Strolling through the center of London was becoming boring, nothing had grabbed Void's attention. He looked in every corner and crevice only to find mundane activities being acted out repeatedly. He sighed, "Well no matter, maybe it would be interesting to have a change of scenery. After all it has been a few centuries" he muttered to himself. After a few minutes of thinking an interesting idea came to his mind, Kilo Point. It had been the stage for a small scale war, and wherever war was pestilence, followed Void thought with a wolfish grin. Public transportation was always fun, there were so many bacteria and viruses in such a small enclosed space. Human worms in such close proximity allowed for easy transfer of sickness to one another, but which would be the most fun? A bus, a plane maybe. Unable to decide Void plucked a coin from his pocket, watching it spiral through the air, it landed on the rough stone floor. Heads. Looks like anyone traveling Delta might want to reschedule their flight. Here comes illness, pestilence, sickness. Here comes the worst plague you ever witnessed.

Setting: A few miles outside Kilo Point, in a heavily forested area. Time: Twilight. The sun was beginning to kiss the horizon goodnight, giving way to the shadows of the earth. As night begins, the darkness rises. Lady Mo opened her red, lupine eyes and began to claw at the earth around her. From the Earth both she and her powers were born, and so to the Earth, she must always return. Every inch of her body was surrounded by the soil, she always had to rest this way to regain her abilities and retreat from the sunlight. The sun wouldn't destroy her as it might a new blood, but it kept her weak and limited her powers. She called out to the vines and tree roots to help dig her from own grave. As a wolf, digging a hole and laying in it was easy, she relied solely on nature to bury her and release her. Truth be told, her life was as much in the hands of the Earth as the Earth's was in hers - and she wouldn't have it any other way. Rising from the ground, Mohowauuck shifted into her vampiric form. Her sienna skin bathed both in moonlight and the blood of the humans she had hunted down the night before. Magnus had offered her sanctuary in his underground lair of technological filth, and she wanted nothing to do with it. She did her best, however, to convince him to use solar and wind power to fuel its technologies. But she belonged to the woods, heart and soul. Feeling much like she needed a bath, she sought out a nearby pond. Ponds and lakes she could bath in, but rivers and streams she could not, as the running water myth rang true for her. Lady Mo lowered her body into the pond and rubbed the dirt and blood off of her skin, revealing the beautiful and intricate vine-like tattoos that covered her vampiric form.

"Hello?" *Kchhzzt* "Magnus you there?" *Kchhz-* Hale pulled the phone from his ear. "Ah hell, phone's dead." Hale gritted his teeth in annoyance and crushed the supposedly indestructible phone in the palm of his hand before slinging it far into the woods. "Guess we're fucking walking after all!" Hale adressed the five wrecked coach busses beside the road. They looked like they've been trough decades of war. A bunch of rugged looking lumber workers came walking out of the first 3 busses. Each man or women in the group looked like they chopped trees with their bare hands, and wrestled bears routinely. They looked bored and at least as anoyed as Hale did. "When are we meeting this Magnus guy of yours?" One of the larger ones complained "When we get there alright? Shut up and we'll get there sooner." Hale replied. The other two busses opened up and a large group of rednecks, armed to the teeth with their granddads arsenal and homemade booze stormed out. They seemed exited. Or too stupid to be afraid. Almost all of them were drunk in either case. Hale strolled over to address them. "Alright you fuckers ready to become the children of the new world order?" The crowd roared in excitement, in reaction the other group howled instinctively, shutting the rednecks up right away. Hale laughed at their sudden realization of danger. "No worries kids, it's already twilight, by the time the moon is high in the sky we'll be trough these woods and right were you want to be, in front of your... erm, whadaya call him? Your vampire jesus or something?" "The harbringer of the new master race! Magnus!Magnus!" "Riiight, yeah, keep it down though all of you. I heard there's another ancient evil in these woods, and if you all get ate Magnus will be so disappointed." With those words of encouragement Hale started to lead them trough the woods. Hale cursed under his breath the muddy ground and the wet slimy trees, he really disliked the outdoors. And it had always seemed to him the feeling was mutual. After a little while one of the other lycantropes notified Hale of a noise she heard. After a while of trying to hear, and discussing among each other what it could be Hale decided to scout ahead. Leaving his entourage to their own devices for a while he crept trough the undergrowth towards what now seemed to be the sounds of splashing water.

With a slap, gold-inlaid tip of Gabriel's cane wiped across Mithias' face. "And here I thought you'd changed. Am I going to need to find a doctor to surgically remove the stick from your ass?" Gabriel turns away briskly, making a sound similar to 'harumph', like a mildly annoyed elderly figure might. "You manage to free yourself from one master, and then blindly jump to the next, arms spread. Do you truly believe that becoming my property would somehow give you more fulfillment than being SOLDIER's bootlick? I didn't save your sorry ass just so you could become some kind of butler to carry my drinks. I have thralls to do that for me!" Gabriel's voice had risen in tone, showing the signs of his temper tantrums. He was not easily angered, but doing so was usually the prequel to civil war in whatever poor country he happened to reside in at the time. Already, nearby people could be seen glaring at one another as Gabriel's annoyance leaked into the environment. Gabriel sighs, calming himself even before Mithias could attempt to do so. He steadies himself with his cane, and glares at Mithias with one eye. "We don't usually agree on things, you and I. I suppose I'm just too old to see things from the perspective of a toddler such as yourself. But if you simply walk up here and profess yourself my slave just because some moron in a tin can nearly stabbed you, then everything you said about changing the world was bullshit, and you know it. Go die in a forest fire for all I care, but at least do it on your own volition, as your own person, instead of someone's hand puppet. The strings are cut, and it's time to dance." Gabriel illustates richly, as if he were orchestrating some form of dance routine.

There were millions of vampires in the world. Either in secluded vampiric communities such as Brittain, or integrated into human society. They were a plague, spreading from person to person. Rats, to be exterminated en mass. However, there was one thinge ven greater than this disease. The Oldbloods, the Elders, the Nosferatu, the Ancient Ones, the Vampire Lords. Whatever name they dained to go by, it was irrelevant. Those vampires that lived long enough to sink into a state of absolute sin became demons, cased in the remains of humans. They weilded power far beyond that of a normal vampire, and had far greater control of their instincts. They were the masterminds of the war against righteousness, they were the beasts that would rip down the walls of human perseverance. Unrivaled in speed, strength and unholy power, they were the bastions of this Dark Crusade. Luckily, there were only a few of them, and they were easy to keep track of. Brittain was a country governed by vampires, but despite this it was a part of the world of politics. Humans were free to move in and out of the country, provided they could provide the proper legislation. Had Brittain truly secluded itself from humanity, it would have sunk to the depths of poverty. As such, it had been relatively easy for the Purge to slip a few men and women through, devoted followers who fought in a war of information, rather than a war of arms. A woman quickly stalked Void from afar, blending in perfectly with the crowd, a trained spy. Whilst the trailing of a vampire was impossible in most situations, with so many humans bustling about their business, her scent was indistinguishable from the masses. He was heading towards an airport, and already she had communicated Void's location to her leaders. Already, too many oldbloods had joined the fight against humanity, no more could be allowed to reach America. Even after Void had bought his ticket, the woman simply followed him, preparing to join him in his plane. She would need to ensure that he did not somehow leave the plane. He would find that the Purge gave warm welcome to those of his kind.

Martin walked trough the streets, his gaze fixed on his phone displaying some figures. It was clear to any onlooker Martin didn't like these figures, too small. He hastened his pace and a few minutes later he stood before the recently mended gates of SOLDIER HQ A guard approached him, armed and slightly nervous. Martin saluted the man and fished a Captains SOLDIER badge displaying his picture and the name "Carl Masters". Evening Corporal, Martin droned without making eye contact while flashing the badge and moving on inside.

Magnus wasn't even about to begin to ask how to busses broke down, nor was he about to take time out of his day to go pick up a bunch of hoodlums that probably broke the busses in the first place, and would probably break his expensive vehicles. "You know, I /would/ come and pick you up but...I'm quite busy" Magnus told him, recieving nothing but static on his end. "Are you even still there? Hello?" More static. Magnus growled lowly out of anger before tossing the phone across the room. Damned humans and their cheap technology, why if they had vampires inventing things technology would advance by years, he thought to himself. He stood from his chance and exited the room, the workers had recently finished his room and were putting the finishing touches on the base. He stepped in a elevator leading to the various floors, he pressed the bottom button and a small fingerprint scanner popped out from a tray beneath it, he pressed his finger to it and the elevator started with a mechanical whir, the scanner retreating back into it's compartment. Shortly after Magnus was on the bottom floor where is room and Hale's resided. He walked down the small hall and entered his room, on the table were a few...supplies he had a weapons dealer whip up for him. On the table resided two serrated daggers attached to thick metal cables, and a cylinder-esque motorized reel system. Another set of claws, about an inch longer with slightly longer serrations, at the palm of the glove area of the claws was a small compartment filled with a mixture of poisons meant to shut down the nervous system and cause hallucinations, when pressed the poison would be released through tiny injection ports scattered around the claws. Beside that was an armored trenchcoat, manufactured to be resistant against both bullets and slightly so against bladed weaponry. The daggers attached at the hip with a special belt, they also attached to the forarms with a small trigger resting inbetween the thumb and the pointer finger, they were no normal daggers however. These daggers were electrified, and while attached to the holsters they would build up charge, becoming hot as they did. When released they shoot into the opponent at roughly 30MPH, and upon contact with the skin, release their stored electricity. They take roughly 3 minutes to fully charge, when fully charged they release roughly the power equivilant of 3 high-powered tazers. While, they won't cause a significant electric shock when not fully charged, they may be fired at any time causing significant damage with the weapon itself. Beside the claws resided a briefcase full of the poison mixture along with syringes to replace the poison in the claws, in the trenchcoat resided exactly 6 phials of the antidote, each phial containing a instant injector at the top when stabbed into the skin. Magnus grinned evilly at his new weaponry, he took his old set of claws off and began attaching the dagger system to himself, it took a bit of trial and error to get it attached correctly but eventually he finished. He shrugged the coat on and slipped his new claws on. He was ready for war, and itching to test his new gear out, all that remained were for his allies to gather at his side.

"What do you mean I can't take my sword on to the plane?" Void groaned. "U-um because it's dangerous." the woman replied. Void sighed and relinquished his weapon, "Keep it safe for me won't ya?" he asked with a wink. The woman took the blade carefully and deposited it into a box behind the desk. "Your flight is ready sir" she said pointing at the entrance to the plane. "Finally" Void skipped giddily through the long retractable hallway leading to the plane, he felt slightly naked without his sword. The flashing red and yellow lights leading down to the plane were slightly annoying, almost as annoying as being followed by someone. He glanced back and saw a woman clad in black, she was attempting to blend in unsuccessfully. Void entered the plane and glanced down at his ticket, SEAT 27B. He walked briskly down the hall to his seat, and quickly sat down. The woman who had been following him sat one row behind him, Void smiled wolfishly. He slowly stood up and sat down next to her, he turned in her direction and coughed twice directly in her face, "Give it ten minutes and you'll drop dead." he chuckled at her. It's a shame you had to die But I'm sure no one will cry

Lady Mo emerged from the water's surface, looking every bit the goddess she thought herself to be. The air was thick with a familiar scent... wolves. Judging by the the cacophony of twigs snapping and mud squishing, there appeared to be quite a few lycanthropes nearby. Be it curiosity or territorial tendencies, Mo immediately shifted back into her white wolf form. With heightened hearing, she stalked toward the nearest source of sound. This was her forest, and she would not cower in the shadows against any pack - An alpha would fight to the death, always. Mohowauuck emerged from the wooded pond to face this strange man, he had wandered from the pack of the wolves. She did not need growls or aggression, the mere size of her form would be enough to intimidate. Instead, she looked down at him, her head held high with otherworldly poise and grace, beckoning him to speak.

"Your... 'property?' My 'master?' 'Carry your drinks??' 'Thrall!??'" Mithias voice began to raise slightly as he went on. He had to stop walking; he was so livid. It was unbelievable how arrogant his sire was. He sneered in disgust... and crushing disappointment at his father's cluelessness. "I didn't come here to serve you. I came here, because, you're FAMILY!" Gabriel turned around to see an unexpected fire in the boy's eyes and a fist that itself clenched around a real, hot flame. Fangs bared, Mithias straightened, lowering his hands and putting out that flame he didn't intend to reveal. He glared at Gabriel extremely disapprovingly. "And here I find that the word means nothing to you. Your arrogance is boundless!" He said with an exacerbated gesture. He came back with a pointed finger. "I really wish you could read my mind, because without your power, you are clearly inept! Don't you think I thought of that? That serving you, another master, ANYONE would be nothing but repeating the same mistake?!" He growled and huffed sharply. "You don't know me in the least." The two stood apart. If pain and tension were heat, the pavement would have been melting. "I sought to know you, Gabriel, of my own volition. I wanted to. I chose to." He gestured again. "I have always felt for you, and I thought that if you saved me, it was because..." Mithias stopped. He pursed his lips and shook his head, trying to deny the thought he knew wasn't true. "I'll never know why you saved me." Those golden eyes bore a touch of sadness amidst the fury. "Whatever keeps you going, old man, take your secret with you into eternity. You're a lonely and empty spirit who's heart burned out long ago. I see now there is nothing I can learn from you nor give to you." Mithias went to put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. If Gabriel tried to dodge, he'd roughly grab his collar and force him to face him. "As of this day, I am absolved of my debt to you. Don't save me again, and if I see you... Just don't ever let me see you." If Gabriel had been confrontational, Mithias would shove him back and down away from him, indicating that he could have killed him. If not, Mith just silently said goodbye and backed off. Mithias Varomere now had the answers he needed, that his maker was a frivolous and spoiled child, that he had been on his own all this time, and always would be. He had never been wanted, planned for, or watched over. Such an idea was an embarrassing fantasy of youth. It was time to return to the path of a rhonin, as before, but with half the heart.

Martin hurried trough the building, subtly avoiding eye contact. If he felt uncomfortable in the SOLDIER uniform he didn't show it. Not that anyone paid him much attention as he strolled the hallways. Being observed without being noticed is not a skill many people have willingly, and like being a skilled liar it´s not something one can boast about. Luckily Martin wasn't one to boast. He slammed his card on the counter and forcibly started firing off commands at the secretary. "I need a printout of all divisions currently stationed here, including the reports on your special units at clearance level 6. I'll be back in 10." Before the poor girl could answer he was gone, off to supplies, where he repeated his fast talk. Using bravura and a casual directness he started ordering enough gear to supply a medium scale mission. Including a full anti-vampire arsenal, hazmat suits and an armored truck. "Load it all in the truck and pull it behind the western barracks." After quickly picking up a doughnut in the canteen area Martin swung by the reception to pick up his printouts. Studying these he strolled the reports on vampires stationed here. Without looking up from his files he gestured to a sergeant to collect his men and load up the truck using his doughnut hand. Awkwardly he fished the smartphone from his pocket and dialed a number from his files. "Is this Rhyss Blackblade? I have an assignment for you, capture and contain, where can I pick you up?"

Lady Mo emerged from the water's surface, looking every bit the goddess she thought herself to be. The air was thick with a familiar scent... wolves. Judging by the the cacophony of twigs snapping and mud squishing, there appeared to be quite a few lycanthropes nearby. Be it curiosity or territorial tendencies, Mo immediately shifted back into her white wolf form. With heightened hearing, she stalked toward the nearest source of sound. This was her forest, and she would not cower in the shadows against any pack - An alpha would fight to the death, always. Mohowauuck emerged from the wooded pond to face this strange man, he had wandered from the pack of the wolves. She did not need growls or aggression, the mere size of her form would be enough to intimidate. Instead, she looked down at him, her head held high with otherworldly poise and grace, beckoning him to speak.

Hale could have cowered, he could have stood up proudly, he could have bowed his head in respect, he could have shown his own wolf form. Indeed if Hale had had any shred of instinct left he could have done any of those things. But instead his mind was full of games, drugs and food. Had he not forsaken his animal side he could have shown or demanded respect. Instead he stepped back, his hands before him and his eyes slightly panicked.

It didn't take long for Lady Mo to surmise that the stammering fool before posed no great threat. Even still, her instincts urged her on to show him that these lands were hers, and if he wished to remain there, he to would be hers. As many ancient vampires often grew bored with the monotony of life, Mohowauuck entertained herself by toying with others. Noticing his defense at seeing her nakedness, she transformed back to her vampire form and stepped closer to him. "Child of the moon, nakedness is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't act so pathetically human." she said with a smirk.

You could almost hear the metaphorical gears whirring in Hale's head as he processed what was going on. His sense was telling him that he was staring down, or rather, up at an ancient evil, and that he had mere minutes left. But there was also a voice from deep within that wanted nothing but agree with the strange woman. Then there was his confusion, recognizing the mystical woman's vampiric nature and recalling nothing but cruelty and hate from that species. It was something he'd come to expect, and even grow comfortable with. But the lack of hate in her voice discomforted Hale more than the potential hypothetical destruction aimed at him could. Lastly there was the 14 year old boy inside of him, something all men over 15 carry with them: He just celebrated. "I..." Hale felt the need to explain why he was here, that he was on his way to the city. That he was allied with Magnus and that he brought a pack of monsters and lunatics with valid reason. But somehow he knew that, even if she didn't already know all those things, she probably didn't care. So he just nodded, stood up, and took his clothes off. They were worn to a point they ripped off like paper anyways.

Lady Mo came about as close as she could to smiling. The scent of fear and a touch of excitement rolled off of him in waves. She stepped even closer, and started to circle him in a predatory manner. She gauged his muscle tone and skin in judgement. If this pale twig of a man was the alpha of this pack, they were sorely lacking a true leader. Mohowauuck finished her circle and once again stood directly in front of him, her gaze unflinching. "Do you even know who stands before you?" she asked. Even though she was a vampire, she was a legend among the wolves - feared and respected by many. Mo was the alpha of one of the largest packs in the northeast, as she was prophesied to be the one who would bring their kind true sanctuary - she would be the mother of the first hybrids. Always one to indulge in displays of strength and power, Lady Mo raised her hands up. With the gesture, vines grew up from the ground and snaked up the man's legs, rooting him in place.

((music)) Hale stood petrified, he didn't know the answer to her question. He felt he should know, and would, had he spend more time with his kin. But as his rational mind struggled to connect the dots it was fear that held his focus. Not just for himself, but for his surroundings, for the packs he had lead into these woods, the humans he brought and the essence of nature that circled him slowly and hypnotically. Instincts being awakened, thoughts and emotions Hale would see bottled for ever. But as he felt the roots around his legs withered he knew his true nature would shine trough. As the plant life around him started to lose its color Hale's fears started to take steps into the realm of serious possibilities. He was going to hurt this creature.

Mohowauuck eyed the man with scrutiny. When the vines shriveled away from his touch, she both felt and heard their cries. Lady Mo looked around as the forest came to life in her head, the spirits were shouting about this wolf man's presence. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back to him, clicking her tongue. "You should hear the words the forest uses to describe you. Exile, death-bringer... abomination..." she lifted a brow at the last one, as if challenging him to defend himself. She too had been called an abomination, perhaps they had more in common than they realized - the living who brings death, and the dead who fosters life. "Why are you on this land... my land?" the tone of her voice indicated that he might want to choose his next few words very carefully, dropping the right name just might be the only thing to save his hide.

"Your forest is right. I am the end to all things beautiful. To create room for the new." Hale picked up a small pile of leaves as watched them turn to mulch in his hands. "But I'm, not here to kill you nor nature." Hale grinned, "The time has come for humans to go. Or so my good friend tells me." Hale pointed in the direction he came from. "I return from the wild lands of northern Canada, where many wolves live far from human comforts. I found and convinced half a gross of natures warriors to come and hunt the streets of Kilo Point, on invitation of the elder vampire and my good friend Magnus. I even managed to find a large group of humans aching to join the fight on our behalf. But we are stressed for time and the main road is well watched, thus we're here." Hale threw the handful of rot into the wind. "If this is your land, I'd need your permission to pass trough right?"

Gabriel nearly exploded, as Mithias reached forward, as sudden silence fell to undermine Mithias' dripping words. The city came to a grinding halt, cars skidding to a stop, as hundreds stood on the brink. A thousand pair of eyes, staring directly at Mithias as he spoke, insults echoing from the silent faces of the buildings. And yet, he never finished, as Gabriel spoke. Not in a huff, not with raised voice and anger, but quietly, nearly whispering. In such a manner that Mithias stopped speaking simply to hear what was said. "Do you think I do not realize my own ineptitude? Do you think that I am your father, simply because I gave you new life? I am not your relative, by blood or otherwise, for I cannot know you." Gabriel looks up, and his eyes are broken. For the eyes of the vampire were proud eyes, arrogant eyes even, that looked down on the world and all inside of it. The eyes that looked at Mithias then were not the eyes of the Vampire Lord, that arrogant and capricious being, who had held the world in the palm of his hand.

They were the eyes of a very, very old man.

"I cannot know you, I cannot love you, and I cannot save you. I cannot be anything to you, because to me you can only be nothing. For when I look at you, I see not a vampire, I see not a youth, I see not a knight. All I can see in your eyes is the ashes I will bury, when you meet your end all so soon." They were silent words, spoken with no emphasis, and yet they rang with truth. There was no subtelty, there was no play on meaning. And yet, it was a truth few had ever realized. "Despite myself, I get involved. I did save your life, for you did not deserve the death that would fall upon you. I only delayed the inevitable. One blade averted, from the hundreds you will no doubt seek in your life. You may live for a thousand more years, and yet I may never know you. For when the blade strikes, when your time is finally at end.... I will not be the one to bury you."

With that, Gabriel turns away. Life seems to resume, as if the very city had been holding it's breath. A babble of chatter and movement, the starting of engines, the stomping of feet. The droning sound of daily life, only noticed when one had experienced it's absence. None would remember this event, nobody would know what Gabriel had said to Mithias. No doubt, every record had been destroyed, every memory of it erased. Gabriel left no traces he did not wish to. "What you do with your life is your task, and yours alone. I can give you only a single piece of advice. Do not live for death, or you will never truly live at all."

With that, the ancient vampire left.

Pain. That was all there was as Mithias gently released his grip. It flowed like blood through his veins, burning at every cell. Truth was lord. It had to be accepted, and it cut like a blade. Mithias stepped back, his head bowed, teeth clenched, and half doubled over, he clutched his chest where it hurt the most. He understood now. His so-called father already saw him as dead and didn't want to condemn himself to grief. It hurt like hell.

Even as Gabriel had given up, feeling content that the conversation had gone the same way as every time he had had it with his children before, a pleading voice stabbed at him from within the silence.

"Wait father."

That annoying and infuriating glimmer of hope reared its familiar, ugly head. It seemed this child of his was exceptionally persistent. Damn Mithias wouldn't give up. A curiosity snagged his feet, although he knew he should have kept walking. Gabriel never was good at controlling his whims.

Mithias was distraught. He cared, he really did. He spoke softly, honestly. Very few instances brought him to tears. "I can't let you do this to yourself. I can't let you go on, knowing that you suffer." He furrowed his brow and took a slow breath. "You know it's already too late, because you DO love me, and you face nothing but incredible regret on the day I die, IF I die before you do... for having denied me. Don't run again."

Several times in the past, Gabriel had simply vanished for centuries. Mithias half glared. He knew that bastard was considering it again. Yet already Mithias was starting to understand Gabriel, and he was going to prove it.

"I know now why you turned me. It's the same reason why you made so many vampires, why you womanize, and why you can't stop yourself from intervening. You've been waging an internal war against the fear of death all your life, and your heart is starving. When you saw me display mercy, an act of love toward a vampire, you saw what you had been seeking all along. That there was potential... You hoped that that same love would free you. And damnit to hell, I'm trying." His determination was somewhat flattering.

Mithias knew he had more convincing to do, and this was his chance. He truly did sympathize with the need to avoid the suffering of loss, but he knew that his father's answer was wrong. "I know you've lost everyone you ever have cared for to time. Death must seem inevitable to you by now, but even you still do not know the future. I am older and wiser, and I will not seek death nor live for it..." Mithias saw Gabriel's eye-rolling and stepped forward to keep his attention, "No, listen. Take your own advice, father. ... Which of us is living for death here?" He hesitated. He had a valid point."'Tis better to have loved and lost. Do you really prefer to keep losing your war?"

Mithias stared at Gabriel, trying to read him. The streetlight on the corner flicked from yellow to red, casting its color onto the pavement while nobody moved. Had a few centuries of immortality not been enough to kill this youth's hopefulness?

"From the moment I first opened my vampire eyes, father, you were God to me. I can forgive you for everything that you have ever done, from killing orphans to abandoning me... Look at me now. See not my ashes. If you can save me once, you've probably done it more times than I can count, and I thank you. ...and I will always thank you, and I will return the favor." Mithias certainly didn't like many of the things his father did, but he still loved him. He hadn't lost hope in him, when maybe he should have. Something deeper just endured, something meaningful.

If anything, it was clear that Mithias was interested in protecting Gabriel, which might have appealed to his overwhelming fear of death. Perhaps he'd be worth keeping around for that reason.

The ex-knight straightened his suit. "I will respect your wishes, father, even if means I will never see you again, but let me extend to you an invitation. Visit me whenever you please. Let us be allies. Call upon me, speak to me. I'm challenging you to a test of bravery, sire." Mithias gave a sly smile and extended his hand. "I know you can do it. I believe in you." A shake would be respect, a temporary goodbye, but also an agreement. It would be a sign of willingness on Gabriel's part to crawl out of that dark hole he had been hiding in, denying himself any attachment to the ever-changing outside world. All he had to do was reach up and grab that hand, and Mithias would pull him out.

"It's time for me to give you new life."