"It's a shame we got stuck on guard duty. I heard the opening act tonight was supposed to be something special," the first vampire said, standing outside the old, gothic church, which served as the vampires' meeting place.
"I heard the same. But it's not so bad. We'll be switched out in a couple of hours, and we should still catch the end of the auction," the second vampire added, arms folded.
The first nodded, but then paused.
"I suppose, but the start-" His words were cut off when something caught his eye—a swirling sphere of black and white mana. It shot out from the shadows of an alley, moving too quickly for either vampire to react. The sphere ricocheted off the wall of a nearby building and headed straight for the first vampire. He barely had time to step back before it expanded, growing several times its original size.
It 'opened' as if it had a maw, before closing around him.
Before he could even scream, the sphere constricted, squeezing from all sides. Micro-explosions rippled across every point of contact, crushing the vampire's body and breaking it down at the same time.
"What the hell?!" The second vampire shouted, immediately going on guard, his body poised to sink into the shadows. But before he could, a mana construct materialized, surrounding him and even covering the ground beneath his feet.
He was trapped.
A mage? But when? Where? How could they cast spells with such precision without line of sight?
Realizing his attempts to vanish into the shadows were futile, the vampire shifted back to his original form and tried to use Blackout. He poured the energy that made up his true form into the mana construct, hoping to disrupt it. Vampires couldn't understand or assimilate mana, but chaotic disruptions could unravel most types of it. Yet as he tried, it felt like battling the ocean—waves would rise and crash as he stirred them into chaos, but no matter how much he struggled or how much he poured into it, something always steadied the flow, bringing everything back under control with an absurd level of precision.
"There's no point in that," a voice called out.
"Your abilities don't work on me, or my magic." The vampire looked around frantically, but saw no one. Then, looking up, his eyes widened in confusion. Magnus, his face hidden behind a mask, floated down from the sky. The vampire had no idea when or how he had gotten up there without being noticed. With a casual step, Magnus landed on the ground in front of him.
"Who- Who are you? Are you from Takerth Academy?" The vampire asked, his voice cautious and slightly fearful. He'd seen what happened to the other vampire—the sphere still floated off the ground, holding them captive. It didn't seem like it would kill them, but it definitely looked painful, even for someone as resistant to pain as a vampire.
"You don't need to worry about that," Magnus replied, his calm tone making it clear to the vampire just how outmatched they were.
Magnus stepped closer to the mana construct that had the vampire trapped. One hand reached out and trailed across its surface, the mana rippling slightly under his touch as he spoke.
"Here's how this is going to go. You answer my questions, and I'll leave you like this while I deal with the rest of your friends. You'll spare yourself some pain. But if you don't answer... I'll break you down like your partner there, and you'll stay trapped in that sphere while I go deal with your friends anyway. Pretty obvious which option's better, don't you think?" The vampire stayed silent, glancing between Magnus and the other vampire, who hadn't even had a chance to react. Whoever this person was, they were far stronger and faster. Even if they weren't trapped, running would be their only choice—fighting would be impossible.
He hesitated, a mix of pride and anger holding him back, not to mention the potential consequences of betraying his own kind. But as he met the blackened eyes of the masked figure, that hesitation faded.
"What… do you want to know?" He muttered, his voice low, causing Magnus to hum in approval.
"Smart choice."
The questioning began immediately. Magnus asked about the number of vampires attending the gathering, which is how he learned that the building and the event itself were called Nocturne. As for the numbers, there were more vampires present than Magnus had expected—about one hundred and fifty inside the Nocturne.
"One hundred and fifty… There are more of you in Arlcliff City than I thought. What about Hierarchs? How many are here?" The vampire seemed surprised to hear the term come from a human's lips, of all things. Only those who were familiar with the vampire hierarchy would know about Hierarchs. How did Magnus, who he had confirmed to be a human mage, know about them? Had he been learning about them the same way he was getting information out of him now?
The vampire held back, not asking—this was clearly a one-sided interrogation.
"The last I heard, there were only two in attendance. I'm not sure which," the vampire answered, making Magnus pause.
"Two, huh…" Magnus thought to himself.
Well, considering one would have been the best case, I suppose two isn't too bad. But with the number of Nightborn inside, things could get complicated. My best bet is to hit them first—strike fast.
He would need to be careful, though. The attack had to be localized to the Nocturne, or else things would spiral out of control. The last thing he needed was the city guard—or worse, Takerth Academy—interfering before he could finish his mission. Just as he considered blowing up the entire church, something suddenly clicked in his mind, and his expression turned more serious as he turned back to the trapped vampire.
"Wait, is there anyone else here?" He asked.
"What do you-" The vampire started, but Magnus cut him off.
"Humans. Are there any humans here?"
The vampire hesitated before responding, "I- I don't know the exact number. But with the auction..."
Shit...
Magnus cursed internally. If there were humans inside, destroying the entire building wasn't an option—not until he got them out first.
"What's this auction you mentioned? Is it slave trading?" Magnus didn't dance around the question, though he was surprised when the vampire shook his head.
"Not exactly. Only humans are interested in physical slaves; we prefer mental ones. The auction is a Mind Slave exchange. We put humans up for auction—those worth something, based on the taste of their blood or the value of their property—and trade them for another. It keeps things interesting if you're bored with your current Mind Slave, or if you want to try something new. We also have fresh humans—ones who haven't been hypnotized yet, but have all the qualities to make excellent Mind Slaves." The vampire spoke without a hint of remorse or doubt, almost as if they'd forgotten they were speaking to a human.
To them, people were nothing more than tools to benefit from—banks that provided luxuries and value, but the banks themselves were meaningless. Magnus felt an even stronger reaction than when he first saw the slaves at Takerth Academy. Disgust spread across his face under the mask, but he forced himself to suppress it.
Just more reason to take them down.
After a few more questions about the auction and learning all the vampire was willing to reveal, Magnus turned his attention to the building. He stepped forward, climbing the short stairs leading to the arched doorway of the old Gothic church.
Before going any further, he glanced back at the vampire.
"Stay here and don't move. If you try to escape or break that mana construct, I'll know, and you'll experience what your partner did. Understand?" The vampire nodded, and Magnus turned back to the looming building. He began to visualize another spell—a proper mana barrier instead of just a mana construct. One of the benefits of magic over his typical abilities was that spells weren't limited by physical form, only by mana and the inherent restrictions of their structure. When he was still working with Apprentice Class Magic and its modifications, even with perfect mana control, most spells couldn't exceed a size of about twenty meters.
That was just in terms of spell size, though not its area of effect.
Now that he was capable of Adept Class Magic, Magnus's spells could be much larger than before. The trapped vampire, standing a couple of meters away from the Gothic church, watched as Magnus stood still. Suddenly, a massive flow of mana began to gather and condense around the entire building. The vampire's eyes widened as they saw not just one mana barrier, but multiple layers forming a dark dome around the Nocturne, cutting it off from the outside world.
Magnus looked around at the barrier, before nodding ot himself.
That should keep disturbances to a minimum.
Magnus stepped forward, toward the doors leading into the building, and pushed one open. It creaked, and a rush of warm air from inside met the cool night air, only disappearing once he let the door close behind him. It shut with a heavy slam that echoed through the entryway. He wasn't immediately surrounded by vampires; the front door opened into a small entry room, with stone floors and a carpet just beyond. Candles lit the space, casting light on pictures and images of places and figures Magnus didn't recognize.
There were three doors.
One was a set of double doors straight ahead, and two others—one on the left wall and one on the right.
He decided to check the door on the left first, finding a long hallway that seemed to stretch the length of the building. There were no windows, and the only light came from candles hanging in metal chandeliers above. To the right side of the hallway, doors were spaced out. The first five or so appeared to have once been bedrooms or lounges, though they were no longer used for that. Further down, the rest were storage rooms, stacked with crates. Magnus opened one, finding it full of wine. He made sure to check it, just in case it was blood or something else unpleasant.
He then backtracked and decided to try the right door next. It opened to a set of stairs leading up to the next floor. But he didn't go up, knowing from his observations that the majority of vampires were likely on the first floor.
Returning to the entryway, he approached the double doors leading straight ahead. As he reached for the handle, the soft sound of classical music drifted through, growing louder as he opened the door slowly. The atmosphere shifted completely. The nave of the church, which would normally have rows of pews, had been transformed. Instead, there were tables and chairs—some set for two, others for four or more. The front of the church, where the altar would normally stand, had been replaced with a stage. Musicians played off to the side, adding to the dim atmosphere, lit only by candles. Magnus's face tightened slightly as a sickeningly sweet scent filled the air, making his stomach churn.
It felt like stepping into a club or restaurant. The humans seated around the room seemed to fit in, chatting as though they were part of the scene. The vampires near the back didn't seem to notice Magnus at first. As the vampire he'd captured had said, there were over a hundred of them. The sound of casual conversation mixed with the music, neither too loud nor too soft. When a few of them turned to look at him, they simply stared for a brief moment before returning to their own tables or offering him a friendly nod. Magnus, surprised, nodded back as he walked fully into the nave, letting the door close behind him.
They're more relaxed than I thought. Guess they didn't expect an enemy to just walk right in. Makes sense, I suppose.
Magnus didn't make a move right away, observing the humans present. Most of them were dressed normally, or at least similarly to the vampires, and sat with them, drinking wine and picking at the food on the tables. They would have seemed perfectly normal if not for one thing: none of them reacted to the vampires around them. As he walked past one table, he saw a woman straddling a man's lap. One hand rested on his shoulder, the other on the back of his head as she fed on his blood. He didn't even flinch, his face calm as though he was enjoying the atmosphere, not a hint of pain.
It was the same at a few other tables—humans being fed upon by vampires as though it was an everyday occurrence, showing no fear or even discomfort.
They're all under hypnosis... the Mind Slaves, the vampire mentioned. Hmm... Basker, I'm going to need your help with this one. I need to know the exact locations of all the humans here and who they are.
[Right away. I'll begin identifying all individuals confirmed to be human.]
After communicating with Basker, Magnus heard someone say, "Excuse me, Master. Do you need assistance finding a table, or would you prefer I bring you a drink?"
Turning to face the voice, Magnus saw a raven-haired woman in her twenties. Like everyone else present, she was beautiful, though it wasn't the first thing you'd notice—it was how she was dressed.
Her clothes were thin and revealing, with no hint of modesty in their design.
"Even the waitresses?" Magnus muttered under his breath, studying her eyes. There was nothing there but blind devotion, no other emotion you'd expect a woman in her situation to feel.
"Hm?" The waitress tilted her head slightly at his words, but Magnus just shook his head.
"It's nothing. And no, I don't need a table or a drink. But could you answer a question for me?"
"Of course. How can I be of service? I've been directed to inform you that all waiters and waitresses tonight are available for feeding or companionship. However, killing any of us is sadly, strictly forbidden, as per Nocturne rules."
Magnus paused, taken aback by what she addressed her and others' deaths as 'sad', before shaking his head.
"That... wasn't what I was going to ask."
"Oh? My apologies," the waitress said with a smile that was so sweet it felt fake.
"I heard there's going to be an auction tonight. Where exactly are the 'items' being auctioned held?" Magnus asked.
"Ah, well, the first half of the auction will be an open exchange, so everything being exchanged is already here," she explained, gesturing toward all the humans present with a sweep of her hand. The ones most likely to be auctioned were those who weren't being fed on, after all, you would want your potential Mind Slave to be in perfect condition.
"After that, the Nocturne will display fresh items—untouched. They're currently being held in the basement level, behind the stage, but don't worry, they'll be brought up once that part of the auction begins."
Magnus nodded thoughtfully.
"So, aside from the humans here, the rest are underground?"
"That's correct," she confirmed.
"Perfect," Magnus muttered to himself.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asked, standing there expectantly. Magnus glanced at her, a small smile on his face, though it wasn't one of amusement. It was pity, seeing how her mind couldn't even comprehend the hypnosis that forced her to act like this.
He nodded.
"Yeah, just stay right here for the next... five minutes or so, alright?"
"Of course, as you wish, Master," the waitress replied, shifting her posture and standing exactly where she was. Magnus turned away and began heading toward the stage at the front of the nave. He moved between tables, brushing past the vampires who sat chatting, and the waiters and waitresses who served with a blind, obedient cheerfulness. As he did, Basker counted the humans present, marking their positions.
By the time Magnus reached the stairs leading up to the stage, Basker spoke again.
[From my observations, there are exactly eighty-three humans present.]
Less than I thought there would be.
With that thought, Magnus stepped onto the stage and walked to the center. The musicians in the corner of the stage gave him puzzled looks, and so did some of the vampires who were starting to notice the masked figure.
"Who is that?" One of the vampires at a table asked.
"Hmm, not sure. Maybe the auctioneer for tonight?"
"But don't they usually wear formal attire?"
Magnus, now standing in the center of the stage, turned toward the musicians and held a finger to his masked face in a shushing motion. The musicians, hypnotized humans, ordered to obey, stopped playing immediately, drawing even more attention. Eyes shifted forward, all on the lone figure on the stage.
Clearing his throat, Magnus spoke, "Hello, hello. Can I have your attention, please? I just need your focus for a moment."
He clapped his hands, watching as heads turned to look at him.
"There we go. I just need to make one last check of all your faces," he said, his voice so low no one could have heard him. As he surveyed the room, confirming who was human and who wasn't, a door off to the side of the stage suddenly flew open. A man stepped onto the stage—a vampire, dressed in formal attire. He was the designated auctioneer for the night. The staff responsible for managing the waiters had communicated with him and called him out to deal with Magnus, assuming he was a vampire causing a disturbance.
The auctioneer walked up to Magnus and spoke in a polite yet firm tone.
"Sir, I'm afraid the stage is reserved for the auction. I'm going to have to ask you to leave-" The auctioneer didn't get the chance to finish. Magnus waved his hand dismissively, and with sharp precision, mana gathered in the air. In less than a second, it transmuted into a smooth spear of earth, flying directly at the auctioneer's head at a speed nearing that of sound. The auctioneer didn't have time to react. His body jerked violently as the spear skewered his head, pulling him along before embedding into the nearby wall.
After a brief pause, one of the humans seated near the stage, alongside their vampiric owner, screamed in fear, "Auhhhh!"
They had been told to ignore the strange events at the Nocturne, but not what they perceived as murder. Their instinctive reaction was the same as it would have been in any normal situation. Other humans reacted similarly, while some, who had been preoccupied with serving their masters or simply not paying attention, looked on in confusion.
The vampires, however, reacted differently.
One near the stage shot to his feet, shouting, "Mage!"
As all heads turned fully in his direction, ignoring the auctioneer's body, which was already starting to regenerate, Magnus smiled under his mask.
"There we go. Now heads are turning. Alright, looks like we didn't miss anyone, and I don't see any Hierarchs yet." Confirming he knew where all the humans were, Magnus held out his hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, mana churned at eighty-three different positions. The raven-haired waitress, still obeying Magnus's command and standing in the back, watched as a mana construct surrounded her—a bubble. The same bubble appeared around each human, even the musicians, sometimes engulfing their chairs or instruments. From the inside, touching the bubble had no effect, but any vampires who made contact with it were instantly repelled with violent force, strong enough to break bones or even dismember them.
Once every human was trapped, Magnus flicked his finger upward. The mana bubbles, along with the humans inside, rose into the air. Just like that, the humans were separated from the vampires.
"Great," Magnus muttered to himself, turning his attention to the vampires, most of whom were still in shock or preparing to rush the mage, whom they had recognized as an invader.
But Magnus was faster.
Each vampire suddenly saw a condensed sphere of black flames appear directly in front of them. The flames seemed to absorb every bit of light, giving off no radiance. They swirled, condensing even further. Some vampires instinctively turned to flee, but the moment they moved, the flames were triggered.
The explosion that followed was a chain reaction. The vibrations shook the entire church, and black flames engulfed everything on the first floor. Outside, the vampire Magnus had captured—still alive and unharmed—watched as black flames shot out from the stained glass, which broke with a shattering sound. Abyssal embers flickered through the air. The explosion's sound and vibrations were mostly blocked by the barrier Magnus had set earlier, only reaching the outside world through the ground, creating a scene of nearly silent destruction. The church trembled, but not a single thing beyond the barrier was touched by the embers.
And so, the church's first floor was consumed by soundless, black flames.