The village of Underville was peaceful. Kids ran around giggling while visitors entered the markets. Birds sang sweetly, perched on the rooftops of houses and shops while the church bells rang in the distance.
Guards who were posted around helped the citizens and smiled with honourable looks. Their uniforms grand and new, some thing they were proud of.
Wooden carts clattered against the cobblestone path and people laughed happily as they walked through the streets.

No fighting. No sadness. No guilt or rage.

Azure walked through the main streets, accompanied by Eterna and Dr. Lofty. She smiled and she looked around with her sea-blue eyes, happiness almost always radiated off of her after she had confessed her feelings to Rufous. And the fact that he had felt the same still made her heart flutter and wash away all her worries like they were never there.

She skipped ahead, earning smiles and waves which she proceeded to give back.

Eterna watched her in silence, her mouth a thin line and a shadow was cast over her almost acidic-like eyes. She wore the same clothes as usual, still had the bandolier of stakes strapped across her chest and the usual sword hanging by her belt which swung to the side. Her eyes narrowed as she quietly glanced around, there was so much happiness.
And there were hardly any vampire attacks these days.

She should have been happy.
But she wasn't.

She didn't know what to do now. And as much as she wanted to be she just couldn't be happy.
Her line of work was now laying in ruins, she had been engulfed by guilt and rage for the Vampire King.
But she couldn't do anything about it, because it would hurt her friends, would destroy Encre's life and anger Queen Agula. As much as she wanted to kill Fallacy for being what he was, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her eyes closed for a moment and she could feel Dr.Lofty's gaze pinned on her.
"What is it," she mumbled with an almost hoarse voice. So different to the once confident and honourable one she had once had.
The doctor fidgeted nervously with her claws, her tail swaying slightly under her coat. "You... You need to forget about all this... The past... It's not healthy to keep bringing your mind to it, you should focus on the future." She said nervously, looking up at the Vampire Hunter.

Eterna opened her eyes, staring ahead with glassy eyes. "What future."
It wasn't a question.

Dr. Lofty looked down nervously as they continued to walk at a slower pace, Azure still skipping ahead with an indescribable amount of energy that never seemed to leave her.

The guard kept running, skipping to the blacksmiths and bursting in. "Rrruuuufffffouusss~!!!" She chirped happily.
The blacksmith perked up and looked over to her, blinking a little and wiping some sweat from his brow with his gloves. He threw them off and went over to her-
She got to him first though, basically leaping onto him and hugging him tightly.

Rufous laughed happily and hugged back, swinging her around as he held her before putting her down. "How's my favourite little guard doing?" He smiled, his red eyes glowing like the most mesmerizing rubies.

Azure purred happily, looking up at him with her hands on his chest. "Happy~!"
Rufous chuckled softly, "as usual then?"
A nod from the guard.

Rufous then looked to the entrance, "How's Eterna and the doctor?" He asked as he wiped his palms against his stained shirt.
"The Doctor has been good but..." She mumbled with her gloves. "Eterna hasn't been the same ever since... You know." A small shrug and a nod from the blacksmith who leaned back against one of the unlit furnaces.

"She's gonna have to deal with the fact that Encre might never come back and will always be with that vampire." His eyes narrowed, " despite of what he is, it's clear he truly loves her. "
The others had told Rufous of the incident right after it occurred with exact detail- well, Dr.Lofty and Azure did while Eterna had sat on the steps staring at her stakes.

Azure watched as Eterna and Dr.Lofty walked past in silence. She sighed softly, Eterna didn't talk much on the patrols or when they were doing something besides from guard duties and work. But she knew that she talked a lot more to Dr.Lofty, and as much as she didn't want to be it made her a little sad.

She thought about the time Fallacy had suddenly pulled her into the forest and talked to her about Encre. As if it was today she could still remember that tiny of hurt that swirled in his eyes after she had answered his questions.

The guard shook her head before smiling and straightening her posture, I'd better be off now. She kissed Rufous' cheek and purred. The blacksmith pat her head, his cheeks dusted with red, "good luck."

Azure nodded before running back out, her armour clinking against each other as she moved.

The door shut and he sighed softly before pushing his goggles over his eyes and getting back to work, embers sparking gently.

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Fallacy groaned in discomfort and distress, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. Opposite him Cruzar did the same, his hat angled to the side so much it was close to falling off as he huffed.
Macabre just stared at the scattered papers on the oak table, his chin resting on his hand as he pushed the papers around with a finger lazily. So different to his usual sly, well-mannered ways. His eyes glowed softly like the vampire's and he grumbled with slight annoyance as he sat back and looked over to the other two, raising a brow at their child-like reactions.
"What will we do now. We can't just ask your father to turn up." Macabre gritted his teeth.
Cruzar sighed sharply and almost dramatically, "but..."He slapped his hands over his eyes and groaned loudly.

Fallacy looked over to them slowly, rolling his head over the back of his chair to meet their eyes. "He always turns up uninvited. It's basically impossible to predict when the hell he'll suddenly appear." He reached over to the glass of red liquid on the table. Neither one of the thieves bothered asking what it was as the King gulped it down without a second of hesitation. He immediately refilled it and took a sip before swirling the glass between his fingers, watching the liquid move around.

Macabre hummed a deathly tune.

"Then I guess we'll just have to be prepared for when he does show up," a tired sigh escaped him.
The three had been up from hours, trying to work out what they would do to finally get rid of Fallacy's father. But every idea they had come up with seemed to go downhill.

There was a knock on the door and Suave soon walked in with a small smile, "Lord Fallacy? Encre was wondering where you've been." He sighed with a joyful tone as usual.
Fallacy blinked before mentally slapping himself in the face, "I forgot...Shit." He cursed, pushing himself out of his seat and walking to the door before perking up. Looking over to the two thieves who watched him with raised brows. "Sorry- You can go to your rooms or eat. Just do as you wish," he smiled before shifting into a bat and flying down the hallway.

Sauve just nodded and cleared up.

Fallacy eventually got to the bedroom, shifting back into a vampire and opening the door, walking in and closing it behind him with the usual quiet click. Encre looked over to him from where she was sitting, painting. She hadn't done much of it because of how bed-ridden she had become, but at least she kept trying to do what she loved the most.

A soft smile formed on her face, "Hello love." She then threw a paintbrush at him, striking him on the head- leaving a streak of bright pink paint on his forehead. She huffed, "where on earth have you been!" She exclaimed as she crossed her arms, paint smudged on her cheeks and fingers.

The vampire laughed and walked over to her, wiping at his head before wrapping his arms around her and hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorrryyyy," he whined playfully, his fangs dangerously close to her neck.

"You're lucky I'm not in one of my worst moods, "she huffed, poking his nose gently, making his face scrunch up as she laughed.

Yes, there were times where Encre's moods had gotten... dramatic to say the least. Fallacy could still feel the pain in his back after Encre had somehow thrown a chair across the room and right at him. Right after he had denied going out into the forest even though he was covered in leaves and mud. Hilarious for Jasper until he had to practice the piano for two hours straight.

Fallacy looked over to the canvas, staring at the unfinished painting. He could make out a few birch trees and a path going through, patches of wet paint still waiting to be spread about and finished. Ended pushed a hand against Fallacy's face and grumbled, "you're not supposed to look at it silly! I haven't finished it yet." She said, angling the canvas away from him so that he couldn't see anymore than he already had.
The vampire whined again, "but I wanna seee!!!" He pouted slightly and Encre tried her best to hold herself from laughing again.

He then looked to her belly and softly smiled, gently placing a hand on it and rubbing. "I can't wait... "He mumbled, earning a small nod from Encre who put away her canvas.
Encre hummed and looked up at Fallacy with a soft smile, "I love you so much, mon amour."
Fallacy chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I love you more~"

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Eterna walked down the path which lay beside the Forbidden Forest and she often found herself gazing into it, through the trees and shrubs. As if she could see that horrible night unfolding all over again. She winced and looked away with her acid-like eyes, her grip tightening on the pommel of her sword.

She had left Dr.Lofty who had had to leave her to help a monster who had sprained their leg and as much as the Doctor had tried to persuade Eterna to stay she wouldn't take it as an option.

Her boots scraped against dirt and stone and her eyes narrowed. She stopped and faced the forest, staring into it.
And that rage that she had kept within her just started to grow, breaking out of its cage and clawing through her mind.

Fallacy.
He had taken her friend.

Had most likely brainwashed her.

Had ruined her life up to this point.

Her hands trembled as they reached up and gripped onto the bandolier across her chest and she swallowed dryly before taking a step into the dark grass. With a glance back towards the village she smiled softly, admiring the peaceful world of her people and Kingdom, the subtle lights glowing softly as the sky darkened slightly.
And then she vanished into the forest without a trace.

Leaving the village behind and heading towards a fate that neither death himself or she could predict.