Half Moon Rising

by ninjamouse1

There's a fine line between human and fiend and when Class VII is formed with ten members instead of nine that line will stretch to breaking point. When an experimental project is already blurring the lines between commoner and nobility, mortal and mundane, one more chaotic element couldn't possibly hurt. What does it mean to be human? And is it worth trying to understand?

10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Celdic was well and truly gearing up for the trial of the century. If the Septian Church had held such trials before, they'd certainly never been done publicly, as this one was about to be. Father Zirbel and Market Manager Otto spread the word around town that the Ordeal of Light was to take place at twelve noon, and all were welcome to watch and stand in judgement. Of course, most people had to actually be told what an Ordeal of Light actually was, and upon hearing it was the trial of a potential vampire even those who'd normally skip town meetings were eager to attend, out of morbid curiosity if nothing else. As the clock inched towards midday, pretty much the entire town, plus a large number of tourists, shoppers, and even one solitary Imperial Chronicle Reporter who happened to be in the area, gathered in the local chapel. Rounding out the odd procession were two military units, Colonel Banadon and his guards, and Captain Claire and her RMP officers, glaring daggers at each other from opposite sides of the room. Group A of Class Seven, minus Evander, were stuck in the middle, anxiously waiting for the trial to begin. The defendants, Evander and Thalia, were being kept in a side room off the main chapel, being briefed by Father Zirbel.

"This trial will be very simple," explained the father, "you will stand before the town and be asked to confess to your true nature. I believe most people will not have heard the term Dhampir, so I would advise calling yourself Half-Vampires instead to avoid confusion. I will then ask you both, one at a time, if you believe yourself to more human than fiend. After you answer, a simple 'yes' will suffice, I will address the crowd, calling for witnesses to vouch for your humanity. The witnesses must be people have known you for a reasonable period, and you must have at least one each before the trial can proceed. Will that be a problem for you?"

"Depends," said Evander, "can my classmates vouch for me? I've lived with them for a month or so."

"I would prefer a local, their word would carry more weight with the town and help the outcome of the trial be respected. I fear if one of your classmates testifies on your behalf Colonel Banadon will claim they have been coerced or under the control of a vampire. Since no one here knows them well, it would be hard to dispute such a claim. However, I spoke with young Rean, and he has agreed to vouch for you if no one else appears to come forward. He is well spoken and of impeccable character, if anyone must speak for you, he would do the best."

"Wouldn't my instructor be better?" asked Evander, "I mean, she is an adult. Kind of."

"Uh," Father Zirbel looked a little awkward, "perhaps, but some of her, shall we say, lifestyle choices make her a poor witness. Excessive alcohol consumption for one. It's better we stick with your classmate."

"And what about me?" asked Thalia, "at least Evander has his classmates. I don't even have that. Who's going to vouch for me?"

"Hmm," Father Zirbel paused for a moment, thinking, "well, you might be surprised by someone coming forward. Your family is known in this town, and not all of us were too disturbed by your aura to look past it. However, if that is not the case, and this might be unorthodox, but Evander could undergo the ordeal first and then vouch for you once his humanity has been certified."

"But he's my brother, isn't that against the rules?" asked Thalia.

"There is no rule stating the witness has to be independent or impartial, only that they are willing to vouch for your humanity. And who would know you better than your own family? Besides there is the small matter that the rules of the trial state that the witness will be punished if the defendant is revealed to be a fiend. Making it unlikely someone would truly vouch for you unless they really believed in your humanity. Now if I may move on, once you have entered your claim, and a witness has testified to it, the Ordeal of Light can begin. It involves, as the name suggests, subjecting you to the full force of the sun until either the town is satisfied or the sun sets."

"That's a load of crap!" raged Thalia, "do you have any idea how much of that I've already endured at the hands of those monsters who captured me!? What will the pain of sunlight prove to anyone!? Why should I suffer it again? I already nearly melted on the way over here! Wasn't that proof enough that I can withstand the sun!?"

"Peace child," Father Zirbel held up a placating hand, "I agree, everyone here has already seen you walk under the sunlight without turning to dust, but tradition must be followed. As a rule of the trial, you will both surrender any orbal devices you may be carrying to prove you are not being shielded by technology or arts. Once you have done this, and you still do not turn to dust in the sun, the trial takes on another meaning. If you stay in the sunlight for the full duration, without fleeing for shade or demanding the trial stop, you prove that you are willing to suffer for the sake of your humanity. Legend states that vampires are vile self-serving creatures who would not suffer pain for any reason. If you stay in the sun, no matter how much it hurts, you prove you are willing to suffer in order to prove you are human, that you put the needs of the trail above your own pain."

"And once the sun sets and we still stand?" prompted Evander.

"Then you will be declared as children of Aidios, human like anyone else in the town, in the eyes of the Septian Church, regardless of your bloodline, and afforded all the rights and respect that entails."

"Won't that just put us straight back under the Colonel's jurisdiction?" asked Evander, "what are we supposed to do if he turns around and arrests us the moment the trial ends?"

"I believe Captain Claire engaged in negotiations on that subject with the Colonel on the way over here. They came to tentative agreement that you and your family will go free on the condition of three terms. First, that all captured Jaeger Dropouts are turned over to the Provincial Army rather than the RMP, secondly that no one involved ever speaks publicly about the events that took place either on the outskirts of Celdic or in the Lunaria Nature Park. And thirdly, that your entire family leaves Celdic and never returns."

"Why the hell would the captain agree to that!?" hissed Thalia, "that deal is totally stacked in the Colonel's favour!"

"I understand," said Evander, looking incredibly tired and resigned. "Instructor Sara warned me this would happen. Let me guess, the RMP and the Intelligence Division has personally volunteered to see to the relocation of my family?" Father Zirbel nodded. "Then it matters little if they lose the thugs and the evidence against the Provincial Army. They're gaining three psychic operatives in exchange. Four if you count the fact they can use my family's safety to coerce me further. They're going to use you, sis, and they have ways of making sure you'll comply."

"Damnit! This isn't right!" said Thalia, "I was the one wronged! Now I'm driven from my home and turned into some sort of pawn. This shouldn't be happening, it isn't fair!"

"Indeed child," said Father Zirbel sadly, "sometimes the shadow wins. But trust in Aidios to right all wrongs before the end. Now, if you are both ready to proceed, we shall begin."

"I'm ready," said Evander, nodding his assent. "Not exactly, eager, but ready."

"Well, I'm not!" said Thalia, "like I said earlier, this is crap!"

"Father, may I have a moment alone to talk to my sister before we begin?" asked Evander, eying his sister nervously.

"Very well. But be quick, I will go out and prepare the crowd for your arrival. Join me at the altar when you are ready." Father Zirbel straightened his shoulders and opened the door into the main room. He paused for a moment at the threshold, letting the excited buzz of the crowd flood into the room before he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

"Thalia, we have to do this if we ever want to fit in with the rest of society," said Evander once they were alone, "aren't you tired of hiding what you are?"

"I don't want to fit in!" yelled Thalia, "we're better than them Evander, why deny it? We shouldn't have to bow to that clown of a colonel or his lackeys or prove anything to these townspeople! What was done to us is in our blood, we can't help or change it, no matter how much we try. Will some fancy statement from Father Zirbel magically make us human again?"

"Some of us were never human to begin with," said Evander quietly.

"Don't say that! Are you trying to put yourself into a superior category of vampirism than me? Because you were born one and I was turned? We both suffered the same!"

"I'm just saying, at least you have the memories of being human, however faint they may be. I never had that. I was born like this, and the curse has followed me my entire life. Can you understand how I might want to be acknowledged as human, just once in my life?"

"I… don't try and manipulate me!"

"I'm not! I'm trying to help you! We have to do this, what else would you have us do? Go out there and fight off the entire Provincial Army? Even if we won, we'd become fugitives and have to leave this town and run anyway. You might not have enjoyed life before, but at least you could show your face in public. You weren't a wanted criminal."

"Would that be so bad? I'm already hated and despised by everyone I meet. Twisted by this damned hunger I can never shake off. They already call us monsters Evander, why not become what they already think we are?"

"My instructor said something to me before we came here. I told her I'd never be human, and she pointed out I'd never be a full monster either. So, it's up to us to choose how we're going to live. I don't want to live as a monster, sis, and I don't think you do either."

"But… damnit!" Thalia screamed and punched the wall in frustration, cracking the stone, "you're right. I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to be a villain. That's just letting them win! Fine, I'll face this stupid trial and show these bastards how human I can be!"

"Okay, but maybe cool that crazy energy, will you? We don't want to freak the locals out. He headed for the door but when he looked back Thalia was still standing in place, staring at the spiderweb cracks she'd made in the wall. "You coming?"

"Evander, promise not to laugh. But I'm scared. They're all going to be staring at me, judging me. They're going to watch me burn in the sun, and they're going to laugh and enjoy it."

"Don't say that. I promise you; no one is going to laugh at you."

"How can you know? Is your gift telling you?"

"No. No one is going to laugh at you because I won't let them. We're doing this for them, and if they can't be respectful, we'll go with your original plan and kick all their asses. And that's a promise."

"Evander! You can't say that. You can't break your word. I don't want you to attack them on my behalf."

"Just try and stop me. You're stronger than I'll ever be sis, your thirst is worse, and you still have the memories of the humanity you lost. If I were in your shoes, I'd have lost my mind ages ago. You can endure this. I know it. But don't stand by and ask me to let them humiliate you, because you're more important to me than this whole trial."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course! We're family. We're in this together. And if you're still scared, well then you can take my hand," Evander held out his open hand to her. "I'll be with you the whole way."

"Won't that make me look like a silly child?" asked Thalia.

"Sometimes it's alright to be a child," said Evander, shrugging, "if it wasn't we'd all just be born as adults and skip the whole thing. But if you feel that way…" Evander made as if to withdraw his hand only for Thalia to snatch it and hold it in a vice grip.

"Alright, I'll do this stupid trial," she said, moving to stand beside him, their hands firmly clasped together. "Just, don't let go, okay? Stay with me until the sun sets. Stay with me until it doesn't hurt anymore."

"I promise," said Evander, "we can do this, together." And with that, the dhampir siblings stepped out into the main chapel and faced their fate.

Scene Break Here

"Friends, reporters, people of Celdic, lend me your ears!" called Father Zirbel. "We are all gathered here today to witness the trial of two individuals accused of vampirism. Would the one who has made these accusations come forward and state his evidence?"

"Yes!" Colonel Banadon strode to the centre of the room and addressed the gathered crowd, "I, Colonel Banadon of the Kreuzen Provincial Army do testify that these two…pieces of filth," he gestured to Evander and Thalia, "are of vampiric origins."

"For the benefit of the crowd, you are referring to Evander and Thalia Half-Moon?"

"If you insist on naming blood sucking parasites, I won't stop you," said the Colonel, rolling his eyes. "But yes, I'm referring to those two. As for my evidence, the… girl, was witnessed by myself and several of my men drinking the blood of an officer under my command. I also put to you that she is responsible for the spate of assaults that has occurred in this town recently, all of which included the victim being bitten. The boy on the other hand, used foul vampiric arts to escape lawful custody while being held under suspicion of harbouring knowledge as to the whereabouts of dangerous fugitives. It is my expert opinion as a peacekeeper that his release could not have orchestrated by mortal means. In the course of my investigation, I spoke to several townspeople who have described both individuals in question appearing to rot in broad daylight, demonstrating a clear aversion to the sun. I put to you that both of them are able to resist sunlight only through the use of some cutting edge orbment, without the use of which they would surely turn to dust."

"Is that all you wish to present?" asked Father Zirbel.

"Yes, as though that were not enough to convict them!"

"And you are aware that if they are found to be vampires, it will be the Septian Church that administers punishment, and not the secular authorities?"

"Yes, I put my faith in your ability to handle this," said Colonel Banadon, barely able to restrain his smirk. He didn't give a damn about this whole trial, as long as no one could link recent events to him or his Duke, the whole town could spontaneously combust as far as he was concerned. If that meant going through with this farce of a trial, as part of his deal with the RMP, then so be it.

"Very well, and now unless anyone has anything else to add...?"

"Yes," the reporter from the imperial chronicle stood up and addressed the father, "is all this for real? You don't really believe these two are vampires, do you?"

"I assure you, we are taking this trial extremely seriously," said Father Zirbel, "it would not be held at all unless there was a high degree of certainty that something supernatural was involved in these crimes."

"And do you have any comment for those who will say this is clearly a ploy by the church to excuse the actions of these two young offenders? That crying vampire is little more than the equivalent of a career criminal entering a false insanity plea?"

"I say that the events of this trial will speak for themselves. If they are found to be vampires, the sun will surely destroy them. If they are human, then I swear before all witnesses that they will be turned back over to secular authorities. There will be no dodging of responsibilities, this is not a ploy of any kind. Will that be all sir?"

"Not quite," the reporter turned to address the crowd, "I've noticed that the whole town has turned out for what I thought would be a small local curiosity. Do the people here actually believe in vampires?"

"Don't try to make us sound stupid!" said Merchant Marco, "vampires are real! The Half-Moon Family has been here for years, and everyone who lives here has witnessed strange things going on around them. The Colonel spoke the truth, they rot in the daylight and walk around like corpses! Can you explain that!?"

"It could be some sort of rare disease," said Merchant Heinz, "country folk are always blaming the supernatural for things they don't understand."

"Shut up you dang varmint city slicker fleabag!" yelled Marco, "you don't know anything about this! The girl was seen drinking blood! Explain that eh!?"

"Oh yeah? Well, my dog once ate its own vomit, does that make it a vampire too?"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"No, you don't make sense! If eating something disgusting made you a vampire, then half this room would be one!"

"Peace!" yelled Father Zirbel, "if we could move on please? We have heard the weight of evidence against the accused. Now, before we proceed with the Ordeal of Light, I will give both of them a chance to confess before Aidios and those of us assembled here today. Evander Half-Moon, are you a vampire?"

"No," said Evander, loudly and clearly, "but I do confess to being of fiendish origins. I am a half-vampire."

"And you, Thalia Half-Moon, are you a vampire?"

"No," she said, "I'm like Evander, a half-vampire."

"I'm sorry," said the reporter, "but are half-vampires even a thing people have heard of?"

"The Church recognises the existence of half-vampires, or dhampirs as they are sometimes known," said Father Zirbel. "And accepts the testimony. Both witnesses claim to have some degree of human ancestry mixed with that of the King of Fiends."

"Wait a minute here," said the reporter, "I'm glad all of you just accept this, but I'm going to need a little more convincing. Can either of them turn into a bat or something?"

"No, but I can demonstrate some psychic powers," said Thalia coolly.

"Don't you need a crystal ball or something first?" asked the reporter, rolling his eyes. "I know all about that cold reading nonsense, it's all smoke and mirrors. I don't believe you have any powers."

"Very well. I don't need a crystal ball, just the best address to reach your wife will suffice."

"Why would you need that?"

"So, I can tell her where you really were last weekend," said Thalia, smiling nastily. "Raquel is so nice this time of year." The reporter went deathly pale and sat down hard.

"Oh please Aidios no!"

"Is that a road?" asked Evander, smirking. "I trust you have no further questions of us?" The reporter shook his head so violently it nearly came off his neck, and that was the end of any demands for proof from that particular quarter.

"That only proves they are psychic!" said Heinz, "I've seen plenty of so-called fortune tellers and mystics. But none of them were vampires."

"Fine, would a feat of superhuman strength convince you?" asked Evander, "I could lift the stone altar over my head?"

"Maybe you could, but I bet some of your classmates at the military academy could do the same," said Heinz, "look at the sword that girl uses for example. All of you are trained warriors. I'll be convinced if your little sister can do it."

"With pleasure," said Thalia, "I promise not to damage it too much, father," she added when Zirbel looked concerned about blatant vandalism of his sacred altar. Considering that Thalia had consumed blood barely an hour ago, she could have performed this feat of strength with one hand tied behind her back, such was the empowering nature of slaking her thirst, but she decided to use both to be polite. She knelt beside the altar, dug her fingers into the stone with audible cracking sounds, and then hefted the whole thing into the air over her head before standing. She stood there for a good minute, looking mighty pleased with herself, while there wasn't a closed mouth left in the room. It was one thing to suspect your neighbors of being vampires, and quite another to see it so blatantly in action.

"No one back in Heimdallr is ever going to believe this!" said Heinz, looking stunned.

"They will once this photo quartz is developed!" said the reporter, gesturing for his cameraman to take several shots of the scene before Thalia finally lowered the altar and placed it back down where she'd gotten it from. "This is the story of the century! I'm practically guaranteed a Fulitzer for covering this! I don't believe it, vampires in Celdic!"

"If the audience is satisfied, I'd like to proceed with the trial," said Father Zirbel, "Evander Half-Moon, the potency of your fiend blood has well been demonstrated, but do you claim to be more human than fiend?"

"Yes."

"And you, Thalia Half-Moon, are you more human than fiend as well?"

"Yes, Father."

"Very well then. Before we proceed any further, the trial requires that each of you has a witness that will vouch for your humanity. We will start with you Evander. Is there anyone in this room today who will step forward and swear before Aidios that Evander Half-Moon is more human than fiend?" There was a moment of tense silence and then the most unlikeliest of witnesses stepped forward. The former park ranger, a man who only yesterday would rather attack Evander than speak for him, came forward to defend him.

"I will, Father Zirbel," said the park ranger, "I say that Evander is more human than fiend, and that he understands the struggles that come with being human better than some I've met. He shared his story with me earlier this morning, even had the strength to apologize for his actions. I don't care what's in his blood, I say he is a good man, and as human as anyone else in this room. He offered me hope when I had none, and it's because of him that I'm going to pick myself up and try again. Try to be a better man."

"Thank you for your testimony, it is accepted as proof of Evander's humanity and considered enough evidence that he may undergo the next part of the trial," said Father Zirbel. "Is there anyone who will say the same for Thalia Half-Moon?" Again, there was a tense pause before someone stepped forward. This time it was Becky's father, Merchant Lymon.

"Aye, I'll swear tae the girl's humanity," he said, "I've been helping the Half-Moon Family tae sell their goods for a good wee bit of time now and I've never seen anything to convince me that she, or her family, are anything but decent people. I'll say, she's a wild lass, but nae evil fiend like some here are claiming. And to add, me daughter Becky has had a nary a bad word to say about them either, and she goes to school with Evander."

"Very well, I accept your testimony as proof of Thalia's humanity and thank you for stepping forward to offer it," said Father Zirbel. "Both of you shall undergo the Ordeal of Light. You shall be confined in a position of direct sunlight until the sun sets or I am satisfied that there is enough human in you to be counted as children of Aidios. Do you consent?"

"Yes," said Evander.

"Yes," echoed Thalia.

"Good, then I ask you to turn over any orbments or other articles of technology you may be carrying, so we can be assured you are withstanding the sunlight on your own merits." Evander handed over his Arcus unit, seeming to diminish slightly the moment it left his possession, shoulders slumping and eyes dimming. "Thank you. Please proceed to the town center, just outside the Grand Market, and stand in direct sunlight. All who wish to watch the trial are welcome to come along. May Aidios be with you in this test."

Scene Break Here

For the crowd gathered outside the Grand Market, the first few minutes of the trial were a bit of an anti-climax. Neither Thalia nor Evander burst into flame or collapsed into a pile of ashes and dust. To be honest, they didn't look anything more than mildly uncomfortable in the sunlight. But soon enough, the daylight began to have a pronounced effect on them. It showed in their postures first, as they slumped lower towards the ground, like they were suddenly so exhausted they could barely hold themselves upright. Then the burns and rot began to spread across their skin, first visible along their hands, then up their necks and onto their faces. The disfiguring marks worsened over time until it seemed like the entirety of their flesh would surely melt off, revealing the bones underneath. Both of them had fallen to their knees, gasping for breath against the incredible pain, bony fingers digging into the grass. Thalia began weeping softly, her whole body shuddering.

"Not again, brother, not again," she cried, "I can't do this anymore."

"Just hold on sis," choked out Evander, barely holding on himself, "just a bit longer."

"But the sun won't set for hours!"

"Then pray for rain," muttered Evander, meaning it as a joke, but to his surprise, Thalia actually clasped her hands together and began muttering under her breath. After a moment's hesitation, Evander joined her, figuring it couldn't hurt. Far away, to the west, a single, small cloud, emerged over the horizon, but beyond that, there was no sign of impending rain.

"Am I really seeing this?" asked the reporter, gesturing for this cameraman to get a shot, "are those vampires seriously praying to Aidios?"

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Father Zirbel, "Aidios hears all her children."

"But they're vampires, or dhampirs or whatever. They'll never go to Aidios' side. Surely she can't hear the prayers of fiends. Praying to a goddess who will never you isn't just pointless. It's insane."

"Insane? Perhaps," said Father Zirbel, "but I would think it was also beautiful, in a way, and always worth trying. It might make them feel better if nothing else. I would not take such comfort from them, no matter their bloodline."

"What are you praying for?" asked a man in the crowd.

"Yeah," said a woman, "what a does a vampire even pray for?"

"Blood popsicles?" suggested Tim, the boy who sold newspapers.

"Rain, damn you," said Evander choking out the words, "we're praying for rain."

"Please, let it rain," called Thalia, "flood the earth if you have to, just let it rain."

Far away in the west, two more clouds joined the first and began to drift east towards Celdic. Someone in the crowd finally noticed this and pointed it out, prompting an outcry.

"Clouds are coming! I don't believe it! Is it actually working!?"

"Sorcery!" roared one old man, "blasphemous sorcery!"

"Oh shut up you old geezer," said a young tourist, "it's just a natural weather phenomenon. Maybe it was always going to rain today."

"I bet you're from Roer! You scientistic types think you're so clever!" complained the old man. "Bet your technology can't explain vampires!"

"Could be a genetic condition," the man shot back, "I haven't seen anything today apart from a bad skin rash and a cheap magic show. And_ what are you doing?" he cut himself off, because Lymon had fallen to his knees, hands clasped, and joined the vampires in prayer.

"Praying for it tae rain," replied the merchant, "ye've got eyes, don't ye lad?"

"You'd pray for a leech!?" demanded the old man, furious at the very thought of it.

"I don't see nae leeches in front of me, just two children hurting. So I'll pray for rain and nobody will stop me." More clouds appeared in the west and joined the first three, picking up speed as they soared towards Celdic, and gaining a heavy, menacing weight and grey colour.

"By Aidios! It is working!" called someone in the crowd.

"Please, let it rain," repeated Thalia, like a mantra, "I'll do anything you want Aidios, just please let it rain. Please_" she cut off, choking in pain as her voice began unbearably hoarse and scratchy.

"I can't watch this," said a woman in the crowd, "are you people all heartless!? They're suffering!" She fell to her knees and started praying too. Soon, like dominoes, people in the crowd began to join her in falling to their knees.

"Praying for dhampirs," mused Father Zirbel, "It's never been done. Perhaps it shouldn't be done. But I can't help but be moved. Come people of Celdic, let us find our hearts and pray for rain." The priest clasped his hands and bowed his head, joining the others in the crowd. The scattered clouds were now joined in a racing stormfront, blitzing across the sky on howling winds.

"This is crazy," muttered the journalist, "I can't believe I happened to be in town for this."

"Why were you in town?" asked the tourist from Roer, "as far as I can see, nothing much happened here before this."

"I got a tip off some middle-aged woman was leading a bunch of cadets on some sort of exercise and thought there might be a story in it," admitted the man. "The vampire thing was just a lucky break."

"Middle aged!?" spluttered Sara from the crowd, "I'm not_ I mean, this woman sounds like she would be actually be very young and incredibly good looking!"

"Oh boy," said Alisa rolling her eyes, "you never change do you instructor?"

"Are those cadets here?" asked the tourist, continuing the conversation.

"I don't know. I just heard one of them was a blonde with badly dyed hair." Sara gave Alisa a very, 'the shoe is on the other foot now look,' and smirked.

"My hair is not dyed!" raged Alisa, "Evander! Have you been spreading that around!?"

"Could we maybe discuss this later?" asked Evander in a pained voice, "maybe at a hair salon?" he added the joke to try and stop them worrying too much about him, as if some light humour would distract from the fact he was practically an emaciated, rotting corpse right now.

"This never happened," said Alisa grimly, eying her classmates, "are we clear? Wait, where's Elliot?"

"He went to borrow a violin from that weird musician guy," said Rean, "he thought some music might help."

"Perhaps it will," said Laura, looking at the scene with an oddly conflicted expression. "Perhaps I was hard on Evander. He inherited a lot of advantages from his curse, true, but seeing him there in the sun like that, is it really worth it?"

"I say no," said Rean, taking the question seriously, "think about what he gained, really? The ability to write with both hands? Just a party trick. Strength? You're stronger. Speed? Fie is faster. Mind reading? Just gets him into trouble. And what he lost? He can barely sleep, food is tasteless and he can't stand a sunny day without using his special orbment that might all sorts of unknown side effects after long term use. And no one ever forced us to go on trial to prove we were worthy of being called human."

"You shame me Rean," said Laura, "your words ring with more truth than you know. I blamed him for disdaining the way of the sword, but life has disdained him terribly in return. It was wrong of me to heap more troubles upon him. I should apologise after the trial, he never asked for any of this. But until then. I can help him best by praying for rain." And she was true to her word, kneeling and clasping her hands, joining what was now the majority of the crowd. Even the few holdouts couldn't ignore that rain was nearly upon them, more than half the sky was covered in thick grey clouds and the rest would be obscured fast. In a matter of minutes, the sun would be smothered and the two dhampirs would have relief.

Elliot, breathless from running into the ground market where the weirdo performer they'd seen during their field study had stayed, playing to empty market stalls so they wouldn't be lonely or some such nonsense, returned clutching a violin.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked, after taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Sara got called middle-aged," said Alisa.

"Alisa was accused of dying her hair," Sara shot back.

"So, nothing new then," said Elliot, shouldering the violin and preparing to play. Sara and Alisa both glared daggers at him, but he was too focused on mentally preparing himself to play to notice their ire.

"That was brave of you Elliot," joked Rean.

"Evander is the brave one," said Elliot, "telling the whole town like that, and then facing the sun. The least I can do is play for him." And so, he did, and moments later the first haunting strains of the violin began to drift over the crowd, and the beautiful sounds reached Evander and Thalia even through their pain.

"Thank you!" croaked Evander, "all of you, thank you so much!" He looked to the side and saw his sister was crying, great wracking sobs. "Don't cry sis, it'll be over soon."

"I'm not sad," she said, "these are happy tears. They like us! They really like us!" Evander couldn't help but laugh, and by some miracle despite the damage of the sun, his laughter had it's old musical quality. And as his laughter mingled with Elliot's music and rose up into the sky, the town fell dark under the cover of cloud. Almost instantly it was like a great weight was lifted off the pair of them and Thalia couldn't help but join in with Evander's laughter, throwing her head back and howling with mirth. Seconds later the first heavy drops of rain began to pelt the earth, striking at the ground like the pounding of furious watery fists. Just a few scattered drops at first, striking random people in the crowd and causing them to swear and yelp in surprise, and then more and more rain until it was a veritable soaking deluge. With the ground rapidly turning into mud around them, the two siblings kept laughing their heads off. "They like us!" repeated Thalia, "they really like us!" She threw her arms around Evander in a fierce hug and then kept laughing.

Anyone in the crowd with a poetic soul would have said it looked almost like the rain was washing away their disfiguring marks, leaving them looking more and more human by the second. Just two laughing kids, having a great time in the downpour. Strength restored, Evander leapt to his feet, pulling his sister with him. They turned their faces up to the sky, oblivious to the pelting rain striking them, and just smiled. And if teeth could thank Aidios, each of them thanked the Goddess the full thirty-two times their mouths would allow.

"I believe Aidios has spoken," said Father Zirbel, "I find sufficient proof that Evander and Thalia are children of Aidios like anyone else and deserve to be treated as such. The Ordeal of Light is concluded, these children are more human than fiend in the eyes of the church."

"Good," said Colonel Banadon, smiling nastily, "Then I believe we have some business to discuss in regards to their crimes?" Several people actually booed him, something they'd never usually have the courage to do, but Father Zirbel held up his hand, gesturing for peace.

"Very well. Would the relevant parties proceed into the chapel to discuss the matter of what will happen next to the Half-Moon Clan? Blessed by Aidios as this rain is, it's still cold and miserable out here."

"Maybe," said Evander, "but if I had my pick. I wouldn't trade this one rainy day for a thousand summers of sunlight." And he meant every word of that.

Scene Break Here

All four members of the Half Moon Clan gathered inside the chapel alongside Colonel Banadon, Captain Claire, Father Zirbel, Instructor Sara and Group A of Class Seven four the finale of this whole fraught saga. The whole meeting was more a formality than anything else, as all the negotiations had taken place before the trial had even started.

"We have a deal then?" asked Colonel Banadon, "the Provincial Army will retain custody of the criminals captured in the nature park and outskirts of Celdic in exchange for the Intelligence Division's removal of the Half Moon Clan?"

"Yes," said Captain Claire, "with the exception of Evander, who will remain enrolled at Thors Military Academy, the Half Moon Clan shall be taken into protective custody far from Celdic. And Evander has also agreed not to return to Celdic barring extreme emergency."

"Then there is nothing more to discuss," said the Colonel, sneering, "this whole farce is finally over. I expect you and your filthy leeches to be out of town by sunset or I'll have you all removed by force."

"I'd like to see you try that," said Sara, "we'll leave when we're good and ready."

"She means after happy hour is over," said Alisa, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, I was planning to give you time to dye your hair again," quipped Sara.

"Sure, you didn't want to buy some anti-aging cream first?" shot back Alisa.

"Oh brother," said Elliot, "this is going to be a new thing, isn't it?"

"Better than the old thing, and I don't mean Instructor Sara," joked Evander.

"Don't you start Evander," said Sara, "you're already on thin ice."

"And about to trigger an avalanche too," observed Laura.

"Thrilling as this is," drawled Colonel Banadon, "I think I'll take my leave. Remember what I said, Captain, I want this lot gone." Sara blew a loud raspberry after him and poked her tongue out as he left, but other than that, the Colonel got away unscathed. Captain Claire cleared her throat loudly.

"I'll give you all some time to say your goodbyes," she said to Regulus and Adaline, "and then if you could meet me at the train station, we'll move you to a secure location."

"We'll give you some privacy too," said Instructor Sara, "Evander, meet us at the inn for a debrief after you're done, and then we're on the next train back to Trista before something else weird happens."

"Very well," said Father Zirbel, "I shall leave you to it as well, may Aidios be with all of you." He walked off to his office, leaving the Half Moon Clan alone in the center of the chapel.

"Evander," said Regulus, "I originally intended to hold on this letter for longer," the older dhampir looked nervous as he fished a letter out of his pocket, "until after you graduated at least. I feared the contents might unduly disturb or distract you. But things have become tenuous, and there is no telling what the future holds. So, it is best you find out now," he handed the letter over to Evander, who took it cautiously, as though it contained a bomb or something.

"What is this?" he asked, "who is it from?"

"Your true mother," admitted Regulus, "she wrote it before she…passed. It contains the truth of your heritage and the fully story of your birth. It'll be hard for you to read, and it'll change things. It's unavoidable. But you deserve to know after today. I'm so proud of you Evander, always remember that. You stood by your sister in the sun, and you did us proud. I will always be glad you are my son."

"And whatever is in this letter, you will always be my dad," said Evander, "I promise. Just like you'll always be my mother," he looked at and Adaline and then Thalia, "and you'll always be my sister. I promise nothing will change. I couldn't have asked for a better family." The family moved in for a long group hug that no one wanted to be the first to break. They just held each other for a long time while the rain pattered loudly on the roof above them.

"You have a good heart my son," said Adaline, "trust it to steer you well, wherever you go in life."

"I'll miss you bro," said Thalia, sniffling, "I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, all of you. Don't let the Intelligence Division change you, I don't want anything to be different when we meet again."

"Trust in that, son," said Regulus, finally breaking the hug. "We'll do our best to hang onto our souls, stained as they are. Goodbye Evander, may the moon always light your path."

"And yours too," replied Evander, "goodbye dad. Goodbye mum. Goodbye sis."

"Remember Evander, you are loved, and will always be loved," said Adaline, "hold that in your heart when you read that letter, and everything will be alright." The family had a final hug farewell and three left, leaving Evander behind in the chapel with his mother's letter. He sat down on one of the pews, and, hands shaking, tore the envelope open and held the letter up to his face.

To my son, who I will never know, but wish the best for, I write this so you will one day have a chance to understand why I am not in your life. Why I could never be in your life. I cannot give you much, but I have asked the Church to name you after me, so you will carry something from a mother you never met. If they have done as I ask, you will be reading this as Evander, which is how I always signed my letters. My husband always used to read E. Vander at the end of my mail and say it would be a great name for a son. He was joking of course, who would want to be called Evander Vander? But that joke is one the last things I will remember about him, and I couldn't resist. Of course, you will not have the last name Vander, because they will not know of your existence for many years, or perhaps ever depending on what you decide after reading this letter. I admit I was estranged from my parents and brothers for many years before this. They will be aware of my death, but not the circumstances or the survival of my son. Please forgive me for not informing them, but I felt it best that the church find you some of your own kind to live amongst rather than your human relatives.

I want to assure you that my estrangement from my family was not on ill terms, I merely lived a very secretive life serving the Septian Church as a vampire hunter. I trained for many years, from a very young age, at the Holy City, and it was not an easy life, or one that left a lot of time for family. I believe they think I was a travelling Sister of some sort, and do not know the true nature of my work. If you wish to contact them, do not hesitate for fear of some bad blood. You have two uncles, Zechs and Mateus Vander who should be easy to find. Your uncle Mateus will likely be the Viscount by now, but rest assured, whatever your view of the nobility, the Vander family are not typical in those regards. I'll understand however if you want nothing to do with the Vanders after my betrayal of you. Live your life as you see fit, my son. I only ask that you read the rest of my story, and that of your father, before you reach any conclusions.

My name was Eve Vander, and I was professional vampire hunter. I waged my war against unlife, killing vampires mercilessly with my gun and my knife. There was nothing that mattered to me except for the thrill of the hunt. I moved from one target to the next, stopping for nothing and no one until I met your father. He was a farmer by the name of Victor Cantrell, and we met while I was a hunting a thirst of vampires who had set up near his farm. I remember being instantly captivated by him, by his passion for his land and his way of life. He cared for things in a way I never could, and I envied that. He had a simple, happy, uncomplicated life surrounded by nature. Isolation had not warped or wearied him, and I found him to be a good, proud man. I did not know it at first, but he found me just as fascinating, and how I wished I had noticed, so I could have discouraged him, and perhaps saved him from his fate. But I was oblivious to his affections, and to my horror I did not find out until he tried to follow me on a hunt one night. He found me badly outnumbered by vampires, fighting for my life, and threw himself into the fray without hesitation. He fought not like a trained killer, but a man defending something he loved, and that gave him strength. Together we were able to overcome the vampires, though I was direly wounded in the process.

He carried me back to his farmhouse and over many long months, nursed me back to health. We got to know each other well in that time, and our mutual attraction and interest blossomed into love. I decided to give up vampire hunting and live a quiet life with Victor, find the peace I had so long been denied by my frantic, nomadic life. We married in a small ceremony in Saint Arkh and spent a blissful year together until tragedy struck. A vampire sought revenge for the death of one of her comrades I had killed years ago and tracked us down. She came in the dead of night and killed Victor before he even had a chance to fight. She would have killed me too, but when she saw I was pregnant she decided to infect me instead. She said if the child survived, she would have a child like she had always wanted, and this was the only way it was possible for her. I fear she has been looking for you all this time, and that was one of the things that forced my decision to make sure you didn't stay with the Vanders. I couldn't cause more death if she hunted you down and hurt them in the process.

I remember the terrible feeling of the curse coursing through my veins, changing me into a monster. She picked me up, like I weighed nothing, and I blacked out. When I woke, I realized she had carried me to Saint Arkh with her vampiric speed and left me outside the Cathedral. The sisters of the church rushed down the steps and helped me inside. I gave birth inside, moments later, and immediately realized the curse had spread to you. I couldn't bear it, the grief I felt for poisoning your life with this terrible curse was terrible. And worse, though you were my only son, all I could see when I looked at you were those sharp teeth, already present despite the fact you were just born. I saw a monster, one of the very creatures I'd spent my life hunting, and not my son, looking back at me. I did not mean to hate you, my son, but I confess that I did in that moment, and feared I always would. And even if I did not, even if I could have loved you, I could not live with what I had become. I gave my instructions to the Church and started writing this letter right away, knowing I must finish before the dawn came. I cannot live like this, and not with what I have done to you. When the sun rises I will walk out to face it, and as a vampire, one of the very things I hate most in the world, I will crumble to dust. Goodbye my son. Defy your nature.

E. Vander

Evander slowly lowered the letter, hands shaking and tears streaming down his face. His mother had hated him, and then destroyed herself in the sun rather than raise him. That's all that he could think about. He had always imagined she had died during childbirth from complications of the curse, and though it hadn't exactly been a comforting thought, it was better than the reality. That she had chosen to die rather than live with what she had become. It broke him in that moment, and he hunched up on the pew and just wept, thinking of what could have been, if his mother had chosen differently, if she had lived instead of died. Nothing else in the letter mattered to him right now, not the fact he was technically the nephew of a Viscount, or the fact his father actually was a farmer despite all the jokes about it. Just that his mother had not loved him in the end, or even loved herself when the time came.

He did not know how long he sat there, weeping, but eventually the rain stopped, and beams of multi-colored like came through the stained-glass windows and played across his face. That subtle change was enough to stir him from his miserable stupor and he looked up and saw Father Zirbel standing there, observing him with a sad, pitying expression.

"I am aware of your sad history, Evander, and for what it's worth, I am sorry that you had to find out about it on what should have been a triumphant day," he said. "But do not let this break you or destroy your resolve to be a force of good in the world. And I ask that you not hate your mother for she did, because hate is a poison of the soul far worse than any form of vampirism."

"I don't hate her," said Evander, bitterly, "I hate this whole situation. But I don't hate her. How could she go on? Becoming the very thing she hated? But I wish it had been different. If that vampire had never come for my mother, I could have been human. I could have had a normal life on a farm like thousands of other kids out there. With a loving family. Or even if the vampire still came, but my father lived. My mother might have lived for him, if not me for me. I could have had two parents, instead of none. No, I don't mean that. I have parents. I have a family. But I could have been different. I could have been different."

"Different is not always better, Evander. You can do good like this, good you could not have done as a simple farmer's son. Aidios sees all things, perhaps you were meant to serve in this way."

"Maybe, but the world needs simple farmer's sons too. As much as it needs sword wielding dhampirs, if not more."

"There are enough farmers, and enough sons to go with them, to see this world through. We need heroes Evander, which I think you are meant to become, if you stay your course. The path of a hero is not a happy, nor a simple one, as you well know. But if none exist to walk it, the world would be a very dark place indeed. Join your friends at the inn Evander, try to enjoy the day. The letter, and what it means to you, will still be there tomorrow. And for what it's worth Evander, even if you must leave and never return, I am proud to have called you a son of Celdic. And after today, I'm sure many others share that opinion. Go, child, and may Aidios be with you."

Scene Break Here

When Evander walked into the inn, there was no sign of the terrible news he had just learned on his face. He'd taken time outside to psych himself up and school his features, so he didn't drag his friends down. This wasn't their burden to carry, in his mind, and maybe one day he'd feel comfortable telling them the tragic story of his birth parents, but he didn't feel that today was that day. He strolled up to the table his instructor and classmates were sitting at, casual as can be, and slammed his fist down hard on the table, creating a loud bang that nearly gave Elliot a heart attack. Alisa gave Evander a dirty look.

"What was that for?" she demanded, "looking to shake any wooden stakes loose or something?"

"Ha, ha, ha. Laugh away. Actually, it was the sound of Machias' mind exploding. He's going to flip when we get back and I tell him what I just learned."

"Did the government give your ten million mira back?" asked Elliot, "because he would flip at that. My ears are still ringing from the lecture he gave you on underage gambling once all that mess was over."

"Ha, I wish! No, I think I just found that I'm technically a noble."

"What do you mean!?" asked Rean, now it was his turn to nearly fall out of his chair. He'd just been debating revealing that same thing to the rest of the group, only for Evander to turn up with the same news moments beforehand.

"Well, um, I'm not sure. Laura, you're a noble right? Am I noble if I just found that I have a Viscount for an uncle? My dad passed on a letter my birth mother left me before she died and it mentioned that my uncle is Viscount."

"Without going to into particulars of the family I can't say one hundred percent," said Laura, "but I should think so. Do you know what family?"

"First, promise not to laugh."

"This should be good," said Alisa. "We promise," she added, fingers crossed behind her back.

"Okay. It's the Vanders." There was a long pause as everyone at the table tried to process what that meant.

"So, your name is… Evander Vander?" asked Elliot.

"Not officially, but that was in the letter yes," admitted Evander. His admission was followed by an explosion of laughter.

"But that's ridiculous!" said Alisa when she regained her senses after being seized by a fit of laughter. "Why would they do that?"

"Well, my mother was called Eve Vander, which already sounds like Evander, and she used to sign her letters as E. Vander which is my name already. And I guess she was in too much of a hurry to think it through. But you promised not to laugh! I swear I'm the only one around here who keeps his word!"

"Hmm, you realise the Vanders run the other eminent school of swordsmanship in Erebonia other than the Arseid school? Whatever your comments about not choosing the way of the sword," said Laura, "it would seem to be in your blood regardless. And I recall I mentioned the dual wielding Vander style to you when first we met."

"I remember too," said Evander, "I told you I thought about learning it, but I was discouraged from going near the Vander training halls in Parm or Heimdallr by my father. I guess I know why now, to hide the fact I was related to them."

"Gaius did say he met a noble who reminded him of you," remembered Rean, "we all joked about it, but perhaps it was Zechs Vander? He's stationed up that way."

"And I keep getting the feeling a whole bunch of other people knew about it too," said Evander, "Instructor Thomas kept harping on about Roland Vander in his private lessons. That can't have been a coincidence. Even the Guardian of the Forest mentioned something about me coming from a proud family."

"I suspected as much," said Sara, "I've seen Vanders fight before, and there was something in the way you moved that I recognized. Something inborn, separate from any vampirism. Nice to have my instincts confirmed. Anyone else want to dish out some juicy secrets or should we head for the train?"

"Yeah, you could tell us what you did before you became an Instructor," said Elliot, "apparently you had a job that had you hunting vampires in your spare time if you met Evander."

"I thought only the Church would hunt vampires," admitted Laura, "but I uh, I can't quite see our instructor as a former Sister."

"I'll say!" said Alisa.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" demanded Sara, giving her a dirty look. "Besides, a woman's got to have some secrets to add to her mystique. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, I'm not a woman, and I don't really care about having mystique," said Rean, "So I suppose now is as good as a time as any to reveal my own secret. Before Evander finds another chance to steal my thunder. Like Evander, I'm also technically a noble. My father is Teo Schwarzer, Baron of Ymir. But before you comment, I'm adopted, so when I said I didn't have a drop of noble blood I wasn't lying. I'm not a proper noble, nor will I ever be. If you ask the rest of the nobility, I'm just a jumped up commoner."

"I thought I recognized the Schwarzer name," said Laura, "but when you said you weren't a noble, I didn't think on it any further. The Schwarzers are a very old family with deep ties to the imperial family."

"Don't be so hard on yourself Rean," said Evander, "you didn't need to lie about it. As things go, I'm an even worse noble than you. Not only was my father a commoner but I'm not even fully human. They'll accept you a million times before they consider me noble."

"I wasn't trying to lie about it," said Rean, "just once I'd told a half-truth I couldn't really find a good time to correct the record. It didn't seem to be that important. But I realise now that you don't keep secrets from friends. I'm going to tell the others when we get back."

"Machias is going to love that," said Elliot, "maybe I'll stay in Celdic for another week until it blows over."

"While we're all dropping our deepest secrets out there," said Alisa, before pausing to take a deep breath, "there's something I'd like to share as well."

"You really do dye your hair?" blurted out Evander, "ouch!" he yelled as Alisa kicked him under the table. "Damn it, Beryl and her drop bears are the gift that keep on giving," he complained.

"Shut it! As I was saying. I've been hiding my last name all this time, and I'm not really sure why. Now with all these other secrets coming out I feel it's as good a time as any to come clean," said Alisa. "My true name is Alisa Reinford."

"Those Reinfords?" asked Rean, "as in the legendary merchants of death?"

"Yep." Elliot whistled, impressed.

"This makes me really wonder even more what Class Seven is all about it," he admitted, "we really are an odd group aren't we? Even before we added the Reinford Heiress, the vampiric nephew of a viscount and the adopted son of a baron. Any insight for us Instructor?"

"Oh, is that time the time!?" announced Sara, dodging the question, and jumping out of her chair, "we really ought to be going! Wouldn't want to miss the train!"

"I get the distinct impression you are avoiding the question," observed Laura.

"And I get the distinct impression that you are right about that," said Sara, smirking, "come on, last one to the train is a rotten vampire!"

"Hey!" protested Evander, "I have my quartz slotted back on! If anyone is rotten around here it's_" he trailed off, realizing he was alone at the table. "Me. Isn't it? I don't get paid enough for this."