Six days had gone by since Xiran had been imprisoned. When the door of the basement opened and the White-haired butler came in.

Xiran was still lying with his face down. One of his legs was making a right angle with the other. Half of his face and hair were caked with dried-up blood. The black veins protruded all over his body and face.

He opened Xiran’s tied-up hands and hoisting him up on his shoulder, took him to his old room. He laid him down on his bed and went to get some blood for him to drink.

Bringing a one-liter bottle he lifted Xiran’s head and poured it into his mouth. Xiran’s eyes slowly opened as blood made its way into his system. He clutched the bottle tightly and gulped down the whole bottle.

Vampires had a unique system where their bodies only produce blood with the help of blood they consume. That’s why it was essential for them to consume blood, daily. Or it could weaken them and their bodies would slow down and they would eventually go into hibernation. Most of their functions were normal like humans. But they had a special gene that activated at a certain age which stopped their aging process and the wear and tear of their organs.

Although the veins will take a few days to go back to normal, his healing had already kicked in. The Butler stood near him as he sat right up in his bed.

"Master Xiran, I have taken out some fresh clothes for you. Take a bath and get dressed and after that, you are free to go." He informed Xiran with his hands clasped behind his back, his wise eyes observing Xiran with a hint of pity for he had seen this boy suffer throughout his life.

"Father has decided to let me go?" Xiran finally spoke, his throat hurt from the effort he had to put in.

"Yes, he is away on his important business. He instructed that I must inform you that he is letting you go for now but he will be keeping an eye on how things proceed in the future." Butler replied, respectfully.

Xiran smirked at those words and said: "Of course," then he faced the Butler and asked: "Can you arrange a bouquet of white lilies for me? I will be leaving after taking a bath."

"As you wish Master Xiran." He bowed slightly and left the room. Xiran fell back on the bed, he had no strength in his body. His body had weakened and it would take him a few days to replenish it back to health. But first, he needed to get out of this deplorable house, which he used to call home.

He looked around his childhood room, so many memories attached to it. The door was still chipped from where he had hit it in anger on one of his bad days. Same old blue cupboard in the left corner which used to hold his clothes and shoes. Nostalgia washed over him and he thought if only his mother was here.

He remembered how she used to tuck him in this bed, telling him tons of bedtime stories. He would always insist on one more before she could go and would end up listening to so many more. Her melodious voice still echoed in his head as he lay there imagining her.

Finally, he mustered up enough strength and went to the washroom to shower and change. His white shirt was torn from so many places and had been tainted in his blood. He peeled it off him and threw it in the dustbin. He did the same with the rest of his clothes. He didn’t carry any belongings with him, everything was left in his jet.

He then went to the washroom and looked at himself in the mirror. A scary monster that had escaped from a horror tv show, stared back at him. Dried blood and black veins against his fair skin were a horrendous combination. He couldn’t let Aselia see him like that. He had to keep her away.

Stepping under the hot water of the shower he washed away all the blood, sweat and grime. The floor was splattered Crimson as he washed his silvery locks, removing all traces of blood from them.

The reddish water trickled down his back and legs, disappearing into the drain. And he wished it could take away his anguish and pain with it too.

He then wrapped a towel around his torso and stepped out. The Butler had laid out a white hoodie and jeans for him, plus a white mask. It will help him hide away the protruding veins from the world. He got dressed and made his way downstairs.

A bouquet of white Lilies lay on the table, and a white ribbon had been attached to it. Taking the bouquet he stepped outside the house and gave it one last definitive look. A house that should have been a source of warmth and happiness for him, was forever a horror house.

He averted his gaze and made his way to the cemetery, where his mom was buried. Pushing open the silver-coloured gate with multiple bars he walked inside. Everything was peaceful and quiet here as the dead lay silently in their graves.

He walked past rows of graves and reached the one with the white tombstone. Tiny pansies and grass covered the whole grave. It had the following epitaph inscribed on it in golden engraving: "May my memories provide you with the peace you sought."

Below it was written: Surilla Inatius; A loving mother and wife.

Xiran stood in front of her grave and stared at the tombstone for a long time. He was holding the bouquet in one hand while his other hand was in his pocket. His greyish orbs were brimming with emotions and his whole frame was shaking. Bending down he placed the lilies on top of her grave and sat down beside it.

"Mom..." he said softly almost in a whisper. "How have you been? I miss you..." his voice trailed off, and it was difficult for him to reel in the abundant emotions he was feeling.

He placed his hand on the grave to feel some part, any part of his mother. Tears trickled down his eyes along the inky veins and into his face mask, which hid the anguished face and torturous emotions.

"Mom, I am still a failure. I thought I would make this world better, a place where no one would have to suffer as you did. But I guess I trailed down from the righteous path and lost my way." He then took a deep breath, held his head high, and gazed at the blue sky.

"But I met someone and she made me realize that I had to amend my ways. This world needs me and I promise I will do better moving forward. I wish you could have met her, mom. She is one of a kind and I have never met anyone remotely like her. She is smart and beautiful like a fairy. She cares without asking for anything in return but what I love most about her is the fact, that she is fearless, bold and courageous. She speaks her mind and she doesn’t fear the consequences. That’s what I love most about her, her fearlessness. This makes me love her deeply. But..." He paused again trying to form the words.

"But, she doesn’t love me. Who in their right mind would love someone broken like me? Our species doesn’t deserve to be loved. If only I had acquired your traits and not of fathers. Maybe the situation would have been different. I dont blame her though, not one bit. Never will." He sighed at his words before continuing with his soliloquy.

"You know when I told her about father, she was so furious. I am sure if she ever gets a chance, she will even stand against father. That’s how brave she is. Mom, I don’t want to lose her ever but I feel like I don’t have a choice with the way everything is progressing. But if there is something I am sure about is that I am never gonna let father discover her. I am going to keep her safe even if it will cost me my life. She can never learn the extent of his barbarism. She has already suffered at the hands of Xifin and I wanted to end his life for hurting her. But at the end of the day, he is also a victim of dad’s atrocities. He merely learned what he saw."

He glanced towards the grave as if expecting his mother to be sitting there with him, at least that’s what he assumed, that somehow she could still hear him. He always unburdened himself here, all the things he couldn’t say to anyone else, all his unspoken words, everything that tormented him, pained him, all his sufferings were unraveled here. In front of his mother’s grave.