A few hours after our revelry, Zachary dozed on the couch, accompanied by Isyra coiled beside him. Iris, Shadowpaw, and I remained awake, reflecting on the events preceding Kaizer's abduction. I had just reached the part about our encounter with the Leviathan.
"A Leviathan, you say?" Shadowpaw, cigarette in hand, questioned. "What was it like?"
"He," I corrected, nonchalantly. "He talked to us. His name was Xoltor, and he had 7 heads, each with eyes of a different color, and one that was blind. He's the one who first told us about the prophecy, about how Kaizer was meant to break the Barrier and return the world to what it was before… when supernaturals lived in The Overworld."
Iris interjected, "Really? Supernaturals used to live… up there? I knew there was an Upper World, but… no one ever said anything about that at the Academy…"
Shadowpaw nodded, taking a hit from his cigarette. "Indeed. And it was the Elder Vampires' quest for blood that drove all other supernatural species underground. We came here by choice."
I pondered aloud, "What if… we're not supposed to bring Kaizer to Alessia?"
Furrowing her eyebrows, Iris asked, "What do you mean?"
Shrugging, I mused, "I don't know… if we take this 'prophecy' thing seriously, and the prophecy says that Kaizer is meant to break the ceiling of Sanguine…"
"Then you think that this impending apocalypse may be just part of his dear-old prophecy, and in the end, all of your efforts will amount to nothing, and it'll be the same outcome. Am I correct?"
Nodding, I lowered my eyes to the ground. "Yeah."
Standing up, Shadowpaw looked at us as he put his cigarette out on the rim of the liquor bottle. "If it was always meant to happen, then Alessia would have never even reached out to you to begin with. If she believed you wouldn't bring her Kaizer, she would've just started the apocalypse, wouldn't she?"
Iris and I exchanged glances.
She shrugged. "I mean, he does have a good point. It's up to us, Darcia — not fate. Alessia obviously isn't counting on us to fail; she's counting on us to succeed."
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just overthinking all of this."
"Happens to the best of us," Shadowpaw remarked, understandingly. He gathered the empty glasses and the now-vacant liquor bottle with a clattering of sound before returning, weariness in his eyes.
"If you'll excuse me, ladies, I will now be going to bed. There are two spare rooms, one bed each, if you decide to sleep. Make yourselves at home."
Iris and I expressed our gratitude with thankful eyes.
"Thank you, Shadowpaw. For all of this," Iris said.
Shadowpaw smirked. "No need to thank me. It isn't bad having a little company. It's a lonely desert, I tell ya."
I smiled. "Not anymore — at least for a month."
Shadowpaw genuinely smiled. "I'm beginning to see why Kaizer took a liking to you. You — all of you, really — you're not like most Vampires."
"Damn right we're not," Iris confirmed, smirking.
Shadowpaw chuckled, then turned around, walking to the main hallway leading to his bedroom. "Darcia — I'd like to hear about the rest of your adventure with Kaizer tomorrow morning. Goodnight, ladies."
"Sure thing! Night, Shadowpaw," I replied.
"Goonight," Iris said.
The room fell into a comfortable silence as Shadowpaw retreated to his bedroom. Iris and I exchanged glances, the weight of our impending mission lingering in the air.
Iris finally broke the silence. "I want to know the rest now."
I smiled, grateful for the camaraderie. I shared with Iris the story of Kaizer integrating into the Serpentine society, our failed attempts to reach the Underworld, and our search for Kaizer's friends, Roshan and Barry. I described our encounters in Tabitha Jungle, including dinosaurs and a Shaman, as well as the mansion the Serpentine built for Kaizer and the Twilight Commemoration Festival.
The tone shifted as I narrated the tragic night when Queen Hundred, seemingly out of nowhere, attacked and slaughtered the Serpentine. I admitted the remorse of not staying by Kaizer's side and the heart-wrenching moment when my Blood Bond with him was abruptly severed. The story continued with the struggle to return to normal life, concealing the trauma, until the breaking point when I reached out to Shadowpaw.
Iris listened, her eyes reflecting a mix of empathy and concern.
"Darcia… you've been through so much." Iris embraced me, and I reciprocated. "I wish I would have known all of that was happening… I was still at the Academy, blissfully ignorant. Not anymore. I'm right here — I'm here for you. And I always will be."
I melted into Iris's hug. My words emerged as a whisper through my mask. "I hope everything works out, Iris…"
Iris rubbed my back. "It'll all work out. I know it will."
We pulled away, sighing. Iris rubbed her eyes, yawning. "I'm so tired after all of those drinks… sheesh, Troll liquor is something else."
I chuckled. "Yeah, it definitely did the job. You going to bed?"
Iris stood up, stretching. "Yeah. This little Vampire needs her beauty sleep."
"Heheh, alright," I replied. "Good night, Iris."
Iris smiled warmly and did something unexpected. She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
"Good night, Darcia."
With that, she turned and silently walked down the same hallway Shadowpaw disappeared into, and I heard a door gently close.
That was… interesting, I thought.
I leaned against the couch, noticing Zachary and Isyra still sound asleep. Isyra had curled up to Zachary, her snake body rising and falling, her head resting on his lap. Zachary sat upright, neck craned upward, mouth wide open, drool spilling.
I smirked, stood up, and said, "Good night, Zach. Good night, Isyra." Taking a cue from Iris, I leaned down and gave both of them a small kiss on the forehead, then walked down the hallway.
I opened a door on the right wall, realizing it was the wrong room when I saw Iris, standing by her bed in nothing but her bra and panties. She looked stunning, and her physique was nothing short of sexy. She turned, we met eyes, and she smirked.
"Oh my— Sorry!" I yelped, closing the door. I could hear Iris's laughter behind the door.
"It's the one across!" She called out.
I looked behind me, and there was another door. I opened it, and luckily this time, it was empty. Nothing but a single bed and a bedside table stood. I laughed at my own stupidity, ran to the bed, and flopped down, not even bothering to undress. Almost instantly, I drifted off to sleep.
And I didn't have any weird dreams.