Chapter 5

I appreciate Amihan's warnings. She was late to inform me, but I guess it's better late than never. She may be right, but that won't stop me from going for what I want. I will get the answer straight from the source. 

Thanks to my friend's intel, I found out that Yves is still alive. I traveled more than eight hours just to get here. It's been a long time since I last saw this place. Nothing's changed at all. It still has its warmth and light. I suppose all the hanging swords in the walls make a lot more sense now. 

"Aubrey," Yves greeted from the shadows. He walked past the shadowed area and into the light, revealing an old man in his eighties. He had the same warm-welcoming smile he did from the moment we first met. 

"Yves," I greeted back. 

"Well, aren't you going to hug your grandfather?" he says, extending his arms. 

I would've run in an instant, but seeing that he wasn't bothered by my appearance made me halt. He knows what I am. What if he captures me? What if he's using "grandfather" as a way to lure me into his trap? I remember that day. I was in this very house when he told me he'd be happy to be my grandfather… he became family. That was a long time ago. 

His smile dropped in the realization that I wouldn't be running into his arms. "Brandon told you, didn't he?" he sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before you figured out what we are."

"Why didn't you kill me?" I asked. I wasn't planning to beat around the bush. I want to go through this quickly. "You had the chance to; why didn't you?"

He replied, "Because you're a child. You never chose to be what you are; you're chosen. None of us chose to have their blood in our veins. How could I slay a child? Besides, I'm not a hunter. As you can see, I'm old."

"But you're a Siemens—the founders of the White Veil," I argued, "Despite being human, don't you have a duty to your bloodline? Why didn't you alert them?"

He came forward and placed his hands over my shoulders and gave me a reassuring smile. "My dear child, I would never hurt you," he says, "I knew from the moment we met that you have a good heart. You were genuinely like a granddaughter to me. I was a soldier, yes; I'm not immortal, therefore I'm not obligated to follow in my ancestors' footsteps."

"And what about your children?" I asked, "Why didn't they kill me?"

"They weren't aware of the White Veil," he explains, "They can sense dark energy, yes. But my children don't know anything about that part of our family history. I won't give them that burden. My grandson, however, is a different story."

"What do you mean?" I stuttered. 

He closed his eyes as though he was trying to repress the pain. "He is chosen to become immortal," he says, "He is likely to become a hunter and be part of the White Veil. I know you thought that staying away from him would protect us from the danger that follows you; you were wrong. Staying away from us will save you from eternal suffering. I'm telling you this as a warning, Aubrey. Stay away from the White Veil if you want to enjoy your eternity. Stay away from Brandon."

I was speechless. I guess that answers why Brandon was unaffected by the binding spell. 

He then adds, "You have compassion and I know your heart is what you follow. He will follow his duty. Your friendship will not save you."

"I have a question," I said, "If Brandon can't be spelled, why was he able to tell that I was alive? Also, why does he keep invading my dreams? I don't understand."

He smiled gesturing me to sit on the table. He went inside to prepare some coffee. I figure this will be a long conversation. I suppose that's alright. My source tells me that everyone but him is out of the country. No one will find me here. 

Yves soon returned with two coffees and slices of cake. He placed them on the table and sat across from me. "I don't have the answers to that," he says with a smile. 

"What?" I almost spat the coffee. "The whole reason why I sat down was because I thought you knew the answer! You even made coffee and cut slices!"

He chuckled, taking a bite of cake. "I wanted to spend time with an old friend. Is that so wrong?" He's still a sweet old man, I suppose. And I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend time with an old friend. I just have to be extra cautious.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," he says, "We both know you want to stay."

"Fine," I gave in, "I'll stay. Only because I missed your company and because I don't know if I'll ever see you again. Oh, wait! I guess if you don't accept Jesus in your heart I'll still have a chance to see you."

"You're still a Christian even though you found out what you are?" he asked curiously. 

I nodded, saying, "I don't care if I burn in Hell for having demon blood in my veins. I'll always have him in my heart. He's the Lord and Savior of everyone in the world—the key to your salvation and everlasting life. Why don't you accept him, Yves?"

He smiled. "I'm amused at how strong your faith is," he praised, "And just so you know, I did accept him. So I suppose I won't be seeing you around after my death." He then changed the subject, asking, "So, tell me, how is life? How have you been all these years?"

I replied, "I've been well. I know people usually find this an awful fate, but I happen to like my immortality. I'm ageless and fearless, and I get to do whatever I want. I've traveled to places I never even dreamed of visiting. I'm also quite rich so that's a bonus."

"You look incredibly well," he comments, "I'm happy for you."

"And what about you, grandfather? How have you been all these years?" I asked curiously. 

"Life has been kind and fruitful for me," he states, "I'm very happy. Blessings after blessings have come more and more since the last we've seen each other. The person I'm most proud of is Brandon. He's achieved more than I could when I was his age."

"That's wonderful news then," I grinned, "I hope you live a longer and healthier life, Yves. There's not a day that I haven't thought about the wisdom you shared with me. I think about them always."

"Then have you thought about the most important thing in life, Aubrey?" he asked. 

Yes, the most important thing in life—your partner. I have thought about it. I was a hopeless romantic back when I was a child. I always fantasized about love and getting happily married. Growing old. Having children and a family I could call my own. But that's just it—a fantasy. It was already hard to find someone when I was human; what more now that I'm immortal?

"What's the point?" I argued, "I'm cursed to be alone for all eternity."

He shook his head in disagreement. He grabbed my spoon and stuffed my mouth with a giant piece of cake. "You're spatting nonsense, Aubrey," he fought back, "No one is cursed to be alone. You'll find a partner someday along the road. With you're pure heart, I'm sure you'll find someone who'll love you."

I swallowed the cake, glaring at him. "I'm immortal," I reminded, "Anyone could love me; no one could stay alive."

He stuffed my mouth yet again with another spoonful of cake. "You're so negative! You shouldn't think like that if you want a boyfriend!"

"I never said I wanted a boyfriend!" I argued. This time it was my turn to stuff him with cake. "No offense, Yves, but I don't think you understand the situation I'm in. Life isn't the same. I'm heavily guarding my heart."

"Hope I'm not interrupting something," said a familiar voice from behind, startling us. It was none other than Brandon himself. 

"Fuck," I cussed in shock and annoyance. He wasn't supposed to be here. I turned over to Yves and asked, "Did you plan this?"

He looked just as surprised as I was. "No!" he says, "I wasn't even informed that he was coming!" 

Brandon dropped his duffle bag on the ground and joined us at the table. He turned over to his grandfather, saying, "I thought you'd be happy to see me, gramps. Why do you look so down?" He then turned over to me and said, "And as for you, I thought you never wanted to see me again. Why are you here?"

"To get answers," I replied, "I assume that's why you're here."

He smirked. Leaning closer—his face was but a centimeter away from mine—he said, "You know me so well." Our eyes were locked for what felt like forever before Yves decided to cut in and stuff both our mouths with cake. "Grandfather!" he growled with a mouth full of cake. 

And that's it. I thought everything was ending. Little did I know that this was just the beginning.