Rade's Demon Elimination Service

Chapter 8: The One From the Organization

London Aldeia is the middle child of the Aldeia clan.

He was everything his older sister shouldn't be. Loud. Reckless. Irresponsible. The only similarities that both siblings have were their last names and their undeniable talent for being a hunter.

He was sitting properly, and the formality was killing her inside.

The young man that had been formally introduced to their family— by family London actually only meant his older sister and younger brother— was sitting from across his seat. There was a noticeable absence at the fourth chair and London glared at it enough to make it spontaneously combust with the spiritual energy he was pouring at his glare.

He was still fatigued from his training in Romania and his time orientation was still messed up but he still had to actually cut his sleep short to face their guest. London closed his eyes tightly, a yawn was greatly suppressed and he just wanted to collapse on the spot.

From the side door of the great dining hall, a person emerged. She was wearing the customary uniform of the Aldeia clan's hunters. Tight black suit and slacks, the hunter looked imposing and intimidating. She quickly went by Geneva's side, the head of the family and London's eldest and only daughter, bent down to the height of her ear and whispered in a very low voice that even London couldn't hear. It was Minerva, the assistant and secretary of the head of the Aldeia clan— a girl on her early twenties, maybe the same age as Geneva, who has a very formal demeanor.

"Geneva is so f*****g busy, Felif," London casually said and pointed at Geneva with his knife that looked like it was had been used to stabbed something and tainted with blood when it was only the sauce of the dish they were eating. "She can't even pay attention to us properly."

The young man, who was wearing a rather baggy brown suit that doesn't justified the handsome features of his face, only smiled and wiped his mouth with the white napkin. The widow's peak of the man was stark and evident adding up to his rather sharp countenance which contrasted with how he spoke.

"I-I... uh... I understand, Young Master Aldeia," he stuttered, his tone was awkward and full of anxiety yet a gentleness could be glimpsed behind the anxiety.

"No need to be nervous, Felif," London remarked. "Relax, we won't kill you." With that, London smiled devilishly which made the young man more nervous than relax.

"London," Geneva suddenly called, a hint of warning was implicated on her tone. The hunter by Geneva's ear uttered a few more words before she nodded and waved her hand, dismissing the person without even so much as an address. Geneva picked up her knife and fork yet again before turning to her younger sister. "Do you really not know where New York went?"

"How many times do I— ughh!" London groaned heavily, stabbing the piece of meat on his plate as a way to vent his suppressed vexed emotion. "New York has a mind of his own. He doesn't tell anyone what he want and just acts. Kind of like you, by the way, but then with more eye rolls and sarcasm."

Geneva's eyes glared at his younger brothher though she said nothing.

"Pleasantries aside," London started again in a calmer tone. He gave a sideway glance to Geneva who only listened and ate, immaculately spooning the dish to his mouth without any spill. "What brought you here, Lord Astride? It's been a long time since you came here."

Another sideway glance from London, his eyes seeking approval from his older sister who only still ate quietly.

"I'm here from the Observatory Division of HODE," Felif Astride, the name of the young guest of the Aldeia clan, explained. "In behalf of the Observatory Division, I would study the arrival of the Shadow Fantasm in your region. It is quite the phenomenon, twice in less than a decade it had been spotted. I hope you don't mind the intrusion."

London tried his hard not to squint at Felif who smiled, making his own observations hidden in sight. Truthfully, the Aldeia clan get all sorts of visitors and guests. Often time, novice hunters would be the top contenders. Their purpose would be to become an apprentice hunter under the clan or just to make connections. It was also often that visiting hunters' goal would be get close to the head of the clan, Geneva, whose beautiful countenance wasn't exactly incomparable but whose strength was unlike any other hunters.

It was so seldom that London heard a reasonable excuse and it made him suspicious of the man. If he was lying, London would like to know the real account of his presence in their region. As of now, he would stand down unless something was done.

London has always been the one taking care of the smallest nuisances that might affect the Aldeia clan. Overall, he doesn't want to get into politics, but he felt useless just loitering around their house.

"Of course not!" London exclaimed at the young man. Compared to his age, the young man wasn't so young really. He might be around Geneva's age, just on their early twenties. "While here, just enjoy your stay. But the Shadow Fantasm with its new vessel, wow. I've only heard of it."

"Yes," Felif agreed, his head was nodding. "After suprisingly appearing a year ago, who would've known it would appear again? The Observatory doesn't want to miss this chance like what had happened."

"Demons such as the Shadow Fantasm rarely show themselves," Geneva finally said, her voice was as cold and smooth like a brandy. "It was even more surprising since it's a member of the great demons of humanity. It is indeed a great opportunity." She put down her utensils at the side of her plate and wiped her mouth clean with her table napkin.

As a customary for the head of the family, both London and Felif stood from their seats, their backs were rigid, when Geneva stood from her own. London's lips pouted involuntarily while looking at his unfinished entree.

When the heads were done eating in a formal dinner, no one was allowed to proceed with their own. This must be the reason why New York went home so late.

That little bastard, London thought sullenly.

"Lord Astride," Geneva said, her back was already in front of them. "Shall we go to the study?"

"If you wish, Lady Aldeia," Felif answered, he then started to walk behind the lady of the house who must not be older than twenty-three. "Young Master Aldeia." He turned to London who only waved and smiled at them both, to Felif who also has a polite smile and to his older sister's back.

London was left all alone at the massive dining hall.

At the hallway, where Geneva was walking with Felif walking close behind her, tension filled the air. It was unknown from where the tension came from, maybe it was for the fact that Geneva wasn't the most welcoming and warm hostess for her guest.

As usual, she wore plain and ordinary clothes that doesn't befit her title as the head of the family, but her actions and her attitude would intimidate anyone who would dare to face her.

"The Shadow Fantasm," she started, her voice left no room for any warmth, "is indeed one of the wonders of the hunters' society and the Huntsman Order."

Geneva stopped in front of a double door. Immediately, hunters on both sides opened the doors for them and the proceeded to go inside. The library was quite fairly big, just enough to hold the Aldeia clan's innermost operations. Unlike the traditional set-up of the clan manor, the study has dozens of computers and boundaries for each hunters that were working inside.

There were stairs leading up to a mezzanine which Geneva went straight to, ascending with unbothered grace while Felif was looking at the office with wonderment. The study that was turned into an office retained the stuffiness of the whole manor. There were still the red drapes decorating the massive windows. The walls were decorated with dusty candelabras and a wallpaper that was in fashion two decades ago.

"The operations of the Aldeia clan," Geneva declared, pointing to the dozens upon dozens of the Aldeia's hunter network.

On the mezzanine, there was a little parlor where both of them sat down. Between the set of furniture, the center table held a tea set. Geneva leisurely poured tea over the porcelain little cups, one for herself and the other was pushed carefully towards Felif's side of the center table.

Felif shuffled slightly on his seat, uncomfortable with how Geneva was ignoring him. He coughed awkwardly, and, at last, Geneva's piercing blue green eyes were directed to him.

"I don't want to let my brother hear about the business matters of the clan," Geneva coldly informed him. "Pardon me for cutting dinner short, but my brother would surely be interested. So tell me." Geneva crossed her legs and sipped timidly on her teacup. Behind that cup was her piercing blue eyes, rare and calculating. "Why are you actually here, Felif? It has been a long time."

The question stiffened Felif's back, his hands that were holding the little teacup trembled slightly. His eyes immediately sought after Geneva's who was looking at him casually as though she didn't ask a very offending question that has many implications.

"The Aldeia clan doesn't really waste any time, I see," Felif commented, there was still anxiety on his voice but he now covered it well enough. He pursed his lips and coughed a little to mask the awkwardness on his voice. "Personally, I really am just here as an observer of the Shadow Fantasm. It's been year since it gained a vessel, I'm rather curious myself."

"Professionally?" Geneva demanded, her eyes were sharp at Felif.

"If they have ulterior motives, then I'm afraid I don't know any," Felif denied. He set down the teacup on the surface of the glass center table. "As a scholar, my only regret is that I missed the appearance of the Fantasm last year. It's a waste of chance to get data about the great demons of humanity."

Felif observed Geneva Aldeia— someone he had known from the past. He did not expect her to be such an ordinary looking puppet of the Aldeia clan. The hierarchy of this particular clan was, of course, only a ruse to fool the HODE. Looking at the girl though, Felif thought that there was more to her than being a tool sharpened and used by her own family.

Or maybe she was trained too hard that Felif was only seeing things.

Geneva bent down to pour the teapot's content to Felif's cup, while Felif reached out his hands to the teapot and also poured for her like she did so gracefully. Unfortunately for him, his hands were shaking too much that he spilled some on the table.

"Ahem," he coughed falsely to mask yet another bout of awkwardness, "I'm sorry for that."

"The last appearance," Geneva muttered as she picked up her teacup. Her face held the ambiance of reminiscent and looked as though she was far away from where they were.

"Ah, yes," Felif agreed, "it was also the death of the Haeven clan's last hunter child, was it Carys Haeven? And..." Felif's voice trailed away, his eyes looked at Geneva again with caution. "When it gained a new vessel, Laurinette Haeven. What a pity."

In his mind, he knew he shouldn't have opened the topic. It was forbidden, a silent scandal within the hunters' society that nobody would dare talk about, much less with the head of one of the most powerful clans within that same community.

"The cursed bloodline, I know," Geneva finished for him. "The Aldeia clan has always been outside the jurisdiction of the Huntsman Order." There was the sense of finality with Geneva's tone as though Felif wasn't aware of that fact and she was only repeating it as to avoid Felif making a fool out of himself in front of her and her hunters. "But our clan is always prepared to extend our helping hands to Huntsman Order."

Felif anticipated at least a smile from her but Geneva's face remained impassive and indifferent with Felif, showing neither favor nor disapproval of him. Felif thought that Geneva's blatant statement was better than nothing, his shoulders slacked a bit and the tight muscles on his face formed a little smile.

"Thank you, Lady Aldeia," he said gratefully, his voice was full of warmth— quite the opposite of the woman from across her. "I appreciate your welcome."

Then Felif's eyes turned to the magnificent statue of a half-humanoid demon with scaled tail as part of its lower body. The face was very humanlike with eyes flowing with tears and its hair was suspending in the air, exploding around its alluring face. The statue has a very conventional beauty and Felif unconsciously stood up to get close to it, only to realized a minute too late what he had done.

"Ah...u-um..." he stuttered, his eyes were out of daze and there was a strong blush creeping up the collar of his formal yet baggy shirt. "Ahem." He cleared his throat again and when his eyes looked at Geneva, he saw a glint of amusement within what used to be an indifferent pair.

He blushed more and busied himself with arranging his coat and tie while he walked towards where he used to sit earlier.

"I believe her kind is what humans called a mermaid," Geneva said, her voice was still cold and intimidating, nothing changed even with her expression as she talked. Meanwhile, Felif can't look at her directly and still fiddled with his baggy coat. "It was part of their strategy to lure people with their beauty and beguile them all to death. I had a hard time catching it," Geneva muttered thoughtfully. "I was also gripped with their seduction."

"That's..." Felif looked at the statue again. "That's a really good imitation of the demon." Felif found it hard to take his eyes off the statue, but what Geneva Aldeia said next was shocking enough to make him avert his glance at the statue.

"The Time Freezing Technique," she said casually. "That's the actual demon trapped with the boundary of the Time Freezing Technique."

"EH?!" Felif gushed, he was about to sipped at his tea but he thought better of it and put it down again at the surface of the center table. "That... then, that statue is not actually... a real statue?"

"It is a real demon if that's what you are asking," Geneva declared indifferently. Even with Felif's shock, Geneva doesn't even have the smallest of smug on her face that it made Felif wonder if she was actually a real human being.

How cruel, Felif thought internally, to have died already and be a vain decorative of your murderer's house. It was a time like this that Felif could say that there were times that humans doesn't deserve their humanity. It was simply too cruel for Felif that now he can't look at the frozen demon anymore.

Now that he was looking at Geneva, Felif came to a realization just what exactly this kind of hunter was. It was frightening him the more he understand this woman and the lack of emotions within those eyes.

"I've forgotten that for over how many centuries, Lady Aldeia is the only hunter known to have mastered this technique," Felif complimented politely and bowed his head. "The Time Freezing Technique is really such a beautiful technique and one of the most powerful ones."

"I have been experimenting with that demon," Geneva said and motioned at the frozen demon. "How long the effects would last and how it would affect its body. If you would like, you may also research about this. For a scholar such as you, I understand this is the thing that stimulates the mind. I would gladly hand over to you some of the notes I have made for the past three years."

Felif's back stiffened more.

Three years trapped within the Time Freezing Boundary. It raised a lot of questions on Felif's mind and he felt that the cruelty gave him an inexplicable ache within his heart.

"Is it still alive?" he asked curiously, his eyes were flickering towards the demon beside them. His eyes didn't linger on its form for fear of being trapped with their beguiling figure yet again, Felif's eyes merely grazed the demon's form and averted his gaze which didn't escape from Geneva's watchful gaze.

"Yes," Geneva answered with the same tone, "alive and conscious. For three years, it was trapped within the boundary and it never showed any indication of breaking free. I suppose my power is quite enough then."

"Lady Aldeia," Felif suddenly said. There were thoughtfulness and a heavy gravity on his tone that it made Geneva quite curious. It didn't look like it, but she never thought that her little experiment would actually make her guest uncomfortable.

Often times, when Geneva would show off her brilliant spoil of war, guests and other hunters would be in awe of her powers. They would revere her and the things she could do. Instead of admiration, Geneva saw something else inside the eyes of this person she used to know— fear.

It was one thing to be admired at and another to be feared, Geneva would always experience the former rather than the latter. The fear, the fright, that she saw on his face made a waver on her indifferent face. Her eyes widened a fraction and her pale lips turned even paler.

Even with the lights of the mezzanine, for Felif, Geneva looked like a ghost or a mere memory of what she had been and of what they had been. Finally, after seeing the shocked expression of the lady of the house, Felif uttered his simple question to her.

"What are demons to you?"

It was a perfectly candid question, but for Felif, the world wasn't black and white. He doesn't view the world as being split into two parts; good and evil or black and white. There could be evil methods done for the good of the others. Sometimes, there could also be those who showed good but were actually twisted and disgusting.

The world was not painted in black and white, it wasn't even created for just one purpose only.

"We profit off the demons," Geneva answered, the shock from the fear directed to her has faded into the back of her mind and her eyes have returned to their brilliant but violent shade. "Demons are the reflections of the humanity. Deepest desires, lust, hatred, and wrath. All of the humanity's deficiencies condensed into these creatures. Does it matter what they are? They are the mandate of the hunters, and we exist to vanquish them."

"Don't you think that the hunters flourish with them?" Felif asked yet again. "For the Huntsman Order who have been the hand of the hunters' society since the days of yore, demons have always been the source of our life. We fight to vanquish them, you say, but don't you think we, as hunters, thrive with the demons?"

"They don't define the hunters' society," Geneva reminded Felif coldly, her eyes were turning a darker shade. "I see them not as a source of life, but of income. Just like how a woodcutter take down trees to earn a living and do not feel a single tinge of guilt for it. We as hunters must feel the same."

"It's just simply too cruel," Felif found himself muttering lowly, his eyes flickering to the frozen demon by the side.

"What is cruelty?" Geneva asked mockingly. "What is cruelty in face of those demons? I know not even Huntsman Order discriminate among the demons, is that not why the great demons of humanity are still around? So there will be balance between mortals and demons. But does the demons discriminate between who to kill and who to leave alive?"

That left Felif rather dumbfounded. There were parts he agreed on then his mouth was already talking to the lady of the house.

"We hate and hate them, but, in the end of the day, we ourselves give life to those creatures. Then maybe the real demons are those who give life to it pretending to be a higher civilization."

Felif paused, his lips suddenly turned into a smile.

"But that's an interesting view, Lady Aldeia," Felif conceded, but when he gazed to the lady's eyes, it seemed as though she was quite amused. "Humanity as the one giving life to demons that personified all of the disagreeable traits of theirs. That's... quite an irony. Giving life to creatures that could kill you."

"Yours is rather interesting to hear too," Geneva said and rose from her seat, "hunters thriving on to someone's misery. Look at me only regarding them as good as pieces of jewelry. How cruel, indeed." Geneva looked at Felif who also rose in respect. "For a scholar from the Huntsman Order, I didn't expect you to be emotional like this."

"A bad thing?" Felif asked sheepishly, there was the hint of smile. He inclined his head slightly when Geneva turned to face the stairs of the mezzanine that would take her down.

"Not necessarily," she muttered before descending the stairs.

Behind her, Felif wore a serene smile.