38 Chapter 38 - The Devil and The Vampire

I woke up on a comfy bed in a dark room. My first thought was that I was dead but I could feel the texture of the blanket, rough, probably wool. My body felt like it had been shattered and put back into pieces. I grunted trying to raise myself from the bed to no avail.

"Awake, I see." It was the vampire's voice.

I could see his silhouette but it was too dark to be sure. Then a striking of the match and a candle lit up the place. The room didn't have much furnishing. Just the bed, two large chairs, a working table and a window.

On one of the chairs sat Alucard and on the other, Lucifer.

Alucard's face was whole again and the gaping hole in his chest from earlier was gone. It made me think that our fight earlier didn't happen.

"How are you Dante?" Lucifer sounded amused.

I only had to look at the two of them to realize that everything had been set up and I felt a sense of betrayal rise up in me. "You fucking knew?" My voice came out strangled.

"Of course I knew. I asked Alucard to attack you." His voice had no remorse, no hint of apology, nothing.

"Why?!" I was trying repress my anger but I could hear it in my voice.

"I am done being your teacher Dante." He simply said it like he hadn't set me up to be slaughtered by a living corpse.

"What the fuck does that even mean?!"

And it was Alucard who answered. "I will be the one to test you, Avatar of Death. I'l be the ones to break your bones, body and soul."

I could only gape at Lucifer who smiled. "You're too comfortable with me Dante. You try to paint an image of me as your friend and I can't blame you." He looked at the window, staring outside but he was looking far beyond. "It's what humans crave for, the companionship and acceptance of another."

He shook his head, his auburn hair falling and covering his eyes. "You'll have to try and break away from that illusion."

I thought about the library, my date with Caroline, Lucifer playing the piano and cooking dinner. It seemed that it had happened a long time ago.

"Let's discuss what he's really here for, shall we?" Lucifer asked me, his eyes impassive.

And like a part of me had gone away, I simply nodded.

Lucifer gestured at Alucard and the latter began to speak.

"Lucifer has told me that you are Death's vessel." His voice was soft velvet. "What I did to you was just a test in order to gauge what you are capable of."

"Seems to me like you've bitten more than you can chew." I retorted. I didn't know where the angst came from but probably it had something to do with the fact that I was put in a bloody ordeal by the king of hell.

Both of them laughed.

"I like that." Lucifer replied.

"Yes, perhaps I've underestimated what you could do in a state of duress." Alucard was clearly amused.

Their disinterest and humor at my outburst only made me even more angry. "You plan to teach me by putting me in a constant state of dying?"

"You are part human and humans when faced with desperation struggle and do everything that they can for survival. People talk about death but deep down they all know that life is the struggle, it is pain and suffering. And without pain, without suffering, you remain unaware and unawake to your own potential." Alucard stared at me with his crimson eyes, smiling as if he knew.

"I wanted to die." I heard myself say. "I wanted to disappear, to finally be rid of the pain of having to go through it all."

"Perspectives change. Call it fate, or destiny, but a time comes when you must make a choice." The vampire's voice reverberated in the room. "During our fight earlier, you made the choice to live. You have found a reason, a purpose worth fighting for and you gave your all for it."

"More like I've found her." I replied.

"Love." Alucard simply said.

"Love." I affirmed.

***

The coffee was as bitter as the memory. I was living a double life now I can barely discern which version of me is real. What I was certain of however is the happiness I feel because of Caroline King. If nothing else, that was enough for me.

****************************

Caroline

I was in the company cafeteria with Ana, the other members of Night Prowlers busy with photoshoots and other promotional stuff. We were talking about my plan of taking Dante out while eating white bread and drinking coffee.

"So any ideas?" I asked Ana who was seated across the table.

The cafeteria was virtually empty since it was only 10am in the morning.

"You do realize you're asking someone who hasn't even went out on a date with anyone?" Ana raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yeah, can't blame guys for not asking you out." I joked.

She gave me a look of annoyance. "I'm just not interested."

"Or, guys are too intimidated by you. You're a goddess after all."

She saw the look on my face and laughed, though it was tinged with frustration. "I know it's a sort of endearment and I can't say I don't like it but sometimes it's a bit too much."

I understood what she meant. Working in the entertaiment industry meant being constantly categorized and labeled. Ana, with her good looks and figure was always the talk of fitness, fashion and men's magazines, not to mention various TV programs. In short she was put on a pedestal along with her other members. It was tough for someone like her since the real Ana is so far removed from the portrayal of the tabloid and the media.

"Look at it this way. Why not be the goddess that you want to be? And not the one they paint you out to be."

That made her smile.

"Anyway, about a place you can take your fan out." She emphasized the word "fan". "Next week's the summer festival, why not take him out there?"

The summer festival in Cerulean City consisted of a street parade featuring various participants from all over the city representing their brand of business.

"There's a lot of people though and they might recognize me." I complained.

"Not if you disguise yourself. You're an actress after all." She replied. "And you could go and see something else."

I thought about it and tried to think of a distinct place we could go to. I knew he wasn't a big fan of a large crowd and that he'll probably be comfortable if it'll be just the two of us.

Finally, an image came to mind, a childhood memory that made me smile.

"What is it?" Ana asked me, looking curious.

"Butterflies."