Chapter 363 - Processing-I

Grandfather Jung stood beside the window. His eyes were staring at the garden, reminded by his sins. Throughout his life, he knew his mistake. When he was still young, like most vampires, he was clueless of how heavy a person's life could be.

It was until he met his wife did he understood how heavy the weigh of taking a person's life. Things like this cannot be taught. For vampires, they would need to feel it for themselves, make mistake and feel the guilt and remorse that come with it so they would be able to change.

Played by anger, he only knew he killed his own grandson's lover's parents. 

It was fortunate that Seoyeon was a woman with a beautiful soul because if not, he can't imagine losing his grandson out of the blood feud.

"Sire," Hans came standing behind him, "Do you wish to sleep now? It is too late for you."

Most vampires doesn't necessarily sleep at night but he had gotten old and his butler was worried of him getting sick as his vampires' power was also fading. 

"I wonder how Lee Young is still as strong as he is. The blood of the first pureblood vampire is as strong as it is marveled upon," grandfather Jung spoke to himself. "I want to enjoy myself a little. It has been a long time since I last saw the moon during the night time."

Hans could see how tonight his master wanted to be alone. Placing the round and large teapot, Hans then bowed, "I will take my leave now, sire."

Grandfather Jung didn't answer but gave his servant a little nod. He stood up from his seat, walking toward the picture frames settled on the side of the cupboards. Unlike Jung Hwa who limit the audience and presence of his childhood pictures, Grandfather Jung had a lot of them in his room.

He traced his hand on the picture of Jung Hwa. When he was young, he was a withdrawn child but he never become less lovable as he is now. Deep down and maybe because he shared the blood of his human father, Jung Hwa was the kindest of their family.

Jung Hwa treasured his family with all his life. They were his happiness, his pride, and kingdom of solace. Yet, in a day he had to lost his mother before having to take the life of his brother.

Grandfather Jung could never blame him for not decorating his room with picture frame. Even Jung Hwa himself must have wanted to hang portraits of his dearest family there. But he can't. Seeing them every day will only open his wound that still until this day was bleeding. 

As Jung Hwa's grandfather, he knew everything. Including the fact that his brother had been the one to decisively caused their mother's death.

And he had done it because he wanted to know how it feels to see a person's death. Until now, Grandfather Jung knows how much Jung Hwa wanted to meet his older brother again. The reason was far from missing his older brother. He only wanted to interrogate him, to ask him what exactly the reason for him to allow their mother's death.

Grandfather Jung himself wanted to know. Was the reason simply to curb his curiosity? Or because they are vampires?

"Vampires," Grandfather Jung whispered, "They are nothing but monsters in human skin, a childish, selfish, envious monster."

"So you know," came a voice behind Grandfather Jung and stepped out from it was Ava. "You know that vampires are hideous monsters disguise as a human, does that mean you will allow me to kill you easily?"

Grandfather Jung had already felt Ava's presence long even before Hans came which why he had dismissed his butler in the first place who seemed to not notice the witchess's presence as well as he could.

"Can you say that you are not a monster as well, witchess?" Grandfather Jung questioned without turning his back nor surprise could be detected from his voice.

"Yes," Ava acknowledged, "I am the monster who hunt the other monster. Don't you know that it takes a monster to defeat monsters?"

"You should differentiate us. I was born as a monster while you choose to be one. I have heard it that dark witches aren't true, they have died which means you are black witches, the human who used the black magic. I expect you know that using black magic will exhaust your soul?"

"Are you worried for me?" Ava chuckled. "How kind."

"I don't understand why you are doing this but—"

"Vampires killed all my family," answered Ava. Her hand clenched tighter while her eyes turned to a glare. "You are wrong in your suspicions, Mr. Jung. I am a dark witch. While the first catalyst killed and slaughtered every one of us, she spared those who doesn't bear ill will. It appears that she could read human's soul and had spared my family."

"Why are you turning you back on them then?" Grandfather Jung questioned. "You've been spared."

"I would have lived in a hiding normally if not for you, vampires killing my families in front of me. They started by killing my two younger sisters. They abused them, raped them, drinking their blood before they mutilate their body as if it was not enough they killed my husband! Hanged him as if he was a decoration!" Ava yelled with anger, her eyes flaring and beside her, the objects begin to swing as if they feared her burst of anger.

"Yes. I never wanted to be a monster. I never wanted to be a witch. We were spared therefore our family lived in a hiding without practicing witchcraft but that was stupid," Ava pulled a curling smile. "If I had known that one day we would be hunt, I would have learned the power that I have with me."

"It seems that you don't remember then that I am not the one who killed your family or shamed them before they die. Indeed as you say we were the one who caused you to lose your family but can you say after what you have done now, killing others you are not inflicting the same pain as others?" Grandfather Jung questioned.

"What do you know about inflicting pain to others, vampires? Drop your fucking act. I know well you are beings without emotion," Ava berated as she pulled out two knifes which she had hid underneath her sleeve, "I don't like entertaining people with words but you seem to still think you can talk me out of this. To help you find a reason why you should kill me, I will tell you a secret. Your daughter, I was the one who created the poison for her. It was a prototype of mine."

The air in the room immediately fell.

Grandfather Jung reached out his hand, his veins popped on his forehead. "I had promised not to kill anyone but you break my promise."

"Vampires are not creatures to keep promise either. Why do you have to care?" Ava raised her hand. "Stop talking and move! I will try to hold back since you are an elderly man."

The fight begin without one of them sparing another word. Despite his old age, Grandfather Jung didn't lose his touch on fighting. He had grown up by killing and his body to his bones remembered what he need to do.

On the other hand, Ava knew that close combat would be her cause to lose. She maintained the distance. Using her power she blasted wind toward Grandfather Jung. The elderly man avoided with his quick reflex and the wall behind them caved into a large hole with the attack.

Before Grandfather Jung who had just avoided the blast could turn his eyes to look forward, fire plunge forward.

Having no place to avoided it, Grandfather Jung raised both his hand, making a cross to avoid the attack. 

"The rule of killing is to be killed if you take lives but even if you don't you will get killed. Don't blame me old vampire," Ava smirked before raising her hand on her sides, causing the room to shake and took the sharpest objects in the room to come and attack Grandfather Jung.

Grandfather Jung's skin sizzled. As he hadn't been drinking blood more than necessary and not to mention his age, his healing ability slowed and it dragged him down when he tried to avoid all the object thrown to him. The skin of his cheeks cut open when a scissor was thrown over his side. 

Grandfather Jung saw for a moment that when the moonlight moved over, the picture frame's glass gleamed. His eyes moved and caught sight of his daughter who was smiling in the picture as if she was smiling at him. 

A sharp squeeze of pain stung grandfather Jung. "I have learned to regret my mistake. You will learn one to as well in the future."

Ava chuckled as if she had just heard the best joke. She had used her strongest power to push the elderly man by sheer power of her ability, causing Grandfather Jung to be pushed on the floor. 

"Okay," answered Ava. "I am prepared to die in the end of this journey. You can sit and see me again in Hell." Saying this, Ava spread her hand to the side, pulling the broke leg of the chair. "Bye," said Ava before whispering a spell and strike down the wood into Grandfather Jung's heart.

"Grandfather!" In time Jung Hwa came. His eyes solely focus on his grandfather who was on the ground and the witch who bend before his grandfather, using the wood to stake him. 

From the ends of Jung Hwa's fingers, a swirl of blood drew out, forming a sharp end and move in the speed of bullet toward Ava's heart.

The witchess coughed with blood but persistently with a smeared anger on her face, she pushed down the wood, destroying the heart of the vampire before her.