"Park Jimin is a Pure Blood."

Everything seems to stop abruptly after Jinhwan has revealed his true identity. The air feels so thick that Jimin feels as if he could slice a knife through them. However, the tension is not enough to make him feel suffocated or intimidated. Well, not entirely.

It is not the dread of having his identity revealed to the forum; for there are many vampires or members of the clan who have known the fact that he is a descendant of Pure Bloods for a long time. Still, the knowledge has only been shared between the previous Lords themselves, his close brothers, or the limited group of vampire families that have been acquainted with him in the past. 

Meanwhile, the others may have missed it so easily only because he physically seems a lot more human, or perhaps, similar to the Turned vampires than most of the existing Pure Bloods.

Needless to say, it is not about the fact that he is being exposed that has him standing there completely frozen in his stance with shivers running down his bones. It is the dread of finding himself being the center of attention, with all eyes that previously had their attention on the main podium are now focused on him.

There is something about being placed in the spotlight after decades and years of living in solitude. Suddenly, he is no longer invisible, no longer being the one hiding in the shadows behind his brothers and his Lords as they took the spotlight on his good deed. He used to have more control over his moves, and the freedom to actively work together with his Lords and brothers when nobody was looking his way. And now, everyone is waiting for his next move, watching his actions.

And he despises everything. The attention serves more like a heavy shackle binding his freedom even before he manages to do anything. Moreover, losing his invisibility would restrain him from finishing his mission, and from fulfilling his promises to the Lords.

But if this is really necessary, then it surely needs to be done, he reminds himself, pushing back his ego as he listens to his brother who continues to promote him in front of the forum—

"That is not all the quality our brother has, after all," Jinhwan says, facing the crowds this time, looking over to make sure that he had gained everyone's attention. "Perhaps some of the older ones among us would remember how close Park Jimin has been to our Lords. After all, he was raised by our Superior Lord Seungwon himself, after the loss of Park family members during the Blood War. And through the past century, Jimin had been the Lords' right-hand man, doing tasks for the Lords and the clan and had done many good deeds for our comrades and extended families during his travels."

A soft murmur of acknowledgement is heard, along with hushes from the ones who barely knew him before his name was brought to the discourse. The Elders are doing nothing to stop them, letting everyone discuss these matters on their own. Yet it is still easy to see their restlessness as time drags by, undoubtedly for being unprepared to have someone challenging their candidate to the Lord's title. And now Jimin himself feels restless, defenseless, as he prepares himself for someone else challenging his nomination. Or perhaps, if he should be honest with himself, a part of him is actually wishing it to happen.

Jimin clenches his hands even tighter as his whole body is tense, as he waits for anything to happen which would cancel his candidacy, or for anyone to voice out their dissent. His senses peak as he tries to listen in to every single conversation happening around him, as he pays attention to the heartbeats that are present and the rise of tension in the room. 

If only he could use his powers, perhaps he could hear their deepest thoughts. But he keeps his mind and his powers blocked, for there are too many attendees filling the whole ballroom that he knows releasing his powers now might not be such a brilliant idea after all.

Even though it probably would have helped him to find what he needed to know.

All in good times, he reminds himself, as the murmurs increase even louder. One step at a time. All we need to do is get through this first before anything else should happen, he scolds himself, willing his emotion to settle down just in time as a single voice roars in the room, breaking his thoughts just when he starts to feel like everything around him is spiralling out of control.

"Park Jimin."

It is Elder Niko's voice calling his name, forcing him to return the accusing glare which the master of the ceremony is sending him. He can feel that the Elders and their candidate, Luciano, are sending him equally menacing glares. But he could care less about them when it is the way his other vampire comrades are looking at him that worries him the most.

He can easily see mixtures of amusement, mirth, despise, and most of all, distrust. The latter is one that Jimin had expected to see the most, probably, despite the fact that he had never, in the many centuries of his past life, ever expected to be nominated as a Lord.

This is going to be a lot of fun, it seems.

"Yes, Elder Niko," Jimin politely answers the older vampire standing tall on the podium, forcing a small smile while hoping with the very bit of his soul that it would appear somewhat genuine with the way he lowers his head in a submissive pose.

Elder Niko lifts his chin, looking pleased with the respectful greeting Jimin is giving him. "Your brothers have appointed you as their representative for leadership. What do you have to say about this?"

Yes, yes they have. And do I even have a choice to say anything? Yes, I do, but not at this moment, Jimin silently curses. 

Yet he does his best not to show his exasperation by keeping his expression steady. He will deal with his brothers and their impulsive actions later. Now, he must address the matter at hand, which is whether or not he is willing to accept the unexpected turn of events and face the challenge head-on.

Raising his face without being disrespectful, he politely bows towards the Council that is standing far behind the podium and speaks, "It is truly an honour to have been given such a huge responsibility. I must be honest that I never have had any ambition of taking over leadership and had always preferred to stand aside and give my support the best way I know I could."

Jimin stops and takes a moment to study the expression everyone else is giving him, reading all the faces and the look in their eyes to try and find out if the threats which he and his brothers are searching for are there and if they would reveal themselves. He can see how much the Elders are looking down on him, not only with distrust but also repugnance.

Too easy, he thinks to himself as he holds back a grin. They won't reveal themselves that fast. Perhaps this is the only way.

"However," he continues. "I trust my brothers with my own life. They are the only family I have known for a long time and we have had each other's backs during the toughest times that have passed. If they are to put their trust in me to represent our family, then I shall carry that responsibility with everything that I own. For I trust that my brothers will be there by my side as I lead this clan to achieve the glorious life that we deserve."

Another set of murmurs of acknowledgement echoes through the walls. Jimin doesn't even wait for them to quiet down as he continues,

"We've travelled to many places, and we have seen and experienced wondrous things during our journeys which had allowed us to learn, to gain different pieces of knowledge from the Old World and the New. And I have faith that my brothers, along with everyone who is part of the Traveller family would love to share everything we had that is needed for the clan to thrive forward. We can all learn together from the knowledge we have brought home with us, and we can share even more in the future as long as the opportunity is presented for more to happen."

Right after his speech, the air gradually turns lighter. The sceptic murmurs and all the tension slowly dissipates and is soon replaced with hopeful hums. Jimin could only partly understand the change in the air and all the look they were now giving him.

Perhaps the promise of having a chance to gain more knowledge, to grab all the information from around the world through the Travellers' eyes turns out to be the best offer any vampire clan could ever accept. Not everyone has the chance to walk around the surface of the world as freely as the Travellers do. Not many have the ability to mingle or blend with humans so openly. 

Most members of the clan could only stay behind, either hiding, sheltering, or living in the shadows just as Luciano has described in his speech earlier. And everything the Travellers bring home with them will be treasured, for that would be the only way for the others to be able to see the world and witness the change happening outside of their covens and their homes.

A movement comes from the Healer family's side. They have been standing in a large group at the side of the ballroom, gathering together as they always do. It is the vampire who had voiced his doubts over the Elders earlier, who had spoken loudly about the non-existence of the previous Lords' appointed successor. The small, grey-faced vampire who seemed dainty before, yet moving graciously towards the front of the group now as he speaks,

"The Healers are familiar with Park Jimin," he says as he politely bows at Jimin briefly before he faces the podium. "The members of the Healer family are spread all over the continent, some of us living in villages with humans, along with young families of Turned vampires and disguising families of warlocks. Just two decades ago, a few of those small villages were attacked by famine, nearly swiping the humans and vampires who resided there. We were losing all hope when the help we requested from the coven and from the capital city came much too late, and children's lives were taken."

He stops, turning around to face Jimin, allowing everyone to see his shining eyes. "Park Jimin came just when we were left helpless, bringing the Superior Healer, Lord Xander, and a few of his Traveller brothers along with him to help. With his knowledge of modern medicine which he had obtained from his travels, and with the help of our Lord Xander who had the expertise of brewing healing potions under Jimin's guidance, we managed to cure many of the ill patients, both humans and vampires, and prevented the disease from spreading out to other villages."

The old Healer has a bright smile on his face as he tells his story, a fond one that he sends towards Jimin's way and another small one that he shares with the other Healers standing behind him. He turns to the forum once he is done, while adding on to his speech, "Park Jimin will not only bring good to the clan, but also a much brighter future than those who would only view the ways from the Old World."

A commotion erupts this time instead of the constant whisperings that had occurred most of the night as other Healers voice out their acknowledgement proudly, accompanied by a few Travellers who are scattered around the room, standing far from the main group. A few smaller families even cheer their agreement, as if they are ready to cast their votes even before the Council ever decides to start taking ballots.

Just as the positive reaction comes forth so loudly, the dispute coming from those who disagree with Jimin's candidacy starts to join. Even The Elders are starting to shamelessly show their displeasure, knowing that nearly half of the clan is against their candidate. Their supporters have also started to speak, voicing out how choosing a younger candidate would only lead them to leave the ways of the Old World behind. Forgetting the 'traditions' that the Elders have mentioned about bringing them back into the clan's way of life.

And while Jimin carefully takes in everything unravelling around him, his eyes land directly towards Luciano's, finding rage and hatred in those eyes as they both exchange glares from across the room. Jimin soon finds out that he is not the only one who notices the threatening glare being sent to him by the Elders, however, when Junhoe suddenly steps forward, taking a stance to provide protection in front of Jimin, while another one takes place at his other side.

For a while there, Jimin feels like he is suddenly put inside a bubble, under the protection of his own brothers. Another new feeling that makes him grow even more uncomfortable. There are no real threats around, even if Jimin was expecting one to happen, but perhaps his brothers find this as a way of showing the forum and the whole clan that they will give Jimin their full support no matter what happens.

The clan members are still arguing, debating, while The Elders have now started to talk aloud about their displease so proudly. Things start to appear as if the night is going nowhere and nothing will come out of this gathering aside from the division of the clan. Even Elder Niko's voice as he attempts to settle the crowd becomes futile, that the Council of Nobles, who has been sitting far at the back, rise from their seats.

"Silence!"

Jimin turns his eyes to the Council. The Council of Nobles, despite being much older than most of the existing generation of vampires, looks more like children. At one glance, they appear like young children in their early teens, with thick, bright hair and fair, porcelain-like skins. But nobody ever knows how old they actually are. They are the most powerful among the vampires, spending most of their lifetimes in their hiding, resting, until they are needed to meddle with matters regarding the clan, the same reason why they are here now.

It was Council Abel who spoke to silence the rowdy clan members, one of the oldest and strongest of the Council yet looks nowhere older than the age of seventeen. He is now standing with his eyes on the crowds, seemingly bored after watching the whole discussion taking place around him, while every single one of the vampires present in the room is now paying their attention and respect to him, as they all wait for him to continue to speak.

"We understood that each and every one of us has our own wishes for the clan, for our future. And we understood we all have our own choices of who to put our trust in for the title of the clan's Lord. But we, the Council, believe that perhaps it would be best for us all to take turns in speaking. Don't we all agree?" Abel speaks in a voice that sounds so deep and incredibly distorted, powerful enough to embed his commands inside everyone's minds that every member is now bowing in respect to him. "Shall we continue on and present our vote for the candidate of our choosing?"

Without waiting for a response from the attendees, the wise Council turns his head towards Jinhwan to speak, "We understand that every member of the Travellers family is in agreement with appointing Park Jimin as your candidate?"

Jinhwan takes no time to look at his brothers for approval as he bows at the Council. "The Brothers of Travellers are unanimous in giving our vote for our brother as Lord. And we will be ready to lend our hands whether it is to be his Council of Lords or to give any kind of support he may need in the future leadership."

"We are loyal to our brother and to our family. Our vote is for Park Jimin," confirms the other Traveller standing behind Jinhwan, which is soon to be approved by the Travellers standing on guard on either of Jimin's sides. He had not noticed them being there before, and he silently takes notes to question their whereabouts at the beginning of the gathering and why they are only present around him now.

This was all planned beforehand without my knowledge. But why? His brothers must have reasons, he realises, only making him more wary that the situation may be more urgent than he had thought it would be.

The Council turns back to face the forum once again once the commotion from the vote settles. "Is there any other faction who would like to offer their candidate to the ballots?" he asks the coven, and many appear to turn around to their families before they can respond.

The old Healer who had spoken before bows at the Council. He had taken a moment to speak with his family as well. And he seems to have been appointed to voice out their settlement to the forum. "The Healers will provide no candidate from our family. Our vote is unanimously given to Park Jimin as our new Lord," he says without a single hint of doubt in his voice. The rest of the Healers follow behind him as they all bow their approval.

As no other families or groups come forward with a new candidate, the Council soon declares to the discourse, "Then let us all cast our votes for our next Lord."

Jimin can only witness in silence as the voting transpires before him. It feels as if the whole event is happening as a part of a dream, as if things are not quite real. As if he is not a candidate as the future leader of the clan. His eyes repeatedly return to his Traveller brothers across the room each time his name is mentioned by any member of the clan, adding another vote on his behalf. All he can do is silently wonder what scheme his brothers are having, wanting things to be done with as fast as possible so he can meet them in private and away from the court.

The tension in his body arises even more as more votes are cast his way. Time passes quickly when his mind wanders, until the Council raises their hands, indicating the end of voting. The voting has been intense, and if Jimin had calculated correctly, the votes have been split nearly in half, with the clan divided almost equally for their choices for their next Lord.

And he already knows his fate even before the Council announces it.

"The decision is final. With the majority of the votes that we have received having been appointed for Park Jimin, we are proud to announce that Park Jimin is now declared as the clan's new Lord."

The crowd cheers at the verdict. Jimin watches his brothers smiling proudly at his way. Yet he knows that there is something else waiting for him when he exchanges his gaze with Jinhwan once again and feels the wariness and remorse hiding behind his eyes.

As the celebration dies down, the Council calls for him. "Park Jimin, please come forward."

Jimin walks over to the Council, before kneeling down on the floor right before them. With his head lowered submissively, he feels Council Abel's hand resting on the top of his head. The Council of Nobles who are present start chanting in Ancient Tongue, just as Jimin feels a strange feeling, a warmth coursing through his body. It tingles, as if there is a stream of heat running through his blood. And when the Council takes his hand away, he feels his body slowly changing. As if there is an invisible power enveloping his body and his mind feels brighter than it did before.

"The title of the Lord has bestowed upon you. The power within you has been awakened, and you will now hold the control over the entire clan, for you to lead and to protect." Council Abel steps back after declaring his throne, allowing Jimin to revel in his new power, on the new title that he had claimed.

He can feel a link towards his new clan, his new family. There is no need for him to look over his shoulder to know that his brothers, the Travellers' family have kneeled down before him to share the power now running through his body. He raises his head to look at the Council, just as they speak of their final declaration.

"The official Crowning Ceremony will be held on the next moon, when the previous Lords' powers will be passed on to Park Jimin as our new Lord. However, if there are any circumstances within the period of time where there are any disputes from other parties, or if there is any party in the future who decides to reclaim the title, then the title that is decided tonight will be evoked or challenged in the court under the Council of Nobles' ruling."

As the words of the final speech sink in, Jimin finally understands; why he was suddenly appointed as a candidate, why his brother had placed him on a pedestal to challenge the Elders' nominee, and why he suddenly has to carry the burden of the leadership.

A sacrifice.

He says nothing as the Council of Nobles leave their seats, ending the gathering for the night with the final decision already been made official. As everyone leaves the ballroom, Jimin turns to his brother, signalling them to follow him with a single nod.

It is time for their much-delayed family meeting.

Making sure that they would be moving stealthily around the castle would have been easy if they were not surrounded by their own kind.

Jimin would have chosen to use his power to move faster down the hallways if he could, but he needs to make sure that nobody would find them as they gather up for a chance to exchange the information they needed. Not only do vampires have magnificent hearing abilities, but they can also sense other supernatural powers, especially their own, when they are present within close proximity. Using these powers now would allow unnecessary attention or give a chance for them to be followed. And with enemies lurking from close within, not knowing who to trust, Jimin and his brothers must do everything they can to keep their secrets safe. 

At least, for now.

The dark hallway seems never-ending, but Jimin needs to get as far as he possibly can from the center of the castle. He is familiar with the old palace that he knows his way around, and he knows the perfect place that would hide him and his Traveller brothers from any kind of threat. The sound of his footsteps faintly bounces against the walls, and from the second sound echoing not too far behind, he knows that Junhoe is joining him in this meeting.

"Something crucial has happened when I was away, hasn't it?" the young vampire behind him asks just when they are sure they are far from others' earshot.

"Yes, and you will know about it soon. We need to get to our brothers first. I believe they have the answers to our questions," Jimin answers him while keeping his pace to lead their way ahead.

There was no doubt in his mind that he could trust Junhoe. He could not explain why. But perhaps after witnessing the way the younger one had taken his stand to protect him against the accusing glares from the Elders had proven his loyalty just enough. Supported by the message that Jinhwan had sent him earlier, right before he left the ballroom with the others, he knows that it would be beneficial to bring him along and to have him on their side.

They soon find themselves entering the way to the North Tower. The old abandoned tower which was once the place where the Lords resided before they moved to a more secluded place up north, far towards the cold mountains. The members of his Traveller family which had come from the gathering had already been waiting for Jimin at the very top of the tower. Right where the main lounge is located, one that was used mostly for The Lords as they held their private gatherings.

Most of his brothers seem restless as they waited, until he calmly enters with Junhoe towing by his side. A strong sense of relief fills the room as all heads are turned to welcome Jimin and his companion, and everyone visibly calms.

"I'm sorry for the wait," Jimin quickly greets them as he settles down on the nearest leather sofa. "The Council had stopped us on our way here, giving us further instructions on what we needed to prepare before the Crowning Ceremony. A few also asked about what we know of the previous Lords' sudden departure. I had to make up a few things before we were able to slip away."

"That's alright," Jinhwan responds as he walks over and sits somewhere close. The rest of their brothers have chosen to stand either near the windows to keep guard or by the fireplace where the sound of the crackling fire would calm them. "We were all restless due to the sudden turn of events and have grown worried that something might have happened to you, is all."

The sudden turn of events, Jimin wonders as he pinches the bridge of his nose the moment the scene from the previous gathering returns to him.

"Well, now that we're all here," he starts, before lifting his face and looking around at his brothers. "Anyone mind telling me what was that all about? Why was I suddenly nominated with no prior warning? This was far from what we all had planned."

Jinhwan's smile turns remorseful. "Forgive me for the lack of warning. We were planning to discuss it with you first. But certain things got in our way and we barely made it in time for the gathering."

"We had never expected that The Elders would make their move so early. They must have found their way to convince The Council into moving the clan gathering two moons ahead of time," Hanbin joins in, taking a stand behind Jinhwan. "And we also had never expected that The Elders had already appointed a candidate to present in the gathering. With Luciano's convincing speech and the sudden lack of leadership, he would have been appointed as the new Lord by the end of the night. We had to stop it somehow before it was too late, before they had every chance of acquiring the Lords' power. And this was one of the ways we could think of in such a short amount of time."

"You were the only eligible candidate we could think of," Jinhwan quickly adds, "We had to make a quick decision when the news of the gathering came to us so suddenly. Among the group of Travellers who had joined us on our journey, the vote for your name to be nominated as our backup plan was anonymous. We all agreed that you were the only Pure Blood among us brothers who would win the favour of the clan. And we were right."

Jimin shakes his head and sighs. "And now I am the new Lord, all thanks to you folks," he grimly chuckles, earning similar sounds from his brothers. There was nothing else he could do but laugh at the irony of his predicament.

"Something was stopping you from arriving on time. Why did you come so late?" he asks as he remembers the sudden appearance of his brothers guarding by his side so late into the gathering. "Did something happen on your way here?"

It is only then does Jimin notice the way a few of them are standing with their shoulders hunched forward, appearing as if they are in pain. As they start straightening up with the fire illuminating their figures, he can finally see bloodstains peeking from beneath their dark coats, colouring their shirts and pants. Some even still have red gushes on the skin of their necks and forearms, still in the middle of recovering, and some even have bandages covering parts of their skin that have not yet recovered.

Despite how vampires have the ability to recover from wounds, there are many factors that would allow slow recovery to happen. Especially when they have been inflicted either by a greater force or if the attack had come from a more powerful vampire. Or a much older one.

Not to mention, neither of them had been trained as Warriors to begin with to survive any kind of attack.

"We were following the trails they had left for us. When you told us that the one you were following was a false trail made by our targets to escape, we figured we were already on the right track and hoped that we could find them on time." Hanbin explains grimly, looking terribly pissed and exhausted. The distress is evident on his face. "We had initially thought that if we could get to them first, we would be able to bring them here and present them to the gathering and to the Council of Nobles."

"We believe we were close, and moments away from finding them. But right when we were finally able to round up our forces and add more people to our group, we were ambushed by an unidentified group of assailants, so the team had to split." Jinhwan adds with gritted teeth. Jimin can see through his brother's eyes how anger is starting to build up when he recalls what had happened the night before. 

"Some of us had to stay behind to fight, while we sent a smaller group to continue following the trails. The rest had to act as a decoy and headed straight here to be able to join the gathering, all while diverting their attention away from the rest of our brothers that are still out there."

Jimin falls silent as he looks over at his brothers. So that explains the reason why there were so few of the Travellers that were present at the start of the gathering, he wonders.

He finds the whole situation to be more concerning, suspicions are taking over his mind and he starts deliberating loudly, "It can't be a coincidence. Everything happens so conveniently in tune with one another. The gathering, The Elders' move and The Council's arrival, the nomination, the attacks. They must be planning something. They have to be. If not, they would never go so far as to jeopardise their own family group if it was possible."

Jimin can see how his brothers react to his words, how some of them grow even more anxious as someone from the group suddenly asks, "Do you think that it was them who attacked the Lords?"

At the mention of The Lords, Junhoe perks up and stands up on alert. "Wait, are you saying that the Lords' sudden departure, the real reason why they had chosen to simultaneously fall into their eternal sleep was not voluntary?"

Jimin looks up at Junhoe, catching how his eyes are burning with pain and rage. It is quite understandable that he had not yet been informed about this predicament. There are members of the Travellers that have gone deep into solitary or have travelled through the distance to foreign continents for their journeys, rendering them too far away from the clan's reach to receive any updates from their coven. Junhoe has only been one of those Travellers out of many.

And it was not like the truth about the Lords' sudden departure was made public either. Only a few of them knew the truth, and it was crucial to keep the secret from the clan for as long as they possibly could.

"No, they were forced to do so. It was the only way for them to preserve their power and the bond they still held over the clan before they would all perish. The entire clan would have been left defenceless and easily open for an attack if the bond and the shield they put around our land would break along with their demise," Jimin calmly explains while trying his best to push his grief away. 

He was there to witness it happening right before his eyes, how the powerful Lords had befallen to the ground one by one, defeated by an invisible force. "It may seem that they were attacked either by poison or witchcraft. Or both. And we all believed that the attack came from within the clan."

Everyone in the room falls silent. It is Junhoe who speaks first. "You are suspecting The Elders."

Jimin shakes his head. "We had no suspect prior to tonight's gathering. But judging from what we had witnessed tonight, it does seem like they are somehow involved in all of this in one way or another. The threat may have come from them, or any other party who would have benefited from the rise of The Elders. But we have no proof to link the incident to them yet. The Lords had warned us to pay close attention to The Elders when we last saw them, suggesting that they have noticed quite a few suspicious activities happening between The Elders and their supporters."

"What are they planning?"

Jinhwan merely shrugs. "What they have always wanted. Power. They have pestered our Lords for the longest time on the new rules we have been following and our new way of life. They have preached about the need to return to our old ways. The ancient ways of the Vampires."

"The same Ancient Ways that had rendered us dangerous to the world and had left us being frowned upon by other beings on Earth," adds another vampire who nods in understanding. His words are filled with menace as he and the others sullenly recall their dark past.

Junhoe deeply sighs. "What mission is this you are spoken about that The Lords' have sent you to?" He looks over to the wounded, before his eyes return to Jimin. "We are merely Travellers. Judging from the danger everyone had barely survived from, this is not a matter for the likes of us to resolve. To me, it sounds more like a mission for the Warriors. Those who have been trained for battles, not us, who have been roaming the Earth only for our mission of gathering its knowledge."

Everyone shoots a quick look at Jimin, as if wondering if it would be safe to share their plans for the new addition to their group. But it is Hanbin who speaks for them first. "They had no other choice. It is our ability to track down targets that they needed most, and our ability to keep secrets and important knowledge of the clan from being leaked out to any other parties who would use them against the clan or exploit it with malicious intents. They weren't even sure to whom do The Warriors have been placing their loyalty to, so they had to place the responsibility on us. Specifically to those of us who had known about their secrets since the very beginning."

"Secrets? From the clan?" Junhoe keeps staring at Hanbin with a confused frown. "And what is it that they wanted us to track down? So much that it would put us all in danger?"

"To find their appointed heirs. The real heirs that are supposed to be taking their place as our new Leaders," Jimin answers him, looking straight into Junhoe's eyes that have been looking around incredulously.

Junhoe seems to perk up once more to the new information he gathers from the brothers, more positively this time compared to how he had reacted before. "So The Lords have appointed their future heirs before their downfall. The Elders were lying to us all," he growled in anger. It takes him a few quick seconds of controlling his emotions before he could continue asking, "And so? That's supposed to be good news, is it not?"

Jimin's expression looks grim as he nods. "Only if we could find them. They have been in hiding for centuries, ever since the end of the Blood Wars. The Lords had deemed their safety as a priority that even the clan does not know that they exist," he carefully says to his brother, after deciding that it would be best to lay everything out in the open now that Junhoe has been informed just enough of all the facts already.

"I've only come to know about them because I have been with The Lords for the longest time. I also was not the only Traveller child that was adopted by our Lords, so the information about the legitimate heirs is not my knowledge alone to keep, but we had been in an equal understanding that we needed to protect this knowledge even from our own family. Some of us were present when the incident happened, giving us a chance to gain more information about the possibility of their whereabouts," he adds, nodding at Jinhwan and Hanbin, along with the other couple of vampires standing close by.

"The Lords have invited us together that day for a secret meeting up in their mansion by the mountains. It was then when they had told us about their conviction about the possible turmoil that was about to happen in our clan, about the possibility of traitors appearing and gathering forces among us. And it was then when the secrets of their legitimate heirs were revealed, and that we were to be sent to search for them and bring them back home. The discussion had merely started right before it all happened. When they started to fall to the ground in the middle of our dinner, and when the rest that managed to survive a while longer finally descended into eternal sleep, but not without giving us their last request of retrieving the heirs before it was too late."

Jinhwan and Hanbin instantly look away at the mention of the incident that had forcefully defeated their Lords with an unexpected blow. But Junhoe could still see the grim look in their eyes before they could hide them from him—the same eyes that had witnessed the demise of their adopted parents.

It is clear that they were not the only other two vampires that had become witnesses to the incident along with Jimin when some others started to look away with deep frowns on their faces. And it is just as clear that they all share the same grief as what Jimin is showing so strongly through his gaze.

"The Elders, or whoever these traitors would be, must have found out about the secret. They must have caught wind of their existence if they were to make a move of stopping you all from succeeding," Junhoe says, looking just as grim as the others when he looks over.

"Who are they?" he asks when everyone stays silent, "Who are these heirs that our Lords have appointed to be eligible enough to lead our clan? They must be important enough to be hiding so far from danger, and for the Lords to be sending you folks to do anything you could to find them. And they must be completely vital for our clan's future for these traitors to try all they could to stop you."

Jimin looks up to his brother, looking deep into his eyes when he answers, "They have been appointed as the future heirs by blood. They are the Lords' children."