“Why do you stay here, master?” Nathaniel asks, his head lowered. He was a servant of Arias’ vampire clan, and in all but name, he was the number two. Also, if Arias’ expulsion from the Burning Man continent was considered, he was now the one calling the shots in the family.

Arias shakes his head, not taking the question too seriously, before simply taking a bite of his chocolate cake. They were at a café that Arias’ found himself frequenting; over the years, desserts had grown to be a big part of his life.

“Why, master? Why lower yourself?” Nathaniel continues to ask.

Arias looks up to Nathaniel. He came all this way… Might as well give him an explanation… He thinks with a sigh. “It’s like this, Nathaniel. From a young age, all I’ve done is fight. I fought and I conquered, because it fed my soul. And at the end, I conquered the Burning Man continent. But let me tell you, friend. It was all down hill from there; life became tedious, and my soul grew hungry. The only thing I could think to do was raise a challenger, but even for that, I’ll have to grow bored and wait. But the heavens are merciful. They introduced me to my mother. This woman took me in; me! Do you know how impossible that is? How rare? Do you realize how much blood stains my hands? The lives I’ve stolen? No, just the fact that she took me in was grace, and she even dared to call me son. This is what feeds my soul now, Nathaniel. Dessert and theatre, family and my mother’s love.” Arias says, trying to put it into words.

Hearing these words, Nathaniel’s face becomes red. “But why? It’s so- it’s so– embarrassing! You stand at the peak of the world, master! And you lower yourself to some– to some woman! Who does she think she is!?” Nathaniel exclaims.

Arias’ brows furrow, and his gaze focuses on Nathaniel. Immediately, a pressure was felt, a heaviness that weighed his body down as it screamed at him to not move.

Nathaniel struggles under the pressure to open his mouth. “I– I’m sorry– master.” He forces himself to say.

Arias looks away, immediately relieving the pressure, and sighs. “You don’t understand, Nathaniel. This is a one in a million chance for me. I doubt it will happen a second time in this lifetime. It has even opened a whole new world to me; this whole time I’ve been blind to the rest of the world, only focused on the fight, on the struggle. But there’s so much more out there, my friend. Music and art is ingrained into this reality, and now that my eyes are open, and my ears can listen, I realize that it’s all around me. None of this would have been possible without my mother.” He says with a smile.

Nathaniel’s eyes widen. “Ma- master!? Are you happy!?” He thinks, shocked and bewildered. In regards to Arias, it was such a foreign concept. It was something only seen when a city was conquered or when an enemy bent his knees, but now… It seemed to be associated with something else…

Arias lets out a laugh. “Maybe. I can tell you this, Nathaniel; I’m satiated. And for all my life, that’s all that I ever wanted.” He says.

Nathaniel wipes the sweat from his brow. This is almost more than I can handle. Who knew master could be… So soft-hearted… He thinks.

“Anyways, you can go back. You’re free to invade the Freeman continent as you wish.” Arias says with a wave of his hand.

A struggle forms on Nathaniel’s face. He had been very eager for this war. For their kind, this sort of thing was an all-you-can-eat buffet. But as Nathaniel looks at Arias, the joy on his face and the glow in his expression… Nathaniel’s eyes glow red. I want it too!! He thinks with a hiss.

Nathaniel clears his throat. “Ah-hughm. Master, that is something I cannot do. You must know that my undying loyalty is only to you. No, I will bring the family to the Shearpeak kingdom at once! We will defend our heaven together!” He exclaims with determination.

Arias lets out a laugh. “Greedy boy. Fine, come along. It would put my mind at ease.” He says.