A large and luxurious auction hall decorated with dark red velvet carpets and glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and various antiques belonging to the past centuries.
The vampire Filomeno, who was an ardent collector of antiques and loved to collect all the valuables in the halls of his underground palace, had come to the auction hall that night and was passing his keen eye over everything.
"Vampire Queen Hadria's dress brush. I was hoping they'd auction off her teeth or hair, but that's the booty too."
Suddenly a voice behind him said:
"I thought it would be humiliating for you to see the body parts of Queen Hadria the Great at auction."
Filomeno turned and saw the vampire hunter, Bahati and smiled.
"Not really. I have to tell you that I don't have good memories of her. I was her lover and she dictated everything in my life and I had no choice but to obey her."
"I didn't know that about you."
Filomeno's smile widened.
"You vampire hunters are puffed up with pride and think you know all the secrets of vampires and you even credited the destruction of Hadria with your name."
"Maybe I'm arrogant, but you're also too carefree. You appear among people without any worries and you don't even care that the hunters are watching you."
"Why should this concern me? I'm not a piece of fat for hunters. I'm not the kind of vampire whom they can take pride in capturing and executing and selling his body parts at auctions."
"Don't be modest. I have a feeling there's a secret about you. Something you've been hiding from everyone, even your own kind."
"I know I've been on your mind for a while now. But I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not what you wish I was."
"And what is that?"
Filomeno approached Bahati and stood within a centimeter of him and whispered:
"Unfortunately, the training you learned to lock your mind has no use against me. I have seen and see all your heart's desires. I know very well why you became a vampire hunter."
"Good. I don't need to put my wish into words anymore."
"Bahati, the dreams you have about me are just dreams and nothing more. I can't turn you into a vampire, I don't have the power."
Bahati's heart rate increased and his cheeks turned red.
"But I'm sure you can, and you know it too. You're just afraid to do it. The thought of turning someone, of someone getting so close to your body and soul and even getting tied to them, terrifies you."
The color jumped out of Filomeno. He swallowed and said:
"Stop chasing me. If you keep doing this, your colleagues might find out what you're thinking and then nothing good will happen to you. They'll take you to that special hospital and tie your hands and feet and give you an electric shock until you get the thought of becoming a vampire out of your head."
"I will come for you again. If you don't want me to get caught, take me to your palace and transform me."
Bahati said this and then turned and went towards the exit. Filomeno watched him go with a confused face and thought to himself that he was cursed. Whether Bahati gets turned or not, the sheer darkness will swallow them both.
