Chapter Twenty-Two: Vasilisa

Professor Longinus said, “Target VARU-133, codename: Vasilisa, originates from a long-standing Eastern European fairy tale—‘Vasilisa and Baba Yaga,’ where a young girl defeats a wicked witch through her cleverness. I cannot be certain whether the target we pursue is truly related to the girl in the tale, or perhaps the fairy story is merely a modern embellishment of a terrifyingly ancient figure recast as a heroine.”

Betty asked, “Is this... the file on that Sword and Shield Society Duke?”

Lamia replied, “Most likely.” I shushed her, saying, “Betty, keep quiet!” Betty shot me a glare.

My ancestor continued, “Next is the full account of the event: On a night in 2xxx (the date has been obscured by static), a grave incident occurred in Marine Cliff. The residents of a building were attacked, resulting in thirty-three deaths. Survivors downstairs claimed, ‘We heard gunfire, explosions, and screams. People kept falling from above, as if mauled by some enormous beast.’ Since Marine Cliff falls outside the scope of Charon Corporation’s operations, the Sword and Shield Society was commissioned to investigate. I was among the investigators.”

Then came footage from the scene, with my ancestor and several warriors clad in exoskeletons walking through the site of carnage. The camera shifted to a corpse, about whom he said, “The deceased was named xxxx (also erased), the top figure of the local crime syndicate ‘Fist of Power.’ There was no blood around him, yet all the blood in his body had vanished. The killer—whether human or beast—drained him of his blood.”

The lens moved to the street, where my ancestor said, “An elderly eyewitness, perhaps a local folklorist or a priest of the Cainite faith, claimed the killer was ‘Vasilisa.’ Being well-versed in Eastern European fairy tales, I asked if she was related to the heroine. The old man affirmed, and declared that the story diverged greatly from reality.

When we returned to visit him, he had hanged himself. May God rest his soul. Searching his residence, I gained a clearer—though contentious—understanding of the case and target VARU-133.

According to the records: Around 4000 BCE, in a large prehistoric settlement of Eastern Europe, a ‘daughter of the devil’ appeared. The girl suddenly turned cruel and bloodthirsty; through poisoning, assassination, traps, and luring people into wild beasts’ hunting grounds, she slaughtered many tribesmen overnight. The tribe imprisoned her and had a witch conduct an exorcism, planning her execution at nightfall.

However, a demon (perhaps not literally, but an ancient cultist) passed through the village and found the girl. Attracted by her evil potential, he granted her superhuman strength, turning her into a bloodthirsty demon, and set her free. This girl—having been bestowed the name Vasilisa—then killed everyone in the village. When the massacre was complete, the demon took her away, using her as a tool for slaughter and oppression, inflicting wounds upon the world.

The story of Vasilisa, for reasons unknown, was rewritten as a fairy tale: Vasilisa herself became the persecuted heroine, while the slain witch was recast as the evil crone. This may have been influenced by the medieval religious hunts for witches.

Regardless of the legend’s truth, two months ago, the crime syndicate ‘Fist of Power’ unearthed an ancient female corpse from Siberia’s frozen wastes. The girl’s body was frozen solid in a block of ice, her appearance lifelike, and the ice showed no signs of melting at room temperature. The syndicate intended to sell the corpse to foreign buyers, so it was first transported to their headquarters in Marine Cliff.

The aforementioned old man was coerced by the crime boss to appraise the ancient body. In his diary, he wrote: ‘She spoke to me, calling herself Vasilisa. Sleep brought by her master’s absence, needing blood to awaken.’ The old man secretly slit his wrist, letting blood drip onto the ice. This led to Vasilisa’s awakening—and the annihilation of the crime syndicate.

Charon Corporation and the Sword and Shield Society have long researched supernatural phenomena worldwide. Such vampiric symptoms are not uncommon; patients often experience resurrection hallucinations, bodily mutations, greatly extended lifespans, and intense violent tendencies. The VARU-133 case is exceptional: this target single-handedly destroyed an armed militarized organization. In my opinion, the situation is grave. To prevent further casualties, level seven protocols should be enacted and capture expedited.”

I said, “I’ve read similar books—this is the tale of a vampire! The file is all fog and mystery, but its meaning is clear: Vasilisa is an ancient vampire awakened.”

Salvador said, “Just look at the world now. Demons walk everywhere; a vampire is hardly beyond belief.”

I noticed Lamia clenching her fists—she seemed cold, or perhaps something had struck her mind, as if she recalled a secret.

The footage jumped again, now to a nighttime forest ablaze with fire and heavy breathing echoing in the background. Professor Longinus—my ancestor—was visibly agitated, running and filming, breathlessly exclaiming, “We did it! We caught her! Incredible, just look at the scene!”

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I saw the bodies of many warriors—armored soldiers from Charon Corporation and ironclad knights from the Sword and Shield Society—all torn apart, at least two hundred dead. Armored cars and tanks were either dismantled beyond use or engulfed in flames. Amid shadows and fire, the scene felt profoundly surreal.

Longinus shouted, “Three hundred elite warriors from the Society and Charon, ten off-road tanks, ten heavy armored transports—my God, my God! Almost all dead by her hand! What manner of monster is she!”

He approached the circle formed by surviving armed men, all aiming their weapons at a mutilated body on the ground, red targeting lasers fixed on its vital points. Longinus said, “That body still twitches—VARU-133, Vasilisa. Even under a barrage of incendiary rounds and divine sword ammunition, she’s still alive!”

Vasilisa shouted in an unintelligible language. Longinus said, “Listen, she’s saying: ‘I am disaster, I am monster, I am demon, I am divine punishment.’ Such tenacity, such pride! But humanity has triumphed over you!”

A military officer leveled his gun at Longinus, saying, “Step back, Professor! That’s an order! You’re out of line!”

Longinus roared, “I initiated this operation, I tracked 133, I have command authority!”

The officer replied, “No longer. One of the Nine Hermits has arrived; she will take over.”

Longinus deflated, his temper vanishing. He asked, “Who is it?”

The officer said, “Lady Jenova.”

Longinus asked, “Lady Jenova? What does she plan to do? I have the right to know.”

Officer: “We will contain VARU-133.”

Professor Longinus said, “She is reckless, savage—she will not cooperate.”

Officer: “And Lady Jenova will show no mercy. Professor, your mission is over; go and rest, you’ve earned it.”

Suddenly, Longinus pushed into the crowd, shouting at Vasilisa, “Remember! I hunted you! Remember, you fell to me! To humanity! Humanity has survived countless horrors—we have endured! You must respect us! I urge you to be wise and cooperate, or else you’ll find only death!”

Vasilisa stared at Longinus, unblinking. A helicopter brought a massive container; a group bound Vasilisa with iron chains, all tense, ready to open fire. Vasilisa seemed to smile, then closed her eyes.

The footage ended with a summary: “VARU-133 agreed to comply with all experimental requirements and was contained at the Sword and Shield Society’s research institute. Lady Jenova believed she would accept education, learn modern knowledge, and join the Society’s special operations team to combat supernatural threats. The organization cannot judge her true intentions, but believes the risk is manageable. She will become one of us, not our enemy. Her danger level has been lowered to ‘mild,’ and she is permitted monitored outings.”

Betty said, “I feel like Professor Longinus’s words saved Vasilisa—otherwise, she would have fought to the death.”

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Salvador said, “I think so too.”

Lamia: “It seems Vasilisa remained obedient before the Cataclysm, even inheriting Lady Jenova’s title and authority as one of the Nine Hermits.”

Betty: “Are you saying Lady Jenova adopted this... this monster? But why did she later fall asleep? And how did she survive the Cataclysm?”

Me: “Don’t forget, when she was excavated, she was merely a frozen corpse. She can survive even the harshest environments.”

Betty laughed, “As virtually the pinnacle of the Sword and Shield Society’s sacred authority, Vasilisa is a legendary vampire fiend. What would Society members think if they knew?”

Lamia gave a faint, ambiguous sigh.

I said, “The Sword and Shield Society are all rigid thinkers—they only recognize titles and obey orders, caring little whether their superiors are good or evil.”

Vaga: “As for the records here on ‘Codename: Cain,’ there’s little information—almost as if intentionally erased. But there are materials on the First Contact Zone.”

The First Contact Zone is the last line of defense against ‘Codename: Cain’ escaping.

Vaga: “The First Contact Zone is a wormhole force field. Yet it caused enormous controversy at the time; experts thought the technology immature, its consequences unpredictable, and that it shouldn’t be used in such a critical place. Still, Professor Longinus pushed through opposition and obtained permission to test the latest technology.”

Ah, my ancestor was so great, so bold—how could I, inheritor of his distinguished bloodline, ever be a mediocre, impoverished nobody?

Vaga: “After reviewing the data, I concluded the wormhole force field had no chance of stopping Codename: Cain. It is highly unstable, consumes massive energy, and couldn’t even halt a truck traveling at 100 km/h. Professor Longinus knew all this, yet pressed on regardless.”

Lamia: “Why did he do that?”

Vaga: “It seems his true aim was to use the wormhole force field to summon demons from other realms, and employ them as wardens for Codename: Cain. That is also why the First Contact Zone lost communication.”

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