Van woke up the next morning. He got up, changed, and was escorted to the dining table for breakfast. When he entered the room he was surprised to see that it was just him and his mother. Alvaroz was nowhere to be found.

“Mom, where’s father?” he asked

“He already left and ate dear. Said something about preparing something for you and to meet him up at Lorenzo’s study.” she said, looking at the absent chair of his father. “ he also said to eat well, since you might have to skip lunch.”

Van became a little worried, the only time that he had to skip lunch was when he had to go through an awakening that day since the process would take a long time to complete. He decided to push his worries away for now and enjoy his meal. After all, if that was the case there was nothing he could do, Though he did think it was odd that his father didn’t tell him beforehand like he usually did.

After a hearty meal. Van and his mother had a nice chat, enjoying the morning together and the rarity of time alone with each other. Then noticing how late it was, he bid his mother farewell with a promise to talk again sometime later.

“Are you sure that you don’t need a maid to escort you?” Lillia asked

“I'm sure Mom. it’s just a few minutes away on the second floor. Pleeeease, I don't get a lot of chances to walk alone.” Van asked, eyes pleading.

“Well…” his mother said unsure, “so long as you go straight there…”

“YES!” Van said then blushing a little at how overly excited he was on such a small thing.

Lillia smiled “ just stay safe.”

Van rolled his eyes, “like something is going to happen a short walk away.” he then got up and left the table. “ bye mom I love you!” he said as he left. His mother gave a small chuckle as he did.

Van left very happy, his chest swelling, it seemed that the distance between his mother and him had shrunk a little since that heart to heart yesterday. “I wonder what the future will bring, maybe we really can be a big happy family.” he thought as he walked down the hallway. He slowed down to enjoy the sense of freedom at his own pace.

But as he neared Lorenzo’s study, he heard voices. As he got closer and realized it was shouting. Van slowed even more as he realized that they were angry shouts, and tried to quietly get to the door to hear what was going on.

“IT’S TOO SOON!” a voice that sounded Lorenzo shouted “ the blood binding I get, but you want him to go through another awakening! He's just eight! We're already pushing him faster than we should! Two Awakening in Two Years Alvaroz! And you want him to go for a Third!?

“I understand your concern, my friend,” another voice said, sounding like his father “ but this is for his own good! Think about it!

“Think about it!? Think about IT!?!? Are you listening to yourself! You are gambling with your son’s life! And lets not forget you also want him to do the binding with that thing! And A Soul Link on Top of IT! Lorenzo shouted.

“She is not a thing!” Alvaroz growled, “You should know better than that.”

Lorenzo threw his hands in the air “Does it matter! The Risk Alvaroz! You're asking your son to go through several torturous experiences all in one day! And we don’t know what may happen if we soul link them!”

“Think about it Lore.” Alvaroz said using his friend's nickname “ If you had paid attention, you would have seen that Van’s body is already accumulating mana! There are even tell-tale signs of aura in his body! The previous awakenings were mostly painful only because of his body’s unique constitution. But! If he is already having those energies in him, then the power awakening ritual shouldn’t hurt him as badly! It might even be enjoyable…liberating even.”

Lorenzo scoffed “even if that is true. Why the soul link? Why her! They're both broken in a way. You think you can smash two broken pieces together in hopes they fit? Their soul realms aren't like normal people’s Alvaroz! What makes you think it would work!?

“Think about it Lorenz. Don’t think about it like we're linking them to one and other, think about it as if we are anchoring them to one and other.” Lorenzo paused, Alvaroz continued “ I was there, I saw his soul realm first hand. It was massive! It's like its own little world Lore! Take me, you, my wife, and several other people combined together and his would still be larger by several magnitudes!”

Alvaroz took his friend by the shoulders. “Anchoring Lorenz! Anchoring! Just think about it!”

Lorenzo did, and as much as he hated to admit it, his friend did seem to have a point. “What if it just doesn’t stop at a soul link, what if it becomes a whole soul-bonding?”

“Does it matter?” Alavroz said “ that might even be for the better, after all, Van will be the one in control.”

Lorenzo turned away, brushing his friend's hands off, he leaned down on a desk and sighed over the many notes he took of Van over the years. “I watched him grow, I taught him letters and numbers. I’m the one with the risky ideas! I should be the one saying this! But i'm not!”

He turned to look at his friend “this is your son! Even if what you say is true, even you should know how full of dangers it is. Even if everything seems to go well, how long would that last!?”

This time Alvaroz yelled “ you think I don’t know that! I thought about it long and hard!” he sucked in a breath trying to calm himself down. “You think I want this? He has so much potential for power that it's scary! What would happen if we didn’t!”

Lorenzo thought back to yesterday and the golden flickering light. He placed a hand on the bridge of his nose and sighed. “You're right,” he said quietly, “ I get what you're saying, we can’t do nothing, but is there really no other way?”

“If anyone, it is you that should know the answer to that.” Alvaroz said “ what are our chances?”

“If we go through your crazy idea? Actually very good. The chances of something bad happening are almost nil. If it weren’t for the fact that if something did go wrong their souls would be shredded then I would even advocate it myself.” Lorenzo said

Van paled a little from behind the door.

“And will it help?” Alvaroz asked

“If everything goes well, they would never have to worry about anything ever again.” Lorenzo said.

“And the soul-awakening?”

Lorenzo crossed his arms in thought “if we use the soul link like an anchor like you suggested, then Van’s chances of survival during the final ritual for his soul-awakening will skyrocket considerably. We won’t have to worry about it as much.”

“See, a little risk now, for a better chance later. Imagine what would have happened if he went through a soul awakening unprepared?”

Lorenzo scowled at Alvaroz “ I still think its a bad idea but-” he cut off as both he and Alvaroz blinked. as the tension lessened, their perception widened allowing them to sense the presence behind the door.

“Van… please come inside” his father said in a cool voice towards the door.

Van froze in place terrified, he had never gotten into trouble before, and they were just talking about his chances of living. His heart was beating like crazy and he didn’t know what to think.

“Van, you're not in trouble, I promise. We just want to talk a little with you.” Alvaroz said gently.

“Please Van, we promise, we just want to … explain to you a few things…” Lorenzo added his voice slightly guilty “ you must have a lot of questions yourself right?”

“Van...Please” his father tried once more, this time, any hint of anger gone from his voice, when he sensed his son's fear. “I’m sorry. We just didn’t want to scare you.”

Van stayed behind the door. Hearing them out, they sounded genuine. Taking a deep breath he entered the room. He wanted some answers.

They stared at each other in silence. Neither side knowing how to continue. Lorenzo and Alvaroz lost in thought. Van standing nervously for them to begin.

It was Alvaroz that began first “ perhaps we should begin by explaining. Van, you know your soul realm is a special case, don’t you? But perhaps we didn’t tell you how special. You see, for most, their soul realm naturally forms on its own. But for you, that is not the case. You will require a soul-awakening for it to fully form, and a soul awakening is a very dangerous ritual. In your case doubly so.” he then looked towards Lorenzo.

“ Van, please believe us when we say we have nothing but the best interests for you. We didn’t tell you everything because we didn’t want to needlessly worry you. Do you understand?”

Van stood there unsure what to say, or even whether to nod or shake his head. too nervous was he that he couldn’t act, only look upturned at them with a sad face.

Alvaroz sighed and took a few steps towards Van. Van while not meaning to, took a step back from his father's approach, making Alvaroz pause, a hurt look on his face before continuing. He bent down, looked his son in the eyes, and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry. I am very sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just love you so much that I tend to get… high strung when it's about your safety is all.”

Tears welled up in Van’s eyes. His father’s embrace felt comforting, but he couldn’t help but ask “ Am I going to Die?”

Alvaroz paused for a long moment before gripping his son tighter. “No, No you are not going to die... I promise. Listen, me and Lore are doing everything in our power to make sure you live.”

Alvaroz pulled back to look his son in the eyes. “ But we can’t do it without you. We need you to be strong for what’s to come next. It's important that you understand that you…can’t avoid the hard things if you want to live a normal life. Your soul realm can collapse in on itself, or worse... It's stuck and the only way to move it forward is to do a soul awakening.”

He sighed “ but a soul awakening is very dangerous, which is why we are making you go through all the previous awakenings. With the exception of race awakening,” he turned a little to look at Lorenzo at that part. “That one turned out to be unnecessary and will only be brought up when necessary.” Lorenzo nodded, and Alvaroz turned back to Van.

“ All of this is for you to increase your chances of successfully passing your soul awakening ritual. We also don’t have a lot of time on our hands, even if you are doing everything in your meditation practices for your soul realm, it's only a matter of time before you are stuck on what to do and can’t advance any further. If your soul realm remains stuck, it can slowly… have bad effects, lets say.” Alvaroz said, trying to lessen the blow. “Do you understand?”

Van couldn’t really look his father in the eye. But he forced himself to anyway and nodded.

“Good” Alvaroz said, giving Van another hug again. “ If you want, you don't have to do the ritual today. You can go back to your room and rest if you want.” he then got up and took a step away to give his son some space.

Van stood there, looking at his father then at the floor. His body wracked with indecision and his handballing into fists, his nails digging into his flesh. He thought about being stuck in his room, all alone with nothing but his thoughts. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “No” he said solemnly “Lets do it”

“Are you sure?”

Van nodded

“Alright… Lorenzo, can you please prepare the circle?”

Lorenzo nodded and got to work on the instruments and other things. His movements were jerky, as if he was high strung.

Van walked past his father and took his place in the circle as he waited for Lorenzo to finish the preparations. He looked at his father, lost in thought before deciding to break the ice and ask a few questions he had “M-Mom said you had something for me, what was it?” he said looking at his dad.

“I… Had a new room prepared for you.” he said, his voice a little unsure, but deciding that talking was better than silence, he continued. “Far more spacious than the one you are already living in. your things should have already been moved as well.” he hesitated “We were also going to prepare a blood binding with this girl so that she can be your personal maid. That way you can walk around the castle as you wish.”

Van’s curiosity got the better of him, so he couldn’t help but ask “what’s a blood binding?”

“Well… “ his father began. “ a blood binding is something mostly common among vampires. We find a candidate and if they are worthy, they will go through a ritual where we share a bit of our blood with them. The binding makes it so they can’t betray us, or attack us, or really go against our orders. Some would consider them slaves, except they are treated far better than that and are highly valued and put above others. Some even are taken as lovers and if lucky, spouses.

“There are even cases that people have fought and killed, in order to be a blood bound. A blood bound being the term for someone who has gone through the ritual of blood binding with a vampire. That is because those who are blood bound can see their lifespans double or even triple. Their bodies take a more idolized form, and they become stronger, faster and some even a little smarter. So here in Alcray, or as some call it, the Vampire Lands, being a blood bound is considered a very high honor. My personal maid that you always see, is a blood bound as are most personal maids.

“Finally.” Alvaroz said “ the amount of blood bounds you can have is determined by your power, court rank, evolution rank, and soul realm. Each one dictates how many blood bounds you can have. But just because you can have many, doesn’t mean that you should, or that a vampire would want more then one or two. When blood bounded you feel a sense of connection with the person, you always know which direction they are, and some can even communicate with them telepathically when they are close. Some vampires only save their blood binding for their spouse in a dual binding. Since one can feel very intimate with the one that is blood bounded.

Van listened intently, if had to be honest, he was glad he asked but also a little annoyed that it created more questions than answers. He almost forgot about what happened a few minutes ago and about what's going to happen next, almost being the key word.

“Done,” Lorenzo said, just as Alvaroz finished “ Van are you ready?”

Van didn’t feel ready, but he said yes anyway. His nerves coming back with a vengeance as he remembered the first two times he went through an awakening ritual.

“Alright then” Lorenzo pulled out an orb from nothing and began to use it to power the circle. The runes glowed and energy began to concentrate in the circle.

Van forced himself to breathe in and out, his body tense as he expected the worse. A strange feeling happened like something was trying to push into him through his skin. The magic entered his body and rushed all over the place as it then tried to get out. Adrenaline or what felt like adrenaline rushed through every vein and nerve of his body. Just like every ritual before, he felt something in his body change, his mind open to a new perspective, and his soul realm shift. It was the last one that always caused the hiccup in every ritual. While it was normally a little painful, for him, when it started to affect his soul realm, that's when the real pain began.

Van’s body tensed like never before. Even as his body accepted the changes, his soul realm refused to move without a fight. But then Van unexpectedly relaxed, it seemed like what he overheard from his father was correct. His body, and even his soul realm accepted the ritual far better than the other ones. But that didn’t mean that it was over. His soul realm was in a chaotic state once more, and it took a good 2 hours of meditation before he felt safe to move away from the circle. A new record.

“How do you feel?” his father asked, patiently waiting for his son.

“I feel fine. Actually no... I feel weird?” “ Van looked at his hands as if for the first time, unsure of what about it was off. He looked around and everything seemed to have something off about it, like there was something extra about everything.

“You're probably sensing the energies around you,” Lorenzo said helpfully. “ It can be a bit disorienting at first, but with training you can learn to both ignore it or bring it to the forefront of your vision.”

Lorenzo put his orb away, when he did Van got a sense that it didn’t just disappear into nothing, but was sucked in Lorenzo himself, which threw Van for a trip.

“I'm glad that worked out better than expected. You know not everyone needs to go through a power awakening ritual in order to use the energies. Some are born with it or can be trained to use it on their own, should they have the potential for it of course. Let's see what kind of powers you have awakened shall we?”

Lorenzo tapped at a floating magic circle in front of him, which opened up bars and statistics. “OH HO! You have a very good aptitude for mana” he said with a smile “ A natural-born sorcerer! Nice! And here's a little something for your father. You're also scoring high on aura, though not as much as mana.” he said with a jeer towards Alvaroz who rolled his eyes. He then tapped a few more things and his eyes widened “ you also have a tiny bit of aptitude for ki, not a lot mind you, but that is rare.”

He continued to play around with the panel, doing a “hmm”, every so often and pausing. “Everything seems to be in order. I’ll give a more comprehensive report once I have more time.” looking towards Alvaroz a little hesitant “ are we still going to do that today?”

Alvaroz looked to his son “Van… There is one more ritual we want you to go through today. It will require you to go to the basement since the second part of what we want to do requires that circle. Are you willing?”

“Is it blood binding?

“Yes and no. The blood binding doesn’t require you to use that circle, but the other part does…. You see we also want you to go through what's called a soul link. It's somewhat similar to a blood binding but instead of linking you by blood it's by soul realm. We are hoping that it will increase your chances of survival when we do the soul awakening.”

“Is it dangerous?” Van asked, already knowing that it is, since he overheard but asking anyway so that he can hear it straight.

“Again, yes and no. It's complicated. You see, the person we are wanting you to soul link with also has her own soul problems that make me think that the two of you together can help each other out.”

Lorenzo grumbled about something about broken puzzles and smashing, which got a glare from Alvaroz before turning back. “She is just like you, unable to freely move around the castle. Alone except for the training she receives from the other maids. She has no friends”

Lorenzo grumbled again, this time about something about her being her own friend which got an even greater glare from Alvaroz. Once he felt like Lorenzo got the point he continued. “Van, this is your chance, if I were you, I would seize it.”

The byplay between Lorenzo and his father wasn’t lost on Van. but then again if this really was his chance to get out and about then what other choice did he have? “Okay… I'll do it.”

Alvaroz smiled “that's wonderful to hear, I'm sure you two will get along very well.”

“I just have one question,” Van asked

“Oh?”

“If I needed a personal maid in order to be allowed to roam the castle, then why didn’t you guys do it before?” Van asked, wanting to know.

It was Lorenzo who answered “ that is because in your particular case, you needed to be both blood and power awakened before you can go through such a ritual. So sadly, we had to push you getting a personal maid back until such a time. If we're being honest, you would have gotten a slightly older, more experienced maid while still young, but circumstances prevented that.”

“Are those all your questions?” Alvaroz asked.

“...For now.” Van said

“Then let's get an early lunch,” Alvaroz said, turning to the door. “ we have a long day ahead of us”