The Red String

In Loving Memory

Wen Kexing's interest was peaked. What were they doing all the way out here? Although their eyes had been covered with riding goggles, their mouths had been exposed and in the dim glow of night, they had lacked the telling canines of a vampire. He observed as the three stopped at the crossroad ahead and were joined by several others on bikes as well. The lead male dismounted and briefly conversed with the group before they all rode off in the direction of the disturbance in the forest. They were heading opposite where the town and human population resided, and away from safety. 

His curiosity was peaked and he motioned to his driver. "Follow after them with the lights off." His chauffer nodded and pulled back out onto the road while Gu Xiang bounced in her seat, and he smiled indulgingly. She did so love adventures of the bloody variety and he was all too happy to give her these experiences. The two of them were perfect companions, brought together by loss, and easy company in the shared desire to see blood spilt. 

The road was narrow and eventually tapered off to a dirt path so the two got out of the car and left their chauffeur behind. Kexing lowered himself and brushed his gloved hands over the tire tracks in the dusty earth. The group had definitely gone this way but the question remained, why were they here? He had been gone for only a year and in his absence, there were quite a few new players in town. 

Gu Xiang tugged on his suit jacket and pointed to the distance where both could hear that the chanting had stopped, and sounds of fighting rose above the treetops. They ran with bursts of supernatural speed and soon arrived to a scene of chaos. They saw the motorcycles first and past them was a congested group fighting to the death. The group from earlier was easily picked out, with their leather jackets and high buckled boots, looking like grim reapers from hell as they fought with snarling vampires. The sweet scent of blood filled the air and Kexing lifted his head to follow the aroma to a heap of bodies placed carelessly by the side of the clearing. A frown curled his lips at the sight of so many dead humans piled together.

If the rest of the supernatural community came to know of this, it would be Kexing's ass on the line. His frown deepened and he turned to Gu Xiang with a raised brow in question. She too was staring with wide eyes and she shook her head frantically at him. "I know nothing of this, Master." His eyes blazed with a furiously cold light and she smelled the danger there. His calculating side normally took precedence, but there was always another part of him that fought to get out. It was the part that could level cities and drink the blood of hundreds if provoked. 

Different sorts of screams filled the air now, and it was the high-pitched cries of vampires dying. The leather clad group fought well, and Kexing stood to the side watching carefully. They smelled human for the most part, but they did not fight like humans. He also scented a male witch amongst the mix which had his nostrils flaring. A witch on vampire property, even nomadic ones, was practically taboo. His eyes roved the crowd searching for the offending person but there were too many bodies and the fight threw his keen senses astray. 

A vampire came running his way and he watched as Gu Xiang looked to him for permission then stepped out and sprang on his shoulders. She laughed gleefully as she braced her hands under the vampire's chin and pulled up then rolled off the falling body with the dismembered head in her hands. She bounced it in her hands like a ball and then pitched it at another vampire, giggling madly when it hit him in the back hard enough that his spine audible cracked. Wen Kexing knew he doted on her too much but affection painted his pale smile and he waved her off. With a cheerful giggle, she dived into the fight, her talons out. She had always preferred to kill with her hands. 

When he saw her stalking towards one of the unknown humans, he called out her name softly and she turned. A pout flickered on her features when she saw him shake his head, but he had questions that he wanted answers to. 

Kexing's eyes were drawn some feet away when the rain scent of magic permeated the air and electricity crackled as it enveloped a vampire. It snapped sharply, frying the body quickly and effortlessly. This was a strong witch, he observed. The body fell to the ground, breaking into ashes once it hit the dirt. The male that was standing in front of the dead vampire still had magic swirling around his hands and he threw it out, vaporizing another vampire in seconds. 

He had an innocent face and if Kexing had to guess, he was probably around twenty-four, but what interested him was the male's eyes which held a world within them. They seemed far older then the outward shell and it had him tilting his head. It seemed in his absence, the world had gained new additions and strong ones at that. Alarm zipped through him and he straightened when he saw Gu Xiang run into the witch's line of sight, but for some reason the witch halted. The male's eyes went wide and the magic encircling his fingers flickered uncertainly at the sight of Gu Xiang. His mouth opened as though he were about to say something. 

While he was distracted, a vampire crept up behind him, a frenzied drool dripping from his teeth as he prepared to pounce on the unsuspecting witch. And then his head went rolling and a figure with his hair tied back whirled into view. "Cao Weining, concentrate!"  

The witch, Cao Weining, blinked out of his stupor and magic raged around him brighter than before. "Yes, Liege!" He dove back into the fight, but Wen Kexing noticed that his efforts now seemed to center around Gu Xiang. The vampires in her radius turned to ash on the spot and the witch moved closer to her while keeping some semblance of distance. 

This night was certainly turning out to be most interesting and eventful. He had gotten to wipe out one the last factions of his creator's followers and now this. His eyes settled on the male who had saved the witch and his eyes sparked with intrigue. 

The male was handsome in a pretty yet masculine sort of way. His fighting style was entrancing to watch as well, but quite strange. He held a fan in one hand and a long knife in the other, and he moved almost too fast for a human eye to see, but Wen Kexing was not human. The male would throw out the fan in an arch to maim and then dispatch several vampires with the second weapon in its absence. Rows of vampires fell in his wake and Wen Kexing couldn't help but be slightly impressed. 

His gaze must have been heavy because the male raised his head and looked over the chaos. Their eyes met and held, and the man's was hot and heavy on Wen Kexing's. He suspected if he had a heart that still beat, it would have started pounding at the heat in those eyes. 

He narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar feeling, but did not shrink away from the gaze of the male. The world slowed down around them and the male's expression suddenly became pained yet hopeful, his lips parting in surprise. If he had not been a centuries old vampire, Wen Kexing would have missed it, but he witnessed the male's lips open and mouth a clear and distinct, "Lao Wen."