Disclaimer: All characters and events are fictitious.

Mọi người ưiii up chap này tui run lắm luôn á, tại vì tiếng Anh hiển nhiên không phải ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ của tui cho nên sẽ có những khúc tui viết không được mượt lắm hay sai ngữ pháp. Nhưng mà lúc tui lên plot cho CTGB thì chap này chính là bản nháp gốc đầu tiên luôn á, tui viết gần như full bằng tiếng Anh, cho nên hnay tui quyết định viết nốt và up lên ><

I was told once that humans have nothing on vampires when it comes to reflexes. Not to mention biology-wise, it's simply unnecessary for the latter to blink and breathe, which means unless they are deliberately putting up a "human" pretense, one would not be able to tell apart a vampire and a perfect sculpture.

And Jeffrey over here seems to be an excellent example of that, showing seemingly no emotions in response to my sudden burst of tears as our eyes met. As a matter of fact, I doubt he bothered lingering his gaze at someone as mundane as I am for more than a millisecond, especially in a room filled with flawless creatures.

Ah, but then I remember blood. Red, pulsing blood running inside my veins. As long as my heart is alive, pumping that thing throughout my entire body, I should remain irresistible to every single one of them.

"The Volturis are the furthest thing from newborns. You will not single handedly provoke our self control, you know," that's what Heidi said, but still, didn't she hand me a bottle to suppress the smell before coming here?

As if worried my anxiety over the matter would eventually lead to a bad first impression to Marcus, she then added: "Worst-case scenario, let's say we did sank our teeth into that cute little neck of yours, it won't get as ugly as... well, you being dead and all. You can handle a few hours of unconsciousness just fine, remember when we first met?"

You know what, we've known each other for half a year now, during which time I've slowly come to think of Heidi as family, a non-biological older sister of mine. With all the supernatural powers I've seen her exerting, simply knocking me out cold and draining my blood would have been much less arduous compared to an elaborate farce. It's not like anyone will come searching for me.

So here I am, at Volterra palace, with Marcus displaying something I could only assume resembles a smile to Jeffrey: "Excuse our new recruits for this year. We were not expecting any guests today."

I hope between the lines somewhere, that implies "don't you dare murder these humans, they'll become one of us soon."

"I apologize for the intrusion. Haechan was suddenly craving some Rome deli, hence our unannounced arrival."

It was then that I noticed, standing behind Jeffrey's tall and lean figure is the prettiest little boy I've ever laid eyes on. He was a doe-eyed brunette, cheeks full, and lips forming a cute pout. Alright, I can see how one would have a difficult time denying this kid of anything he wants.

But then it hit me, I've probably been thinking of the wrong "Rome deli". Chances are, Jeffrey was not referring to bruschetta, risotto, lasagna, nor anything remotely related.

"No time like the present, then. Humor me and join us for dinner," said Marcus.

Before my human brain even has the chance to register all the possible traumatizing consequences from witnessing a massacre unprepared, we've already found ourselves in another room, just as spacious as the last one, but with a giant dining space at the center instead. Us three humans are seated next to Marcus and the two guests, because one, our hearing was definitely not cut out for whispers across the room and two, apparently, Marcus always gets to know the new recruits personally, as a precaution and also a means to form the bonds that should tie the coven together forever.

While Johnny, Mark and I are served human food, the immortals each have in front of them a crystal glass filled with a wine-like liquid. It does not take much for one to figure out what the liquid truly is. That said, what makes me even more uneasy is the fact that serving us food are red-eyed, pale-faced vampires. I'm fully aware that because of our potential powers, even before transformation, us new recruits belong to a higher rank than the rest of the guard without any sort of special abilities, but still, the whole thing remains beyond awkward to me.

Ever since Jeffrey and Haechan's arrival, Marcus seems to be in such a brighter mood, not that I can deduce it from his face, but he's been more talkative, mostly reminiscing old stories. I guess the longer you walk on this earth, the more you yourself become part of a legend, a folktale. The entire dinner, the one that stuck out the most to me, is the folktale of Jaehyun and James.

200 years ago, in the early 1900s, lived James Fay, a young man who came from absurd wealth and who, as the people often called him, was England's very own Golden Boy. His family was of a military background, with James' father serving as the Marshal during World War I. From the moment James was born into this world, he's been gifted with a charm so irresistible, every single person who ever came across the boy was either scraping every last cent of their inheritance just to spoil him, or for those less affluent, risking their lives in the battlefields to impress his father. And Jaehyun was no exception.

The latter belonged to a backup troop sent to England by the Korean army. The moment Jaehyun walked through the golden gates of the Fay mansion on that boiling summer day, his full attention was immediately captured by an angel with platinum blonde hair, and eyes that could pierce right into one's soul, and tempt them into the darkest pit of sins. The soldier's heart, once occupied solely with every ideal of going to war and serving his country, was no longer. It was only their first encounter, Jaehyun had not the slightest clue who the boy was, but he just knew, in every cell of his body, that the grasp James had on his heart was for eternity.

The first time they made love, Jaehyun could have sworn that he was placed on this earth to fulfill each and every single one of James' wishes, be it taking another man's life, or tearing out his own beating heart from his rib cage, without reluctance and ungrudgingly, just to show the boy how much he adored him. James was his angel, the only one who could show him heaven, the only one who could bring tears to the eyes of a battle-scarred grown man, as he reached his orgasm.

"I love you, to the ends of the earth, there is only you," the words burned into James' ears as Jaehyun gradually came down from his high.

But then outside those golden gates, there was still a war going on. Just like every other soldier, Jaehyun had duties to fulfill at the battleground. Though what he never expected, not even in a million years, was James running off to the front line where his troop was camping, after adamantly refusing to go along with an old-money marriage Marshal Fay had perfectly arranged for him.

Jaehyun, being young, in love, and blinded by James' magnetism as he was, swore to the latter that once the war is over, they'd run off together to the East and start a new life, one that would free the both of them from all his soldier duties, and the burdensome shadow that James' last name had casted over them.

My entire life up to this day, I've always grown up alone yearning for love, and so the folktale, without surprise, has me crying my eyes out for the second time today. As I wipe away the tears, a familiar voice pops into my head. All of a sudden, I feel my heart breaking just from listening to it.

"If I could, I would have killed myself a thousand times over for making that foolish promise. It's not like I haven't tried."

"But after another decade dragged by while I was still paralysed in this endless, undead existence, it finally dawned on me, perhaps I am truly not meant for eternal damnation in hell. I am destined to search for you, and to fight for you. Even if it means travelling to the ends of the earth, come what may, I will find you again. And the moment I do, all the love that I've gathered and stored away for safekeeping while you were still sound asleep, is once again, wholly and uninhibitedly yours."