Harun laid sprawled on top of Kaval. He silently counted each rise and fall of his chest. Soon he pressed his face into Kaval's neck, feeling the light beat of his heart there. It was slick with sweat but he did not mind. He was smooth and soft. There was no better pillow than him. He licked up the side of it and placed a soft kiss there, wanting to taste the saltiness of his skin.

"Kaval," Harun whispered near his ear.

"Mm."

Harun kissed his cheek, causing Kaval to open his eyes and smile.

"Do you know what a Blood Oath means?"

"Blood... Oath?"

Kaval tried to rise, but Harun pressed him back down with his index finger.

"Harun, what have you done?" Kaval reached for Harun's cheek, but he turned his head away.

"The mark there."

"You can see it? I am surprised."

"It is seared into your flesh." Kaval touched it carefully as if it would hurt. Harun did not flinch away, this time. Instead, he trailed his fingers down Kaval's hand and smiled. All of his markings had shown then. They trailed down his back. It was no secret, but Harun did not like when they showed. He ignored them, however, and focused back on Kaval.

"It is nothing. There were some words exchanged. Nothing more."

"But this mark--"

"A promise. I made a promise."

"A what?"

Harun gave him a soft kiss before deepening it. When they separated only a string of saliva and silence was all that was left between them.

"You ask too many questions," Harun murmured. He stared into Kaval's dark gray eyes, resisting the urge to kiss him again. He would want his blood and he already had taken some the night before.

"As you ask too little. Do not become too curious about that blood demon, Harun."

"You have seen him?" Harun fully rose from over Kaval. "Is he not gorgeous?" Kaval cut his eyes away from him but he turned it back.

"He has such pretty eyes. An eye color I have never seen before. And his skin and hair. They are very beautiful, so much so I want to have him myself."

"You made a Blood Oath because of mere lust? Where is your mind in all this?"

Harun snaked his hand down Kaval's thigh, causing Kaval to hold his breath. He grabbed between Kaval's legs and stroked slowly.

"The same place your mind was at last night," Harun smirked and let go. "A minor thing."

"Harun."

"A minor thing. I will have him and then I will be done."

Harun stood in all his nakedness. Kaval followed behind him, but Harun paid him no mind. He had to find his clothes, so he could leave Kaval and his questions behind him. When he found a shirt, Kaval draped a lighter shirt over his head. Harun found the armholes well enough and pulled the shirt down. Kaval came back with trousers, causing Harun to sit back down on the bed and sigh.

"Kaval, I do not need your help with this. How many times must I say it? You are not my servant. You are a friend. A dear friend and I want to treat you as such."

Kaval ignored him and continued to dress him.

"Kaval," Harun growled. "He told you, did he not? Not to blur the lines between what this is and what you are to me? Ignore him as you blatantly ignore me. Our relationship is ours and ours alone."

Kaval looked at him with furrowed brows. "... He frightens me."

"I know," Harun murmured. He shook Kaval off and rose. "But he is not here. He has not been for over eight hundred years."

"Today marks his 998th year," Kaval said, causing Harun to turn his head. He kept walking while pulling his pants up the rest of the way up. What did he care? He did not miss or revere him. He was merely the man who taught him things. That was all. Although he thought that way, there was an ache in his heart at the thought of him.

"It is good a man like him had let you finally be."

Harun did not bother to respond. He stopped when he faced a mirror and fixed his hair, not bothering to call for servants. No, he had to look nice. He was going to meet that man from before and he wanted to look as appetizing as he did.

"Jessa, come out. I see you there." She always stole glances of him when she could. It was rather cute to have a human admirer like her. "No need to hide away."

A woman appeared from the darkness with a lit candle in one hand. She sank to her knees and begged for his forgiveness.

"I did not mean to look. I was-- I was--"

"Rise and help fix my hair. Get something for me to wear today and find someone to prepare the hot spring for me."

"Your Greatness, I have already have completed those tasks at the request of Kaval. As for your hair... call when you are out of your bath and I will help right away." She steadied herself first before picking up the candle. Her eyes were cast downward, but he could still make out her dark brown eyes, small pink lips, and pale skin. She had long black hair tied in a braid swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It would have looked prettier if she laced flowers in between the strands.

Harun nodded and approached her. "He knows me well."

She gave him a weak smile in response, causing him to smile. He had not had human blood in a while. Hers would surely taste sweet. He took her chin in his hand and parted her lips.

"Why not join me?"

"I cannot!"

Harun raised an eyebrow. "I was sure you wanted to see what I would taste like as well."

"That... I... "

"Forget I ever said a thing. You are dismissed." He would not force her to do a thing if she did not want it. Still, he was hungering for blood and he did not want to take any more from Kaval. He tapped his bottom lip as he continued his walk to the hot springs in thought. His hand went to his cheek and traced along the marking before he made it disappear again.

It was true. He was blinded by lust in that instance. If he were to have said no, he thought it would be the end of it and the demon would leave. He gave little regard to the conditions presented to him as a result. However, with that, it gave them some shared commonality. It was not such a bad thing. To not betray him... he had never done such a thing before, he would not do it now.

Harun placed his hand against the cold wall of the mountain and dragged it across as he walked. There were great rooms carved out from inside the mountain such as the Great Hall and Hall of Mirrors. It took hundreds of years to build. Some he even carved out himself. Harun stopped in thought for a moment before continuing. There were lesser rooms as well. Besides the beds, the furniture was chiseled from the mountain decorated with small figurines of his likeness. They were places where he let humans dwell, but the upper rooms were his and his alone. Only humans he permitted were allowed entry. Down in the lower chambers, the halls and rooms were much prettier. They were polished and shined so nice you would have thought the sun shined directly onto it.

When the rocks became warmer, he knew he was close to the springs. He took off his shirt not bothering to even look inside. Just as he was unfastening his trousers, he stopped, feeling a pair of eyes on him. Harun hid the smile threatening to appear on his face and shook his head.

"I suppose you do not the rules here, but here is only where I and a few others are allowed. You are not apart of that few."

"Oh? All of this space. I am sure you would not have minded if I joined you."

"I expected you to have left already."

"I did not get what I wanted yet."

"I thought you did."

"I received some words."

"And a mark."

Auovin laid against the side of the spring and smiled. Heat rushed to Harun's cheeks as best as he tried to beat it down.

"A mark is merely a symbol. An action is what I require," Auovin said.

"And you suppose that will be free? That I will happily do as you wish because you asked me to?"

"What is it that you want that I can give you then?"

Harun licked his lips and turned his eyes elsewhere. They were melting into his honeyed eyes and he did not want him to notice how taken with him he had become. He would not let him rile him up like this and in that way.

"What is it that I want from you, hm?" Harun came over to the pool of water. He stripped off his pants and dipped inside. The steam rose high as the mountain ceiling, creating a soft fog which he was thankful for. He made sure to have his back toward the demon as he closed his eyes and welcomed the water's hot embrace.

"A name, to start."

"It is Auovin."

"Aouvin..." He liked the way his name rolled off his tongue. How ancient it felt. That thought caused Harun to turn and face him. He may be as old as he was even. There were not much like him around and to think one would wander in and...

"And yours?"

"It is Harun."

"Harun," Auovin said as if tasting it. His eyes narrowed soon after. "Your real name."

Harun quickly hid his surprise and shook his head. "That is it."

"With knowing one's name comes power and weakness... I can tell when a name is false and when it is not. Do not play me for a fool."

"So why give me yours then?"

Auovin rose from the spring then, allowing for Harun to get an eyeful of him. Water ran down his skin outlining his muscles and pecks as it dribbled onto the stone floor. It was a shame he wore pants. Harun's face flushed at the thought. Where was his mind in all this? Auovin took a hand through his black hair and threw him a glance which made Harun turn his head away when he noticed he had been staring for far too long.

"I do not believe you have any right to an answer when you cannot give me something as simple as a name."

"It is not a simple thing to bargain with as you know this. Yet you gave yours willingly... I cannot help but think there is some hidden meaning behind i--."

"As to how you quickly agreed to what I asked for was quite strange to me as well. Tell me what it is that you want."

"I want--"

"What you truly want."

"I want to have sex with you."

Auovin blinked a couple times before he covered his mouth with his hand. He let his finger drag down his bottom lip and eyed Harun with some amusement.

"You are quite forward."

"Now tell me what it is that you want. What you truly want."

"Perhaps, it is because I wish to know you and not the person you are pretending to be."

"Why?" Harun said, not bothering to refute it.

"Why? I have seen many Greats before, but never have I seen one with blue eyes."

Harun's eyes widened. Had he let it slip again? He was not relaxed in his company. There was no way he could have seen or known. Unless...

"You did not come here just because of The Greats and blood demons feud. Someone as old as you could solve that easily well on your own. You came here for a different purpose, had you not?"

"You are right and you are wrong. I cannot solve that easily on my own because I do not want needless blood on my hands, but, yes, I did come for another purpose as well."

Auovin bent down in front of him and stared into his eyes.

"I am looking for someone."

Ari grabbed the side of his head and furrowed his brows as he was brought back to the present.

"Kaval and I... Auovin... " Everything that was jumbled was piecing together like a puzzle. His confusing emotions he had with the both of them was making sense. However, the man Kaval had spoken of did not come to mind. His head filled with a fog when he pressed for a memory.

"Is it all coming back to you now?" Meris cooed. She was like a snake in his ear with her poison dripping inside it with each word. He smacked her away from him and glared. It only made her grin grow wider.

"Keep going. Soon you will see who you truly are under that pretty mask you wear, Harun."

"Why must you keep calling me that? That is not my name. It is-- "

Meris showed all of her teeth. The teeth of a beast. "Yes, go on. Tell me again. What is your name?"

Ari shook his head knowing telling it again would bring on some kind of misfortune. He could feel it in his gut.

"Here, let me show you a time you once cherished and another one you would not like to have to remember."

Ari balled his hands into fists.

"Why are you showing me all of this?"

"Because this is what you wanted. Because it is the memory of a man... " Meris came closer. "Of a man you once thought the world of and he thought the world of you," Meris hissed.

"And my how you watched the world burn."