MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin
Chapter 19 CH 18: NEVER GIVE UP

When Adam opened his eyes once more, after that little traumatic episode, he was almost blinded by the light coming off the ceiling of the room. It took him some time before realizing that he was lying down on a comfy bed instead of the bathroom floor.

"Heya, sleepy head. So you went from being Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty, huh?"

Once understanding dawned upon him, and the fact that he had fainted in the bathroom had settled in his mind, he couldn't help releasing a helpless chuckle while covering his face with the forearm of his right arm.

"Fuck… This is so fucking embarrassing."

Mammoth sighed as his joke was ignored. He really lacked the rhetoric his boss had. He couldn't help but shake his head at that thought.

It was time to have some serious talk with Adam, so he opened his mouth, "Don't worry. The boss had enough decency to not barge into the bathroom. She let me help you out so, she didn't see a thing. I can guarantee you that. But… That isn't worrying you now, is it?"

"Sorry. I promise this won't happen again."

"Hey, hey… Adam, look at me."

Once he was sure that he had Adam's undivided attention he continued with a level tone,

"There is nothing embarrassing or weak about trauma. Anyone who tells the opposite is just a psychopath or someone who never really had to face trauma in their lifetimes."

It was the first time Adam had seen Mammoth make such an expression so he did his best to focus on his words,

"You know I was a soldier. I have seen some shit. Some serious shit. I have seen grown men break down and cry like babies because it was simply too much. Some could never go back to normal life. Jumping at every shadow. Becoming a danger for their own families."

A bitter smile floated on his face as he started divulging more about trauma and what it could do to a man, "I was one of those. For years, I felt like I wasn't living in my own skin. Life was too hard and I even wanted to kill myself see. But it's when I meet the boss"

He leaked out a painful sigh, not willing to go further in recounting his own past.

"Life ain't easy. Never will and this is why I respect the boss and follow her. Because while everything tries to take her down she never let it bother her and will stand back up."

He took out a cigarette and was about to light it up when he stopped and offered one to Adam.

"Want a smoke?"

Adam hesitated a little before taking one stick out of the box, which was then promptly lit up by Mammoth using his lighter.

He took a deep gulp of the smoke-filled air but, " *Cough* *Cough*"

"Haha, Atta boy! Take it slow. Trust me on this one."

Once Adam finished coughing, he sighed and took another puff. He could already feel his nerves calming down due to the calming effects of the cigarette.

"This is a new brand. None of that nasty shit that fuck up your lung and throat. The herbs used also help calm down the nerve."

Mammoth grinned, before pulling the ashtray. He knew that Yui would kill him if they left ashes in her room. She might be clumsy and disorganized when it came to her room, but this didn't mean that she wanted her room to be dirty.

"You know, the boss ain't the heiress of her family, right?"

Adam nodded. The Hanekawa and the Feng families were reputed empires of the underworld. From the little he knew, Yui's father was from the Feng clan and was the current leader of the clan.

He also knew that she had a sister or half-sister, for that matter. But unlike Yui, that sister was the Heiress of the Hanekawa clan.

As for her brother, he had never met him. But from the little he knew about him, he was happy to keep things that way.

"Well despite her skills, the boss lacks a little something and because of that, she wasn't chosen to be the heiress."

"Something? You mean because she is a woman?"

"*Scoff* How easy things would have been if it was just a mere question of gender. No. It's something way more complicated than that. Either way, the reality is that she wasn't chosen.

"But what did she do? She didn't give up and settle for the leftovers. She stood up and left her family and fought to carve a territory of her own."

Mammoth's voice held a tinge of pride and awe beneath its leveled tone. His respect and loyalty for Yui did not need to be stated further.

"Adam. I don't really know what you saw yesterday. But whatever happened, it got in your mind and is causing you some form of trauma. It's alright. There is nothing wrong with that. But… You must not give up."

"It's okay to be weak. Everyone starts small and everyone has to fall sometimes. What is important is to stand up and continue walking even when everything seems to be against you. Also, don't hesitate to talk to me. I am not smart like you or the boss. But I have the experience you two lack."

Despite his hulking frame that could scare children to sleep, Mammoth showed a very kind and gentle expression on his face as he talked to Adam.

"So…Why don't you tell me again, what happened last night? In great detail. Perhaps I might be able to help you."

Adam Sighed. The hardest part to explain in his story was why he had a hole in his suit and no obvious wounds to show for it.

So, he simply went for the best option that he had and glossed over it as he recounted the story of that horrific night.

Mammoth muttered a little to himself before nodding. His blue eyes narrowed slightly when Adam glossed over what happened after he realized he was facing a serial killer but he didn't comment on that.

"Well, until now we didn't care that much about it since that killer didn't touch our territory. But now, the boss wants us to intervene. Anything you can tell me about him."

"I don't…" Adam searched his memory but could only come up with nothing in particular. Furthermore, whatever that dude was, could it even be fought by a normal human?

But then, something flashed in his mind, "He talked about how he didn't drink male blood."

He muttered this unconsciously causing Mammoth's eyes to flash for an imperceptible instant,

'One of the pale bastards…'

This was pretty surprising. After all, those pale-skinned bastards had long since stopped doing such a barbaric act. At least, on the open like this.

'A director might be sent down.'

Mammoth frowned before standing up.

"Very well. You should rest as much as you can before the opening. Tonight will be your first big job."

Adam stayed silent as Mammoth left the room after giving him a lighter.

Now alone, he couldn't help but process the earlier discussion.

While Mammoth'swords had truly helped him calm down quite a bit, the way he went at it was very suspicious after thinking deeply about it.

Furthermore, when he had mentioned about the blood part, he had seen Mammoth briefly tense up.

'Blood, huh…Vampires?'

There was also the part about that shadow piercing through his heart that he had left out from his conversation.

Adam surprisingly knew quite a bit about vampires and the like. Not only because of pop culture and how they were romanticized in teen novels but mainly because of what Cecilia made him learn when he was young.

'All those books should still be up at home, right?'

Adam looked down.

For now, he would take this as a simple hypothesis that needed further verification.

The few things he knew about vampires were things like weakness to the sun and wood and sometimes silver and water among other things.

In some cases, vampires were also unable to form a reflection of themselves in the mirror and could not enter a house without the express permission of the owner.

The problem was that there was so much information. It was hard to determine which one was real and which was fake.

For all he knew, Vampires may very well sparkle when facing the Sun. Outlandish but not outside of the realm of possibility. [1]

Secondly, it seemed that Mammoth had an inkling about the supernatural world.

He didn't know if he was overthinking things or not but he needed to determine the truth.

If Mammoth and Yui knew about the supernatural they would be great help to him…Or they might give him a problem.

The fact that the supernatural was real meant that there was most likely an entire society built around it. One Adam knew nothing about and this meant that he didn't know what could bring him trouble and what would offer him safety and solace.

"I really need that appraisal skill right about now."

He realized that Genesis, for all the obvious dislike it was throwing at him, at least gave very good advice.

So it was time for him to play the Gigolo and complete this ordeal of his. The ordeal that would garner him the emotion of respect.

Not only because of the supernatural but also who knows? Perhaps he would be able to replace a cure for his mother that wouldn't need millions of dollars. Every single year.

Seducing some mature women shouldn't be too hard for him… Right?

[1] : We can say what we want about Twilight but you can never write a story with a vampire in it and not at least mention that sparkling thing at least once.

(AN: Yeah! I officially got contracted guys. I will try increasing the release pace slightly. From 7 a week to around 10 or so a week for a time. Don't hesitate to vote and leave gifts or Golden Tickets if you like the story. Later I will try to set up a bonus chapter system depending on millstones like Power Stones and Golden Tickets.)