Burn desded the stoeps, leading uhe church to the vast basement. The expected chill ed around him like a wele from an old, frosty friend.

  Surprisingly, the pce was immacute, as if dust and decay dared not settle where the undead rested. With Vd gliding ahead like a dark parade float, Burn followed into a chamber that could only be described as 'Gothic Aesthetic meets Funeral Home.'

  The room was ahereal maze of transparent white curtains, casg from the ceiling like ghostly waterfalls. At the heart of it were floating dles, their fmes flickering with the enthusiasm of a morose disco.

  These encircled a single bck coffin. The air was thick, saturated with a fragraent enough to resurrect the dead—or at least make the living wish fas mask.

  "Apologies for the overp st," Vd expined as he noticed Burn's disfort.

  "The younger vampires possess exceptionally acute senses of smell, and this child, in particur, has a very alluring aroma. The fragrance helps to mask her st."

  As Burn edged closer to the open bck coffin, his gaze fell upon the woman lying within, her appeararikingly beautiful yet hauntingly serene.

  She was dressed in a pure white gown that trasted sharply with the dark roses scattered across her form, perhaps serving both as a somber decoration and a practical means to mask her entig st.

  Her beauty was ethereal, almost transdent, as if she were a celestial being caught in a temporal slumber. The purity of her dress mirrored the innoce etched on her features, creating an arresting image of surreal tranquility.

  Her blonde hair, paler now than Burn remembered, spilled around her like a halo of faded gold, framing her fa delicate wisps.

  Her eyes, closed gently as if she were merely sleeping, were shielded by eyeshes that seemed almost crystalline, frozen in time.

  Despite the peacefulness of her repose, there was an uling stillo her, akin to a lifeless doll abandoned in a fotten toy chest.

  “She’s only asleep, isn’t she?” Burn queried, his tone ced with skepticism.

  “In a manner of speaking, yes,” Vd responded, his voice carrying a hint of questionable assurahat is, acc to vampire standards.”

  Burn furrowed his brow. “And what does that mean in human terms?”

  Vd gave a nont shrug. “For us, it's akin to a deep slumber. But for humans, one might liken it to a vegetative state. It’s not as if she just decide to wake up and join us for tea.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” Burn ented, his attempt to navigate the versation with this age-old vampire feeling more like defusing a bomb without a manual.

  “Then, are you going to wake her up?” Vd asked.

  “How?”

  “Try to kiss her~ like sleepiy~”

  “You fug—”

  "I'm serious," Vd said abruptly. "We discovered her on a frozen mountain to the north of here. Her body was pletely frozen, and nearly all of her soul energy had been drained."

  Burn furrowed his brows. “When was this?”

  "Hmm, three years ago, was it?" Vd muttered thoughtfully. "It was sometime after that crack appeared in the sky."

  Immediately, Burn’s thought about Yvain’s words before he left. “The Edensor boy sent multiple letters here asking about her whereabouts. I heard you told him that you didn’t know.”

  “What would happen if he knew? No. What would happen if anyone knew?” Vd asked back.

  If news of her ditioo spread, it could jeopardize Yvain and his position. Moreover, even if Yvain were informed, there's little he could do about it. In fact, knowing might only harm his own wellbeing.

  "It's challenging enough for us to manage on our own," Vd suddenly remarked. "We're taining dangerous beasts here, training them through faith and sheer determination. We're not equipped to meddle in worldly affairs."

  "However, until she recovers, we will provide her with shelter," he added. “And it’s not like we have the means to help her recover faster either.”

  [“Ah, right. Didn’t you also e for her?”]

  [“But, you owe me one, old man. So now, brio her. Man Le Fay.”]

  After Vd disclosed her whereabouts to Burn, Burn agreed to assist him in resolving the situation with the sed prince.

  This arra allowed Burn to meet Man Le Fay, while Vd and the vampires mao settle the issue without getting their hands dirty.

  “You actually already po disclose her whereabouts to me earlier. So you should’ve still owed me one,” Burn said.

  “That’s alright,” Vd shrugged again. “I don’t mind giving you one.”

  From his vantage point, Vd watched as Burn approached the coffin with a mixture of reverend subtle trepidation. It was not often that onessed Burn, a figure often cloaked in stoicism, allowing his guard to drop, even if just slightly.

  As he neared, Burn’s face softened, illuminated by a cocktail of dark longing and a faint trace of anger. Here was a legendary witch, alive yet dormant, her mystique intact even in slumber.

  Each step Burn took was measured, almost reverential, as if every footfall on the cold stone floor was both a privilege and a trespass into sacred territory.

  His eyes, typically sharp and anding, now roamed over her features with a gentleness born of resped a deep-seated hatred.

  He seemed to be searg for echoes of the magic that Man Le Fay was famed for, the power that had trapped him in this soul binding curse.

  Pausing beside the coffin, Burn's gaze lingered on her serene face.

  There was a quiet iy in the way he observed her, as though itting every detail to memory—perhaps out of respect for her power, or perhaps to better uand the circumstahat led to her current vulnerability.

  In this moment, the usual hardness of Burn's demeanave way to a subtle vulnerability. His hands ched and unched at his sides, revealing a flicker of humaion that he typically kept well hidden.

  “What happeo her?” Burn growled beh his breath.

  Vd teased. “Aww~ you love her so much do you?”

  Burn raised his face, utterly disgusted.

  "No one knows what happeo her," Vd ented. "You should ask her when she wakes up, but that won’t be anytime soht? You’ve seen her dition yourself. It's possible she may never wake up."

  Burhis woman was too beaten up to wake up. Not to mention…

  “But isn’t that best for you and your curse?” Vd suddenly said sinisterly, “You’d still be cursed, but as long as you keep her alive, you won’t have to return, right?”

  Mind… reading?

  “This bastard old vampire!” Burn snapped. He knew about the curse—?

  “Like I said, someone like you would choose the most effective methht? Just keep her asleep so she wouldn’t be a headache to you,” the old vampire said.

  “You—”

  “A couple of months ago, her soul energy suddenly depleted again. She lost her breath and almost died. Her entire an was failing,” Vd stepped closer toward Burn, suddenly giving a menag aura.

  “After a couple of days peeking into your mind, I knew… it was you,” Vd coldly said.

  “You took everything away from her.”