The wake of tragedy had finally washed away. Ghost and Ricky returned home, leaving behind nearly all their family. They didn't want to do it, but they couldn't change the will of others. Thankfully, at least Ryan-Ashley decided to go with them. She needed the support. Emerson and Remington followed in their path, Ashley leaving Vanaheim as well. The manor wasn't completely void of new faces, nor pain. A few were still ill and only time could heal their wounds.

In case you're wondering, the princess did make her decision. She believed that light and dark can coexist. It would be hypocritical if she turned down Jasper's offer. After all, nearly her whole life had revolved around loving a dark creature. It seemed appropriate that she should work to protect his kind. The society's name also struck a cord with her; The Society of the Fallen. Who could be more fallen than the exiled fairy princess?

Regardless of their decision, they did decide to return home as well. Though some members choose to live in Vanaheim, many would prefer to maintain their own lives elsewhere. The society was a mere fragment of their duties. It'd be foolish to waste time in a nearly empty realm. 

Ghost was rather relieved to realize at least one of his sons would be coming back home with him. Leaving his boys behind, along with Ryan, was painful. Ryan was a man of his word though. He'd signed a contract to work at the manor for six weeks. Ill or not, he wasn't going to break that promise. Chris had taught him better than that. Besides, they needed him now more than ever. Micah still had yet to wake up, leaving them without one of their aids. 

It had been four days since the attack. Day broke, though the dark shades hid it's light. Ryan had regained his strength and was surprisingly eager to return to work. As he was collecting what he needed for his own patients, Jasper handed him a short piece of paper. "Felix is still much too weak to be working. So, Shae will be taking on his patients. Would you be as so kind as to tend to Micah's for the time being?"

"Of course." He replied, "It's really not a lot for me, considering he has the easier patients."

Jasper laughed, "Don't say things you'd regret. Friday and Joy only listen to Micah. You'll have a Hell of a time convincing them to take their medication. As for Marci, she's still quite a mess. On the bright side, Dusk and Asher are a little more mellowed out than normal. I'm afraid that won't last much longer, though. Today will be Dusk's last day of freedom."

"And Asher?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Normally when he feeds it lasts him a week. The energy he took from you has seemed to be much more sustainable though. He may be able to last much longer." 

"Just don't go telling him that. I don't need him to have an excuse to perv on me. He already does it enough as is." Ryan grumbled. "I was actually kind of amazed at how much it changes him to have his aura leveled out. He's like a totally different person."

"Don't let his timidness fool you. He may be much more stable than Dusk, but he's just as dangerous. You'd be wise to watch your mind and heart around him. He's an expect at manipulating both." He sighed shortly, "I should leave you to get to work. You'll have a busy day ahead of you. If you need aid with Friday and Joy, Paris may be able to help. They see Micah as their big brother. They seem to extend that trust to his mate."

"Alright, thanks." Ryan responded as he started to walk away, "Oh, before you go, I wanted to ask, what are you going to do with the two that switched sides?" 

"They can't be easily forgiven for their actions. Their minds are still unstable as well. I have no clue what Telsa has done to them. So, they will be admitted as patients under a criminal charge. They've both accepted this fate and are now being held in Rest Point. Beau and Finch are working together to choose the best course of action for their treatment." 

Jasper continued down his path, disappearing around the corner. Two new patients meant an aid would have to be assigned to them. Considering how strong they were, the job would most likely go to Shae. Ryan couldn't help but wonder what he'd truly be like in battle. When they had to fend off that reaper, it was clear he was holding back. In protecting the others during the battle, he didn't have to get his hands dirty. A demon from the Black Valley would hold a tremendous amount of strength. It made him wonder what Shae was capable of.

Ryan focused his time on his job for right now. There was still a Hell of a lot more secrets to discover in this place, but he'd had enough to last him awhile. His curiosity did get the best of him, he had to admit. He'd found some things he may not have wanted to. For now, he should just be thankful for the peace he's received. Ryan headed down the main ward first to get through what he'd presume to be the easiest of his patients.

Knox had oddly earned some respect for his uncle. Even though he was angry with him for the past, he's let go of his resentment. It's not healthy to hold onto that hatred forever. He was still an angry, closed off person, but at least he could learned to love his family. Typical as ever, his room was as dark as possible. He sat in the window while reading a novel. With a vampire's eyes, he could see clear as day.

"You definitely are Ghost and Ricky's kid." Ryan commented as he pushed the door open with his back, "Ricky always has his nose stuck in a book, and I swear, Ghost couldn't breathe without horror culture."

He looked up from his book, a famous horror work from Earth called House of Leaves. Knox gave a small smile. It wasn't much, considering he was still getting used to loving his parents again. Getting compared to them would've pissed him off before. 

"I always assumed things like that kids learned just from watching their parents, but I guess there are some things that are just in our blood." He replied.

Ryan set down the silver tray of meds on the desk in the room. "Is that any good? I've always heard good things about it but I could never find time to read it while I was on Earth." 

"Honestly, I could find the worse book in the world good as long as I had something new to read. We don't get things from Earth too often. Ashley and Chris were the only ones that ever wanted to be there. After everything, Ash thought we deserved a treat." 

"Hm, I can imagine Shae will be happy to have a new stock of things to bribe Kettil with." Ryan laughed, "I have a busy day ahead of me. I wish I could stay longer, but I'm just here to drop off meds. I'd just leave them, but I do have to watch you take them."

He lowered his head, having his orange hair drape over his eyes. "I understand. I won't fight you."

Ryan walked over to him, offering him a small glass of water and a few pills. "Thank you." He said as his nephew accepted them willingly. After Knox swallowed them down without a fight, Ryan raised his eyebrow at him.

"What?" He muttered, "You don't think I swallowed them or something?"

"Maybe. Prove me wrong." He replied.

Knox took another drink of water, this time actually swallowing his medication. He was an expect at hiding it under his tongue. Just to be a bit of a brat, he stuck out his tongue when he was done. Despite now being his guardian, Ryan was still the cool uncle. He laughed it off instead of getting angry. That surprised Knox, actually. He wasn't used to an aid not getting mad at him for his attitude.

"I know they like to run down your spirit in this place, but do yourself a favor and never lose that attitude. It's what keeps you a member of the Cerulli family." Ryan proudly spoke, collecting his things, "I'll see you at night rounds. If you need me before then, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, uncle Ryan." He muttered.

That kid still had a lot to learn. Ryan never wanted to be a teacher. He figured life was brutal enough without someone else hitting on you. In his eyes, it was much easier to just be a good friend and family member. Tough love isn't always the best course of action. For some people, it would never work. He couldn't help but think of Marci while on that thought process.

He was out cold for the whole battle, but Angela and London filled him in on the details. Marci apparently was extremely angered. Her rage fuels her unbelievably. That's why she needs someone that's as calm as Felix. His love kept her sane. Ryan understood that now. He raised his hand to her door, knocking gently.

A moment passed before Felix opened up. He was in mad shape, having received damage during his girlfriend's rampage. She couldn't exactly prevent friendly fire. It didn't phase him though. In the end, they both survived. That's what mattered most.

"Micah still isn't well, so I'm covering his patients for the time being. I'll make it quick. I know you two lovebirds don't want to be disturbed." He winked.

Felix's cheeks turned red. Who knew ghosts could blush? He sighed, "Doubt we'll be doing any of that anytime soon. I'm sure you know, she has Adinoime. It's... Really bad right now. She doesn't stay awake for more than ten minutes at a time."

His tone changed drastically to one of sympathy, "I'm sorry. Is she asleep now?"

"Yeah. I want her to try to sleep as long as possible so she has some energy to eat dinner later." 

"It's probably for the best anyways. From what I've seen, her medication pains her to take when she's awake. Is she back on an IV?" He asked.

Felix nodded, stepping back from the door. It was like there was a lack of energy in this room. As if all magic had been drained from the walls. Was she really that weak that even taking all the energy in the air couldn't help her? The girl that they spoke of with such great fear, she seemed so helpless now. 

"Wait." He stopped his uncle. Felix rushed over to the bed and made sure to pull the sheets up higher. "Sorry. She doesn't like people to see... Never mind. Just, please, hurry."

The silk night gown she wore had a dip in the back. It made it so her fatal wound was visible. Though he thought her flaws made her beautiful, Felix knew how much it hurt her for people to see. Her pride meant a lot to her. She'd spent too much time trying to regain it after all that had happened to her. He wouldn't let something so little get in the way.

Ryan set his things down gently. He took a few things from the tray, then went over to her bedside. Felix stayed beside her, holding her hand that wasn't attached to the IV. Marci may have been asleep but he knew it would still hurt her just the same. Ryan opened the chamber on the IV line, plugging in the syringe of medication. He fed it in as slow as possible. She whimpered in her sleep, crying in pain. 

This would've never happened if she hadn't been pushed to her limits. Ryan had to wonder, if those who attacked them had this happen to their loved ones, would they have reconsidered? Then he remembered, people as heartless as Tesla weren't capable of love. They'd never understand that what they did wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth this.