When I woke up, Ricky was... gone. I was disappointed, but I shouldn't be surprised. A coffin can't be a comfortable place to sleep for a non-vampire. Besides, he had to have been swamped with work. Between the developing nation at our foothill and the shadow of war falling upon us, he doesn't have time to waste. The best thing I can do for him now is keep the castle running properly.

After getting myself ready for the day, or rather evening, I journeyed upstairs. I spotted Johannes and another man I didn't recognize in the foyer. He was, unsurprisingly, wearing the colors of Avatar Country. I stayed out of sight, not wanting to interrupt their official business. Johannes passed off a letter to the man, then directed him to leave with haste.

"A messenger?" Tim questioned as he walked down the steps, "The King sends word?"

Johannes replied, "Yes. He is well, and misses us both in council and company. The Pirate King's youngest brother and trusted adviser arrived in court the same day I'd left. An agreement was met! Avatar Country ships will now be free to sail in the Western seas!"

He clapped his hands, "That is wonderful news!"

"If only the letter I had sent back could have been as joyous. I've requested John to join you in your stay here, just until this situation clears. I shall leave at dawn to accompany sir Horror on an expedition. Then, I will return home. I cannot leave Avatar Country without my protection much longer."

"Understandable. Her armies are strong against men, but without you, she is vulnerable to demons. Should word spread of your absence, there isn't much our great King could do to ward off an attack." Tim elaborated.

I always figured that their King was in possession of great power himself. How else would he hold authority over a demon lord? Maybe, Johannes is just that exceptional of a man. He believes in his own people, his own monarch, and his own country so much, that he'd rather serve than rule. His nobility knows no bounds.

He and Tim headed upstairs to continue their conversation. They saw each other as equals, which was a strange dynamic to see between human and demon lord. From what I saw when we visited the God Of the Undead, and the way things are around here, it's standard for there to be a divide between the two. Once I got used to it, I really don't mind treating Ricky as my superior. We know where things stand.

I'll assume he probably doesn't want anyone bothering him right now. I began walking the grounds instead, to ensure everyone was doing what they were supposed to. Vinny was out in the garden, tending to the countless plants that grew here. He's really come into his own now that he has a job to preoccupy him. Ryan was walking his guard route around the exterior of the castle, while Kuza stayed perched in the trees around the mountain's perimeter. Ezra stationed himself outside of the guest's room primarily, but would do walks of the interior from time to time.

I passed by Yuu's room, seeing him sat in front of a vanity doing his hair. Preparing to entertain our guests for the night, presumably. I suppose I should start on dinner. However, before I do, I just can't help myself. I've got to go check on the asshole. Sometimes, I hate that he managed to get under my skin the way he did. I do still care about him, and that's exactly why I'm walking towards his study now, instead of doing my job.

Just as I approached, the door opened on it's own. "You know, I don't like when you do that. It's creepy." I told him as I entered the room.

He wasn't alone. Stood in the center of the room was a very beautiful girl with fairy wings that were about the same size as her. Her long hair was half red, half black, and her wings matched—The new housekeeper with the mysterious demon lord daddy, I can only guess.

Ricky ignored my comment, continuing on in his serious business voice. "Ash, this is Chris. He's in charge when I'm not around or not available. Chris, this is Ashley, the new servant I told you about."

"Welcome to the castle." I greeted her.

She smiled ear to ear, "Thank you! Happy to be here!" Oh, she was a hyper one. I'm not complaining. We need that kind of energy to contrast all the gloomy grumps in this place.

"You're excused for now." Ricky said. She headed out, leaving he and I all alone.

"She seems sweet. Made any headway on her paternity situation?"

"I've narrowed it down a little, but I won't say anything until I'm certain." He replied, "There's no guarantee she won't take off once she gets what she wants, so I'm not too worried about figuring it out anytime soon. I'm surprised you're not in the kitchen already."

"I wanted to check on you first. You had quite the night last night. I thought for sure you'd sleep in with me." I answered.

He paused for a moment, giving himself time to take down those walls he keeps up for everyone else. "I'm sorry. I had a nightmare, and I decided to just get up and get the day started instead of trying to go back to sleep."

"O-Oh." I stammered. "I didn't know people like you get nightmares."

"Everyone has nightmares, Chris. Fear is healthy, as unpleasant as it may be." He sighed, setting down the pen in his hand. Ricky stood up and faced me. "Johannes and I have discussed our best course of action. Twiggy's the only person capable of talking Manson out of this. Whatever caused him to leave, to go missing, it couldn't have been good. If he is alive, he'll surely be brokenhearted. Thankfully, the God of Love has the ability to sense the location of any broken heart in the world. He'll be able and willing to help us. We'll leave in the morning. You're the only servant coming with us."

"Why me?" I asked.

"I just... I thought it was for the best. Now, if you could, leave me to my work."

After all we've been through, you can't just admit that it's because you don't want to be away from me? I thought he was going to get better with his words. Obviously, I was wrong. Being an old soul myself, I know how hard it is for someone like us to change. Even so... Perhaps a visit to the God of Love is exactly what we need. It may pry open is padlocked heart. Trying to get him to open up has been like trying to breaking into Fort Knox.

—

The following morning, before the sun had even breached the sky, we set out for the Northeast corner of the continent. Ricky had mentioned to me previously that the summer there was short, and the winter came far earlier than anywhere else. Though it was only fall where we lived, there a deep snowfall had already consumed the lands and ice covered the waters. By horse, it would've been a two week journey. However, the three of us all possessed the ability to enter into a shadow form, and we didn't require as much sleep. We'd be able to reach our destination in a few days' time.

I know little about this God of Love. While we were waiting on Ricky to get his affairs in order this morning, Johannes gave me a synopsis. There once stood a country in the Northeast, but as the winters grew harsher, the people began migrating elsewhere. Eventually, there wasn't a large enough population to sustain the cold and they died off. Years later, after he'd earned his title as a demon lord, the God of Love moved into the abandoned castle. Johannes explained that it was one of the largest castles ever built, three times the size of Avatar Country's, and five times the size of Ricky's.

Now, the building is home to many of the demon lord's loyal servants, but he chose not to repopulate the surrounding towns. He is welcoming to visitors and will aid anyone who seeks his help, but he never actively searches for those in need, nor does he socialize with other demon lords often. Hm, sounds like someone I know. As the God of Shadows, I'm sure most lay people are happy Ricky doesn't offer a helping hand much. However, there really is no such thing as too much love. Why wouldn't he be more proactive?

—

In a strange way, I missed seeing snow. Don't get me wrong. I won't ever complain about how long fall is here, but it is nice to have a change of pace. We stopped briefly to catch our breath, and that's when I saw it. In the distance, a towering palace straight out of a fairy tale. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were ice sculptures lining a path to the entrance, frosted vines covering the exterior, and massive red banners flowing in the wind. As we got closer, the symbol on them came into view. I... Know that symbol.

I stopped in the middle of the path, my heart feeling like it was beating in my throat. Then, I realized my companions had stopped for a different reason. At the end of the road, stood before the palace doors, there was a glowing outline of a person. It was kind of like a ghost, but neon. I spotted the star over his eye and realized it was the deity that had visited me in my dreams a few months ago. He smiled, making a peace sign with his fingers before disappearing.

Johannes leaned over, whispering, "You guys saw that, too, right?"

"That was him." I told Ricky, almost in disbelief, "The one from my dream."

"Why would he show up here?" He wondered.

"I think... I think he was trying to tell me I was on the right path, to getting back home." I said.

Ricky replied, "What would make you think that?"

I pulled my sleeve up to my elbow, then pointed out a tattoo on my forearm. It was small, but that didn't matter. What was tattooed on me, it was displayed on every banner around the palace. It was unmistakable—The Heartagram.