Felisei and Diquarl walked back to the guild, talking about the vampire together. They were afraid he'd get into trouble. If he vanished again, they'd never get to know what had happened last time, and they wouldn't be able to help him either. It was frustrating. Both agreed Ranloo was a helpful and good ally as long as he was in control. They didn't want to lose him.

And I like him, good ally or not, Felisei thought. He was a handsome man, and she liked his manner and humor. She knew Diquarl had had a less pleasant experience with the vampire, but she thought he too was coming around to like him.

As they entered the guild, Gesald came up to them, yawning. ´Where's the elf?` He peered out the door behind them.

´He'll be back later,` Felisei said. ´And he's got a name y'know.`

Gesald shrugged and went back to his chair by the table with the notebook. ´I couldn't really care less,` he grumbled.

She frowned, annoyed by his manners, but there was no point in fighting about it. She strode past him with her nose in the air, Diquarl following quietly. They went up to look in on Sern as promised. He was still feverish and bedridden. She spoke with him shortly, telling him Ranloo was coming later and that everything was fine. He smiled weakly and fell asleep again before she even left the room.

After a late-night dinner with Diquarl, she went out to the courtyard and waited for Ranloo to return, wondering if this was how Sern felt. He seemed very concerned about Ranloo's whereabouts whenever he wasn't present after all. Leaning back against the well with a sigh, she hoped Ranloo wouldn't take too long.

As Ranloo entered the courtyard, Felisei stood and smiled in relief as she saw he was unharmed.

´Welcome back,` she said and went to meet him. He looked up at her voice and smiled. He looked tired, she thought. But it was soon morning. She admired the way he looked as he got closer, walking silently and gracefully, like all elves seemed to do without thinking about it. A graceful, dark shadow.

´What are you staring at?` he asked with a knowing smile.

She blushed slightly and grinned. ´At you,` she said. ´There's nothin' else around here interestin' enough to watch.`

´Oh, thank you,` he scoffed and raised his eyebrows.

She giggled and walked with him to the house. ´You look tired. Did somethin' happen?`

´Yes, and yes.` A strange expression flickered over his face.

She eyed him expectantly, but he didn't elaborate. ´Yes?` she prompted. ´What happened?` A smile suddenly brightened his face, revealing his sharp canines. Her heart skipped a beat as she was reminded of the danger.

´I found Listarl's sword,` he said proudly and presented the burned blade.

She wrinkled her nose as she saw the weapon. ´It's ruined.`

´It can be fixed,` he retorted. ´The blade is still fine. It's only the details that need repairing.`

She laughed. ´The details? Like the handle an' the entire scabbard?`

´Yes, details,` he repeated and grinned, his amber eyes glittering brightly.

Felisei shook her head in amusement. He was a bit eccentric, she thought and regarded him curiously, searching his face.

´What?`

´You said somethin' happened. I don't think you meant the sword.`

He gave her a smug look and knocked on the door. The lookouts let them in. Ranloo stopped short right inside the door. Felisei bumped into him with a gasp and looked up. Gesald and Ranloo gave each other steely glares, making her uncomfortable.

´Let's go,` she whispered, touching his arm.

Ranloo turned his eyes towards the ceiling. ´How is he?`

´Still bad,` she said in a hushed voice. ´But no worse than yesterday.`

He nodded, his eyebrows coming together with worry. Together they walked up to Sern's room, tailed by the Gesald all the way. Felisei noticed how much it distracted Ranloo as he kept glancing back time and again, looking annoyed. He slammed Sern's door in Gesald's face as they entered. Sern groaned from the bed.

´I'm sorry,` Ranloo said softly and sat down beside the boy.

Sern regarded him with tired eyes, a smile still lighting up his face at the sight of the elf. ´Don't worry 'bout it,` he rasped.

´I wanted to tell you something,` Ranloo said with a wide smile.

It seemed like he had forgotten about her presence, Felisei noticed with a sigh.

´I found out I have a special power.` His voice brimmed with pride, almost like a happy child.

Curiosity piqued, Felisei stepped closer to be able to hear better. Sern's eyes widened with wonder as he stared at his friend expectantly.

´I can become invisible in the fog,` he said softly.

Sern and Felisei both gasped.

At the sound, Ranloo turned his head and gave her a surprised look before focusing on Sern again. ´It was quite wonderful,` he continued, his excitement barely contained. ´I stood only a few feet away from two Eldon paladins, and they never saw me.` He beamed like a ray of sunlight.

Felisei studied him, entranced by his intensity.

´I'd love t' see it someday,` Sern croaked and smiled.

´You will. I'll show you when you're well enough, and when there's fog.` He patted Sern on the cover over his chest and stood. ´Now rest. I'll see you later.`

He went to the door and Felisei followed him out, excited and full of questions bubbling inside. As soon as they were out of the room she laid a hand on his arm to get his attention.

´You can do that? Can you show me now?` she asked hopefully. But to her disappointment, Ranloo shook his head and threw a quick glance back at Gesald. She understood. Not a word to anyone else. Frustrated, she kept her mouth shut. The questions had to wait.

Ranloo led the way downstairs and towards his room in the basement. It wasn't until they stood over the last stair down that he realized she still held on to his arm and stopped.

´Are you coming down with me?` A amused smile played on his lips.

She blushed and let go. Then she regretted it. Maybe she could. ´If I may,` she said carefully, a fluttering feeling in her stomach.

His smile widened but he shook his head. ´You don't want to. Trust me.`

´I'm not scared of you,` she protested.

´I know,` he said simply, the smile gone. ´Sleep well.` And with that he turned and vanished down the stairs, leaving her and Gesald standing there.

She looked after him for a while in silence, confused and more hurt than she wanted to admit. But what had she expected? She turned and spotted Gesald leaning against the wall. Realizing he had heard every word, she blushed angrily. He wore a smug look on his face.

´Get lost!` she snapped as she marched past him, flicking her hair angrily.

He smirked and slowly stood up to leave.

* * * * *

A week passed in relative calm. Ranloo and his friends spent the time breaking in and stealing for the guild, and began hanging out when they had free time as well, enjoying each others' company. The thieves were no longer scared around the vampire. And when they were calm, Ranloo could be with them without too much worry, even though his hunger increased slightly every day on the animal diet. He tried hard to suppress his hunger, and imagined he was getting better at it.

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Listarl had laughed until he cried when he'd seen the sword and told Ranloo to keep it. He didn't want it anymore. Ranloo left the weapon with a smith in the guild, who promised to repair it for him.

One day, when Ranloo knew Jackal was in, he went up and asked to speak to him. After a short wait, he was let inside. Gesald stayed outside with the guards, eyeing Ranloo with suspicion. Ranloo entered silently, spotting Jackal immediately. He stood by a window, hands folded behind his back. He turned as the door closed and fixed Ranloo with an unreadable stare. Ranloo hesitated.

´Well,` Jackal promted, ´What did you want?`

Ranloo looked about uncomfortably, then turned back to the guild leader. ´I was wondering if... ` he wasn't sure how to begin. It had become a deeply personal matter over time, and he was unsure how Jackal would react.

´If?` he prompted.

´If you can get me a book about the gods,` he finished rapidly, almost stumbling over the words.

Jackal cocked an eyebrow. Ranloo fidgeted in place, embarrassed. He realized it must seem strange. A vampire asking an Eldon follower about gods.

´I could,` Jackal replied slowly. ´Anything in particular you were interested in?`

Ranloo could almost feel how he was being judged. But maybe it was only his conscience. It felt like a betrayal, even if he simply wanted information. His hand found the die in his pocket. ´No, I want to find... I need a book with all of them,` he finished lamely, knowing that was likely impossible.

´All of them?` Jackal asked, surprised. ´What are you looking for, vampire?` He regarded him with hooded eyes.

Probably wondering if he was looking for some evil deity, Ranloo thought in annoyance. ´I just want information.`

Jackal studied him in silence for a while, then he sighed. ´I'll see what I can do.` He turned his back on him and Ranloo understood he'd been dismissed.

The very next day, Gesald handed him a big leatherbound book with the name ”Deities of the World” inscribed on the front in big curling letters. Ranloo took the heavy tome with a surprised look at the man.

´Jackal said you wanted it.`

´Yes,` Ranloo said absently, running his fingers over the old worn leather.

´Why's everyone so interested in religion all of a sudden,` Gesald muttered to himself, surprising Ranloo.

´Who else have been interested?`

Gesald flinched at the question. Ranloo smirked. He probably hadn't thought he'd hear.

´Your friends,` he answered guardedly.

Interesting. Ranloo turned on his heels, rapidly stalking back down to his room.

Sitting on his bed, Ranloo eagerly flipped through the pages, looking at pictures, trying to find anything with roses. He desperately wanted to know what deity the old temple had been assigned to. There was the symbol of the sun, the all-seeing eye, a crescent moon, a unicorn head, a black griffin, a hammer, and many others he didn't know. He had never bothered much with other gods than the five dominant ones in Sel-Faeyth. Mizar, the goddess of nature, Im, the god of magic, Heldest, the god of healing, and of course Eldon, the sun god, and his companion Adéna, goddess of the moon and fertility.

Eventually, close to the end of the book, he found a picture of a blue rose and stopped, his breath catching in his throat. The memory of the white-robed stranger came to him and he could almost feel the weight of the die in his pocket, reminding him of that strange night.

The title on the page was ”Destiny”. He stared at it, hesitant to read. Taking a deep breath, he slowly ran his finger along the fine text.

”Zeidon, the god of destiny and luck. A powerful chaotic god known to interfere in the business of mortals. Untrustworthy and fickle, he is neither good nor evil.” Ranloo paused. It made sense. He hadn't felt anything when entering the temple. It could have been because the temple was old and abandoned, but he had a feeling the god's alignment had more to do with it.

”His followers are most frequent among gamblers, seers, and people in need of luck. He is an ancient god, come from the outer planes.” Whatever that meant, Ranloo thought. He hoped it wasn't something bad.

”Since Zeidon is popular with gamblers, he is often associated with the symbol of two gaming dice. But he's also connected with other symbols, like blue roses, and the head of a hooded snake. Never a largely popular god, he still see times in which his worship increase and become more approved, but those times are often short-lived.

”Zeidon's appearance, when shown to mortals in human form, is often that of a man of indiscernible age, shoulder-length blond hair, and eyes with black irises.” Ranloo shuddered at the memory of the stranger's disturbingly dark eyes. ”Zeidon usually wears a white robe with a dark blue scapular going down the front and back. Sometimes he carries a staff with the head of a golden cobra at the top.”

The man hadn't had a staff, Ranloo thought, but the rest seemed alarmingly accurate. He squirmed on the bed, the hairs on his neck prickling. Had a god really shown himself to him? That'd explain the strange way he had vanished. Not a ghost. But it was terrifying to think that a divine being had taken notice of someone like himself. A nobody, a newly made vampire living in chaos. Was it possible? Why?

Slightly ill, Ranloo put the book down on the bed and started pacing around the room. What was the world coming to? Was he going insane? Surely, he must remember wrong, or overinterpret things? His eyes wandered back to the book as he slowly produced the blue die from his pocket. Blue. Dice. Roses. He shuddered.

* * * * *

Another week passed before Sern was finally back on his feet and the friends gathered in the usual meeting room.

´Hey, sleepy, welcome back t' the livin',` Felisei greeted him as he entered the room together with Ranloo.

´The living? Are you sure?` Ranloo raised an eyebrow. The comment was met with laughter.

´Well, you're gettin' along good.` Sern grinned and sat down on a chair.

´We're surviving each other,` one of the Hasvien brothers commented drily.

Ranloo looked at him with a slight smile on his lips.

Listarl held his hands out wide and added, ´We're a good team. Why? Did you doubt it?` It was greeted with more laughter.

´'Course not.` Sern smiled. He was happy they were getting along and that nothing bad had happened while he was ill. ´Told you he was nice, didn't I?` he added.

One of the twins coughed pointedly, and was pushed on the shoulder by the other who gave him a meaningful glare. ´Yeah, sure,` he said then.

Ranloo chuckled. ´I like you too.`

´So, anythin' excitin' happen when I was down?` Sern asked and was surprised by the sudden silence and many glances between them. Confused, he searched their faces.

Diquarl spoke up, his blue eyes glittering with mischief. ´No, not really. Not unless you count burning houses, threatening guild leaders, being hunted by paladins, and almost getting caught for burglary as interesting.`

Sern gaped at him for a few seconds before finding his voice. ´Burnin' houses? What d'you mean?`

´Your friend is fond of fire,` Listarl commented. ´Did you know this?´

Shaking his head, Sern looked to Ranloo for answers. The elf averted his eyes, a smile tugging on his lips.

´You didn't!` Sern exclaimed, but already knew it was true.

´Well, I didn't plan to,` Ranloo excused himself. ´We got into a fight and I had to get out. So I set fire to some curtains... and a carpet... and a chair...`

Sern gawked, his mouth open. Felisei placed a finger under his chin and pushed it up, closing his mouth with a delighted laugh.

´What? Why? Fight who?` he asked, ignoring her.

´The guild leader of the Stonefists,` Listarl said in his deep voice. ´We went to threaten them to leave the area. Not to burn their house down.` He crossed his arms and gave Ranloo a theatrically stern look.

Ranloo's amber eyes sparkled with amusement. ´It worked though,` he said. ´Besides, it was your fault. You forced me to go in there,` he sniffed with an air of superiority.

Sern was taken aback by the crazy events and the calm with which the others took it. Of course, they had already known. But still. ´Wait, you said somethin' 'bout a new power, Ranloo. What was it? I can't remember.` He looked at his friend with wide eyes.

´What?` one of the twins asked.

´That's new.` Listarl sat up in his chair, paying more attention. Diquarl also straightened and studied Ranloo with interest. Felisei smiled knowingly.

Ranloo shrugged, a failed attempt to hide his excitement. ´Yes. Well...`

Everyone watched him closely, and he smiled and looked aside. Then he straightened, his face lit up with pride. ´If it's foggy outside,` he explained, ´I can become almost invisible. I can become like a... fog shape.` He waved his hand in the air to demonstrate. Then he began pacing back and forth in the room.

The thieves stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and amazement.

´How?` Listarl asked. ´And how long have you been able to do that?`

´I discovered it when I had to hide from some paladins about two weeks ago,` Ranloo explained. ´I don't actually know how I did it. But I assume it's something I can do again now that I know about it.` He stopped and looked at his friends, his hands on his hips.

´Well, that could certainly come in handy,` one of the twins commented.

Sern was fairly certain it was Aedil. He always seemed more positive towards Ranloo.

Ranloo grinned and continued, his eyes wide, ´They passed me by really close, and one even looked right at me. But they didn't see anything!`

Sern was amazed by this turn of events. His respect and admiration for Ranloo soared. It was crazy how powerful he was. And he's my friend, he thought, unable to contain a smile.

´That's amazing,` Felisei said with admiration in her voice, looking up at the elf. He returned her look, and for a moment, she seemed mesmerized. It irritated Sern more than it should. Ranloo turned away again and she sighed deeply. Sern scowled at her, disliking her open pining for the vampire. She answered with a fleeting look of annoyance.

´Alright. If you don't mind, Ranloo,` Listarl said in a serious tone, ´Can you tell us what in the world happened? You were gone for a week and we still haven't heard why. And now we're all gathered.`

Everyone, Sern included, nodded in agreement. None of them had a clue what had happened. They only knew he'd been enraged when he returned.

Clearing his throat, Ranloo grabbed a chair and sat down, faced his friends, and rested his hands on the backrest in front of him. For a while, he looked at them in silence. Then he slowly started telling them about that awful week.