•••
For a moment, Arlette retained her tight hold on Caius’ body even after the bloodsucking was over. And then she let him go and settled back in her chair with a confident smile. As Caius studied her smile, he noticed something more behind it; Content.
Returning the smile, Caius allowed himself to be waved out of the office and walked through the long corridors of Lochxen until he stepped out of the insanely huge castle-like building. He was a few feet away from the grand and imposing gates of the Academy when he saw them.
He recognized them thanks to his inherited memories. Four men stood at attention with swords strapped to their sides and dressed in military-looking outfits that Caius knew were the more casual guard outfits of his family’s Estate—worn by the more powerful of the bunch.
Not allowed to step into Lochxen grounds without express permission, they all stood beside a Mana-powered carriage, looking relieved that their young lord was late but well and uninjured.
As Caius stepped past the Gates, the four bowed to him and the one who spoke, the leader of the group of four whom he knew to be named Gareth, said while gesturing at the Mana-Powered Carriage.
"Young Lord."
The Carriage didn’t look much like a carriage. It looked like a car. Like a limousine from the ’real’ world, Kevin used to live in.
This world of magic had become so advanced that people no longer required beasts to draw their carriages and so the Mana-powered carriages were invented. Removing the hazard of beast droppings. Also, because the carriages were fueled with Mana, which is used up entirely, there is no harmful byproduct released into the atmosphere.
The designs for the Carriages had been fine-tuned over the centuries since the first invention to the point where there were designs that put even the most high-end car in Kevin’s old world to shame.
They pulled the door open and Caius slid into the luxurious backseat. Gareth and one other guard followed and sat in the seat opposite his own while the other two sat up front so one of them could drive the carriage.
With a silent purr, Mana coursed through the Carriage and it started up. Pulling quickly away from Lochxen vicinity, onto the road proper and speeding its way towards home.
Five minutes after they started moving, Caius heard a familiar voice right by his side.
"Hello," it said and Caius looked at the speaker to see Samantha with her legs crossed and an almost mischievous smile on her face.
She looked as beautiful as the last time Caius had seen her earlier that day. She was dressed the same too and the ethereal aura around her made it seem as though her body was not actually touching the Carriage’s seat even though she was very clearly sitting on it.
Caius’ eyes started to get wide until he remembered he was not alone. There were two guards seated opposite him who would not take kindly to the sudden appearance of a stranger. A beautiful, goddess-like stranger.
"Relax, Kevin," Samantha said, "They can’t see me."
’They can’t?’ Caius asked in his head.
"Not unless I allow it," Samantha answered his thoughts.
Huh,’ Caius thought.
It made sense that she could do that. But it added an extra layer to his ability to see and hear her. He wondered if he was technically breaking the fourth wall right now. After all, that’s normally the only way a character in a story can interact with the Author or the reader or the world beyond the story at all.
Samantha smiled lightly having heard everything that just went through his mind.
"Technically, yes. You ARE breaking the ’Fourth Wall’. But you’re thinking too much of it.
I told you before, it’s all a matter of Perception and as far as your perception is concerned, this is not a story. This world is real. You are real. Everyone here is real. You live and die by the rules of this world.
Your decisions matter, Kevin."
There was a pause and then Caius smiled lightly.
’That’s twice you’ve called me Kevin now.’
"You don’t like it?"
’It’s fine.’
It was more than fine. His life as Kevin was over now and the identity could easily be lost in his new life as Caius Von Helsing but to have one person still call him by that name made him happier than he expected.
’So you’re back,’ he said, pushing any potential mushy thoughts aside.
"I was never gone," Samantha said, "I’ve been with you every step of the way. I was there when you kissed Kaya. Good job with that, by the way. I always thought she was dealt the short end of the stick as far as romances were concerned in my original story."
’So you were spying on me?’ Caius asked.
"Spying?" Samantha repeated with her wonderful green eyes slightly widened before she let out a chuckle,
"Certainly not. I can’t help but be present wherever you are. Besides, I made sure not to make my presence known just so you could go about your day without any distractions.
And whatever time I’m not spending chatting with you, I’m spending monitoring the Editors. To see if they’ve noticed our rouse."
’The Editors,’ Caius thought with as much urgency as Samantha used when she first mentioned them earlier that day,
’The ones with the power to erase this world and my life on a whim.’
"The very same," Samantha answered with a grave nod before she brightened up a bit to say,
"But they’ve noticed nothing so far despite the changes you’ve made. We could be getting overlooked."
’Overlooked is good, right?’ Caius asked.
"Very good," Samantha affirmed.
The Carriage pulled up at the Von Helsing Estate just half an hour after they left Lochxen. An insane distance of thousands of miles was covered at a speed that blurred the environs during the journey.
When the Carriage stopped, Caius stepped out, noting in his peripheral vision that Samantha didn’t follow him out. She had vanished again to return to her invisibly spying self as Caius took in the building he had seen many times in his memories but was technically only seeing for the first time with his own eyes since he took over this body.
The entire Estate spanned over millions of Acres, some parts layered with cobblestones and others, the majority, covered with greenery that gave it an elegant air. The entire place smelled good. Fresh. Peaceful.
The main building was a massive mansion built and fortified with thick stone walls that gave it a look of grace and stability. It was just a few battlements and towers away from being a castle and it’d probably hold its own against any army on a good day.
But somehow, despite the grandness of it, the sheer intimidating size and the tens and tens of empty rooms within, the Von Helsing Mansion felt like it was built to be a home. This probably had a lot to do with the memories Caius had of it being a home even if that was not much of the case anymore.
Neither Gareth nor the rest of the Guards followed Caius into the Mansion which he appreciated. Their job—getting him to the safety of the Estate—was done. And he could find his way to his room without them.
He had just walked through the grand archway and was about to start his walk through the mansion’s corridors when he met one of the Estate’s many butlers.
At least, at first it looked like the average butler but upon further observation, the uniform worn and the pin of importance bearing the Family’s crest pressed into the chest of the sixty-year-old looking butler identified him as a bit higher in status.
"Orland," Caius called the head butler of the Von Helsing Estate. The man who spent the most time with his father. More than even him, his son, in the past five years.
"Master Caius," Orland said with a bow, "Lord Lucian would like you to join him for dinner."
Anyone else would have called Lucian Von Helsing ’Count or Lord Von Helsing.’ It was a testament to years of service and closeness that Orland could call him by his first name.
Caius pulled his mind out of that tangent to take note of something surprising,
"He’d what?" He asked not sure he had heard right.
Orland smiled a little. It was a kind smile but a little sad too.
"He’s waiting in the Dining Hall," he said gently and he sounded a bit proud but cautious,
"He can’t wait to hear about your day."