Hyunjin woke up the next morning with loud voices coming from another room.

"It hurts!" Chaewon cried. "And it looks awful! It's infecting!"

"G-Gowon, calm down, maybe it's part of the healing process-"

"It's not!"

There was a door opening and then shutting, the thud louder than the voices.

"What's all this noise?" Heejin grunted, scooting closer against the crook of Hyunjin's neck.

"Can you hear it?"

"Yeah, way too well. Pretty sure it would have woken me up when I was a human, too."

Hyunjin sighed. "I'm gonna go see what's happening."

After kissing Heejin's forehead, she stood up, leaving her whining behind. Opening the door, she peeked outside, to find Jiwoo doing the same from her room.

"What happened?" Jiwoo asked, scratching the sleepiness from her eyes.

"I don't know."

"Go check on Chaewon, we'll check on Hyejoo."

Hyunjin nodded and made her way down the corridor, quiet sobs sounding from the first floor. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, observing Chaewon crying on the couch with Diana by her side.

"Hey, good morning," Hyunjin said. "Mind if I join you?"

Chaewon sniffed, looking up at her. Hyunjin offered a smile, the most genuine she could at that moment, and Chaewon nodded. Hyunjin sat on her other side, not to disturb Diana.

"Can I take a look at your hand?" Hyunjin asked.

Without a word, Chaewon raised her right arm at her. Hyunjin held on her wrist, carefully turning her arm upwards. Indeed, her hand didn't look pretty. The skin was redder and bubbles of pus seemed to be forming. Not to mention the putrid smell.

"It hurts, Hyunjin." Chaewon sobbed. "And it's hard to move the other fingers. I took the antibiotics Jihyo prescribed me, why is this happening?"

"You need to get this checked. We'll go earlier to Seoul so you can visit Jihyo before our meeting with Vivi."

"Am I going to lose my hand?" Chaewon asked, her voice so scared and painful it hurt Hyunjin.

"You're not." Hyunjin rested a hand in her head, pulling Chaewon to her shoulder. "You're gonna be fine."

She had to be fine. That was what Hyunjin wanted to believe and to make her believe. But the girl seemed so helpless, so overwhelmingly sad it was making Hyunjin want to cry as well. But that was one of those occasions in which she had to be strong. If she broke, everyone would break with her.

A couple minutes later, Heejin, Jiwoo and Jungeun came down, joining them.

"Hey, Chaewon, how are you feeling?" Jiwoo asked, trying her hardest to sound lively even after taking a look at her hand as well.

Chaewon didn't answer, and avoided everyone's eyes on her.

"She needs to get checked. We need to go to Seoul soon, but Jinsol's at work now, and I feel bad for always asking her, honestly."

"We can take the bus there."

"Bus?" Hyunjin irked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it takes roughly the same time. There's one every hour."

Hyunjin sighed in relief. "That's great. You could take it with Jungeun, Chaewon and Hyejoo then, and I'll go with Heejin."

"Sure!"

"Okay, we go after lunch. I'm gonna call Jinsol to let her know."

They nodded, and Hyunjin stood up, leaving Chaewon with them. She fetched for her phone while heading outside to get some morning air. As she took in a big, long drag of air, Jinsol picked up.

"Hey, Jinsol, I hope it's not a bad time."

"Actually, I'm in the middle of a case now. There was an explosion in a jewelry store in Itaewon."

", sorry."

"It's okay, what's up?"

"Chaewon's hand is in bad shape, she needs to see Jihyo. We'll go to Seoul after lunch, do you think Yerim could go with her to the hospital?"

"Yeah, she can. But, how are you coming? I can't go pick you up, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Jiwoo said there's a bus. And how do you know if Yerim can without asking her first?"

"She's with me, and I'm leading this case, so, I can tell her to go."

"Wow, boss Jinsol ordering people around," Hyunjin snickered, and she could see Jinsol rolling her eyes. "Also, later, we're gonna have a meeting with Vivi."

"You're what now?!"

"You heard me. Yves called Hyejoo yesterday. Vivi wants to meet the six of us."

There was a pause. "Is that good or bad?"

"Who knows." Hyunjin sighed, kicking a pebble and stuffing her free hand in her short's pocket. "But Yves guaranteed us we would be safe. I guess it's safe to trust her. She had plenty of opportunities to harm us at the Silver Blades if she wanted to. Also, maybe we get a chance to make them come clean on that shady room situation."

"I guess. When's that?"

"7:30."

"I'll drive you back there after, then. Just let me know."

"Thank you so much."

"Alright, I gotta go. Please, stay safe. See you later."

"You too."

—

Hyunjin and Heejin were left alone after the others left to take the bus to Seoul. Hyunjin couldn't stop thinking about the meeting. What could Vivi, the leader of the Silver Blades, possibly want with them? Ask them for information about the Blood Alliance? Thank them? She chuckled to herself. That was impossible.

"What is it?" Heejin asked, as they headed outside for a bit of training before they too headed for Seoul.

"I was imagining Vivi thanking us, and somehow that vision was funny."

Heejin frowned. "Why?"

"Because, why would she?"

"Why wouldn't she? We helped them, didn't we?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what she looks like, or how she is."

"Hm." Heejin thought for a moment. "She's stern, but kind."

"We'll see later. Now, get in position. Let's start."

Hyunjin barely gave her time to do so before charging towards her. But, if Heejin always had sharp reactions, they were even sharper and quicker, as if she could see into the future. She dodged with no effort, twisting over herself before kicking Hyunjin's back. She stumbled forward, barely managing to stand, and turned to her, meeting her pink eyes.

"Goddess, you're amazing," Hyunjin said, always in awe at the beauty of her eyes.

"I always had great teachers."

"How far can you hear and smell now?"

"I definitely could hear all the noise in the morning, like they were in our room. Feel everyone's scents in the house as well."

"Are you a prodigy or something?"

"Well, not to brag, but I was the best of my training group."

"Definitely bragging."

"You keep telling me those things!"

"Then should I stop?"

Heejin glared at her, launching herself at Hyunjin, starting another set of punch training.

With a break here and there, around an hour later, Hyunjin decided to stop. "We need to go get ready and join them."

After a quick shower and getting themselves ready, they hopped on Bumblebee and headed to Seoul. They met the others at the same spot as two days ago, the parking lot near the Silver Blades headquarters. Hyunjin stopped Bumblebee, scanning the girls as she took off her helmet. Chaewon held on her right wrist, head down and eyes on the ground.

"What did Jihyo say?" Hyunjin asked, approaching them with Heejin.

"It's infected," Chaewon said.

"But she just needs to take the antibiotics and be really careful with her hand, and she'll be fine!" Jiwoo said, clearly trying to uplift the spirits.

"And it can take months for my hand to completely heal." Chaewon tightened the grip on her own wrist.

Hyejoo sighed, clenching her jaw.

"Alright, listen." Hyunjin took a step closer to Chaewon, holding on her arms. "It will take what it needs to take for you to be okay. But you will."

"Whatever." Chaewon shrugged.

"We should get going. The sun is setting," Jungeun said.

In silence they went, without the need to go separate ways. They walked down the road, the tall tower already in view, and the sun setting behind it casting a beautiful gradient of orange and blue. As they approached, the consequences of the battle were evident. Just like Yerim had described, the front of the right building had collapsed, all still in a pile of big boulders, rocks, and debris, but already being taken care of.

The fountain wasn't working, just like the other time, and Yves stood, leaning against it with her arms crossed over her chest. She had her shoulder length hair caught in a ponytail, and dressed formally, with black pants, a white button-up shirt and a black tie. But this time, she didn't carry her rapier with her. She looked at them as their steps became louder, and Heejin squeezed Hyunjin's hand as she did so.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming." Yves bowed, her voice and movements almost robotic, as if she wasn't standing before family.

"Drop the formalities," Hyejoo said.

Yves pressed her lips together, scanning them, and widened her eyes. "H-Hyejoo, your face." But the robotic voice dropped the same second Yves approached her sister to take a closer look at the new scar in her face.

"Just take us to Vivi, will you?" Hyejoo spat again, looking anywhere but her sister, and she halted.

"Hyejoo." Hyunjin elbowed her. "Stop."

Hyunjin was sure Yves had noticed Chaewon's hand too, but she chose not to say anything else, and went back to her robotic self. "Alright. Follow me."

She turned and walked towards the tower, not minding to check if they followed. Hyunjin sighed, leading the way, behind Yves. The guards at the entrance threw them looks, but didn't move an inch. As opposed to a few days ago, their looks were more watchful and cautious, rather than downright hateful.

Up the elevator they went, no one daring to say a word. Hyejoo was so tense Hyunjin could feel it in her skin. A couple minutes and twenty levels after, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Yves led the way once again, the girls following her through the wide, white corridor, the wall on the left side covered with glass windows, allowing the faint sunset light through. A few meters ahead, and at the right side, two glass doors stood from the floor to the ceiling, and scanning Yves' ID, the doors slid open with a beep. The corridor ahead was short and narrower, with a door in each side, and one ahead, fancier, made of deep brown wood, with a plaque where they could read 'Wong Kahei'.

"It's here, she's waiting for us," Yves said, and the girls nodded.

Yves knocked twice, and after an affirmative answer, she opened the door.

A strong scent of freshly made tea reached her nose, and Hyunjin's heart throbbed in her ears as she followed Yves inside, allowing her eyes to grow as she took a first look around. Shelves, high as the ceiling, covered both the right and left walls. A magnificent chandelier with dozens of small sparkling crystals hung right at the center of the ceiling. The floor was of polished, quality wood, just like the gigantic mahogany desk that was further ahead in the room. On top, a long, rectangular stone, where Hyunjin could read 'CEO - Wong Kahei' engraved in the stone plaque, and behind the desk, on the furthest wall, a beautifully sculpted wooden frame held the biggest portrait Hyunjin had ever seen - of three women. The oldest, with white hair pulled in a bun, stood in the center, with a hand in each of the other woman's shoulders, who sat. One of them younger than the first, with some wrinkles marking her face, and the youngest of the three, with big eyes and a kind smile.

Vivi stood with her back turned at them, her long, wavy orange hair reaching her lower back. She stared out the big window next to the portrait, where she could see the sun setting just behind the horizon.

"Beautiful, the sunset," Vivi said. "I never get tired of watching it."

The accent was evident in her voice, and reading the plaque on the desk again, Hyunjin concluded she wasn't Korean. Vivi turned, her eyes scanning all of them

"Welcome." She walked towards them, smiling as she approached. "So good to see you again Heejin, Chaewon, Hyejoo, and nice to meet you Hyunjin, Jiwoo, Jungeun." She bowed at them, staring at each as she said their names. "Please, take a seat, you all."

Vivi sat in the armchair in front of the desk, facing three large red leather couches that stood right in the middle of the room with a coffee table in the center. Hyunjin went on ahead and sat on the couch right in front of Vivi with Heejin, while Hyejoo and Chaewon sat on the right and Jungeun and Jiwoo on the left. Sooyoung chose to stand beside Vivi, and she didn't oppose.

"Oh, I forgot. Sooyoung, please being the tea," Vivi said.

Yves nodded and walked to the back of the room. There was silence while she brought the tray with the tea pot and four cups, and Hyunjin took the moment to look at Vivi. The same woman as the portrait - her posture impossibly straight, her face a perfect V shape, her big eyes fixed at the ex-slayers, and a small smile present on her lips. Heejin's description was quite right. Hyunjin could feel how stern Vivi could be, but at the same time, she didn't feel nervous being in the same room as the Silver Blades' leader. Just like Vivi didn't seem to be nervous in the presence of five vampires. Her heart beat at a normal, steady pace, just like her breaths.

The tea was on the table and Sooyoung was about to grab the tea pot when Vivi gently touched her wrist.

"I can do that. Please, take a seat as well."

Yves hesitated, but sat at the nearest seat - at the right couch, beside her sister, Hyejoo. Hyunjin eyed them, not knowing who was more rigid, or even Chaewon, who sat with her hands on her lap, her left hand on top of her right.

"First of all, thank you once again for coming here," Vivi said, serving herself a cup of tea. "You were probably confused when Sooyoung summoned you here."

"We were," Hyunjin said.

Vivi met her gaze. "If you were wondering if this concerns the attack two nights ago, you were correct. But before we really get there, I want to apologize to you all for the way our guards treated you. I only knew what had happened after the attack was over, when Sooyoung told me everything. Also, I want to thank you for coming here and trying to warn us."

The girls shared looks, but no one said a thing. Even Hyunjin was at a loss of words.

"First of all, I already know those of you who were part of our ranks, but I would like to get to know the rest of you," Vivi said.

"My name is Jiwoo. Me and Jungeun, we were part of the Blood Alliance," Jiwoo said.

"Blood Alliance?" Vivi irked an eyebrow, her interest shifting to Jiwoo.

"Yeah, the vampires that attacked you. That's what they call themselves. The night you attacked their hideout, when Heejin was captured, was the night we both left to join Hyunjin."

"And why were you part of that... group? What are they, exactly?"

Jiwoo and Jungeun proceeded to explain everything about the Blood Alliance, and Vivi only listened attentively.

"They've been trying to raise an army to fight us?" Vivi asked, trying to sum it up. "And you left because you are against it... but you're still vampires. So you had no desire to fight us back?"

"We are vampires," Jungeun said. "But we couldn't stand seeing innocent people being turned and brought there just to fight and die."

Vivi leaned back on her armchair, taping the armrest with her fingers, and shifted her attention to Hyunjin. "What about you, Hyunjin? The vampire with the moon tattoo. What can you tell me about yourself?"

Hyunjin frowned for a second. "I've been a vampire for a long time, and I've been hunting other vampires for most of that time. Ever since I found out about the Blood Alliance, I swore I would put an end to it."

Vivi took a hand to her chin, opening and closing as if she wanted to say something. "That's what I don't understand. You're a vampire, but you hunt other vampires?"

"Only the ones who cause trouble. Like us, there are more vampires who try and live as normally as possible, not harming or feeding on humans."

"So, how do you survive?"

"Animal blood. We can survive like that as well."

"I had a hunch something like that could be possible. I take it this Blood Alliance group isn't anything like that."

"They're the kind I hunt," Hyunjin said, pursing her lips.

"And you, being vampires, want to end the Blood Alliance, instead of joining them? That is fascinating."

"Why would we ever want to join a group of psychopaths?" Hyejoo asked, fists balled in her lap. "I think it's more than clear that vampires aren't inherently serial killers, but while you keep targeting vampires at large instead of the ones who actually are, you're going to waste your time and more humans will keep dying or being turned."

Yves widened her eyes at her, and Vivi kept silent, lost in thought.

"Won't you drink the tea, Chaewon, Heejin?" Vivi asked instead. "It's getting cold."

Heejin gulped, her body stiffening beside Hyunjin. She raised her eyebrows at Hyunjin, and she immediately understood what Heejin was trying to ask. Of course, Hyunjin had told her that her body wouldn't reject water, but being a new vampire, she most likely wasn't going to get away with tea, or at least stomaching it for long enough not to vomit on Vivi's expensive flooring.

Hyunjin discretely shook her head at Heejin.

Chaewon, though, reached forward to pour herself some, and Vivi's eyes widened at her.

"Oh, dear, what happened to your hand?"

Chaewon retreated her hand to block it the same second, forgetting about the tea. "I-I got injured."

"During the fight?"

She nodded, unable to look at Vivi, who heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I hope you heal quickly."

Another nod.

"I can't drink the tea," Heejin said, saving Chaewon from further questions, but drawing the attention to her now.

"And why is that?" Vivi irked an eyebrow at her.

"I have been turned."

Yves in a breath. "You what?"

"Jinyoung, one of the higher ranks of the Blood Alliance, took me during the fight and turned me out of spite. I'm a vampire now, too."

With a long, dragged sigh, Yves took her hands to her face.

"Stop acting like it's the end of the world," Heejin said, her voice somehow aggressive. "You may think it is because of your wrong idea of how vampires are killing machines, but it doesn't work like that!"

"Look at what they did to us!" Yves said, a vein popping in her temple.

Heejin clenched her jaw as well. "Those from the Blood Alliance, not me! Not us! What would you do if it was you? Wouldn't you want to be given a chance too? You decide what kind of person you are."

Several emotions flashed in Yves' face. Anger, surprise, disbelief. "But what about your instincts-"

"Instincts my !" Heejin hit her own leg with her balled fist. "There's no such thing! Don't you think if that was true, you would both be dead by now? I used to think the same, but that's wrong. So many things you think you know so well, and you're all wrong. Just open your minds for a damn second."

"Now, now, let's all calm down," Vivi said, as Yves was about to say something else. "When Hyejoo was turned, I knew she couldn't stay. First of all, because the Silver Blades at large hold a very adamant vision of vampires, and it would be an uncomfortable environment for her. But I did issue an order that she should be exempt from hunting, which, as you know, wasn't well followed at the time."

"Tell me about it." Hyejoo snickered.

Vivi disregarded the comment and continued. "I decided to issue that order because her being turned had me thinking. What if it was me? Or Sooyoung? Hyejoo did not choose to be turned. I have no idea where all those vampires we hunt came from, but I've known Hyejoo for most of her life. I know how she has been raised, with great commitment to her morals and duty. And that raised many questions. Can a person with a solid character as a human carry the same integrity to their vampire life? Does the life they lived as a human influence in any way the way they behave as a vampire? Is it possible that turning doesn't immediately change one's brain, wiring them to kill the way we thought in the past?"

Hyejoo stared back at Vivi. "And?"

"I didn't reach any conclusion. Not yet. But I am trying my best to understand everything you're telling me. I've never heard of a vampire who hunts other vampires, or vampires who ran from their group and turned against them." Vivi smiled. "That leads me to my next question. How did you know, and why did you choose to warn us about the attack?"

"We have a relieable source of info inside the Blood Alliance. They warned us about it, and we decided you warn you," Jiwoo said.

"Why? Why risk coming to a place with a great chance of meeting hostility?"

"We want to put an end to the Blood Alliance," Hyunjin said. "And because the Blood Alliance is our common enemy, trying to join forces would benefit us both. I believe you want to put and end to them as well, especially after what they did to you."

"Certainly. And that's the main reason I called you here today. We didn't even know such a thing existed until we found that hideout, and only now we fully understood what it is. You helped us once, and I thank you for that. Because of your warnings, Sooyoung had time to assemble defenses, which led us to be victorious, alongside your help in the battlefield. We did suffer loses, but they were forced to retreat. Had they managed to fully surprise us, things could have taken way larger proportions."

Hyunjin nodded, pretending she didn't know about that already.

"With this being said, would you help us again?" Vivi asked. "This time, to really put an end to it."

"H-How?" Hyunjin's heard thumped harder as she fidgeted in her seat.

"Since Jiwoo and Jungeun were former Blood Alliance members, I suppose you know the main hideout, or, with your reliable info, you can learn where they are right now?"

They shared a look. "We tried to reach them, but nothing yet. But yes, we do know where the main building is," Jungeun said.

Vivi nodded. "My plan is simple. Gather our slayers, and with your strength by our side, we do the same as they did. We plan an attack, and we go."

"When are you planning to attack?" Hyunjin asked.

"This week. Friday night."

"Already?" Chaewon frowned.

"We can't give them time to turn any more people. We need to take advantage of their loses to counter-attack now. If you think you can't fight, then it's better if you-"

"Wait. There's something else we need to discuss first," Hyunjin said, and Vivi gave her a nod. "When we were captured... those rooms we were kept in. What was going on in there?"

The silence dragged for a few moments, Hyunjin never taking her eyes off of Vivi.

"I hope you're not in a hurry. If you must know, then I will share," Vivi said, adjusting her position on her armchair while taking a sip of her tea. "The Silver Blades were created by my grandmother, back in Hong Kong, where I'm from. My great grandparents were killed by vampires, and my grandmother, being a doctor, wasn't convinced with the official cause of their death. My family owns a few hospitals, so when they died, my grandmother became the owner of all of them. She further studied the cause of her parents' death. At the same time there was a patient with the same type of injury in his body, like bites from pointed fangs. With the help of a great friend she had at the police, they found more cases like those, until she finally found and caught a vampire with his help.

"From then on, using her wealth from the family business, she created the Silver Blades - an organization to study vampires and to protect humans from them. She found their weakness, silver, and created silver weapons. She recruited people who had their parents killed by vampires and trained them to become slayers. Over the years, the organization grew, and my mother became the leader. Then, I was born and raised by both my mother and grandmother, learning everything they had learned over the years, and twelve years ago, I came here, to become the leader of South Korea's headquarters."

Hyunjin listened in awe, taking another look at the family portrait behind Vivi.

"I am a doctor myself," Vivi continue. "I studied a lot before coming here to dedicate my life to studying vampires. Those rooms you saw... is where I and other doctors and scientists conduct a series of experiments on vampires."

"But why? Why do all those awful things?" Hyunjin couldn't stop herself from asking, the images of the room flooding her mind once again. "They're still people! Living beings that feel pain!"

"To find a cure." Vivi sighed. "We've been trying for years, and the closest we got was that serum you were injected with."

Hyunjin let her back hit the couch, suddenly remembering Yves' words.

It's for the greater good.

She glanced at her, to find her staring down at her lap.

"To find a cure... And do you seriously need to keep people chained up like that to try and find a cure?!" Hyejoo asked, anger all over her features. "And why keep it a secret from the rest of us?"

"Keeping it on a need-to-know basis allows us to maintain a steady rhythm in our research and make it sustainable. If this was known at large, we were afraid it might create a tense climate around the headquarters. Everyone would probably want to help accelerate this somehow or put unrealistic expectations on the progress, thus compromising each member's focus on their own missions. We also ensure the information is as confidential as possible to avoid it falling in the hands of vampires who might want to attack us for it if they knew." Vivi sighed. "Alas, capturing a vampire is much harder than killing them. This is an assignment that only the highest-skilled can handle."

"And you knew about this." Hyejoo turned to her sister. "Since when?"

Yves closed her eyes, balling her fists.

"Hyejoo, that's enough," Hyunjin said. "I want to ask you something else."

"Go ahead." Vivi took another sip of her tea.

"Has your opinion about vampires changed, even in the slightest?"

"If it hadn't, I wouldn't be having you here, and asking for your help."

"But has it changed for good, or after this, will you go back to your old opinion?"

Vivi narrowed her eyes at her. "Why those questions?"

"I want to ask you to change your way of thinking and doing things." Hyunjin leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Stop with those shady experiments. Try and do things differently. Change the mindset and the ways that the slayers do things. I used to be like you slayers, killing all vampires I could, without distinguishing the bad and good. It was only when my own brother was killed by a slayer that I changed my ways," she said, and by the corner of her eye, she could see Yves widening her eyes at her. "If I changed, if Heejin, Hyejoo, Chaewon changed, why can't you?"

There was no way Hyunjin could tell what was on Vivi's mind, but she had held her gaze all this time, paying full attention to her. No one said a word, but everyone could feel the tension in the air.

"I will think about your words, Hyunjin, I promise. For now, I ask that you please accept our proposal and trust us for the time being. We believe in the honesty of your goals, as they are the same as ours."

Hyunjin nodded. It was better than nothing, and it was more than clear that they needed each other to end the Blood Alliance. She couldn't afford to bargain much further.

"Does that mean we can count on your cooperation?" Vivi looked around.

"I will do anything to put an end to this." Jiwoo was the first to speak up.

"Me too." Jungeun nodded.

"Yes," Chaewon said, still facing down.

Heejin spared a look at Hyunjin. "I'm in."

"Whatever." Hyejoo shrugged, sunk in her seat, then crossed her arms. "I'll go with whatever Hyunjin says."

All eyes in the room were now on Hyunjin. They had already realized this was their only option, and it was now up to her to close the deal.

"You can count on us," Hyunjin said.

"Splendid! We'll keep in contact through Sooyoung." Vivi smiled, standing up, and the girls followed. "Please, inform us as soon as possible when you find their current location. If you still can't know by Thursday, I'll send a search party to the main hideout to find if they're there and study the area."

"Be careful, they have really strong and powerful vampires there, don't get too close or else they'll sense you," Jiwoo said.

"Don't worry, Jiwoo." Vivi smiled at her. "I guarantee whoever I send there, will not be found. Now, I will let you get back to your business. Thank you again for coming. I'll show you out."

---

A/N: VIVI!!!!!!!

OH BOY THE FOURTH AND LAST PART OF THE STORY IS HERE, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! THE FINAL BATTLE IS APPROACHING!!!

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