Chapter 223 - First Night

"Load it up inside," fingers pointed at the RFS. A few hours had gone by – the sun sat a few minutes ago. Assistants from the hotel came to aid in the loading of Kniq's items and clothes. It had been a few months to which clothes were bought along with that duration. Over watching the process, Staxius, he stood with arms crossed with the hotel's manager. The price paid was 50 Gold since it had not been that long a time. He used the card in which the reward from monster slaying was stored. In total, he had two cards, one with money earnt honestly and the other, money from the underground. 

"We appreciate the business," obliged, the manager shook hands warmly. The guests came to watch as Kniq's stuff left. Somewhere sad whilst others relieved for the demi-human would no longer plague the surrounding. 

"The pleasure was all mine, thanks for having taken care of my companions for so long," the conversation ended, the RFS turned on. Slowly, the vehicle drove forth, in the rearview mirror, the neon-light faded into the distance. 

'Everything has gone to plan. Never did I think that all that monster slaying would bring in so much cash. Getting a place to call home has been accomplished. The next task is opening a guild in Arda. Queen Gallienne has me in her good graces, not to mention the guild master himself. There are still unknowns to the process of opening that establishment. We'll have to wait and see – I might need to visit my little sister since she's a part of the Order,' inconspicuous, the vehicle continued its journey through the warmly lit streets. 'How does my mother tie into that organization?' he wondered, 'Eira's tournament will begin soon. There are rumors that the two-versus-two tournament has been canceled, this means that she won't have to fight. In fairness, that's probably for the best. The inter-magical tournament isn't a walk in the park,' stone-brick came in view. 'Gergusser, the lady of ice. I wonder why one of those ancient dragons wanted to possess Eira. If the seals are being broken, it's not far off to say that other people have been in contact with them. An interesting development – dragons coming to life,' he parked just shy of the porch, '-I've got the strongest dragon to ever live in my corner, what's there to worry about,' with a quick chuckle, he stepped out.

"Master," Avon waved, he stood near the entrance.

"Kindly fetch the others," Staxius asked whilst unloading boxes.

"On it," the spirit scurried inside. Hearing that master had arrived, the others rushed down the stairs.

"How's the mansion, do you like it?" Staxius asked, the question directed to Lizzie and the Lymsey sisters – the three youngest. 

"It's amazing," Lizzie answered with her eyes wide open.

"It's very big," Emma replied, "-and spacious," Emmy added.

"Glad you like it,��� he returned a warm smile. *Dark-Arts: Sense Personality,* still unsatisfied by how the twins had changed, as opposed to asking, the decision was made to directly see what they thought. 'I knew it,' he sighed, '-they still haven't gotten over the grief, it's all but an act to make me feel better,' the head shook subtly.

"Master, you came back," Deadeyes arrived at last.

"Each of your names and personal belongings have been stated clearly on the top. Take what is yours and leave," to which, the whole crew walked and searched for what was theirs.

A few steps away with his back resting on the RFS, he watched. "I need to know how much gold was spent," Undrar asked, both stood side by side.

"Not that much considering the estate," a vague reply that implied the reluctance to answer. Viola could but give a side-glance, one of disappointment. "If there's something you want to say, then do it, I care not for playing childish games," the tone cold, he caught her anguish.

"Honestly," she sighed and placed a hand atop his shoulder, "-there's nothing the matter. It all seems too good to be true, it's why I'm reluctant. The curse of the Death Reaper looms in the air, I can't but feel anxious. All that we are building might crumble down any second,"

"Is that so," he voiced softly, "-that curse is a pain. However, being bound won't do us anything good. As far as I'm concerned, if it activates, the man you know as Staxius will disappear in a blink of an eye. "There's no helping it, but a curse is a curse, there must be a way to break its effect," a point well made. "It's more like a trait – a limiter to stop the Death Reapers from becoming more powerful. Removing it completely is a fantasy, a dream; things that I can't afford to do. Hope isn't lost, if I can somehow find a way to locate the curse and decipher its workings and conditions – there might be a slight chance to change and focus the damage onto myself."

"Limiting the damage, not a bad idea," she spoke with a smile.

"For that to happen, I need books and knowledge," he glanced over with a conniving look.

"You're not going to the Hall of Rebirth," she fired back adamantly.

"You best go fetch the books for me then," he winked.

"Fine," a pitch on his cheeks later, "-I'll have it ready by tomorrow," Undrar was happy to have been able to rejoin with her brother.

"On another note," the pile of boxes emptied, "-how did the others respond to living in a mansion?"

"The first few hours were tough; most were intimidated by the size and prestige. It was then that Achilles decided to speak out – a speech that evaded my mind in all honesty. The essence was that everyone had a roof and a place to live; most importantly, we had freedom and remained under the protection of one of the strongest men in Hidros." 

"Way to blow things out of proportion," the RFS turned on, "-I'll go park this in the garage."

Sat around a large and long table with Staxius at the head, they waited for the food to arrive. Auic, Achilles, and Undrar with the help of the girls had taken it upon their heads to make a feast. One that would be remembered for the ages. Chandeliers, decorations, portraits with heavy curtains blocking out the outside, they sat and had dinner. 

"Truly succulent," he complimented the food, "-I didn't know that we had such great cooks in our midst," to which many laughed. The atmosphere around the table was joyous, none paid heed to manners for it was an auspicious moment. Smiles and laughter, a good meal in the company of good people. 'This moment, this instant, seeing all those smiles, it makes doing all that work worth every single drop of sweat and blood. I wish Eira and Xula could join us, either way, Kniq is my family – nothing's going to change that fact.'

Time went on, from the dining hall, they moved to the opened space, the entertainment room. As per his orders, the bar was kept closed. In that manner, many indulged in different activities. Deadeyes and Avon watched television. Lizzie and the Lymsey sisters played around with musical instruments and they did things normal teenagers would. Achilles and Undrar remained at the back of the room with a glass of wine and a good book. Avon and Auic were no were to be found to which he assumed that those two were off somewhere flirting. Staxius, on the other hand, sat outside and looked at the garden whilst the cold night breeze brushed aside his hair. 

"Alright people," time now was around ten, he spoke after waking. "As you know, there are four bedrooms in which each has two beds and enough space for four people to live together. Therefore, the matter at hand is who will get what room," a serious matter.

"Why don't we keep the usual sleeping arrangement we had back at the hotel," Deadeyes voiced.

"It's not like a separate room will do us any good, being together in case of an attack is far better," Achilles nodded in agreement.

"Master, you needn't worry, as a family, we don't mind sharing beds - strength in unity," Avon winked. 

"You people are the best," the stoic face gave a smile for he had been worried that they would have been unsatisfied by the sleeping arrangements. Little did he know that Kniq didn't care about that sort of thing as long as they were under the same roof. 

"What will it be then?" Staxius asked.

"I'll decide the arrangements," Undrar came forth, "-Avon, Deadeyes can have one room. Achilles, Auic, and I. Then Lizzie and the twins can have the other rooms. Last but not least, Master will have one of the bedchambers with the balcony."

"I don't see the issue," everyone agreed.

"I guess it's fine as long as no one has a problem with the arrangements. Do but reach out if anyone wants to be my roommate," he ended with a wink.

"It could not be any better," Lizzie gave a thumbs up.

"Master, master," Emma called, "-don't be alarmed if we sneak into thy room late at night," Emmy added in jest.

"Sure," he patted their heads, "-just make sure to not wake everyone else," index finger on his mouth, a gesture that swore them to secrecy. Obviously, they all knew that he was joking. 

"Well it's best to call it a night," he patted Lizzie's back, "-you have school tomorrow," after which all headed into their bed chambers. Avon and Deadeyes had the first room, the next was for Undrar and her group. Then came the rooms at the front of the house, ones with balconies. Directly opposite Undrar was Staxius's and next to him was for Lizzie and the twins. The first night at the mansion – tomorrow would be another day off. 

��I'll need to ask Undrar to place a barrier spell around the mansion later tomorrow. Who knows when people might attack,' he stood out on the balcony and stared the night sky.

"About that curse," Adete came forth, "-I think there might be a way to control it," she proposed in a stern voice.

"Do tell," elbows resting on the bal.u.s.trade, he asked with intrigue. 

"Since I'm part of you now, exploring the subconscious and hidden powers and curses grew to be a passion of mine. You're so complex it's unbelievable," 

"Get to the point already," he yawned.

"Ungrateful," she kicked which felt as if a mosquito bite, "-long story short, I might have found the curse of the Death Reaper. Locked behind so many spells and barriers, it took months to crack down on the many facades. Now that it's open, the curse that I saw wasn't anything I had ever seen. It's not as black and white as one might think for it resembled a dormant egg. I guess that when it breaks or hatches, it's then that the whole curse thing is activated."

"Is there any way I can transport myself there?" 

"Maybe, but for now, I'm clueless," she added with a shrug.

"This is unlike you, bringing up a subject without an answer, I don't bite it," he stood and waited for the response.

"Heh," she chuckled then flew to hover with her back turned to the moon. What Staxius saw was a silhouette, "-I can promise one thing. As long as you get more powerful, I'll do what I can to stop that egg from breaking. I've got a suspicion that if it hatches, nothing bad will happen. Therefore, my master, you need to gain more power both as the heir and as a vampire." 

"I see," the voice monotonous, "-kill and be killed, the cycle of life and death. Kill to increase my power as a vampire and be killed for the death element, it all comes down to the natural order of things." 

"Surely you don't think getting killed is the only way to train the death element."

"I suppose your right, guess it's time to study and train. Killing myself would be far easier," he mumbled the last sentence. 

"There's a question I wanted to ask," Adete returned and stood on his palm, "-why is it that you seek power."

"Simple, to annihilate anyone and anything that might stand and try to hurt me or the people I care about," the murderous gaze returned, it sent shivers down Adete's back.