"We have to go and save him," Seonghwa said as he gritted his teeth and frowned. How could he have been so careless and let this happen? 

 

"I should go alone," Jongho said. 

 

"You can't. The Overseer is too strong to go against alone."

 

"What about Wooyoung and San? You don't have anyone else who can take care of them, hyung, and Yunho is my hyung. I have to get him back." 

 

Seonghwa looked at the two seated on the couch and sighed. What was he going to do? What could he even do anymore? Things were spiraling out of control ever since Hongjoong came to seek him out. If he had just gone with him, would any of this even need to happen? 

 

"Appa, you should go and save Yunho," San said and pursed his lips. "I can stay with Wooyoung here."

 

"Or we can go with you," Wooyoung chirped and Seonghwa frowned even harder. There was no way he was putting either of them into any more danger but there wasn't any way to prevent it either. Unless... 

 

"San, go and grab your bags. Take the emergency kit too." 

 

"Huh? Appa, why do I-" 

 

"Go," Seonghwa said and San was about to argue but saw how serious he looked and decided otherwise for now. 

 

"What's going on?" Wooyoung asked cluelessly and Seonghwa walked to him. He held his shoulders and looked at him with a serious expression. "Um...?" 

 

"Listen to me carefully, Wooyoung. San will bring you away from here temporarily until I can figure out a way to turn you back into a human. Protect my son and protect yourself. The Overseer will try to come after you but you mustn't let him take you or San."

 

"B-but you just said he was too strong!" 

 

"I know but right now, even if I brought you two along with me back to that place, I won't be able to protect you against so many other vampires. I will compete to be the new vampire lord. That's the only way I can stop the Overseer from pursuing you or San. Can you promise me you'll protect the both of you until I figure this out?"

 

"Seonghwa sshi... I..." Wooyoung didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he had any other choice but to say yes and yet, he couldn't bring himself to make such a promise. He wasn't able to protect San earlier. What makes him think he could do it against enemies who are even stronger? "I promise..." 

 

"And another thing, you must never ever drink San's blood. No matter what happens. Never drink his blood," Seonghwa said and held his shoulders firmly. 

 

"But why?" 

 

"San... San's blood is poison to us vampires. If you drink it, you'll die. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you? Dying because of San?" Seonghwa asked and Wooyoung could tell he wasn't joking. 

 

"But why is it poisonous? Isn't San just a human?" 

 

"He is a human." Seonghwa let go of his shoulders and pulled him up to his feet. "But his parents were vampire hunters. Both of them. They poison their own blood so if any of them were to die from a vampire drinking from them, the vampire would die along with them. This makes San's blood even more potent to us because of the poison that runs in him."

 

"Does he know that?" Wooyoung gasped and Seonghwa shook his head. "Why haven't you told him?" 

 

"I can't bring myself to... San is... he's too kind to be in our world. If he ever finds out that his parents were vampire hunters, what then?" Seonghwa asked in a hushed tone. "He would be broken in two, wondering about the purpose of his life and things like that. His parents lived to kill vampires... So why shouldn't he? But he was raised by one so how could he kill them?" 

 

"So you're just... never going to tell him?" 

 

"Someday... if he really has to know but right now is not the time. I need his focus on himself and you." 

 

"Is that why you never turned him?" 

 

"Hmm?" 

 

"San. All these while... you didn't turn him. Not because you didn't want to but you couldn't?" 

 

"It would kill him. Just like us taking his blood would kill him. Us giving him our blood would do the same." 

 

Wooyoung nodded. Now he understood why, even though he still didn't completely understand why he had to hide it from San but he respected Seonghwa's decision in doing so. San came down just as they finished talking with his bags in his hands. 

 

"Appa, do we really have to go?" he asked sadly and Seonghwa walked over to him, giving him a tight hug. 

 

"Yes. Bring Wooyoung far away from here. Start anew. I've taught you everything you need to do that, didn't I?" 

 

"But appa, I have so many things to ask you about... My memories... those people... everything." 

 

"I know, San. But you have to go. The longer you stay in one place with Wooyoung, the faster they'll find you. If they have a vampire with the ability to tap into Yunho's mind, it'll be a piece of cake for them to pinpoint your position which is why I need you to keep moving."

 

"But when can we stop? When will I see you again?" 

 

Seonghwa mustered a smile and tried not to show his emotions. "You're all grown up now, San ah. All I ever wanted for you was a happy life. I'm sorry things turned out this way but just know that you'll always be my son. I'll be able to find you as long as you're with Wooyoung."

 

"Why is that?" Wooyoung asked and tilted his head. 

 

"Because I turned you so you're connected to me, Jongho and Yunho too. That's how I entered your dream," Seonghwa briefly explained as he brought the two of them to the door. "Go now. Go as far as you can and don't come and find us. I'll come for you two when the time is right." 

 

"Appa... appa, I don't want to do this," San sniffled but Seonghwa knew he had to do this. He couldn't trust anyone else to take care of them but he trusted San. 

 

"Come on, San. There's nothing else we can do now," Wooyoung said and bowed to them. "Thank you for everything... Please come back safely. We will be waiting for you." 

 

"Wait, Wooyoung. Take this," Jongho finally spoke up as he handed him a plastic bag filled with the beetroot juice carton. "You'll have to learn how to hunt on your own but I'm sure you'll figure it out." 

 

"Thank you, Jongho. I won't forget you either." 

 

Wooyoung had to drag San out from the house since the other was still reluctant to part ways so suddenly. "Your appa said he will figure this out. Let's trust him, okay?" 

 

"Wooyoung..." 

 

"Come on."

 

Jongho looked at the crestfallen male who held back his tears and gave him a pat on the shoulder. 

 

"Let's do what we have to to ensure their safety."

 

"Right. Save Yunho, find out how to help Wooyoung and... be the vampire lord. Sounds simple enough," Seonghwa sighed and Jongho nodded. 

 

"I'll be with you all the way, hyung."

 

"This is what we will do then. You figure out a way to save Yunho and ill figure out how to turn Wooyoung back." 

 

"And the competition?" 

 

"I'll join it. You stay out of it. I need you to do something else." 

 

Jongho nodded and took out a medallion from his pocket. He flipped the hourglass in the middle and a portal opened before the two vampires entered it. 

 

"What do we do about Wooyoung and San?" Jongho decided to ask. "Won't they be captured right away since the Overseer is coming right for them?" 

 

"That's exactly why I sent them away," Seonghwa replied. "Even if the Overseer does catch them, he will guarantee their safety better than other vampires trying to snatch them away from us. Don't you get it?" 

 

Jongho gasped and wondered why he hadn't caught on earlier. He blamed it on his thoughts being distracted by Yunho's safety. "So... You didn't send them away because they shouldn't follow us but because you want the Overseer to protect them." 

 

"He made it quite clear that he wants Wooyoung and I doubt he would do anything to San." 

 

"Why?" 

 

"He needs someone that would make Wooyoung listen to him. He could go after Wooyoung's parents but I don't want to take that risk." 

 

"So you stuck San to him... that way, we can ensure San's safety too. You really thought this through." 

 

"It was a difficult decision to make... too many risks to take but it's our best shot." 

 

They stepped out from the portal into the dark dimension of their world where vampires lived. Instantly, they felt stares and glares as they strutted forward towards Seonghwa's old residence. Seonghwa had lived there a long time ago but the barely changing scenery bored him quickly. Despite that, newer vampires still knew about him because of the new ranking system and how high his rank was whereas the older generation knew him from his time when he was still with Hongjoong. Personally, he didn't understand why that garnered much attention but it wasn't like he had the time or energy to care about it either. 

 

"Feels a little crowded, doesn't it?" Jongho mumbled and Seonghwa nodded. 

 

"They must've all gathered for the competition too," he replied and opened the door to his abandoned home. The dust gathered was rather thick but Seonghwa wasn't here to stay or at least he didn't think he wanted to stay there. Too many memories he had with Hongjoong here.

 

"We might have to stay here for a couple of days. Competition isn't starting any time soon," Jongho said while looking around. This was his first time here and he wondered if everyone's homes looked alike. 

 

"We need to find Mingi." 

 

"Yunho's boyfriend?" Jongho asked absent-mindedly and Seonghwa nodded. 

 

"Well, ex boyfriend." 

 

"They didn't officially break up." 

 

"They didn't?" 

 

"No, Mingi ghosted him," Jongho answered and wondered why Seonghwa seemed surprised. 

 

"That's different from what he told me." 

 

"Not from what I saw. Mingi just disappeared one day. Yunho was really devastated about it." 

 

"I guess he told me that they broke up to cope with his disappearance," Seonghwa concluded as he found what he was looking for. They were two rings that had an arrow at the top of it with a little jewel embedded in the middle. 

 

"Maybe. What's that?" 

 

"Back when Hongjoong and I were still here, attending battles... I used these for a more precise shot," Seonghwa said as he slid them on, recalling the feel of them on his fingers. "Kind of like an aiming system." 

 

"So, how do we find Mingi?" 

 

"If what Yunho said about Mingi being the Overseer's creation is true, the two should be together." 

 

"You want to just walk into the lion's den right away?" Jongho asked bewilderedly and Seonghwa shook his head. 

 

"Of course not. We have to get more information, of course. So... we have to talk to the other vamps. See what they know about the current Overseer and Mingi." 

 

"Ah..." The younger male made a worried expression that Seonghwa caught. 

 

"I know, Jongho. I wouldn't ask this of you if I could avoid it either but it's to save Yunho." 

 

"But we are letting them catch Wooyoung and San. Do we still need to save him?" 

 

"Of course. Once they have Wooyoung and San, what makes you think they wouldn't kill off Yunho?" 

 

Jongho gulped and sighed. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll talk to them." 

 

"Thank you. I'll head to the library and see if I can find anything about turning vampires back to humans." Although they both had doubts that such knowledge could be found in the library, Seonghwa thought it was still a better place to start than any. "Meet you back here in two hours." 

 

He headed deeper into the dimension where their public library was. Any books they had were stored at the bottom of their nest-like hideout. There were seemingly endless rows of bookshelves arranged in a circle with a tree in the middle of the area. There were no librarians or guards since there wasn't really a reason to have them so anyone could just walk right in. Seonghwa started to go through the books to try to find something that could help him. Any books they had related to humans weren't really helpful as they had nothing to do with the issue at hand. The first hour was just spent with him going through the books for anything he could find on humans and the second, looking through the books for any other helpful information. 

 

Seonghwa was so immersed in reading that he didn't even notice the pair of shoes that entered his line of sight until he heard someone clear their throat and he looked up from the book. He was surprised, or not really, to find Hongjoong standing there. The other always knew where to find him after all. 

 

"Been awhile since I came up to you like this," Hongjoong said, reminiscing of the moments he would find Seonghwa tucked away at some corner of the library to read. 

 

"Why are you back here?" Seonghwa asked. "I thought I said I didn't need your help." 

 

"I know but my people told me that one of yours got caught." 

 

Seonghwa twitched and gripped the book tighter. "What about it? Came to gloat?" 

 

"Seonghwa... You know I wouldn't do that. I just... wanted to see if I could offer any assistance." 

 

Seonghwa sighed and lowered the book. "If you could bring Yunho back to me in one piece, that would be helpful but you don't dare to go against the Overseer, do you?" 

 

"No, I don't. But... that doesn't mean I can't help you. What if I got you close enough to Yunho instead?" 

 

"How would you do that?" 

 

"Same as before," Hongjoong said and Seonghwa lifted a brow at him. 

 

"You mean location exchange?" 

 

"Yes." 

 

"Too dangerous." 

 

"Thought you might say that."

 

Seonghwa didn't feel angry or hateful towards Hongjoong anymore. He was just tired and needed someone to lean on right now so he pulled the other down to lean on him. 

 

"You're not mad anymore?" 

 

"I'm tired, Hongjoong. It makes me feel like the past 19 years have been for nothing. I tried my hardest not to involve San in our world and... all because of some prophecy, the Overseer has his eyes set on San's only friend." 

 

"Mmm... Life isn't fair to anyone. We know that," Hongjoong mumbled. 

 

"I know... I understand why you did what you did. Both times... That's why I couldn't really ever hate you." 

 

"Except this time." 

 

"Wooyoung is San's only friend... They even made plans to rent a house in the main city and work at the same place. They were going to go for a field trip too. San has never been to one of those. He could have lived a normal life, Hongjoong. We took it from him. I took it from him. Maybe I never should have picked him up that day. Then, the hunters would have found him and taken him in."

 

"And he would grow up as a hunter and as fate put it, end up killing you," Hongjoong said while gazing down at the floor. 

 

"Maybe. But maybe his life would have been better. More normal." 

 

"You think so? I think you did your best raising him. He grew up to be a handsome kid."

 

"You only saw a glimpse of him. You have no idea how handsome he really is," Seonghwa chuckled and Hongjoong shrugged. 

 

"I have good eyesight. So I know he will have a pure heart." 

 

"What does that have to do with anything?" 

 

"Because you raised him." 

 

Seonghwa paused and sat up, looking at Hongjoong who had a soft expression. "What does that mean?" 

 

"You've always been a nice person. Even though you know people want to harm you, you let them make the first move instead of nipping it at its bud. You rather let them kill you than kill them so long as their reasons are justified. So I know this son that you raised will be just like that." 

 

"Don't think flattery will get you anywhere," Seonghwa scoffed while feeling a little embarrassed. 

 

"I'm not flattering you. Just saying what I've observed all these years."

 

Seonghwa sighed and picked up the books. "Enough talk. I have to go and meet up with Jongho." 

 

"I came here to tell you something else too." 

 

"What is it?" 

 

Hongjoong stood up and pulled out a piece of paper. Written on it were the words 'the Archive of Knowledge'. He handed it to Seonghwa who seemed confused. 

 

"I heard you want to turn Wooyoung back to a human. While there's no known case of it, I found out that there's a hidden library where you can find all the information that you could ever want in there. I don't know the specific location of it nor if it's even real but... you could look it up and see if you can find anything about it."

 

"The Archive of Knowledge... Thank you, Hongjoong. I'm sorry about all those creations that I killed... and the territories that I messed up. My anger got the better of me. Maybe I'm not the nice person you know anymore." 

 

"Don't worry about it. I hurt Wooyoung and San first. You going berserk like that just made me realise how wrong I was. Those two are just boys. They may not live such long lives as us but like you said, they haven't even lived their lives out yet so... I'll help you however I can to turn Wooyoung back into a human too." 

 

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong, trying to read his expression. He supposed he could trust the other for now with how sincere he seemed but he wasn't so sure anymore if he were to be honest. Who is a friend and who is a foe. Seonghwa just wanted a peaceful life with San and watch the other grow. He didn't want any of this. Regardless, this was how things were now. 

 

"I'll get going then." 

 

"Sure." 

 

Seonghwa lifted his hand and patted his chest, taking note that the other was wearing a familiar necklace before leaving the library. He decided not to comment on it but he knew where it was from. He had given it to Hongjoong decades ago after all. He thought the other would have lost it by now with how often he lost things but he guessed he didn't. The vampire quickly scaled upwards back to his home to find Jongho waiting there. 

 

"Hyung, how did things go on your end?" 

 

"Ah. There wasn't much at all on the topic of turning but Hongjoong gave me a little lead. Not sure if I can fully trust it but it's all I have. And you?" 

 

"They're keeping Yunho in the upper cells. Only two ways in and out with lots of watchers." 

 

"I didn't expect you to figure all that out," Seonghwa said with amusement and Jongho shrugged. 

 

"I just came across one of the guys who ambushed us. He was being cooperative but of course, he struck a deal with me." 

 

"What? What sort of deal?" 

 

"That I'll fight him one on one." 

 

Seonghwa raised his brows in surprise. He didn't think Jongho would accept such a deal but he also knew how important Yunho was to him so maybe it wasn't that surprising. "Will you be alright?" 

 

"That guy is strong but I don't think he seeks to kill me. He just wants to fight strong people. His friends were really against us fighting or him cooperating with me honestly but he was super chill about it." 

 

"When is it?" 

 

"Whenever I'm ready." 

 

Seonghwa fell silent for a moment, unsure of what he should say regarding the deal. "Alright. Anything else?" 

 

"Something might be wrong with Yunho's ex." 

 

"What about him?" 

 

"One of the vampires told me that he hasn't spoken a word since he came back from the other side," Jongho said to Seonghwa's surprise. Even though he hadn't talked much with Mingi before, from the moments that he did, he knew the other wasn't really the quiet type. "Maybe that's why Yunho wasn't able to escape. There's something wrong with his friend." 

 

"Hah... alright. Observe the watchers for now. See if you can find any opening. I'll..." Seonghwa hesitated to finish his next sentence as he had not mentioned anything to many people before regarding his own family. The only one who knew almost everything about him was Hongjoong. Not even Yunho or Jongho knew about it. Not even San. 

 

"You'll?" 

 

"I'll find out more about the Archives of Knowledge. In the meantime, keep an eye out on them when you can. If you're tired, just rest here. Don't make any rash moves on your own." 

 

"Understood, hyung." 

 

While Jongho was curious where Seonghwa was going, he knew better than to push him to get an answer. The more you push, the more distance he would put between you. So he just let the older go off on his own again while he set off to the upper levels to do as instructed.