Shadows moved above in the dark sky, big wings soaring through it, undisputed by the strong wind.

He smiled, looking sideways at his brethren. Two members of his clan would always escort him, no matter how much he insisted it was not necessary. His comrades would always struggle to fly at the same speed as him, yet they never learned their lesson.

Lochan looked down from the sky, a little sigh escaping him as he saw a familiar field. There was a village below, inhabited by vampires and humans. By seeing it, he decided to halt, his wings dashing up abruptly.

The other two vampires panted, finally catching up with their sire, who was flapping his wings to keep himself still in the air. He had moved a claw to his chin, to admire the capital of Nerys’ kingdom, right in front of him. The castle was close, at the top of a hill.

“Why don’t you wait in the inn until I’m done?”

Again, they gave him a worried look. A lord should not roam alone, for a clan was nothing without guidance. Their whole hierarchy and domain would crumble if anything happened to him.

“Sire, we would rather-“

He waved a claw at them, his brown wings seeming to twitch in annoyance.

“Just go and have a drink in the tavern! You know this clan would never slight ours!”

A long frustrated stare was all it took for them to surrender. They eventually bowed to signal their obedience, their wings flapping dejectedly.

Younglings worry far too much…

A smile grew on his face, seeing them soar down to the field below. They landed easily, and then began to walk towards a dimly lighted road, which headed straight for that village.

Alone, at last. Lochan turned slightly in the air, in order to face the castle in the distance. His wings batted down fiercely once more, to allow him to pierce the wind. He dashed through the sky, only taking a few minutes to cross the big fields, soon reaching the outer walls of her huge fortress.

He began to circle the main courtyard from above. As always, some guards spotted him, but they paid no mind to his presence. They had seen him many times before. Any other vampire foreign to their land would have been questioned, stopped, but he was welcomed. He had always given a hand to their lord.

His clan had helped them when most needed. He had been the one to teach Nerys all she knew, guiding her through her change. Though he was not always there, he did offer more aid than what she would have been given if things were any different. It was Alaric’s will that compelled him to watch over her, at first.

Vampire clans always kept their differences, honest alliances very rare. However, his watch was indeed caring, and his advice truthful. He kept an eye on her initial struggles, and soon, he did not need to worry for her survival. Once she surpassed her first weeks as a vampire, she showed her strength and might.

He would never admit it, but he found the young vampire interesting, a novelty. It would have been a shame if she had died. She could have perished where many others did: during the change, due to loss of control, or by human hands. Perhaps her strong bloodline had something to do with her survival, but he was sure her determination held the most merit.

It had been entertaining to see her try to deny the implications of her change, her past beliefs heavy in her mind. Sometimes, she still fell under that trivial grief. It was something he wanted her to forget already, for it was unbefitting of a warlord.

Lochan took a deep breath and glanced down, his eyes fixing on a small balcony on a tall wall. He would always land on it, because there were windows that led into the huge throne room. It was not a common entry, and he had been told to not announce himself in such ways, but he did not care for formality; she didn’t either.

He circled the terrace repeatedly, each time a little closer to its edge. Soon, he jumped onto the railing, huffing as he closed his wings in a quick dash. All who did not belong in his clan wondered how he could compress them so much against his back, almost hiding them under his robes, which had many long folds.

Like on many other occasions, he sneaked closer to the windows. He leaned and peeked, not letting himself be seen yet. What he saw did not surprise him, for it was a common sight. Nerys was sitting on her throne, brooding, holding a claw over her eyes. She seemed to be pondering deeply, something she stopped doing when he called.

“Suffering an existential crisis again?”

His voice would always call from the windows, and she had grown used to it. Far too many times she had seen him seated on the window sills, swaying his legs impishly, staring down at her with an amused expression. In return, she would give him the same annoyed greeting, time and time again.

“Again, you come into my domain uninvited, ignoring the gate you should cross.”

He just shrugged under her tired glare, never bothered by her sternness.

“Oh, Nerys, you can’t deny me entrance. Even if you could, we both know you wouldn’t.” He flapped his wings with a chuckle, his affection mischievous. “And let’s be honest, if you had evolved like me, you would follow my ways! Wings open up many paths, which not even your privileged bloodline will let you find.”

She rolled her eyes, while he swung and jumped into the throne room. Even though he boasted the merits of his bloodline loudly and pridefully, it was obvious he was slightly envious of her gift.

Nerys was not in the mood for his eccentric chatter today, but she knew there was no way of stopping him. He was always nosy, never missing a chance to eavesdrop into her doings. It took him little time to stride near her throne and lean against it, to look down at her with an eyebrow up, inquiring informally.

“So, I’ve heard you had to deal with some pesky rebels in an allied province. Knowing you, I had to come and see how you were doing. You always act all firm and hard-hearted out in the fields… but once all is said and done, you get very sentimental and conflicted about it.” He eyed her, slightly serious. “Once more, I was not wrong.”

Nerys only let out an exasperated sigh, thinking that if she did not acknowledge him, he would bore and fly away. He had a point, but she did not want to hear it. Sadly, Lochan could talk to himself, no words needed from others.

“I was expecting you to try to ignore your thirst again, as you tend to do after dealing with insurgents…” He leaned a little closer, his eyes narrowing, all ever attentive. “You’ve fed recently, however.”

Her skin looked less pale, no doubt about it. There was no way a lord like him would not recognize the symptoms of their hunger, which she did not show at the moment. If a vampire fed enough, they would look more alive.

If human blood was taken, it would flow in them and keep them sane for a whole month. Still, the hunger could return in a matter of days, and it was always hard to ignore. It was healthy to drink some every week.

He had to lean away when Nerys stood sharply from her throne, tired of him staring at her face. Her next words were said calmly, but he noted her bitterness in the echo that coursed through the chamber.

“Lochan, what I do should not be of your concern. I shall feed if I wish to, or when I must.”

“But of course…” He sat playfully on her throne, something that would infuriate any other lord, but not her. “Look, Nerys, I just want to make sure you don’t lose it. You can’t deny you still hold sentimentality towards humans, even if you have come to understand that we are superior and-“

“Our superiority is only physical.” She glared at him over her shoulder, her eyes glinting with sad anger. “We are not that different.”

“Very well, keep that belief. What I’m saying is that you are a valuable asset to our forces. You are the first vampire to overcome our worst weakness, fire. I just can’t let you ruin everything just for some pitiful romanticism!”

She finally turned to face him, her fangs showing as she demanded silence from him.

“Enough, Lochan. I get it, I do!” She pointed at herself, all ever tired. “I’ve fed, haven’t I? You have no reason to harass me, so let me be already!”

There was silence for a minute. A few members of her clan fidgeted outside, hearing her yell while they made guard by the door. Many were scared by her incensed surges, but not Lochan.

“You are far too melancholic today, more than normal.” His eyes narrowed, watchful and curious. “Something has happened.”

Nerys was taken aback by his sudden affirmation, which was solemn.

“N-nothing has happened.”

“It has.” He bounced off the throne, questioning while he circled her. “You get sad when you must act against humans, but you never show this much anger, not even when they kill our kind brutally. What happened with those rebels for you to be like this?”

The tall vampire took a few steps back, clenching her teeth as she tried to cover her haunted eyes with a claw. She truly tried to avert her gaze, but he still noted the sorrow in it, when she whispered grimly.

“I…” He blinked, because she finally let it out with a bitter snarl. “I found him.”

Lochan stared at her for a full minute. The silence that fell around them did not help her feel any better. It took him a while to speak again, and when he did, he whispered like if a horrible secret had been revealed.

“You mean, him? The one and only?”

She nodded, reluctantly. He had heard her lament many times, naming the one that had betrayed her, presumably. Only that human could invoke the anger she was displaying now, passionate in her hurt. She was usually gentle and kind, yet it was all gone now.

Lochan crossed his arms, analyzing the facts. She was melancholic, and she had fed. He gave her a look, asking when he came to a conclusion.

“You have killed him, right?”

He was taken aback when Nerys shook her head, a hint of doubt crossing her gaze.

“I haven’t. He is alive, locked away in the dungeons.”

Again, both lords seemed to ponder, debating the situation. Lochan was the first to speak, and Nerys could only feel impotence, unable to say anything.

“Why am I not surprised?” She growled, because he dared laugh. “You have always been so soft, Nerys… It truly worries me. You prefer to drink blood from a glass, never imposing your supremacy by feeding upon the subjects that roam near you. Your human populace barely has to pay any tribute, and enjoys almost as much freedom as your progeny! If you must deal with offenders, you rarely punish them with death! You rule far too carelessly!”

She glared him down, snarling. The anger was building up inside her again, and she hated it.

“Do not mock me, Lochan. My domain is stronger than yours at the moment. As well, I must remind you that you treat your humans with the same kindness as I.”

She could be ruthless and dangerous, but she actively chose not to be, not if she could avoid it. It had been a long time since she lost control of her emotions and instincts…

It seemed that Lochan finally tired of their conversation, which had been less amusing than he had expected. Nerys glared at him while he marched towards the window, ready to leave, but not without speaking up one last time.

“I may be more lenient than other vampires, but I still know to put humans in their place, when they deserve it. They should demonstrate devotion, Nerys.” He jumped onto the edge of a window, his wings dashing open as he whispered darkly. “It is something he lacked.”

Nerys stood there, watching as he took off. His figure soon hid into the dark sky, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She slowly looked down at her own claws, her heart all ever heavy.

Perhaps she did not kill Bastian, but she did bite him. She set the beast inside her free, letting it harm him. And part of her wished to keep on doing it, satisfied by it.

Even if Lochan was right, and her actions were justified, she was still hurting herself. She could not be any more torn, wishing she could retrieve her humanity.