After some time, the group found themselves riding along with a small merchant caravan. Three carriages followed each other, evenly spaced, one after the other. They were of simple make, primarily composed of wood, cloth and metal wheels. Two horse-like creatures pulled them. Instead of four legs, they had six in total.


    Al sat astride his six-legged horse, the animal''s rhythmic gait sending vibrations up his leg, as he pondered their form. Glancing to the side, he spotted the siblings, Joan sat atop her mount, guiding the creature with practised grace and skill. Behind her, Felix clung to his sister for dear life, eyes wide and knuckles white. Al chuckled at the sight, lifting the weight of his serious thoughts and adding a dash of humour.


    Bringing himself back, he had initially believed they were mutant horses. Instead, he came to the conclusion they were an established and common species. He had queried James about four-legged horses, only to get a booming laugh as a response. Four-legged horses did not exist and these Sleipnir''s were the common travel animal.


    Leaving that aside, he continued riding, taking in the scenery. They had been travelling along the northern highway for over a week now. The travel was dull, without a single bit of entertainment. Al briefly thought of flying but quickly stamped that down, he had to stop that train of thought several times.


    Looking around he took in his surroundings, trying desperately to find something of interest, the environment was a wide grassy field and to the left an expansive forest. Beneath Sleipnir''s feet was a simple dirt road, it led to a border fort named South Haven.


    According to history, the fort was held against a month-long siege by imperials. Falling once the emperor called upon the spirit of the earth and levelled the walls. The fort was rebuilt a few years later and the territory was annexed.


    Helgos became a vassal state, a fact that Joan eagerly shared, her eyes sparkling in excitement as she regaled him. Al couldn''t help but smile wryly, recalling how animated she was, her hands gesturing wildly as she recounted the battles. Her passion for history transformed dull facts into vivid tales he could imagine so clearly.


    Stuck in these musings, he glanced to the side and the sound of wood creaking before a loud thud. He frowned, trying to discern the origin, he saw the front-most carriage sunk into the ground, its front right wheel was bent and fell off the hinges. Halting his mount, the entire convoy followed suit and soon after they had stopped.


    Al had been informed they would make camp, due to the setting sun and the time it would take to fix the carriage. Nodding, he led the siblings to the side and set up his camp in a small clearing.


    “Felix, would you help me get some firewood?” Al asked the young man, who replied with a simple nod.


    As they approached the forest, Al turned back, offering a reassuring nod to Joan. Her brow furrowed, worry etched on her face as she watched them vanish out of sight. Once they were inside the shaded embrace of the trees, they began to gather sticks for a fire, their hands moving methodically. Halfway through their task, Al called out to his companion.


    “Felix.” He called.


    Stopping in his tracks, Felix turned to the voice, puzzled. “We should chat now that we are not in earshot of anyone else.”


    Before the conversation began, Al reached into the air and withdrew a small cooler, its edges shimmering in the light. He flipped open the lid and retrieved a blood bag, offering the feat to the young vampire. The moment Felix''s gaze caught sight of it, his eyes ignited with a fierce red glow, unmistakable hunger was reflected in his gaze.


    Al could see the anticipation and palpable tension descended between them, drawn by the promise of a bloody feast. The predatory gaze lingered before being replaced by utter repulsion. Noticing Felix’s hesitation, Al withdrew the blood, his brows furrowing in confusion.


    Beneath the boys'' feet, the grass wilted, as if all the nutrients were stripped from the lush greenery. The sight piqued his interest and he quickly made a mental note before speaking. “Are you aware you are killing the grass?” He asked.


    Felix was confused, his brow furrowed as he peered down at the patch of brownish grass spreading from his feet. “No, no dammit!” He yelled before hopping away as if on fire.


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    Al observed the humorous situation, noting his response. “I’m guessing this has occurred before?”


    Standing tall, he shrugged, and a hint of embarrassment flickered across his face. “It’s happened before, usually when I go without eating for a while.” He explained the phenomena, his head dipped lower as if ashamed.


    “Don’t lower your head, you are a unique entity and there is pride in that.” Smiling softly, his words lifted the boy''s spirit, only slightly. Despite the reassuring words, his head only ascended a fraction.


    “What does it matter if I am unique, does being unique make me any less of a monster?” His voice dripped with self-deprecation and loathing.


    Acting quickly, Al interjected. “Monster is a relative term, it''s based on character rather than nature, at least in my opinion.” He offered his honest opinion on the subject, hoping it would pull the little vampire out of his slump.


    Felix pondered those words, trying to wrap his head around the strange concept. The sound of chirping birds and the breeze made the atmosphere serene. Eventually, Felix regained the courage to speak. “But the empire, they label my kind as such. Monsters to be hunted down?”


    The concept of himself as a monster had been an ingrained ideal, no matter how his sister viewed him. He could not ignore how history portrayed his kind and the consensus of the citizens. The notion frightened him to no end, every night he would feel afraid. Fearful of not only his life but the life of his sister.


    She was innocent while he was cursed by birth, he always felt that curse would one day claim the last person to truly love him. The depressing thoughts swirled in his mind, becoming obvious to anyone at a glance.


    Al could read everything he was thinking and feeling just from his eyes. “The empire is merely one opinion in a vast sea of ideas, they are small no matter how grand they build themselves. up” He raised a finger to emphasise his point.


    “I have met beings similar to yourself.” He said as if ruminating on the past. “They were a bit rough around the edges but still quite civilised, and in no way would I call them monsters.“ Al explained the facts as he saw them.


    He raised his gaze and what he saw was something he had never seen before, save for his sister. He had always believed that she would be the only one to see him as a person, not as a thing. The thoughts governed his mind for many years and now he could finally see that he was wrong, his character was being assessed rather than his nature.


    He smiled, it was genuine and managed to drive away many of the doubts he had. Instead of indulging this feeling, his mind turned to questions. “You have met others like me?” he queried with great interest, eager to learn as much as possible. The drive and passion of a scholar burned brightly in his eyes.


    Al nodded. “Indeed, although they are somewhat different to yourself, perhaps they are cousin species.” Ruminating on his memories of meeting the night court of vampires.


    Memories came flooding back of pale-faced men and women, glaring at him like he was a meal. A slight shiver ran up his spine, no matter how powerful he had become. Some of those vampires could easily crush him like a bug.


    “They were called Vampires, similar to you they fed on blood and were practically immortal.” He explained. “Unlike you, who can withstand and perhaps even thrive in sunlight. They burnt to a crisp, of course, the elders could resist, but most hadn''t been seen in generations.” Piling on the information, he paused.


    He did not speak for a time, his gaze furrowing in thought. “I have never heard of Vampires before, they do indeed sound similar to me. But to burn in sunlight, what a horrid fate, they must be cursed by the spirits.” Feeling sympathetic, Felix spoke his true feelings on the subject.


    Al nodded, enjoying this conversation without political or religious views. “I don’t know if the spirits had a hand in that. They reside in my homeland far from the spirits dominion.” Mentioning Matesh caused his eye to twitch, he stamped down the impulse.


    “Your homeland what’s it like? Perhaps we can visit it someday.” He asked, not understanding the distance involved.


    The sight made him happy, but only for a moment. “Perhaps one day, but I need to find what I am looking for to return.” As if by the flow of conversation, Al revealed more than he had intended, regretting the leak in information, he chastised himself.


    Despite that, Felix paid it no mind, he became a bright and effervescent light bulb of wonder and joy. “You will return I am sure of it, we can help you.” The joyful glint in his eyes touched Al''s heart, it was the sincere wish of someone so young.


    “Thank you, Felix.” Releasing the dormant gratitude, he smiled wryly at the strange boy he only just met.


    Al suddenly remembered something. “We should hurry up; the camp will be cold without us.” This spurned the two on and they continued picking up sticks for the campfire.


    Turning his back to Felix, Al bent down, inspecting a medium-sized stick. Suddenly the clattering of a bundle fell to the ground, alerting the wizard. Rising to his full height he noticed a nocked arrow aimed at his head, a man in leather armour, concealed by a cowl, aimed the weapon with deadly intent.


    Despite death appearing before him, Al turned around to check on Felix. Instead of the free and joyful boy, he saw fear in his eyes. Drawn close to his neck was a silver blade, he could tell by the way it seared the skin on Felix''s neck. Grasping the weapon was another cowled figure glaring at Al with clear intent.


    The silver blade was something that existed in earth mythology, the vampires of Matesh had no such weaknesses. he wondered if Felix''s vampire type had a connection to earth mythology, but that world was devoid of magic, but was it always so?


    He shook off these thoughts, now was not the time to ponder the historical existence of magic on earth, no matter how interesting it was.


    With the hostage situation at hand, only a single thought came to mind. “How did I not detect them?”