"Pier, actually I am..." Ciaran started to speak as he hesitated for a moment.

Pier only kept his mouth shut as he watched the large man sitting in front of him fiddle with his fingers nervously as if he was a child.

"I'm..." He spoke again but he was cut short because of the hesitation.

Pier sat back on the sofa comfortably as he did not try to disrupt and pressure the hesitating Ciaran.

He was already twenty-three too back in his life as Eliam. He may be still young but he had also gone through many experiences which caused him to become mature easily.

He was not the type to pressure someone who is hesitating to talk because he knew it would only cause more stress to the person and it would definitely not lead to any good outcomes.

"I'm..." Ciaran spoke as he bowed his head down. He was unsure, he did not know what to say. Would the young master freak out and then leave them when they needed him the most right now?

'I ruined it, I messed up,' Ciaran spoke as he clutched his brown hair causing it to become unruly.

He took a few large breaths and thought about everything.

No, he never meant to act like that in front of the young master. He had been training himself to be composed and be rational at tall times.

But what happened?

Why did he suddenly become a hot mess in front of the white-haired young master he had abducted?

Wasn't their relationship supposed to be that of hatred because he took Pier from his family?

However, he did not expect the young master to actually be glad from being taken away from the kingdom. Now everything was reversed.

It was Pier who was doing him a favor and also threatening them at the same time if he desired to leave because actually could.

He could not afford to let the young master go after months of searching for a person who can help them with the rampage. All their efforts would go to waste and in the end.

'We would all be left homeless and wandering,' He thought before he clenched his fists.

He needed to explain to the young master, or else the chances of them surviving would even lessen more and they would become nomads.

Pat

He felt something soft brush his hair as he looked up.

He then saw the white-haired young master leaning towards him while patting his head.

Pat

Pat

Pat

The pats were soft and Pier had a small smile on his face as he did so.

"It's okay, I can wait for your explanation. You don't need to rush," He spoke as he gave the green-eyed man a boyish grin, and Ciaran's eyes slightly widened at the beautiful sight.

He knew the young master had looked incomparable to others even back at the boundary but now that he is right in front of the person who was smiling happily at him, he felt like his breath was being taken away every second.

Ciaran was not even aware that he could be like this himself. He had his goals set far straight up ahead and he knew he could only rest when all has been done and achieved.

Pat

Pat

Pat

"It sometimes takes the bravest of warriors to admit their own feelings, Ciaran. You don't need to force yourself," Pier spoke as he continued to pat the man's head.

He felt like he was patting a huge dog's head. The hair was soft and Ciaran's huge frame was sitting in front of him like a dog who was whimpering to its owner.

Pier was not naive either. He was not clueless when it comes to these things. He was already done freaking out with intimate scenes from the movies back when he was a child.

He did not know Ciaran's reasons for doing such a thing but one of them has to be composed and rational. If they were to both act with their emotions and just let it all out, it would end up in a disaster.

He would be left alone without anyone to guide him and Ciaran won't have anyone to help them either.

"NO! I... I need to tell you..." He spoke weakly as he inhaled and exhaled a few more times.

Pier only nodded his head but he was surprised when Ciaran suddenly grabbed his hands tightly.

"Please... please do not be scared after all the things I have to tell you..." Ciaran spoke. Pier did not answer. He did not know what he would know but he would try his best not to.

He was human after all. A being capable of feeling various emotions and an assurance of getting scared was complete nonsense especially since he did not know what was waiting for him ahead.

"I cannot assure you but I will try," Pier gently spoke as he felt Ciaran's hold on his hand tighten.

The man gulped one more time before he opened his mouth to speak.

"I... I am a... hybrid..." Ciaran spoke the last word so weak that the young master was almost not able to hear it.

Pier stopped thinking for a complete minute.

"A hybrid?" He asked with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

Ciaran nodded his head.

"I... I am a mixed hybrid between a vampire and a lycanthrope..."

"..."

Pier kept silent with the first thing he knew about the mysterious green-eyed man.

"Pier....?" Ciaran called after the young master had a blank expression on his face.

He kept his mouth shut after seeing Pier's response to his first revelations.

"I'm sorry... I'll take you back to the Stone City if you-"

"No"

He stopped after Pier spoke after being silent.

"A-Ah..." Ciaran bowed his head again.

"A Lycanthrope?"

"Yes"

"You can change yourself into a wolf?"

Ciaran silently nodded his head while he clutched Pier's hands in his own. The young master had many thoughts running in his mind as he was still processing what Ciaran had said.

"And you're a half-vampire too?"

"That is correct..." Ciaran replied.

"Woah..." Pier spoke in amazement.

"How... how does it feel?" He asked and Ciaran had a slightly surprised look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"How does it feel being half-vampire and a half-werewolf?" He asked and Ciaran shook his head.

"I am not a werewolf"

"Huh? Isn't that the same with Lycanthropes?"

"No... that's incorrect. Werewolves are creatures that cannot control their shapeshifting. They usually involuntarily do it when.... when something triggers it such as a full moon... but us lycanthropes can do it whenever we want to," Ciaran explained while he was constantly bowing his head and checking Pier's reaction at the same time.

"Oh... I see," Pier had an 'o' shape in his mouth after knowing the difference between the two.

"Okay then, what's next," He asked and Ciaran's eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

"You... you aren't scared... nor surprised...?" He hesitantly asked and Pier looked up as he thought about the answer.

"I am slightly surprised if you wanted to ask. I already had a hunch with the vampires when I saw the other members of Nightfall for the first time," Pier commented and Ciaran was even more surprised with the answer.

"Pier, we're vampires! Haven't you heard how we kill humans for food?!" Ciaran exclaimed with a disbelieving look in his eyes but Pier only stared at him with a normal expression.

"I did, I read a lot of books about it too"

"Then why aren't you scared?!"

"Should I be?"

"You should!"

"You did tell me not to get scared"

"I-..."

"Mhm", Pier nodded his head as he combed his hand on his white hair. Ciaran watched the movement and his eyes followed the pale hands go through the silky snow-like hair.

"What happened when you were climbing?" Pier asked as he fixed his hair and adjusted his seat on the sofa.

Ciaran remembered again what just happened on the tree branch and he bowed in shame again.

"I'm sorry..."

"Your sorry won't make any difference if I don't know the reason to spare forgiveness" Pier spoke and Ciaran froze at the statement.

"I know"

"Then explain just like you told me you'd do. I am not forcing you to do so but an apology accompanied with an empty reason is basically nothing" He reprimanded and Ciaran felt like he was a kid getting scolded by his parents.

"I don't know what happened either... It was my first time experiencing that sort of change in my body..." Ciaran started to speak as he closed his eyes and sighed a few more times.

"Being a hybrid of a lycanthrope and a vampire, I was a little late in developing like the others because I only possess half the trait of each creature..."

Pier was continuously nodding his head as he listened to the man.

"I... after I inhaled your scent... I don't know what happened but from what I can confirm is that it made me dizzy all of a sudden and there was an urge to..." He trailed off and Pier tilted his head to the side.

"To?"

"To... mark you..." Ciaran spoke as he bowed his head in so much shame and Pier stiffened at the mention of marking.

"Mark...?"

"Y-Yes..."

"What happens if you do mark me?" Pier asked and Ciaran flinched.

"I... I am not sure... no one was able to teach me..." He spoke weakly.

"What?! How come no one could teach you?!" Pier said in concern.

Ciaran was already a twenty-three-year-old individual and he was already at the age where looking for someone who would be his lifelong partner is a possibility.

Lycanthropes and other shapeshifters are rare creatures that Pier had read in books in the libraries of the palace and the Belmiunde Household.

They were only minimal information about such creatures and most were only descriptions of how they looked and how strong they were. There were no details about a shapeshifter's methods of living in general.

"I'm... They said I am the last Lycanthrope in our clan," Ciaran explained and Pier had to cover his mouth for the shock he got from the information.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." He apologized. He thought he was pretty insensitive and naive that he was not able to connect the dots with how no one was able to teach Ciaran the living ways of a Lycanthrope.

"No! It's fine, Pier!" Ciaran hurriedly said when he saw the expression on Pier's face.

Pier nodded as he composed himself again.

'So basically, this dog-like dude here is half-vampire and a half lycanthrope' He started to make conclusions in his head.

"Does that mean you can shapeshift and live forever? Since you know, vampires are immortal," Pier pointed out and Ciaran shrugged his shoulders.

"I am not sure about that either. As I've said, I may have only gotten a partial trait of both creatures so maybe I get to live long but not immortal like a full vampire is," Ciaran explained.

"So the other members of Nightfall are vampires?" He asked again.

"Most, but not everyone. There are some humans mixed with us too." Ciaran spoke and immediately, Pier's ears perked up at the mention of other humans with them. He had a baffled look on his face as he slowly backed off from the green-eyed man who was holding his hand.

"Surely you don't... use the humans as food...?" He asked hesitatingly and Ciaran also had his surprised look with Pier's assumptions.

"No! We would never do that!" Ciaran explained in a hurried manner but Pier still had doubts lingering in his head.

"They're... children that we rescued"

"Rescued?"

"Yeah, there were cases where their families died or they were abandoned so we took them in," He explained and Pier gave a relieved breath before his heart stopped thumping with nervousness.

Who knew what would be the truth anyway? It was a very huge possibility for Pier especially since he had encountered the things he and Ciaran's group did back at the boundary.

"I see... since we're already talking about everything, tell me first about why your group attacked me and my knight back at the boundary," He demanded and Ciaran had a look that he was already expecting the question.

"That group was not Nightfall," Ciaran started to speak again.

"It was the anti-royalty faction of the Taron Kingdom"

Without forewarning, Pier's hands trembled and his eyes widened.

"W-What?"

"Yes. The one you faced at the boundary was from what they call themselves the anti-royalty faction. I only joined them in the guise of someone who can deliver messages through crows so I can continue my search for a person who can use ice magic quicker," He said and Pier was left speechless after such information.

"That's why..."

"Yes, I added a phrase of you not to come before sending my crow away because you and the prince are both important persons in the kingdom. I was trying to avoid any of you two from getting killed by them," Ciaran spoke and Pier had his heart thumping.

'God, I could have actually gotten killed back at the boundary' He thought as his spine shivered from fear at the idea of him dying from the anti-royalty faction.

"So... why did they kill the attendant?" The young master asked and Ciaran did not even hesitate to speak. He was willing to answer all of the young master's questions right now.

"I do not know the entire reason but if we base it on their purpose, they killed the attendant to expose the mayor and create a better kingdom. They are not against the Kingdom itself but they are only against the royalty who ruled the territory," Ciaran spoke and everything was starting to make sense for Pier.

"They are simply brutal that was why I escaped from the group after the incident at the boundary,"

Ciaran spoke as he fiddled with the young master's fingers.

It was very soft and Ciaran liked playing with them with his own large hands.

'It perfectly fits' He thought as he measured both of their hands.

He was now relieved that Pier was not mad at him for the actions he did earlier. He was now more comfortable knowing that Pier was an open-minded and mature person who knows how to understand everything.

He felt grateful for that.

He truly was.

"I see... can you tell me the reason why you need my ice magic then?" He asked and Ciaran stopped playing with Pier's hand for a second before going back at it again.

"Months ago, something started to change back at the fifth mountain," He spoke quietly as he played with Pier's pointer finger.

"A sudden forest fire happened which caused all of the monsters on the mountain to run away from the place. They descended into the fourth, third, and second mountains as to not get included in the fire. However, that also disturbed the monsters who were originally living in the said mountains,"

Ciaran explained and Pier was only listening.

"There was a commotion and a territorial dispute with the monsters, but as everyone knew, the further you go the stronger the monsters are. The monsters from the fifth mountain were able to take the territories of the monsters on the descending mountains. However, that did not end there."

Pier nodded his head as he listened along. It came to the point that Ciaran was no longer sitting on the chair but was leaning his entire head on the young master's legs.

"As days passed by, we noticed that the monsters seemed like they were all unstable."

"What do you mean by unstable?" Pier asked as his other hand found its way towards the other man's hair and played with the strands.

"The monsters from the fifth mountain were starting to destroy everything they see. From trees, plants, and other monsters, they did not differentiate. So we suspected it had something to do with the odd forest fire that occurred on the fifth mountain,"

Pier's fingers found the other man's ear and he started to play with it. It sent a ticklish feeling to Ciaran but he continued to explain.

"We went over to the fifth mountain and there was something that we saw as we observed what happened"

"What was it?"

"There was a rock at the top of the fifth mountain. The rock emanated a red-like glow and we saw that any monster who came in contact with the rock became enraged. They rampaged all around the mountain downwards"

"We tried to destroy the rock with our own magic but it did not even break the rock as our magics were burned halfway towards it," Ciaran explained and Pier was slowly starting to understand the situation.

"Do you want me to destroy the rock with my ice magic?" He asked and Ciaran nodded his head.

"Correct. We tried water, earth, and other types of magic but all were in vain. Ice Magic is our final option," He spoke as he brought Pier's hand and placed it on his cheek. It was warm and Ciaran liked the feeling.

"What if ice magic was not the answer, Ciaran?" Pier asked and Ciaran closed his eyes.

"Then we have no choice but to leave our home, Pier. The monsters from the fifth mountain will soon reach here and we won't be able to defend against them. We may be vampires but we cannot defeat extremely powerful monsters who are rampaging and seemed like they were given with extreme regenerative powers by the rock," He spoke.

The thought of them leaving the place they have been staying in for quite some time now made his chest feel an unpleasant emotion.

"I see... if it is not too much, then can I ask why you are living here on the second mountain?"

Based on what Pier knew, Vampires were considered to be creatures who did not show themselves unless necessary. He also knew that they were beings who loves sophistication and elegance.

So it was a wonder for him why a group of vampires would choose to live in mountains like the Mir Mountains.

"We once had a kingdom... my mother was considered as a royalty to the vampires and my father was the leader of our clan who was visiting the kingdom for trading. Mother had given birth to me because of their intimacy. However, it was unacceptable for both races. Vampires do not like Lycanthropes and the same goes for the others. My mother planned to run away with my father because of that.

However, during the night of their departure, the kingdom had experienced a terror attack as well. The perpetrators carried silver and holy magic which were the known weakness of both creatures,"

Ciaran explained as his eyes started to feel heavy.

"Mother was said to be truthful with her duties. That was why when the attack happened, both her and my father defended the kingdom until their last breaths. I had been carried by the elder vampires who escaped from the attack along with the others like Hex and Clone," Ciaran spoke as the feeling of Pier's fingers running through his hair was making him sleepy.

"What... what happened to the kingdom and the elders?" Pier spoke because he did not see any person who was old enough to be considered Elders in Nightfall.

"The kingdom fell to the hands of the perpetrators and the elders died protecting us during the first time we entered the Mir Mountains," Ciaran said and his voice seemed all normal.

'As if he's already accepted it' Pier thought as his hand brushed the man's hair.

"Pier, I'm really sorry I did that to you earlier" Ciaran spoke as his consciousness was starting to leave him.

"That's fine, we both do not understand what happened," Pier replied.

However, Ciaran quickly stood up and grabbed Pier with him.

The young master gasped in surprise at the sudden action.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Pier spoke because Ciaran's hold was pretty tight.

"I haven't slept for the past week so I want to sleep," the green-eyed man told the young master.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, you were the reason I was not able to sleep,"

"Excuse me?"