Beyond the Afterlife

CHAPTER 7

After finishing his meal, Hannuel pulled his silver cord back into his body. He wiped his mouth and prepared himself to return. He had already preyed on several astral travelers to gather enough energy. As far as he remembered, Mikee wasn’t that strong the last time they met. But Hannuel didn't care whether the soul sucker had grown stronger. He still posed no real threat to him. What Hannuel truly wanted was to face the twins, Mal and Vera, the eldest of the first generation of the Necrosiphones clan, to which Mikee was the youngest child. Perhaps, if he could kill the twins, the clan would weaken. They were, after all, the strongest among them. Except for the clan patriarchs, who had already lost one member after a clan versus clan fight that happened centuries ago. The fight was sparked by the Necrosiphone’s relentless soul-sucking, which began as soon as they arrived in the country.

If they didn’t act, they would run out of food sources. Their country wasn’t as overpopulated back then as it is now, yet even today, the Valtieri family continues to save people. They don’t protect the entire country, only the area near their stronghold. What they couldn’t understand was why, in a vast country, the Necrosiphones always attacked wherever they set up to feed. It felt like a deliberate provocation, just like the previous night. Hannuel had stationed himself in their city, trying to avoid a woman whose thoughts he couldn’t read, yet there she was again, drunk as before. And this time, Hannuel was planning to victimize her.

He was in his astral form at that moment, so all he could do was whisper warnings. But when he saw that the woman had no intention of listening, Hannuel quickly returned to his body and went after Mikee and the woman. He barely made it in time. Mikee was already at the point of sucking out her soul, and Hannuel panicked. He almost gambled his life to save the woman from the soul sucker. Mikee nearly drained him instead. His energy wasn’t enough to fight at that moment, not to mention he had just faced a spell wizard in the astral plane. Spell wizards, who are also astral travelers, are the hardest to fight. Their Latin prayers weaken them significantly. Hannuel was about to move to another astral plane to feed when he noticed the woman and Mikee in an abandoned, dark area of the city.

"Oh? Why are you up already? It’s still light out."

Hannuel raised an eyebrow when he saw Mori in the mansion’s living room. Their decaying mansion, which his family inhabited, smelled of damp rot. Mori was sipping a red liquid he remembered mortals calling red wine. Mori is different from the rest of them. She can eat whatever she desires and can even take on other forms. Sometimes, Hannuel envied her gift, but he knew that beneath her extraordinary abilities lay an inexplicable emptiness in her life.

"How about you? Why aren't you in the astral planes feeding? It’ll be dark soon, and you need to recharge your energy—"

"I'm good. And besides, I'm still full." She cut him off, taking another sip of her drink.

Hannuel shook his head. If he hadn’t known better... She likely possessed a weak mortal again just to leave their lair while it was still light out. Yes, Mori could possess someone else's body. They couldn't expose themselves to sunlight; their skin would burn. They could go out if they were fully covered, and that’s what he planned to do now.

"I’ll tell Mom and Dad," Mori teased.

When he turned to face his sister, she gave him a mischievous smile, raising her wine glass in the air as if mocking him with a toast.

"If you’re trying to threaten me, then you’ll need to try harder, young woman," Hannuel said, laughing as he walked away.

How could their youngest sibling think she could intimidate him? He was the strongest among them, not to mention the eldest. He had inherited the combined abilities and powers of their parents, while the others had only inherited about half of their mother or father’s abilities.

He searched for something to wear in Kael's room, another younger sibling of his. To his knowledge, Kael and Asher were the ones who often snuck out. They were eager to see the world during daylight. He frequently caught them but never reprimanded them because what they did was harmless. He knew they could protect themselves. As for Mori, he didn’t scold her either because he knew it was the only thing that alleviated her boredom. She wanted to explore the world without burning her skin, and possessing mortals was her way of doing that.

And now, what about him? Why did he want to go out even though the sun was still up?

Well, he was curious about the woman whose thoughts he couldn’t hear. She was the only one he’d ever encountered whose mind he couldn’t read or compel. It was also slightly concerning that she seemed to recognize him. He needed to find out what kind of being that woman was.

What if she wasn’t just an ordinary mortal? What if she was a dark entity and became a threat to their way of life? They already had enough problems with the soul suckers, and now there might be another. It was better to act now. He decided not to inform his parents just yet; he would wait until he was sure about his suspicions.