Behind closed doors inside the city hall in the very center of town a man sat on a chair while several other people hurried around filling out documents.
To a typical visitor everything would seem utterly normal, but the entire staff was under the influence of mass hypnosis cast by this overwhelmingly powerful individual.
Mass domination of the mind has far less strength than the standard version, yet it allows me to affect many people within an area at once. In situations like this it is incredibly useful he concluded while ignoring the sounds of clacking keyboards and pens scraping across paper.
His attention was suddenly pulled away.
"...what is the reason behind the sudden request for the public to stay indoors"
The television caught his eye and more specifically a part of an ongoing press conference.
On the screen stood a woman in a strange costume he did not recognise.
Fortunately the caption Blonde Blazer gave him a hint.
A superhero. Humans with strange mutations and powers
It intrigued him but a sudden thought struck him.
Wait. Does this mean humans are regaining a divine spark
Long ago when God created Adam and Eve humans possessed a spark of His power within them granting slight supernatural abilities. Thanks to it Adam and Eve lived for thousands of years and Lilith was able to give birth to Devils. But just like with vampires every new generation loses a small amount of that spark and becomes weaker.
The difference is that vampires due to their long lives lose it far more slowly because generations do not replace each other as quickly.
Judging by the current year the generation should be the nineteenth or the twentieth he thought with mild embarrassment that young vampires were so weak while humans were growing stronger.
It did not mean his race was doomed. For example if a fifth generation vampire turned someone the new one would be the sixth generation rather than the twentieth.
Come to think of it Dracula is still alive and well. I was worried I would have to create new ones to preserve the race but I guess I do not need to he noted with a faint smile remembering the cruel ruler.
"Recently a rise in Hemovore activity has been recorded. The problem is global"
His attention returned to the broadcast.
"Do you know why vampires are more active now And should the population be afraid" a reporter asked the blonde heroine.
"Eh. No. Not necessarily. How do I put this. They are more active but not immediately dangerous. Many of them have either woken up from hibernation or gained some new drive to act. Vampires are still normal members of society though just like with humans there are some more radical and unstable individuals appearing" she explained with slight discomfort.
She is not telling everything. She is choosing her words very carefully
Her body language and the small slip at the beginning made it obvious.
"Last question. Where do you get this information"
"We were contacted by the Hellsing Organization which specialises in dealing with threats of this type. Unfortunately I cannot say anything more"
That was all she said before the broadcast ended.
Hmm. Only elders would know why their blood suddenly awakened. Which means either the descendants of Hellsing hunted the elders down and interrogated them which I doubt or one of the elders works for them. I will check eventually.It's also possible I am overthinking and they don't know shit.
"Your full name" he heard from one of the employees.
Domination worked in an interesting way. It did not give him complete control. It acted more like a suggestion that the order should be carried out and that it felt natural and correct. In this case everyone believed that illegally issuing documents was a perfectly standard procedure. Even after he lifted the hypnosis they would simply forget and assume they had done their jobs normally.
"I am C... Karl. Karl. Arnur" he improvised quickly.
Better not use the real one. I do not know if someone might recognise me. Everything would be so much easier if I knew exactly how powerful modern supernatural beings are. I might not need to hide at all.
"Place of birth"
He froze. Should he give the place where his mother gave birth or where he transformed But remembering his deeds...
"Nod"
One of the clerks interrupted his thoughts.
"All done. May I have your phone number We will inform you when your ID is ready for pickup" the man said. Karl reacted with mild embarrassment.
"...I do not have one at the moment" he replied. The clerk raised a brow in surprise but thanks to domination did not question it and accepted it as normal.
"I understand. Then please return in a week for collection."
Karl nodded and stepped outside. Once he left the building he released the hypnosis leaving the staff in peace and ignorance.
He then decided to find himself a place to stay, but due to a lack of money he could not rent anything. He did not require sleep but having a place to spend time in was useful and it kept appearances.
I could simply rob them but I promised Seth that I would not harm humans without reason. I do not want to become the monster they believe me to be. I keep my word.
He grumbled inwardly irritated that the oath he had made to his brother centuries ago still limited him to this day.
That same ideology he had passed down resulted in vampires hiding among humans and attempting to coexist. A large organisation had even been created to enforce this.
At least until Dracula fucked everything up with his little impalement fetish. Since then some follow the rules and some do not.
He reminisced while staring straight at the sun.
His plan for the moment was simple. Acquire money then a temporary shelter and return for the documents. After that he would see what came next.
Maybe I will find an abandoned building and stay there
He stopped that thought because he realised he did not know where such places were in this city.
I guess I need to search he decided and began walking.
He left the stolen car behind because the police were surely looking for it after last night.
As he walked by he heard an explosion inside a nearby building. Fortunately it did not catch fire. Only shattered furniture and glass burst outward.
What the... Karl thought as he pulled a shard of glass out of his eye which instantly regenerated.
Curious he stepped inside and was greeted by a scene straight out of a crime thriller. A gang of thugs. One vampire. A few individuals with superpowers. And a middle aged man held hostage in the back.
"And who the fuck are you" one of them barked.
He did not notice that the vampire among them had already fled.
He probably realised I am older than him
Karl ignored the weakling and drifted into thought.
"I asked you a fucking question" the thug with the knife yelled.
Karl only held his forehead and shook his head. Then he pointed at him and at the others holding knives and machetes.
"You. You. And you. Kill yourselves."
Their hands trembled as they slit their own throats. The look on their faces made it clear that they were not in control of their own bodies.
The rest either ran or collapsed in terror.
Maybe I should leave one or two for appearances. No. Supernatural investigators could easily extract information from them and find me. And superheroes would definitely take interest.
He pointed at the rest. They tried to flee but far too late.
Their bodies lifted into the air and pulsed violently. Their screams filled the building as they died in agony. The moment was short but enough for nearby pedestrians to call for help in panic.
Karl had used thaumaturgy also known as blood magic to boil the blood inside their bodies. They were still alive during the process feeling pain few could ever imagine.
Without wasting further time he helped the hostage who looked grateful but terrified.
"T-Thank you. I will not tell anyone so..."
He avoided eye contact.
"Calm down. I have to go. Stay safe."
Karl began to walk away.
"Ah. P please come tomorrow. It will be closed but I would like to repay you" the man added but Karl was already gone.
The vampire however heard it from the rooftop and left before reinforcements arrived.
He did not kill the innocent man because that would break his oath. It was easier to use domination and erase his own image from the hostage's memory. A privilege the criminals did not deserve.
Dropping down behind the building and stepping over the corpses of fleeing robbers he slipped into the darkness of the alley where he spotted the young vampire. He could not escape because he was missing limbs.
"Greetings. Young one" Karl said calmly.
"You are an elder. Why are you here" the vampire asked while trying to hide his fear.
Karl smiled gently.
"And why are you here"
"Easy money you know. I need to live. Blood is expensive if you do not want to end up in prison or on a stake."
"Mhm. And which generation are you The twentieth or nineteenth"
"What are you talking about"
Karl sighed.
He realized the young vampire knew absolutely nothing not only about the situation but about how vampires truly functioned.
He reached out and touched the young vampire's head. He did the same as he had with the man in the bar and walked away.
"Your limbs will grow back before evening. If I see you pulling stupid shit again I will personally drag you out into the sun."
With that he continued exploring the city.