The next morning, when John woke up, he did not get out of bed right away. He lay there for a few minutes. A warm, fuzzy feeling stayed with him as he thought about the kiss from the night before. "Wow, who would have thought that a nerd like me would get a kiss from a beautiful girl," he thought. The memory brought a genuine smile to his face.
Then, he heard a sound at the door.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," John said happily. The cheer was clear in his voice.
The maid, Haven, came into his room. As usual, she carried a glass of blood for his breakfast. Her face was professional and showed no emotion. "Good morning, Young Master John. How are you feeling this morning?"
John smiled brightly. "As a matter of fact, Haven, I feel very happy! How are you feeling on this lovely morning?"
Haven's face remained neutral. "This one does not feel anything at the moment, thank you for asking, Young Master. Here is your glass of blood."
John took the glass from the tray. "Bummer. I thought you would be happy this morning." He then drank all the blood in the glass. Slurp. "Aaah, that was nice." He placed the glass back on the tray. "Thank you, Haven."
John went to the bathroom to wash up. When he got back to his room, someone much more important was already waiting for him.
"Hello, John. How are you?"
The boy's face lit up. "Hello, Grandma!" He ran up to Anna and gave her a tight hug. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you for so long."
Anna had a warm smile on her face as she returned the hug. "Oh John, you know that I am sometimes very busy. How is training going?"
"I am becoming very strong, Grandma, thanks to Aunt Reina! I do not want to brag, but your boy got some moves. No cap."
"Hahahahaha!" Anna could not help but laugh at his youthful confidence. "Really? So you are Mr. Super Vampire now?"
John scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I would not go that far, Grandma."
"Come, John. I have something important to tell you."
Both of them took a seat next to each other on John's bed. "So, what is up, Grandma?"
Anna shifted the conversation carefully. "Well, I came here to say that your grandfather is going to a business meeting tomorrow. I would very much appreciate it if you could go with him."
John's excitement immediately disappeared. He let his head drop, and his disappointment was clear. "I do not think Grandpa would like me to go with him. He does not like me very much. I think Grandma should maybe ask someone else."
Anna felt a pang of sadness when she heard how genuine his pain was. "Listen, John dear," she said, lifting his head gently with her hand. She touched his cheek and spoke in a soft, tender voice. "Your grandfather likes you very much. It is just that he does not know it yet. You are the son of his favorite and only daughter. He loves her, and in time, he will love you too. But it takes time. If you go with him tomorrow, you two can start to build a connection."
This argument made the boy feel a little better. "Really?" he asked. A flicker of hope returned to his eyes.
Anna smiled warmly. "Of course, my dear."
"Thank you, Grandma. I love you," John said, giving her another heartfelt hug. She could feel how happy he was to have this opportunity. John then kissed Anna on the cheek, feeling excited about the trip.
Deep inside, Anna felt a surge of victory. She knew her plan to send John with Leonidas was successful. Her thoughts then turned to her grandson's abilities. "John dear, Reina told me about your fight with the prisoners. She said you have improved your combat skills and used techniques she has never seen before. Where did you get this knowledge, if I might ask?"
John had a huge smile on his face, proud to share his secret. He took his laptop out of his storage ring.
The grandmother raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Is this device one of the technologies from your home world, John?"
"Yes, Grandma," John replied. He turned his laptop on with two distinct sounds.
Click. Click.
"Look here, Grandma," the boy said, turning the screen toward her. He showed Anna a collection of videos. These included self-defense tutorials and several fight scenes from action movies. "I watched and practiced some of these moves during my private training."
Anna was amazed by the fluid movements in the movie scenes. "They move very slowly compared to our kind, but their fight is like a beautiful dance. Is this what you have been practicing in private, John?"
"Yeah, I have been practicing the moves I see. I tried using some of them when I fought the prisoner Russel during our matches."
Anna chuckled softly, a look of pride in her eyes. "You are smart and becoming strong, John. But you still have a long way to go. This world of ours is sometimes very cruel, so it is important for you to improve."
"But it is so difficult, Grandma," John admitted. His confidence faded as he worried about his limits. "I have only been fighting humans so far. I cannot even imagine how powerful vampires are if we had to fight seriously. I just do not believe it is possible for me." He lowered his head, suddenly feeling small.
Anna immediately squatted down to look the boy in his eyes. Her expression was intense and sincere. "Listen, John. You are my grandson. Just believe in me, who believes in you."
The young boy snickered at her dramatic, encouraging words. He gave his grandmother a fierce hug. "Thank you, Grandma."
====
At a secret location, Carlos Decker was in a meeting with the leader of a mercenary group called The Storming Hornets. The man before him, Kilo, was scary. He was bald with a huge, unmistakable tattoo of a hornet right in the center of his head.
"Thank you for taking the job, Mr. Kilo. If tomorrow's job is successful, then I will let you know when we are going to attack Leonidas's castle. For now, I want you and your men to stay put and wait for my orders."
In normal times, Kilo's men would not stand a chance against the veteran vampire knights of the Crimson family. However, they had a terrifying advantage. They were in possession of armor, potions, and weapons that let them compete with the best of the best. Kilo lived by a simple, brutal motto: with great risks come great rewards.
When Decker first asked him about this job, Kilo thought the man was crazy and had a death wish. But when Decker calmly laid out his plan and showed his new, terrifying powers, Kilo saw that they might actually stand a chance against one of the biggest noble families in the country.
Decker sat by a table. His gaze was fixed on the vial of venom that was the key to defeating Leonidas. "Listen, Kilo. After we kill the Crimsons, you can have everything. All I want is revenge. I want to take everything from him, just as he took everything from me."
Kilo, who was busy drinking wine, looked at the vial in Decker's hand. "I am not going to lie. Doing this mission makes me afraid. We are talking about Leonidas, the legendary vampire who can destroy whole armies on his own. But I am no coward. I live for this."
Decker put the vial back into his pocket with a cold look in his eyes. "I am impressed. You and your men are the only mercenary group who took this mission. All the others said no. They say it is a suicide mission, but I assure you that we can win. As long as my real body stays alive, of course."
Decker stood up from the table, signaling the meeting was over. "After our victory, you will be the richest and most wanted man in this country. I suggest you leave as quickly as possible. If the King of the vampires finds out what we did, you are all doomed."
Kilo was shocked. He set his cup down hard on the table. "How so?"
"I did some research. I found out that the King owes Leonidas for a favor from the past. They go way back. The King will come after you and your group. I suggest you prepare to escape this country before the day we attack the castle."
Kilo nodded his head. His mercenary mind was already calculating the risk. "Thank you for the tip. I will immediately contact people who can help me and my men escape this country as soon as possible."
The two men stood up and shook hands. Kilo then poured wine into another cup for the traitor. "Listen, we have to make a toast." Kilo held his cup high.
"Cheers. To the end of the Crimson family," Kilo said.
Decker grinned from ear to ear. A monstrous satisfaction was clear on his face. "To the end of Leonidas Crimson."