CHAPTER 75: DAVID DECISION

David sat in the Chief’s office, sunk into the soft chair, surrounded by the warmth of a well-furnished room.

Yet there was no comfort in it. His throat tightened as if invisible hands were choking him, and the suffocating weight refused to leave.

He was now the chief officially after the main branch assign him in this position and he passed the two weeks probation.

A knock came at the door. "Open," he said.

The door creaked wide, revealing Maria and Dylan stepping inside. Their faces were pale and uneasy, like flowers shriveling under frost.

Truth be told, after meeting the Velstraths himself, David shared that very expression.

"What happened yesterday that kept the two of you from reporting immediately?" His fingers tapped against each other atop the desk, his gaze sharp.

Maria hesitated. "That’s... David, I mean, Chief—"

But Dylan cut her off, his voice hot with fury. "We were dragged into the Velstrath manor! They trapped us inside the dream realm!" His eyes burned with rage.

"That damned Seamus! He tried to kill me!" Dylan spat, teeth clenched.

Ah... such fire. A young man’s rage is still untouched by understanding.

"No! That’s not what happened, Chief!" Maria interjected quickly, her tone defensive. "They only wanted to see one of the scavenger’s memories."

David cleared his throat, silencing them both. "Enough, Maria. I’ll explain."

He turned his lazy gaze toward Dylan, who was still bristling.

"Psyche Bloodstyle, like Dream Manipulation, is always tied to memory. What they did wasn’t wrong. It’s just that our human minds can’t handle the strain. That’s why you felt like you were dying."

But Dylan’s scowl only deepened. His brows knit tight. "I don’t get it. Why are you working with the enemy? They’re vampires! They should be the ones we’re hunting!"

His fists tightened. "And what the hell is wrong with Seamus?! Why is he that strong?!"

David’s patience snapped. He slammed the table with his palm, the crack of wood echoing in the office.

"Dylan! You weren’t properly trained when you became a vampire hunter. Do you even know about the Still-Blood Truce?"

Dylan flinched but forced an answer. "An agreement... to not meddle in each other’s affairs unless human blood is spilled? That the Vampire Hunter Association only supervises and judges when humans are involved?"

"Correct." David’s eyes narrowed. "So you understand, but do you know why that agreement exists? It’s not for vampires. It’s for us."

"To protect humankind from the Seven Great Covenants, from families like the Velstrath. That truce is the only reason we’re still alive. Out of pity, nothing else."

Silence.

David leaned back, more composed but firm. He knew the truth because the ex-chief had known it, too. That was why he worked with House Hesse, trading favors to acquire quality Vitalis Cores.

It meant allowing scavengers to breed unchecked in Brok as their agreement, the spark that had started this whole mess. And now, the burden of fixing it rested on him.

"But my friends... they died because of Seamus’s power," Dylan muttered, his voice raw.

His reply was like a knife. "Do you have proof of that?"

Dylan froze, teeth grinding as he bit his lip hard.

He turned to Maria. "Have you ever seen Seamus use the Psyche Bloodstyle?"

Maria shook her head immediately. "No, Chief. Never."

Dylan’s face darkened, "No! I’m sure it’s him! I’m gonna prove it!’ He then went outside the room just like that.

The office went silent after that. Only when David finally spoke did the conversation resume.

"So, what do you want to report, Maria?"

"Ah, right, that’s..."

Maria began recounting everything, including what Lulu had told her: how they had entered the Dream Realm to watch the scavenger’s dream, how they’d seen the Lady, and how someone from the Raven had been manipulating her.

David’s brow furrowed. "It’s the Crow, huh..." He hesitated before asking, "Did you see her shape? I know she appears only as a shadow, but there must have been something distinct."

"Lulu said she’s about her own height — maybe 155 centimeters — and wears her hair in twin ponytails." Maria rubbed her chin. "She didn’t really feel like a ’Lady’ at all."

"You mean like a child?" David asked, a flicker of hope lighting his eyes.

His daughter had been the same height and had loved ponytails too. Perhaps Isolde wasn’t wrong about her after all.

Maria nodded slowly. "A really cruel one though... something with no trace of sympathy."

David massaged his temples. His emotions tangled into a knot. If this "Lady" was truly his dead daughter, could he bring her humanity back? Or would she stand before him as an enemy? The thought itself hurt.

"Ah, right, before I left Velstrath, Seamus also told me their plan is probably to turn this town into a ’madness box’: a place where only scavengers live, controlled by one of the Seven Great Houses of the Covenant." Maria’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"So our guess was right." David nodded. "They’ll keep striking at outlying settlements, especially those far from the town center."

"What should we do, Chief?" Maria’s face was tight with worry; she still lived alone with her grandmother.

"Maria, send your grandmother somewhere safe. I’ll arrange a temporary place for her." His voice softened. "And you too... You should leave with her."

Her eyes widened. "You... you want me to run?"

David nodded. "You’re still young, and you’re important for the future of the Vampire Hunters. Staying here will only trap you. You still have a family to protect."

Maria’s hands trembled. Her expression wavered with hesitation. His reasoning was sound — the town was headed for chaos — but still she shook her head.

"I—I want to stay, Chief. Many Vampire Hunters have already moved to other towns because of a decision you made. We’re short on manpower—"

"Maria." He cut her off gently but firmly. "That decision was made because I have nothing left to lose. The ones who stayed share that.

"But you’re different. Please, listen to me." His voice cracked into a plea. He couldn’t bear to see anyone else die because of his orders.

He needed to handle this alone... or with someone just as reckless as himself, like Sam or that other person.

’I have to bring him back into the Hunters, ’ he thought grimly.

Maria bit her lip, then nodded. "I’ll think about it."

She left the office, closing the door softly behind her, and David remained alone with his thoughts.

After the dramatic death of the corrupt Chief, David stepped in, taking control even while whispers of doubt filled the ranks.

Yet the appointment wasn’t his doing; the main branch had sent the order down, desperate for someone to fill the gap left by too many fallen hunters.

Even so, deep down, David knew it wasn’t just that the other hunters had drifted away from him...

His gaze lingered on the table where a single photograph rested, his daughter’s picture, once young and bright, now only a frozen echo.

She was gone because of him, and he couldn’t release that weight no matter how he tried.

He remembered the day, three weeks before the nightmare began, as clearly as if it were etched in fire.

He had thought he had finally cornered Isolde, thought he’d force a confession from her in the interrogation room. But, as always, she had seized the momentum.

"Because David, you’re a man with nothing left to lose. So what’s your decision?" Her eyes glimmered like sharpened glass, as though she already knew his answer.

He shook his head slowly. "Even if you’re right, I’m still human. I will never betray my kind to work with you."

"Oh? Choosing others over your daughter again, aren’t you?"

The question made his fists clench as he shot to his feet. "We’re done here."

He turned on his heel, each step heavier than the last, speaking with her always frayed his sanity.

"Where are you going? You can’t go anywhere, David! This town will drown in chaos and your Chief won’t lift a finger!"

He swung back toward her, one brow raised, his voice cold. "Since when do you care about this town or the humans inside it? Don’t you look at them as worms, as nothing but food to drain?"

David knew too much already: the whispered stories about the higher-ups, the rot beneath their noble words.

Yet he had been nothing but a sheep, a silent follower unwilling to tear the corruption out.

"Don’t you?" she tilted her head with a faint smile.

"How many times will you let it all repeat? How many failures will you swallow before you finally break?"

He gritted his teeth but refused to answer. Then the floor trembled. Her voice came again, sharp with annoyance.

"You will work for me, either you come on your own, or I’ll drag you!"

The world shattered around him. It had been a dream after all. That cursed bracelet, useless, offering no protection.

But her terror didn’t end with waking. It was only the opening act of another nightmare, one that bled into daylight, as the Vampire Hunter quarter in Brok burned under her assault.