Year 2022 BCD (Before Continental Division)

Rayla of the Belmont Clan watched carefully as the other moonshadow elf walked into her encampment. Unlike herself, her compatriots and family, this elf's facial markings were pure white; he was of the Helsing Clan.

The matriarch of the Belmont family was an old, experienced leader. Of all the duties she had fulfilled since reaching her position, diplomacy with other clans was her least favorite. Even if it was with the Hellsing, who shared the same mission as her own clan.

"Van'at of the Hellsing. I hope you had a safe journey."

"As safe as marching through previously vampire-infested territory, Lady Rayla of the Belmont." the male elf replied with a touch of genuine humor. Completely contrasting the fake pleasantry presented by the Belmont.

"Is there anything I can offer you for a drink? Moonberry mead, perhaps?"

Van'at thanked and accepted the offer. After sharing a drink, the woman addressed him coldly

"Alright, Van'at, now that obligatory pleasantries are out of the way, maybe you could enlighten me as to why you have requested to enter our encampment and take my precious time. Time that would be better employed in planning the coming battle?"

Van'at didn't show any reaction to the scathing tone of her words, as if he had expected them. "My family and I are here for the same reason yours is."

Rayla's smile was devoid of sweetness. "Oh, what a surprise, my dear Van'at! Because it occurred to me that your clan had withdrawn from the last two battles, which might I add my family had to fight viciously to achieve. Two victories that had we not secured, none of us would be standing here today."

Van'at hesitated. His next words sounded hard to utter. "Indeed, we did not fight against Dimitrescu's hordes, as is our sworn duty. But not without a greater reason. One that I came, in part, here today to reveal to you."

Rayla remained impassive, though she was interested to hear him out.

"My lady, please, walk with me."

At Van'at's insistence, they walked out of her tent and away from the Belmont encampment. They stopped by the top of a hill, from where it was possible to see a city built on a solitary mountain in the plane. The city itself was mostly a cluster of tall spires with a large castle at the center, all surrounded by walls. The oddest part was that it was completely silent and devoid of activity, considering it was the middle of the day.

Van'at eyed the metropolis with distaste. "We are probably the first elves in this and the previous generation to lay eyes upon that hideous stain. Castlevania, the vampire city, last bastion those wretched blood-drinkers have in Xadia. And here we stand on the precipice of the final battle to rid the world of those fiends."

The Belmont matriarch lost her cool. "I don't need a retelling of current events, least of all from the likes of you, Hellsing! The last two battles cost greatly to my family and we stand here today thanks to our sacrifices. Yet, you were nowhere to be seen! You promised to reveal to me your reasons, so now do so. Or else, our talk is done and I'll have you not so gently escorted out of our encampment."

Van'at nodded politely, feeling her anger and frustration towards him and his family was justified. "Understood. I will go straight to the point; my clan did not join the war effort recently because we needed all the manpower and mages we could spare to perfect our best weapon against the vampires. One that will allow us to fight them on equal ground during the night."

Rayla's anger was replaced with disbelief. They had developed a method to which to fight vampires at nighttime, when those nocturnal demons were at their strongest? Nonsense! Van'at must have detected her thoughts, as he replied.

"This is no joke, Lady Rayla of the Belmonts. It's magic that my grandfather had developed and now, even we as moonshadow elves, can utilize."

"Your grandfather?" Rayla began putting the pieces together. She was in the know of Hellsing's unusual family tree, as they were like her own family, vampire hunters for generations. However, unlike the Belmonts, the Hellsings were a moonshadow family that consorted with other tribes of elves, even marrying into them.

To answer her question, Van'at began uttering an incantation. His form emitted a faint silver glow and began to grow and arch. Fur of the silver hue grew all over his form. All limbs became legs. His face grew a snout.

Before Rayla's face, the male moonshadow elf transformed into a Lycanthrope, a werewolf. The wolf looked her in the eye before slowly regressing back to his ordinary form.

"My brothers and sisters, our best fighters have achieved Lycanthropy, as well. I'm the only one who can transform in broad daylight. But under a full moon, we are unstoppable. That is why I am here, Lady Rayla. I urge you to allow us to join forces with you, once more. Together, victory will be much more possible."

Rayla at last looked at the man with neutrality. "Come along, Van'at. We have an invasion to plan."


Year 1000 ACD (After Continental Division)

Moon Nexus.

"Neat flute trick, Clauds."

"It's an ocarina, but thanks."

Callum, Claudia and Soren had followed the girl's tracking spell to the top of the Cursed Caldera. On their way up, they had encountered horrifying monsters, which turned out to be illusions. Finally they found ruins that appeared to be of Moonshadow architecture, according to Claudia. Callum decided it was best to first neutralize the elf, and then search for Ezran. The ever-prepared Claudia pulled out an ocarina that produced an enchanting music capable of putting to sleep anyone who heard it. While Callum and Soren covered their ears, Claudia played and the elf girl quickly fell asleep on the ground.

Soren unsheathed his blade but Callum stopped him. "No. She's out. Let's just find Ezran and get out of here."

"Callum, I have to disagree. It's too dangerous to let her live." Claudia countered.

The ensuing argument was cut short as the elf suddenly leaped to her feet and kicked Soren away. Turned out she had pretended to be asleep and had resisted the enchanting music by pricking herself with a rose thorn. A fight would have begun hadn't Ezran arrived, running as fast as his legs allowed him.

"Ezran!" the younger prince found himself nearly choked in his brother's embrace. "Gods, I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I'm okay, Callum. I'm fine."

"Uh, hello." Soren's bored call drew everyone's attention. "We're having a fight here, so could you leave the touchy-feely reunion for later?"

"There's no need to fight. Ezran is safe and sound."

Rayla intervened, sending a peeved look to every human, barring Ezran. "They attacked me while they thought I was unconscious. The thick-skulled moron started it!"

"Hey, you leave my skull out of this. And, Soren here is more than happy to pick up where we left off, elf witch!" the crown guard retorted.

"Oh, Rayla here, would happily oblige." the elf in question assumed a battle stance.

The older prince stepped between the two, exasperatedly. "Callum here says there will be no fight. Ezran is safe so we go back home and nobody needs to get hurt."

Claudia would have none of it. "Well, Claudia here wonders if Callum hit his head or something. She kidnapped Ezran and the dragon egg. Why are you defending her?"

Ezran awkwardly asked. "Uh, Ezran wants to know why everyone is talking in third person."

The tension halted its crescendo. Weary, Callum took charge before hot heads spoke louder. "Okay, uh…Rayla, was it? We have you outnumbered, so how about this: you let my brother go and we all go our different ways, peacefully. How about it? Please?" he immediately regretted sounding so meek with that last part. Still give him a break! He had never broken diplomacy with an elf assassin before.

Rayla didn't sound impressed. "Very interesting, Prince Jerkface. Except you forgot one tiny detail: Ezran was never my prisoner. He's here of his own volition."

"That's right." sadly, said prince was ignored.

"It's like I told you Callum; she hypnotized him." Claudia stated, arms crossed. Rayla glared daggers at her. "Furthermore, we're not leaving here without the egg."

"No deal."

Soren smirked. "Guess round 2 is a go!"

"Stop!" Ezran had stepped in the middle of it. His cry, though, sounded almost like a snarl. "No more fighting."

"Ez…"

"Not tonight. We talk tomorrow. Okay?"

Callum, like everyone else, could easily notice the glowing yellow dots that were his pupils.

"Okay, Ezran. We sleep tonight, argue tomorrow."

"You mean fight, right?"

Callum eyed Soren with a steely look, implying that was not up for debate. Claudia sighed and gave a 'my-eyes-are-on-you' gesture to Rayla. Reluctantly, the crownguard also backed down.

"Fine. Guess I'll kill you tomorrow, elf witch."

"Right back at ya, thick skull."

The small crowd broke ways, as the crown prince showed the quarters for new arrivals. Soren and Claudia would share a room. Callum opted to sleep on Ezran's. He was not about to leave his brother out of sight anytime soon.

The rooms were small but aesthetically pleasing. Ezran explained it was all moonshadow architecture and that this place were ancient ruins from before Xadia was split. At some other time, Callum would love to add the smooth arches to his sketchbook.

Now that the tension was lowered and the two brothers were alone, after little more than a week of separation, there was an awkwardness present. They hadn't parted in the best of ways. With Ezran running with the egg and some elf girl he just met. With Callum, stubborn and borderline callous, refusing to believe his brother's words.

"So, did you dye your hair?" the older brother started.

Ezran grabbed a lock of his. "Not really. My hair started changing a while before we reached Sagess' Cottage. It kept turning silver while we climbed the Cursed Caldera." Ezran hesitated to reveal the whole truth. Following a short pause, he posed a question that had been nagging him for the past week:

"Callum, why didn't you come with us?"

The older prince looked like a deer in headlights. At every moment of this journey, he didn't ask himself that because it felt completely ordinary. But, now, in hindsight…

"I guess, I was angry. At the curses, at the assassins coming, at everything. I…said things that I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"I missed you, Call."

"Missed you, too, little bro."

Callum gazed through the window, the faded light of the waning moon entered. "Maybe we should catch some sleep."

Ezran shrugged. "Maybe you can. I haven't slept since we got here. Lujanne says the moon primal here is so strong that it keeps me energized."

"Lujanne?"

"The old elf lady who lives here."

Callum nodded slowly. He didn't ask when Ezran had learnt the concept of the primal sources. "You know, it's been the same with me since we started this rescue mission. Problem is, I always feel sleepy during the day."

"Not me." Ezran grinned. Callum cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? You're no early bird, yourself."

"Nope, but again, the Nexus keeps me up."

"So this magical place makes you a night owl and an early bird, then. You might as well move in here." Callum joked.

The humor soon evaporated as Ezran remembered the other effects of his proximity to the Nexus. He knew if he told Callum, he would just have a hissy fit and try everything to get him away. But, Ezran didn't want to hide the truth. He didn't like when people didn't tell him the whole truth because 'he was just a kid'. And he wasn't about to lie by omission to his own brother. He took a breath and revealed the full events of two nights ago. Expectantly, Callum freaked out upon learning his brother had transformed during a waning moon, and because he was so close to a place overflowing with moon primal energy. He produced a flask of Wolf's Bane elixir from his own pack and all but forced Ezran to drink it. Ezran quickly divulged that Lujanne advised those elixirs were not to be consumed so frequently and they would soon lose their effect on him, entirely.

Callum wanted to refute that. "Ezran, I don't think you should trust strangers so readily."

Now that lightlytouched a nerve on the wolf prince. "I trusted Rayla, and she has proven to be a true friend. She believes in me, and I believe in her."

Against that argument, Callum had nothing. In all honesty, he didn't fully trust Rayla, though he didn't distrust her completely, either. At that point, it was clear she was no monster that the folk tales spoke of. And she did seem to care for Ezran's welfare. Or perhaps, Callum was just in no mood to start a heated debate with his reunited brother.

Seeing his silence as a victory, Ezran pushed on: "Getting Azymondias back to his mother is our best chance for peace. That's why I have to do it. I'm the son of the man who killed the Dragon King and took the Dragon prince from Xadia."

Callum sighed. "Ez, peace will not come from a single, just deed."

"But it's a start. If no one takes the first step, how will things ever change?"

Callum's mind traveled back to the letter King Harrow left for him, and his selfish wish. Written words he had committed to memory:

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.

Hearts and imagination…

"Ez…let's talk about that in the morning. In the meantime, what have you been up to? I know you were at the Banther Lodge."

The rest of the night proceeded with the brother sharing a much lighter story of their recent misadventures.


"This is a disaster!" a noble councilman exclaimed.

The sun hadn't yet risen and the court of Katolis was already in a heated meeting. Following the disastrous execution of the criminal Morzan Zar'roc, Lord Viren had called for an emergency session before dawn.

"Lord Viren, are you certain there is no explanation for Morzan, The Ripper to have suddenly become…that thing?" Opeli, a rival of Viren asked. She refrained from using the word 'vampire'. Among the council, only she and Viren were aware of the Cursed Princes.

"None that I can fathom. As I explained before, the villain began to spasm and growl the moment we reached the gallows. He became a vampire, a blood-drinker, and began feasting on the guards. I terminated him before he could kill anyone else."

Viren chose this opening to steer the talk in the course he wanted. As the one with any idea of what had happened (much more than the rest of the council imagined, really) he was the one holding all the cards. He spined a theory on how this was an act of revenge from Xadia and He tried to push for retaliation, with the support of the other kingdoms.

"Lord Viren, we have been over this. Only a monarch can call for a summit of the Pentarchy." Opeli cut him off.

Viren wanted to glare at the woman, but held himself. He had thought before of stealing the King's seal and secretly call for a summit under the guise of an appointed regent. Unfortunately, Opeli and General Amaya had the guards keeping an eye on him, making that plan risky and unlikely to succeed. Then again, that hindrance had forced him to dedicate more of his time to the mirror, which allowed him to discover his new ally. Perhaps it was all a blessing in disguise, as he had acquired more power from said ally…

"Everyone, we are arguing in circles. We have enough evidence to conclude this was a Xadian attack. Right now, the people are expecting an explanation, but I believe we should withhold the truth, at least for now. Let us tell them that Morzan converted with Elves before his incarceration, which granted him the monstrous power he displayed." while he talked, Viren felt as if a part of himself extended out of his body and touched the other nobles.

Flashback:

Aaravos waved his hair as he spoke. "One of the Ghoul's most notorious abilities is…the art of seduction."

Viren just blinked. "What?"

The elf's smile was full of smugness. "Not, not like me, though. No amount of magic can help reach my level in that department, Vir. What I meant is, Ghouls can mentally influence other people to agree with them with just a look. Keep in mind, no matter what you cannot make a person agree to something outrageous. Nor can you absolutely control them. Only bend their will to a proposal or idea that they wouldn't outright refuse. Furthermore, strong-willed people can put up a resistance and remain beyond your thrall. You could say, it's the vampire version of the Jedi mind trick."

End of flashback.

One by one, he could hear the thoughts of the Council members echoing in their minds. With his mind grip, he chased those thoughts away. One by one, the council members began to verbally agree, barring Opeli. Good enough for Viren.

"I call for a vote to carry my motion."

"Nay." said Opeli, unsurprisingly. She refused to blame Xadia for anything unless they had conclusive evidence.

"Aye." everyone else declared.

"Motion carried."

The populous would be told the murderer had gained his horrific power from elves, which would foment both confidence in the court and fear of Xadia. Viren knew exactly how to exploit that in the near future. He had amassed one small victory. Time to see if he could score another one.

"I have another proposal; that we nominate a regent." a position of regency would give him authority over the Council and for calling a summit of the Pentarchy. However, such a motion had to be carried, unanimously. Viren once again used the power of seduction (note to self: find a better name for that ghoul ability) Unfortunately, like before, Opeli was unbendable.

After some more pointless discussion, the meeting was adjourned without deciding on what to do for their lack of a king. Opeli insisted on waiting for Prince Callum's return, as she reminded Viren of the 'deal' he made with the Prince. To say the dark mage was frustrated was nothing new. So he tried a different approach and politely asked Opeli to speak in private.

After the other nobles vacated the room, Viren spoke. "Opeli, despite our differences, we serve the same kingdom and our objectives are the same."

Opeli was unmoved. "Just speak clearly what you want."

"I need you to change your vote."

Opeli seemed mildly surprised. "I'm impressed with your honesty. It's actually refreshing. But my decision stands."

Viren persisted. "We are in the middle of a crisis, but I would expect you to put your ego aside and…"

Opeli snorted joylessly. "Ego, that's what you think this is about? No, Viren. The reason why I won't help you is because you can't be trusted. You could easily lead Katolis to its doom. You may already have, in fact."

Viren frowned, not liking her insinuations one bit. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Opeli glared back. "I mean the curses and King Harrow's assassination are all on your head. You swayed him into killing the Dragon King which catalyzed this crisis. And that's why I will never help you gain any power. You are dangerous enough as you are."

Opeli ended the discussion right then and there and left the room. Viren groaned; of course Opeli would be one of those few strong-willed ones to be immune to the mind-steering ability his ghoul nature had granted him. So be it, if she wouldn't help him amass the power he required to save Katolis, he would find some other way.

Feeling defeated, he went to address the crowd of commoners in the courtyard and 'reveal' that Xadia was responsible for the Morzan incident.


Callum's prediction was realized; he was unable to shut his eyes during the night, thus he was sluggish and exhausted in the following morning. He walked at a snail's pace behind his much more energized brother.

The rest of the guests were seated at a table, Soren and Claudia on one side with Rayla and Ellis on the other. The crownsguard and elf glared at each other but didn't make any threatening moves.

Ezran bid everyone good morning and was pleased to see they were getting along, already. Rayla shot him down, saying the girl (Claudia) nagged her into joining them for breakfast.

"Who wants pancakes?" a sweet aroma circulated around the table as Claudia presented a plate with delicious looking pancakes piled high.

Callum, exhausted as he was, asked for two cups of hot brown morning potion, which Claudia graciously offered. He gazzoled them down and the welcomed effect was almost immediate.

Ezran began to explain to Claudia and Soren his and Rayla's mission. Callum voiced that the Katolis needed him, which prompted to Ezran to look strangely at him:

"What do you mean, Katolis needs me? The kingdom has our dad."

Everyone at the table froze. Callum looked sadly at his brother. He tried to utter a reply, still unsure what to say or how to say it. Soren beat him to it with what passed a calculating look:

"You really should come back with us, Prince Ez…because your dad, the King…really misses you!" he smiled smugly, ignorant to the three glares he received.

Ezran was animated to hear that, and even more so when Soren mentioned King Harrow was anxious to see him again. Callum cut that conversation right then and there and instigated a conversation between Ezran and Ellis.

Following that, the breakfast ended shortly with Team Callum returning to the room Claudia and Soren shared. The first thing Callum did was berate the crownguard for what he said. Soren was offended, and even more so when Claudia supported the prince. He justified himself that he had tried to convince Ezran with 'words', like Claudia wished. But now they had to resort to his way of 'punching and stuff'.

Callum was adamant. "No. It's up to me to bring Ezran back home. I'll convince him."

"That's probably for the best. But remember Callum we must return with the egg, too."

Callum barely nodded at Claudia's memo. She wanted the egg back in Katolis as a prisoner or magical ingredient. His aunt wanted the egg as a bargaining chip. Callum was starting to feel sorry for it.


"What are you doing?"

"Trying to look at things from a different angle."

"Yeah, it looks to me you're just trying to do hand-stands." indeed as Callum said, Ezran was bending down and trying to look at horizon, under the fork of his legs, head upside down.

"That's your perspective. Moon Primal is all about different perspectives being all the same thing."

Callum chuckled. "It's a bit more complex than that. According to Claudia, the moon primal philosophy says we can only understand a facet of things. Others remain a mystery because our sense are limited or can be fooled. Therefore when you describe something, even if you know it very well, you can only describe it partially." he failed to mention that Claudia taught him that and more as a make-up gesture after their argument at Rockebell's Basket.

"Uh, you sound like a talking book."

Callum made a face. "Thanks a lot." he put aside his sketch of the Moonhenge, deeming it good enough for the moment. "You seem awfully chirp today."

" I was a bit down." a bit reserved, Ezran revealed that Ellis and Ava helped him out of a funk, which had come from his frustration and the fact he had bitten her. Callum was weirded out to find Ezran's saliva could apparently heal injuries, which sped up Ellis recovery. Furthermore, apparently Lujanne knew a few facts about werewolves.

"Do you think she's right, that your curse can be 'tamed'?"

Ezran shrugged. "All she says is that because I'm looking at my…wolf problem as a curse, it is a curse. She hopes that if I look at things differently, I can open myself to the moon primal and get control."

Callum was skeptical. Magic had always been humanity's weakness. If for more than a thousand years, no humans had managed to connect to the primals, he doubted it was even possible. But he wasn't about to crush Ezran's spirits…Not when he had a much more terrible secret to reveal.

Then… "Wait, I've got something!" Callum phished out of his bag the cube he found at the lodge: the Key of Aaravos. He showed it to Ezran, holding it closer to him than himself. Their eyes lit in wonder as the Moon rune glowed faintly and flickering.

"Uh, it flickers. Maybe Lujanne's right and my connection is still a work in progress."

"Ez, look." Callum rotated the cube so that another, green-glowing rune was facing up. "The Earth? You also have a connection to the Earth! And a stable one, too!"

"That kind of makes sense. Lujanne said the original werewolves were both Moon and Earth mages." the younger prince shrugged.

Callum disclosed he himself had a connection of the stars. Ezran asked about it, but Callum's answer was vague at best, given his understanding of the Primal was quite lacking. So Ezran made a suggestion…


"By sacrificing my two monsters, I can now summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon, in attack mode!"

"Oh, Moonshine!"

"Blue Eyes, destroy her Dark Magician!"

The japanese white dragon (that was actually blue rather than white) fired a beam of light from its maw which vaporized the magician dressed in a purple, pointy, very unhorthodox armor.

"Yes, your life points just hit zero! I win this round!" the victor, a Lujanne, bragged over the defeated one, who was another Lujanne. The two were sat at a table with a board in between them and cards laid on it.

"Uh…hello?"

Both Lujannes turned suddenly to Callum, who stood awkardly by the opened door. The loser Lujanne quickly waved her hand and the cards, the other Lujanne and the false miniaturized monster floating above them vanished. All another illusion.

The true Lujanne looked intensely at Callum. "How much did you see?"

"Uh…not enough to understand what that was about?"

"Hmm, Don't humans know how to knock?"

"We do. And I did. Three times. Then I heard shouting so I figured you needed something."

"Oh! Uh, your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. I was practicing my illusions. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Callum didn't tottaly buy it, but it was none of his business. "Yeah, as a matter of fact. Do you happen to know any Star Primal spells?"

The elf was caught surprised. "Alas, I do not. But why do you ask such a thing?"

Callum scratched the back of his head. "Well, I've got my own curse. It turns me into something called a 'vampire' every new moon night. As a bonus, the curse gave me a star arcanum…"

"What?" Lujanne nearly lost her footing, cutting the boy off. "A star arcanum? But vampires were not…"

There was a pause, in which Callum looked expectantly, even hopefull. Lujanne, for her part, kept quiet and recomposed herself deliberatedly slowly. She masked her calculating thoughts with a neutral, if friendly face.

"Sadly, I know nothing of Star magic. But if you are interested in a little vampire history, I can guive you a tour."

Callum was disapointed and doubtful. He had hoped to learn a little magic, no matter how small. Concerning vampire history, he had read the basics on the tome Claudia brought on their mission.

It had been Ezran who convinced him to go ask Lujanne. Initially, Callum was reluctant to leave Ezran's side, as if he could run away with Rayla again.

Still…

Callum gave in, his curiosity got the better of him. Lujanne guided him out of the santuary and to a clearing surrounded by a large mural. The artwork was quite detailed, a mixture of different images, scenes and backgrounds. Imediately he put togehter the mural represented the history of moonshadow elves. Lujanne confirmed it and she pointed to the part where two creatures were locked in a man-to-man battle. The one on the left was covered in fur with a wolf head; a lycanthropo. The one on the right was more human looking. Gray, pale skin, pointed ears, sharp teeth; a vampire. Curiously, the blood predator had large bat-like wings on its back.

Lujanne divulged, like reading his toughts. "Vampire and werewolves are remembered as natural enemies due to the fact that the latter were instrumental in the extermination of the former."

"So werewolves helped fight off the vampires to the point of extinction?" that had been the part of the story Callum didn't like; regardless of their crimes, he didn't believe an entire species deserved annihilation. Not for the crimes of a despotic, unhinged ruler. He recalled vampires lived somewhat peacefully with the elves and dragons under the rule of Dracula. Then came some vampire called Countess Dimitrescu dethroned Dracula and allowed her subjects to go on a feeding rampage. That incurred the wrath of the dragon and together with all elf tribes, wiped out vampire kind. That was rather harsh, Callum thought, as surely not all vampires followed Dimitrescu. Just like not all humans practiced dark magic, and yet they all were banished from Xadia.

Lujanne continued. "After the vampires were driven back to Castlevania…"

"Castlevania?"

"The vampire capital city. It's located in the center of the Midnight Desert. The Belmont and Hellsing alliance saw the destruction of Castlevania, leaving it in ruins. It was the Hellsing family whom had mastered lycanthropy and with it gained the upperhand that led to the vampires' downfall in their own place of power.

"That victory gave lycanthropy a great popularity, so much so that the Lycanthropo tribe grew exponentially. Until" Lujanee gaimed a melancholic tone. "4 centuries ago, the incident with Lupin happened and lycanthropy was banned."

Callum felt he should say something to cheer the helpful old lady up, but she immediately recomposed herself. "Which is why it's so abnormal to see you and your brother, a vampire and a werewolf being related and getting along so well. Considering history remembers the last encounter between the two sides as hostile."

Callum pointed at the image. "And the wings?"

"Some vampires were capable of sprouting wings from their back."

Now that sounded almost interesting. The prince imagined himself able to fly way above the clouds, the mountains, looking down on Castle Katolis. He posed more question which Lujanne happily answered to. Callum came to realize she was just a quirky old lady. Like Rayla, she was nothing like the implacable monsters moonshadow elves were described as. He felt at ease enough to ask for something else.

"Uh, Lujanne, mind if I ask for some advice?"

"Well, if it's wisdom you want, as an accomplished moon mage, I can do my best to fake it."

"Okay, so lets say someone is hiding a secret from a close friend, but only because he knows the truth would only hurt said friend. Is it okay to keep lying?" since breakfast, Callum had been wanting to tell Ezran about King Harrow's fate.

"Oh, absolutely."

Callum did a double-take. "Wha…really? Is lying that okay?"

"Of course. That is how I prolonged my first two marriages. I kept my affairs a secret by lying."

The prince shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think that's good for me."

Lujanne shrugged. "Then, I have nothing."

Supressing a sigh, Callum thanked her for her time and left the woman to her devices. Outside he was a alarmed not to find Ezran and began searching for him. He sensed someone watching him from above.

"Ez?" his hopes were dashed when he saw it was the elf girl, perched on a tree. "Oh. It's you."

"Yeah, it's me." the elf girl retorted acidly.

"Sorry. I'm looking for my brother."

"Don't worry your little head. He took a break and went to chat with Zym and Ellis."

"Right, the dragon egg."

"Yes, that dragon egg."

"Look, I said I was sorry. Back then, I put my foot in my mouth. I'm sorry, Rayla. I was too angry. You had nothing to do with our curses."

To say Rayla was surprised was an understatement. She expect the jerkface prince to hold on to his beliefs and accuse her of anything just for being an elf.

"Guess Ezran's good nature runs in the family." she then spoke. "Alright, you are forgiven. I understand you were worried about him." gracefully she descended from the tree, while doing a complex acrobatic.

"So, do you know where he went?"

"Not sure, but don't go chase after him, right away. Ezran is tougher than you give him credit for." she countered polietely.

Callum exhaled. "Yeah, maybe. But I don't want to lose him out of my sight. Especially now."

"Now?" she asked curiously. Callum caught himself and claimed it was nothing. But Rayla instantly put it together. "Oh, it's because of the…the King?"

Callum paled, his suspicion meter was going slowly up again. "How do you know?"

Rayla showed herself unconfrotable and almost ashamed. "Before any mission, assassins bound themselves with ribbons than can only be remove when the target dies. Both mine fell on that night. I'm sorry for your king."

Callum didn't want to hear more. "He was more than just a king to me!"

"I'm sorry."

In her voice and face he saw what he thought to be true lament and tried to reign in his temper. "It's alright. It's not your fault, it's just…I feel like I should tell Ezran. But I don't know if I can. And, I don't want to make things more difficult for him."

Rayla took a couple of steps around, collecting her thoughts. "Ezran is not as fragile as you think he is. He's braver and wiser than he looks. Alright, maybe just braver and not as naive as he looks." she ammended.

Callum closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep frsutration at bay. "I don't think being brave and wise is enough for this. Also, I am still not accepting what happened. So how am I supposed to break it to Ezran that his father is dead?"

"Dead?"

Time froze in place for the vampire and the elf. They turned their gazes to the third person, whom just revealed himself, after eavesdropping on their conversation.

Ezran's yellow eyes traveled from his brother to his friend and back in a silent beg.


Back at the temple, Lujanne was neither meditating nor playing a children's card game. Her mind was too erratic for any of those. The discovery of the werewolf boy was interesting enough. But the revelation of his vampire brother…it sounded almost prophetic.

Slowly, the embers of a long forgotten dream gained breath. There was a slim chance but if she contacted the right people, with the right maneuvering…

"Yes, maybe I can make this work…" she whispered. Yes, if it worked, she could gain everything she ever wished for.


I want to apologize for this chapter being shorter and more compact, but there were scenes that were going to be so aligned with canon that there was no point in writting them down. Hence why Claudia and Soren aren't featured much. But next chapter, the blond numbskull will.