XIV

    As Mina set her sight upon the rest of the members, she was once again reminded how fragile a human being can be. It was clear they have become terrified of their presence. And it was not surprising, for the fear of the unknown can truly be overwhelming. They also cannot hide the shaking of their hands and the trembling of their lips from her prying eyes even if they wanted to. It was still within the scope of her expectations though, but Chaeyoung's unplanned display of aggressiveness might have blundered their chance to have a calmer atmosphere while she explain their true origin. However, what done is done and she could only hope for them to listen. She still had a promise to keep anyway.

    The Japanese beauty accepted it was her fault for not being forthcoming to Jihyo and the rest since being a part of their ragtag group. It was not intentional, the timing just wasn't right. She had deduced they was simply not yet ready to hear what she have to say back then. But now that the right pieces had come to finally gather, she had decided it was time. She also had witness how each of them bloomed into a more reliable and mature woman.

    "I'm sorry for lying but it was never my intention to deceive any of you." Mina started apprehensively, gauging the reaction she would first receive. But her words were only met with silence. The conscious members all just stood stoically and looked at her with calculating eyes. None screamed at her to leave the premises at once or push them away which was neither a good or bad sign. Because it still left her clueless of what was running in their minds. She would take what she get though, so opted to continue.

    "As you may all have probably noticed, we are not like any of you. Me and Chaeyoung are far from normal. We used to be just a typical vampire living our immortal lives away from the humans. We were the last of our kind. The rest was haunted or had just got tired of living and just staked their selves to death -"

    "A vampire?! What are you on? They don't exist, much more a typical one. Nothing's typical about a vampire anyway if they even exist which obviously they don't." Nayeon suddenly interjected, pure disbelief written all over her face. The older woman even wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the story. "Try a better one."

    And Jihyo wanted to agree with Nayeon. There was no such thing as a vampire. She believed it just derived from the vivid imagination of past novel writers and just hyped it up. However, the seriousness on the faces of Mina and Chaeyoung made her second-guess it all. The two seemed to be sure of their claims and they had already shown abilities to back it up. It wouldn't hurt to listen more so she gently tapped the older woman on the shoulder and spoke. "Let her continue. We had all seen monsters sprout from nowhere. What she's telling us may have some merit?"

   Mina nodded at the leader, a quick show of gratitude, before she continued. "It may sound ridiculous but it’s the truth. We were once vampires but one night while we were haunting, an unknown syndicate caught Chaeyoung and me."

   "Caught? Aren't vampires supposed to be impossibly fast and strong? How did that syndicate managed to do that?" It was Dahyun. Despite the fear that still linger inside her, the pale girl couldn't help but be curious.

   "We were caught by surprise with their means and was powerless against them despite having the known skill set advantage. They had armed their selves well as if they were prepared to capture us, as if they knew of our existence. I don't know how they gotten their hands on the knowledge about our weaknesses but they did." Mina answered, feeling more relieved that they seemed to starting to listen. She needed them to. All her plans would be derailed if they refuse to do so.

    "After that, we found ourselves being prodded and examined for days or months. I couldn't tell. Different scientist began experimenting on us and unknown serums was injected in our system. Most of it had little to no effect on us but contrary to what most know about vampires, we are not indestructible. We just do not age, immortal in a sense but we are not immune to pain. But they still conducted endless series of test on us. Till one day a man we only know as General Claude came and brought a different kind of drug. They forced us to take it and it changed us, not physically but something within. We became some sort of a vampire hybrid. We grew stronger and faster, more agile and powerful even but our thoughts were not our own anymore. We became puppets on a string and with that, this General had used us to fulfill his selfish desires for power. I became his weapon while he dangle Chaeyoung as my leash. He had threatened to kill her if I disobey any of his orders. I was given no choice but to obey and had no means to do that anyways. I could not even control my whole body back then. He made me kill different Japanese government officials and those innocents who disagree with his beliefs and methods. Despite my reluctance to do it, I was helpless against the manipulation."

    Chaeyoung, w