A/N: And we are back boyzz, did ya miss me?
[Blood Diary Entry]
Mother got up and rushed towards us, a relieved expression on her face. She pulled Rebekah and me into a hug, and I could hear her heart beating more steadily now.
Seems she was quite worried…
I would tell her to stop worrying since there isn't much of anything that can harm Rebekah, let alone me.
But I don't think that is possible.
She would only tell me she would always worry about me.
What I do find amusing is that she also seems to be growing fond of Rebekah in a way.
"We're back, Mom," I said as she attempted to squeeze the life out of me.
She tightened the hug a little more before letting go. "How was it?" Mother asked while looking at Rebekah and me.
We both shrugged and answered at the same time. ""Bad.""
Mother eyed us amusedly.
But when my mother tried to say something, Nico approached and spoke up. "I assume you killed all of them?" He said, though his gaze never left me.
I noticed the strange detail and frowned. "Yes, we did," I said in a reserved tone. "I don't believe there is a single one left."
Nico nodded. "There isn't."
My frown deepened. "How di-"
"You were watching," Rebekah said.
Nico shifted his gaze from me to Rebekah. "Indeed."
"How was he watching?" I asked.
"He is a druid," Rebekah said, without offering further explanation, though what she said was already more than enough.
"The animals…" I spoke.
"Correct," Nico said.
Rebekah shifted her stance, standing protectively between Nicodemus and us. "So, what now, Nico?"
Nico chuckled. "Now I fulfill my part of the deal."
Rebekah eased up, but not entirely. "And only that?"
He seemed amused by the way Rebekah was acting. "I might throw in a little bonus, after all, you did a splendid job. You've even cleaned up the mess." He turned towards me. "Many thanks for that, by the way!"
Rebekah tensed up a bit. "I don't think we'll need anything more than th-"
Nico interrupted her. "Rebekah… I haven't been alive and successful for this long due to stupid luck." He looked at me for a split second before turning his attention back to her. "I would be a fool to go against you after what I saw. Besides, having you three as 'friends' would bring benefits in the long run. Whereas antagonizing you would only bring disaster to my doorstep."
Mother didn't seem surprised by the conversation, which could only mean she and Nico had talked about this before Rebekah and I got here.
Nico turned to me. "As I said before, I don't quite know what you are, and you have displayed power beyond my own expectations. So, the masking I can perform may buy you some time. But the more your power grows, the weaker the masking will become."
Mother seemed thoughtful. "Can't you just apply the ritual again when it wears off?"
Nico shook his head. "By the time he outgrows my spell, he would be too strong, and I won't be able to help."
"What about the ritual you will perform on us? Wouldn't it help my son as well?" My mother asked.
Nico shook his head.
But before my mother could even ask why, I decided to explain. "That would be a waste of time," I said, catching the attention of everyone. "Magic tracking or long-distance spells are entirely useless against me."
Nico nodded. "So, I was right then…"
I raised an eyebrow. "You knew?"
He shook his head. "I had a feeling. Nothing more."
Rebekah seemed annoyed at not knowing what we were talking about. "Darian, what are the two of you speaking of?"
"I'll explain later," I simply said.
Nico turned away from us and beckoned us with a hand gesture. "Please follow me. Let's get this over with."
The three of us followed him across the confusing corridors of his own store.
Eventually, we were led to a staircase that led down, towards the underground.
"Great… another whacky basement?" I said in a low tone that only I and one other person present could hear.
Rebekah giggled. "Well, at least there isn't an angry ghost trying to kill us this time."
I laughed inwardly.
Then we reached a room that was entirely expected in hindsight, but an enormous surprise at first.
It was an underground chamber, completely devoid of any human structure altogether.
There were no concrete or wooden beams to stop the ceiling from falling on our heads, and there was no modern flooring of any sort.
The ground was made of only soft dirt that was comfortable to step on. The walls and ceiling were held together by powerful tree roots.
The whole chamber smelled like a mixture of the pleasant odors of wet earth and freshly cut grass.
I took a deep breath and could feel myself relaxing. It was a very nice feeling.
"How curious," Nico said in a surprised tone.
"What is?" Mother asked, and Rebekah nodded, indicating she also wanted to know.
Nico looked at me. "You can feel and resonate with my abode."
"What does that mean?" Rebekah asked.
He ignored her and chose to ask me a question instead. "What are you feeling right now?"
I described the comfort I felt and the smells that reached me. "It feels like…" I paused, searching for the right words. "It feels like safety, it feels homely. I don't really know how to describe it."
Nico smiled, a wide and deeply satisfied grin. "Whatever you are, you are deeply connected to nature."
"And?" I asked.
"I am unsure of what this means as a whole, but I can say that this fact alone would make any druid a LOT more friendly towards you. Unless he is a Darach that is…" He said in a cheery tone.
"Why?" I asked.
"It would take too long to explain. But I will say this… There is a reason why we choose to be emissaries of Lycanthrope packs." He said seriously. "But enough of that, let's get these rituals out of the way, and the three of you can go back on your path."