Angelo's always been the type to say what he needs to say once, just to hear it out loud, then never speak of it again. When we had a conversation about his relationship back at the inn, I knew then it'd be the only time we'd discuss it. Despite how he chooses to act, his eyes have always betrayed him. The moment I saw him yesterday, I could see the honeymoon phase had passed and his passion was once again fading. Some relationships are damned to be that way—Bright flares that will always die off, no matter how many times you relight the wick. He visited Ryan on his sickbed, but acted as if it was a chore. My old friend had grown tired of this place. It was a nice adventure, but he was ready to go back home to the clan he cared for like his own children.

We can't keep someone in our life forever and I've always known "goodbye" was inevitable between anyone I crossed paths with, even Angelo. I'll miss him dearly, but you know the old cliche. If you love something, let it go. Neither Ricky or I are in a position to help him return to Earth. I honestly don't have the mental energy either. He and Ville can figure it out themselves, once he's willing to admit his chapter here is at an end.

As for the others, I hadn't spent much time with anyone to know how they were feeling. While I waited for Ville to grant me permission to see Ricky, I spent most my time resting in the catacombs and regaining my strength. Nothing has helped my burn. Ripper will come find me once a day to try whatever new treatment Ville thought up, then wrap it in new dressings with a discouraged look on his face. It shouldn't be long before Yuu is returned to us. If he can't heal it, I'm not sure what will.

It's been three days now and I don't know what to do with myself. When I'm not in a comatose sleep, I distract myself by cooking or taking walks around the palace. Everyone knows to leave me alone. Well, either that or they're too afraid to speak to me when I'm in an unpleasant mood. There's one person who would never be afraid of me, no matter how much he knows he should be. I was laying awake in my coffin when Yuki's small hands lifted the lid. He sat down along the edge as he used to do in the old days. Back then, his long blonde hair would cascade down his petite frame and fall into my coffin just enough to tickle my skin. I looked him over now, how beautiful he still was even with his dark hair cut to his shoulders. There was a maturity in his eyes that I'd never noticed before, but that sympathetic glisten was all too familiar.

"You haven't eaten in awhile, have you?" Yuki spoke just above a whisper.

"No." I responded, "But I'm not going to feed from you. I wouldn't do that to Kuza."

"I figured you'd say something like that. Ville said we're not allowed to leave, but we do need to eat. Kuza went to talk to him about it. Of course, there's bodies down here I could eat off of, but you can't drink dead blood."

I didn't want to talk about this anymore. We both knew Ville wouldn't let Kuza leave to find us a victim, not after what happened last time. Yuki didn't have to tell me what he was thinking either, because I was thinking it, too. He's the only one here that can handle being a blood bag for a vampire. I've seen Ryan's neck before, Angelo has never once fed off of him. Even if he did, I couldn't bring myself to do it. There's an intimacy to feeding that I couldn't cast upon a friend like Ryan.

"How's everyone else?" I asked, changing the subject.

Yuki shook his head with a faint smile. "Ange and Ryan are just like each other, you know. They wouldn't open up for anything. Kuza's really worried about the Master, but he'll be okay. I'm taking good care of him. Ash and Vinny are... Themselves. There's a massive garden here that's full of endangered animals and the caretaker's been letting them help out. Ezra's been hanging around with them to distract himself from Yuu not being here. He's been really stressed out over the whole thing."

"Yuu might not have brute strength like me or Ezra, but he can take care of himself in his own way." I grinned just a little as I thought back on all his expert manipulation and flirting. "How about you? How're you doing?"

"Hanging in there." Yuki answered. That's all he said. If this had been twenty years ago, he'd be crying in my arms from stress. He really isn't the same person I was in love with, but I'm proud of his growth, proud to have him as a friend. The Yuki I know now honestly makes it easier for me to let go of Angelo. With him by my side, my fear of losing the last fragment of my old life and one of my closest confidants vanished. Don't get me wrong—No one could ever replace Angelo. But, I'm grateful I won't feel so misplaced and alone in my new life.

Our heads turned towards the entrance as we heard footsteps clicking down the stone stairs, echoing through the old caverns. Yuki stood from my coffin upon seeing Ville, almost instinctively knowing Ville wasn't here for him. Before leaving, Yuki glanced back to me to say, "Please, come see me when you're done. You need to eat."

I didn't answer, as I didn't know the right answer. My skin was beginning to grey and I was well aware how important it was for me to maintain my strength, but the thought of feeding from him made me feel so dirty. Yuki left us alone. His light steps were far quieter than Ville's as he ascended the staircase. I rose from my coffin, hearing Ville's voice behind me as I shut it, "You should listen to him. He knows you well."

"Too well." I muttered. We naturally drifted towards a stone bench cemented into the wall. I couldn't begin to guess how old this place was. The structures were archaic, made only of crude stone that had chipped over time. It was enough to get me by for now, and frankly, I was enjoying how isolated it was here.

"I came to speak to you about Ricky." Ville said.

"Your tone isn't very promising." I replied.

"Don't let go of faith. After doing some evaluating, I can tell you we are in a tough spot, but it's not hopeless. As I'm sure you're aware, if the source of a magic user's power is destroyed, they lose their magical abilities. Ricky's wasn't destroyed, but it was damaged. Something like this has never happened during my years of living, so I was unsure exactly what would come of it. I used several methods to test the presence of his power. It isn't gone, but he's lost a significant amount. The good news, he isn't losing anymore. He's stable. The bad news, he's lost too much to maintain the body of a demon lord."

"You're saying he's reverted back to being human?" I asked. My voice felt so hollow. I didn't know what to think, what direction my emotions should be running.

"Reverting, yes. Human, no." I must've looked confused because he continued on to say, "He was never human. Neither was I. Very few demon lords were born human. But, that's besides the point. You can discuss that with him later-"

"So, I can see him?"

"Well, yes," Ville sighed at my impatience, "But, please, wait a moment longer. We have more to discuss."

"Right. I'm sorry."

He smiled a little, "It's alright. It makes me happy to see how much you care for him. Chris- How do I tell you this? I don't know if I'll be able to restore his power. There's a possibility that if the sanctuary is repaired, his power will return to him. Unfortunately, even I am not strong enough to repair something so primordial. The only one who could is a creature we refer to as the father of demon lords. It could be a very, very long time until I can get in contact with him, and even then he may not be interested in helping."

I searched his eyes, seeing his usual mix of passion and realism hadn't changed. Somewhere, deep within him, I could sense his despondency. There was a tightness in my throat as I asked the question I didn't want the answer to. "Exactly how long?"

For once, Ville hesitated to speak. His silence was even more heart wrenching than his honesty, as I realized the champion of faith was nearly hopeless. "Years." He admitted. "You've been in this crude world long enough. I don't have to tell you, it would be suicide for you and your family to live without the protection of a demon lord. You're more than welcome to remain here. I'm sure Johannes would be happy to take you in as well."

"But- Ricky said the only reason the creatures of the forest have remained free was because of him. What'll happen if we're not there to protect them? Or worse, if another demon lord takes over the castle?"

"I'm positive with your absence, Avatar Country will increase their protection of the Forest of Mayotta. Their army is strong and can protect those creatures from a great deal, but I'm afraid where other demon lords are concerned, there's nothing to be done. At least, nothing I can see right now, but rest assured the king and his council are very intelligent men. They will find a solution." Ville rose to his feet slowly. I've never felt so cold before. His hand touched my shoulder briefly, "Please don't think negatively of me for being so dismissive. Every situation I'm unable to resolve causes me great pain, but that pain is a daily occurrence for me. The light cannot exist without the dark and vise versa. What am I saying? You of all beings understand that as I do."

His touch fell from my arm and he began to walk away, intending to leave me with my thoughts. What was I supposed to think? If Ville couldn't see a solution, how was I supposed to find one? Ricky's life as it was meant more to him than he ever wanted anyone to realize. The ability to protect his loved ones and preserve the freedom of the forest was what pushed him to keep living. It was his purpose in life, no different than healing the brokenhearted was Ville's purpose. He's so deeply feared weakness that he's cried over the few times I knew better than him. Ricky was terrified of returning to what he once was and now his greatest nightmare had come to life. Even worse, there is no remedy for the many consequences of his dethronement.

Years, Ville said. Years. It could be years until Ricky regains his power, and there's a chance that repairing the sanctuary won't even help. In an optimist's world, where Ricky does get his power back, there's still no guarantee the forest will remain unharmed in those intermediate years. My head was buzzing like a beehive. Was that the stress or the lack of blood in my body? Fuck only knows. I guess I have no option. I have to feed, then I'll see Ricky and we'll figure this out. Some-fucking-how.

As I walked through the palace halls, making my way towards Yuki's scent, I reran the events leading up to this. It wasn't healthy, I know. I shouldn't harp on the "what ifs" or relive the trauma, but it'd be foolish to completely ignore it. What hurt most, what gave me a rotting feeling deep in my stomach, was picturing myself hand in hand with Devin at the post-festival ball. To think, while I allowed him to play his little cat and mouse game, Ricky was being attacked by his former abuser. I should've stayed. Fuck, I should've stayed.

I stopped suddenly in the dead middle of the hall. To my right, large open windows looked out onto the snow-covered mountains. The chilly wind danced indoors, twisting around the red curtains. Time seemed to stop right then and there. Something... Came to me. I replayed the memory again and again. I didn't want to. I didn't want to remember the way Devin smelled, the way his pale skin looked under candlelight or how his breath felt against my skin, but a thought came to me and I was suddenly rushing to find Ville in the castle.

He'd, of course, already began focusing on one of his many other responsibilities. Presently, he was standing outside the entrance to the garden, speaking with the caregiver. Upon noticing my wild look, he calmly dismissed his servant.

"Devin told me something." I said suddenly, "He told me how demon lords are created. He did it because he wanted me to betray Ricky, but, what if I became one to help him? Is that even possible? For a vampire to become a demon lord?"

Ville wasn't as surprised as I thought he would be. Perhaps my willingness took him off guard, but the idea of a vampire turning into a demon lord didn't seem completely foreign to him. He's thought about this before. When he trailed off the other day, that was what he was thinking about. Don't ask me how, I just knew. He didn't think a vampire could, but maybe someone like me, someone who was able to attract the attention of two deities, could possibly do the impossible.

—
a/n:

cast your votes should chris attempt to become a demon lord?