t h e p r e s e n t

Seoul. Summer, 2015.

Underneath the scintillating sun, sounds of scuffles dispersed into the air of the Italian Renaissance mansion’s inner courtyard as two young adolescents clad in none other than the Venator attire – a loose, white shirt with a harness belt, black fitted trousers with a thigh holster completed by two unloaded handguns on each side of their thighs, and a pair of brown suede boots – were engaged in a duel.

Kai had found this impromptu duel rather trivial, for the goal of having this duel was purely one of the million ways Sooyoung had to entertain herself. The twenty-one-year-old eyes shifted toward his sister, who was tightening the harness belt – preparing herself for the duel – Sooyoung still looked the same in his eyes, although eight years had passed after the two siblings was declared as the last recruits of hunters and it had also been five years since the two Choi siblings had completed their first mission. To Kai, however, she was still the thirteen-year-old who sought nothing but to avenge her father’s unfair death.

She did not change much. Her long, charcoal black hair was long gone to only be replaced by a shade of dark brown; it almost looked black to him. And, her long brown locks perfectly framed her well-sculptured face – Kai could still see small hints of her cherubic features on her face, though it mostly disappeared due to the intense Venator training the two siblings had a few years back – but the glimmer of dignified elegance and craftiness she had in her pair of amber eyes never wavered.

Her pair of impertinent amber eyes inverted toward him as she tied her hair into a low ponytail, a hint of the tattooed Venator sign on her wrist could be seen during the process. “What’s wrong, brother dear?” Sooyoung asked, realizing her sibling was scrutinizing her from head to toe.

Kai heaved a heavy sigh as he covered his knuckles with a black, elasticized hand wrap. “Is this duel really necessary?” he shrugged helplessly as  “We have been Venators for over eight years and we have never faced each other like this.”

The twenty-one-year-old blinked a few curious eyes at her brother, seemingly astonished by his last remark. Eight years had passed since the day the Choi siblings were declared as the last hunters to be claimed by the Conclave, and the their bond had not been broken yet, as the matter of fact, their bond had developed into more than just a brother and sister trusting each other on every mission they accomplished; tracking Silver Bloods who were involved in criminal acts, killing them, and silently hoping for something that would lead the both of them to their father’s murderer – what Kai and Sooyoung had was more than that, and she was very well aware of it, as well. It was as though their movements along with their actions in the battlefield were reflecting on each other, like a mirror. Their bond was beyond any mere understandings; their trust for each other had been forged and destroyed for millions of times until it got to this point where the siblings did not need to utter a single word to understand each other.

However, the twenty-one-year-old Kai did not changed one bit in her eyes, he was still the same conceited, immature yet utterly enticing young man – Kai had gained more muscles throughout these past few years, he started taking judo and boxing classes exactly one year after he was claimed, and had routinely practice every week since then. She remembered he jokingly said that it would make his girlfriend, Krystal, love him more – and Sooyoung had always thought it was natural of him to be conceited, for he was able to exceeded everyone’s expectations in particular aspects that he was confident of, which included martial arts, fine arts, and being a hunter; Venator.

“I could not believe those words came out of your mouth, Choi Kai,” Sooyoung chortled, raising an eyebrow at her brother, which caused a few dry chuckles emitted from Kai. “I remember you used to say that you would knock the hell out of me when we got to do a duel.”

Kai’s pair of amber eyes looked at his sister in disbelief. He emitted a few calculated laughter, before heaving a heavy sigh, “You are such a petty person, Soo. I was seven when I–“ Kai did not get to finish his words for he was interrupted by Sooyoung's sudden attempt in attacking him. Sooyoung delivered a low kick, which Kai had swiftly dodged. “Well, that’s not fair,” he shot back at her, an ambiguous smile formed along his full lips as he clenched his fists. “I don’t hit girls.”

Within a split second, the two siblings found themselves switching positions, encircling around each other as they both waited for more chances to attack. Sooyoung rolled her eyes at him, before emitting a few series of calculated laughter. “I believe you are very well aware of the fact that we’re equal in the battlefield, brother dear. Regardless of our gender.”

“Well, then, I will make sure you don’t have to repeat after yourself again, sister,” he whispered under his breath, and with that, Kai delivered a kick which landed on his sister’s ribs.

And, with Kai’s previous counterattack toward his sister, the duel had officially begun – a duel out of childish fury and audaciousness – the both of them was very well aware of the fact that this duel was not comparable, in any kind of form, to what they had during the Venator training. The Venator training was ruthless and cruel, arduous and horrifying. The intense training and duels would certainly push them out of their own limits, to the point that they would feel like their body was breaking apart and their will was crushed into pieces. However, the physical and mental exhaustion they had experienced, resulted nothing but a merciless hunter with such agility and force that they were able to come up against vampires; immortal souls.

“Just give up, Soo,” Kai uttered those words in a rather brusque tone. Kai was entering the early years of being an adult, yet he had shown no change in his infamous behavior – he was recognized for being arrogant, impatient, and for being a cold blooded yet brilliant fighter – he brushed the dried blood from the edges of his left lip with the back of his hand. “Give up, Sooyoung,” he repeated in the same tone. “No one can ever beat me in duels.”

Sooyoung's pair of amber orbs fell upon her brother’s figure – tiny, specks of dried blood stained his white shirt. Judging from his expression alone, Kai seemed rather all right; with two small wounds on his face, one below his left eyebrow and another on the edge of his lips, he seemed perfectly fine. However, Sooyoung was very well aware of the fact that the both of them were already exhausted – and she realized how excellent the both of them were in masking their own conditions, it was nearly frightening.

However, at the end of the day, the both of them knew that they were just another designated assassins of the Conclave; they were born in order to kill, to protect humanity, and to find that damned Silver Blood who killed their father. Hence, winning this duel would not be that big of a deal, she thought. They went through so many things together, as hunters and as a family. Ruining your face wouldn’t be a problem for me, Choi Kai.

“We will see about that shortly, brother dear,” she smirked, as she delivered another punch toward her brother.

The usually dark and obscure Victorian enclosed dining room, lined with rococo wooden paneled wall and ceiling seemed rather appealing during the summer. The damask, velvet curtains had been opened to overlook the beautiful garden – the glistening ray of sunlight tilted its way through the large, arch windows, reflecting its on the lavish, crystal chandeliers, which were hung on the either sides of the classic, hand carved teak wood dining table.

The two siblings sat across each other with two women, attired in a classic maid uniform – black shirtdress with white sleeves, completed by a white, half moon apron and their hair neatly styled in a bun – stood beside the Choi siblings, aiding the wounds from their previous duel.

Sooyoung looked over her brother’s shoulders to the antique, Louis XV baroque Carrara marble fireplace; two framed photographs displaying Choi Rae Won and his two children, Kai and herself as young adolescents during their last Bal des Sicarius visit as a whole family. Throughout all these years, she had always thought the both of them did not change much. However, after comparing the photograph of a ten-year-old Kai and the one who was sitting across her at the moment, Sooyoung realized that it was Kai who changed the most.

She could not really tell before comparing him to an old photograph behind him, but the difference was quite significant. In terms of physical appearance, he looked relatively the same. He was merely ten years old when the photograph was taken, but his muscled form emanated certain manliness and ardor – Sooyoung had always thought it was due to his genuine fondness toward running, as one of his rather confounding ways to release stress, that he was able to achieve such figure at a very young age – the only difference that was thoroughly apparent was his demeanor.

As a child, Sooyoung remembered well how Kai would always give an impression as though he was a lost child, which she knew he was. He used to be shy around strangers and rarely talked, even in most of old photographs of him, Kai hardly smiled. And at night, she and her father would rush into his room due to the series of screams and cries Kai emitted in his sleep. Sooyoung never knew what kind of nightmare he was having, she never asked and Kai never explained – Sooyoung simply chuckled to the thought of how Kai’s attitude and his ways of handling things changed throughout all these years. The shy and rather bashful Kai had transformed into someone who was not only known for his good looks and crafty intelligence, but for his arrogance along with his seemingly rash demeanor.

“Why are you laughing?” Kai’s firm voice piped up, pulling Sooyoung out from the reverie.

Her pair of amber orbs shifted toward her brother, and she could see a glimpse of bewilderment on his seemingly enigmatic façade. “Why do you ask? Did I surprise you?” she said in a soothing tone, the edges of her lips formed a whimsical little smile.

Kai seemed as if he wanted to respond to Sooyoung's previous remark, but he chose not to as his eyes diverted toward Butler Seon who was now standing in the archway. He bowed at him and Sooyoung, which they replied with a nod. Kai slightly raised his right hand, signaling the maids to stop aiding their wounds and excusing them – they hastily put the ointments, cotton buds, along with bandages back to the first aid kit before bowing to the Choi siblings and leaving the room.

“The lunch is ready to be served, Young Master, Mistress,” said Butler Seon.

Kai raised his eyebrows in contentment as he leaned back onto the soft cushion of the upholstered dining chair. “What are we having?” he responded.

“We have asparagus and spinach soup with roasted garlic custards for starter. Filet mignon wrapped in speck, duxelles with truffle, potato cake, crème fraiche, truffle carpaccio with painted bordelaise reduction for the main course. And, buttermilk panna cotta with honeycomb sandwich for dessert,” Butler Seon responded almost directly after receiving Kai’s question. “Your favorite three-course meal, Young Master.”

Summer came as a blazing inferno that year, or so that was what Choi Kai thought. He was never particularly fond of the summer heat, for he would rather feel the crisp spring breeze than being engulfed in the tropical weather – Kai rolled down the glass and stepped on the accelerator, feeling the summer heat he was never especially fond of.

“I thought you hated summer.”

Kai’s pair of amber orbs involuntarily diverted themselves toward the passenger’s seat, smiling enigmatically at the sight of his sister – clad in a white, sleeveless flowing V-neck blouse along with a white, skinny chino trousers and her favorite pair of Louboutins; she looked as though she jumped out of one of those editorial commercial ads. “Choose your choice of words wisely, Soo,” he retorted, an cryptic smirk formed along his lips. “Hate is a strong word.”

Sooyoung simply raised her eyebrows in amusement, as she reached for her iPhone in her Chanel Boy bag, not responding to her brother’s previous remark – she could see his knuckles instinctively stiffened against the steering wheel, looking rather uncomfortable in his seat, presumably due to the fact that Sooyoung gave him a cold shoulder toward his answer, which the Choi Kai she knew would dislike – she unlocked the screen without saying anything.

“Why are we visiting the facility again, by the way?” Kai’s firm voice piped up in attempt to alleviate the mood. “I’m certainly sure I’ve submitted that monster of a report for the latest mission two days ago.”

Sooyoung opened the sun visor as she looked at her reflection on the mirror, putting her phone back into her bag. “Kris Wu, the Chief Warden, said wanted to tell us something,” she responded whilst applying more lipstick on her rose-tinted lips. “Or at least that what the message says.”

Kai pulled over on the side of the road, pulling the handbrake up. “He better does,” he uttered in a rather skeptical tone. Kai turned to his sister, giving her a knowing smirk. “Come on, we’re here.”

Two valet attendants walked instantly toward the black Aston Martin Rapide, opening the car door for the Choi siblings. Kai slowly stepped out of his car, smoothening the invisible creases on his black, stripped-collared Burberry polo shirt, not forgetting to give one of the attendants his car keys as he walked toward an old, pseudo-Italian Baroque mansion, which he would occasionally call the facility instead of the Caedis Sicarius Headquarters – it was said that a very rich European nobleman used to live in this building for several years before turning it into one of the most renowned opera house in South Korea. However, due to some circumstances they decided to close it down. Soon after that, the Oh household bought the abandoned constructed dwelling; they restored the forgotten opera house into its initial grandeur then transforming it into the headquarters of Caedis Sicarius.

Little had been done to transform the seemingly dilapidated, old opera house into a headquarter; the original dark, gothic interior and finishes had been carefully maintained, which made entering the building similar to walking backward in time. The magnificent Baroque chandelier still hung above the marble staircase, welcoming the members of Caedis Sicarius into the grand circular foyer with arch grand staircase, wrapping around both sides of the entrance. The beautiful opera theatre had been reconstructed into a training center, a place that the Venators learn how to fight and hunt; the facility would also sometimes be a duel arena. The attic, an antediluvian garret room, was transformed into an office room for the Regis and Regent of the Conclave, and the downstairs drawing room housed a fully equipped gym along with boardrooms for the entire members of the Caedis Sicarius and the Conclave – which included the Leaders, Wardens, Elders, Praetor of Venators, and Venators themselves – to have meetings.

When the Choi siblings entered the Chief Warden’s office, they were welcomed by the sight of the Chief Warden and the Representing Warden of the House of Venators, Kris Wu, waiting silently in a leather armed-chair whilst sipping his cup of Earl Grey. However, to their surprise, they were also greeted by the presence of the Regis and Regent of the Conclave, Shim Changmin and Im Yoona.

An enigmatic smile formed along Yoona’s peach-tinted lips before she gestured both Kai and Sooyoung to sit on the sofa across her. Her pair of brown orbs never left the siblings as they made their way through the Persian rug – garbed in white halter neck column dress which harmonized well with her ivory features. Her brown hair was styled in loose waves, making it seemed as though it was flowing. She looked graceful, almost aristocratic.

“There is something we need to tell you both,” a silky voice drifted into his ears. Shim Changmin crossed his legs as he preceded the subject. “Have the two of you heard anything from Lucas and Krystal from the Chinese Coven?”

Kai’s pair of amber orbs was visually dilated as Krystal’s name escaped from the Regis’ lips. “No, sir. I haven’t heard anything particularly special from Huang Krystal,” he responded calmly despite having millions of thoughts rushing through his mind, overflowing his body with the feelings of confusion and bewilderment. “As of Lucas, Sooyoung and I haven’t heard anything from him for quite sometime.”

As if possessing a telepathic ability, Yoona seemed to have caught a glimpse of agitation, slowly engulfing him as whole. “There’s no need to look so terror-stricken, Choi Kai,” she uttered, offering him a whimsical little smile before continuing her next sentence. “I assume that you are very well aware of her rather remarkable accomplishment for being one of the highly named Venators of the Chinese and Korean Coven. Any means of harm that is directed toward her would plausibly be instantly dodged by her brother and father, who is now active as the Regent of the Chinese Coven.”

Sooyoung looked over her brother, worried of how he would respond to Yoona’s previous statement, for she was very well of Kai’s rather confounding way of expressing his thoughts along with his infamous brusque nature. However, to her surprise, Kai was able to maintain his calm and reserved composure. The rather agitated expression had previously plastered upon his face left no traces as it softened, making it seem as though Kai had return to his usual self.

Resuming his rather audacious and crafty façade, a dexterous smirk formed along Kai’s full lips. “Thank you for your concern, but I personally think that it is perfectly fine for me to worry about her,” he spoke in a rather discreet tone. “I assume that everyone in this room already knows about my relationship with Krystal,” he continued. “What kind of boyfriend that doesn’t worry for his girlfriend?”

Kris gave him a knowing smile as though he was expecting for Kai’s answer to be the way it was. “We’ll shorten that distance in your relationship then, Kai,” he chortled as he slightly pushed a brown document across the table, landing it in front of Kai. “The four of you are going on a joint-mission together,” he continued. “Being the highly named Venator of the Chinese and Korean Coven, the four of you happen to be the most qualified Venators to precede this mission. It’s a pure coincidence, really.”

Kai’s warm hand slightly touched the classified document, carefully tracing the Venators symbol that was printed on it. Without any hesitation, Kai flipped open the document, revealing the photograph of the victim clipped on the edge of the paper and the name of the mission.

Kai seemed to be momentarily tensed up as he saw his father’s name. His audacious yet crafty façade instantly dissipate, leaving Kai nothing but an utter state of shock at the sudden revelation of the mission. His pair of brilliant amber orbs was visually dilated upon Choi Rae Won’s name. Kai felt as though the control of his own body had completely shut down, he just sat at his position, frozen up to a point where he could hardly breathe, shell-shocked. 

“Doyoung’s team that was dispatched into an undercover mission a while ago found something that may have connection to the murderer of your father,” Kris uttered in a stern tone, not lacking any clarity in his voice. “Remember the Silver Blood who cased you that night in the forest?“ and for a brief moment, a high-strung, cold silence settled over the entire room.

Gazing at the files on the table, Kai unknowingly forced an acerbic smile as he fixated his eyes back on the Chief Warden. “What about it?” he interjected. The memory was bitter, but the Conclave’s lack of understanding toward his particular dislike in talking about that fateful night brought a smile upon his well-sculptured face.

“We recently found out he had a brother,” Kris continued. “Doyoung’s team was able to find an old apartment he used to live. They discovered a room full of your family’s old photographs along with the recent ones. We suspected that he murdered your father out of vengeance. He wants to avenge his brother’s death just like you want to avenge your father’s death.”

His demeanor was rather apathetic, but his fist was clenched, and it dawned a new truth to Sooyoung.

The fact that he was not her blood brother was just another trivial stone to climb over, however, she did not mind. For she perfectly knew that their loyalty and trust toward each other was stronger than any kind of blood related bond a family could have. The moment when her father decided to adopt Kai, Sooyoung had already accepted him as her brother. The Kai she had met and known for sixteen years had always been in perfect control of his emotions, except for his anger. But the young man who was sitting beside her was clouded by a mixture of pain and frustration, as though he had been holding his anguish along with his bitterness up to the capacity he was able to maintain.

It was then she realized – it was what made him more human in her eyes. Throughout their growing years, Kai had always been the one who looked after her, the one who took all responsibilities for her mistakes, and the person who would always stood after her. After Father’s death, she came to a realization that Kai who had constantly display a strong impression was just trying to put their broken pieces together. Never once she would place herself to comprehend things the way he would. She had always presumed she was in much for pain than he was, only to find out that her brother’s seemingly hard shell along with his mask like expression was just a veil he used to tuck away his fears. Always, she considered herself as an indecisive child in front of the fearless figure of her brother.

Sooyoung mustered up all the emotional comfort she could offer her brother as she gently placed her hand on his clenched fist, patting it softy.

After eight years of being a hunter with only one purpose – to avenge Father’s death – Kai and Sooyoung had finally found one ray of hope that would help them achieve that. The two of them somewhat knew that their father would not want his children to kill for his sake, however, the Choi siblings were also convinced that it would, at least, put their thoughts to rest.

Kai turned to Sooyoung, and their pair of amber eyes had glinted the same indescribable vengeance and luminosity. Kai who had momentarily lost himself was now able to crack an intelligent, crafty smirk.

She saw her, the vampire – the Silver Blood – they were told to kill as their final mission before they were able to ‘graduate’ from the training system. It was in the middle of the night when the two siblings ran for their lives, hiding in an abandoned building.

Sooyoung looked into her eyes, and it was glowing in red and her silver pupils gleamed in the darkness of the night.

“Are you going to play hide and seek with me?” the Silver Blood hummed. “It’s just going to be a matter of time until I find you and your wounded brother.”

The ashes hues of the woman’s skin were nothing but the color of death in her eyes. A while ago, before running away into the dilapidated building, Kai had attacked the Silver Blood with his last shot of Ignis Aeturnus – the Black Fire of Hell – but to their surprise, the flames did not kill her. It merely resulted cracks on her skin.

A pair of warm hands brought a handgun to her own. The weapon was not hers for she had run out of silver bullets. But, she clutched the gun in her hands.

Sooyoung took a glimpse over her shoulders to see her brother, lying limp on the floor; his right arm was wounded by a shot delivered by none other than their teammate, Ten, whose mind was controlled by the Silver Blood – Kai’s pair of piercing brown orbs were looking into hers, compelling her to fix her eyes onto the danger ahead. “Kill it,” he whispered.

“Kai…” she muttered. “What if I miss the shot?”

“You won’t,” he hissed. “Kill the Silver Blood or we’re both going to die.”

“We currently cannot make any sudden moves or we might put Doyoung’s team in danger, that is why this mission is going to be carried out around next month after the annual dinner of the Conclave along with the Elders, Wardens, and each Coven Representatives,” Kris added.

“So what do you say?” Yoona questioned the siblings calmly. “Are you going to participate in this mission?” 

//

a/n: Made this little note to apologize (again) for the delay of the third chapter. I initially said that I would most likely update the third chapter next week, which was the 24^th of June. However, I had a writer’s block (again). Okay, so, the third chapter is a bit long, but I hope it’s worth the wait. Anyway, in the midst of writing this chapter, I realized that the roles and titles of each character in this story might confuse some of you, so I decided to make some kind of a “character overview” kind of thing on a blog post, so none of you would get their roles and titles mixed up (click here!)

I also decided to change Kai and Sooyoung's (Joy) father and grandfather name into Choi Rae Won and Choi Hyun Sung, because Choi Alen and Kang Dae doesn’t really suit their character.

Oh, and there might be some terms that might also confuse you. So, I decided to write the definitions of each term at the author’s note. I won’t write them in each chapter, though.

Caedis Sicarius: It's a community/society that unites all Covens. The current leaders of Caedis Sicarius are Shim Changmin and Im Yoona (members of the Conclave).

Venators: Hunters (you guys probably know this anyway). You should note that all Venators from all Covens are controlled by Kris Wu, because he's the Representing Warden of the House of Venators, so he's technically holds the highest position amongst all Venators, but is still under the control of Changmin and Yoona (because they are positioned higher than Jessica, Kris, and other Representing Wardens). Their role is to hunt Silver Bloods and to protect humanity.

The Conclave: The Coven’s highest leadership, the leaders of Caedis Sicarius. They are the ones responsible for decision-making and all. In this story, the Conclave is currently located in Seoul, South Korea. Hence, Shim Changmin and Im Yoona holds the first and second-highest position in the community – Regis and Regent; Regis is almost like the “principal” and Regent is the “vice principal” – the members of the Conclave also consisted of the seven original families that created this society (the Representing Wardens of each House. I’ll explain this as the story progresses. I don’t want to spill too much information).

Representing Wardens of each House: They're like the 'board members' or the 'executives' of the society, standing alongside both Regis and Regent. The members are from the seven original families that created Caedis Sicarius.

The Coven: There are practically Covens in each country and they are under the control of the Conclave. Each Coven have their own Venators and Leaders (Regis and Regent), but they are still under the control of Shim Changmin and Im Yoona (the Regis and Regent of Caedis Sicarius, members of the Conclave)

I hope that doesn’t confuse you. Anyway, though it’s a bit late, thank you so much for reading!

P.S I mostly got the terms from Blue Bloods (it's a novel), there might be terms that I kind of made up myself. This story is also inspired by a lot of dramas, comics, and novels (Hide Your Identity, Kurosuji, and Blue Bloods).

Xo, Ocean.