The search for Cain's reincarnation began with divination.
Grandmother Chen's coven performed a locator spell using Adrian's blood—since Adrian and Cain's souls were connected, the magic could trace that connection.
"Beijing," Grandmother Chen announced after hours of ritual. "A boy, approximately sixteen years old. He's been having dreams, flashes of memories he doesn't understand. The signature matches—it's definitely Cain's soul."
"Sixteen," Adrian repeated. "So he's human. Probably terrified and confused about the memories."
"We need to approach carefully," Kieran advised. "A teenager with Cain's soul memories could be dangerous if he's frightened."
They traveled to Beijing with a small team—just Adrian, Kieran, and Wei. Too many vampires might overwhelm the boy.
The address led them to a modest apartment building in a middle-class neighborhood. Normal in every way except for the supernatural signature emanating from the third floor.
"He's definitely in there," Wei confirmed, her werewolf senses picking up the unique resonance of an ancient soul in a young body. "And he's agitated. Heart rate elevated, adrenaline high."
They knocked. No answer.
"Hello?" Adrian called through the door. "My name is Adrian Chen. I'm... I'm a friend of Cain. I think you've been dreaming about him?"
Silence, then: "How do you know about my dreams?"
The voice was young, uncertain, with a Beijing accent. Nothing like Cain's ancient authority, yet Adrian felt the connection through his soul.
"Because I'm Seth," Adrian said gently. "Or I was. I carry his soul. And I think you carry Cain's. Can we talk? Please? I promise we mean no harm."
More silence. Then the door opened a crack.
The boy was thin, pale, with dark circles under his eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights. He looked at Adrian with a mixture of fear and desperate hope.
"You're Seth?" the boy whispered. "I've been dreaming about Seth. About... about everything. The Garden, the curse, my brother's blood..." His voice cracked. "What's happening to me?"
"Your soul remembers," Adrian said. "You're Cain. Not in this life, but your soul was his in another. The memories are bleeding through because your soul is ancient, powerful. Can we come in? I can explain everything."
The boy—who introduced himself as Li Wei—let them in. His apartment was small but neat, with textbooks scattered across a desk. High school student, Adrian guessed.
"My parents are at work," Li Wei said. "They don't know about the dreams. About the things I remember. I thought I was going crazy."
"You're not crazy. You're reincarnated." Adrian sat down, gesturing for Li Wei to do the same. "This is going to sound insane, but I need you to trust me. In your last life, you were Cain—the first vampire. You died three months ago saving the world from an ancient entity. Your soul has been reborn, as souls sometimes do."
Li Wei stared at him. "Vampires. You're telling me vampires are real."
"I'm telling you we're real." Adrian let his fangs extend slightly. "And you used to be one of us. The first of us."
Over the next hour, they explained everything—vampire history, the entity, Cain's sacrifice. Li Wei listened with growing wonder and terror.
"So I'm supposed to become a vampire again? To remember being Cain?" Li Wei shook his head. "I'm sixteen. I have school, college entrance exams, a normal life—"
"And you can keep that life," Adrian assured him. "We're not here to force you into anything. We just wanted to find you, to let you know you're not alone. The memories will keep coming whether you want them or not. We can help you process them."
"What if I don't want to remember? What if I want to just be Li Wei, regular human teenager?"
"Then that's your choice. Cain believed in free will. He wouldn't want you forced into anything." Adrian pulled out a card with his contact information. "But if you change your mind, if the memories become overwhelming, if you need help—call me. Day or night. I'll be there."
Li Wei took the card with shaking hands. "You said I saved the world. In my last life. Was I... was I a good person?"
"You were complicated," Adrian said honestly. "You carried guilt for your brother's death for five thousand years. But in the end, you chose to save everyone. You sacrificed yourself so others could live. That's not just good—that's heroic."
Tears filled Li Wei's eyes. "I remember that. I remember dissolving, remember knowing I wouldn't come back. It hurt. Not physically, but... knowing everything was ending."
"I'm sorry you have to carry those memories," Adrian said gently. "But know that your sacrifice mattered. Every supernatural being alive today exists because of what you did."
They left Li Wei with the contact information and a promise to check in regularly. As they walked away from the apartment, Adrian felt conflicted.
"He's so young," Adrian said. "Just a kid trying to live a normal life. Now he has memories of being the first vampire, of five thousand years of existence. That's not fair."
"Life rarely is," Kieran replied. "But you gave him a choice. That's more than most people get with reincarnation."
That night, back in Shanghai, Adrian couldn't stop thinking about Li Wei. About a boy trying to reconcile being a normal teenager with memories of being an ancient, powerful being.
"I know that look," Kieran said, finding Adrian on the balcony. "You're overthinking."
"I'm thinking the right amount," Adrian protested. "That kid's life just got complicated because of something he had no control over."
"Like yours did when you turned vampire?"
"That was different. I chose that."
"Did you though? Or were you forced by circumstances—Viktor's followers hunting you, the threat of the ritual, my desperate desire to keep you with me?" Kieran pulled Adrian into his arms. "We all have limited choices. The best we can do is make the most of what we're given."
"When did you become so philosophical?"
"I've had a thousand years to think about these things."
Adrian turned in Kieran's embrace, looking up at him. "Make love to me. Help me stop overthinking."
"That I can do."
They moved to the bedroom, shedding clothes along the way. This time their coupling was slow, intimate, focused on connection rather than passion.
Kieran took his time, his hands and mouth exploring Adrian's body with reverent attention. He murmured words of love in languages Adrian didn't speak but understood through the blood bond.
When Kieran finally entered him, it was gentle, deep, perfect. They moved together unhurried, savoring every sensation, every moment of closeness.
"I love you," Adrian whispered as pleasure built slowly between them.
"I love you too," Kieran replied. "More than words can express."
They came together quietly, holding each other close, the bond between them pulsing with deep affection and unshakeable devotion.