Celestia's POV:
The sun was slowly setting down above us. Theo and I were now in the grasslands, which were close to the barrier. We were ready to go through the next stage of our mission.
My friends left this place a few hours ago. I was still traumatized that the people whom I loved the most tried to separate Theo and me. They are not my friends anymore.
Now I understand why Theo was frowning at my friends when he saw them in the hut. Theo can read people's minds without any physical contact.
Even after Theo knew about their true intentions, he didn't want to bad-mouth them to me. He knew that I loved them, so he didn't confront them either. The admiration I had for Theo increased even more today.
The grasslands were brightened entirely when the moonlight hit the ground. Soon four Vampire warriors arrived here through a portal.
I was a little intimidated by the Vampire warriors. They were very pale, gorgeous, and scary at the same time. Three of them were male, and one was female. The male Vampires were wearing leather robes with tight sleeves.
But the female one was wearing a red gown with a corset that made her waist look very tiny. Her long brunette hair was tied up in a bun, and her lips were dark red. She kept on staring at me with her golden eyes.
" So you don't use any weapons for fighting?" I asked them just to put off the tension from the air.
The Vampire girl smirked and flashed her to my face. Her fingers were long and ordinary at first. But soon, her nails started to grow, and the tips of her nails became dagger-sharp. Her hands were like the claws of a monster now.
I looked at her face in horror. She grinned at me, which showed off her fangs. " These are our weapons," she announced.
This is precisely why I was not too fond of the idea of Vampires accompanying us. They seem to be gorgeous, but they are dangerous! I wish that Theo had found a way to do this without Vampire's help.
After a while, she lowered her claw-like hand, and her face became normal. I wanted to ask them their names, but I think it is best to speak another word through the rest of our excursion.
I noticed that the portal through which they came through was still open. One of the male Vampires looked at Theo and said, " Follow our lead."
The Vampires were the first ones to get into the portal. Theo and I got in the doorway while we were holding hands. He didn't let go of my hand even after we were on the land.
This place was a bit more shadowy than the Vampland. Are we in the Shadow Realm already? I turned around to check out the area. There was just sand on the ground. They say that the soil is devoid of life in the realm of darkness. So that is true!
Suddenly there was a screeching noise coming from the sky. The sound was like a bat squeaking. But when I looked up, I was petrified.
The dark creatures had a head like a bat, and its body was of a horse. It had leathery black wings just like a bat had. Three of those creatures were flying in the sky.
" The Bat Griffins are here," the female Vampire shouted.
So these are the Bat Griffins! I have heard about them but never seen one in real life. They are the favorite pets of the Vampires. Bat Griffins only respond to the orders of the Vampires. They don't obey any other living entity. Now I understand why Theo needed the Vampire's help!
The bat griffins landed on the ground after a while. Now that they were on the ground level with us, I noticed that their eyes were a deep golden color. I hoped that these creatures would fly back in the sky soon.
I don't know how the Vampire girl noticed my tension, but she kept snickering at me. " We are going to ride on this now. Will you be able to do this?"
What?!!!! But why can't we go there through portals? At that moment, I heard Theo's voice in my head.
' My love, it is impossible for us to open a portal in the Shadow Realm. Only the entities that are purely associated with the darkness can be able to do it,' Theo whispered in my head.
But vampires are demonic creatures! Why can't they open a portal here?
'Vampires are keepers of this realm. Their oath binds them to not use the portals inside the Shadow realm unless it's a crisis. That's why they wander around here on Bat Griffins,' Theo explained again.
The Vampires were watching us uncomfortably when we had our telepathic conversation. Theo then held my hand and took me close to a Bat Griffin that was the color of Raven. He made me caress the bony face of the creature.
' It is a harmless creature, my love. And why would it hurt a beautiful girl like you?' Theo whispered.
I smiled weakly and looked at the creature. The Bat Griffin crouched on the ground, and Theo climbed me to climb upon it. This is not scary at all! It's just like riding a Pegasus, but this one had bat wings.
Theo hopped on the Bat Griffin, and he was seated right behind me. The creature began to flutter its wings. Theo wrapped one arm around my waist and whispered in my ear. " I have got you, Celestia. Just enjoy the ride."
His words gave me confidence. When Theo is by my side, I don't have to be scared of anything that comes my way. The Vampires, too, got on the Bat Griffins.
The Vampire girl and one of the male Vampires were on the brownish Brownish Griffin that was a little smaller. The two Alpha male Vampires got on the creature that was very large and dark bluish.
Soon the creatures began to rise in the air. I was very grateful that Theo was still holding me when we were flying in the sky.