Chapter 197: Rampage

The streets of Alkon City were unusually quiet.

Aether Veil moved through the darkness, his crimson hair barely visible beneath the dim streetlights. His new body felt strange and powerful.

Every heartbeat around him seemed loud. Every breath, every movement felt strange. His red eyes scanned the streets. Then he stopped. Someone was walking alone.

A man in his thirties was heading home, repeatedly looking over his shoulder. He tightened his grip on his bag. "I just need to get home safely..." He continued walking.

Aether watched him from the darkness. His expression slowly changed. The man’s heartbeat became impossible to ignore.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Aether’s pupils narrowed. His hunger awakened. "No..." He pressed a hand against his forehead. "I need to control myself."

But the smell of blood was already driving his thoughts away. His eyes turned brighter.

The man suddenly felt something behind him. He stopped. "...Who’s there?"

Silence.....

He cautiously turned around. There was nothing. He exhaled in relief. "I really need to stop watching horror movies."

Then a crimson eye appeared behind him.

Aether emerged from the darkness. The man’s expression froze. Before he could react, Aether grabbed him and sank his fangs into his neck.

The attack was over in moments. A few drops of blood stained the pavement as the man’s body collapsed.

Aether slowly lifted his head. His eyes glowed intensely. He stared at his own hand. "What..." He looked at the unconscious figure beneath him.

A strange silence followed.

Then Aether smiled. "So this is what I am now." He looked toward the distant city. "Interesting." His hunger had been satisfied.

But something far more dangerous had awakened inside him.

.......

Meanwhile, Nobody’s motorcycle continued speeding through the city. Blossom Bunny held tightly onto him.

Nobody suddenly raised his head. "Wait." He slowed slightly. "Did you hear that?"

Blossom Bunny looked around. "Atta?"

Nobody listened carefully. There was nothing. Only the wind passing between the buildings.

The System appeared.

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[EMERGENCY MONITORING UPDATE]

[CASUALTY COUNT: 1+]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Nobody’s eyes widened. "...A person died?"

The System remained silent for a moment.

Then another notification appeared.

[AFFIRMATIVE.]

[CAUSE: HOSTILE ENTITY.]

Nobody’s expression immediately changed. "That wasn’t supposed to happen." He looked toward the dark streets ahead. "This isn’t just someone who escaped prison." His grip tightened around the handlebars. "He’s already attacking civilians."

The System displayed another warning.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[WARNING]

[TARGET’S BLOODLUST IS INCREASING.]

[PREDICTED FUTURE CASUALTIES: UNKNOWN.]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Nobody stared at the notification. "...Unknown?"

For once, he didn’t make a joke. He twisted the throttle.

The motorcycle accelerated. "System."

[YES, USER.]

"Find him."

[SEARCHING.]

A map appeared inside Nobody’s helmet.

A red marker appeared several streets away.

[TARGET DETECTED.]

Nobody’s eyes narrowed. "Got you."

Blossom Bunny clenched his tiny fists. "Atta!"

Nobody leaned forward. "Yeah, buddy."

The motorcycle surged through the night.

"This time..." His voice became colder. "...I’m not letting him hurt anyone else."

High above the city, Aether suddenly looked toward the approaching sound of an engine. His red eyes narrowed. A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"So..." He could already sense someone coming. "...where is Toma and Aiden? I wanna kill them."

......

Aether floated above the streets of Alkon City, his crimson hair moving gently in the night wind. His eyes scanned the city below. Thousands of people were still awake. Cars moved through intersections. Storefronts remained illuminated. Apartment windows glowed across the skyline.

So many heartbeats. So many scents. Yet only two names occupied Aether’s mind. "Aiden Nathan." His lips curled upward. "And Toma." He slowly lowered himself onto the roof of a nearby building. "I’ll kill both of them."

Aether had no idea where they were. That didn’t bother him. He could search. And now, with his enhanced senses, the entire city felt different.

Every sound seemed clearer. Every movement stood out. Every heartbeat felt like a signal. Aether closed his eyes. He listened. One heartbeat. Then another.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

He frowned. "Too many." He opened his eyes. "How annoying." He had spent years depending on plans created by his father. Adrian Vale had always been the one making decisions.

Aether had been told where to go.

Who to trust.

Who to manipulate.

Who to eliminate.

Even his escape had been part of his father’s plan. But now his father was behind bars. The plan had collapsed. And Aether had changed.

He looked at his pale hands. "Father isn’t here anymore." His fingers slowly curled. "So why should I keep following his rules?"

Aether laughed quietly. "Maybe I’ll rewrite everything myself." He looked toward the city. "And I’ll start with them."

He suddenly disappeared from the rooftop.

...

Meanwhile, Nobody’s motorcycle raced through the streets. The city lights passed by in streaks. Blossom Bunny held tightly onto Nobody’s shoulder.

Nobody’s eyes remained fixed ahead. "System."

[YES, USER.]

"How far?"

[TARGET IS CURRENTLY 3.7 KILOMETERS FROM YOUR LOCATION.]

Nobody frowned. "That’s close."

[AFFIRMATIVE.]

"Is he moving?"

[YES.]

"Direction?"

A map appeared. A red marker shifted across the screen.

[TARGET IS MOVING TOWARD THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.]

Nobody immediately understood. "Central District..." He tightened his grip. "That’s where Nathan Industries is."

The System responded.

[CORRECT.]

Nobody’s expression became serious. He accelerated. "But why would Aether go there?"

Blossom Bunny looked up. "Atta?"

Nobody shook his head. "Don’t know." He thought for a moment. "Maybe he’s looking for Aiden."

The System displayed another notification.

[PROBABILITY: HIGH.]

Nobody sighed. "Of course." His motorcycle turned sharply at the next intersection. He ignored the normal route and took a narrower road.

Cars slowed as he passed.

A taxi driver leaned out of his window. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!"

Nobody didn’t even look back. "Sorry!"

A pause.

"I have a vampire emergency!"

The taxi driver stared after him. "...What?"

Blossom Bunny raised both hands. "Atta!"

Nobody nodded. "Exactly."

.......

At Nathan Industries, Aiden was still inside the building. It was late. Most employees had already gone home. Aiden remained in his office, reviewing documents left over from the recent corporate investigation.

The events surrounding Eclipse Corporation had finally begun settling down. Daniel Cross had confessed. The hidden corporate operation had been exposed. Project 05-17 had been solved. Adrian Vale was in custody. For the first time in a long while, Nathan Industries had a chance to breathe.

Aiden leaned back in his chair. He stared at the city through the glass window. "So much happened in such a short time."

He rubbed his forehead. "I thought things would finally become simple."

The door opened.

Toma walked inside. "You said that last time."

Aiden looked at her. "Did I?"

"Yes." Toma placed a folder on his desk.

"And then everything became even more complicated." Aiden looked at the folder. "You brought more documents?"

"Unfortunately." He sighed. "Can we have one normal week?"

Toma smiled. "Probably not."

Aiden looked at her for a moment. Then he laughed. "You’re right."

Toma moved toward the window. She looked down at the city. Something felt strange. She couldn’t explain it. A faint chill ran down her back.

Toma touched her arm. "Do you feel that?"

Aiden looked at her. "Feel what?"

"I don’t know." She stared outside. "It’s like..." She hesitated. "...someone is watching us."

Aiden immediately became serious. "From where?"

"I don’t know."

He stood. "Stay here."

Aiden walked toward the window. Toma followed. Nothing appeared unusual.

The streets below were normal. Cars, lights, people, everything seemed peaceful.

Aiden frowned. "Maybe you’re just tired."

Toma looked at him. "Maybe."

Then she suddenly felt it again. That strange pressure. Like something was approaching. Something unnatural.

.....

Several blocks away, Aether landed on another rooftop. His eyes locked onto the massive Nathan Industries tower. "There." He could sense them. Not perfectly. But enough.

Aiden’s heartbeat.

Toma’s heartbeat.

His smile widened. "I found you."

He stepped toward the edge of the building. Then he simply walked off.

Instead of falling...He floated. His body moved through the air toward Nathan Industries. Aether laughed. "This is too easy."

He reached the building within seconds. He landed against the side of the tower. His fingers touched the glass. Then he began moving upward.

His hands simply held against the surface as he climbed. Eventually, he reached the floor where Aiden’s office was located. Aether looked through the glass.

He saw them. Aiden and Toma. His red eyes narrowed. "There you are." His fangs appeared. He raised his hand. The glass began to crack beneath his fingers.

Inside the office, Toma suddenly turned. Her eyes widened. "Aiden."

"What?"

She pointed toward the window. "Look."

Aiden turned. A thin crack had appeared across the glass. His expression changed. "What the..."

The crack spread. A second one appeared.

Then another.

Aiden stepped backward. "Toma, get away from the window."

"What is that?"

"I don’t know."

The glass suddenly shattered inward. Toma screamed. Aiden grabbed her and pulled her away. Pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

Aether stepped through the broken window. His shoes touched the floor. His crimson hair fell across his forehead. His pale skin contrasted sharply with his red eyes.

Aiden stared at him. "...Aether Veil."

Aether smiled. "Long time no see."

Aiden’s expression hardened. "You escaped?"

Aether laughed. "Escaped?" He looked around the office. "No." He slowly turned toward them. "I broke out."

Toma stepped behind Aiden. Aether looked at her. His smile disappeared. For a moment, something cold entered his eyes. Then his fangs became visible. "Toma."

Toma froze. A strange fear ran through her.

Aether tilted his head. "You still remember me?"

Toma’s hands trembled slightly. She couldn’t answer.

Aiden moved in front of her.

"Stay away from her."