Chapter Text
At the sound of his name, Vernon turns towards the boy amongst the quiet waves. Chan, resting on a flat boulder in the entrance of a deep and long cavern, stares towards a particularly pretty night sky. Waves wash through the cavern’s wide opening, the sound flowing through like an echo. Spanning along the entirety of the cavern’s left side wall there’s a small but sturdy rock shelf, it rests slightly above the natural ocean line and curves gently into the dip. Five metres away from Vernon’s spot lies Chan’s, a wide and flat boulder sits amidst the gentle waves. Vernon’s slippery rock shelf and the waves are the only thing between them.
Sighing, Vernon slides to the cold ground sitting cross-legged on the rock shelf, a bend in the cavern wall shielding him from the slow waves. Like muscle memory Vernon feels around the base of the cavern, only to find the cold ground at his fingertips. To his left is a long forgotten, man-made slope descending into the cavern.
Chan laughs as he sits up, flicking his teal iridescent tail into the water, “I can hear your brain turning from a mile away, what’s up?”
Giving up the search, Vernon places his hands in his lap squeezing them together. “Why is this so nerve-wracking...”
“What is it?” Chan slips into the water, disappearing for a few moments before resurfacing with a handful of small rocks. Vernon hides a small smile while Chan stretches towards him; leaning down with cupped hands and outstretched arms Vernon accepts his gift.
“I was going to tell you after I sorted it, but I can’t keep a secret.” Leaning back against the cavern wall, Vernon stares past Chan and to the sea behind him, watching the waves pour into the cavern.
“Vernon, you’re killing me, what are you trying to say?” Chan exasperates as he heads back towards his rock.
“I’m closer to completing the potion than you think…” Swiftly, Chan turns back to Vernon.
“Are you serious?!”
“Yeah...” Chan’s muscles relax as he submerges into the sea for a full 5 seconds before breaching the surface, gripping the edge of his rock to look up at Vernon with a grin.
“I can’t believe this, is it really time?” Chan beams, glancing up at Vernon’s honey eyes.
“It’s close... See Halloween is coming up and I felt like that’d be the perfect time to get you out and about under the radar but...” pausing, Vernon wipes something barely visible from his black shirt. “But it’s not going to be that easy unless I can fix a mistake I’ve made.” Chan’s smile slips, his soaked hair sticking to the sides of his forehead.
“What happened?” Chan sits up onto his rock, crossing his arms on his bare chest, the few scales on his collarbone glimmer in the moonlight.
“Seokmin caught me in Minghao’s shop, well kind of… the point is that he knows I’m still in Astera. I don’t know if I can shake him with only two weeks until the 31st.” Vernon grunts as his first rock falls sharply into the water.
“Shit, surely you can? You’ve done it before.”
“But in two weeks? My shortest ditch took about a month last time. And another huge problem is I still need Minghao, he’s once again my only chance at getting through the last brewing stage. Getting back there will be such a risk.”
“I think it’ll be okay, Surely Seokmin would know you wouldn’t go back there so soon?”
“He would, however that doesn’t mean he won’t cover all his bases.”
“What does Seokmin even have against you? Why you? Of all vampires?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe once you’re safely back in the ocean I can tell you. But for now just know that he hates me, and if he finds out about you, he’ll hate you too.” Vernon aims his second rock, a splash erupting from the top of a wave as it sinks into the drift.
“He doesn’t even know me,” Chan pouts.
“That’s not how he works.”
Silence fills the cavern, the waves of the ocean rolling into the river gently.
“How did he even find you?” Chan asks with a quiet tone. Vernon shrugs, fiddling with the remaining rocks in his palms.
“I had to make a trade and apparently so did Seokmin. He burst into Minghao’s store, I was able to hide but Seokmin could tell by Minghao’s nerves that something was off. Seokmin began to question him but Minghao wasn’t giving me up, so he stormed off.”
“That sounds like a good ending, no?” Chan looks up at Vernon, his light brown hair parted in the centre, deep brown eyes standing out against the few scattered scales on his cheeks and temples.
“You’d think so, but no, when Seokmin doesn’t get what he wants he finds other ways, and yesterday Minghao sent word that Seokmin figured out that it was me he traded with.”
“Well shit,” Chan rests back on one of his arms, tilting his head.
“For now It’s fine, but I’ll need to disappear for a little while. I’ll come right back once he’s off my trail.”
“You won’t be long, right?” Chan looks at Vernon carefully, watching the way his eyes flicker and mouth hangs ajar.
“Of course, you’re annoying but you’re company so… this is home for now,” Vernon mumbles, tracing over a line of white mineral within a smooth rock before sliding it into his jean pocket and picking up another rock.
“Good! How long do I have to wait?” Chan smiles again, observing how Vernon analyses the rocks in his palm.
“Based on our schedule I need at the very minimum a week, but I’m not sure, it depends on how quick he picks up on my false trails, and if he believes them. It’ll also give me time to collect the other few things that I need to make this whole fiasco worth it.”
“Vernon, you know you don’t owe me anything. This is my dream not yours. I really don’t want to be the reason he catches you...” Vernon raises his brow, Chan’s gaze visible in his peripheral vision.
“You have such little faith in me, but that won’t happen. The one thing I need in return from you is to stay away from here until I get back. If he finds you and knows you exist this whole thing will be over and we won’t see each other again, there’ll be no potion.”
“If that’s what it takes I’ll stay away.”
“Good, after tonight I'm going to leave okay? Just wait for a week, if anything happens Minghao will leave a note.”
“...Okay.” Chan sighs before a smile blossoms on his face, “you know i’m barely holding back the urge to hug you right now.”
“Don’t make me sick, this distance between us is not only by force but my choice.”
“I know you want to hug me back, it’s okay, no need to lie.”
-----
The water shifts as Chan swims below its surface, Vernon clutches the new rock in his pocket as he turns away. Walking up the steep surface he scales the rocky hill, breaching the surface of his little hide away.
Without hesitation Vernon approaches the nearby lighthouse, dropping the rock in his pocket and grabbing his key. Forcing it into the lock the creaky door opens, a dim yellow light casts across his pale face. Kicking the door closed he hums to a distant beat, checking the water tank as he passes by. Beginning his climb he looks out the first window, a green hill and vast sky fills his vision. At the second window he can barely see any hill at all, the grey ocean and sky mixing as one through the small opening. By the third window he’s approaching the first dwelling, the dark wooden floors lit up but multiple unique light sources. Heading to the fridge he pulls out his dinner, the animal fits easily in his hands but there’s enough blood to last him at least this meal.
Sitting at the desk by the window he frowns, grabbing a pencil and some pad paper to seemingly scribble across its entirety.
“That should work… No?” The page fills to the brim with details before he scrunches it up and throws it into the nearby bin.
Humming to the music descending from above; Vernon starts with the next sheet, once again incoherent scribbles are pressed across the preprinted lines.
“Yeap okay, this is it,” Vernon mumbles as he tears the sheet away, placing it to his left.
To Minghao,
I’ll owe you big time for this I know, but we need to speed up this process. If you could complete it by the 24th and leave it in Ender Valley I would seriously appreciate it. In return I can get Seokmin out of your hair, I know his appearances drive away business.
I can’t wait for a reply, I can’t even deliver this myself. I’ll hide the rest of the ingredients in The Great Tree in two days. I trust that you know this is best for all of us.
Thanks for your commitment,
Vernon.
Stretching to the left he grabs an envelope from the kitchen counter, sealing it and writing Minghao’s address. Standing, he throws away the remains of his dinner and wipes his face in the mirror; even in the lowlight he can see traces of blood on his lips. Grabbing a cloth he wipes them clean before running back down the twisting stairs.
----
In his pocket lies his letter and a list of all the remaining items and their locations; Copal Tree Resin, Adder Stone and Trembling Merulius. Copal Tree Resin and Trembling Merulius reside in a nearby forest on the Central Mountain, only a mere trip north of the town centre with a detour to the east. Adder stone hides west of the mountain, in the depths of Astera’s flowing rivers.
Taking the letter and slipping it into the post box; Vernon takes a deep breath of the crisp late night air, clutching onto one of the straps of his backpack. After pulling his hoodie further across his face he walks deeper into the bustling town, increasing his pace as he heads towards the crowd. Security cameras scan the area but his head remains low, the pavement and the amount of feet being the only indication of the masses dissipating.
Turning down a narrow alley, the Central Mountain comes into view. Vernon for the first time in a while, glances upwards to make-out it’s perimetres. Though it lacks in height it’s two times as wide as the city itself, covered in thousands of trees with deep green leaves and thick moss. The city sounds cease as he pushes deeper into the alley, the forest becoming ever closer.
The gravel road turns to dirt as he steps out of the city, the occasional tree now multiplying with every step he takes. His eyes follow the path, naturally flowing to the right of the crossroad to the east. Beyond to the left lies a path to the west of the mountain, the fastest route to the Northern Beaches and Caves. There, residing in a large village market, lies Minghao’s shop; though it’s only visible to those that are looking.
With a grunt Vernon heads up the east path, the density of the trees sheathing him. Tugging at his hood it falls to his shoulders, his black hair now illuminated by the moonlight. After sticking his hand in his pocket he pulls out his list.
“Copal Tree Resin and Trembling Merulius, easy.”
Only a few kilometres to the east of the Central Mountain he can find Copal Tree Resin, there’s a patch of Copal trees he knows well not too far from the mountain's base. Trembling Merulius is more sporadic, there’s less certainty it will be in one area or the other. He knows for sure it resides in the east but Minghaos spoken directions can only get him so far.
The Central Mountain is unique in its environment, and although naturally Astera is diverse the inhabitants are partially to blame. Through years of suffering through witch trials and hunting, many folk found themselves hiding amongst the sheltered human’s of the island Astera. Bringing with them their homelands natural resources, forcing them to fit in with the pre-existing environment. Centuries passed and the trials faded, the resources remain the only evidence of supernatural existence.
The ancestors of hunters still linger, but not many pursue the cause. They know their history but assume the work was done. There are outliers that seek the truth but they do not find it, only few have confirmed the existence of any supernaturals at all.
Hours pass and Vernon rests against a nearby boulder, surveying his surroundings. The trees are tall and cover most of the sky, the dirt path once narrow is long gone, bright moss and deep roots cover the dirt where he stands. Through a break in the trees there’s an unusual trunk, breaking his glazing eyes he steps through the clearing, brushing away the leaves before settling on what could only be known as Trembling Merulius.
Taking gloves from his backpack and a large paper bag he pulls some of the white fungus from the rotting tree, it’s spongy texture creasing in his grip. An orange-pink tone clings to the mushroom’s edges, it contrasts with the white fungus in the clear bright light of dawn. Slipping the bag and gloves back in his bag Vernon observes his surroundings once again, he’s reached a small meadow with evergreen trees, all with Trembling Merulius sprouting from their rot. From all his times of wandering the Central Mountain, he’d never stumbled upon this little haven.
Pressing onwards he walks through the meadow and into the thick of the trees once more. Birds begin to chirp as the sun rises, Vernon continues to walk deep into the East Forest. By 7am he’s approaching a new cluster of trees, unique to any other on the entirety of the Central Mountain. The Copal Trees grow tall and wide, their branches and roots smooth to the touch. As the sunlight rises, Vernon can see glints of orange resin seeping from the tree's trunks. Using yet another pair of gloves and the acetone from his backpack he gently pries the resin from the trunk. Slowly but surely the resin peels cleanly from the tree, Vernon slips multiple chunks into a separate paper bag.
Leaning on a nearby trunk Vernon takes a breath, searching himself for the list of ingredients. Adder stone, the final ingredient, is hidden deep into the west of the mountain. With a sigh Vernon shoves the list in his pocket, observing his surroundings. The nearby trees are quite close together, the sun shining through the leaves of the trees.
With a sigh he sits up, taking one last look in the area before retreating, hoping to follow his trail back to the west. The sun slowly rises as he walks, birds sing and rain falls lightly on his skin, the chill air warming as noon approaches.
At the sound of leaves crackling on the forest floor, Vernon pauses, dipping behind a tree as the sound grows louder. Through some foliage a tall man with a slim face makes his way through the forest. His black curly hair nearly covers his vision as he treads carefully through the trees. He wears a loose and white long sleeve shirt with brown pants, his bag large and filled to the brim. Vernon holds his breath, hand resting on the tree in front of him as he maintains his position. The man pauses as he pulls a piece of paper from his pocket, eyes flicking across it. With a squint, Vernon stares at his own handwriting through the thin material. His head drops.
The man puts it back and keeps walking, Vernon doesn’t move until his last step can’t be heard any longer.
“Fuck…” Vernon whispers. Standing, he looks around, hands clenching for just a moment.
“How could he possibly know to look in a fucking post box...” With a brief glance behind him he sighs, securing his pockets and backpack.
“The chase is well and truly on, Seokmin, will you catch me?” Vernon smirks, looking at the ground between the trees as he starts to sprint.