Ten days after the Nexus turned over…
The meeting of the Vampire Guild began in the upper hall of the Moon Palace, west of the Nexus. The presence of (Norv), head of the highest Gothic race, rose among them. Like the rest of the vampires, he was tall, thin in build, extremely pale, with dark-lined eyes, handsome despite his old age and his excessive gray hair.
(Norv): "Our Lady has ordered us, the immortals and the rest of the lower races, to find a solution to the problem of the unknown beyond the walls of the Nexus. The ghouls and monsters who inhabited this Nexus on the day of its misery were erased for their lack of use, and a shared fate does not seem unlikely if we fail. Today, the Nexus has become a city that dazzles minds and thoughts, a message that survival belongs to the smartest, not the strongest. And in the race of knowledge and analysis, it is known that vampires are the people of books and knowledge. The one closest to solving the mystery is surely one of our sons."
The true leader of all vampires was the brilliant and charming young man, (Novl), who surpassed everyone in intelligence and sharpness. He was the perfect example of a superior vampire, and for that reason, he entered the discussion.
(Novl): "Solving the mystery is simple. What occupies my mind is what comes after it."
(Norv): "Pride of our race, how could it be simple when we are in complete blindness?"
(Novl), closing his eyes: "To solve the mystery, we need to study a breach in the walls. Once we find it, we begin applying and testing. The greater problem is that our bodies cannot leave the Nexus because they were born from it. What lies beyond it, as our honored Lady seems to suggest, has no connection to this world. The fact that several people crossed it before means they were not originally from it. It seems contradictory, and there is no harm in thinking so. I believe everything is possible, and if the possible does not happen, we will create it in one way or another."
(Norv): "Will we remain in endless analysis, or do you have the first step?"
(Novl) smiled, then rose and walked in his black robe embroidered with cherry-colored stalks. His fragrant incense spread through the meeting chamber, and he looked out through the hall window. His red lenses let his gaze pass as far as it wished through the streets, until it settled on the main palace of the Nexus, the Palace of the Galaxy, the largest and most astonishing of them all.
(Novl): "There is the first step. There, and only there. So… I will visit the Lady."
In the east of the Nexus, where the bright neighborhoods of the elves glowed with vivid lights that lit the night and made the stars envy the gold of that place, the eastern side belonging to the elves was full of beauty and life despite the raw darkness of the Nexus.
A young elf walked there, the most social and well-liked among them. He was brilliantly intelligent, strikingly handsome, the third-ranking member in the Guild of the Nexus Elves, Captain (Julian).
He stopped at a fruit shop and began gathering blueberries.
(The Seller): "The Captain himself? Take whatever you want. No charge."
(Julian), smiling at him: "We have not stayed long yet, but the length of our stay is unknown. So stop being generous and earn your day's bread."
He gave him a bag of money worth twice the price.
(The Seller), whispering: "I wish you would say that to yourself."
(Julian) walked amid the dances of women who were full of life and joy, moving with the rhythm of the songs welcoming him. All the elves had agreed on loving and respecting him, because he was their clearest hope of survival. Even his leaders respected him deeply.
As he approached his building, he thought of his small, modest apartment overlooking a clean and lively street.
Then he heard a strange sound, like the cry of a bat, and smelled a scent of berries. At once, he understood what had happened. He ran into one of the nearby alleys and saw three elf boys torturing a little vampire girl. Without hesitation, he struck them and drove them away. Then he held the little girl and dusted her off, wonder rising in his annoyed eyes. He had wanted to relax in his room, but what had come upon him was no small matter.
(Julian), lowering himself to her height in a gentle voice: "What is your name?"
The little girl cried loudly, and (Julian) grew confused. He thought of running away, but his conscience would not allow it. Who knew what might happen to her if other elves found her?
(Julian), lowering himself to her height again: "I will take you back to your mother. Do you know where your home is?"
The little girl slapped him and screamed through her crying. At that, he placed a towel in her mouth.
(Julian): "The elves will eat you if you scream again. I am trying to help you, do you not understand?"
The little girl nodded.
(Nilav), in a quiet voice: "Nilav."
(Julian) calmed, smiled, and said:
(Julian): "Good girl, Nilav. Do you know your mother's house if I leave you at the border wall?"
Little (Nilav) nodded, and (Julian) carried her, covering her with his white cloak.
The two walked through the depth of night.
(The Lady): "What are you doing, carrying that little one?"
(Julian) was surprised by her question, as he had thought she watched everything.
(Julian), whispering so the others would not hear him: "The real question is what this little one is doing here. I found her in a nearby alley, and I am taking her back."
(The Lady): "Do you not know the punishment for affection between the two races?"
(Julian), smiling: "I know that. But it is a side matter. Her death here at the hands of a reckless elf could bring a war that obstructs the higher goal, finding a breach that allows us to hunt the others."
The Lady sighed, and her voice faded.
(Nilav), taking her head out: "Whose voice was that?"
(Julian) was surprised by her. He tucked her back under his covering, but she pushed her head out again with firmness and looked at him in annoyance.
(Nilav): "Whose voice was that?"
(Julian), in a poor feminine voice: "My voice."
(Nilav) laughed.
The two exchanged quiet whispers for half an hour, until they reached the separating wall. It was a simple wall, but heavily guarded, dividing the east from the west. (Julian) approached and knocked on the room of an elf guard, who received him warmly with embraces and praise. The young captain explained the matter, and the guard was shocked. He tried to stop him.
(The Guard): "Evil runs in the veins of bats. They will interpret what you did in the worst possible way."
(Julian), looking at him: "I do not feel that I care. But… it would be better if you handed her over yourself, saying you found her on our side of the wall and returned her."
(The Guard): "A better plan than any solution we have left. The problem is that this little girl will ruin it."
(Nilav) was like the rest of the vampires, extremely pale, dark-lined around the eyes, with red lenses. She looked at the worried (Julian) with deep innocence.
(Nilav): "I will say what you want, but… I love you both, what you said."
The guard was stunned.
(The Guard): "Whoa… easy there, little girl."
(Julian) smiled at her and stroked her hair.
The three agreed that she had crossed the wall secretly because she wanted to visit her uncle, who worked at one of the checkpoints. She had entered, lost her way, and somehow crossed to the other side, then kept hiding from the elves until the guard saw her and returned her.
(Julian) returned to his home singing.
(The Lady): "Do you think you live in a rosy world? Do you think I made all this so I could look away? Do you not understand how much I care about my order?"
(Julian): "I understand the nature of our world, and most of what you want. But this is my nature, and I will live by it until I perish."
(The Lady), in a wavering voice: "Do not thi… for I do not…"
(Julian) was puzzled, and the Lady's voice cut off.
He stood still for a few minutes, then continued walking and singing.