It wasn't terribly late, but the eternal winters of the north put the sun to rest early here. What little light remained was blocked by heavy velvet curtains. The fireplace warmed Ville's face as he gently sang a lullaby, eyes closed and arms lovingly secured around two little ones snuggled up to him. Rune I recognized, of course, but the girl resting her head in Ville's lap I hadn't seen before. I'd definitely caught her scent before. I'd always wondered why I often smelled something tropical in certain parts of the castle.

Ville allowed the silence to settle for a moment before quietly telling me to come in and take a seat. Ripper, one of the castle caretakers, emerged from the darkness of the back corner he'd been patiently waiting in. He knelt down before the couch and extended his arm out to Rune. Rune only turned his head against Ville's shoulder and started whining.

"It's alright." Ville said, "They can stay. Please, if you would, check on the others." He spoke so very delicately, careful not to upset the babies clung to him. Ripper left the room without another word. Once he was gone, Ville asked me, "Did you hear the commotion earlier?"

I hesitated in replying. What vampire wants to admit something escaped their ears? "N-No. I was in the garden with Ryan."

"Ricky was angry. This one, I had to let him calm down on his own. He had to get his rage out. But, all the noise, it upset Rune and Calypso. They're still a little shaken up."

"Calypso," I repeated her name as I committed it to memory. "We haven't met yet."

Ville glanced her face to see she was fast asleep. He pet his hand over her hair softly, clearly very enamored with her entirely, evident in the way he watched her so lovingly. Her hair was the most beautiful shade of turquoise, as wavy as the island waters it resembled. "I didn't want you to for the longest." He replied, somehow even quieter now. I've never seen him show anything that could even resemble shame before. "I knew you were the one person that could see her for what she really was... It's funny, her father's hair was red as an apple. Her mother's was black. I have no idea how she ended up like this. Maybe it was my fault. She was only a baby when I brought her here. Who knows what this world would do to an infant."

He was speaking so casually, I nearly didn't properly process what he'd said. Did he just insinuate that she was from Earth? If a vampire's body can barely survive the rifts, what hope does a child have? But, why else would he have to worry about me discovering or seeing her? Honestly, he could've done me the favor of not saying anything. I've got enough to deal with right now. Let's focus on the important shit first. We'll put the mysterious child on the back burner for now.

"Why was Ricky angry?"

He sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. I apologize in advanced, I should've asked your consent before divulging this information to him, but I suppose I was being a little short-sighted in the moment. I explained to him why your soul had changed, but that led to him asking why you needed to go through a Vampire's Death in the first place, why you needed to heal your body. I told him your plan. He wasn't angry at you. He knows this is the only option we have right now, but he's angry with himself. Again. He keeps thinking he's to blame for all of this, but none of us could've seen this coming."

"He had to find out eventually..." I responded, "Maybe I should go see him."

"That may not be the best of ideas. He's not in his right mind. He may end up saying something that he wouldn't mean, and that'll only send him into a tailspin again. I think the best thing we can do right now is move forward with the plan."

"Right." I sighed, "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It is." He said, "The easiest way for you to collect a mass of souls is by leaching off of war causalities. We're fortunate enough to be in a time of peace here, meaning you'll have to travel overseas to find what you need."

"Overseas?" My stomach was turning just thinking of it.

Ville laughed some, "Don't worry, I've got good news for you. This time of year, there's a waterway that freezes over and creates a land bridge between here and Khar'Zul. It's been a war zone for decades. But, crossing the land bridge isn't easy for a foreigner. You'll have to hire a local guide. You should be able to find one in one of the nearby towns. Even with a guide, though, you shouldn't go alone."

"It'd probably be a good change of pace for the others anyways. Just... One issue. I still don't know how to devour souls." Personally, I would consider that the biggest issue here, but what do I know?

"That can't be taught." His focus turned to Rune as the little fairy nuzzled his shoulder. Ville gently placed his hand on Rune's back, reassuring him he was still there. "As much as I wish I could help you more, I've done all that I can. From here, you must find your own way. I'll give you supplies and open a portal to the coast for you in the morning. You should get some rest in the meantime. It'll be the last sleep in a coffin you'll have for awhile."

Please, he had to have known I wasn't going to find it easy to sleep after he unloaded all of this on me. I didn't overstay my welcome, knowing he needed to focus on his little ones far more. As I left, I couldn't help myself from glancing back for one last look at Calypso. While there wasn't anything surface level that would've tipped me off to her being different, I realized Ville's concern had nothing to do with my supernatural nature. I couldn't peer into her soul or see anything with my vampire eyes that a human couldn't. However, once again my eidetic memory came in clutch. In Greek mythology, the name Calypso meant daughter of Atlas. Being the historian and romantic is, I wouldn't be surprised if Ville derived her name from mythos. It also just so happens that there is a rather infamous vampire on Earth known by the name Atlas.

I'd never met Atlas in my life. Whether or not he was still around was an uncertainty. Rumor has it he was one of the oldest vampires alive, but over the years, tales of him became nothing more than ghost stories. Though I didn't know much of what was fact or fiction, I did know the world "outsider" was an understatement. Given what Ville had told me of his mysterious lover, it wouldn't be the furthest stretch to assume it could very well be Atlas. Why else would Ville go as far as to adopt a child from Earth and bring them here? I regret ever getting caught up in this web of his past. I would've been content not knowing how complex Ville's vampiric entanglement was.

As bizarre as it may be, it wasn't important to my life currently. Rather, an interesting story to remind me I'm not the only one with complicated plights. Once leaving Ville's room, I gathered the others and explained my absence, as promised. Reactions were as you'd expect. Yuki was tempted to yell at me for my recklessness, but Ryan got ahead of him by deadpanning about what an idiot I was. Ezra maturely recognized it was, in truth, the best choice I could've made for Ricky's sake. Yuu agreed with his judgement like usual, but I could see the worry in his face. I could see all their worries, and I couldn't blame them. To call this all a risk was an understatement.

When it came to who would leave with me in the morning, I was only left with Ryan and Vinny. I thought Ezra would easily agree to come, but he shot me down, stating Khar'Zul wasn't a safe place for someone like him. I assumed he meant ogres, only to become confused when Vinny said he'd go and Ezra didn't argue. Obviously, he'd never let Yuu go on such a dangerous mission. Ash agreed to stay back to watch after the other two foxes; Moony would be joining us. I wasn't surprised when Kuza said he'd feel more comfortable staying at the master's side. Yuki and I silently agreed it was for the best he stayed behind too, to keep Kuza sane. I wasn't going to drag Angelo into this mess, not knowing what the Hell I was walking into. Naturally, he and Ryan had no issue being separated for an unforeseeable amount of time.

Everyone else retired to their beds once we'd all talked extensively about our futures. I, however, stayed up to prepare myself, physically and mentally. While I packed up the few things I may need, I thought endlessly about Ricky. Ville's judgement was never wrong, but I couldn't leave without saying a word. As the sun started to break over the horizon, gleaming over an landscape of crystallized snow, I made the decision to write a letter to my love. By the time I had finished, it was nearly time to leave. I placed it under his door without knocking. I didn't want to risk meeting face to face.

—

The portal Ville provided dropped us off in the port city of Havant. During the summer, I imagine it wouldn't be much different than the cove ruled by the pirate king. Aside from being on the complete other side of the continent as their cove, winter had steadied the water into a solid sheet of ice. I wasn't much in the mood to have my senses attacked by the stench of brothel whores and cheap liquor, so I let it be Vinny and Ryan's responsibility to find us a guide. While they were in town perusing the local pubs, I sat at the docks with Moony.

She watched everything with great interest. The fisherman carving holes in the ice and casting their reels, the birds squawking as they flew overhead, even the occasional bug buzzing by caught her attention. It was quite tranquil here. The wind wasn't bad, and the skies were clear for now. In many ways, I was worried this would be the calm before the storm.

Moony's feet began impatiently tapping on the dock and her sights were laser focused. I knew, of course, she had spotted Vinny as he and Ryan returned. They had only been gone maybe an hour, but you know dogs. Yeah, yeah, I know she's technically a fox, but her personality is that of a Labrador. I turned around to see they had someone in tow. Of course, they had to find the most unsettling looking person they could. I suppose most nature guides wouldn't want to travel with the likes of us, anyways.

"Good news." Ryan said, "Found an old friend."

"You have friends?" I asked.

The stranger laughed, immediately earning some endearment from me and side eye from Ryan. "Fine, old acquaintance." He continued, "This is Justin. I met him once when I traveled through here a long time ago."

I shook hands with him and introduced myself. I suppose Ryan's years as a traveler were when he met Ezra, but Ezra always told me he was only kind to monsters. He hated humans. Granted, there were plenty of things about Justin that didn't exactly read human, like his neon green hair and the black cracks on his pale skin. Is it weird to ask someone their species here? I wasn't exactly sure what the proper protocol was. Tobe fair, he very easily could've been wondering the same about me. In my uniform the only thing you could see was my hands, hair and eyes.

"He mentioned we'd be walking?" Justin inquired.

"Is there another way of getting across the ice?" I asked, knowing full well horses wouldn't work. It's a little too slippery for hooves.

"Sled dogs." He replied.

"Or dragons." Ryan commented.

Justin narrowed his eyes at him, "Don't test me. We're not that good of friends."

Part of me very badly wanted to burst out with questions about the existence of dragons, but our new accomplice was unaware of my otherworldliness. Justin and Ryan started walking ahead of us, taking a jump off the dock and onto the ice.

Vinny leaned over, muttering, "I learned on the walk here, apparently he's a shapeshifter, but the only thing he can turn into is a poison dragon."

"Are dragons something else here?" I questioned, "Because where I come from they're ferocious beasts that could do a whole lot more with their lives than being a nature guide."

"No, yeah, they're scary as shit here, too. I dunno, man. Maybe he's a shit dragon, or maybe he likes having a chill life." Vinny shrugged, then started walking ahead to catch up with them. Well, to each their own, I suppose.