Everyone watched as Clone escaped to the fifth mountain's forest while carrying a broken Hex on her shoulders.

"A-Are you going to kill them...?" A voice asked beside Pier and the young master turned his head to look at the source of the voice.

It was the leader of the scouts that helped Pier and Ciaran scout the third mountain.

The leader of the scout backed off when he saw the knight who slammed Hex down on the ground many times staring at him with a warning glare.

"Don't worry, I won't," Pier spoke as he reached his hand out to the leader of the scouts.

The vampire flinched as he backed off.

He did not want to be slammed multiple times on the ground and have his entire body broken.

Hex might have endured it but he thinks he probably won't survive it.

The young master's hand went closer and the vampire closed his eyes, afraid that he would soon be the next person running in the forest of the fifth mountain.

But just like what Pier did when they were taking shelter at the third mountain

Pat.

Pat.

Pat.

"Hehe," Pier laughed lightly as he patted the vampire's soft hair.

The vampire also started to slowly open his eyes when he felt the light taps of the stranger on his head.

"I like your hair," One phrase made its mark on the vampire's mind as he blushed tenfold with the stranger's compliment on his hair.

However, it was soon disturbed when he felt two pairs of glares sent on his way and when he looked behind the beautiful stranger patting his head,

Their chief and the knight had murderous glares on their faces as they watched the young master happily pat the vampire's head.

'That... that could've been me!' They both had the same thought in their minds.

"Young master," Gideon approached the laughing Pier and the young master turned his head again to look at his knight.

"Hmmm?" He asked while he was combing his hair through the scout leader's hair.

The vampire flinched when he saw the knight's jaw tighten and the veins on Gideon's forehead revealed themselves.

He gave the vampire a menacing glare before he reverted on his innocent-looking face as he answered Pier.

"There's another creature waiting for your return," He spoke and both of Pier's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"Another creature?" He asked as he let go of the vampire's hair and he turned fully to give his full attention to Gideon.

Gideon gave the vampire a side smirk as he pulled his master away from the scout leader and into a more spacious place.

The scout leader of the vampires could only sweatdrop as he was contemplating what to think with the human who was acting all jealous of him.

"We need to talk, scout leader," A voice spoke behind him and the vampire felt horrified as the murderous aura of their chief can be felt behind him.

"I... I understand, Chief!" He spoke as sweat dribbled down his forehead.

---

"Gideon, where are we going?" Pier asked as he aimlessly followed the knight pulling on his hand.

However, Gideon did not respond as he continued to walk towards the area where there was an open space.

When he reached the place, Gideon stopped as he looked around.

'Good,' He then placed his thumb and his pointer finger together and brought it in his mouth.

A loud high-pitched airy sound rang out from the knight's mouth and it resonated around the plain that they were on.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Pier asked as to why Gideon was whistling.

However, he soon knew the answer when something neighed from afar the bushes.

Neigh~

Snow's elegant white coat and her glistening fur under the small streaks of light can be seen as she dashed through the field.

"Is that...?" Pier asked in disbelief as he saw the creature running fast towards them.

Gideon chuckled as he nodded his head.

"That is correct, young master. It is your horse!" Gideon spoke with a smile on his face.

'That I was close to feeding the monsters,' He added. Though he did not want to tell Pier anything that might upset him.

Pier immediately sported a huge grin on his face as he also run towards the horse in happiness.

"Snow!" Pier spoke and the horse neighed in response.

Gideon's eyebrows twitched when he saw how his master was greeting the horse.

'Why... didn't the young master greet me like that when we met again...?' He asked himself while still composing himself and plastering the smile on his face.

He was jealous of the horse because his master was more affectionate with it.

Gideon scoffed as he ignored the thought of being jealous of a white horse.

"Snow... huhu" Pier feigned cry when he and Snow met in the middle of the field.

The horse was neighing happily as it trudged its nose on Pier's hands and the latter happily caressed Snow's face.

Neigh!

"Oh my goodness, Snow! You still look as beautiful as ever!" Pier complimented the horse as he patted the horse's head and Snow neighed back in happiness as well.

"Tsk. The young master never gave me that much pats when he saw me again" Gideon pouted when he saw that the two were now rolling on the grassy plains of the forest as they immersed themselves in their reunion.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Gideon flinched when he heard the footsteps towards him.

"What are you doing here, vampire?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed and his attitude immediately changing.

Ciaran only kept quiet as he watched Pier run across the field with his horse.

It was a scene worthy of imprinting in one's mind.

Pier was wearing his black coat while he was perched on top of the elegant-looking white horse and they both ran around.

"Your master," Ciaran spoke as he placed both of his hands inside his coat pockets.

"And what about my master?" Gideon spoke in a low and warning voice.

That's also what Ciaran had come to the conclusion with the young master's knight.

Gideon was pretentious.

He did not know if it actually was being pretentious but for now, that's how Ciaran can classify Gideon.

He was soft all around Pier but when the young master was away, the knight's attitude also quickly changes.

However, he knew that Gideon is also truthful to the young master.

It was a conflicting thought that he had but he can never judge Gideon openly because he might upset Pier.

"I will continue pursuing him even until the world ends," Ciaran spoke and Gideon's eyebrows furrowed further as if they'd meet on the center of his face.

He did not like the vampire.

Not one bit.

For him, Ciaran was a danger to his master. He was a creature who spawned from the darkness and a creature who ruled amongst his kind at that.

He is not befitting to be a candidate for his young master's affection.

"I don't care. Pursue my master all you want but I will make sure you will never be his other half," Gideon spoke in gritted teeth and fury.

Ciaran laughed at the knight's threats.

"And what if I do become Pier's lover?" He smirked as he took a step back from the knight since Gideon's eyes started to emit a bluish light.

"Even if you become my master's lover, I would not hesitate to cut your throat when my master is threatened," Gideon spoke as he turned his head back on the vampire and he started to walk towards Pier and Snow who were still having fun in the field.

However, before he could fully be out of Ciaran's range of senses, Gideon turned his head one last time and spoke.

"Everyone except my master is my enemy. Vampires, wolves, and even royalties, I will kill all of you who gets in the way of my master,"

Ciaran chuckled as he heard the knight's words.

'Everyone, huh,' He recalled Gideon's words.

"YOUNG MASTERRRR!" Gideon called to Pier from a distance.

'Everyone,' Ciaran thought again as he clenched his fists and his magic started to spread from his feet.

"Gather,"

---

"Young Master!" Pier turned his head to look at Gideon.

Neigh!

Snow also huffed as she saw the knight who rode on her back.

"Woah, calm down, Snow," Pier spoke as he patted Snow's snout a couple of times.

"Do you think it is time for us to go?" Gideon asked and Pier stopped for a second.

Was it now the time for them to leave the Mir Mountains? He was contemplating it.

"Let me stop by the village once more," He spoke and Gideon nodded his head.

---

"Woaaaah! You are so pwetty!" Bran spoke as he pointed to the stranger that was sitting under the shade of the tree.

"I am?" Pier asked as he patted the child's head.

He wanted to say goodbye to the children that Nightfall is currently taking care of.

He wanted to bring them to the kingdom but these children have no known citizenship. It was almost an underlying issue that some kingdoms were having internal conflicts despite the superficial friendliness they show with each other.

Nightfall was also taking good care of them so he knew he did not have to worry about anything.

"Yesh! Your hair is really beautiful!" Bran continued to praise Pier.

The young master laughed as he listened to the child's words.

'He probably doesn't remember me because we only met for a very short moment' He spoke as he continued to pat the child's head.

Bran gladly ate his apple while sitting on the stranger's lap.

Pier watched as the other children played at a distance from them.

"Are you okay now, Bran?" Pier asked as he made sure that the child was not overworked and was away from any possible triggers to the child's asthma.

"Yes!" He replied happily which made Pier smile as well.

"That's good. Remember that you should not play too much!" He reprimanded the child as if he was a parent reminding their children about what they should do.

Bran only nodded as he munched on the apple again.

Rustle~

Rustle~

Pier immediately turned around to look at the set of bushes that were rustling.

"Show yourself!" He spoke as he hid Bran behind his back and the child was simply confused.

"A-Ah... It is me, dear guest," the voice spoke and Pier immediately recognized it.

"Oh, what do you need?" He asked as he sat back under the tree and placed Bran on his lap.

The leader of the scouts' team revealed himself from behind the bushes and he approached Pier.

The vampire had a reddish face as he watched the stranger again.

Pier was really beautiful.

So beautiful that he wanted to avoid looking at the human at any cost because he respected the guest who saved their home.

He knew about their greed for beautiful things and the human was not helping it.

"Uhm..." He scratched his cheeks as he stood in front of Pier.

"The... the villagers..." He spoke in an unsure manner and Pier only tilted his head to the side as he watched the seemingly embarrassed vampire.

"They wanted to give this to you as a present!" He spoke as he hid his face again on the sleeves of his cloak.

Pier was even more confused as he watched the vampire act and the thing that was on the vampire's hands.

He placed bran on the side as he stood up and approached the vampire.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"A-Ah... my name is Cray, dear guest," the vampire introduced himself and Pier had an 'o' shape on his mouth.

'Cray... nice name for a vampire with fluffy hair' He thought as he looked at the object Cray was holding.

"A ring?" He verbally asked.

'Why are they giving me a ring? I already have Melfar's ring!' He dreaded the thought of having another ring on his finger.

The ring was made out of platinum and it only had a simple design too. It had some weird engraves that Pier did not understand what was about but overall, it looked like a simple ring.

"We... We know that it doesn't compare to the ring you have on your hand... but we wanted to show our gratitude by giving you this..." Cray spoke and Pier smiled.

'It would be bad rejecting their gift now, right?' He asked himself as he received the silver ring from Cray.

"Thank you, Cray," He spoke softly as he observed the silver material on his hand.

"Eek!... N-No problem, dear guest! Just to let you know... you only need to show the ring and you will be welcome to Nightfall anytime!" Cray spoke with a proud smile on his face and Pier laughed making Cray blush instantly.

"Thank you," He spoke and Cray also thanked him one last time before he disappeared on the bushes once more.

It was now the time for him to leave.

The time for Pier Belmiunde to return to the Taron Kingdom.

"Hey, Bran?" Pier called to the child sitting under the tree.

"Mhm?" Bran replied and Pier laughed.

"I should go now since I needed to be somewhere else," He spoke as he crouched so he can be on the same level with the child.

"Really? Awww!" Bran spoke as he pouted. He liked the beautiful stranger.

"Yes, let's go now. I will bring you back to the center," He spoke and Bran nodded his head.

The two made their way from the shade of the tree towards the center of the field where the other children were playing.

Vampires were guarding them and watching out for any possible threats.

"You can go to them now," Pier whispered to Bran and the child eagerly nodded his head as he saw the other children playing.

He smiled as he watched the child trudge towards the others and he turned his head back.

Sigh

"Let's go, Gideon," Pier spoke as he looked at the knight quietly perched on top of the tree they were just sitting in.

"As you wish, young master," Gideon spoke as he walked behind Pier.

They walked towards the entrance of the second mountain.

The vampires were still building their homes on the third until the fifth mountains so they still needed to stay in their small village at the side of the second mountain.

Neigh!

Pier smiled as he saw his horse eating happily at the well-growing grass found on the entrance.

"Let us depart, Snow," Pier spoke as he neared Snow.

But before he could climb on top of the horse, a voice called him out.

"Pier!"

"Ciaran?" It was the Vampire Prince and the Chief of Nightfall.

"Do you really not want me to accompany you back on the first mountain?" He asked in worry.

He wanted to at least see Pier depart from the first mountain.

The young master smiled as he shook his head.

"It would be good if we can depart alone, Ciaran. I still needed to think about a few more things while on the way," He spoke and Ciaran had a defeated look on his face.

He had been persuading the young master to accompany him even just back at the entrance but Pier was constantly refusing.

"I see... so... is this it?" Ciaran asked the young master.

Pier nodded his head as he turned to look at the tree-covered skies.

It was still cold, it was still freezing.

It was the environment he had gotten used to for the past two months.

Now it was the time for him to leave.

"I guess this is it," He spoke.

With the help of Gideon, Pier perched on top of his horse.

"Wait!" Ciaran called once more.

"Hmmm?"

"Please have this," He immediately appeared in front of Pier and handed the young master something.

"This is...?" Pier asked as he felt the slightly heavy material move in his palm.

"It's mine, I wanted you to have that and keep on it until we meet again," Ciaran spoke as he gave Pier a manly grin.

Pier shook his head as he laughed.

"This would be good for the gift of the villagers," He spoke as he removed the platinum ring given by the vampire villagers from his finger and he opened the lock on the platinum necklace.

Clink!

The ring made a clinking sound as the necklace was inserted into it.

"There, nice and beautiful," Pier spoke as he attached the gifts given by the people of Nightfall and Ciaran on his neck.

Pier looked at Ciaran again.

"Thank you, Ciaran," He spoke and Ciaran stared at him with a heavy heart.

"You have my gratitude, Pier. Thank you for saving Nightfall and giving us a new home," Ciaran spoke in a shaking voice.

This is now the time they will depart.

The time they will go on their own paths.

"The pleasure is all mine, your highness" The young master replied.

"Gather!" Ciaran spoke in a loud voice which startled Pier.

He then soon saw countless crows flying up in the trees of the second mountain's entrance.

One by one, the crows landed behind Ciaran and smoke started to arise from the crows.

Slowly, the members of Nightfall stood quietly with their cloaks on behind their Chief.

"As the Prince of Nightfall and the chief of my clan, I, Ciaran Aegenwulf, give my greatest gratitude to Pier, the guest who helped us restore peace in the village and gave us a new land to live in," Ciaran spoke as he bowed his head.

The other vampires followed suit as they all kneeled on the ground.

"WE GIVE OUR GRATITUDE!" They all spoke in unison.

Pier smiled at all of them.

Even though he only had a few friends like Bran, Cray, and Ciaran among the vampires, he was still happy.

He was happy he had experienced something new, something that made him realize new things.

"The gratitude has been accepted," Pier spoke as he commanded Gideon to now ready in departing.

"Then we will now take our leave," Pier spoke and everyone nodded their head in silence.

Even though they weren't able to personally know the stranger, they still felt their utmost gratitude for giving them something. If possible, they wanted the stranger to visit them, and maybe next time, they could form a better relationship with Pier.

"Hyaa!" Gideon pulled the reigns attached on Snow and the horse neighed in response.

"Farewell"

It was the end of Pier Belmiunde's journey in the Mir Mountains.

The end of his struggles but also the start of his new beginning.

Snow ran towards the path that leads throughout the way of the first mountain.

The wind brushed Pier's hair and he did not look back anymore.

He did not want to have any heavy feelings as he leave Nightfall, the place where he had grown so much for the past two months.

"Young Master, are you cold?" Gideon asked behind him while he held the reins tighter as Pier shook his head.s

"I am fine, Gideon," He spoke and the knight nodded his head.

They continued on their journey.

Back to the Taron Kingdom.

Back to the place where Pier had suffered.

Cling!

The necklace made another clinging sound as Pier moved. The young master held on the necklace he had gotten from Ciaran and the ring from Nightfall.

"Farewell, Fenrir, farewell, Nightfall," He whispered under his breath.

"Until we meet again."

----

-----