7-The voice

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, the bright white moonlight streaming in through the windows.

The footsteps were getting quieter and quieter, to the point where those footsteps seemed like an illusion.

An illusion that could be produced by the tiredness of some, but that was not the case. It was not an illusion, for as you looked down the hallway you could see a young man with red hair walking down the hallway.

With silent steps following a red bat on the other side of the window.

From time to time, you could see how his body became transparent as if it stopped being something material to something ethereal, like a living body to a ghost. Changes were so rapid but imperceptible, so natural that you couldn't feel the difference.

Ignorant of his changes Evan continued to walk following the bat, hypnotized in a way, his curiosity tied him to the bat.

His subconscious was clearly asking him to:

'Follow it, see where it goes.'

'It's red and smooth and hairless, what mysteries will it bring?'

Seeing a world within four walls is different from seeing a world where these walls do not exist, his curiosity increases every hour, every minute, every second. Such a great feeling that he could not wait and had to feed his curiosity with knowledge.

He kept walking slowly and quietly, without noticing, he also turned right. So focused on the bat that without noticing, the bat came through a half-open window to circle around Evan.

The bat seemed preoccupied, but they were not emotions that Evan could feel, nor does it really convey them, but its swift fluttering hints that it is altered.

That alteration could be many things, fear, worry, excitement, joy, and even anger.

But as he finished circling around Evan that apparent alteration in his flying disappeared and he continued to guide Evan.

...

At a large door, the red bat hung on the doorknob, the door was dark wood like all the doors in the castle, it was also tall like the door to the hall, where the party was currently being held.

The bat looked back at Evan and then at the door.

"You want me to come in?" confused as to whether his words were correct with the bat's intent.

The bat nodded his little head and then flew over and sat on Evan's shoulder.

Evan hesitated for a few seconds as he did not remember where this door led to, being so few days at home he had only visited a few rooms and rooms, and although his memory was good it was difficult to learn many rooms in less than a week.

He pushed the door knob, where a light immediately came to his eyes leaving him dazzled for a few seconds.

He is so used to the dark that he doesn't feel much difference with daylight, or even the lights in his room, but these lights were cruel to his eyes.

Evan is not ignorant, he knows that sunlight is bad for him, at first it makes him weak making him feel tired just by getting a little sun, yesterday the sun started to irritate his skin making his skin turn red and making him scratch enough to tear his skin apart; last but not least if he looks at the sun he will lose his eyesight for 4 hours.

Although he is not afraid of the sun and does not hate it, he is aware that the sun is his biggest enemy these days and one of the cares his family has had to take into account these days.

This light was similar to the sun, and although he tried to close his eyes even so he felt the burning in his eyes and thus lost his vision until he recovered.

The light did not stop and it began to warm Evan's body, but suddenly like a cold wind that sensation was gone, but the heat still persisted in the room.

The relief he feels is that of a shadow covering him.

Evan is not tall at home he could be considered small even for his age, 1.60 meters is quite small for his family, the smallest girls are 1.65 the tallest are 1.78, so almost everyone could cover his body with his height

"Speak of the devil..." a female voice reached Evan's ears, in a familiar language but one he hasn't used these days.

Her voice was like a warm sensation to his ears, his body shivered at the voice. A voice he has heard many times under an unknown identity, which taught him about many, the voice of his dream.

"Lya..." With hesitation he uttered her name "Is that you?"

From nerves, Evan mixed both human and vampiric languages.

"Yes," her tone showed a restrained emotion, one that mirrored her face. Her lips quivering and her eyebrows too, her eyelids strained not to close, and from the edge of those a moisture pooled.

"I- I-" Evan quickly tried to look for her, without his sight he couldn't see her, he moved his hands desperately looking for her.

Even though Evan is 15 years old, right now he is a child, a child who is looking for a pillar that has always been with him, since he was first conscious.

A person he wanted to see since he opened his eyes but never appeared, he never heard her voice in his head again, in a way not hearing her was missing. Her voice was a constant piece of the puzzle of his life and when he woke up the voice was not there, it was not by his side nor did it appear later.

Lya, the vampire stretched out her hand which was trembling slightly.

When Evan took it, he squeezed her hand tightly and began to tremble more, feeling then how Lya clung to him; feeling then how Lya clung to him.

Feeling her warmth, it was not a familiar warmth but it was as he imagined it, as her voice earlier somehow conveyed this same warmth. That warmth made him feel safe, much safer than before he couldn't stop a cry from his throat and from his eyes heavy tears flowed out without stopping.

"I'm not alone, I have family" In the middle of crying Evan continued speaking "They don't treat me bad, they don't look down on me, they don't call me bad names. I have a nice room and I can eat decent food, they don't steal my food."

"Calm down, calm down I am here," Lya said in a loving voice, focusing on Evan totally forgetting who was watching this situation.

***

Crackle

Chaos, Enola, Selene, each and every one of the War Arsenal squeezed the armrest, they felt annoyed by the contact of the Duchess with their young Master, but what really made them react was the terrible sensation of seeing how he unburdened himself in her arms.

The sorceresses turned off the lights that resembled sunlight and changed them to a common one.

Alexandra observed the situation, she looked calm and serious, when she received the Orb of Remembrance again, where she personally reviewed the memories.

When she finished looking at the memories she looked again at the sorceress who gave her the Orb, from the sorceress she received a nod, confirming that there is no manipulation of memories or at least that they are not able to discern if they have been manipulated or not.

"Stay here I'm talking to your mother" Lya looked back to her servants and with a look, each and everyone understood they approached Evan and stood by his side, Enola who was sitting down got up immediately and stood on the opposite side of where the vampire's servants were.