Aeris and Lyra found a path that led them into a sewer. While Lyra left with a compact crossbow, Aeris wasn't too far behind with a tome. She held it close as if it were the most valuable item in the world. Luckily, there were cloaks stored in the room with the armor. They found a ladder, and Lyra was the first one to go up. When she reached the large plate of steel that covered the entrance of the sewer, she signaled Aeris to extinguish the torch. Once the flames were quenched, Lyra lifted the plate, which was heavier than she thought. The opening was just enough for her to see where they were. She noticed a stone fountain with a mermaid holding a vase where the water poured out. Streetlights bordered the outside of the fountain, illuminating the darkness of the night and revealing the gloss of wet stone that spanned the entire street.

They appeared in the second ring.

Lyra signaled Aeris to follow as the coast was clear. Sliding the plate across the stone, she lifted herself up and took hold of Aeris' hand to help her out of the sewer.

"We're close!" Aeris said excitedly.

"No celebrating just yet; we need to get to your manor."

The two discussed a plan to go to Aeris' manor, as that should be a temporary safe place, making it hard for criminals, or anyone with no official business, to enter the second ring. But they knew they would have to remain cautious, as anyone could be their enemy.

Aeris took the lead as she knew the best way to get to her home. Lyra stayed close behind with her mother's crossbow ready with a bolt seated in the rail. She tried to remain confident with the weapon in hand, but she knew that it was completely out of what she was capable of doing. If trouble were to present itself, it could spell disaster for them.

After turning around the block, Aeris pointed at a large house on top of a hill where the stone turned to grass at its base. "There!" She proclaimed. "It's within reach."

They noticed that the light was on in the manor, so they decided to proceed with caution. The hill had little to no foliage, nothing to give them cover. Lyra pointed in the direction behind the house, and Aeris agreed. The two moved as silently as the grass would let them, eventually making it to the back of the manor. Large, barred walls with stone as a frame surrounded the estate. Every other pillar of stone had a lantern on it. Aeris told Lyra to halt as one of the dogs began to growl. She found a bone that she would stash beyond the wall and held it through the bars. The dog's growl ceased, and instead it licked her hand repeatedly. Aeris climbed over the wall, and Lyra followed. Aeris brought out her key that she kept in a pouch that sat close to her waist.

Upon entering, Lyra could see the pain that washed over her. She knew that every step for Aeris was like stepping barefoot on a bed of nails. Lyra put her hand on her back to reassure Aeris that she was there to shoulder the pain with her.

The two knew they were in the mudroom and that the connecting room would be the kitchen. Just the thought of food made their stomachs growl. They just realized they haven't had anything to eat. As they crept their way through the flame-lit kitchen, they pilfered, is what it felt like to them, some bread and cheese. The two made their way out to the dining room where the servants were just getting done with detailing the dinner table, but their expressions were grim, as if their souls were stolen away. They turned their heads and saw the two girls with their arms filled with bread and cheese. One of them had a spark light in their eyes as tears streamed down their face. Another dropped to their knees and began to thank the heavens. The head housemaid hurried to Aeris, as she would be able to recognize her through any disguise, and hugged her tightly. Lyra could see from her eyes that she was happy but couldn't express it right.

"Higgs!" She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought you all had left."

"We would never leave you, Aeris! Not now." The woman said. The corners of her eyes were weathered and her demeanor felt as if she was a seasoned housekeeper.

Aeris gently pushed Higgs away. "So you know." She said, pain striking her heart once again.

"We could see the fortress where you and your mother went. When smoke suddenly erupted, we knew danger was imminent. But we didn't know what had happened." Higgs brushed Aeris' hair to the back with the tips of her fingers. "After waiting a while, what felt like days. We had given up hope. But here you are with Lady Lyra by your side."

As much as Lyra knew Aeris wanted to catch up with her household, she grabbed her attention with a cough and raised her eyebrows.

"As much as I would love to catch up, we can't waste time. I need access to my mother's office. I know you have a key for that room."

"If it were any other occasion," Higgs reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. "I would have scolded you. But now," she brought Aeris' hand up and placed the key in her palm. "You must fulfill what your mother has started."

Aeris stared at the key for a moment, her face filled with resolution to carry out her mother's will. She hurried into the main hall, Lyra still close behind her; she climbed the steps at the end and entered a long corridor going left and right. Without hesitating, Aeris took a sharp turn to her left and eventually came across two large wooden doors. Lyra knew she would struggle, so she did what Aeris did for her and helped her gain the courage.

The key fitted snugly through the keyhole. With a twist of her hand, Aeris unlocked the door and pushed it open. The doors revealed a lavish office with red being its main color, accented by dark wood and gold-painted accessories. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, its shape reminiscent of raining crystals that were suspended. A small couch, mostly for looks, sat at the center of the room, and in the chimney lit an odd-colored flame; it had orange as usual but with green and purple hues.

"It's Everfire," said Aeris, noticing Lyra's curiosity. "My mother procured it from the Tundra of The Nine. Nearly burned her alive, or so she told me."

"It's fascinating," Lyra couldn't help but be entranced by the beautiful flame. "Your mother is just as amazing."

Aeris let the corner of her mouth curl up.

Lyra looked at the door, and then a knock came from the other side, and her head housemaid, Higgs, entered the room with a platter of food.

"You shouldn't be working on an empty stomach," she said. Placing the platter on a table that sat across from the couch. "This will be more appetizing than just cheese and bread."

Higgs bowed her head and left the room as fast as she came in. Aeris and Lyra observed the platter, and it was full of fruits and meats. The two began to devour the plate, but Lyra's stomach didn't take well to the meat. Her stomach churned and revolted at the food, causing her to gag violently. Aeris found an empty pitcher and placed it in front of Aeris, rubbing her back.

Lyra didn't feel right, nauseous at the unsettling notion washing over her.

"It must be the blood," said Aeris. "Your mother made you drink what was in the vial."

Aeris rummaged through her pouch again and brought out the vial. It still had some of its red contents left inside. "I grabbed this before we left the carriage. Could be useful."

"That boy. . ." she paused, grabbing the vial. She grew frustrated trying to remember his name, but nothing came to mind. "He gave me that vial. With his power, I think he was a vampire."

Aeris dropped the food from her hand and rushed to the book she brought. She flipped through the pages frantically and stopped. Lyra staggered to her and saw what she was looking at. The page was full of her mother's handwriting and in-depth diagrams of anatomy; on this page, a vampire.

"Here!" Aeris pointed at a paragraph.

Lyra began to read,

Out of admiration, a vampire may offer their blood to a human; it's rather a code to acquire strong subordinates. If consumed, their humanity is challenged. Food will not taste the same, and the craving of living blood will be strong at first, but if overcome, it will only be a ghostly feeling deep within. They will be able to harness the power of the vampire whose blood they consume, but it will grow weak over time. This is most humans' downfall to madness. . .

Lyra realized the gravity of her situation, making the pain in her stomach more dreadful. She turned the pages, but the subject she cared about ended with no resolve. Why would she do that? She asked herself. There had to be a reason!

Finally, her body couldn't resist anymore, and the food spewed out of her, bringing her to all fours. She could feel it, the ghostly feeling deep within. The thought made her throw up once more. The realization that she would occasionally crave a living person's blood made her question what she was becoming.

Lyra was changing, and her humanity was being challenged.

All Aeris could do was watch, but Lyra waved her off, letting her know without words that she would be fine. As Lyra regained her bearings, wiping the tears and snot with her sleeve, she heard Aeris shuffle through some papers on her mother's desk. Lyra did her best to ignore the mess her body decided to make and sniffled. Aeris' shuffling stopped, and she began to read it.

"This is it. The next step!" Her eyes soared through the words. "We will be at war once more, and the Kingdom of Lycra will be an ally. I must go there and persuade them to be our ally." Aeris paused in her tracks. "But we can't move against the Senate; we have to persuade them."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by we?"

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

Torches burned bright in the night. The moon rested at the tip of the mountain, as if it were teetering at the point. Clouds surrounded the celestial body, threatening to cover it. A roaring waterfall filled the cadence of the chilling air. The streets were silent with patrols marching through in timely intervals. All of the moon's light gets absorbed into a large pool of water, making it emit a dim white glow. The citizens of Lycra have decided to turn in for the night, extinguishing the flames within their households. Except for the garrison that shined bright in the night with flames dancing beside the building.

Inside the garrison, Kaelen, in his human form, had his arms chained and pulled up to expose his body as if he was being crucified. His father, pacing around him in his human form with a whip bearing silver razors, lashed at him. The generals watched in speculation that Knhaul had become soft. Kaelen, bound to receive punishment, bowed his head so no further embarrassment may be done to him. His body, bloodied and beaten, was unable to heal itself due to the silver.

Kaelen was vulnerable.

Another whip cracked him across the chest. His teeth gritted and his knuckles balled, but not a single breath escaped him within that moment. But his muscles ached as his body would contract with every wound inflicted, making it more difficult to hold in with every hit.

He watched as his blood painted the cold floor.

"Whose side are you on, boy!?" Knhaul screamed, demanding an immediate answer.

"Our kingdom." He replied solemnly.

"Then why did you let the enemy go?"

Kaelen watched as his father's feet approached, his breath warm against his sweating body.

"They were not the enemy," he closed his eyes knowing his response would warrant another whip.

"You're mixing righteous acts with stupidity!"

With a swift motion, Kaelen's father wrapped the whip around his neck, burying the silver razors deep in his skin. Worse than he was anticipating. Kaelen's body began to tremble, all of his veins trying to pop out of his body from trying to hold in his scream.

"Enough, Knhaul." Another general spoke, ceasing the punishment. Kaelen didn't recognize the general from the gathering that happened earlier in the day. "There is no need to go any further. I am sure he has learned his lesson."

Kalen's father reluctantly withdrew himself and turned away, leaving Kaelen breathless and gasping for air. To an extent, Kaelen felt as if he failed himself knowing his father had to display such actions in front of his peers.

"Release him!" Knhaul demanded. The chains dropped, clanking against the pulley, kicking up dust upon impact with the ground, with Kaelen following in its motion. "Go on home, boy." He growled.

Kaelen got on one knee, rubbing his wrist where he was restrained. The red marks began to fade until it was normal once again, though his other wounds had a different agenda, creating pain and discomfort that he began to get used to. He winced and held his side as he stood up, his demeanor calling for defeat as his shoulders slouched and his gaze still downcast.

Without a word, Kaelen bowed his head to the generals, not knowing what their expressions were, and left the room. He felt their gaze stabbing into his back, the final punishment—disappointment.