The room was so alien. Dennis had only called one place home. His old home was like a fortress that protected them from the hate of the outside world. Now, he was vulnerable on all sides, as was his family. He was the piece to an invisible puzzle and he knew that if they fought on for him, they would suffer for it. The soft sheets of his bed did nothing to comfort him. He sat by himself. He had spoken with Winnie for a while upon arriving, but after Dracula and Jeremiah's spat, he wanted to be alone. The cold quiet outside his door left uncertainty in his heart.
He couldn't help but feel that the secrets of his family's past had only served to make him weak. They had survived untold horrors to reach that day. If he had known about it all, perhaps he could have been prepared for it. Instead, he and his family were lost in the wilderness of their country, with untold forces bearing down on them. He was a Dracula. He couldn't let them bring him to his knees. He may have just been a boy, but in his blood was something stronger.
When the front door opened once again, Dennis decided to see who it was. When he poked his head outside the bedroom, he saw the front door lightly swinging on its hinges. Someone had left. Outside, Jeremiah turned to see two approaching vampires. He stood up and faced them.
"One thing I want to make clear. I will never consider you an ally…" Dracula paused for a moment. "…but you may well be the best hope of keeping my family alive."
It was the best Jeremiah had expected.
"A temporary truce?" Vlad offered.
The ex-hunter approached them and held out his hand. Dracula didn't move, but Vlad took it in his own. They shook, forging a temporary peace between them. Mavis was watching by the tree. Dracula glanced at her and gave a loving smile. Mavis had offered Jeremiah some companionship in his dark hour. The least Dracula felt he could do was hold onto hope. Both Johnny and Dennis left the cabin and stood side by side, watching on.
"I'll never let them take you, my boy. I may not be like your mother, or your grandpa, but I'm pretty nifty with a baseball bat." Jonathan patted his son's shoulder.
Dennis saw the glimpse of weakness in Johnny's eye. He may not have been a vampire, but he was determined to keep his son safe all the same. There was no more arguing that night. To survive, it would take all of their strength, and all of their cunning. Thankfully, they now had people with those very skills. As the night drifted away, the Sun rose to cover the cabin. The Monsters were tired after their continuous trek to safety. Inside, the group gathered as Jeremiah offered out a wooden box.
"I think these will come in handy."
Dracula reached his hand in and pulled out a number of necklaces. Attached to each was a single crystal.
"You won't need to worry about the Sun if you have one of these. Just don't take it off." Jeremiah explained their use.
Vlad hadn't seen the likes of them for hundreds of years.
"How did you find so many of these? I thought most of them were destroyed."
Jeremiah knew what he meant.
"They were. Many by me. The Court have been busy preparing to fight in daylight. Fortunately, they didn't see me coming."
Dracula hesitated at first, unable to abandon the idea that everything was still a trap. To put him at ease, Vlad was the first one to place one around his ancient neck. Nothing happened, yet Vlad was sure it would do its work. Seeing that his father was fine, Dracula put on his own, ensuring he did so before Mavis could wear hers, just to be safe. Again, everything felt normal. The look on Mavis' face was one of excitement. She was about to do something she thought was beyond her reach.
Clipping the chain around her neck, she looked outside the window of the cabin. The grass looked so bright outside. She felt Johnny's hand wrapped around hers. They shared a joint smile. He knew how much she had wanted this. Side by side they opened the door. Agatha and Nicolae watched the horizon outside, making sure they were still undiscovered. They had no need for the magic that the group now wore around their necks. Slowly Johnny led Mavis off of the wooden patio. She held out her hand and moved it a fraction at a time towards the Sun's warmth. A single ray reflected off of her fingers. There was no pain. Her mouth opened as she felt the Sun for the very first time, as it was meant to be.
"It's so…" She couldn't describe it.
"Warm." Johnny finished her sentence.
She closed her eyes as she took her first step into the full beauty of the world. She was mesmerised by the colours as she opened them. The flowers around her thrived in the morning Sun.
"I've always wanted to see this." She said, too quietly for anyone to hear.
Dracula watched her as she began to spin Johnny around.
"I can't believe it! Look at it all!" She exclaimed.
In Dracula's eyes, she was a girl again. Such joy had been out of reach for his kind. There was a certain beauty to the magic that protected her.
"Fire gives warmth and protection, Son. Like everything, in the wrong hands, it can be a weapon. In the right hands. It's beautiful." Vlad spoke to him.
Dracula was surprised to hear such words from the likes of Vlad. He himself had once had his zing. Years without her had made him a cold killer. It was a tale that kept on repeating. The wolf cubs howled as they rushed outside to feel the morning Sun themselves. Even though many were older than her, Winnie still had the most self-control. She instead stood beside Dennis as he joined them outside. Only one person remained indoors.
"Please don't talk about fire. I've seen enough of that for a lifetime." Frank shivered.
"You mean, like this!" Murray started to rub two sticks together on the grass at his feet.
Nothing happened.
"Wait, this is harder than it looks!" he frantically tried to start a fire to no avail.
Frank clonked him lightly on the head and started to laugh.
"They still act like kids." Eunice said to Dracula.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." The Count answered her.
Griffin's glasses floated beside them.
"I've never liked the sun much. I've got really sensitive skin." He told them.
"I don't think anyone would notice, Griffin." Dracula said with a grin.
"I'd notice!" Griffin answered back.
The Count couldn't help but laugh. Even in dark times, his friends were still there to keep his spirits up. They took in the moment, knowing it could be the last happy memory they would hold for eternity.
"Thank you. You know, for coming back." Dracula whispered.
"I've abandoned you too many times. I wasn't there when I should have been. I won't do that anymore." Vlad still felt guilt for his pace grievances.
Inside, there was one necklace left. Jeremiah held onto it, letting the chain fall through his fingers. He rested his thumb over the emerald.
Yes, I love drawing! There's so much beauty around us to capture. Not many people stop and look at it, it's such a shame.
He could remember Martha's words.
Don't be ashamed of who you are, Jeremiah.
He was. He'd forgotten her wisdom. He'd let himself become empty. His closing eyes squeezed out tears.
There's a special place in hell for someone who would take a child's parent from them.
They were his own words. Barely fifteen years of age and he was wiser back then, than the demon he became. The emerald fell to the floor as he released his grip. The family outside deserved none of the pain he had inflicted on them. He could save them again and again now, but he was still the enemy. Martha's death was irreversible. Against his wishes, the stone rose up, this time in someone else's hand. Dracula stood beside him. His expression was stern.
"You see my daughter out there? You see my grandson? They don't need an old knight who wallows in self-pity. They need someone who can keep them safe."
He looked down at the emerald in his hand. He took a deep breath and held it out to Jeremiah.
"I'm placing my trust in you. If you fail them, I will destroy you again. If you betray us, I will make sure there is nothing left of you. If you succeed… I'll know you're sincere. Until then, you need to have the strength you forced me to have. She is never coming back, but my family is here right now. I won't let that change."
He stopped for a moment. What he was saying hurt.
"I don't need the killer you became. I don't need the boy who loved her. I need the man she knew you could become."
With that, he left him alone once again. He was right. Every word. Jeremiah had begun with the goal of keeping Martha's legacy safe. Along the way, hard truths had brought him low. Self-doubt had seeped in and become self-loathing. Now, it was a weakness. One they couldn't afford him to have. His fingers covered the emerald one by one until it was a cast-iron grip.
"I'm back Martha."
With a determined strut, he locked himself away in his room. As Dracula's family enjoyed themselves outside, Jeremiah prepared himself for war. Phials and test tubes bubbled away, each with a dark magic imbued. The room was more a laboratory than anything else. The evil he had used against Monsters in his past would now be used to protect them. Various weapons had been stock piled. Everything and anything they could get their hands on would be of use. There were a few against an army. Luckily, Jeremiah was used to that. He had become a legend for a reason. Now though, there was no pain to hold him back. The Emerald Knight was born again.
As much as they wanted to bask in the daylight, the group was hit with drowsiness. They were day sleepers after all. Reluctantly, they made their way back to their rooms. Inside his own room, Jeremiah began to form a plan. There was a knock at the door.
"We are turning in for the day." It was Agatha.
Jeremiah unlocked the door. She took a peak over his shoulder.
"Time?" She knew what he was doing.
He gave her a quick nod. Nicolae looked uneasy.
"You need not go any further than you want. I've asked too much of you as it is."
Agatha placed her hand on Jeremiah's shoulder.
"You know I will follow you till the end. I can't afford not to."
He knew her agenda. He honoured it. He gave her and Nicolae a quick hug.
"It is an honour to know you." He didn't know what the future held for them. He just wished he could keep them safe.
With everyone going to bed, Jeremiah took the chance to pull Dracula and Vlad to the side.
"There is no way we can run and hide forever. There is one thing we can do to end this all."
They knew what he was about to say.
"Destroy the Eldritch King."
Dracula scoffed.
"Easier said than done. He has an army behind him."
Jeremiah looked down.
"That may be true. But it can't be everywhere at once. Up till now he and Vincent have made every move. It's time we made our own. We need to draw him in. The only thing is, to do that, we need to do something you are not going to like."