Meeting Tedet’s girlfriend wasn’t the kind of experience I was expecting. I got to their home and she greeted me kindly, as kindly as aliens can be. Maybe she showed proper love but I could not read it through her expression.

I told Mrs. Galieta – Grikhat, as she forced me to call her – about what happened to Tedet and I received a punch in my solar plexus. It hurt like hell. But I deserved it. But even then, she treated me nicely just like before.

“I was expecting this from him,” she said. “I was hoping you could stop him from endangering himself, by giving you a little push.”

A little push, I thought, that felt like I was being run over.

In any case, Grikhat helped me stock up on as many potions and alchemical tools as I could. She knew exactly what they were and how they worked. She knew more about alchemy than even the best wizards in the Cabal, and maybe even more than amateur alchemists. If she was an alchemist herself, she would be a powerful one. The aura around her felt bright with confidence, and she handled herself and her words with such care that she sounded like she was in control of the situation. I imagined her like a human, as a trained woman with a very well-defined body. The only problem with that image was that radera don’t have sexes, the idea of genders came from humans, and Tedet and Grikhat only addressed themselves as he and she voluntarily because it was an interesting concept – Hayier does the same.

Talk about gender dynamics. I don’t understand how they managed to take upon a topic that even humans have discussed extensively throughout the centuries. I can’t comprehend how an entire species that doesn’t experience the sexes decided to use them. Is it fun?

Putting those questions aside, I’m currently sitting on a bus on my way to Uderach, to his little apartment building, as it is approaching dusk. He owns the whole building and the entire top floor is his home.

On my lap, I have my staff and a small bag with the potions. I’m wearing Tedet’s belt with both its pouches. I keep adjusting the belt nervously as if it represented the weight of what I’m about to do.

I have yet to hear from the police directly, but the morning news talked about the incident. My chest feels heavy. Both Jaser and Misa stayed home to take care of Tedet who they think of repaying for his sacrifice.

I haven’t called my sister. I didn’t want to, and I was relieved that Jaser asked me to postpone it after things had calmed down, especially since the recent accident would have caused her to become hysteric. I agreed but the responsibility still weighed on me. I’m sure she’s not going to be happy when I tell her he’s been with me for a while now.

However, some more pressing matters call for me and I don’t think I can deal with my sister while this is happening. Whatever the case was, I had told Jaser that if I don’t come back before dawn, I need him to contact her mother and Tedet’s girlfriend.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think I’ll be coming back. The only thing that gives me hope I might make it is the trust Tedet put in me. If he had thought I had no chance in hell to win or even survive, he would not have agreed to let me do it alone.

I sighed so loud that other people turned to look at me.

I blushed and hid my face behind my staff. Like that would help at all, right?

The bus stopped with a hiss and a person stepped out. I looked out to see and I recognized the place. Only a few more squares before I get to my destination.

I gripped my staff harder. I felt the tension on my back as if I had gripped the back of my seat with it. The time was closing in.

Time is cruel. There’s nothing more powerful than time. It simply is beyond anything. Time simply marches on, uncaring. It isn’t above anything, it’s not like an existence that does its own thing. The imagination of an Old One, an ancient being so far beyond our understanding, a being that cares not for the trivialities of mortals. A creature that rolls over on his bed and manages to cause unimaginable troubles and chaos. We’re simply so beneath it that it does not see us at all, less than ants on the road it steps. But time is even beyond that, even the Old Ones are subject to time. And time marches on.

Time marches and we’re riding on its express subway. The destination? Future. Destiny. Death. Anything really. Anything could be waiting for us. We don’t know what lies beyond but we can expect it, and that’s what is so scary about it. That we know we will be there whether we want it or not, or even despite the efforts we put we will always arrive at the future. The future is inevitable. Time is inevitable. Time is absolute.

That’s when I gripped my staff and stoop up.

“Here!” I spoke.

The bus began slowing down and I felt the inertia. The bus was leaving me behind while my body continued its journey towards the front of the bus. Bodies in motion want to be in motion. So I held to the bar next to me with my right and my staff to the left until I felt like I was no longer moving relative to the bus, and stepped out of the bus when the doors parted open.

I stepped out a little out of balance, a side effect of acceleration on my inner ear canals allowing me to orient myself and maintain my balance, but almost instantly regained my bearings and straightened my back to walk towards the Uderach Mannor. Hopefully, it isn’t a name that sticks, I would like to come up with a better name.

On second thought, maybe I don’t want to give it a name. I don’t want this place to become a recurrent place I visit.

Be right back, Martin. I’m going to the Uderach Mannor to have some beer with the boys, I hope to never say.

Take care, honey. Don’t stay too late. He would not reply.

I strode my way to the apartment complex that was one street away and held my head up high. I needed to keep up appearances from here on out. I need to turn my wizard mode on and act confident and determined. No torviela needs to know I’m nervous, they need to believe I am powerful enough to take on anyone and everyone in the building.

I might be more nervous now than before. I know we have been killing torviela but our situations were exceptional, we had an advantage. And I also had Tedet with me, which makes up for everything I lack. Right now? I only have myself against another torviela who’s ready to fight and knows what to expect. He’s a champion, nonetheless, which means he knows exactly how to fight, and maybe even how to fight a wizard.

I swallowed my saliva as I pushed the intercom next to the front gates.

“Crap,” I said aloud. “Stupid radio waves.”

Then proceeded to make an attempt at jumping over the gates. I out my staff resting on the gate. But as I made my embarrassing attempt to act like a burglar would, I was approached by a torviela bouncer.

“Get down from there and leave or you will regret it,” he threatened.

“Hold on,” I cautioned, still tangled on the top of the gate. “I’m here to represent Uderach Kayaket. I’m his champion.”

“You?” He stopped for one second. “Why didn’t you use the intercom?”

“I’m a wizard.”

He watched me in silence.

“Wizards jam radio waves,” I explained.

“What a load of shit.” The bouncer began approaching.

“No, I’m serious. Just call him in and ask him about me. Ask him if he’s expecting Edwhite Avarez, the wizard.”

“We’re not expecting a hadtherad in here.”

“I’m warning you, man, don’t do this. Your life and your job are at stake.”

Before anything could continue a beautiful car approached from behind me, its headlights blinding me. A radera stepped out from the vehicle and spoke in Gotkoga.

I had no idea what they said, but I understood at least a few words. Some insults for humans and bit about the security of the place. I decided to interject before anything worse continued.

“My name is Edwhite Avarez, I came to represent Uderach Kayaket as his champion.”

“What are you doing on top of the gate?”

“I can’t communicate with anyone inside. I thought jumping over the gate would be a better choice but my coat got stuck, and now the bouncer, here, is angry at me.”

“Why didn’t you use the intercom?”

“I’m a wizard.”

The oblivious leech stared at me expectantly.

“Wizards jam radio waves,” I explained again.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Now, that’s just ridiculous. Get down from there, we’ll escort you inside, hadtherad.”

I grunted softly. This is the second time I was called a hadtherad.

In my dumb attempt to get off I managed to fall slightly and swing myself around, hurting my ankle in the process but managed to jump down once I untangle myself. My ankle, however, started throbbing badly. I managed to keep a straight face just to keep appearances, but I quickly realized how stupid that was given I was surrounded by vampires.

Still, my performance thus was laughable. For a wizard, I was a clown, and it made it even more embarrassing when you considered I was calling myself the champion appointed by Uderach. I mentally cringed and my situation, but all I could do now is keep up the appearances and act like this was just a wizard thing where they care not for the territories or customs of vampires.

“You know this guy?” asked the bouncer.

“We know the champion is a human, and a wizard,” explained the second leech. “There’s no reason to think he’s lying. No one who knows Kayaket would be stupid enough to try a stunt like that.”

At least I was glad they believed me and that I wasn’t going to be attacked.

The inside of the car was… foul! The stench of dried blood, like iron rust, almost made me puke. Everything looked clean but I could not understand how the smell of blood could stick so intensely to every surface.

“Enjoying the ride, hadtherad?” asked the leech from before.

“Wizard,” I retorted. “And it smells horrendous in here.”

“The sweet smell of iron oxide,” it said and inhaled in deeply. “It’s thanks to our automated spray that we can bask in the delicious smell of our prey’s nectar.”

I was physically and visually revolted by the description. They spray the inside with the mixture of blood from hundreds of people. Every inch of the inside could be slightly coated with freshly, yet recently coagulated blood. I heaved. Put only internally, I only made sure my disgusted face showed profound disapproval.

Thankfully, the entrance of the apartment was not far from the gate and I let myself outside harshly the moment the car stopped and picked up my pace to enter the apartment. I gave the leeches no thanks.

This small trip was already feeling like an adventure, and it wasn’t so long from yesterday’s disaster, or the day before with the mansion explosion, and even before that the trip to the vampire’s mind. So many things happened so fast in such a short amount of time. And still, these ridiculous things have yet to end, since I am about to act as the champion for a torviela. How ironic that this vampiric struggle will end with me helping one of these leeches.

I walked up the stairs – my ankle beginning to burn – and in a few flights I realized I could’ve taken the elevator, but instead of grunting and feeling embarrassed, I owned it and just kept climbing the stairs. I was used to stairs anyway, so there should not be a reason why this would tire me. My ankle, on the other hand, wept, begging me to stop.

Once on the top floor, I saw the torviela that escorted me already waiting at the door and once I got near the door, it opened. The leech looked at me and gave me a nod, I stared at it and did nothing. I plan to interact as little as possible with these things, and once I’m done I plan to stay away from them as much as possible, although that’s a thing that would be hard to do given how I now have a price on my head.

I’ll spare you the details of the horribly, but genuinely beautiful apartment floor. It was dazzling in every way, and that made it all the more disgusting. Everything here was built on the blood of people. Just the blood. No sweat and no tears. It was irritating to know I was going to stay in there peacefully while I waited for my time to act.

“Avarez!” Exclaimed a voice from the crowd as it lifted a glass of deep, red wine. “You’re finally here. I began to wonder if you were going to come. ‘Could he really have stood me up?’ I thought. But I’m glad to see you’re a gentleman of your word.”

“Don’t you like joking a little too much, Uderach?” I answered. “How am I supposed to leave this unanswered, I gave you my word on my name.”

“You never know with humans,” he answered smugly and gave a sip of his cup. “As you know perfectly well.”

“I do,” I agreed reluctantly, but he was right.

“But you’re a gentleman of your word, Mr. Avarez. You would never let this go. Too much pride. Too much honor. Not human enough.”

“I’m more human than any jackass that would willingly leave a promise unfulfilled.”

“You prove my point,” he sipped his wine again and I gave him a furious glance. “But enough of this charade, Mr. Avarez. How’s the family.”

I glanced at him with ever more fury. If looks could kill, this was it.

“My, my. Did I strike a cord? Was I too pushy?” It sipped again. “How’s the family, Mr. Avarez? Did you manage to save your nephew?”

“I did,” I said, and continued by filling every syllable of my next words with as much ire and venom as possible. “Thanks to you.”

He cackled a radera laugh, but soon after tried to resemble a human laugher. “But of course, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have found him in time. He had been held there for a while and… although, by the news, I heard of a mansion and a law firm blowing up, sounds to me like you were a little too late.”

I want to murder him.

“Alas! You have him in good health. What about your friend, the alchemist? How are his wounds doing?”

I want to murder him. “He’s recovering,” I said but then gave fierce smug. “No thanks to you.”

“How sad.” He looked emotionless in his radera expression when he said that and gave a sip. But then turned to look at me and his face flared up in red and orange – an intense look of passion for a radera – it was wholly creepy. I imagined a lustful smile on a human face. “And your boyfriend,” he said and I almost heard him purring like a cat, “how is your boyfriend doing?”

Chills crawled up my spine. I expected him to know about Tedet, even about his injuries since we weren’t so secret about all of our actions. But Martin… how did he know?! How much was he watching me? How much of me is he aware of? Despite all my training as a wizard, I could not keep the fear from my face.

“Bingo.” It savored my fear as it looked straight into my eyes for a few seconds, and just as his creepy stare began activating the soul gaze, it turned away from me. “Change that face, Avarez. I need you to look strong before the rest. You are my champion, after all.”

The clicking sensation from the soul gaze breaking made me snap back to our reality. Uderach was right, and even though I was trying to maintain my composure what he did had broken me. I needed to take a deep breath and relax.

I did not answer him, but I shook my head and followed him as he walked back into the tumultuous main hall, greeting and laughing along the way. My vision focused on Uderach, like tunnel vision I was blind to everything that surrounded me. He was far more dangerous than what I gave him credit for, and I already knew he was extremely so.

What now? I added another line to my list of things to worry about. This one was different, however, this one was personal. Once this is over, I’ll need to talk with him. I’m going to make him regret going this far. I need him to believe I’m more than what he thinks.

Suddenly, this champion business was more than just survival. I need to make a spectacle out of it. I saw the benefits in doing so, not only do I get to impress Uderach, but the rest of the torviela and vampires that are watching will see my capabilities. I’m not sure how good I’m going to be, but I need to bluff this one like nothing I’ve bluffed before. It’s going to be one hell of a theatrical performance.

If I do this right, Uderach will think twice before trying to do something related to me, I might make a peace deal with him, so long as he stays out of my business I will not make it my mission to hunt him down. As for the rest of the leeches, I’ll have to show them that I’m no pushover, that those incidents that happened, were no mere accident, that I am fully capable of turning buildings into rubble at will, that all those corpses left behind were deliberate, and that any injures suffered were only consequences of numbers. If they are coming at me, they’ll need numbers to achieve anything – or just a simple sore ankle.

I need to convince them of it all. I need them to fear me. I need them to fear a single mortal. I need them to fear Edwhite Avarez. And then, I need them to bite on the same thing for Tedet – after all, he’s even more dangerous than I am, put together, and we should be unstoppable.

I grinned devilishly as I looked at Uderach’s back while he turned to watch me. For an instant, I saw his face flare a greenish-yellow.

That’s right, buddy, I imagined myself talking to him telepathically. You can’t back down anymore. You’re already aboard the Avarez Train. Next stop: your doom.

Uderach stepped to an elevated podium to which I followed and stood next to him.

“Everyone!” he yelled out to the hall. “I’m not a man of words, and I rather see action. We all know what business we’ve come here to attend. Let’s not wait too long. Our preparations are done and we shall see this through.

“But before that, I have the pleasure to call up to the podium to my adversary. The very well esteemed, Lord of the Reilbanner Vampire Court, Elaiser Grot Reilbanner.”

Vampire?!

A vampire from the front row lowered its head in thanks and moved towards the podium and Uderach gave it the stage to speak, we were both standing together as we watched the vampire lord prepare to speak.

I knew vampires would be attending as this is a business that affects the vampiric world altogether with the shifts of power, but I was not expecting Uderach’s House to be in conflict for power against a Vampire Court. This was far more complex than I had imagined. If the vampiric war was getting torviela and vampires fighting for power more officially, then that means there will be a lot more crossover between their forces. The Wizard and Hadtherad cabals bet on the idea that the two groups would never work together and we never had a reason between ourselves to work together either.

These were bad news for mortals. The greatest threat to mortals, the Vampirids, were now officially interacting with each other. Wars are no longer going to be a chaotic power struggle, but actual full organized wars with possible armies fighting against each other. Worst of all, this means that they can also work together if they so desire and double their power against mortals. While the Magical Cabals have yet to formalize their alliance, we barely talk to each other, we mostly only possess unofficial ambassadors who already have it rough since each side tries their hardest to hide information from even their own representatives.

Sweet Mary. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.

“Greetings!” the vampire addressed the hall. “Thank you for accommodating me and my Court, Lord Uderach. I had one nice speech prepared but you have left me no choice but to be succinct – not that I mind, in fact, I may be a little grateful.

“As per our negotiations, this duel between our champions is to settle the struggle between our House and Court to retain power in our territories. Our goals overlap and this cannot continue peacefully anymore. So, before our groups clash, we’ve settled for a more peaceful resolution.

“We’ve yet to be introduced to your champion, Lord Uderach – but I will take this time to introduce mine. Come forth, my champion. Trekyat Hussegya, member of the Dongener House.”

A torviela! I exclaimed in my head, trying my hardest to keep my poker face. A torviela is representing a vampire lord!

“You weren’t expecting this, were you, Mr. Avarez?” Uderach whispered to me.

I turned to see him but he did not look back at me.

“Now you understand why I needed you, a mortal – a wizard – to represent me.”

I did. I finally put the reasons why and also why he possessed – why he needed that information on my nephew. He needed to convince me to join him at all costs.

“As a show of force,” I answered. “That you have connections to other powerful allies, and you don’t need to rely only on vampires even if you could.”

“You see those four vampires on the right?” He pointed with his radera pseudo-chin as he nudged it toward a direction in the crowd.

I saw four vampires standing together in black tuxedos, looking extremely sharp and extremely handsome. “What about them?”

“They are my allies. Everyone thought I had my champion secured with them, that’s why Elaiser got himself a torviela champion as fast as he could. He wanted us to know he also had support from our side.”

“But you hadn’t chosen one yet…”

“That’s where you came in.”

“You son of a – I knew I was a pawn but I didn’t think you’d use me like this for your little Vampiric Chess Game.”

“Politics aren’t your strong suit, are they, Mr. Avarez?”

It took me a second to answer, long enough for Uderach to turn to watch Elaiser. “But fighting is.”

Uderach’s face flashed red. “I know.”