บท 16: Ten years of quiet growth
In the period of ten years alot had happened.
Good and bad but nonetheless they had survived the lack of food that came with the seclusion of the vampire kingdom.
There weren't a lot of vampires that could safely consume human food but there were some. So taking that away and being unable to request blood had forced them to find something else.
It had taken a while for the solution to be made.
It was only when he was six years of age that Aethelstan had woken up, his own body and soul had breathed a sigh of relief as Aethel's magic stirred in the feeling of being alive.
It was surreal and while he had never strayed too far from the other, he hadn't been able to leave his side for at least a month...well neither had Aethelstan been able to stray from him.
Once more the both of them had been treated like glass, one so fragile that it could break any second. Angesi had hovered around, sure in her crush's power but nonetheless keeping an eye out.
Aethel was anything but pleased and soon proved his growth since the poisonous attack. He was the one who made the solution for the shrinking rations of blood, a year after he had woken up.
The solution called blood pills.
A specially created blood pill that functioned better and was a lot safer than taking blood directly from the source. There were of course some miniscule side effects, the worry was there that the effect would lessen over time but for now they had to be content with the extra food source.
However the process of making pills was a difficult and dangerous one. Adrian had heard of the process, somehow it worked by absorbing different textures from materials, minerals and so on from the mines.
To fully stabilize it a drop of blood is needed, which makes it turn into the legendary blood pill.
As hard as the process was, it had even taken a while for the pill to even be a pill.
Unfortunately life changing things don't happen in one, two, three. In fact it even impacted quite a few severely and one scientist even passed away from the side effects.
Even vampires weren't immune to everything.
His eight year had been accompanied with a dark atmosphere but more and more people saw him as a blessing in his ninth.
Because that was the year the pills stabilized because he was there ,Aethelstan was there.
Because Aethelstan was there, Angesi had stayed. Whenever he goes, Angesi always follows without even a single complaint.
That year Aethelstan had found a better way to condense the materials, while also making sure there would be no side effects at all. For either the surrounding while condensing and the vampires when they used them.
He even was able to shorten the time, thanks to Angesi using the dragon clan's special fire breath skill. Adrian hadn't been allowed to witness but neither had the king, the disappointed face was hilarious.
He had even gone into a fit saying that the skill was supposedly very cool and no one who had seen it breathed through it.
It even worked so amazingly that Angesi produced more pills than ever before,with the same amount of materials even.
Aethelstan didn't have much time so he taught the other scientist his methods step by step, leaving the rest of it to them. Luckily Angesi continued to help, simply for the fact that Aethelstan had worked so hard on it all.
The creaking of the door caught his attention as a hesitant Dawn looked at him, silently asking for permission.
It's been years since all vampires got pulled back into the vampire kingdom, years since Dawn had returned but never the same. He had seen it in the way the eyes of the princess softened with a painful gaze.
He had never returned her words or any one else, barely made contact with others.
He did with him and Aethelstan, so with a smile he beckoned him inside.
Door closed and soon his mattress shifted under the extra weight.
"Did you know-" his head carefully laid on Dawn's lap, pretending to not see the slight flinch that took over him. "-that there has been a spy in the kingdom? Apparently a breach happened, father wasn't certained. But he told me not to worry. But really I want to know how, that way I can follow."
His hand twirled in the golden locks, it had become a habit with both Dawn and Aethelstan. It even calmed Dawn, he sure as hell could use it as a voice like whisper was barely hearable.
"...It's...not sa..fe'' As always the voice cracked heavily from lack of use.
''Dawn, he got out from the barrier. In and out. Don't tell mom or dad, or even Aethelstan but I tried a few times to find a way out but it was useless. They won't even let me get close to the barrier room, saying I'm too young. Unbelievable."
"S..till...a..baby."
"I'm fifteen, not a baby. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, aren't humans weak?"
"P-please..don't.''
"It's just going outside, maybe a little dangerous but i'll survive and if I don't...well then I guess I don't."
Dawn turned stiff, eyes shaking but Adrian only looked ahead.
"Don..t joke....about that."
''I'm not joking, I'm a vampire. Even the godson of the Queen. What can they do?''
''A...lot."
Abruptly shifting, he exclaimed. "I forgot! Before you came back didn't you live outside? What was it like?!"
"....Live..?"
"Come on...you never answer anything I ask or like in general.''
Getting visibly agitated he got from Dawn's lap and his own bed he was sprawled upon. Golden hair fell and his own voice rose heavily in the air.
"What a waste!!
I want to leave this place, go outside and explore!!
But instead I'm stuck here, not even being allowed to do anything with the permission of everyone!!!-"Throughout the rant he went back and forth through the room, spacing. "-Everyone has seen the sky, the stars and the seas. I haven't even seen the immediate surrounding outside of this kingdom."
Dawn was paying close attention, even with trembling arms. A fact he desperately tried to hide. He was there yet he wasn't.
"Please Dawn...please tell me something.
It had the obvious effect, black eyes stayed affixed on his hands while he didn't move or utter a single word.
Adrian ranted in the way only an oblivious child would. "I don't want to stay in hiding here and not let anyone see me. Not like you have, you avoid everyone. Your silence hurts Elvira-" A pang of something was visible. "-you can't even look or speak to them.
Mom said you are going through a hard time but hasn't it been fifteen years?"
"...It..it doesn't...feel that."
A weak attempt at defense but Dawn had never been good at fights.
"Well, maybe it's about time you face reality before you lose it.''
Adrian stormed out, leaving behind a shaken Dawn. Who was struggling to make sense of what just happened.
Jaw clenched and his eyes followed the retreating child's back as he was taking one slow breath after another.
Adrian felt guilty as the smell of blood waved over him, Dawn's nails cutting into his skin.
He didn't know what happened in the past with Dawn but it wasn't good.
But the quilt was only secondary as a small smile etched on his face.
There had been a second of hesitation before he accepted the mission given by the system.
It was a small mission, combined with others.
The mission would be rewarded upon fulfillment and he needed what he could get.
Well with that there was also the punishment.
[Times ticking.
On the day of your sixteenth birthday, you must set foot outside of the magic barrier.
Otherwise your heart will stop. \
Every passing day, the message became clearer, blaring red in warning.
He couldn't wait anymore which is why he spoke the harsh words.
It wasn't surprising when the stern gaze of Aethelstan flickered over him.
"H-hey Aethel, why are you here?"
He was sitting in a corner, alone and far away from the other inhabitants. It was far too obvious that Aethelstan would come his way.
His face demanded an answer yet he patiently waited.
As always, so patient.
Biting his lip, he turned away and with a sigh Aethelstan finally spoke up.
"I felt agitation, what happened Adrian?"
He didn't answer, didn't move from his spot on the floor. That was until two hands landed upon his shoulders and the ever so silky voice of Aethelstan spoke up.
"Little devil...look at me."
Adrian let uncertainty flow through the bond, combined with the quilt about what he said to Dawn.
"You know I can feel what your feeling."
Betrayed he looked at the other, before turning away.
"Look Adrian, I know this hasn't been easy for you and I'm sorry I didn't take into account your feelings about the bond. Even though I'm capable of receiving your thoughts, it doesn't mean I should do it without your permission. You're just a child, so it makes sense it's difficult to share everything."
"Not a child. I'm fifteen.''
He said it in nothing more than a whisper, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he looked away. Once again hiding behind his hair.
He could see the smile stretching on Aethel's face as he gently removed the curtain of hair.
"Well..you're still the same baby I held when he was just born. One that made my life quite a mess in fact. "
Words were spoken with a fond undertone, hard to miss. To make up Adrian could even feel the emotion through the bond.
Grumbling and a face flickering with dissatisfaction, Adrian acted as a child would while Aethelstan's feeling was returned with happiness.
Not a second later he got pulled up and was immediately confronted with a stern undertone. ''Now Adrian, this is serious. Alright?"
Confusion etched his face before he looked into the silver eyes that had watched him for fifteen years.
''I know you bear a lot and are capable of even more. But that doesn't give you the right to scream and upset someone else. That is an act of a child, a baby and if you don't want anyone to see you as one then you need to act like a teenager.
"Bu-''
"No buts.
Screaming doesn't solve anything. If you want people to listen, know and help solve your concerns you need to learn how to talk or ask. I can't solve something I know nothing about and neither can your mother or father.''
Arms dropping, Adrian muttered a low sorry.
"That's one but I want you to know what you're sorry for.
What did you say to Dawn?"
"Well uhm I screamed at him.
I didn't...I want to leave, explore. See the sea and sky and go wherever the hell I want to go. So I asked him about his past-" There was wordless disappointment hanging in the air, Adrian gulped in reflex. "-Yeah..uhh..I asked but he didn't tell, so I screamed at him for hiding away, avoiding everyone and...i'm sorry."
''That isn't nice, infact i'm sure Dawn must be very hurt right now."
"I know." Voice was still, the quilt carried it along.
Aethelstan's eyes softened. "So what will you do now?"
"Apologize."
"Good, i'm proud of you Adrian.
It's hard accepting the fact that you made a mistake. Many adults aren't even capable of that."
They walked through the hallways in silence, his room not very far but it seemed like ages.
"If you want to ask something, just ask. You know I don't bite.''
''Aethel, will I....will I be stuck here forever?
A heavy sigh later, he could barely hear the answer.
"Very unlikely, seeing the foreseeable future."
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