The cottage was dark. All its window shutters had been drawn shut earlier in the day. Now, nearly two dozen men were seated on whatever furniture they could find. Some chose to sit on the bare floor. Excited whispers fluttered through the room as information was exchanged between the attendees of the secret meeting.

The door swung open, and a sandy-haired young man entered quietly. The others nodded to him as he headed to an empty spot on the floor to sit. His shift as a servant had ended barely an hour ago, and he was eager to be away from the master of the house whose temper tantrums had skyrocketed of late.

The young man was the last of the expected attendees. Once he was seated, an elderly man stood up, and the room fell silent as if on cue. "My fellow friends and comrades in arms, thank you for gathering on such short notice," he began, looking around the room.

"All of you have risked everything by joining our cause to rid our world of these vile masters. You have my deepest gratitude and admiration." The old man placed a wrinkled, shaky hand over his heart and bowed slightly in respect to his comrades before continuing, "Our ancestors were foolish enough to think of them as gods. But we are far wiser than that. We will not repeat the mistakes of our forefathers."

A slow smile spread across the old man's weathered face, overshadowing his amiable features with a malicious look in an instant. "They think us weak, but soon they will know how wrong they are. Today I call you together because we have gained vital information from our brothers in the vampire territories. A weakness in the defence of Hjem city can be easily exploited."

All around, excited faces were focused on their elder, including that of the sandy-haired young man. The old man continued, "We plan to subtly reveal it to the witches while, at the same time, information will be leaked to the vampires regarding the current location and details of the werewolf and witch armies, their strengths and weaknesses, all of it."

The old man was now grinning from ear to ear, ending his speech delightedly with the ominous words, "It is time we sit back and watch these greater beings destroy themselves."

Ten days after the secret meeting in the cottage, the inhabitants of Hjem city, both human and vampire alike, stared up at the sky in confusion. The cloud cover above the city had suddenly begun expanding beyond the firewall, enveloping it in the shade. Almost none of the city's residents knew the significance of this except for a handful of important individuals, including the young vampire prince and his generals.

Mathias stood atop the wall walk of the city's defensive wall. Beside him, the slim figure of Duke Brennus was as still as stone. Both men stared at the towering wall of flames a few hundred feet ahead, now shadowed by thick cloud cover. Without sustenance from sunlight, the firewall would eventually shrink. The prince said, "They know the secret of the wall of fire."

Brennus replied, "We have spies in our midst."

The young prince exhaled, feeling deflated. After all this time, the city's biggest weakness was exposed, but how? The secret of the firewall was so well guarded that even the civilian vampires living in Hjem had assumed the flames diminished during winter to conserve whatever energy was used to fuel it. In a way, their assumptions were not too far off the mark.

The only plausible explanation for the information leak was that a careless, high-ranking army officer had said something they should not have, likely in the presence of a human servant. A slip of the tongue, but a deadly one. Mathias turned to face the duke. "The humans are turning against us."

"Yes. It looks like some have betrayed us."

Mathias asked the most obvious question, "Can we disperse their cloud cover?"

As Mathias expected, Brennus answered in the negative. "No, the only living vampire with the Talent for weather manipulation is your second cousin Frederik, who is only eleven. His powers are barely budding, and he is too weak to even try."

Mathias returned to staring at the flames as his mind raced to formulate a plan. "Duchess Helena's wall will start to shrink soon. Can Duke Henry build the ice walls to stall for time?"

The duke shook his head. "It is the peak of summer with lesser humidity in the air, which works against him. Furthermore, the process is time-consuming, and unfortunately, time is working against us. Even if he manages to form them, the wall will quickly turn to mush in this heat."

Mathias nodded as his mind worked at lightning speed to formulate a strategy. "Reports on enemy movement?"

"We have reports of a large contingent of werewolves, numbering at least seven thousand, waiting beyond the firewall. The witch army is around eight hundred strong, maybe a day's ride away."

Mathias stared with wide eyes at Brennus. "The wolves are already here?! Did we not send thousands of troops to guard the borderlands?"

"We did, but they were only humans, Your Highness. They barely put up a fight previously when the witches invaded to attack us with their new weapon, leaving our vulnerable vampire garrisons to be wiped out in the hands of the enemy. I was not expecting much out of them this time either."

Mathias pursed his lips in thought. Without the wall of fire, they had no real protection. It would not take long for a few hundred witches to destroy the very stone wall he now stood atop, and in close combat the wolves, with their superior strength, likely had the advantage over his vampire soldiers. None of the humans in their service were strong enough to join the battle, nor could they be trusted.

'I need more time.' His thoughts were battered with urgency. He answered the duke, "Still, have Henry try, and get as many of the royals with useful Talents over from the homeworld, except Thilda. Leave word with her that she will be in charge of the homeworld until my return." He hesitated before adding, "Also, order the evacuation of all civilian vampires back to the homeworld, just in case." The duke nodded, expression grim, before hurrying away to carry out his orders. Although the older vampire had not said it, they both knew the city's days were numbered.

Mathias stared at the flames. 'In the end, it comes to this. Hjem could only ever end in ruins.' Not only was his city about to be destroyed, but his relationship with Emilia was also in tatters. 'And I only have myself to blame for it,' he thought bitterly.

It had taken him a few days of introspection to realise what he had done. That day, his emotions had been all over the place. Regret and self-blame over the attack that maimed his father. Guilt for hiding his Talent for so long. Rage, at himself as much as his enemies, for thinking that peace could be achieved by having hope.

All he had accomplished was wasting years that could have been used to prepare for the future, for this very day. The mental anguish had been too much to handle, and unfortunately, Emilia had been the one to witness his breakdown. Not only had she witnessed it, but he had also made her bear the brunt of it, and if that was not shameful enough, to top it off, he chased her away. The image of her forlorn figure as she stepped into the portal to Onirique was burned into his memory.

Hindsight was so burdensome when it was as clear as fine glass crystal. Mathias raked his hands through his dark hair in frustration. He was wrong, and he knew it. He had lashed out at her when she had only been trying to de-escalate the situation.

Had she not betrayed her own father by warning him of the dangers awaiting Hjem?

Thinking further, Mathias realised he never even thanked her for warning him about the attack in the first place. Without a doubt, Hjem would already be in ruins if not for her. Mathias closed his eyes in dejection. Emilia was his everything, but he was broken inside, shattered in mind and heart, and in turn, he had hurt her. Now he was left with one more regret added to the staggeringly high pile of missteps he had taken in his relatively short life.

His inner voice softly prodded in a sombre whisper, 'I must not leave things as they are, or else face losing her for good.' The vampire prince knew this would be his last chance to make things right.

With a final glance at the sky, the prince headed down the wall and hurried towards the city centre. One of the large warehouses near the portal had been hurriedly converted into a war operations centre. He found Lannetta there, barking orders to grim-faced portal workers as the generals readied their men for battle. Mathias inwardly winced at the paltry number of vampire soldiers that had survived the witches' earlier attack on the city. There was not even a glimmer of a chance they could win against the combined force of the wolves and witches in this state.

Once she was free, Mathias came to stand before his sister, "Did you prepare what I asked of you?"

She gave him a look filled with displeasure. "Come with me," she said curtly before heading to the nearby portal changing rooms. The place was empty, with clothes still haphazardly strewn all over the floor. Lannetta turned to him, hands on hips, a sure sign she was bursting with anger. Mathias braced his feet wide and readied himself for the verbal onslaught.

The princess was not one to disappoint. She practically shrieked like a raging stallion, "How can you even think to give a part of your soul to that witch? You should be giving it to us, to your family!"

"I love you, Netta, and I love Thilda and Father. You will always be my most cherished ones." Mathias approached, taking her hands into his own. He needed to explain, even if he knew she could never understand his feelings. "But I cannot live without her. Emilia is the light in my darkness. I do not believe the hands of death will touch me anytime soon, but if I am wrong, and it is indeed my time to die, then I hope my soul finds her first. Forgive me, sister, for my selfish desire."

Lannetta looked away, anger and disappointment still flashing in her blue eyes. No matter how much her brother tried, he would never be able to make her empathise, but Mathias had his stubborn, impulsive moments, and she knew this was one of them. There would be no talking him out of this.

Reluctantly she said, "If this is what you want, then so be it." She pulled away from him and reached into a side pocket, removing a smooth white moonstone crystal attached to a leather cord. She put it in his hand before placing her hands on his body, palms resting firmly on his chest. Mathias felt an odd pull deep in his chest, followed by an uncomfortable chill that lasted several seconds before dissipating.

Lannetta had her hands cupped tightly together. Moving deliberately slow, she brought them to the crystal in his hand before pressing down on it. Within moments, the once dull crystal began to glow a faint white, transforming from a lifeless solid to a crystal lattice entombing a soul.

"Done," she said simply, placing the plain necklace around her brother's neck. He, in turn, pulled Lannetta into a tight hug, telling her without words how much he loved her. She gave him a resounding quick squeeze before pulling away and, without a backward glance, walked with rapid strides back to the warehouse.

Mathias watched her leave before opening a portal to his room back in the vampire homeworld. On his table was a black jewellery box, plain but well made. He opened it, picked up the little velvet pillow within and meticulously wrapped the leather cord around it so that the moonstone crystal sat at the centre of the plush fabric. Satisfied with its appearance, he placed everything back in the box before grabbing parchment and quill. It took him a while to compose the letter, which was then neatly folded and placed in the box.

Taking a deep breath, he opened a portal to the cave and stepped in. To his crushing disappointment, the cave was empty. Had Emi even returned to their little hideout after seeing him lose it so badly? Had she already given up on them? Mathias shook his head to clear his thoughts. No, Emi would never give up on him so easily. Her love was real and not so easily broken. He was sure of it, even if it was the only thing he could be sure of in the world.

Once more, he inhaled deeply before letting the air rush out of his lungs. He really missed her. This had been the longest time, since their first encounter as children all those years ago, that they had been apart. Sighing deeply, he placed the box on a pile of cushions and gave the cave a once over before reluctantly opening a portal back to Hjem. Barely seconds after the portal closed, Emilia climbed through the mouth of the cave and made her way down to the bottom, her frustration increasing a notch at finding it empty.

Her thoughts shrouded in an air of heavy despondence, the witch walked towards the pile of cushions and did not notice the box until almost sitting on it. At once, her gloomy countenance was lifted out of its misery as she overcame her surprise and eagerly opened the box to gaze in adoration at the glowing moonstone crystal before hurriedly reading the neatly-folded letter within. Mathias had written:

My love,

Forgive me. I was consumed with the madness of such turbulent emotions I had never thought I could feel with such soaring intensity. They sharpened my words into daggers that I unwittingly unleashed against you for doing nothing more than trying to save us all from the destructive actions that have unfortunately culminated in the events of today.

I wish it were good news, but a war on Hjem is imminent. There is no doubt in my mind that the city will fall by the week's end. I cannot let those who set out to hurt my people succeed. Be that as it may, I do not wish for unnecessary bloodshed on your people or the werewolves, so I have decided that there can be only one way. As a last resort, I will shut the portal between Earth and the vampire world. Once it is done, vampires will no longer stake claim to Earth, for the cost is too much for us to bear.

I have no excuse for treating you as I did and can do nothing but beg your forgiveness. I was out of control, no better than a mindless beast. I am so sorry. I love you, Emi. My love for you has infused down to the tiniest speck of my being. As a token of my undying love, I have a gift made especially for you. Within this crystal resides a part of my soul that I entrust to you forevermore. Should the worst happen, and I am lost in battle, the remainder of my soul will never give up in search of you, my lovely Emi. In this life or the next, I will come back to you.

I must end this letter here, but I hope with all my heart that I will see you soon, in our secret place by the sea.

Till then,

M.

"Idiot, how could you even think that I would not forgive you," Emilia said softly. She held the letter in trembling hands, afraid of what the future held. Carefully, she folded the letter and placed it back in the box before wearing the necklace, tucking the white crystal safely away and hidden from view. "Come back to me, vampire dear."

The evacuation of Hjem city was at its peak when Mathias returned. The generals and their men were at the city walls, with a handful of royals joining, while the city folk began congregating at the portal. The humans were given a choice, stay in the city or flee to the countryside. Most chose to flee.

Lannetta and Maxim were assiduous in overseeing the evacuation, ensuring it was going as quick and orderly as possible. Tens of thousands of vampires stood in line, nervously awaiting their turn and leaving with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Even that could not travel with them to the other side. Many in the line were young families, with teary-eyed children huddled close to their parents. It angered the prince to see his people suffer, but he controlled his emotions and began walking among the crowds, giving them words of comfort and encouragement. His calm presence amongst them had the hoped-for effect of uplifting the mood tremendously.

From a distance, Lannetta caught sight of him and waved him over. He walked up to stand beside them.

"Your Highness, the evacuation of our people within the city is proceeding smoothly, although those in the outskirts will need a week or more to arrive," Maxim reported.

"The city will not stand that long," Mathias said softly, ensuring his voice did not carry over to the already harried civilians. "Those beyond the city walls are already lost."

Maxim hesitated before asking the dreaded question, "What is the plan once the city falls?"

Mathias took a deep breath before saying, "I intend to close the portal to our world."

At once, Lannetta had her hands on his shoulders in a death grip. "Mathias, have you tried altering portals? Is it dangerous? How much power is needed? You might not even have enough power to close such a large portal," she shot out multiple questions, fear and worry intermingling in her tone, no matter how hard she tried to appear calm.

Mathias tilted his head in thought before answering, "No, there was no time. I never had a chance to try altering my portals."

Lannetta said in exasperation, "Then how do you know it will work?!"

He exhaled sharply, "It will. It must. There is no other choice." He stared into her tired blue eyes that were so much like his own, swirling in a mess of emotional turmoil. "If our enemies reach the portal, the vampire kingdom will be destroyed." He could read the turbulent emotions that churned in the depths of his sister's eyes, but he needed to be truthful to her. "The enemy must never be allowed to cross over into Riogven. I must do whatever it takes to keep our people safe."

Lannetta's hands clutched him even tighter. She knew what he meant. If need be, he would willingly die to save his people. It was his responsibility, his burden, what King Gaius had taught him from when he was a toddler wrapped in nappies. His sister let go, hands falling limply to her sides. Mathias took a step back and forced himself to remain impassive. Before turning away, he said, "I leave the defence of the portal to the both of you. Duke Brennus will guard the portal to the very end. Leave when you can."

As Mathias walked alongside the crowd, he heard a familiar voice. "Matty?!"

The prince caught sight of Orsan, the duke's son, his small and lithe frame almost hidden from view as he stood alone at the end of the queue, silver-ash hair dishevelled as if he had just rolled out of bed.

"Where's Mama?" The prince asked as he lifted the small boy into his arms. "Mama told me to line up first. She promised to be here soon," Orsan replied, honey-gold eyes wide with worry and confusion. "Matty, I am afraid. I do not know where Papa is."

Mathias hugged the boy close. Seeing him this scared deeply unsettled the prince, and a spark of fiery anger was lit within. He abruptly asked, "Orsan, do you know what a prince's job is?"

The little boy scrunched his face in thought before shaking his head.

Mathias answered steadily, "A prince's job is to make sure that his people are safe and sound and happy. I am the prince of all vampires, and my job is to protect all of you, so do not be afraid, Orsan, for I will ensure everything will be alright."

He placed the boy back on the ground before saying, "I must leave now, but I need you to be a good boy and go through the portal, even if your Mama and Papa are delayed, you understand me?" Orsan nodded obediently.

Hurrying away from the crowd, the prince rounded the corner of a building and impulsively opened a portal to the barricaded main city gates, where the remnants of his army were gathered. His earlier plan had been to wait by the portal until as many vampires as possible were evacuated before attempting to close the homeworld portal. But after promising Orsan that he would protect everyone, how could he stand by and do nothing? He was no coward and had no intention of sitting by while others fought in his name.

Mathias exited the portal to a scene of ordered chaos. The solid metal doors of the city's main entrance gate were sealed shut, with soldiers laying additional long metal plates horizontally to further reinforce its strength. From somewhere above came the squeaking of winches and pulleys in action as soldiers began lowering the portcullis, a vast metal lattice grille that descended from the ceiling of the gatehouse. The drawbridge had already been raised, although the prince did not think the witches would have issues building a makeshift bridge over the wide ditch preceding it.

His sudden appearance at the city gates, as if out of thin air, sent a ripple of shock through the gathered soldiers, but Mathias used it to his advantage, launching into a rallying speech, "My fellow vampires, my brothers in arms. Today I stand before you not as a prince but as a fellow soldier, fighting for our people."

The prince looked around at the unfamiliar faces of the men before him. Some were young and scared, barely older than he was. The older ones were more battle-hardened, grim-faced with a fierce harshness in their eyes that was visual proof of their experiences on the battlefield, having lived long enough to see this day.

'And likely the last day of their lives,' Mathias painfully realised.

He hid such hopeless thoughts behind a façade of false calm, confidence and bravado. "My father, King Gaius, always said that we are clearly the victims of a conspiracy for power by those who are lustful of what we have. Never is it proven more so than this day, when our magnificent city faces its greatest battle yet.

"My grandparents gave everything to the vampire cause. My mother was a great warrior who protected the borderlands for her people. Now I stand before you, proudly and in defiance against our foes! If it is a fight they want, then they do not know what they have asked for. I say we make them regret the day they raised a sword against us!

"Today, we defend what is ours! Today is the day we make them suffer!" Mathias's gaze roamed the crowd animatedly as he unsheathed his sword and lifted it high, shouting in a clear and fiery voice, "Are you with me?!!"

War cries rang out in reverberation as every soldier present raised their swords in the air, the mood changing from despondent resignation to feverish defiance. Mathias inwardly sighed in relief. It would have been terribly awkward if his cries of 'are you with me?!' were met with silence. His job of rallying army morale done, Mathias gave himself a satisfactory pat on the back and proceeded to portal himself to the top of the wall, startling Duchess Helena and earning a shriek from her.

The poor royal had been scrutinising her rapidly diminishing wall just as Mathias apparated out of thin air right before her. Beside her stood her brother Duke Henry who was in the midst of haphazardly forming a sparse number of ice shards far ahead of the firewall. Mathias tapped Henry on the shoulder before saying, "You may stop trying, Duke Henry. I have better use for your powers, so conserve your energy."

A handful of royals, descendants of Lucius Bloodreign blessed with the Talent, made up the small number of people standing at the wall walk. Duke Brennus had done well to get them to Hjem under such short notice. Mathias nodded to them in greeting. There was Rose, who could manipulate vegetation; Svein with short-range telekinesis; his brother Elimar who could turn anything he touched to stone; and Rixa, the fastest vampire in all the worlds. They stood in a row, looking to him with expectation.

"I have a plan," the prince said.