The Vanishing by Karla Nikole
Five
For three days straight, the rain has swept through western Japan. The sky weeps, relentless and gray, stripping the cherry blossom trees clean of their delicate flowers.
6:50 p.m. Haruka sits in the front tearoom of the estate, arms folded while his knee bounces from stress. Lightning flashes against the window, shifting his attention there. The maple tree outside the glass bends and sways in hypnotic rhythm and a rumble of thunder echoes in warning. The weather is not helping his unease about this meeting.
The front door to the estate opens, then shuts in a bang. After some loud shuffling, Nino appears in the doorway, his jacket and hair damp with rainwater. Asao passes behind him, likely headed to the kitchen to prepare tea for their impending guest.
“The train delays today are awful.” Nino shrugs out of his jacket and disappears for a moment to hang it in the closet beside the tearoom. He calls out, “At least I made it before seven?”
A moment later, he steps down into the room, running his fingers into the top of his wet, coppery hair to brush it back. Despite being flustered and rain-soaked, he looks handsome in a patterned dress shirt and dark khaki pants. Haruka lifts his chin when he’s standing over him. Nino places two neat kisses on his mouth before plopping down beside him onto the couch.
“Welcome home, my love.” Haruka smiles. Nino’s presence always helps put his mind at ease. Even on the day they met, standing in front of Nino felt like basking in the warm rays of an autumn sun.
“Grazie, tesoro. I don’t sense our guest?”
“Me neither,” Haruka sighs. 6:55 p.m. Sensing the presence and location of another ranked vampire isn’t an exact science, but it is a reliable component of their biology. Haruka can sense Nino much more intuitively because they are bonded—not just his location, but his emotional state and well-being. His thoughts too, when they mutually consent to opening their minds to each other. If the distance becomes too great, Haruka can only discern his mortality.
With three minutes left before their scheduled meeting time, he should detect the vampiric aura of their guest approaching. If he is focused, Haruka can sense every ranked vampire within a twenty-five-mile radius—their presence like warm lights speckled against the dark map of his realm.
With regard to this new purebred, he feels nothing on the horizon. It doesn’t make any sense.
“Do you think he’ll no-show?” Nino asks. “You told me the purebred you sensed in the woods last year smelled like sage. This has to be the same creature.”
Gael, an associate of the Almeida Clan, had staged an ambush outside Haruka’s house in England the previous year. A reckless attempt to steal his Lore and Lust manuscript. The first-generation vampire’s effort was thwarted, but an unexpected thing happened. A flash of power emanated from the surrounding woods—the unmistakable presence of another purebred.
The incident had been even more strange because there are no purebred vampires left in England. While the entire pureblood population has suffered as a result of the Great Vanishing, purebreds of British descent have become extinct.
The mysterious sage vampire emerged, then quickly disappeared. Gael also disintegrated right before Haruka’s eyes.
“I didn’t see the purebred in the woods that night,” Haruka reasons. “Just sensed them. So I cannot know for certain.”
“I wish we could have refused his request. I don’t feel good about this at all.”
“My love, we discussed this. We cannot outright refuse a request without justification for doing so. Within the expectations of the aristocracy, it is proper to—”
Haruka sucks in a breath. The heavy presence of an old-blooded purebred has suddenly appeared, creating a distinct pressure in the air around them. Nino sits straight, his amber eyes wide. The vampire has materialized from nothing, and yet he is waiting outside their front door.
The bell rings. 7:00 p.m. Bewildered, Haruka stands, his heart beating wildly. How is this possible? What kind of power does this vampire have? The scent of sage drifts through the air, confirming that this is indeed the vampire he sensed in the woods a year ago.
Nino stands beside him, his fingers raking through his hair yet again. Asao appears, rushing past the tearoom to open the front door. The wash of torrential rain and thunder outside breaks the silence before the door shuts again.
When Asao stands in the entryway, he bows in a polite gesture. “My lords, Lajos Almeida of the Almeida Clan.” He moves aside, allowing their guest to step into the doorway.
The vampire is ancient with pale flesh, wrinkled and creased. A hardness is set in his expression. His posture is straight in a tall, thin frame. He’s dressed in pristine formal clothing, but his fashion is severely outdated: a deep blue greatcoat, waistcoat and white dress shirt tucked into pleated slacks. He taps his cane as he stands there, lifting his sharp chin as if he is a king and they are his menial subjects.
The old creature steps down into the room. Haruka takes a deep breath, then bows at his waist. “Welcome, Lajos Almeida, to Okayama prefecture. I am Haruka Hirano. This is my mate, Nino Bianchi. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Nino bows at his side, his smile kind but without its usual warmth. “Welcome to our home and realm. We’re pleased—”
Lajos raises a gloved hand. Nino stops, glancing at Haruka from the corners of his eyes. Lajos’s chin lifts even higher, his dark, sharp gaze focused on Haruka underneath bushy eyebrows. “You are of ancient blood. You are the leader of this house? Are you the elder as well?” Despite his frail appearance, the vampire’s voice is heavy, weighted with time and authority.
“No,” Haruka says, keeping his face even. “My mate is the elder, but we do not operate our household according to such conservative edicts.”
Lajos furrows his gray eyebrows. His silver hair is pulled back and gleams against the recess lighting. “So this house has no leader?”
“It has two leaders,” Haruka says. Without question, this purebred is his elder, and his blood registers as primeval, like Haruka’s own. He knows that he should show their guest respect, but their guest should not openly question the operations of his household—especially within the first two minutes of walking through the door.
Smirking, Lajos steps back and toward the sofa opposite them. A small coffee table is set in between. “Two leaders? That is not possible.” He flicks his long coat to the side before sitting down, never breaking eye contact with Haruka.
“And yet, we stand before you.” Haruka sits as well, the vein in his temple throbbing as he folds his hands in his lap. The anxiety radiating off of Nino’s body beside him is palpable.
Lajos props his cane against the seat cushion beside him. “In any pairing, there is always one stronger and one weaker. One greater and one lesser. It is the role of the lesser to support the stronger.”
“I respectfully disagree,” says Haruka. “In any pairing, both are strong, but in distinct ways—their talents and support of one another equal in value. You sent us a formal request for introductions. Please disclose the true purpose of your visit with us this evening. How can we assist you?”
At this, Lajos tilts his head back in genuine laughter. The sound of it is boisterous, startling. It irritates Haruka even more.
When Lajos gathers himself, he runs a gloved hand over his head, focusing on Haruka again. “Very sharp. You, young male, are the leader of this house. Your speech is bold and resolute. You radiate power and grace, while this male of new-found blood sitting beside you says nothing. Is this not a fascinating introduction? I cannot remember the last time I have been challenged this way. How amusing you are.”
“Have you come here seeking amusement?” Haruka asks, his temper reaching a low boil. “To agitate and offend our household?”
Haru.
Haruka’s eyes flicker to his mate, recognizing the faint call as it echoes in his mind. He opens his senses to receive Nino’s thoughts, clear and concise.
Nothing he says matters. Don’t let him upset you. Stay calm.
Agreeing, he takes a deep breath. He rolls his shoulders, and Nino reaches over to grab his hand. Haruka refocuses on their pompous, uncouth guest that reeks of sage… He won’t eat anything with sage again for a very long time.
“Interesting.” Lajos tilts his head at Haruka. “Young male, what is your age?”
He speaks through gritted teeth. “One hundred and three.”
“Very young… With your mind and power, you could do great things. You should not waste the gifts you have been uniquely blessed with by playing into these soft, contemporary ideals. You have the ability to shift the very foundation of our race. You could rule over all. I can show you how.”
For the first time, Haruka is speechless. He hadn’t known what to expect tonight, but it was not this. What the hell is he talking about?
“Senhor Almeida, why are you here?” Nino asks, cutting to the chase.
“He speaks.” Lajos smiles, but his expression is unamused. “Is your renewed bloodline even a century old? Your ancestors are a disgrace for feeding from humans as long as they did. Repulsive.”
They both sit, blinking in response to the derogatory comment. Discrimination between purebred bloodlines is irrelevant. Obsolete. Especially not after the Great Vanishing. Purebred blood is purebred blood. Period.
At their silence, Lajos shifts his gaze back to Haruka. “Are you interested in improving our race? Growing our numbers as glorious purebred entities?”
Haruka stares, feeling as if his brain has stalled, or as if he is misunderstanding something. Is this an elaborate hoax? This antiquated creature with his elitist rhetoric and unapologetic arrogance.
“Our race has become bastardized—marred with these first-, second- and third-generation creatures that reek of human blood,” Lajos continues. “Purebreds of the past have fornicated with humans to create these lesser vampiric beings. They guzzle both blood and food, like pigs at a trough sucking up all the earth’s resources. I have established a solution. A pure and perfect society where we multiply. Where we survive on blood alone and remain nocturnal as our ancestors once lived.”
Asao enters the room with a tray of tea and rice crackers. He steps up to the small table, then drops the tray against the surface, making the contents spill and shift in a loud clang. He stares at Lajos with his brow furrowed for a long moment before turning and walking out of the room.
Lajos waves a hand. “See? They are a stain on our race. The unfortunate consequence of avarice and perverted curiosities.”
Standing from the couch, Haruka gently releases Nino’s hand. This stranger has come into his home, insulted his mate, offended his manservant and challenged the moral foundation upon which Haruka stands. Now, he expresses blatant xenophobia toward ranked vampires. Their introductions are finished.
“I do not share in your ideals, nor do I believe I can help you achieve any of your goals. I am sorry that you have wasted your time. I ask that you leave our realm.”
Lajos doesn’t move. He looks up, blinking his cold eyes as if Haruka hasn’t said a word. “I have an associate that tells me you own an interesting collection of research surrounding vampiric bonds. Is this the case?”
“I have asked that you leave our home,” Haruka says, unblinking, as Nino stands up beside him. Lajos breathes a laugh.
“Young male,” he says, his smile fading, “I do not take kindly to refusals. Perhaps I am spoiled in my old age, but it is not something I am… accustomed to.”
“Then I am grateful to assist in your personal development.” Haruka nods. “Take your leave. Now.”
Lajos stares. The arrogant smile disappears from his wrinkled mouth and his irises flicker back and forth between the two of them. He sighs, eyes closed as he shifts a white-gloved hand up to the center of his forehead to massage with his fingers. “You are quite strong-minded, and thus will take some convincing. I see that now.”
He opens his eyes and they’re glowing bright, milky white. He flicks his fingers toward them in a lazy motion. Haruka draws back at the odd gesture, but nothing happens.
“Haru—”
Haruka whips his head around, meeting Nino’s panic-stricken face. He doesn’t understand at first, but when he looks down, Nino’s body is dissolving from the bottom up. Haruka tenses at the sight of his form misting before his eyes. Panicked, he reaches out to wrap his arms around him, but there is nothing to hold on to. Nino is gone. He’d been standing there warm and solid one moment, but the next, vanished.
Something like a gaping hole opens in Haruka’s gut, as if he’s been shot through with a cannon ball. He grabs his stomach from the emptiness and pain. The hollow misery. It isn’t as if Nino is dead. He can still sense that he’s alive. But he’s too far away, somewhere indiscernible and beyond Haruka’s reach.
His mind burns hot—a thundercloud of rage, confusion and despair gripping him all at once. His eyes alight as he looks at the old vampire sitting on his couch. Haruka releases the heavy weight of his aura with force, thrusting it toward Lajos to subjugate him in totality. He wraps his energy around the decrepit vampire, lifting him from his seated position and tightening the grip of his energy like a large snake suffocating its prey.
But his mental hold on the creature flickers, like something solid within his grip has turned into sand and slips through his fingers. Lajos dissolves in Haruka’s grasp, the form of his body rolling and turning into misty nothingness. He is gone.
“I’ve seen your power, young male.”
Haruka looks up, and Lajos is standing in the doorway, calm and with his white eyes glowing like headlights. A sound just beside Haruka shifts his attention. He watches as the cane Lajos walked in with dissolves, then reappears in his hand.
“You are an exceptional creature.” Lajos smirks. “But I have lived for centuries and you cannot hold me. You will not be breaking my limbs today—”
“Return him NOW—”
“Ido not take orders, young male. I give them. You will calm down and politely reconsider my request. Shall we try again in a few days?”
Haruka opens his mouth to speak, but Lajos dissolves. Gone again. The room is silent save for the heavy rainfall outside.
Despair crashes down on Haruka’s psyche—violent and painful. Hopeless. An hour ago, his world had been perfect: safe and insulated with the warmth of profound love and security. Now, the world has turned on its head and Nino is gone. Vanished. The gaping hole Haruka feels in his core intensifies, the searing agony and hollowness of it instigating the blind anger flooding his mind.
He curses, and the pressure of his aura explodes from his body. There is a loud boom and the sound of glass breaking. The lights in the room flicker, then die. He drops to his knees from the pain radiating in his body. He gasps, desperate for air as he sits, shrouded in complete darkness.
