The darkness strained Yuri’s eyes as he entered a small somewhat cave-like extension located at the subterrains of Tokyo. It was pretty unusual to find that there were still unexplored areas under the main highways of Japan.

The light flickered as the group entered.

Ryosuke gasped beside Yuri and Yuri himself was unaware that his mouth hang open as he saw the interior of the so-called Azuma Ryoushi Seiden, translated as “East Hunter’s Main Temple”. It was has a huge corridor that leads to an archway. The crevices on the walls are crafted to hold miniature religious emblem sacred for Christianity.

Kei stepped in front of them. “I give you, Ryoushi Seiden,” he said proudly while his eyes were glittered side by side with the soft lights casted from several old-fashioned oil-supported candelabras casting eerie shadows on the walls.

From an archway, connecting to the dim-lighted corridor, they entered a huge room which ceiling arched in several small semi-circles. In its four corners sat a dozen or so candelabras of the same structure as what greeted them outside. Kei lighted one of the candelabras nearest to the entrance and the rest flickered on their own as if the light was passed to each other until it casted an earthly glow to the room. They could see that the corners of the room opened to what looks like more rooms though Yuri couldn’t be sure since there was no light coming from those openings in the wall.

Yuri, Ryosuke, Keito and Yuto who had never been there before stopped in awe at the artistic architecture of that place.

In front of them protruded from the ground a long rectangular box like marble encasement three feet in height and almost nine feet long. There were intricate patterns adorning the encasement.

Yuri couldn’t help himself and walked towards it. He touched the marble stone but gasped in shock and pulled his hand away. He looked at the others.

The group looked at him in confusion.

“Hot!” he exclaimed.

“Nani?” it was Kei who asked and went near him. He touched the marble stone and looked back at Yuri in confusion. “What do you mean hot? It is as cold as it always is.” He said.

Yuri stared at his friend. There was a confused look at Kei’s face. He looked again at his friends who were looking at him as if he was a freak. Nobody spoke and there was an awkward silence between them as they study Yuri. Yuri looked at Kota. His heart beat when he saw Kota’s face. There was no confusion in them and if he wasn’t wrong, there was FEAR in Kota’s eyes.

Yuri looked away unable to understand the fear in Kota’s eyes but he was sure, there was something behind those eyes. The fearless leader, Kota saw something that brought fear in his eyes. And Yuri was more than aware that it was what he said that brought fear to Kota.

Yuri studied the stone; he stared at what he touched. There, engraved in the marble, a symbol. He looked at it closely, he was sure he already saw it before but he couldn’t place where. It was a small cross, at the top right corner, in between the positive x and positive y axis sat a crescent moon. The figure itself was almost invisible since it was a bit faded. Yuri touched it again and his eyes broaden as he felt the hot surface, he tried to endure it not wanting the others to see and let his palms settle in the stone, his palm totally covering the small symbol.

Yuri stared at his hands, as only the part that touches the symbol was hot and the rest was very cold. The coldness was what one would call ordinary being inside a cold underground room. Yuri then smiled at laughed, though he knew that they know that it was rather fake. “Yeah, it is cold!” he exclaimed and laughed awkwardly.

“Aha-ha-ha-ha!” it was Ryosuke. Yuri didn’t look but he was sure Ryosuke was faking it. The rest of the members laughed with them but there was really awkwardness. At least, the tension eased a little after that.

Yuri heard chattering behind him. Yuto was almost jumping at Kei asking him about this and that. How do the lamps work? When was the place built? Sorta like that but Yuri, on the other hand…

He felt being drawn by the stone, he didn’t pull his hand. There was a throbbing sensation from the small symbol under his palm, it was too hot. It was sending a burning sensation in his system but then he was sure that his palm didn’t burn in it and the irony of the cold stone, it sent thrills in his veins that he couldn’t place.

Then, the hotness was ephemeral and Yuri felt himself close his eyes as the burning feeling turned into cold numbness. There was blackness, and then silence and then…

War…

Darkness…

The moon enveloping the sun as if it was eating it…

A dragon, breathing fire…

And that familiar face… face of the man he saw so many times in his dreams…

Cutting…

Slashing…

Tearing flesh…

Yuri opened his eyes in shock and pulled his hand away. Through blood-shed eyes he looked at the symbol in fear. His heartbeat was stuck in his throat and he breathed eagerly to let the oxygen pass through his veins who seemed to have gone to sleep. He felt his knees wobble as he clutched his hand with the other to his chest. He was still staring at the symbol and yet he felt like he was buckling down.

He felt a pair of hand steadied him. He looked up and saw Kota’s concerned eyes. “So you see it?” he asked as he steadied Yuri.

Yuri was now aware of the noise behind him.

“Free mason?” He heard Keito asked Kei.

“Yes, this is patterned on the architectures of the freemason, in the baroque-rococo style.”

“Ah, that explains the ceiling, the archway… and look at this candelabra, isn’t this ornately adorned. There was not even a single same pattern on every edge and yet each candelabra looks entirely the same, with the same pattern and design. Sugeii!” it was Ryosuke.

Kei laughed at the comment “Yama-chan, do you want to consider taking up architecture, too?”

“Eh!” Ryosuke exclaimed. “I’m not a genius like you. Ask Chii, he probably would.”

“Nani?” Kei asked in amusement.

Yuri stared at Kota who was also listening in the conversation but still had his hands on him. “What does it mean?” Yuri asked. “The flashes… I mean?” he stammered looking down when Kota looked at him. He was not sure if Kota understood him and yet he still wanted to ask.

Kota stared at the stone. “Sir Anthonius Vermelli, a knight templar. He is not a popular knight templar, but he is a known Hunter.” Kota answered.

Yuri stared at the marble encasement. “Y-you mean…” he stammered.

“Hai. That is his tomb.”

“Demo… knight templar… Nippon?” Yuri asked. He found himself already able to stand alone and he stared at Kota in confusion.

Kota was staring ahead. He was staring at a small crevice on what seemed to be a small altar. Yuri had already noticed that but he didn’t really pay attention to it. At the crevice sat a cross, it might have been red but due to being there for a long time, it turned into a brownish colored rust. It seemed to be maintained fairly well because there was not a sign of dust or cobwebs in it. It was only a feet high but it was surely visible whenever the candelabras cast light in it.

Under the crevice lie what seemed to be a small marble table. Placed in it was some kind of a white cloth with some red patches. Yuri didn’t have any idea of what that cloth was since it was carefully folded and placed neatly on the table.

“The Knight Templars were more knights than preachers,” Kota told Yuri while still staring at the altar as if he was reading from it. There was seriousness that was not usually seen in his cute baby face. “When they defended the Latin Kingdom, there arose a suspicion of mystical beings that live by human blood and gaining immortality, they were called the sons of Dracula, the vampires.

“Some of the Templars, rather than defending the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem against the Muslim forces were sent out to track down the vampires. Not all Templars knew this, only those who had the mystical ability who can defend themselves against mystics. One of them was Sir Vermelli.

“Sir Vermelli was one of the highest ranked officials, he was a Knight.” Kota said looking at Yuri. “As a Knight, he was trained to deflect bad elements, to make a bad spirit go away, now known as exorcism.”

“What does this have to do with the flashes?” Yuri snapped.

Kota smiled at him. It was a smile of a father figure to his son. It was a smile that Yuri never thought Kota was capable of giving. It was caring, yet amused at the same time. Yuri felt a warm feeling in his heart. He smiled back at Kota.

Kota looked away from him and to the tomb in front of them. “Sir Vermelli is a Rio-Bios, though he didn’t realize it until later.”

“A what?” Yuri didn’t quite understand the term and he looked at Kota with curios eyes.

“A Rio-Bios, the river of life… he was an ultimate life line.”

Yuri felt as if he was stabbed in the heart hearing those words yet he didn’t even understand any of it.

“His blood, though it doesn’t seem special was the finest blood of all. A vampire who would be able to feed from it will have a very long life, any vampire that is. It was the most precious blood, a blood which can either give life or take life of a vampire.

“He wasn’t aware of this when he accepted the quest to track the blood- monster. He was sent because of his fighting and exorcism skills. He was a trained swordsman, a killing machine, that was who he was.

“But then, when he was able to meet the monsters, he learned his curse. Whenever a vampire feed on his blood, they get stronger. The monsters became harder to kill, but his team tried their best.”

“Did they win?”

Kota shrugged and looked at Yuri. “Probably, that is what the history says.”

“How did they win?” Yuri asked.

Kota sighed. “I am not sure. That part wasn’t in the history. The hunters said that the manuscript written by their Literati during that time was stolen. When they found it, it was torn and burned. They were able to regain some of the texts but there were missing parts. Apparently, that was one of the missing parts. The hunters were still looking for them but of no prevail.”

Yuri stared at Kota in confusion. “Literati… manuscript?”

Kota nodded. “The quest was done by seven people. A literati, the head, the thinker and the writer; the Rio-Bios who was also the ultimate fighter, Sir Vermelli.

“A metaphysicist… this might sound mythical but it was true according to the manuscript. They have a metaphysicist, he was the tracker. He could separate his spiritual sense from his physical body to travel and seek for the vampires’ lair.”

Yuri stared at him in awe without noticing that the other three members were already beside him and listening to Kota.

Kei, on the other hand was only smiling at them. He nodded for Kota to continue.

“They also have a seer with them who solely functions as the prophet of the future.”

“Just like Shizuka?” Yuto interrupted.

“Hai.” Kota answered.

“If that is so, then the vampires also have a seer?” Keito asked.

“Probably.”

“Sou…” Ryosuke started but shook his head immediately. “Wakarinikuiyo, ne? I just couldn’t grasp the idea. So ironic…” he said in his thoughtful confusion.

The rest nodded their head.

“And they also have a dreamer,” Kota said and looked at Yuri knowingly.

“Dreamer?” Yuto asked. “What did he do, sleep?” Yuto laughed at his own joke.

Yuri gave a secret sullen look at his friend but he also laughed at this. Yes, probably. What would he do, as a dreamer, sleep? What a naïve power…

Kota caught Yuri’s eyes. “Their dreamer was just a plain fighter so they say. He wasn’t as gifted as Sir Vermelli but he was a gift. He was able to tell the future in his dreams.”

“Isn’t that supposedly the function of the seer?” Keito asked.

“Yes it is, but then, it was just sudden. Their dreamer, he was able to see a far future, destruction and bloodshed. The seer nor the metaphysicist wasn’t able to see them.” Kota caught Yuri’s eyes. “The seer didn’t want to care about the dreamer’s dream but Sir Vermelli believed in the dreamer and they took extra caution. And the dreamer was right, his dream was a vision of the future… their future.”

Kota looked at his audience, they were listening intently. He smiled and proceeded. “Then, there was the alchemist. He was able to change things and command any matter to his own desire. And then, they had a sorcerer. The sorcerer created curse after curse, and enchantments against the vampires. The end. Thank you!” Kota said and bowed as if he just finished telling them a fairy tale which sounds fair since it seemed like a fairy tale to Yuri if he didn’t know that everything was true.

They heard a clap and when the group looked up, Yuya and Ryutaro were standing there. They probably had heard the story. They smiled at them.

It was then, Daiki and Hikaru barged in seemingly out of breath as if they ran to get there.

Daiki looked at Kota. “Jhenie called me, they heard another stirring in the west near Tokyo. She asked if we could see her.”

Kota then looked disturbed. It was as if he was listening at a silent debate in his head.

“Are we really going to help them, Kota?” it was Yuya. The usually happy-go-lucky guy was looking at him intently waiting for his answer and yet there was something in the guy’s eyes that says whatever Kota’s decision is, though, he might disagree, he would definitely abide.

Kota looked up. He gazed at Yuri beside him. “Let’s see. We will talk to Jhenie-sama but I won’t guarantee that we would help them. They are still vampires, after all. But then, there are still things that are bothering me.” He sighed.

“Like what?” it was Hikaru.

“Like Shizuka, she is a seer.” Kota answered.

“Minna, I haven’t told you yet…” Daiki started and looked at the group. “Jhenie is an alchemist.” He finished.

“Maybe, the vampires really can be an alchemist or a seer or something…” Keito asked.

Yuya shook his head. “The blood of the seven was passed from generations to generations of hunters,” he said. “These vampires, as we know weren’t born with those abilities. There was no insight of those characteristics in any vampire clan as known by the hunters.”

“I felt that there were still things that the elders weren’t telling us.” Kei said afterwards. “This is getting out of hand.” He commented.

“I would check it personally.” Kota said. “I would talk with Jhenie-sama and then to the elders.”

“Ah, by the way, let us grab some weapon from the armory. That was why we are here, right. And grab as much as you can since we don’t know when will be able to come back here.” Daiki suggested and led the group to one of the chambers the far left of the right wall.

Yuri walked after them but was stopped by Kota.

“Chinen-kun, about your question earlier,” Kota said and led Yuri out of earshot. He looked sincerely at Yuri while his hands were in Yuri’s shoulder. “Sir Vermelli was very loyal to his dreamer. He trusted his dreamer the most and was very attached to him. He could send visions to his dreamer just by touching him. It was probably silly but he could transfer his memory to his dreamer. It was probably because of his special blood, who knows.

“But as far as I know, Chii-, you are the only one who can find the Rio-Bios and probably…” Kota let his voice trail as he stared at the marble coffin then gazed back at Yuri. “Maybe, you will be able to connect the past and the present as I can see Sir Vermelli is giving you hints of his pasts.”

Yuri stared at Kota blankly. “When did you learn about me?”  he asked.

“Since you saw what happened to Oburi in your dreams, I already had a hint.”

Yuri looked at the members who were now busy taking in anything that could be of help to them. “But they didn’t…” he looked back to Kota who just smiled at him. “I could have been a metaphysicists, you know?” Yuri said. “I could travel in my dreams. Go to places and see things that are happening though I was only dreaming.”

“No, I am sure of that or else Sir Vermelli wouldn’t send you those flashes.”

“How can you be so certain?” Yuri asked in confusion.

Kota smiled at him. “I know. I just know.” He said and let go of Yuri’s shoulder to walk towards the armory.

“Demo…” Yuri looked back at the marble tomb. “What happened to the other six?” he asked at Kota’s long sleek back. 

“You’ll know, sooner or later.”