Chapter Nine: Crossing Paths
We had returned to Montreal, Canada.
Even though I was the Crown Prince of the Harwen Empire, here, I was just an ordinary Canadian civilian.
We came back on April 16th — slightly later than planned. Originally, we were supposed to return on the 10th. The Crown Ceremony was held on the 7th, and my family was only meant to stay for a week. But Mother had wanted to remain in Harwen a little longer, so we stayed.
I'd been absent from school for about two weeks, but I wasn't too worried. Mother could easily teach Ellyn and me whatever we missed. She always said we were quick learners, able to grasp whatever was taught to us. But she also reminded us that knowledge wasn't everything — we needed friends too. That was why we still attended school, even if we already knew most of what was being taught.
Since returning, our days had fallen into a routine again. The only real difference was that we visited Harwen every weekend.
But today felt a little different.
---
A few kilometers from Stalen Village, deep within the same forest, lay an ancient city. Hidden from human eyes, it was home to the vampires of Montreal.
Lexander lived in the northern part of that city, in a large mansion that had stood for centuries.
As a vampire, he was different from humans — but outwardly, he looked just like them. Still, there were traits that marked them.
First, vampires' hearts didn't beat. They were technically "undead," creatures of death. But they never used that term themselves.
Second, their bodies healed unnaturally fast — instantly, in most cases. Whether it was a broken bone or a stab wound, they could recover within minutes.
And third — perhaps the most important — their skin burned under the sun. Not in a dramatic, burst-into-flames way. But the sunlight caused painful blisters that would quickly heal once they found shade.
That was why vampires slept during the day and awakened at night. While they didn't need sleep to survive, it helped them maintain mental stability. And of course, they needed blood — regularly, but not every day — to stay conscious and in control.
It was around 7 PM when Lexander was still in a deep sleep. But then came a soft knock on his door. He already knew who it was — his personal butler. He always came at this time.
"Come in," Lexander called.
The butler entered, gave a respectful bow, and said politely, "Please take your bath. The cold water has been prepared."
Lexander nodded and headed straight for the bathroom.
Cold water poured over him, sliding through his long, red hair and rushing down his skin. The chill shocked him fully awake — along with something else.
Thirst.
It had been three days since he last drank blood. The hunger gnawed at the edges of his thoughts, subtle at first, then growing sharper, more insistent.
He hated this part of himself. But if he didn't drink soon, instinct would take over — and that was worse.
'Looks like I'll have to drink tonight,' he thought grimly.
Dressed, he went downstairs to the dining room, where his younger brother, Victor Vilous, was already waiting.
As he sat down, he noticed the glass of blood in front of him.
"Xander, it's been three days," Victor said, nudging it toward him.
He closed his eyes and drank it quickly. The moment the glass was empty, the burning thirst vanished. His eyes opened again, their red brightened to a sharper gleam.
"Better?" Victor asked, already grinning.
Lexander managed a faint smirk. "For now."
"Help me with my homework later."
"Why do you always ask me, even though I haven't even started school yet?"
"Because you always know how to solve the hardest problems," Victor replied matter-of-factly.
Victor was seven — just two years younger than him — but unlike Lexander, he could already control his power as a noble vampire. A thin, invisible barrier coated his skin, allowing him to walk under sunlight without harm.
Sometimes, Lexander envied him. Victor could see the world in daylight while he remained in the shadows.
"I need to master it soon," he murmured to himself.
---
Ellan's Point of View
Today, I was supposed to be in school. Instead, I was sitting in the back seat of a car with Ellyn beside me and Mom at the wheel.
It started this morning, when Mom mentioned she had plans to meet someone.
"I want to go too!" Ellyn had exclaimed instantly.
"I've already planned to bring you both," Mom replied.
She said it so casually I almost missed the meaning — until I realized it meant skipping school entirely.
Before leaving, Mom placed illusion magic over all three of us. My bright red hair deepened to maroon, Ellyn's silver-white shifted to shadow-grey, and even our eyes dulled from their unnatural glow.
Now, the city gave way to suburbs, then to forest. The farther we went, the quieter it became — not just from fewer cars, but in the air itself. Even the birdsong thinned.
Something unspoken prickled at the edges of my awareness.
We pulled into a clearing. Cool air brushed my face. Ahead, two figures waited beneath the shadow of a great tree.
We sat. The quiet settled — not awkward, but expectant.
Then the brown-haired man spoke.
"Good morning, the Guardian of Darkness — Nocthara."
The name fell into the air like a stone breaking still water. I'd never heard it before, but it struck deep, as if I should have known it all along.
I turned sharply to Mom.
"I come here as myself, not as the Guardian," she replied evenly. "Call me Flora."
The man nodded. "I am Vallen Vilous, head of the Vampire City. And this is my adopted son — Lexander Vilous."
Lexander's gaze met mine. His eyes were calm, but there was a flicker — just a moment's pause, like he'd recognized something in me.
"They must be your children," Vallen said.
"Yes," Mother replied. "The boy is Ellan Stalen. The girl is Ellyn Stalen. Those are the names I registered in the human government's system."
"And their real names?"
"Ellan Dark and Ellyn Wilfred K. Stalen."
I lowered my eyes briefly. In Drevara, I was Ellan vi Dark — a name heavy with meaning. Here, on Earth, I was only Ellan Dark.
A shadow of my true self.
"Shall we begin?" Mom asked.
"Yes," Vallen said.