Blood Lily

"A hunter?" I asked. It sounded pretty intimidating.

"That's right, I'm a hunter. A myth hunter, to be exact," she reaffirmed.

"Oh, huh," I said. Not sure what that is but-

"You'd love to know what such a job entails, right? C'mon, you know you want to ask," she practically begged.

"Uh, err, yeah, what is-"

"A myth hunter," she sharply began, "is a role only the most skilled of elite can fulfill."

She gave me an awfully confident smile and pointed at her sloppily-dressed self.

"Myth hunters, like myself, train for decades to hone our latent power so that we may stand above and beyond all other myths. Why must we stand above all others, you ask? So that we may eliminate any and all threats that inevitably show up," she explained. "When a feral, mindless troll makes an appearance in a region, what are the helpless, untrained citizens to do?" She asked, pausing long enough for me to assume it wasn't a rhetorical question.

"Um... they would-"

"They call upon I, a myth hunter!" She fervently proclaimed. "Intelligent myths, though we are few compared to humans, exist all over the world. We are more connected than humans are to each other, our numbers being as they are. As such, we have networks in place, allowing us to communicate when a threat posed by a myth appears."

She went silent and awkwardly awaited for a response from me, all the while maintaining her confident grin.

"Uh... what do you-"

"What do I fight with, you ask?" she said as if waiting for me to finally walk into that line of questioning. "Why, if you insist, I'll just have to show you."

Without waiting for me to insist, though I admit I was curious, she stood up and haphazardly scooted the table to the side. She clapped her hands twice in quick succession and the tv's screen turned off, leaving us in a room filled to the brim with shadow.

"Now... observe closely," she commanded.

As I patiently sat in the pitch dark, I heard the snap of her fingers. Within an instant, a small but powerful ember flickered to life in the palm of her hand. It glowed a soft purple, bright enough to light up the room.

"Wow... it's so pretty," I said as I stared at the flame in her hand. Was she a pyromancer like Millie mentioned earlier or-

"You haven't seen anything yet," she boasted.

Saying that, she allowed the ember to flare out ever so slightly larger. To my surprise, her other hand reached within the flame, though it didn't burn her. Slowly, her hand began to retract from the lilac-colored fire, pulling forth the handle of something.

"This," she said momentarily halting, "is my life's dedication and contribution as the head of House O'Sang."

With a sudden burst of speed, she fully unsheathed the weapon and held it at her side.

"W-wow, that's..."

"Incredible?" she finished for me correctly, for once.

Standing as tall as her, a massive scythe wreathed in a lilac blaze lit the room with a ghostly light.

"Yeah, it's incredible..." I vocally agreed.

"At some point, they started calling me 'The Moon's Angel,' though I never really understood why," she added.

Hearing her words, memories of that first night resurfaced. The way she stood brimming with the hope of a promised opportunity... the way the moon shone on her from behind and danced around her silver hair. "The Moon's Angel" couldn't be more fitting. In fact, the otherworldly mood her scythe radiated reminded me of the very first feeling I had upon seeing her that night.

"I think I can see why," I said.

She raised a brow but didn't question it.

"So... you're basically a monster hunter?" I asked while she gave her scythe a stare full of pride.

"Hrm? How did you know I was playing monster- oh, ahem, yes, that's right," she responded. She really seems to get carried away when it comes to that scythe...

"Does that mean you... kill them?" I asked unsure of what she might say.

"Usually, yes, I have to. Most wild myths cannot be reasoned with and are far too dangerous when they intrude upon civilization. I rather enjoy being able to cut loose on a powerful myth, I've even slain a few dragons. In fact, I had the mirror you so happily learned to use last night made with scales from a ruby wyvern wrecking havoc in a place in the far east," she explained.

Oh. The one I broke...?

"R-really?" I said doing my best to hide the guilt.

"Mhmmm, it was quite the adventure, as were many others. Why, just a few months ago, a few days before I turned you, I-"

"A-A few months ago? Didn't I meet you just a few days ago...?" I asked, justifiably confused.

"Ah... did I forget to mention that?" she realized. "While turning, you were asleep in your room for... about 6 months. I had nearly forgotten to tell you since I was so excited to have you awake and active."

She returned her scythe into the lilac ember and clapped her hands in quick succession once again, flipping the room's main light on.

"I turned you last year on November 26th, 2020. Since then, you have been asleep as your body went from human to vampire, though... that was supposed to be the only change," she clarified while reminding me of the unexpected twist to my transformation. "Today is Monday, May 29th, 2021, and I deeply apologize for not telling you sooner."

She bowed deeply, probably deeper than the head of a Great Vampire House would usually bow.

It did explain why the trees I had seen outside the windows seemed so lush. It was the warmer time of year, the opposite of the biting chill I had been experiencing before being turned.

"It's ok," I said. "It's not like I missed anything besides being hungry and alone on a park bench..."

"Oh, honey..." she said rising from her bow and giving me a light yet warm hug. "You'll have plenty and more to do in our little family. In fact," she said eyeing the tv behind her, "would you like it if I added one of these to your room? You seemed to enjoy it."

"Could I? I mean..."

"Of course," she softly said before raising her voice. "I'll have a tv and an assortment of games prepared for you. Just ask me whenever you'd like to try a new one."

"Thank you," I quite happily said. I had a feeling I was only going to keep saying those words more and more as I lived here.

"Now then," she started, "it's getting rather late and I have some preparations I need to make for the A'ketsueki family's arrival tomorrow."

She headed towards the door and motioned for me to follow, and with a few quick steps I was right beside her.

Just before she opened the door, however, she turned to face me.

"Though the topic strayed a bit, I should tell you this now," she said in a much more serious tone than earlier. "I spent decades learning and growing all so I could raise House O'Sang from being one of the weaker houses, especially after I walked out of the marriage that would have so easily solved that problem. I won't hide the fact that I enjoy combat with feral myths, but that doesn't mean I love all aspects of my work."

I solemnly nodded.

"I'm glad it rarely happens, but I also must hunt those that are not simply mindless beasts. This means other intelligent myths that would do harm to others... such as vampires that willingly prey upon humans, or werewolves that go berserk beyond reason and lose their sense of self," she sadly explained. I could feel that she was speaking from experience...

"Oh..." I said, unsure what else would be appropriate to respond with.

She paused for a moment, seeming to decide on if she should continue or not.

"And..." she decided to say, "this includes shacklers. Monsters that would enslave another to their nefarious will, for one reason or another."

Her scarlet eyes were mixed with pity and anger. With vengeance.

"I'll find the ones that took your life from you, the ones that shackled you," she said fully determined. "I promise you I will find them and they will pay for their crimes."

The image I saw in the mirror earlier this morning returned to me, but I didn't feel anger or hate like before. Instead, I just...

I hugged her.

"...Thank you," I quietly mumbled into her shirt.

It was just nice that someone really cared about me, that I had someone willing to go out of their way for me. Even if it is technically her job... both as a hunter and as a mother. It felt so reassuring that I could cry, and maybe I was, I couldn't tell, I just appreciated the moment.

"There, there..." she said, patting my head, "I'll never let them hurt you again..."

Gently holding my shoulders, she pushed me away and looked me straight in the eyes.

"I'm your mother," she said with a smile as warm as spring's dawn. "And do you know what that means?"

I lightly shook my head.

"It means one and one thing only..." she started. "I love you."

Those words, words I never believed I would ever hear or deserve, made the tears in my eyes far too heavy to hold up any longer. I started weeping uncontrollably into her shirt as I hugged her tightly.

Though it was difficult to say the words, I managed to choke them out through my overjoyed sobbing.

"...I love you too, mom."