Letters to Romeo.

Music Recommendation: Light of the Seven - Ramin Djawadi

—

The same evening, when Azazel Donovan had visited Julie, another Elder vampire stood in the underground dungeon, staring at the boy who stood behind the bars of the cell. 

There was a deep frown on Elder Luciano's face, his eyes holding a glare towards Griffin. He raised his hand, and soon one of the guards who had followed him to the dungeon quickly took the key and opened the cell's door. 

Once it was done, Elder Luciano waved his hand, ordering the guard to leave, and the guard left the dungeon, leaving Luciano and Griffin alone in there. 

Griffin looked a little startled, yet at the same time, he was internally happy knowing Elder Luciano had come to get him out of here. "Thank you, Elder Luciano," the younger vampire bowed his head; taking the Elder's hand, he kissed it to show his gratitude. "I cannot tell how grateful I am—"

"Embarrass me one more time and I will see to it that I myself put you behind these rusted bars," warned Elder Luciano, his eyes glaring at the younger vampire, where a little of Luciano's blood had been given to Griffin during the process of transformation. 

When Donovan had picked up the Moltenore boy to be his underling, Luciano, on a whim, had picked up Griffin.. He had hoped the boy would be a good competition as he was one of the first few humans to transform into vampires without much issue. It was considered that the faster the transformation, the stronger the vampire would turn out to be. But instead of being useful, Luciano was pulling the boy out of the cell. 

"Forgive me, Elder Luciano. I won't repeat it again," Griffin was quick to appease his master, whom he had kept on the pedestal, even though once in a while, his eyes shifted towards Donovan, who appeared to hold more power compared to the other three Elders. 

"I want you to focus on finding the culprit to see who is behind the contamination. It is time you see how you can redeem yourself in my eyes," stated Elder Luciano.

Griffin clenched his hands, knowing well Luciano was telling him not to meddle with Roman, which took away the opportunity to get his revenge on what Roman Moltenore had done. 

"It's been two days and yet no one knows what's going on. They haven't been able to find whoever this culprit is. The reports of the students from the infirmary show negative, no one has Silverwater in their body," Luciano started to walk out of the dungeon, and Griffin quickly followed him. "Either the person is still in Veteris, or it was done by one of the students who is dead. There is this vampire, who has gone missing since the day of the Fall Annual, Dante is looking at it right now."

When Luciano gave a side look to Griffin, the younger vampire nodded his head and said, "I will be right on it."

"Good," harrumphed Luciano, his lips setting themselves into a thin line before he added, "And get it done before that Moltenore boy finds out who the little rat is. Though I do have suspicions about the girl, who was admitted a week late." 

Griffin nodded his head, "Maybe I can compel her, and see if she's hiding anything?"

"Yes," replied the older vampire. So far, with what he knew, both he and Donovan looked down at humans as if they were dirt. A little harmless compulsion wouldn't harm anyone, thought Luciano. His thoughts were disrupted when Griffin spoke,

"There was something that has been bothering me," he waited for the Elder vampire to pay him attention, and when he did, Griffin continued, "Yesterday I saw something very strange in the dungeon."

"Stop playing with suspense and speak, boy," Luciano lightly glared at Griffin. 

"Ah yes. It was last evening, a few hours after I entered the cell. I saw a paper fall on the ground," Griffin's facial expression looked as if he was telling a horror story, which he didn't have answers to. "The paper fell and then it disappeared!" 

Luciano rolled his eyes, "It is probably because of your low blood intake. Vampires often hallucinate things when they turn extremely thirsty." 

Griffin, who already knew that the Elder would react like this, said, "I wasn't hallucinating. I don't even have that kind of blood lust as Moltenore has and I had already drank blood before I was caught and put in here. I saw these broken twigs that looked like they were about to drop on the ground, but instead, whatever it was, it took the paper and disappeared." 

A slight frown appeared on Luciano's face on hearing Griffin's words because this seemed familiar, "Nothing comes and goes in thin air, Griffin. Stop hovering around me and get to the job." 

Griffin gritted his teeth, but he didn't know how to prove it.

With Luciano, who dismissed him, walking in the other direction, Griffin wondered where the Elder was headed. He himself made his way towards the centre of the University. He headed towards the lunchroom of the university, with a doubt in his mind now if he was hallucinating because of his thirst for blood. On his way, he met one of his lackeys. 

"Yo, Griffin! Where were you? I have been looking for you since this morning," asked one of the vampires to him.

It seemed that no one had heard about him being in the dungeon, and his chin lifted itself higher than before. Griffin said, "I was busy with Elder Luciano. You know how it has been since the Elders have woken up."

From the other side, someone commented, "I don't think the Elder would be pleased if he finds out that you included him with you in spending time in the dungeon."

When Griffin turned with a scowl on his face to see who had spoken, he noticed the red hair. It was one of Roman's friends. 

Simon had a crooked smile on his face, while he had a girl next to him. 

"Buzz off from here," warned Griffin. 

"No need to be defensive. I think it's fantastic to be spending one night in the dungeon, helps in keeping up with the reputation, doesn't it?" chuckled Simon, and he walked away from there with the girl clinging on his arm. 

The boy, who earlier spoke to Griffin, turned back to look at him, whose expression had turned hard. Not wanting to cross him, the vampire said, "I heard Moltenore was released from the dungeon and he returned back to the university, which is why this one is talking."

"Where did he go?" Griffin raised his eyebrows, demanding a quick answer. 

"Who knows, I saw him earlier with the human. Must have gone to keep her somewhere safe from the Elders," informed the boy. 

"Do you know where he is now?" Griffin continued to look for answers while he looked around the campus from where he stood. 

"I don't know about him, but a few minutes ago, I saw the girl walking with a four eyed boy towards the girl's Dormitorium. Do you—"

Griffin didn't stay around to hear the rest of it, and he quickly made his way towards the girl's Dormitorium. Fucking Moltenore was the reason he was thrown in the dungeon, and he was going to see that Roman's precious human wouldn't last in Veteris for long. When he reached near the girl's Dormitorium, he noticed Roman and Julie heading out of the Dormitorium building. 

He quickly moved behind a tree, watching the couple leave. The human girl turned to look at the Dormitorium with a slight worry, and Griffin turned suspicious. 

He looked back and forth, making sure no one was watching him. He made his way near the window of Julianne Winters dorm. Using his hands, he tried to pull open the window, but it seemed like it was tightly locked. If only he could get a look and see if this human was trying to hide something in there. 

While Griffin hovered in front of the same window that Roman often used to jump in and out of the room, the Corvin was quietly sitting and minding itself. Waiting for Julie to return to the dorm.

The Corvin raised its hand, watching the twigs grow, and when it saw a small leaf appear, it used its other hand to pull the leaf out of its hand. 

The room was quiet, and it was dark as the light had been turned off so that no one would bother to come by looking for her. The Corvin's feet, which were made of roots like toes, increased in length as if it were ready to dig into the floor and stay there. Its memory moved back to a couple of years ago, when Julie was small and her mother was still alive. 

The birds had perched on the spacious ground, which was clear except for some grains that the woman had thrown for them to eat. One of the birds flew and came to sit on the bench next to the woman, watching her and then the woman's daughter, who sat on her heels watching the black birds. 

"When I sit like this, everything around me feels so easy and comfortable. Like nothing from the past matters, but at the same time, my heart grows heavy for what she has to go through in the coming future," said the woman, her eyes watching little Julie, who was right now watching the birds. 

'Cannot tell her,' croaked the raven that sat next to the woman. 

"I am aware of it," sighed the woman, who was a witch and who could understand what the raven was talking. "I wish I could lower the impact, but I know it will only alter things, wouldn't it? I wish I could protect her. Knowing I won't be around for long, promise me that you will watch over her, Corvin. I don't have anyone else I can count on. When the time is right, and when you can, come to her aid."

'I try,' the raven croaked one more time, it hopped, moving its feet so that it could get closer to the witch. 

The woman held a grave look on her face, and she continued staring at the ravens that now surrounded the little one. 

"Mama!" The little girl came back to the woman's side, and the bird moved away, this time towards the edge of the bench, but it didn't fly away from there. 

The raven watched the little girl interact with the woman, where the witch placed her hand on the girl's head and ran her fingers through the girl's hair lovingly. "Are you done watching the birds eat?" asked the woman. 

"Uhm," the little girl answered, and she held her mother's hand while the woman stood up from the bench. 

She then said, "I forgot to give the last portion of the grains," and she placed it in little Julie's hands. "Come let's feed them together before we leave." 

They walked towards where the birds were, and after throwing the grains towards the birds, where the girl's attention was quick to occupy by their sight. The woman saw the Corvin following them from behind. Some of the people walking nearby looked at her and her daughter with a strange look on her face. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here, interacting with the ravens, but she couldn't help it. 

She said to the Corvin, "From now on, I won't be coming here anymore. It isn't safe for me, nor is it for her. If you have anything to tell, you can come and meet me at my house."

The Corvin croaked, and the woman turned back to look at Julie, who observed the birds. "Come dear," said the woman, "It is time to get back home, honey. Your father might come home early as he said he's finishing work soon." 

Holding each other's hands, the woman gave a look to the Corvin before leaving from there to head back home. 

The Corvin returned to the present, where it sat in the darkroom, and the only scarce light that passed through was from below the door that came from the corridor of the Dormitorium. Some light came inside through the hazy window, where the curtain hadn't been drawn. On hearing scratching noises near the windows, the creature slowly turned its body and head to look at a silhouette that stood behind the window. 

The sound on the window was nothing less to a cat scratching on it, and the creature moved closer to the window. 

On the other side of the window stood Griffin, who was still trying to open the window. He suddenly heard a noise coming from the other side of the window, caused by the Corvin's beak hitting the hazy glass. 

Griffin suddenly stepped back as if the couple had returned to the dorm, but then the light had never been turned on. His eyes narrowed, wondering if someone was in there right now? He questioned in his mind. 

Stepping closer once again, this time, the vampire placed his forehead to touch the surface of the window while he used his vampire eyes to see through the hazy glass. 

Back in the room, the Corvin wondered who it was, and it turned curious. 

Its wooden stem, and twig-like fingers elongated, reaching for the window and ready to protect the girl's dorm from any possible intruder. The lock of the window clicked, and Griffin, who had been waiting to open it, he put his fingers to the side, ready to pull it—

"Looks like staying in the cell yesterday and today was not enough time."

Griffin quickly pushed the window that he was about to pull backwards, and he stepped away from it, his eyes meeting Veteris' counsellor. He wondered what this freak was doing here. 

"I thought I saw something in there and wanted to check," Griffin fluently lied. The smile on Mr. Evans' face didn't fall, and he said, 

"No lights in the room and with that kind of glass, I wonder what you saw. Your eyes must have gotten better since Luciano is here." 

Griffin gave a brief look at the window before deciding to leave the dorm alone, making his way to where the counsellor stood. "I don't have human eyes, Mr. Evans," the way Griffin said the vampire's name, there was a hint of spite in it. "What are you even doing around here?" 

"Me?" Questioned Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips stayed intact, and he said, "I was taking a walk when I caught you trying to take a peep into a girl's room. How was your time in the dungeon? Such a short time, I doubt it had any impact on you or Moltenore's behaviour." 

"Did you find any suspects?" inquired Griffin. Mr. Evans stared at the boy, and he said, 

"If I found the person, I wouldn't be here talking to you, would I?" Mr. Evans tilted his head, his eyes turning small as he offered Griffin a smile that brought the crows feet at the corner of his eyes. "You should stop sneaking around if you don't want to pay another visit to the dungeon."

Griffin quietly glared at Evans, because for a fact, everyone knew the vampire counsellor didn't do what he preached. 

"I have something else to do," Griffin walked past the counsellor, who stood there in the same spot. Mr. Evans' eyes followed the vampire who was under Elder Luciano's care and protection, and once the boy disappeared from his sight, the smile on his lips slipped down as if it was never there. His eyes shifted to look at the girl's dorm, where Griffin had been hovering around, trying to open it. 

A second later, the counsellor finally walked away from there. 

At the same time, away from the campus, one of the Elders continued to walk in slight haste, the cloak behind him flying above the ground to provide it with some sort of shelter from the darkness present in the forest. 

The forest was quiet and deserted, where none of the students were to be seen. Elder Luciano walked with great pride in every footstep he took, his red eyes stark against his pale skin and blonde hair parted from the side. He walked towards the East side of Veteris to check something. 

When he walked for a few minutes, Luciano met with another Elder vampire, Elder Castiel, who looked surprised on seeing him. 

"Taking a stroll in the woods I see," commented Castiel with a peaceful expression on his face. 

"Not exactly," came the curt response from Luciano, and he said, "I came to check one part of the land. Something very interesting came to my notice." Castiel raised his eyebrows in question. Luciano continued to say, "I came to see if Willow Creek has finally reappeared." 

For a moment, Castiel was taken aback by the mention of the town which had disappeared many years ago. He sorted his thoughts and asked, "Willow Creek has ceased to exist centuries ago. Why the sudden interest?" 

"To take a look at it," Luciano's words sounded arrogant. He then decided to speak, "Griffin mentioned about seeing something appear and disappear in the dungeon."

"The young vampires always have hallucinations when they are deprived of blood," Castiel said the same thing that Luciano had told Griffin. 

"He saw twigs, stems that appeared and disappeared," Luciano let Castiel know, and the latter frowned. 

Castiel turned to look at the direction of where Willow Creek once used to exist, and he said, "It is impossible for Willow Creek to show up, when it hasn't shown up in these many years after the curse." 

"That is exactly what is interesting, isn't it?" Luciano parted his lips to speak again, "The younger vampires aren't aware of it, for them to make up things like these. There should be some sort of explanation, unless Griffin is a whisperer, who is gifted." 

Castiel, who was well aware that Luciano's boy had no extraordinary gift, agreed, "Let's take a look then." The two Elders headed towards the place that once belonged to Willow Creek, which had now come under Veteris. 

When they came to one side of the forest, the Elders jumped over the thorns and the bushes using their vampire ability. Even though not much time had passed since the time of dusk, fog crawled on the surface of the forest ground. 

"The place looks the same as we last saw it to be," commented Castiel, his eyes scanning the surroundings before they continued to walk. When they reached a particular spot, he said, "Wasn't it supposed to be somewhere here? Looks like it's not shown up even after these many years."

Luciano had a look of suspicion in his eyes while the dim light that fell on the ground from the moonlight. 

"Let me see. The place still holds that same smell like it used to," said the blonde vampire, and he walked towards a spot that had black markings on the ground, which was now covered with dried leaves. "One would think that the curse would have weakened or broken after these many centuries. To think the witch even hid the stones, while letting it disappear with the town." 

"Opaline La Fay was considered to be one of the smartest witches. I wouldn't expect anything less from her," murmured Castiel and Luciano turned to look at the other Elder vampire with a sneer. 

"I sometimes question whom you are vying for, Castiel. It's not good to place your feet in both the boats. The witches weren't worth anything except for their stones. Most of them only caused damage to us," Luciano didn't look happy as he remembered about the time when he had come across some of the witches. 

Castiel walked to the opposite side of where Luciano stood. Bending down, he looked at the ground before sitting on his heels. When he was about to get up, his eyes fell on something. A faint frown appeared on his face, and his hand reached for the black feather on the ground. 

"A bird's feather?" questioned Luciano, coming to stand next to Castiel, who stood up straight. 

"A raven's feather," replied Castiel.