"Welcome to my humble manor!" Fenir smiled as the maids and the butler came at the entrance to greet his return. Loon and Ayren were looking at the lord with a neutral stare, making him sigh "Wow, you two are seriously a hard public to impress."

The manor of the Vampire Master resembled a small castle within the bustling city of Aresta. Tall walls enclosed the main entrance, adorned with massive, enchanted trees brimming with red mana—blood magic of the vampires. These imposing walls also enclosed a courtyard that mirrored the typical style of the Western Lands. As Aresta symbolized a haven, a refuge from the purges of the unworthy creatures during the previous Emperor's reign, Fenir had adapted to the Western fashion. He stood in a formal Victorian suit, a stark contrast to Loon, who still wore his flowing white and azure hanfu. The layers of his robe moved gracefully, like mesmerizing ocean waves, creating an air of calm in the otherwise formal setting.

Loon's eyes shined as he saw a child running to hug Fenir's legs under some maids scolding him for running.

"Theo." Fenir laid his hands on the black hair of the little child, who raised a little his head showing his big red eyes "You missed me so much, huh?" he asked, and the little child nodded with teary eyes. He looked so tiny and shy. Loon was definitely enamored, meanwhile Ayren was anyway still on guard as the little one was still a vampire.

"Oh, if it isn't Ayren."

Loon looked and almost felt enchanted, when he saw another pair of two red eyes staring at Ayren. The owner of those was a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a red dress. She looked beautiful as her stare was kept on Ayren, who crossed his arms, trying to ignore her.

"It's good to see you." Ayren said with an annoyed tone, making Loon even more confused. He could feel a certain tension between the lady and Ayren.

"Oi oi Nyme, do not look like you're about to jump on him. He and his friend Loon are going to be our guest for dinner!" Fenir exclaimed happily.

Nyme and Theo looked at Loon, who bowed a little, making Theo hide behind Fenir. Nyme crossed her arms and tilted her head, showing herself unbothered.

"Whatever..." she said to then leave the entrance.

"I'm sorry," Fenir said, glancing at Loon. "She's probably still holding a grudge against Ayren. Forty years ago, they had a sword match, and she lost. Then Ayren vanished, never came back, and she's been furious ever since." He sighed, clearly exasperated. "Apparently, she's still pouting."

Ayren rolled his eyes. "I dueled her at night, even gave her the advantage to use her mana and strength. Her problem, not mine."

Fenir sighed dramatically, his hand rising to his forehead like he was on stage. "Ayren, you really don't know how to be a gentleman, do you?" He gave the puzzled swordsman a knowing look. "You don't even bleed properly, thanks to your regeneration ability. It was highly unsatisfying for her, you know?"

Ayren's jaw tightened as he stepped closer to Fenir, pressing his forehead against the vampire's. "Oh, was I supposed to apologize? 'Sorry I don't bleed for you because you can't hit your mark with those fancy blood strings?'" Ayren quipped, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Fenir's red eyes flared like embers about to catch fire. "She's my sister," he hissed, pushing his head against Ayren's, trying to match his intensity.

"So what?" Ayren shot back, grinning like a madman. "Did you want me to play the helpless fool? Maybe you should've trained her better if you wanted her to beat me. But now that I think about it—" he paused, a mischievous smile spreading across his face, "—right. You never managed to knock me out either."

Fenir let out a forced laugh, the tension in the air practically crackling. "Ah, Ayren, my dear friend, you are such a delight, aren't you?" he said, his voice dripping with fake amusement.

Ayren took a step back, crossing his arms as he noticed Loon giggling quietly at the entire scene. Meanwhile, Fenir coughed, trying to compose himself, reminding that Loon was still a new addition to their little "circus."

Right, a new member in this absurd show.

"Anyway..." Ayren tilted his head toward Theo, who was peeking shyly from behind Fenir's leg, staring curiously at Loon. "What's the deal with the little one?"

"I guess he's attracted to Loon's aura, it's lovely isn't it?" Fenir asked, patting Theo's head, who nodded a little.

"Lovely? Or tasty? Hm?" Loon looked at Ayren after his comment. The swordsman walked close to him to then leave a deadly glance to the child, who instinctively hugged Fenir's legs, making the lord laugh.

"Then... Shall we go for dinner? Please, I will talk to my butler about the feast I'd like to have for this occasion, you may sit in the living room, I will come soon!" Fenir sang happily, like he didn't want to fight to death Ayren minutes ago.

"Ugh... why did I even agree to this." Ayren sighed heavily sitting on the couch of the living room, his red eyes following the figure of the immortal looking out the balcony, seeing the garden of the manor as the moon rays were caressing his cheeks.

"Even the family knows you... You know, these encounters are making me feel like after all I know nothing about you." Loon spoke and Ayren tilted his head.

"You just need to know if I am able to deal with your enemies... I met these people in my past... A past that I buried." he smiled insanely "If you wish to know more, you won't." he said to then flinch as he noticed Loon coming closer to him.

"We're going to share lots of adventures, I think it's good we know each other better, don't you think?"

"No."

"Why?" he crossed his arms in front of him. "May I ask you something about you like... How are you a long-life creature if you're human?" he asked and Ayren looked away, feeling like his blue eyes were piercing through his mind.

"I told you there's no need for you to know me... I am just a simple ma..."

"You're not." Loon crossed his arms "You have a powerful aura when you fight, your posture, your way to speak and deal with situations... Ayren, it's like a deal, you know about me, I wish to know something more about you, please." the swordsman fell for a moment into his eyes to then close his and sigh.

"I got cursed." he replied in a short answer and Loon tilted his head to then sit next to him on the couch, making the swordsman raise his eyebrow once he noticed his eyes excited "If you think I am about to tell you a fairytale, give up, that's it, I am not going to speak more."

Loon pouted and laid on his back "Ayren... You know, it makes me confused how you definitely know more about me... I know nothing compared to your knowledge about me."

"Well, most of the things I got to know about you were from the village chief, not from you." Ayren said "Why do you want to know my past? It's nothing but full of things you wouldn't like."

Loon laughed a little "As mine was anything... better". Ayren bit his lips, feeling his own hands trembling. He wanted to refrain himself from getting closer and maybe hug him. He didn't even know why he wanted to do it. It didn't make sense. "But... Past... is something we can't really forget, can't we? We're in the present because we've lived, survived whatever we had to overcome in our past, isn't it right?" the immortal sighed a little embarrassed "My past was indeed... awful but... I am glad of the outcome because I met you now." he smiled warmly "But I just... wish to know you more... I feel like people we're meeting know you better than I do... I don't want to sound arrogant."

Ayren felt somehow his heart flutter when Loon looked at him like he was a little bit embarrassed. Loon coughed a little and moved his stare out of the window "I just... Shouldn't it be normal to know more about your... Oath?" he touched his own earring. His eyes were lost for a moment, he felt maybe he was pushing it too much. Was he? Loon just wanted to feel him closer... and not like another... bad experience in that world.

Ayren sighed to then look at Loon's sad stare "I was... a soldier, Captain of the unit of the Emperor... The previous Emperor."

Loon raised his head as his ears twitched to his words "Wait... You were there too?"

Ayren sighed "I have never been in his court, but I was serving him, just like you were..."

"But... This means you're... you're old!" he said and Ayren tried to keep to himself, even though his lips were twitching. Was he serious?

"How... You shouldn't even dare to speak about age, you know?"

"I am an immortal, age doesn't count for us." Loon said as soon as he heard his words with a cute grumpy stare, and the swordsman laughed to then shook his head.

"Of course." He said ironically, as the dragon had just many more questions about him, who he was sharing the days with.

"But... Why did you leave everything and become a swordsman?" he asked and Ayren looked at Loon..

"I did commit treason."

Loon raised his eyebrow to his calm words "You weren't in his court anymore probably, that's why I have never seen you before, but... I was there when the Emperor died, because I did kill him." his eyes glowed as he was feeling satisfied towards the memories he did recall, under Loon's surprised stare "He was just being a fool and destroying what thousands of people tried to keep... He was a foolish tyrant, so... I took my unit, and we let hell happen in his palace."

Loon felt shivers to his malicious aura, feeling how satisfied he was by even just the thought of what happened back then.

Ayren was getting in a trance as he let his mind take over with the memories of the past "My unit was blessed... We were the best fighters, and we would always win, no matter the wounds, no matter the awful condition in the battlefields..." Ayren looked at his sword hanging still from the belt "We did set the whole palace on fire, we didn't care about anything and anyone, we wanted everyone there dead."

Loon sat a little away "Why... Were you all so mad at him?"

Ayren's eyes turned to Loon, showing how mad he was in the moment "Mad? We were furious." he leaned towards the immortal as he kept his insane smile "Why? After all he has done to you, do you wish to pity him?"

"No... I didn't say this but... what about the innocent people inside the palace."

Ayren laughed "As if there any, please." he sighed "The Emperor did something to my unit, and as a captain, I had to protect my men."

"What did he do?" he asked, and Ayren smiled a little.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he leaned towards him and Loon sighed to then lay the hands on his cheeks, making Ayren literally cool off in an instant.

"Yes." he said, and Ayren crossed his arms, trying to ignore his touch.

"When we got back to the last battle, the families of my unit... had been slain by the Emperor's guards." Those red eyes for a moment got lost in his own memory, feeling again his heart shattering, no matter the dark shadow hovering it. It was like opening one of his old wounds... The images of their beloved village shouting at them, horror in their eyes and fear from the villagers who thought they would be next as if the Emperor wanted to slowly cut the ties his Unit had with any human to force them to live for him.

Loon trembled once Ayren's eyes met his. They were cold, his malicious aura around was almost oppressing him as the madness was coming slowly off his mouth through his words.

"My Unit." he repeated "We served with blood and metal the desires of that fool... And when they got back their families... were gone." he smiled "The Emperor's Guards Captain told us that it was a sacrifice the Emperor required to make us the perfect unit." he did giggle "As if... That blood had to be shed... Pointless... Useless... All of that was... useless. All I have done felt... wrong."

"That's... madness" Loon felt his heart heavy as he was feeling even more sorry. He felt he was the main reason the Emperor became insane and did that.

"You think?" Ayren sighed as the hands were stroking his own hair "When we set the whole place on fire and the Emperor came to us, smiling and praising us as he saw all his guards dead before his feet... My soldiers... My soldiers were shouting the names of their wives, their children, their mothers and their fathers, brothers and sisters... The Emperor didn't care to listen to them... It felt like he was just getting excited to hear them that mad."

"Stop." Loon became little on the couch, feeling the shouts of those soldiers about their families echoing in his mind, oppressing his soul, making him feel those emotions like those were his.

"Stop? They didn't... They were attacking him fiercely and the Emperor was showing a power I have never seen... My soldiers wanted to die with him, they asked me, they begged me to end their lives and the Emperor's on the battlefield."

Loon opened up his eyes "Did you... kill your unit?"

Ayren sighed "They were losing themselves in that cursed Palace. When I killed the Emperor, my unit was already on the ground, waiting to die by my hands to not give the Emperor even the possibility of being the reason for their death... The hatred I felt from them was... so much... It was their last wish..." his eyes were lost as his mind was flashing the memories he shared with the people till the last frames were showing their faces, begging him to kill them.

"Why... Why haven't you tried to keep them alive..." Loon felt shivers as Ayren turned his gaze towards him.

"They gave everything and in return they had nowhere to go, no family, no ties with life, just pure madness over unfair choices. My Unit was meant to end with the Emperor's death... But for some reasons... I couldn't end my life with my Unit... I couldn't... be with them till the end." Ayren closed his eyes as his hands were closed into fists.

Loon's hands laid on his cheeks to force him to look him in the eyes "You were planning to end your life as well?!"

Ayren grabbed his hands as his stare was even more mad than ever "I was the Captain of a fallen and cursed unit... When I tried to kill myself as my job was done in this life... The Emperor laughed in his last seconds as death was slowly reaching him... Saying that I indeed became the perfect unit... He cursed me and I can't die anymore.... I don't know how he did it,

but he was into dark magic and had always mages around... so... This doesn't change the fact... I couldn't, as Captain, follow my unit to death."

"This... can't be true" Loon lowered his face "I am...sorry."

Ayren tilted his head to then feel worried once Loon looked into his eyes with his teary ones, as he was still keeping his hands blocked near the cheeks.

"You don't need to apologize." Ayren's voice was tense. "Honestly, if you had been in the palace back then, I wouldn't have cared about saving you." His words struck Loon deeply, and he couldn't hide the hurt in his eyes. "Everyone in that palace had to die," Ayren muttered under his breath.

Loon, still processing the sting of those words, spoke quietly, "If I had been in the palace, I could have protected everyone. I wasn't imprisoned yet." His heart weighed heavy as he thought of the suffering that took place while he was locked away.

Before he could dwell on it, Ayren grabbed his hands, forcing them away, pinning Loon on the couch beneath him. "I wouldn't have let you ruin my unit's revenge. The Emperor had to die that night. How can you be so naive?" Ayren's voice was harsh, his red eyes filled with anger and coldness.

Loon looked away, feeling the intensity of Ayren's stare. "If I had met you sooner... maybe you wouldn't have lost your family. You really cared about your unit, didn't you?"

Ayren's eyes widened in that moment, realizing the position he had forced Loon into—his wrists pinned, and Ayren towering over him. He quickly pulled back, crossing his arms, furious at himself.

"I'm sorry," Ayren muttered, unable to meet Loon's gaze. Loon fiddled with his fingers, feeling the awkward tension between them. "My mind... it drives me mad whenever I think about it all," He added, his voice softer. "That's why I wanted to keep it buried."

Loon looked at him with a grumpy stare, and Ayren had a puzzled one "Don't be sorry, I asked you, it's my responsibility."

"No... I shouldn't have touched you, I do apologize." Ayren's eyes opened as Loon literally wrapped his arms around his waist for a hug, being also careful not to hurt with his horns "Wha..."

"You might be cursed, but I do still feel a human heart here." Loon smiled as he was hugging him "You must have felt lonely and without any objective in life once you lost

everything and everyone... I can't... tell you I feel you, but our past doesn't look that different and if fate played a trick to make us meet only years after walking on the same ground, same place... then I can say I found you... Your heart beats... and I am... I am sorry, I know your

wish to follow your unit till the end, but I am... I am glad it does still beat."

Ayren seriously felt his whole body trembling to have someone that close. No one would dare to hug him or to be that close to him. He didn't, he never wanted someone that close, how could Loon think he could do that? Hugging him out of nowhere? How reckless...

But why wasn't he even moving or pushing him away? Was it because of his alluring aura? Or because those words felt like a lullaby to his madness like a gentle powerful rain pouring on a big fire.

"Shouldn't you hate me for being part of the soldiers of the man who tricked you?" he asked "Or maybe because I did kill him."

Loon for a moment didn't answer "No... I don't not like to hate people, and I would never because that was your past and in the present, I am living now, I had no reason to hate you since the first time I found you." he replied, and Ayren felt weird. How could Loon be so... clueless and kind to everyone?

"It's not... true." Ayren said, and Loon got a little distant to look him in the eyes. He felt embarrassed once the swordsman raised his hand and touched the ear where the earring was "You didn't find me, I did." He corrected him. Loon blushed towards Ayren's touch as his words were back to being calm.

"Well well well..."

Ayren flinched and stopped his hand to then gently move Loon's arms off his waist, once Fenir entered the room with Theo and his sister.

"I am sorry, I took more than expected." The lord looked at the two, who were keeping a stiff stare like nobody definitely did see them close just done with a hug "But apparently..." his stare did focus on Ayren, who flinched, feeling something wasn't right.

"I guess our dinner will have to be with anunpleasant discussion I have to deal with you,