107. Supreme Punisher

The following day, Clarice woke up to a bright new day. The sun was already up in the sky, shining brightly. She did some stretches before getting out of bed. Today, she looks forward to knowing what Demetria's next revelation is. She is like a student looking forward to learning something new every day. She noticed that Demetria hadn't entered her room last night, so the transformation might take place tonight. She got up from bed and entered the bathroom to do some washing. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom door and went outside to start her day. She went straight to the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast of waffles and hot coffee. She was munching on her food when she heard Demetria's footsteps coming into the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder. "Good morning," she greeted her teacher cheerily. "Morning, dear," Demetria replied, sitting on the chair, facing her trainee. "How are you today?" she asked. "I'm fine, better than yesterday," Clarice responded, taking a sip from her coffee cup. "Have some waffles," she offered. Demetria shook her head and replied, "No thanks. I had some cookies in my room before coming down here to see you." "You didn't enter my room last night. So tonight, are you going to transform me into a vampire?" Clarice eagerly asked. Demetria answered, "Yes, tonight you will become a vampire like me." "What is the process? I mean, the usual thing? Will you sink your fangs into my neck and transform me into a vampire?" Clarice inquired curiously. "Yes and so much more, but anyway, leave everything to me. Trust me, everything will be fine," Demetria assured her. Clarice smiled bravely. "It doesn't matter. No matter how difficult the process is, I'm ready to face any type of challenge, as long as I can go home safely and see my family again. I'm sure all my sacrifices will be worth it in the end," she said resolutely. Demetria observed Clarice's face for a few minutes. She saw a woman who was desperate to go home and be reunited with her family. "Dear, I have to remind you again that when you finally become my full-fledged successor, you can't ignore your weekly blood-feeding to the core. No matter what happens, never neglect your duty to this place. You are the one holding everything up here. If you start neglecting your duty because you focus so much on your family, this place will fall apart, and you will be the reason why the vampire beast escaped from their hibernation chamber and caused chaos in this peaceful world," she said, reminding her well of her duty. Clarice looked Demetria in the eyes. "I swear to you with my life that I will maintain a good balance between my family and my duty to this place. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to loyalty. I swear I will protect this place and never neglect it. I will stay true to my word and perform my duties to this place until I die," she assured her. "Good," Demetria murmured, pleased with her mentee's heartfelt pledge and assurance. A few minutes of silence enveloped them. Demetria broke the silence. "Um, by the way, I have one important thing to tell you..." "Bring it on," Clarice replied in high spirits. Demetria cleared her throat. "I'm currently the leader of the Midnight Wanderers. It is the largest vampire association with millions of members all over the country. All members followed my command. We have several rules to follow, such as preventing slaving and killing other beings, most importantly humans. We can drink their blood discreetly, but we are not allowed to kill them unless there is an important reason. As for me, since I'm the leader I can kill anyone I like," she said, grinning smugly. Clarice looked at Demetria with a raised brow, confused about why she was telling her all these things. "Our vampire association is an advocate for peace. We are peace-loving vampires living in cities, towns, and rural areas. But occasionally, vampires can also do bad things. In short, there are bad and good vampires living among us. Our justice is swift. We punish bad vampires with instant death. It is our way of controlling rebellion and preventing bad seeds from growing fast, causing chaos and instability in the future," Demetria elaborated further. Clarice's brows were drawn together. "So? Why are you telling me this?" she asked, confused. "Because I want you to be the leader of the Midnight Wanderers. I believe in the goodness of your heart. That is why I want to appoint you as the new leader of the vampire association," Demetria declared in a serious tone. Stunned, Clarice stared at Demetria's face, her mouth wide open in shock and disbelief. "No way! I can't handle another heavy responsibility. My hands are full. You have to appoint other people for that position," she suggested, protesting vehemently. Demetria sighed. As expected, Clarice would not accept another responsibility. "Alright, calm down. Don't worry about that issue. I will appoint someone for that role. But I need you to do one thing for me. If the leader starts making bad decisions, abusing power and stirring chaos while in power, you have to deliver a swift punishment. Kill him without mercy. I don't tolerate vampires creating hell on earth even if she or he is the leader of the largest vampire association in the world. Do you understand?" Clarice was speechless for a moment, then reality finally sank in. "You want me to become his punisher?" Demetria nodded her head. "Yes, if he starts turning into a bad person and threatens the stability of the vampire association, then kill him without mercy!" she said in a rigid tone. Clarice nodded her head. "No problem. I will accept the responsibility that you have given me as the punisher and kill everyone who disobeys vampire association rules and ethics," she said, her tone serious. After killing three bad guys in the illegal organ harvesting facility, she realized one thing: Killing is easy. She will just consider each kill as an integral part of her job. Demetria smiled brightly. "Alright, we have a deal. I trust that you will deliver swift justice to everyone who defies the rules I have set for my members." "No problem, leave it to me," Clarice said, after sometime, her forehead creased. "Wait a minute... how will I know that the leader is slowly turning into a villain? I'm not willing to watch his actions 24/7," Clarice said, confused. "Don't worry, I have some trusted people who will contact you via a secret number. They will report to you every day about the leaders' moves, whether they're bad or good. You will be the one to decide. I just want you to know that I have full trust in your judgment," Demetria said thoughtfully. "OK, thanks for entrusting me with such heavy responsibilities. I shall do my best to uphold justice and punish the bad guys without mercy," Clarice replied seriously. "Good. I know you can be a good leader. You are bound for greatness and the time has finally arrived for you to embrace your calling," Demetria said solemnly. Clarice smiled. Having full control of her destiny is what she really wants. She's tired of having people control her and subject her to mental and physical torture. She hates being caged! She wants to regain her freedom and fly free in the sky above. She wants to protect herself without depending on anyone else. Only by having immense power at her disposal could she make herself truly free! Every fiber of her being is ready to embrace her new self and take control of every aspect of her life. She is ready for a big change! "Since we are done discussing the status of the vampire association, and you agreed to be the punisher working in the shadows, it's time to move on to the next step," Demetria said, standing up. "Wait, when are you going to show me their faces? I don't know who they are. How will I know each of them?" Clarice asked. "You will meet them soon. You will wear a face mask during the meeting so no one will know your identity. I want to create fear in their hearts so that when I'm gone they won't do bad things. They will stay on the right track or else the Supreme Punisher will execute them without mercy. In their eyes, you will become the Supreme Punisher, the secret entity lurking in the shadows watching their every step. You will be the most powerful vampire on earth," Demetria explained. "Ah, okay. Wearing a mask on my face is nice! I love it. I want to protect my identity and continue hiding in the shadows, living peacefully beside my family," Clarice said in great relief, fully accepting her important role in the vampire association. "Of course, you can live your life the way you want it to be. Nothing will change as long as you are in full control of everything," Demetria responded in a solemn tone. "Are we done discussing the vampire association?" Clarice asked. "Yup, we are done. It's about time you met the vampires hibernating in their chambers so you know who they are. Follow me," Demetria ordered. Clarice stood up reluctantly and commented, "Hmm, I think it's dangerous. Do we really need to disturb their sleep?" Demetria shook her head. "No. We're not waking them up. I will explain everything to you once we arrive in their chambers." "Okie Dokie." Clarice anxiously followed Demetria upstairs to the second floor where the vampires were hibernating peacefully.