Five hundred years after Adrian's death, Kieran had developed a routine born of desperation and compulsion.
Every night, he searched. Not actively, not obviously, but through the networks he'd built over centuries. Birth records, hospital databases, adoption agencies, missing person reports—anything that might indicate an unusual child, someone special, someone who might be Adrian reborn.
He'd hired investigators across the globe. Some were human, unaware of what they were truly searching for. Others were supernatural beings who understood the weight of his quest.
But five hundred years of searching had yielded nothing.
"There's a child in Tokyo," one investigator reported. "Born with unusual abilities. Potential magical talent."
Kieran traveled to Tokyo, watched the child from shadows. But within minutes, he knew. Not Adrian. Just another gifted human child.
"A teenager in Cairo," another investigator said. "Speaks languages he's never learned. Past life memories, possibly."
Kieran went to Cairo. Observed. Hoped. But again—not Adrian.
Each false lead was another knife in his heart. Each disappointment drained a little more of his dwindling hope.
Marcus accompanied him on some of these fruitless journeys. "You're chasing shadows," Marcus said gently after the Cairo disappointment.
"Shadows are all I have."
"The reincarnation might not happen in an obvious way. Adrian's soul might return as an ordinary child, with no supernatural markers, no magical abilities. He might be completely normal."
"Then how will I ever find him?" The despair in Kieran's voice was absolute. "The world has seven billion people now. How do I find one soul among billions?"
"The same way you always have. The bond will guide you."
"The bond is broken. It died with him."
"Bonds don't die, Kieran. They transform. When Adrian's soul returns, you'll feel it. You'll know."
Kieran wanted to believe that. Needed to believe it. But five hundred years of waiting had taught him that hope was a dangerous thing.
It kept you alive when death would be kinder.