Daniel lay down on his bed, pondering and organizing his thoughts within his journal, quill scratching against the parchment hastily,

'' August 10, 1839,

I can hear them when I sleep. My nightmares...The blood stained on my hands...Is my life really worth saving, despite all the lives I took already? Does the ratio outweigh the bad deeds I have done in order to save my mortality? Are the people I took the lives of really criminals?...I should have never touched that orb in Algeria...This is turning me into a monster. What am I doing? What have I turned into? I can not stop sweating and shaking...Alexander had his servants bring one of the prisoners, a murderer, he told me. Alexander made all of the arrangements but he said I had to perform the ritual in order to have the right effect. The Shadow could be led astray by the blood of another. Killing the man would provide us precious time. What else could I do? Alexander said it had to be done. He is saving my life, I don't have the luxury of argument. ''

Putting his journal and quill down on his nightstand, he heaved an anxious breath of defeat. He could no longer write anymore, for his brain was exhausted from the long day behind, and most likely the gruesome ones ahead of him.

'What am I going to do?,' Worried thoughts beated like a drum within his cranium. Such a pathetic state of mind he was in...Alexander was trying to save him! Why was he even doubting the good deeds? This was all necessity, and he knew this to the last degree. But still, why? Why did Daniel feel like there was something out of place? Something didn't feel right...

His worrisome thoughts were disrupted by a knock on the door.

''Daniel?,'' a baritone voice eased out from behind the oak door

''Y-...Yes?,'' The young man's British tone jingled from under the sheets and blankets, the image of the young archeologist squeezing a pillow almost made him look like a child, ''You may come in...''

The slender baron quietly entered the room, (which was almost always illuminated by the fire from the fireplace). Walking up to the side of Daniel's bed, long bony fingers elegantly stroked through young, silky brown hair. Tucking it behind Daniel's ear, the baron's smooth voice seemed to purr out, ''Why are you not sleeping..?''

''The nightmares, baron...I'm afraid to sleep. They've gotten worse since we've started the rituals to gather the vitae...,'' The young man whimpered out, gripping his sheets as his hands started to clam up in anxiety.

Sitting on a chair at the archeologist's bedside, the baron continued to brush Daniel's hair away from his face, ''The shadow should not be hostile at this moment...We've gathered enough vitae to ward it off and buy us some time. You simply should not be just having nightmares for no reason.'' But the younger man did not respond to this. He simply did not want to convince to Alexander that he felt wrong conducting those types of torture on people, even if they were criminals...The fact that blood stained his hands more than multiple times made him shudder. Did this not make him equal to or even worse than the criminals he was murdering?

Daniel didn't say anything, but instead fell silent and looked down at his bed sheets

''What ever shall I do with you...,'' Alexander spoke softly, stroking an index finger along the younger male's jaw, then retreating his hand back up to continue playing with the soft brunette hair.

Silence penetrated the air once more, for again, Daniel did not have a remark, and so he instead listening to the comforting sounds of the baron's breathing.

Slow...

Inhale...

Exhale...

Inhale..

Exhale...

As they sat a few more peaceful moments, the sound of crackling wood from the fireplace was melted within the background. Daniel almost felt like he was going to doze off..

''Alexander...,'' He finally silently spoke up, as if sounding like a mouse trying to not disrupt the church.

''Yes?''

''Please...Can you stay here until I fall asleep..?''

''Of course, Daniel. You are my guest, may I remind you? Please do not be hesitant on asking me anything,'' But despite the baron's tone, it almost seemed as if Alexander was happy at the proposal of staying at the young man's side until he drifted off.

Although, Daniel almost didn't want to fall asleep, in hopes the baron would never leave...