CRIMSON NOCTURNE

CHAPTER 29: Van Helsing Returns

The entire city of Rome was thrown into chaos by Yi Fei's mournful howl. Dogs barked wildly in response. Every zoo director was dragged out of bed by frantic phone calls as authorities searched for the source. The exhaustive investigation yielded a single result: not a single wolf was missing from any cage. Meanwhile, Yi Fei was racing across the Roman sky at ten times the speed of sound, ignoring air resistance, trying to vent the unbearable pain in his heart.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at St. Peter's once more. He stood before the cleansed yet still solemn Papal Altar. For the first time in his life, he knelt and prayed with all his heart. "Almighty God... please help me. Whatever the cost, please help me find a way." Though he never noticed the pair of warm eyes watching from the dome above, he did sense familiar footsteps approaching from behind.

"Van Helsing!" Yi Fei shot to his feet and whirled around, his heart leaping. Sure enough, there stood the grizzled middle-aged man who had been missing for so many months. Van Helsing looked even more weathered than before—deeper lines on his face, a new scar running along his jaw, and shadows under his eyes that spoke of hard-won battles. "Where have you been all this time? Do you have any idea what's happened?"

Van Helsing smiled faintly, the expression tinged with apology. "Sorry. I ran into serious trouble that night I fought Rusfan. The wounds were worse than they looked, and I needed a long time to recover properly. Then my combat instructor sent wo** that he needed to see me urgently, which delayed me even further. I heard your howl from outside the city walls—it carried for miles—and I came as fast as I could."

Yi Fei steadied himself, forcing his trembling body to still. He didn't want to appear weak anymore, not after everything he had endured. In the steadiest voice he could muster, he said, "Van Helsing, I need to get stronger. I don't care what it takes, what I have to do, or where I have to go. I cannot be this helpless again."

Van Helsing stared at him for a long, searching moment, reading the raw determination in the young man's eyes. Then he nodded slowly. "I understand. First, change back to human form. Let's find a quiet place and talk properly."

Inside the Blue Hermit, the familiar surroundings brought back a flood of memories for Yi Fei. Van Helsing swirled a glass of azure cocktail, the ice clinking softly, as Yi Fei recounted everything that had happened in his absence—the incident at the cathedral, the celestial being, the revelation about Chen Jing, and finally Camilla's capture by Rusfan. Though Van Helsing was intensely curious about the celestial being Yi Fei had witnessed, he was experienced enough to know that the more pressing matter was the fate of the vampire girl—Camilla. He kept his questions to himself.

Wisely choosing not to pry into unrelated matters, Van Helsing instead gave Yi Fei practical advice. True strength, he explained, came only from systematic combat training tempered by countless real battles against dangerous opponenShit"I can't teach you much myself—I'm only halfway decent, a jack of all trades and master of none. But I know someone who can. Now that Camilla is gone and there's nothing keeping you here, come with me to Spain. We have a contract to complete there. When we're done, I'll take you to meet my master. He's old, cranky, and impossibly demanding, but he's the best there is."

"Good. Let's go to Spain now." Yi Fei downed his drink in one long gulp, the liquid burning his throat. He couldn't bear another moment in this inn, where Camilla's presence still lingered in every corner, every piece of furniture, every memory.

"All right." Without another word, Van Helsing paid the bill and led Yi Fei straight to the airport. Neither spoke during the taxi ride.

From start to finish, Yi Fei never asked where they were going or what their mission would be. He had surrendered himself entirely to Van Helsing's guidance. Only when they were about to board the flight to Segovia did he glance up at the departure board, registering the destination with detached indifference. Then he sank back into that state of emotional numbness, caring about nothing at all.

In Segovia, Spain, two black-haired men carrying no luggage emerged from the airport exit. One kept his head down, eyes fixed on the ground, utterly silent. The other glanced at his companion frequently and sighed from time to time, wondering how to pull the young man out of his stupor. The taxi drivers waiting hopefully outside the terminal sized them up, assuming they could gouge these foreign tourists for a hefty fare. But the two men ignored them entirely and walked straight to the parking lot. Moments later, when Van Helsing drove out in a gleaming limited-edition Hummer with Yi Fei beside him, the taxi drivers could only stare in slack-jawed disbelief.

"Yi Fei, what do you think of my ride?" Van Helsing asked, patting the steering wheel affectionately. He hadn't given up hope of snapping Yi Fei out of his depression.

"Yeah. Nice." Yi Fei stared blankly out the window at the passing Spanish countryside and offered two monosyllabic words.

Van Helsing finally gave up on conversation. He focused on the road, driving with purpose toward a castle visible in the distance, west of Segovia. The ancient stone fortress perched on its hill looked imposing even from miles away.

When they were still about a dozen kilometers from the castle, Van Helsing pulled into a small, rustic inn nestled among the trees. He parked the Hummer, killed the engine, and promptly kicked the dazed Yi Fei out of the passenger seat. "We're here. Get out."

Yi Fei picked himself up off the ground, confused and disoriented. He mumbled an "Oh" and started walking toward the inn's entrance. Van Helsing grabbed him by the collar, yanking him back. "Hey, hey. Where do you think you're going? It's this way..." He pointed toward a small, wooded hill rising beyond the inn. "We're going over the mountain."

"What? There's a perfectly good road leading right up to the castle. Why do we have to climb through the woods like a pair of bandits?" Being yanked around like this finally managed to provoke some genuine reaction from Yi Fei.

Van Helsing's face split into a sly, mischievous grin. "Haha, so you do still have some spirit left after all. I was starting to wonder. I'm not trying to make things hard for you, you know. If we approach on foot through the woods, it'll be much easier to escape afterward if things go sideways."

"Escape... What exactly are you planning to do up there that requires such caution?"

"Nothing much. There's a big vampire living in that castle. The contract is to eliminate him. I hear the whole fortress is crawling with his followers, so I figure it's better to strike fast, hit hard, and get the hell out before they know what hit them." Van Helsin* handed Yi Fei the folded contract and led the way into the woods without waiting for a response.

Yi Fei unfolded the paper and read as he walked. "Vampire Karl. All data unknown. Estimated to possess fifth-generation vampire strength. Commands numerous underlings of unknown number and capability. Currently residing in Segovia Castle, located at the western edge of Segovia City. By day, it is a tourist attraction visited by hundreds. By night, it is a living hell where unspeakable acts occur..."

He finished reading and handed the contract back to Van Helsing with a shake of his head. "Every contract we get is full of 'unknowns.' If nothing is known about the target, why bother writing anything at all? They might as well just give us an address and a name."

"Red tape and bureaucracy." Van Helsing glanced back with a wry grin. "The Hunter Guild isn't what it used to be. It started as a group of passionate young people fighting supernatural evil. Now it's become like a government department, full of pointless meetings and paperwork. I hear the higher-ups hold meetings every three days and conventions every five. But I don't care what they do with their time. As long as they point me toward vampires that need killing and pay me for my work, I'm satisfied."

They crested a small ridge, and the castle came into full view, its towers silhouetted against the darkening sky. Van Helsing paused to catch his breath. "As long as they tell us where the vampires are hiding, that's enough. I've never counted on them for anything else. If we can't win a fight, we can always run away to fight another day." He winked at Yi Fei with exaggerated playfulness, earning a look of disgust.

After over an hour of scrambling over rough terrain—"mountain climbing and creek fording," as Van Helsing called it—they finally reached a position overlooking the castle's moat. Yi Fei looked up at the dark sky, then voiced a question that had been bothering him for a while. "Van Helsing, why do we always hunt vampires in the dead of night? That's when their power is at its peak. Wouldn't it make more sense to strike during the day?"

Van Helsing turned and gave him a look of pure, theatrical disdain. "Are you an i***t? Going in broad daylight to slaughter enemies who can't fight back because they're hiding from the sun—where's the honor in that? Where's the challenge?"

Yi Fei opened his mouth, closed it, and decided that no response would adequately address that logic. Some things, he realized, were just not worth arguing about.

"Enough talking. Strip down and transform. I need you to carry me up that wall. Who the hell built such ridiculously high fortifications anyway..."

With nothing more to say, Yi Fei quickly shed his clothes and transformed into his powerful werewolf form. He grabbed Van Helsing by the arm and, with a powerful leap, launched them both toward the towering castle walls.

[END OF CHAPTER 29]