As soon as Sol saw Amor collapse right before his eyes, he rushed forward and gathered him into his arms. Just as he was about to enter the hotel, he crossed paths with Han, who had awakened early to practice his swordsmanship. The moment Han spotted them, he asked, "Sol! What's wrong with Amor? Is he conscious?" Sol replied, "He just fainted, come on, help me out. Let's get him to bed." Together, they carried Amor upstairs to the room and laid him on his bed. Amor looked deathly pale. It was as though his very soul had been drained away. He was running a fever. Leaving Amor in the room to rest, Han and Sol headed down to the beach.
Han spoke up, "Do you have any idea what happened to him?"
"I'm not entirely sure. He sent me a text at three in the morning. He wrote something along the lines of 'come here if I'm not back by morning.' There was a location pin. Hold on a second, let me look at it again."
"This place is—"
"Yeah, another hotel. What do you think? Should we go check it out?"
"We could. Do you think we should bring someone else along? Will it be necessary?"
"I doubt it. Even if we encounter vampires, it's morning, so they won't have their full strength. The two of us will suffice."
"Alright, let's go."
The duo arrived at the hotel from Amor's location pin. This place bore absolutely no resemblance to their own lodgings. It was a makeshift, dilapidated old building with peeling exterior paint. As they stepped inside, the pungent odor of mildew struck their faces. They spotted a middle-aged, balding man holding a cigarette, whom they presumed to be the hotel proprietor. Approaching him, they described Amor and inquired whether such a person had arrived during the evening hours.
The hotel owner mused, "Hmm... I think I recall a youngster like that. He arrived with a girl around his age. Why do you ask?"
Han cut Sol off, interjecting, "Our friend left something behind. Given that he's severely hungover, we came to retrieve it on his behalf. We asked him for the room number, but he passed out cold before he could tell us. Could you help us out?"
"Fine, here is the key to his room. Number 13. Don't linger too long; the housekeeper is due any minute. Just grab the item and leave."
"Thank you."
As they ascended the stairs, Sol asked Han where on earth he had come up with a lie like that. Han simply brushed it off, saying, "Improvisation." Of course, it was anything but improvisation. It was a lingering habit forged during his time working alongside the mafia. Reaching the front of the room, they paused and exchanged a glance, silently debating who would open the door.
Sol slotted the key into the lock and turned it. The piercing creak of the door opening echoed through the entire hallway. The atmosphere grew heavy with tension. After scanning the floor for any security cameras, Han summoned his sword. The blade materialized, taking shape from a dense mist that enveloped his hand. Sol likewise brandished his spear. The interior was shrouded in darkness. Though Han could see nothing, Sol was able to see as clearly as daylight through the power of his Cosmyth. Turning to Han, he murmured, "Watch my back," and took his first step inside. He advanced with measured caution, taking care not to make a sound.
Sol slipped into the bathroom while Han pressed forward toward the bed. His eyes were beginning to adapt to the gloom. As Sol scanned his surroundings, he noticed trails of blood leading from the main room into the bathroom. Using the tip of his spear, he signaled cautiously to Han behind the door frame to stay alert. Han checked the bed with his sword. It was empty. He called out to Sol, "Can I get some light over here?" Sol caused his body to glow, casting a faint, luminous radiance that illuminated the room. The sheets and pillowcase were stained with blood. This blood had to belong to Amor. They noticed the room's window was wide open. Even though Santorini was generally warm, its position in the open sea meant it was subject to harsh winds; thus, leaving a window wide open to sleep or lounge inside made absolutely no sense.
A strand of long, amber hair caught on one of the pillows snagged Sol's attention. This hair belonged to the girl. He looked at Han and remarked, "The girl is gone. We missed her." Han nodded in silent agreement.
Sol asked, "Do you think she's been gone long? Can we catch her?"
"I don't think so. It's only been about half an hour since Amor made it back. Even if the girl left right after him, she won't be anywhere nearby."
"Ah, Amor... What did you get yourself into? Hey, do you think that girl was a vampire?"
"Most likely. Still, we can't draw any definitive conclusions without questioning Amor first."
"You're right. Our best bet is to head back to the hotel and wait for him to wake up."
After conducting a brief further search of the room, they returned to their hotel virtually empty-handed. Han headed down to the shore to train, while Sol rested his head on his pillow to finish his interrupted sleep.
By 9:00 AM, everyone had lined up at the open buffet for breakfast. The only person missing from the crowd was Amor. The open buffet was lacking nothing. There was piping hot, toasted bread; freshly squeezed fruit juices; warm, aromatic filter coffee that could make anyone forget their drowsiness, and so much more.
Aurora asked, "Where is Amor? Is he still asleep?"
Han replied, "He came back close to dawn. It looked like he had a rather intense evening."
Hecate pressed, "Intense? Where was he? What did he do?"
Sol chuckled, teasing, "Why so curious? Is there something going on between you two?"
Rather than structuring her response into words, Hecate offered a physical retort, slamming the empty tray in her hand right over Sol's head. Though Sol grew irritated, he had brought it upon himself. On the other hand, Han continued to ponder what might have unfolded the previous night, determined to bring clarity to the situation. The only missing piece of the puzzle was that thirty-minute window when Amor had been absent from the room. These thoughts dissolved at the sound of a video call ringing from Magni. Han answered the call and propped the phone up on the table.
Magni greeted them, "How is everyone doing?"
Urania beamed, "Magni! We're doing great, just having breakfast. You absolutely have to come here, the view is breathtaking!"
Sol interjected, "Leave the guy alone so he can rest. He's already miserable that he couldn't come, don't ruin his mood further. Though, if I had been the one fighting the Chimera instead of him, I'd be sitting right here. After all, he isn't nearly as strong as I am."
Magni countered, "Just wait until you guys get back, then we'll see who's stronger! Anyway, how is everyone else?"
Aurora called out, "We're sitting on the opposite side. Han, turn the phone toward us!"
Magni asked, "Is Amor not having breakfast?"
"No, he's still asleep. They say his night was quite eventful."
"Ah, did you guys find the vampires already?!"
Neptune remarked, "If a vampire hunt is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says 'eventful night,' you still have some growing up to do, Magni. We're saying he sealed the deal."
A brief silence descended upon the table following Neptune's blunt remark. Han murmured a quick goodbye and disconnected the call. Everyone then shifted to discussing breakfast and the island, mapping out their itinerary for the day. Diana wanted to visit the hot springs; Hecate wanted to swim in the sea; Sol and Neptune leaned toward conducting research; while Aurora wavered between staying at the hotel or taking a stroll along the beach. Urania chose to accompany Hecate to the sea, and Luna wanted to unwind at the hot springs with Diana. Han, meanwhile, shared the same sentiment as Sol and Neptune.
Cutting through the chatter, Sol asserted, "Don't forget, everyone, we came here on a mission, and the first day is already over. We need to begin our investigation immediately. We don't even know how large the nest is yet. I think we should figure that out first."
No matter how much they wished to enjoy a holiday, Sol was right. They were here on duty, and their time was ticking away. Furthermore, the sooner they wrapped up the assignment, the more leisure time they would have left to unwind. They divided the responsibilities among themselves: Sol and Luna would investigate the bars; Urania and Neptune would inspect the beach clubs; while Diana and Aurora would check the local shops. Han would wander around solo to converse with the locals, and Hecate and Amor were tasked with exploring abandoned buildings.
Hecate decided to remain in the room and read a book until Amor woke up. The others, meanwhile, headed outside to begin their search. After two hours had ticked by, Amor finally stirred. The piercing light filtering through a gap in the curtains blinded his eyes, making them feel as though they were on fire. Dragging himself out of bed, he walked into the bathroom, washed his face, and took a shower. As he caught his reflection in the mirror, he noticed subtle shifts in his anatomy. His complexion had turned pale, and his pupils had constricted. He had a vague inkling as to why, but he ultimately chalked it up to sheer exhaustion.
His stomach burned with hollow hunger. He stepped out of his room to seek out breakfast. Hearing the sound of running water fading from the adjacent room, Hecate was already waiting for him by the door. She glared straight into his eyes and snapped, "I've been waiting two hours for you to wake up! If I had to wait any longer, I would have gone by myself." Amor sighed, "I just woke up, calm down! We'll do whatever we need to do after I get something to eat." With that, the two made their way down to the cafeteria. From the vast array of food options, Amor gathered a coffee and a few slices of toasted bread before sitting down at a table. Though Hecate continued to grumble, Amor paid her no mind, consumed by the urge to eat.
He took a bite of the toast he had spread with jam. For a reason he couldn't comprehend, the jam-covered bread tasted utterly vile. Even though this was normally his absolute favorite breakfast choice, he found himself entirely unable to swallow the morsel. To mask the horrific taste that seemed to intensify the more he chewed, he took a swift gulp of his coffee. The instant it hit his tongue, he bolted for the restrooms. Hecate was left staring blankly after him, thinking to herself, Maybe he's still hungover? Amor retched, bringing up everything he had consumed since the previous night. "What is this garbage food? Can't they even toast a simple piece of bread? And that coffee... it was ice cold. It wasn't even brewed properly," he muttered between bouts of vomiting. Once he finished, he rinsed his mouth and returned to Hecate's side.
Hecate inquired, "Are you alright? You're not drunk or anything, are you?"
"No, I'm not. Ah, by Zeus, my head is splitting. Do you happen to have a painkiller on you?"
Hecate reached into her handbag and handed Amor the painkiller she always carried with her.
"Hecate, can I ask a favor of you?"
"As long as it isn't something ridiculous, sure."
"Could you try this toast and coffee?"
"What? Why? Fine, give it here."
Hecate took a bite of the bread. "It tastes perfectly fine? It's just fresh bread." She then took a sip of the coffee and yelped, "Ah! I burned my tongue! This is entirely your fault, why didn't you tell me it was hot?" Indeed, the issue lay solely with Amor. He couldn't perceive taste, nor could he feel the heat. Hecate remarked that if his breakfast was finished, they ought to get moving. Though Amor was too preoccupied pondering the cause to formulate a verbal response, his body complied with Hecate's command, and he stood up. They departed from the hotel and set off toward the areas allocated for their search.
Sol and Luna had already inspected four out of the six bars on the island. The proprietor of the last establishment they visited informed them that they had spotted one of the vampires but had failed to capture it. According to eyewitness accounts, the vampire was a young woman with crimson hair and violet eyes. She had lured a heavily intoxicated man into the alleyway behind the bar and drained his blood there until he perished. Following this statement, the siblings exchanged a meaningful look, noting how unusual these occurrences were. Vampires typically refrained from feeding on their prey out in the open. Even if they did, they rarely killed their victims. Instead, the prey would succumb to the vampire's thrall and willingly return to them. Consequently, they would either feed on the same individual for several weeks or, if they drained them too heavily, turn them into a vampire to join their ranks. Sol dispatched a text to the mission's group chat, instructing everyone to assemble back at the hotel in three hours, precisely at 2:00 PM (14:00).
Neptune and Urania's investigation had yielded no results, while Diana and Aurora's search had concluded with them securing forty-eight hours of security camera footage. Han had managed to gather a few shreds of information from the local populace and a handful of tourists. They noted that the vampires had been present for the past few weeks, and the number of missing persons had surged over the last two weeks. According to Han's estimates, the pack consisted of at least four individuals. A standard vampire typically interacts with a maximum of two humans per week. Yet, eleven people vanishing in a span of two weeks without ever returning—now that was highly irregular. Much like the situation with the chimeras, an unnatural anomaly was disrupting the behavior of mythological entities.
Hecate and Amor were combing through the abandoned, vacant structures. This was the final building on their list. The previous ones had contained absolutely nothing, and both of them harbored the hope that this building would turn up empty as well. After all, when it came to combat prowess, they were the weakest links in the class. If they crossed paths with vampires, there was no telling how long it would take for the others to reach them. This ancient structure, with the concrete crumbling away from its foundations, made them feel as though they had walked straight into a horror film. A rodent scurried past their feet. Terrified, Hecate lunged forward and gripped Amor's arm tightly. Amor remained silent, primarily because he was equally frightened. The further down the building's floors they descended, the darker the surroundings became. Drawing upon her power, Hecate conjured a ball of fire in her palm.
Unfamiliar with the exact nature of Hecate's Cosmyth, Amor panicked. In a sudden, swift motion, he caught Hecate by the waist and pulled her flush against himself. Turning crimson with intense embarrassment, Hecate gazed up at Amor. Under the pale flicker of the flames, he closely resembled the handsome male protagonist from the book she had been reading.
Hecate murmured, "Maybe we should just turn around and leave?"
"N-no... Don't you think our date is taking a romantic turn? Just the two of us, under candlelight..."
Hecate used her free hand to strike Amor over the head.
"You absolute idiot, do you honestly think we're here on a date? Besides, why on earth would I ever go out on a date with someone like you?"
"Hey, I was just trying to lighten the mood! Why does everyone feel the need to hit me?"
As the two bickered, the muffled sound of voices drifted up from the lower floor. They were thoroughly terrified.
Shielding Hecate behind his arm, Amor began to descend the stairs with firm, steady steps. The dialogue was growing distinct. The voices belonged to a man with a deep, resonant tone and a woman speaking in soft, warm accents. Hecate thought to herself, I sincerely hope they aren't doing what I think they're doing down there... Amor gestured to Hecate to extinguish the flame. Amor's vision was beginning to pierce through the heavy darkness. He was certain of it now. He was transforming into a vampire.