Roman sat on the bed, looking around at the things that were in the room. His eyes fell on the sweater lying on the back of the chair, which Julie often liked to wear. It was lilac in colour. Hours had passed, and there was no news of Julie or her friend Melanie.

  When both Roman and Simon had gone to visit the counselor's office, Mr. Evans was not there. His room was locked, and when they checked with Dante, she told them that she hadn't heard anything about him going anywhere.

  Roman's mind was racing, and he wanted to know where she was, to make sure that she wasn't in any trouble. There was no way that Julie had stepped out of Veteris, and also the way her scent disappeared from below the bridge, it made him suspicious. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.

  "I heard you have been looking for me," said Mr. Evans with a look of question in his eyes.

  Roman stood up from the bed, asking, "Winters is missing."

  "Did you check everywhere?" asked Mr. Evans.

  "Do you think I would be looking for you and telling you this if I didn't?" Roman questioned him back, and the counselor gave a slight nod.

  "True," replied Mr. Evans, and he then shook his head, "I have no idea where she is. She was supposed to be in the class. Did you try contacting the Corvin? It might know something. Let me see if I can contact it," said the counselor before slipping his hand into his coat and pulling out a bone.

  "Is it the Corvin's bone?" questioned Roman, his eyes curiously looking at the off white bone, which looked slightly dirty.

  Mr. Evans ran his thumb across the bone and said, "Yes. It is the Corvin's bone, but not the bone from the body it has now. It is from the body that it once used to possess when it was still a breathing person. Lady Opaline gave this to me, so that I could contact it."

  Saying this, the counselor muttered some spell-like words, and though seconds passed by, the Corvin didn't appear in front of them or anywhere near the room.

  Mr. Evans frowned and then looked at Roman, whose gaze burned into his. The man said, "I am not sure why it isn't working. It should have worked, it has in the past. Maybe like a bluetooth connection, it is unable to pick up the calling."

  Roman raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

  Where could she be? He had a slight suspicion, but he hoped she hadn't. Of her slipping into the future or to the time of the past.

  "Did Opaline ever give you any magic so that you could locate where Julie might be?" questioned Roman. Hours had been passing by like water being poured, and the thought of not being able to find her, it was driving him into nothing but pure frustration.

  "Unfortunately only witches can use full spells. I am a vampire, and it stops me from doing anything close to it," answered Mr. Evans.

  "Her last scent stopped right below the bridge that leads to Willow Creek. Is there any opening or portal there? Because Julie has not perfected or hasn't tapped into the magic wholly to be able to open a portal," stated Roman.

  "Yes, it isn't easy to open the portal that easily. It takes a couple of tries before one can do it. If I am not wrong, it took quite some time for Lady Opaline herself to be able to do it," replied Mr. Evans, a small frown coming to form on his forehead. "But then Julie has opened the portal before. More than once if I am not wrong, and it might have opened out of coincidence again."

  But Roman didn't believe in coincidence.

  He believed that things happened for a reason because it had to follow a certain direction.

  Out of thin air, the Corvin suddenly appeared, and Mr. Evans clapped his hands, "Good that you are here. Was there some sort of issue with the supernatural antenna that you didn't get my calling?"

  'I was busy,' replied the Corvin, 'What is it?'

  "Have you seen Winters? Did she speak to you or reach out to you?" asked Roman while staring at the creature.

  The Corvin shook its head, 'No. Why?'

  "Julianne is missing from Veteris, Corvin. We are trying to find her, and we're hoping that you could help us find her," said Mr. Evans with a bright smile on his face, which was quick to fall from his lips.

  "You both share a bond, don't you?" questioned Roman, his eyes red, while it held a glare in them. "Can you find out where she is?"

  The creature stared at Roman as if somewhere it was unwilling and noticing the impatience, it finally said, 'Okay.' And the slight hesitancy was enough for the vampire to pick up that something was amiss.

  "Where is she?" Roman asked it directly. "You know where she is, don't you?"

  'No,' replied the creature. 'I will find her." And saying this, it brought its hand up, and its fingertips started to grow.

  Mr. Evans came to where Roman stood and asked, "You know, you shouldn't provoke a Crovin. Considering they belong to the dead, you never know when they might attack you."

  "The creature is obviously sketchy, and I don't believe it even for a moment," said Roman and Mr. Evans softly chuckled. "These creatures continue to live on by feeding and connecting with one of the witches, and they increase their longevity by feeding on the dead, especially from their owners."

  "But then Julie hasn't reached the point where she has access to all her abilities," said Mr. Evans, "To a Corvin, a young witch isn't much of use, unless Julie holds a high potential."

  A light glowed in the palm of the Corvin's hand, and it then said, 'She's not here.'

  "Do you know where she is?" questioned Roman, and if the Corvin had a heart, he was sure that he would find its heart skip because of the way it was behaving.

  'No,' came the dull response from the creature. 'I don't sense her anywhere here.'

  "Maybe you are right," said Mr. Evans, turning to Roman, "She could have gone to some timeline."

  "How good is your memory, Evans?" questioned Roman and Mr. Evans tilted his head.

  "Pretty good if you ask me. Why do you ask?"

  "Do you remember meeting Julie before she joined Veteris. Anytime before the time you came here, where she might have appeared in your timeline and you crossed paths," stated Roman and the counselor's lips turned into a thin line.

  Mr. Evans gave it a deep thought and then said, "I don't remember any drastic memory which might have been captured. Since the time I came to stand next to Lady Opaline, and until she sent me here, I haven't seen Julie."

  "And since when did you know Lady Opaline?"

  "It was after Mr. Knox was killed," replied Mr. Evans, and Roman nodded. This only confirmed that Julie had probably ended up far behind the time of Mr. Evans, and it made him question why and what she was doing there when she was supposed to be here. "Corvin, how good are you at trying to get into the portal of time?"

  'No good,' on hearing the creature's response, Mr. Evans sighed.

  "You feel like a useless bird sometimes. Go do what you were doing and make sure you keep your antenna working, so that we can tell you if we find something," Mr. Evans dismissed the creature from the room, and the Corvin disappeared in the next blink of an eye. "What now?"

  "We wait," remarked Roman, as there was nothing more they could do. Unless…. "I will go see where my father is."

  "Father?" Mr. Evans looked slightly perplexed at the mention of Roman's family.

  "Never mind," muttered Roman, and he made his way out of Julie's dorm.

  Outside the Dormitorium, Simon stood with his back hunched as he leaned against one railings. "Found anything?" asked Simon.

  "They slipped into time," responded Roman as he made his way away from the Dormitorium.

  "Time?" Simon looked more than intrigued.

  "Yeah."

  When Roman met Donovan, he walked straight into the mansion, and Luciano, who met him at the front of the hall, said, "Don't you have classes to attend to? Keep your grades clean with the highest ones possible, Moltenore?"

  "Classes are for the ones who are slow. I don't need one," replied Roman, walking past the Elder vampire, but Luciano didn't let him off for his remark that easily.

  In one single glance towards Roman stopped walking, and he couldn't move anymore, as if something kept him from moving further.

  "You seem to have trouble following rules don't you? Do you think Donovan will always be there to help you out of situations such that you will never get into trouble with us or me?" questioned Elder Luciano, who quietly made his way to where Roman's body had frozen.

  "I am in a hurry and need to go," Roman gritted his teeth, sending a small glare at the Elder vampire.

  "What's the hurry? We are vampires who have all the time for ourselves," smiled Luciano, and he came to stand in front of Roman, placing his hand on his shoulder. Suddenly a jolt of pain struck through his shoulders, and the younger vampire winced in pain while trying not to react to the Elder vampire's hold.

  Even though Luciano was seen to be one of the annoying Elder vampires apart from Donovan, the man was an Elder vampire because of the powers that he had received from one of the witches.

  "Donovan isn't here and the others seem to be busy today. Castiel is spending his time with his past flame, and Remy seems to be working in the infirmary," informed Elder Luciano, letting go of Roman's shoulder while noticing the pain the boy felt.

  Elder Luciano Sterling had the ability to stop people by stepping onto their shadows and freezing their movements until he decided to free a person.

  "What is it that you would like to talk about?" questioned Roman, his eyes turning red, and Luciano seemed pleased that he was able to get a reaction from the boy.

  "I was wondering what trickery you have up your sleeve. Your heart I mean. You obviously seem like your ripper side is trying to take over your mind and body, yet you come to walk past here as if everything is fine," murmured Luciano with a remote look of curiosity in his eyes.

  "That is because of my father's blood running in my veins," replied Roman, and Luciano, who had already heard about Roman being fathered by a human, his eyes narrowed.

  "Have you heard anything about Donovan mentioning this person whom he let off from Willow Creek. Enoch," said Luciano, with a small smile on his lips while arrogance heavily filled in the way he looked at Roman.

  "We haven't found the time to discuss it, Elder Luciano," remarked Roman, and Luciano tried to gauge the boy's words and his reaction. "I think you are wasting your time on me. And Donovan wouldn't be pleased if he were to find out that you are trying to get answers from me."

  "So are you telling me that there is something that I need to know?" questioned Luciano, his eyes narrowing.

  "Yes," replied Roman, and in a moment, his entire body covered itself in flames that had Luciano step away from him, letting go of his shadow. "Don't try to waste my time. I have other things to do," stated Roman, turning around and walking away from there.

  When Roman left the manor, someone behind Luciano questioned, "What was that about?"

  Luciano looked mildly startled, and he turned his head to the side before asking, "When did you come here?"

  "Right before you decided to step on the boy," replied Remy, his voice coming out to be bored and his face expressionless. "I thought we already went through it that Donovan has nothing to do with Enoch or the incident that took place in Willow Creek."

  "You might believe that lying chameleon, but I don't, Remy," commented Luciano, turning to look at the Elder vampire, who stared back at him. "If you really think that, where did the black stone of darkness disappear to?"

  "Maybe it never existed and is just a myth," came the dull response from Remy before he added, "Azazel won't be pleased if he finds out that you even plucked a hair from the boy's head. Lest to know that you tried to break his bone. You might not care what happens to Griffin, but Donovan is very possessive about certain things."

  Luciano rolled his eyes, "I barely even touched his precious boy. I was merely curious if he was told about it."

  Remy didn't beat around the bush and came right to the point to say, "You think the stone exists inside him."

  Luciano tilted his head, and one side of his blonde hair shifted to the side, "For you to tell me this. You have already thought about it."

  "I think it's the most probable answer one can come to conclude. That the stone of darkness exists in the boy. But that night, Donovan was with Castiel and me the entire time, until he came to stumble upon the hunters in the other building. We all saw it. He only offered his blood, and didn't bite him. The boy just happens to be special."

  "Unless…the stone of darkness actually exists in him," stated Luciano and both the men stared at each other. "Donovan's selfish self was eager to save the boy. Do you think there's any other reason? It has something to do with the stone"

  Remy pursed his lips, not knowing if he should say something, but he decided it was too much of a hassle to explain it, and he dismissed the thought from his mind.

  It wasn't that he hadn't thought the same as Luciano. Because Roman's heart was corrupted long before he had been pushed into a ripper. The signs had always been there, and it was just that Remy had stood at the side, watching the events unfold. The stone of darkness, it was something that many vampires had tried to hunt and look for in search of power and raising themselves higher than the other existing vampires. To be the ultimate controller.

  "Why don't you ask Azazel himself?" asked Remy, his question simple. "You will find your answers sooner."

  Luciano's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Do you think he would tell me the truth? Do you think he would?"

  "No," came the quick response, and Luciano turned slightly exasperated by Remy's response and lack of enthusiasm in getting to the bottom of this.

  "I will find it out myself, and show you that Donovan has something to do with it. Lies drip from his tongue like honey, and I will make sure everyone finds the truth," huffed Luciano before he turned around and walked away from there with the back of his cloak flying right above the ground.

  Remy stared for two seconds before he shook his head, "They should have left me sleep a little longer than get involved here unnecessarily," he murmured under his breath before heading to his room.

  Hours passed while Roman waited for Julie to return or something to occur in the town of Willow Creek like last time, where he could get back to her. But even after hours passed, there was not a sound or word from her. He could only hope that everything was alright on her side, putting his faith in her that she could take care of her.

  On the other side of Veteris, Conner had come looking for Julie and Melanie, but neither of the girls were in their dorms. And on asking a classmate, he found out that they had skipped all the classes today.

  "They skipped the whole day?" came the surprised voice from Conner.

  The girl who stood in front of him studied in the same class as his friends, and she nodded, "Yeah, I haven't seen them the entire day in the class. Maybe they are in the library studying and preparing for the project. Anyways, I gotta go."

  "Thanks for telling me," replied Conner, a slight frown on his forehead. He had checked the library, lunchroom and the other places where the girls often hung out, but they were nowhere. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered him before, but after knowing creatures like vampires existed, he couldn't help but worry.

  He decided to camp near the girl's Dormitorium.

  Thirty minutes passed to one hour, and then it moved to an hour and then two hours. When it was near the deadline hour where all the students were supposed to get back to their rooms, Conner felt something was not right.

  Did Melanie or Julie or both of them get into trouble? Conner asked himself. Should he perhaps check with the management and let them know?

  But then his father had told him, 'Do not trust anyone but the direct hunters. Do not trust any human to be human, as they might be disguised as a human only to be a vampire.'

  Maybe he could ask Simon, thought Conner to himself before making his way to the boy's Dormitorium. And even though Conner had camped himself for a while in front of the girl's Dormitorium, there was someone who had entered one of the girl's rooms. It was the Corvin who had come to Julie's room.

  It picked up the photo frame that stood at Julie's study table—staring at the person in it for a long time.

  'Forgive me. This had to be done.'

  Far back in time, where Julie and Melanie had stepped into, the sky turned bright with the rise of the sun. Julie was woken up by hearing the birds chirping, and the busy feet or the people and their early distant greetings exchanged far away from the hut.

  She woke up with a neck ache, not used to sleeping on hay. Sitting upright, she stretched her neck while stretching her feet. She didn't know how long she planned to stay here, and she didn't know if she would be able to spend time with her family again, but for now, she wanted to make the most of it.

  She saw her mother, who stepped out of the house, and unable to resist, she quickly took a look at Melanie, who had only woken up. "Where are you going?" asked Melanie with a yawn.

  "I will be back soon," replied Julie, and she tried to follow her mother, wondering where she was going.

  But before she could take the path, she crashed right into someone, and she was quick to apologize, "My apologies."

  It was Cillian, the person who brought them here, "Running away without your friend?" he asked her.

  Huh? "No. I was going to… the market," said Julie, noticing him looking at her with slight suspicion.

  "It's that way," he pointed in the direction her mother had walked.

  Julie nodded, ready to leave, but before she could leave, she said, "Thank you for saving us, Mr. Cillian."

  "It's Blackburn…… Cillian Blackburn."