The grand hall was as lonely as ever — Olli wandered down it to his throne, wondering what new revelation would commence today. He'd been thinking a lot about the news of Nyais' return. Nyais hadn't come to see him, so he assumed he was swept up with something to do with [Y/n]. He understood that his friend might be in danger, though he knew there was nothing he could do if he was. Nyais knew the dangers of his actions - Olli figured it'd only be disrespectful to the man to step in now, as harsh as that might sound.

He wondered what unexpected things might take place in the future. The existence of [Y/n] had surely brought many unexpected things to the table. And those boys... they truly were a force to be reckoned with. Just what had she done differently compared to all the other women? Surely she can't have done things right, because if she had she wouldn't be where she is now.

Part of him wanted to find out, though he understood that she was likely completely overwhelmed with trying to handle herself. Having another pair of eyes assessing her after everything she'd already dealt with seemed to him like a recipe for disaster.

He sat himself down on his throne, his elbow on the arm of the unnecessarily flamboyant chair and his chin in his palm. He let out a ponderous sigh, before shutting his eyes. He was one of the longest reigning monarchs to ever hold this throne, but something was gnawing at him. Perhaps he was getting too old fashioned? His leadership could definitely do with some improvement, but any changes now risked the older, stronger vampires turning against him. Whether he died in battle or had his throat slit in his sleep, one tiny slip up could remove him from the throne in an instant.

His mind continued to wander, thought it kept going back to one thing — [Y/n]. He wondered whether she hated him. He'd put on quite an act when he first met her. He'd been disgusted with himself afterwards, but it was all to make sure Nyais wasn't willing to defy the throne for [Y/n]. Olli hadn't blamed Nyais when, after the incident, he'd punched him in the face. Olli should've given Nyais some warning, but that would've defeated the objective. Usually, punching your king in the face warranted life in the dungeons, or even an execution, but Olli - despite seeming the antithesis of it - was quite a lenient king. He laughed with Nyais about it afterwards and that was that. It wouldn't be right to execute your friend and regent for punching you in the face, anyway. Especially over something as important as love.

Love... Olli had never felt it. He envied Nyais, in a way, but also felt relief. At least he wasn't running around like a headless chicken over someone who could leave him at any time.

At some point, if he could, he wanted to apologise to [Y/n] for being so strange with her on their first meeting.

The poor girl was wrapped up in something big; Olli knew she'd need some clarifications, too.

"Your Highness, is everything alright?" a voice sounded from not far away. Olli realised he'd been staring down at the floor with his eyes narrowed, so he quickly shook off his depressed posture and looked up at Jay.

"Yes, everything's quite alright," Olli said simply, before staring forwards at the large doors at the end of the hall. No one would be in this morning, but when they opened he knew he'd have to rid himself of this emotion he was feeling and go back to how he usually was.

If only it was that easy.

* * *

No one had been anywhere near [Y/n] for quite some time. Now in the living room, she was splayed across the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, unable to think straight. No food, no water, only a bag of blood. She'd definitely sleep on the sofa tonight - it was far more comfortable than her awful metal bed, and she didn't have two doors to keep an eye on — only one. It made her feel safer. Speaking of safety — she'd made sure to pocket the vegetable knife after Seishin had discarded it. She knew it wouldn't do her much good, but it at least allowed her to sleep easy.

There's only so much thinking you can do when you're trapped in a tiny apartment with hardly anything interesting around you. [Y/n] glanced over to the bookshelf. Nyais had made sure to remove all the books by Dr Rayne, if she could remember correctly. Which was annoying, because she had a sudden urge to learn a bit more about the guy who seemed to be cloaked in this shroud of mystery and sadism. It always surprised her to think that Rayne was a writer — he seemed too unstable to write anything, but there were so many books...

None of the books on the shelf were by Rayne, much to [Y/n]'s disappointment, though something stood out to her. A book had been pulled out of the bookcase slightly. She removed it, inspecting the front.

'Kutelo - The World Below. 1997.'

It appeared to be a book about vampire society. [Y/n] opened the book and a small note fluttered from it. She picked the note up.

'This might be a good read for you. You'll be stuck with us for a while, after all.'

Though the note wasn't signed, [Y/n] recognised Seishin's handwriting. She didn't tear it up this time, instead placing it down on the bookshelf and disregarding it entirely. Though she did take the book with her, deciding there would be no harm in flicking through it for a little while. At first it just talked about things she already knew, though her memory was getting fuzzy so it was useful to read it again.

'Carers. Carers are female humans selected because of their blood; their blood pressure is unusually low, which tends to make them hard to stress, and they are also a delicacy to us as vampires. They serve their purpose to the children, and are then given to either elites or the king when their time is served. Unless they are killed by the children.

Workers. Workers are vampires at the bottom of the social hierarchy. They work mundane jobs in the centre of Kutelo; tailors, merchants, cleaners, etc fall under this category. Most of them live in the slums of Aride, though some manage to live in the town of Perion if they're lucky.

Hunters. Hunters are vampires who are trained to be sent afield to find and retrieve humans for Kutelo. They usually reside in Perion, Yoril or Suryen. Suryen is mostly inhabited by soldiers, so only higher ranked hunters live there. Hunters are selected based on their skill sets: hunters are usually very observant and thoughtful. Intelligence and assessment are the most highly valued traits in this field.

Soldiers. Soldiers are the bulk of Kutelo's forces. Their job is to patrol the halls, detain suspicious individuals, guard restricted access areas and protect Kutelo from the outside, as well as the inside. The main town for soldiers is Dimirov, but Suryen and Ensley are also used. Soldiers are selected based on strength and practical technique. The strongest vampires are selected to be soldiers, where they can hopefully move up in the ranks and go on to become elites.

Elites. Elites are hunters or soldiers who have won in a battle/challenge against an existing elite. They are the strongest and bravest of the vampires, and usually have more important titles. Elites have their own two living branches — Raygen and Ulston. Those who live in Ulston are either new elites or 'weaker' elites — the ones who don't have fancy titles or big achievements. Ulston also has houses in which elites room together, whereas Raygen - the place for established and successful elites has houses of a similar size, though reserved for one individual.'

All these place names were unfamiliar to [Y/n] — Kutelo... that seemed to be the name of the place, but it didn't mean much to her. Nyais said the boys lived in elite accommodation, so she assumed they lived in 'Ulston' as they roomed together. [Y/n] supposed Nyais lived in 'Raygen', and so did Rayne. The girl continued to read.

'There are important roles within the upper classes, also. All of these roles are accessible if you are strong enough. For hunters, there are three important roles. The Assessor, The S.C (second in command) and the Commander. • The Assessor runs a small program in which the blood is taken to be assessed for toxins that may be harmful to us as vampires. As of current (1997), the Assessor is A. Juno. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or Commander. • The Second in Command steps in for the Commander when he cannot work. He also has authority over the standard hunters, though larger decisions must be made in conference with the Commander. As of right now, this role belongs to S.C Kaist. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or challenged for. • The Commander is the one in change of the hunters and the program itself. He makes all the decisions, though bigger decisions must be made in conference with the King. As of current, the Commander is C. Elrich. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or challenged for.

For soldiers, there are four important roles. Patrol General, Lieutenant, General and Marshal. • The Patrol General commands the patrols in and out of Kutelo; though they follow the orders of the Lieutenant, General and Marshal, they hold a great deal of respect in the ranks. The current Patrol General is P.G. Ren. This role is appointed by the Marshal or challenged for. • The Lieutenant commands the bulk of the army, making executive decisions when emergencies take place, though all decisions must be run by the General and Marshal. The current Lieutenant is L. Tarin. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or Marshal. • The General does the same thing as the Lieutenant, essentially, however they get to pick and choose which jobs they do and don't want to do (those they don't are usually passed over to the Lieutenant unless the Marshal says otherwise). They also have more authority and can counter the Lieutenant's decisions. The current General is G. Erda. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or challenged for. • The Marshal is in charge of the whole thing and makes decisions, though has to run them by the King. The current Marshal is M. Jay. This role is appointed by the King/Regent or challenged for.

Other important roles include: • Spy General. A retired spy who can then lead the program. The current spy general is S.G. Asrin. This role is appointed by the King/Regent. • Head of Infrastructure. The head architect who approves all written designs. Currently H.I. Ritou. This role is appointed by the King/Regent. • King Regent. This is the second most important role in Kutelo. The King Regent does a similar job to the King, though must run decisions by him also. Should the King die of unknown causes or go missing, the King Regent is the immediate next choice for King. The current King Regent is R. Nyais. This role is appointed by the King or challenged for. • The King. I expect this needs no explanation. The current King is Olli. This role can be challenged for.'

[Y/n] placed the book down on the side after allowing her eyes to linger over Nyais' name for just a second longer. He certainly didn't seem to be doing 'king-like duties' in running a facility for children. Kori had mentioned something about it perhaps being punishment. She sighed, shaking her head, before walking back through to the kitchen. She could really do with that water about now.

"How are you finding the book, [Y/n]?" a voice sounded from behind her.

"What is it with you guys and suddenly creeping up behind me...?" [Y/n] questioned, her eyes narrowing. Seishin rolled his eyes.

"Get used to it," he shrugged, before looking over at the counter where the blood pack still lay. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Seishin... I won't drink another human's blood," she whispered. "Please... just a glass of water. Please." She looked down, unable to meet his gaze, but she figured begging would be the only way she could get through to him. Seishin let out an amused laugh, taking a couple steps closer to her.

"You're quick to drop the confidence when it suits you," he hummed, placing his dexterous fingers under her chin to lift it so she'd face him.

"I just don't want to drink blood," [Y/n] said quietly, looking him in the eye, though being unable to keep herself from gulping in fear and apprehension. Seishin let out yet another chuckle. [Y/n] then brushed his fingers away from her.

"Of course you don't. It wouldn't be a punishment if you were rearing in excitement at the prospect," Seishin rolled his eyes. "I really don't see why you don't just—"

"Seishin!"

[Y/n] and Seishin snapped their heads to the doorway where Laion stood, Draka just a little behind him. Seishin raised a brow.

"Laion," Seishin responded, disregarding Draka's presence, "do you have a problem?"

"Are you an idiot?" Laion spat, striding forwards, grabbing Seishin by the collar. "Do you know how long a human can live without water?! Do you?" Seishin glowered at the boy who yelled up at him, his expression brimming with disdain and distaste. "Three days. That's all it takes for a human to die of dehydration!" Seishin looked away from him.

"It's only been a day. She's fine."

"She'll experience a blinding headache in a matter of hours. She's probably already very dizzy and fatigued," Laion muttered, looking over at [Y/n]. He then pulled a bottle of water from a small bag that sat on his shoulder. He walked away from Seishin and over to [Y/n], tenderly placing the bottle of water in her hands. She took it graciously, dipping her head in thanks, before immediately drinking as much of it as she could.

After she downed half the bottle, Laion wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. At first, [Y/n] thought it had been out of concern for her. But then she felt it. He'd put something in the water... she was growing dizzier still. Dizzy and confused.

She remembered the object in her pocket. She wriggled a little in his grasp. Laion only knew what was happening when he felt the searing pain in his side.

"[Y-Y/n]?" Laion stuttered, his eyes wide as he registered what had just happened. [Y/n] had just stabbed him. [Y/n]. [Y/n], who he loved so much, had just plunged a knife into his side.

As he fell to his knees, she slipped out of his arms - knife in hand - and fell to the floor, consciousness slipping from her.