As Mallen was writing, a sinister figure watched him from below the castle grounds, his eyes glowing yellow. Mallen was visible from the window, even at the distance Tavaly stood. A human would've had trouble seeing details, but Tavaly's perfect vision saw everything.

His penetrating scowl deepened when Tavaly saw Írásom come to stand beside Mallen, placing a hand on his shoulder. He watched as Mallen spoke with her for a moment before resuming his writing, Írásom heading towards another part of the room.

Tavaly was profoundly disappointed in Mallen. Ever since Mallen became the vampire leader of the land, Tavaly had eagerly followed him, liking the malice and arrogance that spoke much of his intentions. He had hoped Iérti would be crueler, more bloodthirsty than the first leader, but after seeing the humanity start to rise again within Iérti's tormented soul, and after seeing the drastic changes in Mallen, the one he thought of as the fallen vampire leader, Tavaly began to gather alliances with those who wished for the old days of roaming and hunting at will. So he initiated a secret rebellion, teaming up with the traditionalists while planning to take down Mallen and Iérti.

Tavaly firmly believed vampires were superior to humans. He disliked the harmony Iérti brought to both vampires and humans. Most of all, he disliked Mallen's change of heart.

All that power, and he no longer cares. All the new power flowing through Iérti's veins, but he talks of peace and doesn't even yearn to discover all the powers grafted in him. Bet that bastard still wishes to become human, to sink beneath the powerful man he has become. Tavaly's eyes blazed in anger, wanting to establish what he thought was justice to the land.

As Tavaly was brooding in the castle grounds, was walking in the distance, deep in thought. He had just visited his family's grave and was wandering around the forest in the few hours before dawn, wondering about the recent events. Iérti sensed a vampire presence a distance from Mallen's castle grounds and turned just in time to see Tavaly's orange robes disappear into the forest.

Frowning, Iérti decided to follow him. He made no noise as he moved through the forest, as silent as a shadow. Tavaly stopped a few times, as if checking to see whether someone was following him, but Iérti shared Mallen's expert skill in silent movement, the knowledge automatically embedded into his mind, making him as imperceptible as Mallen. Tavaly glanced over his shoulder suspiciously, but Iérti never let himself be seen.

And so Iérti found Tavaly's new abode.

Mallen's castle had so many rooms it was able to house quite a bit of the vampire population, but ever since Írásom came into his castle, he had ordered all his staff to leave, leaving the castle only occupied by Mallen and Írásom. All those vampires had to choose elsewhere to live. Tavaly was one of the last ones to choose a dwelling.

Iérti looked at it now, the dark vampire castle casting an ominous feeling on him. It was the true depiction of a vampire castle on a high cliff with tall pointy spires, stone towers, thunder looming in the background, and bats flying over it.

At first Iérti wondered whether Tavaly was able to shapeshift into bats, or command them, then he saw his orange clad figure disappearing through the doorway and sighed in relief, glad he didn't have the ability to shapeshift.

Iérti knew he had to get closer in order to figure out what Tavaly was up to. Climbing the castle could chance noise, even with his skilled silent movement. Staying hidden in the brush, Iérti took another studious look at the castle, taking note of all its surroundings.

A thick pine forest was to the right of it, a rocky cliff on the other. Iérti was in the forest a careful distance from the castle, making sure to stay downwind so Tavaly wouldn't be able to sense him. Human scent was more potent and easier to identify, though vampires had a scent of their own.

The flying bats gave Iérti an idea. Deciding to give his secret shapeshifting powers a try, knowing it was something that might come in handy later on, thinking it would be in best practice to become familiar with this new power rather than venture in an important battle without a clue how to use it, Iérti closed his eyes and willed it to be.

His body instantly turned into a colony of bats – black bats with red vampire eyes. They blended in with the castle bats already flying towards the towers. In his collective bat form, Iérti was able to keep multiple eyes on Tavaly, learning not just where he was but also the other going-on's in the castle. Iérti was surprised how natural it was for him to shapeshift.

Iérti's bats landed in front of almost every window, careful to stay hidden as they peeked in to see the castle interior. They saw mostly empty rooms, some coated in dust, others containing treasure chests, others with more dreadful sights such as skeletons and spiders.

But the view that shocked him the most was of Tavaly walking into what looked like a meeting room with fourteen other vampires already seated.

Iérti didn't recognize any of them, though Mallen would've recognized Neonardo as one of the fourteen other vampires. Iérti watched intently as Tavaly took his seat, his satiny orange robes making a soft swishing sound as he moved.

There was red embroidery on the top of his clothing, the red a bright red color in contrast to Iérti's maroon red color. The orange cast a small tint on his dark cocoa skin, the sharp contrast in unison. A small lamp behind Tavaly glared near the back of his bald head, as though the light was sitting on his shoulder. His eyes gleamed golden yellow as they met the eyes of every person in the room, disregarding Iérti's bats at the window.

"Iérti is not the great vampire leader I had hoped he would be," boomed Tavaly, making Iérti's bats jump in surprise at the sound of his own name, "and Mallen has become soft towards the humans. Two of the most powerful vampires, and both are the greatest disappointment to our kind."

"Indeed," one of the vampires agreed. "But how are we to rise against them when they can easily overpower us?"

Tavaly is indeed the leader of the secret vampire rebellion, realized. And these are all his followers. The ones loyal to him. Most likely traditionalists.

Iérti's attention turned back to Tavaly when he said, "By the very thing that ails us all: humanity. Mallen was the ideal vampire leader when he was the cruelest vampire in the land. I was hoping Iérti would surpass his leadership, but even without humanity, Iérti is still more human than vampire. Mallen's blood and power did nothing to destroy the compassion from the kindest man in the land."

"Compassion is a human trait," said another of the vampires. "Some people still hold onto some human traits even after they turn into a vampire. Apparently Mallen has learned compassion from Iérti."

"Iérti doesn't even want to learn anything from Mallen," said Tavaly, his voice angered. "Such power instilled in him through Mallen's blood, and he still longs for his human life."

"Perhaps some things are worth more than power," a man from the farthest end of the table spoke quietly, his hood pulled over his head, the shadows hiding part of his face as he leaned back in his seat, his legs resting on the inner workings of the table.

Tavaly turned to him with suspicion. "And what might those things be, Arison?" he asked tartly.

Arison's dark piercing blue eyes peered from underneath his hood. "Peace. Kindness. Compassion. Those are all things Iérti rules by. Before he became a vampire, Iérti was the general of the East lands. He saw much war and violence in his human life. It is only understandable that he would want peace between humans and vampires. Perhaps he gained wisdom from Mallen's experience. I don't believe retaliating against our superiors would be in our greatest interest, Tavaly."

Iérti moved back, pondering over the name Arison. It sounds so familiar....

Tavaly looked like a thundercloud on the verge of striking lightning. He glowered at Arison, who remained unruffled, his own gaze steady and firm. Iérti's bats remained silent as ever, barely moving. The other vampires didn't move either, feeling the tension in the room.

"I suppose you think our greatest interest should be sitting back and following Iérti's orders," Tavaly said sharply. "Our kind is superior to humans. We are the dominant race. I want to make humans our slaves. They need to serve us. Iérti caters to them as though he's still one of their own. He built settlements and cities for them. He gives them every luxury he can to ensure they all live comfortably, and he declared peace in the land.

"Though garlic and silver are outlawed, there are still a vast majority of humans secretly growing garlic farms and secretly forging silver weapons. They're rising against us, and we need to put them in their place. We need to show them we are more powerful than they ever will, that we are the dominant lifeform, not their equal. We will never be equal to a weaker kind!"

Arison said nothing in response, silently glaring back at Tavaly. He was wearing a navy blue sleeveless hooded jacket and black pants over his lean, strong figure. His arms were well-muscled and tanned. He looked like he spent much of his life working at a farm before he became a vampire. Iérti was sure he had seen him before, but he couldn't recall where and when.

It all became clear the very moment another vampire spoke, saying in a crisp voice, "If you are not with us, then you are against us. To stand by Iérti's rule is to stand against our own kind. Arison Cyprien, you are charged with treason and are therefore expelled from this meeting."

"And the sentence is death," Tavaly said in a cold, dark voice. His eyes burned into Arison's form, promising the threat in them.

Iérti stared at Arison in shock, finally recognizing him.

Arison was one of his sergeants, the one who asked, "How come we're heading away from the vampires and not towards them?" the day before Iérti led his army out of the North fortress, only to be completely wiped out by Mallen's army. The sergeant ended up staying behind with the remaining army. They were later attacked by Mallen's army intent on knocking down the fortresses one by one.

I'm not the only human who turned into a vampire, Iérti realized. Others from the human fortresses have also turned. But by whom and why? Iérti was relieved to learn not all had died, though he felt sad regarding what they had either chosen or been forced to become.

Arison had indeed worked as a farmhand before becoming a soldier and being promoted to sergeant. Much like Iérti, Arison was very loyal to his fellow countrymen. Evidently, he was acting as a mole in Tavaly's circle, for some reason making it clear whose side he was on. Iérti refused to let another of his countrymen die, whether he was human or vampire.

Iérti's bats gathered, joining to become a man-size bat at the window. Iérti slipped back into his true vampire form, staying in the shadows as his eyes narrowed. He carefully watched, ready for the slightest movement.

It came when Tavaly and the vampires rose as one, Arison the last to rise. Tavaly's dangerous eyes never drifted from him, the thundercloud finally striking with one deadly lightning bolt.

"Arison Cyprien, you are a traitor to your own kind. I sentence you to death."

It all happened at once. The vampires leaped at Arison, who moved backwards in one elegant gymnastics move. Tavaly unsheathed a wooden stake, already in motion to strike.

Iérti burst through the window, shattering glass as his vampire form turned into an army of vampire horses. The vampires stared in astonishment as Iérti's vampire horses seemed to leap from mid-air, barely touching the ground before charging at the opposing vampires. Tavaly moved to hide, his eyes wide as he too bore witness to Iérti's previously unseen power.

Arison, his own wooden stake in hand, was moving away from both the vampires and the vampire horses, trying to make for the door. The window was too high for an escape. One of Iérti's vampire horses blocked the door, his red eyes directly facing Arison.

Get on my back if you want to live, Iérti spoke to his mind, urging Arison to climb on the horse's back at the same time managing the others.

Arison took one glance at the resounding pandemonium before quickly getting onto his back and holding onto his mane. The vampire horse led Arison safely out of the castle as the fight continued in the meeting room.

Everywhere was bloody chaos. The vampires fought back, but Iérti's vampire horses trampled them, kicking at them with their hooves and snarling loudly. Several horses pranced around the weakened vampires, neighing in victory. The vampires were startled when the horses began rifling through them, knocking their wooden stakes out of their sheaths.

A vampire horse slammed into Tavaly, its brute force shoving him all the way to the other side of the room. A few vampire horses began pushing around fallen wooden stakes with their noses, as if directing them towards a certain corner of the room. Tavaly began to realize the vampire horses were of one collective hive mind, all of them controlled by one person.

Iérti suddenly appeared in his vampire form, wooden stakes in hand as he stood in front of Tavaly. Some vampires ran out of the room, seeking shelter or escape from the castle. Tavaly stared at Iérti, trying not to alert his attention to the four vampires quietly gathering behind Iérti.

A subtle movement of Tavaly's eyes desperately trying not to glance in the background and the images in his eyes mirroring the scene behind Iérti was all it took to give it all away.

Spinning perfectly on his heel, Iérti turned to face them, shapeshifting into a multitude of bats at the same time he was moving his body. Each bat carried a sharp wooden stake, each one hitting their marks on the four vampires that tried to sneak up on Iérti. All four lay dead, the wooden stakes buried deep into their hearts.

Iérti's bats snatched up the bloody stakes and went to find the others, but they were gone from the castle. Iérti searched for Tavaly but he disappeared, having made his escape the moment Iérti turned to face the four unsuspecting vampires. Iérti's bats flew out of the broken window, heading for the forest.

Turning back into his vampire form, ran through the forest, searching for Arison. He sensed his presence and found him near a stream of water running underneath a rock.

Arison immediately tried to run, thinking he was one of Tavaly's vampires, but Iérti said, "I am Iérti Keresi, the former general of the East lands, now one of the two vampire leaders in the land. You're in no danger with me, Arison."

Arison froze. He slowly turned to face Iérti, who stood before him. It really is him, Arison thought, looking at Iérti for the first time in his vampire form.

Though Iérti's physical appearance was more defined in his vampire form, the vampirism enhancing all beautiful aspects of his appearance, Arison recognized the the same compassionate kind eyes Iérti had when he was human.

Iérti's hair was pulled back in a dark red ribbon, his fair complexion looking exceptionally well with his black hair. He wore his signature dark red outfit, the garlic knot insignia, his deep red cape, all of it signifying him as the vampire leader Iérti. He had a sheath at his side, cased in black.

"I know you. You're one of my fellow countrymen. You were one of my sergeants."

"Norwan's sergeant, actually, but technically yes, your sergeant as well, since you were the leader of all four generals." Arison relaxed slightly, though he remained guarded.

Iérti came over and gave him a brief, firm embrace. Arison embraced, then he pulled away. "It's true, then. That you became a vampire."

"Yes, it is true," Iérti confirmed. His tone changed as he became interested in learning further of what became of the residents of the North fortress. "Are there others like you still alive? Were you forced to turn, or was it your own choice to turn?"

Arison's face became solemn. "Months passed without any word of what happened to you and your army. It wasn't until the night vampires attacked our fortress that we realized your army must've suffered the same fate."

His face darkened. "I watched you feed on innocents. I saw you kill an innocent girl. You were in a state of such bloodlust it was hard to tell whether it was really you or a monster with the likeness of you. I hoped to heaven it wasn't you. But the truth remains, and I'm at a loss."

"Nothing can ever atone for what I've done," Iérti said with severe regret. "I've become worse than the cruelest vampire in the land. I lost everything – my army, my daughter, my wife, my humanity. Not a single night goes by when I don't regret what I've done.

"But since I can't change what happened, I can change what happens next. Mallen and I are planning to stop Tavaly and his traditionalist vampire rebellion before they needlessly kill more humans." Iérti looked again at Arison. "I'm surprised to see you're a vampire. Did you turn by force or by choice?"

Arison's blue eyes pierced into Iérti's dark brown eyes. "I turned by choice. After seeing how useless we are against the vampires, I went to find a vampire who would grant me the strength and abilities we humans lack.

"Rather than finding a vampire, a vampire found me as I was roaming the forest. Ardai Duperzai wasn't part of the enemy's army; rather, he was a neutral party. He granted my request to turn into a vampire. He taught me everything I needed to know about being a vampire. I joined sides with Tavaly with the intention of learning secrets and information I could use to benefit the humans. That idea flew out the window the moment I displayed my true loyalty."

"Ardai Duperzai is one of the vampire overlords," Iérti said, familiar with the vampire's name. "I chose him to be the vampire overlord of the Rising Fawn settlement."

"I live in that settlement," said Arison. "I heard the vampire leader himself was the one who turned you."

"That is true," said Iérti. "I was turned against my will."

Arison looked at him for a moment, then he went to lean against a tree, crossing his arms while doing so. "And he allowed you to take over?"

"Yes. Apparently he received his humanity around the same time I lost mine."

Arison was quiet for several minutes, listening to the crickets and night noises before he spoke.

"We kept waiting for you to come back. We had no idea what happened and feared the worst. When Mallen's vampires attacked us, I immediately got on a horse and sought shelter in the garlic farms. Many weren't as lucky as me.

"I watched the North fortress fall to pieces, our biggest defense system collapsing at the hands of our enemy. I realized no matter how hard we fight, the vampires would always win. So I decided the only way to defeat the vampires was to become a vampire and use my new strength and power to defeat them."

"And your plan backfired on you the moment you made known your true alliance. You were lucky I was there to save your skin."

"None of us have ever seen the full extent of Mallen's powers. Even the vampires are unaware of all his powers. But because Mallen turned you with his blood, you have the full extent of Mallen's powers. I had no idea where the vampire horses came from, but now I know it was you. Even when you spoke to my mind, I had no idea whether you were ally or enemy, but I did recognize your voice and only hoped it was truly you."

"I can imagine your relief." Iérti went over to the rock feature with the small stream underneath, his gaze fixed towards the rest of the forest. "Mallen and I are working together to stop Tavaly and his vampires from killing humans. We want to maintain the peace I established in the land. If you need us or if you have any further means of assistance through information, I will be at Mallen's castle. I trust you know where it is?"

"It's only the fanciest castle in the land. Such a beautiful fairytale castle and it belongs to the most powerful vampire leader in the land."

Iérti smiled. "I'm sure he would love being called the most powerful leader in the land instead of his former title as the cruelest vampire in the land. It's odd; he talked much about power, yet he rarely showed his own powers. I was the one who started using them."

"Perhaps Mallen didn't wish to exhibit those powers just yet. Maybe he wanted somebody else to have them. I suppose that's why he chose to turn you."

"Why me?" Iérti asked, turning around. "I never wanted power."

"That is precisely why he chose you," said Arison, pushing back from the tree. "Most people want power, but Mallen didn't want his power to go to just any person, especially not a power-hungry one. He wanted it to go in the right hands. That's why he chose to turn you: because you're the right person to have such great power. Because you're the one who can bring peace between vampires and humans, something that's never been established until your rule."

Arison looked over at the horizon, then turned back at Iérti. "Things happen for a reason, Iérti. You weren't meant to be the general of the East lands for long. You were meant for something greater. Seeing you become the new vampire leader in the land has given me great joy in knowing you accomplished something no one else did.

"I am honored to stand by your side in this fight for humankind. I won't forget that you've killed innocents, but then again, you were tainted by the cruelest vampire in the land. And you did lose your humanity, revealing the darkest part of you. That aside, your kinder aspects are much stronger than your darker impulses. Remember that, Iérti."

Arison made his leave, moving so fast only a vampire would be able to see him. Iérti stood for a moment longer, touched by Arison's words. He looked up at the night sky, the trees low enough so he could see stars, then he began heading for Mallen's castle.