CHAPTER 87: LEAVE VIC ALONE!

Victor continued his nervous rambling about how important and mysterious his grandfather’s guest supposedly was, growing more flustered by the second as Aisha politely questioned him about these supposed details.

"That’s because," Victor said suddenly, trying to regain some composure, "the name Nosferatu isn’t actually... well..." He paused awkwardly. "It’s not really a person’s name at all! It’s like... a codename? For security purposes?"

I chuckled softly at his pathetic attempt at an explanation. Beside me, Aisha fought back her own smile.

"And what does this ’codename’ refer to?" Aisha asked innocently.

Victor looked like he’d swallowed something bitter. "Uh... it refers to... an extremely valuable artifact!" he declared triumphantly, as if this explained everything perfectly.

"I see." She turned her gaze towards me and then back on him before adding: "An artifact named after a character from an old vampire movie."

The silence that followed felt deafening.

Victor’s face went white as snow; he stood there utterly frozen for a full second before any sound came out of him.

"Aare you making fun of me?"

"No, definitely not," I interjected smoothly, stepping closer to Victor with a predatory grace that made his eyes widen. "My wife is merely curious about these... supernatural things."

Victor’s face went from pale to ghostly white. He stumbled back a step, nearly dropping the board. The familiar on his shoulder seemed to sense his panic and fluttered its wings nervously.

"Supernatural..." he repeated weakly, his voice cracking slightly. "What do you mean by—"

Aisha’s smile turned sharp as she continued for me: "You know, given how you keep mentioning your grandfather and ’important guests’ and security codenames." She leaned forward slightly, her purple eyes fixed on him like a cat watching prey. "It makes one wonder what exactly you’re involved in, Victor."

His mouth opened and closed several times before any sound emerged. "I don’t... I mean... it’s just that my grandfather deals with very delicate matters of state!" he blurted out desperately.

I chuckled darkly at this pathetic attempt at damage control. The butterflies on his shoulder began to beat their wings faster in agitation.

"That’s funny," I said softly, moving closer until Victor had nowhere left to retreat without running into the airport crowd behind him. "Because last time I checked, artifacts didn’t need personal escorts from airports or require such elaborate codename systems."

Victor’s breathing became more labored; beads of sweat were now freely flowing down his temples.

"I think there might be some misunderstanding here," he squeaked out.

"My name is Valerian Nosferatu Aísē well I just got the middle name recently so you wouldn’t have known." My words hit him like physical blows.

"And if your grandfather really sent you here for an important guest..."

I paused dramatically before delivering the final blow:

"...then maybe you should introduce us properly."

The familiar suddenly let out a series of frantic chirps as it felt its host’s terror spike through the roof; clearly sensing something was very wrong.

Victor looked like he was about to have a heart attack right then and there.

"This can’t be happening," he whispered under his breath but loud enough for us both to hear,

"Afterall Valerian is supposed to be...."

Victor’s face contorted in a mixture of horror and disbelief as the truth crashed down upon him like a tidal wave. His hands began to shake so violently that he could barely hold onto the board.

"A normal human... right," I finished his sentence, my voice barely above a whisper.

The familiar on his shoulder shrieked in panic, its wings beating frantically against Victor’s trembling frame. "I... I thought you were just..."

He looked between me and Aisha, realizing with dawning terror that both of us were far more than we appeared.

His grandfather’s warnings about ’delicate matters’ suddenly took on an entirely new meaning.

’Ahh I guess I scared a bit too much’ I thought with a smile not in the mood to fix whatever misunderstanding he might be cooking in his head.

"I guess we both became not normal in a very small amount of time," I continued, my smile growing more dangerous by the second. "Though for me, it was less of a choice and more of an Accident."

Victor stumbled backward until his back hit one of the airport pillars, his breathing becoming erratic. "You mean... you mean you’re really..." He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Aisha stepped closer to him with that same predatory grace I’d seen her display before battles. "Oh please do finish what you were going to say Victor," she purred dangerously. "We’re all friends here after all."

The familiar on Victor’s shoulder suddenly let out another highpitched cry and detached itself from him; it fluttered away into the distance.

Victor watched it go with a look of utter despair.

"Don’t leave me!" he whimpered at it pathetically.

But alas no help was coming from that corner anymore.

He turned back to us looking utterly defeated.

"Yes." He said finally admitting defeat.

"You are Nosferatu."

"And I am now aware that this is real."

His shoulders slumped as if carrying an enormous weight.

"But sigh," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I never thought my friend Valerian would be the infamous Vampire from the folklore... Nosferatu."

He chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood with forced humor. "You wouldn’t eat me right? We’re best friends after all." His attempt at a joke fell flat in the tense air between us.

Aisha and I exchanged glances, her white eyes dancing with amusement while mine held a darker gleam. It was clear Victor was confusing me with some romanticized vampire from old stories.

’So it seems Victor is confusing me with The Nosferatu from the legends,’ I mused, my thoughts taking on that predatory tone that always signaled danger to those who knew my dark side well.

Should I scare him more?

The question hung unspoken in the air.

My mind flashed back to countless memories—Victor and I messing around together, sharing secrets, being inseparable friends through all our Teenage life.

Victor continued babbling nervously: "I mean sure you’ve got fangs now but you’re not gonna turn into some monster are ya?" He tried another laugh but it came out strained and desperate.

"After all we’ve been through Valerian surely friendship means something even to vampires right?"

His face then turned hopeful for just a moment before crumbling again under fear.

"But... how did this happen? When did you..."

He couldn’t finish either of these questions; they seemed too monumental for words.

I studied his face—the same boyish charm mixed with genuine terror—and felt something twist painfully inside my chest.

This was my oldest friend after all...

The one person who had known me before any of this darkness touched my life...

But could such innocence survive knowing what monsters really lurked within both worlds?

"Aisha," I said quietly without taking my gaze off Victor’s pleading expression,

"What do you think? Should we enlighten our dear friend about exactly what kind of vampire legend he’s dealing with?"

My wife’s answering smile told me everything I needed to know about her thoughts on this matter...

And they matched mine perfectly.

Victor watched the exchange between us with growing unease, his eyes darting back and forth like a cornered animal trying to read the predators circling him.

"You know," Aisha said, her voice taking on that dangerous edge I’d learned to recognize over our time together. "There’s something Victor should understand about vampire legends."

She stepped closer to him, her movements fluid and predatory. The innocent smile remained plastered on her face, but now Victor could see the sharpness behind it.

"I mean," she continued with mock innocence, "most people think vampires are just romantic figures who sparkle in sunlight and drink blood from willing victims." She paused dramatically. "But that’s not quite accurate... is it, darling?"

I felt my fangs elongate slightly at the sound of her voice—she always had this effect on me when she was being particularly dangerous.

Victor gulped audibly. "Wwhat do you mean?" he stammered.

Aisha’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she leaned closer to him. "Well," she purred softly, "the real legends say that vampires have certain... appetites that go beyond mere survival."

Victor’s face went pale as he began to grasp what she was implying.

"No..." he whispered desperately.

"Please tell me you’re not suggesting..."

He looked at me with a mixture of horror and betrayal.

"My best friend isn’t some kind of..."

"A monster?" I finished for him quietly.

Just as the terror in Victor’s eyes threatened to overwhelm him completely, a sudden interruption cut through the tension like a blade.

"Don’t touch my Vic!"

The voice was young, innocent, and filled with protective fury. A petite figure darted into view, placing herself between me and Victor with surprising confidence for someone so small.

Victor nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected arrival. "Maria!" he exclaimed in shock, his voice cracking slightly.

Mariabell stood there defiantly despite being dwarfed by both me and Aisha. Her short stature made her look even more childlike next to us—she barely reached Victor’s shoulder. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore an oversized sweater that swallowed most of her tiny frame.

"I’m not afraid of you!" she declared bravely, though her hands were trembling slightly as she looked up at me with wide, determined eyes. "Leave Vic alone!"