Mallen sat on the windowseat in one of the castle rooms, his arms resting on his knees drawn up near his chest. He lamented Katlyn's death, wishing he had at least spared Olivia. He chided himself for his actions, knowing it was his fault Iérti was forever mourning them, unaware Mallen was mourning as well.

Iérti noticed Mallen was in a sullen mood but didn't wish to disturb him, instead going in another room. Mallen vowed to keep his humanity for as long as possible, for it was the most precious thing Katlyn had given him. He hoped to never lose it, knowing if he ever did lose it, it wouldn't be out of his own will.

Iérti began to feel darker impulses again, triggered each time he thought of the loss of his family. His eyes becoming red once again, his body signaling his need to feed, Iérti went down to the barracks and picked out a man to feed on, preferring fresh blood straight from the source.

Mallen rarely fed directly from people anymore, preferring to use his hidden stores to pour himself a drink when needed. Írásom started off feeding the same way Mallen did, but she found she preferred to drink straight from the source like Iérti rather than drinking from a cup.

Tavaly, of course, killed those he fed on. He drained them dry, leaving nothing but their corpse behind. Disturbed by the rising death count, Mallen gathered Iérti and the vampire overlords together, saying they needed to act now to prevent more deaths. They gathered in Iérti's castle, all of them meeting in the same place.

, Stellan Skarsgard, Krystyna Idealyic, Vajir Trzaka, Polanco, Elizondre, and Saorise.

Blaise Benyt was the youngest-looking vampire, the only teenager vampire, and the sweetest vampire of them all. Though he could be naïve at times, Iérti appreciated his pure heart and benevolent spirit. Blaise was an English vampire.

Ardai Duperzai was an Egyptian vampire. He wore a lightweight, comfortable outfit consisting of a sleeveless white linen shirt and white linen pants. He wore gold bracelets and a gold chain slung as a belt. He had thick shoulder length black hair. His skin was tanned and he was one of the most agile vampires in the land. He moved at lightning speed and drained victims dry before they even knew what came at them. He was a silent, unseen killer. But ever since Iérti took over, Ardai gave up on killing and liked the idea of unity between vampires and humans.

Stellan Skarsgard had the longest hair of all, going down almost past his waist. It was long, straight, and light brown with golden highlights. He had sharp dark brown eyes that often times looked almost black, frightening people with just his eyes. His skin was tanned and he often flaunted it by going shirtless. At present, he wore navy breeches with a thick brown belt and a white hooded jacket with no shirt underneath, as he liked to go shirtless. He was a Viking vampire.

Krystyna Idealyic had long wavy blonde hair, a thin figure, was very tall, and had eyes the color of oaken wood. She was very reserved, but loved to tell witty jokes and funny tales. She was from Slovenia.

Vajir Trzaka was a flirt. He was a good-looking fellow with long curly black hair, playful blue eyes, facial hair consisting of a soul patch, and an attitude to boot. He dressed a bit more pompously than the others, Mallen either raising his eyebrows or sighing and shaking his head at some of his outfit choices. He was sometimes rash, unintentionally narcissistic and proud, but was quick to forgive and didn't hesitate to do what was right. He was from a country called Kyrgyzstan.

Cyllen Polanco was quiet, poised, almost the perfect match for Krystyna. He had reddish brown hair and brown eyes, wore simple comfortable clothing in mostly muted blues and greys, and was always one to think carefully before making a decision. He was a Welsh vampire.

Tyvek Elizondre reminded Iérti of Theose Cassini, the former general of the South lands. He dressed in vibrant clothes, though not as outlandishly as Vajir. He didn't look like Theose, but his personality and demeanor was very much like Theose's. He was of Persian descent.

Eryxa Saorise had gorgeous thick curly red hair, sparkling blue eyes, and porcelain skin. She was an Irish lady who liked to dress in jewel tones, mainly royal blue and emerald green. She was very peaceful in nature, a quality Iérti cherished. Eryxa was one of the few vampires that didn't like to directly feed on people, preferring to drink from stores so she wouldn't hurt them.

One of the tasks of being a vampire overlord was helping the workers in the barracks collect blood for stores. Vampires who preferred to drink from stores rather than directly feed from humans used stores for their sustenance. Human blood was drained and kept in containers called stores. There was a push feature on each store that released the contained blood onto an empty wine bottle or cup underneath. It was a similar concept to wine from barrels or beer on tap. The stores were kept in freezing cold temperatures to keep the blood fresh, since blood tended to go bad within forty-two days. Freezing enabled the shelf life to last for years. Whenever a vampire needed blood, they just went to wherever they kept their stores and got a drink from it.

Mallen was the vampire who kept the most stores. He kept them frozen in the castle's former wine cellar. Most vampires had such cellars and either kept the blood in store containers or in wine bottles. Iérti was one of those who preferred wine bottles, while Mallen placed his goblet underneath a store.

It would've been challenging to keep the blood frozen and fresh if it weren't for the karnefesi. The were mythical wolves that breathed ice and snow. They were white with silver eyes. Their bodies were lean and agile, smaller in size than the average wolf. Their white fur shimmered in the sun.

They thrived in cold climates, though they were able to adapt to warm climates. They ate a certain type of grass called mraz. The mraz grass grew in any climate, though it grew best when surrounded by other arctic plants.

The karnefesi used their breath to freeze anything at will, blowing ice and snow out of their mouths like a dragon blowing fire. Vampires had a peaceful alliance with the karnefesi to freeze their stores while the vampires grew the mraz grass for them.

That was how vampires kept their stores frozen, keeping their human blood supply fresh and available at any given time. Some humans chose to give blood by cutting their arms rather than allowing themselves to be fed on. Others chose to be fed on, not liking the thought of cutting themselves. Most others despised the very idea of giving the vampires anything.

"They shouldn't have come here," some angry humans protested, while others argued that the vampires had every right to be in the land just as they were. Some humans understood vampires had different needs from humans and that "we are simply providing them the only thing they require from us."

The majority of those who despised vampires, however, were more numerous than those who understood vampires. Humans spoke often of rebelling, but they weren't as organized as vampires.

All talk of an uprising finally exploded into action when the settlements, alarmed by the findings of dead people in the streets, bled dry with fang marks on them, decided they had enough living under the shadow of vampires.

So they started the first rebellion.

A vampire came running to Iérti's castle, flinging the doors open and interrupting the meeting. He burst forth, exclaiming, "Humans revolted! They refused to give blood and have declared war against us."

Mallen, , and the vampire overlords all rose from their chairs at the exact same time. Iérti acted first, moving over to the vampire and saying, "Yuan, tell us everything."

The vampire began explaining how humans attacked the barracks, throwing mirrors, silver, and garlic. Some weekly volunteers purposely had garlic in their food that evening in order to make the vampires burn when they tried to feed off them.

Several weakened vampires were taken away; others were killed by wooden stakes thrust directly in the heart. There were decapitations, garlic being shoved into their mouths, humans walking around with mirrors to throw vampires off balance, humans fighting vampires with silver swords and pouring garlic oil everywhere.

Upon hearing this, Mallen immediately went outside with a purposeful stride. Iérti ran after him, calling out for him to come back and discuss their next course of action in a proper manner, but Mallen walked as though he didn't hear him. When Iérti came too close, he suddenly whipped around and ordered, "Stay back! I know what I'm doing."

Iérti found himself staying back against his will. He stared at Mallen, realizing the other vampire compelled him to stay back. Írásom tried to compel Mallen to come back, but Mallen was more powerful, and Iérti was unable to compel him.

Frustrated, Iérti headed back to the castle, telling the others in a peeved tone, "Oh don't worry, the high and mighty Mallen claims to know what he's doing. Don't be surprised if we see his decapitated head in the streets after this night's showdown."

Blaise's eyes widened at the graphical detail, but Iérti angrily shut the doors. The others glanced at each other and remained silent, not wishing to upset Iérti any further.

Because Yuan was from the settlement of Kastan Ryk, ruled by vampire overlord Stellan, Mallen figured that was where the revolt occurred. Aware it could still be continuing, Mallen made his way undetected to a hill overlooking the settlement. From there, he closed his eyes and concentrated on sensing the activity.

He heard yelling, shouting, screaming, hitting, fighting, slamming, breaking, and other dreadful noises. Wincing, Mallen opened his eyes and leapt from the hill, landing firmly on his feet. He cautiously stepped towards the edge of the settlement, sensing all kinds of violent activity within. Gathering all his mental strength, Mallen loudly exclaimed, "CEASE!"

All noise immediately stopped. Both humans and vampires froze, compelled by Mallen to cease all activity. Mallen began to walk into the settlement, a fierce glare on his face as he surveyed exactly what was going on.

Humans and vampires were armed to the teeth: humans with garlic and silver, and vampires with fangs and speed. People wanted to scurry and run, but they were unable to. Several citizens frowned distrustfully at Mallen while others gave him fearful glances. Some vampires bared their fangs, but they stood still at attention.

Mallen's glare diminished as he saw a young boy lying dead in the streets. Further down, a child was crying over a dead parent.

Mallen continued to walk through the settlement, carefully avoiding splotches of garlic oil on the ground and splintered wood from where vampires smashed stakes into pieces. He kept his eyes averted from mirrors, which were used to distract vampires by reflecting light at them. He looked sadly at the mess, his eyes lifting to meet the eyes of humans and vampires.

"We built you this settlement and ushered you into a time of peace between our kind. I say, look at all you've done. Both of you," Mallen explicated, speaking to both humans and vampires. "This isn't the way. Humans, Iérti and I are not against you. We want the best for both our kind. We depend on you, whether or not we like it.

"The weekly feeding arrangement is the best thing we can think of where we are able to sustain our thirst while keeping to Iérti's urging not to kill any of you while doing so. Vampires, why must you always revert to violence? Why can't we be peaceful? When has violence done us any good?"

Several people began speaking out, saying, "There's no freedom for neither of us! Neither your kind nor ours! One of our kind needs to perish entirely, and I say it should be the vampires!"

"We lived well, prospered and flourished until you vampires came to the land and ruined everything."

"I agree; it was truly a peaceful time before your kind arrived."

Vampires spoke out as well, saying, "Humans despise us whether or not we follow your way. They are ungrateful and needy. They require much more than we do."

"Why should we stay to a certain strict system, no longer able to roam free as before? Iérti not only limited human freedoms, but also vampire freedoms."

"Humans are weak. We need to establish dominance over them, not become like equals. We are the dominant race."

"The old times were the fun times. This new lifestyle is confining."

"I preferred it when you led armies. Now you're just lounging around your castle, taking orders from a former human general. Some leader you are."

Mallen listened to all this and more, not saying a word until he suddenly said, "Stop! I heard enough. Both of you will cease all fighting and pillaging. Clean up this settlement and restore it to the way it was before your senseless rebellion instigated. There will be no more revolt in this settlement. Is that understood?"

Humans and vampires glowered at him, but said nothing. They were angry, riled up, hateful, and absolutely despised being controlled this way. Some began to see the sense in Mallen wanting them to live peacefully without fighting, but deep inside they knew it wouldn't be for long. Humans did not want to live under the shadow of vampires, wanting to live without any vampire interaction.

Vampires were tired of being ruled and wanted to break away from it, wanting to live the way they did when they first arrived. Some loved their violent nature too much to want peace with those they considered their prey. Others were beginning to realize the fighting was useless and that it was better to be ruled by those that pursued peace rather than to live in anarchy. Others didn't want to be ruled, wanting complete freedom.

"Very well. I will take your silence as a yes. Now do as I said. Begin now."

Mallen gave them all one last glare before turning on his heel, disappearing into the forest beyond the settlement. He heard the people start to shuffle around, picking stuff up, some vampires offering to help, some humans accepting while some humans refused their help entirely, some people kicking at things or muttering under their breath while others went straight to their homes and locked the doors. But there was no longer any shouting nor yelling, just a muted silence with scowling faces and low growls.

Mallen sighed in relief. He made his way back to the castle in record time, opening the doors back up with a proud flourish. Iérti glared at him as he stood with his arms crossed. The vampire overlords gathered further back.

"Looks like Mallen did know what he was doing," Tyvek, the vampire overlord with vibrant red and teal Turkish-style robes, short black hair complete with a black beard and goatee, said in an aside to Cyllen, the vampire overlord dressed in royal blue and silver.

Iérti gave Tvyek and Cyllen a dangerous look, immediately silencing them. Mallen hid a smile, turning away as he said, "Yuan, you will be pleased to see the Kastan Ryk settlement is no longer revolting. It is safe to go home now."

Yuan eagerly left the castle, becoming happier once he returned to the settlement.

Mallen turned to the vampire overlords, studying each one while making sure to avoid looking at Iérti. Blaise was the youngest looking one, fresh-faced and full of naïve innocence.

It's nice to have an ally so blasé and honest, Mallen thought. The others had varying face expressions, but none of them were in opposition. Mallen at last turned towards , whose frown hadn't diminished in the slightest.

Mallen smiled before running off to his castle. Iérti sighed in annoyance.