[3 days left]
The next morning, the Lord Leonidas finally opened his eyes. He could still feel the deep, throbbing pain throughout his legendary body. However, something was profoundly different. He slowly scanned his own body, and it didn't take long before he noticed an inexplicable sensation. Leonidas was utterly flabbergasted; what he detected was nothing short of a miracle. The virulent werewolf venom was not only slowly but surely dying out inside his system—it was actively being purged by an unknown force.
He looked over at John, whose back was facing him as the boy was busy sorting through supplies. Leonidas realized John had been awake and functioning the entire time.
"What did you do to me, boy?" Leonidas demanded, his voice weak and raw.
John slowly turned his head. "I kicked the dog sh*t outta you."
Leonidas became instantly irritated by the disrespect. "Not that, you fool! What did you feed me? Why do I have a weird taste in my mouth?"
John walked over to the Clan Lord and crouched down, meeting his grandfather's intense gaze with unwavering conviction. "I forced the antidote down your throat. Now, we don't have much time; Decker said he would attack the castle in four days. We only have three days left." John's voice hardened, his defiance absolute. "I did a lot of thinking, and if we are going to die, we are going to die today trying to escape. I'm going to beat that ugly bastard or die trying."
John paused, letting the statement hang in the dim cave air. "But the question is, are you with me? Are you coming with your half-breed vampire grandson, or should I leave you here alone?"
Leonidas looked into John's eyes and saw the boy's raw, unflinching conviction. He knew the boy was speaking the brutal truth. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing deeply as he wrestled with his immense pride and the overwhelming debt of his life. He opened his eyes, the final vestiges of his prejudice melting away in the face of John's courage. "Yes, you're right, you are a half-breed vampire and a piece of sh*t, but at least you are not a coward. So, what is your plan?"
====
Back in the Crimson Castle, Anna sat at a massive mahogany table, diligently working through the pile of political and financial paperwork her husband, Lord Leonidas, had left her. She signed a document, her mind far from the figures. "My love, I miss you. Why haven't you contacted me? And how is my grandson? Are you treating him well?" Anna thought, a thin line of worry creasing her brow as she recalled their difficult parting. The lack of communication from Leonidas made her increasingly uneasy.
After a few hours, a knock sounded at the heavy chamber door. "Enter," she commanded, setting down her quill.
A welcome, familiar sight entered—three figures she hadn't seen together in a long while.
"Markus, Helen, and Emma!" Anna exclaimed, a genuine smile of relief spreading across her face.
She walked straight to her son, Markus, who was easily the tallest member of the family. He had to arch his back just to give his mother a proper hug. His wife, Helen, a practical and sharp woman, slapped him playfully on the back. "You are so tall, Markus," she teased.
Anna then embraced Helen, asking, "When did you all arrive?"
Emma, Markus's second wife, came up and gave Anna a warm, tight hug. "We arrived a few minutes ago, Mother. We hurried straight here."
Anna stepped back, looking them over with a keen eye. "I assume your mission was successful?"
"Of course, Mother. Have I ever failed a mission?" Markus boasted, flexing his massive muscles with a joking grin.
They moved to sit by the table. The vampire maids brought crystal goblets filled with blood, but Markus declined, waving it off as he wasn't hungry. "So where is Father, Mother?"
Anna picked up her own glass and took a small, slow sip. "Your father is on a business trip with Carlos Decker, but the problem is that... He hasn't called me yet."
Helen, ever the optimist, offered a soothing thought. "Maybe Father is a little busy with the contract."
"What did Father say about his return to the castle?" Markus asked, his relaxed expression hiding a potential concern.
"Decker said that it will take at least four days. I asked your father to take John with him," Anna revealed.
Markus, whose memory for distant cousins wasn't always the best, almost forgot about the boy. "Well, Father is strong and can look after himself... Now tell me, how is my little sister's son? I almost forgot about him. Has he improved his strength these past few months?"
Emma interjected, her tone compassionate. "Markus told us that Angeline came back, but unfortunately, we were too busy to welcome them. I hope John and Thomas get along well."
Anna sighed, the warm feeling of family gathering receding slightly as the old tension resurfaced. "Well, your father does not like John very much, and that is why I asked him to go along—so that they could better their relationship."
Anna and the three of them settled into a long conversation. She detailed John's ferocious training under Reina, the terrifying incident with the rogue werewolf in the forest, and the ongoing struggle with his grandfather. In turn, Markus, Helen, and Emma informed Anna about their successful mission and why it had taken them so long to return.
Not long after their serious conversation, a welcome, quick knock sounded at the chamber door.
"Mother, Father, I missed you," Thomas exclaimed as he entered the room, his voice ringing with relief as he ran toward his father.
Markus, the massive Clan member, was also excited. He crouched down, his large frame folding to give his son a genuine, enveloping hug. Markus then put his hand gently on Thomas's head and spoke in a rare, heartfelt tone. "Your grandmother told me about the werewolf incident. I am proud of you, son." Markus looked directly into his son's eyes. "Listen, don't ever think you were a coward for running away. You, my son, were the reason that John was saved."
Thomas struggled to hold back the sudden rush of tears. His father's unwavering approval instantly dissolved the shame and fear he had been carrying. "Thank you, Father," he whispered, overwhelmed with a quiet happiness.
His mother, Helen, quickly joined them, giving Thomas a fierce hug. She was immensely relieved her son had chosen survival; losing Thomas would have been devastating, given the difficulty she and Markus had faced conceiving. She kissed Thomas on the cheek, held him tight, and whispered in his ears, "Mom is also proud of you."
Emma came over and gave Thomas a final warm kiss and hug. "I am proud of you too, honey." She then glanced around the room. "Do you maybe know if your big brother, Richard, is around?"
"No, Mother, big brother is away on a mission that was given to him by Grandpa," Thomas replied.
"Okay, sweetie."
Markus, now focused on his family's well-being, made a firm decision. "We will take a break from doing missions for the time being." He informed his wives that he and his son were going to spend some quality time together.
Anna watched the reunion, finding a fleeting moment of peace that was soon swallowed by her obligations. She forced herself back to the paperwork. But in the back of her mind, she could not stop thinking about her missing husband. Why was Leonidas silent? For some strange reason, she had a persistent, terrible feeling that something was not right. She repeatedly reminded herself that her husband was Lord Leonidas, one of the strongest vampires alive and the Clan Lord. Anna then decided to forcefully put those worried thoughts behind her and focus on executing the work while her husband was away.
===
John slowly dragged Leonidas out of the cramped tunnel and onto the open cavern floor. He hoisted his grandfather's immense, dead weight onto his back, the exertion causing his muscles to scream.
"You stupid boy, you want to fight that monster while you have no plan? Are you stupid?" Leonidas's voice was a low, raw snarl of pain and fury, barely audible against the ambient silence of the cave.
John gritted his teeth, shifting the heavy load. "Shut up, or I'll kick you in the balls again," he muttered back, his voice strained. He walked, focusing intently on his next move.
"You dare?" Leonidas hissed, genuinely shocked that the boy would repeat the abuse against the Clan Lord.
John managed a ragged, weary giggle.
"Why are you laughing, boy? You think it's funny kicking me in the balls?" Leonidas asked, his anger struggling against the poison.
"Hehehe, no. I just had a thought. I think life is funny... that you are going to die along with the person you hate the most."
Leonidas was silent for a long moment, the crushing weight of that statement settling over him. As John walked, Leonidas finally spoke again, his voice softer, heavy with a strange meaning. "I don't hate you the most."
John smiled faintly, pushing through the gloom. "Well, you do hate me because I am part werewolf, right? Let's keep it real, Gramps, now that we are possibly going to die."
Tsk. Leonidas made a sharp clicking sound with his tongue. "Fine, I do hate you because you are part of the werewolf, but I also have another reason for which I am not going to tell you."
"I am glad we got that out of the way," John said, filing the new, frustrating secret away for later.
As John walked back toward the previous, bone-filled section of the cave, he stopped dead. Huddled near the massive rock pile, the troll was sound asleep, its breathing a heavy, ragged whistle. John immediately froze, shifting the weight of Leonidas carefully. He instantly began to move his feet with unnatural softness.
He could feel cold sweat dripping down his back, despite the cave's chill. "There he is," John whispered, confirming the creature's location.