There was nothing left of the house save for a smoldering wreck. Cops, firefighters, and paramedics surrounded the ashes of Jon's family home while the little boy sat on the back of one of the ambulances, a blanket wrapped over him, numb to the world.

While the cops discussed evidence and set up a perimeter for when arson arrived, a group of priests watched from the nearby crowd. Their eyes keenly trained on the boy in the ambulance.

“Is that him?” One of the priests asked the other.

“Yes. His father managed to save him and drive the vampire off.”

“A shame he didn't survive. Still, at least the boy did not fall into the wrong hands.”

“True enough. It is God's will that we deliver the gauntlet to the Church.”

“And the child?”

“With the right training, he may be of use to us. For now, we should put him with the other orphans. As was his father's final request.”

“Do you think he has any idea of what lies in store for him?”

“With any luck, no he won't.”

The two priests ducked under the caution tape and made their way over to the ambulance. The boy, wrapped in his blanket, continued to stare at the red dragon mark that had appeared on the back of his left hand.

--

Jon skimmed over the contents of the old book laid out in front of him. Occasionally he would glance over the translation book he had next to the text he was trying to read. While he knew enough Japanese to be decently fluent, he wasn’t nearly as competent reading it and required a translation guide for most of the book. The process was agonizingly slow, especially considering half the time he wasn't a hundred percent sure he got it right.

The text alert on his phone went off.

:: Some medicine to help your tummy. ;) I’ve got other costumes besides this. A shame I can’t show you more! ::

“Jesus…”

For the longest time, he just stared at the picture that had appeared on his phone. Miya was sitting on her knees in the middle of her bed, phone in hand, wearing a skimpy little nurse outfit that left virtually nothing to the imagination. She’d apparently propped a full-body mirror up in her room to take the shot and had gone to great lengths to make herself as distracting as humanly possible.

He quickly deleted the image and put his phone down, deciding not to respond for now. The situation was starting to get out of hand. A few conversations and some texting was one thing, but this? Normally by now, the gruff, emotionally unavailable wall he put up in front of himself was enough to deter most women. Yet still she persisted, and the fact he couldn’t seem to just detach himself from the situation entirely the way he normally would was starting to get frustrating.

More frustrating than that, however, was this damn book. Some of the words he was reading didn't even seem to be in Japanese. There were several phonetic symbols that appeared multiple times throughout the book that didn't seem to have any known meaning. At least not according to his dictionary.

Two symbols in particular kept appearing over and over again. Jon made sure to make a note of them in his research journal, but no matter where he looked there didn't seem to be anything in the university's library on the subject. He groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose to relieve the stress. He'd been at Anju for three months now and he still felt no closer to any answers about this damn mark on his hand.

“What the hell does this mean?” he asked aloud to himself.

“It's ancient Aramaic.”

Jon’s body seized and his entire frame jerked in the direction of the voice that spoke behind him. His hand instinctively clutched at the revolver he had concealed in his jacket.

The voice that spoke let out a quiet startled gasp which was quickly replaced with a small feminine laugh. “Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”

For a moment, Jon just stared. He wasn't sure what to be more surprised about. The fact that a student had managed to sneak up on him in the first place, or that that student happened to be a particularly gorgeous redhead. It took a lot to be able to take someone like Jon's breath away, yet she did it with little more than a glance.

“It's alright,” he responded while quickly regaining his composure. “I just didn't hear you.” That fact alone unsettled him more than he cared to admit. Jon could hear a pin drop from the other side of the building if he listened hard enough. The fact that she managed to sneak up behind him without so much as making a sound was a new one for him.

“I just couldn't help but notice what you're studying, Hyugo's Divinus Canticles. Very advanced stuff,” she observed.

“It's for my religious studies class,” he lied. “I'm supposed to write a paper on various interpretations of biblical mythology.”

She quirked an inquisitive brow at him. “That's an incredibly obscure subject to write a paper on. Not to mention insanely controversial.”

He shrugged. “I've never been one to shy away from a little controversy.”

“A man after my own heart,” she teased in a slightly flirtatious manner before offering him a perfectly manicured hand. “Valerie Duval. Mind if I join you?”

He took her hand in his and shook gently. Her skin was like silk against his calloused palm. “Jonathan Hyodo. I'd be honored if you did.”

With a pleased smile she took the seat opposite from him at the table he was sitting at. As she made herself comfortable, Jon took a moment to better admire her features. Valerie appeared to be a few years older than Miya was, most likely a senior. She wore a short black and red skirt that managed to be both elegant and slightly provocative, which she paired with a white button-up that seemed to conform perfectly to her more full figure. Funny enough, he felt like he'd seen several other students on campus wearing something similar. If he had to guess, it was a uniform for one of the university's various clubs.

Her features were obviously northern European, as opposed to Japanese. That, along with her total lack of any accent when she spoke English made it difficult to place where she was originally from. Or why, for that matter, she was attending Anju.

“You said this language is Aramaic, right?”

She nodded. “Specifically, it is an archaic variant of the Phoenician dialect.”

“Do you know what these words mean?” he asked, pointing to the two words that kept appearing in the book.

“Not exactly,” she admitted. “That language has been dead for centuries. But I can give you a rough idea.”

He nodded. “I'd appreciate it.”

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms together, as well as crossing one leg over the other. “The closest we've come to an exact translation is Blood Artifacts.”

“Blood Artifacts?” He stared down at the word again curiously. “That's a bit on the nose, don't you think?”

Valerie chuckled in amusement, covering her mouth to hide her small smile. “As I said, that's only a rough translation. The real words have been lost to time, I'm afraid.”

“So what can you tell me about these...Blood Artifacts?”

She shrugged her shoulders in uncertainty. “Not much help there, I’m afraid. There’s very little information about them beyond what they supposedly were.”

“And what were they?”

“Ancient siphons of power, if you believe in that sort of thing,” she explained. “Unique abilities bestowed upon mortals that manifested in the form of objects. Preposterous, I know. But there are certain pagan faiths who still believe in them.”

“But what sorts of abilities did these objects grant?” he asked her, curiously.

“The objects themselves were not important. They were merely a manifestation of the Artifact Holder’s will.” She explained, considering him more thoughtfully for a moment. “Are you at all familiar with the Priory of Sion hoax?”

He shook his head at her. “Can’t say that I am.”

“Back in the sixties, a French con artist tried to convince a bunch of people he was the legitimate heir to a really old Germanic king. And that he possessed the blood of a Holy Roman Emperor,” she explained. “The whole thing was a sham, but a lot of people believed in it."

"Okay?"

"The thing is…" she continued. "...the idea of Holy Bloodlines is a lot older than people think. For instance, there are indications in Gnosticism of the belief that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene may have shared a romantic relationship with one another. And there are some within that sect who even believe they may have conceived a child together.” The young lady inspected her nails before continuing. “Anyway, a lot of the themes regarding the Priory of Sion hoax revolved around that.”

“But what does that have to do with this book?”

She smirked at him. “I told you. The idea of Holy Bloodlines goes back even farther than most people think. That book you're reading is a translation taken from an even older text created as an observation on the scriptures taught by Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the world. Hugo’s Divinus Canticles preaches that the cosmic presence we know as God blessed certain mortals with unique, divine powers. Powers which manifest in the form of objects. For Jesus, it was a grail. For Moses, a staff. But there were many others as well, many other Blood Artifacts given by God. Artifacts that have since been passed down from one generation to the next.”

Jon looked down at the mark on his hand. “What else do you know about these Artifacts?”

“That’s about it…” Her brow furrowed. “Actually...maybe there was one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“According to the Divinus Canticles, the one connection that all those born with a Blood Artifact possess is that great tragedy eventually befalls them.”

A tense silence followed.

“You sure do know a lot about this stuff,” Jon finally spoke up.

“I'm the President of Occulta Disciplina,” she explained. “It's sort of my thing.”

He quirked a confused brow at her. “Occulta what now?”

She chuckled at him in amusement. “That’s Latin for Occult Studies and Research. It’s my club.”

He cocked a brow at her. “Occult studies, huh?” That could be exactly what he needed.

“Are you interested in joining any clubs?” she asked, her voice suddenly brightening. “We've certainly got plenty of openings. And I’ll bet you will find the books in our library to be a tad more helpful with your research. ”

It was tempting, he had to admit. And no doubt they had information that could help him...but no. This wasn't the sort of thing he was willing to get innocent people mixed up in. The mark was his problem, not hers.

“As flattered as I am, I'm afraid I'll have to decline.” He spoke apologetically. “I'm not looking into any clubs right now.”

If she was disappointed at all she didn't show it. If anything, that unwavering smile on her face seemed to indicate she had anticipated his response. “Of course. But even so, if I can help you with your research do not hesitate to ask.” She insisted.

He smiled at her and nodded. “I'd like that. Thank you.” At that moment a thought occurred to him. Jon checked his watch and frowned. “Ah hell, I gotta go.” He quickly got up from his seat and gathered his books. “I promised some buddies I'd meet them over at the track field today.”

She gave him a curt nod. “Hopefully I'll see you around.”

“Likewise.”

Valerie watched as the Hunter walked off, her eyes practically glued to his bulky form as he left.

“Jonathan Hyodo,” she repeated to herself. “Very soon, you will be mine.”