Chapter 7

“WHERE were you? Where were you when we needed you the most?” Alvira yelled before slapping me the second she opened the door and saw me.

I couldn’t answer her. Would she believe me if I told her that I became a Vampire to cure Levana? I wanted to make her understand my situation, but I was not sure if she would believe my story. My eyes watered when I remembered the things I read in Levana’s diary. She wrote everything there including how the crops from the farm I inherited all burned one day.

Alvira got into an accident when she tried to find me. She was hit by a car and she needed an urgent operation. They did not have the money for it. That was when Sullivan came to the ‘rescue’ and offered to shoulder the hospital fee in exchange for marrying him. Even if Levana was against it, she agreed to marry him for her mother’s sake.

Sullivan was wicked. He manipulated everything to make Levana fall for his trap. She also wrote in the diary that she was never happy with Sullivan. Every day, she waited for me to come back and steal her from her husband. I shut my eyes at the thought. Sullivan was constantly mad and jealous about the men she spoke to even if they were her long-time friends and even if they were the people working at the farm to the point that he confined her in their house and forbid her from going outside.

Sullivan also tried using force to consummate their marriage but then he would stop just before they do it as if she had a virus and he was terrified to catch it. And then he would shower her with blasphemous words night and day. The two never had a peaceful marriage. During those times, I know that Sullivan was thinking about Acantha and Xenos’ betrayal.

I wanted to find Sullivan and kill him. But I would only be wasting time because I know that one of these days, he would come to me on his own for the ‘fight’ that he mentioned before. Besides, what else could I do? I wouldn’t be able to avenge anyway. He was a thousand-year-old Vampire. I’m only an inexperienced Vampire. How could someone like me fight the Primus’ son?

“Every day, we would talk. And Levana would say how much she misses you. She would often worry that you might have heard about her wedding with Sullivan, and you would doubt her love for you. But she remained true to you, Ingram. When she couldn’t take the depression and the misery any longer, she stabbed herself!” Alvira wept. “She died with you in her mind, Ingram. But where were you? You suddenly went missing! How could you do that to her? How could you do that to us?”

“I didn't want to leave, Aunt,” I said in a low voice. I looked up and met her eyes. She left the house where we used to live and returned to her previous apartment. It was an old bungalow. “You and Levana are the only family I have left. Circumstances just gave me no choice—"

“And what circumstances were those?”

Again, I couldn’t speak. Alvira was like a second mother to me that’s why it pains me to see her this way, too. It had been years since Levana died. And I just reminded her of the agony she felt back then when I suddenly showed up at her doorstep tonight.

Alvira laughed bitterly. “You cannot even tell me your reasons.”

“A-aunt—"

“Leave, Ingram. You’re just making me remember my daughter. You’re just making me remember the pain.”

“I love you, Aunt,” I softly said instead. “You had been a wonderful mother to me. And I did love Levana, too. For the past years, whether you believe it or not, I didn’t completely leave the both of you,” my chest tightened. “Levana's existence was proof of my love. My heart has always been here in Calhoun, it has always been with the both of you,” I added before walking away with a heavy heart.

Erasmus followed me with Kiara, the Seeker I turned into a Vampire as a part of our deal. They both insisted on coming with me to meet Alvira. Later on, we found out that we shared the same life experiences. Life had been cruel to Kiara, too. She was an orphan, her mother died in an accident when she was still a teenager. She was left with a stepfather who sexually abused her. Her life was ruined. She made it her goal to become stronger so that no one else could hurt her again. When I turned her into a Vampire, she volunteered to become my servant.

“You can leave now, Kiara and Erasmus. I will be staying in this town.”

“And what do you plan to do, fledgling? Mourn at Levana's grave for the rest of your immortal life?”

“No. I want to die, Erasmus,” I whispered as emptiness swept over me. “Can’t you see? This whole eternity thing is useless! How can I go on living? I don’t have any reason to live anymore! All those reasons vanished the very second I found out that I couldn’t get near Levana! What are we fighting for in the first place?” I cussed under my breath as tears glazed my eyes. “I just want to rest. I am so, so tired. Please leave me alone now. I am not your responsibility. I will wait for the sun here.”

“Sullivan clearly does not want you to die,” Kiara said.

“To hell with Sullivan!” I screamed as I gritted my teeth.

“You brute, listen to me,” Erasmus held my face firmly. He roughly tapped my cheeks which forced me to meet his determined eyes. “If you die now, you will die a coward not just in my eyes but also in Sullivan’s. As much as possible, I don’t want to interfere with the doppelgangers’ lives because my life is already a big mess as it is. But I want to give you a purpose. Your doppelganger will only be born after you die. That means that only one doppelganger will get to live and that’s Acantha's version.

“And the day Levana died marked the beginning of the three-hundred-year countdown for another one. Wait for two hundred and ninety-two years more. If you are really guilty over Levana’s death, then help her doppelganger. Protect her from Sullivan.”

“Thank you for taking care of me last night. I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re still a stranger to me. Now, if you don’t mind, please leave. I want to rest.”

My mind wandered back to the present upon hearing Brianna’s words. I smiled faintly. Brianna and I were the only remaining doppelgangers in the world which meant that if the curse was true, we were the ones destined to meet and fall in love with each other.

I stepped towards the mortal. She gasped and stepped away until her back reached the wall. I placed my arms on the wall, cornering her. I’ve searched for her for three hundred and nineteen years. With Kiara’s help who remained my faithful assistant, I found Brianna at last.

Erasmus, on the other hand, opted to stay in South Korea, it was the last country we went together. The three of us had become a family over the years. We’ve also succeeded in finding a Sorceress that would lift our sun curse in exchange of a few gold bars and droplets of our blood that she would use in her future spells. That same Sorceress was the one who warned me about the dangers of meeting Brianna after she had a glimpse of the future.

I softly stroke Brianna’s cheeks. She looked bewildered. “Do you still remember what I said last night? You said that you were too tired that you just wanted to die so you could finally rest. But don’t give up on life, Brianna. Always be glad that you’re alive.”

Suddenly remembering Levana left a bitter taste in my mouth. “Being alive is a privilege that many people aren’t so fortunate to have. And if ever you need someone to remind you that, I’m just right next door. Just call my name, I will hear you right away and I will come to you. Till next time, neighbor,” I added before releasing her.