I don’t usually stay up too late once night falls. Head to bed by ten, wake up early at 7. If I felt a bit daring, maybe I’d even stay up till eleven. Usually, I’d never get to see midnight because by then I’d be fast asleep and dreaming away.

Not tonight, however. Tonight, even as the clock struck past midnight to one, there I sat wallowing in the darkness on my armchair, the only source of light being from the warm, luminous glow of my smartphone.

A little tab opened in the internet browser. The Chronicles Of Asteria wiki page.

From there, I read aloud the first paragraph in the description.

“Vampires, a subspecies of the near-endangered species called Elidna, are amongst the most feared creatures of all the land. Though sightings are mostly rare, they are well-known for settling in places with a high population count and slowly, without notice, feast upon the blood of innocent civilians, subjugating them to mindless husks. Clearing an infestation of vampires is a near-impossible task, given their brute strength, high speed and their prowess in illusion magic. In regards to Elder Vampires…”

My voice trailed off, I raised my eyes up from my phone and stared at Ash, who was standing quietly by the hallway, muttering to herself something I couldn’t understand to herself.

Probably a spell.

“Elder Vampires?” I asked, my eyes adjusting to the dark silhouette that was hers.

Ash stopped muttering, looked at me, and walked to the kitchen, drawing out a small packet of salt from a cabinet. Without skipping a beat, she cut a hole into the packet, pouring out the content onto every corner, every crevice, and every doorway in the apartment.

“What kind of vampire are we dealing with here?” I asked again as she sprinkled salt onto every piece of furniture in the living room. “A normal one? Elder?”

“Worse,” said Ash, flinging even more salt at me like it was holy water. “A Matriarch. The most dangerous, most volatile, of all vampires.”

“So, it’s a she…” I sputtered out a salt pellet. “I assume you sprinkling a bit of salt will stave her away, right?”

“No. It simply stalls her, grants me more time to act, a necessary precaution. Nothing stops a Matriarch. If she were to come after you, the salt acts as a repellent, if only temporary. Hopefully just enough to be able to elude her and escape her wrath.”

“You can’t fight her?”

Ash’s head fell, her hair hiding her expression. “No, I… I am simply not capable of defending you. I will do my utmost best, I’m prepared to give my life, master – but I… I’m afraid I can offer no guarantees that I will be able to save you.”

I felt a strange sort of tightening around my chest. “She’s that powerful?”

“A Matriarch is a threat that appears only once in every millennium. For one to befell upon your world… it is strange, indeed.”

“Do you think your appearance and hers are related?”

“I cannot say for certain,” said Ash, shaking her head.

Once she was sure every square meter of the house was glazed over with mounds of salt, she headed back to the kitchen. I watched her every step, feeling the familiar pinch of anxiety constricting my lungs.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

Ash came out and walked towards me, a flash of silver gleamed in the moonlight – a sharp, pointed kitchen knife stared back at me in her hands.

“We hide ourselves,” she said.

My eyes couldn’t tear away from the blade she held in a tight grip. “And the knife?”

“Not to worry, master,” Ash said, hovering the sharp edge over the palm of her hand. “It’s for me.”

In a motion so swift that I couldn’t even react in time, Ash had sliced open her skin, a clean cut right across her hand. The blood that flowed and dripped, it made me a bit nauseous, but Ash didn’t even flinch. I don’t think she even felt the cut.

“Was that really necessary?”

“Yes.”

Ash clenched her fist, gushing more blood to leak out of her wound, a free flow of crimson red splattering onto the floor. Just like she did with the salt, Ash went a full round, staining everything with her blood, speaking as she did.

“Vampires, particularly in regards to Matriarchs, have a tendency to feast on the blood of the young, especially those pure of spirit.”

“Pure of spirit?” I asked, weaving my head around her hand as she coated the armchair.

“Virgin blood, pure blood” she explained, going her way, blood dribbling down her fingers to my bedroom to continue her thing. “A Vampire’s quintessential meal. Much as I crave the taste of frosted flakes myself, vampires go on frenzies simply for a mere drop of one.”

I followed after her, swinging my doorway to see her coating the ends of my bed with blood.

Virgin blood, huh? Wait a minute…

“How did you know I was a virgin?”

Ash paused, bent over by the bedside table. She looked up at me with a peculiar look on her face. “I… merely assumed. Why? Are you not a virgin, master?”

“No! I mean – Yes! I mean – I am, I am,” I said, shifting uncomfortably. “It’s just… Well, how did you arrive at such a conclusion? Did you sniff me or something?”

“I could sniff you all day, and I already have, but know that no information would be gained by such an act. No master, I’ve simply deduced. Your lifestyle, your personality, your… uhh, demeanor… through a maiden’s eyes – forgive the bluntness, master – but there exist far desirable alternatives besides you.”

Ouch.

“Good to know,” I said, feeling a stabbing in my chest that had nothing to do with anxiety or knives for that matter. “Looks like my virginity is going to be the death of me.”

“So it seems.”

There was silence for a moment, and then…

“Wait, did you say you sniffed me already?”

“All done!” Ash shot up from underneath the bed frame, letting out a big breath of accomplishment. “All preventive measures have been taken, I have recited every protection incantation I could recall… Now we pray that these attacks will not last for long.”

“That’s it?”

She nodded. “That’s it.”

The green glint of her eyes followed me as I took a seat by my desk. I opened up a few cluttered drawers before I found the stuff that I was looking for.

Bandages and a bottle of disinfectant. I held it out in front of her, gesturing for her to come near me so that I could apply it, which she promptly did by taking a place at the end of the bed and stretching her arm out towards me.

The gash in her palm continued to trickle blood. How deep did she cut herself? How much blood did she lose for me?

As I doused her hand with the bottle, my eyes darted to the many trails and splatters strewn throughout the room. Now she’s literally bleeding for me, for my protection.

The guilt I felt hurt, but her pain was far greater. I knew it hurt. She can stay mute all she wants, put on a mask of indifference if it helps keep up her facade, but there was no hiding the twitch in her ears, the small hiss through the gap in her lips.

“You still haven’t explained why you had to cut yourself,” I said, unraveling a long string of bandage.

“I already have, it’s necessary,” Ash said. “It protects you.”

“How does your blood protect me?”

The bandage wrapping was a process done in silence. Ash didn’t answer me. The only thing audible was our own quiet breathing.

Another twitch in her ears, another strained expression on her face, another secret she won’t tell.

I made up my mind. I wouldn’t force her.

“All done,” I said, offering her a smile that she didn’t return. “I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to you for going so far to protect me. I hope someday I’ll be able to find a way to repay you for all you’ve done for me.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Not everything has to be… or would you rather I wasn’t grateful to you at all? Would you rather I didn’t thank you?”

“It really wouldn’t impede me from doing my task,” she said quietly. “As a master, you are utterly terrible at issuing me commands. You’re appreciative, you commend me for my accomplishments and barely reprimand me for my incompetence. What you speak of… gratitude, thankfulness… it’s unprecedented.”

“That’s just normal.”

“No, it’s abnormal.”

Chuckling, I placed a hand on her head, ruffling her silky, white hair between my fingers. “Then I guess for as long as you’re with me, I will continue to be the most abnormal master I can be to you.”

Ash didn’t speak.

“You’re not saying no,” I remarked.

“An answer isn’t necessary.”

Oh, Ash… I guess you’re still finding it hard to express your wishes, huh? Slow and steady, we’ll get there.

“Welp, it’s real late now…” I said, drawing my hand back to my side. “I guess same procedure as always, right? I sleep on the bed, you watch me from the couch.”

“Yes.”

“Go take your place then, Ash. Let that wound heal. I’ll get some shut-eye.”

Ash politely bowed her head and stood up. Slow, fatigued steps out the doorway. From the dark rings circling her eyes, the loose strands of silver jutting out her hair, and her almost lifeless droopy ears, it was obvious to anyone that she was practically exhausted.

Seven nights she has watched over me as I slept. Seven long nights, and not a single complaint. I hope and pray to whatever God is up there, sitting on his high horse, that the eight night, tonight, would be her last.

As I was thinking this, I failed to notice Ash standing still by the doorway, staring at me.

“What’s wrong?” I said, finally taking notice.

“Before, you’ve asked me how my blood protects you from the Matriarch,” she said, her gaze failing to meet mine. “It protects you because my blood isn’t pure.”

I narrowed my brows. “How do you mean?”

“A Matriarch exclusively feast on the blood of the pure. Impure blood, tainted blood… like my own, they detest the smell and taste of it. Though they will consume upon it provided choices are few. It’s common practice for a township with a Matriarch infestation to pave their households with blood taken by an undesirable to decrease the likelihood of attacks.”

“So when you said your blood wasn’t pure, what you really mean is -”

“It wasn’t by choice,” she said at once, gripping her jacket tight with both hands. “I’m sorry, I was… he was… I didn’t -”

“Don’t,” I instantly stood up and made my way towards her. “Don’t say it like you did something wrong. You didn’t. Don’t explain yourself. Don’t apologize. I’m not blaming you for anything, alright?”

“Okay…” She relaxed herself, sighing with ease. “It’s just… my previous masters were – ”

“Scum,” I finished for her.

If there was any person undeserving of the hand fate had dealt them, it was Ash. The more she delved into herself, the more I got a view of the harsh, tortuous path she had walked her entire life. It honestly infuriated me.

I know the game developers aren’t at fault for designing her this way. For all they knew, they were just making a tragic backstory for a fictional character. But now that character was here, and her story became real, so my anger at them couldn’t be placated.

Still, I swallowed the anger and gave Ash a reassuring smile.

“It really is late, Ash. Tomorrow we’ll talk. Really talk. If you don’t want to, we’ll find something else for us to do, take your mind off everything, okay?”

Ash was quiet for a while before she finally spoke, speaking with a bit of restraint in her voice. “Well, I did find myself intrigued by that book you read to me the other day.”

I could only chuckle. “Harry Potter, it is.”