Despite having unloaded their weapons and arms at the castle, the load on the cart was no lighter than it had been when they left Idlesworth. As such, the mules that pulled the cart didn’t move at a faster pace, so they still had a few days’ worths of travel before they arrived home--and Tyrius imagined the ride back would be as peaceful as their ride to Dufast.

“So, what did you think of Dufast? At Least how it is now. Last time you were there, we were both young.” Tyrius asked, his attention shifted to the side as he glanced at his sister.

Leanna’s attention shifted back before a small laugh escaped her lips. “Mmmm, I thought it was rather interesting. The market was certainly interesting--I don’t think I’ve seen so many items for sale.” Leanna commented as she leaned back against the wooden seat of the cart. Her attention shifted upwards at the blue sky, watching the few clouds drift to the side.

“You’re not wrong. If I didn’t pace myself, we wouldn’t be bringing back any money to Idlesworth. There is so much interesting stuff there--though I’ve heard the ones up north, where there is more trade, are much larger. I can hardly imagine what they’re like.” Tyrius mused softly, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he looked down the road.

Leanna nodded her head in agreement as Tyrius spoke. “Honestly, I don’t know how I’d deal with a place with even more shops and people. I’d probably get lost in a crowd of people. Honestly, I don’t think I could handle a place much more crowded than the Dufast market.”

“I suppose that makes. Back home, we only have large crowds when there is something kind of gathering. I think more people in the Dufast market than half of the town--and that’s on the lighter side. I bet on a busy day there’d be more people than the entire village.”

“Now, I bet you’d get lost too! It’s not like we’ll be all that often unless the local lord gives you another commission.”

“That’s true, though I hope I don’t get one. I don’t like leaving the village. I grew up in Idlesworth, and I’ll happily work there till the day I die. It’s my home in the end. It’s where Mom, Dad, and you grew up. I couldn’t imagine living in another place.” Tyrius said with a small sigh, his lips curled in a small smile as he recalled those memories.

“I don’t want to leave either. I think it’d be hard getting used to living somewhere else. I suppose I’m boring--I just want to live with my family and neighbors.”

With that, their conversation died down. Both Leanna and Tyrius were stuck in the memories as they remembered the past with the parents. Of course, they didn’t neglect their duties, however. Tyrius kept watch on the road, and Leanna continued to do her occasional sweeps of the surrounding area through her wind magic.

The next few days were uneventful, however. Leanna and Tyrius made their way forward, resting in various clearings during the night, where the pair rested, sleeping for a few hours, and kept watch on their surroundings if something appeared before heading off and continued their journey when daybreak arrived.

For the most part, during their trip to and from Idlesworth to Dufast and back, the weather had been rather pleasing. Warm rays of light, gentle winds, and cool evenings complemented their uneventful journey. Though as they arrived closer to Dufast, the weather had begun to turn. In the distance over the horizon, Tyrius and Leanna both saw dark clouds, as well as flashes of thunder arcing down in the distance. While the sky overhead was clear for the time being, in a few hours, they’d be caught in the storm.

Looking to the side, Tyrius glanced at his sister. They had made good time on their return trip and were only a few hours out from Idlesworth. Typically, it was about when Tyrius would find a palace, and they’d camp for the evening, but with the storm, looming Tyrius wondered if it was a good idea to push onwards through the night and attempt the make it home before the storm started.

“Leanna, what do you think? The storm seems rather bad, but it is a ways off. Do you think we should push on through the night to get home? I'd say we’re about two hours out from home, so we’ll probably get there right as the storm hits us in full. Or we could camp out--though I’m worried that the tents may get blown off by the winds.”

Leanna paused, her attention shifted away from their surroundings and up at the dark clouds looming in the distance. For a few moments, she thoughts before nodding. “I think...it may be best to get home quickly since if the storm is as bad as it looks, the tents might not hold up.”

Tyrius nodded before focusing his attention forward. “I agree. I hope we’ll get home before the storm kicks, but being a little wet won’t be too bad.” Tyrius stated before snapping the reins, signaling for the mules to start moving a little faster.

For the next few hours, the pair watched the sky darken as the sun started to set, and the dark clouds loomed ever closer. It wasn’t long before the dark clouds loomed overhead--and darkness ensued the pair. Of course, they weren’t without a light. Tyrius worked up a torch, igniting it with his flint gloves--while his sister used her wind magic to steer any water droplets away from the torch, giving them some form of light.

She didn’t have enough control to cover the entire cart. However, when the rain started to fall, all she could do was keep their light lit.

As their clothes became drench from the rain that started to pour down, Tyrius grumbled to himself as the cloth began to stick to his skin, and he felt weighed down. Leanna kept her discomfort to herself.

They were still a ways away from the village, probably about a half-hour left when the rain started to pour down. In response, Tyrius spurred the mules forward--which they obliged. It seems the pack animals didn’t like being caught in a downpour either.

As the rain started to pick up, the wind began to pick up as well. It howled, and in response, the trees buckled and groaned from the airflow’s stress, but thankfully, nothing gave way except for a few weak branches.

While Tyrius focused on guiding the mules forward, Leanna continued her watch duties. Since Leanna concentrated on maintaining their light during the storm by forcing the wind around the torch to blow the rain away, she could not extend her senses outward to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Despite her handicaps, Leanna did sense something. Leanna focused her attention on the thing--it hard to get an accurate read on what it was due to the storm, but after a few moments, she realized it was humanoid in shape--but there was something strange, something odd about it.

As Leanna was focusing her attention, Tyrius spoke in an annoyed voice. “Blast this weather. We’ll be lucky if a tree hasn’t fallen blocking our path.”

Tyrius didn’t bother keeping his voice quiet--they were in the middle of a storm with howling winds, and he didn’t know there was something out there.

Though whatever the creature was, it heard the voice, its body moving, perking upwards, before darting forward in a haphazard run, even falling over as it ran through bushes.

Leanna cursed their lucks and dropped her focus.

“Tyrius, something is coming.” Leanna breathed out, reaching downwards to a dagger she carried on her person.

Instantly Tyrius cursed under his breath. What in the world would be crazy enough to come after them in this weather? It wasn’t an animal, that was for sure, and even bandits would take shelter in such a storm.

“Maybe we should’ve made camp.” Tyrius joked dryly as he reached down, placing one hand on the pommel of his sword. He wouldn’t be able to do his magic in this weather--it’d be impossible for him to get off a spark to ignite his flames.

Leanna and Tyrius saw it a moment before it lept out from the treeline. The first thing they saw was a pair of glowing red eyes, which seemed to have a spark of madness and hunger within them. As it leaped forward, lightning crackled in the distance, revealing an emancipated humanoid figure.

The beings cheek were caved in; through its ragged clothes, its ribcage was visible pressing against its emancipated form, showing that they had not likely eaten for quite some time. Frankly, for the split-second Tyrius saw the creature as it leaped through the air, he was surprised that whoever this person could still move--and jump in such a manner while in that state.

One thing was clear to Tyrius, whatever this creature was, it was not normal. Before Tyrius could draw his black blade, it had already sailed over--missing Tyrius and crashing into his sister, causing both of them to fly off the cart into the muddy ground below. The torch Leanna had been holding flew off to the side, being put out by the torrent of rain that flowed down from the heavens.

Tyrius howled as he jumped up from the cart, his sword drawn in one hand, and leaped down after the pair.

The creature pinned Leanna to the ground, its head hunched over Leanna’s neck as she screamed out in pain. Tyrius did the first thing that came to mind: Swing with his sword.

The black blade bit into the creature's side, and it howled in pain, blood spurting off from its hips, covering Leanna in the red substance as it lept upwards and to the side.

It turned to face Tyrius, and once again, the lightning cracked, allowing Tyrius to see the creature. Red blood dripped down from its lips before being washed away from the rain coming down from the heavens. The creature hissed in annoyance, baring its fangs to Tyrius--confirming what Tyrius suspected. It was a vampire.

Once again, Tyrius caused their luck, but before he could make the first move, the vampire leaped forward, swiping at Tyrius in an animalistic fashion. While the action it was making was obvious--Tyrius just barely managed to jump to the side, dodging the blow. Of course, as he jumped to the side, Tyrius swung his sword, the black blade slamming into the creature’s arm, leaving a severe gash straight to the bone.

“Need more blood…!” The vampire hissed out before leaping forward once again. At this point, Tyrius realized that the vampire was starving--and that he was acting more on instinct than anything else. Of course--Tyiurs didn’t care. It was a monster that attacked his sister, and it needed to die so he could save his sister and his own life. Instead of jumping out of the way, this time Tyrius charged forward, shoving his sword forward--stabbing the vampire through the stomach. The vampire howled in pain, its hands quickly grasping the black blade--but Tyrius wasn’t finished yet. He yanked the sword upwards, the blade sliding upwards, increasing the hole that had been cut into the vampire’s stomach--causing it to once more howl in pain before collapsing--dead.

For a moment, Tyrius breathed heavily before his attention turned to the side, releasing his sword and running to Leanna’s side. It only took a moment to observe Leanna’s wounds--the place where Leanna’s neck and shoulder met, where the vampire had been bitten, had been torn free. It seemed when Tyrius stabbed the vampire, and the creature leaped away, it didn’t loosen its jaw, instead of tearing a portion of Leanna’s flesh from her neck.

Once again, Tyrius cursed before reaching into the small sack tied to his side. Tyrius pulled out one of the crystals he purchased from Lady Lera and raised it over Leanna before cracking it.

There was a white flash as the healing magic that had been imbued into the item flowed downwards into Leanna, the flushed reforming part of the way, before sputtering out. Tyrius cursed before taking out a second one and cracking it as well. Breaking the second stone finished the job, causing the rest of the flesh to form but leaving it red and raw. Tyrius was no healer, but he could tell that his sister was alive, signaled by her chest rising and falling.

Of course, Tyrius was still worried--while she was fine now, that didn’t mean it would be forever. Those stones that he had bought were only meant to heal minor wounds--the one Leanna had was certainly not minor. A portion of her body had been ripped out. At least she wouldn’t bleed to death, though that was of little consolation to Tyrius.

Reaching downwards, Tyrius lifted Leanna carefully to make sure he didn’t cause any more damage when lightning cracked once more in the sky directly above, blinding Tyrius for a moment. There, there was a loud thud and a crush, as well as the scent of burning tinder.

When Tyrius came to his senses and glanced around--a tree had been struck by lightning and sent it toppling over and down into the cart. In the distance, he could see the mules running off in a panic, the beasts free from the cart as the tree freed their reins from their connection.

“Nine hells…” Tyrius cursed out loud as he began to walk, only stopping for a moment to extract his weapon from the dead vampire and sheath it. He’d have to walk--and Tyrius hoped that there were only one another one of those creatures lurking around.

So Tyrius started to walk, carrying his sister in both arms, quickly making his way towards the village in the downpour.

Despite Tyrius’ worries, there was not another vampire attack on his hurried return to the village--the guard Estin quickly opened the gate when he arrived.

Once inside the village, Tyrius made his way to the church--and he burst in through the doors as he arrived.

“Lera! I need your help!” Tyrius shouted as he burst in through the doors, his voice echoing through the halls of the church. After a few moments, the sound of a door opening echoed, and Lera--who was currently in a teal nightgown appeared.

“Tyrius? What’s--” her voice cutting off as she noticed Leanna’s still blood-soaked attire.

“Come, this way quick, lay her down here,” Lera said as she waved Tyrius over, a hardened look spread across her face.

As Tyrius arrived, he laid her down on a bench before being pushed aside by Lera, who began to examine Leanna.

“What happened?” She asked as she did her exanimation.

“We were attacked--attacked by some kind of…” Tyrius paused for a moment as he considered his words. Tyrius didn’t know that much about vampires--but he knew enough that speaking the truth might cause some panic to his fellow villagers. “...beast. It bit her and tore out a chunk of skin--on her neck when I stabbed it. I used the crystals I purchased to try and heal her. While it regrew the skin, I know that those minor stones are only meant for minor wounds…”

A small sigh escaped Tyrius’ lips as he sat on the bench. A light glow emanated from Lera as she went to work. “You were wise to bring her to me, the crystal, while it regrew the skin, only stopped her external bleeding. The clavicle is fractured, and there is internal bleeding. If you didn’t bring her to me, she might not have made it through the night.” Lera stated as she went to work, healing and righting Leanna’s wounds.

Fixing bones and mending internal wounds seemed like a lot of work, as Lera worked in silence for nearly two hours before stopping.

In the meantime, Tyrius sat there, thinking over the night, gentle shivers coursing through his body. He could feel the fear rising within his body--his only concerns of his sister’s well-being and why there were starving vampires this far away from Sanguinium. It wasn’t right--he had to admit there was something strange about it, but he wasn’t worldly enough to have any accurate conclusions. Of course, the other thing Tyrius couldn’t help but think about was how he had killed someone--of course, the vampire was starved and deranged, but he was a person once, wasn’t it?

Tyrius was roused from his thoughts when Lera spoke up. “I managed to repair the bone and stop the bleeding--she should be fine for now, but she’ll need a lot of bed rest. There is only so much magic can do. I’ll let her have the spare bed here so I can keep an eye on her. Tyrius, you should go home and get some rest yourself. You look terrible.”

Tyrius let out a small sigh, bobbing his head in understanding--his staying here and worrying for Leanna wasn’t going to help his sister. “You’re right...please let me know if anything changes,” Tyrius stated as he pushed himself upwards and began to drag himself back home.

Before he knew it, Tyrius was back home, undressed out of his soaked clothes and in bed. Despite his mind being filled with frightful thoughts, it only took a few moments for Tyrius to fall asleep.

Lera sat there looking over her patient, her teal-hued hair hanging awkwardly as she looked down. She had several questions--the first thing, she’d seen many wild beast bites in her day--and from what she could tell about Leanna’s wound, that it was nothing like what she saw.

Secondly, perhaps the thing that worried her the most was when she worked on healing Leanna directly. Through the blessing of Idris, she could heal and even sense the health of her patient and their wounds. Through that connection, she could use her magic to heal the wounds and repair the damage done more efficiently than if she did not have Idris’ blessing. When she imbued Leanna with her magic to heal her wounds, it felt like it was consuming her mana as she let it flow into Leanna. It wasn’t strong enough to impede her abilities or stop Leanna from recovering through the use of magic.

After checking to make sure Leanna was stable for the time being, Lera rose and walked off, entering her bedroom once more. Inside, there were many books--and they weren’t just books on religion and the words of Idris. There were also books about other topics--mainly about healing and healing using magic. Despite her connection to Idris, Lera still needed to understand the healing process to will her magic to do as she wished--her relationship simply made it easier to do so.

Lera’s ocean blue eyes scanned the books. There were many books here that she hadn’t opened in years, as she learned the most valuable knowledge from these books already. Still, Lera recalled that one of these books mentioned the odd phenomenon she experienced while healing Leanna.

Letting out a small sigh, she began to work, grasping books, taking them down, and flipping through the pages, hoping something would jog her memories and lead her to the answer she sought.

Of course, she didn’t forget about her patient. Lera made sure to check on Leanna in between her searching.

After several hours of searching--the sun had risen high into the sky, but Lera found what she was looking for. It was an old book--older than most she had in her library.

Magical Healing on Magical Creatures went into details on what was known about using healing magic on less than mundane creatures. A large portion of the book detailed the healing of dragons--as this valuable knowledge was used in Draconia, where Dragons are somewhat common. Though, that was not what Lera was looking for.

Near the back of the book, a section was labeled: Author's Notes, and he detailed strange things that didn’t have an exact place within the text.

“During my time traveling across the land, I had no issues healing whoever--and whatever needed healing. Within the city of Icemount, atop the Favrian Mountains within the Empire of Nimastar, I came across an individual in dire need of aid. He’d been caught in a small landslide caused by the inclimate weather. Of course, I instantly went to work digging the man out and dragging him off the side--he was lucky to be alive. When I began to work on mending his bones, I noticed something odd. When I focused my magic and sent it through his body, healing his broken bones, there was something there that almost inhibited my magic. As I focused my mana and willed it out of mine and into his body, there was something that took a portion--like a tax of some sort. It wasn’t strong enough to stop my healing, but rather, it was enough to weaken. I had encountered this a few times before--but I never got the chance to figure out why. This time, I vowed to figure out why this was happening. After I had finished healing the man, I propped him up to a tree and made sure he was alright. Before I asked him if something different--something unique about him-- we began to converse about idle things. The man seemed to ponder my question for a few moments before informing me that he was, in fact, a vampire. Of course, I was shocked by this revelation--but that had to be the reason, but I never had the chance to confirm my theory before I finished my book. Hence why I’m leaving this in the author’s notes--as speculation.”

As Lera finished reading the section, she leaned back. Her eyes narrowed in worry. She recalled her conversation with Tyrius--and recalled how he paused when explaining what attacked them. She understood his concerns--not a lot was known about vampires to less educated folk--but Lera was a bit different. She was learned. Though the formation of Sanguinium did help disprove many of the old myths about vampires--such as vampirism spreading through being bitten. In reality, vampirism spread by sharing a vampire’s blood, but the blood needed to get its way into the system of a non-vampire.

That was when Lera shot up and quickly made her way out of her office and to the side. After Tyrius had left, she’d gone and changed Leanna out of her bloodied clothes and into a simple gown. With her connection to Idris, there was some Lera could test. When she arrived where she had deposited Leanna’s clothes, she was confused about her magic and sent out several tendrils of Mana to investigate the blood that covered Leanna’s clothes. It only took her a moment to learn that the blood was not Leanna’s--or Tyrius. It had to have been their attackers.

After checking on Leanna once more, Lera left the church, shutting the door and locking it tight, before making her way to Tyrius’. She needed to confirm whether it was a vampire or not that attacked Leanna--if so, they needed to leave before it was discovered.

Vampires, by decree of the local lord, were to be hunted down and killed. This was a common ruling through the empire, and the hunting of vampires had simply become more prominent since the formation of Sanguinium. However, the followers of Idris had no ill-will to vampires. More than a few vampires followed the gods, though they all resided with Sanguinium now. For the most part, vampires were no different from an average person, save for the fact that they needed to feed off of blood and had extended lifetimes, and as such, there was no sanction from the Church of Idris against their kind. Not even the church of Silses, which despises anything that breaks the cycle of souls, and the pickiest of the churches, has no issues with vampires since, according to them, even vampires will expire naturally, at some point. Whatever caused vampirism did not make them truly immortals, such as with liches and other such abominations.

Deep in thought, Lera arrived at Tyrius’ door before she even realized it, and by now, it was a little past midday. Raising her hand, she knocked on the door before calling out. “Tyrius, It’s me, Lera. Let me in. We need to talk.”

By now, word of Leanna’s wounds would’ve spread throughout the village--so Lera did not care to be subtle.

When Lady Lera banged on the door and shouted for Tyrius, the blacksmith had been in a deep slumber, but it only took a few moments for Lera’s shouting to rouse him from his sleep.

“What...the?” Tyrius groaned out in grogginess as he stirred--before pausing when he heard the woman’s voice. The first thing that came to mind was that something had happened.

Tyrius rolled out of bed and hurried over to the door, wrenching it open. “Did something happen?” Tyrius exclaimed as he saw Lady Lera--who seemed more exhausted than he did last night.

Without even saying a word, she forced her way inside, pushing past Tyrius. “Shut the door,” she stated in a somewhat exhausted tone--which Tyrius did a moment later.

Once the door was shut, she focused her attention on Tyrius, giving him a stern look.

“Tyrius--be honest with me. What attacked you and your sister last night?”

Tyrius’ eyes went wide as that was brought up--and quickly, he averted his gaze. “It...it was some kind of beast.”

The priestess scoffed softly at the blatant lie. “Be honest with me--I can’t help unless I can confirm it. Was a vampire that attacked you last night?” As she spoke, her voice went low, almost to a whisper.

In response, Tyrius’ gaze shifted back towards her--before nodding.

“How...did you know?”

“I could tell that the wound your sister was inflicted with was not one from a beast when I worked at healing it...but that wasn’t the reason. Vampirism interferes with healing magic, to a small degree.”

Tyrius eyes went wide at that notion--did that mean Leanna was infected?

“No, no, no...Leanna can’t be--Vampirism doesn’t transfer through bites, right…!” As he spoke, Tyrius strained to keep his voice low.

“Do...you know how vampirism is transferred?”

Tyrius paused for a moment before shaking his head. That wasn’t something he had learned.

“It...transfers through blood, typically. Whether through ingestion or through getting it inside the body somehow. You told me that you stabbed the beast while it attacked your sister--it coated her in blood, right? Some of that blood must have gotten into your sister’s wound. While it is only light, in time, she will become a vampire.”

Tyrius had no reason to disbelieve Lera--and she had no reason to lie to him either. Letting out a small sigh Tyrius collapsed into a nearby chair. “W...what are we going to do? If what you say is true, she’ll be hunted down and killed--just because she was attacked…”

Lera let out her sigh before shaking her head. “You have to leave--you can’t stay here. That’s for certain--right now, your sister will not be safe within the empire.”

“Then...where do we go? I’ve lived here all my life.”

“Your sister needs to go to Sanguinium--it’s the only place where she can live a normal life.”

Sanguinium--the Vampiric Kingdom laid far to the northeast of where they were now. He’d heard quite a few things about it, conflicting tales. Some said that non-vampires were kept as slaves there--but others said it was just like an ordinary kingdom. Frankly, Tyrius didn’t know what to believe. Though, Tyrius knew one thing for sure. Lera was right--if what she said was true, Leanna couldn’t stay here.

“I...you’re right. But, Lera...why are you doing this?”

A small smile spread across her lips at that notion. “Tyrius, I’ve seen you and your sister grow up over the years--you’re good people, and not all vampires are mindless beasts. By the will of Idris, I’m to help all those who need it and do not befoul the world--including vampires. From what I’ve heard from my fellow, vampires are no different than ordinary people..”

A small sigh escaped Tyrius once again before he nodded. “We should leave as soon as possible--tonight if Leanna is well enough. Can you tell the villagers that we’re leaving...because that creature that attacked us inflicted Leanna with some kind of disease...and we need to head elsewhere to cure it?”

Lera nodded in agreement. “Of course, I was thinking of something along those lines. Yes, they know how much of a dutiful brother you are, so it won’t be strange for you to head off to heal your sister. Say your goodbyes to your home--and head to the church this evening. I’ll have everything ready for you--it’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you--I’ll make sure to repay this somehow.”

“I’ll be surprised if you do--just give praise to Idris when you’re safe. That’s all I ask, Tyrius. Oh, and do remember--the Church of Idris are bid to help those in need.”

With that, Lera gave a slight nod before taking her to leave and returning to church, leaving Tyrius with his thoughts alone.

When Lera returned to the church, it was time to discuss with Leanna. The girl was still lying against the bench, resting, and sleeping, and with a wave of her hand, she forced the girl to awaken. Leanna awoke with a jolt. Her eyes widened as she looked around.

“Where am I…?” she gasped out at first before her gaze rested on Lera for a moment before she let out a small sigh.

“I’m at the church--wait, where’s Tyrius?” she asked hastily before attempting to swing her legs over and stand up--Lera stopped her before she could begin to move.

“Tyrius is fine. He’s home, resting. I just visited your brother. He’s tired, but he’s fine.” she said, in a soft, soothing voice, before taking a seat next to the girl.

“Tell me what happened on your end,” Lera asked softly.

Leanna averted her gaze as she was asked to recall the event--and her hand trailed upwards to the place she’d been a bit last night--before she passed out.

“I don’t remember much; I remember something attacked us--grabbed me and dragged me off the wagon...do you know what it was?”

“I do--though before that, let’s get you something to eat. You’ll need to keep your strength up.” Before slipping off for a moment, Lera said before returning with a few slices of bread and some dried meat and cheese as aside. Lera handed it to Leanna and used her magic to fill up a cup full of water, which she also offered to Leanna.

While Leanna wanted to know what had attacked her, what had hurt her--and possibly her brother, she relented to Lera’s decisions, just noticing how hungry she was when the priestess offered her the food.

Leanna set the plate down on the side when she had finished eating before her attention turned towards Lera. “So, what happened. Please tell me.”

“Leanna, you were attacked by a vampire.”

“A...vampire? Out here?” Leanna asked softly, her eyes going wide with fear for a moment--she’d heard all the horror stories about vampires over the years. She also knew that many myths about them were false--like vampirism being transferred by biting.

“Then...I’m lucky to be alive.” Leanna said with a small, heavy sigh before she leaned forward.

“Is my brother okay? I guess he probably is since someone needed to drag me back to the village,” she said before letting out a small chuckle. “Though, Lera...why do you have that grave look on your face still?”

“Leanna, do you know how vampirism is transferred?”

As Lera asked that question, everything seemed to go cold. Were those myths true? She could have sworn they weren’t…

“No….I know it’s not from biting--at least that what I’ve been led to believe despite the stories of old…” Leanna stated, her voice going soft and low as she spoke, her attention averting away from Lera for a moment, before returning. “Lera...did….am I...or did Tyrius...get infected?”

Lera grimaced even more before she nodded her head. “Tyrius stabbed the vampire while it latched itself on to you--and its blood got into your wound. Vampirism, as you said, does not transfer through bites, rather through the transfer of blood.”

For a moment, Leanna felt sick to her stomach as she looked away. “No, no, no….that can’t be true.” Leanna gasped out before her attention shifted back towards Lera.

“I thought vampires had to eat blood--I ate regular food, right? So clearly….I’m...I’m not…”

“Vampires--they need to eat regular food as well, Leanna...I don’t fully understand why, but they still need to consume the blood of the more sentient races…but you’re not a monster.”

Leanna’s eyes had begun to whelm up with tears as she turned her gaze back to Lera. “I...I am, though! If I’m...a vampire….I’m going to attack Tyrius--or you...or one of the other villagers one day...like I was….I’m a monster…” Leanna gasped out as the tears began to flow. Tears at her situation, tears at how her future was ruined, and tears at what she was likely to do to her loved ones one day.

Lera reached forward and gently pulled Leanna into a small hug, a small sigh escaping her lips. “You’re not a monster, Leanna. The gods do not discriminate against vampires--while they may be different, they’re livings, and their souls can pass on as any other creature, and not all vampires are mindless beasts like the one that attacked you...in fact, most vampires as normal as everyone you’ve met. They only go savage when they’ve not fed on blood.” Lera said softly.

When she was hugged, Leanna leaned into Lera, crying into the woman’s priestly clothes--it had been years since she cried like this--in the end, Leanna was still a child after all.

“What...am I going to do? I can’t stay here...I don’t want to hurt anyone...and if they find out...what I’ve become...they’ll kill me, or turn me over…” Leanna commented softly in a slightly muffled tone.

“That’s correct. Vampires are not looked upon favorably in the Empire--though there is a place where you can go, Leanna...that accepts vampires.”

That was true--there was Sanguinium, a place ruled by vampires--but it was so far away. She’d never make it.

“I already discussed it with Tyrius, and he’s already agreed to take you to Sanguinium.”

That caught Leanna by surprise--Tyrius already knew, and he didn’t care? Leaning back, Leanna looked upwards at Lera. “W...what? He already knows?”

“Yes...I went and spoke with your brother. I think he always suspected what...had happened to you. But when I informed him and told him he needed to take you to Sanguinium, he agreed. Though he did seem apprehensive about leaving Idlesworth behind, in the end, I don’t think he wants to lose any more family members.”

A small sigh escaped Leanna’s lips as she looked away--Tyrius had already agreed? In the end, Leanna let out a small sigh and nodded. “I suppose I don’t have a choice--I don’t want to leave Tyrius alone. We’re all the family the other has left….” Another sigh escaped her lips.

“And Leanna, cling to your life however you need to--life is precious, and it’s all you and your brother will have from this point onwards. It won’t be an easy journey--and I think you’ll need to push your brother forward. He’s a kind heart, but I think he’ll do what he needs to protect you, as long as you push him in the right direction.”

Leanna nodded her head before letting out a small sigh. “When do we leave?”

As the hours past Tyrius couldn’t help but think over the previous night's events--wondering if there were anything he could have done differently--though apart from setting up camp and trying to brave the storm, he doubted anything he could have done would’ve changed their fate.

The hours seemed to crawl by as the day approached nightfall--the time he’d be departing to travel across the continent to a foreign land. He wanted to see this through--as he felt it was his fault for pushing them to try and make it before the storm hit the fateful night.

Finally, the sky outside started to darken, and night set upon the village of Idlesworth. With a heavy sigh, Tyrius stood up, glancing at the surroundings of his home, drinking everything in, before making his way outside. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever return here--to his childhood home. Tyrius hoped so, but he doubted that he actually would.

All Tyrius took with him was a small pouch filled with what little personal items he could carry. His father’s sword, which was strapped to his waist, and his flint gloves and boots that he had only recently bought. Solemnly Tyrius walked across the small village, approaching the church where Lady Lera and his sister would be waiting. After glancing around quickly, Tyrius pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

As soon as the doors shut behind him, his sister Leanna nearly tackled him to the floor with a sudden and forceful hug.

“I’m sorry for worrying you Tyrius…” Leanna stated as she leaned back, looking down at her brother, a worried look spread across her face as she did so.

While it was slight, Tyrius could already see some changes. She seemed slightly paler--it could have been because of the torchlight, and he was over critical, but he doubted it.

“Lera….she told me what happened--and what’s going on. I’m sorry about that...I caused this.”

Tyrius let out a small sigh before raising his hand and petting his sister’s head. “You didn’t cause this; I was the one who thought we could make it home in time--but we shouldn’t worry about who is to blame...we just need to make sure you get somewhere safe.”

While Leanna disagreed with her brother, she didn’t speak. Instead, she gave a small smile before nodding.

“I’m sorry that this has happened--no one could have predicted that a vampire would have been this far away from Sanguinium, let alone a starved one,” Lera interjected.

“You need to get as far away from here as you can--the Empire’s hunters are quite adept at tracking down vampires. From what I’ve heard from others, they’re afraid of them making it to Sanguinium and making the vampiric kingdom stronger. I can’t say for certain, but I know that you need to be careful. I have the church’s horse ready for you--you need it far more than I will. I rarely leave this place. Sioban is still young, so she deserves to be out there in the world.” Lera said softly before offering a small smile.

“Now, Leanna...from what I’ve read, you’ll be fine without….ah….feeding for a while. Though when you feel the urge, let Tyrius know. He’ll be able to help you there.” Lera stated before offering a small smile. “Come, let’s go. The sooner this is done…, the easier it’ll be for you to leave.”

Tyrius and Leanna nodded before giving Lera their thanks--she’d done a lot, more than Tyrius could have ever hoped for. With that, the teal-haired woman led them off, leading them off and out of the church, to where the Sioban, the horse, was kept.

The horse was already saddled with several bags filled with provisions and camping supplies. Upon their arrival, Tyrius and Leanna climbed up and loaded the beast--Tyrius taking the reins.

“Oh--Tyrius, one last thing. Here.” Lera held out a small pouch, which Tyrius took and peered inside. It was filled with half a dozen of healing crystals. “Lera I ca--”

“Take it. We must help and heal the people of this world who are in need--and right now, you need those crystals more than I need the gold. Don’t worry, the church has more than enough funds to sustain itself.” she said, giving a small smile. “May Idris guide you on your journey.”

“I...thank you again, Lera. I don’t know what would be happening to us right now if it weren’t for you.”

With that, Tyrius snapped the reins and signaled the horse to trod forward. When they arrived at the gate, strangely enough, it was open, but there weren't any guards. Tyrius figured Lera had done something to make their leaving easier.

With a heavy sigh, Tyrius tilted his head back, his eyes gazing up at the sky. There he saw the moon, hovering high in the sky, but it was tinted a crimson shade. It happened from time to time--but the old stories stated that leaving on the night of a crimson moon signaled the start of a new life. Tyrius couldn’t help but chuckle--it seems there was some stock in the old tales.

“Leanna...are you ready?”

Leanna glanced back at the village, the familiar houses, the friends she made over the years, and their family’s memories all resided within that village. With a solemn look, she dragged her gaze away before she said with a heavy voice. “Yes…I never thought I’d be leaving….leaving for good. We haven’t even been able to say goodbye to anyone.”

Tyrius nodded before tugging on the reins once more to signal the horse to start moving once again. “I know...I hope we’ll be able to return once again someday. But, for now, it’ll be easier this way. A brother who left in a hurry to curse his sister is a tale that is a lot more believable if we don’t give our goodbyes.”