After snickering, the boys ran away like lightning. Shirei reacted instinctively and launched into a frantic chase.

The thieves were no mere mortals, Cragar's son could tell from their speed. Soon, they split up and took to the streets with the idea of reuniting after they were sure they had eliminated anyone who could harm them.

Unfortunately for them, the opponent was not just any demigod.

Shirei disappeared into the Interworld and reappeared exactly at the moment when the eldest, a blond-haired boy of about fifteen, was turning into a dead end.

The demigod advanced towards the boy, until the latter was with his back against the cold bricks of a building, he was trapped.

"Ouch, a demigod!" The blonde's voice didn't seem to be strained.

Shirei stretched out a hand towards him, "I'm busy, give me back what you stole and warn your friends to do the same," he took a step back, in order to leave him a certain degree of freedom, "In exchange, I'll let you go."

The young man began to cry with his head down, at least Shirei mistakenly mistook it for crying. When he looked up, a grin appeared on the blond's face, while bright blood-red eyes shone in the sunlight.

"Otherwise?" He asked with a laugh.

The other members of his group descended from the roofs of the adjacent buildings, "Fear the power of the thousand-year-old vampires!"

The elder Tumma reached Shirei, but the son of Cragar did not seem the least bit afraid. He was looking, after all, at what appeared to be no more than twelve-year-olds.

"Millennials?"

"Yes, we died young, but you will still suffer our thirst!" The one Shirei designated as the leader shouted again.

One of the kids next to him tried to hold him back, "Boss, it's morning."

"We are weak in the morning," another claimed.

"Silence!" The leader bellowed, "It's a single defenseless demigod! He won't be able to protect himself from us, the famous vampires of Trani!" **

"Ah! It's not... convenient for you... young men..."

Shirei ignored the creatures and turned to the mysterious imp who had just spoken.

The sound had come from his trunk, which sucked in air every time he had to pronounce a word.

"This… yes… he… is… a… person… who… you… should… be… scared of…"

"And we are vampires! I bet his blood is very tasty too."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Shirei glared at the kids and summoned his ghostly harpies. The creatures appeared through the cracks in the bricks that made up the walls of the buildings. They croaked at the frightened vampires, who hadn't expected such a situation at all.

Cragar's son turned to the shopkeeper, "How do you know who I am?"

The goblin hesitated for a moment, "About... a... couple... of... months... ago... a... letter... arrived... to... us... return... to... him..."

"From who?" Shirei asked after checking the progress of the fight.

The tenebrae had put the vampires in difficulty, who had abandoned the stolen clothes and were looking for a way to escape the ghostly creatures

"Yes... it was... signed... the Ancient One..."

Shirei grimaced, "And it's about me?"

"In the... text... of... the... letter... there was... mentioned... a... Calm... Sovereign... a... son... of... Cragar ... who... was... once... in... cahoots... with... the Ancient One..."

"Why should it be me?"

"Your... stink..." said the imp looking him in the eyes, «You smell... of... death... it's... you... the... Calm... Sovereign... the one... who escaped... from the Abyss..."

Shirei made the ghostly harpies disappear and ordered the vampires to go away. When the leader tried to say something in response, the demigod materialized the Blade of Discord in the palm of his hand.

The creatures of the night opened their eyes wide and ran away, Shirei heard them arguing that they shouldn't take risks in the sunlight, especially given the high possibility that their solar artifacts could shatter.

"Thanks... boy..." said the old elf trying to grab all the clothes.

Shirei came over and helped him.

"Is it my smell that made you stare at me in the store?"

The creature nodded.

"Can I see the letter and still hope to buy some clothes?"

With a resolute nod of his little head, the Tummà smiled.

"With... great... pleasure... I... also... kept it... I... apologize... for... the... way... in... . which... we... treated you..."

Shirei thought for a moment, promising to return to the shop shortly. The Tummà thanked him gratefully and disappeared from his sight.

"Calm Sovereign..." Shirei muttered in amazement.

That was supposed to be his true identity, but what it had to do with a third generation deity who should have been dead for millennia, Shirei didn't have the slightest idea.

As he prepared to follow the Tummà towards the shop, Shirei was interrupted by a sudden and surprising vision: an unknown figure, a god, appeared in front of him, his presence swift and majestic.

The deity stood before the son of Cragar, his short, ash-blond hair pulled back and blowing in the wind. His face was partially covered by a half-face mask, similar to that of Japanese tengu, with an extraordinarily long nose that gave his figure a rather mocking appearance. His lively eyes, light orange with golden tips, shone with a divine light. He wore light sandals and a red cape, which billowed behind him like a cloak of flame.

His presence exuded a sense of imminence, as if someone was calling him elsewhere incessantly as he smiled at Shirei with a mixture of benevolence and curiosity.

"Shirei, son of Cragar," he said in a shrill, childish voice, the sound of which echoed in the surrounding air.

"Have we met before?" The demigod asked politely.

"I know you," smiled the deity, "Ammir, celestial god of travel."

Shirei remained staring at him, "Why are you here?"

Ammir checked his nails, to make sure they weren't dirty. Only then did Shirei notice his body hovering above the ground.

"Curiosity, I wanted to see with my own eyes who had had the courage to refuse my service for a shop in Tummà."

"So the feeling from before..."

The god chuckled for a few moments, "No no, the other gods are keeping an eye on you, but I don't want to deal with the calm sovereign."

Shirei did not fail to get the message however, before he could ask for further information, the god of travel was no longer in front of him.

"See you soon" whispered the deity behind him, "And try to order from me next time, I assure you I will be quick."

Having said those words, Ammir disappeared and Cragar's son found himself alone again.