The poll is closed. Callum's arcanum is decided. There was a deadlock, so I put in my own vote to break it.
Now, this chapter doesn't have much action. It's just another step in the development of relationships. A major change is Amaya's reasons for returning to Katolis. Underscore speech is for Amaya's speech that is not translated by Gren.
Queenlaur: If you hate Viren now, just wait until season 3. Let's just say him and Aaravos will exchange stories. The Fleshling's Death elixir tastes like nothing because...dark magic. Viren wanted to disguise the flavor to make sure the prince would drink it. And no, Rayla is not becoming a vampire.
Frozermaxspigor:No puedo contestar todas tus preguntas, pero aquí tienes una:
Los vampiros son mitos para los elfos, hoy en día. Pero si Xadia se entera de que hay un vampiro vivo, muchos lo perseguirían por la gloria o le rogarían a los monarcas dragón que erradicaran a los vampiros de nuevo.
TROLLNOCJDCAKT: Ezran no será un mago, pero está conectado a la luna por la maldición. Y si las teorías de los fanáticos son correctas, podría conectarse a la Tierra. Cuando Callum beba sangre élfica (o sangre mágica) en mayor cantidad, su maldición se completará.
When Callum chose to start the search mission for Ezran on the Banther Lodge, he expected to find a clue of his brother's whereabouts. What he didn't expect was to find his Aunt Amaya and her troops waiting there. Firstly, she pulled him off his steed and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
Next they went inside the lodge. Callum told Claudia and Soren to wait outside. Him, his aunt and her commander spoke privately at the dining table.
"Aunt Amaya, what are you doing here?"
She produced a letter with a broken royal seal. That reminded him he still had a letter of his own to read. She explained the contents letter through sign language, her lieutenant, Commander Gren, interpreted.
"According to King Harrow's message, Moonshadow elven assassins infiltrated the castle. Those were always the worst of all elves. We were ordered to come to the Banther Lodge where you two were supposed to be."
Callum felt despondent as he relayed. "The King wanted us to come here. He made it sound like there was nothing to worry about. I overheard something about assassins and yelled at Ez." Callum paused for a moment. His mind raced with one question: should he tell his aunt about the egg? He decided so and carried on, passing quickly over his encounter with the assassin girl and following Ezran into the catacombs.
"The egg of the Dragon Prince?" That was commander Gren own words, since the general had but widened her eyes.
"Yes, turns out Lord Viren didn't destroy it. He took it from Xadia." Callum felt a twinge of anger directed at the high mages' machinations. "When the…"
He was cut off by his aunt' fist slamming hard into the wooden table, creating a significant dent. Her other hand travelled to her face, then passed over her hair. Eyes narrowed to the point of almost being closed. Teeth gritting. Callum knew his aunt well enough to know she was livid. She began gesturing so frenetically, Gren had trouble keeping up.
"Callum, you said that assassin girl was there to kill King Harrow, to avenge the Dragon King, and Ezran to avenge the loss of the egg. It's because of that conniving, power-hungry, cretin that Ezran's life is in danger!"
Callum nodded somberly. He agreed with his aunt, as he had made the same assessment.
Amaya's life as a soldier and commanding officer quickly helped her reign in her emotions. She requested Callum to continue and leave no details out. He explained how the elf girl, Rayla, hypnotized Ezran to go with her and return the egg to Xadia, his transformation into a werewolf (Amaya had beforehand asked her lieutenant to step away, as not even he was aware of the curses), and ended with Ezran jumping from the walls with the egg and the elf after him. He finished with his mission to find and rescue Ezran, partially because of Viren's ultimatum.
Amaya required just a handful of seconds to digest all that information. Gren was no longer present, back Callum understood well enough.
"Our main advantage is that this elf seems to want Ezran alive, for some reason. She could have just taken the egg alone. Likely she intends to hold him as a hostage in Xadia. Like the egg was unknowingly held hostage here in Katolis. These Moonshadow elves are all about 'an eye for an eye'. If she gets him to Xadia, our chances of seeing him again become slim to none."
She got up from her chair to speak with one of her special subordinates, in her own words. Callum wanted to continue on his way after Ezran's trial, but she denied him.
"After what you have told me, I need to have my own man tracking down Ezran."
Callum proposed. "You could have your tracker join us." Something about aunt Amaya's reasoning didn't sound very...reasonable. True enough she briefly turned her gaze outside. The prince realized she was looking at Soren and Claudia. The former of whom was chatting with other soldiers, likely bragging about the fight against the assassins. While the latter was leaning on a corner, awaiting half impatiently. Callum had a bad feeling what his aunt's suspicions were.
She turned to him and sighed. "Viren's children can't be fully trusted."
That was exactly what Callum feared to hear. "Aunt Amaya, they are my friends."
"But they are also loyal to their father. And Viren is no ally of ours. I wouldn't be surprised if those two have some ulterior motives to be on this mission."
"You don't know that." under different circumstances, Callum would never raise his voice to his aunt. She looked him sternly.
"You're right, I don't know that for certain. And I don't like it, either. Politics are the battlefield I always stay clear off. Machinations and the like are not weapon I'm good at yeilding." a tired look passed over her face. "Nonetheless, we can't take any risks if we are to preventing Viren from grabbing power. I'm only asking you don't tell your friends about my tracker."
Callum finally agreed. He didn't like to keep things from Claudia or even Soren, but told himself that hiding that truth wouldn't hurt them.
Before she went outside to assign the mission to said tracker, the general took a quick scan of her nephew. She said he was weary and should rest. When Callum let slip he hadn't slept the whole night after the assassination, she practically ordered him to go rest in his room. The prince knew better than to argue with his authoritative aunt.
The prince wandered half-distracted into the bedroom he had shared with Ezran so many fun winters. It was actually cosier than the one back at Katolis Castle. Yet he felt too...restless for rest.
His hand absently searched his back for something to do. Maybe draw something to pass the time until his aunt decided he had had enough rest. Yet he didn't feel like doing that either. The items in the room were all so familiar he could draw them by memory.
What he pulled out of the bag turned out to be the letter from King Harrow, which had been returned to him by Claudia. The temptation to postpone opening it was great, and he nearly fell for it. Reading it would be accepting that the man he had begun seeing as a father was gone forever.
...No, his surrogate father was already gone. Callum saw his body with his own eyes. Stalling this would just be cowardice.
"Here goes." he hoped he was ready.
Dear Callum,
Over the years, there have been moments when I let there be a distance between us. Because I'm your stepfather, I was trying to give you the space I thought you needed to love your real father, even though he passed away.
Now, I wonder if I should have held you closer. I wonder if showing you how much I loved you would have been okay, and would not have disrespected your relationship with him. And maybe, this whole tragedy could have been prevented.
Callum, I know I'm not your birth father. I know I have committed sins for which you and Ezran have to pay for. After that, I know you don't see me as a father. But in my eyes and in my heart, you are my son. I see myself in you. I'm proud of you. And I love you unconditionally.
As I write this, the sun is setting while Moonshadow assassins prepare to end my life. A few months ago, I took my revenge on Xadia. Tonight, it is their turn. I may not have long. So I'm forced to ask myself…what can I pass on to my sons in the short time I have left? In this letter, I will share with you a lie, a wish and a secret.
When I'm gone, your brother Ezran will become king, and you will be his partner, his defender and his closest adviser. Soon you will both face a lie. The great lie of history. Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. They will be stories of armies, battles and decisive victories. But this isn't true strength. It's merely power.
I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability, in forgiveness, in love. There is a beautiful upside down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don't know better. For a long time, I didn't know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.
The last time I saw your mother, she said "I will see you on the other side." I don't know what lies on the other side. But I do know that I will be watching over you and your brother always.
I've tried to be selfless as a king, but as a husband, I was moved by a selfish wish. By killing Thunder, I wrought this fate upon my sons. I committed the crime I promised your mother I would avoid when I took the crown. I dwelled on old wounds of the past and ended up sacrificing the future. In the end, I became just another pawn in the cycle of hatred.
And finally, as a father, I have a selfish wish. And that is for you and Ezran to be free. Reject the chains of history. Do not let the past define your future, as I did. Free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, then let it go. Create a brighter future from your own hearts and imagination.
Eyes filled with tears, Callum once more regretted not having hugged the man when he handed him this letter. The man who had disappointed him. The man he already missed terribly.
And finally, you must be wondering about the secret I promised to share. Well, good news. The secret is hidden in the Banther lodge, right where you are right now. How's that for planning? Right now, go upstairs to the game room. There, I have hidden an unusual cube with rune symbols on each side.
This cube is an ancient relic that has been passed down through the ages. It belonged to an elven wizard in Xadia, the Archmage Aaravos, a master of all six primal sources. It is hidden in a box of keys because it is known as the "Key of Aaravos" and legends say it unlocks something of great power in Xadia. Perhaps it will be you, Callum, who discovers the key's secrets.
In the game room, he found the cube. Faint memories surfaced of himself once playing with the object when he was very little. He picked it up and something unexpected happened.
"Uh, it's glowing? I don't remember it glowed." he observed one of the runes emitting a purple light.
A while later, after composing himself, he descended downstairs.
Aunt Amaya informed him she already dispatched her best tracker, a soldier named Corvus, after Ezran's trail. She had every assurance he would rescue the prince from the accursed elf.
"Aunt Amaya, I don't think the elf girl is so bad. She was on a mission to kill Ezran but spared him after learning about the egg." Callum reminded her. She shook her head and signaled:
"Moonshadow elves are experts in illusions and deceit. She may appear to be more docile than the rest of her kind, but it certainly is a ruse to keep Ezran on her side. That's why hers is the worst kind of elf. I can't stand such tactics." with a scowl, she announced to her soldiers (through Commander Gren) that they would be riding to the capital city. Callum had been told it would be best if she went there to try and stop Viren from making more grabs for power.
Callum continued on his quest with Soren and Claudia. "Hang on, Ez. I'm coming."
The warmth of the afternoon made the mood pleasant enough for a quizzing game.
"And that's why raccoons are not to be trusted. Ever." Ezran spoke with absolute certainty.
"Okay, that explains it."
"Yeah, but Callum didn't believe me. I told him the raccoons lied about the treasure behind the waterfall. He got all wet and angry at me. Accused me of making the whole thing up."
"He sounds like a stubborn, skeptical, jerkfacy fellow." Rayla recalled that the older prince didn't believe in her or his own brother when he was asked to join them. "Alright, it's mah time to ask a question. And since we're talkin' about your thick-skulled brother; what did he meant by his teeth were growing?" During the seperation of the two brothers in the dark mage' secret laboratory, the older prince had blabbered on about his teeth becoming fangs.
Ezran's mood darkened a little. "That's because of his curse. Callum is something called a vampire."
Rayla's pace slowed. That word 'vampire' rang a very faint bell. She only half-listened to Ezran's description. Of his brother becoming a mindless, literal bloodthirsty thing. Of pointy ears and sharp fangs.
Rayla was catapulted back to a very distant time. When she was very, very little, wrapped in the warm blankets of her bed, her parents stood before her. She asked, nay, demanded a scary bedtime story, for a change. Her father obliged and spoke in hushed tones of a being that appeared to be an elf - pale gray skin, red eyes, pointed ears, but no horns - that stalked a young, frivolous skywing girl. The girl, naively, allowed herself to be seduced by the person. Strangely enough, the stranger stalker never met her during the day. And finally, on a dark, cloudy night, when the two met again, the stranger smiled widely, revealing a pair of sharp canine fangs. Before the girl could ask, the handsome stranger revealed its true nature; a predator of blood. Elven blood. It sank its fangs on the girl's neck, who could do nothing, not even scream, as her life fluid and magic was consumed by the ravenous fiend that was a vampire.
"Rayla!" Ezran's shout woke her up from the daze.
"Oh, sorry. Ah zoned out for a moment."
"Okay, so my turn to ask another question." the prince munched on a piece of stale bread they had grabbed from the lodge. At first she had thought the baguettes were clubs. Yet the boy was able to chew it, albeit with considerable effort.
Shrugging, she accepted. "Go ahead, little prince."
"What are your parents like?"
Rayla abruptly turned away, the smile wiped off her face. "My parents are dead."
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Ezran realized his mistake but the elf instantly said it was fine. An awkward silence ensued
Then, Ezran halted. Something wasn't right.
"Rayla…"
"What now?" she asked a bit teed off.
"Something's wrong." he turned his gaze up, yet the wrongness he felt wasn't something he could see. But rather something he could hear. "I think someone's coming."
"Someone? Whom?" in an instant, she had her blades out and ready.
"Dogs!"
She blinked twice. "Dogs? Dogs are chasing us?"
He, on the other hand, looked considerably more concerned. "I can sense them coming. Since my curse first came, I've been able to sense dogs and even wolves, not just talk to them. And those dogs are after us. They know we're here."
After witnessing what this little human could do, first hand, she was willing to believe just about anything he said about said curse of his. "If dogs are following our trail, that means we're being hunted. That's definitely not good." she casted a glance at the egg on Ezran's back. The Katolian prince may be good-hearted, but she was willing to bet the humans hunting them were not.
Luckily, Ezran spotted their salvation. "Look!" he raced to something behind Rayla. A small, seemingly abandoned dock made of wooden boards. A small boat, also suffering some neglect, tied to the dock by a rope, floated lazily. She had a bad feeling about it.
"We can go by boat. Dogs can't pick up smells in the water. Let's go."
"Uh, maybe we find another way…" so faintly, she heard the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground. She looked at the sacred egg and swallowed her dread. "Alrighty then, into the nightmare boat we go!"
Fortunately, the boat just looked decrepit, yet it was riverworthy. Rayla hastily cut the rope and pushed them away from the dock with a shaky foot. Each one towed, Ezran a bit calmer and less frenetic than she. Soon they couldn't see the dock and vanished down the stream before any would-be chasers spotted them.
Now, Ezran wasn't the best at reading people. The dispositions and moods of animals were quite easy to understand. People were just confusing, and sometimes, not that honest about what they were feeling. But even he could tell Rayla was hesitant to travel by boat. And now he understood why.
"So, you're not much of a boat person."
"More like not much of a water person." she muttered under her breath, lying with her face down on the boat. It did little to avoid the nausea.
"What's that?"
"Nothing." she sighed.
"So, about next question…"
"No more questions, please."
"But it's Zym's turn. Come on, he's just begging you!" the little human pleaded. Rayla wanted to shoot a glare at him, but she wouldn't dare lift her head. Also, her honor demanded she fulfilled the wish of the still unborn dragon prince.
"Alright, fine. Just one more."
"Great, Zym wants to know what Xadia is like. He asked me how his home is, but all I had were stories that probably aren't even true."
"Xadia is...well, just incredible. There are no wars, barely no crime, disease or famine. The dragons rule the entire land with fairness and justice."
"What about magic?"
"Magic is in pretty much everything. It's no different from saying: 'everywhere you look, there's nature.' It's just... part of the vibrance, or spirit of things, ya know?"
"Wow! Sounds amazing."
"Aye, it is." Rayla leaned against the side of the boat, peeking the margin with a more relaxed disposition.
Apparently the talk had distracted her from the discomfort. Ezran thought best not to interrupt her peace and kept the silence that followed.
Finally, she perked up a little. "My turn to ask."
"Go ahead."
"When ya woke up after yar transformation, ya were a tad panicky about the egg of the Dragon Prince. Why was that?"
Ezran's upbeat demeanor fell a little. He answered hesitantly. "When I turn, I don't remember who or what I am, so I just do whatever. I was worried I hurt Zym."
Rayla shrugged. "Well, ya did quite the opposite, in fact." She lied back down, not seeing the uncomfortable expression on his face.
The current began to pick up speed. Something the werewolf realized too late.
"Uh, the river is going faster."
"Thanks for remindin' me." Rayla kept her head down.
"I mean it's going too fast. Look!"
She did look up ahead and promptly wished she hadn't. They were going down the rapids, ever faster.
"Pull the boat over!" She panicked.
"I don't think there's time." Ezran said hopelessly.
"Ah admit it!" Rayla said, hugging the boat. "Ah hate the water! Ah'm afraid of it, it makes me sick, all the bad feelings."
"Don't worry. We just have to hang on!" He rushed to the back of the boat, urging Rayla to join him.
The boat went over a waterfall. And Ezran couldn't help but laugh-scream while Rayla only screamed. As luck would have it, the boat hit a calm lake at the end of the waterfall, right side up, with all of its passengers still onboard.
Ezran chuckled. "That was fun! And, Rayla, can you let go, please? Your nails are poking me in the eye." In her panic, the elf had hugged the nearest thing with her whole body. She let him go, taking shaky breaths.
"Ah can't believe we're still alive and floatin'. This was a disaster!"
"Yeah, but a good one."
She shot him a glare. "Ah don't even want to imagine what ya would describe as a bad disaster."
"Zym liked it, so…"
Without warning, the water beneath them exploded and the boat was tossed high into the air. Its occupants were thrown out of it and landed by the shore.
"Oh, sweet land! We meet again!" to show her relief and joy, Rayla kissed the soil.
"Okay, that happened." Ezran looked at the lake to see a giant fish-like creature, the thing that threw them out of the water, diving back in. He turned to the girl who continued kissing the ground. "Why didn't you just say you were afraid of the water?"
She looked at him, hesitantly. "Ah…the thing is, Moonshadow elves aren't supposed to show fear. Ever."
"That's sad," Ezran said.
"It's our way," Rayla said with a pouting shrug.
Ezran sat next to her. "Humans and elves may have different beliefs, but I'll tell you something my dad says." She grimaced at the mention of the king. Ezran continued, doing his best impression of his father:
"Feelings are just feelings. There's never shame or weakness in your heart's truth."
She smiled bitterly. Such a good, lucky fellow he was, with good memories of his parent…
"My parents aren't really dead."she ended up confessing without much forethought. "But I wish they were. They're cowards!"
"What do you mean?" The prince was slightly shocked that someone could wish so onto their own parents.
"My parents were part of an elite force: the Dragon Guard. Eight elven warriors chosen to protect the egg of the Dragon Prince. Sky archdragons only lay an egg every thousand years. So that egg is so rare and precious. But when the humans came and killed the Dragon King, the Dragon Guard, my parents, failed in their duty. They ran away. I'm so ashamed."
"Rayla," Ezran said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry for what humans did." He sighed. "For what my dad did." Unlike what most believed, Ezran was well aware his dad was responsible for the theft of Zym's egg. Callum had overheard it in an argument between his father and Lord Viren, after Ezran's first transformation.
"So, you see! That's why Ah have to make things right. When Ah first came here, Ah was on a quest for revenge. But the moment Ah saw that egg, everything changed. Now, this is a journey of redemption."
Ezran looked between her and the egg containing his friend. "No, Rayla. We have to make things right." He put his hand on her shoulder and she smiled in appreciation.
The serene moment ended as the boat floated over to the shore, much to Rayla's chagrin. However, Ezran relieved her saying they should have evaded their pursuers, by then. Rayla, however, came up with a better idea.
"Good bye, boat." She pushed it away from the shore and watched it float away, pulled by the current. At Ezran's confused look, she explained. "If our trackers are looking for us on a boat, they won't stop until they find one. Ah feel like leading them on a wild Sungoose chase is a good thanks for having made us travel by the river." Okay, so Rayla could be a bit vindictive.
"That's devious." Rayla playfully bowed for the compliment. "But if we go by land, their hounds might pick up our scent, again."
Seeing his point, the elf looked at the forest that covered the land eastern, and smirked. Maybe she wasn't out of ideas, yet.
It was late in the night. Callum looked at the stars above, lying on fur he had brought to use as a makeshift bed.
Hours before, he, Claudia and Soren had come across a small, decaying harbor. He had noticed a rope recently cut, meaning a boat had been taken. He deduced that the elf must have stolen a boat so the tracking hounds would lose the trail.
The group continued riding by the river. Sure enough they found the boat by the shore after a waterfall. However, the tracking hounds were unable to get a sense of direction. Apparently, that clever elf was on to them and created a distraction.
Callum began to despair but Claudia had a solution; a tracking spell to locate Ezran. When asked why she hadn't done it to begin with, she had replied:
"It's a complex spell that requires specific reagents. Plus, Callum's tracking instincts have been right, so far, so there was no need."
Callum voted to use Claudia's spell. Soren commented under his breath that he was just sucking up to his sister. Callum had shot him a look.
Firstly, she needed a piece of Ezran's essence, which Callum supplied in the form of Ezran's hair that got stuck to Callum's scarf, the previous night.
Other ingredients could only be acquired during the day. For that reason, they decided to make camp and rest for the night. Much to the prince's chagrin, who prefered to continue the search.
And that was how Callum came to be lying on the ground, trying and failing to fall asleep in the great outdoors. Tried as he might, he couldn't get any shut-eye. Probably because his brain was restless; in the span on 24 hours, his brother had been abducted, his step-father assassinated and he was now on a deadline to prevent a conniving dark mage from seizing the throne.
Though the last one bothered him the least, Callum dread to think what he would do once Ezran was safe and sound. How was he supposed to break him the news that his father was dead? And just as bad, that the entire kingdom depended on him, now?
He grunted. Just another stressful task that wouldn't let him sleep.
A soft hum got his attention. Without getting up, his hand moved through his bag and phished out the Key of Aaravos. One of its intricate runes was glowing. The same one that had been glowing since he discovered it in the Banther Lodge. He brought the relic closer to his face. The purple glow emitted by the Star Rune intensified to a point it irritated Callum's eyes.
His mind travelled back to what he had learnt from Claudia, hours before.
Flashback:
"Wow!" The girl looked mystified by the cube. Even more so by the rune that only seemed to glow in Callum's presence. "You mean the Star rune has been growing since you touched it?"
He nodded. "I tested this and it's like it only glows when I'm close. Try it."
He tossed her the object and she reigned her horse to the side and away from Callum's. Sure enough, the light became fainter the further away it moved from the prince. Claudia reapproached him and was amazed to see the rune regaining its radiance.
"This is amazing! Wait, let me try something…" she produced different items from her purse, all magical in nature. A different rune lit up when one of the objects was placed close to the Key. "It's true, this thing reacts to the presence of Primal energy."
"Is that a good thing?"
She looked at him, stunned. "Callum, humanity's weakness is that we are born with no arcanum -that's the connection that elves have to a Primal source which allows them to do magic." she hastily explained, seeing his blank look. "But we still found ways to do wonderful things. We just take magical creatures and squeeze the magic out of them. That's what dark magic is." She illustrated by clenching her grip on a flask with a red and black spider inside. The creature seemed to realize its life was in peryl, as it tried to scratch its way out. Fortunately, she opted to replace it back in her purse.
Callum was dubious, and a little distressed. "You make it sound like there's a sunny side to my curse." He couldn't help but come out a little scathing. Which she completely ignored.
"Maybe there is. Callum, this is revolutionary! You're the first human ever to be connected to a Primal source. If we can make this work, you could do Primal magic on your own!"
End of flashback.
"Magic on my own…" the idea seemed so far off, now. Two days ago, Callum was more than intrigued, after Claudia made that playful demonstration with a Primal Stone at the library.
His gaze travelled to a sleeping Claudia, who rested much closer than him to the campfire. She seemed so gentle. Yet, the way Claudia spoke about squashing magical creatures, with that cheerful smile so typical of hers. As if they were nothing more than fruit to be juiced. It felt repugnant to condemn animals just for a few magic tricks.
But, you have an option no one else does, said a voice in his conscience. If what Claudia claimed was accurate, he now had something other humans lacked; an arcanum. The potential to perform actual Primal magic. No Primal Stone. No dark magic.
Was that even possible to learn though? According to Claudia, Star creatures were ridiculously rare, both in numbers as well in variety. Plus, they tend to live very secretive existences. As far as she could tell, her father's extensive library had no spells of the star arcanum. All she could divulge was that said arcanum was hard to put in words, but it connected to the power of the cosmos, divination and very vague stuff.
With a sigh, he fixed his gaze on the night sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. All the stars and constellations gazed back at him.
"So, somehow, I'm connected to all of you because of this curse. Since the Star Primal is so mysterious, how about you give me a clue?" he whispered to the starry sky. Unsurprisingly, there was no response.
With all that thinking, Callum felt he should be tired enough to go to sleep. But he found that he couldn't. Tonight felt too comfortable for sleep.
Originally, I was going to have the Star Rune glow red to indicate that Callum's connection was 'tainted' and 'corrupt'. This was the reason why he went berserk when he transformed. But I scrapped that idea. Instead I have another explanation that delves deeper into vampire biology.