A/N – I wrote this chapter to Look Alive by Hana Vu! I recommend listening while reading! It’s in the Aiasthlyn playlist!

I hope you enjoy! And remember to comment!

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Aiasthlyn

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He disappears into the night as a blur of blues and greens that I barely glimpse before the encroaching darkness swallows him whole. I follow, of course, not keen on losing track of him again, but as I soon discover, it is nearly impossible to track Malcolm on foot when he is not slowing himself down.

Apparently, ‘slowing himself’ is exactly what Malcolm has been doing when he’s used his speed in my presence. Without barriers, he is akin to light itself, gone with no perceivable trace.

I have never tried to chase light before, so I do not know why I do so now, but there is no reason behind the panic his sudden departure triggers inside me. I only need to follow— to feed the nonsensical urge to keep him in my sights, one that my mind proves incapable of besting.

He stops long before I have the chance of catching up to him, and I thank Ythene for the mercy when it comes. I slow myself and do what I should have done in the first place— focusing my magic on where he began to slow and casting myself there.

It is a dalliance with time and space that Malcolm named teleportation, and it is what deposits me in a corner of this globe that entirely opposes any I have glimpsed thus far and snatches the air from my lungs.

The landscape is almost too familiar, the taste and feel of it something I have lived in in a galaxy away, in more familiar skin. The air is thin here, kindred to the air at the top of the mountains of Anael, the ones I often disappeared into when I needed respite from the demands of my court. It is a perch much like those. The differences lie in the absence of the fog and the lack of pegasus grazing nearby, only clouds drifting below that hide the lands beneath, allowing only nearby, mirrored clifftops to peak through.

But it is rich in a way I had not experienced in this realm— untouched nature that flourishes where it is left to breathe. There is only one disturbance amongst the lush green pastures that dance amidst the strong winds, but it hardly feels of such; rather, a part of this landscape.

A small brick tower sits just before the edge of this mountain’s end. It is no more than two tiers high, and appears old, as if it emerges from a foregone era. But time has been kind to it. The brick is polished, the hue still bright, as is the paint covering the lone wooden door. From the two crooning windows that sit above the entrance, warm, golden light seeps free, welcoming the dotted bodies that approach eagerly.

I watch from afar, hidden amongst the pasture’s natural shadows, while guests in fine attire ranging in exorbitance slip through the entrance. I do not spot Malcolm, but the traces of him that linger in the air lead just so, his energy pulsing within.

I do not let myself give chase yet. There are too many unknowns, and I had not followed simply to keep tabs on him. As I had a path to heed, so did Malcolm. Mine was my Charge; his was his loyalty to the centre of that Charge. The two were inextricably intertwined, which made it my task to figure out how much so before he did.

The question of whether or not I would have followed him without it did not matter.

It is not vampires alone that enter the small tower, but varying creatures of this realm, each sporting eager expressions and open chatter, and while they do not number in the hundreds, there are enough of them that I am certain they can not possibly all fit inside, not comfortably.

Tracing a finger over my lips, my mind works desperately to piece it all together— what was occurring within? And what was Malcolm doing inside? No answers come, and since I already know they will not on their own, I spare only the time it takes to mask my presence with my magic before I slink from the shadows and inch closer.

A full moon illuminates the night and the mountain’s edges, shielding me from a fatal fall while I circle the tower, searching for another possible way in, but there is none. What there is, however, is laughter and chatter, only it does not come from the tower.

Frowning, I turn my attention to the mountain’s edge, but there is nothing but the passing clouds. Still, the sounds drift from below, slowly nearing as if they are in some secret space between the cliff’s edge and the clouds.

There is nothing to be seen, but… laughter rises, sailing in the winds, and itiscoming from below.

With careful steps, I inch my way to the brink, breath catching as the cold air rushes up to greet me. My feet hold firm, and as I peer over, my eyes widen as I take in the hidden monolith.

Beneath the mountain, and above the thick clouds, hides a fortress embedded within the bedrock. Five connected towers make a cohesive whole, each hanging upside down with nooks for balconies, and spiralling outer stairwells that connect the unit. From the jewel-toned windows, light and sound leak free unabashed, evidence of the guests mingling within this… upside down castle.

My lips twitch and partners with the warmth that engulfs me as childish excitement bubbles within me. I blink, several times, but the impossible does not suddenly disappear. The inverted stronghold remains above the clouds.

In all my years…

The jorels of my realm lived within the peaks of their mountains in great and awe-inspiring structured nests, but they were not bottom up. This was, and somehow clinging to the mountain’s base— a hidden fortress and a marvel.

The winds billow through my silks, rushing downwards in silent invitation that I would be remiss to ignore. Besides, it was not as if I could use the front door.

I eye the nearest stairwell before I retreat until I have enough room. I check my back, making sure I have not been noticed before I steal a breath and set into a run.

There’s a moment before I jump where thrill and fear spike through me, but the crazed mix is what makes me take the leap that sends me soaring into the air.

My heart stops, and I am weightless, hovering in the bright night for an exciting spell in time. I savour it, wearing a smile only the moon witnesses, before the drag begins. I fall towards the small ledge and catch the edge of a step by my fingertips.

My fingers dig in, cracking brick and sending pieces quietly into the clouded abyss below. I wait as I am, being sure that no one is about to emerge before I finally hoist myself up and onto the stairwell.

Keeping low, I scan both sides of the stairwell, but thankfully I remain its only visitor.

I breathe quietly, allowing my racing heart the chance to compose itself while I press myself against the cool brick. The winds are harsher here, beating relentlessly against the thick walls and muffling the noise pouring from inside.

I use it as my cover, moving in sync with its winds as I begin my descent. The steps lead me past closed windows and balconies where no one lingers. The rooms and halls I glimpse are rather fine, but I ignore them all as I cross from one tower to the next, following the traces of Malcolm that swell at one of the lowest columns.

It is on the final staircase that I reach a shut window that offers my first proper glimpse of the festivities within.

Candlelight illuminates every inch of the large hall beneath, from the chandelier that sparkles over them all to every overarching column that somehow holds this strange fortress up. Musicians are scattered about, each diligently working their instruments for the guests who laugh amongst each other, the picture of enjoyment.

Like the mountain’s peak, this too is familiar. It is a mirror of the celebrations home, the ones hosted by one faction or the other that took no notice of what might make one elf differ from another.

I stare, forgetting myself for a moment, and whether or not it is the night itself, the festivities within, or a pairing of the two, the longer I stand here, observing, the deeper roots of longing dig into me.

The feeling is so small at first that I almost do not recognise it, but it soon grows so quickly that there is no chance to question what it is that I suddenly miss so deeply with its shadow paralleled before me.

Home. I miss my home.

I have to look away, then clench my eyes tight when that proves not to be enough.

I had not enjoyed the celebrations within my own realm since Virion’s position was exchanged for mine, and the spoils of life as a royal were traded for its burdens. But I can not fathom how I could ever loathe them when they’d consisted of those dearest to me.

There is none of that here— neither my family nor my people— and in a moment that sneaks up on me without warning, I can not separate myself from my task. I can onlyfeelhow desperately I miss my home.

It shakes me, how large the emptiness of their presence suddenly feels, and even as I open my eyes again, I can not fill it.

I can not function as I should, can notthinkto be Ythene’s Protector when my breaths suddenly become short, and I being to fear that I might slip into the clouds until… I look through the window and seehim.

He stands out just as he had in the paintings, only he does not dance in the middle of the crowd this time. He is not even in the centre of the room. He stands on the outlines, but he stands out nevertheless.

He has somehow embodied the sea, standing in layers of blues and greens that compel. There is a large, pillowed robe of sorts, dyed a creamy, dark blue that covers most of his frame, and a sash that slinks over one of his muscled shoulders to wrap around his waist. Several red belts connect it all, keeping him bound tight in his ensemble.

His accessories are limited to a smattering of gems across each of his hands, a silvered loop hanging from his left ear, and of course, his smile. It lights up the room. More than the candlelight, and more than the magic that swells from those who wield it.

He is magnetic, and not just to his kind, who hang on his every word, but to everyone who gravitates towards him without knowing why.

Malcolm is… every bit the compulsion that steadily consumes my mind.

I stare at him, no better than the flock below. I cannot shift my eyes from him, nor can I find a reason to. And for once, I do not need to.

I had come here for him, curious to know what it was that he did when he left his manor without telling me, and I was not particularly inclined to have him disappear again only to return soured by another. Why that was, I tried not to think about.

Voices drift in from the lowest balcony, snapping me out of my reverie, but none seem inclined to explore past its perimeter. I wait just in case that changes, but when it doesn’t, I look through the window again.

Malcolm glides across the large room, making his way through the gala as they all part for him. He greets the brave who put themselves on his path, but stops only for a select few.

I memorise the faces of each of them, knowing that despite how he might make it seem, there is a reason behind every action Malcolm takes. I try to flush out this one, and perhaps with too much effort, because it takes me far too long to realise that, as he makes his way through the crowd, this too has a purpose because he’s heading straight for me.

I have scaled the stairs long before he reaches the balcony beneath, but do not bother trying to escape to one of the other towers. He would be on my heels before I made it to the next.

I slip off the ledge instead, hanging beneath it from my fingertips as I had before, only this time my magic gathers around me to blend my presence in with the night itself.

The steps that approach are loud, as if he wants me to know that he is nearing, and my heart lurches, though I do not understand why. It is not like he can hurt me or ever would, but it perhaps is for the same reason my first instinct was to hide.

He stops on the step before mine, the winds tugging relentlessly at his lovely layers, and yet, Malcolm remains a steady-footed force above.

“I know you are here, Aias,” he says into the night, speaking in no particular direction. I frown. The fact that he does not know exactly where I am brings little comfort when he should not be able to sense that I am here at all. “Why are you hiding?”

Amusement rides the question, making my frown quickly shift into a scowl, and Malcolm chuckles as if he can see it. “You can come in, you know,” he says, squinting into the night. When I do not reply, he adds, “I would like it if you did.”

I should consider it comical that he would think that I care what he would like for me to do, and I do, but it is a dry form of humour, like what arises when one laughs even as they experience terror.

Terroris what I feel as I realise with startling clarity that Idocare, and that a rather pressing part of me would like to give him what he’s asked for.

I shove it aside, ignoring its pull— and that is what it is, a pull that tugs on my chest as if it means to physically lift me and deposit me to Malcolm.

“Please?” He asks, hesitantly, and the concept of choice is instantly stripped from me.

I pull myself up behind my shields and wait until I am standing before him to reveal myself.

Malcolm screams as he jerks back, almost falling from the steps, if not for the hand that hastily grabs onto the tower’s wall. “Gods, Aias!” He exclaims, the other clutching his chest. “Why would you—”

“How did you know I was here?” I ask, eyes narrowed on his to stop myself from taking in the rest of him.

The glimpse of him from afar had been a disservice.

I had not spotted the sharp lines in his hair’s cut, nor that the loop in his ear sparkled with hidden diamonds. They matched the silvered brace latched over each of his fangs. It was some sort of accessory for the teeth, and it was oddly alluring. It did not help that he smelled wonderful as well.

“Was I not supposed to?” He replies, a near-smug smile tugging at his lips. I keep my face plain, and he sighs. “I felt you following me.”

“You knew I have been here since then?” I baulk and his smile returns as he nods. “How?”

To this, Malcolm hesitates, his lips parting before his brows crinkle. “I suppose the same way I found you in the first place.”

I stare at him as he stares at me, hopelessly trying to tell the lies from truth when all that ever spills from his lips sounds like the truth.

“I am not dressed appropriately,” I say, answering his earlier invitation when silence lingers past the point of comfort.

Malcolm’s eyes dip, taking in the silks I’ve adopted as of late. His small smile returns, jewelled fangs glittering. “You are dressed perfectly.”

Pleasure skitters through me, the now familiar type that causes my fingers to twitch at my sides. I can touch him. Malcolm would welcome it, but if I did, I had little hope that we’d find our way inside. Besides, this was not the safest place to test the band of my attraction to Malcolm.

“If you believe so,” I relent, smoothing my hands over myself before I nod my head in the direction he came. “Lead the way.”

Beaming as if meaning to blind me, Malcolm turns and glides down the stairs, his moonlit eyes glancing back after each step to make sure that I follow. Of course, I do.

The guests who linger on the balcony suck in short breaths the moment I step into the light. Whispers rise and spread, but I take little note of them as I follow Malcolm inside.

He steps aside the moment there is space for it, ensuring we walk together as we move through the parting crowd, and while it seems an unconscious action, my mind lingers on it as my attention does on him.

“Malcolm,” a voice calls from between the onlookers before its owner breaches the fold.

It is a vampire sporting a brace for his teeth like Malcolm, only his is for one fang rather than both, and his carries red gems. He also wears fine leathers, the hue a match to his dark eyes. They slide over me as he slows at Malcolm’s side, drawing nearer than any have dared to so far.

“I see you have brought a friend,” he muses before he loops their arms together. I eye where they meet. “And a famed one at well.”

“Famed?” Malcolm echoes, feigning confusion.

The vampire laughs as if Malcolm has told the greatest joke before he steps forth and offers me the hand that is not looped through Malcolm’s. “Warren.”

I stare at him until he retracts his hand and himself too.

He laughs again, but this time it is a little less spirited. “I suppose gestures differ through the realms. I only meant to greet you.”

I maintain my stare and my silence until his smile disappears entirely.

“This is Aias,” Malcolm introduces on my behalf, his smile widening the moment he says my name. “I want him to get a taste of the better side of us vampires, and I thought you were the perfect place to start.”

Warren reclaims his smile as he pats Malcolm’s hand affectionately. “Of course you would. You let me know if you need anything, either of you.”

“We will,” Malcolm vows before he slips out of Warren’s hold and carries on, leaving me no choice but to follow.

I have no plans to have a taste of anything from this place, but I keep such proclamations to myself with the sharp ears all around. I only keep pace as Malcolm parts from the crowd, making for one of the interior stairwells that are far grander than the ones outside.

They lead us to the floor above where a hallway lined with bodies spilling in and out of rooms awaits. The festivities continue here, a smaller reflection of the party beneath.

Malcolm turns to face me as he walks us down the hall, somehow sensing those at his back and moving around them while he watches me stalk him.

“Should you not mingle?” I ask with a glance at his peers.

Malcolm laughs softly before he shakes his head. “I have mingled enough already. I want to be with you now.” My eyes find his, and he smiles quietly before he blinks quickly. “We could ’mingle’ together, but something tells me you would not answer any of the questions they will undoubtedly have for you.”

My eyes narrow, but his smile does not waver.

I spare another glance around, trying to pluck out what or who here drew him to this place. I did not doubt that someone as bubbly as Malcolm loved to party from time to time, but Malcolm had yet to make a single action that did not somehow lead back to Lincoln.

“It is a party,” he whispers, drawing my gaze back to his. “Scandalous, I know, but only a party.”

My glamour hides my scowl. “I never asked.”

“No, but you wanted to know,” he retorts as he slinks into one of the rooms, a darker one that is lit in shades of purple and buzzing quietly with the undercurrent of age-old magic. “This is nothing special about tonight, just Warren wanting to bring together old friends. In fact,” he looks around, pushing on his toes even though he is one of the tallest here, “Sinan is around her somewhere. I am sure she would be happy to see you.”

Memories of the centaur seem so distant now with all that has transpired with us since, but I do not let myself linger on the intended distraction. “Why did you really come here?”

“Why did you follow me?”

I hesitate, even though there is no reason to.

“How did you follow me?” He tries instead, but when this too brings about silence, he releases a very big sigh. “If we are going to do the question thing tonight, the least you could do is answer mine.”

My lips twitch while as faint amusement travels through me. We did have a habit of volleying questions at one another like a pair of childlings playing with a ball, and I enjoyed it much like one.

I liked watching Malcolm’s mind work.

“I would rather explore the upside-down castle,” I admit as he eases us towards a darker corner of the room. “It seems a waste of time to spend our time here asking each other questions.”

“Aren’t we doing both?” He retorts before his eyes drop to my lips. “Or is there something you would rather us be doing in this castle that leaves little room for conversation?”

Lust surges beneath my skin, but I swallow it down before I can make a fool of myself.

Falling into each other’s beds had become another habit of Malcolm and I’s— a habit I greatly adored despite how each coupling ensured I would crave him more.

We were still rather tame in what we did, quite a lot of external touching, the type of things I did when I was still young and still discovering pleasure from others, and yet, the tamest couplings with Malcolm aroused me beyond measure.

“How about this?” Malcolm says as he stops and leans against the tower wall, his eyes alight. “You tell me something, and then I will tell you something. When I’ve gotten enough, I’ll give you a proper tour.”

“A tour of the home that is not yours?”

“Warren and I are close enough,” he assures, and I have never found myself so grateful for my glamour. “Or maybe we leave the probing questions alone for a night, and you just tell me things about you.”

“Things like what?” I ask, despite knowing that I will do no such thing.

“Like,” he thinks, forehead crinkling before he brightens, “how old are you?” His eyes narrow. “Unless even that is too much for you to share.”

My eyes narrow as I fight a smile. “Two hundred and—” His eyes widen before I can even finish. “What?”

“Nothing,” he dismisses, straightening quickly. “Two hundred and what?”

“No. That was not the look one gives to ‘nothing’,” I retort, straightening as well to fold my arms over my chest. “Why did you react like that?”

“Like what?”

“Malcolm.”

It takes only his name. “It’s just,” he starts, only to pause. His eyes flick to mine, “… you are young.”

“Young?” I blurt, sputtering terribly as my arms come undone. “I am notyoung.”

“Everyone is young compared to me,” Malcolm coos as if he means to soothe me.

“I do not care what everyone is.Iam not young.”

His head tilts while interest floods his gaze. “Elf years are different, then?”

“By some,” I admit. “One of ours equates to four of yours—”

“So you are still young compared to me,” he decides, relaxing until he spots whatever expression lingers, then he is stiffening rather quickly. “You do not act it, though. You seem older.”

“I—“ I have to stop myself with a breath. I knew he was not baiting me, but this felt an awful lot like when Irros purposefully poked at the difference in my age compared to the other rulers on Colony. “Why are you here tonight?”

“You’re supposed to be telling me things,” he reminds, but he answers me anyway. “I told you, Warren invited me, and believe it or not, I do enjoy the company of others.”

That was not hard to believe, but my mind does not linger on why he would not tell me beforehand if that were the case. It lingers on ‘enjoy the company of others’ and the name Warren.

“You two seem to be well acquainted,” I acknowledge, panning my gaze around the room so that I do not watch him as intently as I wish to.

“We’re old friends,” Malcolm admits fondly. “He throws these parties all the time. It’s his ’thing’.”

“Ah.”

“I come when I can. I was free tonight, so I came to this one, but also—” Malcolm leans closer to whisper, “I thought I might hear something useful if I came.”

My chest eases, allowing me a small breath.

“Though not everything is a ploy, Aias,” he states, bringing himself even closer, enough so that our breaths are shared when I finally look at him again. “Work can often mix with pleasure.”

“I prefer to separate the two,” I reply, holding his stare while I live in his air.

Malcolm’s eyes dart between mine before he hums softly. “Why did you follow me, Aias?” He steps back, returning to his slow retreat and spurring me to follow.

“I wanted to know where you were going.” Malcolm raises a brow as if to remind me of our terms for tonight. “I wanted to know what you were up to.”

“Interesting,” he replies as he nears an attached doorway. “I wonder the same about you more often than not. Isn’t it fun how we do that? I follow you when you sneak off, but sometimes you go too far.”

He says it so flippantly that I almost miss it. But even when it registers, I can only blink at him.

The times I had slipped away from him had been few, only coming after each time I fed the desire to have him and gained enough clarity afterwards to remember my Charge. And even then, I had not found much, only the first traces that might lead to where the witches had made the vampires.

As I saw it, where they were created might lend some insight into what about them interested Ythene so. But as I stare at Malcolm, I wonder if he would still smile at me if he were to follow me and find himself standing where he was created.

“A drink?”

I blink away from Malcolm, looking instead at the small vampire who stops beside us with a large chalice that smells of rust and copper. Blood.

“What type?” Malcolm asks, eyes glowing their dusted scarlet before his nose crinkles. “Type A. No, thank you. I’ll find the blood bank myself.”

The vampire shrugs and parts without a word, drifting to the nearest vampire in their path. I watch him go before returning my gaze to Malcolm. He waits for me, his grey eyes entrancing as he walks us into what seems like an abandoned banquet with only a few tables still filled.

“Where are you leading me?”

“Tell me something, Aias,” he demands instead.

“I do not want to.”

“Anything,” he begs and I part my lips. “Please.”

“Mountain tops.”

He must use magic. He must.

“Mountain tops?” He echoes, eyes widening, and I nod.

It is a simple enough truth, harmless too, and impossible to be used against me or any other. It is nothing really, and yet, Malcolm comes to a stop.

“Like where we are?” He checks.

“Yes, though I am usually stood on the other side.” Malcolm blurts a laugh. My lips twitch.

“Really?”

I tilt my head. “Why is this as shocking to you as my age?”

“It’s not,” he dismisses, laughing again and sharing his light. “I just… I guess I did not really expect you to actually tell me something.” That causes an ache between my ribs, but before it can fester, Malcolm smiles again, and suddenly nothing hurts at all. “I’m giving you your tour.”

“What?”

“You asked where I was leading you. I am giving you your tour,” he repeats. “Oh, and I like mountain tops too.”

I am the one who stops this time. “Really?”

He nods quickly. “I go to them to think.”

I can not speak, but Malcolm speaks for us both.

“I like how quiet they are, and empty too,” he explains, face softening as he breathes in. “They’re usually empty since most can’t venture that far and those who do, rarely bother lingering.”

My lips part to tell him that I liked them for similar reasons, except my mountains came with the beginning of my castle’s rivers, and the sound of their faithful flow soothed me like nothing else. But saying that would be to give, and I’ve already given too much somehow.

“Something else,” Malcolm demands, oblivious to the distress he stirs simply being him. “Or do you want to know something about me?” I want to say no, though I already know I will say yes, but then Malcolm shares anyway. “I wanted you to follow.”

My heart spasms as if jolted by the energy that brews between us. It travels along some unseen channel that connects that disarming smile to my soul, him to me, and it is unrelenting.

I step to him, and he eases back. I scowl, and he beams.

I chase him, but Malcolm slips behind a set of curtains I had not even noticed. He disappears into them, and steps through after him, pushing them out of my way as I try to grab him, but it spits us out into another room filled with dancing pairs.

Their eyes snap to us, and I quickly clench my fingers at my sides as I straighten and glare at Malcolm. He smiles openly, almost tauntingly, as he continues his retreat.

I should leave. I have gotten all I need to know from him, and seen enough. There is no reason for me to linger.

“Aias,” Malcolm whispers, and my feet are suddenly moving, taking me straight to him.

Malcolm’s smile turns unfairly sweet, and as he stares at me as if I am the only one in this entire fortress, my heart sinks. But I do not stop or leave like I know I should.

I can’t. I can not leave his side.

I can only follow.

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Before you cuss me, chapter 30 will be out tomorrow! This is a delayed double update!!!!!!!

Thoughts?????????

Thoughts on this little adventure??? On Aias and Malcolm flirting???? On them getting closer and closer????

Let me just say, I love any opportunity to world build in this universe, and the visual of them playing a cat-and-mouse game in a big castle while a whole party is going on around them, but they take no notice of it

YUHHHH!!!! I NEED TWO PLATES. and we are getting two plates, cause it continues on in chapter 30!

Please please let me know all your thoughts!!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the song too if you listened to it!!! I loveeeee it so much for the whimsical feel.

Anyway, chapter up tomorrow!!!!!!! Sneak peek up on Patreon and my website for the Gold tier!

Until next time,

Byeeeeeeeeeeee Humansssssssssss