WHAT AILS YOU [VAMPIRE] [MXM] ✓

31: HUMAN

The trip to Vanhallam is faster than the trip back, as well as Kita's ride there. Possibly because they have less people, and Lyra and Alexis know the route better than Kita does. Kita has never been outside Amarath. Not until the vampire incident, at least.

Kita is so ready to get this whole thing over with. He's glad he no longer has to deal with the stress of Alexis hating him for something that wasn't his fault, but now he has Evander to worry about. He has faith in Alexis and his ability to handle himself—that guy has proven himself over and over again. He's way too good at killing, so Kita's not worried about that.

Still, what about Lyra? She's still kind of weak, and what if she has a run in with him? What if Kita does? Evander can literally throw him across a room, Kita doesn't stand a chance against him.

Then again, that isn't super impressive. A lot of people could probably lift Kita's weight without much trouble, he's not exactly a large person. Alexis definitely can—he doesn't even break a sweat.

When Alexis, Kita, and Lyra all arrive at the empire, they tie the horses and carriage at least a mile away, not wanting to risk any of the guards along the walls seeing them. The walk through the woods is full of nerves, and mostly silent, though Lyra does repeat the plan to them. It's all mostly things that they already spoke about, and soon they're nearing the blind spot entrance—which is not guarded, for some reason. She said the area is not well known, and it's also a staffing issue. Since it's not a priority, they choose to put guards where they're usually needed.

"We need to be really careful, if one guard sees you then the whole castle will be hunting you down. Kita and I will stick together, since you are the most capable." She tells Alexis.

No guards will touch Lyra, since the only reason nobody looked for her when she disappeared was because Evander convinced everyone she was dead. So, it's probably in their best interest for Kita to stick with her. She is still royalty, so what she says goes.

Kita is just worried about Alexis. Obviously, as stated before, he is capable of taking care of himself. However, when he would hunt, he'd always be with several people. It was rare that he'd hunt alone, partially because vampires—most monsters, actually—stick together. Kita doesn't know how well he'd defend himself against multiple people coming after him.

Especially since Alexis wasn't sleeping while Kita was gone. He got some rest the one night they stayed in the castle, as well as during the trip, but still. Kita worries. Alexis has never been great at taking care of himself, has never taken his own health seriously. Evander is powerful, and Kita is unsure if Alexis has a real grasp on the extent of it.

The first thing Kita notices, from the small part of it that they can see from the castle, is that Vanhallam is in a much different state than it was when they left. It looks like pure chaos—some buildings even on fire, for whatever reason. Lyra looks beyond alarmed at the sight, once Kita draws attention to it. It's understandable, since it appears as though her empire is in a state of anarchy.