“I suppose a shared trauma such as the ritual does tend to bring people closer together. Remember us, Derek, in the beginning? What was it that made us bond, if not for the darkness of The Shade and its heritage?”

“A lot has changed since then. For the better, thank God.”

Indeed, things were significantly different now than they had been during The Shade’s earlier days. We’d discovered a cure to vampirism, that blood derived from an immune combined with intense exposure to sunlight could make us human again—a practice Scarlett had engaged in, now pregnant with Patrik’s first child. Our family had grown a lot. Our friends came in greater numbers, as did our alliances.

Everything was better, bigger, and stronger. And we, the elders of GASP and The Shade, were the only constant. We’d seen the worst of days and ourselves, and we were now witnessing the best.

The Shade was a haven, always at peace and protected by its inhabitants. Nevertide was ruled by Ash and Ruby, the traces of its murkier days all but gone. Eritopia was under the Daughters’ protection, once again on a path toward regrowth. There had been an uptick in the Druid and Lamia populations. Babies were born almost every day now, giving hope and proving that all the damage that Azazel had done could still be repaired.

The same could be said for Neraka, where the Imen lived peacefully alongside the daemons, Manticores, Dhaxanians and Adlets. Strava’s Draenir population was also growing after Ta’Zan had nearly wiped them out of existence. The Faulties and the Perfects were starting families of their own. Everything was, quite literally, fine.

Sometimes, as I looked out into the distance, I thought of my beginnings. I remembered my parents and what life had been like with them. Lucas, who had been such a handful, such a terrible and hateful creature, was now fully transformed. A different person altogether, thanks to the power of love. It sounded rather cheesy, but it was true. Love had changed many people around me over the years.

In some cases, love had achieved incredible shifts overnight, as well. It was a powerful thing, a fearsome weapon we’d chosen to wield in the face of adversity. We’d come a long way since The Shade’s beginning, and it had only been thanks to love—love for one another, love for our friends and families, love for living. If there was one thing I’d learned from all our trials and tribulations, it was that love was a sharper blade than hate.

Hate consumed its bearer from the inside. Hate had driven the likes of the Elders, Azazel, Shaytan, Ta’Zan… Not to mention Brendel and, most importantly, the Spirit Bender. It wasn’t productive. It was poison. It might’ve seemed powerful and capable of great things at first, but nothing built on hate would ever last.

Love, on the other hand… well, love was about to take us across the Milky Way, in search for the cure that would make all vampires into day-walkers. Who didn’t love the sweet morning sunlight, after all? Or the crimson-orange sunsets over the horizon? It was a far more powerful motivator than hate.

“Do you think we’ll be okay out there?” Sofia asked me, her voice low. She could almost tell that I was thinking about our upcoming trip. It had been part of nearly every conversation since we’d decided to move forward with the exploratory mission.

“As long as we set a clear objective, I guess so,” I said. “We don’t know what we’re walking into, exactly, but I figure we’ve been through enough to hardly be surprised by whatever Trexus-2 might throw at us.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Here we are, ready to go on another adventure. I just hope it doesn’t turn out like Strava.”

“Heavens, no!” I replied. “I’ve had enough of these end-of-days scenarios, Sofia. For once, I’d like to simply go to a place, say hello to some new people, get some of their blood, and come back to The Shade, thankful to have what we need for the day-walking cure.”

She glanced at me, mischief flickering in her eyes. “When was anything straightforward about our endeavors, babe?”

Blowing raspberries, I shook my head, making her laugh. “You’re jinxing it, my love.”

“I’m just being realistic.”

I took her hand and brought it up to my lips. Her skin felt cold, but soft and smooth, like the finest of silks. All I could think of was Sofia in the sunlight, smiling at me. Whatever came next, it was bound to carry a certain set of risks… but, to me, it was worth it. Sofia walking in the day again, at my side, was worth whatever fate had in store for us.

Sofia

A shuttle had been prepared for us to travel to Trexus-2. It was to be engulfed in an interplanetary-and-tracking-spell fusion, and additionally equipped with serium batteries for us to use outside the magic bubble.

It had been set up on the beach, close to the glass house extensions, and it was now waiting for the final checks before boarding. Most of our senior officers were busy on various GASP assignments, but Ben and Rose had managed to take some time off so they could see us off on this journey. They were understandably worried, but Derek and I weren’t a helpless elderly couple. I could still slit a throat or two, if it came down to that.

Dmitri, Douma, Amal, Amane, and Lumi took their time with the shuttle and the final preparations for takeoff. Dmitri and Douma checked all the cables and serium batteries, making sure everything would work seamlessly on our expedition. The Faulty twins handled our equipment and resources, including food rations and their storage conditions. Lumi was preoccupied with designing the spell’s pentagram, upon which the shuttle would be placed before it ignited.

Derek and I stood beneath the sprawling fan of an old palm tree. It had been surprisingly hot during the day, despite the constant nighttime that reigned over The Shade. Ben and Rose stayed with us, along with Ariana, Anna and Kyle’s daughter, and Julian, her husband. The six of us watched quietly as the prep crew did their work around the shuttle.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring Tristan and Esme along?” Julian asked me.

He was concerned, as a father should’ve been, especially since we were taking both his children out of The Shade and all the way to the other side of our galaxy. However, Tristan and Esme were valuable to our mission, not only because of their anthropological expertise, but also because of their heritage.

“Kyle and Anna, may their souls rest in peace, would’ve wanted this,” I said. “It’s not just Tristan and Esme’s qualifications, but their interest in our mission, as well. They were adamant about coming with us, Julian. And they’re both old enough to join.”

“It doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with it,” Julian grumbled, crossing his arms.

Derek smiled. “Your children want to help us. Think about it, Julian. If we find a cure that allows us to be in the sunlight without it debilitating us, it’ll be a gamechanger for our species.”

“Just make sure they don’t get hurt out there,” Ariana replied, her shoulders dropping slowly.

She understood this better than Julian. Her mother had given us the vampire cure, thanks to her immunity. Unlike Anna, however, neither Ariana, Esme or Tristan had been born immunes. Immunity tended to skip a generation or two, so there was a chance that the next generation would be immune, and we’d often wondered how it might impact their lives, as a family. After all, it wasn’t like we could just ship an immune back to Cruor to get rid of this condition—as had happened to me, long ago. Amal and Amane had been studying Tristan and Esme’s blood for this, hoping to learn more about the dormant immune gene they carried, but they had yet to come up with a way to completely disable it. The twins were relentless, though, and I suspected they would get to the bottom of it eventually.

“They’re both more than capable,” I said. “They passed their qualifications. They’re agents of GASP now. I trust that Tristan and Esme will be instrumental to our mission.”

“Speaking of, where are they?” Rose asked, glancing around.

We saw Nethissis coming in, joined by Kailani. Nethissis had insisted on coming with us, and I didn’t see any reason as to why she shouldn’t. A swamp witch would always come in handy, especially in situations such as ours. She looked nervous, her gaze wandering across the beach until it met Lumi’s, close to the shuttle.

There was tension there. I could almost feel it. Lumi had objected to Nethissis’s decision to join us, but she hadn’t insisted on changing the young Lamia’s mind. There had been some mention of Nethissis needing some more time to recover from the Hermessi incident, but that had not been enough to keep her out of the crew. On the contrary, it had made Nethissis want to go out with us even more.

As the night cast its pearlescent moon rays over the sandy beach, I found myself entranced, watching Nethissis and Kailani practically glide toward the shuttle. There was something about the swamp witches that made them seem almost otherworldly. Their movements were delicate, barely noticeable. Their white eyes scanned everything, including my soul it seemed, whenever they looked at me. Their voices were soft and low… and they knew things. Secrets of the Word, magic that could make the difference between life and death in any circumstance. I had great respect for their kind.

“Tristan and Esme are late, as usual.” Julian rolled his eyes. “They might not be twins, but, by the stars, they’re cut from the same cloth.”

Esme was a year older than Tristan, and she never let him forget it. Their personalities were remarkably different, as well, but there were other aspects that made them resemble one another more than anything else. Among them was this ability to run late to pretty much anything—even basic training. Time simply wasn’t their friend, for a variety of reasons.

“How much do you want to bet they didn’t hear the alarm this time?” Ariana giggled. Looking at her now, I could see a piece of Anna in the way she crinkled her eyes when she laughed. The shape of her lips, however, reminded me of Kyle. No wonder Julian had fallen in love with her. Ariana was the best of both her parents.

Sadness nudged me discreetly, as I regretted not being able to see Kyle and Anna again. As an immune, Anna could never become a vampire. While my circumstances had led to my abduction to Cruor and the removal of my immunity, the same could not be done with Anna. Kyle had had the option to become a vampire, but his love for her had held him back. They’d both lived full and beautiful lives as humans, and I missed them dearly.

Seeing Ariana here, however, had made me smile more. Most of her family had stayed away from GASP action. Tristan and Esme had spent the majority of their formative years on Earth, studying anthropology and various cultures across the globe.

The siblings came out of the dark forest, carrying their backpacks, weapons, and instruments, cool as cucumbers and not at all fazed when their father cajoled them. “You’re late! Again!” he said.

Tristan and Esme glanced at one another and chuckled as they approached us. “His alarm didn’t go off,” Esme said, nodding at her brother.

“And yours?” Julian asked, one eyebrow raised.

“I spent the night in his room,” Esme replied. “I didn’t think I’d need my alarm working, too.”

“Way to blame me,” Tristan muttered. “Miss I-Sleep-At-Least-Nine-Hours-To-Feel-Normal. And that’s a direct quote.”

Esme shushed him, then shot us a grin. “We’re not actually late, are we?”

I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “Not at all. The shuttle is still being checked.”

“Still, you said you’d be here at eight,” Julian insisted.

Tristan checked his watch. “It’s eight fifteen. You can’t possibly be miffed about a fifteen-minute delay, Dad. West Point isn’t as strict as you.”

“Actually, they kind of are,” Esme whispered, eyeing her father’s satisfied grin. “My two years there did not fix my tardiness problem, though not for lack of trying.”