Knock — knock
"Did you call for me, father-in-law?" Vespar asked as he stepped into the study. Without waiting for permission, he made himself comfortable on the couch, one leg crossed over the other. 'Why is he always in his study, trying to act cool again i guess.' he shrugged.
"How is she? She's fine, right?" Orpheus's voice betrayed the weight he carried—no longer the tyrant, just a father drowning in silence.
Vespar smirked faintly, more amused than mocking. "Don't you think you're asking the wrong person? I mean, why not ask her yourself?"
Orpheus looked away, scotch glass in hand, eyes lost in a place only regret could reach.
"I can't," he whispered. "It's been so long since that time... I've forgotten how to show her love."He leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes reminiscing about the times when Lilith ran inside the castle,her laughter echoing, but it all shattered one day when he found her fainted in the hidden chamber inside his mansion.
He was suddenly pulled back off his thoughts by a glass clinging.
" I don't know why you sealed her memories or why you ignored her till now, but it has made a hole in her heart, not literally, but a big one, that is not gonna heal anytime soon." As Vespar spoke he poured two glasses of bourbon and carved sleek diamonds with a knife and ice putting it in their glasses.
"Quite the artist you are, but tell me one thing how did she find out her memory was sealed?" He said as he accepted the glass from Vespar.
"How should i know that, maybe she heard you talking or the seal is weakening, you should've known since your little spy ant is always on her." He said as he took a sip.
"So you knew huh, haha, i guess I'm getting sloppy from all this drinking." He said as he thought about something.
" I've got a question, has there been any record of vampires reading the memory of the person they drink blood of?" Vespar asked as he put his glass down.
"Is that how you saw her memory?" He asked like he knew something, more than something.
Orpheus didn't answer right away. He swirled the bourbon in his glass, eyes glued to the amber liquid as if it held the truth he was trying to drown.
"Is that how you saw her memory?" he asked again, voice softer, almost unreadable.
Vespar didn't flinch. "Yeah. I didn't mean to. It just… happened. One moment, I was trying to calm her, the next I was knee-deep in a memory that wasn't mine."
Orpheus gave a slow nod, lips pressed into a thin line. "Strange," he muttered, though it sounded more like a test than a statement.
"Strange?" Vespar raised an eyebrow. "Is it that rare?"
Orpheus let out a short laugh, not amused, more like someone appreciating the weight of irony. "Let's just say… it's unheard of. Not even the Elders have ever reported something like this."
Vespar leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyeing Orpheus with casual sharpness. "So what are you hiding, old man?"
"I'm not hiding anything," Orpheus said a little too quickly, his eyes betraying the truth. "It could be your unique bond with Lilith. Maybe you triggered something dormant. Magic has a way of… evolving under pressure."
Vespar tilted his head. "Right. And I'm supposed to believe that Mr. 'I've read every grimoire from here to the void' has no clue?"
"You're not ready to know," Orpheus said bluntly, sipping his drink. His gaze sharpened, just for a moment. "There's a reason things are the way they are. For now, just treat it like a gift—one you should be careful using."
Vespar scoffed, sitting back. "A gift wrapped in blood and sealed with trauma. How poetic."
"Power like that can be dangerous if misunderstood." Orpheus's voice dropped an octave. He wasn't being cryptic for flair—he was warning him.
"So instead of explaining it, you want me to stumble around and figure it out like a blindfolded bat in a cathedral?" Vespar asked.
"You won't be blind for long. There's someone who can help you. Someone who's waiting." Orpheus stared into the fire now crackling beside the study desk. "If Destiny truly has her hands in this, then… the door will open when it must."
Vespar narrowed his eyes but didn't push further. He knew when someone was deflecting—but he also knew when to bide his time.
"Fine. Keep your ancient secrets. I'll figure it out eventually. And when I do, don't expect me to share the details." He smirked.
"Fair enough," Orpheus said, chuckling quietly. "But be careful, Vespar. Sometimes, the truth doesn't set you free. Sometimes, it breaks you."
Vespar raised his glass, mock salute. "Then I'll shatter beautifully."
They drank in silence, both knowing a storm was brewing—and both pretending they weren't already soaked.
——
He stepped out of the study. "He's hiding something big… isn't he, Nyx?" Vespar spoke in his mind.
[Old brains are rusty. We'll have to uncover it ourselves. Wait—what is this scent, Vespar? It's affecting your brain… subconsciously.] Nyx's voice echoed, suddenly alert.
He noticed it too—something subtly intoxicating in the air, pulling at his senses. He followed the trail instinctively, turning corners, crossing ancient halls, until he stood before a massive door… slightly ajar.
"It's coming from here… but the smell just vanished." He murmured, pushing the enormous doors wide open and stepping inside without hesitation.
The sight stopped him.
It was breathtaking.
The room was huge—no, monstrously huge—even that word felt too small. Moonlight spilled in from grand, enchanted windows, eliminating any trace of shadow. Shelves reached into the heavens, filled edge to edge with books that hummed with knowledge, old and forgotten.
"Perks of living for more than a thousand years, I guess." Vespar muttered, wandering deeper into the sea of texts.
Every subject imaginable lay within reach—histories, geographies, detailed anatomies of species from this world and even from Earth. A bibliophile would've collapsed from sheer bliss right then and there.
A/N: a bibliophile is a person who loves to read.
*Thud*
A soft sound echoed through the vast silence—a book falling to the marble floor.
Vespar turned sharply.
There, between two towering shelves, stood a woman. Still. Silent. Watching.
His breath caught.
The scent… it was hers.
He took a step forward—then the moonlight shifted, and she vanished.