my right. “How long have you been tracking me?”
“Thank you,” he said with a short nod. “That’s a high compliment coming from you. I’ve been on your trail for a few days. Is that Alexa?”
He motioned inquiringly to the pack which was off to the side.
“What’s left of her,” I said, turning slowly. “I gave her my word she would greet the sun. What are you doing here, Norin? Tell them to send someone else. I don’t wish to have you join Alexa.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Where is Ken?”
“Even if I knew,” he said, “and I don’t, you know I couldn’t tell you.”
“Then you’re here to die. I don’t offer this opportunity lightly—walk away.”
He was dressed simply. Basic black combat armor under a long coat. Standard Nightwalker attire. Dressed to blend in—hiding in plain sight. He had his visor in place to combat the UV radiation getting stronger due to the rising sun.
‘Vampire special black ops’ described Nightwalkers accurately. It was a group of twenty—now sixteen, with the deaths of Alexa and the three Ken eliminated—of the most highly intelligent, ruthless killers, never to officially exist within the Council.
They were hand-picked, rigorously trained, and equipped to deal with any supernatural threat. The elite of the elite. Their deployment meant that, according the Dark Council, I was now a priority threat. This was a group I had helped form and train, from the moment they had reawakened. Despite that, they wouldn’t hesitate for a second to destroy me.
“Honorable,” he said with another nod toward the pack and Alexa’s ashes, “I always admired that about you, Michiko. I will extend the same courtesy of greeting the sun to you.”
“That requires you killing me first,” I said, unsheathing the kamikira. “I would say your courtesy is premature.”
He unsheathed a black blade, a Soulsplitter—the Nightwalker’s primary weapon. Glancing down, he noticed the golden runes along the length of the blade were dark. The blade had become dormant due to the effect of the runes embedded in the stone around and beneath us.
“Smart,” he said, glancing quickly around the roof. “This place is nulled.”
“Yes. This would be a good time to reconsider your course of action,” I said, knowing he would refuse. “A strategic retreat—”
“Is not dishonorable if it permits you to achieve your end goal,” he finished. “The same reason I should determine the battleground whenever possible.”
“At least you were paying attention,” I replied. “This time and location are not advantageous for you. You can still walk away.”
“Not possible,” Norin said, looking around and making a mental note of the layout of the roof. “Council wants you gone.”
“The Dark Council sanctioned a daytime attack?” I asked. “Defeats the entire purpose of your group. At the very least, they should have sent a pentac.”
“I’ve been given first blood.”
Being given first blood meant he couldn’t walk away and remain a Nightwalker. If he returned to the others without attempting to end my life, they would end his. Still, sending him after me during the day was potential suicide. This was either an act of desperation or misdirection.
“Even with first blood, you can walk away,” I said. “We can meet tonight.”
“You don’t understand,” he answered with a slow shake of his head. “They’re watching.”
“Of course they are. They’re always watching, Norin. It is the way.”
He narrowed his eyes at me and set his jaw.
“It will be my honor to end your life, Michiko,” he said. “Do you wish to surrender?”
I almost smiled.
“Not today. Thank you for the offer, but you are going to have to do this the hard way.”
“In that case, I will make sure your ashes greet the sun,” he said. “You deserve that much, Sensei.”
I analyzed the situation. I knew other Nightwalkers were close, but they wouldn’t attack yet, due to the first blood protocol. I didn’t think that would stop them for much longer if I killed Norin.
Norin, on the other hand, faced several potentially lethal obstacles. He was younger than Alexa—who outclassed him in skill—and the sun had risen fully, which meant, as a Nightwalker, his reaction times would be compromised. The name wasn’t decorative—Nightwalkers functioned best out of the sun.
“Understood,” I said with a short nod. “I will make sure your ashes greet the sun along with Alexa’s.”
“Like you said,” he replied, “that requires you killing me first.”
He entered a side stance, blading his body and leading with his weapon. It was a good defensive stance, removing most of the targets from attack.
I stepped into a relaxed fighting stance, holding my blade in a reverse grip.
“I know.”
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