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, magical and mundane, one more chaotic element couldn't possibly hurt. What does it mean to be human? And is it worth trying to understand?

13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Excerpt from the list of requests provided to Rean Schwarzer by the Student Council

Request Name: Your Blood's Worth Bottling!

Client: The Intrepid Interviewer, Munk

Details: Picture this scene, the adorable student council president Towa is walking back to the dormitories after a late-night study session when BAM! Evander, driven insane with bloodlust after his cravings finally get the better of him lunges out the shadows and attacks her. Could you live with yourself if this actually happened? Evander needs an acceptable substitute for blood now, before something terrible happens. I already have some ideas and need someone to put them into motion before it's too late. Find me outside the Radio Trista Station if you can help. Someone proficient in the arts of combat would be preferred, you'll understand when I explain.

Note from Student Council President Towa: I'm not sure I enjoy being used as a rhetorical prop in this scenario, but Munk may be onto something. If he really does have an idea about a blood substitute for Evander this could be worth looking into.

Rean couldn't fault Evander's ability to get involved in weird scenarios, this would be the second time he'd found himself spending a free day on a bizarre request involving his classmate. Ultimately, this one proved even stranger than the last. Getting Evander into a church was one thing, finding him a blood substitute was a whole order of magnitude whackier. Weirdly enough, Rean had already suggested finding a substitute source of blood, unknowingly of course, when Evander had admitted his addiction to was causing him to disrupt the classroom. So, if it was actually possible to find something just as good as, or at least close to, the taste of blood for Evander, it'd be ridiculous for him not to try and help. Seeing as it was kind of his idea in the first place, even if he hadn't known what he was suggesting. Not to mention that with midterms coming up next month, calming Evander's disruptive tendency could only improve Class Seven's chances of making a good showing. Emma and Machias would certainly thank him for that at least. So, although it was quite possibly the strangest request he'd received yet, Rean went to meet Munk outside the Radio Trista Station.

"Ah Rean!" said Munk, practically quivering with excitement, "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my request. Tell me what moved you to accept, your undying love for Towa?"

"What!? That's not it at all!" said Rean, "where do you get this stuff from!?"

"My fertile imagination," said Munk smugly, as if that were something to be proud of. "But I suppose I've got enough material for now without dragging your sordid love life into it."

"My love life is not sordid!" protested Rean, "you know what? Can we get on with the explanation before someone walks past and hears any of this?"

"Fair enough. Think about this for a moment, what would be the best substitute for human blood?"

"Animal blood I guess," said Rean, "though if you think I'm going to go around bleeding farm animals_"

"Wrong! Minus ten points! You live with a dhampir, and you don't know the lore? For shame Rean! I asked Evander the exact same thing during our interview a few nights ago. 'Why not try animal blood?' I suggested and he looked at me like I was crazy. See, he explained it like this," started Munk, clearly getting into story mode. "The curse of vampirism is exactly that, a curse. Those afflicted with it, even at half strength like in Evander's case, suffer from a terrible thirst for human blood from the moment they are born. But here's the kicker, so many aspects of that curse make it extremely difficult for your average vampire to live amongst their prey of choice. Their weakness to daylight being one major example. It forces them to keep odd hours, making people naturally suspicious of them. Another problem is that it has to be human blood they drink. They can't stomach animal blood at all. It's impossible for them to be, if you'll forgive the inaccurate terminology, a vegetarian vampire. Evander said that while the problem with most foods is that he can't taste it, he can taste animal blood and it's the foulest thing on earth. It makes him violently ill. So if he can't drink human blood, and he can't drink animal blood, where does that leave us Rean?"

"Not human, and not an animal? That only leaves something that's not really either," said Rean, figuring it out. "You mean monsters? Is that why you asked for someone with combat experience? So they could go and collect monster blood?"

"Bingo! Or should I say almost bingo. Close, but no cigar Rean my boy. Evander drinking monster blood might work, but it's not sustainable if you or someone else has to go out and bleed the local monster population every time he runs out. There's an alternative. I don't know if you've heard about this, but there's a new style of cookery taking Zemuria by storm. Monster Cuisine! Now I looked up some of the suppliers of monster ingredients and while no one sells monster blood there's a bountiful supply of other ingredients that could be put together into a dish that might satisfy Evander. Those ingredients could be set up for a regular delivery order and from what I've heard Evander himself is probably skilled enough to whip the dish for himself."

"So what exactly do you need me to do?" asked Rean.

"Three things. First, I'd like you to go to the Cooking Club Room and ask its members to brainstorm which monster ingredients would be the best substitute for human blood. Secondly, if possible, I'd like you to procure those ingredients, taking them from monsters roaming around outside Trista if you have to so the cooking club can prepare the substitute blood. And thirdly, convince Evander to try the substitute."

"Sheesh, I'm glad I came here early, this could take a while," muttered Rean.

"Does that mean you accept my request?" asked Munk.

"I guess so. I think it sound a little crazy, but if this could really help Evander I've got to try. And if doesn't work, well an afternoon slaying monsters around Trista should be a good work out if nothing else. I'll do it."

"And just like that, Towa's life was saved!" said Munk, ignoring Rean to talk to his imaginary audience.

"Oh boy, I'll never get used to this place," said Rean, walking off, "when did this school get so darn weird?"

Scene Break Here

Rean worried that the first hurdle towards getting this request done would be convincing the Cooking Club to help. It wasn't every day you were asked the best way to whip up a blood substitute using only monster ingredients after all. Rean imagined that his request would come off as a little strange and he'd be more than lucky if they didn't try to call the men in white coats to come and collect him. His concerns however, turned out to be totally unfounded. One of the cooking club members, Margarita, had not only heard of Monster Cuisine but was well versed in it and viewed Rean's task as a fascinating challenge. She and club captain Nicholas had gotten right down to planning things out like it was a request for any other kind of dish.

"Do you two need any help?" asked Rean, after several minutes of watching their lively debate and furious scribbling and crossing out of different ingredients. "I know I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to this."

"It's simple really, if you listen in Instructor Beatrix's medical science class," explained Nicholas. "She's given several lectures on the subject of blood and what it consists of."

"Water mostly, if I recall correctly," said Rean, "along with some proteins and various minerals."

"Exactly. So for the base we were thinking of using ingredients gathered from water based monsters like frost slimes," explained Nicholas.

"And for the minerals like iron, copper and zinc," said Margarita, picking up where her captain had left off, "there are a great deal of monsters with earthy or rocky attributes that might suffice. The trick is finding the correct combination."

"Wow, I had no idea it'd be so much work," said Rean, feeling sorry for dumping this on them.

"It's no trouble!" said Nicholas, "we like a challenge here at the cooking club. There's nothing more satisfying than coming up with a fresh new dish that someone out there will really love. We've never had a request quite like this before, and it's really quite intriguing. Besides, you're the one who'll actually have to go out and get the ingredients before we can start ordering them in. I'd much rather do this than run around hunting monsters."

"You and most of the people I know," agreed Rean with a laugh. "Hold on, there is one person who might find spending the day that way extremely enjoyable," he said, an idea that would both save time and make the trip more enjoyable coming to him. "If you two will excuse me, I have to make a call."

Scene Break Here

Rean's call to recruit Laura's help to spend a pleasant afternoon hunting various monsters around the countryside went a little like this.

"Hey Laura, this is Rean. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me by the highway exit? I'm planning on going on a trip around the countryside to help Evander for a request. He needs a blood substitute so I'm planning on hunting out the necessary parts from some monsters. It should be good training."

"You had me at training," said Laura, without asking for further explanation. "I'll be there."

"Training? But that's literally the last word I said_ you know, don't worry. I'll see you soon."

Thankfully the remainder of Rean's plan was a little less awkward, with the pair of sword wielders enjoying the fresh and air exercise as they hunted down the monsters on Rean's list.

"Alright!" said Rean, "I think that's the last ingredient the cooking club needs! Let's just take a minute to catch our breath and then head back to town," he suggested, gesturing towards the shade of a tree by the highway.

"Indeed," said Laura, "it'd be a shame to waste a good warmup by failing to rest properly afterwards," she said, once again making Rean suspect his classmate was nigh unstoppable. She thought this had been a warmup? Hours of trekking around coupled with combat against monsters? There was no doubt about it, Thors definitely attracted the crazies. The two of them sat down in the shade of the tree and shared a moment of companionable silence before Laura broke it with a strange question. "Did you like my joke earlier?"

"Refresh my memory," said Rean, "what joke was this?"

"You had me a training. The last thing you said. I thought it was rather good, though seeing as you've already forgotten it, perhaps I should rethink my attempts at humour," mused Laura, looking a little chagrined.

"Oh, I didn't realise it was a joke," said Rean, then immediately realised that was a bit offensive, "sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought… well that you really didn't want to help Evander until I mentioned it would be good training." Laura was silent for a moment, as if struggling to formulate an answer, before hesitantly speaking.

"That's…fair I suppose. But I don't hate, or even dislike Evander, despite what he might think. I just find it harder to respect him now, considering that so many of his traits that I admired were inborn, rather than earned. Though I dislike feeling that way, because as many people have pointed out, he never asked for any of it. I can't help it though, and it shows whenever I interact with him. I'm usually so direct in everything I do, but I can't seem to just walk up to him and tell him he doesn't need to go to all this effort to try and impress me. That it's not worth it."

"Yeah, pretty much everyone has noticed that Evander has been different lately, trying a heap of new things. Gaius says he's taken up horse riding, Jusis says he's seen Machias and Evander studying together. Then there's his new job on top of all that, I don't know where he finds the time."

"He's trying to secretly learn how to swim as well," admitted Laura, "Monica told me he approached her lessons. I know he barely sleeps, but I wish he wouldn't take on so much all the same. Especially not out of some mad attempt to make me respect him again. I don't see the point."

"Stop for a minute," said Rean, deadly serious as he caught Laura's gaze and held it, "you seriously can't see why he would want to impress you? You honestly don't see any value in having your respect?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that it's obvious why Evander wants you to respect him, to like him even. Laura, think about it, out of all of us in Class Seven you're the only one who really holds him to account. The rest of us just humour him, or shrug off his weirder behaviours, but you never let him get away with anything. You're forthright, direct. Never holding back your opinion. But on top of that you're never cruel about it, you challenge him without attacking him or belittling him. That's why he wants your respect. That's why he respects you, why all of us respect you."

"I uh," Laura looked a little flustered, "I didn't know. I've never been good at all this interpersonal stuff. I know I come across as hard and cold and severe. I've been looking into trying out some jokes, and other ways to soften myself. But I'm aware I'm not going a great job, that I'm not like most girls."

"You don't need to be like most girls," Rean told her, "You only need to be one person in this life, yourself. And that's more than enough. We all like you as you are Laura, don't ever forget that."

"You have my thanks Rean, for your words and this afternoon's training," said Laura, a touch formally, "but I'd say we better head back now, before I use up your daily quota of cheesy speeches."

"Ha! You wound me!" said Rean, glad the mood was a little lighter now, "I'd never use up my quota. I have a feeling Evander is going to need one heck of a cheesy speech."

"Alright," said Laura, "as long as you don't overdo it and set off his allergies."

"Me? Never!"

Scene Break Here

Rean had never actually been in Evander's room before. He'd knocked on the door during the last time he'd had a request involving the boy, but never caught more than a glimpse of classmate's room. Elliot and Machias had been in there before, but at the time the place had been full of stolen of mira after another of Evander's whacky adventures, so they didn't have much of an idea of what it looked like either. So, when Rean entered Evander's room, holding a vial of the cooking's club finished blood substitute, he was mildly disturbed. Not by the contents of the room, rather by it's near lack of contents. Apart from a few children's books stacked by the bed, The Adventures of Batboy, the place was entirely devoid of personalised touches. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought Evander had only just arrived, rather than having spent over a month in there.

"If you're here for a loan I'll you the same thing I tell everyone," said Evander from where he was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "The government really did take all my winnings. No, I'm not lying. No, they didn't leave mean a cheeky couple million mira to shut me up."

"Do you really think so little of me?" asked Rean, grinning, "if I was going to ask for a loan, I'd at least treat you to lunch first."

"Sorry," said Evander, sitting up and eying his classmate curiously, "it's just people don't usually come to me unless they want something. And since mira is just about all I had to offer… Anyway, how can I help you?"

"I'll get to that in a minute," said Rean, "I was just wondering why you haven't done anything to decorate this place yet?"

"I didn't figure I'd be here very long," admitted Evander, "so I couldn't see the point of decorating the place."

"What do you mean? You'll be here for two years like everyone else, right?"

"I don't know Rean; I really don't know. On my good days, I see myself lasting that long, maybe. But when the hunger kicks in, and I mean really kicks in, until it consumes every fibre of my being and dominates every waking moment, I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll finally crack and attack someone. Maybe hurt them really badly. And then they'll put me down like the rabid dog that I am."

"Don't say that," said Rean sharply, "you're not a rabid dog Evander."

"But I'm not exactly human either? Am I?"

"You act like there's nothing between human and rabid dog that you can be. Existence isn't black and white Evander; you can't think in absolutes like that."

"What are you saying Rean? That's there's a sliding scale of humanity? A spectrum I can handily place myself on? Does it come with a diagnostic test? Can I give myself a number? Hi, I'm Evander and I scored a thirty-one on humanity scale!"

"You mock, but you know it's true Evander," said Rean firmly, "you can't point at any one trait and say it exemplifies humanity. We're all made up of a million little things that decide who we are, and not one of them makes someone more human or less human than anyone else."

"But you admit that literally being a human, and not a half-breed has to be pretty high up on that list of things that make a human, right Rean? You can't just shrug off my fiend ancestry with pretty words," protested Evander, "you don't know what it's like."

"Don't I?" asked Rean, staring deep into Evander's eyes, daring him to use his psychic insight, daring him to see something he'd never put into words. And almost against his will, Evander took up the challenge, images flashing through his mind almost too rapidly to process until they stopped on the image of an alien heart, beating poisoned blood through Rean's veins. "Don't I?" repeated Rean.

"Maybe you do," admitted Evander, tearing his eyes away, "maybe you do. But that doesn't change how I feel. The risk I pose to the other students. So I want you to promise me something, Rean. Promise me that if I go too far, if I cross the line and lose the battle against my hunger, that you'll put me down. That you'll stop me before I cause any harm."

"You don't know what you're asking," said Rean, quietly, gravely.

"I do! And I can't ask anyone else. Instructor Sara outright refused."

"Of course she did! And so will I!" said Rean, "no one is going to put you down like a dog Evander, no matter how far you go. No matter how broken you get. I'll make you another promise, that if you fall into darkness, I'll, no, everyone is Class Seven will be there to guide you back to the light. We'll bring you back and make it right again. You can guarantee that!" Evander stared at him for a long moment before suddenly breaking down, howling with laughter. "What's so funny?" demanded Rean.

"I don't know," admitted Evander, "I guess I just find the whole thing crazy. Because for a moment I actually believed you. I thought that maybe I could be brought back if I fell. Isn't that insane?"

"No, it's human, Evander, which you are. It's human to have hope. To believe that our friends will come for us. Because you have friends Evander. You have us. So I want you to decorate this room, because you will be here for two years. This isn't a supposed to be a prison cell, or a halfway house, but your home Evander, it should look like one."

"Fine!" said Evander, "if it'll get you off my back, sure. But you didn't come here to just to tell me to decorate my room or give me a pep talk did you?"

"No actually, I came to offer you this," Rean held up the vial he'd brought with him and uncorked it. Evander's expression instantly changed, hunger warping his features.

"That smells like blood! Did you bring blood in here!? Are you crazy!?"

"It's not blood," said Evander quickly, "but judging by your reaction, it'll be a good substitute. I had the cooking club whip this up out of monster ingredients. Munk thought up the idea actually, since you've sworn of human blood and animal blood is even worse, he figured monster cuisine might be a solution."

"You want me to drink something made of monsters?" Evander's eyebrows climbed in shock, "you don't get why that might be a problem for me?"

"No, why?"

"Does the word cannibalism mean anything to you!?"

"Stop it," said Rean, "I don't know how many times I have to beat this into your head. You are not a monster, Evander. Eating this is not eating your own kind, not in a million years. Get that out of your head!"

"You don't know everything Rean, haven't you ever wondered what happened to me on that orienteering exercise on our first day? When the grotesque knocked me down and had me dead to rights, and then just stopped? He called me brother, Rean. That fiend blooded creature called me his brother and then turned away, leaving me to recover. And even if you don't believe that happened, you've seen how monsters react to me. They don't react to you, or anyone else like that. I'm different, maybe I'm more human than monster, but there's still some monster in me. Drinking that stuff would be wrong."

"And I'm telling you that you're wrong! That you're confused," said Rean, "whatever that fiend said to you, it didn't know you at all. It saw the worst part of you, the part of you that you can't help, that you didn't ask for, and it judged you by that. Maybe that part of you was its brother, in some small way. But it was a monster Evander, plain and simple. It fought to maim and hurt and destroy. It was nothing like you, and never will be. So drink this," Rean thrust the vial towards Evander, "and let your thirst be sated, even just for a moment. It's not wrong Evander, it's not wrong to want to be free of that hunger." Evander hesitated, reached for the vial, and then stopped, wavering.

"I don't know if I can I do it," he said, voice shaking. "What if whatever's in there just makes my cravings worse?"

"Then we'll try other ingredients," said Rean firmly, "we're not giving up on you Evander. We're not putting you in the 'too hard basket' or resigning ourselves to the fact that you might snap one day. Maybe this isn't the cure for your hunger, but if that's the case, we'll just try again, and again."

"I don't know why I keep believing you when you talk like that," admitted Evander, "but it sounds right. Like if you can be that convinced of it, I should be too." He overcame his hesitation and took the vial from Rean, holding it up to his mouth and taking a small sip. Rean wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what happened next. Evander gagged violently and fell to his knees, retching and shaking. Rean rushed over to snatch the vial off him but to his surprise, Evander slapped his hand away and looked up at him, grinning his head off.

"That tasted so powerful I almost died!" he said, sounding incredibly happy about it, "the flavour just about blew my head off! Do you understand what that means? Everything else I've ever tried, even the strongest flavours, I could barely taste them at all! But this! This I could taste! Like nothing else!"

"Was it bad though?" asked Rean, "like animal blood? You looked like you were about to be sick."

"No, I was just taken by surprise is all. I haven't tasted anything that strongly before in my life. Other than blood I mean. And this isn't blood, but it's close. Damn close!" He took another cautious sip and didn't gag this time, just started grinning and laughing like a madman. 'Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"It's fine," said Rean, taken aback by Evander's sudden mood change, "but really, it's Munk you should be thanking. He came up with the idea. The rest was a team effort. Laura and I got the ingredient and the cooking club put them together."

"Laura helped you?" asked Evander, looking confused, "I always got the impression she hated me. Or at least thought I was a lazy excuse for a swordsman."

"She doesn't hate you Evander," said Rean, "as for the lazy swordsman bit, you could do with some more training, it's true. If you ever need a sparring partner, I'm free. I think my Eight Leaves One Blade style would be a good match for your Devil's Whirlwind if you wanted to practice."

"Seriously!? I don't get why you're helping me so much. I have no idea how I'm supposed to repay all this. This is like Fie and the eighty thousand mira caltrops all over again!"

"If you want to pay me back you can take my advice and start decorating your room," said Rean, "and I know it's hard, but think of yourself as human from now on."

"I'll try, I swear," said Evander, taking another swig of his substitute blood and grinning like an idiot.

"That's all I can ask," said Rean, "now I've got to go back and report the success to the cooking club so we can start ordering the ingredients for this stuff in bulk. Then all you have to do is learn how to make it and you'll be set."

Scene Break Here

Evander wanted to start decorating his room pretty much the moment Rean left but he didn't really know where to start. Finally, he remembered the article he'd cut out of the local paper and was currently using as a bookmark. He found it and gently unfurled it revealing the short story and the photo beneath it.

Kirsche's Café in Trista welcomes a new staff member, Evander the psychic waiter! In a novel experience, he'll take your order straight out of your mind without you needing to say a word! Evander, pictured below with the rest of the team, was recently making headlines due a trial in the town of Celdic…

Evander stopped skimming the article and looked down at the photo of him in his waiter uniform, staring into a crystal ball with a look of intense concentration while Fred and Dollie stood on either side of him, grinning proudly. A small smile crept across Evander's face, so small it was almost imperceptible, but it had been there all the same. He quietly got up, padded across his dark room and stuck the article to the wall across from his bed. It was a start, a small one maybe, but Evander was going to make this place feel like a home if it killed him.

Scene Break Here

Evander had been wondering when his handlers in Imperial Intelligence would finally get around to contacting him again. His next field study was drawing closer after all, and they'd definitely have something for him to do. True, he'd like if it they didn't, but he figured they wouldn't go to all the trouble of ensnaring him if they weren't going to make full use of him. Captain Claire hadn't been available last time he'd called the hotline, and he suspected she'd been busy relocating his family to whatever government black site they were going to be held in and used for their psychic insight or physical abilities. So as much as he didn't want to hear from her again, he did want an update on his family. He probably wouldn't get much of a straight answer, but his insight should at least fill in some of the gaps and let him know if they were alright and being treated decently. So it was with mixed feelings that Evander reacted when his secret orbal communicator let out a steady beeping sound in the middle of the night. He found himself hesitating a few seconds before answering but was unable to resist the chance of hearing some news.

"This is the Starving Leech," he spoke into the communicator, "I'm alone and free to talk."

"Copy that, this is the Icy Maiden, I understand you were trying to get a hold of me earlier?"

"Oh that," said Evander, a little embarrassed, "I was just yanking the chain of the guy who answered the comms last time. You know, just rattling the bars of his cage. I didn't have anything important to say."

"Need I remind you that this is a secure line and should only be used for important communications," said Captain Claire, "but what's done is done. Just keep that in mind for future communications. I have your instructions for the upcoming field study_"

"Wait. What about my family? Are they safe?" There was a long pause as Claire tried to figure out just how much she could tell him.

"Yes. They've been moved to a secure location without any trouble," north, whispered Evander's insight, far to the north. "I can assure you that they were not harmed and are perfectly comfortable." Evander strained to pick up any more from his insight but was getting nothing but mental static. "Leech," said Claire sharply, "are you trying to psychically read me?"

"Yes," admitted Evander readily, seeing no use in hiding it, "but your mind is a fortress."

"I know, I have a colleague with abilities very similar to yours and I've gotten used to knowing when those sorts of tricks are being used and how best to resist them. Please do not try that again or we'll be forced to recalibrate your suppression device."

"Sheesh, give me a break. It's my family we're talking about here, you can't blame for trying to find out more."

"I know," said Claire, voice softening slightly, "but this is how it has to be. Trust me that they are safe and always will be. Now, are you ready to receive your instructions?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"We have arranged for your next field study to take you to the city of Saint Arkh, while there you will have two objectives on top of your usual academic duties. Firstly, you probably won't be aware of this because the news has been supressed to prevent panic, but there has been a spate of bombings in Saint Arkh, suspectedly perpetrated by a professional, most likely a rogue Jaeger. The Provincial Army serving the Hyarms family has proven ineffective in catching the culprit or stopping their attacks and the Marquis has personally requested government assistance in handling the matter. Obviously this is highly unusual, provincial authorities usually reject our offers of assistance and have to have our help forced upon them when necessary. Marquis Hyarms is noted moderate however, and we feel his request is genuine. That being said, due to certain factors, deploying a squad of the RMP into a staunchly noble city would cause issues in several quarters. We feel you however would be uniquely suited to tracking this bomber down without causing too much of a stir."

"Excuse me? Isn't hunting a psycho Jaeger a little out of my paygrade?" said Evander, "especially considering that I'm not being paid at all. And how I'm supposed to succeed where professional investigators have failed? Are you going to remove my suppression device so I can track him psychically?"

"No, not unless it proves there is no other option. I was actually hoping your heightened senses would allow you to pick up clues that normal humans would easily miss. The smell of the bomb making ingredients for example, you could track the bomber by that scent."

"So, you want to use me as tracking dog or something? This is so demeaning," groaned Evander.

"You may think so, but it is an important job. The bomber is only targeting properties owned by nobles and many are beginning to suspect he has ties to the reformist faction or was even deliberately put up to the attacks by prominent members. To make matters worse, suspicion has fallen on the Septian Church of harbouring the bomber."

"What!? Why would anyone think that!?"

"Those injured in the blasts are being treated at the cathedral and bomb making is a dangerous business. Many suspect that the bomber himself may be blending in with the wounded, getting treated for injuries sustained in the line of his terror campaign. The church is not cooperating with requests to search and interrogate patients which isn't helping matters. You can see why we need this resolved as soon as possible The whole situation is a powder keg waiting to explode."

"Fine," said Evander, "I'll walk around sniffing the air or whatever it is you think I can do. But I don't like this at all. What's the second task?"

"Have you heard anything about the Black Widow of Saint Arkh?"

"Yes, and before we go any further, I know she's the one who infected my mother, and therefore me, with vampirism. Are you telling me she's really there?"

"Yes, while few outside the city believe it, there is in fact a vampire dwelling in Saint Arkh. The same one who killed your parents and infected you."

"If you're tasking me to destroy her, I'll flat out tell you this now that I can't do it."

"Surely you don't feel affection for her? Whatever the peculiarities of the curse, she is not your real mother, in any sense of the word."

"That's not it. I just have so many questions for her. Besides, I wouldn't be a match for her anyway."

"Very well. But that's not what we had in mind. We would like you to find the Black Widow and convince her to move elsewhere. Play upon the connection between you if you must, just get her out of Saint Arkh."

"And send her where? The Kreuzen Province perhaps?" said Evander, "I'm not stupid you know, I can see what game is being played here. Marquis Hyarms is a moderate you said, it does no good for a vampire to harass his citizens and make him feel disfavourable towards the current regime. Duke Alberea on the other hand, well he's already firmly against the Reformist Faction, so if a vampire bedevils him, who cares right?"

"You are oversimplifying things," said Captain Claire, her voice tight. "The optics don't matter. Those are your assignments, we expect them to be completed to the best of your ability."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever," said Evander. "You have my family, so I can't really refuse you can I?"

"No threats were made."

"No, but they didn't need to be made out loud did they? I understood the situation perfectly. Will that be all?"

"I understand you must hate this," said Claire, her voice quiet now.

"If you understood you wouldn't do it," said Evander sharply, "goodbye." He cut off the communicator and carelessly threw it under his bed in disgust. This whole situation was bizarre and awful. However did he get himself into these messes?

Scene Break Here

Speaking of messes, it wasn't long before Evander found himself in yet another one, this time as he and Rean were walking back to the dorms after a day of classes. Evander suddenly stopped chatting away and froze in place, sniffing the air with a curious expression on his face. It wasn't that he could smell something strange, rather that he couldn't smell something, or rather anything at all, coming from the alley behind them. It was though a field of sterilisation had fallen over the place, leaving it devoid of scent and Evander was sharp enough to pick up on the sudden absence of the usual smells of Trista.

"Rean," he said slowly, "can you sense anyone in that alleyway behind us?" Rean, who'd stopped as soon as Evander had, knew better than to question the other boy, that way lay only madness, and focussed his sixth sense on the alley. It was faint, but he could sense someone there, just barely as though they were actively masking their presence through some art or technology.

"Yes, there's someone there. Should we investigate?" he asked.

"No," replied Evander abruptly, "I get the feeling that whoever it is only wants me. You might get hurt if you interfere. I'm going to see who it is, alone."

"I can't just let you walk into danger," protested Rean.

"I don't think I'll be in danger, per se," hedged Evander, "if it makes you feel better, go and find Instructor Sara."

"And tell her what?" replied Rean, sure this was a very bad idea.

"That I'll be in the chapel, and not to interfere unless she literally can't stop herself."

"Huh? How could you possibly_"

"Think Rean, whoever is in that alley nearly evaded detection from both a dhampir and..whatever you are. In fact, I think the only reason we sensed them at all is because they let us. Considering that most people don't even believe my kind exists, even after I've been in the papers, who would have to skill to avoid me? Only the Septian Church. I think I know what this is about."

"Do you mind sharing some of your insights with me?" asked Rean, a touch exasperated with Evander's cryptic behaviour.

"I think this is the reason no Dhampir has a family name," said Evander, not helping resolve the mystery for Rean in the slightest. "Find Sara, I'll be fine," not brooking any further argument, Evander headed off towards the alley. Rean let out a frustrated sigh but decided to let him go and fetch Instructor Sara like he'd suggested. If anyone could talk Evander out of this nonsense it was the woman he owed his life to.

Evander stepped into the alley and stared right at the patch of non-smell, detecting a slight shimmer in the air, but nothing else out of the ordinary. He decided to take a leap and confront his stalker.

"I know you're there, so you might as well come out," he said, struggling to keep a tremor out of his voice. There was a brief flash of light and a man dressed in priestly robes stepped into view. Without a word, he walked up to Evander and pressed an envelop into his hand, turned around vanished once more. This time his disappearance was complete and total, leaving no trace at all of his presence. Everything around was completely normal, as if no man had been there at all. "Well that was weird," said Evander, before glancing down at the envelope. It was sealed with wax into which the symbol of a wooden stake had been pressed. Just like he'd suspected, the church's vampire hunting arm was reaching out to him. He cracked the wax seal and fished out the expensive parchment inside before beginning to read.

Leech Evander, before you protest that something is being forced into your mind, know that we are aware of your near illiteracy and have taken steps to counter it so you understand every word of this message. The Church has many arts and power over the minds of men and monsters is trivial for us. You will understand every word of this because we will it, knowing the meaning of every word even if you were previously incapable of reading it. With that out of the way we must address the reason for our contacting you. We became aware that you instructed a classmate of yours, a certain Jusis Albarea to contact a member of the Vander family in an effort to reclaim your mother's name. We cannot allow this, at least not yet, and intercepted the message before anyone could read it. You have passed the Ordeal of Light, this much we will not dispute but that does not entitle you to take a human name. If you recall, the Ordeal of Light only confers that you are more human than fiend. It does not, and never will, make you human. All dhampirs are orphans, the circumstances of their birth or creation naturally leads to the deaths of their parents and any other close family. Your curse struck out at your family tree and severed the branch you ought to have belonged to. In order to reclaim it you undergo a ritual known as the Rite of Lineage.

We will not lie, this rite is extremely dangerous, and may even take your life if you choose to perform it. Normally we would not offer it to you until you were far older, but your mother was one of us, and if any part of her lives on in you, you have a greater chance than most to survive this. If you would risk your chance at eternity to reclaim your human name, head immediately to the Trista Chapel. Come alone or you will find no one waiting for you. Tell no one of this meeting, for your own safety. Any interference in the ritual may result in your premature demise. Make your decision quickly, we will not wait long.

In service to Aidios, The Sisterhood of The Light Unbroken.

Scene Break Here

Evander walked into the chapel, half expecting to find no one waiting for him there. The decision to attend this meeting had been an easy one. These sisters had known his mother, worked with her for years. If anyone had the answers he was seeking about his family it would be them. The fact he was risking death didn't even factor into it, he had one chance to learn these things, and this was it. He wasn't going to miss out.

The church had been cleared of any parishioners and even Sister Ornella was nowhere to be seen. Instead, seven sisters Evander had never seen before stood in a semi-circle behind the altar, waiting for him.

"I'm here," announced Evander, rather redundantly when they made no move to greet him or do anything else worth noting. "What do you_"

"Silence," all seven of them spoke as one, snapping at him, "will you undergo the ritual?"

"Yes, but I need to know_"

"You need to know nothing, leech, except that this will be incredibly painful and dangerous. You will face your mortal family and they will judge you. If you are found unworthy you will suffer, perhaps even die. Do you still wish to go ahead?"

"Yes! And I'm getting really tired of you cutting me_"

"Then kneel and clear your mind." Evander rolled his eyes, and realising he wasn't going to get a word in edgeways no matter what he tried, complied. The sister in the centre of the semi-circle stepped forward until she was right in front of him and drew a strange, glowing artifact from her robes. She pushed it against Evander's forehead and then began to utter some kind of incantation. At least, that's what Evander assumed it was, because his normally sharp hearing had taken on a strange, muffled quality, and her words only came out as a hazy buzzing sound. Before he could think too much about this development there was a blinding flash of light and then his mind was obliterated by an excruciating wave of pain. He screamed in agony, he screamed for what seemed like an eternity before collapsing bonelessly to the floor of the chapel. The light had left the artifact and was now shrouded around his body. The seven sisters formed a ring around him and began chanting. The Rite of Lineage was begun.

Scene Break Here

The night was frightening and full of thunder when Evander came to, lying face down on a rain-slicked street. He gasped in shock and rolled over before leaping upright to find himself standing outside a cathedral far larger than the Trista Chapel he had passed out in. He whirled around in a full circle, eyes squinted half shut against the driving rain but recognised nothing about the city surrounding him.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember this place," came a voice from the shadows, "you were very young when you left it. I too, spent very little time here. Just enough to catch a sunrise." It was a woman's voice, and though Evander was quite sure he'd never heard it in his life, it felt familiar. More than that, it felt like home.

"Show yourself," said Evander, he'd meant it as an order, but by the way his voice trembled while he spoke, it didn't come across that way. There was a blinding flash of lightning, throwing bright spots across Evander's vision and when they finally faded a woman was standing before him. He had never clapped eyes on her in his life, but the tall, dark-haired woman was instantly familiar to him. Though his own features had been warped by the curse, the similarities between them were undeniable. She looked eerily similar to him, only less gaunt, less haggard. "This is all in my mind," said Evander, unable to take his eyes off her, "you can't really be her."

"Why not?" she asked, "because if I were truly your mother, I would have been damned?"

"No," said Evander, his voice suddenly becoming cold, "because if you were truly my mother you wouldn't be here at all. She gave up on me. She chose death."

"She chose death over an eternity of unlife. To the faithful, such a decision is easy."

"She chose the sun over her son, was that decision easy too?" snapped Evander.

"No," admitted Eve Vander, or at least the shadow of her in Evander's mind. "But she could not have known the man you would become."

"Man? Not leech?" asked Evander.

"Perhaps a leech, yes," she admitted, "you could have gone either way, nothing about you was certain. But you must understand, I had certainty. Certainty that if you grew up to be a monster it would be my duty to destroy you. Even if I was a monster myself. And I could not face that."

"So, you gave up on me," said Evander, "I could have grown up to be a good man or I could have been a fiend but you couldn't wait to see. So, you bet on the worst outcome and cashed out your chips."

"A crude analogy," said Eve, "but an apt one coming from a gambler."

"Oh I see, I cheated at horse races, meaning you were right all along? Is that what you're saying?" demanded Evander.

"You cheated at the races to repay at debt, ostensibly a good deed. Do you see my dilemma? Everything about you has a duality. Human and fiend. All these years later and I still can't see if I made the right choice."

"Then there's only way to settle this," said Evander grimly, and the lightning flashed again, only this time when the lights faded his swords were in his hands. "If you believe me to be beyond redemption, try to destroy me. Face the battle you avoided all those years ago."

"You are no match for me, Evander," said his mother, "I hunted your true kind for years, you cannot beat me."

"I know," said Evander, "but I'm a gambler, like you said. And I'm betting that when you have me broken at your feet, you won't be able to strike the killing blow. You'll see a man and not a leech."

"Very well," said Eve, drawing her own weapons. In one hand, a wicked curved knife, in the other, a sleek orbal handgun. "Strike first, my son, prove me wrong. Make me regret catching one last sunrise." Evander lunged forwards, blades whirring in deadly arcs, but while he was quicksilver, his mother was lightning, and she was already behind him. Her knife flashed, raking across his back and sending blinding pain searing through Evander. But it was pain he could fight through, so he spun and attacked again only for his blades to meet nothing but air once again.

CRACK

He processed the sharp report of an orbal gun almost before the pain of the shot hit him, sending him staggering backwards. He struggled to bring one of his swords up as his mother darted in for the kill, just barely managing to fend her knife off to no avail as she recovered immediately and slammed a roundhouse kick into his ribs. He careened sideways, trying to find his footing only to trip over the cathedral stairs and crashed to the ground. His swords slipped from his grasp and his mother casually kicked them further out of reach before standing over him, gun pointing down at him. Time seemed to stretch on for eternity, and yet she did not pull the trigger.

"End it," said Evander calmly, "it's like you said. I was no match for you. Kill the broken leech, just like you've done all your life."

CRACK

The gun fired but the shot went wide, striking the step beside Evander's head, sending stone shards spraying across his cheek. Flecks of blood dotted his face, red, human blood. Eve stared down at him, and her hand began to shake.

"They said a leech would do anything to preserve its unnatural life," she said, voice trembling. "But you are ready to die."

"Because I am not a leech," said Evander, "and I think you know that. I think you've always known."

"You've consumed blood. You've hurt people."

"I've sworn off blood, and I've helped people."

"There it is again, that damned duality!" Eve screamed in frustration and fired her gun up into the sky. The moment she was distracted Evander leapt upright and crossed the distance between them. Before she could recover, he lashed out with the heel of his hand, knocking the gun out of her hand. Without thinking, acting on instinct alone, she struck out, stabbing him right in the stomach. He gasped in pain, recoiled for a moment, and then staggered forwards; arms outstretched. With her free hand Eve moved to protect her neck, thinking he meant to strangle her, only for her his arms to drape around her shoulders instead in a sort of awkward hug.

"Sorry," he choked out through the blinding pain radiating from his gut wound, "had to get the gun off you. Thought you might hurt yourself."

"I thought you were trying to kill me," said Eve, voice filling with horror.

"I thought you were going to kill yourself. Again," said Evander, and then gave out this horrible, rasping chuckle. "What a pair of idiots we are. Couldn't read each other to save ourselves. Maybe…maybe it was for the best. Best we never knew each other."

"Don't say that," said Eve, voice shaking as she was on the verge of tears, "never say that." She wrenched the knife out of Evander's stomach, heedless of the blood that sprayed across her from the wound and threw the weapon aside. Then she wrapped her arms around Evander and sobbed into his shoulder. "I chose wrong, my son, you have a good heart. A good, human heart." The pair sunk to the ground, still holding each other, and huddled in the driving rain. Eve crying, Evander, still letting out that horrible laugh.

"I'm sorry," said Evander, "sorry you had to make that choice that all. But I'm glad I got to see you again, one last time." He stopped laughing and, in a moment, he was crying too, holding the mother he'd never known in life. "Sorry I hated you for making that choice."

"Oh, what fools Aidios makes of her children," whispered Eve, "hush my child," she held Evander tighter, "it'll be alright in the morning."

"No it won't," said Evander, "not for you. And not for me. But thanks for saying it all same. It's a lie, but a sweet one."

"What else can a mother do?" asked Eve, and now it was her turn to laugh. "The sun is almost up."

"Then you have leave. Again," said Evander.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," she replied. She reached over to grab Evander's chin, then tilted his head up to look into her eyes. "Be brave, son. For me." And he was, he held her gaze as the storm broke and the sun rose in the east. He held her gaze until she collapsed into a pile of ash and then, only once he was sure she was gone, he wept again. His tears striking the cobblestones of the Saint Arkh Street in his mind until the whole scene dissolved around him into a chaotic limbo.

Scene Break Here

When the world reformed around him, he was somewhere quite different. Some sort of martial arts dojo, though not one he'd ever been in before. There was a young boy standing across from him, a boy who looked different in some ways and similar in others. The hair colour was all wrong for example, and the facial features were noble and defined rather than sharp and painfully angular. But Evander could tell this was yet another relative he'd never met. The boy was wielding two swords like him, but his stance was different from Evander's, more like the dual-wield Vander Style than his own Devil's Whirlwind.

"Kurt?" tried Evander, remembering the name of his cousin from what Jusis had told him, "Kurt Vander?" His cousin didn't answer, just eyed him coldly, his features schooled into a resentful scowl. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you think?" snapped Kurt, "do you think I need any help to feel inferior? Like less of a Vander than I already do? I'm already nothing like Mueller, or Uncle Zechs, but then you turn up. Even with a curse in your veins you look more like a Vander than I do. You probably fight more like one too. How am I ever supposed to prove worthy of my name with you hanging around? The legendary Vander Vamp?"

"How is any of that my fault?" demanded Evander, "I never asked for this!"

"You tried to reclaim a name that was never yours to begin with," said Kurt. "What did you think would happen? That you could blow in out of the wind, claiming to be the son of some dead aunt I've never met, and I'd just welcome you with open arms? Our line has guarded the Imperial Family for generations. Did you think you'd ever be accepted?"

"If you truly believed that you wouldn't be jealous," said Evander.

"I'm not jealous," protested Kurt. "I'm just trying to protect my family."

"With what? Your swords, or your oversized inferiority complex?" asked Evander, "I wasn't trying to replace you, Kurt. Even if I could, I never would. I accepted a long time ago that my human family was lost to me."

"Then why reach out at all?" demanded Kurt, "why dredge up the past?"

"I don't know. I sort of felt obligated to. My classmate, Jusis Albarea felt he owed me something and letting him contact you would clear his debt. I went along with it so he'd feel better. I was never expecting anything to come of it."

"So, you just thought you'd throw our family into chaos on a whim?" said Kurt, "I see. How did you think the news would play out? How did you think my father would take it? Hey there, your sister was killed by a vampire and her son is some sort of blood-drinking crossbreed! When do you want to meet him?"

"That's not what the letter said. You're being ridiculous."

"No, you're being ridiculous. To think you could ever be counted amongst one of the greatest families in Erebonia without proving yourself first."

"Sheesh, I hope the real Kurt is nicer than you, because the version my mind has conjured up is a real ass," complained Evander. "I suppose you want to fight?"

"No," said Kurt coldly, his voice radiating determination, "I want to win. Draw your swords, Evander, let's see if the Devil's Whirlwind can compare to the style practiced by the great knight Roland Vander. Prepare to face the might of the Vander Style!"

"Declined," said Evander, and laughed.

"What's so funny?" demanded Kurt.

"Sorry, inside joke. Anyway, declined."

"You can't decline!"

"I believe I just did. So, either you'll have to attack me while I'm unarmed or give this whole silly idea up."

"What's so silly about it? I'm going to prove_"

"Nothing. You'll prove nothing. Because you have nothing to prove to me, cousin. You're more Vander than I am, and you always will be. The only one you need to prove something to is yourself. And that won't be done at the point of a sword. Mine or yours."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That I don't think you're inferior, or less of a Vander than me or anyone else. And if you think that, about yourself, there's nothing some misguided duel will do about it. Whatever the outcome you'll still have to go home and face yourself in the mirror afterwards. Would beating me change the first thought that goes through your mind whenever you see your reflection?"

"No," admitted Kurt. "But then what would? I thought this would be easier."

"The worthwhile things never are," said Evander, "listen, I can't help you get your pride and confidence sorted out. My own head is a deranged mess in itself. But you'll find someone who can, a friend, a mentor, maybe even a perfect stranger. I was alone for the longest time too, and bitter about it as well. But I'm starting to realise that it doesn't have to be that way. You don't have to accept me as your cousin, and even if you do, it won't change things. But I won't fight you, Kurt. Because that's not what you need. You need someone to believe in you."

"And that's you?" asked Kurt, arching an incredulous eyebrow, "you don't even know me."

"You're right. I don't know you. But I'd like to think I will someday. Because I will meet you in the real world, sooner or later. And when that day comes, I won't be a practitioner of the Devil's Whirlwind anymore. I'll finally take the chance to learn the dual wield Vander style like I've always wanted."

"From me?"

"Why not? Who would be better?" Evander stuck his hand out for Kurt to shake, "do we have a deal?" Kurt stared at it for the longest moment, like it was a venomous viper rather than an outstretched hand of friendship, but then eventually sheathed his swords and shook Evander's hand.

"I'm sorry cousin, but you really are a strange one," he said.

"If I had a mira for every time I'd heard that I'd almost have won back all the winnings from the Heimdallr races," said Evander, laughing, "don't worry. I take it as a compliment." Kurt opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was going to say was lost in a whirlwind of colour and movement as the scene changed around them again. For a moment Evander and Kurt were linked amongst all that chaos, two cousins meeting for the first time, and then Kurt was gone, ripped away into limbo, and Evander was left alone to face the next battle.

Scene Break Here

The first thing Evander noticed when the world reshaped itself around him was the fresh air. It wasn't like Trista was exactly a modern metropolis, but even still the air was different way out in the country. It smelt almost exactly like the air around Half-Moon Ranch. Clean and earthy. But as he looked around, he saw he wasn't back Half-Moon Ranch, but another farm entirely. One that actually grew things. At once he felt an ache in his chest, a sense of loss for the life he could have had, and still would have wanted to have if things were different. Because he knew where he was now. Knew exactly who had owned this small farm in the Sutherland Province, only a short distance from the city of Saint Arkh. It was the land of his father, Victor Cantrell. The sun was shining over the fields on, a bright, clear, and beautiful day, and though his Arcus was nowhere to be seen, he felt completely at ease even without its shielding effect. He was home. The place he should have lived had a vampire not interfered all those years ago.

"Let me be upfront," came a man's voice from behind him, "I reckon you know this already, but you aren't going to have to fight me. I never was a warrior. Maybe if I'd bothered learning how to fight, I could have protected your mother that night. But I only ever wanted to be a farmer, you understand? Swords and guns never interested me. I think we're the same in that way."

"Yes," said Evander, slowly turning around, "yes, dad, I do as well." When he saw his father, Evander was simultaneously disappointed and glad all at once. His father looked nothing like him, stout, and sunburnt and warm and full of life. His bright blue eyes held no trace of pain or fatigue, and his smile was true and pure, not the bitter imitation Evander so often wore. Evander hated that he was so different from his father, but was pleased at the same time that his curse hadn't tainted his mental image of the man. That in spite of it all, he could get a clear look at the man who had spent his life working the land with his own hands. A man who had never held a sword or struck a blow in anger. A man Evander could have grown up to love and admire.

"I'm glad you don't hate me for failing to protect her," said Victor Cantrell, "I hate myself enough for that, for the both of us. But fighting just wasn't in my blood. I tried to reason with the vampire who came for us. Begged her to leave us alone. But she just laughed. You'll meet her soon Evander, and you must not trust her. You must remember who your real family is. Me, your mother. The Vanders and the Half-Moon Clan. You have so many people who care for you Evander, so many. Don't be drawn in her by her lies. You don't need her; you've never needed her."

"Are you asking me to kill her when I see her? Avenge you?" asked Evander, "because I can't_"

"No!" said Victor hurriedly, "I never advocated violence while I was alive and I'm not about to start now. I just want to make sure you know not to listen to her. She would see your humanity as a weakness. One you could be trained out of. It's good that you always keep your word Evander, a man is only as good as his word. I couldn't be prouder that you've sworn off blood, and I'd hate for her to jeopardize that. You'll never be a vampire, Evander, but don't listen to the people who say you'll never be human. You are human. You have a human mother and a human father. Who both would have loved you very much if they'd been given the chance. I wouldn't ask you to kill a fly, let alone a vampire. But there is one thing you could do for me, son."

"What's that dad? If it's in my power, I'll do it," said Evander.

"It's not about power, Evander," said Victor, chuckling, "I just want to spend some time with my son. No, trials, no tests, no battles, or arguments. Just a father and son, working the land that's been in their family for generations. Can we do that son?"

"I'd like nothing more, dad," said Evander, his voice cracking slightly at the end. "Nothing more than that in the world."

"Come on then," said Victor, offering him his hand, "help your old man out." Evander took his father's hand, thought about shaking it for a moment but then changed his mind and pulled him in for a hug instead. He hugged his father so tight he was almost afraid he'd just the poor man's ribs, but he was afraid to let go. "Oof! That's a strong grip there my boy, you'd have made a fine farmer. I just wish…"

"I know, dad, I know. It's my mother's path I'll have to follow in the end. The world needs more warriors."

"It needs farmers as well as fighters, Evander, but you're right. It's your swords you'll need in days to come. I just pray you'll be able to put them down one day. But until then, let's live the life you could have had. Until the sun sets."

"Until the sun sets," agreed Evander, finally letting his father go. And that's just what he did as the sun crawled across the Sutherland sky. He lived as a farmer, just for one day. And sometimes, one good day can be enough to heal someone of a great many hurts. Evander worked the land like any other farming man, and even though it was only in his mind, he couldn't have been happier. He worked until the sun set, and then he woke up.

Scene Break Here

"Evander! Evander!"

"Huh?" Evander groggily opened his eyes to see Sara kneeling over him, trying to shake him awake. "What's up teach?"

"What's up teach!?" snapped Sara, "I'll tell you what's up, what the hell were you thinking? Coming to this meeting alone! They could have killed you!"

"Are they still here!?" demanded Evander, sitting upright, and looking around.

"No," said Sara, "the place was abandoned by the time I got here. You were just lying here with that, carved into your arm."

"What?" Evander looked down at his right arm and saw two names etched onto his skin, Cantrell-Vander. It was as though they'd been carved into his flesh with a knife, blood was still dripping from his arm, even though the words were already fading. "It worked! I've regained my family!"

"And lost your marbles doing it," said Sara angrily, "you're going to tell me everything that happened and then swear to never be so stupid again! I didn't spare your life just so you could throw it away, Evander. Are we clear?"

"Yep," said Evander, grinning, "now let me see, it all started when I sensed someone who wasn't there…"

"Hold on," said Sara, holding up a hand, "I can tell I'm going to need a drink for this one."

"My treat, Instructor," said Evander, climbing upright and dusting himself off, "it's the least I can do. I just had the best day of my life after all."