Location: Druhias

A man in his late forties with light brown hair and emerald-coloured eyes was perched on his living room’s black leather sofa, sipping whiskey his butler had served him. The man was Amonidus Yahiz. Being the sole proprietor of the free continent of Druhias, he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, which occasionally weighed him down.

He was one of the famous ancient vampires and as old as Xiran’s father but his vision was the stark opposite of that man’s. Amonidus wanted stability in the world and hence the reason he had built Druhias.

A man of principles, Amonidus had known the Phantom all his life. It had come as a surprise when his son approached him about 40 years ago and asked to construct his own city in Druhias.

Amonidus was skeptical of Xiran in the beginning but he wanted to see what the boy was capable of. Xiran had astonished him with his peaceful ways and leadership skills over time. And today he regarded him highly and appreciated how he conducted his business.

But the hold Phantom had over Xiran and the way he occasionally tortured his son was no mystery to Amonidus. There were times when he had to step in for he had grown to like the boy.

The recent reports he had been gathering on Phantom had him worried, for the information was aggravating in the least. Phantom was planning to make a move, a move to capture his continent and disrupt the lives of millions of species who dwelled peacefully here. The man was planning chaos.

"Señor, the lady is here," his butler had entered and given him the news.

"Send her in," Amondius answered with a smile, butler nodded and left.

A beautiful girl entered through the door of the living room. His informant was here and Amonidus was sure she had brought news. She briskly walked toward him and he got up to receive her.

He opened his arms and she rushed into them with a broad smile on her face. They embraced each other for a long time, warmth washing over them as their hearts eased. He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead as she whispered:

"Father, I missed you."

"I missed you too, my beautiful daughter. It has been a long time since I saw you last," he smiled at her.

"The opportunity wasn’t presenting itself for me to travel, too many prying eyes. But I am here now and plan to stay for a few weeks," she replied as he let her go so they both could sit down and talk.

"I am glad to have you by my side again, should we eat first?" he inquired with his fatherly love.

"No, I want to give you all the details first. We will eat later," she responded taking her father’s hands in hers.

"Alright, tell me what have you gathered so far?"

Amonidus questioned and she began to narrate all the information she had acquired over time in Anthos. Her father quietly listened and nodded his head from time to time without interrupting her.

Once she was done Amonidus spoke up:

"As always you do your job so perfectly, I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of you and so was your late mother."

A slight sadness crept up in his voice as he was reminded of his wife and he wished she was still here with them. But the curse of being an immortal vampire was to see your loved ones die in front of you of old age when they belong to different species than you.

"I know father, I miss her too," his daughter replied in a small voice, tears shimmering in her eyes as her mother’s beautiful face flashed in her mind.

They talked about her mother for a while and then Amondius informed her of a meeting he had arranged with Xiran and the head of Avarance. He wanted her opinion on the potential treaty they might be signing with them.

"Father, I believe it’s high time to shake hands with hunters. Because Anthos is simmering like a volcano about to burst and once it does, everyone will get burnt by it. We will need all the help or we would be doomed."

Amonidus had the same view, although he didn’t trust hunters for being too blunt and poking their noses in territories where they didn’t belong. He knew it was time to sit with them and set up some much-needed rules. Both parties would benefit from each other.

"I think the same, well we have that meeting in two days, let’s see how everything unfolds," he confided in her and she nodded with pursed lips.

"Let’s eat now, you must be tired and hungry," Amondius offered his hand to his daughter while getting up. She took it and they both went to the dining hall where the table had been set up.

They ate as well as discussed their future plans with each other. Amondius was contented to have her back, in her line of work it was near to impossible for her to come home.

After eating Amonidus asked her to rest for a while but she had other plans. She went to her room and started getting ready. Opening her walk-in closet she extracted an Auburn wig from a collection of many and wore it. She then changed her eye colour to orange with the help of lenses and used makeup to completely alter her look.

Covering her head with a headband and grabbing her car keys, she was ready to head out. Before she could step out the outer door, her father’s voice had her stopping in her tracks.

"Be careful, Amoris. Say hi to that boy of yours," this had her turning to face him and he had a cheeky smile on his face.

"You knew," she asked a bit apprehensively.

"Of course, I am your father. I taught you how to spy without getting caught. I always know you sneak out to meet him," he smiled at her while she blushed and rushed out before he would embarrass her some more.