Julie's eyes opened, revealing her brown eyes that looked dilated, and she took a deep breath as if breathing for the very first time. A smile appeared on Roman's tensed face, and he helped Julie to sit upright on the ground.

  "Welcome back to the living world, Ms. Winters," Avice congratulated her, and she stood up, leaving the girl's side as she was done with helping them.

  Roman said to Julie, "Let me help you get back to the Dormitorium," and hooking his arm around her back and below her legs, he picked her up in his arms and walked away from there.

  When Donovan came to stand next to Avice, the woman said, "It seems like he grew up just fine. Better than you."

  Donovan chuckled at Avice's words, and instead of answering her question, he asked her, "Now that the dark magic has been lifted from these grounds, are you planning to stay here in Veteris?"

  Avice gave him a short nod, "I don't think it would hurt to spend a few days here. I would also like to know what you and the others plan to do with the hunters, now that they do know that there are plenty of vampires living here. Not to mention, I would like to see what my two vampires have been upto."

  "Two vampires?" Donovan raised his eyebrows in question. "Which one's are you talking about?"

  Avice turned her body to look around the place before she jerked her face in one direction. Donovan followed her line of sight, and he noticed the hunter's daughter and the young vampire who was Roman's friend.

  "So you are the one whom he has been working for," murmured Donovan, and he frowned. "You were here a century ago?"

  Avice replied, "I was. I had a vision of what was going to happen, but the vision didn't complete itself and I had to make sure to see what came after it." When she had visited Veteris years ago, she had no intention to turn anyone that night, and she was supposed to leave quietly. But somehow, on her way back, she had found Simon and Victoria, who were on the verge of their death.

  Donovan looked at Simon with intrigue, wondering what ability he must have received from the witch-vampire. "Say Avice, will you be able to bring other people back to life?" he asked her in a nonchalant tone. "Is it possible to resurrect people?"

  Avice turned to look at Donovan, meeting his red eyes, and she asked him, "Which person do you have on your mind?" From what she knew about this Elder vampire, he was selfish and had his own agenda in everything he did.

  "Don't give me that look. I am a reformed man, after Roman appeared in my life," Donovan raised his hands as if he didn't do anything wrong. "I just have a dozen people on my mind. That is, if you are willing to help."

  "Souls cannot be brought back that easily. It needs a shell, and I believe all the shells have decayed many years ago?" questioned Avice, and they both started to walk away from the place. And while walking away from there, Avice's eyes fell on the human girl who stood next to Simon. The girl placed a cloth on Simon's cheek. Seems like the boy had found someone, she thought in her mind. She then continued to say, "Again, it isn't impossible, but with the right resources, I believe one can achieve it."

  "Wonderful!" Donovan looked thrilled by her words, and he said with a smile, "How about we two work together on this little project? I will help you with the resources that you require to make it a success."

  "I will think about it," came the blunt reply from Avice, and the smile on Donovan's face fell.

  "What do you mean think? It's not like I am resurrecting evil, it would be all good people. You have my word," Donovan gave her a solemn look.

  "Everything has its own consequences, Azazel. What we'll be doing is nothing less than courting death. Something similar to what I did many years ago," she gave him a quiet look before looking ahead, holding her head high. "How about you? Do you plan to stay here in Veteris?" she questioned him.

  "Of course. I think I like the students here, and I would make a wonderful headmaster. What do you think, Avice?" he asked her.

  "God bless the children," murmured Avice under her breath.

  Back at where Simon and Melanie stood, Melanie, pressed the kerchief on Simon's cheek that he had earlier injured while fighting.

  "Does it hurt?" inquired Melanie with concern in her voice.

  "It does," Simon nodded as if it was hurting a lot when in truth, he was perfectly fine. It was just that he enjoyed having Melanie take care of him right now. He said, "You know…… your fighting skills tonight…… it really turned me on."

  Melanie turned slightly red, and she sent him a small glare, "I am just glad that all of us are alive and no one is dead." She doubted the victory would feel this way if they had lost their closed ones.

  "True," replied Simon, then added, "Though I must say, we should have a double celebration. It isn't every day that you see your enemy turn into our friends, is it?" a grin appeared on his lips.

  When Melanie noticed him looking behind her, she turned her head, and her eyes fell on her parents. Both her mother and father looked stressed, and her father held a look of weariness.

  Simon moved closer to Melanie and whispered next to her ear, "I think it is a good time to go and speak to them."

  Melanie made her way towards where her parents were, her confident steps slowing down as she neared them. Her mother looked up and said, "All these vampires are liars! He said he would give me the cure, but instead h-he…… he fed me blood!" she whispered in anger. "Are you happy now?"

  "Why would I be happy, mother," replied Melanie. Somewhere, she had hoped that her parents would come around, but there was obvious distaste in her mother's eyes.

  "Mel," her father came to stand next to her. "Are you sure there's no cure? What about finding that vampire's ash who bit her?"

  "It would be hard to find the vampire's ash…… because the ground is filled with many other vampire's ashes," replied Melanie, and soon she heard her mother sob.

  "H-how could this happen to me?! To be turned into a blood sucker!" complained her mother.

  Melanie wasn't angry at her mother, but she did pity the woman. Her mother had eagerly tied her in the basement, and now she had become the very kind she hunted and experimented.

  Her mother broke into sobs, while her father looked torn. He spoke in a low voice, "The other hunters aren't aware that your mother has turned. If they knew……If Jack knew, he will—"

  "Kill her?" asked Melanie because that is what hunters did.

  "Yes," replied her father.

  "Don't worry about it. Simon has already taken care of him," replied Melanie, and her father passed a questioning look at her. "Maybe it is time that we came to a common ground with the vampires, the good ones. Not the bad ones. Which would help not just the vampires, or us, but the entire humanity."

  Right now, the idea didn't sound bad, and he wanted to save his wife. He loved her and his daughter very much, and he would have done that for both of them. Like his wife, he despised the vampire's existence, but now that one of his family members had turned, he had to lower his pride and change his thoughts to adjust to the current situation.

  "The hunters will come back to haunt this place," said Mr. Davis to Melanie. "They will not rest."

  "Then they will need to embrace their deaths, as the vampires in here won't let anything happen. You saw it," explained Melanie, and she tried to convince him, "Dad, there's no point fighting with the good ones, when they aren't even causing any trouble."

  "It is not how we were raised, Mel. You do not understand," her father sighed.

  "I don't want to live this life," came the soft whisper from Mrs. Davis, and both her husband and her daughter turned wide-eyed.

  "What are you telling? We'll get through this—" Mr. Davis tried to console his wife, but Mrs. Davis was losing it.

  "Do you know how I feel right now? I want to sink my teeth into your or any other human's flesh. All I can think about is blood. I cannot live like this," Mrs. Davis shook her head, looking slightly livid.

  At the same time, someone growled far behind them.

  "AHH!!!"

  A few hunters who were still around turned to catch sight of the head hunter, who had turned into a vampire. "He's turned into a vampire too!" gasped Mr. Davis. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be happy that his wife had company or worry right now.

  The head hunter appeared in pain, and he fell to his knees. He covered his face with his hands in pain. After a few seconds, the man's eyes fell on a gun. When he picked it up, the others turned wary only for a second before they noticed him placing the gun's nozzle at his temple and pulling the trigger.

  The gunshot was nothing short of deafening, and the hunters looked at the newly turned vampire fall to the ground. Blood oozed out from the man's head while he looked like a dying fish.

  Simon sighed, "Seriously. Being a hunter and doesn't know how to shoot." He walked to where the head hunter laid and said, "You aren't going to die that easily. Let me help," He picked up one leg of the man and dragged him towards the infirmary.

  Mrs. Davis felt her soul almost leave her body, and she no longer wanted to die. She sobbed, "I don't know what to do anymore."

  Melanie came forward, placing her hand on her mother's shoulder and assured her, "Don't worry, mother. We'll get through this together."

  "I am so sorry," her mother apologized, and Melanie patted her mother's back.

  "It's okay, mother," maybe this was a decent start, Melanie thought in her mind.